Irina Mikhailovna Raievskya (russian: Ирина Михайловна Раевская; 18 August 1892 – 22 January 1955), was a Russian and German noble. She was Duchess of Mecklenburg by her marriage to her second husband,

George, Duke of Mecklenburg George, Duke of Mecklenburg (german: Georg Herzog zu Mecklenburg; – 6 July 1963) was the head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1934 until his death. Through his father, he was a descendant of Emperor Paul I of Russia. Early life He wa ...

(german: Georg

Herzog ''Herzog'' (female ''Herzogin'') is a German hereditary title held by one who rules a territorial duchy, exercises feudal authority over an estate called a duchy, or possesses a right by law or tradition to be referred to by the ducal title. T ...

zu Mecklenburg), who was the head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1934 until his death in 1963. Irina was the great-grandmother of

Sophie, Princess of Prussia Sophie, Princess of Prussia (born Princess Sophie Johanna Maria of Isenburg;In 1919 royal family, royalty and nobility were mandated to lose their privileges in Germany, hereditary titles were to be legally borne thereafter only as part of the su ...

, wife of Georg Friedrich, Prince of Prussia, current head of the House of Hohenzollern.

Early life

She was born on 18 August 1892 in Tsarskoye Selo,

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 ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

, into the highest ranks of

Russian nobility The Russian nobility (russian: дворянство ''dvoryanstvo'') originated in the 14th century. In 1914 it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members (about 1.1% of the population) in the Russian Empire. Up until the February Revolution ...

. Her parents were Mikhail Nikolaievich Rayevsky ( Kerch, 15 February 1841 –

Sevastopol Sevastopol (; uk, Севасто́поль, Sevastópolʹ, ; gkm, Σεβαστούπολις, Sevastoúpolis, ; crh, Акъя́р, Aqyár, ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea, and a major port on the Black Sea ...

, 10/24 October 1893) and wife (

, 23 April 1971) Princess Mariya Grigoryevna Gagarina (

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the Capital city, capital and the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia, lying on the ...

, 2/16 June 1851 –

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 ...

, 2 August 1941). Her paternal grandparents were Nikolai Nikolaievitch Rayevsky (

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, 14 September 1801 – Krasnenjkaia, 24 ... 1843, son of Nikolai Nikolaievich Rayevsky and wife Sophia Konstantinovna ...) and wife (22 January 1839) Anna Mikhailovna Borozdina (29 December 1819 – Krasnenjkaia, 10 December 1883). Her maternal grandparents were Prince Grigori Grigorievich Gagarin (

, 29 April/11 May 1810 –

Châtellerault Châtellerault (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Châteulrô/Chateleràud''; oc, Chastelairaud) is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located in the northeast of the former province Poitou, and the re ...

, 30 January 1893/1899) and second wife (29 August 1848) Sophia Andreievna Dashkova (

, 25 June/7 July 1822 –

, 7/20 December 1908, daughter of Andrei Vassilievich Dashkov and wife Anastasia Petrovna Dmitrieva-Mamonova). Her great-grandparents were Prince Grigori Ivanovich Gagarin (17/29 March 1782 - Tegernsee, 12 February 1837, son of Prince Ivan Sergeievich Gagarin and wife ...) and wife (

, 1809) Ekaterina Petrovna Soimonova (

, 23 May 1790 -

, 11 March 1873, daughter of Pyotr Alexandrovich Soimonov and wife Ekaterina Ivanovna Boltina). Irina was daughter of the Rayevski family, who were one of the heirs of the famed

Grigori Potemkin Prince Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin-Tauricheski (, also , ;, rus, Князь Григо́рий Алекса́ндрович Потёмкин-Таври́ческий, Knjaz' Grigórij Aleksándrovich Potjómkin-Tavrícheskij, ɡrʲɪˈɡ ...

(1739–1791), Prince of Tauria, descending from the childless Prince's sister Maria Alexandrowna Potemkina (1726–1774).

Marriages and children

Irina Mikhailovna Raievskya was married firstly in

, on 5 November 1915 to Count Alexander Mikhailovich Tolstoy (1888–1918), son of Count Michael Tolstoy (1845-1913) and his wife Princess Olga Alexandrovna Vassiltchikov. The children of her first marriage were: * Countess Irina Aleksandrovna Tolstoya (1917–1998); married

Franz Ferdinand, Prince of Isenburg Franz may refer to: People * Franz (given name) * Franz (surname) Places * Franz (crater), a lunar crater * Franz, Ontario, a railway junction and unorganized town in Canada * Franz Lake, in the state of Washington, United States – see Fran ...

