Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia
Template:Infobox Russian Royalty Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia (Russian: О́льга Алекса́ндровна Рома́нова; Olga Alexandrovna Romanova) (June 13 [O.S. June 1] 1882–November 24, 1960) was a Grand Duchess of Imperial Russia during the reign of her older brother, Tsar Nicholas II. She was the youngest child of Alexander III of Russia and Maria Feodorovna, the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. From childhood her relationship with her mother was strained and distant, unlike the intimate relationship she enjoyed with her father. Raised at the Gatchina Palace outside of St. Petersburg, Olga was closest to her brother, the Grand Duke Michael, who was affectionately known as "Misha".
The Grand Duchess Olga was an accomplished artist, having painted over 2,000 works of art during her lifetime. Known for seeking simplicity like her father, Olga avoided the extravagances that famously define the House of Romanov. In 1901, she was married to Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg, who was allegedly homosexual. The marriage did not last and, in 1915, the marriage was annulled, allowing Olga to marry her true love, Colonel Nikolai Kulikovsky, a commoner. After the downfall of the Romanovs, she successfully evacuated Russia with her mother, settling in the Grand Ducal estate of Ai-Todor in the Crimea near the city of Yalta. At Ai-Todor, and even later in Denmark, Olga and her family narrowly escaped assassination. Olga lived at different locations within Denmark until 1948 when, due to threats from Stalin's regime, she moved her direct family to a farm in Campbellville, Ontario, Canada. The Grand Duchess Olga lived in Canada until her death at the age of 78.
She was the last surviving grandchild of Alexander II of Russia and Maria Alexandrovna, dying months after her older sister, Xenia, in 1960. Olga, towards the end of her life, was widely labeled the "last" Grand Duchess of Imperial Russia by both the press and Russian émigré.
Early life
Born on June 13, 1882 in the Peterhof Palace, west of St. Petersburg in Peterhof, Russia, she was the youngest daughter of Tsar Alexander III and his consort, Empress Maria Feodorovna, formerly Princess Dagmar of Denmark. Because she was born during her father's reign, she is described as Born in the purple or as a porphyrogenite child, a Greek term used in the Russian Orthodox Church. Her mother, following the advice of her sister, the then Princess of Wales (later Queen Alexandra) decided to have an English nurse, and Elizabeth Franklin arrived from England.
Nana was my protector and adviser all through my childhood, and my loyal companion in later years. I have no idea what I should have done without her. All she had done for me enabled me to go through the chaos of those revolution years. She was capable, courageous, tactful; she was there as my nurse, but her influence was felt by my brothers and sister. [1]
The Grand Duchess was raised at the country Gatchina Palace, about forty miles west safely away from the dangers of the Imperial Palaces of St. Petersburg, Russia. Gatchina was her childhood home and throughout her life the Grand Duchess would reflect on those memories as the "best" time of her life.[2] However, Olga Alexandrovna and her siblings were not accustomed to a lavish early lifestyle, as modest, Spartan living and the strictest of discipline was required by their tutors, governesses, and parents. The Gatchina Palace Organisation's reference describes the living conditions of the young Romanovs:
The magnificence of the imperial suites did not, however, trickle down to the children's quarters. The Tsar's children slept on a firm bed with a hard, flat pillow and a very narrow mattress. A modest rug covered the floor. Straight-backed wicker chairs, the most ordinary of tables and bookshelves, needlework and toys, made up the only furnishings. A single precious object sat in the beautiful corner (icon corner): a silver-framed icon of the Blessed Mother of God, studded with pearls and other precious stones.[1]
Olga commented on Gatchina,
What fun we had there! The Chinese Gallery was ideal for hide and seek! We would crouch behind some huge Chinese vase. There were so many of them, some twice our size. I suppose their value was immense; but I don't remember that any of us ever damaged them.[3]
The children's paternal grandmother, Marie of Hesse and by Rhine, had introduced English customs to the Russian court. Olga commented,
We all grew up on a very plain diet. For tea we had jam with our bread and butter and English biscuits - cake was served very seldom. We liked the way our porridge was cooked - Nana must have taught them how to do it. Mutton cutlets with peas and baked potatoes seems to have been our staple dinner, or else roast beef, but even Nana could not make me like it - particularly when it was underdone! But all of us were brought up in the same way: we ate whatever we were given.[4]
Olga reflected,
There was breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and evening tea - all severely in accordance with the palace stewards' instructions, and some of them had not been changed since the days of Catherine the Great. Why, there were some small saffron buns which appeared daily with the evening tea in 1889. They were of the same kind served at court in 1788. [5]
The education system by which the Grand Duchess and her siblings were taught was of the highest standards. Royal tutors taught in depth the core subjects, such as the Russian language, literature, mathematics, history, and languages. Although her siblings were taught in the same room, the "Children's" room, her older brother, Nicholas, was being taught a different level of skills. The customary and traditional skills Nicholas was required to learn as Heir Apparent to the Throne were more urgent and necessary to learn than the lessons the other siblings were taught. Physical activities such as equestrianism were also taught at an early age, eventually making the young Romanovs riding experts.
