Misplaced Pages

#323676

69-447: Under the 1797 Pauline house laws , the title was discontinued and replaced with tsesarevich for the heir apparent alone. His younger brothers were given the title of veliky knyaz , translated as grand prince or, more commonly, as grand duke . Historically, the term was also applied to descendants of the khans (tsars) of Kazan , Kasimov , and Siberia after these khanates had been conquered by Russia . The descendants of

138-530: A Bagration as morganatic , because this House, like the House of Orléans , is descended from a once ruling dynasty ." Previously, the morganatic wives of Romanov grand dukes had been banished from Russia, along with their disgraced husbands such as Sophia von Merenberg, Countess de Torby and Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich , as well as Princess Olga Paley and Grand Duke Paul Aleksandrovich ). Female Romanovs had dared to marry morganatically only in secret, and

207-576: A Royal or Ruling House, cannot pass on to that person, or to any posterity that may issue from such a marriage, the rights which belong to the Members of the Imperial family". Also remaining unrepealed was Article 36 ("Children born of a marriage between a member of the Imperial Family and a person not of corresponding rank, that is, not belonging to a Royal or Ruling House, shall have no right of succession to

276-502: A Russian style nevertheless. There existed an idea, never enshrined formally in law, that a descendant of a mother who was not Orthodox had a dubious status as a successor. Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin , known as Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, who had kept her Lutheran faith upon her marriage to Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia in 1874, converted to Orthodoxy 34 years later, shortly before her husband's death. According to some contemporary accounts she did so to strengthen

345-520: A disorderly bachelor life. He abstained from politics, but remained faithful to his military inclinations, without manifesting anything more than a preference for the externalities of the service. In command of the Imperial Guards during the campaign of 1805, he had a share of the responsibility for the Russian defeat at the battle of Austerlitz , however he did capture the first French Imperial Eagle in

414-527: A marriage against his will. In all four cases, the eventual regent would be the next adult person in the line of succession. The Pauline Laws stipulated only the monarchs themselves were of the Eastern Orthodox faith. They held no provisions of the religion embraced by the monarch's consort or the spouses of those in the line of succession, unlike the Act of Settlement of England. However, in practice, since 1740s,

483-565: A marriage with a person not possessing corresponding rank, that is, not belonging to a Royal or Ruling house". Both the 1889 and 1911 decrees were addenda to Article 188 of the Pauline laws (recodified as article 63 of the Imperial Family Statute). Left intact, however, was that original statute: "A person of the Imperial family who has entered into a marriage alliance with a person not possessing corresponding rank, that is, not belonging to

552-551: A morganatic wife of a reigning Emperor, in a precedent settled by Catherine Dolgorukova in 1880, had the style of an Empress (although Alexander II, which is far from certain, might consider crowning her later but failed to do so as he was assassinated soon thereafter). Morganatic marriages of the Romanovs were not typically made public nor announced via manifestos, and if such spouses were created count(esse)s of prince(sse)s, their letters patent did not cite their marital status concerning

621-639: A renunciation of the right to succession to the Imperial Throne of All the Russias belonging to Her as a member of the Imperial House". She received in return Nicholas II’s authorisation to marry Bagration-Mukhransky. That was the same family into which Princess Leonida Bagration of Mukhrani, the wife of Vladimir Cyrillovich, was born. Tatiana Konstantinovna and her Georgian prince were married at her father's estate at Pavlovsk , on 3 September 1911. The Emperor

690-523: A secret manifesto withheld until the Emperor's death. This legally controversial decision contravened the Pauline laws and triggered the succession crisis of 1825 . Over time, the house laws were amended, and in the late Russian Empire, the laws governing membership in the imperial house, succession to the throne, and other dynastic subjects were divided, with some being included in the Fundamental Laws of

759-466: A slave. So far did he forget all good manners and decency that, in the presence of his rough officers, he made demands on her, as his property, which will hardly bear being hinted of." Due to his violent treatment and suffering health problems as a result, Juliane separated from Konstantin in 1799; she eventually settled in Switzerland. An attempt by Konstantin in 1814 to convince her to return broke down in

SECTION 10

#1732845267324

828-449: A violation of the kingdom's independence and even an act of war. Because of that setback, he was limited to the resources around him. If he decided to intervene, it would require a different source of manpower. He was limited to the handful of Polish troops he could gather together. Constantin thus refused to send his troops against the revolutionaries: "The Poles have started this disturbance, and it's Poles that must stop it", and he left

