Descendants of the Romanov family. An interesting version about the life of the Romanovs after the revolution. Unification of the Romanov family

A.N. Sunsets

Over the past 20 years, many traditions and values of our centuries-old history have returned to Russian life. The imbalance in public consciousness that existed for a long time, which forced us to treat the entire more than thousand-year pre-revolutionary period at best condescendingly, and more often dismissively, has irrevocably become a thing of the past. Moreover, it became clear that traditions never died in the popular consciousness. As soon as greater freedom for individual self-expression appeared, interest in history, and in particular, in those institutions that connect us with it with living threads that have not lost continuity, increased sharply and rapidly. In first place among them are the Russian Orthodox Church and the Russian Imperial House.

But if church history from antiquity to the present day, albeit limitedly, exclusively from a Marxist point of view, still continued to be studied under the communist regime, then a taboo was imposed on the modern history of the Romanov dynasty. It was officially believed that the execution of Nicholas II and his relatives ended the Romanovs once and for all. The presence of legitimate heirs to the dynasty could only be learned by chance, from phrases in satirical novels, such as “Are you, I hope, a Cyrillic citizen?”, and feuilletons in the magazine “Crocodile”. Even scientific monographs on the history of emigration about members of the imperial house contained no more than two or three meager phrases.

In part, this taboo continues to exist today by inertia. Of course, now we know much more about the fate of the Romanovs in exile. And, nevertheless, as a rule, both in textbooks and in popular science publications, the history of the Romanov dynasty ends with the execution of the royal family in 1918.

Meanwhile, the Russian Imperial House as an institution - the bearer of certain ideals and values - continues to exist on its historical legal basis. Moreover, over the past 16 years, the dynasty has slowly but surely returned to the social and cultural life of modern Russia.

The Romanovs ruled Russia for 304 years. The first tsar of this dynasty was called by the people's representatives at the Zemsky Sobor of 1613 on the basis of the close relationship of the Romanovs through the female line with the extinct Rurik dynasty. “Not a single Royal House began so unusually,- wrote N.V. Gogol, - how the House of Romanov began. Its beginning was already a feat of love. The last and lowest subject in the state brought and laid down his life in order to give us a Tsar, and with this pure sacrifice he inextricably linked the Sovereign with his subjects. Love entered our blood, and we all began a blood relationship with the King. And so the sovereign merged and became one with the subject that we all see a common misfortune - will the Sovereign forget his subject and renounce him, or will the subject forget his Sovereign and renounce him. How clearly it also turns out to be the will of God - to choose the Romanov surname for this, and not another! How incomprehensible is this elevation to the Throne of an unknown youth!” .

Succession to the throne under the first Romanovs was carried out as before, in accordance with the order of direct male primogeniture, from father to eldest son, and, in the absence of male offspring, to brothers in order of seniority. Peter the Great, due to a conflict with Tsarevich Alexei, changed this order. 4 years after the death of his son, on February 5, 1722, the emperor issued a personal decree “On the right of succession to the throne,” according to which the reigning emperor could arbitrarily appoint his heir and cancel an appointment already made in favor of another. The abolition of the legal order of succession to the throne led to a series of “palace coups” in the 18th century.

Emperor Paul I, realizing the depravity of such a system, on the day of his coronation, April 5, 1797, promulgated and brought into force a new act of succession to the throne - “so that the state would not be without an heir, so that the heir would always be appointed by law itself, so that there would not be the slightest doubt about who should inherit”. The law of Emperor Paul I belongs to the so-called Austrian system of succession to the throne, i.e. based on the right of male primogeniture with the transfer of succession to the female line after the suppression of the last dynastic male line.

In 1820, Emperor Alexander I supplemented his father's law with a provision on the status of descendants of dynasty members from unequal (morganatic) marriages. From now on “if any person from the Imperial Family enters into a marriage with a person who does not have the corresponding dignity, that is, who does not belong to any Reigning or Possessing House; in such a case, a Person of the Imperial Family cannot convey to another the rights belonging to Members of the Imperial Family, and children born from such a union have no right to inherit the Throne.”

In this form, the law on succession to the throne, codified under Emperor Nicholas I, continues to remain an act of dynastic law to this day. It was the presence of the law that allowed the House of Romanov to survive after the revolution of 1917, not just as a collection of relatives, but as a historical institution with legal continuity of leadership.

After the 1917 Revolution, twelve male and six female members of the Russian Imperial House were executed in Soviet Russia, including two foreign-born princesses and four born members of the Imperial House. But the Bolsheviks failed to completely exterminate the Romanovs.

Outside Russia there were nineteen male members of the House of Romanov and twenty-four female members, including seven born princesses of European Houses who married members of the Imperial House and seventeen born Grand Duchesses and Princesses of the blood who entered into equal or morganatic marriages. In conditions of emigration, the Imperial House was replenished with two males and two females.

After the execution in the summer of 1918 of Emperor Nicholas II, heir to the Tsarevich and Grand Duke Alexei Nikolaevich and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, i.e. of all male offspring of Emperor Alexander III, the rights to the throne (by virtue of Article 29 of the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire) passed to the family of the next son of Emperor Alexander II - Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, who died in 1908.

