Kirill I Vladimirovich. All-Russian Emperor in exile

Kirill I Vladimirovich and his family

After the execution in 1918 by the Bolsheviks of Emperor Nicholas II, Heir Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, that is, the extermination of all male offspring of the Emperor Alexandra III, the rights to the throne passed to the descendants of Emperor Alexander II.

Senior in dynastic relation Among them was Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich. In 1922, not yet being sure of the death of his predecessors in the line of succession to the throne, the Grand Duke declared himself Guardian of the Sovereign Throne. When the last doubts regarding the fate of the Royal Martyrs were dispelled, in accordance with the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire, on August 31/September 13, 1924, Kirill Vladimirovich accepted the title of All-Russian Emperor in exile.

Ceremonial photography after the monarchist manifestation in Paris. From left to right: Princess Elizabeth, her parents Prince Nicholas of Greece and his wife Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich with his wife Victoria Feodorovna, their son Vladimir Kirillovich, son-in-law Prince Karl Leiningen and brother Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich. Around 1930.

Kirill I made a lot of efforts to alleviate the situation of Russian emigrants, but mainly his eyes were always turned to Russia. The Emperor resolutely condemned the bet on foreign intervention and firmly believed that the day would come when the people themselves would overthrow communist regime and will return to its historical path. He saw his main task in preserving the monarchical state tradition and the legal foundations of the Russian Imperial House, so that there would always be a legitimate Successor of the All-Russian Emperors, brought up in the Orthodox Faith and love for the Motherland, ready to answer the people's call if the people of Russia wish to return the Monarchy. The evil slander of regicides and traitors darkened the life of Emperor Cyril I, but he fulfilled his mission with firm faith in God and consciousness of his mission. royal service. Outstanding poet Russian emigration S. Bekhteev wrote about him:

For a holy and great feat
For Rus' and for the Faith of Christ
He went out to violent shouts -
Servant and Protector of the Cross.

He came out without anger, without fear,
Calling to shame the rebels -
Heir to the crown of Monomakh
And the barm of the Orthodox Tsars.

Since 1928, the Sovereign and his family spent most of their time in the Coeur-Argonide estate they acquired in the city of Saint-Briac (Brittany). The death of Empress Victoria Feodorovna in 1936 was a heavy blow for Cyril I. The consequences of the disaster on March 31/April 13, 1904 and longing for the Motherland undermined the Emperor’s strength. In September 1938, signs of gangrene appeared on the Emperor’s legs, which could not be stopped.

Emperor Cyril I rested on the eve of his birthday in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris. On October 6/19, 1938, he was buried next to his wife in the Family Crypt of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in Coburg, but bequeathed at the first opportunity to rebury him in his homeland. On February 22/March 7, 1995, through the efforts of the Dowager Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, the ashes of Emperor Kirill I and Empress Victoria Feodorovna were transferred to the Ancestral Tomb of the Romanov Dynasty - the Peter and Paul Cathedral of St. Petersburg. When opening the tombs in Coburg, it was discovered that the remains of the Sovereign were incorruptible. In the history of Russia, Kirill Vladimirovich will forever remain the Tsar-Confessor, who, under the most difficult conditions, preserved the sacred traditions of the Orthodox legal monarchy.

Vladimir III Kirillovich

Head of the Russian Imperial House, Grand Duke (de jure Emperor of All Russia) Vladimir III Kirillovich (Borgo, August 17/30, 1917 - Miami (USA), April 8/21, 1992).

The only son of Emperor Kirill I and Empress Victoria Feodorovna (nee Princess of Great Britain and Ireland and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha). Born in the Grand Duchy of Finland, that is, still on the territory of the Russian Empire. He moved to Europe with his family. He spent his childhood in France, in the city of Saint-Briac (Brittany, Ile-et-Villain dept.). His parents made every effort to ensure that he received a truly Russian Orthodox education and was ready at any moment to accept the rights and responsibilities of his royal ancestors.

Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna with her newborn son Vladimir, 1917

Maria, Victoria, Vladimir, Kirill and Kira in Finland.

Vladimir Kirillovich in Paris.

On September 9/October 12, 1938, after the death of Emperor Kirill I, he became the Head of the Russian Imperial House. He considered it best, until the restoration of the Monarchy in Russia, not to officially accept the Imperial title, which rightfully belonged to him by virtue of the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire. Continued to use the title of Grand Duke.

Proclamation of Vladimir Kirillovich as head of the House of Romanov.

Due to the outbreak of the Second World War, he did not have time to complete a course at the University of London, but received a comprehensive private education, and also took courses General Staff. In addition to Russian, he was fluent in English, French, Spanish and German.

In 1939, in order to better understand the life of ordinary people, he went incognito to Great Britain and got a job there as a factory worker under the name Pyotr Mikhailov, like Emperor Peter I the Great.

The occupation of France by Germany found the Grand Duke in Saint-Briac. Using his connections with anti-Nazi-minded German career officers from the aristocratic environment, the Emperor was able to significantly alleviate the plight of Soviet prisoners of war held in concentration camps in Saint-Malo and on the island of Jersey. He repeatedly personally sent them money, sent his secretary, Colonel D. Senyavin, to find out in what conditions his compatriots were being kept, and took care of organizing church services in the camps.

In 1944, the German authorities forced the Emperor to move to Paris, and then to Germany. There he chose Amorbach as his place of residence. After the end of the war, with the help of French officers Foreign Legion, evading arrest by the Soviets occupation authorities in Austria, through Switzerland he went to Spain, where his aunt Infanta Beatrice lived

On November 22/December 5, 1946, at the request of the Spanish Royal House, he issued an Act restoring historical justice to the Georgian Royal House of Bagration, recognizing and confirming its Royal dignity. This event was providential. Soon he met the daughter of the Head of the Georgian Dynasty, Prince Georgy Alexandrovich Bagration-Mukhrani-Gruzinsky, Princess Leonida.

Portrait by Ksenia Vyshpolskaya

Vladimir Kirillovich and Leonida Georgievna

July 31/August 13, 1948 in Lausanne, in the church of St. Gerasima entered into an equal marriage with her, thanks to which the Russian Imperial House became related to the oldest in Europe Royal Dynasty Bagratids, according to legend, descended from the biblical King David the Psalmist and thus, in terms of humanity, related to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. On December 10/23, 1953, the only daughter Grand Duchess Maria, now head of the Russian Imperial House, was born to Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich and Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna.

Vladimir, Maria, Leonida. 1953

Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich with wife
Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Mukhranskaya and daughter Maria

Standing: Kira Kirillovna, former Kaiser Wilhelm II, Prince Louis Ferdinand, Vladimir Kirillovich. Seated: William's second wife Hermine and Crown Princess Cecilia

All 50 s extra years During his service, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich remained a symbol of historical Russia and the banner of the fight against God and totalitarianism. Like his father, he always believed that communism would be eliminated by itself Russian people like a disease. Welcomed the fall of the communist regime in August 1991, but was saddened by the territorial disintegration that followed Great Power, grief, suffering and ruin of millions of compatriots. All the peoples of the Russian Empire were dear to him, and he never gave up his call to restore the lost unity

1976

Vladimir Kirillovich Romanov visited the Assumption Cathedral

Vladimir Kirillovich with his family in Helsinki.

In Russia. 1991

On October 23-29/November 5-11, 1991, the first visit of the Head of the Russian Imperial House to his homeland after the 1917 revolution took place. Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, together with Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, arrived in St. Petersburg for celebrations in honor of the return of his name to the city. He honored the memory of his Royal Predecessors and the victims of the Siege, bowed to the St. Petersburg shrines and for the first time met with His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Rus', with whom he had previously only exchanged messages. His Eminence Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, who became the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2009, also took part in this meeting of Patriarch Alexy II with Sovereign Vladimir Kirillovich and Sovereign Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna. The Grand Duke assured Patriarch Alexy II and Vladyka Kirill that he would make every effort to heal church divisions abroad and would always fulfill his duty to protect Holy Orthodoxy and the unity of the Russian Church.

1992

Vladimir Kirillovich and Leonida Georgievna. 1992

On the eve of Holy Wednesday 1992, during his visit to the United States, undertaken with the aim of attracting friendly Western business circles to the revival Russian economy died suddenly in Miami during a press conference. In fulfillment of the will of the deceased, the coffin with his body was delivered to Russia. April 16/29 at St. Isaac's Cathedral The funeral service of the Emperor took place in St. Petersburg, which was led by His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II. In a touching funeral eulogy, the Patriarch especially emphasized the strong impression they made on him“the deep faith of the deceased, his love for Russia and its people.” “May the Lord rest the soul of His newly departed servant, the Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, in the heavenly abodes,- His Holiness proclaimed at the end of the sermon,- and grants him to be a participant in eternal joy in the unevening day of the Kingdom of Christ!. On May 16/29, 1992 he was buried in the Ancestral Tomb of the Romanov Dynasty - the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Head of the Russian Imperial House H.I.H. Sovereign Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna

Head of the Russian Imperial House Her Imperial Highness the Sovereign Grand Duchess (de jure Her Imperial Majesty the Sovereign Empress and Autocrat of All Russia) Maria Vladimirovna was born on December 23rd. Art. 1953 in Madrid. She is the only daughter of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Sovereign Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich and His August Wife H.I.V. Sovereign Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna (nee E.Ts.V. Princess Bagration-Mukhranskaya-Gruzinskaya). According to the tradition of the Imperial Family, the Grand Duchess was raised in the spirit of the Orthodox Faith and devotion to the interests of Russia

Since, of all the male Members of the Russian Imperial House, only her Father entered into an equal marriage, the young Grand Duchess inevitably had to sooner or later become the Heir to the All-Russian Throne. Because of this, Sovereign Vladimir III Kirillovich determined her majority at 16 years old (Article 40 of the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire), and on December 23, 1969, the Blessed Empress Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna took the dynastic oath of allegiance to the Fatherland and her August Father established by the Basic Laws. On the same day, the Head of the Russian Imperial House issued an Act according to which, in the event of his death during the lifetime of any of the still living Princes of the Imperial Blood who entered into morganatic marriages, the Grand Duchess became the Guardian of the correct succession to the throne.

On September 22, 1976, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna entered into an equal marriage with E.K.V. Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia. Since the Grand Duchess was to lead the Romanov Dynasty, before the wedding a dynastic agreement was concluded and legally formalized, according to which Prince Franz Wilhelm accepted Holy Orthodoxy and became part of the Russian Imperial House with the name Mikhail Pavlovich and the title of Grand Duke. He committed himself to raising the offspring that could arise from marriage in the Orthodox Faith. The status of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich was determined by the provisions of Article 6 of the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire.

The guardianship provided for by the 1969 Act never came into force, because the last, in addition to Grand Duke Vladimir III Kirillovich, male Member of the Dynasty - Prince of the Imperial Blood Vasily Alexandrovich - died during the lifetime of the Head of the Russian Imperial House in 1989. From that moment on, the Grand Duchess became not only inevitable in the future, but also the actual Heiress of her Father.

With the death of Grand Duke Vladimir III Kirillovich, the last male line of the House of Romanov died out and the legacy of the Throne, in accordance with Article 30 of the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire, passed into the female line to his Daughter. The Grand Duchess became the Head of the Russian Imperial House (de jure Empress of All Russia) Maria I.

The Empress graduated from Oxford University. In addition to Russian, the Grand Duchess is fluent in English, French, Spanish languages, speaks and reads German, Italian and Arabic.

She visited the Fatherland for the first time in April 1992, arriving with her mother and son for the funeral service of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II Grand Duke Vladimir III Kirillovich.

Since then, the Empress has visited Russia more than 50 times, continuing the work of her Royal Predecessors and seeking to help her compatriots in reviving the traditional foundations of the state and society. In her addresses and interviews, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna constantly emphasizes that, being the bearer of the ideal of an Orthodox legal monarchy, she in no way wants to impose a monarchical system on the Russians against their will, does not intend to engage in political or even more so opposition activities, but is always ready to serve her people and use for Russia the entire spiritual and historical potential of the Russian Imperial House. Like her Father and Grandfather, Grand Duchess Maria I Vladimirovna confidently and firmly fulfills the Royal service entrusted to her by God, completely devoting her life to her dearly beloved Fatherland.

E.I.V. Sovereign Heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich

His Imperial Highness the Sovereign Heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich was born on March 13 AD. Art. 1981 in Madrid, on the eve of the 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of his Great-great-great-grandfather Emperor Alexander II the Liberator (+ 1/14 March 1881), from the marriage of H.I.V. Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna with H.I.H. Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich. At the sacrament of baptism of the Grand Duke, performed in front of the miraculous Kursk Icon Mother of God V Orthodox Church Madrid, attended by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain, Tsar Simeon II and Queen Margarita of Bulgaria, and godfather became King of the Hellenes Constantine II.

with godmother Queen Sofia of Spain

The Tsarevich spent his early childhood in Saint-Briac, and then he moved to Paris. Until 1999, the Heir, together with his August Mother, lived permanently in Madrid, where he graduated from college. From infancy, the Grand Duke was raised in the spirit of the Orthodox Faith and in the consciousness of his royal duty to the Motherland.

With grandfather Prince Vladimir Kirillovich

The heir Tsarevich first visited Russia in April 1992, when the entire Imperial Family arrived for the funeral service of the Sovereign Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich. Since then, he has visited the Fatherland many times, always showing a keen interest in all aspects of the life of the people. An indelible impression on the Grand Duke was made by the ancient Russian Orthodox churches, which, in his opinion, created a very special prayerful mood. Visits to military installations and meetings with soldiers and officers Russian Army and the Navy also always evoke his joy and deep interest.

The Tsarevich goes in for sports and shoots accurately. In addition to Russian, in which he always passed exams with honors, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich is fluent in English, French and Spanish. He knows Orthodox worship well and takes part in it himself. On April 9, 1998, during the pilgrimage trip of the Imperial Family to the Holy Land, the Blessed Sovereign, Heir Tsarevich and Grand Duke George Mikhailovich took the dynastic oath of allegiance to the Fatherland and his August Mother established by the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire. The ceremony took place in Jerusalem, in the Throne Hall of the Patriarchal residence, where the oath of the Heir to the All-Russian Throne was taken by the outstanding Hierarch of the Holy Church and strict guardian of the purity of Orthodoxy, Patriarch Diodorus of Jerusalem, who blessed the Grand Duke to defend the Orthodox Faith, serve Russia and its people and inviolably protect the legal foundations of the Russian Imperial House .

