Failed engagements: Why the eldest daughter of Nicholas II never got married

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The history of the last tsarist family will forever remain for the Russian people a sad page and full of "dark spots". Too many questions “What if?”, Too many unfortunate accidents and moments of human factor influence. Regarding some of the decisions of Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna, the question arises: who were these people to a greater extent - a couple of monarchs or parents who simply loved their children very much? Researchers today agree that a few years before the revolution they had the opportunity to save one of their daughters from a terrible fate and, possibly, change the whole course of history.

Eldest daughter

Grand Duchess Olga was the firstborn of the royal couple. Her christening coincided with her parents' first wedding anniversary. According to the recollections of people close to the Romanov family, she grew up as a gifted and kind child. She bribed everyone with her cordiality and sweet treatment. She loved to read very much. Anna Aleksandrovna Vyrubova, a lady-in-waiting and a close friend of the Empress, wrote in her memoirs:

Growing up, Olga became a real friend and advisor for Nicholas II. Sergei Yurievich Witte recalled that before the birth of Tsarevich Alexei, the emperor seriously thought about the issue of transferring the throne to his eldest daughter in the event that he did not have a son.

Failed weddings

It is known that the royal daughters in the eternal "game of thrones" are a strong trump card that can be used to change the balance of power on the political map of the world. At the time of the collapse of the Russian Empire, the eldest daughter of Nicholas II was already 22 years old. Age suitable for marriage. Indeed, attempts to arrange her fate have been made more than once.

On June 6, 1912, her engagement to the Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich was scheduled. This marriage would have become largely closely related (the alleged groom was a cousin of Nicholas II), but the young people were brought up together and had tender feelings for each other. The engagement did not take place under the influence of the Empress. It is believed that the reason was Dmitry's antipathy to Grigory Rasputin. By the way, he really didn’t love him so much that after 4 years he joined the favorite's killers.

During the First World War, Olga's dynastic marriage with the Romanian prince Karol was nearly held. It cannot be said that a young and eccentric heir could make up the happiness of a girl like Grand Duchess Olga. The young prince suffered from a somewhat indecent disease - prypiasm, and his contemporaries justified his dissolute behavior precisely by this, tactfully calling what was happening "sexual escapades." Olga refused to marry. In this case, the parents did not use their power and did not insist.

Pierre Gilliard, a family friend and teacher of the tsar's children, conveys a conversation that happened between him and the Grand Duchess on this topic: It must be admitted that the excuse for refusal was royally plausible.

The third matchmaking took place already in 1916. Olga was again offered as a bridegroom a relative, and even 18 years older than her - Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich. This time Alexandra Feodorovna took over the refusal. In a letter to her husband, she explains this decision as follows:

Contemporaries also understood the empress, because the candidate for groom and this time did not differ in exemplary behavior - he kept a constant mistress for many years.

What's next?

As a result of all these unsuccessful attempts, the eldest daughter of the Emperor remained in the bosom of her family and shared her tragic fate. By the way, all the men who did not become the princess's suitors survived the turbulent years that followed.

After the assassination of Rasputin, Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich was actually exiled to serve in Persia, but this allowed him to survive the beginning of the revolution. He later emigrated to London. It is interesting that in Paris he experienced a stormy love affair with Coco Chanel, which lasted exactly one year. At present, it is his descendants who are the elders among the Romanovs (in the male line among the descendants from morganatic marriages).

The Romanian prince, despite all his youthful quirks, later married another princess - Helen of Greece. Albeit adventurous, but he ascended the throne, which held out during the revolutionary events in Russia, under the name of Karol II.

Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich emigrated and in 1919 married his longtime mistress. Their family lived in Paris. Having sold the family jewel - the famous emeralds, which later fell into the collection of Elizabeth Taylor, he was able to buy the Sanssouci castle.

Of course, it is not known whether at least one of the possible unions could bring the Grand Duchess Olga a happy family life, but now, knowing the tragic fate of the princess, it remains only to regret that her marriage did not take place. In addition, one can only assume how a possible heir, born to the daughter of the Russian Emperor, could influence the course of further events. Still, sometimes I really want to apply the subjunctive mood to history!

You can learn about the way of life and traditions of the Romanov family from the article "Christmas in the Romanov family: a groom tied to a Christmas tree and other royal gifts"