This book is about an extraordinary woman who lived a long life—one that at once resembled a fairy tale and an adventure novel. A Danish princess, the daughter-in-law of Emperor Alexander II, the wife of Emperor Alexander III, and the mother of the last Emperor Nicholas II. For most of her earthly life, Empress Maria was in that public height where the destinies of states, empires, and peoples were decided. And she fully felt the relentless course of time—becoming, in the 20th century, one of the first victims of the merciless “wheel of history.”
But this little woman was able to overcome what seemed impossible, learned to find a ray of hope even in the impenetrable darkness of the surrounding reality. She endured. She held on. Until the very last hour of her earthly life, she remained the Russian queen, preserving in her heart compassion for human suffering, love for Russia, faith in God, and hope in His mercy.