Fierce discussions. TUT.BY went to the film, compared the author's version of Alexei Uchitel with real historical events analyzed in the scientific literature, and also found outright mistakes that could have been avoided.
Let us clarify that TUT.BY does not intend to condemn the director for (un)conscious deviation from the historical truth. In the end, every artist has the right to a creative interpretation of events. Another question is that many viewers (the author of the lines is no exception) tend to trust such biographical tapes in many respects. The truth, unfortunately, often remains unknown.
Engagement during the life of the king
The historian's main claim to the film "Matilda" is a deliberate shift in emphasis. According to the plot of the film, Emperor Alexander III approves the choice of his son, who, in modern terms, meets with the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya. But he dies when the decision on the candidacy of the bride has not yet been made. As a result, after the death of his father, the young emperor faces a difficult choice between his bride Alix (future Empress Alexandra Feodorovna) and Matilda.
In reality, there was no love triangle. The engagement of Nicholas and Alix was publicly announced during the life of Alexander III. The bride was with the family of her betrothed before the death of the emperor, the wedding took place less than a week after the funeral. The relationship between the ballerina and the heir ended before the engagement of the latter. Since that time, the heroes have never spoken alone.
The decision to marry is the cornerstone in the plot of the picture, invented by the screenwriter. If we follow the historical truth, then the invented conflict is falling apart before our eyes. Therefore, it is more logical to perceive "Matilda" as a work in the genre of "alternative history". For example, in Tarantino's film "Inglourious Basterds" one of the characters shoots Hitler with a machine gun and the entire top of the Reich perishes in an explosion and fire in a cinema. And that doesn't bother anyone.
Matilda is a princess? Why not!
According to the plot of the film, Nicholas II did not give up hope of marrying Matilda until the last. To do this, he decided to prove that the Kshesinskaya family had princely roots. The ballerina and Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich (friend of the young emperor and future husband of the ballerina) go to the library, where they are looking for information about the ancient family, to whose pedigree the Kshesinskys can be attributed. Alas, here the filmmakers send us greetings from the twentieth century.
At that time, the future monarch could marry only with a person equal to him in status. Since there were very few European dynasties, the choice of brides turned out to be minimal, and incest was inevitable. For example, along the line of her father, Alix was both the fourth cousin of the aunt and the second cousin of Nikolai. Ten years before their marriage, Ella (in Orthodoxy, Elizaveta Feodorovna), Alix's older sister, married Sergei Alexandrovich, Nikolai's uncle.
But even if Kshesinskaya were a princess, she could at best count on a morganatic marriage. So, the grandfather of her beloved Alexander II entered into a similar alliance with Ekaterina Dolgorukova, who received the title of Princess Yuryevskaya. And even then it happened when the emperor had already been on the throne for a long time, and he had an heir.
As for the abdication of the throne - by the way, in her memoirs, the ballerina claimed that she had never approached the heir with such a proposal - a similar story happened in England, when King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry the woman he loved (also divorced) . True, this event happened in 1936. So forty years before that, Matilda's happiness with Nikolai was impossible.
There was no bare chest!
"Matilda" is unlikely to please a lover of erotica. According to film critic Anna Efremenko, there "even spontaneous sex happens according to intuitive instructions from IKEA." But there is still one joy for a nude lover: in one of the episodes, Matilda's chest is exposed (this is a petty dirty trick on the part of a competitor who pulls the string of her stage costume on her back). But the brave soloist does not hesitate and dances the part to the end. Moreover, the shocked Nikolai paid attention to her only after this episode (now it is clear how to surprise the 22-year-old heirs to the throne).
Of course, there was no such scene in reality. The scandal in the ballet Petersburg took place only in 1911. And it happened not to a woman, but to a man. During the staging of the ballet Giselle, the great dancer Vaslav Nijinsky took the stage in a tight tights (before that, the performers of this part put on trousers). Alexandra Feodorovna, who was sitting in the royal box, laughed, but such liberties caused confusion among the rest of the imperial family. As a result, Nijinsky was fired from the Mariinsky Theatre.
If the reader turns to photographs of performances of that time (for example, they are published in the books of Vera Krasovskaya, the most authoritative specialist in the history of pre-revolutionary ballet), he will see that the bodice (the upper part of the costume for dancers) was more closed, and its width on the shoulders turned out to be much thicker than contemporary artists. Then the current, almost invisible harnesses were almost not used in costumes. Therefore, if a tight leotard, like Nijinsky's, was possible at the turn of the century, then a light striptease was not.
Ball on blood
During the coronation of Nicholas II, Khodynka happened - a mass crush on the Khodynka field (now it is located on the territory of modern Moscow). At least half a million people came there for a massive celebration in honor of the coronation. Many were attracted by rumors of gifts and distribution of valuable coins. During the stampede, 1,379 people died and more than 900 were crippled. According to the film, Nikolai arrived at the scene of the tragedy, ordered that each of the dead be buried in a separate grave (and not in a common one, as negligent subordinates suggested), allocate money to their relatives from the treasury, and then fell on his knees, repenting of an unintentional crime.
In reality, the Khodynka field was cleared of traces of the tragedy ... and the celebration continued. For example, the orchestra played a concert on the same field. In the evening, celebrations continued in the Kremlin Palace, and a ball was held in the French Embassy. Monarchists argued that Nicholas II did not cancel the ball, true to allied obligations. But in any case, the emperor's reputation was seriously damaged.
After this scene, it is even strange that Natalya Poklonskaya accused the film director Alexei Uchitel of desecrating the memory of the last Russian emperor. Rather, the film has an idealization of his image.
Emperor in a sidecar and Alix on a motorcycle
There are other inaccuracies in the picture as well. For example, the collapse of the imperial train occurred six years before the death of Emperor Alexander III, when his son did not even know Kshesinskaya. But the film lacked a beautiful picture. Therefore, a cart with a peasant appears in the frame, who did not have time to cross the track, as a result of which a train crashed into it (in reality there was no peasant. According to one version, the reason was too high speed, according to another - rotten sleepers). And after the accident, we see the emperor in a wheelchair. For that time, this was unthinkable: rumors about the state of Alexander III would immediately spread throughout the capital.
Or another example. Alexandra Fedorovna brings a German doctor with her. The future mother-in-law kicks him out of the palace. The Doctor is already starting the motorcycle when Alix leaves the palace, sits behind him, and they ride out together. Can you imagine that at the end of the 19th century, at five minutes to five, the emperor's wife rode around the capital on a motorcycle behind the back of an unfamiliar man? I'm not afraid to seem categorical - it's impossible.
For the sake of objectivity, I’ll add: if Matilda had turned out to be a successful film, its artistic merits would have blocked many of these listed shortcomings. But, judging by the film, the king, or rather the emperor, turned out to be naked. Or is it only Matilda?
By the centenary of the October Revolution, on October 25, 2017, perhaps the most scandalous film of recent years, Matilda by Alexei Uchitel, will be released on Russian screens. The creators of the picture have already called it "the main historical blockbuster of the year."
The tape tells about the dizzying romance of one of the brightest couples in world history: the future Emperor Nicholas II and the star of His Majesty the Imperial Theaters, the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya.
Despite the fact that the premiere is not soon, the first trailer for "Matilda" has already appeared on the network. Luxurious outfits, magnificent halls and frank scenes of not at all platonic love with the participation of a young ballerina and Tsarevich Nikolai.
It was these shots that caused a storm of indignation among the Orthodox activists of the "Royal Cross". The believers were outraged that the Teacher defames the memory of the saint (in 2000, Nicholas II and his family were recognized as martyrs).
Then deputy Natalya Poklonskaya added fuel to the fire, stating that she would not even "get dirty watching" the tape.
The heirs of the royal House of Romanov did not honor the conflict with their attention, but the descendants of Matilda Kshesinskaya were very worried about the release of the provocative film.
The film will probably be good, given that the director is good, - shared with "Komsomolskaya Pravda" - Nizhny Novgorod" great-grandson of the ballerina Konstantin Sevenard. - But the problem is that the film ends with the coronation of Nikolai, and the authors claim that this is where the relationship between Matilda and Nikolai ends. But we, the relatives of Matilda Feliksovna, have completely different information. And we want the whole truth about Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nicholas II to finally become known by the 100th anniversary of the dramatic revolutionary events.
Excursion into history
But let's start in order. For the first time, the young Tsarevich Nicholas saw Matilda at her final exam at the Imperial Theater School. Matilda - an expressive 18-year-old beauty with an amazingly thin waist - that evening was dressed in a delicate blue suit, decorated with lilies of the valley. Then, on March 23, 1890, the entire imperial family, headed by Alexander III, came to the school for the final performance.
Of all the graduates, the tsar singled out Kshesinskaya, who shone on stage in an "expressive dance filled with crafty coquetry."
When Kshesinskaya was introduced to the sovereign, he extended his hand to her, uttering the fateful words for her:
Be the adornment and glory of our ballet.
After the reception, the pupils of the school and the royal family moved to the dining room. Alexander III invited Kshesinskaya to sit next to him, and next to her, as if on purpose, he seated his son Nicholas. It was this evening that became a turning point in the lives of both.
I don’t remember what we talked about, but I immediately fell in love with the Heir, Matilda later wrote in her diaries. - Like now, I see his blue eyes with such a kind expression. When I said goodbye to the Heir, who spent the whole dinner next to me, we looked at each other differently than when we met: a feeling of attraction had already crept into his soul, like into mine, although we were not aware of this .
According to the memoirs of Kshesinskaya herself, the passionate meetings of lovers began only two years later, in 1892.
Nikolai himself described his attitude to the ballerina quite simply:
Little Kshesinskaya positively occupies me ...
However, the short-lived happiness of the lovers soon comes to an end: in 1894, Nicholas II was engaged to the German princess Alice of Hesse. The future last emperor of Russia breaks off the affair with the brilliant Kshesinskaya and plunges into family life and state affairs.
Heartbroken by separation, Matilda, however, soon finds solace in the arms of another member of the royal family - Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, and later marries Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. From him, she gives birth to her only child - the son of Vladimir.
