Of Traitors and Saints: Foreign Consorts between Accusations and Propaganda in the First World War

Abstract

The rumours about the German descent and sexual promiscuity of the Russian Tsarina Alexandra contributed to the fall of the Romanov regime in 1917 as foreignness and gender narratives were used by revolutionary groups to undermine the sacrosanct aura of the Russian dynasty. However, the utilisation of gender norms and the foreign descent of a royal consort for political purposes was not a uniquely Russian phenomenon. In fact, similar allegations of treason and depravity against foreign consorts existed in many First World War monarchies. This article puts the stereotype of the ‘evil foreign queen’ in an historical context and analyses the functionality and motives of these rumours in the conduct of the war. The article also examines the success and failure of wartime counter-narratives and, thereby, contributes a new aspect to the impact of the war on European monarchy.