The young Grand Duchess vacationed at Olgino, her estate in the province of Voronezh, southwestern Russia. There she practiced and exemplified her faith, the Russian Orthodox Church, by creating religious icons and blessing the village buildings and people. There she painted and drew many of her original works, later to be sold to neighbors and friends in rural Ontario, Canada. Equestrian, hiking, and swimming were also main activities at Olgino. The Grand Duchess developed a close relationship with the people of the village, adjacent to her estate, but the relationship withered during the events leading to the Russian Revolution.
The Grand Duchess was described as being indifferent to the fine gemstones and expensive jewelry which remains identifiable with the House of Romanov during the reign of both her brother and father. Throughout her early life, the young Romanov amassed a near priceless collection of gems and jewelry, which were soon after confiscated by the Russian revolutionaries. The fondness between the Grand Duchess and her father were also a defining chapter in the life of the last reigning Romanov, as the two of them along with her brother, Mikhail, held close relationships. Together, the three proved to be camping enthusiasts and would frequently go on hikes within the Gatchina Palace and the area forests.[2] Olga commented on her father, Alexander III of Russia,
My father was everything to me. Immersed in work as he was, he always spared that daily half-hour. As I grew a bit older, my privileges increased. I remember the day when I was first allowed to put the imperial seal on one of the big envelopes which lay in stacks on his desk. It was a very heavy seal of gold and crystal, but how proud and delighted I felt that morning. I was appalled at the amount of work Father had to do every day; I think a Tsar was the hardest-worked man on earth. Besides audiences and state functions, every day he was faced with stacks of edicts, ukases, and reports which he had to read and sign. Many times Father would furiously scribble his indignant comments on the margins of the documents: "Idiots! Fools! What a beast he is!" ... And once my father showed me a very old album full of most exciting pen and ink sketches of an imaginary city called Mopsopolis, inhabited by Mopses. He showed it to me in secret, and I was thrilled to have him share his own childhood secrets with me. ... My father had the strength of Hercules, but he never showed off when other people were present. He told us that he could bend horseshoes and cutlery quite easily, but did not dare to do it because my mother would have been furious. Yet once in the study he bent an iron poker and then straightened it out. I remember he kept his eyes on the door in case someone were to come in! [6]
At the beginning of 1888, Olga left Gatchina for the first time. The whole imperial family went to visit the Caucasus. On 29 October the long imperial train was travelling fast towards Kharkov. Olga recounted what happened,
About one o'clock the train was approaching the small town of Borki. The Emperor, Empress and four of their children were having lunch in the dining-car. The pudding was being brought in when the train lurched violently and then again so that everybody fell on the floor. Within a second or two the dining car was torn open and the heavy iron roof caved in just a few inches above the passengers' heads. ... The explosion had sliced off the wheels and the floor of the car. The Emperor was the first to crawl out from under the roof. This done, he held it up so that his wife, children and the others were able to get clear of the wreckage. It was truly a Herculean effort on Alexander's part, and, though nobody knew it at the time, it was to cost him dear.[7]
Tragically on November 1, 1894, the Grand Duchess' father, Alexander III of Russia, died at the untimely age of forty-nine. The emotional impact the young Romanov experienced at the age of only 12 was traumatic, as the family began to encounter the political ordeal which quickly ensued.
