List of princes of royal blood of Russia explained

Prince of royal blood — title introduced in the Russian Empire in 1886 for distant descendants of the emperor. They were granted great-grandchildren and their descendants (and their wives) instead of the more honorable "Grand Duke" (for children and grandchildren). This measure was caused by a significant increase in the number of members of the House of Romanov.

Story

In 1885 Emperor Alexander III formalised the use of titles in the Imperial House by amendment to the succession laws. Grand Duke belonged henceforward only to sons and paternal grandsons of the Emperors of Russia, and Grand Duchess correspondingly only to daughters and paternal granddaughters, as well as to legitimate wives of Grand Dukes.

One male infant only 9 days old at the time of Alexander's edict thus lost the title. Those Russian dynasts who genealogically were distant from Emperors (as not to be Grand Dukes) were entitled to titulary Prince of Russia.

Prince John Konstantinovich of Russia (1886–1918) was apparently the only who lost the grand ducal title accorded by convention at birth but removed by Alexander III. Alexander III's own grandchildren, children of his daughter Xenia Alexandrovna, were not yet born at the time of the edict, and accordingly became "only" Princes of Russia from their births, as they were great-grandchildren of Nicholas I (one generation too far) when looking at the male lineage.

All were styled Highness.[1]

Princes of Russia of the House of Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp

PictureNameFatherBornDiedNotes
Prince John KonstantinovichGrand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich5 July 188618 July 1918Ioann Konstantinovich was born as a Grand Duke of Russia with the style Imperial Highness, but at the age of 9 days, an Ukaz of his cousin Emperor Alexander III of Russia stripped him of that title, as the Ukaz amended the House Law by limiting the grand-ducal title to grandsons of a reigning emperor. As a result, he received the title Prince of the Imperial Blood (Prince of Russia) with the style Highness
Prince Gabriel KonstantinovichGrand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich15 July 188728 February 1955
Prince Constantine KonstantinovichGrand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich1 January 189118 July 1918
Prince Oleg KonstantinovichGrand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich27 November 189227 September 1914
Prince Igor KonstantinovichGrand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich10 June 189418 July 1918
Prince Georgy KonstantinovichGrand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich6 May 19037 November 1938
Prince Roman PetrovichGrand Duke Peter Nikolaevich17 October 189623 October 1978
Prince Andrei AlexandrovichGrand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich24 January 18978 May 1981
Prince Feodor AlexandrovichGrand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich24 January 18978 May 1981
Prince Nikita AlexandrovichGrand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich13 January 190012 September 1974
Prince Dmitri AlexandrovichGrand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich15 August 19017 July 1980
Prince Rostislav AlexandrovichGrand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich2 November 190231 July 1978
Prince Vasili AlexandrovichGrand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich7 July 190724 June 1989
Prince Vladimir KirillovichGrand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich30 August 191721 April 1992Became Grand Duke in 1922
Pretender 1938–1992
Prince Vsevolod IvanovichPrince John Konstantinovich20 January 191418 June 1973

Females

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Russian Imperial Succession. Horan. Brien. 1997.