On the night of July 17, 1918, Nikolai and his entire family were shot in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. After the massacre, not a single heir of the last Russian emperor remained alive.
At least that's what the official version says.
The last daughter of Nicholas II
Almost immediately after the tragic events of the summer of 1918, in different parts of the world, like mushrooms after the rain, the false children of Nikolai and Alexandra began to appear “who had escaped execution.” In total, history knew 28 false Olgas, 33 false Tatyans, 53 false Maries, 34 false Anastasius and 81 false Alexei. In addition to them, supposedly secret daughters of the imperial couple also tried to achieve recognition and “reclaim their rights”.
However, later among historians timidly sounded suggestions that the last emperor could indeed have left heirs. But not from his missus, but from a completely different woman. Since the tsar was not distinguished by a wild character and loving nature, Matilda Kshesinskaya became the only "suspect". Those who like to get to the bottom of the truth decided that Tselina Kshesinskaya, who is still considered the niece of the famous ballerina, could become the “last daughter of the emperor”. For many years there was not a single confirmation of this version, until ...
… On New Year's Eve Konstantin Sevenard, a descendant of the Honored Artist of His Majesty of the Imperial Theatres, arrived in Nizhny Novgorod. According to all documents, he is the great-grandson of Joseph Kshesinsky, the brother of Matilda Feliksovna. It is believed that it was Joseph Kshesinsky who in 1911 had a daughter, Tselina. The girl married Konstantin Sevenard and bore him three children: Lydia, Yuri and Fedor. None of them doubted their origin. Only in the late 80s, one of the grandchildren of Tselina, Konstantin Sevenard, by the will of fate, opened the veil of family secrets and legends of Matilda Kshesinskaya.
According to the descendants of Kshesinskaya, in this photo Matilda is trying to hide her rounded tummy. Photo:
And now, in Nizhny Novgorod, in the family photo archive of the ballerina's descendants, Konstantin Sevenard discovered several extremely important pictures. It is they, according to Sevenard, who are able to turn the prevailing ideas about the royal family. Konstantin Yuryevich met with Komsomolskaya Pravda and showed historical photographs.
This photo was taken in 1911. As you can see, Matilda Feliksovna is far from being in ballet form on her, - Konstantin Sevenard points to the ballerina's noticeably rounded tummy. - And here, for example, is another picture taken later in the same year. Here we see the already built Matilda. Look, she is standing next to the stroller and tenderly looks at the small sleeping virgin soil. We believe that these pictures fully prove the fact that Matilda Feliksovna gave birth to a daughter in the summer of 1911. But from whom?
According to the assurances of Kshesinskaya's descendants, this picture fully proves that in the summer of 1911 Kshesinskaya gave birth to a daughter. Photo: From the personal archive of the hero of the publication
Hot autumn of 1910
To answer this question, you need to go back almost 30 years to perestroika Leningrad, where in 1987 a general overhaul was carried out in the former mansion of Matilda Kshesinskaya.
Then the builders found the diaries of Matilda Feliksovna, which were not known to the public before, - Konstantin Sevenard begins his story. - I myself have not seen these diaries, but the people who managed to read them told me something that fundamentally changes the view of the history of our state.
You know, throughout her career in Tsarist Russia, the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater, Matilda, more than once turned to her former lover, Nicholas II, for help in resolving theatrical intrigues. Correspondence between them never completely stopped. Nikolai, together with his wife Alexandra Fedorovna (Princess Alice received this name when she converted to Orthodoxy), even attended performances in which Kshesinskaya danced. These are all known facts. But we never guessed that Nikolai and Matilda met in person after 1894. And it happened at least twice.
The first time Matilda Feliksovna and Nikolai met in October 1910. Moreover, the emperor himself insisted on the meeting. The situation in Russia was already extremely tense, and his position was becoming increasingly precarious. Moreover, Nicholas II was a man who believed in mystical predictions. According to one of these predictions, martyrdom was destined for him and his entire family. Of course, the emperor, as a statesman, was already thinking about the future of himself and his country. After much thought, he came to the decision to leave behind another heir, but outside the royal family.
According to the descendants of Kshesinskaya, Tselina is the daughter of Matilda and Nicholas II. Photo: From the personal archive of the hero of the publication
Naturally, the only woman, except for Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, from whom the tsar would like to have an heir, was Matilda, dearly beloved by him. The October meeting ended with their closeness. And, - oh happiness! - Matilda Feliksovna became pregnant. In July 1911, Matilda gave birth to a girl. But it was unacceptable to leave the baby at home - gossip would go. And she gave the baby to the care of her brother Joseph and his wife.
Secret marriage in Tsarskoe Selo
After 6 years, the situation in the country has reached a boiling point. The failures in the First World War and, as a result, the dissatisfaction of the inhabitants of the country personally with the emperor led to mass demonstrations of Petrograd workers and soldiers of the Petrograd garrison in February 1917. The February Revolution led to the overthrow of the monarchy. On March 2, Nicholas II abdicated the throne. Now the former emperor was arrested by the Provisional Government in Tsarskoe Selo, where he, along with his entire family, remained imprisoned until August of that year.
