Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia
| Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna | |
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| Grand Duchess of Russia | |
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Portrait by Vladimir Borovikovsky, 1796. Oil on canvas from the Gatchina Palace Museum, St Petersburg, Russia.
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| Born |
9 August 1783 Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Died | 16 March 1801 (aged 17) Buda, Kingdom of Hungary |
| Spouse | Archduke Joseph of Austria |
| Issue | Archduchess Alexandrine of Austria |
| House | Romanov |
| Father | Paul I of Russia |
| Mother | Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg |
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia, (Russian: Александра Павловна: 9 August 1783 at Saint Petersburg – 16 March 1801 in Buda) was a daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia and sister of Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I. She Married Archduke Joseph of Austria, Governor of Hungary.) Her marriage was the only Romanov-Habsburg marital alliance that ever occurred.
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna was born in Saint Petersburg as the third child and eldest daughter of Tsar Paul I of Russia and his second wife Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg (renamed Maria Feodorovna after her wedding). The sex of the child disappointed her paternal grandmother, Empress Catherine II. She wrote:
A third child was born and was a girl, which was named Alexandra in honor of his older brother. To tell the truth, I am infinitely more like boys than girls.
The Empress' secretary Alexander Khrapovitsky wrote that the Empress considered the newborn Grand Duchess Alexandra very ugly, especially compared with her older brothers. The comparison with her younger sister Elena, was also unfavorable to her: the Empress noted that the six-month-old Elena was much smarter and charming than the two-year Alexandra. However, as a gift for the birth of Alexandra, Catherine II gave her son Gatchina Palace.
Gradually the Empress starts to had better feelings about her granddaughter. On 12 March 1787 she wrote to her:
Alexandra Pavlovna, I'm always pleased that you're clever, don't cry and was always funny; you're smart, and I'm happy with that. Thank you, that you love me, I'll love you.
In turn, Alexandra was particularly attached to her grandmother. Catherine II noted:
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