In order to avoid Napoleon, what rare treasure did the czar marry his long-married sister?

1may 788 1 1 day, tsar ekaterina ii wrote a letter to her lover and favorite potemkin, when potemkin was acting as the commander-in-chief of the army for her at the front of the Russian-Turkish war. The letter said:

"Dear Gregory Alexandrevich: Yesterday, the Crown Princess gave birth to a grand duchess named after my name yekaterina."

Just the day before, in Catherine Palace, Pushkin, Tsar Paul I and Empress Maria Feodorovna gave birth to their fourth daughter Ekaterina Pavlovna.

That night, a salute sounded in the fortress around St. Petersburg. According to grandmother Catherine II, the princess was once in dystocia, and she herself ordered the physician to do everything possible to save her life.

Yekaterina is a very common female name in Russia. Just like Catherine in English, her etymology means "sacred" and "pure". With the promotion of Catherine II, the only female "the Great", the name is immortal.

Ekaterina Pavlovna had a happy childhood. From grandma to mother, they all loved her very much and received strict court education.

Her brother, Tsar Alexander I, who is eleven years older than her, also likes this sister nicknamed "Katish", which goes beyond the normal relationship between brother and sister. Russians believe that they have maintained a "subtle" relationship for a long time.

Alexander I has always been very experienced in dealing with female members of the family. When he was only nine years old, he could write "Kiss you, kiss your hand" at the end of every letter to his grandmother Catherine II, which made the romantic and Toy Boy grandmothers happy and elated, and established his future heir status early, but he was picky about his son, of course, Paul I, the father of Alexander I.

1796, Paul I finally hated his imperial mother. He vented his anger and naivety on national politics, abolished many policies formulated during the period of Catherine II, and made people panic about the government and people, and was captured by his son Alexander I's sympathizers (mainly his opponents, of course). He successfully staged a coup and turned into a cold corpse. He has only worked for five years.

The ruling style of the successor Alexander I was generally stable, and Russia maintained a rare stability during this period.

Knowing that you love me is the source of my happiness, because you are one of the most perfect stunners in the world.

"There are few things in this world that can make me love like my sister."

"I love you like a madman! I hope I can relax sweetly in your arms. "

These sweet words came from the letter I wrote to his sister Ekaterina Pavlovna in Alexandria. As she grew up day by day, she became more and more lively and lovely, cheerful and moving, and looked a little Turkish. Alexander I liked to communicate with this sister, even though she lived in the palace at the same time.

The girl is going to get married when she grows up. 1808, Ekaterina Pavlovna was 20 years old, and it was not a long-term thing to get bored with the tsar's brother. Alexander I had to think about her future husband for her sister.

At this time, the French emperor Napoleon was having a cold war with his queen Josephine. Before becoming queen, Josephine was a widow with two children, but since she married Napoleon, she has never given birth to a prince for him. For a long time, there was no legal heir, so Napoleon had to negotiate a divorce with Josephine.

Napoleon's man, French Foreign Minister talleyrand, a scheming cripple, tried to help Napoleon fulfill his wish and complete his political marriage with Russia. Alexander I was almost mad when he heard that Napoleon had an idea to marry his dear sister Princess yekaterina.

No, this is absolutely impossible! No one can marry Napoleon, which is Alexander's wish. He won't allow his beloved sister to marry this little man who just beat him a year ago.

Ekaterina Pavlovna thinks so, too. She would rather choose a monarch with a stupid head but a noble personality than have sex with an upstart with a clever mind but a disgusting personality like Napoleon.

For fear that talleyrand would continue to be a matchmaker and to break Napoleon's heart, Ekaterina Pavlovna married Prince George of oldenburg in a hurry the next year.

Alexander I prepared an elaborate dowry for his beloved sister, including a portrait diamond, which was the work of Duval, a royal jeweler in St. Petersburg. Duval's jewelry industry in Russia can be described as a century-old brand. They are the makers of the crown of Catherine II and are called "jewelers in the crown".

This portrait diamond that Alexander I gave to his sister, first of all, there is no doubt that this portrait is his own, before he ascended the throne in 180 1 year. His eyes are bright, looking at the distance, less touching and more heroic. This diamond weighs 34 carats and is worth 88,842 gold rubles. 1.809 The ratio of gold ruble to gold has not been found personally, but even after more than 70 years of gold loss and depreciation, 1 gold ruble is equivalent to1.61gram of gold.

This diamond is bigger and heavier than the great portrait diamond of Tafelstein Felstin of the Diamond Foundation exhibited in Moscow, and it is a light style in the late neoclassicism.

Before the invention of modern photography technology, portrait diamonds, like necklaces, bracelets and pendants, were the fashion of European upper class. This big portrait diamond given to my sister by Alexander I means extreme luxury and strong emotion.

Ekaterina Pavlovna later remarried to William I, King of Wü rttemberg, and died of erysipelas at the age of 30 only ten years after owning this treasure.

According to historical records, Ekaterina Pavlovna later went to Britain to meet George IV (she was still the British Regent at that time), and she severely criticized "the British Regent was ill-bred" and "too brazen, staring at the wrong place!" History didn't say that George IV was staring at it at that time. Is it the portrait diamond on this necklace?

This portrait diamond is now on display at the Shenzhen Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning in China. At the same time, there are more than 160 pieces of European palace treasures from the Renaissance to the 20th century, Jin Yezi in Napoleon's crown, and the pendant of "The Son of God Arrives" in the Renaissance. These will all appear in this "Shenzhen Awakening Global Tour".

From the Renaissance to the 20th century, 400 years of brilliance spanned 20 countries and nearly 200 rare treasures, which condensed the top creative skills and carried the memories of the western era. How can you appreciate it without being on the scene?