Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia
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| Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia | |
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| Born | January 14, 1850 |
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| Died | November 14, 1908 (aged 57) |
| Spouse | (alleged) Alexandra Vasilievna, Countess Zhukavskaya |
| Parents | Alexander II of Russia (father) Marie of Hesse and by Rhine (mother) |
The Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovitch Romanov of Russia (14 January 1850- 14 November 1908) was the sixth child and the fourth son of Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse), general admiral (1883). His life was reputed to be one of "fast women and slow ships", referring to his womanising and naval failures.
He was a younger brother of Alexander III of Russia, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia and Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia. He was an older brother of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia and Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich.
In 1868 the grand duke traveled to Greece to celebrate the marriage of his cousin Olga Konstantinova, and on his return voyage, on the warship Alexander Nevsky, he was involved in a shipwreck off the coast of Jutland, which resulted in the loss of the vessel, Alexei Alexandrovich was unhurt.
In 1869/1870, Alexei supposedly married Alexandra Vasilievna, Countess Zhukavskaya (11 November 1842 - 26 August 1899), a lady in waiting and the daughter of poet Vasily Andreyevich Zhukovsky but there is no evidence to substantiate even a morganatic marriage took place, as his family was opposed to the union. They were parents to a son, Alexei Alexandrovich, Count Belevsky-Zhukovsky (26 November 1871 - 1932). To divert Alexei's attention from Alexandra, his father sent him as a goodwill ambassador to the United States.
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[edit] Tour of the United States
In 1871, Alexei made a trip of good will to the United States, visiting 34 cities. He gave $5,000 USD (equivalent to $250,000 today) in gold to the homeless people of Chicago, Illinois, after the Great Chicago Fire and liberal sums to others in the slums of Boston, Massachusetts and New York City.
On his 22nd birthday, 14 January 1872, he hunted buffalo on the plains of southwest Nebraska with American celebrities of the day, including:
- Philip Sheridan, second-in-command of the United States Army.
- George Armstrong Custer, who became a fast friend; they continued to correspond by letter until Custer's death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
- Buffalo Bill, who loaned His Imperial Highness his horse and his rifle and assisted him in bringing down a big buffalo bull.
- Spotted Tail of the Brulé who, with some of his braves, showed the Grand Duke how the Indians killed buffalo without using guns; later he lead all the Sioux when Red Cloud was arrested after Little Bighorn.
Alexis spoke of the hunt many times during the rest of his life.
He was in New Orleans, Louisiana for the 1872 Mardi Gras season, where he was guest of honor reviewing the inaugural Rex parade.
[edit] Death
He died in Paris, presumably unmarried, in 1908. His death was said to have devastated Tsar Nicholas II, his nephew, who reportedly claimed Alexei as his favourite uncle.
[edit] Popular culture
- The Grand Duke's western hunt is alluded to in the film version of Maverick, starring Mel Gibson. In the film, the Duke is hustled, after he has grown bored with hunting animals, into thinking he has killed a Native American.
- One set of lyrics to the traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras song "If Ever I Cease To Love", still sometimes heard each season, say "May the Grand Duke Alexis/Ride a buffalo to Texas/If ever I cease to love".
[edit] Ancestry
