#daughter of grand duke michael pavlovich of russia

[palecleverdoll]

Women of Imperial Russia: Ages at First Marriage

I have only included women whose birth dates and dates of marriage are known within at least 1-2 years, therefore, this is not a comprehensive list. This data set ends with the Revolution of 1917.

Eudoxia Lopukhina, wife of Peter I; age 20 when she married Peter in 1689 CE

Catherine I of Russia, wife of Peter I; age 18 when she married Johan Cruse in 1702 CE

Anna of Russia, daughter of Ivan V; age 17 when she married Frederick William Duke of Courland and Semigallia in 1710 CE

Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter I; age 17 when she married Charles Frederick I, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, in 1725 CE

Catherine II, wife of Peter III; age 16 when she married Peter in 1745 CE

Natalia Alexeievna, wife of Paul I; age 17 when she married Paul in 1773 CE

Maria Feodorovna, wife of Paul I; age 17 when she married Paul in 1776 CE

Elizabeth Alexeivna, wife of Alexander I; age 14 when she married Alexander in 1793 CE

Anna Feodorovna, wife of Konstantin Pavlovich; age 15 when she married Konstantin in 1796 CE

Alexandra Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 16 when she married Archduke Joseph of Austria in 1799 CE

Elena Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 15 when she married Frederick Louis, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1799 CE

Maria Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 18 when she married Charles Frederick, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1804 CE

Catherine Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 21 when she married Duke George of Oldenburg in 1809 CE

Anna Pavlovna, daughter of Paul I; age 21 when she married William II of the Netherlands in 1816 CE

Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I; age 19 when she married Nicholas in 1817 CE

Joanna Grudzinska, wife of Konstantin Pavlovich; age 29 when she married Konstantin in 1820 CE

Elena Pavlovna, wife of Mikhail Pavlovich; age 17 when she married Mikhail in 1824 CE

Maria Nikolaevna, daughter of Nicholas I; age 20 when she married Maximilian de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg, in 1839 CE

Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II; age 17 when she married Alexander in 1841 CE

Elizaveta Mikhailovna, daughter of Mikhail Pavlovich; age 17 when she married Adolphe, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, in 1844 CE

Alexandra Nikolaevna, daughter of Nicholas I; age 19 when she married Prince Frederick-William of Hesse-Kassel, in 1844 CE

Olga Nikolaevna, daughter of Nicholas I; age 24 when she married Charles I of Wurttemberg, in 1846 CE

Alexandra Iosifovna, wife of Konstantin Nikolaevich; age 18 when she married Konstantin in 1848 CE

Catherine Mikhailovna, daughter of Mikhail Pavlovich; age 24 when she married Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, in 1851 CE

Alexandra Petrovna, wife of Nicholas Nikolaevich the Elder; age 18 when she married Nicholas in 1856 CE

Olga Feodorovna, wife of Michael Nikolaevich; age 18 when she married Michael in 1857 CE

Maria Feodorovna, wife of Alexander III; age 19 when she married Alexander III in 1866 CE

Olga Konstantinovna, daughter of Konstantin Nikolaevich; age 16 when she married George I of Greece in 1867 CE

Vera Konstantinovna, daughter of Konstantin Nikolaevich; age 20 when she married Duke Eugen of Wurttemberg in 1874 CE

Maria Pavlovna, wife of Vladimir Alexandrovich; age 20 when she married Vladimir in 1874 CE

Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II; age 19 when she married Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1874 CE

Anastasia Mikhailovna, daughter of Michael Nikolaevich; age 19 when she married Friedrich Franz III, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin in 1879 CE

Nadezhada Alexandrovna Dreyer, wife of Nicholas Konstantinovich; age 21 when she married Nicholas in 1882 CE

Elizabeth Feodorovna, wife of Sergei Alexandrovich; age 20 when she married Sergei in 1884 CE

Olga Valerianovna Paley, wife of Paul Alexandrovich; age 19 when she married Erich von Pistolhkors in 1884 CE

Elizabeth Mavrikievna, wife of Konstantin Konstantinovich; age 19 when she married Konstantin in 1885 CE

Anastasia of Montenegro, wife of Nicholas Nikolaevich the Younger; age 21 when she married George Maximilianovich, Duke of Leuchtenberg in 1889 CE

Milica of Montenegro, wife of Peter Nikolaevich; age 23 when she married Peter in 1889 CE

Alexandra of Greece and Denmark, wife of Paul Alexandrovich; age 19 when she married Paul in 1889 CE

Sophie Nikolaievna, wife of Michael Mikhailovich; age 23 when she married Michael in 1891 CE

Victoria Feodorovna, wife of Kirill Vladimirovich; age 18 when she married Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse, in 1894 CE

Xenia Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander Mikhailovich; age 19 when she married Alexander in 1894 CE

Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II; age 22 when she married Nicholas in 1894 CE

Olga Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II; age 18 when she married Count George-Nicholas von Merenberg in 1985 CE

Maria of Greece and Denmark, wife of George Mikhailovich; age 24 when she married George in 1900 CE

Alexandra von Zarnekau, wife of George Alexandrovich; age 16 when she married George in 1900 CE

Catherine Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II; age 23 when she married Alexander Baryatinksy in 1901 CE

Olga Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander III; age 19 when she married Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg

Elena Vladimirovna, daughter of Vladimir Alexandrovich; age 20 when she married Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark in 1902 CE

