John Curtis Perry and Constantine Pleshakov, This page was last edited on 27 February 2021, at 22:05. Oct 10, 2018 - This tiara of 15 intertwined diamond circles strung together with a diamond ribbon on top and hung with articulating pendant pearls, made in the 1874 by Bolin, the Russian court jeweler. Princess Elena of Greece & Denmark; inherited from her mother in 1920. It was battered all right--but it was hers. The treatment of her son created a strife between her husband and the Emperor. In 2008 a collection of cufflinks, cigarette cases and other small jewellery items belonging to the Vladimir family were discovered in the archives of the Swedish foreign ministry, having presumably been deposited at the Swedish Embassy in St Petersburg following the Revolution. This is worthy of note, as hitherto the Russian laws have required the wives of all grand dukes to adopt the orthodox Russian faith.”[23]. I greatly prefer this tiara with pearls over emeralds. The tiara was smuggled out of Russia in a pair of Gladstone bags. "[71] Marie gave her granddaughters "dresses, dolls, prams, bicycles, a pony and carriage and jewellery suitable for their ages, such as silver muff-chains, watches, strings of pearls and diamonds and turquoise pendants.”[72] She despised Kate Fox, the nurse to Elena's children. She was the grandest of the grand duchesses at the imperial court, and she was no fan of the Tsar’s wife, Alexandra. Queen Mary had the tiara adapted to accommodate the attachment of fifteen of the Cambridge cabochon emeralds. Which one, whether old or new, is unknown. She told Glyn: "Everyone always writes books about our peasants. ), hoping this would lift morale. Boris left him but came back sometime later with a paper showing that the Grand Duchess had given up her Protestant religion and had embraced the Orthodox."[31]. The tiara, acquired from the collection of Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, has a storied past. Upon her marriage she took the Russian name of Maria Pavlovna. The Grand Duchess Vladimir wearing the tiara she commissioned from Bolin. She had prayed to the Virgin for the safety of her son [Kirill] when he was injured [during the Russo-Japanese War], and seeing in his escape from death an answer to these prayers, she finally adopted the Orthodox religion.”[29] However, some believed that the ambitious Marie acted to improve the chances of her own sons ascending the throne. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, born Marie Alexandrine Elisabeth Eleonore of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, was already engaged to a German prince when she met Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, second son of Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Marie's favorite was Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. She married the third son of Alexander II, Grand Duke Vladimir, in 1874 and they produced four surviving children. The Grand Duchess notably wore the piece for a grand portrait, along with a host of other large sapphire pieces. 2 May] 1854 — 6 September 1920), better known as Maria Pavlovna the Elder, was the eldest daughter of Grand Duke Frederick Francis II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin by his first wife, Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz. She was devastated by his death and wore mourning clothes for the rest of her life. [citation needed], Marie was noted for her attractiveness and sense of style. [41] She privately criticized Alexander II for his obsession with Catherine: "The creature... seems to have him bound as in a spell, to make him deaf and blind. "[5] In 1910, author Elinor Glyn wrote that Marie was "a most stately, magnificent looking princess. Following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's 2018 wedding, sources suggested the Duchess had her "heart set" on the Vladimir Kokoshnik tiara. Marie and Vladimir had four sons and one daughter. It was not as lavish as the wedding of Vladimir's sister Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia to the Duke of Edinburgh. This marriage was not approved by Nicholas II and Cyril was stripped of his imperial titles. Julia P. Gelardi, From Splendor to Revolution, p.238, Julia P. Gelardi, From Splendor to Revolution, p.253, Julia P. Gelardi, From Splendor to Revolution, p.254, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia (disambiguation), Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, Kirill Vladimirovich, Grand Duke of Russia, Elena Vladimirovna, Princess Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, George Albert I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna of Russia, Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, Queen Mary, Queen Consort of the United Kingdom, Nancy Leeds (later Princess Christopher of Greece), Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia, Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia, Duchess of Edinburgh and of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Frederick Louis, Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, "Sotheby's Sells Tsar Family Jewelry Found in Swedish Archive", "Decree of Emperor Nicholas II Concerning the Recognition of the Wedding of Grand Duke Kirill Wladimirovich and Granting to His Wife and Descendants Those Rights Belonging to Members of the Russian Imperial Family", "Real orden de Damas Nobles de la Reina Maria Luisa", Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg, Catherine Alexeievna (Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst), Natalia Alexeievna (Wilhelmina Louisa of Hesse-Darmstadt), Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg), Anna Feodorovna (Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld), Alexandra Feodorovna (Charlotte of Prussia), Elena Pavlovna (Charlotte of Württemberg), Alexandra Iosifovna (Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg), Elizabeth Feodorovna (Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine), Alexandra Georgievna (Alexandra of Greece and Denmark), Elizaveta Mavrikievna (Elisabeth of Saxe-Altenburg), Anastasia Nikolaevna (Anastasia of Montenegro), Militza Nikolaevna of Montenegro (Milica of Montenegro), Maria Georgievna (Maria of Greece and Denmark), Viktoria Feodorovna (Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Duchess_Marie_of_Mecklenburg-Schwerin&oldid=1009307562, People from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Recipients of the House Order of the Wendish Crown, Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from November 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Wikipedia articles with PLWABN identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, 13. After the Duchess's death, they were sold by her children to support their lives in exile. However, Emperor Nicholas overruled the existing law and nominated his oldest daughter Grand Duchess Olga as regent with his wife Empress Alexandra as guardian during Alexei's minority. For three years, Marie and Vladimir could not marry, because Marie refused to convert from Lutheranism to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Queen wears the Grand Duchess Vladimir tiara Credit: Rex Features. Queen Elizabeth inherited the tiara in 1953 and frequently wears it with the original teardrop pendants and occasionally with the interchangeable Cambridge Emerald pendants. Made of gold and platinum, the tiara is 8 cm (3 in) tall and has the form of a tall circlet of lyresand S-scrolls linke… [49] Marie was furious, but Emperor Nicholas refused to change his mind. The Grand Duchess Vladimir tiara The tiara was later smuggled out of Russia by a British intelligence officer, who was a friend of the Grand Duchess, posing as a worker. He represents what I have been taught from my childhood to detest the most—the tyranny of the Hohenzollerns. She had been engaged to George Albert I, Prince of Schwarzburg-Rudolstadt, but broke it off as soon as she met Vladimir. Marie married Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, the third son of Alexander II of Russia. The Crown Jewels are nice and all, but the Queen’s Jewels contain a number of gorgeous tiaras that are more than worthy of Her Majesty. Creation: Materials: diamonds. "[73] During the First Balkan War, Elena sent her children to Paris to stay with Marie. [62], Marie had a passion for jewels, and her collection was renowned. [30] After Emperor Nicholas II's sickly son Tsesarevich Alexei and unmarried, childless brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, Marie's husband and her sons were in line for the throne. She sold the tiara to Queen Mary in 1921. She chose another Cartier stock piece but had the original Pearls removed to accommodate her Sapphires. The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara is one of the most impressive pieces in The Queen’s tiara collection. Following the Revolution, a family friend Albert Stopford rescued the jewels from her Palace safe and smuggled them out of Russia. Albert Stopford admired Marie's efficiency and skill in organizing, claiming that Marie "spar[ed] herself no trouble" and was "quite thorough. They were sold on behalf of the Vladimir heirs; some of the proceeds were used to restore the Grand Duchess's tomb in Contrexéville. A poisonous gas filled the room, suffocating