Saint Mathilde

Mathilde-Marie Feliksovna Kschessinska, born on August 19 [O.S. August 31] 1872 and known as Princess Romanovskaya-Krasinskaya upon her marriage, was a Polish-Russian ballerina from the noble Krzesiński family. Her father, Felix Kschessinsky, and her brother and sister were also dancers in Saint Petersburg. She gained notoriety for being a mistress of the future Emperor Nicholas II of Russia before his marriage, and later became the wife of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia. Known as Mathilde Kschessinska or Matilda Kshesinskaya in the West, she lived until her death on December 6, 1971.