Alexei Romanov, son of Alexander 2. Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich: biography. fourth son of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna

Bison hunter. Grand Duke Alexey Alexandrovich. Part 1.

“You have to experience everything in life” - this was the motto of Grand Duke Alexei.

Fourth son of Emperor Alexander II, brother of the Emperor Alexandra III, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich was born on January 2, 1850. By the will of his grandfather, Emperor Nicholas I, on his birthday the boy was enrolled “in the Guards crew, i.e. from birth... destined for naval service.”

At the age of 7, he already had the rank of midshipman, and at the age of ten he began sailing the seas and oceans under the guidance of his teacher, the famous admiral and navigator K. N. Posyet.

Konstantin Nikolaevich Posyet (1819-1899) - Russian admiral, navigator, minister of communications, prominent statesman.

The Grand Duke, despite his title, was taught firmly - together with the rest of the sailors, he climbed masts and yards, setting and removing sails, scrubbing the deck and performing other duties of ship service. At the age of 17, he already served as a watch commander - this was already his seventh “campaign”.

During his naval service, he showed determination and considerable courage. In 1868, the frigate Alexander Nevsky, with Alexey on board, was caught in a severe storm while sailing in the North Sea, hit a reef off the coast of Jutland and was wrecked. The Grand Duke behaved with the utmost dignity in this situation. He responded to Posyet’s offer to be the first to leave the ship with a decisive refusal, until all the sailors were saved, he remained with the admiral on board until the last. Alexey had a lot of courage in his young years. Even earlier, on Lake Onega, he saved a young man and his sister who had fallen out of a boat. For this feat, he received from his father a gold medal “For Bravery,” which he was proud of all his life.

A.P. Bogolyubov. The Grand Duke exits the boat in the breakers

A.P. Bogolyubov. Thanksgiving prayer in the evening after the crash on the beach

Most of the Grand Duke's childhood and youth was spent, however, not at sea, but on land, in the summer residences of the Crimea, in the Winter Palace and travels around Europe, throughout which numerous Romanov relatives were scattered. He was very friendly with his older brother Alexander (the future Emperor Alexander III) and his wife Maria Feodorovna, Minnie, as her family called her. After the death of Alexander III in 1894, Minnie always patronized Alexei until his death, more than once saving his shaky reputation.

On Alexei’s twentieth birthday, a ceremony took place in the Winter Palace to take the oath of allegiance to the throne and the Fatherland. In the year of the oath, training officially ended, because since then it was believed that the august children had learned life and its laws. General N.A. Epanchin described the Grand Duke this way: “Alexey Alexandrovich was... a friendly person, but he showed little seriousness in life and work; there were strange gaps in his upbringing... During the voyage on the frigate "Svetlana", Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, upon arrival in New York, played cards with his colleagues... after the game, during the calculation, the Grand Duke, pointing to one of the coins, asked what it was . They answered him: “Piglet”... copper five kopecks; then the Grand Duke... looked at her with curiosity and said: “I see it for the first time.” Undoubtedly, this was not a joke, but proof of how far he was kept from life.” Note that in the future he not only did not count copper nickels, but even millions of gold rubles that disappeared in his bottomless pockets

Alexandra Zhukovskaya

They often met at the Anichkov Palace - the residence of his brother Alexander and Minnie, where both took part in home performances. This Zhukovskaya was the daughter of the famous poet, friend of A.S. Pushkin and teacher of Alexander II. She reciprocated his feelings. What was to be done? He was not allowed to marry by his title, and she was not allowed to marry by the position of maid of honor. Now, if only they were ordinary people... Knowing about the side families of his father and both uncles, Konstantin Nikolaevich and Nikolai Nikolaevich, as well as about the cupids of his aunt Maria Nikolaevna with Count Stroganov, Alexey decided to flee with his beloved abroad, marry her, and then come what may.

Realizing that they would not be allowed to marry in Russia anyway, they secretly fled to Italy. There they secretly got married, but their marriage in Russia was not recognized by the Synod, so formally Alexey continued to be considered single. By the way, Alexey was the only one from the Romanov dynasty who remained a bachelor. Due to lack of money, the lovers returned to their homeland. Alexandra Zhukovskaya asked the Empress to allow her to marry Alexei in Russia, but did not receive permission

In 1884, Alexander III granted him the title of Count Belevsky-Zhukovsky. Sashenka Zhukovskaya herself was married with a rich dowry to Baron Verman, who turned out to be a very decent person and a caring husband. She lived permanently in Germany and died in 1899, while her son remained in Russia. His father helped him and patronized him in everything, like the entire imperial family - the grandson of Alexander II, even if he was illegitimate. He served as an adjutant to his uncle, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, got married, and had four children.

Wife of Princess Maria Petrovna Trubetskaya (1872-1954), Count Alexey Alekseevich Belevsky-Zhukovsky

And then the revolution came. His wife and children managed to leave through Constantinople to Germany, but Alexey remained in Russia. Under Soviet rule, he became a prominent biologist, but died during the Stalin's repressions in 1932 in Tbilisi.

Count Alexey Alekseevich Belevsky-Zhukovsky

Alexey’s father sent him to America for such a rash act. Alexander II then, at an opportune time, received an invitation from US President Ulysses Simpson Grant to pay a state visit in gratitude for Russia’s support for the northerners during Civil War. So he ordered Alexei to go to America in his place. There is nothing to do, Alexey agreed. In 1871, on the frigate Svetlana, as a lieutenant, he went on a long voyage. By the way, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich was also on the same ship.

Alexey and Konstantin K R

Suffering from the loss of love, Alexei in Marseilles with a company of officers committed a riot in a “fun” establishment with ladies. The police arrested the brawler, but the Grand Duke was able to “get rid of it” by presenting to the authorities another officer named Alekseev (he was Alexei’s half-brother and was the illegitimate son of Emperor Alexander II). Alexey Alexandrovich sent sad letters to his mother from distant seas - just a cry from the soul: “I feel that I do not belong to myself, that I cannot leave them (Zhukovskaya and the unborn child. -M.P.).There is a feeling in this world that nothing can overcome - this feeling is love... Mom, for God’s sake, don’t destroy me, don’t sacrifice your son, forgive me, love me, don’t throw me into that abyss from which I can’t get out...” Later he will write: “I don’t want to be a disgrace to the family... Don’t destroy me for God’s sake. Don’t sacrifice me for the sake of some prejudices that will disintegrate in a few years... To love this woman more than anything in the world and to know that she is forgotten, abandoned by everyone, she is suffering, waiting any minute to give birth... And I must remain somehow a creature who is called the Grand Duke and who therefore must, and may, by his position, be a vile and disgusting person and no one dares to tell him this... Help me, return my honor and life, it is in your hands.”

Apparently, his feelings for Zhukovskaya were actually serious. This feeling was also facilitated by the age of the Grand Duke - twenty years; At this age, love is especially strong, and if someone says that his beloved is not a match for him, then this will be a resentment for life. However, the parents stood their ground, the father was especially persistent, although he himself was not without sin in such matters. The brothers were another matter - they supported poor Alexei in everything and tried to help his grief. They talked about his suffering to their parents; Alexander and Minnie tried to leave Zhukovskaya in Russia, and she was sent abroad to give birth. Useless. Then Vladimir took matters into his own hands. He sent Zhukovskaya a letter: “Dear Alexandra Vasilievna! I often talked a lot with the empress about everything that happened... Neither she nor the sovereign agree to the wedding, this is their unchangeable decision, neither time nor circumstances will change it, believe me. Now, dear Alexandra Vasilievna, allow me, relying on our old friendship and your long-standing affection for me, to appeal directly to your heart... Do you remember when, after seeing off my brother, I stopped by to see you. Saying goodbye to you, I took both your hands and, looking you straight in the eyes, I asked - do you really love your brother? You answered that you sincerely loved him. I believed you, and how could I not believe you? Now you know what position he is in. You also know the decisive will of my parents. All this prompts me, if you really love your brother, to beg you on my knees, do not destroy him, but voluntarily, sincerely, give up on him...” And Zhukovskaya, knowing that she and Alexei would never unite, heeded this request. They never met again.

The collapse of all hopes, the loss of his beloved, the inability to start a full-fledged family shattered Alexei’s faith in justice and forced him to decide never to marry. Officially, the Grand Duke remained single, but in terms of the number of love affairs and novels, both in Russia and abroad, he was the undoubted champion. However, God never gave him true love again. A failure in love broke him and changed everything good in him that had been instilled in him since childhood.

Let's return to Alexey's trip to America. On August 20, 1871, the Tsar himself escorted his son to America on the frigate Svetlana, and in November the ship dropped anchor off the coast of Manhattan in New York. The distinguished guest was accommodated in the Claredon, the most fashionable hotel. There was a real stir in America regarding the visit of the distinguished Russian guest. Journalists tracked his every step and action, and then scrupulously described it all in the newspapers.

So, one of the newspapers wrote that Alexei likes short women. Then all fashionistas and socialites abandoned high-heeled shoes and high hairstyles. In every hotel, young ladies walked around the lobby in the hope of catching the gaze of the Grand Duke. Rumors that he was sent on a trip to America for having an affair with the woman he loved, who was not at the Court, further inflamed the imagination of American women - each was ready to jump into his bed. Alexei was literally besieged everywhere by a crowd of enthusiastic admirers.

How could you surprise and entertain the distinguished guest here? Of course, hunting bison and seeing wild Indians! General Sheridan himself, a hero of the Civil War, took charge of organizing this entertainment. He commissioned General Custer and the famous trapper Buffalo Bill to organize a grand buffalo hunt.

George Custer and Alexei became so close that, like boys, they fought, danced and sang songs. A photograph from 1872 has survived, showing both of these characters in hunting costumes. Near Fort McPherson, near the Red Willow Creek, “Alexey’s camp” of 40 tents was set up. The dining tent was decorated with the flags of both countries. The menu included the meat of a wide variety of animals and birds - inhabitants of the prairies, and there was no shortage of a wide variety of drinks. Alexey was carried everywhere with a bed designed for his tall height and powerful body. The hunt has begun. Prince Alexei was given the fastest horse and the best gun. On his 22nd birthday, Alexei killed his first bison, which he proudly wrote to his father about.

Then the Indians, led by a chief named Spotted Tail, were invited to “Alexey’s camp.” They performed their war dances in front of him and practiced their accuracy in shooting at bison. At a feast given in honor of the Indians, Alexei flirted with the squaw of Spotted Tail, and it was so sweet that the ferocious leader of the red men did not even think about scalping the pale-faced stranger.

