Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovitch, his family and life

[LisaDavidson]

I know that divorced women were anathema in most Royal Courts and were not recieved, as this would have been seen as condonement of divorce. Did the Russian Court have a different take on divorced women ?. If not, why was Princess Paley recieved by the Empress ?   

Becouse Princess Paley was a very wise and cunning woman who knew how to live in high-society and how to reach her ambitions - she wanted to white-wash her reputation (and so of her children in the future)  and be received at the Imperial Court by hook or by crook , and after all she was received by the Empress. Princess Olga was not a liberal-minded Natalia and never worsen her relations with the Romanovs.

but the two ladies have different age so maybe it's hard to compare their way of dealing with the imperial family ...?

There were also vastly different circumstances involved with both women, and some similar ones.

Both couples met while they or their spouses were in the military. Olga was the wife of an officer in a company commanded by Grand Duke Paul. Natalia was newly married to an officier in the same company that Michael was serving in.

These circumstances (seduction of a brother officer's wife) would be objectionable even now in virtually every military organization. I think they explain why these marriages were so very objectionable.

But there the stories diverge. Olga Paley married her grand duke in 1901 and they lived fairly quietly in Paris until the first world war. Olga had children with both husbands and it is very likely that they would never have left Paris had the war not come to Russia. They were very non political, and upon their return to Russia, Olga was indeed smart enough to figure out how to get on with the Empress. There is no evidence the two women were friends, but Olga could cater to Alexandra enough so that there does not appear to be lingering bad feelings between the two families.

No so with Natalia Brassova. She was one of those beautiful women who could wield her physical attractiveness like a lethal weapon. I doubt she had many, if any women friends, if you know what I mean. So, even if she had ever been introduced to the Empress, she was not savvy enough to figure out how to win Alexandra over. She was political, she had (if nothing else) flirtations with other men. She had only been married to Michael for a couple of years when they returned to Russia.

I respectfully disagree that their ages had anything to do with the differences between Olga Paley and Natalia and how they were perceived. Rather, I tend to think they were just different sorts of women.

[Aglaya]

I d love to have that picture in bigger to colorize it *0*

Oh, yes, I'd love, too!
Katenka, I have a little bigger version of that photo I've posted a few days before. If you want it, here you go.
http://yfrog.com/5xaaaaabbbj

[Carolath Habsburg]

Sweeeeet!! i can do something with it. Just give me a few days ;-)

[PAVLOV]

I think he was a very kind, sensible, and sensitive man. He is certainly my favourite member of the Romanov family. He should have been Tsar. I think things would have possibly turned out differently if he had been. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about him. 

[Teddy]

The Grand Duke Michael was indeed a very intelligent men. But I think he had much less contacts with his direct and indirect family members, then Nicholas and Alexandra. He lived only for his wife and child, and the army, nothing else. He even didn't appear at the funeral of his cousin the Grand Duke Konstantin K. and had no contact at all with his sister The Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna because she had an argument because of their love affairs. What a dear boy, the Grand Duke Michael.

[Aglaya]

[RomanovsFan4Ever]

[katmaxoz]

27 June 1912 - Grand Duke Michael and Countess Brassova at Gatchina

[Aglaya]

Thank you so much, katmaxoz! That's the fullest version of this photo, I've ever seen! Beautiful!!!

Michael, his sister Olga, Natasha, Olga's husband Peter, Vladimir Wulfert, Koka Abakanovich  at Wulfert's apartment in Gatchina
http://yfrog.com/10wulfert3j

Natalia and Vladimir Wulfert
http://yfrog.com/5fwulfert4j

[RealAnastasia]

Wonderful pictures, Aglaya! I've never seen them before...And the first one made me laugh, since Olga Alexandrovna seems to be eating something like a candy or a piece of chocolate

RealAnastasia.

[Aglaya]

GD Mikhail

[Aglaya]

Natalia Brassova and GD Dimitri Pavlovich, England ca.1920.

[toscany]

Here is a letter Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich Romanov wrote:

Тяжелое бремя упало на меня решение моего брата, чтобы передать русский императорский трон в период беспрецедентной войны и волнений среди населения.
Вдохновленный мыслью по всей территории страны и благосостояние нашей страны, которая должна быть, прежде всего, я сделал трудное решение признать верховную власть только в том случае, если такова воля великого народа нашего, , что Учредительное собрание представителей народа создать новую форму правления и новые основные законы создаются для русского государства.

Поэтому я призываю Божье благословение, я прошу всех граждан русского государства подчиняться Временное правительство было сформировано и была возложена вся полнота власти по инициативе Государственной Думы, до Учредительного собрания который будет проведен в кратчайшие голосования на всеобщих, прямых, тайных и справедливым, выражая волю народа в своем решении о форме правления.

Михаил.

English translation:
The heavy burden has fallen to me the decision of my brother to transfer Russian imperial throne during unprecedented war and excitements among the population.
Inspired on all territory of the country and well-being of our country which should be, first of all, I have made an idea the difficult decision to recognize the Supreme authority only in the event that the will of great our people is those, that the Constituent assembly of representatives of people to create the new form of board and new organic laws are created for Russian state.

Therefore I call the Divine blessing, I ask all citizens of Russian state to submit Provisional government have been generated and all completeness of authority under the initiative of the State Duma has been assigned, up to the Constituent assembly which will be lead to the shortest votings on general, direct, secret and fair, expressing will of people in the decision on the form of board.

Michael.

[Carolath Habsburg]

this ios from the same photoshoot



Currently im trying to colorize it, but since im losing my patience with my studies...i couldnt finish it! xD


Ps, this is new for me, unfortunately its quite small =(

[Aglaya]

Well, it's not exactly the same picture, but the same session