In April 1917, Matilda made sure that she was allowed to visit the imperial family in Tsarskoe Selo, allegedly to give them gifts for Easter, - the voice of Konstantin Sevenard becomes stronger. - She succeeded only due to the fact that Prince Lvov (Chairman of the Provisional Government - ed.) was an ardent admirer of ballet and Matilda Feliksovna in particular. On that day, the marriage of Nikolai and Alexandra Feodorovna was annulled in the Tsarskoye Selo church. Almost immediately, in the same church, Nikolai was married to Kshesinskaya.
Again, in this situation, Nikolai was guided, first of all, by state interests. In the spring of 1917, the imperial family still had a chance to flee abroad. But for this, Nicholas had to guarantee that after him there would be no heirs capable of claiming the throne. Having divorced Alice, he thereby deprived their common children of the right of succession to the throne.
And the marriage with Kshesinskaya was concluded in order to make her and their common daughter Tselina (which the Provisional Government did not know about) the heiress.
5 thousand tons of gold of the Tsar's crown
- Is there any documentary evidence of what you just said? I mean, except for the unpublished diaries of Matilda Feliksovna.
Certainly! - Konstantin Yuryevich answers with a confident smile. I personally saw the originals of all these documents. And a couple of very important papers.
Here is how it was. In 1989, together with my classmates, I went to Poland on an excursion to Gdansk.
After her, I decided to get to Warsaw, visit the Krasinsky family crypt (according to family tradition, the Kshesinsky family originates from the Polish counts Krasinsky - ed.), Konstantin Sevenard continues with a gleam in his eyes. - I quickly found a crypt in the cemetery: we had his photographs at home. I went inside. In the cold room, he sat down on a massive marble bench. Suddenly I realized that the slab on top of the bench was loose. On a whim, I lifted this slab and saw that the bench was hollow inside. The thought immediately flashed that this was a clever hiding place. I climbed inside and groped for a few pieces of paper. Gently, almost without breathing, he took them out and gasped. Directly on top lay the Decree of Nicholas II, certified by his personal signature.
- What was this decree?
About succession. In it, Nikolai admitted that there was no renunciation. In addition, in it he bequeaths the inheritance of the throne and property to the Most Serene Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya (this title belonged to Kshesinskaya - ed.) and her direct heirs in the male and female lines.
Under the decree was a church document on the conclusion of an alliance between Nicholas and Matilda, dated April 1917. Beneath it is the confession of Tselina's daughter.
But the surprises didn't end there for me. At the very bottom were two certificates from the National Reserve Bank of the United States of America for a deposit of 5,000 tons of gold at 6%.
- What specifically was said in these certificates?
They were compiled in two languages: Russian and English. One certificate was for a contribution of 3200 tons of gold, the other for 1800 tons. The certificate stated that this was a personal contribution of Nikolai (not a state one!) for a period of 110 years. After that, only the direct descendants of Nicholas can dispose of gold. The contribution was made in 1913. It turns out that in 2023 the non-returnable period ends.
It was also stated in the certificates that the heirs of Nikolai could at any time withdraw interest in the form of any equipment and weapons produced in the USA. In addition, the documents strictly stipulated the conditions under which the bank must immediately return the deposit with huge interest.
- For example?
For example, if the US does not go to war with Japan, if Japan attacks Russia.
- Did you take these documents?
I could not take them out of the crypt: firstly, because due to time and improper storage conditions, many papers literally crumbled at the slightest movement. Secondly, it would give me a lot of trouble. I didn't even have a camera to take pictures.
Upon returning from Poland to Leningrad, I called the Leningrad Department of the KGB and reported the find. I also asked them to make copies of the documents and give them to me, but my request was never fulfilled.
News from emigration
- Has Kshesinskaya never once tried to tell her heirs the whole truth about their origin in many years?
Matilda Feliksovna tried several times to contact her descendants, but the letters coming from her were immediately torn. You see, our parents thought that a connection with such a person as Kshesinskaya would put them in a lot of trouble. But Matilda was persistent: in 1961, when she was already 90 years old, she sailed on a steamer to Odessa to personally see her grandchildren. But, imagine, in the port she was not even allowed to get off the ship!
But Kshesinskaya did not give up: she decided to leave an envelope with a letter and copies of all documents for posterity. It was handed over to me in 1989.
- An amazing coincidence!
At that time, I traveled a lot as part of various student delegations. Almost immediately after the trip to Poland, we went to Antwerp. Baroness Anna de Casterle accompanied us there as an interpreter. Once we talked with her, and the baroness said that in her youth she attended the ballet classes of Matilda Kshesinskaya in Paris. When Anna found out that I was a descendant of Matilda Feliksovna, she convinced me to go to Paris. Like, there is important news waiting for me there.
Having collected money, I went to Paris. There, on the eve of my departure, I saw Prince Meshchersky in his luxurious estate in the south-west of the capital.
The prince handed me an envelope with a letter from Matilda and copies of all those documents that, by the will of fate, I had already seen in Warsaw.
