Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was born Alix Victoria Helena Louise Beatrice, Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt on 6 June 1872, in the small German Duchy of Hesse on the Rhine River near Frankfurt. Her parents were Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria, and Grand Duke Ludwig IV. She was given the name Alix, which was the closest equivalent to her mother's name in German. Alix had four sisters and two brothers. At this time, Alix was probably the most happy. The family was no stranger to death and loss. One of Alix' two brothers, Frittie, died in May 1873 after falling from a palace window when he was four. Her youngest sister, Mary, also died at the same age five years later in 1878 from diphtheria. This last tragedy became catastrophic for the family when diphtheria took the children's mother as well. Alix' surviving sisters were Victoria (later Marchioness of Milford Haven), Irene (later Princess of Prussia), and Elizabeth (later Grand Duchess of Russia).

The death of Alice had a devastating effect on the family. Ludwig was often away in with the Prussian Army and Alice had been the glue that kept the family together. Without her, Ludwig left the raising of his family to others and the family lost it's center. The older girls were close in age and naturally turned to each other for support, they were more mature and self reliant than their siblings. The two youngest children, Alix and her brother Ernst-Louis, found themselves left to the care of nannies and governesses selected by their grandmother, Queen Victoria of England. Alix had, for one, part kept a close correspondence and friendship with Nicholas of Russia, after meeting when her sister Elizabeth married Nicholas' uncle. Alexandra considered Nicholas to be her "Prince Charming". It seemed like a dream come true when he asked her to marry him in 1894. Perhaps, one of the toughest things for Alix to do when she decided to accept Nicholas' marriage proposal was she needed to change her faith. She was a devout Lutheran and her faith was a great part of her life. Luckily, Queen Victoria acted as a go between for the two young lovers, and convinced Alix that it was fine. However, many times during her life she would feel guilty for it.

This seemingly wonderful courtship changed drastically soon after the engagement when Alexander III suddenly died and Nicholas II became to Czar. As a result, Alix and Nicholas had to immediately marry and Alix had to convert to the Orthodox faith. This was sudden for the young couple who obviously could have used more time during their engagement. But, the couple had to be married so Nicholas could take-over the job he "dreaded" and "was never prepared for". So, immediately after the death of Alexander III, Nicholas and his beloved Alix, whom he called "Sunny" married. Alix confided in her diary that the wedding was like "the continuation of the funeral, only I was wearing white". This was not a good start for such a sudden marriage in the first place. Alexandra suddenly was transformed from a small German princess to the Czarina and "matuska" or mother of all Russian people. Alexandra was severely attacked by critics, however, who believed she was prone to religious hysteria and her favouring of Rasputin did not improve her ranks in Russian society. As a result, she became more focused on her family and when she did appear in public she was always seen frowning. Perhaps her turning more to her family led to her downfall. Her family was one of her greatest pleasures yet she could never produce a male heir. Finally, in 1904, after her four daughters were born: Olga, Tatiana, Marie, and Anastasia, Alexandra produced a male heir- Alexis. Her happiness turned to sorrow when she found that Alexis was afflicted with haemophilia, which meant that the blood couldn't clot and therefore could be life threatening.

As a result, when Rasputin came to St. Petersburg in 1905, and said he could cure Alexis of the disease she immediately put all her trust in him, despite his bad reputation of being a drunkard and a womaniser, she gave him great influence in key government affairs. Finally, what made people hate her more was when World War One started. They alleged Alexandra, that she was a German. This played an even stronger role in the government as Nicholas went away to the front the Czarina took over the government. When Nicholas abdicated Alexandra and he both became prisoners of the provisional government and later the Bolsheviks. It was during this time the family really came together. Nicholas and Alexandra's true heart felt love came through as the family learned to manage with the awful conditions in Siberia where they were imprisoned. As they were born in love so they died on July 17, 1918 at the hands of the Bolshevik bayonets. Like her husband, Alexandra is also being considered for canonisation by the Russian Orthodox Church while the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad does recognise them as saints.