After graduating from Oxford, wanting to study the processes determining the development of Europe, His Imperial Highness worked in the European Parliament, then moved to the position of assistant to the Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transport and Energy, Mrs. Loyola de Palacio in Brussels. Then he continued to work at the European Commission, but in Luxembourg, in the department nuclear energy and safety of nuclear production. Over the years, the Grand Duke visited the Fatherland several times on working visits, without attracting attention to himself. In 2006, the Tsarevich’s first independent official visit to his homeland took place. On behalf of his mother, Head of the Dynasty Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, her son performed an honorable mission and, on behalf of the Imperial House, congratulated His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II on the 45th anniversary of his episcopal consecration. At the same time, meetings of the Grand Duke with the first deputy chairmen took place State Duma RF O. Morozov and L. Sliskaya, chairmen of Duma committees and deputies.

During his November visit to Russia in 2008, Tsarevich Georgy Mikhailovich accepted the offer of the management of OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel and in December of the same year took up the post of Advisor to the General Director of Norilsk Nickel V.I. Strzhalkovsky. In his new position, His Imperial Highness represents the interests of this one of the largest Russian companies in the European Union. In addition, Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich, together with the First Deputy General Director of Norilsk Nickel O. Pivovarchuk and Deputy General Director V. Sprogis, joined the Board of the Nickel Institute. The activities of the Tsarevich, among other things, are aimed at implementing the program of the Norilsk Nickel company to challenge the decision of the European Commission to classify a number of nickel compounds as hazardous substances. “I have always wanted to use the knowledge and experience I acquired for the benefit of the Motherland and gladly accepted the offer of the management of MMC Norilsk Nickel to take this responsible position. I hope to justify the trust placed in me and contribute in every possible way further development Company,” said His Imperial Highness

- October 12, Paris) - second son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, third son of Emperor Alexander II, and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna; cousin of Nicholas II.

Biography

February Revolution

At the beginning of the unrest, together with Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, he participated in the preparation of a draft manifesto (“grand-ducal manifesto”), which they wanted to present to Nicholas II for signature. The plan provided for the preservation of Emperor Nicholas II on the throne through partial concessions to the moderate wing of the revolutionaries (the adoption of a constitution and the appointment of a “responsible ministry” - Russia became a constitutional monarchy).

Kirill Vladimirovich, according to the recollections of a number of contemporaries and in his own words, on March 1 (14), 1917, went over to the side of the revolution, wearing a “red bow”. As Palace Commandant V.N. Voeikov recalled:

Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, with royal monograms on his shoulder straps and a red bow on his shoulder, appeared on March 1 at 4:15 pm in the State Duma, where he reported to the Chairman of the Duma M.V. Rodzianko: “I have the honor to appear to your Excellency. I am at your disposal, like all the people. I wish the best for Russia,” and stated that the Guards crew is at the complete disposal of the State Duma.

Life in exile. All-Russian Emperor in exile

While in exile, Kirill Vladimirovich helped the unemployed a lot and took care of Russian refugees. Hate for to the Soviet people he strictly condemned, giving preference to people's labor [ ] [clarify] . “The providence of God, the throne of sovereigns, the labor of the people - these are the forces that will lead Russia again to bright days. There is no need to destroy any institutions caused by life, but it is necessary to turn away from those of them that defile the human soul,” he wrote. “I have repeatedly confirmed that my faith in the Russian people is unshakable,” he said in 1931. - I have always been convinced that communism will become obsolete, and from its ruins new living forces of the people will grow, which will take power into their own hands... These forces will lead Russia onto the path of revival and create a great future for it. My task is to help identify these Russian popular forces.”

Kirill Vladimirovich died on October 12, 1938 in one of the clinics in Paris. Relatives claimed that the cause of his death was a leg disease - the consequences of wounds received during the destruction of Petropavlovsk. The French press of the time reported that the cause of death was prolonged and painful gout, associated with very immoderate consumption of alcohol. Together with his wife Victoria Feodorovna (nee Princess Victoria-Melita of Great Britain, Ireland and Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), he was buried in Coburg (Germany) in the family tomb of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. On March 7, 1995, their remains were solemnly reburied in the Grand Ducal Tomb of the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

The heir to the “Kirillov” line of contenders for supremacy in the Russian Imperial House was his son Vladimir Kirillovich, recognized in this capacity by the majority of members of the House of Romanov living at that time. Unlike his father, he did not proclaim himself Emperor, but accepted the legally equivalent title of Head of the Russian Imperial House.

The question of the right to the throne

The rights of Kirill (and thus his heirs) to the imperial throne of Russia were repeatedly questioned from a purely legal point of view, and, in a contradictory way, the argument most often mentioned by his opponents during his lifetime was participation in February Revolution(which is also a subject of debate) - has perhaps the least “weight” here (by the way, all the great princes were guilty of this in one way or another, including those who subsequently challenged Cyril’s rights as the head of the imperial house in exile).

The question is the application of Articles 183-185 of the Russian Law on Succession to the Throne to Kirill and his descendants:

183. The marriage of each person of the Imperial House requires the permission of the reigning Emperor, and a marriage performed without this permission is not recognized as legal. 184. By the permission of the reigning Emperor, Members of the Imperial House may marry both persons of the Orthodox faith and those of other faiths. 185. The marriage of a male person of the Imperial House, who may have the right to inherit the Throne, with a person of another faith is not performed otherwise than upon her acceptance of the Orthodox confession (Article 62 of the Basic State Laws).

Opponents of Kirill’s rights and the “Kirillovskaya” branch on Russian throne indicate first of all that he was deprived of these rights by the last reigning emperor in full accordance with the current legislation, and that the restoration of his rights member imperial family was not accompanied by an explicit restoration of rights for succession to the throne, and his claim to the throne is illegal. However, since the imperial rescript of July 15, 1907 (on the recognition of the marriage and the award of the title of Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna) and April 14, 1909 (on the restoration of the rights of a member of the Imperial House) does not speak of any selective restoration of rights, consequently, Grand Duke Kirill was restored in everyone rights, including the right to succession to the throne, especially since there was no special decree depriving Cyril of his rights to the throne, and his marriage was officially recognized, as stated above.

Often, opponents of the Kirill line point out that the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, mother of Nicholas II, did not approve of the adoption of the title of Emperor of All Russia by Grand Duke Kirill in 1924, since she hoped that her son and grandchildren were still alive. This argument, unlike the previous ones, does not have legal force.

Supporters of Cyril's rights argue that every Member of the Imperial Family ipso facto had rights to the throne, therefore, the decrees of 1907 and 1909 restored Cyril in the right of succession to the throne. According to this point of view, the fact that the reigning emperor recognized his marriage thereby removed all problems associated with legislation.

However, the Law on Succession to the Throne and others regulations Russian Empire currently have no legal force, and no territory is under their jurisdiction. Just as the throne itself does not exist in Russia.

