Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Grand Duke Alexis leaves Paris

August 13, 1891

Grand Duke Alexis of Russia has left Paris for Vichy. Newspapers had published his departure time, which meant that crowds were outside his hotel to see the grand duke get into his carriage and drive off. Crowds "cheered him enthusiastically," and Alexis responded with a bow. There were shouts of "Vive le Russe et la France" and "Vive le Czar!"
Grand Duke Alexis arrived in Vichy later in the afternoon.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

marlene,you are talking about grand duke alexeiof russia (1850-1908),son of tzar alexander II ? what do you know about his morganatic marriage with alexandra zhukovskaya ? who was that lady ? and why did he die of?

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Yes. Will check out the other information for you.

Anonymous said...

aurelie,

I check my files and it is rather unlikely that there was a marriage at all. There is no prove that the Grand Duke even asked the Emperor to get married, even morganatic. And if, they need to have get divorced again as she married in 1875 Baron Christian von Wohrmann.
They had a son Alexis, who was raid to the rang of Count in 1884.

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

I actually wrote an entry about Alexis's life - but I hit the wrong button and it disappeared ... oops .. but will do another one. There are contemporary references to a marriage being annulled by the Emperor. Elizabeth Custer refers to a marriage in her manuscript about Alexis' joining her husband for a buffalo hunt.

Anonymous said...

well bu this is no first hand document
I checked several books and all said there are no first hand documents available; depending which book one consults it is either likely or very unlikely that the Grand Duke contracted a morganic marriage.

By the way; it is usually better to write first in a world doc and save it before posting it... I did ofetn the same as you....

Marlene Eilers Koenig said...

Elizabeth Custer was a contemporary writer who met Alexis when he joined her husband for a buffalo hunt .. there are also contemporary references to a morganatic marriage annulled by the Czar.

Anonymous said...

contemporary references ... is that mean they guessed b/c the Grand Duke and his mistress were openly going out or do they have seen the official documents? Why do you put special trust in Mrs Custer? Was she one of the Grand Duke's mistresses and could have been privy to the secrets of Garnd Duke? Her marriage to the general was quite tumultuous relationship, and an affaire did not lessen their devotion. The Grand Duke joining in a hunt does not indicate particalur closeness.
But I guess that in the end it boils down to what one belives. Final prove might be buried in the Russian archives and yet are undiscovered if ever existed.