Unfortunately, at the beginning of 1990 my apartment in Leningrad was robbed. Almost nothing of value was lost, except for the very envelope with all the papers ...
genetic expertise
- And what do you intend to do now? As far as I understand, you are convinced that you are the direct heir of the last Russian emperor. But it's easy enough to check.
Of course, that is why my father, Yuri Konstantinovich Sevenard - the son of Tselina Kshesinskaya - in November passed a DNA sample to the Institute of General Genetics. Vavilov. Geneticists will compare it with the DNA sample of Nicholas II. And then, hopefully, everything will fall into place.
The story told by the great-grandson of Matilda Kshesinskaya is more like a brilliant script for another Hollywood biopic. There is everything here: the tragic personality of Nicholas II, a secret and so forbidden marriage with a brilliant ballerina, an illegitimate heir to the crown, thousands of tons of gold taken out of the country, a whole detective with the search for secret documents, hidden diaries, crypts and robberies. Perhaps this would be more than enough for more than one film. And it doesn't even matter that there are a number of inconsistencies in history. For example, it is almost unbelievable to imagine that documents of almost world importance were hidden in a shabby bench, where they could easily be found by a passer-by. Or here's another: the seemingly simply unrealistic amounts that Nikolai allegedly took out of the country right on the eve of the devastating First World War. Why, at the very time when Russia was literally starving, did he calmly store 5,000 tons of gold in the United States? By the way, the entire gold reserve of the country at the beginning of the war amounted to 1311 tons of gold, and the Russian Empire ranked first in the world in this indicator!
Be that as it may, time and genetic examination (if it takes place) will put everything in its place. But who knows, maybe very soon Russia will still hear about the descendants of the last Tsar Nicholas II and the glory of the Russian ballet Matilda Kshesinskaya.
COMPETENT
Fedor Drozdov, Candidate of Historical Sciences:
The fact that Nikolai had a relationship with Matilda Kshesinskaya is a fact. But it is difficult to talk about their connection after Nikolai's marriage to Alexandra Fedorovna: even if they saw each other, all this was done as secretly as possible.
But, excuse me, I will never believe that Nikolai in Tsarskoye Selo bequeathed the throne to his illegitimate daughter, whose origin will still have to be proved. Moreover, in the Russian Empire, the priority right to succession to the throne has always been through the male line. Let me also remind you that Nikolai abdicated the throne both for himself and for his son Alexei.
Now with regard to the personal contribution of Nicholas II to the US National Reserve Bank. Undoubtedly, some capital of the royal family exists abroad. By the way, the false children of the emperor have claimed them before. But it is impossible to imagine such a colossal private contribution. Five thousand tons of gold is no longer private, but state volumes!
The unreality of the whole story is given by the fact that the most important historical documents were found in the cemetery. This can only happen in some exciting movie.
Nevertheless, the descendants of Kshesinskaya may well check their relationship with Nicholas II. But I think, most likely, the "heirs of the last emperor" will turn out to be ordinary scammers who just wanted to get PR.
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The descendants of Matilda Kshesinskaya revealed the secrets of their family to Komsomolskaya Pravda. Roman IGNATIEV
Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya is a Russian ballerina with Polish roots who performed on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater from 1890 to 1917, the mistress of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II. The story of their love formed the basis of the feature film by Alexei Uchitel "Matilda".Early years. Family
Matilda Kshesinskaya was born on August 31 (according to the old style - 19), 1872 in St. Petersburg. Initially, the surname of the family sounded like "Krzhezinsky". Later it was transformed into "Kshesinsky" for harmony. 
Her parents are ballet dancers of the Mariinsky Theatre: her father Felix Kshesinsky was a ballerina, who in 1851 was invited from Poland to the Russian Empire by Nicholas I himself, and her mother Yulia Deminskaya, at the time of their acquaintance, was raising five children from her deceased first husband, the dancer Lede, was a soloist corps de ballet. Matilda's grandfather Jan was a famous violinist and opera singer who sang from the stage of the Warsaw Opera.
At the age of 8, Matilda became a student of the Imperial Theater School in St. Petersburg, where her brother Joseph and sister Yulia were already studying. The day of the final exam - March 23, 1890 - a talented girl who graduated as an external student, remembered for a lifetime.
According to tradition, Emperor Alexander III sat in the examination committee, who was accompanied that day by his son and heir to the throne, Nicholas II. The 17-year-old ballerina showed herself perfectly, and in parting, the emperor gave her parting words: “Be the adornment and glory of our ballet!” Later, in her memoirs, Matilda wrote: "Then I said to myself that I was obliged to justify the hopes placed on me."
Ballerina career
Immediately after graduating from college, Matilda was invited to the main troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. Already in the first season, she was assigned small roles in 22 ballets and 21 operas. 
Colleagues remembered Matilda as an incredibly hard-working dancer who inherited a talent for dramatic expressiveness from her father. She could stand for hours at the ballet barre, overcoming the pain.
In 1898, the prima began taking lessons from Enrico Cecchetti, an outstanding Italian dancer. With his help, she became the first Russian ballerina to masterfully perform 32 fouettes in a row. Previously, only the Italian Pierina Legnani succeeded, whose rivalry with Matilda lasted for many years.
