Konstantinovichi

Parenting

Konstantin Konstantinovich renewed the tradition of planting young oak trees on the occasion of the birth of each child.

Older children were brought up in a family circle, and school classes were conducted with them by teachers from various educational institutions of St. Petersburg, including the Alexander Lyceum , the Pedagogical Institute , and the Nikolaev Military Academy . On Thursdays after lunch, instead of lessons, children went on excursions to various attractions, factories and museums. All sons were enrolled in various cadet corps. Oleg and Konstantin attended classes in the cadet corps and therefore, when they became officers, they adapted much more easily to their surroundings. Contemporaries described the family of the prince as very friendly. As Minister of War A.F. Rediger recalled: “The children were well-mannered, but kept themselves free and fun” ^[3] .

Konstantin Konstantinovich believed that the ability to express one’s thoughts in writing is an important element in the upbringing of a person, and he conducted frequent correspondence with children. The Grand Duke paid special attention to the education of children in interest in native literature. On Thursdays, literary readings were held for older children, which were led by the philologist and historian of Russian literature, Professor N. K. Kulman . Family members took part in amateur performances.

Konstantin Konstantinovich preferred noble estates to his estates, in which he went on vacation with his children in the summer to introduce them to the life of the Russian countryside. In 1903, the prince acquired the Ostashevo estate in the Volokolamsk district of Moscow province .

John Konstantinovich

Born on June 23, 1886 in Pavlovsk . Named by John in the imperial family for the first time after John VI Antonovich . The father advised the eldest son: “You need to try and work hard on yourself so that you first come out as a good junker, and then a good officer, and most importantly - a decent person. Remember that much has been given to you, which means they will ask a lot ” ^[4] . On the day of his coming of age, the Grand Duke wrote in his diary: “Dear young man ... pious, loving, polite, modest, a little bit open, lacking the gift of words, inconsiderate, but not at all stupid and infinitely kind” ^[5] .

At the suggestion of his mother, he was married to the daughter of Serbian king Peter I Karageorgievich - Elena . During a gala dinner in Strelna, candles lit in chandeliers began to fall to the floor. “The fall of candles can be considered a bad omen, but it was unlikely that it occurred to anyone then” ^[6] . On January 7, 1914, the newlyweds had a son - Vsevolod , and on July 12, 1915 a daughter was born in Pavlovsk , baptized by Catherine . She died on March 13, 2007 in Montevideo .

John in his believing family stood out for its particular religiosity. He was the regent of the church of the Pavlovsk Palace and composed religious music himself, while possessing absolute pitch and musical abilities. He did a lot of charity work and was a trustee of the All-Russian Labor Society of Sober-Christian Christians and one of the patrons of the Kamchatka Orthodox Brotherhood in the name of the All-Merciful Savior. He was nicknamed "John the requiem" because the emperor often sent him as a representative of the House of Romanov to spiritual celebrations and funerals of members of European monarchical families. He was a patron of the Pedagogical Institute in St. Petersburg (now - Herzen State Pedagogical University) . Graduates gratefully recall his activities in this field, including foreign student trips organized by him at his own expense ^[7] .

Member of the First World War , awarded the St. George weapons .

Having become the owner of Pavlovsk, John continued the work of his father to preserve the palace and park ensemble and, in connection with the anniversary, created a special commission to examine the architectural structures of the city and the park. An inventory of palace collections has begun ^[8] .

Gavriil Konstantinovich

Born July 3, 1887 in Pavlovsk. At the request of Alexander III, he was named not by Andrew as his parents wanted, but, for the first time in the Romanovs' house, by Gabriel, which prevented the ambiguity of names in the imperial family. He became the first member of the dynasty to receive such a name. It was characterized by high growth (about 2 m). He graduated from the Nikolaev Cavalry School, after which he was enrolled in the 4th squadron of the Life Guards of the Hussar Regiment . In August 1911, he met at the evening with M.F. Kshesinskaya with the ballet dancer of the Mikhailovsky Theater Antonina Rafailovna Nesterovskaya , who came from an impoverished noble family and began with a corps de ballet, but eventually became a characteristic dancer who toured a lot. He became engaged to her in 1912 . However, due to the difference in social status, they were able to marry only after the February Revolution .

During the First World War he was awarded the St. George arms. In 1917 he completed courses at the Imperial Nikolaev Military Academy , but in the spring he was dismissed from service.

The only one of the Romanovs - prisoners of the Peter and Paul Fortress , who was saved. Dr. Melgunov , who was treating Gabriel for tuberculosis, managed to obtain an order to release the patient. Although the Maxim Gorky was trying for the Romanovs before Lenin and received assurances from him that the princes would be saved, the rest were shot "in response to the murder of the bourgeois Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg ." The prince died in Paris without leaving offspring on February 28, 1955, and was buried in the cemetery of Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois.

Tatyana Konstantinovna

Born on January 11, 1890 in St. Petersburg. It was named Tatyana, since it was born on the eve of Tatyana's day . In the summer of 1910, it became clear to parents that she intends to marry Prince Konstantin Alexandrovich Bagration-Mukhransky’s cavalry guard . Parents were in a panic and tried to dissuade Tatyana, motivating their disagreement with the fact that if she changed her name "she and her husband would have nothing to live on." Since Tatyana persisted, “and it came to kisses,” three family councils were held, one of which was headed by the Emperor ^[9] . At a meeting on January 26, 1911, K. R. stated: “the number of persons of the imperial family has increased so much that they do not have enough people abroad to belong to any royal or possessive house with which, by law, only allowed to enter into a marriage ” ^[10] . And Tatyana Nicholas II gave permission for marriage, but this marriage with Bagration-Mukhransky was recognized as morganatic . On August 24, 1911, a wedding was held in Pavlovsk. On August 8, 1912, the newlyweds had a son, Teimuraz, and on April 6, 1914, their daughter Natalya.

On May 19, 1915, in a battle near Lviv, the prince was killed. Having dressed in white clothes, Tatyana went with her brother Igor to Georgia , where she buried her husband in Mtskheta in the Svetitskhoveli temple.

This death completely undermined the health of Konstantin Konstantinovich, who was seriously surviving the death of his beloved son Oleg. And he died of an attack of angina pectoris on June 2, 1915 in Pavlovsk. June 6, he was buried in the Grand Duke's tomb. On his coffin they poured the earth from Strelna, which the Grand Duke carried with him in a silver box. The Bolsheviks in 1926 announced that all jewelry, "as having no artistic value" should be remelted. In 1930, the tombstones were destroyed, and the tomb was turned into a book warehouse. In May 1992, the tombstone of Konstantin Konstantinovich was restored ^[11] .

Konstantin Konstantinovich

Born December 20, 1890 in St. Petersburg.

Konstantin and Igor Konstantinovich in 1908-1910 were trained in special classes of the Page Corps , which was an innovation, since it was not accepted that members of the royal family were pages. After training, Konstantin Konstantinovich Jr. entered the service of the Life Guards Izmailovsky Regiment , where he began to attend the evenings of the Izmailovsky Leisure . He managed to quickly win the sympathies of fellow soldiers, whom during the illness visited him daily up to fifty people. At the insistence of the doctor, he was transported to Strelna, where he became interested in agricultural technology, and in Pavlovsk organized a model dairy farm. For differences during the war he was awarded the St. George Cross 4th degree.

Regarding the misfortunes that befell the family, he wrote in his diary:

We are pleased to be exiled. People recognized and life, which, unfortunately, did not know.

- cited by: Buranov Yu.A., Khrustalyov V.M. Romanovs

Oleg Konstantinovich

Born November 15, 1892 in St. Petersburg. The most gifted of all the children of the grand-ducal family. He wrote about seventy poems, several stories and short stories. He was going to devote his life to studying science and literature, and as a profession he intended to become a lawyer.

... I am fond of the dream that, in the end, an island will form in the royal family over time. Several people will carry out a reaction to the ugliness of today's life. And little by little, real people will appear again, strong and healthy in spirit, and, secondly, in the body. God, how I want to work for the good of Russia ...

- The diary of Andrei Vladimirovich ^[12]

In 1910 he graduated from the cadet corps and wished to study only at the Alexander Lyceum, where his idol Pushkin had previously studied. In May 1910, he received permission from the Sovereign to enter the Lyceum and became, therefore, the first in the Romanov family, who, before the beginning of the compulsory military service, entered a civilian educational institution. One of his writings (about Feofan Prokopovich ) was awarded the Pushkin Medal . On his initiative and with active participation, a facsimile edition of manuscripts stored in the Pushkin Museum of the Lyceum was prepared on the occasion of the centennial of the Alexander Lyceum.

In 1913, he decided to seriously engage in jurisprudence in order to become a master and professor in this field. In the same year, he graduated from the Lyceum with a silver medal and received the rank of titular adviser . Then, by order of the emperor, he was enlisted in the Life Guards Hussar Regiment. However, having weak lungs, due to an exacerbated illness, he could not begin to serve. With the outbreak of war, he was not included in the regiment's lists, but managed to get sent to the army.

All five brothers went to war with their regiments. I like this terribly, because it shows that in a difficult moment the imperial family keeps itself at the height of its position.

- diary entry

On September 27, 1914, during a clash with the enemy traveling, he was wounded. In Vilna, he underwent surgery, but because of the onset of blood poisoning, he died on September 29 . His last words were:

I am so happy! .. It was necessary. This will support the spirit, it will make a good impression in the troops when they find out that the Blood of the Royal House has been shed. It supports the dynasty.

- Konstantin Konstantinovich . Diaries. - S. 350—351.

Oleg was buried in Ostashevo near Volokolamsk . In 1915, the construction of the church in the name of St. Oleg Bryansky was started according to the project of M. M. Peretyatkovich and S. M. Deshev, but because of the unrest that had begun, the church was not consecrated.

In Soviet times, an attempt was made to ruin his grave and local authorities reburied him on the banks of the Ruza River in a cemetery near the church of Alexander Nevsky. When building a reservoir, water came close to the temple. In the summer of 1993, Maria Vladimirovna (calling herself the Grand Duchess) and her son George came to the estate with a memorial plaque in memory of Oleg Konstantinovich.

