Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. In status, a grand duke traditionally ranks in order of precedence below an emperor, as an approxi ...

Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia (21 September 1827 – 25 January 1892) was the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

's Viceroy of Poland from 1862 to 1863.

Early life

Konstantin Nikolayevich was born as the second son of Nicholas I and his wife,

Charlotte of Prussia Alexandra Feodorovna ( rus, Алекса́ндра Фёдоровна, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandrə ˈfjɵdərəvnə), born Princess Charlotte of Prussia (13 July 1798 – 1 November 1860), was empress consort of Russia, Empress of Russia as the wife of Em ...

, daughter of

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...

and his first wife,

Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz Duchess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Luise Auguste Wilhelmine Amalie; 10 March 1776 – 19 July 1810) was Queen of Prussia as the wife of King Frederick William III. The couple's happy, though short-lived, marriage produced nine child ...

Biography

The Grand Duke was a supporter of the liberal (sometimes referred to as "enlightened") bureaucrats during the period of his brother Alexander II's great reforms. He served as chairman of the

Imperial Russian Geographical Society The Russian Geographical Society (russian: Ру́сское географи́ческое о́бщество «РГО»), or RGO, is a learned society based in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It promotes geography, exploration and nature protection wi ...

(founded in 1845). The Geographical Society was subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which was home to a conspicuous number of , including

Nikolai Miliutin Nikolay Alexeyevich Milyutin (russian: Никола́й Алексе́евич Милю́тин; 6 June 1818 – 26 January 1872) was a Russian statesman remembered as the chief architect of the great liberal reforms undertaken during Alexande ...

. In addition to his support of and participation in the 1861

emancipation of the serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

, the Grand Duke also instituted reforms in the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution of 1917. It developed from a ...

from 1854. Konstantin's brother, Alexander II of Russia was supposed to have said: "Let the Poles have their own court and intrigues." Though the Grand Duke tried to show a liberal attitude towards the Poles, his efforts came too late and he was recalled with the outbreak of the

January Uprising The January Uprising ( pl, powstanie styczniowe; lt, 1863 metų sukilimas; ua, Січневе повстання; russian: Польское восстание; ) was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at ...

in 1863.

Marriage and issue

In the

Winter Palace The Winter Palace ( rus, Зимний дворец, Zimnij dvorets, p=ˈzʲimnʲɪj dvɐˈrʲɛts) is a palace in Saint Petersburg that served as the official residence of the Emperor of all the Russias, Russian Emperor from 1732 to 1917. The p ...

St 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 ...

, on 11 September 1848, Konstantin married Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg, daughter of

Joseph, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg Joseph Georg Friedrich Ernst Karl, Duke of Saxe-Altenburg (27 August 1789, in Hildburghausen – 25 November 1868, in Altenburg), was a Duke of Saxe-Altenburg. Biography He was the second but first surviving son of Frederick, Duke of Saxe-Hildbu ...

and his wife,

Duchess Amelia of Württemberg Duchess Amelia of Württemberg (; 28 June 179928 November 1848) was a Duchess of Württemberg and an ancestor of the British, Greek, Romanian, Yugoslavian and Spanish Royal Families. She was a daughter of Duke Louis of Württemberg and Princess He ...

. They had six children: *

Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich of Russia Grand Duke Nicholas Constantinovich of Russia (14 February 1850 – 26 January 1918) was the first-born son of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich and Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna of Russia and a grandson of Nicholas I of Russia. Early life ...

(1850–1918) * Olga Konstantinovna, Queen of the Hellenes (1851–1926) *

Grand Duchess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia Grand Duchess Vera Konstantinovna of Russia (16 February 1854 – 11 April 1912), ) was a daughter of Grand Duke Konstantine Nicholaievich of Russia. She was a granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I and first cousin of Tsar Alexander III of Russia. ...

(1854–1912) *

Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia ( rus, Константи́н Константи́нович, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ, a=Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov.ru.vorb.oga; 22 August 1858 – 15 June 1915 ...

(1858–1915) *

Grand Duke Dmitry Konstantinovich of Russia Grand Duke Dmitry Konstantinovich of Russia (russian: Дми́трий Константи́нович; 13 June 1860 – 28 January 1919) was a son of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich and a first cousin of Alexander III of Russia. He followed a ...

