Nikolai Nikolajewitsch Romanow (1831-1891)
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Nicholas Nikolayevich Romanov , also called Nikolai Nikolayevich the Elder (* July 27 . Jul / 8. August 1831 greg. In Tsarskoye Selo , † April 13 . Jul / 25. April 1891 . Greg in Alupka , Crimea ) was Grand Duke of Russia and third son of Tsar Nicholas I and Charlotte of Prussia .
biography
He received a careful upbringing, selected mathematical disciplines as a subject, entered the engineering corps and devoted himself entirely to his military duties. In the Crimean War he took part in the Battle of Inkerman and the defense of Sevastopol . After the death of his father Nicholas I in March 1855, he was admitted to the State Council . In the same year he supervised fortification work in Vyborg , Kronstadt and Nikolajew . In 1856 he became inspector general of the engineer corps, in 1860 engineer general and in 1865 inspector general of the cavalry , supreme commander of all guards and the Petersburg military district and president of the highest committee for the organization and training of the Russian army .
He was considered the model of a professional commander, although he lacked any war experience. In addition, his gallant adventures were often the talk of the town in the residence . Appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Danube Army in 1876, he initially led his troops in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877/1878 after crossing the Danube with good luck, but fragmented his armed forces so that after the expulsion of the Russians from Rumelia and the unsuccessful attacks on Plevna in July and August got into great distress. It was therefore - if not in name, but in fact - the supreme command was withdrawn.
The victories of his sub-generals brought him the triumph of the Armistice of Adrianople and the Peace of San Stefano . He was then appointed Field Marshal General , but his reputation was badly damaged, and since he was also exposed in a trial against fraudulent military suppliers and in 1880 in a justification for his warfare in the Paris Nouvelle Revue , he indiscreetly attacked Russian statesmen and generals after the murder of Tsar Alexander II in 1881 by the new Tsar Alexander III. Removed from his military offices, and in 1882 placed under a curate because of his broken financial situation . The Nikolayevsky Palace , built for him from 1853 to 1861 according to plans by Stakenschneider in Petersburg, was pledged.
Marriage and offspring
On February 6, 1856, Grand Duke Nikolai married Princess Alexandra of Oldenburg , who bore him two sons:
By the time the second son was born, the marriage was broken, and in 1865 Nikolai had an affair with the dancer Ekaterina Chislova , which would result in five children. His wife refused to consent to the divorce for years. In 1880 she left Petersburg and retired to a monastery near Kiev . She survived both Nikolai's mistress († 1889) and himself. He died a broken man of cancer in Crimea in 1891 and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cemetery in St. Petersburg next to the Tschislowa.
Web links
- Article Nikolai Nikolajewitsch Romanow in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (BSE) , 3rd edition 1969–1978 (Russian)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Romanov, Nikolai Nikolajewitsch |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Nicholas of Russia |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Grand Duke of Russia |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 8, 1831 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Tsarskoye Selo , Russian Empire |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 25, 1891 |
| Place of death | Alupka |