Children

• Maria Kirillovna (1907-1951)
• Kira Kirillovna (1909-1967)
• Vladimir Kirillovich (1917-1992)

Awards

Russian:

• Order of St. Anne 1st class. (1876)
• Order of St. Stanislaus 1st class. (1876)

foreign:

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Notes

1. Marine doctor Ya. I. Kefeli // Port Arthur. Memoirs of participants. - New York: Publishing house named after. Chekhov, 1955.
2. Cyril (Grand Duke). My life in Russia’s service - then and now. London: Selwyn & Blount, 1939.
3. . sovet.geraldika.ru. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
4. State Archives Russian Federation. F. 601. Op. 1. D. 2141. L. 8.
6. Khrustalev V. M. Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. - M.: Veche, 2008. - P. 359. - 544 p. - (Royal House). - 3000 copies. - ISBN 978-5-9533-3598-0.
7. Alexandrov S. A.
9. .
11. GA RF, f. 601, op. 1, no. 2141, pp. 8-15 rpm; No. 2139, pp. 119-127 vol.
12. Nazarov M. V.- M., 2004.
13. Nekrasov G.
14. Horan B.P.
15. Michel et Béatrice Wattel, Les Grand'Croix de la Légion d'honneur - De 1805 à nos jours, titulaires français et étrangers, Archives et Culture, 2009, p. 520
16. Pedersen, Jørgen Riddere af Elefantordenen 1559-2009, Syddansk Universitetsforlag, 2009

Bibliography

• Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich.. - M.: Zakharov, 2006. - 368 p. - ISBN 5-8159-0573-9.

Links

Excerpt characterizing Kirill Vladimirovich

Rostov rode at a pace, not knowing why or to whom he would go now. The Emperor is wounded, the battle is lost. It was impossible not to believe it now. Rostov drove in the direction that was shown to him and in which a tower and a church could be seen in the distance. What was his hurry? What could he now say to the sovereign or Kutuzov, even if they were alive and not wounded?
“Go this way, your honor, and here they will kill you,” the soldier shouted to him. - They'll kill you here!
- ABOUT! what are you saying? said another. -Where will he go? It's closer here.
Rostov thought about it and drove exactly in the direction where he was told that they would kill him.
“Now it doesn’t matter: if the sovereign is wounded, should I really take care of myself?” he thought. He entered the area where most of the people fleeing from Pratsen died. The French had not yet occupied this place, and the Russians, those who were alive or wounded, had long abandoned it. On the field, like heaps of good arable land, lay ten people, fifteen killed and wounded on every tithe of space. The wounded crawled down in twos and threes together, and one could hear their unpleasant, sometimes feigned, as it seemed to Rostov, screams and moans. Rostov started to trot his horse so as not to see all these suffering people, and he became scared. He was afraid not for his life, but for the courage that he needed and which, he knew, would not withstand the sight of these unfortunates.
The French, who stopped shooting at this field strewn with the dead and wounded, because there was no one alive on it, saw the adjutant riding along it, aimed a gun at him and threw several cannonballs. The feeling of these whistling, terrible sounds and the surrounding dead people merged for Rostov into one impression of horror and self-pity. He remembered his mother's last letter. “What would she feel,” he thought, “if she saw me now here, on this field and with guns pointed at me.”
In the village of Gostieradeke there were, although confused, more order Russian troops marching away from the battlefield. The French cannonballs could no longer reach here, and the sounds of firing seemed distant. Here everyone already saw clearly and said that the battle was lost. To whomever Rostov turned, no one could tell him where the sovereign was, or where Kutuzov was. Some said that the rumor about the sovereign’s wound was true, others said that it was not, and explained this false rumor that had spread by the fact that, indeed, the pale and frightened Chief Marshal Count Tolstoy galloped back from the battlefield in the sovereign’s carriage, who rode out with others in the emperor’s retinue on the battlefield. One officer told Rostov that beyond the village, to the left, he saw someone from the higher authorities, and Rostov went there, no longer hoping to find anyone, but only to clear his conscience before himself. Having traveled about three miles and having passed the last Russian troops, near a vegetable garden dug in by a ditch, Rostov saw two horsemen standing opposite the ditch. One, with a white plume on his hat, seemed familiar to Rostov for some reason; another, unfamiliar rider, on a beautiful red horse (this horse seemed familiar to Rostov) rode up to the ditch, pushed the horse with his spurs and, releasing the reins, easily jumped over the ditch in the garden. Only the earth crumbled from the embankment from the horse’s hind hooves. Turning his horse sharply, he again jumped back over the ditch and respectfully addressed the rider with the white plume, apparently inviting him to do the same. The horseman, whose figure seemed familiar to Rostov and for some reason involuntarily attracted his attention, made a negative gesture with his head and hand, and by this gesture Rostov instantly recognized his lamented, adored sovereign.
“But it couldn’t be him, alone in the middle of this empty field,” thought Rostov. At this time, Alexander turned his head, and Rostov saw his favorite features so vividly etched in his memory. The Emperor was pale, his cheeks were sunken and his eyes sunken; but there was even more charm and meekness in his features. Rostov was happy, convinced that the rumor about the sovereign’s wound was unfair. He was happy that he saw him. He knew that he could, even had to, directly turn to him and convey what he was ordered to convey from Dolgorukov.
But just as a young man in love trembles and faints, not daring to say what he dreams of at night, and looks around in fear, looking for help or the possibility of delay and escape, when the desired moment has come and he stands alone with her, so Rostov now, having achieved that , what he wanted more than anything in the world, did not know how to approach the sovereign, and he was presented with thousands of reasons why it was inconvenient, indecent and impossible.
"How! I seem to be glad to take advantage of the fact that he is alone and despondent. An unknown face may seem unpleasant and difficult to him at this moment of sadness; Then what can I tell him now, when just looking at him my heart skips a beat and my mouth goes dry?” Not one of those countless speeches that he, addressing the sovereign, composed in his imagination, came to his mind now. Those speeches for the most part were kept under completely different conditions, they were said mostly at the moment of victories and triumphs and mainly on his deathbed from the wounds received, while the sovereign thanked him for his heroic deeds, and he, dying, expressed to him his love confirmed in practice.
“Then why should I ask the sovereign about his orders to the right flank, when it is already 4 o’clock in the evening and the battle is lost? No, I definitely shouldn’t approach him. Shouldn't disturb his reverie. It’s better to die a thousand times than to receive a bad look from him, a bad opinion,” Rostov decided and with sadness and despair in his heart he drove away, constantly looking back at the sovereign, who was still standing in the same position of indecisiveness.
While Rostov was making these considerations and sadly driving away from the sovereign, Captain von Toll accidentally drove into the same place and, seeing the sovereign, drove straight up to him, offered him his services and helped him cross the ditch on foot. The Emperor, wanting to rest and feeling unwell, sat down under an apple tree, and Tol stopped next to him. From afar, Rostov saw with envy and remorse how von Tol spoke for a long time and passionately to the sovereign, and how the sovereign, apparently crying, closed his eyes with his hand and shook hands with Tol.
“And I could be in his place?” Rostov thought to himself and, barely holding back tears of regret for the fate of the sovereign, in complete despair he drove on, not knowing where and why he was going now.
His despair was the greater because he felt that his own weakness was the cause of his grief.
He could... not only could, but he had to drive up to the sovereign. And this was the only opportunity to show the sovereign his devotion. And he didn’t use it... “What have I done?” he thought. And he turned his horse and galloped back to the place where he had seen the emperor; but there was no one behind the ditch anymore. Only carts and carriages were driving. From one furman, Rostov learned that the Kutuzov headquarters was located nearby in the village where the convoys were going. Rostov went after them.
The guard Kutuzov walked ahead of him, leading horses in blankets. Behind the bereytor there was a cart, and behind the cart walked an old servant, in a cap, a sheepskin coat and with bowed legs.
- Titus, oh Titus! - said the bereitor.
- What? - the old man answered absentmindedly.
- Titus! Go threshing.
- Eh, fool, ugh! – the old man said, spitting angrily. Several moments of silent movement passed, and the same joke was repeated again.
At five o'clock in the evening the battle was lost at all points. More than a hundred guns were already in the hands of the French.
Przhebyshevsky and his corps laid down their weapons. Other columns, having lost about half of the people, retreated in frustrated, mixed crowds.
The remnants of the troops of Lanzheron and Dokhturov, mingled, crowded around the ponds on the dams and banks near the village of Augesta.
At 6 o'clock only at the Augesta dam the hot cannonade of the French alone could still be heard, who had built numerous batteries on the descent of the Pratsen Heights and were hitting our retreating troops.
In the rearguard, Dokhturov and others, gathering battalions, fired back at French cavalry, who was pursuing ours. It was starting to get dark. On the narrow dam of Augest, on which for so many years the old miller sat peacefully in a cap with fishing rods, while his grandson, rolling up his shirt sleeves, was sorting out silver quivering fish in a watering can; on this dam, along which for so many years the Moravians drove peacefully on their twin carts loaded with wheat, in shaggy hats and blue jackets and, dusted with flour, with white carts leaving along the same dam - on this narrow dam now between wagons and cannons, under the horses and between the wheels crowded people disfigured by the fear of death, crushing each other, dying, walking over the dying and killing each other only so that, after walking a few steps, to be sure. also killed.
Every ten seconds, pumping up the air, a cannonball splashed or a grenade exploded in the middle of this dense crowd, killing and sprinkling blood on those who stood close. Dolokhov, wounded in the arm, on foot with a dozen soldiers of his company (he was already an officer) and his regimental commander, on horseback, represented the remnants of the entire regiment. Drawn by the crowd, they pressed into the entrance to the dam and, pressed on all sides, stopped because a horse in front fell under a cannon, and the crowd was pulling it out. One cannonball killed someone behind them, the other hit in front and splashed Dolokhov’s blood. The crowd moved desperately, shrank, moved a few steps and stopped again.
Walk these hundred steps, and you will probably be saved; stand for another two minutes, and everyone probably thought he was dead. Dolokhov, standing in the middle of the crowd, rushed to the edge of the dam, knocking down two soldiers, and fled onto the slippery ice that covered the pond.
“Turn,” he shouted, jumping on the ice that was cracking under him, “turn!” - he shouted at the gun. - Holds!...
The ice held it, but it bent and cracked, and it was obvious that not only under a gun or a crowd of people, but under him alone it would collapse. They looked at him and huddled close to the shore, not daring to step on the ice yet. The regiment commander, standing on horseback at the entrance, raised his hand and opened his mouth, addressing Dolokhov. Suddenly one of the cannonballs whistled so low over the crowd that everyone bent down. Something splashed into the wet water, and the general and his horse fell into a pool of blood. No one looked at the general, no one thought to raise him.
- Let's go on the ice! walked on the ice! Let's go! gate! can't you hear! Let's go! - suddenly, after the cannonball hit the general, countless voices were heard, not knowing what or why they were shouting.
One of the rear guns, which was entering the dam, turned onto the ice. Crowds of soldiers from the dam began to run to the frozen pond. The ice cracked under one of the leading soldiers and one foot went into the water; he wanted to recover and fell waist-deep.
The nearest soldiers hesitated, the gun driver stopped his horse, but shouts were still heard from behind: “Get on the ice, come on, let’s go!” let's go!" And screams of horror were heard in the crowd. The soldiers surrounding the gun waved at the horses and beat them to make them turn and move. The horses set off from the shore. The ice holding the foot soldiers collapsed in a huge piece, and about forty people who were on the ice rushed forward and backward, drowning one another.
The cannonballs still whistled evenly and splashed onto the ice, into the water and, most often, into the crowd covering the dam, ponds and shore.