The eldest representative of this family was Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, who left with his family for Finland in June 1917. In April 1920, the Grand Duke moved to Zurich (Switzerland), and a year later to Cannes in the south of France. During the first time of his life in exile, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich did not make any statements, because... At that time, hopes were still strong that the imperial family and Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich managed to escape. However, by 1922 these hopes had largely faded. The question arose about the further existence of the dynasty and about the principles on which this existence would be possible under conditions of exile. It followed from the dynastic law of the Russian Empire that responsibility for this lay with the dynastically senior member of the imperial house.

Still assuming the possibility of saving at least Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich (the history of whose death was the most vague and unexplored), Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich decided to proclaim himself Guardian of the Sovereign Throne, which he did on August 22, 1922 in Cannes. This act assumed that the Grand Duke was “observing” the throne at the moment, the rights to which he was ready to transfer at any time to one of his elders in the order of succession to the throne if they turned out to be alive. Later, in 1924, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, having familiarized himself with the materials of the investigation of N. Sokolov and the information received about the execution of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, came to the final conviction that none of his predecessors in the line of succession to the throne could be saved. In June, Kirill Vladimirovich moved to Coburg (Germany), where on September 13, 1924 he issued a manifesto accepting the title of All-Russian Emperor in exile. This act meant that the Russian Imperial House continued to exist in exile as a historical institution, that relations between its members were still regulated by the norms of the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire on succession to the throne, and that the Head of the Imperial House de jure possessed all the rights and responsibilities of the emperor.

Kirill Vladimirovich's manifesto was supported by almost all surviving members of the imperial house. The Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, who did not challenge the rights of Kirill Vladimirovich, but considered his act “premature”, since until the end of her life she had not lost hope of saving any of her sons or grandsons, and the Grand Dukes Nicholas and Peter Nikolaevich, were critical of this act. with the latter’s son, the prince of imperial blood Roman Petrovich, who believed that the issue of the monarchy and the personality of the emperor should be resolved through the expression of the people’s will. This last position, of course, presupposed a complete rejection of the norms of dynastic law. Its adoption would have doomed the Romanov dynasty to extinction, because with such an approach, there were no longer any principles left that would give the imperial house the status of a historical institution.

The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, represented by its first hierarch, Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky), supported Kirill Vladimirovich. All European dynasties also unconditionally recognized his status as the head of the Russian Imperial House. At the same time, a fairly significant part of the Russian emigration took the position of the so-called “non-decision”, which caused the non-recognition of Kirill Vladimirovich as emperor by such organizations as the Russian All-Military Union (ROVS), the Supreme Monarchical Council (SMC) and a number of others.

After the death of Emperor Kirill Vladimirovich in 1938, his only son, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, became the head of the imperial house. The new head of the dynasty decided not to accept the title of emperor, since the manifesto of September 13, 1924 had already determined the status and continuation of dynastic law. In the political situation that existed at that time, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich believed that his non-acceptance of the title of emperor would help attract more supporters to his activities from among those organizations and public figures who were not ready to clearly declare their loyal position. Almost all right-wing emigrant organizations, including the EMRO and the Navy, declared their loyalty to the new head of the dynasty.

In 1948, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, the only male member of the imperial house in exile, entered into an equal marriage with the daughter of the head of the Georgian royal house, Prince Georgiy Alexandrovich Bagration-Mukhrani, Leonida. The fact of this marriage ensured the transfer of the rights of the head of the house to the offspring of the Grand Duke (otherwise the inheritance would have to pass through the female line to a foreign dynasty).

In 1953, from this marriage a daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, was born. When she reached dynastic adulthood in 1969, the Grand Duke issued a dynastic act, according to which his daughter was proclaimed guardian of the throne in the event that the Grand Duke died before any of the male members of the imperial house (all of whom were old and had no offspring with dynastic rights). Another seven years later, in 1976, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna entered into an equal marriage with Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia, who converted to Orthodoxy and received the Russian title of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich. A special marriage contract, concluded on the eve of the wedding and registered with the French justice authorities, stipulated all the conditions associated with the fact that the Grand Duchess was the inevitable heir to the title of head of the imperial house in the near future.

In 1981, a son, Grand Duke Georgy Mikhailovich, was born from this marriage. And in 1989, the last male member of the Russian Imperial House, Prince of Imperial Blood Vasily Alexandrovich, died, besides Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich. The need for guardianship of the throne was no longer necessary, since according to Article 30 of the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire, after the death of Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, the inheritance of the throne was supposed to pass to the female line to his daughter, which happened in 1992.

Currently, the head of the Russian Imperial House is Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna. In addition to her, members of the Russian Imperial House are Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna and Grand Duke Georgiy Mikhailovich.

All other relatives of the Romanovs, born from morganatic marriages, do not belong to the Russian Imperial House. There is the so-called “Union of the Romanov Family,” consisting of morganatic descendants of the dynasty and headed by N.R. Romanov - the son of the prince of imperial blood Roman Petrovich. The legal status of this “Union,” of course, has nothing to do with the legal status of the Russian Imperial House.

