Who is Kirill Romanov? Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich: biography
September 30, 1876 – October 12, 1938
eldest son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, third son of Emperor Alexander II, and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna
In 1924, while in exile, he proclaimed himself Emperor of All Russia Kirill I.
Life before the revolution
Born on September 30, 1876 in the family of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna.
Having graduated from the Naval Cadet Corps and the Nikolaev Naval Academy, from January 1, 1904 - 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. Later, for his courage, he was awarded the Golden Weapon.
By 1905-1909, he was in a family conflict with Emperor Nicholas II in connection with his marriage, not sanctioned by the emperor, to Victoria Melita, who was divorced from the brother of the Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Ernst-Ludwig. The marriage was subsequently recognized.
In 1909-1912 he served on the cruiser "Oleg", the last year as commander. From 1913 - in the Guards crew, and from 1914, with the outbreak of the First World War, he continued to serve on the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Since 1915 - commander of the Guards crew. In February 1917, he delivered the Crew Sailors to Petrograd on the orders of General Gurko, knowing about the general's open sabotage of the Emperor's order to send the Uhlan Regiment and hundreds of Cossacks to Petrograd. Some historians [who?] consider this fact as evidence of Kirill’s membership in the Duma officer conspiracy against Nicholas II.
Revolution and Civil War
After the February Revolution of 1917, according to the recollections of most contemporaries and in his own words, he immediately went over to the side of the revolution, wearing the so-called “red bow.” This was later blamed on him by his opponents. Prosecutors typically cite the following evidence:
- “I and the Guards crew entrusted to me fully joined the new government. I am sure that you and the entire part entrusted to you will also join us.
Commander of the Guards crew of His Majesty's Retinue, Rear Admiral Kirill."
- “The appearance of the Grand Duke under the red flag was understood as the refusal of the Imperial family to fight for its prerogatives and as recognition of the fact of the revolution. The defenders of the monarchy became despondent. And a week later, this impression was further strengthened by the appearance in the press of an interview with Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, which began with the words: my janitor and I, we equally saw that with the old government Russia would lose everything. And it ended with a statement that the Grand Duke was pleased to be a free citizen, and that a red flag was flying over his palace.”
General P. Polovtsev.
- “... Even I, as a Grand Duke, didn’t I feel the oppression of the old regime?.. Did I hide my deep beliefs before the people, did I go against the people? Together with my beloved guards crew, I went to the State Duma, this people’s temple... I dare to think that with the fall of the old regime, I will finally be able to breathe freely in a free Russia... Ahead I see only the shining stars of people’s happiness.”
- “Exceptional circumstances require exceptional measures. That is why the imprisonment of Nikolai and his wife is justified by events...”
On the other hand, the mayor of Petrograd A. Balk testified that back on February 27, the Grand Duke offered his Guards crew to fight the riots to the Minister of War, General Belyaev, and the commander of the Petrograd Military District, General Khabalov. When his proposals were not accepted, he, together with his uncle, Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, developed a plan to preserve Emperor Nicholas II on the throne through partial concessions to the moderate wing of the revolutionaries. Since the appeal of the provisional government of February 28, 1917 proclaimed the inviolability of the autocracy, the Grand Duke arrived at the Tauride Palace on March 1 to place his Guards Crew at the disposal of the only state body functioning in Petrograd - the Duma. At the same time, together with Grand Duke Pavel Alexandrovich, he participated in the preparation of a draft manifesto, which they wanted to present to Nicholas II for signature.
Cyrilliad
Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich
During his life, this Grand Duke managed to experience unearthly love, resurrection from the dead, a scandalous marriage, dynastic ostracism, royal favor and commit perjury; he was able to slander the emperor, glorify the revolution, and then proclaim himself Tsar Cyril I. He did not have his own state, but he did have his own table in some French restaurants.
The biography of Grand Duke Kirill was stormy, unpredictable and similar to an adventure poem similar to the famous “Iliad” by Homer.
Kirill was the son of that same Grand Duke Vladimir and Maria Pavlovna, whom we mentioned above. He was born in 1876; he had three more brothers and one sister. Their eldest brother, Alexander, died two years old, and all his mother’s love went to Kirill. He forever remained a “dear boy” for her.
He was a beautiful child with amazing green eyes; he lived in the luxury and comfort of the Vladimir Palace on Palace Embankment and communicated only with those children whom his mother found necessary to allow to him. He quickly learned English, French and German, which he spoke better than Russian. By his own admission, when he got into the fleet, he did not understand the common language, much less the Russian obscenity that the sailors so loved to flaunt.
Kirill's parents decided that their son would serve in the navy. This was already the fourth representative of the Romanov dynasty who was assigned to the navy. Kirill himself liked the maritime business; he began studying at home according to the Naval Cadet Corps program. In 1897-1898, on board the cruiser Rossiya, he made his first long voyage, visiting Japan, Korea, China, and later the USA. He then served in the Baltic and the Black Sea Fleet. A slender, handsome man with pleasant manners, always impeccably dressed, he was a welcome guest at social events and aristocratic receptions. He knew how to make a favorable impression. In 1904 he was awarded the rank of captain of the second rank. He was 28 years old at that time.
Now let's leave the career of Grand Duke Kirill for a while and return to his parents. As we have already said, Kirill’s father, Grand Duke Vladimir, and his mother, Maria Pavlovna, had no shortage of ambitions, because they were considered the next contenders for the throne after the descendants of Alexander III. Due to her dynastic status and irrepressible self-esteem, Maria Pavlovna prepared very thoroughly for the future of her children. Michen certainly wanted them to seal themselves with family ties only with European princesses or princes of the “first” circle. However, as always happens with people with high self-esteem, it turned out badly for her.
When it came to the marriage of her daughter Elena, she rejected several suitors for her daughter’s hand because of their “lack of birth” and continued to look for a suitable match for her. But then chance intervened - the Greek prince Nikolai and Elena Vladimirovna fell in love with each other. It would seem - advice and love to you, my children. But no, on the contrary: Michen reprimanded the girl. Nikolai, she said, is not the future king, he has no fortune, and therefore cannot expect to marry Elena. The girl was horrified by such words, and Prince Nicholas was simply offended. And Michen, with her characteristic persistence, continued to look for suitors for her daughter. Only two years later, when all the options had been sorted out and no one from the “first” circle was found, Maria Pavlovna finally deigned to give her permission for Elena’s marriage to Nikolai the Greek. Thus, Michen's plans for her daughter failed.
It was even more difficult to find worthy matches for my sons. Son Boris, from a young age, led an “absent-minded” lifestyle, and his love affairs became the talk of the town in high society. Boris had a reputation as a rake and womanizer. His “collection” of women included married ladies and young girls of various origins: from aristocrats to ordinary city whores. An Anglomaniac, a gambler and a lover of merry feasts, he was not at all in a hurry to the altar. These adventures of Boris brought the ambitious Maria Pavlovna a lot of worries. In the end, she found what she thought was a suitable bride for her over-aged son - the eldest daughter of Nicholas II, Princess Olga Nikolaevna. But here Mikhen was deeply disappointed. The imperial couple, as soon as they learned about such a plan, immediately came out sharply against it. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna could not even comprehend how Maria Pavlovna came up with this idea. She wrote to her husband, the Emperor, in 1916 that it was impossible to imagine “giving a fresh girl, eighteen years his junior, to a half-worn, jaded man of thirty-eight years old, so that she could live in his house, where he cohabited with so many women.”
I wonder what Michen was counting on? That she, a strong oppositionist to the regime of Nicholas II, would manage to marry her son to the Tsar’s daughter? Isn’t it a lot of honor for the “half-worn out” Boris? As a result, Maria Pavlovna never managed to marry her son. He solved this problem himself. Finding himself in exile, in 1919 he got married in Genoa to the daughter of a colonel, Zinaida Rashevskaya, who by that time had been married and divorced once.
The personal life of another son of Maria Pavlovna, Andrei, was also unsuccessful. For many years he cohabited with the ballerina Matilda Kshesinskaya. She was an interesting lady - her lover was Tsarevich Nicholas (the future Nicholas II), she gave birth to a son from Andrei, while she was the common-law wife of Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich. And in vain they now write that she did it out of love - two great princes and one heir to the throne are not chosen for love at once! Undoubtedly, there was a calculation involved here. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna did not object to this relationship with her son - you never know how many grand dukes cohabited with various singers and dancers. But she was always worried about the thought of a legal wife for Andrei. However, Michen died without seeing her Andrei as a married man and without learning about the family shame. After her death, he married Matilda - in 1921 in Cannes. And how she dreamed that her children would marry members of the reigning families! Thus, with the first three children - Elena, Boris and Andrey, the ambitious Mikhen had, in modern terms, a complete bummer.
She pinned her greatest hopes on her “dear boy” Kirill. When he turned 30, he met a high-born lady who fired his imagination. Although she was not a beauty, Kirill fell head over heels in love with her. They met from time to time and had sweet conversations that brought them closer to each other. Gradually, she also felt that the Grand Duke was “very dear” to her. Kirill was even now ready to marry her, but there was one obstacle - his beloved was already married. Her high position made the issue of divorce too problematic.
Kirill's lady love was his cousin. Her name was Victoria Melita (Melita - because she was born in Malta), Princess of Great Britain and Ireland. She was the granddaughter, on the one hand, of Alexander II, and on the other hand, of the English Queen Victoria (in fact, that’s why she was called that). In 1894, she married Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse, brother of the Russian Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. All her relatives called her Ducky (duck). In 1895, she gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, from the Duke, who died at the age of 8. Another child was stillborn. By 1900, Melita had effectively broken off her relationship with the Duke of Hesse, and a year later the divorce was formalized.
The news of the intention to divorce, and then the divorce itself, shocked Alexandra Fedorovna, who was very close to her brother. She knew that Ludwig and Ducky's life was far from ideal. Melita did not look like a gentle and loving wife, and within a couple of years after the wedding she began to behave inappropriately. The craving for entertainment, the desire to recklessly spend money on jewelry and outfits gave rise to scandals in the family of the Duke of Hesse. Ludwig tried to reason with Victoria and explained that the ducal treasury was not rubber; he cannot go beyond the budget allotted to him. But where is it? Ducky took it all as a personal insult. She did not want to have an explanation with him on such a “minor matter” and demanded only obedience and admiration. Thus, life with Ludwig became “unbearable” for her. Family scandals followed one after another, and Victoria was always their initiator. Melita's self-confidence was added by the fact that among her admirers there was a man who was ready to fulfill her every whim and who idolized her.
Moreover, he had enough money to satisfy all her whims. This person turned out to be the Russian Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich.
The romance between Victoria and Kirill began between 1899 and 1900, during Kirill’s visit to Darmstadt. After Melita's divorce from the Duke of Hesse, their romance could well have ended in a wedding. Maria Pavlovna approved of her son’s action, since this marriage was “ranked” and corresponded to all her ideas about the future wife of her “boy”.
Victoria, having decided to divorce her husband, understood that she would have to explain herself to her numerous relatives throughout Europe. Then she decided to make a cunning move - in order to whitewash herself, she had to denigrate her husband. It is not known who, but someone suggested this to her, since she herself was not very smart. Probably, this could not have happened without such a hardened intriguer as Michen. She was the keeper of Kirill’s heartfelt secret and sympathized with him very much. One way or another, soon a dirty rumor spread across Europe: Ducky cannot be married to Ludwig because he is homosexual! Even to the Party Genos Goebbels said: the more incredible the lie, the faster they will believe it. Rumors about the Duke’s “blueness” were diligently spread by the Vladimirovich family. Kirill’s brother Andrei said that Melita and Ludwig were not happy, since “the Duke had a penchant for boys.” Brother Boris repeated the same thing, and then other “well-wishers” picked it up. For intriguers, this gossip was good because it could not be refuted. The sovereign Duke of Hesse will not publicly prove that he is not a homosexual! The fact that she and Melita had two children was not of fundamental importance. The label of a libertine was hung on the Duke so skillfully that Ducky turned into a victim.