The Hollywood action movie “Maverick,” starring Mel Gibson and Judy Foster, was even made about Grand Duke Alexei’s hunt in the Wild West. True, he looks like a fool there, but still... All Americans are Russian fools, this is already such a Hollywood standard. At the site of the royal hunt, local residents organize a theatrical performance every year in memory of this event.

Buffalo Bill himself with the chief of the Sioux tribe.

Alexey's next stop in the United States was the city of New Orleans. The choice of this city was not accidental. The fact is that back in New York he met actress Lydia Thompson, a musical comedy star. The Russian prince was delighted with her performance.

Alexey was especially worried about the song “If I Stop Loving” performed by her. After the performance, he invited Lydia to dinner and begged her to sing this ballad again and again. Now that the hunting passions had cooled, the Grand Duke remembered the pretty actress. When asked what other cities he would like to visit, Alexey without hesitation named New Orleans, it was there that Lydia Thompson’s troupe went on tour.

Alexei's admirers were upset - they so wanted to see him on the throne! For the Americans, the visit of the Russian Grand Duke was, of course, exotic; It was precisely under this sauce that he was perceived. They tried to make a show out of their meeting with Alexey, but this time it didn’t work out.

The evening after the festival, he went to a variety show in which Lydia Thompson performed, and was so captivated by the prima that he extended his stay in New Orleans for four days. She gave him a night of love, for which Alexei awarded his little friend a diamond bracelet and pearls of unprecedented beauty, and then left this city forever. The day of his visit to New Orleans became an official holiday! It is unknown how much Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich is remembered in Russia, but in this city he is always remembered. America has a poor history, and even the visits of distinguished guests are a holiday for them.

The American press created a myth about Alexei the heartthrob.In fact, he rightly wrote home: “Concerning my success with American women, which the newspapers have been buzzing about, I can honestly say that all this is nonsense. They looked at me the way people look at a crocodile in a cage or a huge monkey, but after examining me they became indifferent.” So indifferent! Alexey was cunning, oh he was cunning! He was pleased with the attention of American women, and especially the attention of Lydia Thompson...

In February 1872, Alexey returned to his frigate Svetlana and headed for Havana. It was supposed to return home through Europe, but unexpectedly Alexander II ordered to turn this voyage into a trip around the world. He probably thought that three months was not enough for Alexey to recover from unhappy love. I had to carry out the royal order. Having visited Cuba, Brazil, the Philippines, Japan and China, “Svetlana” moored in Vladivostok, from which Alexey returned to St. Petersburg by land, through Siberia. Thus, his journey dragged on for two years. Upon returning to the capital in 1874, Alexey was appointed commander of the Guards crew and captain of the Svetlana, with the rank of captain of the 1st rank.

Alexander Karlovich Beggrov (1841-1914) On the deck of the frigate “Svetlana”

After he became captain of the Svetlana, Alexey immediately set off on a voyage around Europe. In 1875-1876, she called at ports in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. His next visit to the USA was interrupted by the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, in which Alexey took an active part. Largely thanks to the actions of the sailors under his command, Russian troops successfully crossed the Danube, and then ensured stability on this vital waterway.

Russian army crossing the Danube at Zimnitsa on June 15, 1877., Nikolai Dmitrievich Dmitriev

For this campaign, Grand Duke Alexei was promoted to rear admiral, awarded the St. George Cross, IV degree, and the golden weapon “For Bravery.”

Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich.With Musee D`Orsay

In 1882, he was promoted to vice admiral, although Alexander III believed that his brother did not care about this. Why? Yes, because Alexey was already fed up with the seas and oceans with their long voyages and found a hobby in something else - communicating with the fair sex. Admiral I. A. Shestakov wrote in his diary: “It seems that my Grand Duke is indifferent not only to the fleet, but to everything, and he doesn’t care if Russia is doing well...”

In 1883, Alexey received a promotion from the hands of his brother-emperor - now he became admiral general. But he no longer cared about this - he became indifferent to maritime affairs. He stopped loving the sea and did not delve into the affairs of his department. His consciousness was frozen in the times of the sailing fleet, in the golden days of his campaigns on the Svetlana. Meanwhile, Russia needed to build battleships; Another time has come - the time of steam, electricity and radio. And if, nevertheless, the Russian fleet was able to be maintained in more or less decent condition, it was not thanks to, but in spite of Admiral General Alexei Alexandrovich.

Since then, the amorous adventures of the Grand Duke have become a constant topic of high society gossip. At the end of the 1870s, Alexei Alexandrovich's life was illuminated by love for his distant relative, Countess Zinaida Beauharnais. She was a married lady, the wife of his cousin Duke Eugene Maximilianovich of Leuchtenberg (these Leuchtenbergs again!). Let us recall that the Dukes of Leuchtenberg joined the Romanov dynasty in 1839 as a result of the marriage of Eugene Beaugranet, the son of Napoleon's stepson, and the daughter of Nicholas I, Maria Nikolaevna. They were worthless, arrogant and arrogant people.

Daria Konstantinovna Opochinina

And if you add that Alexey was the Duke’s cousin, then you get a close family tangle. From his first marriage, the Duke had a daughter, Daria Beauharnais, or Dolly. The Duke had no children from his second marriage.

Countess Daria Evgenievna Beauharnais

Zinaida Skobelev

According to contemporaries, Duke Eugene of Leuchtenberg was a kind man, had poor health and led an absent-minded lifestyle. He was constantly in the company of his cousins Alexei and Vladimir Alexandrovich. He had a reputation as a drunkard and a cuckold, which, however, did not depress him very much. State Secretary A. A. Polovtsov characterized him as “a scoundrel devoid of any moral sense, hunting with his wife” and extracting a lot of money from Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich.

Evgeniy Maximilianovich Leichtenbersky

According to General Epanchin, “the Duke was a kind-hearted man, not an intriguer, but he had every right to say “my tongue is my enemy” and did not always know how to keep his mouth shut in time.” The Duke turned a blind eye to his wife’s affair with Grand Duke Alexei, and therefore, during a joint trip to Europe, the inseparable trinity acquired the nickname “la menage Royale a trois” (the royal love triangle). However, he was beaten more than once by the giant Alexei on the threshold of his own bedroom in a house on the Promenade des Anglais, where the Grand Duke got into the habit of visiting.

The cuckolded husband tried in vain to complain to Alexander III about his womanizing brother. All he could do was sleep meekly and resentfully on the sofa in the office, while Zinaida and Alexei made love. Judging by the photos that have reached us, Alexey, a man of immense size and the same height, chose women to match himself - Zina was a plump, round-faced lady. She rode around St. Petersburg with Alexei in an open carriage, openly showed off the diamonds given to her by her lover, and he paid the bills for Zina and her drunken husband in Europe and Russia.

Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich and Duchess of Leuchtenberg

Countess Beauharnais hosted receptions at the Alekseevsky Palace (built especially for him on the Moika embankment) and compiled lists of guests at her own discretion. For her sake, Alexei opened the doors of his palace to the capital's elite, where the beautiful Zinaida reigned, with royal grandeur, ignoring all the rumors and gossip that were spreading because of her scandalous connection with the Grand Duke.

St. Petersburg Palace of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich,

According to the assurances of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, whom everyone called Sandro, who left rather frank and caustic memoirs, the Admiral General was ready to sacrifice the entire Russian fleet for the sake of the seductive Zina and showered her with unimaginable gifts. Sandro wrote: “I am aware of the complete impossibility of describing physical qualities this amazing woman. I have never seen the like of her during all my travels in Europe, Asia, America and Australia, which is a great happiness, since such women should not often come across the eye.”

Where did Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich get the money for all these escapades? The grand ducal salary would clearly not be enough for him... And he shamelessly stole from the amounts allocated for the shipbuilding program of the Russian Navy. At one time, scandals caused a lot of noise due to Alexei’s attempts to maintain the yacht “Zina”, owned by the Duke of Leuchtenberg, at public expense.

The premature death of Zinaida Beauharnais in 1899 at the age of 44 was a heavy blow for Alexei. He kept her portraits and marble bust until the end of his days. After the death of his wife, the Duke of Leuchtenberg lived either in Paris or in Alexei's palace on the Moika embankment, where his wife once lived. In 1901, he was buried next to his unfaithful wife in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Bison Hunter

Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich

“You have to experience everything in life” - this was the motto of Grand Duke Alexei.

Alexey was born in 1850 and on the same day, by order of his grandfather Nicholas I, he was enrolled in the Guards crew, that is, he was to become a sailor, the same as his uncle Konstantin Nikolaevich (he later replaced him as commander of the navy) . At the age of 7, he already had the rank of midshipman, and at the age of ten he began sailing the seas and oceans under the guidance of his teacher, the famous admiral and navigator K. N. Posyet. The Grand Duke, despite his title, was taught firmly - together with the rest of the sailors, he climbed the masts and yards, setting and removing the sails, scrubbing the deck and performing other duties of ship service. At the age of 17, he already served as a watch commander - this was already his seventh “campaign”. During his naval service, he showed determination and considerable courage. In 1868, the frigate Alexander Nevsky, with Alexey on board, was caught in a severe storm while sailing in the North Sea, hit a reef off the coast of Jutland and was wrecked. The Grand Duke behaved with the utmost dignity in this situation. He responded to Posyet’s offer to be the first to leave the ship with a decisive refusal, until all the sailors were saved, he remained with the admiral on board until the last. Alexey had a lot of courage in his young years. Even earlier, on Lake Onega, he saved a young man and his sister who had fallen out of a boat. For this feat, he received from his father a gold medal “For Bravery,” which he was proud of all his life.

In 1870, Alexey celebrated his 20th birthday, which was then considered the age of majority in Rus'. Among the eldest sons of Alexander II, he was the largest and most handsome. As a child they called him Seichik. Already at the age of 12 he spoke fluent German, French and English. Alexey grew up as a cheerful, truthful, trusting and affectionate young man. Playful Seichik was his father's favorite - he was allowed to do things that other children his age were not allowed to do. Thus, his cousin Marie of Battenberg wrote that seven-year-old Alexei was allowed to sit at the same table with adults, and this aroused children’s envy in them. Most of the Grand Duke's childhood and youth was spent, however, not at sea, but on land, in the summer residences of the Crimea, in the Winter Palace and travels around Europe, throughout which numerous Romanov relatives were scattered. He was very friendly with his older brother Alexander (the future Emperor Alexander III) and his wife Maria Feodorovna, Minnie, as her family called her. After the death of Alexander III in 1894, Minnie always patronized Alexei until his death, more than once saving his shaky reputation. But we will tell you about this in due time.