Painter and philanthropist
The Grand Duchess began drawing and painting at a young age, however, it was not until her later teenage years when her artistic abilities began to prosper. She also had a philanthropic side, founding charity programs in the village of Olgino, adjacent to her estate, and improved basic medical and educational options for the local citizenry. She also protected and was the patroness of many charitable organizations and establishments from an early age. She was, for the most part, benefactress to orphanages, hospitals, poorhouses and schools for girls. She gave considerable help to poor, but talented artists, and many destitute Russians sought help from her personally. Her benefaction in rural Olgino sparked many foundations to begin humanitarian support for the poor of the Russian Empire. At Olgino, she subsidised the village school out of her own pocket, established and visited the National Hospital in the village, and continued smaller, but considerable contributions to the most poverty stricken of the regional townships. At the hospital, she learned how to administer medical treatment and proper care of the ill from the local doctor. Through further medical training, the Grand Duchess was able to become a nurse, a capability which would later in life be extremely valuable. The Grand Duchess continued support for the Russian Orthodox Church and the church services held at Olgino. Even at Olgino, she was required to complete her daily educational lessons, which were usually complemented drawing or painting.
Even during my geography and arithmetic lessons, I was allowed to sit with a pencil in my hand. I could listen much better when I was drawing corn or wild flowers.[3]
Throughout her life, she created a vast collection of artwork from her time in Russia, Denmark, and later Canada, which soon amassed to a collection of over 2,000 pieces. In Russia and Denmark, her preferred art medium, scenery and landscape, continued to be prominently depicted in almost every one of her paintings created in Canada. The Grand Duchess also found her paintings to be a profitable source of income, selling many of her works upon completion in Copenhagen, Denmark. The young Romanov also praised the landscape of her Canadian surroundings, expressing them in a series of letters to her Danish friend, Alexandra Mikhailovna Iskra:
It was a wonderful evening, everything smelled so sweet. In the forests, it smelled just like in Russia with the birch and all kinds of trees in bloom. Then, when we were driving by homes and gardens of some friends, we saw them and got out of the car. What a beautiful garden they have! Lily of the valley, lilac and all kinds of plants scented the air. We walked through the gardens surrounding the house and on the other side we saw a deep ravine all covered with forest. We could see far off into the distance.[4]
Tsarskoye Selo
At the age of nineteen, on August 9, 1901, the Grand Duchess married into the Russian branch of the German, reigning House of Oldenburg, marrying Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg. Their marriage would remain unconsummated, but the couple moved into Tsarskoye Selo, a complex of palaces south of St. Petersburg, Russia[8]. The Grand Duchess was very agreeable to the relocation, as her good friend and brother, Nicholas, and his spouse, Alexandra, would be living at the Alexander Palace in close proximity to their own residence. As of 1901, the Grand Duchess was appointed honorary Commander-in-Chief of the 12th Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment of the Imperial Russian Forces. The Akhtyrsky Hussar, famous for its coalesced victory over Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Kulm in 1813, was the only Russian force with the right to forever wear the distinguished Brown Doloman uniform.
In the year 1903, she was introduced to Colonel Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky by her beloved brother, Mikhail ("Misha"), during a royal military review at Pavlovsk.[8] Soon a not very discreet love affair between the Grand Duchess and the army colonel began. The same year, at the age of twenty-two, she confronted her husband and asked for an immediate divorce.[8] Her brother, Czar Nicholas II, believed the relationship with Kulikovsky to be a fleeting romance and agreed to allow divorce within seven years. However, Oldenberg appointed Kulikovsky as an aide-de-camp and allowed him to live in the same residence as the Grand Duchess on the prestigious Sergievskaya street of Tsarskoye Selo.[8] For those who knew, the relationship between Kulikovsky and the Grand Duchess was a guarded secret, especially from the Romanov family patriarchs. However, many influential members of the family were informed of the secret relationship, yet did nothing to show disapproval. In living at Tsarskoye Selo, the Grand Duchess also became very close to her nieces and nephew, the daughters and son of her venerated brother, the Czar. She especially took a liking to the youngest of Nicholas' daughters, Anastasia, whom she and other family members called "Shvibzik" (imp), a mischievous child.
