A chivalric tournament? Where? At Tsarskoye Selo!
One day in May 1842, 16 knights, clad in armor and accompanied by fine ladies, rode out of the Arsenal at Tsarskoye Selo. They headed unhurriedly for Alexander Palace, where their female companions took their places on special stands, while the horsemen went round in a circle performing a series of elaborate dressage movements.
No, a time portal hadn't opened up at Tsarskoye Selo and Medieval fairytale knights hadn't magically appeared. The horseman riding in front, moreover, could easily be recognized - he was none other than Emperor Nicholas I. He was clad in shining armor from the time of Emperor Maximilian of the Holy Roman Empire. The participants in the cavalcade wore genuine suits of armor kept at the Arsenal. Double dresses of velvet and brocade in medieval style had been sewn for the ladies. The procession was accompanied by heralds and musicians of the Life Guards Cuirassier Regiment.
The ceremonial pageant and tournament, which were viewed by Empress Alexandra Feodorovna and ladies of the court, were called a ‘carousel’. The participants in such a tournament wore themed costumes and, as in the Middle Ages, they fought with lances or wooden clubs and threw javelins.
What was the origin of these chivalric tournaments in Russia? You want to know the reason for this type of combat? You're right: cherchez la femme! The first to hold them was Catherine the Great. The empress' grandson, Nicholas I, was an enthusiastic fan of chivalric culture, regarding carousels not just as entertainments, but also as quite a good form of military training. For this reason, they were made a compulsory part of training for mounted regiments.
The carousel at Tsarskoye Selo was a special event: not just a tournament, but the emperor's 25th wedding anniversary present to Alexandra Feodorovna. Just like her spouse, she was a keen fan of chivalric culture and adored English and German novels on chivalric themes. Even the empress' pet name ‘Blancheflour’ was a reminder of her tastes. She was called ‘White Rose’ in part because of her resemblance to the heroine of Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué's novel ‘The Magic Ring’.
