Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia

Maria Alexandrovna of Russia
Duchess of Edinburgh
Photograph by Charles Bergamasco, 1876
Duchess consort of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Tenure	22 August 1893 – 30 July 1900
Born	17 October [O.S. 5 October] 1853 Alexander Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
Died	24 October 1920(1920-10-24) (aged 67) Zürich, Switzerland
Burial	Friedhof am Glockenberg, Coburg
Spouse	Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ​ ​ (m. 1874; died 1900)​
Issue	Alfred, Hereditary Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Marie, Queen of Romania Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia Alexandra, Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg Princess Beatrice, Duchess of Galliera
Names Maria Alexandrovna Romanova
House	Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
Father	Alexander II of Russia
Mother	Marie of Hesse and by Rhine
Signature

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (Russian: Марія Александровна; 17 October [O.S. 5 October] 1853 – 24 October 1920) was the fifth child and only surviving daughter of Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine; she was Duchess of Edinburgh and later Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha as the wife of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She was the younger sister of Alexander III of Russia and the paternal aunt of Russia's last emperor, Nicholas II.

In 1874, Maria married Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; she was the only Romanov to marry into the British royal family. The couple had five children: Alfred, Marie, Victoria Melita, Alexandra, and Beatrice. For the first years of her marriage, Maria lived in England. She neither adapted to the British court nor overcame her dislike for her adopted country. She accompanied her husband on his postings as an admiral of the Royal Navy at Malta (1886–1889) and Devonport (1890–1893). The Duchess of Edinburgh travelled extensively through Europe. She visited her family in Russia frequently and stayed for long periods in England and Germany attending social and family events.

In August 1893, Maria became Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha when her husband inherited the duchy on the death of his childless uncle, Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She enjoyed life in Germany, where she became active in cultural endeavours and charitable work. To her daughters, she gave every support, but she was critical of her wayward son, Alfred, who died in 1899. Her husband died in 1900 and was succeeded as Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha by his nephew Charles Edward.

In her widowhood, Maria continued to live in Coburg. The outbreak of World War I divided her sympathies. She sided with Germany against her native Russia. Many of her relatives, including her brother Paul and her nephew Nicholas II, were killed during the Russian Revolution, and Maria lost her considerable fortune. After World War I, the Duchy of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha ceased to exist in November 1918. Maria died in 1920 while living under reduced circumstances in exile in Switzerland.