The connection between the four daughters and the Grand Duchess was prized even to the point of her taking her nieces to parties in St. Petersburg. She was deeply trusted by both the Czar and Czarina, as evidenced by the Grand Duchess' forays with her nieces to the parties and engagements throughout the palaces of St. Petersburg. The Czar and Czarina were very protective parents and trusted few with the care of their children.
The Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment, in the summer of 1914, appeared at an Imperial Review before Czar Nicholas II at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo. When World War I erupted later in the same year, Kulikovsky was commissioned to command the regiment at the frontlines in Southwestern Russia. With the Grand Duchess' prior medical knowledge from the village of Olgino, started work as a Nurse with her own regiment in Proskurov, Russia. At the same time, internal tensions in Russia began to mount as the revolutionary call grew louder. During the first year of the war, the Grand Duchess came upon heavy Austrian fire. Nurses rarely worked so close to the frontlines and consequently the Grand Duchess was awarded the Order of St. George for her heroic actions.
The Fall of the House of Romanov
In 1916, Czar Nicholas II officially annulled the marriage between Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg and the Grand Duchess, allowing her to marry Colonel Nikolai Alexandrovich Kulikovsky on November 14, 1916, in the Church of St. Nicholas in Kiev (present-day capital of the Ukraine). Among those in attendance were Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna, her older sister, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia, her sister's husband, Grand Duke Alexander "Sandro", the officers of the Akhtyrsky Regiment, and fellow nurses from the hospital in Kiev founded by the Grand Duchess. After the revolution which deposed her brother Tsar Nicholas II in early 1917, many members of the Romanov dynasty were arrested and held under house arrest. This happened to her brother and his family initially at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoe Selo. The Dowager Empress, the Grand Duchess Xenia, and the Grand Duchess Olga managed to escape to Crimea where they lived for a time before they too were placed under house arrest at one of the imperial estates. On August 12, 1917, her first child and son, Tikhon Nikolaevich Kulikovsky was born into the world as a royal prisoner under the Provisional government of Russia. He was named after the local, venerated Saint near the Grand Duchess' estate at Olgino, Tikhon of Zadonsk. Although the grandson of an Emperor and the nephew of another, as that his father was a commoner he received no titles, and proudly bore the noble Kulikovsky name (un-appended) to the end of his days as did his younger brother Guri. Due to the communications problems that Russia began to experience and the official censorship inflicted on all Romanovs, little was known of the fate of her brother and family. Nicholas, Alexandra, and their children, were originally held at their official residence, the Alexander Palace, but fearing for their safety, the Provisional government under Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky relocated the Imperial Family to Tobolsk, Siberia.
While in the Crimea, the Grand Duchess' family had been condemned to death by the Sevastopol and Yalta revolutionary councils. During a mild political upheaval between the two factions, the Central Power of Germany advanced on the Crimea, but upon arrival in November 1918, the German forces were informed of their nation's loss of the war. Shortly after the brief German occupation of the Crimea, the loyalist White Army temporarily restored the area to a fair level of safety, allowing the Grand Duchess and her family time to escape abroad. King George V sent the British warship HMS Marlborough to retrieve his aunt, the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna and some of her family from the unstable Crimea. An agreement was made between the Dowager Empress and George V to allow the evacuation of a large number of Russians onboard the ship. The communications blackout the family had experienced at the Crimea was relieved by the British sailors aboard the Marlborough. The Grand Duchess was told of her older brother's confirmed assassination and the assumed deaths of her sister-in-law, nieces, and nephew. The fate of her childhood confidant and brother, "Misha", Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, the one-time unofficial Emperor of Imperial Russia, was also uncertain. It was unknown to the Grand Duchess at the time, but the Grand Duke had been assassinated by the Cheka in Perm Krai, Russia on June 12, 1918, to ensure there was no possibility of a Romanov return to power.
