Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna, Duchess of Leuchtenberg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For daughter of Nicholas II of Russia, see Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia.
Maria Nikolaievna (Russian: Мария Николаевна) (August 18, 1819 - February 21, 1876) was a daughter of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and sister of Alexander II. She was Duchess of Leuchtenberg and President of the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg.
Contents |
[edit] Duchess of Leuchtenberg
Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaievna was born in Pavlovsk. She was the second of seven children and the eldest daughter of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and Alexandra Feodorovna, born Princess Charlotte of Prussia.
Unusually for her position and time, she married for love. She met her future husband, Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg, the eldest surviving son of Eugène de Beauharnais and grandson of Empress Josephine, when he came to Saint Petersburg during cavalry maneuvers in 1837. A year later he made a second visit to the city, as noted by the Grand Duchess Olga in her diary: “In four days it has become quite clear that Max and Maria were made for each other."
It was not a desirable match for a daughter of a Russian Emperor. Maximilian was below the rank of royalty, only entitled to the style of Serene Highness as member of a secondary branch of the House of Bavaria. He was also catholic and his own family, his mother in particular, was against this marriage.
Furthermore the Bonaparte family had been bitter enemies of Russia. Nevertheless the Tsar granted his permission for the marriage on condition that his daughter did not leave Russia to live abroad. Since the Duke of Leuchtenberg was not a member of a reigning family, it was easy for him to take up residence in Saint Petersburg.
The wedding took place on July 2, 1839 in the chapel of the Winter Palace. The Tsar created Maximilian an Imperial Highness. The couple remained in Russia, where their seven children grew up in the circle of the imperial family.
[edit] President of the Academy of Arts
From 1845 the Duchess of Leuchtenberg's residence in Saint Petersburg was the Mariinsky Palace, named after Maria Nikolaievna. She and her husband had artistic inclinations and were active in charitable and artistic causes. Maria's husband was President of the Academy of Arts. The Grand Duchess was an avid art collector, and after the death of her husband in 1852, she replaced him as President of the Academy of Arts. From then on, Maria Nikolaievana devoted herself to her collection even with greater ardor.
[edit] Second marriage
Maria Nikolaievna made a second marriage in 1854, to Count Grigori Stroganov (1823 – 1878). It was a morganatic union and was kept secret while her father lived. Officially the marriage did not take place until November 16, 1856, after Nicholas I's death. Her sister Olga described her as more talented than all her brothers and sisters put together, but lacking a sense of duty.
In 1862, Maria Nikolaievna installed herself in Florence in the Villa Quarto, which had belonged to Jerome Bonaparte, and appointed the painter and collector Karl Liphard as her advisor. They went almost daily to visit museums, private collection and antique dealers. In Italy, the Grand Duchess was zealous in her purchases of painting, sculptures and furniture for the complete refurbishing of his residence.
Duchess Maria probably suffered either from varicose veins or from some sort of bone disease, and by the end of her life she had become an invalid. She died on February 21, 1876 in Saint Petersburg at age 56.
[edit] Art collections
On her death in 1876 Maria Nikolaievna's art collections were divided among her surviving children: Prince Nicholas of Leuchtenberg, his brothers Eugene and George, their sisters Princess Maria of Baden and Princess Eugenia of Oldenburg and their half-sister countess Elena Strogonova. In 1884, her son, Nicholas Duke of Leuchtenberg, mounted an exhibition at the St. Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts with the Grand Duchess former collection. In 1913 another exhibitions was organized at the Hermitage entitled the Heritage of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaievna. After the revolution the collection was dispersed and now can be enjoyed in museums in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Vienna and the United States.
[edit] Children
- Children (first marriage):
- Alexandra Princess Romanovskaja (1840-1843) died in childhood
- Maria Maximilianovna, of Leuchtenberg (1841-1914) m. William of Baden (1829-1897), younger son of Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden
- Nicholas Maximilianovich, 4th Duke of Leuchtenberg (1843-1891)
- Eugenia Maximilianovna, Princess Romanovskaja (1845-1925) m. Alexander of Oldenburg(1844-1932)
- Eugen Maximilianovich, 5th Duke of Leuchtenberg (1847-1901) m. Daria Opotchinina (1845-1870) m. Zinaida Skobeleva(1878-1899)
- Sergei Maximilianovich, Duke of Leuchtenberg (1849- 1877) Killed in the Russo-Turkish war
- Georgi Maximilianovich, 6th Duke von Leuchtenberg (1852 -1912) m.(1) Theresa of Oldenburg (1852-1883) m.(2) Anastasia of Montenegro (1868-1935)
- Children (second marriage):
- Grigori Grigorievich, Count Stroganov (b. 9.5.1857) died in childhood
- Elena Grigorievna, Countess Stroganova (1861-1908) m. Grigori Nikitich Milashevich (1861-1908)
 |
 |
[edit] References
- Belyakova, Zoia, The Romanov Legacy, The Palaces of St Petersburg, Studio, ISBN 0670863394
- Neverov, Oleg, Great Private Collections of Imperial Russia, Vendome Press, ISBN 0865652252
