Olga Nikolaevna of Russia
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| Olga Nikolaevna of Russia Ольга Николаевна |
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| Queen of Württemberg | |
.jpg/250px-DH-Olga_(Württ).jpg) painting by Franz Winterhalter (1865) |
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| Titles | HM The Queen Dowager of Württemberg (1891–1892) HM The Queen of Württemberg (1864–1891) HRH The Crown Princess of Württemberg (1846–1864) HIH Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (1822–1846) |
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| Born | September 11, 1822 |
| Birthplace |  St. Petersburg, Russia |
| Died | October 30, 1892 |
| Place of death |  Friedrichshafen, Württemberg |
| Consort | June 25, 1864 – October 6, 1891 |
| Consort to | Charles I of Württemberg |
| Royal House | Romanov |
| Father | Nicholas I of Russia |
| Mother | Charlotte of Prussia |
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (September 11, 1822 – October 30, 1892), later Queen Olga of Württemberg, was a member of the Russian imperial family who became Queen Consort of Württemberg.
She was the second daughter of Nicholas I of Russia and Charlotte of Prussia. She was thus a sister of Alexander II of Russia. She married Charles I of Württemberg, with whom she had no children.
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[edit] Early life
Grand Duchess Olga of Russia was born on September 11, 1822 in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her father was Emperor Nicholas I of Russia, the son of Emperor Paul I of Russia and Empress Maria of Russia (née Princess Sophia Dorothea of Württemberg). Her mother was Empress Alexandra of Russia (née Princess Charlotte of Prussia), the daughter of King Frederick William III of Prussia and Queen Louise of Prussia (née Princess Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz).
Olga grew up as part of a close family of many sisters and brothers. She had two elder siblings: Emperor Alexander II of Russia and Grand Duchess Maria of Russia; and five younger siblings: Grand Duchess Alexandra of Russia, Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia, Grand Duke Constantine of Russia, Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia and Grand Duke Michael of Russia.
Attractive, cultured and intelligent, she was considered to be one of the most eligible princesses in Europe. She spoke several languages, and was fond of music and painting.
[edit] Marriage
Olga met Crown Prince Charles of Württemberg in early 1846 in Palermo, Two Sicilies. Her parents wished that she make a dynastic marriage, especially since her siblings Alexander, Maria and Alexandra had married relatively insignificant royal partners. There had already been several marriages between members of the Russian Imperial Family and members of the Württemberg Royal Family (in addition to the marriage between Olga’s paternal grandparents): Olga’s future father-in-law, King William I of Württemberg, married Olga’s paternal aunt, Grand Duchess Catherine of Russia; Olga’s paternal uncle, Grand Duke Michael of Russia, married William I’s niece, Princess Charlotte of Württemberg.
Olga gave her consent to Charles' proposal of marriage after only a few meetings, on January 18. The wedding was held in great splendor on July 13, 1846 at the Peterhof Palace, Russia. The couple came back from Russia to Württemberg on September 23. They lived mostly in the Villa Berg in Stuttgart and in the Kloster Hofen in Friedrichshafen.
The couple had no children, probably because of Charles’ homosexuality. Olga’s husband became the object of scandal several times for his closeness with various men. The most notorious of these was the American Charles Woodcock, a former chamberlain whom Charles elevated to Baron Savage in 1888. The resulting outcry forced Charles to renounce his favorite. In 1863, Olga and Charles adopted Olga's niece, Grand Duchess Vera of Russia, the daughter of Olga’s brother Grand Duke Constantine.
On June 25, 1864, after the death of his father, Charles acceded the throne and became the third king of Württemberg, making Olga the fourth queen of Württemberg. The new king was enthroned on July 12, 1864.
[edit] Work and influence
With no children of her own, Olga dedicated her life to social causes. She was especially interested in the education of girls, and also supported wounded veterans and the handicapped. A children's hospital of Stuttgart, the Olgahospital, was named for her in 1849; and an order of Protestant nursing nuns of Stuttgart, the Olgaschwesternschaft, was named for her in 1872. These charitable enterprises made her very popular among her subjects, much more so than her husband.
Olga was very interested in natural science and collected minerals systematically. Her collection was bequested to the Staatliche Museum für Naturkunde in Stuttgart. The museum still proudly displays some of these mineral specimens of royal origin. Her name is attached to a geological formation in the Northern Territory, Australia. In 1871, to mark their 25th wedding anniversary, Charles and Olga elevated the German-born Australian explorer Ferdinand Mueller to “Baron von Mueller”. He repaid the compliment as follows. A series of massive rock formations was discovered by the British-born Australian explorer Ernest Giles in central Australia in 1872. Mueller was Giles' benefactor. Giles had wanted to name the tallest peak Mt. Mueller, but Mueller prevailed on Giles to name it Mt. Olga, in honour of the queen. The entire geological formation then became known as "The Olgas", before the indigenous name “Kata Tjuta” was officially proclaimed in the 1980s.
[edit] Later life
In 1881, Olga wrote a memoir called Traum der Jugend goldener Stern (translated as The Golden Dream of My Youth) which described her childhood in the Russian court, her grief at the loss of her sister Alexandra, and her early adult life, ending with her wedding to Charles. It is dedicated to her nieces Grand Duchess Olga of Russia and Grand Duchess Vera of Russia.
When her husband died on October 6, 1891, Olga became Queen Dowager of Württemberg. She died one year later, on October 30, 1892 in Friedrichshafen, at 70. She was buried in the crypt of the Old Castle in Stuttgart.
[edit] Titles and styles
- Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia[1] (September 11, 1822 – July 13, 1846)
- Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess of Württemberg[2] (July 13, 1846 – June 25, 1864)
- Her Majesty The Queen of Württemberg[3] (June 25, 1864 – October 6, 1891)
- Her Majesty The Queen Dowager of Württemberg[4] (October 6, 1891 – October 30, 1892)
[edit] Gallery
 Portrait of Olga (left) and her sister Maria (right) by C. T. von Neff, 1838. |
 Portrait of Olga by G. Bohn, 1852. |
 Portrait of Olga by F. X. Winterhalter, 1856. |
[edit] Ancestry
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Olga Nikolaevna of Russia
Born: 11 September 1822 Died: 30 October 1892 |
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| German royalty | ||
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| Preceded by Pauline of Württemberg |
Queen Consort of Württemberg 1864-1891 |
Succeeded by Charlotte of Schaumburg-Lippe |
[edit] Notes
- ^ In Russian: Императорское Высочество Великая Княжна Российская Ольга Николаевна (Yeya Impyeratorskoye Visochyestvo Vyelikaya Knyazhna Rossiyskaya Olga Nikolayevna).
- ^ In German: Ihre Königliche Hoheit die Kronprinzessin von Württemberg.
- ^ In German: Ihre Majestät die Königin von Württemberg.
- ^ In German: Ihre Majestät die Königinwitwe von Württemberg.
[edit] See also
[edit] Further reading
- “Traum der Jugend goldner Stern. Aus den Aufzeichnungen der Königin Olga von Württemberg.“ by Sophie Dorothee Podewils, Günther Neske Verlag, 1955.
- “Königin Olga von Württemberg. Historischer Roman.“ by Jetta Sachs-Collignon, Stieglitz-Verlag, 1991.
- “Die württembergischen Königinnen. Charlotte Mathilde, Katharina, Pauline, Olga, Charlotte – ihr Leben und Wirken.“ by Sabine Thomsen, Silberburg-Verlag, 2006.
[edit] External links
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