Alexander III, the Emperor of Russia - his family portrait

Alexander had little prospect of succeeding to the throne, as he had an elder brother, Nicholas. Even when Nicholas first displayed symptoms of poor health, the notion that he might die young was never taken seriously, and he was betrothed to Princess Dagmar of Denmark, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and Queen Louise of Denmark, and whose siblings included King Frederick VIII of Denmark, Alexandra, Queen of the United Kingdom and King George I of Greece. Nicholas was educated as tsesarevich, whereas Alexander received only the training of a Grand Duke. This included acquaintance with French, English and German, and military drill. On his deathbed Nicholas expressed the wish that his fiancée, Princess Dagmar of Denmark, should marry his successor. This wish was swiftly realized when on 9 November [O.S. 28 October] 1866 in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Alexander wed Dagmar, who converted to Orthodox Christianity and took the name Maria Feodorovna. The union proved a happy one unlike his father's.