897-436: The personal union with Russia, saw his actions as disobedience of the very constitution of which he felt personally proud. That also led to him being mocked, which he did not help by sending his adjutants with threats to those "guilty" of it like Wirydianna Fiszerowa . Nevertheless, Konstantin was an ardent supporter of Polish musicians, such as Maria Agata Szymanowska and Frédéric Chopin . After 19 years of separation,

966-480: The Blood Imperial ... Princes as well as Princesses of the Blood Imperial, upon contracting a marriage with a person not possessing corresponding rank, shall personally retain the title and privileges which are theirs by birth, with the exception of their right to succession from which they shall have abdicated before entering the marriage. In relation to the categorization of the marriages of Princes and Princesses of

1035-472: The Blood Imperial, the Lord Emperor has seen fit to recognize only two categories in these marriages: (a) equal marriages, i.e. those contracted with persons belonging to a Royal or Ruling House, and (b) unequal marriages, i.e. those contracted with persons not belonging to a Royal or Ruling House, and will not recognize any other categories. As promised in that communiqué (the so-called "Frederiks Memorandum"),

1104-472: The Bolsheviks, and the succession of the defunct Russian throne became disputed between different surviving descendants of the Romanovs in emigration. There was no precedent of regency under the Pauline law, the last legal regent being Anna Leopoldovna in 1740-1741. The laws did not provide for automatic identification of who should assume regency over a minor monarch. In 1825, 1855, and 1881, concurrently with

1173-612: The Emperor about relaxing the requirement that all dynasts marry partners "possessing corresponding rank" enshrined in Article 188 of the Pauline Laws, but he was rebuffed. The grand dukes then officially petitioned the Emperor by a commission chaired by Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolayevich of Russia , requesting that a new category of dynastic marriages be recognised, to consist of Imperial princes and princesses entitled, with specific Imperial consent, to marry persons of non-royal blood but retaining

1242-419: The Emperor proceeded to legalise authorised marriages of imperial Romanovs below grand ducal rank to those who lacked "corresponding rank". Such marriages had been altogether banned, rather than deemed morganatic, by Alexander III's ukase #5868 on 23 March 1889. However, ukase #35731/1489, issued on 11 August 1911, amended the 1889 ban with these words: "Henceforth no grand duke or grand duchess may contract

1311-504: The Empress with these feelings, and she proved so subject to his chimeras that she christened the new-born Grand Prince Constantine, gave him as nursemaid a Greek by the name of Helen, and talks in her own circles about how to place him on the throne of the Eastern empire. At the same time she is setting up a town at Tsarskoe Selo to be called Konstantingorod. The direction of the boy's upbringing

1380-459: The Fundamental laws of 1906, had no right to remove his son from the order of succession under the Pauline laws, and the abdication of a reigning emperor was not provided for there either. The Grand Duke Michael did not accept the crown in 1917 and the Russian monarchy was abolished. In 1918-1919 the former emperor Nicholas with his family, Grand Duke Michael, and many other Romanovs were killed by

1449-643: The Great named him after Constantine the Great , the founder of the Eastern Roman Empire . A medal with antique figures was struck to commemorate his birth; it bears the inscription "Back to Byzantium" which clearly alludes to Catherine's Greek Plan . According to the British ambassador James Harris , Prince Potemkin 's mind is constantly taken up with the idea of creating an empire in the East; he has managed to fascinate

SECTION 20

#1732845267324

1518-489: The Pauline Laws stipulated that "the heir should be named by the Law itself so that there should be no doubt as to who should succeed". Paul I abolished Peter the Great 's law that allowed each reigning emperor or empress to designate his or her successor and substituted a strict order of succession by proclaiming that the eldest son of the monarch would inherit the throne, followed by other dynasts according to primogeniture in

1587-605: The Poles, or he would be seen as a seed for the idea of a soon to be independent Poland, but he was effectively only trying to avoid a wider war. Konstantin died of cholera in Vitebsk (now in Belarus) on 27 June 1831 and did not live to see the suppression of the revolution. His frequent stands against the wishes of the Imperial Family were perceived in Russia as brave, even gallant. In Poland, he

1656-502: The Polish Army a similar version of Russia's supreme military. Alexander's policies were liberal by the standards of Restoration Europe. Classical liberals lapped up the freedoms of education, scholarship and economic development, but key deficiencies in Poland's autonomy like lack of control over the budget, military, and trade left them hungry for more. The Kalisz Opposition , led by

