GRAND DUKE GEORGE ALEXANDROVICH ROMANOV.

As a child, Georgiy was healthier and stronger than his older brother Nikolai. He grew up to be a tall, handsome, cheerful child. Despite the fact that George was his mother's favorite, he, like the other brothers, was brought up in Spartan conditions. The children slept on army beds, got up at 6 o'clock and took a cold bath. For breakfast, they were usually served porridge and black bread; for lunch, lamb cutlets and roast beef with peas and baked potatoes. The children had at their disposal a living room, a dining room, a playroom and a bedroom, furnished with the simplest furniture. Only the icon, decorated with precious stones and pearls, was rich. The family lived mainly in the Gatchina Palace.

Education

The brothers had the same teachers, although they studied in different rooms. Among their mentors were the most respected professors. Both brothers were fluent in English, spoke fluent French and German, and spoke passable Danish. The boys were interested in shooting and fishing. George was destined for a career in the navy until he fell ill with tuberculosis.
By decision of his parents, in 1890, George and his older brother went on a trip abroad, the end point of which was to be Japan. Maria Feodorovna hoped that the sun and sea air would do her son good. However, about halfway, in Bombay, George had an attack, and he was forced to return back. Nikolai continued the journey without his brother.
In 1894, Alexander III died unexpectedly. Nicholas became emperor. Since he did not yet have children, George was declared heir to the crown prince.
However, Georgy's health remained poor, and it was decided to send him to Abasturman.
This is exactly what the small village, hidden in the forests of the Meskheti Mountains of Georgia, was called at different times.

It is known for its unique climate, life-giving springs, beautiful nature and exquisite architecture. In ancient times, the Odzrhe fortress stood on this site. In the Middle Ages, busy caravan routes ran through the gorge of the Otskhe River, which retained the name of the fortress. In 1829, under the name Abbas-Tuman, the village passed from the Ottoman Empire to the Russian Empire. Since this period, it has gradually turned into a fairly well-known balneological resort.
It has long been known among local residents that there are healing hot springs in Abastumani. For treatment, sick people came from surrounding villages on carts and carts, settled in huts near baths built in the ground and were treated, “took baths.”

Life in Abastumani changed dramatically when Grand Duke Georgy Alexandrovich was chosen to live there. Various places were considered for treatment, but the sad experience of the Grand Duke’s stay in Algeria led to the fact that preference was given to Abastuman.

That fat man with the face of “Caucasian nationality”, who is now called Georgy Mikhailovich Romanov, and some are titled as “His Imperial Highness Sovereign Heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke,” has a rather distant relationship with the Romanov family. And the last direct descendant of the Romanov house in the male line died 83 years ago, on July 21, 1931, and his name was also Georgy Mikhailovich.

Only one photograph of an adult George has survived.

The story of his birth is well-known and scandalous - the fourth son of Alexander III, the younger brother of Nicholas II, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, fell in love with the wife of his subordinate in the Blue Cuirassier regiment, Natalya Sergeevna Wulfert (née Sheremetyevskaya). The daughter of a lawyer, she was first married to the merchant Mamontov, then to the lieutenant Wulfert, who, after a loud scandal, was forced to give his wife a second divorce.

Natalya Sergeevna between her husband, Lieutenant Vladimir Wulfert (right)
and his commander Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich (left)

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A marriage with a twice-divorced person of low birth, the second in line contender for the Russian throne (if the terminally ill Tsarevich Alexei had died, Mikhail would have become the heir), was impossible, but the lovers continued to live together. On August 6, 1910, their son Georgy was born, but only two years later, having ignored all the prohibitions, Mikhail decided to secretly marry Natalya in Vienna. As a result, he was forbidden to return to Russia, and only with the outbreak of the First World War was this ban lifted.
In the fall of 1914, Mikhail headed the Caucasian Native Cavalry Division, and wrote a letter to his brother in which he asked, in the event of his death at the front, to legitimize George. Without waiting for this, on March 26, 1915, Natalya and her son received the titles of Counts of Brasov from the emperor, Nicholas II also officially recognized George as his nephew, excluding him, however, from the order of succession to the throne.

