George 1 short and clear biography. George I King of Great Britain. The fight for electoral reform. Ways to fight. The need for reform. French revolution. The attitude of the king and parliament to the reform. Persecution of the press. Repeal of habeas corpus
King of Great Britain from the Hanoverian dynasty. reigned 1714--1727
gg. J.: from 1682 Sophia Dorothea, daughter of the Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
George 1, great-grandson of James I and founder of the new English royal
dynasty, was never popular in England. He was tolerated only because
he seemed the least of all possible evils. Queen Anne, the last of
Stuart, really wanted to pass the throne on to her younger brother
James III, who lived as an exile in France. Headed then
Bolingbroke's government supported these desires in her. But in
in fact, very few wanted the arrival of the pretender, since it
would inevitably lead to civil and religious war.
Therefore, after the death in 1700 of the little Duke of Gloucester, the last of
children of Anne Stewart, Elector Sophia, mother of George, was announced
heiress to the English throne, and George received the title of Duke
Cambridge. The future king spent his entire adult life in Germany.
During his father's life, he fought at the head of the Anoverian army on the Danube against
Turk, fought in Italy and on the Rhine. Having inherited the electorate, he conducted business with
great jealousy and prudence. The people of Hanover loved him very much.
However, in private life he was never a paragon of virtue. By joining
a marriage of convenience, Georg was not a faithful husband and never valued his wife,
although Sophia Dorothea was unusually pretty, lively, witty and
educated. Her husband's rudeness and cruelty drove her crazy. She went
live in Italy and behaved there more than at ease. Having learned about her love affairs
connections, George filed a case for divorce and in 1694 achieved it.
In September 1714, George landed in his new kingdom,
pointedly refused to accept Bolingbroke and formed a new ministry
from some Whigs. He didn't know a single word of English and soon aroused
general disappointment. Jacobite rebellion in Scotland by James III
forced the English to rally around the new king, but, generally speaking,
The prestige of the English monarch fell extremely low at this time. No different
political talents, Georg did not have the personal qualities that
could inspire his subjects to respect him. He brought with him to England two
their former mistresses, who received the grand titles of duchess here
Kendal and the Countess of Darlington. Georg retained the German servants, all the same
way of life and didn’t even want to travel around the country to get to know her
device and population. In his foreign policy the king was guided
almost exclusively by the interests of Hanover. He was undoubtedly not enlightened
a monarch and did not patronize the arts, but he was not a hypocrite either. Despot
himself in Hanover, in England he was a very moderate ruler. English
the political system, without a doubt, only benefited from the change of dynasties, so
how many powers that formerly belonged to the king have now passed
to parliament. It was at this time that the first place in English politics
the head of the cabinet is nominated, enjoying the confidence of the majority in the chamber
Five bright stars stand out on the political horizon of England in the 18th century. This is, first of all, King George II (1727-1760), then his grandson George III (1760-1811). Special mention should be made of political figures - prime ministers Robert Walpole (1720-1742) and two Pitts, father and son. Since they are namesakes, they are called William Pitt the Elder (1757-1766) and William Pitt the Younger (1784-1806). In general, during this era such profound changes took place in industry, trade and religion that they forever changed the face of England.
Anna gave birth to numerous offspring, but, unfortunately, none of her children survived. We had to look for heirs to the throne on the side. Strictly speaking, the strongest rights were held by James Stuart, the son of James II: for his supporters he was James III, his opponents simply called him “pretender.” Alas, the English crown was ordered for him, since James professed Catholicism; the “Act of Succession to the Throne” of 1701 established that after Anna, the granddaughter of James I, the wife of the Elector of Hanover Sophia, a Protestant by religion, would ascend the throne. However, Sophia died in the same year, 1714, as Anna. Therefore, Sophia’s son, 54-year-old George, became king of England. It remains only to congratulate him on such an achievement, because fifty-eight people showed a closer relationship with the deceased Queen Anne than the newly-minted king. However, parliament used every opportunity to place a convenient candidate on the throne, bypassing the rest of the heirs.
