The German House of Oldenburg is one of the most powerful and oldest in Europe, whose representatives were on the thrones of Denmark, the B altic States, Norway, Greece and were related to the Romanovs, the kings of Sweden, as well as the children and grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II in Britain. Now, in 2016, it is led by Duke Christian, who was born in 1955.
Oldenburg Dynasty
Before you move on to the Russian Empire, you must specify the branches of this mighty house. The older branch of the dynasty ruled in Denmark from about 1426 to 1863, and also in Livonia for 10 years in the 16th century. The kings of Denmark and Norway bore the title of Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein. The Oldenburg dynasty gave rise to the Glücksburg line from 1863, descended from the house of the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, who rule in Denmark from 1863 to the present. Members of this line are now on the Norwegian throne. Its representatives were the Basils of Greece from 1863 to 1974.
Russian Empire
After death from smallpoxgrandson of Peter the Great in 1730 ended the male generation of the Romanov family. But for some time Russia was ruled by the daughter of Peter the Great, Empress Elizabeth. She died without issue in 1761. After the coup of 1762, a German princess, the daughter of Prince Anh alt-Zerbst, ended up on the Russian throne. Her husband was Karl-Peter-Ulrich (Peter III), a representative of the Holstein-Gottorp branch, the younger line of the Oldenburgs. Thus, their son and his subsequent children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were only nominally Romanovs. They all married German and Danish princesses.
Oldenburgs in Russia
Alexander I invited a young, well-educated relative to serve in Russia. Georgy Petrovich of Oldenburg (1784-1812), the Emperor's cousin, was appointed in 1808 Governor-General of Estonia. He energetically set to work. The prince paid special attention to the peasant question. In 1909 he married Grand Duchess Ekaterina Pavlovna, sister of Alexander and Nikolai Pavlovich. In the same year, Prince of Oldenburg was appointed to the post of Tver, Novgorod and Yaroslavl Governor-General.
He vigorously engaged in the improvement of these places and actively visited county towns, controlling the work of the administration. Simultaneously with this work, he was asked to take up shipping in Russia. In addition, work on overland communications has also been added. Tver was the permanent residence of the young couple. And already in 1909, the deepening of the Ladogachannel. Since there were not enough specialists, the prince proposed to open a new educational institution, which would produce engineers. The emperor supported his undertakings, visited the prince in Tver, where he got acquainted with the works of Karamzin on history. The prince rebuilt the old canals very energetically, which earned him the gratitude of the emperor. When the war began, Georgy Petrovich gathered the militia, food, and placed prisoners. But, suddenly ill, the young Prince of Oldenburg died in 1812, leaving young children.
Children and grandchildren
His son Peter was born in 1812, who became an orphan at the age of 8. At the request of his mother, he was raised by his grandfather. Prince Peter of Oldenburg lived in Germany and received a good education. Abroad, he also studied Russian. Emperor Nicholas I called his nephew to serve in Russia. He was granted an estate in Peterhof, and also enlisted in the elite Preobrazhensky Regiment.
He quickly rose through the ranks and four years after his arrival in Russia he received the post of lieutenant general. Then he moved to the civil service and became a senator. He was engaged in jurisprudence and, having made sure that there were not enough lawyers in Russia, he achieved the establishment of the School of Law. He bought the building with his own money. Petr Georgievich was actively involved in social activities. For 20 years he paid much attention to women's education. He opened an orphanage with his own funds. His son Alexander Petrovich actively continued his noble work.
Childhood
Prince Alexander was born in 1844. As it should be among the highest aristocracy, Prince of Oldenburg was immediately accepted into the guard in the Preobrazhensky Regiment with the rank of ensign. In the same way, his three brothers were preparing for service for the good of the country. They were educated at home, they were all waiting for a military career.
Youth
Due to the fact that two brothers at different times made morganatic marriages and lost the favors of Emperor Alexander II and the titles of princes, Alexander Petrovich became the heir to the head of the house of the Grand Dukes of Oldenburg. He received at home the most versatile, one might say, encyclopedic education, read a lot, as the family had an excellent library, and eventually became a professional lawyer.
Marriage
Prince of Oldenburg married the daughter of the Duke of Leuchtenberg. Evgenia Maksimilianovna was engaged in a great social activity. Princess of Oldenburg patronized the Red Cross, the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, and the Mineralogical Society. Together with her husband, she took care of charitable, educational and medical institutions, which were overseen by her husband's father. Princess of Oldenburg attracted prominent artists of her time to work on creating art postcards with reproductions of paintings from the Hermitage, the Tretyakov Gallery. Her educational activities continued after the revolution. She also opened art schools in the provinces and St. Petersburg.
Activity of Alexander Petrovich
And in the Life Guards inpeacetime, and in the Balkan War, the Prince of Oldenburg showed himself to be an energetic, demanding officer in the first place. During the war, he lived like a Spartan. I did not use any additional amenities in the form of a crew or a personal chef. His troops distinguished themselves when crossing the passes of the Balkan Mountains. He was awarded a golden sword and a dagger "For bravery". When he retired, he continued his father's activities.
He stood at the origins of the Institute of Experimental Medicine, where I. P. Pavlov, conducting experiments in physiology. It also conducted research on the fight against tuberculosis. The plague that broke out in the Caspian Sea was stopped when Prince Alexander personally went to fight the epidemic. In addition, he created a climatic resort in Gagra, which is still used today.
Prince of Oldenburg Castle
It was built in Gagra. Around it, on the coast, a park was laid out with citrus trees, slender cypresses and exotic agaves. The castle of the Prince of Oldenburg was built in the Art Nouveau style by the architect I. K. Luceran. The snow-white palace, covered with red tiles, with chimneys and a falconer's tower, is strikingly beautiful. But neither time nor people spared him. Now the palace is in disrepair and needs urgent restoration.
Despite the varied activities that Prince Alexander was engaged in, his merits are almost forgotten. He went to the fields of the World War and wassupreme head of the sanitary and evacuation unit, supplied the army with food. After the February Revolution, he was fired. And in the fall of 1917 he left the country forever. The prince died in France at the age of 88, outliving both his wife and only son.