When such rumors reached Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, she was seized with indescribable anger. Dirt on her own brother! For their entire Hessian family! She, of course, knew that Melita had never been distinguished by virtue, she knew that she behaved too relaxedly with men, but she never allowed herself any criticism of her. When this dirty gossip flew out from Daka’s entourage, Alexandra Fedorovna was beside herself with anger. Here it is, black ingratitude! She began to despise the slanderer.
After the divorce, Kirill courted Victoria as best he could. He went with her to the Cote d'Azur and spared no expense. He had the idea of marrying Melita, but there was one obstacle - he had to get the emperor’s consent. The marriage of grand dukes in Russia was considered a matter of primary national importance. After this whole scandalous divorce story, this was out of the question. Kirill was in thought. And I want to, and I inject myself, and the king does not order. And he left in 1901 on a two-year voyage. Let the passions cool down after the divorce. In turn, Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna, who knew about their nephew’s intentions to marry such a disgusting person, hoped that the separation would cool his feelings, and the question of marriage would disappear by itself. But where is it? On the way back to Russia, Kirill and Ducky met in France. She herself came to him at the naval base in Toulon.
By the beginning of 1903, Kirill’s ship was supposed to, having made a stop in Italy, return to its homeland. Nicholas II decided to forestall the development of Kirill’s marriage intentions and sent his brother Boris to him with a letter. This, of course, could not have happened without Alexandra Fedorovna’s instigation. This is what the monarch wrote in it: “Dear Cyril. I am sending Boris with these lines so that he can complement them verbally. You can probably guess what's going on. I have long heard about your unfortunate hobby and, I confess, I hoped that during the two-year voyage these feelings would subside. After all, you know very well that neither church regulations nor our family laws allow marriages between cousins. In no case and for no one will I make an exception to the existing rules concerning members of the Imperial Family. I am writing to you for the purpose of making my point of view completely clear to you. I sincerely advise you to end this matter by explaining to Ducky in writing or through Boris that I absolutely forbid you to marry her. If, nevertheless, you insisted on your own and entered into an illegal marriage, then I warn you that I will deprive you of everything - even the grand ducal title... Believe me, you are not the first to go through such a test: many, just like you, hoped and wanted marriage with cousins, but had to sacrifice their personal feelings to the existing laws. You too, dear Kirill, will do the same, I’m sure of it. May God strengthen you..."
In response, the “knight of the sad image” wrote to the king: “Dear Niki! Boris brought me your letter. Of course, I will not go against your wishes and I clearly understand the impossibility of this marriage. But I ask you one thing: allow me to see Daki and talk to her personally about your decision... It’s still very, very difficult for me. Deeply devoted to You, Kirill.”
Nicholas II sighed with relief - either the threat worked, or Kirill came to his senses. It is difficult to say how further events would have developed if the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 had not broken out. Captain II rank Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich was appointed head of the naval department at the headquarters of the commander of the Pacific Fleet, Admiral Makarov, and left for Port Arthur. After the divorce, Victoria returned to live with her mother in the city of Coburg.
A small digression. Even in the most panegyric works about the personality of Kirill Vladimirovich, we will not find a description of his character, his behavior, his personal qualities. Only facts are given - did such and such, married such and such, served there. Only in the only book - “Port Arthur”, the author of which A. N. Stepanov was a participant in these events, will we find evidence of how Kirill behaved in Arthur. First of all, it was high-born arrogance, incessant drunkenness, debauchery, disregard for all naval norms and traditions, and insubordination. Grand Duke Kirill went to the war as if on a pleasure trip with barbecue and girls. However, reality cooled his riotous ardor in the most literal sense of the word.
Here is how it was. The Japanese blocked Port Arthur from the sea. On April 13, 1904, the Russian squadron, led by the flagship battleship Petropavlovsk, entered the ocean to fight Japanese ships. They managed to drive the Japanese away from the fortress, but on the way back, the Petropavlovsk ran into a mine bank laid by the enemy at night, exploded and sank. Captain II Rank Kirill Vladimirovich was on the battleship along with Admiral S. O. Makarov and the famous artist V. V. Vereshchagin. During the explosion he was thrown overboard, and miraculously survived, suffering only burns and bruises. Of the 711 people on the ship, only eighty were saved; the rest, including Admiral Makarov and Vereshchagin, drowned. At the end of April 1904, Kirill returned to St. Petersburg as a hero and was immediately received by the emperor. After a conversation with the king, he asked him to go abroad for treatment. There was no refusal for a man who had risen from the dead.
He rushed to Europe like “a bullet sent to the target.” Kirill dreamed of meeting Melita, whom he remembered even at the end of the world. In Coburg he was met by his beloved. As it turned out, Kirill did not come to his senses, as Nicholas II had hoped for, and resumed relations with Melita. Prince Ernst Hohenlohe (husband of Daki's sister) informed the king about this. He wrote that Cyril's frequent visits to Coburg had become the subject of lively discussion in the German press and were increasingly compromising Princess Victoria. Only he, as regent of the ducal house, can protect her from attacks. Ernst considered the way out of this delicate situation to be a marriage between Cyril and Melita, since the Grand Duke “has the firm intention of getting married.” Duke Hohenlohe is well aware that, according to the canons of the Orthodox Church, marriage between cousins is impossible, and therefore invited them to enter into a civil marriage. This marriage could be kept secret until the end of the war, and after the war all the details of the marriage would be settled.
Nicholas II realized that Cyril had deceived him, promising to fulfill the will of the sovereign, and again insists on marriage. Prince Ernst's letter is a touchstone, probably inspired by Cyril himself. Therefore, he gave an answer to the prince, more intended for Kirill himself: “I received your Highness’s letter and I must admit, it surprised and upset me very much. Knowing perfectly well my point of view, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich should have foreseen the only possible result of this petition. Neither the fundamental Laws of our family, nor the very precise rules of our Orthodox Church give me the right to tolerate a marriage between the Grand Duke and his cousin. The Grand Duke knows very well that such a marriage would have its immediate and inevitable consequences: 1 - his exclusion from service; 2 – prohibiting him from returning to Russia; 3 – loss of the title of Grand Duke, and 4 – deprivation of his income from specific amounts. As for the secret marriage, I have difficulty understanding how it could contribute to rehabilitation and how I could ignore it ... "
So - Nicholas II threatened Kirill, if he did not give up his idea, with new punishments: in addition to deprivation of the grand ducal title, also expulsion from service, expulsion from Russia and refusal of financial support.
Formally, the main reason for Kirill’s refusal to marry his cousin was church rules, but Kirill’s brother Andrei assumed that Empress Alexandra Feodorovna was behind all this, “who was unpleasant to see her brother’s divorced wife as one of the senior Grand Duchesses.” He was echoed by General Mosolov, head of the office of the Ministry of the Court, expressing the opinion of high society: “The drastic measure taken in relation to Kirill Vladimirovich, of course, was attributed mainly to the influence of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna...”
The emperor's threats again seemed to have an effect on Kirill, and in the fall of 1904 he returned to Russia after treatment abroad and entered service at the headquarters of the Admiralty. Looking ahead, let's say that after swimming in the Yellow Sea he was no longer drawn to swimming; he rarely went to sea, and in the First World War he headed the Guards Fleet Crew - generally a land-based organization by nature. However, he did not endure until the end of the war; he wanted to see his beloved again, and under the guise of continuing treatment at the beginning of 1905, he again left for Europe. He lived mainly in Coburg with his Melita and only occasionally, for formality, visited a sanatorium near Munich.
While Kirill was walking around Europe, heavy artillery was used. Michen, who was very sympathetic to her “dear boy” and wanted him to marry Melita, became his intercessor in St. Petersburg. First of all, Mikhen met with the Chief Prosecutor of the Synod, Izvolsky, and the Minister of Justice, Shcheglovitov. Both were against the marriage of Kirill and his cousin for church reasons, but stated that if this happened, then with the fait accompli one must rely on the “will of the Sovereign.” Thus, both scoundrels shifted all responsibility onto the king. Well, against the Tsar - so against the Tsar, and Michen seeks a meeting with Nicholas II. Knowing the emperor’s characteristic stubbornness and dislike for revising his own decisions, she considered her attempt to dissuade him from sanctions against Cyril almost hopeless. And she was not mistaken - the king firmly stood his ground, although Mikhen gave him historical examples. Having weighed all the circumstances and arguments, the Vladimirovich family decided “that it doesn’t matter, there is no other choice but for Kirill to marry secretly.” Thus, the worst option of all possible was chosen, and the wedding was scheduled for September 25, 1905.
The Orthodox home church in the house of Count Adlerberg in Tegernsee near Munich was chosen as the wedding venue. The bride retained her Lutheran faith and only later converted to Orthodoxy. The celebration was very modest. In addition to Ducky's mother, there were her chamberlain, two ladies-in-waiting, the bride's younger sister Beatrice, the master of the house and his housekeeper. “So finally we united our destinies,” Kirill wrote, “to go through life together, sharing all its great joys and sorrows...” It must be said that they really went through life together, and Victoria supported Kirill in everything, even in his absurd claims.
So, the secret wedding took place. It's time to think about what to do next. It was decided that Kirill should immediately go to St. Petersburg and confront the Tsar with a fait accompli. The calculation was based on the fact that Nicholas II would not know anything about Kirill’s trick, and having repented, he could expect a mitigation of the punishment.
However, Nicholas II learned about the wedding in Tegernsee a day before Kirill Vladimirovich’s arrival in St. Petersburg. The news of Cyril’s act caused him deep indignation, because he twice violated the law: dynastic (disregarding the tsar’s ban) and church (by marrying his cousin). And at the same time he had the audacity to come to the capital to explain himself! “I must admit that this impudence made me terribly angry because he knew very well that he had no right to come after the wedding,” Nicholas II wrote to his mother Maria Feodorovna. The Dowager Empress was also indignant. In her response letter to her son, she exclaimed: “Kirill’s wedding and his arrival in St. Petersburg? This is such stupid impudence, unprecedented. How dare he come to you after this act, knowing full well what awaits him, and put you in this terrible situation. This is simply shameless, and Aunt Michen’s behavior in this story is simply inexplicable... What angers me most is that they think only about themselves and essentially mock all principles and laws, and this is even in such a difficult and dangerous time, when you already have enough torment and worry without it.” Wise Maria Feodorovna was right - Kirill decided to get married on the quiet, since the 1905 revolution was blazing in the country.
Tsar Kirill did not accept. And he didn’t even bother talking to him. Even before Kirill’s arrival in St. Petersburg, the Minister of the Court, Baron Frederick, appeared to his father, Grand Duke Vladimir, with the highest order for Kirill to immediately leave Russia without the right of return and with a notification that all previously provided sanctions would be immediately carried out. The indignant Vladimir Alexandrovich immediately went to Peterhof to force his nephew to cancel these sanctions against Kirill. The explanation was stormy - the uncle directly shouted at the tsar, but he calmly and calmly replied that Kirill had broken the law and must answer for it. Grand Duke Vladimir was seething with anger, convinced that his son had fallen “a victim of intrigue,” and tried to convince Nicholas II that Kirill had been seduced by a “depraved” woman and was worthy of pity. But the king was adamant. Then the uncle pointedly declared that after the insult inflicted on him by his eldest son, he could not remain as commander of the St. Petersburg Military District. In turn, Nicholas II flared up - the resignation of the Grand Duke was accepted immediately! The king's uncle never expected such an offense from his nephew, since he always pushed him around. This had a great effect on him. “He never recovered from this blow,” wrote his son Andrei.