us, as well as adding to our horror. After her husband's death, Marie succeeded him as president of the Academy of Fine Arts. The Grand Duchess Vladimir Tiara sometimes the Diamond and Pearl Tiara, was bought, along with a diamond rivière, by Queen Mary from Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia mother of the Duchess of Kent in 1921 for a price of £28,000. as the "grandest of the grand duchesses"[1] and had an open rivalry with her sister-in-law the Empress Maria Feodorovna. By 1890, the Grand Duchess was firmly entrenched in her role, and “commissioned a Russian jeweller to make her a diamond tiara of fifteen interlaced circles, with a swinging oriental pearl suspended in each.” [48] According to the laws of the succession, Marie's oldest son Kirill, the heir presumptive now that Grand Duke Michael was ineligible and his own father, Vladimir, was dead, would become regent should the Emperor die before Alexei turned 21. Vladimir's mother, Empress Maria Alexandrovna was disappointed by Marie's refusal to convert: She herself had converted from Lutheranism to Russian Orthodoxy, and she thought that the Russian Orthodox church was “quite good enough for any daughter-in-law of hers.”[19] She told Vladimir that she hoped that Marie would "become Russian in body and in soul,"[20] indicating her hope that Marie would convert. Cartier’s original invoice still survives and brilliantly describes the precise stone details of this new jewel: Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna "Miechen" of Russia (Russian; Мари́я Па́вловна; born Duchess Marie Alexandrine Elisabeth Eleonore of Mecklenburg-Schwerin; 14 May [O.S. Baroness Wilhelmine von Geuder genannt Rabensteiner, Grand Duke Alexander Vladimirovich of Russia (31 August 1875 – 16 March 1877). Come and write one about how the real people live. "[50] Marie was outraged by Empress Alexandra's abrupt refusal. She was talking to persons whom she had never before met; and she did not make a single mistake.”[8] Author Elinor Glyn reflected that Marie "had a very highly cultivated and far-seeing mind, with a delightful sense of humour, and was adored by everyone. Emperor Alexander II finally agreed to let Vladimir marry Marie without insisting on her conversion to Orthodoxy. [21] Every bride of a Russian Grand Duke needed to convert to Russian Orthodoxy before Marie, so Marie's decision was shocking and unprecedented. She reflected: "Neither in my heart nor my mind have I found anything which is not utterly devoted to my Russian fatherland... it is my forty years’ residence in Russia— all the happiness I have known here, all the dreams that have come to me, all the affection and kindness I have received— which has given me a wholly Russian soul.”[52] She hated Wilhelm II, German Emperor and denounced him in the strongest terms: "I am only a Mecklenburger on one point: in my hatred for the Emperor William. [51], During World War I, Marie whole-heartedly supported Russia. In 1916, Vladimir Purishkevich wrote in his diary: "I shall never forget the story of Ivan Grigorevich Scheglovitov, former Minister of Justice. At least once a year, her daughter Elena would bring her children to visit. "[11] Glyn modeled one of the characters, Princess Ardacheff, after Marie. The dining-room vanished from our view, and we were plunged into impenetrable darkness. [69], Marie's eldest surviving son, Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia married, in 1905, his first cousin Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, daughter of Vladimir's sister the Duchess of Edinburgh and of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. She oversaw hospital trains for the troops. Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia's Vladimir Fringe Tiara. Queen Elizabeth II inherited the piece directly from her grandmother. Princess Marina. As the Bolsheviks approached, the group finally escaped aboard a fishing boat to Anapa in 1918. She was one of the very few Royals with Slavic patriline to ever marry a male dynast of the House of Romanov. "[42] She resented him for forcing his family to accept Catherine, and she expressed her anger in a letter to the late Empress Maria's brother, Louis III, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine: “The Tsar has commanded us as his subjects to be friendly with this wife; if not he would force us to it. [13], Marie was addicted to gambling. "[55] She developed a charity to give complete outfits and money to disabled Russian soldiers who were sent home. told him that the Grand Dukes had no rights whatsoever because their mother continued in the Lutheran faith even after marriage.