Semyon Semyonovich Fabritskii: "The Most Precious Memories of My Life..."
Annotated excerpts from "Memoirs of the Fligel-Adjutant to Nicholas II"
In the last few years of our Russian research, we have increasingly been drawn to obscure sources that have never before appeared in English. There is, of course, a wealth of archival materials in Russia, of which a fraction has been published, and even less translated. There is also a rich seam of emigre memoirs, journals, and letters to be mined for information. We have decided to embark on a project to present, for the first time, translations of some of this important material as we continue to investigate subjects and future books.
In 1926, Semyon Semyonovich Fabritskii published a small, 161-page book of memoirs, Iz proshlago Vospominaniia fligel’-ad’iutanta gosudaria imperatora Nikoliaia II (Memoirs of the Fligel-Adjutant to Nicholas II), in Berlin with the printing house Zinaburg and Company. The book focused on his naval career, but also included many pages devoted to his interaction with members of the Imperial Family and his time spent serving aboard the Imperial yachts. As a first-hand witness to court life, Fabritskii is a valuable source but one almost unknown in the West, as his memoirs have never been translated and are long out of print.
To inaugurate this series, which we hope will prove of both interest to readers and also help point other writers and historians to overlooked materials, we will be presenting for the first time fully annotated English-language translations of those portions of Fabritskii's memoirs dealing with the Imperial Family and life at Court. We have largely omitted details of his naval career unless they touch directly on his interaction with the Romanovs.
As always, we welcome any thoughts, additional information, or corrections.
We will begin with a short biographical portrait of Semyon Fabritskii.
Semyon Semyonovich Fabritskii was born in February 1874 in Odessa. His, as he later wrote, was “a wealthy but modest family.” His father was a judge and also served on the Odessa City Council. From his earliest years, Fabritskii remembered, “spending whole days on the Black Sea coast, I was attracted to water and always dreamed of becoming a sailor.” This left his parents aghast; only at the end of his term at an Odessa gymnasium, where he received his primary education, did they finally relent and agree that he could pursue his dream.
Accompanied by his father, Fabritskii arrived in St. Petersburg in June 1888, hoping to enter the Naval College (later renamed the Naval Cadet Corps). At fourteen, he was considered too old to enter (most cadets did so at twelve), and his father pulled many strings to arrange the opportunity for his son. At the time, the elder Fabritskii was friendly with Adjutant-General Vice-Admiral Nicholas Chikhachev, who served as assistant to Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, then Admiral-General and Chief Commander of the Imperial Navy. After hearing the appeal, the Grand Duke agreed that the boy could enter the institution if he passed the stringent examinations required of all students.
Fabritskii spent the next few months living with a family friend at Gatchina, studying for his examinations.(1) “Living in Gatchina,” Fabritskii wrote, “I had many opportunities to see the Emperor and all of his Family.”(2) “Brought up in a strict family of an absolutely monarchical direction,” Fabritskii continued, “I could not help admiring everything that concerned the Emperor, the Empress and the August Children, marveling at the modesty of their life, simplicity of treatment, affectionate bows at meetings, and listened with understandable interest to the stories of servants in the palace. There is no doubt that the Sovereign Emperor Alexander III enjoyed not only great popularity, but also well-deserved love, respect and even worship of his subjects without distinction of rank. Everyone trembled before the merciful, but sometimes formidable Emperor, who knew how to keep his Imperial word and did not joke with others. The young Heir to the Throne, Tsesarevich Nicholas (3), enjoyed universal love, and everywhere they talked about his simplicity, gentleness and charming gaze, which involuntarily penetrated directly into the soul of a person whom he accidentally or deliberately encountered.”
Fabritskii took and passed his examinations in September 1888, beginning his six year stint at the Naval College on Vasilievsky Island. After graduating in September 1894 he was appointed as a midshipman to a vessel of the Baltic Fleet. After serving aboard the battleships Emperor Alexander II and Navarin, he was promoted to the armored cruiser Admiral Nakhimov. After further service, he was appointed as mine officer to the small Imperial yacht Alexandria and then to the much larger yacht Polar Star. In November 1907 Fabritskii was promoted to the rank of Vice-Captain and appointed Fligel-Adjutant in Nicholas II's Suite. At the same time he was also transferred to service aboard the Imperial yacht Standart. In 1910 he took command of the destroyer Amurets, although he remained a member of the Imperial Suite. In 1916 Fabritskii was promoted to Rear Admiral and given command of a division of the Baltic Fleet.
Fabritskii continued to serve until he was dismissed on orders of the Provisional Government in the summer of 1917. Together with his wife Sophia, whom he had married in 1898, and their two sons, he eventually made his way south. He hid in the city of Nikolaev and helped establish the Don River Flotilla under General Peter Krasnov. In 1920 he left Russia, traveling via Constantinople to Europe. He settled in Brussels, wrote his memoirs in 1926, and died on February 3, 1941, at the age of sixty-six.
Selected Annotated Excerpts from Iz proshlago Vospominaniia fligel’-ad’iutanta gosudaria imperatora Nikoliaia II
Foreword
“The loss of all the documents, diary, notes and photographs taken mostly by the Empress Alexandra Feodorovna deprive me of the opportunity to compile detailed memoirs. In the present, I describe from memory only what I myself witnessed. Let the reader judge for himself whether there is some truth in the vile slander that was spoken and written about the Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II, His August Spouse, the Grand Duchesses and the Heir Tsesarevich by people who took direct or indirect part in the revolution. Many years of contact with Their Majesties, under various circumstances, is for me one of the most precious memories of my life, and I am happy that circumstances allow me to share this with the general public at this time.
During his time at the Naval College, Fabritskii writes about a visit by Emperor Alexander III and his consort Empress Marie Feodorovna:
“In winter, every day the Naval School expected a visit from the Sovereign Emperor, and there was no end to the unrest about this event. No matter how good it was at the School, although everywhere there was exemplary order, cleanliness, strict discipline, etc., nevertheless our superiors, starting from the director of the School, were worried in anticipation of the All-Highest visit. The Emperor was very formidable and it was difficult to hide shortcomings from him, and there have always been such. The excitement was also transmitted to us, the pupils, but we were told that we must do justice to the fact that we were worried not from fear, but from happiness to see the adored Emperor and maybe the Empress, at close quarters.
“In a political sense, the mood of all the young men was the same. The hearts of all burned with genuine love for their Monarch and Motherland. Among us there were no other thinkers, and if such an effect would have occurred, then the comrades themselves would have betrayed him to the authorities immediately and ruthlessly. No propaganda could succeed.
“In the very first year of my stay at the School, the Sovereign Emperor and Empress Maria Feodorovna (4), blessed us with a visit, having arrived at the School just in time for a big break after dinner, when there were no classes. Having bypassed the entire School, the Highest Guests came down to us in the quarters of the 4th Company, where we, the students, were waiting for them, standing at the front. The majestic and powerful appearance of the Sovereign led us to tremble and at the same time to some kind of blissful state. Their Majesties slowly walked around our room, asking affectionate questions to individual boys and taking an interest in all the smallest details of our life, education and upbringing. Saying goodbye to us, the Sovereign ordered us to be released for three days on vacation.
“The senior companies escorted Their Majesties to the exit from the School and, being present when they donned their coats, begged the Sovereign to give them something as a keepsake. Then the Sovereign gave his handkerchief, which was immediately torn into small pieces and taken by the pupils.
“When the exit doors were opened and Their Majesties began to get into the sleigh, the pupils ran out into the street shouting 'Hurrah!' They surrounded the sleigh and escorted Their Majesties to the Nikolaievsky Bridge, where the Sovereign categorically ordered them to return home.”
In autumn of 1894, Fabritskii graduated from the Naval College. He returned to Odessa for a brief holiday. Here, he received some startling news:
“While on vacation with my relatives in Odessa, I learned about the untimely death of the Sovereign Emperor and the accession to the Throne of Emperor Nicholas II; before the death of the Most August Father, he was engaged to Princess Alix of Hesse. Attending the memorial services in the Odessa Cathedral, I saw how all citizens, without distinction of rank or position, sincerely wept, slain by the heavy consciousness of the irretrievable loss of the powerful and unshakable Emperor, whose words were heeded by all powers. At the same time, everyone rejoiced at the accession to the throne of the young, gracious and affectionate Sovereign Emperor Nicholas II. Thus, my service as an officer actually began already in the reign of Emperor Nicholas II.”