But how did Michen behave at that time, because it was only thanks to her intrigues that this mess started brewing? And she sat quietly, like a mouse under a broom, and did not poke her head out during this whole storm. And only when the storm had passed, she rushed to the defense of her son with her entire Vladimirovich clan. Out of indignation at the “royal injustice” she lost sleep and appetite. Maria Pavlovna had not felt sympathy for a long time either for the emperor, or for the empress, or for the Alexandrovich clan in general, but now her attitude towards them grew into hatred. Nicholas II was not mistaken about this and wrote to his mother: “It would be interesting to know what Aunt Michen thinks? How she must have hated us!”
On October 2, 1905, the emperor ordered Kirill to be expelled from service, to leave Russia within 48 hours, to prohibit him from coming to his homeland, and to stop releasing the grand ducal salary due to him. True, a few months later, Nicholas II still ordered to pay Kirill 100 thousand rubles “for the offspring that may come from him.” It did not come to the point of threatening to deprive Cyril of his grand ducal title. On the occasion of the name day of the heir-Tsarevich Alexei, Nicholas II decided to cancel this punishment.
I wonder what it was like - this was a grand ducal salary; We have encountered this problem more than once, and we will encounter it again. We need to make this clear. So, each Grand Duke who reached the age of majority was entitled to 200 thousand rubles a year from specific sums for life. Each of the Grand Duchesses was given a dowry of one million rubles upon marriage. Princes and princesses received another million at birth. And all payments were limited to this.
Where does this money come from, you ask. The income of the imperial court under Nicholas II consisted of three sources: 1) annual allocations from the State Treasury for the maintenance of the imperial family in the amount of 11 million rubles; 2) interest on capital stored in foreign banks; 3) income from specific lands. At the beginning of each year, the sovereign could count on 20 million rubles for the maintenance of the court and the entire Romanov family.
Even in the old days, the first king of the Romanov dynasty, Mikhail Fedorovich, had his own estates, which were passed on by inheritance. The next Romanovs multiplied them. (Do you know where the expression “Kazan orphan” came from? And this is what Catherine II answered in the census questionnaire. She really was an orphan, and in the Kazan province she had extensive estates.) Then more lands, mines, and factories were added to them and factories, vineyards, gold mines and similar property. It was not for nothing that they said that the Tsar was the first landowner in Rus'. A colossal number of people worked for the Romanovs in Russia; their enterprises generated huge income. A special specific department was created, which dealt with these matters. This is where the money came from both for the king himself and for the great princes. True, under certain circumstances they could take out a loan from the State Bank, but this was practiced only in exceptional cases.
Thus, at the end of 1905, Kirill and his passion found themselves in exile. Here it must be said that they were the same age - both were born in 1876 - and at the time of their marriage they were 29 years old. In Europe, the newlyweds lived happily. They spent time either in Coburg or in Cannes on the coast of France, where they lived in a luxurious villa and generally spent their lives carefree; Ducky was painting something, they were riding on their own yacht, making visits and receiving guests. In general, a complete idyll. Parents on both sides helped them with money. The revolution of 1905 in Russia, all these riots and strikes, armed uprisings and pogroms of noble estates passed them by. Yes, they were not interested in it. The storms of the revolution did not rock their “love boat.” The couple waited and believed that sooner or later everything would work out.
At the end of 1906, it became known that Victoria was expecting a child. Nicholas II had to rack his brains again about how to deal with this: after all, the situation was ambiguous. In the case of unequal marriages of grand dukes, say, with simple noblewomen, their children did not have the right to inherit the throne. Although this norm of the law was purely theoretical, violators of this very law stubbornly clung to it - what if? But the marriage of Cyril and Melita was completely different. Victoria was not an ordinary noblewoman. On her mother's side she was the granddaughter of Alexander II, and on her father's side she was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria of England. In turn, Kirill was also the grandson of Alexander II. How can we be here? And Nicholas II was forced to return to Kirill’s matrimonial affairs. To begin with, he sent to Maria Pavlovna her old acquaintances - Chief Prosecutor of the Synod Izvolsky and Minister of Justice Shcheglovitov, through whom he proposed to Kirill to dissolve the marriage. Michen, in turn, argued that Kirill’s offspring from Daki cannot be considered unequal, since the parents are equal. The only way out of this situation would be to recognize their marriage. The Holy Synod also refused to dissolve this marriage, since it was recorded in the church books correctly, the sacrament of the wedding was correct, and nothing else gave reasons for divorce. After a long discussion with Maria Pavlovna, the royal dignitaries advised her to write a letter to the minister of the royal court, Baron Fredericks, and even helped her draft a draft. The cunning foxes Izvolsky and Shcheglovitov knew that it would certainly fall into the hands of Nicholas II. The letter was written on behalf of Andrei Vladimirovich, in which he complained: “The brother’s position is becoming painfully abnormal, unnatural, and all the injustice will fall on the heads of innocent children, from whom it is impossible to demand an account for the actions of their parents.”
As the crafty courtiers hoped, it happened - the emperor read the letter and in January 1907 responded to it as follows: “I cannot recognize the marriage of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich. The Grand Duke and any descendants that may arise from him will be deprived of their rights to succession to the throne. In my concern for the fate of the offspring of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, in the event of the birth of children from him, I grant to these latter the surname of the princes Kirillovsky with the title of Lordship and with leave for each of them from the Destinations for education and maintenance of 12,500 rubles per year until they reach civil adulthood " Thus, the tsar gave Cyril’s children a title and money for education, but only until they reached adulthood.
On January 20, 1907, Melita gave birth to a daughter, Maria. In this regard, Nicholas II returned to this issue and convened a meeting of lawyers and legal experts chaired by Prime Minister Stolypin. They judged and judged this way and that - it turned out that the emperor was wrong, and Cyril’s children still have the right to succession to the throne. Therefore, Nicholas II decided “to know nothing about this at all,” and this meeting did not come up with any resolutions. However, the situation soon changed - in April 1907, the Tsar’s cousin Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr. married the Montenegrin princess Stana, who was married to the Duke of Leuchtenberg before the divorce (we have already talked about this earlier). This was very reminiscent of Kirill’s marriage - a marriage with a divorced relative. The Tsar did not dare to refuse Uncle Nikolasha, and his wife immediately received the title of Grand Duchess with all the ensuing consequences.
It was after this event that Nicholas II realized that it was impossible to leave Cyril’s fate in limbo any longer, and changed his anger to mercy. On July 15, 1907, he recognized his marriage to Victoria Melita, and declared the newborn Maria a princess of imperial blood.
However, the emperor did not remove the remaining punishments from Kirill, including the right to return to Russia. In 1908, Kirill came to the funeral of his uncle, Admiral General Alexei Alexandrovich, and in 1909 he attended the burial of his father, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich. In the same 1909, Kirill had another daughter, Kira, born in Paris, and Nicholas II personally “deigned to be” her godfather. A little later, the emperor allowed Kirill and his family to return to Russia and reinstated him in service. In September 1909, he was appointed senior officer on the cruiser "Oleg", and in 1910 he was awarded the rank of captain 1st rank.
Thus, Cyril was completely rehabilitated, and he became the third contender for the royal throne in the empire (after the brother of Emperor Mikhail and heir Tsarevich Alexei). Let us remember this important point – we will return to it later.
Nicholas II took this step so as not to aggravate the split within the dynasty. He showed truly royal generosity. The culprit of the scandal in the noble family wrote: “When I returned to my homeland, and all the strife came to an end,” the king and queen “were infinitely kind to me and Daki.” We will also remember these words of Kirill, since later he will throw mud at these good people.
During the period of complete dynastic rehabilitation of Kirill, another event occurred that, it would seem, had nothing in common with the first: Maria Pavlovna converted to Orthodoxy. Why? Pretentious and calculating, Michen looked to the future. We have already written that by right of birthright, her husband Vladimir could well have become the Russian Tsar, and she, accordingly, the Tsarina. But during the life of Vladimir’s elder brother Alexander III and the presence of two heirs-sons, this was unrealistic. Now the situation has changed radically - Alexander III died, his weak-willed son Nicholas II sat on the throne; his brother Mikhail, judging by his behavior, was bound to marry some kind of twit and thus lose his right to the throne, and Nicholas II’s son, Tsarevich Alexei, was seriously ill with hemophilia. Thus, Cyril’s prospects for becoming a monarch were quite clear. So Maria Pavlovna decided to be baptized into Orthodoxy - after all, the Tsar’s mother must profess the state religion! True, the dynastic law implied that she should be Orthodox at the time of the birth of the future king, but these were details that could easily be circumvented on occasion.
Thus, Michen prepared to jump to the throne. In the meantime, Cyril and Melita enjoyed the grand ducal life in St. Petersburg. They were received at the Court and enjoyed all the honors due to them. But there was no closeness between them and the royal family. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna did not forget Melita's slander against her brother. In turn, the Vladimirovich clan did not forget the “insult” inflicted on them by the crown bearers. In this confrontation, Michen set the tone, and she was not distinguished by either a short memory or nobility of soul.
With the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914, the Vladimir Palace became the center of dynastic opposition to Nicholas II. In violation of all written and unwritten rules, disregarding all traditions, Maria Pavlovna behaved as if she was waiting for the collapse of the monarch. There were no such insults that would not have sounded from her lips in relation to the king and queen; There were no aspects of state policy that Michen and his entourage did not defame and ridicule. Her sons - Kirill, Andrei and Boris - agreed with her, since, due to their limited mental abilities, they could not compete with their mother in such insinuations.
Maria Pavlovna's daughter-in-law, Victoria Melita, was also very “oppositional.” She listened to Michen’s speeches and agreed with her in everything. Daki could not stand the empress, did not respect Nicholas II, everything in Russia seemed wrong to her. Without even learning to speak Russian, she made sure to express critical remarks about the state of affairs in Russia in good English or French at every opportunity. Melita could not invent anything of her own due to her feeble mind and only sang along with Maria Pavlovna.
The latter, sitting in her luxurious apartment, hung with sapphires and emeralds, poured out such blasphemy against the authorities that revolutionary agitators could learn from her. Moreover, these statements were heard not only by those close to her, but also by numerous guests from among both compatriots and foreigners. In the end, Michen agreed that the Empress “Alexandra Feodorovna and her clique must be destroyed.” She hoped that in the event of a dynastic coup, her son Cyril would become king.
The most amazing thing is that the soft-bodied and weak-willed Nicholas II did not react to this in any way, although if another tsar had been in his place, he would have sent this Michen to hard labor in Siberia until he had worn off three pairs of shackles. Opposition to the course of Nicholas II among the Romanov family did exist, but they chatted more and engaged in empty hot air. Not that there were any real attempts on their part to throw Nicholas II off the throne, but there weren’t even any such plans. But this is a separate interesting topic that is not included in our story.
What Michen so passionately dreamed of happened in March 1917 - Nicholas II abdicated power for himself and for his heir Alexei in favor of his brother Mikhail. The next day he also abdicated the throne. It seemed that Kirill, as the next contender for the throne, had the cards in his hands - take power and rule the country in difficult times of trials. For this you will be honored and praised by the entire Russian people! But no, he decided to do differently - he swore allegiance to the Provisional Government!
However, let's finish the story about Maria Pavlovna. At the beginning of 1917, while leaving for treatment in Kislovodsk, she declared before leaving that she would “return when it’s all over.” Her premonitions did not deceive her - soon it really was all over, both for the monarchy as a whole, and for Michen personally and for all her offspring.