Natalia Brasova, wife of Michael Alexandrovich; age 22 when she married Sergei Mamontov in 1902 CE

Elisabetta di Sasso Ruffo, wife of Andrei Alexandrovich; age 31 when she married Alexander Alexandrovitch Frederici in 1907 CE

Maria Pavlovna, daughter of Paul Alexandrovich; age 18 when she married Prince Wilhelm of Sweden in 1908 CE

Helen of Serbia, wife of Ioann Konstantinovich; age 27 when she married Ioann in 1911 CE

Tatiana Konstantinovna, daughter of Konstantin Konstantinovich; age 21 when she married Konstantine Bagration of Mukhrani, in 1911 CE

Irina Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander Mikhailovich; age 19 when she married Felix Felixovich Yusupov in 1914 CE

Nadejda Mikhailovna, daughter of Michael Mikhailovna; age 20 when she married George Mountbatten in 1916 CE

Antonina Rafailovna Nesterovkaya, wife of Gabriel Konstantinovich; age 27 when she married Gabriel in 1917 CE

Nadejda Petrovna, wife of Nicholas Orlov; age 19 when she married Nicholas in 1917 CE

Anastasia Mikhailovna, daughter of Michael Mikhailovna; age 25 when she married Sir Harold Wernher in 1917 CE

59 women; average age at first marriage was 20 years old. The oldest bride was 31 at her first marriage; the youngest was 14.

[graceofromanovs]

GODPARENTS OF EMPEROR ALEXANDER III

Emperor Alexander III (then Grand Duke) was born as the second son of Emperor Alexander II (then Tsesarevich) on 10 March 1845, during the reign of his grandfather Emperor Nicholas I. He was christened a week later at 10 am in the Winter Palace Church, St. Petersburg, by the Confessor of Their Imperial Highnesses. He had six listed godparents:

NICHOLAS I, EMPEROR OF RUSSIA - his paternal grandfather was one of his godparents present at his christening. Mainly remembered in history as a reactionary whose controversial reign was marked by geographical expansion, centralisation of administrative policies and repression of dissent. He died in 1855, when the Alexander was only 9 years-old, just a week shy from his 10th birthday.

LOUIS II, GRAND DUKE OF HESSE AND BY RHINE - his maternal grandfather was another of his godparents, but was absent at the christening. The hessian grand duke, like his paternal grandfather, was also considered a reactionary leader, he was in conflict with parliament almost his entire reign. The German revolution in 1848-49 proved his inability to govern. On March 5, 1848 he named his son Louis III as co-regent, and a year later he died.

GRAND DUCHESS ELENA PAVLOVNA OF RUSSIA - his great-aunt, the wife of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich, stood as one of his godparents. Born as Princess Charlotte of Württemberg, she became a close friend of Alexander's mother the Empress Maria Alexandrovna, and was known as an intellectual. She was also considered the most exceptional woman in the imperial family since Catherine the Great.

GRAND DUCHESS OLGA NIKOLAEVNA OF RUSSIA, QUEEN CONSORT OF WÜRTTEMBERG - his aunt was one of his godparents present at the christening. She was the younger sister of his father. Attractive, cultured and intelligent, she was considered to be one of the most eligible princesses in Europe. Just three years after her nephew was born, in 1846, she married Crown Prince Karl of Württemberg. Alexander's older brother the heir apparent Nicholas died just two months before their aunt Queen consort of Württemberg. With his death, he became the next heir apparent, the 'Tsesarevich'.

GRAND DUCHESS MARIA PAVLOVNA OF RUSSIA, GRAND DUCHESS CONSORT OF SAXE-WEIMAR-EISENACH - his great-aunt was another of his godparents. One of the daughters of Emperor Paul I, the grand duchess married a German prince Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1804. She was an intellect, interested in both arts and sciences. German poet and novelist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe hailed her as one of the worthiest women of his time. She was the great-grandmother of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and Queen Victoria of Sweden.

PRINCESS MATHILDE CAROLINE OF BAVARIA, GRAND DUCHESS OF HESSE AND BY RHINE - his aunt, the wife of his uncle Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, was listed as one of the future emperor's godparents. She was the eldest daughter of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. Her marriage to Louis III was childless. She died of cancer in 1862 at the age of 48.

Source

[widvile-blog]

Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess George Augustus of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (28 August 1827 - 12 May 1894)

[venicepearl]

Grand Duchess Maria Mikhailovna of Russia (9 March 1825 – 19 November 1846) was the firstborn child and first daughter of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich, the youngest son of Emperor Paul I of Russia, and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg, the eldest daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg, who took the name Elena Pavlovna upon converting to Russian Orthodoxy. Maria died, unmarried and without issue, at the age of 21 in Vienna.

[princessvictoriamelita]

Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1824-1876) in 1860.

He was born in Neustrelitz as second son of George, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1779-1860) and his wife Marie (1796-1880), daughter of Prince Frederick of Hesse-Kassel and Princess Caroline of Nassau-Usingen.

On 16 February 1851 in St. Petersburg, George August married Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia (1827-1894), daughter of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia and had four children.

[the-last-tsar]

 Tsarinas Consorts of the Romanov House.

Maria Vladimirovna - Maria was born in 1601 and was the first wife of Tsar Michael I. She was selected for marriage to Michael by his mother, Xenia Shestova, after several years of difficulty of finding a partner for the Tsar.  The wedding took place on 19 September 1624. Not long after the wedding, the Tsarina took ill. She died on 17 January 1625, four months after the wedding. There were rumors at the time that she had been poisoned by fractions at court determined to prevent any potential pro-Rurikid influence, or by the enemies of her father’s family.

