Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Grand Duchess Olga to marry Duke Peter



April 14, 1901

Grand Duchess Olga of Russia, who is the youngest sister of Nicholas II, is to marry Duke Peter of Oldenburg, according to the Chicago Daily Tribune. The Grand Duchess, the paper notes, "has been the subject of many matrimonial rumors. Olga, who is in her 19th year, is very "Russian in her appearance and tastes." She is also the "possessor of vast estates and an immense fortune," and it is expected that her brother will provide her with a "liberal dowry."

Duke Peter is a German noble in name only, and he is "virtually a Russian prince. His great-grandfather, Duke Georg of Oldenburg, settled in Russia, and married the daughter of Emperor Paul. His son, Duke Peter, had three sons, including Duke Alexander, who commanded the Russian Imperial Guards. Duke Alexander married Eugenie of Leuchtenberg, a granddaughter of Nicholas I. It is their son, Peter, who is now engaged to Grand Duchess Olga. Thus, the close ties between the Russian branch of the Oldenburg family and the Romanovs continue.

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