Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia ( Russian: Пётр Никола́евич Рома́нов; 22 January O.S._10_January.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 10 January">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 10 January1864 – 17 June 1931) was a Russian Grand Duke and a member of the Russian Imperial Family.

Early life and marriage

Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich was the second son of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (1831-1891), Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich the Elder (1831–1891) and

Duchess Alexandra of Oldenburg 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 ...

(1838–1900). He was born in

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 ...

. As was the custom for Russian Grand Dukes (the title applied to all sons and grandsons of a Russian Emperor), the Grand Duke Peter served in the Russian army as a Lt.-General and Adjutant-General. On 26 July 1889, he married

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 subs ...

Milica of Montenegro Princess Milica Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro, also known as Grand Duchess Militza Nikolaevna of Russia, (14 July 1866 – 5 September 1951) was a Montenegrin princess. She was the daughter of King Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro ...

(1866–1951), daughter of King Nicholas I of Montenegro (1841–1921). The Grand Duke and Duchess had four children: * Princess Marina Petrovna of Russia (1892–1981) *

Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia Prince Roman Petrovich of Russia (17 October Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._5_October.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 5 October">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"ti ...

(1896–1978) * Princess Nadezhda Petrovna of Russia (1898–1988) *Princess Sofia Petrovna of Russia (3 March 1898 – 3 March 1898); buried in the convent cemetery in

Kiev Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

by her grandmother, Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna, who was a nun there

Life at court

In 1907, his elder brother, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, married Grand Duchess Militza's sister,

Princess Anastasia of Montenegro Princess Anastasia Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro (4 January Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._23_December_1867.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/> O.S._23_December_1867">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html"_ ...

, known as Stana. The two couples were socially very influential at the Russian Imperial Court in the early 20th century. The Grand Duke joined a cult nick-named "the black peril", a group interested in the

occult The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism a ...

. They are credited with introducing first a

charlatan A charlatan (also called a swindler or mountebank) is a person practicing quackery or a similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, power, fame, or other advantages through pretense or deception. Synonyms for ''charlatan'' include '' ...

mystic named merely Philippe, and then, with graver consequences,

Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, the ...

(1869–1916) to the Imperial family. Prince Felix Yussupov (1887–1967) – who was their neighbour in Koreiz – once described Znamenka, the Grand Duke and Duchess's palace, as "the central point of the powers of evil". This was later to be a widely held belief within the higher echelons of the divided Russian court. The Dowager Empress Marie firmly believed that the couple plotted with Rasputin and others to gain influence and favours through the neurotic Empress Alexandra (1872–1918). However, by 1914, Alexandra herself referred to them as "the black family" and felt herself to be manipulated by them.

Honours and awards

The Grand Duke received several Russian and foreign decorations:Russian Imperial Army - Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia
(In Russian) ;Russian * Knight of St. Andrew, ''1864'' * Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky, ''1864'' * Knight of St. Anna, Knight 1st Class, ''1864'' * Knight of the White Eagle, ''1864'' * Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class, ''11 June 1865'' * Knight of St. Vladimir, 4th Class, ''1887''; 3rd Class, ''1901''; 2nd Class, ''1911'' ;Foreign *

Grand Duchy of Oldenburg The Grand Duchy of Oldenburg (, also known as Holstein-Oldenburg) was a grand duchy within the German Confederation, North German Confederation and German Empire that consisted of three widely separated territories: Oldenburg, Eutin and Birk ...

: Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, ''12 July 1880'' *: Grand Cross of the

Ludwig Order The Ludwig Order (german: Großherzoglich Hessischer Ludwigsorden), was an order of the Grand Duchy of Hesse which was awarded to meritorious soldiers and civilians from 1807 to 1918. History The order was founded by Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse ...

, ''15 June 1884'' *

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...

: Knight of the Black Eagle, ''16 September 1884'' *

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden (german: Großherzogtum Baden) was a state in the southwest German Empire on the east bank of the Rhine. It existed between 1806 and 1918. It came into existence in the 12th century as the Margraviate of Baden and subs ...

:''Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden'' (1896), "Großherzogliche Orden
pp. 6277
/ref> ** Knight of the

House Order of Fidelity The House Order of Fidelity (german: Hausorden der Treue) is a dynastic order of the Margraviate of Baden. It was established by Charles III William, Margrave of Baden-Durlach as a reward for merit and to mark the laying of the foundation ston ...

, ''1885'' ** Knight of the

Order of Berthold the First The Order of Berthold the First was a dynastic order in the Grand Duchy of Baden. It was established on 29 April 1877 by Frederick I, Grand Duke of Baden to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of his accession as an additional class above the gra ...

, ''1885'' *: Grand Cross of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...

, ''4 March 1896'' *: Knight of the Most Holy Annunciation, ''9 August 1900'' - during a visit to Russia of King

Victor Emmanuel III of Italy Victor Emmanuel III (Vittorio Emanuele Ferdinando Maria Gennaro di Savoia; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. He also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia (1936–1941) and ...

*: Grand Cross of the

Order of Prince Danilo I The Order of Prince Danilo I ( cnr, Орден Књаза Данила I, translit=Orden Knjaza Danila I) was an order of the Principality and later Kingdom, of Montenegro. It is currently a dynastic order granted by the head of the House of Pet ...

Exile

The couple escaped the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...

to the south of France. Here Grand Duke Peter Nicholaievich died at

Cap d'Antibes Antibes (, also , ; oc, label= Provençal, Antíbol) is a coastal city in the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France, on the Côte d'Azur between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is in the commune of Antibes and the Sophi ...

, near

Antibes Antibes (, also , ; oc, label= Provençal, Antíbol) is a coastal city in the Alpes-Maritimes department of southeastern France, on the Côte d'Azur between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is in the commune of Antibes and the Sop ...

on 17 June 1931. His wife died in

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

, in September 1951.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peter Nikolaevich of Russia, Grand Duke 1864 births 1931 deaths Royalty from Saint Petersburg People from Sankt-Peterburgsky Uyezd House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov Russian grand dukes Emigrants from the Russian Empire to Italy Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France White Russian emigrants to Italy White Russian emigrants to France 19th-century people from the Russian Empire Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur