Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Серия ИИ. История, история Русской Православной Церкви, Vol 85, Iss 85, Pp 52-72 (2018)

великая княгиня Елисавета Феодоровна, Николай II, императрица Александра Феодоровна, Февральская революция, Временное правительство, Комитет общественных организаций, Российская Православная Церковь, благотворительность, Марфо-Мариинская обитель милосердия, Комитет великой княгини Елисаветы Феодоровны по оказанию помощи семьям лиц, призванных на войну, Елисаветинское благотворительное общество, Общежитие великой княгини Елисаветы Феодоровны для юных добровольцев, History of Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics, DK1-4735, History and principles of religions, BL660-2680

This article deals with one of the most dramatic and little-studied periods of life of Grent Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna, namely February — October, 1917. After the February Revolution, Grand Duchess was not only deprived by state authorities of all privileges and support for public initiatives, but also became a witness of destruction by the Provisional Government of the large-scale charitable system created by her during a quarter of a century. Moreover, Elisabeth Feodorovna was excluded from running her organisations except for Martha and Mary Convent of Mercy. Drawing on archive materials, the article traces the subsequent fate of her “former” organisations, i.e. Commitee of Grand Duchess Elisabeth Feodorovna for Support for Families of Conscripted Persons, Elisabethan Charitable Society, Elisabethan Gymnasium for Girls, Dormitory for Young Volunteers, Iverskaya Community of Sisters of Mercy, Kremlin Storehouse, etc. Activities of Martha and Mary Convent are studied as well. Furthermore, the article analyses the relationship between the Grand Duchess and new authorities, particularly the circumstances around her telegramme about her loyalty to the Provisional Government and reasons for this uneasy step of hers. The author of the article makes a conclusion that Elisabeth Feodorovna took this decision in conditions of increasing revolutionary radicalism, disintegration of the Romanovs’ power, the search for those guilty in military misfortunes, the attempt to arrest her, the appearance of special guard near the gate of Martha and Mary Convent and her actual loss of management of her charitable organisations. The publication of the telegramme was preceded by her negotiations with representatives of the Committee of Public Organisations: the Grand Duchess was given the right to run Martha and Mary Convent in lieu of her offi cian recognition of the Provisional Government. The article discusses separately the relations of the Grand Duchess with the czar family after the Emperor’s abdication. Despite the wide-spread opinion that their contacts were cut off after the murder of Rasputin, these contacts, as we managed to discover, were retained during 1917. The denial to emigrate demonstrated that Elisabeth Feodorovna wished to serve the Russian people in the charitable fi eld, despite all political vicessitudes.