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| Reach for a Tsar |
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| Above Row From Left: Stamps that all celebrated Franco-Russian alliances and some of the central characters Involved. The blue stamp shows Tsar Nicholas II, with one of the letters in the printers name lost due to perforations; the yellow stamp features the French President Marie François Sadi Carnot, who was assassinated by an Italian anarchist in June 1894; Tsar Alexander III on purple issue. He reigned from March 1881 until November 1894; and Jean Paul Pierre Casimir-Perier, French President from June 1894 until January 1895 |
We've noted that President George W. Bush has recently made his first visit to Russia. This struck a chord about some stamps we've had for some time, and, as always, when looking at things more closely, we found new information. On October 7, 1896, Nicholas II and Alexandra, Tsar and Tsarina of Russia made a state visit to France. Though maybe not of obvious significance, this was an important occasion for France, and French stamp dealers celebrated the occasion by producing some philatelic souvenirs. The only source of information we could find was Les Timbres de Fantaisie et Non Officiels Vol. 3 by A. Bourdi (1976), pages 18-21. The first item we show is a blue stamp (above, left) that has a picture of Nicholas II, with the words 'Séjour en France/les 5, 6, 7 et 8 Octobre 1896/Empereur de toutes/les Russies' included in the frame. At the bottom of the stamp, below the design, are the words 'EU?TH & Cie GR' and 'PARIS' - the name of the printer.
The next three stamps shown can be found in a horizontal strip, as illustrated in Bourdi (page III). They show portraits of famous people associated with the Royal visit. The first portrait is of Marie François Sadi Carnot (the yellow stamp) - the President of France 1889 to 1894, who was assassinated in June 1894 at Lyons by Caserio, an Italian anarchist. The second portrait (purple stamp) is Tsar Alexander III who reigned from March 14, 1881 - following the assassination of his father Alexander 11 the previous day - until November 1, 1894.
The third stamp (red) shows the portrait of Jean Paul Pierre Casimir-Perier, President of France from June 1894 until January 15, 1895, when he resigned. He was succeeded by François Félie Faure who acted as President until 1899 (his portrait appears on one of the stamps but we don't have an example yet). Two more stamps in the same design, and probably within the same sheet, carry portraits of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra. The stamps can be found in grey violet, pale green, purple, blue, green, yellow, red, brown red and brown. |
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But why these particular designs, especially those of the dead Presidents? The answer lies in the legend on each stamp (not on the Casimir-Perier stamp) - 'Toulon 1893 - Russie - Cronstadt 1891 - France'. For many years Russia had been allied with Germany, to a greater or lesser extent, especially during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. However when William 11 became German Emperor in 1888, Alexander III adopted a more hostile attitude towards Germany than his father Alexander II. Alexander II was assassinated on March 13, 1881. Alexander III's reign wasn't particularly eventful but his political ideal was a nation containing one nationality, one language, one religion, and one form of administration.
Accordingly, he imposed the Russian language on all subjects and fostered Orthodoxy at the expense of other forms of religion. He terminated the RussoGerman Alliance in 1890, and agreed Franco-Russian Alliances at Kronstadt, Russia in 1891, and Toulon, France in 1893 (hence President Carnot). When Alexander III died in 1894, France was particularly worried about the future of the alliance, as the Tsar made foreign policy. After the coronation of the Tsar the King and Queen of Denmark, for 10 days. His new yacht (the Standort, on her maiden trip) took them on to Great Britain to meet Queen Victoria, the Tsarina's grandmother. Travelling from Balmoral to Portsmouth, the Imperial couple embarked for France. Great importance was attached to this visit by politicians in both Russia and France as no Russian Emperor had been to France since the Franco-Russian entente. From the moment that they reached France, they were Nicholas II on May 26, 1896, the new Tsar and Tsarina undertook major State Visits. First, they travelled to Vienna on August 27, 1896 to stay with Emperor FranzJosef. From there, they travelled to Kiev to meet with Germany's Emperor William II and to view German military manoeuvres. On then to Denmark, where they stayed with the Tsar's grandparents through his maternal line, objects of an unceasing ovation. Paris did its utmost to show its finest and, as nature didn't oblige, they covered all the chestnut trees with artificial blooms. The imperial party were escorted throughout the trip by President Faure (hence his portrait on a stamp). Finally the Imperial coupie went to Darmstadt, where they stayed with the Tsarina's parents, the Archduke and Duchess of Hesse. |
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