The Grand Duchess Olga and her husband, Colonel Kulikovsky, refused to leave Russia at that time. The two decided to leave for the Kuban, then still free of Bolsheviks, to the large Cossack village of Novominskaya, where Timofei Yatchik, bodyguard of the Dowager Empress, was from. In a rented farmhouse around the Spring of 1919, their second son, Guri Nikolaevich Kulikovsky was born. Named after one of the Grand Duchess' close friends during World War I, Gury Panayev, a proclaimed battle hero who had fallen in 1914 serving in the Akhtyrsky Regiment. Soon after the birth of her second son, inner circles of the monarchist White Army approached the Grand Duchess with offers to officially declare her Empress of Imperial Russia. The Grand Duchess diplomatically declined the offer. With the Grand Duchess Olga being the last Heir Apparent to the Imperial Throne in Russia, she immediately became targeted by the Red Army. The family set out on what would be their last journey through Russia; they escaped to Rostov-on-Don, taking refuge in the residence of the Danish Consul, Thomas Nikolaevich Schutte, who informed them of the Dowager Empress' safe arrival in Denmark. After a brief stay with the Danish consul, the family then escaped to the island of Büyükada in the Dardanelles Strait near Istanbul, Turkey. Evacuating next to Belgrade in the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs where she was visited by Regent Alexander Karageorgevich, later to become King Alexander I of Yugoslavia. The Regent recommended that the Grand Duchess and her family permanently live on one of the royal estates of the former Austro-Hungarian territory, while the Dowager Empress immediately summoned her daughter to live with her in Denmark. The Grand Duchess immediately complied and the family relocated, once again, to Denmark. The Dowager Empress, Maria Fyodorovna, died there on October 13, 1928 nine years later.
Danish residency and exodus
On the death of her mother, the royal estate of Hvidore was sold and the Grand Duchess and her family were able to purchase with her a portion of her inheritance Knudsminde Farm, several miles outside of Copenhagen, Denmark. Her farm-estate became the center of the Russian monarchist community in Denmark and the place of visitation for many Russian emigrants. She maintained a high level of correspondence with officers of the Guard Equipage, escorts, cuirassiers, members of the Akhtyrsky Regiment, Rifles of the Imperial Family, and her Danish royal cousins. She began to sell her own paintings, with exhibition auctions in Copenhagen, London, Paris, and Berlin. A portion of the net income the Grand Duchess received from the auctions was donated to various Russian charities.
On April 9, 1940, neutral Denmark was invaded by Nazi Germany and consequently became an occupied country throughout World War II. Food shortages, communication censorship, and transportation closures resulted in a large group of impoverished Danes. Her sons, Tikhon and Guri, served as officers in the Danish Army before Denmark was invaded, and because of this the two Romanovs were imprisoned in a more liberal form of concentration camp.
The Romanovs luck changed for the better on May 5, 1945, when Nazi Germany surrendered to The United States, United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union. When the economic condition of Denmark refused to improve, General Pyotr Krasnov wrote to the Grand Duchess, detailing the wretched conditions affecting poor citizens of Russia and Russian immigrants living in Denmark. She immediately corresponded with Prince Axel of Denmark concerning the economic struggle of Russia and he promised to send aid to the poor of Russia, especially the Cossacks.
Stalin ruthlessly controlled the Soviet Union. He proved to be a dangerous neighbor to the Romanov family as a letter was sent to the Danish government accusing the Grand Duchess and a Danish Catholic bishop of conspiracy against the Soviet government. When Soviet troops came closer to the border of Denmark with the end of World War II, the fear of an assassination or kidnap attempt against the Romanovs grew. The Grand Duchess therefore made the decision to move her family across the ocean to the safety of rural Canada.