On Alexei’s twentieth birthday, a ceremony took place in the Winter Palace to take the oath of allegiance to the throne and the Fatherland. In the year of the oath, training officially ended, because since then it was believed that the august children had learned life and its laws. General N.A. Epanchin described the Grand Duke this way: “Alexey Alexandrovich was... a friendly person, but he showed little seriousness in life and work; there were strange gaps in his upbringing... During the voyage on the frigate "Svetlana", Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, upon arrival in New York, played cards with his colleagues... after the game, during the calculation, the Grand Duke, pointing to one of the coins, asked what it was . They answered him: “Piglet”... copper five kopecks; then the Grand Duke... looked at her with curiosity and said: “I see it for the first time.” Undoubtedly, this was not a joke, but proof of how far he was kept from life.” Let us note that in the future he not only did not count copper nickels, but even millions of gold rubles that disappeared in his bottomless pockets.

He suffered from obesity, not only natural, but also caused by gourmandism, bordering on gluttony. Despite this, Alexey was always exquisitely and elegantly dressed. At that time, being overweight was not considered a hindrance to male charm. Therefore, he often caught the languid gaze of high-society young ladies on himself, and then he himself fell in love with his mother’s maid of honor Sashenka Zhukovskaya. Their romance was carefully hidden, because she was 27 years old and he was 19. They often met at the Anichkov Palace - the residence of his brother Alexander and Minnie, where both took part in home performances. This Zhukovskaya was the daughter of the famous poet, friend of A.S. Pushkin and teacher of Alexander II. She reciprocated his feelings. What was to be done? He was not allowed to marry by his title, and she was not allowed to marry by the position of maid of honor. Now, if only they were ordinary people... Knowing about the side families of his father and both uncles, Konstantin Nikolaevich and Nikolai Nikolaevich, as well as about the cupids of his aunt Maria Nikolaevna with Count Stroganov, Alexey decided to flee with his beloved abroad, marry her, and then come what may.

Alexei's parents did what they always did in such cases. They believed that the best cure for love is separation. Therefore, Sashenka Zhukovskaya was urgently sent to Austria. At the same time, it turned out that she was also pregnant from Alexey! It's not getting any easier hour by hour! In 1871, she had a son, named Alexei - in honor of his father. In 1884, Alexander III granted him the title of Count Belevsky-Zhukovsky. Sashenka Zhukovskaya herself was married with a rich dowry to Baron Verman, who turned out to be a very decent person and a caring husband. She lived permanently in Germany and died in 1899, while her son remained in Russia. His father helped him and patronized him in everything, like the entire imperial family - he was still the grandson of Alexander II, albeit illegitimate. He served as an adjutant to his uncle, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, got married, and had four children. And then the revolution came. His wife and children managed to leave through Constantinople to Germany, but Alexey remained in Russia. Under Soviet rule, he became a prominent biologist, but died during the years of Stalinist repression in 1932 in Tbilisi.

But for such a rash act, Alexey’s father, as people say, drove him to Mozhai. Well, not specifically for Mozhai, but to America. Alexander II then, at an opportune time, received an invitation from US President Ulysses Simpson Grant to pay a state visit in gratitude for Russia's support of the northerners during the Civil War. So he ordered Alexei to go to America in his place. There is nothing to do, Alexey agreed. In 1871, on the frigate Svetlana, as a lieutenant, he went on a long voyage. By the way, on the same ship was Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, about whom we have already written; it was then that he first learned the sin of Sodom.

Suffering from the loss of love, Alexei in Marseilles with a company of officers committed a riot in a “fun” establishment with ladies. The police arrested the brawler, but the Grand Duke was able to “get rid of it” by presenting to the authorities another officer named Alekseev (he was Alexei’s half-brother and was the illegitimate son of Emperor Alexander II. We also already wrote about this). Alexey Alexandrovich sent sad letters to his mother from distant seas - well, just a cry from the soul: “I feel that I do not belong to myself, that I cannot leave them (Zhukovskaya and the unborn child. - M.P.). There is a feeling in this world that nothing can overcome - this feeling is love... Mom, for God’s sake, don’t destroy me, don’t sacrifice your son, forgive me, love me, don’t throw me into that abyss from which I can’t get out...” Later he will write: “I don’t want to be a disgrace to the family... Don’t destroy me for God’s sake. Don’t sacrifice me for the sake of some prejudices that will disintegrate in a few years... To love this woman more than anything in the world and to know that she is forgotten, abandoned by everyone, she is suffering, waiting any minute to give birth... And I must remain somehow a creature who is called the Grand Duke and who therefore must, and may, by his position, be a vile and disgusting person and no one dares to tell him this... Help me, return my honor and life, it is in your hands.”

Let's return to Alexey's trip to America. In 2006, the United States solemnly celebrated the 135th anniversary of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich's visit to their country. He was greeted there with such grandeur and honor that neither Khrushchev, nor Gorbachev, nor even Putin received! On August 20, 1871, the Tsar himself escorted his son to America on the frigate Svetlana, and in November the ship dropped anchor off the coast of Manhattan in New York. The distinguished guest was accommodated in the Claredon, the most fashionable hotel. There was a real stir in America regarding the visit of the distinguished Russian guest. Journalists tracked his every step and action, and then scrupulously described it all in the newspapers.

On November 24, 1871, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich was received by US President Ulysses Grant at the White House, and then began his long trip around the country. He visited more than 20 cities in the USA and Canada. Each state and each city sought to surpass each other in the honors bestowed upon the son of Russia. Balls and evenings were held, to which up to four thousand people were sometimes invited. Newspapers eagerly followed Alexei's every move, being especially sophisticated in presenting rumors about his relationships with women. So, one of the newspapers wrote that Alexei likes short women. Then all fashionistas and socialites abandoned high-heeled shoes and high hairstyles. In every hotel, young ladies walked around the lobby in the hope of catching the gaze of the Grand Duke. Rumors that he was sent on a trip to America for having an affair with the woman he loved, who was not at the Court, further inflamed the imagination of American women - each was ready to jump into his bed. Alexei was literally besieged everywhere by a crowd of enthusiastic admirers.

He visited Niagara Falls, the Naval Academy, West Point, the Admiralty, weapons and shipbuilding factories, Harvard University and many other noteworthy places, until he arrived in the Wild West in the city of Chicago on January 1, 1872. Just the day before, there was a huge fire that destroyed part of the city, and Alexey donated 5 thousand dollars to the fire victims, which aroused even greater sympathy among the Americans. How could you surprise and entertain the distinguished guest here? Of course, hunting bison and seeing wild Indians! General Sheridan himself, a hero of the Civil War, took charge of organizing this entertainment. He commissioned General Custer and the famous trapper Buffalo Bill to organize a grand buffalo hunt. George Custer and Alexei became so close that, like boys, they fought, danced and sang songs. A photograph from 1872 has survived, showing both of these characters in hunting costumes. Near Fort McPherson, near the Red Willow Creek, “Alexey’s camp” of 40 tents was set up. The dining tent was decorated with the flags of both countries. The menu included meat from a wide variety of prairie animals and birds, and there was no shortage of a wide variety of drinks. Alexey was carried everywhere with a bed designed for his tall height and powerful body. The hunt has begun. Prince Alexei was given the fastest horse and the best gun. On his 22nd birthday, Alexei killed his first bison, which he proudly wrote to his father about. Then the Indians, led by a chief named Spotted Tail, were invited to “Alexey’s camp.” They performed their war dances in front of him and practiced their accuracy in shooting at bison. At a feast given in honor of the Indians, Alexei flirted with the squaw of Spotted Tail, and it was so sweet that the ferocious leader of the red men did not even think about scalping the pale-faced stranger.

Alexey's next stop in the United States was the city of New Orleans (the same one that was now damaged by Hurricane Katrina). The choice of this city was not accidental. The fact is that back in New York he met actress Lydia Thompson, a musical comedy star. The Russian prince was delighted with her performance. Alexey was especially worried about the song “If I Stop Loving” performed by her. After the performance, he invited Lydia to dinner and begged her to sing this ballad again and again. Now that the hunting passions had cooled, the Grand Duke remembered the pretty actress. When asked what other cities he would like to visit, Alexey without hesitation named New Orleans, it was there that Lydia Thompson’s troupe went on tour.

A grandiose music festival “Mardi Grae” was organized in the city in honor of Grand Duke Alexei. Many high-ranking persons received an invitation to it; Lydia Thomson personally sent him an invitation card, which made the prince quite flattered. A platform was erected especially for Alexei and a throne-like chair was placed on it, but he refused to sit on it, declaring that he was only a lieutenant of the Russian Imperial Navy; that is how it should be perceived. Alexei's admirers were upset - they so wanted to see him on the throne! For the Americans, the visit of the Russian Grand Duke was, of course, exotic; It was precisely under this sauce that he was perceived. They tried to make a show out of their meeting with Alexey, but this time it didn’t work out.

The American press created a myth about Alexei the heartthrob. In fact, he rightly wrote home: “Concerning my success with American women, which the newspapers have been buzzing about, I can honestly say that all this is nonsense. They looked at me the way people look at a crocodile in a cage or a huge monkey, but after examining me they became indifferent.” So indifferent! Alexey was cunning, oh he was cunning! He was pleased with the attention of American women, and especially the attention of Lydia Thompson...

In 1881, after the assassination of Alexander II, Alexei Alexandrovich headed the entire Russian Navy, taking the place of his uncle Konstantin Nikolaevich. However, in the most paradoxical way, it was from that moment that he completely ceased to be interested in the fleet. Having started swimming at the age of ten, Alexey Alexandrovich spent almost 20 years at sea. He became a real sailor. However, after 1881 he rarely went to sea. For the next 28 years, he clearly preferred land. In 1882, he was promoted to vice admiral, although Alexander III believed that his brother did not care about this. Why? Yes, because Alexey was already fed up with the seas and oceans with their long voyages and found a hobby in something else - communicating with the fair sex. Admiral I. A. Shestakov wrote in his diary: “It seems that my Grand Duke is indifferent not only to the fleet, but to everything, and isn’t he doing well in Russia...” In 1883, Alexei received a promotion from the hands of his brother-emperor - now he had already become an admiral general. But he no longer cared about this - he became indifferent to maritime affairs. He stopped loving the sea and did not delve into the affairs of his department. His consciousness was frozen in the times of the sailing fleet, in the golden days of his campaigns on the Svetlana. Meanwhile, Russia needed to build battleships; Another time has come - the time of steam, electricity and radio. And if, nevertheless, the Russian fleet was able to be maintained in more or less decent condition, it was not thanks to, but in spite of Admiral General Alexei Alexandrovich. We'll talk about this a little below.

