Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (russian: Великий князь Николай Николаевич; 8 August 1831 – 25 April 1891) was the third son and sixth child of
Tsar Nicholas I of Russia
, house = Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp
, father = Paul I of Russia
, mother = Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg)
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Gatchina Palace, Gatchina, Russian Empire
, death_date = ...
and
Alexandra Feodorovna. He may also be referred to as Nicholas Nikolaevich the Elder to tell him apart from his son,
. Trained for the military, as a
Field Marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, ordinarily senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army and as such few persons are appointed to it. It is considered as ...
he commanded the Russian army of the Danube in the
Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878.
Military career
Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich was born on 8 August 1831 at
Tsarskoye Selo
Tsarskoye Selo ( rus, Ца́рское Село́, p=ˈtsarskəɪ sʲɪˈlo, a=Ru_Tsarskoye_Selo.ogg, "Tsar's Village") was the town containing a former residence of the Russian imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the cen ...
in
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 ...
.
His father arranged for Nicholas Nikolaevich a career in the army. On the day he was born, he was appointed honorary colonel in the Life Guard Lancers and enlisted into the Life Guard Sappers battalion. A soldier most of his life, he first saw active service in the
Crimea War
The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia.
Geopolitical causes of the war included the d ...
, when he was in his early twenties, taking part in the
battle of Inkerman
The Battle of Inkerman was fought during the Crimean War on 5 November 1854 between the allied armies of Britain and France against the Imperial Russian Army. The battle broke the will of the Russian Army to defeat the allies in the field, an ...
(1854). Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich showed a special interest in military engineering. In 1856, he was appointed as general Inspector of engineers and in 1864, he became commander of the Imperial Guard. In 1873, he accompanied his brother,
Alexander II, to Berlin at the meeting of the three emperors: Russia, Germany and Austria.
The epitome of his career was the
Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878, when Nicholas Nicolaievich was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Russian armies of the Danube, although his reputation as a strategist was very low. The Grand Duke had no particular distinction in early successes in the conflict and these were followed by terrible reverses of the armies under his orders. After the expulsion of the Russian troops from
Rumelia
Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Names of the Greeks#Romans (Ῥωμαῖοι), Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians f ...
and unsuccessful attacks at
Plevna, Nicholas Nicolaievich was removed from actual command
, although in theory he remained in his post. The victory of his subordinates allowed him to participate in the success at
Adrianople
Edirne (, ), formerly known as Adrianople or Hadrianopolis (Greek: Άδριανούπολις), is a city in Turkey, in the northwestern part of the province of Edirne in Eastern Thrace. Situated from the Greek and from the Bulgarian borders, ...
and the
Treaty of San Stefano
The 1878 Treaty of San Stefano (russian: Сан-Стефанский мир; Peace of San-Stefano, ; Peace treaty of San-Stefano, or ) was a treaty between the Russian and Ottoman empires at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-18 ...
, but after the war ended, he was criticized for not seizing
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
when his headquarters were already established in Adrianople. The Grand Duke also suffered the acute embarrassment of being charged with financial irregularities, of receiving bribes and embezzling money from the government.
His brother, Alexander II promoted Nicholas Nicolaievich's career and named him Commander of the St Petersburg military region. Eventually he received the ranks of Field Marshal-General, Inspector General of Cavalry and Inspector General of the Russian engineering forces. Nicholas Nicholaievich was an influential military figure; he also served on the State Council.
A Russian Grand Duke
Tall, strong and with a long thin nose, Nicholas Nicolaievich was neither handsome nor very intelligent. An incredible womanizer, Nicholas “loved all women except for his wife” as a contemporary wrote. He enjoyed army life, hunting
[''The Camera and the Tsars'' : Charlotte Zeepvat, p. 31] and was a well-known gourmet. He was also an expert on cattle, purebred dogs, horse breeding, fishing and hunting. In his luxurious residence in
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 ...
, the
Nikolayevsky Palace
Nicholas Palace (Russian: Николаевский дворец, ''Nikolayevsky dvorets'') was one of several St Petersburg palaces designed by Andreas Stackensneider (1802–65) for the children of Nicholas I of Russia. The palace of Grand Duke ...
, built between 1853 and 1861, horses were a favorite topic of conversation. The Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich took great interest in managing his estates, but he failed to inspire affection, even in those closest to him.
Marriage
![Grand Duke Nikolas Nikolaievich the elder](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Grand_Duke_Nikolas_Nikolaievich_the_elder.JPG)
Nicholas Nicolaievich unwillingly married his second cousin
Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna
Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna of Russia (russian: Алекса́ндра Петро́вна Ольденбу́ргская, tr. ; Born Duchess Alexandra Frederica Wilhelmina of Oldenburg; 2 June 1838 – 25 April 1900) was a great-granddaughte ...
, formerly Princess Alexandra of Oldenburg (1838–1900), whose paternal grandmother was a daughter of
Emperor Paul I
Paul I (russian: Па́вел I Петро́вич ; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1796 until his assassination. Officially, he was the only son of Peter III and Catherine the Great, although Catherine hinted that he was fathered by her l ...
. The wedding took place in St Petersburg on 6 February 1856. Alexandra was plain and unsophisticated and the couple soon found out that they had little in common. They had two children:
*
Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia ''the Younger'' (1856–1929)
*
Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia
Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia ( Russian: Пётр Никола́евич Рома́нов; 22 January Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._10_January.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New ...