The interview with Anna Anderson
In 1920, Anna Anderson, later known as Anastasia Manahan, jumped into the icy waters of the Landwehr Canal in Berlin, Germany in an assumed suicidal attempt. There she claimed that she was Olga's niece and godchild, Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. Anderson claimed that she had escaped the murder of her family in the Ipatiev House cellar in Ekaterinburg with the help of a man named Tchiakovsky and made her way to Berlin via Bucharest, Romania where she gave birth to his child. At no time did the claimant make any attempt to approach the closest family member who had last seen Grand Duchess Anastasia outside of Russia in 1914, her Mother's first cousin, Queen Marie of Romania, during her entire alleged time in Bucharest.
Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna commented on the claim by Anderson,
In 1918 or 1919, Queen Marie would have recognised her on the spot ... Marie would never have been shocked at anything, and a niece of mine would have known it ... [9]
While the details remain sketchy, Anderson stated she was in Berlin to inform Princess Irene of Prussia (sister of Empress Alexandra and cousin of Czar Nicholas II) of her survival.
Olga commented on the claim,
My niece would have known that her condition would have indeed have shocked [Princess] Irene." [9]
Shortly after, Anderson was released from a Berlin mental hospital, and was sent a series of questions from the son of Princess Irene, Sigismund, that some suggest only the real Anastasia could possibly know. It is alleged that Anderson managed to answer every question correctly. Whether this was by her own knowledge or with help from others is unknown to this day. Anderson gained initial support from very few members of the Romanov family, while the vast majority refused to accept her claim to be Grand Duchess Anastasia. Finally, in 1925, Romanov family friends, tutors, and doctors made clear their opinions. Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna travelled in secrecy to interview the recently hospitalized Anderson personally.
After meeting Anderson, the Grand Duchess and Anastasia's former childhood tutor, Pierre Gilliard, publicly considered her an imposter.
Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia commented on Gilliard and Anna Anderson,
It was obvious that she greatly disliked M.Gilliard, and little Anastasia had been devoted to him. [10]
After the Grand Duchess' visit, letters were exchanged between the two women. The Grand Duchess felt sorry for the young woman and sent her some gifts which included some photos and a knitted shawl. She did not believe that Anna Anderson was her niece.
In Olga's authorised biography, "The Last Grand Duchess" by Ian Vorres, she was quoted expressing her true feelings about the imposter Anna Anderson:
My beloved Anastasia was fifteen when I saw her for the last time in the summer of 1916. She would have been twenty four in 1925. I thought Mrs Anderson looked much older than that. Of course, one had to make allowances for a very long illness and the general poor condition of her health. All the same, my niece’s features could not possibly have altered out of all recognition. The nose, the mouth, the eyes were all different.[11]
Olga further explained,
That child was as dear to me as if she were my own daughter. As soon as I sat down by that bed in the Mommsen Nursing Home, I knew I was looking at a stranger… I had left Denmark with something of a hope in my heart. I left Berlin with all hope extinguished. [12]
Anderson's body was cremated upon her death in 1984. Following Anderson's death, the DNA tests were conducted on samples of her tissue that had been stored at a Charlottesville, Virginia hospital following a medical procedure. The DNA tests showed that Anderson's DNA did not match the Romanov remains or Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (the grandson of the last Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna of Russia's elder sister), but was consistent with the mitochondrial DNA profile of Karl Maucher, a great-nephew of Franziska Schanzkowska.[13] [14]
On January 22, 2008, preliminary results of genetic analysis carried out on the remains of a boy and a young woman believed to belong to Nicholas II's son and heir Alexis, and daughter Maria have been revealed. Sverdlovsk Oblast chief forensic expert Nikolai Nevolin said, "Tests conducted in Yekaterinburg and Moscow allowed DNA to be extracted from the bones, which proved positive. [..] Once the genetic analysis has been completed in Russia, its results will be compared with test results from foreign experts."[15] DNA tests performed by a U.S. laboratory proved that bone fragments exhumed in the Ural Mountains belong to Crown Prince Alexei and Grand Duchess Maria, children of Russia's last Czar, according to Russian news agencies. [16]
DNA information, made public in July 2008, that has been obtained from Ekaterinburg and repeatedly tested independently by laboratories such as the University of Massachusetts Medical School, USA, reveals that the final two missing Romanov remains are indeed authentic and that the entire Romanov family housed in the Ipatiev House, Ekaterinburg were executed in the early hours of 17 July 1918. [17]
Olga stated her clear viewpoint on Anna Anderson categorically,