The process of returning the House of Romanov to the life of modern Russia began in 1991. On November 5-11, 1991, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich and his wife visited St. Petersburg in connection with the return of the northern capital to its name. When the head of the dynasty died on April 21, 1992, he was buried in the Romanov family tomb in the Peter and Paul Fortress. Patriarch Alexy II performed his funeral service. The new head of the imperial house, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, and members of her family have already visited their homeland over 50 times. The Office of Her Imperial Highness has undergone state registration in Moscow. The Grand Duchess takes part in various charity events. Detailed information about the life and activities of the imperial family is regularly posted on the official website of the Russian Imperial House www. website

In 2001, in agreement with the command of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Grand Duchess revived the military order of St., established in 1929 by her grandfather. Nicholas the Wonderworker and extended the rights to receive it to military personnel of the Russian Federation. Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II awarded the Empress the Church Order of St. Olga of the 1st degree, and the Grand Duchess ranked the Holy Patriarch among the highest dynastic order of St. Andrew the First-Called. The Order of St. was also revived in Russia in organizational forms. Anna. Imperial orders, which are not only and not so much insignia as honorary corporations, also pursue social, patriotic, charitable and cultural work as their goal.

The legal field occupies a significant place in the activities of the imperial family. An important legal initiative, supported by the Russian Orthodox Church, was the demand of the Grand Duchess for the rehabilitation of the executed royal family, i.e. on the recognition by the state of the fact that Nicholas II and his relatives became victims of political repression on social, class and religious grounds. After an almost 3-year trial, on October 1, 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation confirmed the correctness of the head of the Russian Imperial House, canceled the previous illegal decisions of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation and lower courts, recognized St. The royal martyrs were victims of political repression and issued certificates of their rehabilitation to Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna often visits her homeland and takes part in various events held at the state level in connection with historical events.

Speaking about the role of the Russian Imperial House in our days, its head, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, always emphasizes that the dynasty is in no way involved in politics and directs all its efforts to helping compatriots in the revival of faith, patriotism, national unity, morality and all the best customs of our multinational people. Remaining a living symbol and bearer of the royal idea, the imperial family will under no circumstances agree to the restoration of the monarchy against the will of the people and is ready to serve the fatherland under any circumstances.

International experience shows that not only in monarchical, but also in republican countries, historical dynasties bring considerable benefits in spiritual, cultural and even economic senses. The reintegration of the Russian Imperial House into the life of Russia is steadily developing and taking on new forms, based on tradition and taking into account the requirements of the time.

The House of Romanov celebrated its four hundredth anniversary in 2013. In the distant past there is a day when Mikhail Romanov was proclaimed tsar. For 304 years, the descendants of the Romanov family ruled Russia.

For a long time it was believed that the execution of the imperial family of Nicholas II was the end of the entire royal dynasty. But even today the descendants of the Romanovs are alive, the Imperial House exists to this day. The dynasty is gradually returning to Russia, to its cultural and social life.

Who belongs to the dynasty

The Romanov family dates back to the 16th century, with Roman Yuryevich Zakharyin. He had five children, who gave birth to numerous offspring that have survived to this day. But the fact is that most of the descendants no longer bear this surname, that is, they were born on the maternal side. Representatives of the dynasty are considered only descendants of the Romanov family in the male line who bear an old surname.

Boys were born less frequently in the family, and many were childless. Because of this, the royal family was almost interrupted. The branch was revived by Paul I. All living descendants of the Romanovs are the heirs of Emperor Pavel Petrovich,

Branching of the family tree

Paul I had 12 children, two of them illegitimate. Their ten legitimate sons are four:

Alexander I, who ascended the Russian throne in 1801, left no legitimate heirs to the throne.
Konstantin. He was married twice, but the marriages were childless. Had three who were not recognized as descendants of the Romanovs.
Nicholas I, All-Russian Emperor since 1825. He had three daughters and four sons from his marriage to the Prussian princess Frederica Louise Charlotte, in Orthodoxy Anna Fedorovna.
Mikhail, married, had five daughters.

Thus, the Romanov dynasty was continued only by the sons of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I. So all the remaining descendants of the Romanovs are his great-great-great-grandchildren.

Continuation of the dynasty

Sons of Nicholas the First: Alexander, Konstantin, Nikolai and Mikhail. They all left behind offspring. Their lines are unofficially called:

Alexandrovichi - the line came from Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov. The direct descendants of the Romanov-Ilyinskys, Dmitry Pavlovich and Mikhail Pavlovich, live today. Unfortunately, they are both childless, and with their passing this line will end.
Konstantinovichi - the line originates from Konstantin Nikolaevich Romanov. The last direct descendant of the Romanovs in the male line died in 1992, and the branch was cut short.
Nikolaevichs - descended from Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov. To this day, the direct descendant of this branch, Dmitry Romanovich, lives and lives. He has no heirs, so the line fades away.
The Mikhailovichs are the heirs of Mikhail Nikolaevich Romanov. It is to this branch that the remaining male Romanovs living today belong. This gives hope to the Romanov family for survival.

Where are the descendants of the Romanovs today?