King George I (1714-1727)
In 1714, King George left his native Hanover and arrived in England. There was thick fog that day. Later - when it turned out that the new king cared more about his beloved Hanover than about poor England - this was remembered and considered a bad omen. Indeed, George I was a stranger on the island, he had absolutely no understanding of the English constitution and spoke almost no English. Even before the arrival of the new king, the British learned some unseemly details from his biography. It turns out that Georg imprisoned his wife for an affair with a certain Swedish colonel. The punishment was very strict, she was even forbidden to meet her own children. This, however, did not prevent George himself from having a mistress, whom he brought to England. This lady had such a meager build that the people immediately dubbed her Zherdya. The second woman who had a strong influence on George, his half-sister, on the contrary, was extremely obese, for which she received the nickname Elephant.
Naturally, two such colorful personalities, coupled with a couple of Turkish servants, served as the source of numerous anecdotes about the king, which were passed on from mouth to mouth. This was greatly facilitated by Georg’s unusual hobby: he loved to cut intricate patterns out of paper. The opponents of the foreign king did not fail to use all these unpleasant details for their own purposes. On the twentieth of October, the day of King George's coronation, uprisings broke out in Birmingham, Bristol, Norwich and Reading. Later, the rebels were joined by Jacobites from Oxford, which had traditionally been the center of the supporters of James Stuart.
And at this time Jacob himself was holed up at the French court, waiting for the right moment to invade England. Three uprisings were planned for 1715, which were supposed to prepare the way for the return of the Elder Pretender. The English government, seriously frightened by the situation in the south of the country, carried out a series of arrests among the Jacobites and placed military garrisons in strategically important cities (for example, in Oxford). These measures were enough to avert the threat of unrest. But while the Jacobites were being fought in the south, they unexpectedly gained a foothold in Scotland and the north of England. On September 6, 1715, in the city of Bremer, Count Map declared James King James III (the pretender himself was still in France at that time). Mar was supported by eighteen more Scottish lords, who together assembled an army of five thousand. At first, fate favored them: the Jacobites captured Perth and moved south, towards. On the tenth of November they occupied Preston, although not for long, since four days later English troops arrived and forced them to surrender. A day earlier, the Battle of Sheriffmoor took place in Scotland, in which neither the British nor the Jacobites managed to achieve a decisive victory. As a result, the fighting spirit of the rebels faded, and they slowly dispersed to their homes.
In December 1715, James Stuart finally arrived in Scotland himself. The enthusiasm with which he was greeted was greatly diminished when it became clear that Jacob had arrived without the promised French army. His six-week stay in Scotland only increased his disappointment: the dull appearance and sluggish speeches of the failed king alienated his last supporters. In February, Jacob was forced to leave and settle in Rome, where he eked out a miserable existence on the donations of a few friends. Having lost its ideological inspiration, the Jacobite movement gradually faded away. The crisis that the British government so feared did not materialize this time. Only thirty years later a threat to the throne arose again - now it came from James's son, "Beautiful Prince Charlie", who rebelled in 1745.
An equally serious situation arose in connection with the so-called South Sea Company. This company, founded in 1711, bought the monopoly rights to the slave trade in South America from the Spaniards. When the government announced that the company would finance the national debt, its shares jumped in price. Suffice it to say that one hundred pound bonds of the South Sea Company at the beginning of 1720 cost one hundred and twenty-eight pounds sterling; by June the price had risen to seven hundred and forty-five pounds, and in July it even exceeded one thousand. One after another, subsidiaries began to form, sometimes of a completely delusional profile. For example, there were those who proposed importing donkeys from Spain or producing oil from radishes. By September, the scam, as one might expect, blew up and the shares fell catastrophically in price. On the first of October the same bonds were worth only two hundred and ninety pounds. Those who managed to sell their securities on time were big winners, but the majority of shareholders simply went bankrupt.
The collapse of the South Sea Company had political consequences. The deceived investors naturally raged. The outrage reached its peak when it became clear that some ministers were involved in the adventure. It seemed that a little more and the government would collapse. There was a whiff of new elections which the Jacobites could take advantage of. Several ministers had to be sacrificed, others escaped with financial losses. But in the wake of the crisis, a new political figure appeared - Robert Walpole(1676-1745); he showed himself to be a leader capable of handling financial chaos.