Now it’s time to return to Kirill. In August 1914, he went into the active army, where he was assigned to serve in the naval department at the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. In 1914, 1915 and 1916, he repeatedly went to the troops, but it was difficult for him, a naval officer, to find work there. In 1916, Kirill received the rank of rear admiral, and Daki worked in the Red Cross units. At the very beginning of 1917, Kirill went to Murmansk to receive three warships purchased from Japan. Melita at that time was in Iasi, where she was completing the next shipment of medicines for the Romanian army. For this “dedicated work” she was awarded the St. George combat medals “For Bravery” three times. In February 1917, she returned to Petrograd, where Kirill, by that time appointed commander of the Guards naval crew, was already waiting for her.
During these February days, a major metamorphosis occurred with Kirill. Unrest broke out in Petrograd, the Tsar abdicated the throne, and power in the country passed to the Provisional Government, based in the Tauride Palace. On March 1, 1917, even before the official abdication of Nicholas II, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich brought his entire Guards crew under the walls of the palace and declared allegiance to the new government. I wonder what motivated him, what benefit he was looking for for himself? Instead of fighting for the throne, which was rightfully his, Kirill swore an oath to a bunch of Duma talkers who promised democracy for the country. So, he was also for “freedom”? But what about the monarchy, which his mother so passionately dreamed of? Most likely, Kirill did not think about anything, but simply made a beautiful gesture. That’s what I am, they say – a Grand Duke, and also for the republic!
But before that, he did everything to save the monarchy! Remember - first he signed the Manifesto, drawn up by Pavel Alexandrovich on behalf of the Tsar, on the creation of a new government in accordance with the requirements of the Duma. The Empress did not sign it in the absence of Nicholas II. And the day before the king’s abdication, he committed this extravagant act!
Some eyewitnesses say that Kirill walked to the Tauride Palace, putting a red bow on his black naval overcoat. It must have been beautiful - red on black. The same red bows adorned the chests of all his sailors. It is interesting that he brought the Guards naval crew from Tsarskoye Selo, where he was guarding the sovereign’s family there. Thus, Cyril left a defenseless woman, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, and her children to be torn to pieces by unbridled soldiers. According to some eyewitnesses, Kirill also hung a red flag on the roof of his Petrograd palace.
Grand Duke Kirill was met on the steps of the Tauride Palace by the Chairman of the State Duma M. Rodzianko himself. Then an interview with Kirill Vladimirovich appeared in the newspapers, in which he stated that he had never approved of the emperor’s policies and now could finally “breathe freely”: “Even I, as a Grand Duke, didn’t I experience the oppression of the old regime? Was I calm for even a minute that when talking with a loved one, I would not be overheard... Did I hide my deep beliefs before the people, did I go against the people? Together with my beloved Guards crew, I came to the State Duma, this people's temple... I dare to think that with the fall of the old regime, I will finally be able to breathe freely in a free Russia... ahead I see only the shining stars of people's happiness..." (That's because " a fighter for the people's happiness has been found!)
Kirill's act caused a negative attitude not only from members of the imperial family, but also from individual members of the Provisional Government, not to mention the military. General P. A. Polovtsov, commander of the Petrograd Military District in 1917, for example, wrote: “The appearance of the Grand Duke under the red flag was accepted as the refusal of the Imperial Family to fight for its prerogatives and as recognition of the fact of the revolution. The defenders of the monarchy became despondent. And a week later, this impression was further strengthened by the appearance in the Birzhevye Vedomosti of an interview with Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, which began with the words: “my janitor and I, we equally saw that with the old government Russia would lose everything,” and ended with the statement that the Grand Duke pleased to be a free citizen and to have the red flag flying over his palace.”
Chairman of the State Duma M. Rodzianko assessed Kirill’s act as follows: “The arrival of a member of the Imperial House with a red bow on his chest at the head of the part of the troops entrusted to his command marked a clear violation of the oath to the Sovereign Emperor and meant the complete disintegration of the idea of the existing state system not only in the minds of society, but even among the members of the Royal House." As we see, even such an ardent democrat as Rodzianko regarded Kirill’s act as a betrayal.
However, this is not all the “miracles” that Kirill performed. He gave the new government the following receipt: “Concerning our rights, and in particular mine, to succession to the throne, I, passionately loving my Motherland, fully join the thoughts expressed in the act of refusal of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.”
Now this is interesting. Let us recall that Mikhail Alexandrovich, the younger brother of the Tsar, in whose favor Nicholas II abdicated, left it to the Constituent Assembly to decide which method of government was suitable for Russia - a republic or a monarchy. Let's remember this fact.
Even before his famous trip to the Duma, Kirill sent notes to the commanders of the Tsarskoye Selo garrison units with the following content: “I and the Guards Crew entrusted to me have fully joined the new government. I am sure that you and the entire part entrusted to you will also join us. Commander of the Guards Crew, His Majesty's Retinue, Rear Admiral Kirill." What the hell to “His Majesty’s Retinue”, because he betrayed this very “Majesty”! And all this was done not by some exalted young man, but by a completely adult 41-year-old man!
Now Cyril’s supporters are trying to refute everything that could discredit the Grand Duke. And the red bow, they say, was not on his chest (alternatively, it was confused with one of the foreign orders). And he did not hang the scarlet banner over his palace. And he didn’t give any interviews, but the newspapermen lied to everyone (well, just like now: as soon as the journalists are to blame). He himself, in his emigrant memoirs, explained his coming to the Duma with a desire to save his unit from decay and an attempt to preserve the monarchy.
“Save the monarchy”... But how? So, how did the Tsar’s brother Mikhail Alexandrovich decide, allowing the Constituent Assembly to resolve this issue? But the deputies could also vote against the monarchy! And everything was moving towards this - without waiting for the decision of the Constituent Assembly on the method of power, without having the right to do so, the Provisional Government declared Russia a republic on September 1, 1917! Kirill chose a rather strange way to “preserve the monarchy”...
Passions about the notorious “red bow” have not subsided to this day. Whether there was a bow or not is not the point. But the important thing is that even before the official abdication of the tsar, he betrayed the military oath and the grand-ducal oath (all the young men from the House of Romanov took the oath to the emperor at the age of 20; Kirill also took it). Thus, he committed perjury. The first time he broke his word given to the Tsar in 1905 - not to marry Daki, and the second time - in February 1917. Truly, he who betrayed once can betray a second time.
Many people in the emigration of that time and in Russia believed that by his actions Kirill contributed to the fall of the monarchy. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna also had no doubts about this. On March 3, 1917, she wrote to Nicholas II: “In the city, Daki’s husband behaves disgustingly, although he pretends to be trying for the monarch and his homeland.”
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Nicholas II's cousin, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, declared himself Guardian of the Throne in 1922, and on August 31, 1924, accepted the title of Emperor of All-Russia Kirill I.
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, in a letter signed by himself and the signatures of his sons Princes Andrei, Fyodor, Nikita and Rostislav Alexandrovich, addressed the Sovereign Kirill Vladimirovich: “We pray to God to give You the strength to fulfill the difficult feat that You have taken upon yourself, obeying the Fundamental Laws State. We submit to You and are ready to serve our deeply beloved Motherland, as the Fathers and Grandfathers served it, following their behests... Dmitry is not with us, he works in New York, we informed him about our letter to You." The youngest son of Alexander Mikhailovich, Prince Vasily, according to the Basic Laws, had not yet reached adulthood...
The son of Kirill Vladimirovich said that his parents left St. Petersburg during the period of the Provisional Government, during a time of comparative calm*.
Here is what the French ambassador to Russia Maurice Paleologue wrote about Kirill Vladimirovich’s attitude towards the Provisional Government:
“Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich declared himself for the Duma.
He did more. Forgetting the oath of allegiance and the title of aide-de-camp, which he received from the emperor, he went today at four o'clock to bow before the power of the people. They saw how, in his uniform as a captain of the 1st rank, he led the guards crews, of which he was the chief, to the Tauride Palace and presented them at the disposal of the rebel authorities."**
The paleologist was a great friend of Kirill Vladimirovich’s mother, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (the elder), and it is difficult to accuse him of biased assessments...***
In the above-mentioned interview, Vladimir Kirillovich did not tell the family legend about the flight of his parents from Petrograd. Alexander Mikhailovich recalled this from the words of Kirill Vladimirovich: “He crossed the frozen Gulf of Finland on foot, carrying his pregnant wife Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna in his arms, and they were chased by Bolshevik patrols...”****
In Finland in August 1917, the third child in the family of Kirill Vladimirovich, Prince Vladimir, was born. According to the laws of the Russian Empire, he could no longer bear the title of Grand Duke, but, as the great-grandson of the emperor, he was only a prince of the imperial blood. However, after Kirill Vladimirovich declared himself emperor, his son became heir to the throne and Grand Duke.
Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna - Victoria Melita, whose family name was Duchy - was the daughter of Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Alexander II. Maria Alexandrovna was the sister of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich - Kirill's father. Thus, Victoria Melita and Kirill Vladimirovich were cousins. The Russian Orthodox Church did not approve of such marriages; moreover, Victoria was divorced from the brother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the Grand Duke of Hesse Ernst Ludwig. (Victoria Melita had a daughter, Elizabeth, who remained with her father after the divorce, but soon died. The Grand Duke, by the way, was also Victoria Melita’s cousin: his mother Alice was the daughter of Queen Victoria, the sister of Duke Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.)
* Vronskaya J. Crown of the Russian Empire // Ogonyok. 1990. No. 2. P. 28.
** Palaiologist M. Tsarist Russia on the eve of the revolution. M., 1991. P. 353.
***According to the recollections of Colonel B.A. Engelhardt, a participant in those events, the picture seems somewhat different: “At the head of the guards crew, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich appeared. He came into my office. Contrary to existing stories, he did not have a shoulder of a red bow. He seemed dejected, depressed: obviously, it was not easy for the Tsar’s cousin to take part in the revolutionary procession. He nevertheless decided to do it, thinking with such a gesture to retain control of the unit in his hands "(Engelhardt B.A. The first chaotic days of the revolution 1917 (From the memoirs of a former member of the State Duma) // Today (Riga). 1937. April 29). Note comp.
**** Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich. Book of Memories. Paris, 1980. P. 323.
Kirill Vladimirovich promised Nicholas II that he would not marry Victoria, but he did not keep his promise. The emperor even wanted to deprive him of the title of Grand Duke, but Vladimir Alexandrovich tearfully asked for his son, and the august nephew could not refuse his uncle.
After the death of Kirill Vladimirovich in 1938, Vladimir Kirillovich did not dare to proclaim himself emperor, remaining the Head of the Russian Imperial House. He was recognized by all three surviving grand dukes by that time - Boris and Andrei Vladimirovich and Dmitry Pavlovich and princes Gabriel Konstantinovich and Vsevolod Ioannovich. The sons of Alexander Mikhailovich, who died in 1933, did not sign the application to recognize Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich as the Head of the House as members of the Imperial House, but in a private letter to Andrei Vladimirovich, the eldest of the brothers, Andrei Alexandrovich, unconditionally recognized the rights of Vladimir Kirillovich: “I personally recognized Kirill as the same Now I recognize his son."*
In August 1948, Vladimir Kirillovich married Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Mukhranskaya. This marriage was recognized as equal, since until 1801 the Bagrations were a royal dynasty, and the ruling princes Bagration-Mukhrani were a branch of the Bagrations*.
* Succession to the Russian Imperial throne. Los Angeles, 1985, p. 71.
