Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia

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Vladimir Palace was the home of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich in Saint Petersburg. His initials may still be seen above the arch.

Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, in Russian Владимир Александрович / Влади́мирович (22 April, 1847 - 17 February, 1909).

He was the third, but second surviving son of Emperor Alexander II (who ascended 1855, when Vladimir was 8 years old, and was assassinated in 1881) and his wife Maria Alexandrovna of Hesse, the daughter of Ludwig II, Grand Duke of Hesse.

He was the next brother of Emperor Alexander III (reigned 1881-1894) and the senior uncle of Tsar Nicholas II, who afterwards was murdered in 1918.

Vladimir Alexandrovich married 28 August 1874 Princess Marie Alexandrine Elisabeth Eleonore of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (May 14, 1854 - September 6, 1920), daughter of Friedrich Franz II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Augusta of Reuss-Köstritz. Maria was a granddaughter of Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, himself a grandson of Emperor Paul I of Russia. Vladimir's wife was known as Maria Pavlovna of Mecklenburg and Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna. When she converted to the orthodox confession in her later life, Emperor Nicholas II bestowed her the title "the Orthodox Grand Duchess".

The couple had five children:

Grand Duke Alexander Vladimirovich, who died in childhood
Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia (October 12 (N.S.), 1876—October 12, 1938).
Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich
Grand Duke Andrew Vladimirovich
Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (1882-1957) who married Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark, third son of George I of Greece and Grand Duchess Olga Constantinovna of Russia.

Vladimir's eldest son and heir His Imperial Highness The Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia married 1905 his first cousin Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, daughter of Vladimir's sister Maria. This marriage was disapproved by Nicholas II and Cyril was stripped of his imperial titles. The treatment of his son created a strife between Vladimir and the Emperor. However, after several deaths in the family put Cyril third in the line of succession to the Imperial Throne, Nicholas agreed to reinstate Cyril's imperial titles, and the latter's wife was given the title Grand Duchess Viktoria Fedorovna. Vladimir died 1909. After the Russian Revolution of 1917 Cyril was in 1924 proclaimed Emperor in Paris, in exile. Vladimir's line has thus received the headship of the imperial house. Vladimir was the paternal grandfather and namesake of the future pretender claimant Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia, born 1917.

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