Princess Milica of Montenegro
Militza of Montenegro (*. Julijul 14 / 26 July 1866greg in Cetinje, Montenegro, . † September 5, 1951 in Alexandria, Egypt) was a princess of the house Petrović - Njegoš and later Russian Grand Duchess. They belonged to the group of women who made known the itinerant preacher Rasputin the Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna.
Life
Background and education
Militza was the second daughter of King Nikola I of Montenegro (1841-1921) and his wife Milena Vukotić ( 1847-1923 ). Milica, as she was called in the family, grew up with her siblings in Cetinje.
Like her sister, Zorka, she received an education in Saint Petersburg on Smolny Institute since 1875. She became seriously ill with typhoid fever. Tsarina Maria she used temporarily even after their recovery and prompted the return to Montenegro. She returned and completed her training in 1882 Smolnyi with honors. She was a brilliant pianist.
Marriage and Family
On July 26, 1889 married Princess Militza of Montenegro in Saint Petersburg Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich Romanov ( 1864-1931 ), son of Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov and his wife Princess Alexandra Friederike Wilhelmine von Oldenburg, since the marriage of Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna. The marriage produced four children:
- Marina Petrovna (* February 28, 1892, † 15 May 1981)
- Roman Petrovich ( born October 17, 1896 † 23 October 1978)
- Nadia Petrovna (* March 3, 1898, † 21 April 1988 )
- Sophie ( * / † March 3, 1898 )
Her sister, Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanowsky left, divorced from her first husband in 1906 and married in 1907 the elder brother of the husband Militzas, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov.
Rasputin
Militza held nothing from official life and took care of little friendships, especially with Zinaida Nikolaevna Yusupova, mother of Felix Yusupov Felixowitsch. Sometimes they invited a gentlemen of the Academy, including Sergei Fedorovich Oldenburg, Fyodor Ivanovich Uspensky and Pyotr Petrovich Semenov - Tyan- Shansky. In St. Petersburg she received the representatives of several arms associations and charities, they always actively supported.
Archimandrite Theophan, Inspector of the Theological Academy in St. Petersburg, in the autumn of 1905 brought Rasputin in the house where this took place immediately Militzas favor with his reports via Siberia and the ancient monasteries. Rasputin came often to visit, and Militza reported it frequently Tsarina Alexandra until it was ready to get to know him better. On November 1, 1905 Rasputin was then presented by Militza also the Tsar. Then he appeared less and less in the home of Militzas family. Militza also believed heretical views with him to recognize and mentioned this to the Archimandrite.
Break with Rasputin
After a long break, it was late 1909 final break, returned as Militza and her family from a Krimaufenthalt to St. Petersburg. Here they expected Rasputin and demanded of her and her husband to go with him to the Empress to Tsarskoye Selo. Since Militza was a reserved, Rasputin began to talk about his mission as a preacher. Militza doubted this claim, whereupon Rasputin finally demonstratively spoke disparagingly of the St. Seraphim of Sarov. At these words Militzas referred him husband of the house, whereupon Rasputin threatened that God would punish this behavior.
Militza then tried to warn Rasputin the Tsarina. They accused him of heresy, and gave the Tsarina books and notes which should underpin this view. When a few months later Militza with her family again met the royal pair, the Tsarina treated them with coolness. Militzas son Roman wrote in his memoirs about the Zarin: " From then on, the once close relationship between her and my parents had been broken forever. "
The Exile
1919 was able to escape shortly before the invasion of the Red Army, the couple on the British warship HMS Marlborough. After a brief stay with her brother, the Italian King Victor Emmanuel III. let them settle in Antibes. There, her husband died on 17 June 1931.
Gallery
Marina Petrovna Romanova, 1914
Nadia Petrovna with her brother Roman Petrovich Romanov, 1917