In any case, he managed to protect both the crown and government representatives involved in the scam with the South Sea Company from the wave of popular indignation. Robert Walpole acted so convincingly as a lawyer for corrupt officials that he received the mocking nickname Barrier among the people. His efforts more than paid off later, when in 1721 the king appointed him Chancellor of the Exchequer. Walpole managed to take advantage of the chance given to him and for the next twenty years headed the House of Commons in Parliament. He came from a Norfolk landowner family - among his ancestors were justices of the peace, police colonels, and members of parliament. Outwardly, Walpole looked like a typical country gentleman: a healthy, red-cheeked face, a loud laugh - they say about such people as a “rude, noisy type.” Walpole himself admitted, not without pride, that he “prefers to talk dirty, because anyone can join in such a conversation.” Belonging to the Whig party, Robert Walpole fully shared their political principles. He sincerely believed in the power of Parliament and hated war as a costly and dangerous enterprise. He contributed in every possible way to the development of trade by carrying out an act to abolish export duties.
Actually, his dislike of war was dictated by his reluctance to divert funds and human resources from trade. In 1733, Walpole proudly reported to Queen Caroline that “this year the European wars have taken the lives of fifty thousand people, but not a single Englishman was among them.”
With the coming to power of the new Hanoverian dynasty, Walpole's position only strengthened. The Act of Succession to the Throne, adopted in 1701, established a Privy Council consisting of eighty people. But this number seemed unnecessary to George I: such advice, in his opinion, became unmanageable. Therefore, the king reduced the number of members to thirty, from among them the Cabinet of Ministers and the so-called Internal Cabinet were formed, which already included only six people. It was these people who made all the most important decisions that determined the development of the country. Perhaps George I, a German by birth, had little interest in English affairs, perhaps his frequent absences abroad had an effect - one way or another, gradually all power, both legislative and executive, passed to the cabinet of ministers.
The idea of creating the post of prime minister - "first among equals" - had long been suggested, but there was a serious problem here. By virtue of tradition, such a position had to be held by one of the peers, and a peer, as we know, is deprived of the opportunity to dictate his will to the House of Commons. Walpole, who had renounced the title of Lord, was an ideal candidate - formally, he could well exercise the necessary pressure on members of the lower house. Therefore, very soon he began to perform the functions of prime minister. The new position contributed to the growth of the power of the already all-powerful Walpole. This could not but irritate his political opponents, they were impatiently waiting for some turn of fate that would put an end to the era of rule of the hated prime minister. A similar event was the sudden death of George I. In 1727, during a trip to his native Hanover, the English king died of a heart attack.
George's mother, Sophia, was a granddaughter and was declared heir to the English throne instead of her son, who had the highest priority in genealogy. James III "The Old Pretender" (he went down in history under this name, despite the fact that he was never king) was a Catholic, and, fearing renewed religious strife, subsequently changed her mind in favor of the Protestant Sophia. She, however, died a few weeks earlier, and was succeeded by her son George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Elector of the Holy Roman Empire.
Georg was a typical German by upbringing. Rude, cruel and ignorant, he did not have the talent of a political leader, but he was a brave warrior, he conducted affairs in Hanover thoroughly and enjoyed the love of the local residents. Georg was not an exemplary family man and constantly cheated on his wife. She paid him with the same coin. Finally, in 1694, Georg obtained a divorce from his wife and imprisoned her in Alden Castle, although he retained her servants and a carriage for trips.
Having moved to England, George did not change his habits. He did not want to learn English, brought with him German servants and two mistresses, and in matters of English foreign policy, as a rule, he was guided by the interests of his native Hanover. From the very first days of the new king's reign, the British became more and more disappointed in him, and only the principle of choosing the “lesser evil” against the background of James III allowed George to stay on the throne.
Already in the first year of his reign, George had to suppress the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland, known as the “Rebellion of the Fifteenth Year.” The rebels, led by the Earl of Mar, set out to win the throne for James III, but they did not have a clear military plan and were soon defeated. Participants in the uprising were severely punished: some were executed, others were exiled to colonies, and the property of many noble families was confiscated.
The collapse of the Jacobite uprising also undermined the power of the Tories who sympathized with James. The Whigs won the next parliamentary elections and subsequently occupied leading positions for a long time.
In 1719, the Jacobites staged another uprising. Resorting to the help of the Spaniards, James III landed in Scotland and tried to recruit an army from local residents, but his poorly armed army quickly capitulated under the onslaught of British artillery.