After the revolution, in March 1918, George was secretly transported to Denmark where the Danish royal family agreed to accept him - relatives of Empress Maria Feodorovna (who, by the way, never wanted to see her illegitimate grandson). And after Mikhail Alexandrovich was shot in the forest near Perm on the night of June 12-13, 1918, Natalya Brasova and her daughter from her first marriage, Tata, also moved abroad.
The funds in Mikhail’s foreign bank accounts and the exported jewelry were enough for him not to worry about saving in the first years of emigration (especially since all the White emigrants thought that this would not last long). In 1919, the family moved to England, where they rented a mansion in Wadhurst, Sussex, and George was sent to Harrow, a closed prestigious school for the children of the British elite.
As he grew older, many noticed his strong resemblance to his father. And he took after his father in character, burdened by the ambitions of his mother, who demanded that everyone around him call George the Grand Duke and consider him the first contender for the Russian throne.

The daughter from her first marriage, having married against her mother’s will, broke off all relations with her. The money ran out, and in 1926 Natalya Sergeevna moved to France, where life was somewhat cheaper. George continued his studies at the Ecole des Roches, a boarding school located in Normandy, which is currently considered one of the most prestigious private schools in France. He entered the Sorbonne - she spared no money for the education of Brasov’s son.
When his grandmother, the Dowager Empress Maria, died in 1928, George inherited a third of her fortune. This inheritance was only enough to buy a late-model Chrysler sports car.

In July 1931, 20-year-old Georgy and his classmate decided to celebrate the end of their studies and go to Cannes in that same Chrysler. On July 20, near the city of Sansay, 150 kilometers from Paris, a car skidded and crashed into a tree. The passenger died on the spot, and Georgiy, with broken hips and numerous injuries to internal organs, in a coma, was taken to Sanse Hospital. Natalya Sergeevna managed to arrive at the hospital, and her son, without regaining consciousness, died in her arms by the morning of July 21.
Brasova buried her son in Paris, buying a place in the Passy cemetery. The funeral, as befits a person of imperial blood, was magnificent, but there was no longer enough money for a tombstone, and instead of it a simple wooden cross was erected.

Natalya with Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich in one of the many Romanov mansions in Europe

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Natalya Sergeevna continued to try to return her husband's assets and sued the Polish government, demanding the return or compensation of the Romanovs' Polish real estate. The last savings were spent on expensive lawyers, but in 1937 the trial was lost. In 1938, it was finally possible to judge and divide among all the Romanov heirs the value of Russian imperial property in Germany, but hyperinflation immediately “ate up” this money.
On January 23, 1952, Natalya Brasova died of cancer in a Paris charity hospital in complete poverty, and she was “buried” with her son. A simple wooden cross stood on the grave for a long time, until in the late 60s emigrants passed the cap around, and the grave was decorated with a marble slab and a marble cross.

The inscription on their grave in French reads " Son and wife E.I.V. Grand Duke Michael of Russia».
A sign in Russian appeared on the grave only in the 90s (from whom, I wonder?).

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And although George was born even before the morganatic marriage of his parents, he was the last direct descendant of Emperor Alexander III in the male line. And the legitimate son of Grand Duke Mikhail, in whose favor Nicholas II abdicated the throne. The last of the Romanovs...

STAY OF GRAND DUKE GEORGE ALEXANDROVICH IN ABASTUMAN

Grand Duke Georgy Alexandrovich (1871-1899) - son of Alexander III, younger brother of Nicholas II. In 1894, after the death of his father, as the first in line to inherit the Russian throne, he began to bear the title of Tsarevich.

As a child, Georgiy was healthier and stronger than his older brother Nikolai. He grew up to be a tall, handsome, cheerful child. George was the favorite of his mother (Empress Maria Feodorovna), however, like the other brothers, he was brought up in Spartan conditions. Children in the royal family slept on army beds, got up at 6 o'clock in the morning and took a cold bath. They were fed healthy but very simple food. The boys' rooms were furnished with the simplest furniture. George was destined for a career in the navy, but at the age of 21 he fell ill with tuberculosis.

At the family council, it was decided to take the young man to the Caucasus, to Abastumani (Abbas-Tuman - as the residents themselves called this place). Abastumani, located in the gorge of the Otskhe River at an altitude of 1300 m, surrounded by mountain peaks and dense forests, has long been known for its unique mountain climate, life-giving springs and beautiful nature. There is clean mountain air, very beneficial for the respiratory tract, moderate dryness, and no strong winds. The mountain slopes are covered with coniferous forests (pine, spruce, fir). Summers are moderately warm, and winters are mild and sunny.

