Princess
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
Catherine Alexandrovna Yurievskaya (
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
: Екатерина Александровна Юрьевская, ''Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Yurievskaya''; 9 September 1878 (
O.S.) – 22 December 1959) was the
natural
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are p ...
daughter of
Alexander II of Russia
Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Gra ...
by his mistress (later his wife),
Princess Catherine Dolgorukova. In 1880, she was legitimated by her parents'
morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
. In her own family, she was known as ''Katia''.
After her father's
assassination
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...
in 1881, her mother brought her up in France. She was married there in 1901, having two sons, but was widowed in 1910. Her second marriage came during the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in Russia, and she suffered hardships during the ensuing
Russian Civil War
, date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
. In the 1920s, she became a professional singer. In 1932, she moved to the
UK where she settled on
Hayling Island
Hayling Island is an island off the south coast of England, in the borough of Havant in the county of Hampshire, east of Portsmouth.
History
An Iron Age shrine in the north of Hayling Island was later developed into a Roman temple in the 1st c ...
in
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
, where she died in 1959.
Early life
Catherine was born at
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, Russia, on 9 September 1878, while her mother was still the
mistress
Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to:
Romance and relationships
* Mistress (lover), a term for a woman who is in a sexual and romantic relationship with a man who is married to a ...
of Tsar Alexander II. When she was less than two, her parents'
morganatic marriage
Morganatic marriage, sometimes called a left-handed marriage, is a marriage between people of unequal social rank, which in the context of royalty or other inherited title prevents the principal's position or privileges being passed to the spous ...
on 6 July 1880 legitimated her, and she acquired the surname of
Yurievsky, the title of ''
knyagina'' (princess) and the style of ''
Svetlost'' (Serene Highness).
Her father was
assassinated
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
in March 1881, when she was three, and she lived thereafter with her mother, brother
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
, and sister Olga, who settled together in France.
[John Bergamini, ''The Tragic Dynasty: A History of the Romanovs'' (1969), pp. 370 & 464]
France and Russia
Catherine's mother took a house in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and others on the
French Riviera
The French Riviera (known in French as the ; oc, Còsta d'Azur ; literal translation " Azure Coast") is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France. There is no official boundary, but it is usually considered to extend fro ...
. In 1891, she bought a house in
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
which she called the Villa Georges, in the boulevard Dubouchage. In France the family was able to afford some twenty servants and a private railway carriage.
[
On 18 October 1901, Catherine married at ]Biarritz
Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. ...
Prince Alexander Vladimirovich Baryatinsky (1870–1910). They had two sons, Andrei (born in Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
on 2 August 1902, died 1931) and Alexander (born at Pau, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atlanti ...
, on 24 March 1905 died 1992).[Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Yourievskya, Princess Yourievskya]
at thepeerage.com, accessed 7 December 2010 They lived at number 6, Place des États-Unis
The Place des États-Unis (; "United States Square") is a public space in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France, about 500 m south of the Place de l'Étoile and the Arc de Triomphe.
It consists of a plaza, approximately long and wide, tre ...
. Baryatinski died in 1910, at the age of thirty-nine.
Catherine's brother George died, after a long illness, on 13 September 1913 in Marburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximate ...
, Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a States of Germany, state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major histor ...
, and was buried at St Elizabeth's, Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
.
On 6 October 1916, at Yalta
Yalta (: Я́лта) is a resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crimea ...
, Catherine married secondly Prince Sergei Platonovich Obolensky (1890–1978), son of General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Prince Platon Sergeievich Obolensky.[ At the time of the ]Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
of 1917, she was still in Russia, and it was later reported that she had "walked for miles without food during the Revolution, suffering great hardship".[From a newspaper report quoted by Tarsaïdzé in ''Katia: wife before God'' (1970), at p. 311: "Russian Princess Laid to Rest at Hayling: A simple, but very unusual, funeral took place at the little church of St. Peter, North Hayling, on Tuesday. An 84-year-old Russian princess, Catherine Yourievsky, whose father, Alexander II, had been assassinated, and who had walked for miles without food during the Revolution, suffering great hardship, was laid to rest..."] Her new husband, Obolensky, fought in the White Army
The White Army (russian: Белая армия, Belaya armiya) or White Guard (russian: Бѣлая гвардія/Белая гвардия, Belaya gvardiya, label=none), also referred to as the Whites or White Guardsmen (russian: Бѣлогв ...
during the Russian Civil War
, date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...
.
Catherine's mother died in 1922, leaving only her house in Nice, the Villa Georges. The family's other houses, in Paris, Neuilly
Neuilly (, ) is a common place name in France, deriving from the male given name
A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as we ...
, and Biarritz had been sold at a loss over the years. The same year, Obolensky left Catherine for Alice Astor, the daughter of John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He died in the sinki ...
.[Vic Pierce Jones, ]
Hayling's Princess
' dated 28 November 2002 at haylingtoday.co.uk, accessed 8 December 2010 After divorcing him in 1923, Catherine became a professional singer, with a repertoire
A repertoire () is a list or set of dramas, operas, musical compositions or roles which a company or person is prepared to perform.
Musicians often have a musical repertoire. The first known use of the word ''repertoire'' was in 1847. It is a l ...
of some two hundred songs in English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, French, Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
.[ Alexander Tarsaïdzé, ''Katia: wife before God'' (1970)]
p. 311
(snippet) Her autobiography, ''My book: some pages from my life'', was published in London in 1924.
England
In 1932, Catherine bought a house called "The Haven" on Hayling Island
Hayling Island is an island off the south coast of England, in the borough of Havant in the county of Hampshire, east of Portsmouth.
History
An Iron Age shrine in the north of Hayling Island was later developed into a Roman temple in the 1st c ...
, Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
, which she chose for its climate, as she suffered from asthma
Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...
. On 29 November 1934, she attended the wedding at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
of her grand-niece Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark
Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (27 August 1968), born Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark ( el, Μαρίνα), was a Greek princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. She was a daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark and ...
to Prince George, Duke of Kent
Prince George, Duke of Kent, (George Edward Alexander Edmund; 20 December 1902 – 25 August 1942) was a member of the British royal family, the fourth son of King George V and Queen Mary. He was a younger brother of kings Edward VIII and Geo ...
.[John van der Kiste, ''The Romanovs, 1818-1959: Alexander II of Russia and his family'' (Sutton Publishing, 1998), p. 210]
On 24 August 1935, Henry Channon
Sir Henry Channon (7 March 1897 – 7 October 1958), often known as Chips Channon, was an American-born British Conservative politician, author and diarist. Channon moved to England in 1920 and became strongly anti-American, feeling that Amer ...
and his wife called to see Catherine on Hayling Island, but found her out. He noted in his diary that she was living in "a ghastly villa called the Haven in Sinah Lane; there is the sea not far away, peace, poverty, and a Pekinese! All that remains to her of her Romanov grandeur."
For many years, Catherine was supported by an allowance from Queen Mary, the widow of King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
, but after the Queen's death in March 1953 she was left almost penniless and began selling her possessions.[
She went to live in a ]nursing home
A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...
on Hayling Island and died there on 22 December 1959. She was the last surviving child of Alexander II as well as the last grandchild of Nicholas I. She was buried on 29 December in the churchyard of St Peter's, Northney
Northney is a village on north Hayling island in the borough of Havant in the county of Hampshire, England. It is on the north coast of the island, east of where the A3023 meets the shore of the island and north of North Hayling. Hayling Island m ...
, with an Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
funeral. Only two members of the family attended her funeral, her former husband Serge Obolensky
Prince Sergei Platonovich Obolensky Neledinsky-Meletzky (November 3, 1890 – September 29, 1978), known as Serge Obolensky, was a Russian-born aristocrat then American citizen, U.S. Army colonel, socialite and publicist. He served as vice chair ...
and her nephew, Prince Alexander Yurievsky (1901–1988), the son of her brother George. She was also survived by her son Alexander and by her grand-daughter Elena Bariatinsky (1927–1988), who had been married a few months before her grandmother's death and was in France.Elena Bariatinsky, Princess Bariatinsky
at thepeerage.com, accessed 7 December 2010
In 1961, a woman in Bramley, Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
, named Olga Marie, claimed to be Catherine's natural daughter, but no more is known of her.[
]
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yurievskaya, Catherine
1878 births
1959 deaths
19th-century people from the Russian Empire
19th-century women from the Russian Empire
Russian women of World War I
20th-century Russian women singers
20th-century Russian singers
People from Sankt-Peterburgsky Uyezd
Russian princesses
Morganatic issue of Romanovs
Obolensky family
People of the Russian Civil War
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom
Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France
House of Romanov in exile
Daughters of Russian emperors
Children of Alexander II of Russia
Illegitimate children of emperors