Nicholas II and Matilda Kshesinskaya, historical facts, biography. Queen of the stage and intrigue: who was Matilda Kshesinskaya Matilda film biography

Name: Matilda Kshesinskaya

Date of Birth: 31.08.1872

Age: 146 years old

Place of Birth: Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire

Activity: ballerina, teacher

Family status: married

The biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya are now being actively discussed. This name is on everyone's lips after the premiere of the sensational film "Matilda", in which the autocrat, canonized by the saints of the Orthodox Church, is shown as an ordinary passionate person. This shocked many, especially believers. And, as you know, many people are now protesting. So who was this mysterious woman really?

Childhood and youth of Matilda

Matilda Kshesinskaya was born on August 31, 1872. Her biography began in the town of Ligovo, St. Petersburg district.

Matilda's parents were ballet actors, Pole Felix and Julia. His father performed at the Mariinsky Theater, and his mother was a corps de ballet dancer. The personal life of Felix and Yulia Kshesinsky was successful, they had three children, despite the fact that Yulia had 5 children from her first husband before her marriage to Felix. In girlhood, the mother's surname was Dominskaya. She was married to the famous dancer Lede, who died leaving her alone with her children.

Matilda from childhood showed the ability to theatrical art, and with all her heart she loved the theater. Her older sister was also a ballerina, which only increased the desire of the young girl to follow this path. Therefore, as soon as she was 8 years old, the girl entered the Imperial Theater School and in 1890 graduated from it as an external student. During her studies, the future ballerina was worried that she would not be able to benefit society, but when she saw the performance of the famous Virginia Zucchi and was inspired by it, she realized that there was nothing more important for her than art.

Matilda Kshesinskaya in childhood

The final exam, already exciting for Matilda, was attended by Emperor Alexander III, along with his son, Tsarevich Nicholas. The sovereign praised Matilda's performance, wishing her to become an adornment of the famous Russian ballet.

This praise had a huge impact on the biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya, gave her confidence. After the exam, at the ball, the girl danced with Nikolai. Both of them, recalling this moment, claim that they fell in love with each other immediately.

Matilda's parents

The memoirs of contemporaries show that the girl had a cheerful character. Matilda was easy-going and very cheerful. Tsarevich Nikolai even spoke in his diary that instead of blood, champagne flows in her. She remained that way for the rest of her life.

Since the girl showed herself in her studies from the best side, after graduating from college she was immediately invited to the Mariinsky Theater.

Creative career in Russia

Matilda was a very hardy and purposeful person. She could stand at the barre for hours, not paying attention to pain and discomfort.

The girl played many roles in the theater, but her debut was the role of Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. In 1896, Matilda, despite the absence of the consent of the chief choreographer Petipa, became the prima ballerina of the imperial theater. The girl's work was difficult, besides, the attitude of other ballerinas towards Matilda was not easy, but she continued to shine on stage.

At that time, Italian ballerinas were the most popular in Russian ballet, due to their physical endurance and grace. To learn this skill, Matilda takes lessons from Italian masters, which allowed her to perform the well-known trick - 32 fouettes, which had not been performed by Russian ballerinas before.

Famous ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya

Kshesinskaya performed not only at the Mariinsky Theater, but also at the Krasnoselsky and Hermitage. Also, the young ballerina worked with such famous ballerinas as Anna Pavlova and Yulia Sedova.

Matilda's style was different from other ballet styles of the time. The girl knew how to combine Italian flexibility and Russian grace, as well as endurance and natural charisma. All this allowed her to leave a noticeable mark in the history of art.

The repertoire of the great ballerina at that time included roles from ballets:

• "Esmeralda";
• "La Bayadere";
• "Vain Precaution";
• "Flora Awakening";
• "Sleeping Beauty";
• "Evnika" and others.

None of the dancers had such beauty of movements and grace in those days. Matilda knew how to charm the viewer with her charm, expressiveness of feelings and precision of movements. This is all thanks to the diligent training, diligence and perseverance of this small but strong woman.

Matilda during the dance

In 1904, Matilda left the theater forever and began to give performances by order. She earned decently for those times, on average, the former prima ballerina received 500-750 rubles per performance. It was a lot of money at that time, considering that two rubles could buy a cow, for example. In 1911, the ballerina performs very successfully in London. Matilda has since become interested not only in the theater, but also in various financial transactions. For example, during the First World War, Kshesinskaya distributes orders for troops between firms and influences various military affairs.

Life abroad

During the February Revolution, the biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya changed completely. The ballerina with her family and son Vladimir leaves Petrograd forever. For some time the ballerina lives in Kislovodsk, then moves to Novorossiysk. Matilda wanted to return to the capital of Russia, but she could not do this, since her famous mansion was occupied by the Central Committee of the Bolshevik Party.

In Novorossiysk, the life of the Kshesinskys was not sweet. In those difficult post-revolutionary times, the aristocrats had a very difficult time. They, along with relatives of the Grand Dukes, had to live for 2 months in wagons in which typhus was raging.

For some time the dancer lived abroad

Fortunately, the disease passed by Matilda and her son. In 1920, the ballerina moved abroad, to France, to a city called Cap d'Ail. There she had a villa, and Matilda's life improved again.

9 years later, Kshesinskaya opens her own ballet school in Paris. The students recalled that her noble blood was visible to the naked eye. During her teaching, Matilda Kshesinskaya never raised her voice to the students, she was always polite and behaved with dignity. She did not talk much about her biography and personal life, and in the photo, and in life, she looked much younger than her years.

During World War II, Matilda becomes ill with arthritis, because of which every movement began to bring her pain, but, as in her youth, the former ballerina copes with it. In Paris, Kshesinskaya begins to write memoirs, which were published in France in 1960. In Russia, her books were published only after the fall of the USSR, in 1992.