Eudoxia Lukyanovna - Eudoxia was born in 1608 and was the second wife of Tsar Michael I. She was among those daughters of the nobility summoned to appear in the Bride-show at court, when the tsar was to select his new tsaritsa, after his first spouse had died. He eventually chose Eudoxia because of her beauty, polite behavior and mild disposition. She was described as a modest and virtuous girl, dominated by her proud relatives, who sometimes brought her to tears but still did not complain. The wedding was conducted on 5 February 1626. After the wedding, she was given several lands, and a substantial fortune of her own. Eudoxia and Michael became parents of 10 children, including the future Tsar Alexei I.

Maria Ilyinichna - Maria was born in 1624 and was the first wife of Tsar Alexei I. The tsar was to choose his bride from a bride-show of hundreds of daughters of the nobility, Maria was selected as the tsar's second choice after his first choice to marry Euphemia Fedorovna Vsevolozhskaya was annuled. Maria was reportedly a beauty. The wedding was conducted in 16 January 1648 in Moscow and the union is described as a happy one. The couple had 13 children, including  Tsar Feodor III of Russia, Tsar Ivan V of Russia, and the Princess Regent Sophia Alekseyevna.

Natalya Kirillovna - Natalya was born in 1651 and was the second wife of Tsar Alexei I. In March 1669, Tsar Alexis’ first wife, Tsarina Maria, died during the birth of what would have been their fourteenth child. The Tsar supported by the Russian public, although not by the family of Maria, decided to remarry in the hope of producing more potential heirs. The tsar arranged an inspection of women he considered eligible in early 1670, Natalya was added to this inspection following an encounter with the tsar at the home of her adoptive father, Artamon Matveyev. Alexis was impressed by Natalya's beauty, and selected her to be his bride without needing to go ahead with a planned second inspection. The couple married on 1 February 1671. Alexis and Natalya had a happy marriage, spending much of their time together in various palaces and villas around Moscow. The couple became parents of the future Tsar Peter the Great.

Agafiya Semyonovna - Agafiya was born in 1663 and was the first wife of Tsar Feodor III. In 1680, Tsar Feodor, saw her during a religious procession: when she fainted after the sight of a witch in a religious theater play he rushed forward to support her, and fell in love with her. Aware that her uncle did not wish her to marry, a traditional summon was proclaimed to all unmarried noble women to gather for Feodor to choose from, and he chose her. On 18 July 1680, she married Feodor. Agafya has been described as merciful and loyal to her husband and the public's welfare.  She could speak and write Polish, French and Latin and was well informed about the Western European life style. She could also play harpsichord. She was described as beautiful as "an angel of heaven", with an easy going character. She was the first to advocate beard-shaving and the adoption of Western clothes at the Russian court. She herself was the first Tsarina to expose her hair and to wear a Western (Polish) dress. Agafya died as a consequence of the childbirth, and six days later, the nine-days-old Tsarevich Ilya also died. She was reportedly deeply mourned by Feodor.

Marfa Matveyevna - Marfa was born in 1664 and was the second wife of Tsar Feodor III. She was the daughter of Matvey Vasilyevich Apraksin and Domna Bogdanovna Lovchikova. She and Feodor were married on 14 February 1682, and he died only a few months later in April.

Praskovya Fyodorovna - Praskovya was born in 1664 and was the only wife of Tsar Ivan V. The marriage of Ivan V was arranged by his sister, the regent Sophia. Ivan V himself reportedly showed no inclination toward marriage and according to the Swedish diplomat Hildebrandt Horn, Praskovia was not willing to marry Ivan, but was forced to consent. The wedding took place on 9 January 1684, with the Patriarch John officiating as the ceremony. Praskovia Saltykova was at the time of her marriage described as a healthy Russian beauty, tall, with a full figure and long thick hair, as a person, she was described as religious, superstitious and not very well educated. Praskovya and Ivan had five daughters including Empress Anna of Russia.

Eudoxia Feodorovna - Eudoxia was born on 1669 and was the first wife of Tsar Peter I (the Great). She was chosen as a bride for the Tsar by his mother Natalya. She was crowned Tsarina in 1689. The Tsar could not stand her conservative relatives and soon abandoned her for a Dutch beauty, Anna Mons. Eudoxia's letters to Peter were full of complaints and exhortations of unrequited love. She was the paternal grandmother of Peter II of Russia.

Catherine Alexeyevna - Catherine was born on 1684 and was the second wife of Tsar Peter I (the Great). She was originally named Marta Helena Skowrońska, In 1705,she converted to Orthodoxy and took the new name of Catherine Alexeyevna. Afterwards she became part of the household of Prince Alexander Menshikov, who was the best friend of Peter the Great of Russia. Anecdotal sources suggest that she was purchased by him. In 1704, she was well established in the Tsar's household as his mistress, and gave birth to a son, Peter. Though no record exists, Catherine and Peter are described as having married secretly in St. Petersburg in 1707. Peter married her again (this time officially) at Saint Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg in 1712; she took the style of her husband and became Tsarina. They had 12 children. Peter died on 1725 without name a successor and Catherine was chosen as Empress Regnant.