On May 29 1895, Fabritskii, then serving as watch officer on the battleship Emperor Alexander II under the command of Rear Admiral Nicholas Skrydlov, participated in his first Imperial review:
“A few days before the review, nervousness and excitement spread among those in command on the battleship, who did not know how the Sovereign Emperor would conduct the review. Everyone knew well that the Sovereign loved the Navy and was well-versed in maritime protocol. This question involuntarily tormented me: What if the Sovereign wished to make a real review with all the exercises and suddenly the battleship was disgraced, since a short voyage did not make it possible to train the personnel and bring the battleship into proper shape.
“At the appointed hour, the Imperial yacht Alexandria (5) appeared from the sea from the side of Peterhof (6) under the braided pennant of the Sovereign Emperor. A little ahead of her were two Imperial parade steam boats, Peterhof and Bunchuk. The yacht Alexandria was accompanied by the tender Marevo and two security boats.
“All this small detachment went to the Great Kronstadt road stead (7), where the yacht Alexandria anchored near the battleship. Boats with commanding officials immediately approached the gangways of the yacht, and then both Imperial boats. Having received the Imperial visitors and their retinue, the boats left the yacht and headed for the battleship, on which the officers and crew were lined up in front to greet the Sovereigns according to protocol.
“On the deck of the battleship, when on the order of the commander the orchestra stopped playing, it was heard how the Emperor's boat smoothly approached the gangway and set back to stop. Then the footsteps of many persons were heard along the outer ladder, and the Sovereign Emperor and the Empress arrived on the deck.(8) The Admiral reported and the commander of the battleship, Captain of the 1st Rank Nikonov (9), approached with a report, a thunderstorm of names of his subordinates. And suddenly we saw that the commander, holding a cocked hat in his trembling hand, was trying to utter the words of a simple report, but nothing came out beyond the words, 'Your Imperial Majesty,' repeated by him several times.
“The sovereign, smiling affectionately, extended his hand to him and introduced the admiral and commander to the Empress.
“The Sovereign's tour along the front of the officers began, during which the commander was supposed to give the name, rank and position on the ship of each person introduced. But the excitement of the moment did not give the commander the opportunity to fulfill his duty, although he knew perfectly well, of course, every officer and his position on the ship. Each of us had to introduce ourselves directly to the Sovereign in order to help out the poor, embarrassed commander, who was walking behind the Sovereign with tears of tenderness and delight in his eyes.
“Having passed by the officers, the Sovereign turned to the front of the crew and, after greeting them, walked in review, directing his amazing, penetrating gaze straight into the eyes of everyone, as if looking into their souls. After that, a detailed inspection of the ship began.
“The Empress, in the company of several persons of her retinue, remained all the time on the upper deck and thus gave us all the opportunity to admire her Imperial beauty.
“Ascending to the upper deck after inspection, the Emperor wished to see the artillery exercise, which was immediately executed. This ended the review. After talking a little with the admiral and the commander who, by that time, had completely calmed down, Their Majesties thanked everyone for their service, said farewell, and went back down to their boat.
“As soon as the boat eased away from the side and had sailed a short distance, the battleship began saluting, and the officers and crew, standing on the sides, saw off Their Majesties with endless and loud cheers.
“Thus the first naval review of the young Emperor took place, arousing universal love and admiration for him. For a long time, we lived with memories of the tenderness of the Sovereign and Empress and relished the feelings of delight that we experienced in their presence.”
In the summer of 1896 Fabritskii was posted to the new battleship Navarin (10). On July 27, Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra visited the new ship for an inspection. Fabritskii recalled:
“At the review the main attention of the Sovereign was drawn to the new Russian battleship Navarin, which was built after designs for an English dreadnought. A detailed inspection of the ship was made, during which the following incident occurred: the Emperor approached the bow tower in the battery deck, where there was a single, very narrow and low entrance, plated in armor. The commander of the ship, Captain of the 1st Rank Bezobrazov (11), was a large and overweight man, who with great difficulty climbed into such a small hole, seeing the desire of the Sovereign to enter the tower. He hesitated and reported to His Majesty that it was hardly possible to enter because of the inconvenience of the gangway. To this, the Sovereign Emperor affectionately and calmly replied: 'Go ahead, commander, and I will follow you everywhere.'
