Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov

Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov with his wife, 1903

Grand Duke Michail Michailowitsch Romanow ( Russian Михаил Михайлович , scientific transliteration Michail Michajlovič ; * 4th October ^July / 16 October  1861 ^greg. In Peterhof ; † 26 April 1929 in London ) was a member of the House of Romanow-Holstein-Gottorp . He embarked on a military career, but had to go into exile due to the conclusion of a morganatic marriage .

Life

Grand Duke Michail was born at Peterhof Palace near St. Petersburg as the third of seven children of Grand Duke Michael Nikolajewitsch Romanov (1832–1909) and his wife Princess Cäcilie von Baden (1839–1891). When he was a year old, his father was made viceroy in the Caucasus . In the course of this, the family moved to Tbilisi , Georgia in 1862 . The family lived there for the next twenty years. He was homeschooled. His upbringing was strict and hard, so that the relationship with his parents was rather tense. Mikhail's father, who devoted most of his time to his military and political duties, remained a stranger all his life. His mother was a very strict person who, while demanding of her children, showed no affection for them. While still in the Caucasus, Mikhail began his cavalry training and served in the Russo-Ottoman War . He later returned to St. Petersburg, where his father now presided over the Council of Ministers. Michail was considered the least gifted of his seven siblings and was always compared by his mother to his clever older brother Nikolaus .

Mikhail lived with his parents in St.Petersburg Mikhailovsky Palace . He was meanwhile intending to marry soon and had already commissioned the construction of a residence for himself and his family. However, the search for a suitable woman was far from successful. So in 1886 he tried his luck with the future British Queen Mary von Teck and with Princess Irene von Hessen-Darmstadt , older sister of the future Tsarina Alexandra Fjodrowna . His application to Princess Louise of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha , eldest daughter of the future King Edward VII , was also rejected by her. After three unsuccessful attempts, he tried his luck among the Russian nobility, but this led to renewed conflicts with his parents. In 1888 he had an affair with Princess Walewski. Then he fell in love with Countess Katja Ignatiewa, daughter of the former Interior Minister Nikolai Pavlovich Ignatiev . Mikhail and his father tried to get a marriage license from the Tsar. However, his mother was vehemently against marriage and found Mikhail's behavior to be disrespectful. Tsarina Maria Feodorovna also opposed it. To end the relationship, Mikhail was sent abroad by his parents.

Improper marriage

During his stay in Nice , Grand Duke Mikhail fell in love again, this time with Countess Sophie von Merenberg , daughter of Prince Nikolaus von Nassau from his morganatic marriage to Natalie Alexandrovna Pushkina and thus a granddaughter of the great Russian poet and writer Alexander Pushkin . The Grand Duke met Sophie while rescuing her from a runaway horse. He did not even think of asking the Tsar or his parents for the necessary marriage permit, as he knew that it would not be given to him. The couple married on February 26, 1891 in San Remo . Nevertheless, the Tsar gave his wife the hereditary title of Countess de Torby . The marriage was not only considered morganatic, but also illegal due to the lack of approval under the rules of the tsarist family and, despite the aristocratic origin, caused a major scandal at the court. Mikhail lost all of his military honors and was removed from his position at court at the same time. He was also banned from returning to Russia for life . When his mother found out about the marriage, she broke down and traveled to the Crimea for recreation . On the way there, she suffered a heart attack and died. Since he was expelled from the country for life, he was not allowed to attend his mother's funeral. He lived with his wife alternately in London , Paris and Nice. From 1900 he began to rent the manor house Keele Hall near Newcastle-under-Lyme in the north of the English county of Staffordshire . In 1909/1911 he helped finance the Hotel Carlton in Cannes .

He stayed in England during the First World War . He later published his correspondence with the last Russian tsar.

progeny

Michael Mikhailovich with his children

Grand Duke Michael and Countess Sophie had three children together:

• Anastasia (1892–1977)
• Nadja (1896–1963) ∞ George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven
• Michail (1898-1959)

literature

• Alexander, Grand Duke of Russia: Once a Grand Duke , Cassell, London, 1932.
• Chavchavadze, David: The Grand Dukes , Atlantic, 1989, ISBN 0-938311-11-5
• Crawford Rosemary and Donald: Michael and Natasha , Phoenix, 1998. ISBN 0-380-73191-6
• King, Greg: The Court of the Last Tsar , Wiley, 2006, ISBN 978-0-471-72763-7 .
• Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (editor): Burke's Guide to the Royal Family , Burke's Peerage, London, 1973, ISBN 0-220-66222-3
• Perry, John and Pleshakov, Constantine : The Flight of the Romanovs , Basic Books, 1999, ISBN 0-465-02462-9 .
• Wynn, Marion: Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich Keel Hall and Kenwood in Royalty History Digest, Vol 11,322-131.

Web links

Commons : Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Tamel: Centenary of the Intercontinental Carlton in Cannes. February 26, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2019 (American English). 
2. ↑ manager / 14/05/2013 / Commentaires fermés sur Cannes, Part One-The Carlton Cannes / Locations: Cannes, Part One - The Carlton Cannes - Le site du cinéphile de la Côte d'Azur France. Retrieved July 11, 2019 (Fri-FR).