Since then, the amorous adventures of the Grand Duke have become a constant topic of high society gossip. At the end of the 1870s, Alexei Alexandrovich's life was illuminated by love for his distant relative, Countess Zinaida Beauharnais. She was a married lady, the wife of his cousin Duke Eugene Maximilianovich of Leuchtenberg (these Leuchtenbergs again!). Let us recall that the Dukes of Leuchtenberg joined the Romanov dynasty in 1839 as a result of the marriage of Eugene Beaugranet, the son of Napoleon’s stepson, and the daughter of Nicholas I, Maria Nikolaevna. They were worthless, arrogant and arrogant people.

Eugene of Leuchtenberg himself was married twice, and both times by morganatic, that is, unequal marriages. For the first time, Evgeny married Daria Opochinina, the great-granddaughter of Field Marshal Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov. The second time he married Zinaida, the younger sister of the famous general M.D. Skobelev (apparently, Evgeniy was not a fool - both times he married relatives of famous military leaders). It is characteristic that both wives of Eugene were given the title of Countess of Beauharnais by the emperor. It is also interesting that Zinaida Beauharnais was the cousin of Evgeniy’s first wife, Daria Opochinina, who died in 1870. And if you add that Alexey was the Duke’s cousin, then you get a close family tangle. From his first marriage, the Duke had a daughter, Daria Beauharnais, or Dolly, whose incredible fate we told in the chapter about Maria Nikolaevna - Princess Mary. The Duke had no children from his second marriage.

The Duke of Leuchtenberg married Zinaida Skobeleva in 1878. Zina Beauharnais, as she was called in the world, was famous for her amazing beauty; judging by the surviving portraits, she was a real Russian beauty, unlike her ugly husband, who had French roots. According to contemporaries, Duke Eugene of Leuchtenberg was a kind man, had poor health and led an absent-minded lifestyle. He was constantly in the company of his cousins Alexei and Vladimir Alexandrovich. He had a reputation as a drunkard and a cuckold, which, however, did not depress him very much. State Secretary A. A. Polovtsov characterized him as “a scoundrel devoid of any moral sense, hunting with his wife” and extracting a lot of money from Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich. According to General Epanchin, “the Duke was a kindly man, not an intriguer, but he had every right to say “my tongue is my enemy” and did not always know how to keep his mouth shut in time.” The Duke turned a blind eye to his wife’s affair with Grand Duke Alexei, and therefore, during a joint trip to Europe, the inseparable trinity acquired the nickname “la menage Royale a trois” (the royal love triangle). However, he was beaten more than once by the giant Alexei on the threshold of his own bedroom in a house on the Promenade des Anglais, where the Grand Duke got into the habit of visiting. The cuckolded husband tried in vain to complain to Alexander III about his womanizing brother. All he could do was sleep meekly and resentfully on the sofa in the office, while Zinaida and Alexei made love. Judging by the photos that have reached us, Alexey, a man of immense size and the same height, chose women to match himself - Zina was a plump, round-faced lady. She rode around St. Petersburg with Alexei in an open carriage, openly showed off the diamonds given to her by her lover, and he paid the bills for Zina and her drunken husband in Europe and Russia. Countess Beauharnais hosted receptions at the Alekseevsky Palace (built especially for him on the Moika embankment) and compiled lists of guests at her own discretion. For her sake, Alexei opened the doors of his palace to the capital's elite, where the beautiful Zinaida reigned, with royal grandeur, ignoring all the rumors and gossip that were spreading because of her scandalous connection with the Grand Duke. According to the assurances of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, whom everyone called Sandro, who left rather frank and caustic memoirs, the Admiral General was ready to sacrifice the entire Russian fleet for the sake of the seductive Zina and showered her with unimaginable gifts. Sandro wrote: “I am aware of the complete impossibility of describing the physical qualities of this amazing woman. I have never seen the like of her during all my travels in Europe, Asia, America and Australia, which is a great happiness, since such women should not often come across the eye.”

The future Emperor Nicholas II also loved Zina’s company. When he was Tsarevich, he wrote the following in his diary in 1892: “In b 3/4 I went to dress rehearsal Massenet's opera "Esclarmonde". Finished at 11 1/2, went to the village of Alexei for dinner. Zina kept us occupied with songs.”

Where did Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich get the money for all these escapades? The grand ducal salary would clearly not be enough for him... And he shamelessly stole from the amounts allocated for the shipbuilding program of the Russian Navy, but we will talk about this side of the matter later. And now there is only one nuance - at one time, scandals caused a lot of noise due to Alexei’s attempts to maintain the yacht “Zina”, owned by the Duke of Leuchtenberg, at public expense.

Now let’s talk about how Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich led the Maritime Department and the Russian Fleet. First of all, it should be said that in 1884-1885 the luxurious Alekseevsky Palace was built for him on the embankment of the Moika River, in which he lived for his own pleasure.

The famous scientist and shipbuilder, Professor Krylov, described the leadership of the Grand Duke in his department: “Over the 23 years of his management of the fleet, the budget grew on average almost five times; Many battleships and armored cruisers were built, but this “many” was only a collection of individual ships, and not a fleet. Thus, the armored cruisers “Vladimir Monomakh” and “Dmitry Donskoy” were laid down simultaneously of the same type. Upon completion of construction, it turned out: one was like a corvette, the other was a frigate, one was twin-screw, the other was single-screw, etc. Even greater diversity reigned between the battleships “Alexander II” and “Nicholas I”, although they should be exactly the same, however, they came out different... In terms of creating the fleet, the activities of Admiral General Alexei were a typical example of unplanned waste of public funds, emphasizing the complete unsuitability of the organization and management system of the fleet and the Maritime Department.” Alexei's nephew, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, watching the maneuvers German fleet in Kiel in 1895, noted: “I must admit that at the end of the 90s our fleet made a pitiful impression: most of the ships were completely outdated and were not suitable for use - the fleet was subject to complete reconstruction.” Prime Minister S. Yu. Witte wrote in his memoirs: “Alexei Alexandrovich, being very sweet, honest and noble, at the same time was not a particularly serious person in business terms.” As for Witte’s revelation that Alexey was an “honest” man... He compares this with himself: it was difficult to find a more dishonest person than the Prime Minister himself. How can an embezzler be an honest person? But he’s right about the “frivolity” - the Grand Duke openly shirked his duties. All his colleagues talk about this in unison. Here are just a few of these statements. Admiral Shestakov: “Alexey, apparently, is indifferent to the fleet and its fate... He’s all for nothing.” Secretary of State A. A. Polovtsov: “Alexey Alexandrovich is only thinking about how to sneak away (from the State Council meeting) without violating decency and return to Zina’s bed. Boredom is expressed with large features on his face.”

His entire leadership of the Russian fleet boiled down to the fact that once a week he invited the admirals to dine at his palace. This action was called a meeting of the Admiralty Council. Since the cook was a master of his craft, and the Grand Duke’s cognac would always be first-class, the guests did not complain. They almost didn’t pester him about business, because they knew it was useless. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich also attended these meetings as a sailor. This is how he described them: “After Napoleonic cognac had entered the stomachs of his guests, the hospitable host opened the meeting of the Admiralty Council with a traditional story about an incident from the history of the Russian sailing navy... I learned by heart all the details of this confusing narrative and always moved away out of caution a little with a chair from the table at the moment when, following the script, Uncle Alexei should hit the table with his fist and exclaim in a thunderous voice: “And only then, my friends, did this stern commander recognize the outline of the Skagen rocks.” The Admiral General would have nothing against limiting the debate of the Admiralty Council to the Alexander Nevsky case.”

And the Grand Duke’s cognac was truly wonderful. Let's take a little break from his adventures and describe the wine cellar in the Alekseevsky Palace. The names of wines, vodkas and cognacs today sound like music. I wish I could try it! So, the wine cellar contained hundreds of brands of spirits and wines, placed in barrels, decanters, bottles and jugs. From here, cognacs “Napoleon”, “Naryshkin”, “Kuba”, “Belle Vue”, “Monte Carlo”, “Clisson”, “Cuvillier” were served on the Grand Duke’s table. Here the liqueurs “Curacao”, “Benedictine”, “Maria Christina” were stored and brought out to guests upon request; port wines “Count Guryev”, “Marsala”; sherry "Depre", "Gonzales"; Madeira "Cuvellier", "Old Malvasia". In the wine cellar there were up to forty varieties of vodka, among which one could not only see, but also try such varieties as “Seventh Heaven”, “Yacht Club”, “Eliseev”. There was also whiskey, rum, all kinds of liqueurs and liqueurs. Just a song, not a wine cellar!

According to S. Yu. Witte, Grand Duke Alexei did not have any state ideas. It is known that he was usually under the influence of another lady with whom he was close. Considering that the Grand Duke really was kind person, one of them could have directed him on the right path, but as luck would have it, he came across only bitches who only needed his money. Many people complained to Alexander III about him, but the tsar turned a blind eye to this - as long as his brother did not get involved in politics. But he didn’t bother. Indifference and neglect of his duties increasingly overwhelmed Alexei.

Such was the Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, who had a reputation as an excellent, noble man who did no harm to anyone. True, he had one peculiarity - he loved stupid practical jokes. Once in 1882, Prince Alexander of Bulgaria came to St. Petersburg on an official visit. Alexei assured him that Empress Maria Fedorovna loved the smell of onions out of patriotism. To please her, before the reception he ate herring and onions, but it turned out that the empress could not stand the stench of onions. Alexander of Bulgaria was in trouble, and Alexey just chuckled.

Since 1880, everyone has noted the increasing craving of the sybarite and glutton Alexei for copious libations and carousing, usually in the company of his mistress’s husband, the Duke of Leuchtenberg. He had gained great weight, which gave evil tongues the right to call him “seven pounds of august meat.”

The Grand Duke's love of women made him a scandalous person. Alexander Mikhailovich once sarcastically remarked: “His life was dominated by nimble ladies and clumsy ships.” It is not difficult to imagine what kind of hunt there was for him on the part of the women themselves. “Every night the ladies of our monde come to him, whom he deigns to invite,” wrote one of his contemporary. Serenity and fun, carousing with gypsies, mischievous stag parties with copious libations, balls and receptions constituted his leisure time in Russia. All this happened in front of the capital’s society and the Russian press, which was greedy for sensations. But he found even greater pleasure in being in Europe, away from the eyes of malicious Russian newspapermen. His easy, carefree life was mostly spent at the resorts in Biarritz and Cannes. He went there for a long time to rest, abandoning all his affairs in Russia, which even his brother Alexander III was quite indignant about. No work, no responsibilities - just golf, entertainment and trips to the gambling establishments of Monte Carlo. “A socialite from head to toe, le Beau Brummell (trendsetter) and bon vivant who was pampered by women, Alexey Alexandrovich traveled a lot. The mere thought of spending a year away from Paris would have made him resign... The mere mention of modern changes in the navy brought a painful grimace to his handsome face. “I wasn’t interested in anything that didn’t relate to women, food and drinks,” his cousin Sandro wrote, not without irony. He was echoed by another contemporary: “If the Grand Duke had been forced to spend at least a year away from Paris, he would have immediately resigned - which, of course, would have played a positive role for the Russian fleet, where he was listed as an admiral general.”

He always stayed in the luxurious Ritz or Continental hotels, in which entire floors were rented for his retinue, and visited chic restaurants where everyone stood at attention - from the owner to the head waiter with a whole host of waiters, and the rest of the public was not allowed. When Grand Duke Alexei passed by or went for a walk, the police blocked all the streets. This won’t surprise anyone now, but back then everything was a novelty. If he entered the casino on the arm of another lady and accompanied by his retinue, the doors were locked and the bets were raised to half a million rubles. The famous courtesan La Goulue, who posed for Toulouse-Lautrec, danced especially for him, and Alexei literally covered her with large banknotes up to her waist. Rasputin's killer Felix Yusupov recalled how in 1907 he met the courtesan Bibi, already an old and sick old woman who was proud of her long-standing relationship with Grand Duke Alexei. Such was his life abroad. It was Alexey and his brother Vladimir who made the expression “live like a grand duke” a household word in France; Even in the 1930s, old-timers told legends about them.

How did his superiors feel about Alexei’s wild life? Let us note that his superior was only his brother the emperor. He was pleased with Alexei's service - or pretended to be pleased. When Alexander III died in 1894, he was succeeded by Nicholas II, Alexei's nephew. He was openly afraid of his uncle and did not dare to contradict him. Then relatives got down to business, outraged by the confusion that reigned in the Maritime Department and the huge waste. During the reign of Nicholas II, they made more than once attempts to remove Grand Duke Alexei from his post, but the intercession of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna saved him from this. Alexei was opposed by his nephew Sandro, who in 1896 submitted a report to Nicholas II about the deplorable state of the fleet and the need for reforms. As a result, Alexander Mikhailovich was forced to resign, since the Admiral General also threatened to resign. Nothing was done then.

Under Alexei, corruption and embezzlement completely destroyed the Maritime Department. It got to the point that the armor of the ships was literally falling apart, because the metal rivets were stolen, and the armor plates were fastened with wooden bushings. One of the newest destroyers almost sank halfway between Kronstadt and St. Petersburg, because someone stuck tallow candles into the holes for the rivets. Under such a naval commander, the shells of the ship's guns did not even explode, but the guns themselves often exploded, killing and maiming people.

Alexei was accused of embezzling the treasury and sadly joked that the ladies of Paris cost Russia one battleship a year. He became famous for his enormous thefts; under him, embezzlement in the navy reached unprecedented proportions; the amount of money he pocketed amounted to millions. He did not disdain the Red Cross funds intended for wounded soldiers. “In the pockets of “honest” Alexei,” contemporaries wrote, “several armadillos and a couple of million Red Crosses fit, and he very wittily presented the ballerina-mistress with a wonderful red cross made of rubies, and she put it on on the very day when it became known about the defect two million." His Highness's career was tarnished by a number of financial scandals. In 1902, an investigation was finally conducted into abuses in the Maritime Department, as a result of which 43 officers were accused of bribery and corruption. No charges were brought against Alexei himself, but a number of his deputies were accused of embezzlement and they were convicted. The following year, a scandal broke out over the maritime budget, for which Alexei was responsible. An additional 30 million rubles, that is, half of the annual budget of the country's navy, disappeared into thin air. Alexei still managed to account for these amounts, although during this time not a single ship was launched. At the same time, he bought himself a mansion in Paris. Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich wrote in his diary: “If this is so, then one cannot help but be surprised at such expenses on the part of the Russian Grand Duke.”

The carefree existence of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich was interrupted by tragedy. Despite all the signs of an impending war with Japan, the Admiral General continued his daily celebrations. Sandro once tried to talk to Alexey about this topic. This is what came out of it: “The date was more of a comical nature. All the Mikado's armed forces on land and sea could not disturb Uncle Alexei's optimism. His motto was unchanged: “I don’t give a damn.” How our “eagles” were supposed to teach the “yellow-faced monkeys” a lesson remains a mystery to me. Having thus finished with these questions, he began to talk about latest news The Riviera that he gave to find himself in Monte Carlo. Questions came: did I see Miss X and did I like Miss Y?”

In 1904, the Russo-Japanese War began. For 18 months, Russia went from defeat to defeat. Alexey Alexandrovich fought two wars: the Russian-Turkish 1877-1878 and the Russian-Japanese 1904-1905; he lost the last one shamefully. All meetings of the Maritime Department in 1904 were chaired by Alexei Alexandrovich. According to S. Yu. Witte, the Grand Duke expressed his extreme weakness in preventing this war, although he realized that it would most likely bring disaster. He had a negative attitude towards the idea of sending Rozhdestvensky’s squadron to certain death, but did not insist on his opinion. The fatal decision was made, contrary to all logic, by Emperor Nicholas II himself.

For the uninitiated, let me explain. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 began with a surprise attack by the Japanese fleet on Port Arthur (our naval base in China). Several ships were damaged and the base itself was blocked from the sea. At the same time, the Japanese attacked the cruiser “Varyag” in Chemulpo Bay (Korea), as a result of which, after an unprecedented battle, the crew themselves sank the Russian ship so that it would not fall to the enemy. Thus, Russia has no naval forces left in the Pacific Ocean, except for the low-power Vladivostok detachment of cruisers. Under these conditions, it was decided to form a squadron of ships of the Baltic and Black Sea Fleet under the command of Admiral Rozhdestvensky, so that, after going around Europe, Africa and Indochina, she fought the Japanese fleet and unblocked Port Arthur. By this time, Port Arthur had already fallen, and Russian ships were ordered to fight their way to Vladivostok. In the naval battle off the island of Tsushima on May 14-15, 1905, Admiral Rozhdestvensky’s squadron suffered a shameful defeat, and he himself was captured.

The blame for sending the squadron to certain death lies with Nicholas II, but Admiral General Alexei was no less to blame. It was his fault that the ships were slow-moving, of different types, poorly armed, outdated, and so on and so forth. In the days of national shame, all of St. Petersburg was seized with anger against Alexei for the unpreparedness and pitiful state of the fleet, for its senseless death. Massive demands for his resignation began. Naval officers gave him the shameful nickname “Prince of Tsushima.” Glass was broken in the Alekseevsky Palace, a story appeared among the people that allegedly Nicholas II said in his hearts: “It would be better if you, uncle, stole twice as much, but made the armor twice as thick!” - and dismissed him. But this is just a legend. In fact, Nicholas II wrote the following in his diary: “May 30, Monday. Today, after the report, Uncle Alexey announced that he wants to leave now. In view of the seriousness of the arguments expressed by him, I agreed. It’s painful and hard for him, the poor one!..” “Poor” embezzler! It turns out that Alexey Alexandrovich himself asked for resignation - probably even such an impenetrable person was tormented by his conscience. It is possible that he even suffered and felt guilty.

On June 2, 1905, he was fired from all his positions and left for Paris, taking with him his mistress, the Frenchwoman Eliza Balletta, an actress of the Mikhailovsky Theater, as fat as a sack of potatoes. She was an untalented ballerina, but a beautiful woman. Previously, Eliza was a maid in one of the French hotels. Alexey Alexandrovich, being the chairman of the Imperial Society of Ballet Patrons, patronized her so actively that she became a prima dancer with the highest fee. Madame Balletta was directly showered with expensive gifts from the Grand Duke, for which she received the title “Diamond Majesty” from the people of St. Petersburg.

She sported a diamond necklace that St. Petersburg wits nicknamed “Pacific Fleet.” In high society they believed that Balletta was worth more than Tsushima. Many contemporaries directly associated the technical backwardness and defeat of the Russian fleet in the Russo-Japanese War with the name of this woman, the last mistress of Grand Duke Alexei. Alexei Alexandrovich spent most of his time on the Cote d'Azur or in Paris, and industrialists usually turned to his mistress Elisa Balletta to receive orders for the fleet.

Here are just a few examples. At the very beginning of the war, the government decided to strengthen the Russian fleet and planned to buy several battleships from the Republic of Chile. But the deal did not take place because of their... cheapness! The representative of the Naval Department Soldatenkov, an outright embezzler and bribe-taker, told the Chileans: “You should ask for the battleships a price no less than three times higher than the price set. Wrong calculation! The Grand Duke should receive his own from the sale price. There is a lot to give to Mrs. Balletta. There should be something left for the smaller ranks...” As a result, the deal fell through, and the Japanese immediately bought the battleships from the Chileans, outraged by the impudence of the Russian bribe-takers.

Another glaring incident in the life of Mrs. Balletta is associated with the acquisition of a new naval torpedo. Its inventor was a Frenchman, whom the Russian government summoned to St. Petersburg to conduct experimental shooting. However, just to carry out the experiment, the Frenchman was demanded 25 thousand rubles for the actress Balletta. The inventor, who himself dreamed of getting rich from Russian orders, of course, did not have that kind of money. He was forced to go home, and the Japanese bought the new product, although they already had their own torpedo, which was superior in quality to the French one. They bought it only so that the Russians would not get it. All this excited the Russian public, and when Alexey appeared in the theater with Eliza Balletta, covered from head to toe with diamonds, the angry public threw orange peels and... well, whatever they wanted. The famous historical fiction writer Valentin Pikul presented this episode as follows: “On the evening of the same day, “Seven pounds of august meat,” as always, lounged in a box at the Mikhailovsky Theater, applauding their “fluttering” mistress. The public gave Eliza Balletta a scandal. “Get out of Russia!” - they shouted even from the velvet box. “You’re not wearing diamonds, these are our lost cruisers and battleships...” According to another version, when during one of the performances in May 1905 she appeared on stage wearing a precious necklace, the audience began shouting: “Thief! That's where our fleet is! A shame!"

By the way, regarding diamonds. Alexey Alexandrovich gave her very expensive things, some of which are now in private collections. For example, the famous “Baletta” box by Carl Faberge, commissioned especially for a French woman and made of gold, enamel and diamonds; it is decorated with an enamel anchor with the initial “A”. The Grand Duke's favorite owned a significant number of other Fabergé items, including the Balletta vase, the stone-cut figurine of the Asking Schnauzer, and a miniature jade watering can decorated with gold, enamel and diamonds.

After such scandals, Elisa Balletta had to leave not only the theater, but Russia itself. She left secretly, her luggage amounted to 133 pieces of luggage - valuables and the latest dresses. The remaining furniture in her St. Petersburg apartment, artistic decorations, precious Chinese and Saxon dishes, crystal chandeliers and much more were all sold at auction. All this brought great revenue, since wealthy St. Petersburg residents did not skimp, wanting to purchase the things of the scandalous person. Of particular value in this regard was the Pate recorder with recordings of intimate conversations between Balletta and the Grand Duke.

	Manager of the Fleet and Maritime Department
May 20, 1881 – June 13, 1881

During the absence of H. I. V. Admiral General

	Chief Head of the Fleet and Maritime Department
July 13, 1881 – June 2, 1905

Predecessor Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich Successor position abolished Birth January 2 (14)

Saint Petersburg, Russian empire

Death November 1 (14)(58 years old)

Paris, France

Burial place

Grand Ducal Tomb

Genus Romanovs Father Alexander II Mother Maria Alexandrovna Spouse Alexandra Vasilievna Zhukovskaya Children Belevsky-Zhukovsky, Alexey Alekseevich Religion Orthodoxy Awards Military service Years of service 1850-1905 Affiliation Russian empire Russian empire Type of army Fleet Rank Admiral General
Admiral
adjutant general Commanded Guards crew (1873-1877)
Naval teams on the Danube (1877-1878)
Navy of the Russian Empire (1881-1905) Battles Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878)
Russo-Japanese War Alexey Alexandrovich on Wikimedia Commons

Biography

IN military service was enrolled at birth - in the Guards crew and Life Guards regiments Preobrazhensky and Yegersky, as well as the chief of the Moscow. On his name day in 1853 he enlisted in the Life Guards Uhlan Regiment. On July 22, 1855, he enlisted in the newly formed Imperial Family Rifle Regiment. On March 13, 1856, he became chief of the 27th naval crew (later abolished). On his seventh birthday, he received his first chief officer ranks: naval - midshipman and guards - ensign, and in the same year, on his name day, patronage of the Yekaterinburg Infantry Regiment. Since 1860, he underwent naval practice on various ships, under the guidance of his teacher, Rear Admiral K. N. Posyet. On his twelfth birthday he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. On September 13, 1866, he was promoted to lieutenant of the fleet and lieutenant of the guard.

In 1868, under the leadership of Vice Admiral Posyet, he was on a voyage from Poti to the Baltic on board the frigate Alexander Nevsky, which crashed on the night of September 12-13, running aground in the Strait of Jutland. During the rescue operation, three sailors and an officer of the ship were killed. The commander, Captain 1st Rank O.K. Kremer, considered that Alexey Alexandrovich behaved with dignity on the ship that was wrecked, refusing to be among the first to be transported to shore. Four days after this event, the Grand Duke was promoted to staff captain and appointed aide-de-camp. In the same year, he was appointed chief of the 77th Tenginsky Infantry Regiment.

In 1870, he traveled along the water system from St. Petersburg to Arkhangelsk, from where he returned by sea to Kronstadt as a watch commander on the corvette Varyag.

On January 1, 1881 he was appointed a member of the State Council; July 13 of the same year - Chief of the Fleet and Naval Department (instead of his uncle, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich) with the rights of Admiral General and Chairman of the Admiralty Council.

On May 15, 1883 he was awarded the rank of Admiral General (the last Admiral General Russian fleet); On January 1, 1888, he was promoted to the rank of admiral.

Since 1890, he was an honorary member of the Berlin Orthodox Holy Prince Vladimir Brotherhood. On January 18, 1892, he was appointed chief of the Naval Cadet Corps, and on January 27 of the same year - chief of the 5th naval crew.

During his management of the maritime department and fleet (in which activities he relied on the managers of the maritime ministry: A. A. Peshchurov (1880-1882), I. A. Shestakov (1882-1888), N. M. Chikhachev (1888-1896 ), P. P. Tyrtov (1896-1903), F. K. Avelan (1903-1905)) a maritime qualification was introduced, a regulation was issued on remuneration for long-term command of ships of the 1st and 2nd ranks, the corps of mechanical engineers and naval engineers was transformed, the number of crews was increased, many battleships and cruisers were built, the ports of Sevastopol, Alexandra III, and Port Arthur were established, the number of boathouses was increased, and the docks in Kronstadt, Vladivostok and Sevastopol were expanded.

His death, which followed in Paris on November 1, 1908, was announced by the highest manifesto. The body was transported by funeral train to Nikolaevsky Station. The body was transported from the Nikolaevsky station to the Peter and Paul Cathedral and burial took place on November 8 according to the highest approved ceremony. The liturgy and funeral service were performed by Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky) of St. Petersburg and Ladoga; Emperor Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna and Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna were present.

He was the first to be buried in the newly built tomb of members of the imperial family at the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Awards

Ratings

His cousin, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, believed that Alexei Alexandrovich did not have great military abilities:

A socialite from head to toe, “le Beau Brummell”, who was pampered by women, Alexey Alexandrovich traveled a lot. The mere thought of spending a year away from Paris would have made him resign. But he was in the civil service and held the position of no less than an admiral of the Russian Imperial Fleet. It was difficult to imagine the more modest knowledge that this admiral of a powerful power had in naval affairs. The mere mention of modern changes in the navy brought a painful grimace to his handsome face.<…>This carefree existence was, however, overshadowed by tragedy: despite all the signs of the approaching war with Japan, the Admiral General continued his festivities and, waking up one fine morning, learned that our fleet had suffered a shameful defeat in a battle with the modern dreadnoughts Mikado. After this, the Grand Duke resigned and soon died.

Personal life

According to some reports, he entered into a morganatic marriage with the maid of honor Alexandra Vasilyevna Zhukovskaya (1842-1899), daughter of the poet V. A. Zhukovsky. If the marriage actually took place, it was not officially recognized.

The second significant woman in his life was Zinaida Dmitrievna Skobeleva, with whom he was close in 1880-1899 until her death, despite the objections of her husband, the Duke of Leuchtenberg. About a year after Zinaida Dmitrievna’s death from throat cancer, the Grand Duke’s new mistress for many years was the Frenchwoman Elisa Balletta, invited to the French troupe of the Mikhailovsky Theater.

In 1885 he moved to a palace specially built for him on the Moika embankment (architect M.E. Messmacher).

Personal diary

In the summer of 2006, during a scheduled review of the Yusupov collection of the manuscript department of the Russian National Library, researchers at the Yusupov Palace discovered the “Journal” of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, which is a massive notebook bound in chocolate color with a gilded monogram “AA” on the cover and a gilded lock; He kept the diary in Russian for forty-five years, from 1862 to 1907.

In popular culture

The figure of Alexei Alexandrovich enjoys some popularity among authors of the alternative history genre. In particular, he is the main character of Roman Zlotnikov’s cycle “Admiral General” (4 books as of September 2012, the cycle is completed), his activities occupy a significant place in Andrei Feliksovich Velichko’s cycle “Caucasian Prince” (6 books as of December 2011), as well as the cycle “Mr. from Tomorrow” by a team of domestic authors (A. Makhrov, B. Orlov, etc.). Mentioned in V. Shukshin’s story “Aliens”. The assassination attempt on Alexei is described in one of the stories in the collection “The Exploits of Sherlock Holmes”.

The Grand Duke is also featured in the 1994 film Maverick, where he is played by Paul Smith.

Memory

Alekseevskoe real school in Perm.
Bay Port Alexey(now - Sec; English Sek Harbor) on the North-East coast of New Guinea in Astrolabe Bay of the New Guinea Sea was named in his honor in 1872 by the Russian ethnographer and traveler N. N. Miklouho-Maclay during the first expedition to New Guinea. In 1883, with the participation of Miklouho-Maclay and the support of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, the crew of the corvette Skobelev carried out a detailed hydrographic survey of the bay in order to determine the possibility of creating a refueling base here for the cruisers of the Imperial Navy (this idea was later abandoned). And although the original Russian toponym has fallen out of use, the Germanized derivative from it is mute. Alexishafen, gave in different time international names a number of objects in the vicinity of the bay and is still used today as the name of a settlement (German) Russian

Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich (uncle of Nicholas II), loved travel, entertainment and pretty actresses, he was accused of embezzling the treasury and immoral behavior.

At the age of 20, Prince Alexei secretly married his maid of honor, Sashenka Zhukovskaya, for love. The family did not recognize the marriage and obtained an annulment. The maid of honor was hastily married off to someone else, and the prince, out of grief, went into all serious troubles and never married again. From a short marriage he had a son, Alexey Alekseevich.

Palace of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich (Alekseevsky Palace). She walked around, walked around the palace and remembered the prince’s story. He loved theater and music very much, and it so happened that now in his palace there is the “St. Petersburg House of Music” - as if by the will of the owner.

The prince-traveler not only went on a traditional trip to Europe, he traveled to America, China, Japan, Brazil, and Cuba. Prince Alexei especially liked the Wild West, where he hunted with the Indians.

Young Prince Alexei

The prince's relatives organized a divorce from his wife during his departure. Having learned about this, he wrote letters to his mother: “I feel like I don’t belong to myself, that I can’t leave them (my wife and child). There is a feeling in this world that nothing can overcome - this feeling is love... Mom, for God’s sake, don’t destroy me, don’t sacrifice your son, forgive me, love me, don’t throw me into that abyss from which I can’t get out...”

“I don’t want to be a disgrace to the family... Don’t destroy me for God’s sake. Don’t sacrifice me for the sake of some prejudices that will disintegrate in a few years... To love this woman more than anything in the world and to know that she is forgotten, abandoned by everyone, she is suffering, waiting any minute to give birth... And I must remain somehow a creature who is called the Grand Duke and who therefore must, and may, by his position, be a vile and disgusting person and no one dares to tell him this... Help me, return my honor and life, it is in your hands.”

Sashenka Zhukovskaya

Vladimir Alexandrovich, the brother of Prince Alexei, wrote a straightforward letter to Zhukovskaya, asking her to retreat: “Dear Alexandra Vasilievna! I often talked a lot with the empress about everything that happened... Neither she nor the sovereign agree to the wedding, this is their unchangeable decision, neither time nor circumstances will change it, believe me.

Now, dear Alexandra Vasilievna, allow me, relying on our old friendship and your long-standing affection for me, to appeal directly to your heart... Do you remember when, after seeing off my brother, I stopped by to see you. Saying goodbye to you, I took both your hands and, looking you straight in the eyes, I asked - do you really love your brother? You answered that you sincerely loved him. I believed you, and how could I not believe you? Now you know what position he is in. You also know the decisive will of my parents. All this prompts me, if you really love your brother, to beg you on my knees, do not destroy him, but voluntarily, sincerely, give up on him..."

Palace in the 19th century

It is interesting that Alexander II, the father of Prince Alexei, later married a second time to a lady of non-royal blood, but did not allow his son.

To distract Prince Alexei from his sad thoughts, the royal relatives sent him on a long exotic trip to America. The Americans liked the prince, the democratic way of life turned out to be very close to him, the locals called him “a friend of the Americans.” The ladies, having learned that the prince had recently experienced a love drama, showed romantic interest in him. The young prince turned 21 during his American trip in 1871.

This luxurious banquet for 2000 people was held in New York in honor of the prince’s arrival on the frigate “Svetlana”:

“The huge hall, 250 feet long and 60 feet wide, decorated with the flags of both powers, was luxuriously decorated, in the walls there were models of various American ships; shields of weapons hung on the walls; around three chandeliers, white stars were visible against a dark blue background; the ceiling was covered with red and white stripes of material used for sewing flags, of which up to 1,000,000 yards were used to decorate all the rooms. Above the place appointed for the Grand Duke stood a staff with the stern flag of the frigate on which Admiral Farragut entered the Mobile roadstead.
His Highness arrived at 10:30 am and remained at the ball until dinner, that is, until 2 o'clock.
On the tables there were vases with flowers, anchors made of fresh flowers and models of “Svetlana”, “Bogatyr” and “Abrek” made of sugar. Opposite the Grand Duke's device was placed a yellow Imperial standard made of sugar, with a black eagle in a wreath of immortelle.
An even more brilliant ball was given in honor of the Grand Duke on November 29, in the halls of the music academy. The number of invitees reached 4,000 people.

The decoration of the hall was luxurious and elegant. The covered entryway was draped with Russian and American flags; the entrance was illuminated by a huge gas chandelier; opposite the doors of the ballroom hung three emblematic pictures, one of them depicting a young, beautiful woman in a Phrygian cap, draped in the American flag, and extending her hand across the sea to a handsome youth in an imperial crown and a purple robe trimmed with ermine; At the bottom of the painting is a cherub holding an olive branch.

Prince in the Wild West

The picture hanging on the right showed: a Caucasian, a Great Russian and a Finnish; and on the left are three Americans: one with a plow, another with a bale of cotton paper, and the third striking an anvil with a hammer. On the other two walls hung 2 paintings depicting the liberation of peasants by the Emperor and blacks by Lincoln. In the corner of the hall there was a wide pink silk Turkish sofa with a garland of artificial flowers; in the recess of the hall there was a balustrade made of white marble, on which fresh flowers and greenery were arranged; in the middle there was a fountain surrounded by flowers, and in the distance a grotto could be seen. On the doors to the billiard room there was a light silk drapery with double-headed and single-headed eagles.

His Highness and his retinue arrived at 10 o'clock and took a seat in a special box prepared for him, in the depths of which hung portraits of the Sovereign Emperor and the Empress. At the entrance of the Grand Duke, the music began to play “God Save the Tsar” and the audience stood up, respectfully bowing to the distinguished guest.

Dinner began at the end of the first hour. The dining room was decorated with shields, American and Russian weapons and national flags. The table for the Grand Duke was set on a raised platform; in the middle was placed a bouquet of roses and camellias in a magnificent silver vase. There were Russian palaces and Washington monuments made of sugar and chocolate right there... The ball ended very late.”

The prince traveled and saw the “Wild West” in all its glory. He especially liked bison hunting; local hunters respected the prince. The journey lasted 134 days.

The prince remained in American history. In the comedy about gamblers of the wild west "Maverick" ("Ace of Trumps"), a Russian prince appears in the episode, who came to hunt bison, the prototype of the character is Prince Alexey Alexandrovich. The film is funny, but I'm annoyed by Jodie Foster's "infuriating" heroine.

Returning to Russia, the prince continued his bachelor life. His affair with Countess Zinaida Beauharnais, wife of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, caused heated discussion in the world. Prince Alexey even named his yacht “Zina” in honor of his mistress. The Duke of Leuchtenberg did not interfere in his wife’s relationship and even maintained friendly relations with his rival; people joked in the world that they had “three of them in love.”

The Prince's Favorite

According to the memoirs of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, the countess had a magical charm that enchanted everyone:
“When I mention her name, I am aware of the complete impossibility of describing the physical qualities of this amazing woman.

I have never seen the like of her during all my travels in Europe, Asia, America and Australia, which is a great happiness, since such women should not often come across the eye. When she came in, I could not stay in the same room with her. I knew her way of getting very close to people in conversation, and I was aware that in her company I became not responsible for my actions. All the young Grand Dukes completely sympathized with me in this regard, since everyone suffered at the sight of her just like me. Being in the company of charming Zina, the only thing left to do was to hug her, leaving the master of ceremonies to do whatever he wanted, but we, the youth, could never muster the courage to decide on this only logical act.

The matter was complicated by the fact that our “Beau Brummell” Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich was the inseparable companion of the Leuchtenberg couple, and his love for the duchess had long been the subject of a scandal. In society, this trio was called “ménage royal à trois,” and all the efforts of Emperor Nicholas II to influence his temperamental uncle had no success. I believe that Grand Duke Alexei would sacrifice the entire Russian fleet, if only he would not be separated from Zina."

The Duchess died at the age of 43 in 1889. Her love story with the prince lasted 9 years until her death.

Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich recalled his uncle’s cheerful disposition: “I have always been an avid tennis player, and in the winter months of 1893-96. often played on the indoor courts of Uncle Nikolasha (Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich) and Count Shuvalov, whom we called Bobby. In addition, we had at our disposal a court, which was built in one of the large warehouses of the naval shipyard.
Father and Uncle Alexey, as well as many foreign diplomats, often joined our games full of carefree fun.

Uncle Alexei was dressed in a strange robe of his own invention - something like a Mephistophelian suit with red stripes - which made him look like a real sprechstalmeister. He was very proud to be the only owner of such a fantastic outfit, and loved to show it off to others. “I’m better dressed than any of you,” he told us more than once.

When, in between sets, we drank tea - and it was served to us from Uncle Alexei's house located nearby - the boys from the nautical school who brought us balls began to fool around and made such a noise and uproar that Uncle Alexei, in his loud commanding voice, called on them to order."

In public service, Prince Alexei chose a naval career. He took part in the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878, and was appointed head of naval commands on the Danube. The prince’s task was “to prevent the enemy from harming our crossings, which ensured the army’s contents and provided the opportunity to conduct military operations calmly and non-stop.”

Alexey Alexandrovich served as fleet admiral during the Russo-Japanese War. He dissuaded Nicholas II from sending the fleet to the Far East, but his arguments turned out to be unconvincing for his nephew.

Mature years

Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich confirms that Nicholas II was dissuaded from an ill-considered step: “We sat in Tsarskoe with Nikki, Uncle Alexei and Avelan and discussed a new important issue. We had to decide whether we should approve the plan of Admiral Rozhdestvensky, who proposed sending our warships to the Far East, to certain death. The admiral himself did not harbor any hopes of victory. He simply thought that he needed to “satisfy public opinion with something...”

Nikki explained to us the reason for our meeting and asked us all to express our sincere opinions on the matter.

Uncle Alexey could not say anything and had the civil courage to admit it... it was decided... not to send our Baltic Fleet to certain death in the Pacific Ocean.”

Colorful office premises

“He could not blame anyone but himself for the Tsushima defeat.”- wrote Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich about the decision of Nicholas II.

After the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, the prince took the blame upon himself in order to save the tsar's reputation. In 1905, he resigned and left Russia. Former friends and supporters turned away and treated him as a traitor. The prince's reputation for debauchery and waste played an additional role. They said that with the money intended for the construction of ships, he bought diamonds for his favorites. Once, when the prince’s favorite singer came on stage, shouts were heard from the audience: “that’s where our ships are - in her diamonds!”
The prince died three years after his resignation in 1908 in Paris at the age of 58.

Emperor Alexander II was married twice. His first wife was Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse. True, the crown prince’s mother was against the marriage, suspecting that the princess was actually born from the duke’s chamberlain, but Nicholas I simply adored his daughter-in-law. In their marriage, Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna had eight children. However, soon relations in the family went wrong and the emperor began to have favorites.

So in 1866 he became close to the 18-year-old Princess Ekaterina Dolgorukova. She became the closest person to the king and moved to the Winter Palace. From Alexander II she gave birth to four illegitimate children. After the death of the Empress, Alexander and Catherine got married, which legitimized their common children. Who the descendants of the emperor were - you will find out from our material.

Alexandra Alexandrovna

Alexandra was the first and long-awaited child of the grand ducal couple. She was born on August 30, 1842. Emperor Nicholas I was especially looking forward to the birth of his granddaughter. The next day, the happy parents accepted congratulations. On the ninth day, the Grand Duchess was moved to the chambers prepared for her and the child. Maria Alexandrovna expressed a desire to feed her daughter on her own, but the emperor forbade this.

On August 30, the girl was baptized in the Tsarskoye Selo Church. But unfortunately it's small Grand Duchess didn't live very long. She fell ill with meningitis and died suddenly on June 28, 1849, before she was 7 years old. From then on, girls in the imperial family were no longer called Alexandra. All princesses with that name died mysteriously before reaching the age of 20.

Nikolai Alexandrovich

Tsarevich Nicholas was born on September 20, 1843 and was named in honor of his grandfather. The emperor was so excited by the birth of the heir to the throne that he ordered his sons - Grand Dukes Constantine and Mikhail - to kneel before the cradle and take an oath of allegiance to the future Russian emperor. But the crown prince was not destined to become a ruler.

Nikolai grew up as everyone’s favorite: his grandfather and grandmother doted on him, but most of all Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna was attached to him. Nikolai was well-mannered, polite, courteous. He was friends with his second cousin, Princess of Oldenburg. There were even negotiations about their wedding, but in the end the princess’s mother refused.

In 1864, the Tsarevich went abroad. There, on his 21st birthday, he became engaged to Princess Dagmar, who would later become the wife of Alexander III. Everything was fine until, while traveling in Italy, the heir suddenly fell ill. He was treated in Nice, but in the spring of 1865, Nikolai's condition began to deteriorate.

On April 10, Emperor Alexander II arrived in Nice, and on the night of the 12th, the Grand Duke died after four hours of agony from tuberculous meningitis. The heir's body was transported to Russia on the frigate Alexander Nevsky. The mother was inconsolable and, it seems, was never able to fully recover from the tragedy. Years later, Emperor Alexander III named his eldest son after the brother he “loved more than anything in the world.”

Alexander Alexandrovich

Alexander III was two years younger than his older brother and, by the will of fate, it was he who was destined to ascend to the Russian throne. Since Nicholas was being prepared to rule, Alexander did not receive the appropriate education, and after the death of his brother he had to take an additional course of science necessary for a ruler.

In 1866 he became engaged to Princess Dagmar. His ascension to the throne was also overshadowed by death - in 1881, Emperor Alexander II died as a result of a terrorist attack. After this, the son did not support his father’s liberal ideas; his goal was to suppress the protests. Alexander adhered to conservative policies. So, instead of the draft “Loris-Melikov Constitution” supported by his father, the new emperor adopted the “Manifesto on the Inviolability of Autocracy” compiled by Pobedonostsev, which had a great influence on the emperor.

Administrative pressure was increased, the beginnings of peasant and urban self-government were eliminated, censorship was strengthened, military power was strengthened, it was not for nothing that the emperor said that “Russia has only two allies - the army and the navy.” Indeed, during the reign of Alexander III, there was a sharp decrease in the protests that were so characteristic of the second half of his father’s reign. Terrorist activity also declined, and from 1887 there were no terrorist attacks in the country until the beginning of the 20th century.

Despite the build-up of military power, during the reign of Alexander III, Russia did not wage a single war; for maintaining peace, he received the nickname Peacemaker. He bequeathed his ideals to the heir and last Russian Emperor Nicholas II.

Vladimir Alexandrovich

The Grand Duke was born in 1847 and devoted his life to a military career. He took part in the Russian-Turkish War, and from 1884 was the Commander-in-Chief of the Guards and the St. Petersburg Military District. In 1881, his brother appointed him regent in the event of his death before Tsarevich Nicholas came of age, or in the event of the death of the latter.

Known for his participation in the tragic events of January 1905, known as “Bloody Sunday”. It was Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich who gave the order to Prince Vasilchikov to use force against the procession of workers and city residents, which was heading to the Winter Palace.

He was forced to leave his post as Commander of the Guard and the St. Petersburg Military District after a loud scandal with his son’s marriage. His eldest son Kirill married the former wife of the brother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna - Princess Victoria-Melita of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. The Highest permission was not given for the marriage, even despite the blessing of Kirill's mother Maria Pavlovna. Vladimir was a famous philanthropist and was even the president of the Academy of Arts. In protest against his role in the execution of workers and townspeople, artists Serov and Polenov resigned from the Academy.

Aleksey Aleksandrovich

The fifth child in the grand ducal family was already enrolled in military service from childhood - in the Guards crew and Life Guards regiments Preobrazhensky and Jaeger. His fate was sealed.

In 1866, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich was promoted to lieutenant of the fleet and lieutenant of the guard. He took part in the voyage of the frigate "Alexander Nevsky", which was wrecked in the Strait of Jutland on the night of September 12-13, 1868. The ship's commander noted the courage and nobility of Alexei, who refused to be one of the first to leave the ship. Four days later he was promoted to staff captain and adjutant.

In 1871, he was the senior officer of the frigate Svetlana, on which he reached North America, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and, having visited China and Japan, arrived in Vladivostok, from where he traveled home by land through the whole of Siberia.

In 1881 he was appointed a member of the State Council, and in the summer of the same year - Chief of the Fleet and Naval Department with the rights of Admiral General and Chairman of the Admiralty Council. During his time managing the fleet, he carried out a number of reforms, introduced a maritime qualification, increased the number of crew, established the ports of Sevastopol, Port Arthur and others, and expanded the docks in Kronstadt and Vladivostok.

At the end of the Russo-Japanese War, after the Tsushima defeat, he resigned and was dismissed from all naval posts. He was considered one of those responsible for Russia's defeat in the war. Died in Paris in 1908.

Maria Alexandrovna

Princess Maria was born in 1853. She grew up as a “weak” girl and suffered from worms as a child. Despite the doctors' orders, the father wanted to ride with her everywhere, he doted on his daughter. In 1874, she married Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, the second son of Britain's Queen Victoria. Alexander gave her an incredible dowry of £100,000 and an annual allowance of £20,000.

Alexander insisted that his daughter be addressed in London only as "Her Imperial Highness" and that she take precedence over the Princess of Wales. This infuriated Queen Victoria. However, after the marriage, the requirements of the Russian emperor were met.

In 1893, her husband became Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, as his older brother Edward renounced his claim to the throne. Mary became a duchess, retaining the title of Duchess of Edinburgh. However, tragedy befell their family.

Their son, Crown Prince Alfred, was engaged to Duchess Elsa of Württemberg. However, Alfred was caught having extramarital affairs and in 1898 he began to show severe symptoms of syphilis. It is believed that the illness shook his mind.

In 1899, he shot himself with a revolver during a family gathering to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his parents' marriage. On February 6, he died at the age of 24. A year later, the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha died of cancer. The Dowager Duchess Maria remained to reside in Coburg.

Sergey Aleksandrovich

Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich became Moscow governor-general. On his initiative, the creation of a portrait gallery of former governors-general began. Under him, a public art theater was opened, and in order to take care of students, he ordered the construction of a dormitory at Moscow University. A dark episode of his reign was the tragedy on the Khodynskoye Field. In the stampede, according to official data, 1,389 people died and another 1,300 were seriously injured. The public found Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich guilty and nicknamed him “Prince Khodynsky.”

Sergei Alexandrovich supported monarchist organizations and was a fighter against revolutionary movement. He died as a result of a terrorist attack in 1905. When approaching the Nicholas Tower, a bomb was thrown into his carriage, which tore apart the prince's carriage. He died on the spot, the coachman was mortally wounded.

The terrorist attack was carried out by Ivan Kalyaev from the Combat Organization of the Socialist Revolutionary Party. He planned to carry it out two days earlier, but was unable to throw a bomb at the carriage containing the wife and nephews of the Governor General. It is known that the widow of Prince Elizabeth visited her husband’s killer in prison and forgave him on behalf of her husband.

Pavel Alexandrovich

Pavel Alexandrovich made a military career, possessed not only Russian, but also foreign orders and badges of honor. He was married twice. He entered into his first marriage in 1889 with his cousin, the Greek Princess Alexandra Georgievna. She bore him two children - Maria and Dmitry. But the girl died at the age of 20 during premature birth. The children were sent to be raised in the family of their brother, Moscow Governor-General Sergei Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Fedorovna.

10 years after the death of his wife, he married for the second time, to Olga Pistolkors, she was the ex-wife of the subordinate Prince Pavel Alexandrovich. Since the marriage was unequal, they could not return to Russia. In 1915, Olga Valerievna received the Russian title of Prince Paley for herself and the prince’s children. They had three children: Vladimir, Irina and Natalya.

Soon after the abdication of Nicholas II, the Provisional Government took measures against the Romanovs. Vladimir Paley was exiled to the Urals in 1918 and executed at the same time. Pavel Alexandrovich himself was arrested in August 1918 and sent to prison.

In January of the following year, he, along with his cousins, Grand Dukes Dmitry Konstantinovich, Nikolai Mikhailovich and Georgiy Mikhailovich, were shot in Peter and Paul Fortress in response to the murders of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in Germany.

Georgy Alexandrovich

Georgy Alexandrovich was born in 1872 out of wedlock and after the wedding of Alexander II with Princess Dolgorukova received the title of His Serene Highness Prince and the surname Yuryevsky. The Emperor wanted to equate illegitimate children with heirs from the union with Empress Maria Alexandrovna. After the assassination of his father-emperor, he, along with his sisters and mother, left for France.

In 1891 he graduated from the Sorbonne with a bachelor's degree, then returned to Russia, where he continued his studies. He served in the Baltic Fleet and studied at the dragoon department of the Officer Cavalry School. He was seconded to the 2nd squadron of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment and resigned in 1908. 4 years later he died of nephritis in Magburg, German Empire. He was buried in Wiesbaden in the Russian cemetery. Goga, as his father jokingly called him, had a brother, Boris. But the boy did not live even a year, and was posthumously legitimized as Yuryevsky.

Olga Alexandrovna

She was born a year after her older brother, and was also legitimized as Your Serene Highness Princess Yuryevskaya. It is interesting that the emperor did not choose the title for children by chance. It was believed that the princely family of his second wife Dolgorukova took its origins from Rurik and had Prince Yuri Dolgoruky as its ancestors. In fact, this is not so. The ancestor of the Dolgorukovs was Prince Ivan Obolensky, who received the nickname Dolgoruky for his vindictiveness. It originated from Yuri Dolgoruky’s second cousin, Vsevolod Olgovich.

In 1895, the Most Serene Princess married the grandson of Alexander Pushkin, Count Georg-Nicholas von Merenberg, and became known as Countess von Merenberg. In marriage, she gave birth to her husband 12 children.

Ekaterina Aleksandrovna

But the youngest daughter of Alexander II, Ekaterina Yuryevskaya, married unsuccessfully twice and became a singer to earn her bread. After the accession of Nicholas II, she and her mother, brother and sister returned to Russia. In 1901, Catherine married the richest Prince Alexander Baryatinsky. She was smart and talented, but she was unlucky with her husband. He was a rather extravagant character, led a wild life and adored the beautiful Lina Cavalieri. The husband demanded that his wife also share his love for his favorite.

The Most Serene Princess, loving her husband, tried to win his attention. But it was all in vain. The three of them went everywhere - performances, operas, dinners, some even lived in a hotel together. But the triangle disintegrated with the death of the prince, the inheritance went to Catherine’s children - princes Andrei and Alexander. Since they were minors, their mother became their guardian.

After World War I, they moved from Bavaria to the Baryatinsky estate in Ivanovsky. Soon Catherine met a young guards officer, Prince Sergei Obolensky, and married him. After the revolution, they lost everything and traveled to Kyiv using forged documents, and then to Vienna and then to England. To earn money, the Most Serene Princess began to sing in living rooms and at concerts. The death of her mother did not improve the princess's financial situation.

Also in 1922, Obolensky left his wife for another rich lady, Miss Alice Astor, daughter of millionaire John Astor. Abandoned Catherine became a professional singer. For many years she lived on benefits from Queen Mary, widow of George V, but after her death in 1953 she was left without a livelihood. She sold her property and died in 1959 in a nursing home on Hayling Island.