On Pratsenskaya Mountain, in the very place where he fell with the flagpole in his hands, Prince Andrei Bolkonsky lay, bleeding, and, without knowing it, moaned a quiet, pitiful and childish groan.
By evening he stopped moaning and became completely quiet. He didn't know how long his oblivion lasted. Suddenly he felt alive again and suffering from a burning and tearing pain in his head.
“Where is it, this high sky, which I did not know until now and saw today?” was his first thought. “And I didn’t know this suffering either,” he thought. - Yes, I didn’t know anything until now. But where am I?
He began to listen and heard the sounds of approaching horses and the sounds of voices speaking French. He opened his eyes. Above him was again the same high sky with floating clouds rising even higher, through which a blue infinity could be seen. He did not turn his head and did not see those who, judging by the sound of hooves and voices, drove up to him and stopped.
The horsemen who arrived were Napoleon, accompanied by two adjutants. Bonaparte, driving around the battlefield, gave the last orders to strengthen the batteries firing at the Augesta Dam and examined the dead and wounded remaining on the battlefield.
- De beaux hommes! [Beauties!] - said Napoleon, looking at the killed Russian grenadier, who, with his face buried in the ground and the back of his head blackened, was lying on his stomach, throwing one already numb arm far away.
– Les munitions des pieces de position sont epuisees, sire! [There are no more battery charges, Your Majesty!] - said at that time the adjutant, who arrived from the batteries that were firing at Augest.
“Faites avancer celles de la reserve, [Have it brought from the reserves,”] said Napoleon, and, having driven off a few steps, he stopped over Prince Andrei, who was lying on his back with the flagpole thrown next to him (the banner had already been taken by the French, like a trophy) .
– Voila une belle mort, [Here beautiful death,] - said Napoleon, looking at Bolkonsky.
Prince Andrei realized that this was said about him, and that Napoleon was saying this. He heard the one who said these words called sire. But he heard these words as if he heard the buzzing of a fly. Not only was he not interested in them, but he did not even notice them, and immediately forgot them. His head was burning; he felt that he was emanating blood, and he saw above him the distant, high and eternal sky. He knew that it was Napoleon - his hero, but at that moment Napoleon seemed so small to him, an insignificant person in comparison with what was happening now between his soul and this high, endless sky with clouds running across it. He didn’t care at all at that moment, no matter who stood above him, no matter what they said about him; He was only glad that people were standing over him, and he only wished that these people would help him and return him to life, which seemed so beautiful to him, because he understood it so differently now. He mustered all his strength to move and make some sound. He weakly moved his leg and produced a pitying, weak, painful groan.
- A! “He’s alive,” said Napoleon. - Raise this one young man, ce jeune homme, and take it to the dressing station!
Having said this, Napoleon rode further towards Marshal Lan, who, taking off his hat, smiling and congratulating him on his victory, drove up to the emperor.
Prince Andrei did not remember anything further: he lost consciousness from the terrible pain that was caused to him by being placed on a stretcher, jolts while moving, and probing the wound at the dressing station. He woke up only at the end of the day, when he was united with other Russian wounded and captured officers and carried to the hospital. During this movement he felt somewhat fresher and could look around and even speak.
The first words he heard when he woke up were the words of the French escort officer, who hurriedly said:
- We must stop here: the emperor will pass by now; it will give him pleasure to see these captive gentlemen.
“There are so many prisoners these days, almost the entire Russian army, that he probably got bored with it,” said another officer.
- Well, however! This one, they say, is the commander of the entire guard of Emperor Alexander,” said the first, pointing to a wounded Russian officer in a white cavalry uniform.
Bolkonsky recognized Prince Repnin, whom he had met in St. Petersburg society. Next to him stood another, 19-year-old boy, also a wounded cavalry officer.
Bonaparte, arriving at a gallop, stopped his horse.
-Who is the eldest? - he said when he saw the prisoners.
They named the colonel, Prince Repnin.
– Are you the commander of the cavalry regiment of Emperor Alexander? - asked Napoleon.
“I commanded a squadron,” answered Repnin.
“Your regiment honestly fulfilled its duty,” said Napoleon.
“The praise of a great commander is the best reward for a soldier,” said Repnin.
“I give it to you with pleasure,” said Napoleon. -Who is this young man next to you?
Prince Repnin named Lieutenant Sukhtelen.
Looking at him, Napoleon said, smiling:
– II est venu bien jeune se frotter a nous. [He came to compete with us when he was young.]
“Youth doesn’t stop you from being brave,” Sukhtelen said in a breaking voice.
“Excellent answer,” said Napoleon. - Young man, you will go far!
Prince Andrei, who, to complete the trophy of the captives, was also put forward, in full view of the emperor, could not help but attract his attention. Napoleon apparently remembered that he had seen him on the field and, addressing him, used the same name of the young man - jeune homme, under which Bolkonsky was reflected in his memory for the first time.
– Et vous, jeune homme? Well, what about you, young man? - he turned to him, - how do you feel, mon brave?
Despite the fact that five minutes before this, Prince Andrei could say a few words to the soldiers carrying him, he now, directly fixing his eyes on Napoleon, was silent... All the interests that occupied Napoleon seemed so insignificant to him at that moment, so petty seemed to him his hero himself, with this petty vanity and joy of victory, in comparison with that high, fair and kind sky that he saw and understood - that he could not answer him.
And everything seemed so useless and insignificant in comparison with the strict and majestic structure of thought that was caused in him by the weakening of his strength from the bleeding, suffering and the imminent expectation of death. Looking into the eyes of Napoleon, Prince Andrei thought about the insignificance of greatness, about the insignificance of life, the meaning of which no one could understand, and about the even greater insignificance of death, the meaning of which no one living could understand and explain.
The emperor, without waiting for an answer, turned away and, driving away, turned to one of the commanders:
“Let them take care of these gentlemen and take them to my bivouac; let my doctor Larrey examine their wounds. Goodbye, Prince Repnin,” and he, moving his horse, galloped on.
There was a radiance of self-satisfaction and happiness on his face.
The soldiers who brought Prince Andrei and removed from him the golden icon they found, hung on his brother by Princess Marya, seeing the kindness with which the emperor treated the prisoners, hastened to return the icon.
Prince Andrei did not see who put it on again or how, but on his chest, above his uniform, suddenly there was an icon on a small gold chain.
“It would be good,” thought Prince Andrei, looking at this icon, which his sister hung on him with such feeling and reverence, “it would be good if everything were as clear and simple as it seems to Princess Marya. How nice it would be to know where to look for help in this life and what to expect after it, there, beyond the grave! How happy and calm I would be if I could now say: Lord, have mercy on me!... But to whom will I say this? Either the power is indefinite, incomprehensible, which I not only cannot address, but which I cannot express in words - the great all or nothing, - he said to himself, - or this is the God who is sewn up here, in this palm, Princess Marya? Nothing, nothing is true, except the insignificance of everything that is clear to me, and the greatness of something incomprehensible, but most important!
The stretcher started moving. With every push he felt again unbearable pain; the feverish state intensified, and he began to become delirious. Those dreams of his father, wife, sister and future son and the tenderness that he experienced on the night before the battle, the figure of the small, insignificant Napoleon and the high sky above all this, formed the main basis of his feverish ideas.
A quiet life and calm family happiness in Bald Mountains seemed to him. He was already enjoying this happiness when suddenly little Napoleon appeared with his indifferent, limited and happy look at the misfortune of others, and doubts and torment began, and only the sky promised peace. By morning, all the dreams mixed up and merged into the chaos and darkness of unconsciousness and oblivion, which, in the opinion of Larrey himself, Doctor Napoleon, were much more likely to be resolved by death than by recovery.
“C"est un sujet nerveux et bilieux," said Larrey, "il n"en rechappera pas. [This is a nervous and bilious man, he will not recover.]
Prince Andrei, among other hopelessly wounded, was handed over to the care of the residents.

