List of Russian Princes of the Blood Imperial
Prince of Blood Imperial (Russian: Князь императорской крови) was the title introduced in the Russian Empire in 1886 for members of the extended Imperial Family of Russia. The title was granted to great-grandchildren and their descendants (and their wives) instead of the higher-ranking Grand Duke of Russia (Russian: великий князь), which carried the style Imperial Highness, which was thereafter restricted to the sons and male-line grandsons of an Emperor. It was introduced due to the proliferation of members of the wider Imperial Family of Russia during the nineteenth century, which placed increased pressure on the Imperial Treasury to fund the state annuities which each Grand Duke and Grand Duchess was entitled to.[1]
Background
[edit]In 1886 Emperor Alexander III altered the use of titles in the Imperial House by amendment to the succession laws.[2] The growing size of the Imperial Family of Russia throughout the nineteenth century had incurred a corresponding increase to the cost to the Imperial Treasury of the annuities of each Grand Duke and Duchess.
Under the existing 1797 Laws of the Imperial Family, title of Grand Duke/Duchess and style of Imperial Highness was granted to all children, and male-line grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren of an Emperor.[3] Reform of the Laws which governed the Imperial Family had been discussed as early as 1884.[3]
On 5 July 1886 a son was born to the Emperor's first cousin Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich and his wife Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mavrikievna; the infant Grand Duke, John Konstantinovich, was the first legitimate male-line great-grandson of an Emperor born into the wider Imperial Family. The arrival of the first member of the next generation of Grand Dukes in the Romanov Family prompted the Emperor to alter the entitlement to the title and style of Grand Duke/Duchess of Russia and Imperial Highness by amending the "Fundamental Laws" which regulated membership of the Imperial Family.[4]
The changes, announced nine days after the birth of Grand Duke John Konstantinovich (known thereafter as Prince John Konstantinovich), restricted the title of Grand Duke or Grand Duchess and style of Imperial Highness to the children and male-line grandchildren of an Emperor of Russia.[5]
The male-line great-grandchildren of an Emperor would instead receive the title of Prince of the Blood Imperial or Princess of the Blood Imperial and be entitled to the use lower-ranking style of Highness.[5] The Senior male-line male heir of each great-grandson of an Emperor would also be entitled to use the style of Highness regardless of how many generations in descent from an Emperor they each were.[5] Sources differ as to whether the use of "Highness" by each senior male heir of a great-grandson of an Emperor was granted for life;[3] the only example of such an individual prior to the revolution was Prince Vsevolod Ivanovich of Russia. Born on 20 January 1914, on the following day Nicholas II declared Prince Vsevolod to be a Prince of the Blood Imperial with the style of Highness.[6]
All other male-line great-great-grandchildren of an Emperor and more remote male-line descendants would continue to be a Prince or Princess of the Blood Imperial, but were only granted use the still-lower style of Serene Highness.[5][3]
The wives of Grand Dukes and Princes who formed dynastic (i.e. non-morganatic) marriages were entitled to take on their husband's rank and style.[5][3]
Alexander III's own grandchildren would be later affected by the change; in 1894 his younger daughter Grand Duchess Xenia married her first-cousin-once-removed Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich. Under the 1886 changes, Xenia and Alexander Mikhailovich's children derived their rank and titles as male-line great-grandchildren of Emperor Nicholas I through their father, rather than as female-line grandchildren of Alexander III, and consequently were only entitled to the style and title of Highness and Prince/Princess of the Blood Imperial.
| Degree of descent from a former or living Emperor | 1797 Statute on the Imperial Family | 1886 Statute on the Imperial Family |
|---|---|---|
| Children of an Emperor | Imperial Highness and Grand Duke or Grand Duchess of Russia | Imperial Highness and Grand Duke or Grand Duchess of Russia |
| Male-line grandchildren of an Emperor | Imperial Highness and Grand Duke or Grand Duchess of Russia | Imperial Highness and Grand Duke or Grand Duchess of Russia |
| Male-line great-grandchildren of an Emperor | Imperial Highness and Grand Duke or Grand Duchess of Russia | Highness and Prince or Princess of the Blood Imperial |
| Male-line great-great-grandchildren of an Emperor | Imperial Highness and Grand Duke or Grand Duchess of Russia | Serene Highness† and Prince or Princess of the Blood Imperial |
| Male-line great-great-great-grandchildren of an Emperor | Highness and Prince or Princess of the Blood Imperial | Serene Highness† and Prince or Princess of the Blood Imperial |
§Limited to Romanov descendants born from "dynastic" (non-morganatic) marriages.