Probably, the opinion of the Grand Duke played a significant role in choosing Abastumani as a place of treatment for George, Mikhail Nikolaevich (George's great-uncle), governor in the Caucasus, the youngest son of Nicholas I. Having lived for many years in the Caucasus, knowing it well and loving it, he was an ardent admirer of everything Caucasian. Four of his children were born in the Caucasus, the Grand Dukes George, Alexander, Sergei and Alexei. In the future, his sons will spend a lot of time in Abastumani with Georgy Alexandrovich and will do a lot not only for Abastumani, but also for this entire region.

In those days, it was not easy to get to Abastuman. One route went by sea, from any Black Sea port by steamship to Batum (present-day Batumi), where the representative office of the Black Sea Shipping Company (a Russian shipping company headquartered in Odessa) was located. Another route went along the Volga, served by the Caucasus and Mercury Society, whose offices were in all cities of the Russian Empire and large cities in Europe. In Tiflis (present-day Tbilisi), the office was located on Erivan Square. Then the road went to the village of Mikhailovo (present-day Khashuri), and from there by carriage to Abastuman. It was also possible to travel by rail to Vladikavkaz, then by mail carriage to Tiflis, from Tiflis again to Mikhailovo by rail, and then by carriage to Abastuman. And one more route along the Volga to Baku, then by rail to Mikhailovo and by carriage to Abastuman.

By that time, Abastumani had already been built luxury Bath building. All three famous mineral springs of Abastuman - Bogatyrsky, Zmeiny and Zolotushny were used to service this balneological institution. It must be said that the architecture of Abastuman at that time was very unique - the wooden lace of dachas, pavilions, restaurants and hotels, along with the greenery of the trees in summer and gold in autumn, and the ledges of rocks descending from all sides to the river, made Abastuman look like the scenery for a bizarre fairy tale. In winter, this fairy tale became a Christmas tale.

So, in 1891, Empress Maria Feodorovna, together with Grand Duke Georgy Alexandrovich, accompanied by several retinues and a convoy, arrived in Abastuman. Previously, a plot of land in the upper part of Abastuman, near the Otskhe River, was purchased from Dr. Adolf Remmert (a military doctor and head of all Caucasian mineral waters). Tents and temporary housing for guards and servants were pitched there. The empress and her son and their immediate circle settled in the best houses of Abastumani.

Life in Abastumani changed dramatically when the resort was chosen for the Grand Duke to live there. From this period, it gradually turned into a world-class balneological resort, similar to the French or Swiss high-mountain resorts, where people began to come for rest and treatment not only from Tiflis, but also from St. Petersburg.

The so-called palaces were quickly built for the Grand Duke - two wooden (summer) and one stone (winter). A separate house for servants was built. The walls of the wooden palaces were made of logs, covered with shields and then trimmed. It was believed that it was healthier to live in such a house. In the rooms of the first palace, high wall tiled stoves were built by skilled craftsmen, and in some, like in the hall, there were fireplaces. A beautiful staircase led from the hall to the second floor, where there were bedrooms. There was a glass ceiling above the hall - a lantern, it was fashionable then. Everything was in Art Nouveau style. The architect was Otto Simonson, a very famous German architect in the Caucasus, who built many buildings in Tbilisi.

Grand Duke George lived for 7 years in this wonderful and beautiful place. The entire royal family often came here to visit and support the heir to the throne. Most often, Empress Maria Feodorovna visited here. She was very worried about her son’s health and visited him several times a year.

The life of Grand Duke Georgy Alexandrovich in Abastumani consisted of medical procedures, trips around the surrounding area in the summer and study. He lived here for two years and gave the heir history lessons. Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky. Admiral Robert Nikolaevich Viren for three years he lectured the heir on mine affairs. During his life in Abastumani, the Tsarevich often traveled around the surrounding area. His constant companion was Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich (uncle of the Tsarevich), a history expert, born in Georgia, in Tiflis, who was interested in these places and knew them well.