The novel of Matilda Kshesinskaya with the Tsarevich

The biography and personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya is closely connected with the imperial family. In 1890, the girl met Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future Nicholas II. According to the memoirs of the ballerina, she immediately fell in love with the heir. Nikolai was also fascinated by this fragile and petite girl (her height was only 153 centimeters!).

Empress Maria Feodorovna approved of the Tsarevich's decision to have an affair with Matilda and even helped with money for Kshesinskaya's gifts. This was due to the fact that Nikolai was too modest and paid little attention to the female sex. His mother was seriously worried about this.

But, unfortunately, there could be no marriage between the ballerina and Nicholas, since in this case the crown prince would have lost the opportunity to take the throne. Everyone understood this, and Matilda too. However, no one forbade young lovers to meet.

Matilda in her country house

Their love was like a young unopened rose that attracts attention with its fragrance and beauty. However, it can be very difficult to break it due to the sharpness of the thorns.

Thanks to this novel, Nikolai gained experience in love and communication with women. The love of the Tsarevich and the young beautiful ballerina became a forbidden fruit when the time came for him to marry, having found a worthy candidate for this, and take the throne.

In 1894, on the occasion of the death of Emperor Alexander III, Nicholas made a decision - it was necessary to marry Alice of Darmstadt, the future Alexandra Feodorovna, the granddaughter of the English Queen Victoria. Moreover, the crown prince fell in love with the princess. Nikolai saw Alix (as her relatives called her) as a child, at the wedding of her sister, Princess Elizabeth, and his uncle, Prince Sergei. Having met with Alix a few years later, Nikolai saw a formed beauty in her appearance, and his heart trembled. He realized that he could not find a better party for marriage.

Matilda Kshesinskaya and Nikolai Alexandrovich

Since then, the relationship between Matilda and Nikolai has ceased forever. The girl was very upset by the breakup, but soon quickly dealt with it. Matilda and Nikolai have fond memories of each other.

Before his wedding, the future emperor asked his nephew, Sergei Mikhailovich, to take care of Kshesinskaya, to which he happily agreed. Moreover, Sergei was the president of the Russian Theater Society, which had a beneficial effect on the girl's career. Matilda and Sergei became good friends, and later lovers.

Personal life

Love affairs were not alien to this pretty girl. After parting with the Tsarevich, Matilda had two lovers, His Serene Highness Princes Sergei Mikhailovich and Andrei Vladimirovich. Sergey made an offer to the ballerina, but for some unknown reason she refused. Probably then the girl was still too windy in nature and was not ready for a serious family life.

Once, in 1908, on a tour in Paris, Matilda began an affair with the young Peter Vladimirovich. As a result of this romance, Peter and Andrei developed far from friendly relations, it even came to a duel, where Peter was shot in the nose.

Matilda with her husband and son

The unmarried life of a ballerina at that time could not continue for a long time, and the dream of a large and friendly family did not allow Kshesinskaya to enjoy a free life. In 1902, Matilda's son Vladimir was born. By the way, it is still unknown who the real father of the boy is.

Despite the fact that Kshesinskaya was not married to Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, her son was given the nobility and patronymic Sergeevich. But soon the son had to change this patronymic, since in 1921, in Cannes, Matilda married Andrei Vladimirovich, the grandson of Alexander II. Matilda, who was a Catholic before the wedding, converted to Orthodoxy with the name Maria. Their family was exactly what the ballerina dreamed of. They were together until the end of their days.

Matilda Kshesinskaya: biography, personal life, life story

For the most part, we add contemporary celebrities to our portal. But there are also iconic personalities who have already left this world, but their biography and personal life are so interesting that we cannot ignore their stories. Well, meet - a personal page about the life of Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya.

Biography of Matilda Kshesinskaya

Family of Matilda Kseshinskaya

Matilda was born on August 19 (31), 1872. This significant event took place in a family of theatergoers in Ligovo. Her father was Felix Kshesinsky, a Russian Pole. This was the second marriage for Matilda's mother - Yulia Dominskaya (that was the name of the mother of our heroine) left 5 more children from her marriage with the dancer Lede.

Matilda's sister Julia became a ballerina. Brother Joseph also became a dancer, but did not survive the siege of Leningrad.

Matilda herself was called Malechka inside the family.

Matilda's childhood

Malechka entered the ballet school at the age of 8. In 1890, she graduated from the Imperial Theater School, where she received an excellent education under the strict guidance of Lev Ivanov, Katerina Vazem and Christian Ioganson. After graduation, she was called to the Mariinsky Theater, where her older sister also danced.

Matilda performed on this stage until 1917.

1986 is significant in the biography of Matilda Kshesinskaya in that she was given the title of prima of the imperial theaters. Note that the general choreographer was against her candidacy for this role, but Matilda was able to achieve recognition as her main dancer.

Since 1898, she studied personally with the famous Italian coach Enrico Cecchetti, in order to add to the basis of Russian ballet the graceful footwork adopted by the Italians.

An interesting fact of the biography of Matilda Kshesinskaya: she was the first in Russia to be able to perform 32 fouettes without stopping.

It even got to the point that Marius Petipa adapted the main choreographic parts of the ballets to the outstanding skills of our heroine!

Despite her academic skills, Matilda willingly took part in bold, innovative productions.

1904 was a turning point in the biography of Matilda Feliksovna - she left the theater, after which she collaborated with him only on a one-time basis. In addition to talent and skills, the dancer was remembered for the fact that she knew how to build a line of her development and always defend her interests. She was an ardent opponent of inviting dancers from abroad.

In 1917, Matilda left Petrograd, going first to Kislovodsk, from where she moved to Novorossiysk, and from there on February 19 (March 3) she emigrated abroad. This was due to political events in the country - our heroine and her son had to wander around the country and live for 6 weeks in a class 3 train car, hiding from the persecution of the Bolsheviks. As a result, the dancer managed to get French visas in Constantinople, after which they went to Cap d'Ail, where the celebrity had his own villa.