(1864–1931)
The marriage was in trouble from the start and four years later, Nicholas developed a permanent relationship with
Catherine Chislova
Catherine Gavrilovna Chislova (Russian: Екатерина Гавриловна Числова) (21 September 1846 – 13 December 1889) was a Russian ballerina. She was the mistress of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich; they had five children.
L ...
, a dancer from the
Krasnoye Selo
Krasnoye Selo (russian: Кра́сное Село́, lit. ''Red village''). Г. П. Смолицкая. "Топонимический словарь Центральной России". "Армада-Пресс", 2002 is a munic ...
Theater. Their affair was quite open and they had five children:
* Olga Nikolaevna Nikolaeva (1868–1950) m. Prince Michael Cantacuzene
* Vladimir Nikolaevich Nikolaev (1873–1942)
* Catherine Nikolaevna Nikolaeva (1874–1940)
* Nicholas Nikolaevich Nikolaev (1875–1902)
* Galina Nikolaevna Nikolaeva (1877–1878)
The Grand Duke arranged a change of class into the gentry for his mistress and the couple's illegitimate children took the surname Nikolayev. Tsar Alexander II ignored his brother's affair but advised him to be discreet.
Last years
Nicholas Nicolaievich was in
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...
with his two sons when his brother
Alexander II was assassinated, returning immediately to Russia in March 1881. The ascension to the Russian throne of his nephew, Alexander III, marked the beginning of the Grand Duke's steady decline.
Alexander III did not have any special sympathy for his uncle and Nicholas Nicholaievich was resolutely deprived of all his influence. His authority suffered even further when he was involved in fraudulent military requisitions. When the Grand Duke tried to explain his actions to the Nouvelle Revue of
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 ...
1880, he indiscreetly attacked government officials and military commanders and eventually was removed from his post.
Alexander III also criticized his uncle's extramarital affairs.
By then, Nicholas Nicholaievich was living openly with his mistress. His wife left him for good in 1881 and moved to
Kiev
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
, but the Grand Duchess refused to grant the
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
he wanted. The couple's adult sons took their mother's side in the family breakup, but continued to live at the palace and confronted Catherine once she was waiting for their father in the Palace he shared with his wife. Catherine Chislova nagged Nicholas to provide for her and their children, he soon became financially embarrassed and had to mortgage
Nicholas Palace
Nicholas Palace (Russian: Николаевский дворец, ''Nikolayevsky dvorets'') was one of several St Petersburg palaces designed by Andreas Stackensneider (1802–65) for the children of Nicholas I of Russia. The palace of Grand Duke Ni ...
in St. Petersburg. In 1882, Nicholas Nicolaievich was put under supervision due to the squandering of his fortune; he lived as a private gentleman in a modest house.
Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich, unable to get a divorce, hoped to survive his wife and then marry his mistress, but it was Catherine Chislova who died unexpectedly in
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
while Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna would survive him by nine years. Shortly after his mistress' death, Nicholas went mad; he had oral
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
that spread to his brain. Suffering from delusion, he was convinced that all women were in love with him. During one ballet performance, the Grand Duke even attacked a young male dancer that he took to be a woman. In 1890, Nicholas Nicolaievich was declared insane and kept locked indoors in Crimea. He died in
Alupka
Alupka (Ukrainian and Russian: Алу́пка; crh, Alupka; gr, Ἀλώπηξ, Alòpex) is a resort city located in the Crimean peninsula, a territory of Ukraine currently annexed by Russian Federation (see 2014 Crimean crisis). It is located t ...
, Crimea on 25 April 1891. The Grand Duke's reputation at the imperial court was low and his death was not deeply felt. He had squandered all his tremendous wealth and his palace was immediately sold to cancel his massive debts.
[“The Romanov Legacy : The Palaces of St. Petersburg”: Zoia Belyakova, p.154]
Honours
;Russian
[Russian Imperial Army - Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich (the Elder) of Russia](_blank)
(In Russian)
*
Knight of St. Andrew, ''8 August 1831''
*
Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky, ''8 August 1831''
*
Knight of the White Eagle, ''8 August 1831''
*
Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class, ''8 August 1831''
*
Knight of St. George, 4th Class, ''24 October 1854''; 2nd Class, ''15 July 1877''; 1st Class, ''28 November 1877''
*
Knight of St. Vladimir, 1st Class, ''1 January 1863''
*
Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class, ''1865''
;Foreign
Ancestry
References
Bibliography
*Alexander, Grand Duke of Russia, ''Once a Grand Duke'', Cassell, London, 1932.
*Beliakova, Zoia, ''The Romanov Legacy : The Palaces of St. Petersburg'', Hazar Publishing, 1994, .
*
Chavchavadze, David, ''The Grand Dukes'', Atlantic, 1989,
*
King, Greg ''The Court of the Last Tsar'', Wiley, 2006, .
*Perry, John and Pleshakov, Constantine, ''The Flight of the Romanovs'', Basic Books, 1999, .
*
Zeepvat, Charlotte, ''The Camera and the Tsars'', Sutton Publishing, 2004, .
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicholas Nikolaevich Of Russia, Grand Duke
1831 births
1891 deaths
People from Pushkin, Saint Petersburg
People from Tsarskoselsky Uyezd
Russian grand dukes
House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
Members of the State Council (Russian Empire)
Field marshals of Russia
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
Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
Children of Nicholas I of Russia
Sons of emperors
Burials at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg