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Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg ((ロシア語:Евгения Максимилиановна Лейхтенбергская)) (1 April 1845 - 4 May 1925) was a daughter of Maximilian de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia. Although she was a member of the French House of Beauharnais, she was born and raised in her mother's native country, Russia. In 1869, she married her distant cousin, Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg. The couple had an only child, Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg. Princess Eugenia and her husband were particularly noted for their extensive philanthropy throughout Russia; so much so in fact that by 1914, a newspaper source could claim that "there () probably not two who are so universally beloved as the Duke and Duchess of Oldenburg". ==Early life== Princess Eugenia of Leuchtenberg was born on in Saint Petersburg. She was the fourth child and third daughter of Maximilian de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia. Eugenia's father, Maximilian, Duke of Leuchtenberg, had traveled to St. Petersburg, eventually winning the hand of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Nicholas I's eldest daughter. Maximilian was subsequently bestowed with the style ''Imperial Highness'' and given the title ''Prince Romanowsky''. As the daughter of a Russian grand duchess and an ennobled Russian prince, Eugenia and her siblings were always treated as grand dukes and duchesses, bearing the styles ''Imperial Highness''.〔〔 Princess Eugenia (She was called Eugenie, the French from of her name, by her family)〔Belyakova, '' Honour and Fidelity '', p. 64〕 spent her childhood in the Mariinsky Palace with her siblings. Both of her parents were interested in artistic and scientific endeavors so Eugenia received a better education than most princesses of her time.〔 She studied music, drawing, dancing and languages. As a girl she enjoyed horse-riding. Hunting with horses and riding became hobbies she enjoyed throughout her life.〔 After their father's death in 1852, Grand Duchess Maria morganatically remarried to Count Grigori Stroganov two years later. As this union was kept secret from her father Emperor Nicholas I (and her brother Emperor Alexander II could not permit the union, preferring instead to feign ignorance), Maria was forced into exile abroad.〔 Alexander felt sympathy for his sister however, and paid special attention to her children from her first marriage, who lived in St. Petersburg without their mother.〔 Due to her rank, Eugenia often served in various court functions. In 1860 for instance Eugenia accompanied Dowager Empress Alexandra Feodorovna to France, where they were greeted by Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie. In 1866, the princess, Grand Duchess Maria, and other prominent royal figures officially greeted U.S. Ambassador Cassius Clay and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Gustavus Fox with a lavish banquet; Clay was given the honor of sitting between Eugenia and Grand Duchess Alexandra Iosifovna.〔Florimond Loubat, p. 205.〕 Clay and Fox had previously traveled to the country palace of Grand Duchess Maria, where they were officially presented to Princess Eugenia; they ate lunch together, and afterwards the two men journeyed back to St. Petersburg to carry out other visits of state.〔 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「Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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