Peter of Oldenburg (1868-1924)
Peter Friedrich Georg ( Petr Alexandrovich ) of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Oldenburg (born November 9, jul. / 21st November 1868 greg. In St. Petersburg , Russia ; † 11. March 1924 in Biarritz , France ) was a nobleman and last representative of the Russian branch of the house of the Gottorf Oldenburg family . He was a great-grandson of Tsar Nicholas I and brother-in-law of Tsar Nicholas II.
Life
He was born the son of Alexander von Oldenburg (1844–1932) and Eugenia von Leuchtenberg (1845–1925), grew up in Saint Petersburg and studied there at the law school founded by his grandfather Peter . Because of health problems he did not begin his military service in the Preobrazhensky body guard regiment of the Tsar until 1898 .
In 1900 he began the 18-year-old Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Romanowa (1882–1960), the youngest daughter of the late Tsar Alexander III. and younger sister of the incumbent Tsar Nicholas II to accompany them to the theater and the opera. The following year he made her a surprising marriage proposal.
On July 27 jul. / August 9, 1901 greg. married the couple in Gatchina . During the marriage he carried the name of Grand Duke Petr Alexandrowitsch von Holstein-Gottorp. Before the wedding he converted to the Orthodox faith and renounced his claim to the throne in the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg .
The couple set up a summer residence in Gagra on the Black Sea . Peter built a palace and, on behalf of the Tsar, from 1900 to 1903, together with his father, converted the city into an elite holiday destination. With state funds he built a hotel in the Norwegian architectural style, a park and a luxury Viennese restaurant. Together with his wife he spent the summers in Gagra, organized large festivals and military parades. He planted palms, agaves, cypresses, cedars, magnolias, lemon and orange trees, imported parrots and monkeys.
The marriage was annulled on October 16, 1916 by imperial decree; in November 1916 the Grand Duchess married Colonel Nikolai Kulikowski . The reason given was that Peter was homosexual and didn't care about his wife.
After the October Revolution , Peter left Russia and went into exile in France with his parents. In 1922 he married Olga Vladimirovna Ratkova-Rognova for the second time in Biarritz. He died there barely two years later at the age of 55 and was buried in the Russian Orthodox Church in Cannes .
Awards (selection)
- Order of Saint Vladimir 4th Class (1897)
- Order of Saint Andrew the First Called (1897)
- Imperial-Royal Order of the White Eagle (1901)
- Russian Order of Saint Anne 1st Class (1901)
- Order of St. Vladimir 3rd Class (1908)
- Oldenburg House and Merit Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig
literature
- C. Arnold McNaughton: The Book of Kings: A Royal Genealogy . Vol. 1, Garnstone Press, London 1973, p. 216.
- IS Semjonow: Christian Dynasties in Europe (Христианские династии Европы), Olma Media Group, 2002, p. 429. (Russian)
Web links
- Peter Friedrich Georg von Holstein-Gottorp, Duke of Oldenburg on thepeerage.com , accessed on October 6, 2015.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Huno von Oldenburg: The Russian branch line of the House of Oldenburg and other members of the house in Russian service. Published in: Jörg Michael Henneberg u. a. (Ed.): History of the Oldenburger Land. Edited on behalf of the Oldenburg landscape. Aschendorff Verlag, Münster 2014, ISBN 978-3-402-12942-5 , p. 171 ff.
- ↑ Patricia Phenix: Olga Romanov: Russia's Last Grand Duchess . Viking / penguin. 1999. Page 46. ISBN 0-14-028086-3
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Peter of Oldenburg |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Petr Alexandrowitsch von Holstein-Gottorp, Peter Friedrich Georg von Holstein-Gottorp |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Brother-in-law of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II. |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 21, 1868 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | St. Petersburg |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 11, 1924 |
| Place of death | Biarritz |