Catherine Alekseyevna - Catherine was born in Prussia as Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst on 1729 and was the only wife of Tsar Peter III. The choice of Sophie as wife of her second cousin, the prospective Tsar Peter, resulted from some amount of diplomatic management in which Count Lestocq, Peter's aunt (and the ruling Russian Empress) Elizabeth and Frederick II of Prussia took part. Lestocq and Frederick wanted to strengthen the friendship between Prussia and Russia to weaken Austria's influence and ruin the Russian chancellor Bestuzhev, on whom Empress Elizabeth relied, and who acted as a known partisan of Russo-Austrian co-operation. The diplomatic intrigue failed, largely due to the intervention of Sophie's mother, Johanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. Historical accounts portray Johanna as a cold, abusive woman who loved gossip and court intrigues. Despite Johanna's interference, Empress Elizabeth took a strong liking to Catherine, who, on arrival in Russia in 1744 spared no effort to ingratiate herself not only with Empress Elizabeth, but with her husband and with the Russian people as well. The long-planned dynastic marriage finally occurred on 21 August 1745 in Saint Petersburg. Sophie had turned 16; The newlyweds settled in the palace of Oranienbaum, which remained the residence of the "young court" for many years to come. In 1762 Peter died and Catherine took the throne as Catherine II. Peter and Catherine were parents of Tsar Paul I.

Maria Feodorovna - Maria was born in Prussia as Duchess Sophie Dorothea on 1759 and was the second wife of Tsar Paul I. In 1776, when Grand Duke Paul (the future Paul I of Russia), became a widower, Sophie Dorothea was chosen by Frederick II of Prussia, her maternal great uncle, and by Empress Catherine II of Russia, as the ideal candidate to be Paul’s second wife. They met in a state dinner in Berlin and their engagement was quickly arranged.Sophie Dorothea arrived in St Petersburg that September, converted to the Russian Orthodox Church, and took the name Maria Feodorovna. She married Paul on 26 September 1776. In spite of her husband's difficult character, Maria Feodorovna made a success of her marriage. Paul and Maria lived at Gatchina. They were devoted to each other and had ten children including: Tsar Alexander I, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, Grand Duchess Maria of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, Queen Catherine of Wurttemberg and Queen Anna of the Netherlands.

Elizabeth Alexeievna - Elizabeth was born on 1779 in Germany as Princess Louise Maria Auguste of Baden and was the only wife of Tsar Alexander I. Catherine the Great was looking for a bride for her eldest grandson, the future Alexander I, and set her eyes on the Princesses of Baden, so Catherine invited Princess Louise and her younger sister Frederica, who later became Queen of Sweden, to Russia. In the autumn of 1792, the two sisters arrived in St. Petersburg. The Empress was delighted by Louise, finding her a model of beauty, charm, and honesty. Louise herself was attracted to Alexander, who was handsome. At first, Alexander was shy with his future bride — very young and inexperienced, however, the young couple soon grew fond of each other. The Princess learned Russian and converted to the Orthodox Church. The wedding took place on 28 September 1793. "It was a marriage between Psyche and Cupid", Catherine wrote to the Prince of Ligne. Elizabeth was only fourteen, her husband a year older.

Alexandra Feodorovna - Alexandra was born in Berlim as Princess  Friederike Luise Charlotte Wilhelmine of Prussia on 1798 and was the only wife of Tsar Nicholas I. In 1814, Nicholas Pavlovich, future Tsar of Russia, and his brother Michael Pavlovich, visited Berlin. Arrangements were made for Nicholas to marry Charlotte, then fifteen years old, to strengthen the alliance between Russia and Prussia. On a second visit the following year, Nicholas fell in love with the then-seventeen-year-old Princess Charlotte. The feeling was mutual, "I like him and am sure of being happy with him." She wrote to her brother. On June 1817 Charlotte came to Russia with her brother William. After arriving in St. Petersburg she converted to Russian Orthodoxy, and took the Russian name "Alexandra Feodorovna". On her nineteenth birthday, on July 1817, she and Nicholas were married in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace. The couple had 7 children including Tsar Alexander II.

Maria Alexandrovna - Maria was born as Princess Maximiliane Wilhelmine Auguste Sophie Marie of Hesse and by Rhine on 1824 and was the first wife of Tsar Alexander II. In 1839, the Tsarevich Alexander, traveled to western Europe to complete his education and to search for a wife. He  stopped for one day in Darmstadt during the evening, invited to the Opera house by the Grand Duke of Hesse, Alexander was introduced to Princess Marie. Alexander was smitten by her. In June of 1939, he returned to Darmstadt to seal his engagement with Princess Marie. The Princess was received into the Russian Orthodox Church on December 1840 and became Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. The wedding took place on 28 April, 1841. The couple had 8 children including Tsar Alexander III.

Maria Feodorovna - Maria was born on 1847 at Denmark as Princess Marie Sophie Frederikke Dagmar and was the only wife of Tsar Alexander III. In 1864, Tsarevich Nicholas went to Denmark where he was betrothed to Dagmar. On April 1865 he died from meningitis. His last wish was that Dagmar would marry his younger brother, the future Alexander III. Dagmar was distraught after her young fiancé's death. The disaster had brought her very close to "Nicholas’" parents, and she received a letter from Alexander II in which the Emperor attempted to console her. In June 1866, while on a visit to Copenhagen, the Tsarevich Alexander asked Dagmar for her hand. They had been in her room looking over photographs together. She converted to Orthodoxy and became Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna. The wedding took place on November 1866 in the Imperial Chapel of the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. The couple had 6 children including Tsar Nicholas II.