Many researchers were interested in whether there were any descendants of the Romanovs left? Yes, this great family has heirs in male and female lines. Some branches have already been interrupted, other lines will soon fade away, but the royal family still has hope for survival.

But where do the descendants of the Romanovs live? They are dispersed throughout the planet. Most of them do not know Russian and have never been to the homeland of their ancestors. Some people have completely different surnames. Many became acquainted with Russia solely through books or television news reports. And yet, some of them visit their historical homeland, they do charity work here and consider themselves Russian at heart.

When asked whether there are any descendants of the Romanovs left, one can answer that today there are only about thirty known descendants of the royal family living in the world. Of these, only two can be considered purebred, because their parents married according to the laws of the dynasty. It is these two who can consider themselves full representatives of the Imperial House. In 1992, they were issued Russian passports to replace the refugee passports under which they had lived abroad until that time. Funds received as sponsorship from Russia allow family members to pay visits to their homeland.

It is unknown how many people live in the world who have “Romanov” blood flowing in their veins, but they do not belong to the clan, since they descended through the female line or from extramarital affairs. Nevertheless, genetically they also belong to an ancient family.

Head of the Imperial House

Prince Romanov Dmitry Romanovich became the Head of the House of Romanov after Nikolai Romanovich, his elder brother, died.

Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, great-grandson of Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich, son of Prince Roman Petrovich and Countess Praskovya Sheremeteva. He was born in France on May 17, 1926.

Since 1936 in Italy, later in Egypt. In Alexandria he worked at the Ford automobile plant: he worked as a mechanic and sold cars. Upon returning to sunny Italy, he worked as a secretary in a shipping company.

I visited Russia for the first time back in 1953 as a tourist. When he married his first wife Johanna von Kaufmann in Denmark, he settled in Copenhagen and served in a bank there for more than 30 years.

All numerous members of the royal family call him the Head of the House, only the Kirillovich branch believes that he has no legal rights to the throne due to the fact that his father was born in an unequal marriage (the Kirillovichs, the heirs of Alexander II, are Princess Maria Vladimirovna, who herself claims for the title of head of the Imperial House, and her son Georgy Mikhailovich, claiming the title of Tsarevich).

Dmitry Romanovich's long-time hobby is orders and medals from different countries. He has a large collection of awards, about which he is writing a book.

He was married for the second time in the Russian city of Kostroma to Dorrit Reventrow, a Danish translator, in July 1993. He has no children, therefore, when the last direct descendant of the Romanovs passes into another world, the Nikolaevich branch will be cut off.

Legitimate members of the house, the fading branch of the Alexandrovichs

Today the following true representatives of the royal family are alive (in the male line from legal marriages, direct descendants of Paul I and Nicholas II, who bear the royal surname, the title of prince and belong to the Alexandrovich line):

Romanov-Ilyinsky Dmitry Pavlovich, born in 1954 - direct heir of Alexander II in the male line, lives in the USA, has 3 daughters, all married and changed their last names.
Romanov-Ilyinsky Mikhail Pavlovich, born in 1959 - half-brother of Prince Dmitry Pavlovich, also lives in the USA, has a daughter.

If the direct descendants of the Romanovs do not become fathers of sons, then the Alexandrovich line will be interrupted.

Direct descendants, princes and possible successors of the Romanov family - the most prolific branch of the Mikhailovichs

Alexey Andreevich, born in 1953 - direct descendant of Nicholas I, married, no children, lives in the USA.
Petr Andreevich, born in 1961 - also a purebred Romanov, married, childless, lives in the USA.
Andrey Andreevich, born in 1963 - legally belongs to the House of Romanov, has a daughter from his second marriage, lives in the USA.
Rostislav Rostislavovich, born in 1985 - direct descendant of the family, not yet married, lives in the USA.
Nikita Rostislavovich, born in 1987 - legitimate descendant, not yet married, lives in the UK.
Nicholas-Christopher Nikolaevich, born in 1968, is a direct descendant of Nicholas I, lives in the USA, has two daughters.
Daniel Nikolaevich, born in 1972 - a legal member of the Romanov dynasty, married, lives in the USA, has a daughter and a son.
Daniil Danilovich, born in 2009 - the youngest legitimate descendant of the royal family in the male line, lives with his parents in the USA.

As can be seen from the family tree, only the Mikhailovich branch gives hope for the continuation of the royal family - the direct heirs of Mikhail Nikolaevich Romanov, the youngest son of Nicholas I.

