#Natalia Wulfert

[loiladadiani]

Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich and his bride, Natalia Sergeyevna Sheremetyevskaya (this is their wedding picture)

I never know what to say about Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. He turned out to be an excellent soldier and leader when the time came, but his choices in the area of love were always unwise for someone in his position. All sources say that Mikhail was the kindest person and a bit naive. He does not seem to have taken into consideration his duties and obligations, being next after Alexis in the line of succession to the Russian throne.

In any event, in these photos, he appears with the beautiful woman he married and mother of his only son, Natalia.

[loiladadiani]

Beautiful picture of Countess Brassova I had not seen before.

“The marriage of the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich and Madame Woulfert, which took place in the autumn, distressed the whole Imperial family and particularly the Dowager Empress. The Grand Duke Michael was the Tsar’s only brother and, after the Tsarevich, heir to the throne. After his marriage he was obliged to leave Russia and live abroad with his wife who was given the title of Countess Brassoff. Their only son was killed in an automobile accident, soon after the Revolution. Morganatic marriages such as this did great harm to the prestige of the Imperial family. The private lives of those who may be called upon to reign should be governed by the interests of their country and by the duties incumbent upon their rank. Noblesse oblige.”-Prince Felix Youssoupoff, Lost Splendor 

[n-rnova]

Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich Romanov(Left), Count George Mikhailovich Brasov(Middle,son of GD Michael), Countess Natalia Sergeyevna Sheremetyevskaya, Countess Brasova(Right)(Wife).

At the beginning of 1908, Michael began a friendship with Natalia Sergeyevna Wulfert, the wife of a fellow officer; she was previously divorced and had a young daughter by her first husband. Their relationship deepened, and by the summer of the following year, they were lovers. By that winter, Natalia was separated from her husband and living in an apartment in Moscow paid for by Michael. When the Tsar became aware of the situation, he had his brother transferred to the Chernigov Hussars at Orel, but Michael traveled from Orel to Moscow several times a month to visit Natalia. She gave birth to their son in July of 1910. (As this occurred - before - her divorce from Wulfert, the eventual divorce decree was back-dated.) The baby George - named after Michael's dead brother - was given the surname "Brasov" derived from the name of Michael's estate Brasovo, in acknowledgement of his paternity. The following year the Tsar permitted Natalia to move to Brasovo, granting her the surname "Brasova".

In September, the couple again went abroad, again followed by the Okhrana. While in Berlin, they announced that they would drive to Cannes. But, eluding the secret police, they made a diversion to Vienna, where they were secretly married in the Serbian Orthodox Church, on October 16th. A few days later, they arrived at Cannes, where they were joined by the two children. Two weeks after the wedding, Michael wrote to his mother and brother to inform them; they were, not surprisingly, horrified and angry. The Tsar was particularly upset as his son was in the midst of his most serious haemophiliac episode, and Michael had explained that it was just that dire situation that had spurred his decision to marry: his actions would remove him from the succession and, should the young Tsarevich die, he couldn't be separated from Natalia and their child. In a series of decrees between December and January 1913, Nicholas relieved Michael of his command, banished him from Russia, froze all his assets there, and seized control of his estates. Michael and Natalia - who would not be styled Grand Duchess, but called Madame or Countess Brasova - lived in French and Swiss hotels for the next six months. They were visited by sympathetic friends and relatives, including his sister Xenia. In July they met the Dowager Empress in London; according to the Grand Duchess Xenia's diary, her mother told Natalia "a few home truths". Not long after, Michael took a one-year lease on Knebworth House, a furnished and staffed estate twenty miles north of London. Michael's finances were nonetheless uncertain since he had to rely on funds released at the Tsar's command, as his brother still controlled all his estates and assets.

[annalaurendet70]

The Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Romanova of Russia repeatedly asked Tsar Nicholas II to allow her to divorce, her brother refused on religious and dynastic grounds; he believed marriage was for life and that royalty should marry within Royalty.

When their brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovuch Romanov of Russia eloped with his mistress, Natalia Sergeyevna Sheremetyevskaya,Madame Wulfert, the Tsar and Olga were scandalized along with the rest of society. Natasha was a commoner who had been divorced twice, and one of her former husbands was an officer in the same regiment as Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky. Mikhail was banished from Russia, and the likelihood of the Tsar ever granting Olga's divorce, or permitting her to marry a commoner, looked remote.