Alexandra Feodorovna - Alexandra was born on 1872 in Darmstadt as Princess Alix Viktoria Helene Luise Beatrix of Hesse and by Rhine and was the only wife of Tsar Nicholas II. Nicholas and Alix had first met in 1884 at the wedding of Nicholas's Uncle Sergei and Alix's sister Elisabeth in St. Petersburg. When Alix returned to Russia on a several week visit in 1889, the two young people fell in love. Initially Nicholas's father, Tsar Alexander III, refused the prospect of their marriage. Alexander and his wife were both vehemently anti-German, and did not want the match with Princess Alix. While in good health, Alexander III ignored his son's demands, but began to relent when his health began to fail. In 1894 Nicholas proposed to Alix. She initially rejected him on the grounds of her refusal to convert to Orthodoxy. However, after pressure from the Kaiser, who had told her that it was her duty to marry Nicholas she accepted his second proposal. Alexandra and Nicholas were wed in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace of St Petersburg on 26 November 1894. The marriage that began that night remained exceptionally close until the pair was assassinated in 1918. The marriage was outwardly serene and proper, but based on intensely passionate physical love.

[historylovers]

Watercolor portrait of Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna, 1840s Painter: Vladimir Ivanovich Gau.

I believe this Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna is the daughter of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia, however I’m not sure. I think she died very young.

[otmaplusalexei]

Born on this day in Romanov History: January 9th, 1807 Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna

Born Princess Charlotte of Wüttemberg, she was the eldest child of Prince Paul of Wüttemberg and Princess Charlotte of Saxe-Hildburghausen. She spent her childhood with her father and sisters in Paris and while her home and upbringing were quite modest by royal standards of the day, she was able to study under several Paris intellectuals, giving her a great education for the time. In 1822 she became engaged to her first cousin once removed, Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia (youngest child of Emperor Pavel I and Maria Feodorovna). Despite being only 15, Charlotte was considered to be an exceptional girl, highly intelligent, mature and a great beauty for her age. Charlotte converted from the Lutheran Church to the Orthodox Church, taking her new name of Elena Pavlovna on December 17, 1823. Only 2 months later, on February 20th, 1824, Elena and Michael were married and settled into the Mikhailovsky Palace where they lived until the death of Elena's mother-in-law who gifted the couple the Pavlovsk Palace. The marriage was not a happy one as Michael constantly neglected his wife for his true passion- the army. Despite the unhappy marriage the couple had 5 daughters: Grand Duchess Maria Mikhailovna (1825-1846), Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna (1826-1845), Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna (1827-1894), Grand Duchess Alexandra Mikhailovna (1831-1832), and Grand Duchess Anna Mikhailovna (1834-1836). Elena was close to her brother-in-law Emperor Alexander I and his wife, Empress Elizabeth Alexeievna and was quick to befriend the shy and timid Maria Alexandrovna (wife of the future Alexander II) when she first joined the family. Elena was considered the "family intellectual" and was viewed as the most exceptional woman in the family since Catherine the Great. Elena became a great patron of the arts, especially after the death of her husband in 1849, she was a patroness of composer Anton Rubenstein and commissioned his first 3 operas. She founded the Russian Musical Society, the St. Petersburg Conservatoire as well as a group of nursing sisters which would become the basis of the Red Cross in Russia. Elena was a huge opponent of Serfdom and helped push her nephew, Emperor Alexander II, to finally abolish Serfdom in 1861. Elena died on January 21, 1873 at the age of 66 after suffering from erysipelatous inflammation of the scalp for years and dying after a sudden decrease of cardiac activity. Elena was buried in the Imperial tomb in the Peter and Paul Cathedral next to her husband, Michael, and daughters, Alexandra and Anna.

Image is of Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, nee Princess Frederick Charlotte Maria Wüttemberg, wife of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, 1824 by Sophie Sheradam

[theinvinciblearmy]

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia (Russian: Александр Михайлович Aleksandr Mikhailovich; 13 April 1866 – 26 February 1933) was a dynast of the Russian Empire, a naval officer, an author, explorer, the brother-in-law of Emperor Nicholas II and advisor to him. Alexander was born in Tbilisi, in the Tiflis Governorate of the Russian Empire(present-day Georgia). He was the son of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia, the youngest son of Nicholas I of Russia, and Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna (Cecily of Baden). He was mostly known as "Sandro".He was a naval officer. In his youth, he made a good-will visit to the Japanese Empire on behalf of the Russian Empire and another to the Brazilian Empire. He married his first cousin's daughter, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, the eldest daughter of Alexander III on 6 August [O.S. 25 July] 1894. He was a brother-in-law and a close advisor of Tsar Nicholas II. Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia (Russian: Ксения Александровна Романова; 6 April [O.S. 25 March] 1875 – 20 April 1960) was the elder daughter and fourth child of Emperor Alexander III of Russia and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia (née Princess Dagmar of Denmark) and the sister of Emperor Nicholas II. She married a cousin, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia, with whom she had seven children. She was the mother-in-law of Felix Yusupov and a cousin of Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia who, together, killed Grigori Rasputin, holy healer to her nephew, the haemophiliac Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia. During her brother's reign she recorded in her diary and letters increasing concern about his rule. After the fall of the monarchy in February 1917 she fled Russia, eventually settling in the United Kingdom. Her grandson Prince Andrew Andreevich has been head of the Romanov family since December 2016.