Descendants of the Romanov family, who cannot pass on the royal family by inheritance, and controversial contenders for membership of the Imperial House

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, born in 1953. - Her Imperial Highness, claims the title of Head of the Russian Imperial House, the legitimate heir of Alexander the Second, belongs to the Alexandrovich line. Until 1985, she was married to Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia, with whom she gave birth to her only son, George, in 1981. At birth he was given the patronymic Mikhailovich and the surname Romanov.
Georgy Mikhailovich, born in 1981 - the son of Princess Romanova Maria Vladimirovna and the Prince of Prussia, claims the title of Tsarevich, however, most representatives of the House of Romanov rightly do not recognize his right, since he is not a descendant in the direct male line, but it is through the male line that the right of inheritance is transferred. His birth is a joyful event in the Prussian palace.
Princess Elena Sergeevna Romanova (after her husband Nirot), born in 1929, lives in France, one of the last representatives of the House of Romanov, belongs to the Alexandrovich line.
Born 1961 - legal heir of Alexander II, now lives in Switzerland. His grandfather Georgy was an illegitimate son from the Emperor’s relationship with Princess Dolgorukova. After the relationship was legalized, all of Dolgorukova’s children were recognized as legitimate children of Alexander II, but the Yuryevskys received the surname. Therefore, de jure Georgy (Hans-Georg) does not belong to the House of Romanov, although de facto he is the last descendant of the Romanov dynasty in the Alexandrovich male line.
Princess Tatyana Mikhailovna, born in 1986 - belongs to the Romanov house through the Mikhailovich line, but as soon as she gets married and changes her last name, she will lose all rights. Lives in Paris.
Princess Alexandra Rostislavovna, born in 1983 - also a hereditary descendant of the Mikhailovich branch, unmarried, lives in the USA.
Princess Karlain Nikolaevna, born in 2000 - is a legal representative of the Imperial House through the Mikhailovich line, unmarried, lives in the USA,
Princess Chelli Nikolaevna, born in 2003 - direct descendant of the royal family, unmarried, US citizen.
Princess Madison Danilovna, born in 2007 - on the Mikhailovich side, a legal family member, lives in the USA.

Unification of the Romanov family

All other Romanovs are children from morganatic marriages, and therefore cannot belong to the Russian Imperial House. All of them are united by the so-called “Union of the Romanov Family,” which was headed by Nikolai Romanovich in 1989 and fulfilled this responsibility until his death, in September 2014.

Below are the biographies of the most prominent representatives of the Romanov dynasty of the 20th century.

Romanov Nikolay Romanovich

Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I. Watercolor artist.

Saw the light on September 26, 1922 near the French city of Antibes. He spent his childhood there. In 1936 he moved to Italy with his parents. In this country, in 1941, Mussolini directly received an offer to become king of Montenegro, which he refused. Later he lived in Egypt, then again in Italy, in Switzerland, where he married Countess Svevadella Garaldeschi, then returned to Italy again, where he took citizenship in 1993.

He headed the Association in 1989. On his initiative, a congress of male Romanovs was convened in Paris in 1992, at which it was decided to create a Fund for Assistance to Russia. In his opinion, Russia should be a federal republic with a strong central government whose powers are strictly limited.

He has three daughters. Natalya, Elizaveta and Tatyana started families with Italians.

Vladimir Kirillovich

Born on August 17, 1917 in Finland, in exile with Sovereign Kirill Vladimirovich. He was raised to be a truly Russian man. He was fluent in Russian and many European languages, knew the history of Russia very well, was a well-educated, erudite person and felt true pride that he belonged to Russia.

At the age of twenty, the last direct descendant of the Romanovs in the male line became the Head of the Dynasty. It was enough for him to enter into an unequal marriage, and by the 21st century there would be no more legal members of the imperial family left.

But he met Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Mukhranskaya, daughter of the Head of the Georgian Royal House, who became his legal wife in 1948. In this marriage, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna was born in Madrid.

He was the Head of the Russian Imperial House for several decades and by his own decree declared the right of his daughter, born in a legal marriage, to inherit the throne.

In May 1992 he was buried in St. Petersburg in the presence of many family members.

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna

The only daughter of Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, a member of the Imperial House in exile, and Leonida Georgievna, daughter of the Head of the Georgian Royal House, Prince Georg Alexandrovich Bagration-Mukhrani. Born in legal marriage on December 23, 1953. Her parents provided her with a good upbringing and excellent education. At the age of 16, she swore allegiance to Russia and its peoples.

After graduating from Oxford University, she received a diploma in philology. Speaks fluently in Russian, many European and Arabic languages. She worked in administrative positions in France and Spain.

The imperial family owns a modest apartment in Madrid. A house in France was sold due to the inability to maintain it. The family maintains an average standard of living - by European standards. Has Russian citizenship.

Upon reaching adulthood in 1969, according to the dynastic act issued by Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, she was proclaimed guardian of the throne. In 1976 she married Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia. With the adoption of Orthodoxy, he received the title of Prince Mikhail Pavlovich. The current contender for the Russian throne, Prince Georgy Mikhailovich, was born from this marriage.

Tsarevich Georgy Mikhailovich

Claims to be the heir to the title His Imperial Highness the Sovereign.

The only son of Princess Maria Vladimirovna and the Prince of Prussia, born in marriage on March 13, 1981 in Madrid. Direct descendant of the German Emperor Wilhelm II, the Russian Emperor Alexander II, and the English Queen Victoria.

He graduated from school in Saint-Briac, then continued his studies in Paris at the College of St. Stanislas. Lives in Madrid since 1988. He considers French to be his native language; he speaks Spanish and English perfectly; he knows Russian a little less well. I saw Russia for the first time in 1992, when I accompanied the body of my grandfather, Prince Vladimir Kirillovich, and his family to the burial place. His independent visit to his homeland took place in 2006. Worked in the European Parliament and the European Commission. Single.