“The Empress, apparently, did not feel well and spent all the time on the upper deck, going down only for a short time to the commander's cabin.
“After the inspection, having affectionately wished us a happy voyage, Their Majesties, accompanied by their retinue, departed in the established order to other ships of the detachment, where even on the destroyers the Sovereign made a detailed inspection, descending through the gangways. It is difficult to describe those blissful moments that we all experienced, made happy by the Sovereign's affectionate address to us and his attention to every little detail of our daily life and service to him and the motherland.”
After this review, Navarin, along with the battleship Emperor Alexander II, two destroyers, and a mine sweeper, set off for the Mediterranean. After visiting Cadiz and Algiers, the detachment paid a formal visit to Greece, where Fabritskii met the King and Queen:
“Thanks to the summer time, our passage was made under favorable conditions and we were not disturbed by rolling, even in such places as the Bay of Biscay or near Cape Matapana....In Greece, we were met very affectionately, as long-awaited guests, which is not surprising, since at that time King George reigned (12) and was married to Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna (13), the daughter of the late Admiral-General and Chief Commander of the Navy and the Maritime Department, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaievich.(14), to whom the fleet owed so much.
“The father's love for the fleet and its ranks was passed on to the August Daughter, and Queen Olga Konstantinovna met the Russian ships as her own.
“After official visits and maneuvers, performances, as well as visits to the detachment by the King and Queen, a series of private receptions began, during which Queen Olga Konstantinovna charmed us with her simplicity and affection. She treated the lower ranks in exactly the same way, who had access to her through her court lady, and constantly pestered her with all sorts of requests. This sometimes caused some kind of conflict between the infinitely kind Queen and the authorities, as the sailors often abused her availability and sometimes allowed themselves to complain to her, for example, about the severity of punishments or requirements. Out of her kindness, the Queen usually did not understand where the truth was, and applied for mitigation to the superiors, who were not always satisfied with such petitions. The Queen took a special interest in the care of those who were sick.
“A few days after our arrival in Greece, an order was unexpectedly received from the Main Naval Staff to removed four officers from the detachment and send them to the Pacific squadron. As a result of this, by lot, I also fell into the number of those sent. It is difficult to convey how hard it was to leave my ship, on which I was already a member for the second year, where I knew everyone and everyone knew me. But I had to resign myself to fate....The Queen took an ardent interest in the four of us and invited us to stay with her at Tatoi (15), the estate where the Royal Family usually spent summer and autumn.
“In Tatoi we had the good fortune to meet Princess Maria Georgievna (16), and to introduce ourselves to her fiancé, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich (17), who was visiting Greece at that time.
“The four days spent at Tatoi will remain forever in my memory, because thanks to the simplicity and kindness of the August Hostess, the complete non-intervention of the King and the friendly attitude towards us of the rarely sympathetic Grand Duke and his intended bride, we soon felt as if we were in Russia, in a rich landowner's house. Etiquette was observed only at the table, and then a little shyly, while the rest of the time we spent in the company of the Queen and her family without feeling any embarrassment. One evening, the Queen asked us to write something in her visitors' album, and we, modest officers of the fleet, had to put our notes in the album, where I personally read the handwritten note of Emperor Alexander III, made with his characteristic stroke: 'I often think of you, dear Olga, especially lately. Alexander.'
“Once, sitting in the garden after breakfast, the Grand Duke drew attention to the beautiful shoes of one the Princesses with us. Everyone involuntarily lowered their eyes to the happy owner and noticed how the Princess quickly hid her legs under a chair and became embarrassed. The Grand Duke supported our request that she explain what was the matter, after which the Princess quietly put her legs out again and showed us her old, aged, completely worn shoes, which aroused general laughter.
“Another steamer came and we had to leave the hospitality of the Royal House.”
Annotated Notes
1. Gatchina is a suburb of St. Petersburg, some thirty miles southwest of the former Imperial capital. In 1765 Catherine the Great had given the estate to Count Gregory Orlov, who had helped organize the coup that placed her on the throne as well as the murder of her husband Peter III. Orlov built an immense palace of some 600 rooms set in a vast landscaped park. After Orlov's death, Catherine gave the estate to her son Tsesarevich Paul Petrovich, who embarked on extensive reconstruction, turning the palace into a rather austere, forbidding structure. From 1881 to 1894, Gatchina served as the principal residence of Emperor Alexander III, who preferred its solitude to St. Petersburg and found comfort in the fact that, being remote, it was easily protected against would-be revolutionaries.