That attempt to drown herself is probably the only indisputable fact in the whole story.[18]
The End of Imperial Russia
When the farm became an increasing burden the elderly Grand Duchess Olga and her husband and family moved to a small bungalow in Cooksville, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto (now amalgamated into the city of Mississauga). Neighbours and visitors to the region took interest in the rumours of the "last Romanov" living in Canada, and visited her often. Foreign dignitaries and Royal Family members also frequently visited the Grand Duchess at her cosy home with a large garden. Such visitors included Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, the daughter of Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, who married into the Greek royal family before the Revolution. Other notable guests included Princess Tatiana Konstantinovna of Russia, His Highness Prince Vassily Alexandrovich, Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and his wife, Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma. One of the grander visits occurred when Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Charles, Prince of Wales visited Toronto and invited the Grand Duchess for a luncheon onboard HMY Britannia, the Royal Yacht. In 1951, former officers and members of the famed Akhtyrsky Regiment gathered at the home of the Grand Duchess to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Royal Regiment. Thereafter, she became the patroness of the Association of Imperial Russian Cadets of Canada.
Following her husband's death in 1958, the Grand Duchess became too infirm to care for herself and went to stay with Russian emigre friends in an apartment above a beauty salon in Toronto, where she could hear the comforting language of her childhood and smell and taste the nourishing food of her youth. She died on November 24, 1960, at the age of 78. The Grand Duchess is interred next to her husband in York Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The funeral for the last Grand Duchess of Russia was attended by numerous immigrants as well as many of the friends she had made on her new homeland. The Imperial Russian Cadets stood a vigil and honour guard for the entire two-day lying in state in the small Russian Church overflowing with mourners. The New York Times headlined in its obituaries the passing of the Grand Duchess, but erroneously placed a photograph of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia. The funeral ceremony was attended by large crowds; however, there were no Romanov family members in attendance.
Legacy
Long before the Grand Duchess died, her philanthropic tradition, which began at her estate in Olgino, sparked the birth of numerous humanitarian missions. Through agreements with her relatives, the monarchs of neighboring countries, she was able to provide support for thousands of Russian refugees fleeing the conflict of the Russian revolution, World War I, and eventually World War II. Her level of benefaction surpassed the contributions of her ancestors. The Russian Relief Program was founded in honor of the late Grand Duchess. The Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Romanova, was one of the most generous Russian benefactors in exile, leaving a legacy of philanthropy that continues to this day.
Family members
Siblings—the children of Alexander III and Maria Fyodorovna
- Nicholas II of Russia (1868-1918) was the eldest child within the family and the future Czar. Grand Duchess Olga is said to have been very close to Nicholas and especially his daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia.
- Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich of Russia (1869-1870), the infant son who died of meningitis in 1870 at nearly 11 months old.
- Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia (1871-1899), the third son of the family who later died of tuberculosis at the age of 28.
- Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia (1875-1960), the first daughter of the family and wife of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich Romanov, a grandson of Nicholas I of Russia. Her family, with seven children, lived in England and ensured the Romanovs' name's survival through a long line of grandchildren and great-grandchildren who still live in England to this day.
- Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia (1878-1918), the fourth and last son of the family. Mikhail ("Misha") was the childhood confidant of Grand Duchess Olga and remained so until his death. Mikhail, upon the abdication of his older brother, Nicholas, technically became the Czar of Imperial Russia, but declined the position unless called on to do so by the Russian people. On June 12, 1918, he was murdered along with his secretary by the Cheka in Perm Krai, Russia.
- Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia (1882-1960)
Grandparents of the Grand Duchess
- Alexander II of Russia (1818-1881) (Paternal), the Czar of Imperial Russia from 1855-1881, was also the Grand Duke of Finland. He was assassinated on March 13, 1881.
- Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (1824-1880) (Paternal), the former Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt and the Empress Consort to Alexander II of Russia.
