The Empress Maria Alexandrovna and the Origins of the Russian Red Cross

The article deals with the role of the Empress Maria Alexandrovna in the creation and development of the Russian Red Cross Society. For the organizers of the Russian Society for the Care of Wounded and Sick Soldiers (since 1879 – the Russian Red Cross Society (RRCS)) the Empress became a valuable supporter and patron. She helped to recruit many well-known and influential individuals into the ranks of the Society’s founders, ensuring its financial stability. On May 3, 1867, the Emperor approved the Society’s Charter, and the Russian Red Cross turned from a humanitarian project into a real organization – which would be hardly possible without Maria Alexandrovna’s active support. The Empress was by no means a formal “patron” of the Society: she was deeply involved in its affairs and directed its activities. After the first few years it became clear that the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross could not be limited by its chartered role – care for wounded and sick soldiers only. The Empress de facto expanded the Society’s powers, approving its assistance to Russian regions suffering from famine, crop failure and epidemics, as well as to the victims of natural disasters. Care for “civilian” patients also became an important sphere of the Society’s work. Here Empress Maria’s role was indispensable as well. After studying the European system of “barrack type” hospital wards, she ordered to construct several of them at the premises of the Rozhdestvensky Hospital in Petersburg, and consequently this novel form of patient care spread to many other Russian cities. In all her endeavors the Empress paid special attention to advanced “pilot projects” serving as testing grounds for best practices and their expansion in the countrywide scale

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