|
Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, known as "Maria Pavlovna the Younger" (In Russian Великая Княгиня Мария Павловна) (St. Petersburg, – Konstanz, 13 December 1958) was a grand daughter of Emperor Alexander II of Russia and a first cousin of Nicholas II, Russia's last Tsar and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Her early life was marked by the death of her mother and her father's banishment from Russia when he remarried a commoner in 1902. Grand Duchess Maria and her younger brother Dmitri, to whom she remained very close throughout her life, were raised in Moscow by their paternal uncle Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and his wife Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. In 1908, Maria Pavlovna married Prince Wilhelm of Sweden, Duke of Södermanland. The couple had only one son, Prince Lennart, Duke of Småland later Count Bernadotte af Wisborg. The marriage was unhappy and ended in divorce in 1914. During World War I, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna served as a nurse until the fall of the Russian monarchy in February 1917. In September 1917, during the period of the provisional government, she married a commoner, Prince Sergei Putyatin. They had one son, Prince Roman Sergeievich Putyatin, who died in infancy. The couple escaped revolutionary Russia through Ukraine in July 1918. In exile, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna lived briefly in Bucharest and London before she settled in Paris in 1920. In the 1920s, she opened ''Kitmir'', an embroidering fashion atelier that achieved some level of success. In 1923, she divorced her second husband and after selling ''Kitmir'' in 1928, she emigrated to the United States. While living in New York City, she published two books of memoirs: ''The Education of a Princess'' (1930), and ''A Princess in Exile'' (1932). In 1942, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna moved to Argentina where she spent the years of World War II. She returned permanently to Europe in 1949. She died in Konstanz, Germany in 1958. ==Early life== Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovana was born in Saint Petersburg. She was the first child and only daughter of Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia and his first wife Grand Duchess Alexandra Georgievna of Russia, born Princess Alexandra of Greece and Denmark.〔Houston, ''Grand Duchess Marie: Eyewitness to the last days of tsarist Russia'', p. 42〕 Maria was not yet two years old, when her mother died from complication after giving birth to Maria's younger brother, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia.〔Vassiliev, ''Beauty in Exile'', p. 151〕 Grand Duke Paul was so distraught by the unexpected death of his beautiful young wife that he neglected his two small children who were left in the care of his elder brother, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who had no children of his own. Once he recovered emotionally, Grand Duke Paul took the two children away with him. A commander of the Imperial horse Guards, Grand Duke Paul loved his children, but as was customary at the time, he refrained from showing them spontaneous affection.〔Houston, ''Grand Duchess Marie: Eyewitness to the last days of tsarist Russia'', p. 43〕 Maria and her brother were raised by governesses and tutors, but they adored their father who visited them twice a day.〔Houston, ''Grand Duchess Marie: Eyewitness to the last days of tsarist Russia'', p. 43〕 The children spent Christmases and later some summer holidays with Sergei and his wife Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna.〔Mager, ''Elizabeth: Grand Duchess of Russia'', p. 143〕 The couple set aside a playroom and bedrooms for the youngsters at their home, Ilinskoe.〔Mager, ''Elizabeth: Grand Duchess of Russia'', p. 179〕 Maria Pavlovana childhood was spent in splendor. Her early memories were of magnificent palaces and lazy country estates populated by armies of servants. Until she was six, Maria spoke Russian badly as all of her governesses and the immediate family spoke English.〔Vassiliev, ''Beauty in Exile'', p. 151〕 Later she had another governess, Mademoiselle Hélène who taught her French and stayed with her until her marriage. At the age of seven she traveled in her own personal railway car accompanied by her governess to visit Germany and France. On Sundays, she and her brother were allowed to play with children from aristocratic families.〔Vassiliev, ''Beauty in Exile'', p. 151〕 Growing up without a mother and with a frequently absent father, Grand Duchess Maria and her brother Dimitri became very close, relying on each other for affection and companionship.〔Houston, ''Grand Duchess Marie: Eyewitness to the last days of tsarist Russia'', p. 44〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (1890–1958)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|