Prince Constantine Constantinovich of Russia (''Константин Константинович''; 1 January 1891 – 18 July 1918), nicknamed Kostya by the family, was the third son and fourth child of

Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich of Russia Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia ( rus, Константи́н Константи́нович, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin kənstɐnʲˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ, a=Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov.ru.vorb.oga; 22 August 1858 – 15 June 1915 ...

by his wife Grand Duchess Elizabeth Mavrikievna of Russia. The Prince was a silent, shy person who fancied theatre and was educated in the

Corps des Pages The Page Corps (russian: Пажеский корпус; french: Corps des Pages) was a military academy in Imperial Russia, which prepared sons of the nobility and of senior officers for military service. Similarly, the Imperial School of Jurispru ...

, a military academy in Saint Petersburg. He served in the army during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. A priest who met him at the front, Hegumen Seraphim, wrote: "He was an extremely modest officer of the Guard of the

Izmaylovsky Regiment The Izmaylovsky Regiment (russian: Изма́йловский лейб-гва́рдии полк, Izmáylovskiy leyb-gvárdii polk) was one of the oldest regiments of the Imperial Russian Army, a subdivision of the 1st Guards Infantry Division o ...

, much beloved by officers and soldiers alike; along with them he was a brave soldier who distinguished himself. I personally remember seeing him in the trenches among the soldiers, risking his life." After seeing the happiness of his two elder siblings,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

and

Tatiana Tatiana (or Tatianna, also romanized as Tatyana, Tatjana, Tatijana, etc.) is a female name of Sabine-Roman origin that became widespread in Eastern Europe. Variations * be, Тацця́на, Tatsiana * bg, Татяна, Tatyana * germ ...

, Konstantin was keen to start his own family. He was interested in the Tsar's eldest daughter, Olga, but was also drawn to

Princess Elisabeth of Romania Elisabeth of Romania (full name ''Elisabeth Charlotte Josephine Alexandra Victoria'': ro, Elisabeta a României, el, Ελισάβετ της Ρουμανίας; 12 October 1894 – 14 November 1956) was a princess of Romania and member of t ...

. Elisabeth's grandmother, the former Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia, wrote to her daughter, the Crown Princess Marie of Romania in 1911, saying, "The young Kostya is seized now with terror that she will be snatched away, as he says, before he has even made her acquaintance. The young man seems really quite nice, is much liked in his regiment, and they have really been very well brought up. This one is full of life...if you have nothing against this youth coming on a passing visit, will you telegraph to me." However, the request was denied on political grounds, as Prince John was married to Helen of Serbia, and Konstantin never did find the marriage he longed for. In March 1918 he was exiled to the

Urals The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...

by the

Bolsheviks The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

and murdered in a mineshaft near

Alapayevsk Alapayevsk (russian: Алапа́евск) is a town in Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Neyva and Alapaikha rivers. Population: 44,263 ( 2002 census); 50,060 ( 1989 census); 49,000 (1968). History Alapayevsk is ...

, along with his brothers Prince John Constantinovich and Prince Igor Konstantinovich, his cousin Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley and other relatives and friends. His body was eventually buried in the Russian Orthodox Church cemetery in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, which was destroyed in 1986 to build a park.

Ancestry

External links

* Childhood photo: {{DEFAULTSORT:Constantin Constantinovich Of Russia, Prince 1891 births 1918 deaths Murdered Russian royalty Princes of royal blood (Russia) Victims of Red Terror in Soviet Russia Executed people from Saint Petersburg 19th-century people from the Russian Empire Executed royalty Burials in Beijing

Ancestry

See also

External links