At the outbreak of World War I, Kulikovsky was sent to the front with his regiment. Mikhailwas recalled from abroad, and Olga went to work in a military hospital as a nurse. Olga continued to press the Tsar to allow her divorce. In a letter she wrote, " ... finish with the divorce now during the war while all eyes and minds are occupied elsewhere—and such a small thing would be lost in all the greater things". The war went badly for the Russian imperial forces, and the Central Powers, led by Germany, advanced into Russia. Fearful for Kulikovsky's safety, Olga pleaded with the Tsar to transfer him to the relative safety of Kiev, where she was stationed at a hospital. In 1916, after visiting her in Kiev, the Tsar officially annulled her marriage to Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg and she married Kulikovsky on 16 November 1916, in the Kievo-Vasilievskaya Church on Triokhsviatitelskaya Ukitsa (Three Saints Street) in Kiev. Only the officiating priest, Olga's mother the Dowager Empress Marie Feodorovna of Russia, Olga's brother-in-law Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov of Russia two fellow nurses from the hospital in Kiev and four officers of the Akhtyrsky regiment, of which Olga was honorary colonel, attended.Their two-week honeymoon was spent in a farmhouse in Podgorny that had belonged to family friends of the Kulikovskys.After visiting Kulikovsky's parents and grandmother in Kharkov, Olga and Kulikovsky returned to Kiev.

[greatwar-1914]

June 13, 1918 - Bolsheviks Execute Tsar’s Brother Grand Duke Michael, First Romanov to be Killed

Pictured - Michael was second in line for the throne when his older brother Nicholas abdicated in March 1917. A proponent of constitutional monarchy, he reluctantly agreed to be Tsar in place of Nicholas’s son if the people would ratify his succession. The Bolshevik Revolution came first, however.

In the early hours of June 13, the Tsar’s brother Grand Duke Michael was removed from his house arrest in Perm and put in a horse-drawn trap, along with his British secretary Nicholas Johnson. Four Bolshevik secret policemen accompanied Michael, who asked where they were headed. “To the train station,” responded one of the guards, but in fact they drove into the nearby woods. There the guards forced Michael and Johnson out of the carriage and shot them. Wounded, Michael crawled towards Johnson. “Let me say goodbye to my friend,” he asked. The guards shot both dead and stripped their corpses, which were never found.

Whatever one thinks of the Romanovs and the Bolsheviks, Michael’s execution was a sad story. The Grand Duke was second in line to the Russian throne in 1917, but had spent much of his life trying to distance himself from the monarchy. In 1905 he had shocked his elder brother by marrying a twice-divorced commoner, Natalia Wulfert, with whom he lived in London. Only when the First World War broke out did Michael return to his native Russia to serve as a cavalry corps commander. His relationship with his brother remained chilly, especially when Michael warned Nicholas that his position was far shakier than he realized.

Michael proved the prescient one. The Tsar abdicated in March 1917 and chose Michael to take his place on the throne. Michael, who had spent his life trying to get further away from the Romanov crown, agreed on the condition that the Provisional Government ratified his succession, which it never did. Nevertheless he supported the new government, even when it declared itself a republic in September 1917. In his diary, Michael accepted the decision: "We woke up this morning to hear Russia declared a Republic. What does it matter which form the government will be as long as there is order and justice?”

When the Bolshevik revolution came in November, Michael helped Prime Minister Kerensky escape Russia. Because of this, and because of his claim to power, MIchael became a revolutionary target although he himself had nothing to do with the White movement. The four policemen who killed him had all been victims of Tsarist imprisonment, and forged the orders to execute Michael on their own initiative. Later they claimed they had shot Michael when he “tried to escape.”

[brooklynscrapper]

I was tagged by @qiaolianmelindamay​. Thanks bud and I’m sorry this is so late.

Rules:  complete the survey and say who tagged you in the beginning. When you’re finished, tag people to do this survey.  

1. Are you named after someone? Gideon is a Jewish judge and prophet and Ismail is a prophet in the Qur’an, though I didn’t pick those names because of religious reasons.  

2. When was the last time you cried? In October because of some super person reasons.

3. Do you like your handwriting? Yeah, because it still looks neat even if I’m writing really fast.  

4. What is your favourite lunch meat? Chicken

5. Do you have kids? No and I don’t really want to have kids.

6. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? Nope.

7. Do you use sarcasm? What me? No, never.

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.

9. Would you bungee jump? Possibly.

10. What is your favourite kind of cereal? I don’t eat a lot of cereal anymore, but my favourites are Froot Loops and Honey Nut Cheerios.

11. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Only if I’m wearing boots, otherwise no.

12. Do you think you’re a strong person? Sometimes, when I’m feeling confident in myself.

13. What is your favourite ice cream? Vanilla chocolate swirl.

14. What is the first thing you notice about people? Their voice and whether or not they wear glasses.

15. What is the least favourite physical thing you like about yourself? I have no idea what this question is trying to say.