Igor Konstantinovich

Born May 29, 1894 in Strelna . After graduating from the Page Corps, he joined the Life Guards Hussars Regiment. During the war he was awarded the St. George's Arms.

In early April 1918, together with Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich , the princes of imperial blood, John and Constantine, as well as Prince V.P. Paley was sent to Vyatka . Initially, there was a free regime of residence. He was offered to escape using someone else's passport. However, the prince responded that “he did nothing wrong with his homeland and therefore does not consider it possible to resort to such measures” ^[13] .

On the day after the murder of the entire royal family in Yekaterinburg , including the minor heir to the throne, Alexei Nikolayevich , on the night of July 5 (18), 1918, according to the decision of the official bodies of the Soviet government , the year were killed without preliminary trial and indictment by dumping alive into the mine Igor , Konstantin and John Konstantinovich Romanov.

Two months after this murder, under the pretext of responding to the undeclared so-called “White Terror,” Red Terror was officially declared by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR of 05.09.1918 “On Red Terror.

On June 8, 2009, all the victims of the murder in Alapaevsk (without being charged with anything) were posthumously rehabilitated by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office .

Georgy Konstantinovich

Born April 23, 1903 in St. Petersburg.

He was enrolled in the Oryol Bakhtin cadet corps . After the revolution, he continued to live with his mother, the widow of the Kyrgyz Republic, Elizaveta Mavrikievna in the Marble Palace . After the People’s Commissariat of Labor entered the palace, she was forced to leave the palace and move to house number 10 on Palace Embankment . However, she continued to adhere to the principle of her husband and for a long time refused to emigrate:

... if Russia is in need, then the Russian Grand Duke does not leave it

- ^[14]

However, living in the country was becoming more dangerous, and the mother began to seriously fear for the last remaining son, who was threatened by the fate of his older brothers. In the fall of 1918, she received a letter from the Swedish Queen Victoria , who offered her refuge in her country. And with great difficulties, the remnants of the grand-ducal family managed to break free. George lived in England for a while, then moved to the United States. He drew well and was interested in art. At one time he worked as a ballet impresario. The fate of the family undermined his strength, and he often expressed a desire to die young. On November 7, 1938, at the age of 35, he died of peritonitis and was buried on Long Island . His remains were transferred in 1957 to the cemetery of the Holy Assumption Novo-Diveevo Convent by his sister Vera Konstantinovna.

Natalya Konstantinovna

The second daughter of the prince, was born on March 10, 1905 in St. Petersburg and, having lived two months, she died. The family was worried about her death.

Vera Konstantinovna

The third daughter of the princely couple. Born in Pavlovsk on April 11, 1906 . She was named after the elder sister of Konstantin Konstantinovich. After the emigration and the death of her mother, Vera lived with her brother George in England for some time, but then moved to Altenburg , where her mother died. The princess inherited a love of the sea from her grandfather Konstantin Nikolayevich, and in 1933-1934 she attended sailing courses in Bavaria . After that, she sailed the Baltic Sea aboard a sailboat, whose team included 10 girls. She took part in the creation of the museum under the society of Russian officers of the imperial fleet and donated some family relics here. In addition, she was a member of the German Hansa Yacht Club. When she first saw Hitler in 1933 , she noted in her memoirs: "at that time he still made an almost decent impression, but his environment was disgusting." During the Second World War, she served as a translator in factories where Ostarbeiters worked. When the Soviet army approached Leipzig , it, along with its cousin Prince Friedrich of Saxe-Altenburg, went west for twelve days, wiping his feet in blood, a distance of 240 kilometers. She settled in Hamburg in 1946 , which was then part of the British occupation zone of Germany . Here she worked in the British Red Cross and assisted displaced people. In October 1951 she moved to the United States, where she met with her nephew Teimuraz Bagration-Mukhransky. Here she worked in the Tolstoy Foundation and in 1952-1969 - in the Society for Assisting Russian Children Abroad , and until 1971 , when she retired, in the Guardianship for the Needs of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia .

By the beginning of 1918, all 31 Russian cadet corps were liquidated. But in the territories under the control of the administration of the White movement, some of them were restored. After his defeat, there were about 2,000 cadets abroad.

Foreign cadet corps were restored in 1922 by Baron P.N. Wrangel . Retired, Vera Konstantinovna became the honorary chairman of the Association of Russian Cadet Corps in New York , where she regularly held shows. She was awarded the title of "elder sister of all cadets." In recent years, she spent in the nursing home of the Tolstoy Foundation in Valley Cottage ( New York State ). After a hip fracture, she was forced to use crutches and was seriously ill. On January 11, 2001, she died and was buried next to her brother George. Vera Konstantinovna remained the only granddaughter of the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich. Currently, there are no direct male descendants of him.

• Любовь Завьялова, Кирилл Орлов. Великий князь Константин Николаевич и великие князья Константиновичи. История семьи. - SPb. : Вита Нова , 2009. — ISBN 978-5-93898-225-3 .