In the House's anniversary year, it established a research fund to combat cancer.

Andrey Andreevich Romanov

Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, great-grandson of Alexander III. Born in London on January 21, 1923. Now lives in the United States, California, in Marin County. He knows Russian perfectly, because everyone in his family always spoke Russian.

Graduated from the London Imperial Service College. During World War II he served on a British Navy warship as a sailor. It was then, accompanying cargo ships to Murmansk, that he visited Russia for the first time.

Has had American citizenship since 1954. In America he was engaged in agriculture: farming, agronomy, agricultural technology. B studied sociology. Worked for a shipping company.

His hobbies include painting and graphics. He creates works in a “childish” manner, as well as color drawings on plastic, which is later heat-treated.

He is in his third marriage. From his first marriage he has a son, Alexei, and from his second, two: Peter and Andrey.

It is believed that neither he nor his sons have rights to the throne, but as candidates they can be considered by the Zemsky Sobor along with other descendants.

Mikhail Andreevich Romanov

Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, great-grandson of Prince Mikhail Nikolaevich, was born in Versailles on July 15, 1920. Graduated from King's College Windsor, London Institute of Aeronautical Engineers.

He served in World War II in Sydney in the British Navy Volunteer Air Force Reserve. He was demobilized in 1945 to Australia. He remained there to live, working in the aviation industry.

He was an active member of the Maltese Order of Orthodox Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, and was even elected protector and grand prior of the Order. He was part of the Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy movement.

He was married three times: in February 1953 to Jill Murphy, in July 1954 to Shirley Crammond, in July 1993 to Julia Crespi. All marriages are unequal and childless.

He passed away in September 2008 in Sydney.

Romanov Nikita Nikitich

Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I. Born in London on May 13, 1923. He spent his childhood in Great Britain, then in France.

Served in the British Army. In 1949 he moved to the USA. He received a master's degree in history from Berkeley University in 1960. He earned his own living and education by working as a furniture upholsterer.

At Stanford University, and later at San Francisco, he taught history. He wrote and published a book about Ivan the Terrible (co-author - Pierre Payne).

His wife is Janet (Anna Mikhailovna - in Orthodoxy) Schonwald. Son Fedor committed suicide in 2007.

He has been to Russia several times and visited the estate of his business, Ai-Todor, in Crimea. He lived in New York for the last forty years until he died in May 2007.

Brothers Dmitry Pavlovich and Mikhail Pavlovich Romanov-Ilyinsky (sometimes under the name Romanovsky-Ilyinsky)

Dmitry Pavlovich, born in 1954, and Mikhail Pavlovich, born in 1960

Dmitry Pavlovich is married to Martha Merry McDowell, born in 1952, and has 3 daughters: Katrina, Victoria, Lela.

Mikhail Pavlovich was married three times. First marriage to Marsha Mary Lowe, second to Paula Gay Mair and third to Lisa Mary Schisler. The third marriage produced a daughter, Alexis.

Currently, the descendants of the Romanov dynasty live in the United States and recognize the legality of the rights of members of the Imperial House to the Russian throne. Princess Maria Vladimirovna recognized their right to be called princes. She recognized Dmitry Romanovsky-Ilyinsky as the eldest male representative of all Romanov descendants, regardless of what marriages he entered into.

Finally

There has been no monarchy in Russia for about a hundred years. But to this day, someone breaks spears, arguing about which of the living descendants of the royal family has the legal right to the Russian throne. Some people today resolutely demand the return of the monarchy. And although this issue is not simple, since laws and decrees relating to issues of succession to the throne are interpreted differently, the disputes will continue. But they can be described by one Russian proverb: the descendants of the Romanovs, whose photos are presented in the article, “share the skin of an unkilled bear.”

mysea in Modern descendants of the Romanovs, young and beautiful

His Serene Highness Prince Georgy Alexandrovich Yuryevsky was born on December 8, 1961 in Switzerland and is the only son of His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Georgievich Yuryevsky (1900-1988) and his wife Princess Ursula Anna-Maria (née Beer de Gruneck, 1925-2001). His Serene Highness’s own grandfather, His Serene Highness Prince Georgy Alexandrovich (1872-1913), was the son of Emperor Alexander II from His Majesty’s second, morganatic, marriage with Princess Ekaterina Mikhailovna Dolgorukova (1847-1922). Here's who should be on the throne

Alexander Komise, the only son of Princess Paula Romanova, was born on April 6, 1983

On the left is Princess Karline Nikolaevna Romanova (2000), the eldest daughter of Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov (1968). On the left is her sister Shelley (2003). They represent the Mihailovich line.

Natalya Nikolaevna Romanova (1952), eldest daughter of Nikolai Romanov, with her daughter Nicoletta, named after her grandfather. Nicoletta is a famous model and has three children.

