Sophie von Merenberg

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The Lafayette Studio, London: Countess Sophie Nikolajewna de Torby (1902)

Countess Sophie Nikolajewna von Merenberg (born June 1, 1868 in Geneva , † September 14, 1927 in London ) was a high society lady.

Life

Sophie was the eldest daughter of three children of Major General Nikolaus Wilhelm von Nassau (1832-1905) and his wife on the left , Countess Natalia Alexandrovna von Merenberg (1836-1913), daughter of the Russian national poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin . Her paternal grandparents were Duke Wilhelm I of Nassau and his second wife, Princess Pauline of Württemberg .

The Lafayette Studio, London: Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov with his wife (1902)

In Nice , Countess Sophie got to know and love the Russian Grand Duke Mikhail Mikhailovich Romanov by rescuing her from a runaway horse. After he was rejected by three European princesses and was not allowed to marry a Russian countess because of a difference in class, he did not even think about the Tsar Alexander III. or to ask his parents for the necessary marriage permit, as he assumed that it would not be granted again. On February 26, 1891, Countess Sophie von Merenberg married Grand Duke Michail (1861–1929) in San Remo , the second son of Grand Duke Michael Nikolajewitsch Romanov and his wife Princess Cäcilie von Baden , named after their marriage Olga Feodorovna . The marriage was not only considered morganatic , but also illegal due to the lack of approval under the rules of the tsarist family and caused a major scandal at the court despite the sometimes aristocratic origins.

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 . Her uncle, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, gave the bride the hereditary title of Countess Torby . When her mother-in-law found out about the marriage, she broke down and traveled to the Crimea to rest . On the way there, she suffered a heart attack and died. Since Grand Duke Mikhail was expelled from the country, he was not allowed to attend his mother's funeral.

The couple lived alternately in London , Paris and Nice . During the First World War , her husband and his family stayed in England, so he survived the October Revolution in 1917 , which killed three of his brothers. Countess Sophie de Torby died on September 14, 1927 in London of complications from cancer .

progeny

literature

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

Web links

Commons : Sophie von Merenberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Merenberg, Sophie von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Torby, Sophie Nikolajewna de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION High society lady
DATE OF BIRTH June 1, 1868
PLACE OF BIRTH Geneva
DATE OF DEATH September 14, 1927
Place of death London