The first Whig government, created in 1717, was led by Charles Spencer, Earl of Sunderland, who quickly pushed aside his rivals: Robert Walpole, Charles Townsend and James Stanhope. However, in 1719, he became involved in a scam with the Southern Marine Company, which led to an economic crisis, and resigned. Sir Robert Walpole took his place. He was not formally a prime minister, but only bore the title of First Lord of the Treasury, but all the levers of government were in his hands. With the help of bribes, he gained the support of many deputies of the House of Commons, which allowed him to carry out the necessary decisions.
Towards the end of his life, George became interested in the idea of creating a triple alliance of Great Britain, France and the Netherlands. More and more often he visited his native Germany, which was closer to his heart than England. On June 11, 1727, on the way to Hanover, he died, leaving the crowns to his son.
Georg was born in Copenhagen; He was the second son of Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. George's full name is Prince Christian Wilhelm Ferdinand Adolf Georg of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg; however, before ascending to the Greek throne, he was better known as Prince William.
In 1852, George's father became a potential heir to the childless King of Denmark; his entire family received the titles of princes and princesses.
For some time Georg had planned to make a career in the navy; however, already at the age of 17 his plans changed radically - he was proclaimed king of Greece. It's funny that George took the throne on March 30, 1863 - six months earlier than his father became king. The young Danish prince was by no means the first option that came to the minds of the Greeks; For some time they considered the candidacy of Prince Alfred. In 1832, however, a law was passed in Britain prohibiting royalty from accepting the crown; It should also be noted that Alfred’s mother, Queen Victoria, was initially an ardent opponent of the whole idea. It was then that the gaze of the Greeks turned to Prince William.
The newly-minted king arrived in Athens on October 30. Georg was determined not to repeat the mistakes of his predecessor. First of all, the king learned Greek; in addition, he often appeared on the streets of the capital in a rather informal manner - while King Otto appeared in public exclusively with pomp. It took some time to restore the palace, which was by no means in the best shape. Georg pointedly ignored the influence of others; He was especially careful not to fall under the influence of the Danes - for this he even expelled his own uncle, Prince Julius, from the country.
On November 28, 1864, George swore an oath to defend the new constitution created with his direct participation. From this moment on, representatives elected by the people began to play a major role; the king understood perfectly well that there was plenty of corruption in elections, but aside from this, he considered this form of government optimal.
Between 1864 and 1910, the country held 21 general elections and changed 70 governments.
Georg also paid considerable attention to foreign policy. He had a fairly good relationship with his half-brother Edward, the future king of Great Britain; It was to Edward that George turned for help on the Cretan issue.
During a trip to Russia - where at that time George's sister, Dagmar, who married into the Russian imperial family, already lived - the king met Princess Olga Konstantinovna. On October 27, 1867, Georg and Olga got married; In their marriage they had 8 children.
As a result of the Russian-Turkish war, Greece was able to somewhat expand its borders; alas, excessive aggressiveness during negotiations cost them some possessions. Things were also going well within the country - by the end of the 19th century, Greece was at the peak of prosperity and was rightfully considered one of the strongest countries in Europe. Unfortunately, the Greek army was still unable to resist Britain; This became especially clear after the nationalists came to the government. The unsuccessful attempt of Theodoros Deligiannis to mobilize the troops of Greece and, under the guise of unrest in Bulgaria, to further expand the borders of the country, showed King George that his extensive family ties were not always only useful - the British fleet blockading Greece was commanded by Prince Alfred . Deliyanis lost the post of prime minister; He was replaced by Charilaos Trikoupis, who had already been burned in the negotiations.
Nothing good came of the attempt to intervene in the uprising in Crete; The Greek troops were smashed to pieces - and the only consolation was that this happened relatively quickly. Crete became an independent territory, and George somewhat spoiled relations with Russia, Britain and his own people.
After the death of Queen Victoria on January 22, 1901, George became the second longest reigning monarch in Europe. His warm relationship with King Edward helped strengthen Greece's ties with Britain—especially important given Britain's strong support for King George's son, Prince George, who was then Governor-General of Crete. In 1906, however, George still lost his post - after a large-scale campaign organized by the leader of the Cretan Assembly, Eleftherios Venizelos. Venizelos was able to find a common language with George I himself; among other things, they were united by the belief that Greece urgently needed a strong army. Under the leadership of Venizelos and Crown Prince Constantine, the army was seriously modified, the soldiers received decent uniforms and decent training, and the navy received several new ships. The Greeks did not waste time on the diplomatic front either - Venizelos actively incited Balkan Christians against the Ottoman Empire.