In 1929, the ballet school of Kshesinskaya appeared in Paris. As a teacher, she was always reserved, preferring not to yell at her students.

In 1960, the memoirs of Matilda Feliksovna, written by her during the time of emigration, were published in the capital of France. In Russia, they were published only in 1992 ...

The biography of Matilda Kshesinskaya ends on December 5, 1971 - only a few months were not enough for the famous dancer before her 100th birthday. She was buried near Paris, along with her husband and son.

Personal life of Matilda Kshesinskaya

History knows that in the period 1892-1894. Matilda was in a relationship with Nicholas Alexandrovich, who would become known as Nicholas II.

Nicholas 2 and Matilda Kshesinskaya historical facts

They met in March 1890, at the final exam. These relations were blessed by the emperor, who organized the first meeting of graduates.

After the exam, the young couple attended a dinner, where communication began and mutual sympathy arose.

An interesting fact: Matilda called Nikolai in her own way - “Niki”.

The couple broke up in 1894, when the Tsarevich announced his engagement to Alice of Hesse. This news broke Kshesinskaya's heart, which she later herself told about ...

The people who lived in Russia at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries did not think much about what their image would be in the eyes of distant descendants. Therefore, they lived simply - they loved, betrayed, committed meanness and selfless deeds, not knowing that a hundred years later one of them would put a halo on their heads, and others would be posthumously denied the right to love.

Matilda Kshesinskaya got an amazing fate - fame, universal recognition, love of the powerful, emigration, life under German occupation, need. And decades after her death, people who consider themselves highly spiritual personalities will wag her name on every corner, cursing the fact that she even once lived in the world.

"Kshesinskaya 2nd"

She was born in Ligov, near St. Petersburg, on August 31, 1872. Ballet was her destiny from birth - father, Pole Felix Kshesinsky, was a dancer and teacher, an unsurpassed performer of the mazurka.

Mother, Julia Dominskaya, was a unique woman: in her first marriage she gave birth to five children, and after the death of her husband she married Felix Kshesinsky and gave birth to three more. Matilda was the youngest in this ballet family, and, following the example of her parents and older brothers and sisters, she decided to connect her life with the stage.

At the beginning of her career, the name "Kshesinskaya 2nd" will be assigned to her. The first was her sister Julia, a brilliant artist of the Imperial Theaters. Brother Joseph, also a famous dancer, will remain in Soviet Russia after the revolution, receive the title of Honored Artist of the Republic, will stage performances and teach.

Felix Kshesinsky and Yulia Dominskaya. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org

Joseph Kshesinsky repressions will bypass, but his fate, nevertheless, will be tragic - he will become one of the hundreds of thousands of victims of the blockade of Leningrad.

Little Matilda dreamed of fame, and worked hard in the classroom. The teachers of the Imperial Theater School said among themselves that the girl has a great future, if, of course, she finds a wealthy patron.

fateful dinner

The life of Russian ballet in the times of the Russian Empire was similar to the life of show business in post-Soviet Russia - one talent was not enough. Careers were made through the bed, and it was not very hidden. Faithful married actresses were doomed to be the backdrop for brilliant talented courtesans.

In 1890, the 18-year-old graduate of the Imperial Theater School Matilda Kshesinskaya was given a high honor - the emperor himself was present at the graduation performance Alexander III with family.

Ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya. 1896 Photo: RIA Novosti

“This exam decided my fate,” Kshesinskaya writes in her memoirs.

After the performance, the monarch and his retinue appeared in the rehearsal room, where Alexander III showered Matilda with compliments. And then the young ballerina at a gala dinner, the emperor indicated a place next to the heir to the throne - Nicholas.

Alexander III, unlike other representatives of the imperial family, including his father, who lived in two families, is considered a faithful husband. The emperor preferred another entertainment for Russian men to go "to the left" - the consumption of "little white" in the company of friends.

However, Alexander did not see anything shameful in the fact that a young man learns the basics of love before marriage. For this, he pushed his phlegmatic 22-year-old son into the arms of an 18-year-old beauty of Polish blood.

“I don’t remember what we talked about, but I immediately fell in love with the heir. As now I see his blue eyes with such a kind expression. I stopped looking at him only as an heir, I forgot about it, everything was like a dream. 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, as well as into mine, ”Kshesinskaya wrote about that evening.

Passion of "Hussar Volkov"

Their romance was not stormy. Matilda dreamed of a meeting, but the heir, busy with state affairs, did not have time to meet.

In January 1892, a certain "hussar Volkov" arrived at Matilda's house. The surprised girl approached the door, and Nikolai walked towards her. That night was the first time they spent together.

The visits of the "hussar Volkov" became regular, and all of St. Petersburg knew about them. It got to the point that one night a St. Petersburg mayor broke into a couple in love, who received a strict order to deliver the heir to his father on an urgent matter.

This relationship had no future. Nikolai knew the rules of the game well: before his betrothal in 1894 with the princess Alice of Hesse, the future Alexandra Fedorovna, he broke up with Matilda.

In her memoirs, Kshesinskaya writes that she was inconsolable. Believe it or not, everyone's personal business. An affair with the heir to the throne gave her such patronage that her rivals on the stage could not have.

We must pay tribute, receiving the best parties, she proved that she deserves them. Having become a prima ballerina, she continued to improve, taking private lessons from the famous Italian choreographer Enrico Cecchetti.

32 fouettes in a row, which today are considered the trademark of Russian ballet, Matilda Kshesinskaya began to perform the first of the Russian dancers, adopting this trick from the Italians.