2. Fabritskii is referring to Emperor Alexander III, 1845-1894, son of Alexander II and his consort Empress Marie Alexandrovna, who came to the throne on his father's assassination in 1881.
3. Nicholas II, (1868-1918), reigned 1894-1917. In 1894, a few weeks after his father's death, he married Princess Alix of Hesse, who converted to Orthodoxy and took the name Alexandra Feodorovna. Father of five children: Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaievna (1895-1918); Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaievna (1897-1918); Grand Duchess Marie Nikolaievna (1899-1918); Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaievna (1901-1918); and Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaievich (1904-1918). Nicholas's reign saw both impressive economic and artistic development in Russia and a seemingly endless cascade of misfortunes, including the disastrous Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05; “Bloody Sunday,” when hundreds of unarmed factory workers were shot while attempting to reach the Winter Palace to present a petition to the Emperor; the 1905 Revolution, which forced Nicholas II to end the autocracy by granting the country an elected parliament, the Duma; and ultimately World War I and the February Revolution of 1917, which led to the Emperor's abdication. After this, he and his family were imprisoned by the Provisional Government, first in the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo and then in Tobolsk in Siberia. In the spring of 1918 the new Bolshevik government moved the family to the Ural Mountain town of Ekaterinburg where, on they were executed in the early morning of July 17, 1918.
4. Maria Feodorovna (1847-1928), born Princess Maria Sophia Frederick Dagmar, daughter of the future King Christian IX of Denmark (King from 1863); married the then Tsesarevich Alexander Alexandrovich in 1866, taking the name of Marie Feodorovna on converting to Orthodoxy; Empress consort from 1881-1894; Dowager Empress, 1894-1917. Her siblings included King Frederick VIII of Denmark; Queen Alexandra of Great Britain; and George I of the Hellenes. Mother of Nicholas II of Russia (1868-1918), Grand Duke George Alexandrovich (1871-1899); Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna (1873-1960), Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich (1878-1918), and Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna (1882-1960). After the Revolution, she lived in the Crimea until rescued from the Bolsheviks by a British warship. She died in her native Denmark.
5. There were two Imperial yachts called Alexandria, both named for the park attached to the estate at Peterhof. The first Alexandria was built in 1851 in Blackwell, England, commissioned by Nicholas I. She was 190 feet long, and was fitted with two side paddle-wheels. She was used almost exclusively as a maritime conveyance between Peterhof and the larger Imperial yachts (which could not enter the shallows of the Gulf of Finland) as well as the naval base at nearby Kronstadt and the Imperial capital. In 1906, she was replaced by the second, slightly larger Alexandria, another paddle-wheel steamer built between 1903-04. The first Alexandria was later used as a training ship for the naval mine corps and was broken up in 1927. Nicholas II used the second Alexandria frequently to meet visiting dignitaries, including the pivotal visit of French President Raymond Poincaré in the summer of 1914. After the Revolution the second Alexandria was used for training sailors of the Baltic Fleet. Like her predecessor, she was scrapped in 1927.
6. Peterhof was a vast Imperial estate, founded by Peter I, which sprawled along the Gulf of Finland. It included the Great Palace, built by Bartolomeo Rastrelli for Empresses Elizabeth and Catherine the Great; the English Palace, built by Giacomo Quarenghi; and the Alexandria Park, which included the Farmhouse Palace, the Gothic Cottage, and the Lower Palace, the later the usual residence of Nicholas II and his family.
7. This refers to the channel off the naval base at Kronstadt where most reviews took place.
8. Alexandra Feodorovna (1872-1918), born Princess Alix of Hesse and By Rhine; granddaughter of Queen Victoria; married Nicholas II November 1894, becoming Empress of Russia as Alexandra Feodorovna after converting to Orthodoxy. Mother to five children: Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaievna (1895-1918), Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaievna (1897-1918), Grand Duchess Marie Nikolaievna (1899-1918), Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaievna (1901-1918), and Tsesarevich Alexei Nikolaievich (1904-1918). The latter's hemophilia, inherited through his mother from Queen Victoria, led the Imperial couple to embrace the notorious Siberian peasant Gregory Rasputin, who seemed to be able to alleviate some of the worst symptoms of the disease. During World War I, when Nicholas II left the capital and assumed Supreme Command, the Empress increasingly meddled in politics. By the Revolution she was widely despised. Executed with her husband and children in Ekaterinburg on July 17, 1918.