(1901–1956).They were the grandparents of Princess Sophie (born 1978, wife of Prince Georg Friedrich of Prussia current Head of House of Hohenzollern) and Archduchess Katharina (born 1971, wife of Archduke Martin of Austria Este) * Count Mikhaïl Alexandrovitch Tolstoy (1918–2004); married Francine Paule Yvonne Bregentzer (1923–2009) After Irina was widowed on 2 October 1918, she was married secondly in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

, Switzerland, on 7 October 1920 to

(1899-1963), son of Duke Georg Alexander of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1859–1909) and his wife, Natalia Feodorovna Vanljarskaya, Countess of Carlow (1858–1921). The children of her second marriage were: * Georg Alexander, Duke of Mecklenburg (1921–1996); married Archduchess Ilona of Austria (1927–2011) * Duke Alexander of Mecklenburg (born and died 1922) * Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg (1924–1962); married Hassan Sayed Kamil, an Egyptian-Swiss arms dealer (1918–1991). She was killed in a plane crash. * Duke Carl Gregor of Mecklenburg (1933–2018); married Princess Maria Margarethe of Hohenzollern (1928–2006), daughter of Franz Joseph, Prince of Hohenzollern-Emden.

Later life

She fled with her family after

October Revolution The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

from

first to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

then to

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

and last to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. With her second husband,

, she lived since 1923 in Schloss Remplin,

until it burned down in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

on 10 April 1940. Subsequently, the family moved to

Grunewald Grunewald is the name of both a locality and a forest in Germany: * Grunewald (forest) * Grunewald (locality) Grünewald may refer to: * Grünewald (surname) * Grünewald, Germany, a municipality in Brandenburg, Germany * Grünewald (Luxembourg), ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. After their house in Grunewald was destroyed by bombing in February 1944, they moved by invitation of Margarete of Hohenzollern in March 1944 to

Sigmaringen Sigmaringen (Swabian German, Swabian: ''Semmerenga'') is a town in southern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Situated on the upper Danube, it is the capital of the Sigmaringen (district), Sigmaringen district. Sigmaringen is renowne ...

. Her second husband,

, was held prisoner by the

Nazi government The government of Nazi Germany was totalitarian, run by the Nazi Party in Germany according to the Führerprinzip through the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. Nazi Germany began with the fact that the Enabling Act was enacted to give Hitler's gover ...

from 1944 until he was released in February 1945. Irina and her second husband were interested in art and music. She died on 22 January 1955 in

, and was buried in the Einsiedlerkapelle, Inzigkofen, Germany. Her second husband converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in 1920. After he was widowed on 22 January 1955, he married his second wife, Archduchess Charlotte of Austria (1921-1989), on 21 July 1956 in Pöcking. She was the daughter of Emperor

Charles I of Austria Charles I or Karl I (german: Karl Franz Josef Ludwig Hubert Georg Otto Maria, hu, Károly Ferenc József Lajos Hubert György Ottó Mária; 17 August 18871 April 1922) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary (as Charles IV, ), King of Croatia, ...

(1887-1922) and his wife, Empress

Zita of Bourbon-Parma Zita of Bourbon-Parma (''Zita Maria delle Grazie Adelgonda Micaela Raffaela Gabriella Giuseppina Antonia Luisa Agnese''; 9 May 1892 – 14 March 1989) was the wife of Charles I of Austria, Charles, the last monarch of Austria-Hungary. As such, sh ...

(1892-1989). George died in

of a heart attack. He was succeeded as head of the Grand Ducal House by his eldest son, Duke Georg Alexander.

Duchess of Mecklenburg

On 6 December 1934, Charles Michael, Duke of Mecklenburg, uncle of her husband

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 ...

died, and George succeeded him as head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. On 18 December 1950 the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin confirmed the decisions made in 1929 regarding George's title, and he assumed the style of

Highness Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adjecti ...

while his status as head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was also confirmed. At the same time, the Count of Carlow title was abolished.

Ancestry

References

External links

Irina Mikhailovna Raievskya , House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Raievskya, Irina Mikhailovna Irina Irina 1892 births 1955 deaths Tolstoy family Gagarin family 19th-century nobility 20th-century nobility Grand Duchesses of Mecklenburg-Strelitz White Russian emigrants to Germany