Soloist of the Imperial Mariinsky Theater Matilda Kshesinskaya in the ballet The Pharaoh's Daughter, 1900. Photo: RIA Novosti

Grand ducal love triangle

Her heart was not free for long. The new chosen one was again the representative of the Romanov dynasty, the Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, grandson Nicholas I and cousin uncle of Nicholas II. The unmarried Sergei Mikhailovich, who was known as a closed person, experienced incredible affection for Matilda. He took care of her for many years, thanks to which her career in the theater was completely cloudless.

Sergei Mikhailovich's feelings were severely tested. In 1901, the Grand Duke began to look after Kshensinskaya Vladimir Alexandrovich, uncle of Nicholas II. But this was only an episode before the appearance of a real rival. The rival was his son - the Grand Duke Andrey Vladimirovich, cousin of Nicholas II. He was ten years younger than his relative and seven years younger than Matilda.

“It was no longer an empty flirtation ... From the day of my first meeting with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, we began to meet more and more often, and our feelings for each other soon turned into a strong mutual attraction,” writes Kshesinskaya.

The men of the Romanov family flew to Matilda like butterflies to a fire. Why? Now none of them can explain. And the ballerina skillfully manipulated them - having struck up a relationship with Andrei, she never parted with Sergei.

Having gone on a trip in the fall of 1901, Matilda felt unwell in Paris, and when she went to the doctor, she found out that she was in a “position”. But whose child it was, she did not know. Moreover, both lovers were ready to recognize the child as their own.

The son was born on June 18, 1902. Matilda wanted to call him Nicholas, but did not dare - such a step would be a violation of the rules that they had once established with the now Emperor Nicholas II. As a result, the boy was named Vladimir, in honor of the father of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich.

The son of Matilda Kshesinskaya will have an interesting biography - before the revolution he will be “Sergeevich”, because he is recognized by the “senior lover”, and in exile he will become “Andreevich”, because the “younger lover” marries his mother and recognizes him as his son.

Matilda Kshesinskaya, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich and their son Vladimir. Around 1906 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Mistress of the Russian ballet

In the theater, Matilda was frankly afraid. After leaving the troupe in 1904, she continued one-off performances, receiving breathtaking fees. All the parties that she herself liked were assigned to her and only to her. To go against Kshesinskaya at the beginning of the 20th century in Russian ballet meant ending her career and ruining her life.

Director of the Imperial Theatres, Prince Sergei Mikhailovich Volkonsky, once dared to insist that Kshesinskaya go on stage in a costume that she did not like. The ballerina did not obey and was fined. A couple of days later, Volkonsky resigned, as Emperor Nicholas II himself explained to him that he was wrong.

New Director of the Imperial Theaters Vladimir Telyakovsky I did not argue with Matilda from the word "completely."

“It would seem that a ballerina, serving in the directorate, should belong to the repertoire, but then it turned out that the repertoire belongs to M. Kshesinskaya, and as out of fifty performances forty belong to balletomanes, so in the repertoire - of all the ballets, more than half of the best belong to the ballerina Kshesinskaya, - Telyakovsky wrote in his memoirs. - She considered them her property and could give or not let others dance them. There were cases that a ballerina was discharged from abroad. In her contract, ballets were stipulated for the tour. So it was with the ballerina Grimaldi invited in 1900. But when she decided to rehearse one ballet, indicated in the contract (this ballet was “Vain Precaution”), Kshesinskaya said: “I won’t give it, this is my ballet.” Began - phones, conversations, telegrams. The poor director was rushing back and forth. Finally, he sends an encrypted telegram to the minister in Denmark, where he was at that time with the sovereign. The case was secret, of special national importance. And what? He receives the following answer: "Since this ballet is Kshesinskaya, then leave it behind her."

Matilda Kshesinskaya with her son Vladimir, 1916. Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Shot off nose

In 1906, Kshesinskaya became the owner of a luxurious mansion in St. Petersburg, where everything, from beginning to end, was done according to her own ideas. The mansion had a wine cellar for men visiting the ballerina, horse-drawn carriages and cars were waiting for the hostess in the yard. There was even a cowshed, as the ballerina adored fresh milk.

Where did all this splendor come from? Contemporaries said that even Matilda's space fees would not be enough for all this luxury. It was alleged that the Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, a member of the Council of State Defense, “pinched off” a little from the country’s military budget for his beloved.

Kshesinskaya had everything she dreamed of, and, like many women in her position, she got bored.

The result of boredom was the romance of a 44-year-old ballerina with a new stage partner Peter Vladimirov, who was 21 years younger than Matilda.

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, ready to share his mistress with an equal, was furious. During Kshesinskaya's tour in Paris, the prince challenged the dancer to a duel. The unfortunate Vladimirov was shot in the nose by an offended representative of the Romanov family. The doctors had to pick it up piece by piece.

But, surprisingly, the Grand Duke forgave the windy beloved this time.

Fairy tale end

The story ended in 1917. With the fall of the empire, the former life of Kshesinskaya collapsed. She was still trying to sue the Bolsheviks for the mansion, from the balcony of which Lenin spoke. Understanding how serious it all came later.

Together with her son, Kshesinskaya wandered around the south of Russia, where power changed, as if in a kaleidoscope. Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich fell into the hands of the Bolsheviks in Pyatigorsk, but they, having not decided what he was to blame for, let him go on all four sides. Son Vladimir was ill with a Spaniard who mowed down millions of people in Europe. Having miraculously avoided typhus, in February 1920, Matilda Kshesinskaya left Russia forever on the steamer Semiramida.

By this time, two of her lovers from the Romanov family were no longer alive. Nikolai's life was interrupted in the Ipatiev house, Sergei was shot dead in Alapaevsk. When his body was lifted from the mine where it had been thrown, a small gold medallion with a portrait of Matilda Kshesinskaya and the inscription "Malya" was found in the hand of the Grand Duke.

Junker in the former mansion of the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya after the Central Committee and the Petrograd Committee of the RSDLP (b) moved from it. June 6, 1917 Photo: RIA Novosti

The Most Serene Princess at a reception at Muller

In 1921, in Cannes, 49-year-old Matilda Kshesinskaya became a legal wife for the first time in her life. Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, despite the sidelong glances of his relatives, formalized the marriage and adopted a child whom he always considered his own.

In 1929, Kshesinskaya opened her own ballet school in Paris. This step was rather forced - the former comfortable life was left behind, it was necessary to earn a living. Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, who declared himself in 1924 the head of the Romanov dynasty in exile, in 1926 he assigned Kshesinskaya and her offspring the title and surname of the princes Krasinskikh, and in 1935 the title began to sound like "the most serene princes Romanovsky-Krasinsky."

During World War II, when the Germans occupied France, Matilda's son was arrested by the Gestapo. According to legend, in order to secure her release, the ballerina obtained a personal audience with the head of the Gestapo. Muller. Kshesinskaya herself never confirmed this. Vladimir spent 144 days in a concentration camp, unlike many other emigrants, he refused to cooperate with the Germans, and nevertheless was released.

There were many centenarians in the Kshesinsky family. Matilda's grandfather lived for 106 years, sister Yulia died at the age of 103, and Kshesinskaya 2nd itself passed away just a few months before the 100th anniversary.

The building of the Museum of the October Revolution - also known as the mansion of Matilda Kshesinskaya. 1972 Architect A. Gauguin, R. Meltzer. Photo: RIA Novosti / B. Manushin

"I cried with happiness"

In the 1950s, she wrote a memoir about her life, which was first published in French in 1960.

“In 1958, the ballet troupe of the Bolshoi Theater came to Paris. Although I don't go anywhere else, dividing my time between home and the dance studio where I earn money to live, I made an exception and went to the Opera to see the Russians. I cried with happiness. It was the same ballet that I saw more than forty years ago, the owner of the same spirit and the same traditions ... ”, Matilda wrote. Probably, ballet remained her main love for life.

The burial place of Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya was the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois. She is buried with her husband, whom she survived for 15 years, and her son, who passed away three years after his mother.

The inscription on the monument reads: "The Most Serene Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya."

No one can take away the life lived from Matilda Kshesinskaya, just as no one can remake the history of the last decades of the Russian Empire to their liking, turning living people into incorporeal beings. And those who are trying to do this do not know even a tenth of the colors of life that little Matilda knew.

The grave of the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya and Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich Romanov at the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery in the city of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois, Paris region. Photo: RIA Novosti / Valery Melnikov

The famous Russian ballerina did not live up to her centenary for several months - she died on December 6, 1971 in Paris. Her life is like an unstoppable dance, which to this day is surrounded by legends and intriguing details.

Romance with the Tsarevich

Graceful, almost tiny Malechka, it seemed that fate itself was destined to devote herself to the service of Art. Her father was a talented dancer. It was from him that the baby inherited an invaluable gift - not just to play the part, but to live in dance, fill it with unbridled passion, pain, captivating dreams and hope - everything that her own destiny will be rich in the future. She adored the theater and could watch rehearsals with a spellbound gaze for hours. Therefore, it was not surprising that the girl entered the Imperial Theater School, and very soon became one of the first students: she studied a lot, grasped on the fly, captivating the audience with true drama and light ballet technique. Ten years later, on March 23, 1890, after a graduation performance with the participation of a young ballerina, Emperor Alexander III admonished the prominent dancer with the words: “Be the glory and adornment of our ballet!” And then there was a festive dinner for the pupils with the participation of all members of the imperial family.

It was on this day that Matilda met the future Emperor of Russia, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich.

What is true in the novel of the legendary ballerina and heir to the Russian throne, and what is fiction - they argue a lot and greedily. Some argue that their relationship was immaculate. Others, as if in revenge, immediately recall Nikolai's visits to the house, where the beloved soon moved with her sister. Still others are trying to suggest that if there was love, then it came only from Mrs. Kshesinskaya. The love correspondence has not been preserved, in the diary entries of the emperor there are only fleeting mentions of Malechka, but there are many details in the memoirs of the ballerina herself. But should they be trusted unquestioningly? A charmed woman can easily be "deluded." Be that as it may, there was no vulgarity or commonness in these relations, although Petersburg gossips competed, setting out the fantastic details of the Tsarevich's "affair" "with an actress."

"Polish Mala"

It seemed that Matilda was enjoying her happiness, while being perfectly aware that her love was doomed. And when in her memoirs she wrote that “priceless Nicky” loved her alone, and marriage to Princess Alix of Hesse was based only on a sense of duty and determined by the desire of relatives, she, of course, was cunning. As a wise woman, she left the “stage” at the right moment, “letting go” of her lover, barely learning about his engagement. Was this step an accurate calculation? Hardly. He, most likely, allowed the "Polish Male" to remain a warm memory in the heart of the Russian emperor.

The fate of Matilda Kshesinskaya in general was closely connected with the fate of the imperial family. Her good friend and patron was Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich.

It was him that Nicholas II, allegedly, asked to "look after" Malechka after parting. The Grand Duke will take care of Matilda for twenty years, who, by the way, will then be blamed for his death - the prince will stay in St. Petersburg for too long, trying to save the ballerina's property. One of the grandsons of Alexander II, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich will become her husband and father of her son, His Serene Highness Prince Vladimir Andreevich Romanovsky-Krasinsky. It was precisely by the close connection with the imperial family that ill-wishers often explained all the life “successes” of Kshesinskaya

Prima ballerina

A prima ballerina of the Imperial Theatre, who is applauded by the European public, one who knows how to defend her position with the power of charm and the passion of her talent, behind whom, allegedly, there are influential patrons - such a woman, of course, had envious people.

She was accused of "sharpening" the repertoire for herself, going only on profitable foreign tours, and even specially "ordering" parts for herself.

So, in the ballet "Pearl", which was performed during the coronation celebrations, the part of the Yellow Pearl was introduced especially for Kshesinskaya, allegedly on the Highest order and "under pressure" from Matilda Feliksovna. It is difficult, however, to imagine how this impeccably educated lady, with an innate sense of tact, could disturb the former Beloved with “theatrical trifles”, and even at such an important moment for him. Meanwhile, the part of the Yellow Pearl has become a true decoration of the ballet. Well, after Kshesinskaya persuaded Corrigan, presented at the Paris Opera, to insert a variation from her favorite ballet The Pharaoh's Daughter, the ballerina had to encore, which was an "exceptional case" for the Opera. So isn't the creative success of the Russian ballerina based on true talent and selfless work?

bitchy character

Perhaps one of the most scandalously unpleasant episodes in the ballerina's biography can be considered her "unacceptable behavior", which led to the resignation of the Director of the Imperial Theaters by Sergei Volkonsky. "Unacceptable behavior" consisted in the fact that Kshesinskaya replaced the uncomfortable suit provided by the directorate with her own. The administration fined the ballerina, and she, without thinking twice, appealed the decision. The case was widely publicized and inflated to an incredible scandal, the consequences of which were the voluntary departure (or resignation?) of Volkonsky.

And again they started talking about the influential patrons of the ballerina and her bitchy character.

It is quite possible that at some stage Matilda simply could not explain to the person she respected her non-involvement in gossip and speculation. Be that as it may, Prince Volkonsky, having met her in Paris, took an ardent part in the arrangement of her ballet school, lectured there, and later wrote a magnificent article about Kshesinskaya the teacher. She always lamented that she could not keep "on an even note", suffering from prejudice and gossip, which eventually forced her to leave the Mariinsky Theater.

"Madame Seventeen"

If no one dares to argue about the talent of Kshesinskaya the ballerina, then her teaching activities are sometimes not very flattering. On February 26, 1920, Matilda Kshesinskaya left Russia forever. They settled as a family in the French city of Cap de Ail in the villa "Alam", bought before the revolution. "Imperial theaters ceased to exist, and I did not feel like dancing!" - wrote the ballerina.

For nine years she enjoyed a “quiet” life with people dear to her heart, but her searching soul demanded something new.

After painful thoughts, Matilda Feliksovna travels to Paris, looking for housing for her family and premises for her ballet studio. She worries that she won't get enough students or "fail" as a teacher, but her first class is going great and she'll have to expand to accommodate everyone very soon. Calling Kshesinskaya a secondary teacher does not turn the tongue, one has only to recall her students, world ballet stars - Margot Fontaine and Alicia Markova.

During her life at the Alam villa, Matilda Feliksovna became interested in playing roulette. Together with another famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, they whiled away the evenings at the table in the Monte Carlo casino. For her constant bet on the same number, Kshesinskaya was nicknamed "Madame Seventeen." The crowd, meanwhile, savored the details of how the "Russian ballerina" squanders the "royal jewels". They said that Kshesinskaya decided to open a school because of the desire to improve her financial situation, undermined by the game.

"Actress of Mercy"

The charitable activities that Kshesinskaya was engaged in during the First World War usually fade into the background, giving way to scandals and intrigues. In addition to participating in front-line concerts, performances in hospitals and charity evenings, Matilda Feliksovna took an active part in the arrangement of two of the most modern model hospitals for that time. She did not bandage the sick personally and did not work as a nurse, apparently believing that everyone should do what they can do well. She organized trips for the wounded to her dacha in Strelna, arranged trips for soldiers and doctors to the theater, wrote letters under dictation, decorated chamber with flowers, or, throwing off her shoes, without pointe shoes, just dancing on her fingers. She was applauded, I think, no less than during the legendary performance in London's Covent Garden, when 64-year-old Matilda Kshesinskaya, in a silver-embroidered sundress and pearl kokoshnik, easily and flawlessly performed her legendary "Russian". Then she was called 18 times, and it was unthinkable for the stiff English public.

Matilda without embellishment: what kind of ballerina Kshesinskaya was in life

In Russia, after all, Alexei Uchitel's film "Matilda" was released - it would seem that an ordinary drama about the romance of the last Russian emperor and a ballerina, which suddenly and unexpectedly caused an unprecedented seething of passions, scandals and even serious death threats against the director and members of the film crew . Well, while the intrigued Russian public, in a state of some dumbfoundedness, is preparing to personally assess the source of the all-Russian hype, Vladimir Tikhomirov tells what Matilda Kshesinskaya was like in life.

Blue-blooded ballerina

According to the Kshesinsky family tradition, Kshesinskaya's great-great-great-grandfather was Count Krasinsky, who had enormous wealth. After his death, almost the entire inheritance went to his eldest son, great-great-grandfather Kshesinskaya, but his youngest son received practically nothing. But soon the happy heir died and all the wealth passed to his 12-year-old son Wojciech, who remained in the care of a French educator.

Uncle Wojciech decided to kill the boy in order to take possession of the fortune. He hired two killers, one of whom repented at the very last moment and told Wojciech's mentor about the conspiracy. As a result, he secretly took the boy to France, where he recorded him under the name Kshesinsky.

The only thing that Kshesinskaya has preserved to prove her noble origin is a ring with the coat of arms of the counts Krasinsky.

From childhood - to the machine

Ballet was Matilda's destiny from birth. Father, Pole Felix Kshesinsky, was a dancer and teacher, as well as the creator of a family troupe: the family had eight children, each of whom decided to connect his life with the stage. Matilda was the youngest. Already at the age of three she was sent to a ballet class.

By the way, she is far from the only one of the Kshesinskys who has achieved success. For a long time, her older sister Yulia shone on the stage of the Imperial Theaters. And Matilda herself was called "Kshesinskaya Second" for a long time. Her brother Joseph Kshesinsky, also a famous dancer, also became famous. After the revolution, he remained in Soviet Russia, received the title of Honored Artist of the Republic. His fate was tragic - he died of starvation during the blockade of Leningrad.

Love at first sight

Matilda was noticed already in 1890. At the graduation performance of the ballet school in St. Petersburg, which was attended by Emperor Alexander III with his family (Empress Maria Feodorovna, four brothers of the sovereign with their spouses and still very young Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich), the emperor loudly asked: "Where is Kshesinskaya?" When the embarrassed pupil was brought to him, he held out his hand to her and said:

Be the adornment and glory of our ballet.

After the exam, the school gave a big gala dinner. Alexander III asked Kshesinskaya to sit next to him and introduced the ballerina to his son Nikolai.

Young Tsarevich Nicholas

I don’t remember what we were talking about, but I immediately fell in love with the heir, ”Kshesinskaya later wrote. - As now I see his blue eyes with such a kind expression. I stopped looking at him only as an heir, I forgot about it, everything was like a dream. 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, as well as into mine ...

The second meeting with Nikolai happened in Krasnoye Selo. A wooden theater was also built there to entertain the officers.

Kshesinskaya, after talking with the heir, recalled:

It was the only one I could think of. It seemed to me that although he was not in love, he still felt attracted to me, and I involuntarily gave myself up to dreams. We never got to talk in private, and I didn't know how he felt about me. I found out later, when we became close ...

The main thing is to remind yourself

The romance of Matilda and Nikolai Alexandrovich began in 1892, when the heir rented a luxurious mansion for the ballerina on English Avenue. The heir constantly came to her, and the lovers spent many happy hours together there (later he bought and presented this house to her).

However, already in the summer of 1893, Nicky began to visit the ballerina less and less.

And on April 7, 1894, Nicholas's engagement to Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt was announced.

Nicholas II and Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt

It seemed to me that my life was over and that there would be no more joys, but there was much, much grief ahead, ”wrote Matilda. - What I experienced when I knew that he was already with his bride, it is difficult to express. The spring of my happy youth was over, a new, difficult life was advancing with a broken heart so early ...

In her numerous letters, Matilda asked Nika for permission to continue to communicate with him on "you", and also turn to him for help in difficult situations. For all subsequent years, she tried her best to remind herself. For example, patrons in the Winter Palace often informed her about plans to move Nicholas around the city - wherever the emperor went, he invariably met Kshesinskaya there, enthusiastically sending air kisses to "dear Nika". What, probably, brought both the Sovereign himself and his wife to white heat. It is a known fact that the directorate of the Imperial Theater once received an order to ban Kshesinskaya from performing on Sundays - on this day the royal family usually visited theaters.

Lover for three

After the heir, Kshesinskaya had several more lovers from among the representatives of the Romanov dynasty. So, immediately after breaking up with Nicky, Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich consoled her - their romance lasted a long time, which did not prevent Matilda Kshesinskaya from making new lovers. Also in 1900, she began dating the 53-year-old Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich.

Soon Kshesinskaya began a stormy romance with his son, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, her future husband.

A feeling immediately crept into my heart, which I had not experienced for a long time; it was no longer empty flirting, - wrote Kshesinskaya. - From the day of my first meeting with Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, we began to meet more and more often, and our feelings for each other soon turned into a strong mutual attraction.

Andrey Vladimirovich Romanov and Matilda Kshesinskaya with their son

However, she did not break off relations with other Romanovs, using their patronage. For example, with their help, she received a personal benefit dedicated to the tenth anniversary of her work at the Imperial Theatre, although other artists received such honors only after twenty years of service.

In 1901, Kshesinskaya found out that she was pregnant. The father of the child is Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich.

On June 18, 1902, she gave birth to a son at her dacha in Strelna. At first she wanted to name him Nikolai, in honor of her beloved Nicky, but in the end the boy was named Vladimir, in honor of the father of her lover Andrei.

Kshesinskaya recalled that after giving birth she had a difficult conversation with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich, who was ready to recognize the newborn as his son:

He knew very well that he was not the father of my child, but he loved me so much and was so attached to me that he forgave me and decided, in spite of everything, to stay with me and protect me as a good friend. I felt guilty before him, because the previous winter, when he was courting a young and beautiful Grand Duchess and there were rumors about a possible wedding, I, having learned about this, asked him to stop courtship and thereby put an end to unpleasant conversations for me. I adored Andrei so much that I did not realize how guilty I was before Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich ...

As a result, the child was given a patronymic Sergeevich and the surname Krasinsky - for Matilda this was of particular importance. True, after the revolution, when in 1921 the ballerina and Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich got married in Nice, their son received the “correct” patronymic.

Gothic in Windsor

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, in honor of the birth of a child, made Kshesinskaya a royal gift - the Borka estate in the Oryol province, where he planned to build a copy of the English Windsor on the site of the old master's house. Matilda admired the estate of the British kings.

Soon the famous architect Alexander Ivanovich von Gauguin was discharged from St. Petersburg, who built the very famous Kshesinskaya mansion at the corner of Kronverksky Prospekt in St. Petersburg.

The construction went on for ten years, and in 1912 the castle with the park was ready. However, the prima ballerina was not satisfied: what kind of English style is this, if in a five-minute walk through the park you can see a typical Russian village with thatched huts?! As a result, the neighboring village was wiped off the face of the earth, and the peasants were evicted to a new place.

But Matilda still refused to move to rest in the Oryol province. As a result, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich sold the Russian Windsor in Borki to a local horse breeder from the county Sheremetev family, and he bought a ballerina Villa Alam on the Cote d'Azur of France.

Ballet hostess

In 1904, Kshesinskaya decides to leave the Imperial Theatre. But at the beginning of the new season, she receives an offer to return on a "contractual" basis: for each performance, she is obliged to pay 500 rubles. Crazy money in those days! Also, all the parties that she herself liked were assigned to Kshesinskaya.

Soon the entire theatrical world knew that Matilda's word was law. So, the director of the Imperial Theatres, Prince Sergei Volkonsky, once dared to insist that Kshesinskaya go on stage in a costume that she did not like. The ballerina did not obey and was fined. A couple of days later, Prince Volkonsky himself resigned.

The lesson was taken into account, and the new director of the Imperial Theaters, Vladimir Telyakovsky, already preferred to stay away from Matilda.

It would seem that a ballerina, serving in the directorate, should belong to the repertoire, but here it turned out that the repertoire belongs to Kshesinskaya, - Telyakovsky himself wrote. - She considered him her property and could give or not let others dance.

Withering Matilda

In 1909, the main patron of Kshesinskaya, the uncle of Nicholas II, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, died. After his death, the attitude towards the ballerina in the Imperial Theater changes in the most radical way. She was increasingly offered episodic roles.

Vladimir Alexandrovich Romanov

Soon Kshesinskaya went to Paris, then to London, again to St. Petersburg. Until 1917, there were no more cardinal changes in the life of a ballerina. The result of boredom was the ballerina's romance with the dancer Peter Vladimirov, who was 21 years younger than Matilda.

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, accustomed to sharing his mistress with his father and uncle, was furious. During Kshesinskaya's tour in Paris, the prince challenged the dancer to a duel. The unfortunate Vladimirov was shot in the nose by an offended representative of the Romanov family. The doctors had to pick it up piece by piece.

On the run

In early February 1917, the police chief of Petrograd advised the ballerina and her son to leave the capital, as unrest was expected in the city. On February 22, the ballerina gave the last reception in her mansion - it was a dinner with a chic serving for twenty-four people.

The very next day, she left the city engulfed by a wave of revolutionary madness. On February 28, the Bolsheviks, led by a Georgian student Agababov, broke into the ballerina's mansion. He began to arrange dinners in a famous house, forcing the cook to cook for him and his guests, who drank elite wines and champagne from the cellar. Both cars of Kshesinskaya were requisitioned.

Kshesinskaya's mansion in St. Petersburg

At this time, Matilda herself wandered with her son to different apartments, fearing that her child would be taken away from her. Her servants brought food to her from the house, almost all of them remained faithful to Kshesinskaya.

After some time, Kshesinskaya herself decided to go to her house. She was horrified when she saw what he had become.

I was offered to go up to my bedroom, but it was just terrible what I saw: a wonderful carpet, specially ordered by me in Paris, was all filled with ink, all the furniture was taken to the lower floor, a door with hinges was torn out of a wonderful closet, all the shelves taken out, and there were guns... In my latrine, the tub-basin was filled with cigarette butts. At this time, student Agababov approached me ... He offered me to move back and live with them as if nothing had happened, and said that they would give me my son's rooms. I did not answer, it was already the height of impudence ...

Until mid-summer, Kshesinskaya tried to return the mansion, but then she realized that she just needed to run. And she went to Kislovodsk, where she reunited with Andrei Romanov.

Lenin, Zinoviev, Stalin and others worked in her mansion in different years. From the balcony of this house, Lenin repeatedly spoke to workers, soldiers and sailors. Kalinin lived there for several years, from 1938 to 1956 there was the Kirov Museum, and since 1957 - the Museum of the Revolution. In 1991, the Museum of the Political History of Russia was created in the mansion, which is still located there.

In exile

In 1920, Andrei and Matilda left Kislovodsk with a child and went to Novorossiysk. Then they leave for Venice, from there to France.

In 1929, Matilda and her husband ended up in Paris, but the money in the accounts had almost run out, and they had to live on something. Then Matilda decides to open her own ballet school.

Soon, children of famous parents begin to come to Kshesinskaya for classes. For example, the daughters of Fyodor Chaliapin. In just five years, the school is untwisted so that about 100 people study in it every year. The school also operated during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Of course, at some moments there were no students at all, and the ballerina came to an empty studio. The school became an outlet for Kshesinskaya, thanks to which she suffered the arrest of her son Vladimir. He ended up in the Gestapo literally the very next day after the Nazi invasion of the USSR. Parents raised all possible connections so that Vladimir was released. According to rumors, Kshesinskaya even got a meeting with the head of the German secret state police, Heinrich Muller. As a result, after 119 days of imprisonment, Vladimir was nevertheless released from the concentration camp and returned home. But the Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich really went crazy during the imprisonment of his son. He allegedly dreamed of Germans everywhere: the door opens, they come in and arrest his son.

The final

In 1956, Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich died in Paris at the age of 77.

With the death of Andrei, the fairy tale that was my life ended. Our son stayed with me - I adore him and from now on he has the whole meaning of my life. For him, of course, I will always remain a mother, but also the biggest and most faithful friend ...

Interestingly, after leaving Russia, not a single word about the last Russian emperor is found in her diary.

Matilda died on December 5, 1971, a few months short of her centenary. She was buried in the Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois cemetery near Paris. On the monument there is an epitaph: "The Most Serene Princess Maria Feliksovna Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya, Honored Artist of the Imperial Theaters Kshesinskaya."

Her son Vladimir Andreevich died single and childless in 1974 and was buried next to his mother's grave.

But the ballet dynasty of Kshesinskaya did not fade away. This year, Eleonora Sevenard, grand-niece of Matilda Kshesinskaya, was accepted into the Bolshoi Ballet Company.

Matilda Kshesinskaya. Mysteries of life. Documentary

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