Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (; 17 July 1918) was the eldest child of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II, and his wife Empress Alexandra Feodorovna.
Before the birth of her brother Alexei Nikolaevich, rumors spread that Nicholas II would declare Olga his heir. Before World War I, possible marriage prospects for Olga were the subject of great speculation within Russia and throughout Europe. Possible marriage candidates spoken of included Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, Crown Prince Carol of Romania, Edward, Prince of Wales, and Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia. Olga herself wanted to marry a Russian and remain in her home country. During World War I, she nursed wounded soldiers in a military hospital.
Olga's murder following the Russian Revolution of 1917 resulted in her canonization as a passion bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church. In the 1990s, her remains were identified through DNA testing and were buried in a funeral ceremony at Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, along with those of her parents and two of her sisters.
Appearance and personality Olga had chestnut-blonde hair, blue eyes, a broad face, and an upturned nose. When she was 10, her tutor Pierre Gilliard reflected that she was "very fair" with "sparkling, mischievous eyes and a slightly retroussé nose."Pierre Gilliard, Thirteen Years at the Russian Court, p. 20 Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden, her mother's lady-in-waiting, reflected that "[she] was fair and tall, with smiling blue eyes, a somewhat short nose, which she called 'my humble snub,' and lovely teeth."Sophie Buxhoeveden, The Life and Tragedy of Alexandra Feodorovna, Chapter 16: The Empress and her Family Anna Vryubova described Olga as "extremely pretty, with brilliant blue eyes and a lovely complexion, Olga resembled her father in the fineness of her features, especially in her delicate, slightly tipped nose." She was considered less pretty than her sisters, Tatiana and Maria,Massie, Nicholas and Alexandra, pp. 132–133 though her appearance improved as she grew older. "As a child she was plain, at fifteen she was beautiful", wrote her mother's friend Lili Dehn. "She was slightly above the medium height, [Olga was 165 centimetres (around 5 feet and 5 inches) tall] with a fresh complexion, deep blue eyes, quantities of light chestnut hair, and pretty hands and feet." In her memoirs, Meriel Buchanan described the physical appearance of the 17-year-old Olga at an imperial ball in 1912: "She had not the regular features, the almost mystical beauty of her sister, Tatiana Nikolaevna, but with her rather tip-tilted nose, her wide laughing mouth, her sparkling blue eyes, she had a charm, a freshness, an enchanting exuberance that made her irresistible."Meriel Buchanan.
Olga was described by her contemporaries as compassionate and charitable. As a child, she saw a little girl crying in the road. She threw her doll out of her carriage, saying, "Don't cry, little girl, here's a doll for you."Helen Rappaport, The Romanov Sisters, p. 93. Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden remembered that "she was generous, and an appeal to her met with immediate response. 'Oh, one must help poor so-and-so. I must do it somehow,' she would say." When she was 20, she took control of a portion of her sizable fortune and began to respond independently to requests for charity. One day when she was out for a drive she saw a young child using crutches. She asked about the child and learned that the youngster's parents were too poor to afford treatment. She set aside an allowance to cover the child's medical bills.Massie, p. 136 A court official, Alexander Mossolov, recalled that Olga's character was "even, good, with an almost angelic kindness" by the time she was a young woman.Maylunas and Mironenko, p. 370.
Other descriptions describe Olga as temperamental. As a small child, she told a portrait painter, "You are a very ugly man and I don't like you one bit!" Her mother's friend Anna Vyrubova wrote that Olga's "chief characteristics [...] were a strong will and a singularly straightforward habit of thought and action [...] Olga as a little girl sometimes showed herself willful and even disobedient." Elizaveta Ersberg, wrote that Olga could be spoiled, capricious, and lazy.Radzinsky, The Last Tsar, p. 116 On a visit to a museum where state carriages were on display, Olga ordered one of the servants to prepare the largest and most beautiful carriage for her daily drive. Her wishes were not honored, much to the relief of her governess, Margaretta Eagar.
Alexandra at times took Olga to task for her temper, telling her that she must be polite to the servants, who looked after her well and did their best for her, and she should not make her nurse "nervous" when Alexandra was tired and not feeling well.Maylunas and Mironenko, pp. 318–319. Olga responded that she would try to do better but it wasn't easy because her nurse became angry and cross with her for no good reason.Maylunas and Mironenko, p. 319 Once Alexandra scolded the active teenager, who once signed another of her letters with the nickname "Unmounted Cossack." Alexandra wrote: You are growing very big — don't be so wild and kick about and show your legs, it is not pretty. I never did so when your age or when I was smaller and younger even.Maylunas and Mironkenko, p. 320Olga's tutors described her as intelligent and eager to learn. "The eldest, Olga Nicolaevna, possessed a remarkably quick brain," recalled Pierre Gilliard. "She had good reasoning powers as well as initiative, a very independent manner, and a gift for swift and entertaining repartee." She enjoyed reading about politics and read newspapers. Olga would jokingly tell her mother that Alexandra must wait to read a novel until Olga had determined whether it was an appropriate book for her to read.Massie (1967), p. 133. Olga was described as musically gifted, with "an absolutely correct ear." Baroness Sophie Buxhoeveden raclled that:She could play by ear anything she had heard, and could transpose complicated pieces of music, play the most difficult accompaniments at sight, and her touch on the piano was delightful. She sang prettily in a mezzo soprano. She was lazy at practising, but when the spirit moved her she would play by the hour.Olga felt the rights of eldest children should be protected. When she was told the Biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, she sympathized with the eldest brothers rather than Joseph. She also sympathized with Goliath rather than David in the Biblical story of David and Goliath. When her French tutor, Pierre Gilliard, was teaching her the formation of French verbs and the use of auxiliaries, ten-year-old Olga responded, "I see, monsieur. The auxiliaries are the servants of the verbs. It's only poor 'avoir' which has to shift for itself."