[sciencespies]

From Nazi Prisons to Cat Sanctuaries, Explore the Many Lives of These Russian Palaces

https://sciencespies.com/history/from-nazi-prisons-to-cat-sanctuaries-explore-the-many-lives-of-these-russian-palaces/

From Nazi Prisons to Cat Sanctuaries, Explore the Many Lives of These Russian Palaces

In August 1917, former czar Nicholas Romanov, his wife and five children marched out of their palace in the Tsarskoye Selo (now Pushkin) countryside for the last time. For their last five months there, the extravagant estate served as the literal gilded cage for the ex-royal family on house arrest. The family maintained daily life—studying, doing handiwork, gardening, literally anything they could do to keep their minds occupied. On July 17, 1918, nearly a year after departing the grounds, the family and their four remaining servants were woken from their beds by their Bolshevik captors, ordered to dress, then were shot and bayoneted in the cellar of the Yekaterinburg home where they were being held.

In 1547, Ivan IV—more commonly known as Ivan the Terrible, grandson of Ivan the Great—became the first czar of Russia. He was a paranoid and ruthless leader, organizing Russia into the largest country on the planet but also executing thousands of people, including his own son and rightful heir to the crown. Ivan died from a stroke in 1584, leaving the throne to Feodor, his middle son, who ruled until his death in 1598. From there, Russia entered the Time of Troubles, a period rife with war, famine and civil uprisings. This lasted until 1613, when Michael Romanov was elected czar. He was the first cousin once removed from Feodor, and the Romanov family continued to rule Russia for about 300 years. The Romanovs lived mostly around St. Petersburg throughout their reign, which lasted until March 1917, when Nicholas II abdicated the throne. (The fall of the Romanov dynasty has been the focus of this summer’s “The Last Czars” on Netflix.) The family constructed opulent palaces as their homes and getaways, which were often expanded or updated by incoming rulers.

The Romanovs left behind a legacy of palaces and residences throughout Russia that in the following years continued to live storied and unusual lives. Take your own self-guided tour to these famous former czar residences that you can still visit in Russia today.

Alexander Palace, Pushkin

Alexander Palace.

(Creative Commons)

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Alexander Palace was built in 1796, commissioned by Catherine the Great, who wanted to give the palace to her grandson Alexander Pavlovich (who would become Czar Alexander I) when he married. Alexander, though, didn’t enjoy spending time in the palace and gave it to his brother, the future Czar Nicholas I, who extensively renovated and improved both the buildings and the grounds. The neoclassical palace has an impressive facade of columns and statuary, and inside, has a large number of religious icons and several unique art nouveau rooms.

Under Nicholas I, the palace became the summer residence for future czars, until Nicholas II, the final czar, and his family moved there full-time in 1905. Following the Bloody Sunday massacre that year in St. Petersburg, where authorities fired upon a group of peaceful demonstrators and killed more than 100 people, Alexander Palace was determined to be a safer place for the family. But when Nicholas II abdicated the throne in 1917, Alexander Palace became the family’s prison. They were executed within a year.

After the revolution, the palace had a number of uses. First it was a state museum, then temporary housing for the Soviet Union’s interior ministry and an orphanage. After the Nazis invaded, German army staff and Gestapo members stayed in the palace. They opened a prison in the basement and used the front square as an SS cemetery. In 1946, it became a Pushkin museum and home to the Institute of Russian Literature’s collections. The Russian Navy took ownership of the palace in 1951, establishing a military institute, but retaining the museum portions. In 2009, the palace once more became a state-owned museum and has remained so since.

The palace itself is currently closed for renovations, but the grounds are still open for exploration. Visitors to the site will find the New Garden, constructed in the 1740s as an extension of the nearby Catherine Palace. The garden at Alexander Park has a Chinese influence; it’s accessed by a bridge with lanterns and statues of historical Chinese figures, and has a summerhouse with five columns and a pagoda roof, five smaller colorful bridges, an abandoned theater that had Asian-inspired upturned roofing, and a small village with a pagoda-shaped observatory and typical Chinese houses. There’s also a landscape park on the grounds of a former zoo, with museums sprinkled throughout the remaining buildings.

Catherine Palace, Pushkin

Catherine Palace.

(Creative Commons)

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What started as a simple two-story building in 1717 eventually became the opulent structure that Catherine Palace is today, stretching into a square more than a half-mile around. The original building was built for Catherine I, the second wife of Peter the Great. Their daughter, Empress Elizabeth, remodeled the building to its current glory—outfitting it with elaborate blue and white exteriors and gilding on nearly every surface inside. The largest room, the Great Hall, is one of the most heavily gilded rooms in the world. According to a local Russian tour guide for Viking Cruises, Elizabeth often used this room for gender-swap parties where men would dress as women and vice versa, because she liked the way her legs looked in men’s stockings.

The Nazis used the palace as barracks during World War II, and then deliberately destroyed it after the Germans began to retreat, leaving it to crumble and rot as a shell of what it once was. After the war, extensive restorations began, and are still ongoing.

Today, the most well known part of Catherine Palace is the mysterious Amber Room. The walls were panels of intricately designed amber and gemstones, gifted to Peter the Great in 1716. Czarina Elizabeth had the panels installed at Catherine Palace in 1755. During World War II, though, Nazis looted the palace and stole the panels. It was rebuilt in a German castle museum, then taken down two years later before the castle museum was destroyed by bombs. From there, no one knows what happened to the panels of the original Amber Room. A replica exists in Catherine Palace today, built over 25 years starting in 1979.