9. Captain Konstantin Nikonov.
10. Later sunk by the Japanese in the Battle of Tsushima in May 1905.
11. Vice-Admiral Peter Bezobrazov, 1845-1906.
12. George I, King of the Hellenes (1845-1913). Born Prince William of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, son of the future King Christian IX of Denmark; brother to Empress Marie Feodorovna. At the age of seventeen he was elected by the Greek National Assembly to become King of the Hellenes in place of the recently deposed Bavarian King Otto. In 1867 George married Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinova, daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaievich. He was assassinated on March 18, 1913, in Thessaloniki.
13. Queen Olga of the Hellenes, (1851-1926). Born Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna, daughter of Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaievich and his wife Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna. Married King George I of the Hellenes in 1867. Mother of King Konstantin of the Hellenes (1868-1923, reigned 1913-1917, and again from 1920-1922 when the monarchy was overthrown); George (1869-1957); Alexandra (1870-1891), who married Emperor Alexander III's youngest brother Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich; Nicholas (1872-1938), who married Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, only daughter of Emperor Alexander III's brother Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich; Maria (1876-1940); Andrei (1882-1944), who married Princess Alice of Battenburg and whose children included the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of the late Queen Elizabeth II; and Christopher (1888-1940). After the death of her husband Olga returned to Russia and endured the Revolution. Left Russia through the intervention of the Danish Embassy in Petrograd. In 1920 she briefly returned to Greece, serving as Regent following the death of her grandson King Alexander, who had become King in 1917 when his father Konstantin was deposed. On her marriage Alexander II had named Olga as an Admiral of the Imperial Russian Navy – the only woman ever to hold the honor.
14. Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaievich (1827-1892); second son of Emperor Nicholas I and his consort Empress Alexandra Feodorovna; as Admiral of the Fleet he instituted a number of naval reforms, and he chaired the committee on freeing the Serfs, which reform his brother enacted in 1861. Served as Viceroy of the Kingdom of Poland (1862-1863) during the Polish Uprising. Married 1848 Princess Frederica Henrietta of Saxe-Altenburg, who took the name Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna on her conversion to Orthodoxy. His children: Grand Duke Nicholas Konstantinovich (1850-1918), who caused a scandal with his liaison with American adventuress Henrietta Blackford (Fanny Lear) and was exiled to Tashkent; Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinovna (1851-1926), who married King George of the Hellenes; Grand Duchess Vera Konstantinovna (1854-1912), who married Wilhelm-Eugene, future Duke of Württemberg; Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich (1858-1915); Grand Duke Dmitri Konstantinovich (1860-1919); and Grand Duke Vyascheslav Konstantinovich (1862-1879). Had a long-standing affair with ballerina Anna Kuznetsova, who bore him four illegitimate children. On the assassination of his brother Alexander II in 1881, the Grand Duke, who was known for his liberal leanings and rather loose private life, found himself in disfavor with the new Emperor Alexander III and resigned from his official posts.
15. Tatoi was the summer residence of the Greek Royal Family, located some twenty miles from Athens on the wooded lower slopes of Mount Parnitha. Queen Olga built the residence as a deliberate copy of the Farmhouse Palace at Alexandria, Peterhof.
16. Princess Maria Georgievna of Greece (1876-1940); daughter of King George I and Queen Olga of the Hellenes. In 1900, she reluctantly married Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia, and bore him two daughters, Princess Nina (1901-1974) and Princess Xenia (1903-1965). Just before the outbreak of World War I, she took her two daughters to England, ostensibly on holiday; in fact, it was a marital separation. This saved the Grand Duchess and her daughters from the Revolution. In 1919 her estranged husband Grand Duke George Mikhailovich was shot by the Bolsheviks. In 1922, she married Greek Vice Admiral Pericles Ioanidis.
17. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, (1863-1919); third son of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaievich and his wife Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna. Married (1900) to Princess Maria of Greece. Shot by the Bolsheviks in 1919
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