Due to her sheltered life, Olga had little experience with the world. She and her sisters had little understanding of money, because they had not had an opportunity to shop in stores or to see money exchange hands. Young Olga once thought that a hat maker who came to the palace had given her a new hat as a present. Olga was once frightened when she witnessed a policeman arresting someone on the street. She thought the policeman would come to arrest her because she had behaved badly for Miss Eagar. When reading a history lesson, she remarked that she was glad she lived in current times, when people were good and not as evil as they had been in the past.
Olga was fascinated with heaven and the afterlife. In November 1903, the 8-year-old Olga learned about death when her first cousin, Princess Elisabeth of Hesse and by Rhine, died of typhoid fever while on a visit to the Romanovs at their Polish estate. According to Margarette Eager:My children talked much of cousin Ella and how God had taken her spirit, and they understood that later God would take her body also to heaven. On Christmas morning when Olga awoke, she exclaimed at once, 'Did God send for cousin Ella's body in the night?' I felt startled at such a question on Christmas morning, but answered, 'Oh, no, dear, not yet.' She was greatly disappointed, and said, 'I thought He would have sent for her to keep Christmas with Him.
Early life
Olga was born on 15 November 1895. She was the oldest child of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra. The birth was difficult, and Alexandra was in labour for 13 hours. Ultimately, Dr. Ott used forceps to deliver Olga.Carolly Erickson, The Last Tsarina, p. 93. She weighed 4.5 kg at birth, and she was so robust that Nicholas said that she didn't look like a newborn.Helen Rappaport, The Romanov Sisters, p. 32. Her parents were overjoyed and insisted that they were not disappointed that their first child was not a boy. When he was congratulated by the court chamberlain, Nicholas declared, "I am glad that our child is a girl. Had it been a boy he would have belonged to the people, being a girl she belongs to us."Helen Rappaport, The Romanov Sisters, p. 33. Alexandra agreed: "For us there is no question of sex. Our child is simply a gift from God."
In 1896, Nicholas and Alexandra brought Olga on a visit to Scotland, France, and Darmstadt. In Balmoral, Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, Alexandra's grandmother and Olga's great-grandmother, met Olga for the first time. Queen Victoria approved of Olga and declared "the baby is magnificent."Helen Rappaport, The Romanov Sisters, p. 40. In France, Olga was very popular. Nicholas told his mother that "our daughter made a great impression everywhere."Helen Rappaport, The Romanov Sisters, p. 41 Olga was greeted by shouts of "Vive la bebe!"
Olga and her siblings were raised as simply as possible. They slept on hard camp cots unless they were ill, and they took cold baths every morning.Massie (1967), p. 132 Servants called Olga and her siblings by their first names and patronyms rather than by their imperial titles.
Olga had four siblings: Grand Duchesses Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Tsarevich Alexei. Her great-grandmother Queen Victoria was one of her godmothers.
Olga's Russian title (Velikaya Knyazhna Великая Княжна) is most precisely translated as "Grand Princess," meaning that Olga, as an "imperial highness," was higher in rank than other princesses in Europe who were "royal highnesses". However, "Grand Duchess" is the usual English translation.Zeepvat, p. xiv. Olga's friends and family generally called her simply Olga Nikolaevna or nicknamed her "Olishka," "Olenka," or "Olya."
Olga was most often paired with her sister Tatiana. The two girls shared a room, dressed alike, and were known as "The Big Pair."Massie (1967), p. 135.
In 1900, before her brother Alexei was born, her father fell seriously ill with typhoid fever. During this period, the empress attempted to persuade her husband to change the succession laws in Russia to allow females to inherit the throne in the absence of any male heirs in order for Olga to inherit the empire, as opposed to her uncle, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich. Ultimately, these changes did not take place.
Relationships with family Olga idolized her father and wore a necklace with an icon of St. Nicholas on her chest.Radzinsky (1992), p. 358. She, like her siblings, enjoyed games of tennis and swimming with her father during their summer holidays and often confided in him when she went with him on long walks.