1725-487: The Polish independence than to Russian dominance. The securing of neutrality from Konstantin gave the Polish government the feeling that Russia would not attack Poland and gave it the chance effectively to quash the uprising. After ensuring Russian neutrality, Konstantin retreated behind Russian lines. That further confused the Polish government regarding its status with Russia because of a previous Russian promise to help put down

1794-578: The Russian Empire and others in the Statute of the Imperial Family (codification of 1906, as amended to 1911). The next monarch, Nicholas I of Russia , and his successors adhered to the Pauline rules in practice. In 1825, 1855, and 1881, following the accession of a new Emperor, his eldest son was recognized as heir apparent and bestowed the title of Heir Tsesarevich . In 1865, the future Alexander III of Russia became heir apparent and Tsesarevich following

1863-631: The Throne"). Aside from Article 188, Article 36 applied to prevent Tatiana Konstantinovna's issue from claiming succession rights. Her contemplated marriage having been rendered legal, Tatiana Konstantinovna renounced her dynastic rights, as was required. Nicholas II acknowledged that in a ukase addressed to the Imperial Senate on 9 February 1914: "Her Highness the Princess Tatiana Konstantinovna has presented to Us over Her own sign manual,

1932-577: The accession manifests of the Emperors, their next living brothers were appointed regents in the eventual situation of their respective nephews (who were all then minors) succeeding to the throne before the legal majority. However, these provisions were never put into effect as such a situation never occurred. In 1904, after the birth of Alexei, his uncle Michael was appointed the eventual regent in case Nicholas II died before his majority. Still, Nicholas rescinded this decision in early 1913 as Michael had contracted

2001-456: The army due to his disorderly conduct. His share in the battles in Germany and France was insignificant. At Dresden , on 26 August, his military knowledge failed him at the decisive moment, but at La Fère-Champenoise he distinguished himself by personal bravery. In Paris the grand duke excited public ridicule by the manifestation of his petty military fads. His first visit was to the stables, and it

2070-532: The brides of Romanov agnates, who were predominantly Protestant princesses of German states, typically did convert to Eastern Orthodoxy before the marriage and took a Russian name and patronymic that were later a part of their style as Grand Duchesses, such as Elizaveta Alekseevna, Anna Fedorovna , etc. Exceptions were tolerated since 1870s for spouses of cadet Grand Dukes, not immediately in the line of succession, who might since then retain Protestantism but accepted

2139-408: The brothers Bonawentura and Wincenty Niemojowski , pressed for reforms including more independence for the judiciary. Alexander, calling their actions an "abuse" of liberty, suspended the Polish parliament ( Sejm ) for five years and authorised Konstantin to maintain order in the kingdom by any means necessary. Konstantin, attempting to execute his brother's mandate to silence dissent, strengthened

Tsarevich - Misplaced Pages Continue

2208-587: The burden to another, interfering personally only on exceptional occasions, and exercised no influence upon the character of the passionate, restless and headstrong boy. The only person who exerted a responsible influence was Cesar La Harpe , who was tutor-in-chief from 1783 to May 1795 and educated both the empress's grandsons. Catherine arranged Konstantin's marriage as she had Alexander's; Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld , 14, and Konstantin, 16, were married on 26 February 1796. As Caroline Bauer recorded in her memoirs, "The brutal Constantine treated his consort like

2277-508: The coalition's history; while in 1807 neither his skill nor his fortune in war showed any improvement. After the peace of Tilsit he became an ardent admirer of Napoleon and an upholder of the Russo-French alliance. He therefore lost the confidence of his brother Alexander; to the latter, the French alliance was merely a means to an end. This view was not held by Konstantin; even in 1812, after

2346-420: The couples' relationships remained open secrets, such as Empress Elizabeth of Russia and Alexey Razumovsky , as well as the second marriage of Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna and Count Grigory Stroganov ). Nonetheless, Tatiana Konstantinovna's marriage was legally morganatic. It was in fact the first marriage in the dynasty conducted in compliance with the Emperor's formal decision not to accept as dynastic

2415-435: The crime then, when General Kutuzov insisted on investigating, “announced a special commission which outrageously declared that Madame Araujo had died of a stroke”. Konstantin continued as the heir of the empire. During this time, Konstantin's first campaign took place under the leadership of Suvorov . The battle of Bassignana was lost by Konstantin's fault; but at Novi he distinguished himself by personal bravery, so that