- Christian IX of Denmark (1818-1906) (Maternal), the King of Denmark from 1863-1906, was the father and grandfather of many European monarchs, such as Frederick VIII of Denmark and his family, George V of the United Kingdom, George I of Greece and other royal relatives. He was known as the Grandfather of Europe.
- Louise of Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel) (1817-1898) (Maternal), a German Princess (her mother was a Danish Princess) and Queen Consort to Christian IX of Denmark. She was known as 'The Grandmother of Europe' due to the fact that she was the grandmother of many reigning monarchs.
Ancestry
See also
- Czar Alexander III, Father
- Maria Fyodorovna, Mother
- Czar Nicholas II, Older Brother
- Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, Niece/close relationship
- Anna Anderson, most famous claimant to be Anastasia, was interviewed by the Grand Duchess
- House of Romanov, her dynastic family and lineage
- House of Oldenburg, aristocratic family of first husband
- Gatchina Palace, childhood home
- St. Petersburg, Russia, primary city of residence
Books and Articles
- Hall, C & Van der Kiste, John, Once A Grand Duchess: Xenia, Sister of Nicholas II,
- Massie, K. Robert. Nicholas and Alexandra. Atheneum. New York. 1967.
- Massie, R, The Romanovs The Final Chapter,
- Pleshakov, Konstantin. The Flight of the Romanov: A Family Saga. Basic Books. New York. 1999.
- Vorres, Ian. The Last Grand Duchess: Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna. Charles Scribners and Sons. New York. 1964. ISBN 9781552633021.
- Uncredited. The Long Sunset: The Life of Olga Alexandrovna, 'The Last Grand Duchess of Russia'. European Royal History Journal. Issue XVI. 20-25. 2000.
- Uncredited. The Long Sunset: The Life of Olga Alexandrovna, 'The Last Grand Duchess of Russia' Conclusion. Issue XVIII. 30-34. 2000.
- The Home of the Last Tsar. (2004). "Biographies." Official website of the Alexander Palace Organization.
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References
- ^ Vorres, I, The Last Grand Duchess, p.23
- ^ Atchison, Bob (2004). "Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna" (HTML). Retrieved 2006-07-20.
- ^ Vorres, I, The Last Grand Duchess, p.24
- ^ Vorres, I, The Last Grand Duchess, p.27
- ^ Vorres, I, The Last Grand Duchess, p.37
- ^ Vorres, I, The Last Grand Duchess, p.27-28
- ^ Vorres, I, The Last Grand Duchess, p.29
- ^ a b c d Crawford, Rosemary & Donald. "An Innocent Abroad," Michael and Natasha, pages 50-52. New York: Scribner, 1997. isbn 0-684-83430-8
- ^ a b Massie, R, The Romanovs The Final Chapter, p.165
- ^ Vorres, I, The Last Grand Duchess, p.176
- ^ Vorres, I, The Last Grand Duchess, p.174,
- ^ Vorres, I, The Last Grand Duchess, p.176
- ^ Identification of the remains of the Romanov family by DNA analysis by Peter Gill, Central Research and Support Establishment, Forensic Science Service, Aldermaston, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 4PN, UK, Pavel L. Ivanov, Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117984, Moscow, Russia, Colin Kimpton, Romelle Piercy, Nicola Benson, Gillian Tully, Ian Evett, Kevin Sullivan, Forensic Science Service, Priory House, Gooch Street North, Birmingham B5 6QQ, UK, Erika Hagelberg, University of Cambridge, Department of Biological Anthropology, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DZ, UK - http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v6/n2/abs/ng0294-130.html
- ^ Once A Grand Duchess: Xenia, Sister of Nicholas II by John Van der Kiste & Coryne Hall, p.174
- ^ Remains found in the Urals likely to belong to tsar's children, RIA Novosti, Yekaterinburg, January 22, 2008.
- ^ DNA Tests Confirm the Deaths of the Last Missing Romanovs , The Associated Press, May 1, 2008.
- ^ DNA Confirms Remains Of Czar's Children - http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/30/tech/main4057567.shtml
- ^ Vorres, I, The Last Grand Duchess p.174