At the beginning of 1806, Nikolai Rostov returned on vacation. Denisov was also going home to Voronezh, and Rostov persuaded him to go with him to Moscow and stay in their house. At the penultimate station, having met a comrade, Denisov drank three bottles of wine with him and, approaching Moscow, despite the potholes of the road, he did not wake up, lying at the bottom of the relay sleigh, near Rostov, which, as it approached Moscow, came more and more to impatience.
“Is it soon? Soon? Oh, these unbearable streets, shops, rolls, lanterns, cab drivers!” thought Rostov, when they had already signed up for their holidays at the outpost and entered Moscow.
- Denisov, we’ve arrived! Sleeping! - he said, leaning forward with his whole body, as if by this position he hoped to speed up the movement of the sleigh. Denisov did not respond.
“Here is the corner of the intersection where Zakhar the cabman stands; Here he is Zakhar, and still the same horse. Here is the shop where they bought gingerbread. Soon? Well!
- To which house? - asked the coachman.
- Yes, over there at the end, how can you not see! This is our home,” said Rostov, “after all, this is our home!” Denisov! Denisov! We'll come now.
Denisov raised his head, cleared his throat and did not answer.
“Dmitry,” Rostov turned to the footman in the irradiation room. - After all, this is our fire?
“That’s exactly how daddy’s office is lit up.”
– Haven’t gone to bed yet? A? How do you think? “Don’t forget to get me a new Hungarian at once,” Rostov added, feeling the new mustache. “Come on, let’s go,” he shouted to the coachman. “Wake up, Vasya,” he turned to Denisov, who lowered his head again. - Come on, let's go, three rubles for vodka, let's go! - Rostov shouted when the sleigh was already three houses away from the entrance. It seemed to him that the horses were not moving. Finally the sleigh took to the right towards the entrance; Above his head Rostov saw a familiar cornice with chipped plaster, a porch, a sidewalk pillar. He jumped out of the sleigh as he walked and ran into the hallway. The house also stood motionless, unwelcoming, as if it did not care about who came to it. There was no one in the hallway. "My God! is everything alright? thought Rostov, stopping for a minute with a sinking heart and immediately starting to run further along the entryway and familiar, crooked steps. The same door handle of the castle, for the uncleanness of which the countess was angry, also opened weakly. One tallow candle was burning in the hallway.
Old man Mikhail was sleeping on the chest. Prokofy, the traveling footman, the one who was so strong that he could lift the carriage by the back, sat and knitted bast shoes from the edges. He looked at the opened door, and his indifferent, sleepy expression suddenly transformed into an enthusiastically frightened one.
- Fathers, lights! Young Count! – he cried out, recognizing the young master. - What is this? My darling! - And Prokofy, shaking with excitement, rushed to the door to the living room, probably to make an announcement, but apparently changed his mind again, returned back and fell on the young master’s shoulder.