(1860–1919) * Grand Duke Vyacheslav Konstantinovich of Russia (1862–1879); died of

brain hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as cerebral bleed, intraparenchymal bleed, and hemorrhagic stroke, or haemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain, into its ventricles, or into both. It is one kind of bleed ...

At the end of the 1860s, Konstantin embarked on an affair, having an illegitimate daughter, Marie Condousso. Konstantin had five illegitimate children with his mistress Anna

Kuznetsov Kuznetsov, Kuznyetsov, Kuznetsoff, or Kouznetsov (masculine, russian: Кузнецов) or Kuznetsova (feminine, russian: Кузнецова) is the third most common Russian surname, an equivalent of the English "Smith" (derived from a Russian word ...

a (1847–1922); they bore the last name Knyazev: *Sergey Konstantinovich Knyazev (1873–1873); died as an infant. *Marina Konstantinovna Knyazeva (8 December 1875 – 8 June 1941); married Alexander Pavlovich Erchov on 23 April 1894. They have nine children. *Anna Konstantinovna Knyazeva (16 March 1878 – 5 February 1920); married Nicholas Lialine on 17 April 1898. They have three children. *Izmail Konstantinovich Knyazev (2 August 1879 – 1885); died of

scarlet fever Scarlet fever, also known as Scarlatina, is an infectious disease caused by ''Streptococcus pyogenes'' a Group A streptococcus (GAS). The infection is a type of Group A streptococcal infection (Group A strep). It most commonly affects childr ...

. *Lev Konstantinovich Knyazev (April 1883 – 1885); died of scarlet fever. Konstantin was the paternal great-great-grandfather of King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

of the United Kingdom, since his daughter Olga married

George I of Greece George I ( Greek: Γεώργιος Α΄, ''Geórgios I''; 24 December 1845 – 18 March 1913) was King of Greece from 30 March 1863 until his assassination in 1913. Originally a Danish prince, he was born in Copenhagen, and seemed destined for ...

, whose son

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

married Alice Battenberg, and they became the parents of

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

, Charles' father. Through

Constantine I of Greece Constantine I ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Αʹ, ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army ...

, another son of Olga and George I, Konstantin is also the paternal great-great-grandfather of

Queen Sofía of Spain Sofía of Greece and Denmark ( el, Σοφία; born 2 November 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who was List of Spanish royal consorts, Queen of Spain from 1975 to 2014 as the wife of King Juan Carlos I. She is the first child of ...

, mother of King

Felipe VI Felipe VI (;, * eu, Felipe VI.a, * ca, Felip VI, * gl, Filipe VI, . Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Grecia; born 30 January 1968) is King of Spain. He is the son of former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía, and h ...

In Fiction

The Grand Duke is a central character in Act III of the novel ''Forty-Ninth'' by Boris Pronsky and Craig Britton. In the book, Konstantin is the brains behind the liberal reforms of his brother, Russian Emperor Alexander II, as well as the sale of Alaska to the United States.

Honours

;National orders and decorations * Knight of St. Andrew, ''1827'' * Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky, ''1827'' * Knight of the White Eagle, ''1827'' * Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class, ''1827'' * Knight of St. George, 4th Class, ''1849'' * Knight of St. Vladimir, 1st Class, ''1853'' * Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class, ''1865'' ;Foreign orders and decorations

Ancestry

References

*Chavchavadze, David. ''The Grand Dukes''. Atlantic, 1989. *Ferrand, Jacques, ''Descendances naturelles des souverains et grands-ducs de Russie, de 1762 à 1910 : répertoire généalogique'',1995. *King, Greg, and Wilson, Penny. '' Gilded Prism''. Eurohistory, 2006. *Van Der Kiste, John. ''The Romanovs 1818–1959''. Sutton Publishing, 1999. . *Zeepvat, Charlotte. ''Romanov Autumn''. Sutton Publishing, 2000.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia, Grand Duke 1827 births 1892 deaths Russian grand dukes House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov Imperial Russian Navy admirals Members of the State Council (Russian Empire) 19th-century people from the Russian Empire Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Fourth Degree Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 1st class Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Knights Commander of the Military Order of William Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Children of Nicholas I of Russia Sons of emperors Burials at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg