Mathilde Kschessinska

The first love of Nicholas as a young man, Mathilde was the fashionable mistress of the Tsar before he took the throne and before his marriage to the beautiful Alexandra.

Mathilde was always cloaked in scandel and seen dripping in diamonds, and she was always trailed by a bevy of admiring male fans.  She had a fatal attraction to the royal house, and who could blame her? The young Nicholas was rich and kind, and she wanted him.

Raised a dancer, she took the Imperial Stage at the requset of the previous Tsar: Alexander III. It was even rumored that Mathilde mothered the first son to Tsar Nicholas before he was crowned ruler. As a school girl, she adored Nicholas, and she did everything in her power to move up through the ranks of the dancing world. She caught the attention of the Tsarevich and apparently had him hooked.

But once Nicholas took the throne, Mathilde faded from his sights, but he ensured that she would live a comfortable life.  He sent her to live with his cousin Sergei, who was enamored by the lovely Mathilde and tried everything in his power to make her life as enjoyable as possible.