George managed to justify himself in the eyes of the people during the Balkan War - then the Greek army won a series of convincing victories. As a result of the war, the country almost doubled its territory. Alas, George did not have the chance to rest on his laurels for long; On March 18, 1913, he was shot. The king, as always, was walking around the city without security - and the killer, a certain Alexandros Schinas, was able to shoot almost point-blank. Some claimed that Schinas was a socialist, others called him an anarchist; According to the official version, the murder had no political motives at all, and Schinas was an ordinary bandit and drunkard.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Thessaloniki,
Kingdom of Greece
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Biography
The long and successful reign of George turned out to be a prologue to a period of instability in subsequent reigns, constant wars and coups that haunted Greece for more than 60 years.
Family
In 1867, Georg married Olga Konstantinovna (1851-1926), daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. 
Children:
- Constantine I (-) - King of Greece (-, -, married Princess Sophia of Prussia, had three sons and three daughters;
- George (-) - Count of Corfu, married Princess Maria Bonaparte, had a son and daughter;
- Alexander Pavel Alexandrovich, had a son and daughter;
- Nikolai (-) - married Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, had three daughters;
- Maria (-) - wife of Grand Duke Georgiy Mikhailovich, had two daughters;
- Olga () - died in infancy
- Andrew (-) - married Princess Alice of Battenberg, had four daughters and a son;
- Christopher (-) - first wife, American heiress Nancy Stewart, second wife, French princess Françoise of Orleans, with whom he had one son.
Memory
- In philately
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Notes
Literature
- John Campbell et Philip Sherrard, Modern Greece, Ernest Benn, Londres, 1968. ISBN 0-510-37951-6.
- Walter Christmas, King George of Greece, Adamant Media Corporation, Londres, 2001. ISBN 1-4021-7527-2.
- Richard Clogg A Short History of Modern Greece, University Press, Cambridge, 1979. ISBN 0-521-32837-3.
- Edward S. Forster, A Short History of Modern Greece 1821-1956, 3rd edition, Methuen and Co, Londres, 1958.
- Michel de Grace et Henri d'Orléans, Mon album de famille, Perrin, Paris, 1996. ISBN 2-262-01237-7.
- John Van der Kiste Kings of the Hellenes, Sutton Publishing, 1994.
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Excerpt characterizing George I (King of Greece)
Never in the Rostovs' house did the air of love, the atmosphere of love make itself felt with such force as on these holiday days. “Catch moments of happiness, force yourself to love, fall in love yourself! Only this one thing is real in the world - the rest is all nonsense. And that’s all we’re doing here,” said the atmosphere. Nikolai, as always, having tortured two pairs of horses and not having had time to visit all the places where he needed to be and where he was called, arrived home just before lunch. As soon as he entered, he noticed and felt the tension of the loving atmosphere in the house, but he also noticed a strange confusion reigning between some of the members of the society. Sonya, Dolokhov, the old countess and a little Natasha were especially excited. Nikolai realized that something was going to happen before dinner between Sonya and Dolokhov, and with his characteristic sensitivity of heart he was very gentle and careful during dinner in dealing with both of them. On the same evening of the third day of the holidays there was to be one of those balls at Yogel (the dance teacher), which he gave on holidays for all his students and female students.- Nikolenka, will you go to Yogel? Please go,” Natasha told him, “he especially asked you, and Vasily Dmitrich (it was Denisov) is going.”
“Wherever I go on the orders of Mr. Athena!” said Denisov, who jokingly placed himself in the Rostov house on the foot of the knight Natasha, “pas de chale [dance with a shawl] is ready to dance.”
- If I have time! “I promised the Arkharovs, it’s their evening,” Nikolai said.
“And you?...” he turned to Dolokhov. And just now I asked this, I noticed that this shouldn’t have been asked.
“Yes, maybe...” Dolokhov answered coldly and angrily, looking at Sonya and, frowning, with exactly the same look as he looked at Pierre at the club dinner, he looked again at Nikolai.