2484-408: The death of his elder brother . In 1894 Nicholas II of Russia succeeded while still childless and his first four children were daughters. So his younger brothers, first George , who died in 1899, and then Michael officially served as heirs presumptive until the birth of the Emperor's fifth child and the only son Alexei , who became the last Russian heir apparent in 1904. The latter, still minor,

2553-584: The deposed royal families of Georgia or the batonishvili were given the titles of tsarevich until 1833, when they were demoted to knyaz after a failed coup to restore the Georgian monarchy. This royalty -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Pauline Laws The Pauline Laws are the house laws of the Romanov rulers of the Russian Empire . The name comes from

2622-497: The divorce of Constantine Pavlovich from Princess Juliane of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld and prior to his subsequent marriage to Joanna Grudzińska . Furthermore, legal spouses of a member of the Imperial family having no "corresponding status" by birth were not accorded a status that the spouses of Grand Dukes would normally enjoy; typically these marriages, following the German tradition, are called "morganatic marriages" by historians. Neither

2691-585: The dynasty. In the spring of 1911, Princess Tatiana Konstantinovna of Russia became engaged to Prince Konstantin Alexandrovich Bagration (1889–1915), a Georgian by birth who served in the Russian Imperial Guard regiment and would die in World War I . She was to be the first daughter of the Romanovs who openly married a Russian subject or non-dynastic prince since the dynasty had ascended

2760-404: The emperor Paul bestowed on him the title of tsesarevich , which according to the fundamental law of the constitution belonged only to the heir to the throne. Though it cannot be proved that this action of the tsar denoted any far-reaching plan, it yet shows that Paul already distrusted the grand-duke Alexander. Konstantin never tried to secure the throne. After his father's death in 1801, he led

2829-482: The eventual claim of her sons to the Russian throne. The original Pauline Laws did not contain legal provisions according to which the descendants of the Romanovs born out of an equal marriage (that is, from a legal marriage permitted by the reigning monarch, but other than with a member of another "reigning or possessing family") should be excluded from the succession. Such norms were first enacted as an additional norm by Alexander I on April 1 (O. S. March 20), 1820, upon

Tsarevich - Misplaced Pages Continue

2898-622: The face of her firm opposition. Konstantin's violent behaviour continued unabated. In 1802, he asked a close friend, General Karl Baur, to hand over his mistress, the wife of a Portuguese businessman, Madame Araujo. Baur agreed but Araujo refused to sleep with the Grand Duke. In retaliation, he had her kidnapped and brought to his Marble Palace where “he and his aides beat and gang-raped her, starting with generals, then officers and finally servants and guardsmen, breaking her legs and arms. She died soon afterwards.” Emperor Alexander I attempted to cover up

2967-477: The fact that they were initially established by Emperor Paul I of Russia in 1797. Previously drafted privately as a contract between Paul Petrovich while being the heir apparent, and his wife Maria Feodorovna (Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg) , it was made public and signed into law after Paul succeeded his mother Catherine II in November 1796 and was crowned Emperor. The Grand Duke Paul, although proclaimed heir of

3036-410: The fall of Moscow, he pressed for a speedy conclusion of peace with Napoleon, and, like field marshal Kutuzov , he too opposed the policy which carried the war across the Russian frontier to victorious conclusion upon French soil. His personal behaviour towards both his own men and French prisoners was eccentric and cruel. During the campaign, Barclay de Tolly was twice obliged to send him away from

3105-492: The male line. Paul thus implemented a semi-Salic line of succession to the Russian throne, which would pass to a female and through the female ( cognatic ) line of the dynasty only upon the extinction of all legitimately-born male dynasts (in this case, only the descendants of Paul I himself, not the Holstein-Gottorp 3rd cousins). Should the male line become extinct, the female issue of the last reigning monarch would have

3174-721: The marriage of Konstantin and Juliane was formally annulled on 20 March 1820. Two months later, on 27 May, Konstantin married the Polish Countess Joanna Grudzińska , who was given the title of Her Serene Highness Princess of Łowicz. Connected with that, he renounced any claim to the Russian succession, which was formally completed in 1822. After the marriage, he became increasingly attached to his new home of Poland. When Alexander I died on 1 December 1825, Grand Duke Nicholas had Konstantin proclaimed emperor in Saint Petersburg. In Warsaw meanwhile, Konstantin abdicated