The Tsarevich decided to build in Abastumani church named after Alexander Nevsky- his heavenly patron. A visit to the Zarzma monastery made a strong impression on him. Subsequently, the architecture of Zarzma was used as the basis for the architecture of the Alexander Nevsky church, built with the personal funds of Georgy Alexandrovich. The church was built by Otto Simonson, and the famous temple was painted artist Mikhail Nesterov, who previously visited Zarzma and examined local frescoes. Over the course of 5-6 years, Mikhail Nesterov personally designed more than 50 compositions on the walls and iconostasis. In terms of the volume of work, none of the artists of the 17th–19th centuries who independently painted churches could compare with Nesterov. The paintings of the Abastumani Church made a great impression on his contemporaries, however, Nesterov himself was dissatisfied with his work.

Abastumani also had its own menagerie, which kept deer and fallow deer.

The Tsarevich's entourage tried to organize interesting evenings, picnics, and costume balls. There were always a lot of young people from St. Petersburg and Tiflis around Georgy Alexandrovich. In Abastumani, Tsarevich George met the beauty - Georgian princess Lisa Nizharadze. Rumor has it that he fell in love with her to such an extent that he wanted to give up his rights to the Russian throne in order to marry her. But the royal family could not allow such a scandal. The princess was forcibly married to someone else, which greatly upset the Grand Duke. Perhaps this incident was one of the reasons for his early death.

On June 28 (July 10), 1899, Georgy Alexandrovich went for a ride on a tricycle (a bicycle with a gasoline engine). Doctors forbade him to ride a bicycle. The trip ended with a terrible coughing fit with blood and sudden death on the way from the Zekar Pass back to Abastumani. The news of the death of the Tsarevich was a heavy blow for the entire imperial family and, especially, for Empress Maria Feodorovna. The funeral service for the heir to the throne took place in the Alexander Nevsky Church in Abastumani. A chapel was built at the site of his death (first wooden, and later made of Carrara marble). Then the coffin with the body of the Tsarevich made a long journey to St. Petersburg: it was delivered to Borjomi on a funeral chariot, then by train by rail to Batum, then on the squadron battleship “George the Victorious” to Novorossiysk, from where by train to St. Petersburg. The coffin with his body arrived here on July 12 and was placed in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The funeral service took place on July 14. Grand Duke Georgy Alexandrovich was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral next to his father's sarcophagus. St. Petersburg was plunged into mourning, and mourning was also declared in all Russian embassies. Since Grand Duke George was the heir to the throne, court mourning lasted a year. The last farewell of the heir to the throne was captured in many photographs.

The death of Grand Duke George put an end to the royal family's annual trips to distant Abbas-Tuman. After the death of Georgiy, Abastumani began to decline, ceasing to be a popular resort destination.

Hello dears!
I think today it’s time for you and me to finish our work on the characters in Boris Akunin’s book, which we started here: and continued here: _
The time has come to talk about the grand ducal family, or the “green house” based on the color of the livery, which Afanasy Zyukin serves.
The head of this branch and the character of the book is Romanov Georgy Alexandrovich Grand Duke, uncle of Nicholas II. Admiral General of the Russian Fleet, but at the same time he was at sea only once. " He is known as a liberal in the imperial family." - as Akunin said. A great sybarite and lover of male pleasures - like cognac and women. His wife is Ekaterina Ioanovna, with whom he has 7 children - the eldest Pavel (also the hero of the book), the middle ones Alexey, Sergey, Dmitry and Konstantin, who fell ill with measles and remained in Moscow, the youngest - Mikhail, and the only daughter Ksenia.
There seems to be enough material for analysis, but it turns out that this whole family is a kind of composite material from all the Romanovs.

Aleksey Aleksandrovich

But judge for yourself - Georgy Alexandrovich himself seems to be quite easy to read - the last Admiral General in Russia, and since 1888 just an admiral - this is the 4th son of Emperor Alexander II Alexey, but not everything is clear :-) He did not look like an admiral , but he went to sea more than once - he rounded the Cape of Good Hope, visited China and Japan. Commanded the Guards crew. During the period described by the book, he was the Chief of the Fleet and the Maritime Department. But competence was lacking.
This is what his cousin, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, writes about him:
"A socialite from head to toe, “le Beau Brummell”, who was pampered by women, Alexey Alexandrovich traveled a lot. The mere thought of spending a year away from Paris would have made him resign. But he was in the civil service and held the position of no less than an admiral of the Russian Imperial Fleet. It was difficult to imagine the more modest knowledge that this admiral of a powerful power had in naval affairs. The mere mention of modern changes in the navy brought a painful grimace to his handsome face.<…>This carefree existence was, however, overshadowed by tragedy: despite all the signs of the approaching war with Japan, the Admiral General continued his festivities and, waking up one fine morning, learned that our fleet had suffered a shameful defeat in a battle with the modern dreadnoughts Mikado. After this, the Grand Duke resigned and soon died."
This happened in November 1908 in Paris.