Kirill Vladimirovich (Kirill, Daka's husband), 1876-1938, Grand Duke, son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. Since 1905 he has been married to Victoria Feodorovna, Princess of Saxe-Coburg-Gott. Rear Admiral of His Majesty's Retinue, commander of the Guards Fleet Crew. Betrayed the Sovereign Emperor; even before his abdication, he came to swear allegiance to the rebels at the head of the Guards Fleet crew entrusted to him, thereby contributing to the destruction of tsarist power. In 1924 self-proclaimed himself “Head of the Imperial House of Romanov,” transferring this self-proclaimed title, implicated in treason, to his son Vladimir Kirillovich (1917-1992) in 1938. Kirill, Bishop of Tambov and Shatsk, (Smirnov Konstantin Illarionovich), 1863-1941, a prominent figure in the Russian Church, since 1918 Metropolitan of Kazan and Sviyazhsk, at one time was the 1st candidate for the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne. Since 1922 - in exile in the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Kazakhstan.

Materials used from the site RUS-SKY ®, 1999. Biographical reference book, which contains the names of all persons who were mentioned in the emperor’s correspondence.

Kirill Vladimirovich Romanov (30.9.1876, Tsarskoe Selo - 13.10.1938, Paris, France), Grand Duke, Rear Admiral of the Suite (23.2.1915). Eldest son of the Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich . He received his education at the Naval Cadet Corps (1896) and the Nikolaev Maritime Academy. Released to the guards crew. Sailed on the corvettes "Russia" (1897-98), "Admiral General" (1899), "Rostislav" (1900), "Peresvet" (1901-1902). In 1902-1903, senior officer of the cruiser Admiral Nakhimov. From March 9, 1904, head of the naval department of the headquarters of the commander of the Pacific Fleet. Participant in the Russian-Japanese War of 1904-1905. During the explosion on the battleship Petropavlovsk, where most of the staff died, he escaped. In 1905 he was expelled from service for entering into an unauthorized marriage with cousin, the divorced wife of the brother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna - Victoria Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. In 1909-1910, senior officer, 1.1-14.9.1912 commander of the cruiser "Oleg". From July 25, 1914, staff officer for office work and assignments of the naval administration under the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. From 16.3.1915 the commander of the guards crew, at the same time from 23.2.1915 the head of naval batteries in active army. During February events 1917 in Petrograd, at the head of the crew, arrived at the State Duma building and announced his support new government. In June 1917 he left for Finland. Then he lived in Switzerland, Germany and finally in France. After the death of Nicholas II and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, he remained the direct heir to the imperial throne. On 8/8/1922 he proclaimed himself guardian of the throne, and on 13/9/1924 - emperor.

Book materials used: Zalessky K.A. Who was who in the Second World War. Allies of Germany. Moscow, 2003

Certificate of a relative

Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, when the revolution broke out, lived in Petrograd and commanded the Guards crew. In the summer of 1917, he and his wife Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna and two young daughters, princesses Maria and Kira Kirillovna, moved to Finland, to the Etter estate, Heiko, near the city of Borgo. On August 30, 1917, their son, Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, the current head of the Russian Imperial House, was born in Bor. In 1924, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich was elevated by his father to the grand ducal dignity in the same way as his sisters, and began to be called the heir apparent. In August 1948, he married Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Mukhranskaya and, as head of the Imperial House, elevated her to the dignity of grand duke.
In 1920, Kirill Vladimirovich and his family went to Switzerland on a date with Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna and relatives who were there. From Switzerland they moved to Coburg, where Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna had her own house. They then moved to Saint-Briac, France, in Brittany, where they bought a small estate. In 1922, Kirill Vladimirovich, as a senior member of the Russian Imperial House, accepted the title of Guardian of the Russian Imperial Throne, and in 1924 the title of Russian Emperor.
Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna received in 1924. the title of Empress. She died on March 2, 1936 in Amorbach in Germany from pneumonia and was buried in Coburg in the family tomb of the Dukes of Coburg and Gotha.
Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich died in Paris on October 12, 1938 from sclerosis and was also buried in Coburg, in the same tomb with Victoria Feodorovna.
Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna married Prince Karl of Leiningen on November 24, 1925 in Coburg. They had six children. Prince Charles was captured by the Red Army during the war of 1939-1945. and died in captivity from starvation typhus. Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna died in Madrid on October 27, 1952 from angina pectoris and was buried in Leiningen.
Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna married on May 2, 1938, the second son of the German Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and Crown Princess Cecilia, Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia. They have seven children and the family still lives in Germany, in Bremen-Dorsfeld-Wumenhof.

Materials used from the book: Grand Duke Gabriel Konstantinovich. In the Marble Palace. Memories. M., 2005

Eyewitness testimony

On October 8, 1905, without royal consent, Kirill married abroad Princess Victoria-Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Grand Duchess of Hesse. This marriage was contrary to existing laws, deeply revered by the king .

After some time, Kirill arrived in St. Petersburg. His parents were sure that the young prince would have to listen to reproaches from the head of the family, which he undoubtedly deserved. They also believed that he would be forgiven.

He arrived at eight o'clock in the afternoon and immediately went to his parents' palace. At ten o'clock he was informed that Count Fredericks had arrived and wished to speak with him "in accordance with the instructions received from the king." Fredericks conveyed to the Grand Duke the decision of the sovereign: he must immediately leave Russia and never set foot on its soil again, awaiting reports abroad of subsequent punishments.

That same evening at midnight the Grand Duke left St. Petersburg by train.

This harsh measure outraged the Grand Duke Vladimir . He was furious that his son was kicked out without even talking to him. The next day he appeared before the Tsar and resigned from all positions he held in the Russian army. This was the strongest protest he could express.

It is believed that the king made such a tough decision under the influence of the empress. It was rumored that in this way she took revenge on Grand Duke Kirill for daring to marry a woman who had recently left her husband, the Duke of Hesse, the Empress’s brother.

Notes:

According to Russian laws, the marriage of any member imperial family the king's permission was required; Marriages between cousins ​​were prohibited (Kirill's father and Victoria's mother were brother and sister).

Quoted from the book: Mosolov A.A. At the court of the last king. Memoirs of the head of the palace chancellery. 1900-1916. M., 2006.

Read further:

First World War(chronological table)

Participants of the First World War(biographical reference book).

Romanov Dynasty(biographical index)

Romanovs after Nicholas I(genealogical table)

Grand Dukes Mikhailovich, their descendants(genealogical table)

Emperor of All Russia Kirill I Vladimirovich (Tsarskoe Selo, September 30/October 13, 1876 - Neuilly-sur-Seine, September 29/October 12, 1938).

Second son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (brother of Emperor Alexander III the Peacemaker) and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (nee Princess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin).

In 1891, the young Grand Duke entered the Naval Cadet Corps, and since then all of his military service has been connected with the sea. In 1897, the Russian flag was raised over Port Arthur, a Russian naval outpost in Chinese Empire. With the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, he immediately headed to the theater of military operations. Heading the headquarters of Commander Vice Admiral S. Makarov, he was next to the famous admiral on the captain's bridge of the squadron battleship Petropavlovsk when it was blown up by a Japanese mine and instantly sank. Almost the entire crew of the battleship died, but the shell-shocked and burned Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, among the few, managed to swim out and stay on the water until help arrived. When rescuers noticed him, he shouted: “I’m okay, save the others!” It is significant that miraculous salvation Kirill Vladimirovich occurred on March 31/April 13, 1904, on the day of remembrance of the Hieromartyr Hypatius Bishop of Gangra - the heavenly patron of the Kostroma Holy Trinity Ipatiev Monastery, in which the first Sovereign from the Romanov Dynasty, Michael I, was called to the Kingdom. Due to the consequences of the shell shock, Grand Duke Kirill was forced temporarily leave the service and go to Europe for treatment. On September 26/October 8, 1905 in Bavaria he married Princess Victoria-Melita of Great Britain and Ireland and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (in Orthodoxy Victoria Feodorovna). Since Victoria Melita's first husband was brother Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the latter initially reacted negatively to the wedding. Emperor Nicholas II refused to recognize Kirill Vladimirovich’s marriage for some time. But already in 1907, the Tsar realized the injustice of this decision and on July 15/28, by his Decree, he legalized the marriage of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna. The relations of the Grand Ducal Couple with the Imperial Family, overshadowed by the family discord of 1905, were completely restored. During the First World War, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich is appointed to the Headquarters Supreme Commander-in-Chief to the naval department. On February 23/March 7, 1916, Nicholas II promoted him to rear admiral.