3243-470: The marriages of even the most junior Romanovs, those who bore only the title of prince or princess, with non-royal partners. According to Always a Grand Duke , the 1933 memoir of Nicholas II's brother-in-law, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (published in New York, by Farrar and Rinehart, Inc.), concern about the eventual marriages of cadet Romanovs so troubled the senior grand dukes that Alexander approached

3312-533: The post of commander-in-chief of the forces of the kingdom to which was added in 1819 the command of the Lithuanian troops and of those of the Russian provinces that had belonged to the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth (so called Western Krai ). During his rule, he was in charge of appointing all military leaders, including those in Poland. Each of these men were required to serve his goal of making

3381-807: The pretext of the Decembrist revolt . Konstantin was known to eschew court etiquette and to take frequent stands against the wishes of his brother Alexander I, for which he is remembered fondly in Russia, but in his capacity as the governor of Poland he is remembered as a hated ruler. Konstantin was born in Tsarskoye Selo on 27 April 1779, the second son of the Tsesarevich Paul Petrovich and his wife Maria Fyodorovna , daughter of Friedrich II Eugen , Duke of Württemberg . Of all Paul's children, Konstantin most closely resembled his father both physically and mentally. His paternal grandmother Catherine

3450-512: The priority rights to the throne. This system closely followed the Pragmatic Sanction of 1713 that governed the succession of the Habsburg monarchy . A female eventually succeeding to the throne would have the style of Empress in her own right, but the laws stipulated that her husband would not become Emperor. A person in line of succession belonging to a religion other than Eastern Orthodoxy

3519-425: The rebellion. The patriotic Poles could not have been more pleased. Konstantin, on 3 December, retreated toward Russia. Following the failure of the uprising, Konstantin expressed admiration for the valor of the Polish insurgents. The policy of neutrality at all costs has led to Konstantin being viewed two ways through the scope of history. Either he would be viewed by the Russian royal family as weak and sympathetic to

SECTION 50

#1732845267324

3588-466: The rebellion. The timid response that he did give was that he would not attack the city of Warsaw without giving it 48 hours' notice, that he would intercede between the emperor and the Polish Kingdom, and would not order Lithuanian troops to enter Poland. What he was trying to accomplish was to remain neutral at all costs, which led to a belief among his fellow Russians that he was more sensitive towards

3657-463: The revolution on the evening of the 29th, at 6pm." Like the assassination, the recruitment of army units by the rebels failed; only two units joined them, and only the capture of the armory and the subsequent arming of the populace kept the revolt alive. Konstantin saw the revolt as a strictly Polish affair and refused to use troops, as he could have, because it was foolish politically. He could trust his Russian troops, but to use them might be considered

3726-518: The right to transmit to the issue of eligibility to inherit the throne. The Emperor's response was issued formally on 14 June 1911 in the form of a memorandum from the Minister of the Imperial Court , Baron Vladimir Frederiks : The Lord Emperor has seen fit to permit marriages to persons not possessing corresponding rank of not all Members of the Imperial Family, but only of Princes and Princesses of

3795-404: The secret police ( Ochrana ) and suppressed the Polish patriotic movements, leading to further popular discontent. Konstantin also harassed the liberal opposition , replaced Poles with Russians on important posts in local administration and the army and often insulted and assaulted his subordinates, which led to conflicts in the officer corps . The Sejm, until then mostly dominated by supporters of

3864-568: The suppression of the revolt in the hands of the Polish government. Polish Prince Ksawery Lubecki , realizing that the insurgents had formed no government by midnight, assembled some members of the council and other prominent personalities on his own initiative. They sent a delegation to the grand duke, but when he stated again that he did not wish to intervene in any way, the committees decided to take matters into their own hands. Konstantin's involvement remained minimal, showing considerable restraint in not wanting to use Russian troops to help put down

3933-592: The throne in 1613. Her anxious father approached the Emperor Nicholas II and his empress, Alexandra Fyodorovna of Hesse , for approval. On 30 November 1910, Grand Duke Constantine Konstantinovich noted in one of his posthumously -published journals ( From the Diaries of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich , Moscow, February 1994) that he had received assurances that "they would never look upon her marriage to

4002-406: The throne under his father Peter III in 1762, had been long denied succession by his mother Catherine II, who deposed (and possibly assassinated) his father later that year. Her long reign (1762-1796) was deemed by many of her contemporaries, and by Paul himself, as an usurpation. While still the heir, Paul designed a future legal instrument to preclude such coups and arbitrary successions. The text of

4071-541: The throne. When that became public knowledge, the Northern Society scrambled in secret meetings to convince regimental leaders not to swear allegiance to Nicholas. The efforts would culminate in the Decembrist revolt . Under Nicholas I , Konstantin maintained his position in Poland. Differences soon arose between him and his brother because of the part taken by the Poles in the Decembrist conspiracy. Konstantin hindered

4140-620: The title of Highness and henceforth to bear the name of Her Highness the Princess Tatiana Konstantinovna Princess Bagration-Mukhransky...". Constantine Pavlovich Konstantin Pavlovich ( Russian : Константи́н Па́влович ; 8 May [ O.S. 27 April] 1779  – 27 June [ O.S. 15 June] 1831) was a grand duke of Russia and the second son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg . He

4209-528: The unveiling of the organized plotting for independence, which had been going on in Poland for many years, and held obstinately to the belief that the army and the bureaucracy were loyally devoted to the Russian Empire. The eastern policy of the Tsar and the Turkish War in 1828 to 1829 caused a fresh breach between them. The opposition of Konstantin made the Polish army take no part in the war. An assassination attempt

SECTION 60

#1732845267324

4278-432: Was entirely in the hands of his grandmother, the empress Catherine II . As in the case of her eldest grandson (afterwards the emperor Alexander I ), she regulated every detail of his physical and mental education; but in accordance with her usual custom, she left the carrying out of her views to the men who were in her confidence. Count Nikolai Saltykov was supposed to be the actual tutor, but he too in his turn transferred

4347-543: Was however denied his succession rights in 1917, when during the Russian Revolution his father abdicated in favour of the Grand Duke Michael, then second in the line of succession, "as We do not wish to part from Our beloved son". This decision was partly triggered by the fact the teenage heir had hemophilia , a condition that was not made public. Technically Nicholas II, albeit still an absolute monarch even under

4416-629: Was made on the life of Grand Duke Konstantin, which precipitated the November 1830 insurrection in Warsaw (the November Uprising ). After the attempt on Konstantin's life, a secret court was set up to prosecute those who were responsible. "It was learned that Nicholas had ordered the Grand Duke Konstantin ... to start an energetic investigation and court-martial the culprits ... the committee at its session of 27 November decided irrevocably to start

4485-580: Was present at the wedding and on the same day issued yet another ukase (#35766): "By Our and Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich's and Grand Duchess Elizaveta Mavrikievna’s consent, the wedding took place on 24th day of this August [old style] of the Daughter of Their Imperial Highnesses, Her Highness the Princess Tatiana Konstantinovna, with Prince Konstantin Bagration-Mukhransky. In consequence of this order: The Princess Tatiana Konstantiovna to retain

4554-526: Was presumed to either convert to this religion or renounce their succession rights. The law established Russian Emperors as "Heads of the Church". A marriage of a member of the imperial family should not be considered valid until authorized by the Emperor (not unlike the British Royal Marriages Act of 1772). The legal majority age for an Emperor was established as 16 years; until that age, a regency

4623-456: Was provided. Immediately after the assassination of Paul I in 1801, however, his family did not appear to follow these laws strictly, as the oath of allegiance to Alexander I of Russia contained the words "and to His Imperial Majesty's Successor, who is to be designated", following the custom of Peter the Great. Later, Alexander I authorized the renunciation of succession rights of his brother and legal heir presumptive Constantine Pavlovich via

4692-509: Was said that he had been marching and drilling even in his private rooms. Konstantin's importance in political history dates from when his brother, Tsar Alexander, installed him in Congress Poland as de facto viceroy (however, he was not the "official viceroy", namestnik of the Kingdom of Poland ), with a task of the militarization and discipline of Poland. In Congress Poland, he received

4761-493: Was the heir-presumptive for most of his elder brother Alexander I 's reign, but had secretly renounced his claim to the throne in 1823. For 25 days after the death of Alexander I, from 19 November (O.S.)/1 December 1825 to 14 December (O.S.)/26 December 1825 he was known as His Imperial Majesty Konstantin I Emperor and Sovereign of Russia , although he never reigned and never acceded to the throne. His younger brother Nicholas became tsar in 1825. The succession controversy became

#323676