Princess Katerina Romanova-Elias (1981). The eldest daughter of Dmitry Pavlovich Romanov (1954), great-great-granddaughter of Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich. She represents the Alexandrovich line

Prince Nikita Rostislavovich Romanov (1987). Descendant of Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna

Elizaveta Nikolaevna Romanova (1956), second daughter of Prince Nikolai Romanov (1922)

Rostislav Romanov, descendant of Grand Duchess Ksenia Alexandrovna. Rostislav returned to Russia, lives in Petrodvorets, works at the Raketa watch factory, founded by Peter I. Member of the Board of Directors and advisor to the creative department

Another descendant of V. Ksenia Alexandrovna, Natasha Kathleen, daughter of Prince Andrei Romanov

In 2013, little Rostislav Romanov, the son of Rostislav Rostislavovich Romanov, was born in London. The baby, by the way, is a direct descendant of Emperor Nicholas I on his father’s side, and V.K. on his great-great-grandmother’s side. Ksenia Alexandrovna - Alexandra III

It’s funny to you, but this is Princess Madison Danilovna and Prince Daniel Daniilovich, children of Prince Daniil Nikolaevich Romanov (1972). Represent the Mikhailovich line

On July 17, 1918, the royal family was shot. The lack of information about what happened gave rise to myths and “surviving Romanovs.” There were about 230 impostors.

Successful impostor

Marja Boodts (self-proclaimed Olga) is without a doubt the most successful of the “Romanov impostors”! She first appeared in France before the outbreak of World War II: she collected donations from well-wishers for the completely impoverished “miraculously saved Grand Duchess.” Naturally, she was arrested for fraud and at the trial called herself a Polish noblewoman.

She appeared for the second time in the early 1950s, zealously rejecting her identity with the “pre-war” fraudster. The impostor was quite convincing! She managed to convince Prince Nicholas of Oldenburg and Crown Prince Wilhelm of her truthfulness, who paid her a fairly substantial pension for the rest of her life. The pension was enough for a comfortable life in a villa near Lake Como (Italy).

Marja Boodts claimed that she owed her miraculous salvation to a certain peasant woman who replaced her in Ipatiev’s house.

Detail: there were 28 self-proclaimed Olgas in total!

Impostor-mystery

Michelle Anshe convinced that she came to Paris straight from Siberia! Her appearance in the early 1920s in the capital of France really interested the public: the fact is that in appearance Michelle really did look very much like the Grand Duchess.

The impostor did not want to talk about how she managed to “avoid the Yekaterinburg execution,” declaring only that she would reveal the whole truth face to face to her “grandmother,” the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna. But...the date didn't take place! Here begins the most mysterious part of the story: Michelle Ansche died under mysterious circumstances in her home in one of the Parisian suburbs. The passport in the name of Michelle Anshe turned out to be false, and the circumstances of the death were classified by the French police, which gave rise to a new wave of rumors. One of the most popular: the Bolsheviks reached the “saved Tatiana.”

Detail: there are 33 self-proclaimed Tatianas in total!

Secretive impostor

An unknown woman who called herself Averis Yacovelli appeared in one of the Polish villages on January 23, 1919. Fellow villagers immediately noticed that her entire body was covered with scars from wounds. Later medical evidence confirmed that the injuries were quite serious!

Averis Iacovelli made several attempts to return to Russia, but ultimately married a Polish soldier named Karl Dianogy in 1921 and gave birth to a son, Nikolai.

In 1956, Nikolai Dianogiy died of hemophilia, a disease that plagued the imperial family. Then she repeated more than once that “the whole family died, every single one,” this was perceived as a belated recognition of her “royal origin.”

Detail: there are 53 self-proclaimed Marias in total!

An impostor with a “dizzying career”

Anna Anderson. Probably, the real name of the impostor was Franziska Schanckowska. After an unsuccessful suicide attempt, she was admitted to a psychiatric clinic in Berlin. There, one of the patients “identified” her as the Grand Duchess, after which the legend was actively supported by Russian emigrants.

For more than twenty years, the applicant tried to achieve recognition in European courts as a Grand Duchess, but was not particularly successful in this. However, her persona is still popular: modern fans of Anderson are sure that the genetic examination that proved her relationship with the Shantskovsky family is nothing more than a fake.

Detail: The self-proclaimed Anastasias are best known for the “dizzying career” of the first Anna Anderson. The last of the false Anastasias, Natalya Bilikhodze, died in 2000. There are 33 self-proclaimed Anastasias in total!

Imposter loser

Rumors that not all members of the royal family were shot, but that Alexei Nikolaevich miraculously survived and is now hiding somewhere, create fertile ground for impostors. Alexei Putsyato was one of the first to try to pass himself off as the “miracle saved” Tsarevich.

Quite little is known about his personality and origins. It is believed that he was born into a prosperous, intelligent family, otherwise how can one explain his good education, erudition and excellent manners?! All this, coupled with a cunning mind and quick wit, inspired the young man to call himself the king’s son, who nevertheless escaped death.

Alexey Putsyato decided to try his luck, but he was unlucky! His deception was discovered by the Tsarevich's former teacher, the Frenchman Gillard. In the end, the impostor was forced to admit his deception, after which he was arrested.

Detail: the total number of self-proclaimed Alekseevs is 81.