“There is something,” thought Nikolai, and this assumption was further confirmed by the fact that Dolokhov left immediately after dinner. He called Natasha and asked what was it?
“I was looking for you,” Natasha said, running out to him. “I told you, you still didn’t want to believe,” she said triumphantly, “he proposed to Sonya.”
No matter how little Nikolai did with Sonya during this time, something seemed to come off in him when he heard this. Dolokhov was a decent and in some respects a brilliant match for the dowry-free orphan Sonya. From the point of view of the old countess and the world, it was impossible to refuse him. And therefore Nikolai’s first feeling when he heard this was anger against Sonya. He was preparing to say: “And great, of course, we must forget our childhood promises and accept the offer”; but he didn’t have time to say it yet...
– You can imagine! She refused, completely refused! – Natasha spoke. “She said she loves someone else,” she added after a short silence.
“Yes, my Sonya could not have done otherwise!” thought Nikolai.
“No matter how much my mother asked her, she refused, and I know she won’t change what she said...
- And mom asked her! – Nikolai said reproachfully.
“Yes,” said Natasha. - You know, Nikolenka, don’t be angry; but I know that you will not marry her. I know, God knows why, I know for sure, you won’t get married.
“Well, you don’t know that,” said Nikolai; – but I need to talk to her. What a beauty this Sonya is! – he added smiling.
- This is so lovely! I'll send it to you. - And Natasha, kissing her brother, ran away.
A minute later Sonya came in, frightened, confused and guilty. Nikolai approached her and kissed her hand. This was the first time on this visit that they spoke face to face and about their love.
“Sophie,” he said timidly at first, and then more and more boldly, “if you want to refuse not only a brilliant, profitable match; but he is a wonderful, noble man... he is my friend...
Sonya interrupted him.
“I already refused,” she said hastily.
- If you refuse for me, then I’m afraid that on me...
Sonya interrupted him again. She looked at him with pleading, frightened eyes.
“Nicolas, don’t tell me that,” she said.
- No, I have to. Maybe this is suffisance [arrogance] on my part, but it’s better to say. If you refuse for me, then I must tell you the whole truth. I love you, I think, more than anyone...
“That’s enough for me,” Sonya said, flushing.
- No, but I have fallen in love a thousand times and will continue to fall in love, although I do not have such a feeling of friendship, trust, love for anyone as for you. Then I'm young. Maman doesn't want this. Well, it's just that I don't promise anything. And I ask you to think about Dolokhov’s proposal,” he said, having difficulty pronouncing his friend’s last name.
- Don't tell me that. I do not want anything. I love you like a brother, and will always love you, and I don’t need anything more.
“You are an angel, I am not worthy of you, but I am only afraid of deceiving you.” – Nikolai kissed her hand again.
Yogel had the most fun balls in Moscow. This was what the mothers said, looking at their adolescentes [girls] performing their newly learned steps; this was said by the adolescentes and adolescents themselves, [girls and boys] who danced until they dropped; these grown-up girls and young men who came to these balls with the idea of condescending to them and finding the best fun in them. In the same year, two marriages took place at these balls. The two pretty princesses of the Gorchakovs found suitors and got married, and even more so they launched these balls into glory. What was special about these balls was that there was no host and hostess: there was the good-natured Yogel, like flying feathers, shuffling around according to the rules of art, who accepted tickets for lessons from all his guests; was that only those who wanted to dance and have fun, like 13 and 14 year old girls who put on long dresses for the first time, want to go to these balls. Everyone, with rare exceptions, was or seemed pretty: they all smiled so enthusiastically and their eyes lit up so much. Sometimes even the best students danced pas de chale, of whom the best was Natasha, distinguished by her grace; but at this last ball only ecosaises, anglaises and the mazurka, which was just coming into fashion, were danced. The hall was taken by Yogel to Bezukhov’s house, and the ball was a great success, as everyone said. There were a lot of pretty girls, and the Rostov ladies were among the best. They were both especially happy and cheerful. That evening, Sonya, proud of Dolokhov’s proposal, her refusal and explanation with Nikolai, was still spinning at home, not allowing the girl to finish her braids, and now she was glowing through and through with impetuous joy.
Natasha, no less proud that she was wearing a long dress for the first time at a real ball, was even happier. Both were wearing white muslin dresses with pink ribbons.