By the time of the February Revolution, Kirill Vladimirovich commanded the Marine Guards Crew. The uprising found him in Petrograd. Together with his uncle Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, risking his life, made a courageous attempt to save the Monarchy and preserve his cousin Emperor Nicholas II on the Throne. But his efforts were not crowned with success due to the betrayal of part of the generals and the treacherous policy of the State Duma. Under the heavy impression of the abdication and arrest of Emperor Nicholas II and his Family, he resigned and in June moved with his pregnant wife and daughters Maria and Kira from Petrograd to Finland, where his son Vladimir was born. After the execution in 1918 by the Bolsheviks of Emperor Nicholas II, Heir Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, that is, the extermination of all the male offspring of Emperor Alexander III, the rights to the throne passed to the descendants of Emperor Alexander II. The eldest dynastically among them was Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich. In 1922, not yet being sure of the death of his predecessors in the line of succession to the throne, the Grand Duke declared himself Guardian of the Sovereign Throne. When the last doubts regarding the fate of the Royal Martyrs were dispelled, in accordance with the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire, on August 31/September 13, 1924, Kirill Vladimirovich accepted the title of All-Russian Emperor in exile. Kirill I made a lot of efforts to alleviate the situation of Russian emigrants, but mainly his eyes were always turned to Russia. The Emperor strongly condemned the reliance on foreign intervention and firmly believed that the day would come when the people themselves would overthrow the communist regime and return to their historical path. He saw his main task in preserving the monarchical state tradition and the legal foundations of the Russian Imperial House, so that there would always be a legitimate Successor of the All-Russian Emperors, brought up in the Orthodox Faith and love for the Motherland, ready to answer the people's call if the people of Russia wish to return the Monarchy. The evil slander of regicides and traitors darkened the life of Emperor Cyril I, but he carried out his royal service with firm faith in God and consciousness of his mission. The outstanding poet of Russian emigration S. Bekhteev wrote about him:

For a holy and great feat
For Rus' and for the Faith of Christ
He went out to violent shouts -
Servant and Protector of the Cross.

He came out without anger, without fear,
Calling to shame the rebels -
Heir to the crown of Monomakh
And the barm of the Orthodox Tsars.

Since 1928, the Sovereign and his family spent most of their time in the Coeur-Argonide estate they acquired in the city of Saint-Briac (Brittany). The death of Empress Victoria Feodorovna in 1936 was a heavy blow for Cyril I. The consequences of the disaster on March 31/April 13, 1904 and longing for the Motherland undermined the Emperor’s strength. In September 1938, signs of gangrene appeared on the Emperor’s legs, which could not be stopped. Emperor Cyril I rested on the eve of his birthday in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine near Paris. On October 6/19, 1938, he was buried next to his wife in the Family Crypt of the Dukes of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha in Coburg, but bequeathed at the first opportunity to rebury him in his homeland. On February 22/March 7, 1995, through the efforts of the Dowager Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna, the ashes of Emperor Kirill I and Empress Victoria Feodorovna were transferred to the Ancestral Tomb of the Romanov Dynasty - the Peter and Paul Cathedral of St. Petersburg. When opening the tombs in Coburg, it was discovered that the remains of the Sovereign were incorruptible. In the history of Russia, Kirill Vladimirovich will forever remain the Tsar-Confessor, who, under the most difficult conditions, preserved the sacred traditions of the Orthodox legal monarchy.

Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, who declared himself in 1924 Emperor of All Russia Kirill I(September 30 (October 13) - October 12) - member of the Russian Imperial Family, cousin of Nicholas II.

Life before the revolution

Having finished the sea cadet corps and Nikolaevskaya maritime academy, from January 1, 1904, Kirill Vladimirovich - head of the naval department of the headquarters of the commander of the fleet in the Pacific Ocean, Vice Admiral Makarov, next to whom he was at the time of his death on March 31, 1904 in the explosion of the flagship Petropavlovsk. However, the Grand Duke, despite being seriously wounded, remained alive. He was later awarded the Golden Arms for his courage.

Life in exile. Self-proclaimed Emperor

The heir to the “Kirillov” line of contenders for supremacy in the Russian Imperial House was his son Vladimir Kirillovich, recognized in this capacity by the majority of members of the House of Romanov living at that time. Unlike his father, he did not proclaim himself Emperor.

The question of the right to the throne

The rights of Kirill (and, thereby, his heirs) to the imperial throne of Russia have been repeatedly questioned from a purely legal point of view, and, paradoxically, the argument most often mentioned by his opponents during his lifetime was participation in the February Revolution (which is also the subject of controversy) , - has perhaps the least “weight” here (by the way, all the great princes were guilty of this in one way or another, including those who subsequently challenged Cyril’s rights as the head of the imperial house in exile).

The problem lies in the application of Articles 183-185 of the Russian Law on Succession to the Throne (however, which lost force after the liquidation of the monarchy in Russia) to Cyril and his descendants:

183. The marriage of each person of the Imperial House requires the permission of the reigning Emperor, and a marriage performed without this permission is not recognized as legal.

184. By the permission of the reigning Emperor, Members of the Imperial House may marry both persons of the Orthodox faith and those of other faiths.

185. The marriage of a male person of the Imperial House, who may have the right to inherit the Throne, with a person of another faith is not performed otherwise than upon her acceptance of the Orthodox confession (Article 62 of the Basic State Laws).

On October 8, 1905, Kirill Vladimirovich married his cousin, Victoria Melita, daughter of the Duke of Edinburgh, divorced wife of Duke Ernst of Hesse-Darmstadt. Three days before the marriage, Emperor Nicholas II deprived Cyril of all rights as a member of the imperial family, including the right to inherit the Throne, since this marriage was not permitted by the Emperor (Article 183); the bride did not intend to accept at the time of marriage Orthodox faith(Article 185); in addition, this marriage, concluded between a cousin and sister, is contrary to Orthodox canons and was not allowed by the civil law of the Russian Empire. Preserved archival discussion materials this issue in the State Council indicate that Nicholas resolutely insisted on depriving his cousin of the rights of succession to the throne, but members State Council They proposed not to announce this decision publicly, because the turn to the throne, “by all human reasoning, will never come to him,” and Nicholas II never signed any decree depriving Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of the rights to the throne.

On July 15, 1907, after Victoria converted to Orthodoxy, Nicholas II recognized this marriage by a personal decree and awarded Kirill’s wife the title “ Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna,” and the daughter Maria Kirillovna born from this marriage was given the title of princess of the imperial blood. It is characteristic that this decision was justified by respect for the petition of Kirill’s father, the emperor’s uncle, Vladimir Alexandrovich.