by Susan Flantzer © Unofficial Royalty 2018
Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia; Credit – Wikipedia
Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia was born on May 9, 1871, at the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, near St. Petersburg, Russia. He was the third, but second surviving son, and the third of the six children of Alexander III, Emperor of All Russia and Dagmar of Denmark (Maria Feodorovna). At birth, George was weak and suffered from respiratory issues, and for a while, his survival was questionable. In childhood, George’s health was problematic and was a great worry to his mother.
George’s mother was the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and among his maternal first cousins were King Constantine I of Greece, King George V of the United Kingdom, King Christian X of Denmark, and King Haakon VII of Norway.
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George on the left with his brother Nicholas
George had five siblings:
- Nicholas II, Emperor of All Russia (1868 – 1918), married Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine (Alexandra Feodorovna), had five children
- Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich (1869 – 1870), died young of meningitis
- Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna (1875 – 1960), married Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia, had seven children
- Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich (1878 – 1918), married Natalia Sergeyevna Sheremetyevskaya, Countess Brasova, had one child
- Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna (1882 – 1960), married (1) Peter Friedrich Georg, Duke of Oldenburg, no children; (2) Nikolai Kulikovsky, had two children
The family of Alexander III – seated (left to right): Alexander III with Olga, George; standing (left to right): Michael, Maria Feodorovna, Nicholas, and Xenia
George was raised with his brother Nicholas who was three years older. They were raised in a relatively simple manner considering their status. George and Nicholas slept in cots, woke up at 6:00 AM, took cold baths, and ate simple, plain meals. Their rooms were furnished with simple furniture. Both brothers were fluent in Russian, English, French, German, and Danish. The boys enjoyed shooting and fly fishing with their English tutor.
George was expected to have a career in the Russian Navy. He had started training as a cadet when his parents decided to send George and Nicholas on a nine-month-long trip to India and Japan starting in November 1890. Empress Maria Feodorovna hoped the warm weather and the sea air would improve George’s health. However, when they reached Bombay, India, George became ill with acute bronchitis and had an issue with one of his legs and was sent back home. He recuperated at Livadia Palace in the Crimea.
George and his brother Nicholas: Credit – Wikipedia
The doctors knew that George had tuberculosis but kept referring to a “weak chest” and suggested a climate change. George and his mother left for Cannes in the south of France, but his condition did not improve. The doctors then suggested that George should be sent to live in the dry mountain climate of Abbas Touman, a spa town, now Abastumani in the country of Georgia, then part of Russia. A stone winter villa and a wooden summer villa designed by Georgian architect Otto Jacob Simons were built for George. The villas were located on the opposite banks of the Otskhe River and were connected by a small bridge. George’s health never improved and he lived permanently in Abbas Touman. Family members occasionally visited him and sometimes he visited them in Crimea but most of the time he lived alone with his staff.
Grand Duke George Alexandrovich at his desk in Abbas Touman; Credit – Wikipedia
In 1894, George’s father Alexander III unexpectedly died at the age of 49 and his brother Nicholas became Emperor. Since Nicholas did not yet have children, George was declared Tsesarevich of Russia, the heir to the throne. Although George had been present when his father died at Livadia Palace in Crimea, he was forbidden by his doctors to go to St. Petersburg for the funeral.
In 1895, Empress Maria Feodorovna and George traveled to Denmark to visit their relatives. George had not seen his Danish family for four years and enjoyed their company. However, his health suddenly deteriorated and he began to spit up blood. He was confined to bed until he was well enough to travel back to Abbas Touman.
George in 1898; Photo Credit – Wikipedia
On June 28, 1899, 28-year-old Grand Duke George Alexandrovich suddenly died. He had gone out alone to ride his motorcycle and when he did not return, his staff sent out a search party. George had been found lying on the side of the road, struggling to breathe, with blood oozing from his mouth, by a peasant woman who supported him in her arms until he died. The peasant woman later traveled to St. Petersburg to tell Empress Maria Feodorovna about George’s last moments. On the site of George’s death, a memorial made of Carrara marble was built.
The site of the death of Grand Duke George Alexandrovich in Abastumani, Georgia; Credit – Wikipedia
George’s funeral was held on August 14, 1899, at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. The funeral was very difficult for his mother Empress Maria Feodorovna. As George’s coffin was lowered into the crypt, she could see the coffins of her husband and her infant son Alexander Alexandrovich. Burying a second child was too much, and she collapsed into the arms of her daughter Xenia saying, “Home, let’s go home. I can’t stand anymore.”
In July 1994, George’s remains were exhumed for DNA testing to compare his DNA with the DNA of the suspected remains of Nicholas II and his children. The results proved beyond a doubt that the remains were those of Nicholas II and his children.
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Works Cited
- En.wikipedia.org. (2018). Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duke_George_Alexandrovich_of_Russia [Accessed 10 Mar. 2018].
- Hall, C. (2006). Little Mother of Russia: A Biography of Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia. Teaneck, N.J.: Holmes & Meier.
- Ru.wikipedia.org. (2018). Георгий Александрович. [online] Available at: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%93%D0%B5%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B3%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%87 [Accessed 10 Mar. 2018].