Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia, (May 14, 1879 - October 30, 1956), was a Russian grand duke, the youngest son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. He escaped Russia following the Russian Revolution of 1917 and married his long-time mistress, Mathilde Kchessinska in 1921. He claimed paternity of Kchessinska's son, Prince Vladimir Romanovsky-Krasinsky (June 30, 1902 - April 23, 1974) ^[1] Andrei was introduced to Kchessinska by his elder brothers, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia and Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia. Kschessinska, a ballet dancer, had previously been the mistress of Andrei's cousins Tsar Nicholas II and Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich of Russia. Kschessinska liked Andrei's looks when she first met him, as she described in her memoirs: May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The title of Grand Duke (Latin, Magnus Dux; German, Großherzog, Russian, Великий князь) used in Slavic, Baltic, and Germanic countries, is ranked in honour below King but higher than a sovereign Duke (Herzog) or Prince (Fürst). ... Velikiy Knjaz Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, in Russian Владимир Александрович / Влади́мирович (22 April 1847 - 17 February 1909). ... For other uses, see Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia or Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (1890-1958) Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia, known as Miechen or Maria Pavlovna the Elder (May 14, 1854 - September 6, 1920) was born Marie Alexandrine Elisabeth Eleonore of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, daughter of... The Russian Revolution of 1917 was a series of political and social upheavals in Russia, involving first the overthrow of the tsarist autocracy, and then the overthrow of the liberal and moderate-socialist Provisional Government, resulting in the establishment of Soviet power under the control of the Bolshevik party. ... Mathilde Kschessinska (Polish: Matylda KrzesiÅ„ska, 1872-1971), also known as Her Serene Highness Princess Romanova-Krasinskaya since 1921, was the second prima ballerina assoluta in the world. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 184 days remaining. ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovitch of Russia, (Kirill Vladimirovitch Romanov) (October 12 (N.S.), 1876—October 12, 1938) was a member of the Russian Royal Family. ... Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia, November 24, 1877 - November 9, 1943, was a Russian grand duke and the son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. ... Tsar Nicholas II (18 May 1868 to 17 July 1918)1 was the last crowned Emperor of Russia. ... Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich of Russia (7 October 1869-18 July 1918) was the fifth son of Grand Duke Michael Nikolayevich of Russia and his wife, Cecily, Princess of Baden (Olga Feodorovna), a daughter of Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden. ...

Andrei and his family settled in Paris following the Revolution. He was one of the few members of the Romanov family to believe the claim of Anna Anderson to be Tsar Nicholas II's youngest daughter Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia. When he first met the woman, he said it was "an unshakable recognition ... Her face is striking in its profound sadness, but when she smiles, it is she, it is Anastasia, without a doubt." He offered the woman support for her claim and financial assistance throughout her life. ^[3] Anastasia Manahan, usually known as Anna Anderson (c. ... Tsar Nicholas II (18 May 1868 to 17 July 1918)1 was the last crowned Emperor of Russia. ... Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia (Anastasia Nikolaievna Romanova, (in Russian: Великая Княжна Анастасия Николаевна Романова, Velikaya Knyazhna Anastasiya Nikolaievna Romanova), (June 5 (O.S.)/June 18 (N.S.) 1901 — presumably July 17, 1918), was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Empress Alexandra, the last autocratic rulers of Imperial...

Andrei was distraught during World War II when his son Vladimir, who had been a Young Russian and regarded as pro-Soviet by the Nazi Party, was held in a concentration camp for 119 days before being released. Andrei visited German Police Headquarters multiple times and asked for help from Russian emigrees to get his son released, but neither group would help him. ^[4] Andrei and his wife lived in Paris, where they enjoyed entertaining. Unlike his brother Kirill, he was largely uninterested in politics. He died in 1956 at age seventy-seven. ^[5] The Union of Mladorossi (Soyuz Mladorossov, in Russian: Союз Младороссов) was a political group of Russian emigre monarchists (mostly living in Europe) who advocated a hybrid of Russian monarchy and the Soviet system, best evidenced by their motto Tsar and the Soviets. The organization started in 1923, as the Union of Young... The Nazi Party, officially known as the National Socialist German Workers Party (German: , or NSDAP), was a political party in Germany between 1920 and 1945. ...

Notes

January 5 is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

References

• Peter Kurth, Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson, Back Bay Books, 1983, ISBN 0-316-50717-2
• John Curtis Perry and Constantine Pleshakov, The Flight of the Romanovs, Basic Books, 1999, ISBN 0-46502462-9
• Paul Theroff, An Online Gotha
• Charlotte Zeepvat, The Camera and the Tsars: A Romanov Family Album, Sutton Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0-7509-3049-7