“The Fifth Daughter of Romanov” No. 1

Susanne Katharina de Graaf declared herself the never-existent Alexandra Romanova, the “fifth daughter” of the Tsar. The legend of the impostor was quite bold: she was born in 1903, when the queen was “officially” experiencing a false pregnancy. Nicholas and Alexandra could not present their fifth daughter to the court and people, and therefore she was sent to be raised in Holland, where she was secretly transported by Philip Nizier, a “clairvoyant and sorcerer” who was a confidant of Empress Alexandra.

“The Fifth Daughter of Romanov” No. 2

Irina Romanova - real name unknown. An Argentinean who pretended to be the “fifth daughter of the Tsar”, born during exile in Tobolsk. The girl allegedly managed to be transported abroad with the secret consent of the Soviet government.

Where are the descendants of the Romanovs today?

Head of the Imperial House

Prince Romanov Dmitry Romanovich became the Head of the House of Romanov after Nikolai Romanovich, his elder brother, died.

Great-great-grandson of Nicholas I, great-grandson of Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich, son of Prince Roman Petrovich and Countess Praskovya Sheremeteva. He was born in France on May 17, 1926.

From 1936 he lived with his parents in Italy, and later in Egypt. In Alexandria he worked at the Ford automobile plant: he worked as a mechanic and sold cars. Upon returning to sunny Italy, he worked as a secretary in a shipping company.

Dmitry Romanovich's long-time hobby is orders and medals from different countries. He has a large collection of awards, about which he is writing a book.

Legitimate members of the house, the fading branch of the Alexandrovichs

Romanov-Ilyinsky Dmitry Pavlovich, born in 1954 - direct heir of Alexander II in the male line, lives in the USA, has 3 daughters, all married and changed their last names.
Romanov-Ilyinsky Mikhail Pavlovich, born in 1959 - half-brother of Prince Dmitry Pavlovich, also lives in the USA, has a daughter. If the direct descendants of the Romanovs do not become fathers of sons, then the Alexandrovich line will be interrupted.

Direct descendants, princes and possible successors of the Romanov family - the most prolific branch of the Mikhailovichs

Alexey Andreevich, born in 1953 – direct descendant of Nicholas I, married, no children, lives in the USA.
Petr Andreevich, born in 1961 – also a purebred Romanov, married, childless, lives in the USA. Andrey Andreevich, born in 1963 – legally belongs to the House of Romanov, has a daughter from his second marriage, lives in the USA.
Rostislav Rostislavovich, born in 1985 – direct descendant of the family, not yet married, lives in the USA.
Nikita Rostislavovich, born in 1987 – legitimate descendant, not yet married, lives in the UK.
Nicholas-Christopher Nikolaevich, born in 1968, is a direct descendant of Nicholas I, lives in the USA, has two daughters.
Daniel Nikolaevich, born in 1972 – a legal member of the Romanov dynasty, married, lives in the USA, has a daughter and a son. Daniil Danilovich, born in 2009 - the youngest legitimate descendant of the royal family in the male line, lives with his parents in the USA.

Descendants of the Romanov family, who cannot pass on the royal family by inheritance, and controversial contenders for membership of the Imperial House

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, born in 1953. – Her Imperial Highness, claims the title of Head of the Russian Imperial House, the legitimate heir of Alexander the Second, belongs to the Alexandrovich line. Until 1985, she was married to Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia, with whom she gave birth to her only son, George, in 1981. At birth he was given the patronymic Mikhailovich and the surname Romanov.
Georgy Mikhailovich, born in 1981 - the son of Princess Romanova Maria Vladimirovna and the Prince of Prussia, claims the title of Tsarevich, however, most representatives of the House of Romanov rightly do not recognize his right, since he is not a descendant in the direct male line, but it is through the male line that the right of inheritance is transferred. His birth is a joyful event in the Prussian palace.
Princess Elena Sergeevna Romanova (after her husband Nirot), born in 1929, lives in France, one of the last representatives of the House of Romanov, belongs to the Alexandrovich line.
Georgy Aleksandrovich Yuryevsky, born in 1961. - legal heir of Alexander II, now lives in Switzerland. His grandfather Georgy was an illegitimate son from the Emperor’s relationship with Princess Dolgorukova. After the relationship was legalized, all of Dolgorukova’s children were recognized as legitimate children of Alexander II, but the Yuryevskys received the surname. Therefore, de jure Georgy (Hans-Georg) does not belong to the House of Romanov, although de facto he is the last descendant of the Romanov dynasty in the Alexandrovich male line.
Princess Tatyana Mikhailovna, born in 1986 - belongs to the Romanov house through the Mikhailovich line, but as soon as she gets married and changes her last name, she will lose all rights. Lives in Paris.
Princess Alexandra Rostislavovna, born in 1983 – also a hereditary descendant of the Mikhailovich branch, unmarried, lives in the USA.
Princess Karlain Nikolaevna, born in 2000 – is the legal representative of the Imperial House through the Mikhailovich line, unmarried, lives in the USA.
Princess Chelli Nikolaevna, born in 2003 – direct descendant of the royal family, unmarried, US citizen.
Princess Madison Danilovna, born in 2007 – on the Mikhailovich side, a legal family member, lives in the USA.

Unification of the Romanov family

Below are the biographies of the most prominent representatives of the Romanov dynasty of the 20th century.