After six years of work in the theater, the ballerina was awarded the title of prima. Her repertoire included the Dragee Fairy (The Nutcracker), Odette (Swan Lake), Paquita, Esmeralda, Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty) and Princess Aspicia (The Pharaoh's Daughter). Her unique style combined the impeccability of the Italian and the lyricism of the Russian ballet schools. To this day, a whole era, a great time for Russian ballet, is associated with her name.
Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nicholas II
The relationship between Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nicholas II began at a dinner party after the final exam. The heir to the throne was seriously carried away by the airy and fragile ballerina, and with the full approval of his mother. 
Empress Maria Feodorovna was seriously worried about the fact that her son (before meeting Kshesinskaya) did not show any interest in girls, so she encouraged his affair with Matilda in every possible way. For example, Nikolai Alexandrovich took money for gifts for his beloved from a fund specially created for this purpose. Among them was the house on the English Embankment, previously owned by the composer Rimsky-Korsakov.
For a long time they were content with chance meetings. Before each performance, Matilda looked out the window for a long time in the hope of seeing her lover ascending the steps, and when he came, she danced with double enthusiasm. In the spring of 1891, after a long separation (Nikolai went to Japan), the heir first secretly left the palace and went to Matilda.
Trailer of the film "Matilda"
Their romance lasted until 1894 and ended due to the engagement of Nicholas to the British princess Alice of Darmstadt, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who stole the heart of the emperor's successor. Matilda was very upset by the gap, but with all her heart she supported Nicholas II, realizing that a crowned person could not marry a ballerina. She was on the side of her former lover when the emperor and his wife opposed his union with Alice.
Before his marriage, Nicholas II entrusted the care of Matilda to his cousin, Prince Sergei Mikhailovich, president of the Russian Theater Society. For the next few years, he was a true friend and patron of the ballerina.
However, Nicholas, at that time already the emperor, still had feelings for his former lover. He continued to follow her career. It was rumored that not without his patronage, Kshesinskaya received the place of prima Mariinsky in 1886. In 1890, in honor of her benefit performance, he presented Matilda with an elegant diamond brooch with sapphire, which he and his wife had been choosing for a long time.
Documentary film about Matilda Kshesinskaya with video footage
After that same benefit performance, Matilda was introduced to another cousin of Nicholas II - Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. As the legend says, he stared at the beauty and accidentally knocked over a glass of wine on her expensive dress sent from France. But the ballerina saw this as a happy sign. Thus began their romance, which later ended in marriage.
In 1902, Matilda gave birth to a son, Vladimir, from Prince Andrei. The birth was very difficult, a woman in labor with a newborn was miraculously pulled out of the other world.
Life at the beginning of the 20th century
In 1903, the ballerina was invited to America, but she refused the offer, preferring to stay in her homeland. At the turn of the century, the prima had already achieved all conceivable heights on the stage, and in 1904 she decided to quit the main troupe of the Mariinsky Theater. She did not stop dancing, but now she was under contract and received a huge fee for each performance. 
In 1908, Matilda went on a tour to Paris, where she met a young aristocrat, Peter Vladimirovich, who was 21 years her junior. They began a passionate romance, because of which Prince Andrei challenged his opponent to a duel and shot him in the nose.
After the revolution of 1917, the court ballerina was forced to emigrate first to Constantinople, then to France, where she spent the rest of her life in a villa in the town of Cap d'Ail with her husband and son. Almost all the property remained in Russia, the family was forced to sell all the jewelry, but this was not enough, and Matilda opened a ballet school, which was a success thanks to her big name.
During the war, Kshesinskaya fell ill with arthritis - since then, every movement was given to her with great difficulty, but the school still flourished. When she gave herself entirely to a new passion, gambling, the studio became her only source of a fairly impoverished income.
Death
Matilda Kshesinskaya, mistress of the last Russian emperor, lived a bright, amazing life. She did not live a few months before her 100th birthday. On December 6, 1971, she died and was buried in the cemetery of Saint-Genevieve-des-Bois in the same grave with her husband. 
In 1969, 2 years before Matilda's death, the stars of the Soviet ballet Ekaterina Maksimova and Vladimir Vasiliev visited her estate. As they later wrote in their memoirs, they were met on the threshold by a completely gray-haired, withered old woman with surprisingly young eyes full of brilliance. When they told Matilda that her name is still remembered in her homeland, she replied: "And they will always remember."
In 1890, 18-year-old Matilda Kshesinskaya, still unknown to anyone, but a more promising girl, graduated from the Imperial Theater School. According to custom, after the graduation demonstration performance, Matilda and other graduates are presented to the crowned family. Alexander III shows special favor to the young talent, who enthusiastically follows the pirouettes and arabesques of the dancer. True, Matilda was a visiting pupil of the school, and such people were not supposed to be present at the festive banquet with members of the royal family. However, Alexander, who noticed the absence of a fragile dark-haired girl, ordered to immediately bring her into the hall, where they uttered the fateful words: “Mademoiselle! Be the adornment and glory of our ballet!”