Previously, Leonida Georgievna was in a civil marriage with the American Sumner Kirby (died in April 1945), having a daughter Elena from him. Leonida Georgievna's mother, née Zlotnitskaya, belonged to an old Polish noble family that intermarried with the Georgian nobility (her mother was the Georgian princess Maria Eristavova). The marriage of Elena Sigismundovna Zlotnitskaya with Prince Georgy Alexandrovich Bagration-Mukhransky, according to the traditions of the royal house of Georgia, was dynastic.
Vladimir Kirillovich and Leonida Georgievna had a daughter, Maria, in December 1953. When she reached dynastic adulthood, Vladimir Kirillovich issued the “Act on the establishment, upon his death, of the Guardianship of the Russian Imperial Throne in the person of his daughter.” Mary was called the only legitimate heir, since all possible applicants for the guardianship of the throne in the male line were in morganatic marriages and, therefore, were deprived of all rights of succession to the throne.
* The issue of succession to the throne is discussed in detail in the article by S. V. Dumin “The Right to the Throne” (Rodina. 1993. No. 1. P. 38-43). Note comp.
The rescript, in which Vladimir Kirillovich did not recognize the marriages of his relatives, and called their children not Romanovs, but Romanovskys, as princes who belonged to collateral lines of the family, caused a serious quarrel in the Romanov family. After declaring Mary heir to the throne, princes Andrei Alexandrovich, Roman Petrovich and Vsevolod Ioannovich stated that they, in particular, did not recognize her right to the throne: “... we consider the proclamation of Princess Maria Vladimirovna as the future head of the Russian Imperial House as an act of arbitrariness and lawlessness.” *.
In 1976, Maria Vladimirovna married Franz Wilhelm, Prince of Prussia, great-grandson of Emperor Wilhelm II. He was granted the title of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich, which also outraged the descendants of the Romanov dynasty. The birth of Maria Vladimirovna's son Georgy in March 1981 led to a new wave of rejection from relatives. Prince Vasily Alexandrovich, by that time the “elder” of the Romanov family, published a statement that could not but hurt Vladimir Kirillovich: “The happy event in the Prussian royal house has nothing to do with the Romanovs, since the newborn prince does not belong either to the Russian Imperial House or to to the Romanov family"**.
Vladimir Kirillovich died on April 21, 1992 in Miami (USA). The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad refused to perform his funeral service. He was buried at the end of May of the same year in St. Petersburg, in the Peter and Paul Fortress, in the former grand ducal tomb.
Maria Vladimirovna declared herself the Head of the Russian Imperial House. Her arrival in Moscow and St. Petersburg with her mother and son shows that she does not intend to deviate from the course chosen by her father for rapprochement with Russia and the Russian leadership.
Meanwhile, at the end of June 1992, male representatives of the Romanov descendants gathered in Paris: princes Nikolai Romanovich (Italy), Dmitry Romanovich (Copenhagen), Andrei Andreevich (San Francisco), Nikita and Alexander Nikitovich (New York), Mikhail Fedorovich ( Paris) and Rostislav Rostislavovich (London). They had to agree on who would officially become the head of the family. No decision was made, but Prince Nicholas stated: “The Russian imperial dynasty no longer has a head, and the Russian people themselves must make their own decision in this regard.”***.
* Gorokhov D. The Romanovs: the fate of the dynasty // Echo of the Planet. 1990. No. 16. P. 33.
** Ibid. P. 34.
***Echo of the planet. 1992. No. 30. P. 24.
So Kirill Romanov, whom we know as the founder of the Mukhosranskys who are actively jumping today in Russia, had parents who hated the royal couple and even wanted to kill at least the queen. His father was the brother of Alexander III.
An amazingly cursed branch, they resemble Ukrainian Westerners.
And the Bolsheviks and the common people are to blame for the destruction of the Empire and the murder of the royal family, yeah.
Original taken from screen in the Romanovs yesterday and today. Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich and his heirs (part 1)
More than ten years have passed since the activities of the family of Vladimir Kirillovich Romanov and his relatives - his wife (now widow) Leonida Georgievna and their daughter Maria Vladimirovna - intensified in Russia. Since January 1990, when the Ogonyok magazine published the first lengthy interview in Russia with the “Grand Duke” Vladimir Kirillovich, newspapers and magazines began vying with each other to publish materials about this family. Many Russians learned for the first time that after the villainous murder of Nicholas II and His family in 1918, the dynasty was not interrupted and that now there is a “legal heir to the Russian throne”, that there is a “crown prince who, after the death of his grandfather, has the right to take the royal throne”...
However, the mysterious and unexpected death of Vladimir Kirillovich accelerated events that were not fully disclosed to wide circles of the Russian population. The press began to talk, as a self-evident fact, about the “legal” rights of Vladimir Kirillovich’s daughter, Maria Vladimirovna, and her son George to the Russian throne. But is this really so and who are these people who represent, as they assure everyone of this, the legal heirs of the Romanov dynasty, which ruled Russia for more than 300 years?
VLADIMIR ALEXANDROVICH (10.04.1847-4.02.1909)
Vladimir Kirillovich's grandfather, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, was the son of Emperor Alexander II and the brother of Emperor Alexander III.
On August 16, 1874, with the blessing of his father, Vladimir Alexandrovich married Maria, daughter of the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (2/14.05.1854 - 6.09.1920). By religion, Mary was a Lutheran. Such a marriage was permitted in accordance with Article 184 of the Establishment of the Imperial Family:
However, such a marriage, which had far-reaching consequences, although it was allowed, came into conflict with the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire regarding succession to the throne.
Let us give a rather extensive quote from Professor N.D. Talberg’s article “Thoughts of an Old Monarchist,” published in 1966 in Russian Life:
“Neglect of the Basic Laws was first shown in 1922, when Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich declared himself “Guardian of the Throne,” from which time the split began among foreign monarchists... The proclamation of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich was completely inconsistent with the law. Book Kirill Vladimirovich himself as Emperor in 1924. In this case, Article 142 of the Basic Laws (Article 185 of the 1905 edition) was clearly violated, which states: “The marriage of a male person of the Imperial House, who may have the right to Succession to the Throne, with a special other faith is not performed otherwise, as according to her perception of the right of her Orthodox religion.” The spouses of Grand Dukes Vladimir Alexandrovich and his eldest son Kirill were not Orthodox when they married...
In 1886, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, being the chairman of the Highly approved Commission for the revision of the Institution of the Imperial Family, carried out a new edition of this article, which previously limited his rights. Instead of “Marriage of a male person of the Imperial House who may have the right to inherit the Throne,” Vel. Book Vladimir Alexandrovich wrote: “Marriage of the Heir to the Throne and the eldest male person in his generation.”
Emperor Alexander III, however, by decree to the Senate on June 6, 1889, ordered: “Having recognized it as good to restore the validity of Article 142 of the Code of Basic State Laws of the 1857 edition, we command, in accordance with the original outline of the Basic Resolutions on the Marriage of Members of Our Most August House, Art. 60 The provisions on the Imperial Family should be stated in the following form: “The marriage of a male person of the Imperial House who may have the right to inherit the Throne from a person of a different faith is not performed otherwise than upon her acceptance of the Orthodox confession... (Article 40).”
There is every reason to think, writes N.D. further. Thalberg that the restoration of this important article was caused by the following event. On October 17, 1888, near the Borki station, in Kharkov province, there was a terrible train crash in which Emperor Alexander III and his entire Family were traveling from Crimea. It was only by the grace of God that everyone survived. In the event of the death of the entire Family, within the meaning of the article amended in 1886, Vel would have ascended the Throne. Book Vladimir Alexandrovich and his non-Orthodox wife. In order not to emphasize, apparently, the restoration of the old edition immediately, the decree came only a few months later. One way or another, the path to the Throne was closed to Vel. Book Vladimir Alexandrovich and his descendants" (14*).
As we see, in this state of Vladimir Alexandrovich’s marriage, according to the Law of the Russian Empire “On Succession to the Throne,” children from this marriage lost their rights to the throne. Vladimir Alexandrovich’s wife converted to Orthodoxy after the birth of her children, only on April 10, 1908, as Emperor Nicholas II announced in a special Manifesto.
And yet, what was the attitude of emigrant circles towards the self-proclaimed emperor. The best answer is to read the book by M.V. Zazykin, a former private lecturer at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University, “Tsarist power and the law of succession to the throne in Russia.” The book ZGA was published in Bulgaria; it was printed by the book publisher A.A. Liaen in Sofia in 1924.
In 1958, an extremely interesting letter from Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky) was first published in the Parisian magazine “Russian Path”, which is extremely important because it contains the attitude of the Russian Church Abroad to the issue of interest to us.
All attempts by false legitimists to involve the Russian Church Abroad in their political intrigues, in order to prove that the latter has always supported the pseudo-legitimate current of the Kirillovites,” are completely groundless. The latter especially often refer to Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), whose biography and activities we mainly know from the works of the famous “Cyrillian” Archbishop Nikon (Rklitsky), under whose editorship eight volumes of Metropolitan Anthony’s works and his biography were published. But let's read the original document. This is what Metropolitan M. Zyzykin wrote:
“Dear Mikhail Valeryanovich!
Yesterday and today I read your incomparable book “On Royal Power and Succession to the Throne.” A bow of gratitude for its compilation, and all Russian people should do the same. You have expounded more accurately and clearly the Orthodox concept of Tsarist power, and your book should be fundamental in the restoration of Orthodox Russia.
And where do you get such wealth in the literature of the subject? This means that you have been working on it for a long time, because it is absolutely impossible to get most of the books you cited abroad. You must definitely send your book Vel. Book Nikolai Nikolaevich. If you are embarrassed, attach a cover letter to him and mention that you are fulfilling my persistent request. I even admit the idea that the Kirillovism will completely stop after the publication of your book. In this book, the author’s calm and clear logic makes a particularly pleasant impression. At one time you explain to us whether Vel can be King. Book Dimitry Pavlovich. Particularly interesting is the new and consistent first part of the book, developed by the concept of Royal power from the Orthodox point of view.
Of course, your book will quickly sell out, and the Serbian Court will be especially interested in it. And God will reward you for your book: This is a valuable service for Russia and for Orthodoxy.
Devoted heartily
Metropolitan Anthony 4(17) September 1924.” (7. No. 15,1991, p.9).
KIRILL VLADIMIROVICH (30.9/12.10.1876 -13.10.1938)
The eldest son of Vladimir Alexandrovich was the father of Vladimir Kirillovich - Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich. At the beginning of the 20th century, he became interested in his cousin Victoria Melitga. She was the daughter of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and Edinburgh Alfred Ernest (son of Queen Victoria of England) and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna (daughter of Emperor Alexander II) - the sister of Vladimir Alexandrovich. Victoria Feodorovna (11/13/1876 - 03/2/1936) in her first marriage was married to the brother of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Nicholas II) Grand Duke Ernest of Hesse-Darmstadt. Leaving her husband and children, she became her cousin's mistress.
The Sovereign, who, according to the Basic Law of the Russian Empire, had to give permission for the marriage of any Member of the Imperial House, did not give such permission.
The current supporters of Vladimir Kirillovich repeat the old fabrications that the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II did not give permission only because the first husband of the wife of Kirill Vladimirovich was the brother of the Empress. All this sounds ridiculous because such a marriage is prohibited by the Church. Such marriages are considered incestuous according to the Church Canons and they were prohibited by the 54th rule of the Sixth Ecumenical Council of Constantinople-Trula, the Decrees of the Holy Synod of 1810 and 1835, as well as the Decrees of Emperor Alexander III.
How worried and worried Nicholas II was about all these family events can be seen from his letter sent to Kirill Vladimirovich on February 26, 1903.
“Dear Kirill. I am sending Boris with these lines so that he can complement them in words. You can probably guess what's going on. I have long heard about your ill-fated hobby and I confess that I hoped that during the two-year voyage your feelings would subside.
After all, you know well that neither church regulations nor our family law allow marriages between cousins.
In no case and for no one will I make an exception to the existing rules concerning members of the Imperial Family.
I am writing to you for the purpose of making my point of view completely clear to you. I sincerely advise you to end this matter by explaining in writing or through Boris that I absolutely forbid you to marry her.
If, nevertheless, you insisted on your own and entered into an illegal marriage, then I warn you that I will deprive you of everything - even the title of grand duke.
Think about your parents who love you; They have been tormented and tormented over the past months because of your insistence on marrying your cousin.
Believe me, you are not the first to go through such trials; many, just like you, hoped and wanted marriage with cousins, but had to sacrifice THEIR PERSONAL FEELINGS to the existing laws.
You will do the same, dear Kirill, I am sure of it.
May the Lord strengthen you, trust in Him firmly and pray to Him.
I hug you and wish you all a safe return to your homeland.
Your loving N." (8*).
However, passion overshadowed reason. Kirill Vladimirovich, despite all the protests of his relatives, goes to Germany and violates the Emperor’s ban and his word that he gave him.
The secret wedding that took place in Bavaria on September 25, 1905, of Vladimir Kirillovich to his cousin greatly upset the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich. And in December 1906, shortly before the birth of his first child (a daughter, Maria, was born on January 20, 1907) and worrying about the possible consequences associated with the law on the Imperial Family, Nicholas II created a special Commission (it was called the Highest Established Conference to consider the possibility of recognizing the marriage of His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich with the divorced wife of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt Melitta).
This Commission, which included: Minister of Foreign Affairs A.P. Izvolsky, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers P.A. Stolypin, Minister of the Imperial Court, Baron Frederick, Minister of Justice Shcheglovitov, representative of the Holy Synod, did a lot of work, collected all the information existing at that time about such marriages. All information was entered in the form of protocols into a special document, which in those days was called the “Journal”. The meeting submitted the following proposal to the Highest Name for the final resolution of the issue: “... the marriage should not be recognized under any circumstances. The offspring must be adopted by Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich. The situation of children must be determined on a case-by-case basis.”
There is a resolution of the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II dated January 15, 1907 on this document:
“Recognize the marriage of Vel. Book I can’t do Kirill Vladimirovich. The Grand Duke and any descendants that may arise from him are deprived of their rights to succession to the throne. In my concern for the fate of the offspring of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, in the event of the birth of children from him, I grant to these latter the surname of the princes of Kirillovsky, the title of Lordship and with leave for each of them from inheritance for their upbringing and maintenance of 12,500 rubles per year until they reach civil adulthood ".13*)
I emphasize that this resolution of the Sovereign contains three most important provisions: 1) refusal to recognize the legal marriage of Kirill Vladimirovich and his wife; 2) deprivation of the Grand Duke and his descendants of the rights of SUCCESSION; 3) granting to his offspring the title of His Serene Highness Princes of Kirillov.
Subsequently, the Sovereign, by a special decree, recognized the marriage and granted the children of Kirill Vladimirovich, as the great-grandsons of the emperor, the title of princesses of the imperial blood, but NEVER and NEVER changed his decision to DEPRIVE THEM OF ALL RIGHTS TO THE THRONE.
Speaking about Kirill Vladimirovich, we cannot ignore his demonstrative actions directed against the still ruling Emperor. But before we talk about the events of 1917, we must return to the events that took place more than 10 years before them. Let us give the floor to contemporaries of those events.
General A-Mosolov - at that time the Head of the Chancellery of the Ministry of the Imperial Court.
“The eldest son of Vladimir Alexandrovich, Kirill, was married in Tegeriz, in Bavaria, in the presence of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna, with her consent and blessing, but without asking the highest permission, with Victoria-Melitta of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, daughter of Vel. Book Maria Alexandrovna. The new spouses were cousins... Soon after Kirill Vladimirovich's wedding, it became known that he was coming to St. Petersburg alone, to confess for marriage without the Sovereign's permission... The Grand Duke arrived at 9 o'clock in the evening, straight from the station to the palace of his parents , and at 10 o’clock he was informed that the minister of the court had appeared and wanted to see him by order of the Tsar. Count Frederike announced to Kirill Vladimirovich that the Emperor ordered him to go back abroad that same day, and that he would henceforth be prohibited from entering Russia. He learns about other punishments imposed on him upon arrival at his place of residence. On the same day, at 12 o'clock at night, he led. book left St. Petersburg. Vladimir Alexandrovich was deeply offended by this measure... and the next day he went to the Emperor. After his return, his retinue learned that Vladimir Alexandrovich told the Tsar about his grievance and stated that under such circumstances he could no longer serve the Tsar, and asked him to relinquish command of the troops of the Guard and the St. Petersburg Military District. The emperor agreed to this and deigned to appoint Vel in his place. book Nikolai Nikolaevich" (18*).
But as the Chairman of the State Duma M.V. recalled. Rodzianko about an event that happened in 1916:
“Around this time, I had a rather strange meeting with Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (mother of Kirill Vladimirovich). One late evening, around one in the morning, the Grand Duchess called me by phone:
Mikhail Vladimirovich, can you come to me now?
Your Highness, I’m right, I’m at a loss: will it be convenient at such a late hour... I admit, I was going to go to bed
I really need to see you on an important matter. I will now send a car for you... I beg you to come...
Such persistence puzzled me, and I asked permission to respond in a quarter of an hour. The Chairman of the Duma’s trip to the Grand Duchess at one in the morning might have seemed too suspicious: it looked like a conspiracy. Exactly a quarter of an hour later the bell rang again and Maria Pavlovna’s voice:
Well, will you come?
No, Your Highness, I cannot come to you today.
Well, then come tomorrow for breakfast.
I’m listening, thank you... I’ll come tomorrow.
The next day, at breakfast with the Grand Duchess, I found her with her sons, as if they had gathered for a family council. They were extremely polite, and not a word was said about the “important matter.” Finally, when everyone went into the office, and the conversation was still going on in a joking tone about this and that, Kirill Vladimirovich turned to his mother and said: “Why aren’t you talking?” The Grand Duchess began to talk about the existing internal situation, about the mediocrity of the government, about Protopopov and about the Empress. At the mention of Her name, she became more worried, found Her influence and interference in all matters harmful, said that She was ruining the country, that thanks to Her a threat was being created to the Tsar and the entire royal family, that such a situation could not be tolerated any longer, that it was necessary to change, eliminate , destroy...
Wanting to understand more precisely what she wanted to say, I asked:
That is, how to eliminate it?
Yes, I know... We must destroy Her...
Whom? - The Empress.
Your Highness, - I said, - let me consider this conversation of ours as if it had not happened, because if you are addressing me as the Chairman of the Duma, then, in accordance with the duty of my oath, I must immediately appear before the Sovereign Emperor and report to him that the great Princess Maria Pavlovna told me that the Empress must be destroyed" (19*).
This meeting was also described by S. Melgunov in his book “On the Road to the Palace Coup” (Conspiracies before the Revolution of 1917), where he notes that “We have a daily record of family meetings in the diaries of Andrei Vladimirovich” and further he writes - “Meeting in Maria Pavlovna's "salon" continued. From other sources I know about some mysterious meeting at a country dacha, where the question of regicide was definitely discussed: was it only the empresses?..” (15, pp. 133-134*).
Hatred towards the Emperor and his family was probably too strong in the house of Vladimir Alexandrovich. And when the February revolution took place in the capital, Kirill Vladimirovich without hesitation took the side of the revolutionaries. Here is how V.N. Voeikov, the last palace commandant of the Sovereign, writes about it:
“On March 1 (1917) in the morning we gathered for a meeting, to which we invited our commander at that time, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich. The Grand Duke explained to the sailors the meaning of the events taking place. The result of the clarification was not the return of deserter sailors to duty, but the decision to replace the Imperially awarded banner to the crew with a red rag, with which the Guards Crew followed their commander to the State Duma...
Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich... appeared on March 1 at 4:15 am. day to 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 good of Russia,” and stated that the Guards Crew is at the complete disposal of the State Duma. Apparently, this is how Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich understood “the responsibility entrusted to him by the oath before the Tsar and the Motherland.” M.V. Rodzianko responded by expressing confidence that the Guards Crew would help deal with its own enemy (but did not explain which one). Within the walls of the State Duma, the Grand Duke was received very kindly, because Even before his arrival, the commandant’s office of the Tauride Palace was already aware of the notes he had sent to the commanders of the Tsarskoye Selo garrison, which read: “I and the Guards Crew entrusted to me have fully joined the new government. I am sure that you and the entire part entrusted to you will also join us. Commander of the Guards Crew of His Majesty's Retinue, Rear Admiral Kirill."
Let's give the floor to other contemporaries. Baron P.N. Wrangel: “The Tsar is still reigning, and the guards, already under red banners, are rushing to the Tauride Palace to declare their readiness to serve the Revolution... Before the abdication of the Tsar, the valiant old regiments and their commanders, with the exception of the Commander of the Guards Crew, His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, remained faithful to this oath and there were no traitors between them.” (20.P.226*).
“In a number of newspapers,” recalled S. Markov, ““interviews” of the Grand Dukes Kirill Vladimirovich and Nikolai Mikhailovich appeared, where they defamed the abdicated Tsar in the most unworthy manner. It was impossible to read these interviews without indignation! (21, p. 75*).
The French envoy Maurice Paleologue saw the following picture: “Returning from a visit to the Admiralty Canal, I pass Glinka Street, where Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich lives, and see a red flag flying over his palace!” And further: “Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich published yesterday in Petrogradskaya Gazeta a long interview in which he attacks the overthrown autocrats. - “I asked myself many times the question of whether the former Empress was an accomplice of William II, but every time I tried to drive away such a terrible thought!” Who knows whether this treacherous hint will soon turn out to be the basis for a terrible accusation against the unfortunate woman...” (22. P.262*).
Maurice Paleologue's vision turned out to be providential. Indeed, the persecution of the Empress soon began on the pages of newspapers, which after the Bolshevik coup in October 1917 became more and more, reaching completely absurd allegations that Alexandra Fedorovna was a German spy. And the first stone was thrown at the defenseless woman by her closest relative, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich. It was with his light hand that the reprisal against the Royal Family began.
However, we will continue to quote contemporaries. P.A. Polovtsov - Commander-in-Chief of the Troops of the Petrograd Military District:
“The appearance of the Grand Duke under the red flag was understood as the refusal of the Imperial Family to fight for its prerogatives and as recognition of the fact of the revolution. The defenders of the monarchy became despondent. And a week later, this impression was further strengthened by the appearance in the press of an interview with Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, which began with the words: “my little yard and I, we equally saw that with the old government Russia would lose everything,” and ended with the statement that the Grand Duke should be free a citizen and that a red flag is flying over his palace...” (24.P.17*).
“And to speed up the debut, it was decided the next day to go to the Tauride Palace, which became the center or magnet of the revolution.
The troops of the St. Petersburg garrison marched here with red flags. book Kirill is now claiming to lead the Soviet regime with the imperial scepter and crown” (1.P.10*).
A complete set of treasonous “acts” of Kirill Vladimirovich is given by Leonid Bolotin in his book “The Tsar’s Case” (23*).
How not to remember the words from the Tsar’s diary: “There is treason and cowardice and deceit all around.”
Yes, Monomakh’s Cap haunted Kirill Vladimirovich. And what is most surprising is that he began his revolutionary actions even before the abdication of the Sovereign Emperor from the throne, and these actions, called violation of the oath, can only be called one word - TREASON.
Let's look at the facts. Here is the form of the oath for members of the Imperial House (except the Heir to the Throne), which they took at the solemn announcement of their majority:
“In the name of Almighty God, before His Holy Gospel, I swear and promise to His Imperial Majesty, my Most Gracious Sovereign, Parent (or Grandfather, Brother, Uncle, etc.) and His Imperial Majesty of the All-Russian Throne, Heir, His Imperial Highness, Sovereign Tsarevich, Prince , faithfully and unhypocritically serve and obey in everything, not sparing your belly to the last drop of blood, and in everything to the high His Imperial Majesty autocracy, power and authority belong to the rights and advantages, legitimized and henceforth legitimized according to the utmost understanding, strength and ability to WARN AND DEFEND, promoting everything that His Imperial Majesty’s faithful service and benefit of the state can relate to...”
As V. Maleevsky writes, there were very few revolutionary-minded rebels in the capital, in addition, all of them were not organized at that time. If Vel. Book Kirill Vladimirovich did not call his Crew to treason, but, according to the oath, led him to “warn and defend” the Sovereign, it is more than likely that the wheel of history would have turned in a completely different direction.
The Grand Duke betrayed not only the Sovereign, but also the entire House of Romanov, since there was not a single Member of the House of Romanov in the Provisional Government, in whose favor he betrayed.
Let us read the words of the Approved Charter of the Great Moscow Council on February 21, 1613:
“It is commanded that God’s chosen one, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov, should be the ancestor of Rulers in Rus' from generation to generation, with responsibility in His affairs before the One Heavenly King. And whoever goes against this Council resolution - whether the Tsar, the Patriarch, or every person, let him be cursed in this century and in the future, for he will be excommunicated from the Holy Trinity.
So, Vel. Book Cyril fell under the CURSE OF THE CATHEDRAL and excommunication from the Holy Trinity.
Has the traitor and traitor Vel fallen away? Book Kirill Vladimirovich from the House of Romanov, how did Judas Iscariot fall away from the 12 Apostles?
What can be said after this?
Is it possible to recognize a TRAITOR, CURSED BY THE COUNCIL, as the All-Russian Emperor?
Some say: “maybe he repented?”
I am not competent in this matter, but I think that the curse imposed by the Council could only be lifted by the next All-Russian Council, but there was no such thing, concludes V. Maleevsky (1.P.23-24*).
However, the Provisional Government received from Kirill Vladimirovich an extremely important document for them, about which nothing was known.
In 1991, at the Central Youth House in Moscow, at an exhibition dedicated to Nicholas II, an interesting exhibit was exhibited, which until recently no one knew about. On Kirill Vladimirovich’s personal letterhead, decorated with the grand ducal crown, it was written:
“Concerning our rights, and in particular mine, to the Succession to the Throne, I, passionately loving my Motherland, fully join those thoughts that are expressed in the act of refusal of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.
Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich." (6*)
From a letter from Nikolai Mikhailovich to A.F. Kerensky on March 9, 1917: “Today I have received consent to renounce the throne and give up appanage lands from Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich (easily) ...” (6*).
In 1922, Kirill Vladimirovich, in violation of his words, proclaimed himself Guardian of the Throne. But his illegal actions did not stop there. On August 31, 1924, he issues a Manifesto:
“Having made the sign of the cross, I declare to all the Russian people:
Our hope that the precious life of the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, or the Heir to Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, or the Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich was preserved did not come true.
Now the time has come to notify for general information: July 4-17, 1918 in the city of Yekaterinburg, on the orders of the international group that seized power in Russia, the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Their Son and Heir Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, Daughters were brutally murdered Their Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Nikolaevna.
In the same year, near the city of Perm, the Brother of the Sovereign Emperor, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, was killed.
May the blessed memory of These Crowned Martyrs be our guiding star in the holy cause of restoring the former prosperity of our Motherland. And may the day of July 4-17 be for all times a day of sorrow, repentance and prayer for Russia.
Russian Laws on Succession to the Throne do not allow the Imperial Throne to remain idle after the death of the preceding Emperor and His immediate Heirs has been established.
Also, according to our Law, the new Emperor becomes such by virtue of the Law of Succession itself.
The unprecedented famine that has come again and the desperate pleas for help rushing from the Motherland imperatively demand that the cause of saving the Motherland be headed by a Supreme, Legal, non-class and non-party authority.
And therefore, I, the Elder in the Royal Family, the only Legal Successor of the Russian Imperial Throne, accept the title of All-Russian Emperor that indisputably belongs to Me.
I proclaim my son, Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, Heir to the Throne with the title of Grand Duke, Heir and Tsarevich assigned to Him.
I promise and swear to sacredly observe the Orthodox Faith and the Russian Basic Laws on Succession to the Throne, and I undertake to inviolably protect the rights of all religions.
The Russian people are great and endowed with abundant gifts of mind and heart, but they have fallen into terrible misfortune and misfortune.
May the great trials sent to him by God purify him and lead him to a bright future, renewing and consolidating before the Almighty the sacred union of the King and the People.
KIRILL
Unfortunately, the text of Cyril’s abdication, which we cited above, was not known in emigration. It became known only a few years ago. I think that if his emigrant circle had known about him, the reaction would have been completely different. And yet, the non-recognition of the self-proclaimed “Emperor” was officially announced in the press by the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna (mother of Nicholas II) and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. The majority of the remaining Members of the Royal House did not recognize the impostor, including their elders: Queen of Hellenes Olga Konstantinovna, Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich, His Imperial Highness Prince Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg.
On this occasion, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna wrote to Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich:
“Your Imperial Highness! My heart sank painfully when I read the Vel Manifesto. Book Kirill Vladimirovich, who declared himself Emperor of All Russia. I am afraid that this manifesto will create a split and worsen the situation in an already tormented Russia. If the Lord God, according to His inscrutable ways, was pleased to call to Himself my beloved Sons and Grandson, then I believe that the Sovereign Emperor will be indicated by our Fundamental Laws, in union with the Orthodox Church, together with the Russian People...
The unexpected self-proclaimed proclamation of one of the Romanovs as “Emperor of All Russia” caused a deep split both in the dynasty and in monarchist circles, and marked the beginning of the lawlessness and disorganization that has plagued the monarchist movement, both in Russia and abroad, to this day.
And if this Manifesto was met with ambiguity abroad, then in Soviet Russia there was deathly silence. The Bolsheviks, who kept Kirill Vladimirovich’s abdication of the throne in their archives, remained silent. Why? The answer, apparently, is very simple - Kirill Vladimirovich was very interested in these actions, and to confirm our point of view, we will cite lines from the memoirs of General Baron P.N. Wrangel. According to the general, who kept a document proving the correctness of his judgments, the “manifesto” was caused by the behind-the-scenes game of the Bolsheviks, with the aim of breaking the unity of foreign monarchical forces. And as we see, they managed to do this in full.
This September marked the 90th anniversary of such an “epoch-making” event as the adoption by Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of the title of “Emperor of All Russia.” And therefore it seems very strange that supporters of Kirill’s line did not remember such an “important” event. This act of the Grand Duke finally split not only the Romanov family, but also the emigration itself as a whole. In this article, we will try, in chronological order, based on letters from direct participants in the event, to reveal to you, the readers, such a “great” event.
The political games of Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich began back in the days of the February Revolution of 1917. Here we will not dwell in detail on the red bow, guards crew, red flag, etc. Moreover, all these acts of the Grand Duke are described in detail in numerous memoirs of direct witnesses of those significant historical events. Today we are interested in another topic. In the summer of 1917, Kirill Vladimirovich, along with his wife and daughters, fled to Finland, where he found temporary refuge. In August of the same 1917, in the town of Borgo, a son, Vladimir, was born to Kirill and Victoria. In 1920, the Grand Duke's family moved to France, purchasing a villa in the town of Saint-Briac.
Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich with his wife and daughter.
Villa of the Grand Duke in Saint-Briac.
Meanwhile, various monarchical associations began to be created in emigration circles, taking different positions on the main issue - who should reign in Rus'. Some believed that first it was necessary to overthrow the Bolsheviks, and only then decide who was fit to be king. The sovereign must be not so much legitimate as desirable. The most popular “contenders” among monarchists were considered Grand Dukes Nikolai Nikolaevich and Dmitry Pavlovich.
Uncle Nikolasha.
Major and ladies' man Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich
In 1921, a general monarchical congress was held in the Bavarian resort town of Reichengalle, which was attended by about 150 people. The issue of succession to the throne was considered untimely, since the possibility of saving the Imperial Family was not excluded. At the congress, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna was recognized as the undisputed authority. The congress elected the Supreme Monarchical Council (SMC), which decided to make a “loyal request for the indication of a person who, until the accession of the rightful sovereign, will become the guardian of the throne and the leader of the monarchical movement” to Maria Feodorovna. The Navy delegation immediately went to Denmark, to Vider Palace, where the Dowager Empress lived during the years of exile. After a long conversation, Maria Feodorovna decided to avoid leading the monarchical association.
Dowager Empress in exile.
Already in November 1922, in Paris, the Supreme Monarchist Council held its second meeting. The monarchists came to a conclusion, which was reflected in the resolutions, which in particular stated: “ 1. The right to dispose of the guardianship of the imperial throne belongs to the Imperial House. This right is not authorized and not implemented until a decision on this issue is made by the Imperial Family. 2. We should strive in every possible way for Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich to lead the monarchical movement. 3. At present, it is impossible to resolve the issue of succession to the throne abroad, because there is no completely reliable information about the fate of the Sovereign Emperor and his August son and brother, and the current basic laws allow for different interpretations that must be resolved by the competent state institutions. 4. In accordance with previous resolutions, the meeting recognizes that the indisputable highest authority in the entire monarchical movement belongs to the anointed Empress Maria Feodorovna.”.
So, we see that the monarchists did not know whether Emperor Nicholas II, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich were alive, so the question of the future monarch was not widely discussed. Many saw Nikolai Nikolaevich at the head of the monarchist movement. But I would like to especially emphasize that it was at the head of the movement, and not at the head of the Imperial House or “Emperor Nicholas III,” as some are trying to present it today. Nikolai Nikolaevich has always been a popular figure, especially in the army. It is not for nothing that in 1924 the Grand Duke headed the Russian General Military Union, an organization created by Baron P.N. Wrangel, which united many military organizations of the White Army in exile. It should also be noted that the figure of Kirill Vladimirovich appears almost nowhere.
There was less and less hope for the salvation of the Royal Family and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, and Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich decided that the time had come to join the fight and enter the monarchical arena. Ambitious plans were also fueled by Kirill’s wife, Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna, who believed that only her husband and son had the right to talk about the throne. In August 1922, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich published a statement declaring himself “Guardian of the Sovereign Throne”:
« RUSSIAN PEOPLE!
From that disastrous day when the Most Illustrious Sovereign Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich, deceived by traitors, left the All-Russian Throne, our dear Motherland experienced unbearable suffering, knew the shame of enslavement by an alien, hateful force, saw its Altars desecrated and, bloodied, became impoverished. From the pinnacle of power and glory, Russia has been cast into darkness. But the strength of the people's spirit is invincible, the foundation of Russian power is alive. In all Russian hearts burns a bright faith in the revival of Russia, in the imminent triumph of Russian people's truth. We hope that Sovereign Nikolai Alexandrovich is alive, and that the news of His murder was spread by those for whom His salvation was a threat. Our heart cannot give up the hope that He, the Most Bright One, will return to His Throne. But it is clear to us that until the liberation of the Russian people from evil oppression, He will not have the opportunity to shine openly. If the Almighty is not pleased that His Imperial Majesty or the Heir, Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, should live to see the near day of Russia’s deliverance from the dishonorable yoke, then the All-Russian Zemsky Council will tell us who will be the Lawful Sovereign in Rus'. Until the time when, by the will of the Lord and for the happiness of our revived Motherland, the Lawful Sovereign takes us under His gracious right hand, the Russian people can no longer remain without the Leader of their labors aimed at the salvation of the Motherland. And those of our compatriots who experience great torment in their native lands, and whose courageous work in serving their native cause comes first in the Russian heart - and those of us for whom forced separation from the Motherland is a grave grief, are all equally looking for leadership and unification labor efforts and relief from suffering. Both of them, through their labors for the benefit of Russia, have brought and will bring great benefit to the Russian cause. We all need a free Russia, restoration of Russian glory and national pride, revival. Therefore, in the absence of information about the salvation of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, I, as the Elder, in the order of succession to the Throne, Member of the Imperial House, consider it my duty to take upon myself the leadership of the Russian liberation efforts, as the Guardian of the Sovereign Throne, from now on until the news of the villainous the murder of the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich and the Heir Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich will be refuted, or, if this hope is not destined to come true, until the day when the Zemsky Sobor proclaims the Lawful Sovereign. Russian people! Through your great sufferings the path to great happiness is paved for you. At the cost of painful trials, you gained the exposure of false teachings that undermined your power! You will return to glory, to the restoration of your future, to the renewal of your powerful works. From now on, Russia will follow its legitimate Sovereign! And now, supported by a single inspiration, we will all go forward to the bright days of the Emperor, to the triumph of the Russian Orthodox Cross! May it be given to me, the dear Grandson of the Tsar-Liberator, to give My life for the salvation of the entire Russian people. May God help us, and may His all-powerful Blessing be on the Russian path».
On the same day, the “Guardian of the Throne” addresses the Russian army - White and Red:
« RUSSIAN MILITARY!
To you, great power, glorified over the centuries in the bright ways of serving the Motherland, My word now turns. The fate of Russia is inseparably linked with the experiences of its defenders. Our Fatherland marched victoriously and powerfully towards a radiant future, until vacillations occurred in your ranks, snatching glory from the Russian Crown, leading to the greatest and most destructive turmoil and depriving the Motherland of unity and power. Since the day this great misfortune happened, our sacred Altars have been defenseless, our wealth has been plundered, Russian labor has been enslaved, and the entire Russian people are languishing in captivity. This must end! Glory to those Russian soldiers who, tirelessly fighting for the liberation of Russia, experienced the hardships of an unequal battle and now in foreign countries endure all the suffering of separation from the Fatherland. Glory to those who, under the yoke of the hated foreign power in their homeland, keep in their souls loyalty to the Orthodox Tsar and, on the day of the bright triumph of truth in their hearts, throw off the painful yoke. There are no two Russian armies! There is a Russian, united Russian Army on both sides of the border, selflessly devoted to Russia, its age-old foundations, its primordial goals. She will save our long-suffering Motherland. I pray to God that His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, having heeded My request, will take the supreme command over the Russian Army; and until then, the proper instructions will be given to her by Me, with the participation of proven and valiant military leaders who have already earned the gratitude of Russia. Russian army! You alone, with the help of the Lord, can return Russia to its former power, glory and wealth, return to Russia the bright future to which it was heading under the leadership of the Tsars. Russian army! Lead Russia to the light again! If our hopes are justified that the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich is alive and the Heir Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich is saved, then the day of our common joy is near. If the Almighty did not preserve the most precious lives for us, then the All-Russian Zemsky Sobor will name us a legitimate Tsar. From now on, may the unity of our God-loving and king-loving efforts be our indestructible power on our native path of bright achievements. May God protect you, Russian Army, and may the Lord grant you victory!»
With this Manifesto, Kirill Vladimirovich wanted to kill two birds with one stone: to gain popularity with a red word among the military and to curtsy to “Uncle Nikolasha”, offering him the mythical post of Commander-in-Chief, thereby hoping to appease his main “competitor”. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich was a realist, and simply decided not to respond to such a strong urge from his nephew.
Videre - residence of the Empress Dowager during the years of exile.
Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna in exile.
At the same time, news of Kirill Vladimirovich’s “supervision” reaches Copenhagen. The Empress Dowager was indignant at her nephew's action. The eldest daughter of the Empress, Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna, also expressed her emotions about her cousin’s actions in a letter to Princess Alexandra Obolenskaya:
« I don't know what kind of politics you're talking about! Believe me, she (probably we are talking about the Queen of Greece Olga Konstantinovna) is the very last person who will mix Mom in any kind of politics and irritate her. She even asked me which issues should not be discussed with her and so on, so you see that she will never bother her or try to influence her. The whole epic of K[irill] V[ladimirovich] has excited everyone - it has mixed all the cards, but this is probably how it will end, en queue de poisson (zilch). It seems that they themselves are embarrassed now and are not glad that they threw it all away and calmed down. It’s just a shame that a rumor has spread that all this was done with Mom’s knowledge».
At the same time, Kirill Vladimirovich tried to get a clear answer from Nikolai Nikolaevich, whose side he was on, who he would support - his nephew, i.e. Kirill, or make a sharp move and put forward his candidacy. Kirill Vladimirovich needed “Uncle Nikolasha’s” supporters, his popularity and leadership traits like air.
The Grand Duke begins to bombard the castle of Choigny with letters, where “Uncle Nikolasha” settled with his wife Anastasia Nikolaevna during the years of exile. Kirill turns to his uncle with a proposal to convene a family council, which would resolve the pressing issue. And this time “Uncle Nikolasha” did not answer. Nikolasha’s brother, Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich, writes to Kirill for him:
« Dear Kirill.
I must, unfortunately, tell You that I do not sympathize with Your proposal to convene a family council, since, in my opinion, it can only lead to new evidence of the discord between our views and principles. I know the contents of your letter to my brother; he was very surprised that you again approached him with a proposal to chair the family council, although you know that he considers it useless. You also know his opinion on how the members of our family should have led in the difficult era of the devastation of our long-suffering Motherland. I completely share his opinion in this regard. I consider it my duty, as a member of the Romanov family, to stand outside of all parties, unions and political agitations, no matter in what form they may appear.
It is true that the Lord will, in good time, show the Russian People a way to restore the law and order of the Russian State, and it is up to the Russian People to judge, and not to us, whether the House of Romanov can serve them.
Uncle Peter, who loves you heartily.
August 30, 1923"
So, the Nikolaevich brothers drew a conclusion from the Russian tragedy and understood that the final word would always remain with the Russian people, and not with the Romanovs.
Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich works for the benefit of his mythical empire.
The title of “guardian of the throne” clearly did not suit Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, much less his wife Victoria Feodorovna, who wanted her husband to be respected and to be accepted as equals by the crowned heads. A new epic was beginning, Cyril’s “courtiers” demanded big and decisive action. But in order to put on the mythical crown, decisive evidence was needed of the murder of the Imperial Family and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. And they appear. Investigator for particularly important cases Nikolai Sokolov arrives in Paris, investigating the case of the execution of the Emperor along with his family and servants. In the suitcases Sokolov brought, there are indisputable facts that none of the Romanovs survived that terrible night. So, the evidence was received, and on September 13, 1924, Kirill Vladimirovich proclaimed himself “Emperor of All Russia Kirill I Vladimirovich.”
« There is no limit to the suffering of the Russian people. Enslaved, ruined, exhausted, insulted in their Faith, our great people are dying out from incredibly intensified diseases and epidemics. Now Russia has suffered an even greater disaster - an unprecedented famine. The human word is powerless to express the torment of mothers, helpless witnesses to the starvation of their children. Three years ago, many millions of our compatriots died of hunger in that very Russia, which previously had an abundance of grain and was the breadbasket of Europe. But then responsive, rich and generous America and various organizations came to the aid of the dying population, and many were saved. Now hopes for foreign help are in vain, because the immoral communist government, having ruined Russia, plundered its treasury and wealth, in recent years has been obtaining gold for itself by exporting bread abroad from our starving country. Communists need gold for personal enrichment, to create unrest in all countries of the world and achieve world revolution.
Despite the now clearly visible complete crop failure in a wide swath of the most grain-producing part of Russia, the Communists continue to export grain this year. It is absolutely clear that America, believing that its help will only serve to intensify the destructive activities of the Third International, refuses to make new sacrifices, realizing their hopelessness.
To all My requests for help for the Russian people, I receive the same answer that under the existing political conditions in Russia and under the domination over it of the enemy of Christian civilization, the Third International, no help can be provided until in our Motherland there is legal authority, and only after the Legislative Order is restored in Russia can the already developed measures and methods of broad assistance be implemented.
Let the Russian Army, although called red, but in whose composition the majority are forcibly conscripted honest sons of Russia, say the decisive word, stand up for the trampled rights of the Russian people and, having resurrected the historical Covenant for the Faith, the Tsar and the Fatherland, restore the former Law in Rus' and Order.
Together with the Army, let the people's community stir up and call on its Lawful People's Tsar, who will be a loving, all-forgiving, caring Father, the Sovereign owner of the Great Russian Land, formidable only for enemies and for conscious destroyers and molesters of the People. The Tsar will restore the Temples, forgive the lost, and legally assign the land to the peasants. And then Russia will receive widespread help from hunger and salvation from final destruction, and subsequently will recreate its destroyed economy and find peace and prosperity. The service of the Tsar will be difficult and difficult in Russia, which is ruined and shaken in its foundations. Not for personal glory, not for vain honors or out of a thirst for power, the Tsar will return to His Ancestor Throne, but to fulfill His duty to God, His conscience and the Motherland.
Calling for the holy feat of liberating the Fatherland from the shameful and disastrous yoke, I am the first to fulfill the Law and My Duty in full, sweeping away any hesitation and regardless of the currently forced stay abroad of the Fatherland. Having made the Sign of the Cross over Myself, I declare to the entire Russian People: Our hope that the precious life of the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, or the Heir Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, or the Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich was preserved, was not realized. Now the time has come to inform everyone: on July 4/17, 1918 in the city of Yekaterinburg, on the orders of the international group that seized power in Russia, the Sovereign Emperor Nikolai Alexandrovich, the Empress Alexandra Fedorovna, Their Son and Heir Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, were brutally murdered. Their daughters are Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia Nikolaevna.
In the same 1918, near Perm, the Brother of the Sovereign Emperor, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, was killed. Russian Laws on Succession to the Throne do not allow the Imperial Throne to remain idle after the death of the preceding Emperor and His immediate Heirs has been established. Also, according to our Law, the new Emperor becomes such by virtue of the Law of Succession itself. The unprecedented famine that has come again and the desperate pleas for help rushing from the Motherland imperatively demand that the cause of saving Russia be headed by a Supreme, Legal, non-class and non-party authority. And therefore, I, the Elder in the Royal Family, the only legal successor of the Russian Imperial Throne, accept the title of All-Russian Emperor that indisputably belongs to Me.
I proclaim My son, Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, Heir to the Throne with the title of Grand Duke Heir and Tsarevich assigned to Him. I promise and swear to sacredly observe the Orthodox Faith and the Russian Basic Laws on succession to the throne, and I undertake to inviolably protect the rights of all religions. The Russian people are great and endowed with abundant gifts of mind and heart, but they have fallen into terrible misfortune and misfortune. May the great trials sent to him by God purify Him and lead him to a bright future, renewing and consolidating before the Almighty the sacred union of the King and the People.
KIRILL.
Given August 31, 1924."
To be continued....