A.V. Zhukovskaya

He was married to maid of honor Alexandra Vasilievna Zhukovskaya, daughter of the poet V.A. Zhukovsky, and this marriage was not officially recognized. He had only one son - Count Alexei Alekseevich Zhukovsky-Belevsky (he was shot in 1932 in Tbilisi).

Konstantin Nikolaevich

Most likely, in his work the author developed Georgy Alexandrovich as a symbiosis of not only Alexei Alexandrovich, but also another famous admiral general, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich - the second son of Emperor Nicholas I. He was married to Alexandra Iosifovna, née Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg, and there were 6 children.
In 1896, Konstantin Nikolaevich was no longer alive, which is why it was necessary to make such a mixture.
The mistress and wise woman in the book of Georgy Alexandrovich is Isabella Felitsianovna Snezhnevskaya, in whom one can easily read Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya (more about her later) who had 2 sons from the Grand Duke.. However, the official mistress of the real Alexei Alekseevich was not Kseshinskaya at all, but another famous lady - Zinaida Dmitrievna Skobeleva, Countess of Beauharnais, Duchess of Leuchtenberg. This is the sister of the “White General” Mikhail Skobelev, and Erast Petrovich Fandorin, and together with him we could get to know this extraordinary woman better in another book by Akunin - “The Death of Achilles”. Interesting intersection, isn't it? :-)

Their relationship lasted just under 20 years, until her death in 1899 from throat cancer. The Grand Duke named his yacht “Zina” in her honor. The legal husband, Duke Eugene of Leuchtenberg, knew everything, but could not do anything. In society, this trio was called “ménage royal à trois” (royal love triangle).
Our other prototype, Konstantin Nikolaevich, had many children from his mistress. From the ballerina (!) of the Mariinsky Theater Anna Vasilyevna Kuznetsova, he had as many as 5 children. This is for 6 legal spouses :-) Such a prolific person.

Vyacheslav Konstantinovich

I never found the prototype of the unfortunate Mika (Mikhail Georgievich). None of the great princes died at such a tender age during these years. Although questions about his death are open - and I would not be surprised if he appears in one of the next books. Of the boys in this century, only 16-year-old Vyacheslav Konstantinovich, the son of Konstantin Nikolaevich, died early. But he died of meningitis.
Pavel Georgievich. The character is also composite and not fully understandable. Emperor Alexander II had a son, Pavel, who was thus also the uncle of Nicholas II, but he had nothing to do with the fleet, and was already an adult at the time of the events - 36 years old.

Kirill Vladimirovich

Therefore, most likely, the figure of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, the future self-proclaimed Emperor Kirill I, whose descendants now frequent Russia, is taken as a basis. He was a sailor, a cousin of Nicholas II, the age is suitable, and besides, he had a similar character. So, most likely, he was bred under the name of Pavel Georgievich.
It’s even more difficult with the figure of Ksenia Georgievna. There was a Grand Duchess with that name. BUT...she was born only 6 years after the events described. Therefore, most likely this means Ksenia Alexandrovna, the sister of Emperor Nicholas II. Approximately suitable for age. Although she was not married to any Prince Olaf - from childhood she was in love with Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (whom the family called Sandro) and married him.
She was able to survive the Revolution and emigrate.

Ksenia Alexandrovna

And finally, a couple of lines should be said about Isabella Felitsianovna Snezhnevskaya, that is, Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya. Although a book could be written about this woman. She lived to be almost 100 years old and it was an interesting time for her. This fragile pole became a real diamond in the Romanov family. With the blessing of Emperor Alexander III, Matechka became an intimate friend of the heir to the throne Nicholas (the future Emperor Nicholas II) and was able to dispel his hypochondriacal view of the female sex. Afterwards, she became the unmarried wife of the artillery inspector general of Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich and even gave birth to his son Vladimir, and after the revolution she married another Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. This is what fate is like.

Matilda Ksishinska

That's probably all. I hope I'm not tired.
Have a nice day!