At the table, Matilda was seated next to Tsarevich Nikolai, who, despite his position and young age (he was then 22 years old), had not been seen by that time in any amorous story where he could demonstrate his ardor and temperament. Fervor and temperament - no, but devotion and tenderness - very much so.
Dreams of marriage
In January 1889, at the invitation of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt, the granddaughter of the English Queen Victoria, arrived in St. Petersburg. The girl who stopped at the Beloselsky-Belozersky palace was introduced to Tsarevich Nikolai (Alexander III was the princess's godfather). In the six weeks that the future Empress of Russia arrived in St. Petersburg, she managed to win the meek heart of the future emperor and arouse in him a frantic desire to bind himself to her by marriage. But when rumors reached that Nikolai wanted to marry Alice, he ordered his son to forget about this desire. The fact is that Alexander and his wife Maria Fedorovna hoped to marry their son to the daughter of the pretender to the throne of France, Louis Philippe, Louise Henriette, whom The Washington Post even called "the embodiment of women's health and beauty, an elegant athlete and a charming polyglot."
By the time he met Kshesinskaya, Nikolai already intended to marry Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
It was only later, in 1894, when the emperor’s health began to deteriorate sharply, and Nikolai, with unusual vehemence, continued to insist on his own, the attitude changed - fortunately, Alice’s sister, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, contributed not only to the rapprochement of the heir to the throne and the princess, helping in the correspondence of lovers, but also by hidden methods influenced Alexander. Due to all these reasons, in the spring of 1894, a manifesto appeared in which the engagement of the Tsarevich and Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt was announced. But that was after.
"Baby" Kshesinskaya and Nikki
And in 1890, when Nikolai could only correspond with his Alice, he was suddenly introduced to Matilda Kshesinskaya - according to some historians, the cunning Alexander decided that Nikolai needed to be distracted from his love and channel his energy in a different direction. The emperor’s project was a success: already in the summer, the crown prince writes in his diary: “Baby Kshesinskaya positively occupies me ...” - and regularly attends her performances.
Matilda Kshesinskaya fell in love with the future emperor at first sight. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
“Baby” Kshesinskaya perfectly understood what game she was entering into, but she could hardly realize how far she would advance in relations with members of the royal family. When there was a shift in communication with Nikolai, Matilda announced to her father, a well-known Polish dancer who performed on the Mariinsky stage, that she had become Nikolai's lover. The father listened to his daughter and asked only one question: does she realize that the affair with the future emperor will not end in anything? To this question, which she asked herself, Matilda replied that she wanted to drink the cup of love to the bottom.
The romance of the temperamental and bright ballerina and the future emperor of Russia, who was not accustomed to demonstrating his feelings, lasted exactly two years. Kshesinskaya had really strong feelings for Nikolai and even considered her relationship with him a sign of fate: both he and she were “marked” with the number two: he was supposed to become Nicholas II, and she was called Kshesinskaya-2 on stage: the eldest also worked in the theater Matilda's sister Julia. When their relationship had just begun, Kshesinskaya enthusiastically wrote in her diary: “I fell in love with the Heir from our first meeting. After the summer season in Krasnoye Selo, when I could meet and talk with him, my feeling filled my whole soul, and I could only think about him ... "
Lovers met most often in the house of the Kshesinsky family and did not particularly hide: no secrets were possible at court, and the emperor himself covered his eyes to his son’s novel. There was even a case when the mayor rushed into the house, in a hurry to inform that the sovereign was hastily demanding his son to his Anichkov Palace. However, in order to maintain decency, a mansion was bought for Kshesinskaya on the English Embankment, where lovers could see each other without any interference.
End of story
The relationship ended in 1894. Matilda, ready from the very beginning for such an outcome, did not fight in hysterics, did not cry: when saying goodbye to Nicholas with restraint, she behaves with dignity befitting a queen, but not an abandoned mistress.
The ballerina took the news of the breakup calmly. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org It is impossible to say that this was a deliberate calculation, but Kshesinskaya’s behavior led to a positive result: Nikolai always remembered his girlfriend with warmth, and in parting asked her to always address him as “you”, to continue to call him the home nickname “Nikki” and in in case of trouble always turn to him. Later, Nikolai Kshesinskaya would indeed resort to the help, but only for professional purposes related to behind-the-scenes theatrical intrigues.
At this point, their relationship was finally broken. Matilda continued to dance and hovered over the stage with special inspiration when she saw her former lover in the royal box. And Nicholas, who put on the crown, completely immersed himself in the state concerns that fell on him after the death of Alexander III, and in the quiet whirlpool of family life with the desired Alix, as he affectionately called the former princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt.
When the engagement had just taken place, Nikolai honestly spoke about his connection with the ballerina, to which she replied: “What has passed has passed and will never return. All of us in this world are surrounded by temptations, and when we are young, we cannot always fight to resist the temptation… I love you even more since you told me this story. Your trust touches me so deeply… Can I be worthy of it…?”
P.S.
A few years later, terrible upheavals and a terrible end awaited Nikolai: the Russo-Japanese War, Bloody Sunday, a series of assassinations of high-ranking officials, the First World War, popular discontent that grew into a revolution, the humiliating exile of him and his entire family, and, finally, the execution in the basement of Ipatiev Houses.
Matilda Kshesinskaya with her son. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
Kshesinskaya, on the other hand, had a different fate - the glory of one of the richest women in the Empire, a love affair with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, from whom she would give birth to a son, emigration to Europe, an affair with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, who would give the child his patronymic, and the glory of one of the best ballerina of her time and one of the most attractive women of the era, who turned the head of Emperor Nicholas himself.
1. Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna were not the initiators of the "novel" of Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich and M. Kshesinskaya.
2. Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna were not opposed to their son's wedding to Princess Alice of Hesse. On the contrary, having learned about the engagement, they were happy for their son.
3. The youthful infatuation of Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich with the ballerina M. Kshesinskaya did not bear the character of “love passion” on his part and did not turn into a sexual relationship.
4. From early youth, the Tsarevich dreamed of marrying Princess Alice, and he never intended to give any serious character to his relationship with Kshesinskaya. The statements of the authors of the script that Nikolai Alexandrovich “loved” Kshesinskaya so much that he did not want to marry Princess Alice, and was even ready to exchange the crown for marriage with a ballerina, are pure fiction, a lie.
5. The collapse of the Imperial train occurred in the autumn of 1888, two years before the acquaintance of Alexander III and Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich with M. Kshesinskaya. Therefore, they could not talk about her in any way. Kshesinskaya herself was 16 years old in 1888.
6. M. Kshesinskaya has never been to the highest receptions.
7. Princess Alice of Hesse arrived in the Crimea on October 10, 1894, that is, ten days before the death of Emperor Alexander III. Therefore, it is not at all clear why, according to the script, she is dressed in a mourning dress and expresses her condolences to the Heir. In addition, the Heir met Alix in Alushta, where she was taken by horse-drawn carriage, and not by train, as the script states.
8. M. Kshesinskaya was not present at the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II, and he could not see her there.
9. The order of the coronation and wedding of the Russian emperors was signed to the details and had a centuries-old tradition. Outright fiction and lies are the provisions of the script, where Alexandra Feodorovna argues with Maria Feodorovna whether she should wear a Monomakh's hat or a large imperial crown. And also the fact that Maria Feodorovna herself tried on the crown for her daughter-in-law.
10. According to the established procedure, not the Emperor and Empress personally took part in the rehearsal of the coronation, but courtiers.
11. The eldest son of Emperor Alexander II, Tsesarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, died in 1865 in Nice, not from tuberculosis, as "Maria Fedorovna" claims, but from meningitis.
12. The first filming in Russia, carried out by the French company "Pate", was not dedicated to the arrival in Simferopol "by train" of Princess Alice, as stated in the script, but to the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II.
13. Emperor Nicholas II did not faint at the coronation, his crown did not roll on the floor.
14. Emperor Nicholas II never, especially alone, did not go backstage in theaters.
15. There has never been a person with the name "Ivan Karlovich" on the list of directors of the Imperial Theater.
16. Among the doctors who treated the Empress Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, there was never a “Doctor Fischel”.
17. The costume of ballerinas is not worn on a naked body, so the episode with a torn off strap of the bodice could not take place in reality.
18. No one, except for a close family environment, could say “you” to the Tsar or the Heir, moreover, K.P. Pobedonostsev could not do this.
19. Not a single Russian officer in his right mind could ever throw himself on the Heir to the Throne with the aim of beating or killing him, because of the "kiss of a ballerina."
20. Emperor Nicholas II never tried to abdicate, much less attempted to "escape" with Kshesinskaya from Russia.
21. Coronation gifts were distributed to the people not by throwing them from some towers, but in buffets specially designated for this. The crush began a few hours before the distribution of gifts, at night.
22. Emperor Nicholas II never came to the Khodynka field and did not examine the "mountain of corpses", which did not exist. Since the total number of deaths during the stampede (1300 people) includes those who died in hospitals. By the time the Emperor and Empress arrived at the Khodynka field, the corpses of the dead had already been taken away. So there was nothing to "survey".
23. Slander: Alexander III organizes prodigal dates for his son, forcing his brother Grand Duke Vladimir to photograph ballerinas for this.
24. Slander: Alexander III calls on his son Tsarevich Nicholas to live a prodigal life "while I am alive."
25. Slander: Before his death, Alexander III blesses M. Kshesinskaya for prodigal cohabitation with his son Tsarevich Nicholas.
26. Slander: Alexander III assures that all Russian emperors have lived with ballerinas for the last hundred years.
27. Slander: Alexander III calls ballerinas "pedigreed Russian mares."
28. Slander: Nicholas II draws mustaches and beards in photographs of ballerinas.
29. Slander: Nicholas II does not hide his relationship with Kshesinskaya and has sexual contact with her in the Great Peterhof Palace, thereby falling into fornication.
30. Slander: Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna participate in the spiritualistic occult seances of "Doctor Fishel", which, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, is a grave sin.
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