Kremlin, Moscow

The Kremlin.

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Moscow was a seat of power in the region long before Russian rule. Evidence of human activity at the Kremlin site dates back to 500 BC. But the first known structure appeared around 1147, a wooden fort built by Yuri Dolgoruky, the Grand Duke of Kiev. This year is also generally known as the founding date of the city. In the early 14th century, after Moscow had been razed and rebuilt several times thanks to fire and invasions, stone buildings began appearing at the Kremlin site. Eventually the site was enclosed by a stone wall. When Ivan the Great appeared in the 1460s, he commissioned cathedrals and palaces be built on the spot, giving the Kremlin much of its modern look. The Russian czars continued to live here until Peter the Great moved the capital to St. Petersburg, where they lived until Moscow was restored as the capital after the revolution.

During the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Lenin’s followers captured the Kremlin and it became a base for the fledgling government. It was declared state property in 1918 and remained the living and working space for government officials throughout the Soviet era. In 1955, the grounds were opened to visitors.

While none of the three former czar palaces at the Kremlin (the Terem, Faceted and Great Kremlin palaces) are open for tours, visitors can still walk the grounds of the Kremlin and visit a number of other attractions—including multiple cathedrals and the armory, which holds the jeweled treasures and weapons of Russia’s royal past. The Cathedral of the Archangel Michael is particularly important to the Kremlin’s history; it contains the burial tombs of 57 past royals. A Russian tour guide at the Kremlin says Cathedral Square is nicknamed the “Circle of Life,” because the czars were baptized in one church, coronated in the one next door and buried in a third.

Peterhof Palace, Petrodvorets

Peterhof Palace.

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Peterhof didn’t start off as the massive palace it is today; it began as a simple country estate, built by Peter the Great in 1709. But after visiting Versailles in 1717, he decided to expand the estate into something brilliant, rivaling the best the French court had to offer. He built a grand palace, gardens and fountains, causing Peterhof to quickly become the most-loved summer czar residence and a center of social life in royal Russia.

After 300 years of existence, like Catherine Palace, the Nazis deliberately destroyed Peterhof when German armies began their retreat from Russia in World War II. Unconfirmed but oft-repeated local legend, though, says that Stalin had Peterhof bombed again in December 1941, after hearing that Hitler wanted to host a Christmas party there. Restoration began after the war and still continues.

Today, visitors can explore the roughly 1,000-foot-long, bright yellow Grand Palace, but the real centerpiece is the Grand Cascade fountain around the back, built after Peter’s death when his daughter Elizabeth assumed the throne. The water feature has three waterfalls, 37 gold statues and 67 individual fountains. In the surrounding park, Peter the Great installed trick fountains triggered by stepping on a certain rock that would soak the unexpecting guests.

Winter Palace, St. Petersburg

The Hermitage, formerly the Winter Palace.

(Flickr, Leon Yaakov)

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Starting with Catherine the Great, nearly every czar used the Winter Palace as their main residence. It took eight years, employing more than 4,000 workers, to construct the luxurious interiors of more than 460 rooms. The current building is the fourth iteration of the Winter Palace. The first version was a wooden house that Peter the Great and his family used, built in 1708. In 1711, the wooden house was replaced with a stone one. In 1735, a new Winter Palace—larger and more opulent—opened at the behest of Empress Anna. This palace remained in use for 17 years, when Empress Elizabeth then decided to update and expand the Winter Palace once again, which brought it mostly to its current state. Alexander II was the last czar to live there mostly full time, and his assassination in 1881 showed that the building was a bit too large to properly protect, so future czars chose to live in the suburbs.

Since the 1917 revolution, the Winter Palace has been a museum. Today it holds part of the Hermitage, an exceptional art museum with a collection that includes works by Rembrandt and Leonardo da Vinci, a collection of Greek statuary, an authentic Egyptian mummy, the country’s most famous mechanical clock and about 3 million other treasures. The Hermitage is also famous for a legion of cats living in the cellars—about 75 former strays that are now legendary at the museum. There’s even a Press Secretary to the Cats and three full-time volunteers that take care of them.

#History

[russianpaintings]

Vladimir Makovsky. Empress Maria Feodorovna. 1912. State Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg.

One of the most tragic figures of European royalty is the Empress Maria Feodorovna, widow of Alexander III, and mother of Nicholas II of Russia. 

The revolution that toppled the Romanovs came as no surprise to many members of the imperial family. Only Nicholas and Alexandra seemed shocked by the Russian people's decision to overthrow a regime that had epitomized inefficiency and corruption. Maria Feodorovna had one opportunity to see Nicholas II just after his abdication in early 1917. After a brief encounter with her son, the Dowager Empress headed towards one of the imperial villas in the Crimea. While revolution spread throughout Russia, Maria Feodorovna was joined at her seaside refuge by Grand Duke Alexander and Grand Duchess Xenia, their six sons, Prince Yussupov, his parents and his wife Grand Duchess Irina, daughter of Xenia and Alexander, and Grand Duchess Olga and her new husband Colonel Koulikovsky. 