16. What colour pants and shoes are you wearing right now? Dark blue pants and I’m not wearing shoes.

17. What are you listening to right now? Nothing at the moment. Though the last song I listened to was ‘Bye Bye Bye’ by *NSYNC.

18. If you were a crayon, what colour would you be? Dark gray.

19. Favourite smell? Amber and blackcurrant.

20. Who was the last person you spoke to over the phone? My mum, to ask for a ride home.

21. Favourite sport to watch? My family’s from Fiji, so I watch a lot of rugby.

22. Hair colour? Black.

23. Eye colour? Dark brown, almost black.

24. Do you wear contacts? I wear glasses and think that I look odd without them on.

25. Favourite food to eat? Tacos, sushi, curry.

26. Scary movies or comedy? Comedy. I hate horror movies.

27. What was the last movie you watched? I watched the first 10 minutes of The King’s Speech over breakfast on Saturday

28. What colour shirt are you wearing? I’m currently wearing my high school grad shirt and it’s dark gray, red and white.

29. Summer or winter? Summer.

30. Hugs or kisses? Hugs are so much better than kisses.

31. What book are you currently reading? I’m currently reading a book about the love affair between Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia and Natalia Sergeyevna Wulfert.

32. Who do you miss right now? No one in particular at the moment.

33. What is on your mouse pad? I don’t use mouse pads.

34. What is the best sound? Lin Manuel Miranda’s voice.

35. Rolling Stone or The Beatles? The Beatles, but only the early Beatles.

36. What is the furthest away you have ever travelled? I live near Vancouver and the farthest I’ve ever travelled is Fiji and that’s almost 10,000 km.

37. Do you have a special talent? I’m really good at memorizing people’s vocal patterns and what they say, which is super useful for remembering people and facts.

38. Where were you born? Vancouver, Canada.

I’m tagging: @palmettophoenix​ @buckybarnesismypreciousplum​ @gaygent-romanoff​ and anyone else who wants to do this.

[mikhail-alexandrovich]

He was a brother of the Tsar, she was just a daughter of Moscov lawyer, married twice and with a child from her first marriage... But for Mikhail nothing was impossible. It was love at first sight - till the end: his tragic death in Perm in 1918 and her death of cancer at the Laënnec charity hospital in Paris almost 34 years later.

Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich with Sheremetevsky family, at their house on Vozdvizhenka/Moscow. Ca. 1910.

[loiladadiani]

Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich (1878 -1918): Affairs of the heart

Misha (or "Floppy," as his sister Olga called him) was the youngest son and fifth child of Emperor Alexander III and, without a doubt, his favorite son. He grew up to be handsome and intellectually unremarkable...some, such as Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, thought that this lack of talent was a facade and that the young man was quite intelligent but preferred to live the life of a playboy and remain uninvolved in affairs of state.

Affairs of the heart turned out to be a big problem for Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, as he seemed to have always chosen the "wrong partner" (from a dynastic point of view.) I blame Dagmar (Empress Maria Feodorovna) for that; as second or third in the succession line most of his adult life, she should have secured a proper marriage for him. But her desire to keep her children close to her overruled her mind.

These are the women Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich fell in love with:

Princess Beatrice of Saxe Coburg and Gotha - a beautiful young lady and very appropriate by rank but a first cousin of Michael's (daughter of Grand Duchess Marie Alexandrovna, only sister of Alexander III.) The Russian Orthodox Church did not permit marriages among first cousins, and Nicholas II refused to authorize the marriage.

Alexandra Kossikovskaya (known as Dina) - a lady in waiting for his sister Olga and definitely out of the question as a marriage prospect.

Natalia Sergeyevna Wulfert (later Countess Natalia Brasova); was a very beautiful, already divorced woman with a daughter. When she met Michael, Natalia was married (second husband) to one of the officers under Mikhail. Natalia eventually divorced her second husband (she was already pregnant with a son by the Grand Duke), and they married without the Tsar's permission.

Given the cruel fate that awaited this young man, I am glad he got to marry and have a son, even if Nicky, Alix, Dagmar, Xenia, and even Olga were scandalized by his choice of bride.

Photographs: 1. Mikhail in a field of flowers; 2. Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha; 3. Dina; 4. Natalia Wulfert (later Countess Brasova)

[annalaurendet70]

May 1909

The first known surviving photograph of Natalia Sergeyevna Sheremetyevskaya and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich Romanov of Russia The believed photographer is her then-husband Vladimir Vladimirovich Wulfert.

Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Romanova of Russia with her future husband,Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky in the background.