†The senior male descendant in the male line of each great-grandson of an Emperor was entitled to the higher style of Highness, regardless of how many generations removed they were from an Emperor.
Finances and Annuities
[edit]Varying figures have been published regarding the size of the state-funded annuities which members of the Imperial Family received under the 1886 changes to the "Fundamental Laws" of the Imperial Family.
Grand Dukes reportedly received life annuities of 280,000 roubles from the Imperial Treasury.[1] In his memoirs, published in the early 1930s Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia states that Grand Dukes received the equivalent of US$50,000 per year (paid into a Trust) from birth until the age of 20, and $100,000 annually thereafter;[7] based on the approximate exchange rates of ₽2:$1 in the late 19th century and ₽3:$1 from 1914 to 1917, this supports the approximate figure of 100,000 roubles annual from birth and 200,000 once each Grand Duke reached the age of majority.[8][9]
Grand Duchess reportedly received a dowry of 1,000,000 (approximately $500,000 or £100,000 in 1886)[9][8] roubles upon their marriage.[10] This was also the figure provided by Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, who stated that the dowry of each Grand Duchess was $500,000.[7]: 158 Other sources suggest that an additional annuity of 50,000 roubles from birth, increased to 100,000 roubles upon reaching a majority was paid to all Grand Duchesses, and that a one-off 1,000,000 rouble payment was made to all Grand Duchesses and Grand Dukes when they married.[11]
Princes and Princesses of the Blood Imperial who were male-line great-grandchildren of an Emperor were not entitled to an annuity under the 1886 changes, but were provided with a one-off lump sum payment of 1,000,000 roubles at birth.[1] This figure is supported by Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, who provided a figure of US$500,000.[7]: 158
Princes of Russia of the House of Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp
[edit]
Females
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Bergamini, John D. (1969). The Tragic Dynasty: A History of the Romanovs. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons. p. 376. ISBN 978-1568521602. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
- ^ Wortman, Richard (2013). "2. The Representation of Dynasty and "Fundamental Laws" in the Evolution of Russian Monarchy". Russian Monarchy: Representation and Rule. Academic Studies Press. p. 66. ISBN 9781618112174 Parameter error in {{ISBN}}: checksum. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f Martin, Russell (2010). ""For the Firm Maintenance of the Dignity and Tranquility of the Imperial Family": Law and Familial Order in the Romanov Dynasty". Russian History. 37 (4): 397–404. doi:10.1163/187633110X528681. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
- ^ Zeepvat, Charlotte (2001). Romanov Autumn: Stories from the Last Century of Imperial Russia. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 209. ISBN 0750927399. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
- ^ a b c d e Beéche, Arturo E. (2004). The Grand Duchesses: Daughters & Granddaughters of Russia's Tsars. Berkeley, California: Eurohistory.com. p. xii. ISBN 978-0-9771961-1-1. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ King, Greg; Wilson, Penny (2006). Gilded Prism: The Konstantinovichi Grand Dukes & the Last Years of the Romanov Dynasty. Eurohistory.com. ISBN 9780977196142.
- ^ a b c Mikhaĭlovich, Aleksandr (1932). Once a Grand Duke. New York: Garden City Publishing Co. Retrieved 9 March 2025.
- ^ a b Clarke, William M. (2007). Romanoff Gold: The Lost Fortune of the Tsars (1 ed.). Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. n10. ISBN 978-0-7509-4499-1. OCLC 1311044837. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ a b Officer, Lawrence H. "Exchange Rates Between the United States Dollar and the Pound Sterling, 1791 to Present". MeasuringWorth. Results generated for 1886–1918. MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Clarke, William M. (2007). Romanoff Gold: The Lost Fortune of the Tsars. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. p. 63. ISBN 978-0750944991. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
- ^ "Russian Imperial Dowries". Long Eaton Advertiser. 1908-05-29. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-07-23 – via Newspapers.com.