Nicholas and Alexandra, along with their children, were sent into exile in the provinces. The imperial couple were initially sent to Tobolsk, and later on moved to Yekaterinburg, near the Ural Mountains. They were all assassinated by Bolshevik guards in Yekaterinburg in July 1918. Grand Duke Michael was also apprehended and eventually executed while in prison during the summer of 1918. Not content with the massacre of these Romanovs, Bolsheviks went around the civil war torn country trying to execute all remaining Romanovs. The year 1918 also saw the assassination of the following Romanovs: Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, uncle of Nicholas II; Grand Duke Nicholas Constantinovich, grandson of Nicholas I; three children of Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich: Ivan, Constantine and Igor; Grand Duke Dimitri Constantinovich, grandson of Nicholas I; Grand Dukes Nicholas Michaelovich, Serge Michaelovich and George Michaelovich, grandsons of Nicholas I; Grand Duchess Elizabeth, widow of Grand Duke Serge Alexandrovich and sister of Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. Prince Dimitri Pavlovich Paley, son of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich, was also assassinated. In all nineteen Romanovs were brutally executed by the blood-thirsty Bolsheviks. The imperial family never recovered from this tragedy.

Maria Feodorovna and her surviving family left Russia in the spring of 1919. They boarded the British ship HMS Marlborough and never again set foot in their country.

On September 28, 2006, Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna was laid to rest beside her beloved husband, Czar Alexander III at the SS Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.

[graceofromanovs]

GODPARENTS OF GRAND DUKE NICHOLAS NIKOLAEVICH

Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich was the third son of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, born on 8 August 1831 at Tsarskoe Selo, Saint Petersburg. He was christened four weeks later on 1 September, in The Old Palace Church, Tsarskoe Selo, by the Confessor of His Imperial Majesty Father Muzovsky. He had five listed godparents:

FRIEDRICH WILHELM III, KING OF PRUSSIA - his maternal grandfather was amongst his godparents. He ruled Prussia during the trying times of the Napoleonic Wars. Following Napoleon's defeat, he took part in the Congress of Vienna, which assembled to settle the political questions arising from the new, post-Napoleonic order in Europe.

ALEXANDER II, EMPEROR OF RUSSIA - the then 13 years-old Tsarevich stood as one of the godparents of his younger brother. He became the Emperor of All Russia upon the death of their father in 1855. Alexander's most significant reform as emperor was the emancipation of Russia's serfs in 1861, for which he is known as Alexander the Liberator.

GRAND DUCHESS MARIA NIKOLAEVNA OF RUSSIA, DUCHESS OF LEUCHTENBERG - then 12 years of age, the young grand duchess was among the godparents of her younger brother. The second child and eldest daughter, Maria was noted for her formidable personality, her wit and her strong character. In 1839, she married Maximilian de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg (grandson of Joséphine de Beauharnais). She was an avid art collector, and was the  President of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg.

GRAND DUKE MICHAEL PAVLOVICH OF RUSSIA - his uncle another of his listed godparents. The grand duke, trained for the military, became the Commander of the Guards Corps during the Russo-Turkish War (1828-29).

GRAND DUCHESS MARIA PAVLOVNA OF RUSSIA, GRAND DUCHESS CONSORT OF SAXE-WEIMAR-EISENACH - her aunt was another of his godparents. One of the daughters of Emperor Paul I, the grand duchess married a German prince Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in 1804. She was an intellect, interested in both arts and sciences. German poet and novelist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe hailed her as one of the worthiest women of his time. She was the great-grandmother of Wilhelm II, German Emperor and Queen Victoria of Sweden.

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[graceofromanovs]

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝: 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐢𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐧𝐚 & 𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐩𝐡𝐞, 𝐃𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐍𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐮

By the end of 1843, Adolphe (Adolf), Duke of Nassau was visiting St. Petersburg and met Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna, the second daughter of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich, for the first time. Adolphe’s stepmother Princess Pauline of Württemberg, was Elizabeth’s maternal aunt. Adolphe and Elizabeth fell in love and they eventually got married on 31 January 1844 in St. Petersburg. Elizabeth was 17 years old and Adolphe was 26.

After the wedding, the couple stayed in Russia for some time until they moved to Germany and took up residence in Castle Biebrich in Wiesbaden. Elizabeth, now Duchess of Nassau, was popular among the people. She and Adolphe were happily married and the news that she was already pregnant with their first child brought great happiness to the couple. After only a year, Elizabeth died giving birth to a daughter, who also did not survive. The grief-stricken Adolphe ordered the construction of a Russian Orthodox church - the St. Elizabeth Church in Neroberg Park, Wiesbaden. Elizabeth's sarcophagus can still be seen today inside the church.

Elizabeth and Adolphe were 1st cousins once removed. Their common ancestor was Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg.

**Note: Adolphe later became the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and was the first from the House of Nassau-Weilburg, he succeeded King William III of the Netherlands, ending the personal union between the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The current Grand Duke of Luxembourg is his direct descendant from his second marriage. Adolphe is also the first cousin of Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna, the wife of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich (Elizabeth’s first cousin).

[venicepearl]

Grand Duchess Catherine Mikhailovna of Russia (28 August 1827 – 12 May 1894), was the third of five daughters of Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia and Princess Charlotte of Württemberg (known as Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna after marriage). She was also the wife of Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

She was a great philanthropist and many of the organisations she supported and helped to create still operate today.

[widvile-blog]

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mikhailovna of Russia, Duchess of Nassau (26 May 1826 - 28 January 1845)

[widvile-blog]

Grand Duchess Maria Mikhailovna of Russia (9 March 1825 - 19 November 1846)