Prince Alexander Petrovich Oldenburgsky (1844-1932) *

The fate of representatives of the Russian branch of the Oldenburg Ducal House has repeatedly attracted the attention of both Russian and German historians. In Russian historiography, the largest study specially devoted to this topic is the monograph by A.A. Papkov, published in 1885 as a separate book (1), in German - the work of Richard Tanzen, published in 1959-1960 in two volumes of the Oldenburg Yearbook. (2).

The first of these studies was written primarily from Russian sources, the second from German sources. Therefore, they do not duplicate so much as complement each other. In both works, the biographies of the princes of Oldenburg in Russia are detailed up to the death of the most famous of them - Prince Peter Georgievich (Konstantin Friedrich Peter) of Oldenburg (1812-1881). In R. Tanzen's study (which does not contain references to the work of his Russian predecessor), only a very short IV chapter (Bd. 59. S. 36-42) is devoted to the "third generation" of the princes of Oldenburg in Russia - the children of Peter Georgievich, and even less is said about " the last carriers of the name of the Princes of Oldenburg in Russia ", that is, about the fourth generation. (Ibid. V. Teil. S. 43-45).

Meanwhile, the son of Peter Georgievich, Prince Alexander Petrovich Oldenburgsky was a very extraordinary person, and the fruits of his tireless multilateral activity were preserved many years after the crash. Russian Empire, the expulsion of the princes of Oldenburg from Russia and the consignment of their name to oblivion. And his favorite brainchildren, such as the St. Petersburg Institute of Experimental Medicine and the Gagra sea resort, continue to function to this day. Now, at the end of the 20th century, a wide public interest in the administrative, charitable and educational activities of prominent representatives of the German dynasty, who found their second homeland in Russia and contributed much to its prosperity, has reappeared in Russia. Information about them appears in encyclopedic reference books and dictionaries (3). Articles in journals and collections and popular works are also published (4).

This article aims to characterize the personality and works of Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky on the basis of both literary (mainly memoirs) and unpublished sources from Russian archives.

Alexander Petrovich's father, Prince Peter Georgievich of Oldenburg, was one of the outstanding representatives of the highest Russian aristocracy. By his mother, he was a cousin to Emperor Alexander II, by his father, a cousin to Grand Duke Nicholas Friedrich Peter, who ruled Oldenburg for almost half a century (from 1853 to 1900). He became famous, first of all, on the basis of state charity, health care and public education. In 1889, in front of the building of the Mariinsky Hospital on Liteiny Prospect in St. Petersburg, a monument was erected with the inscription "Enlightened benefactor", and in 1912, in connection with the centenary of his birth, part of the embankment of the Fontanka River in St. Petersburg was named the Prince Peter of Oldenburg Embankment ( five).

The mother of Alexander Petrovich - Theresia Wilhelmina (1815-1871) was the daughter of the Grand Duke von Nassau. She constantly helped her husband in his charity work.

The family of Peter Georgievich and Theresa of Oldenburg had 8 children - 4 sons and 4 daughters. Despite their belonging to the highest Russian aristocracy, Prince Pyotr Georgievich and his wife retained the Lutheran religion and baptized their children according to the Lutheran rite. At baptism, each of the children received three German names, but outside the family circle they were called by name and patronymic, as is customary in Russia.

Alexander was the fourth child and second son in the family, but the life circumstances of his brothers and sisters developed in such a way that it was he who became the only full-fledged heir and successor of the family of princes of Oldenburg in Russia.

His older sister Alexandra Petrovna (Alexandra Friederike Wilhelmine, 1838-1900) in 1856 married the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (1831-1891), the brother of Emperor Alexander II. Their son, Nikolai Nikolaevich Jr. (1856-1929), was the commander-in-chief of the Russian army at the beginning of the First World War (until August 1915, when Emperor Nicholas II took over the main command). Deeply religiously tuned, Alexandra Petrovna was the first of the family of princes of Oldenburg to convert to Orthodoxy, and later left her husband, took tonsure as a nun under the name of Anastasia and became abbess of the Pokrovsky Monastery founded by her in Kiev. There she died (6).

The sons of the princes of Oldenburg were educated at home and prepared for military service. In accordance with the order adopted among the highest Russian aristocracy, they enrolled in the Imperial Guard and received the first officer rank of ensign even at baptism. By the time they came of age and entered active military service, they were already guards headquarters officers.

The elder brother of Alexander Petrovich - Nikolay (Nikolaus Friedrich August, 1840-1886) at the age of 21 with the rank of colonel commanded the Life Guards cavalry pioneer squadron, and a year later he received the court rank of adjutant wing and was appointed commander of the Izyum Hussar Crown Prince of the Prussian Regiment ( 7). A brilliant military career was opening before him. However, in the spring of 1863, 23-year-old Colonel Prince Nikolai Petrovich Oldenburgsky made an unexpected act that caused serious consequences not only for himself, but for the entire Oldenburg house.

He married an untitled 18-year-old noblewoman Maria Ilyinichna Bulatsel. This unequal marriage, contracted against the will of the parents, was declared morganatic. Nikolai Petrovich lost the rights to the parental inheritance. His children were deprived of the right to be called princes of Oldenburg. Nevertheless, the Grand Duke of Oldenburg treated this event less severely than the Russian emperor. He bestowed the title of count on Maria Bulatsel, and the daughters from this marriage were later called Countesses of Osternburg. The Russian military service of Nikolai Oldenburgsky was cut short. On June 22, 1863, by the highest order, he was dismissed "due to illness". Three years later, thanks to the intercession of the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, who was married to his own sister, N.P. Oldenburgsky was allowed to return to military service, but his career was irreparably undermined. In 1872, he received the rank of Major General, helped his father in his charitable activities, but was never able to prove himself in anything significant either in the military or in the public sphere. In 1879 he was sent abroad "to inspect the best hospitals and charitable institutions there" and never returned to Russia. Last years he spent on the island of Madeira, where he was treated for consumption. He died in Geneva on January 20, 1886.

The third child, daughter Cecilia, died in infancy. Alexander Petrovich (Alexander Friedrich Konstantin) was born on May 21 (according to the new style - June 2), 1844 in St. Petersburg, in a magnificent palace granted in 1830 by Emperor Nicholas I to Prince P.G. Oldenburgsky. This palace, built in the second half of the 18th century for the famous statesman and public figure of Catherine's times, I.I.Betsky (1704-1795), was rebuilt in 1830 and re-equipped by the outstanding architect V.P. Stasov. For 87 years, he was the "home nest" of the vast family of princes of Oldenburg. Going out with three facades to the Neva Embankment, the Summer Garden and the Field of Mars, it is still a decoration of the city. Nowadays, it houses the St. Petersburg Academy of Culture - a higher educational institution that trains certified librarians, bibliographers, museum and publishing workers (8).

At baptism, Alexander was enrolled as an ensign in the most privileged regiment of the Imperial Guard - Preobrazhensky, whose barracks were located on Millionnaya Street, just between the Imperial Winter Palace and the palace of the princes of Oldenburg. From childhood he was trained for military service, however, in the family he also received a versatile humanitarian education. His parents led an open lifestyle. Balls were often given in the palace, home concerts and performances were held. Regular visitors to the palace were not only representatives of the St. Petersburg nobility, but also students of the Alexander Lyceum and the School of Law, whose trustee was Alexander's father, Prince P.G. Oldenburgsky. The palace had a wonderful library. Later memoirists invariably noted Prince Alexander's erudition and encyclopedic knowledge.

In the summer, the family of the princes of Oldenburg lived in a summer palace on Kamenny Island in the Neva delta, acquired in 1833 by P.G. Oldenburgsky from Prince M.M. Dolgoruky. This large palace, built by the architect S.L. Shustov, is recognized as a masterpiece of Russian wooden architecture (a description of the palace and the life in it of the princes of Oldenburg was given in the letters and notes of a guest from Oldenburg - Gunther Jansen, who visited Petersburg in 1872 (9)).

In January 1868, Alexander married the daughter of Duke Maximilian of Leuchtenberg and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna (daughter of Emperor Nicholas I), Eugenia (1845-1925), baptized according to the Orthodox rite. In November, their only son Peter was born (Peter Friedrich Georg, 1868-1924).

Aleksandr Petrovich moved up the career ladder extremely quickly. At the age of 26, he is already the commander of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment. By this time, many contradictory features of his character clearly manifested themselves. He is extremely strict and often petty picky about his subordinates. At the same time, he is just as demanding of himself. He does not give himself or others a minute of peace. Extremely emotional and at the same time stubborn. Hot-tempered, but not vindictive. He perceives inaccurate fulfillment of his order as a personal insult. Delves into all the details of military training, service and life of officers and soldiers. Ambitious. He cannot admit the thought that his regiment will be not the best on the bridge parade, on maneuvers and at the imperial review.

Although the Guards regiments were prepared more for reviews and parades than for military operations, during the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. Alexander II decided to move the Life Guards to the Balkans. Major General Prince Alexander of Oldenburg was appointed commander of the 1st Guards Brigade in the Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky Life Guards Regiments. N.A. Epanchin, who served under him, recalled that "Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky during the entire campaign behaved in a Spartan manner; he did not have a crew, but was always on horseback, did not have a cook and other comforts of life, and ate at one from the regiments of his brigade on a par with the officers "(10).

In the fall of 1877, troops under the command of Prince of Oldenburg, which were part of the Western detachment of General I.V. Gurko, distinguished themselves during the capture of Etropolis, in December - during the most difficult crossing over the snow-covered Balkan passes (11). The prince carried out the entire military campaign against the Turks with dignity, was awarded several orders and golden weapons, but did not show any special military talents. It was difficult to show them under the command of the talented and domineering General Gurko, who demanded from his subordinates only the exact and impeccable execution of his orders. At the end of the war, Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky continued to command the 1st Guards Brigade, in 1880 he was appointed commander of the 1st Guards Infantry Division stationed in St. Petersburg, and soon received the rank of Lieutenant General and the rank of Adjutant General of His Imperial Majesty (12).

In 1881, Alexander's father, Prince Peter Georgievich of Oldenburg, died. Even earlier, his younger sister Catherine (1846-1866) and brother George (1848-1871) died, and the youngest sister Teresa in 1879 was married to the younger brother of Alexander's wife - Duke George Maximilianovich of Leuchtenberg.

In 1882, Alexander's younger brother, General Konstantin Petrovich Oldenburgsky (1850-1906), who served in the Caucasus, exactly repeated the reckless act of their elder brother Nikolai Petrovich: he married Agripina Konstantinovna, nee Japaridze, who was in her first marriage to the Georgian prince Tariel in a morganatic marriage. ... The Grand Duke of Oldenburg granted her the title of Countess of Zarneckau.

Since that time, Alexander Petrovich Oldenburgsky and his wife Yevgenia Maximilianovna became the only legal owners of a magnificent palace on the banks of the Neva, a summer palace on Kamenny Island and at the same time inherited from P.G. Oldenburgsky numerous concerns about charitable, medical and educational institutions, whose trustee consisted. While maintaining his high military post, Alexander Petrovich in 1881 became "concurrently" the trustee of the Imperial School of Law, the orphanage of the Prince of Oldenburg and the Holy Trinity Community of Sisters of Mercy.

Evgenia Maximilianovna Oldenburgskaya became the patroness of the Board of Trustees for the Red Cross Sisters, the chairman of the Imperial Society for the Encouragement of Arts, and from her father she also inherited the honorary position of chairman of the Imperial Mineralogical Society.

The social activities of Princess E.M. Oldenburg undoubtedly deserve a separate study. Here I will only note that the Committee on the Sisters of the Red Cross (renamed in 1893 to the Community of Saint Eugenia) launched an extensive publishing activity, flooding the whole of Russia with artistically decorated postal envelopes and postcards with reproductions of paintings from the Hermitage, the Russian Museum and the Tretyakov Gallery. Many Russian artists, headed by A.N. Benois, were involved in this work. They said about these postcards: "They have only one drawback - it's a pity to send them to the post office." This undertaking by E.M. Oldenburgskaya survived the October Revolution. In 1920, the publishing house of the Community of St. Eugenia was reorganized into the Committee for the Popularization of Art Publications and published several excellent monographs about artists, as well as guidebooks to Petrograd and its environs (13).

No less significant was the activity of E.M. Oldenburgskaya in creating a wide network of children's art schools in St. Petersburg, its environs and other provinces of Russia. In the 1900s, Evgenia Maximilianovna was already seriously ill, lost the ability to move independently, and lived mainly on her Ramon estate near Voronezh.

In 1885, Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky was appointed commander of the Guards Corps, that is, the commander of the entire Imperial Guard. N.A. Epanchin recalled this peak of his military career: "The Guards Corps was commanded by Prince Alexander Petrovich Oldenburgsky; a kind, noble man, he was distinguished by an impetuous character, was very quick-tempered, but also easy-going. After an outbreak, sometimes he uttered very unpleasant and inappropriate things, the prince had the civil courage to admit it and apologize "(14).

The memoirs of the uncle of Emperor Nicholas II, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, about the same period of service of A.P. Oldenburgsky sound somewhat differently: “His severity bordered on extravagance. The news of his approach during inspections caused nervous seizures among the officers, and the soldiers With this maniacal severity, his reverent devotion to science was in apparent contradiction.He provided generous material support for all kinds of educational and charitable undertakings, as well as scientific expeditions and research.He patronized young, promising scientists, and they were condescending to his imbalance and eccentricities "(15).

Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky, due to his difficult nature, apparently had a lot of ill-wishers, and in August 1889 Adjutant General K.N. Manzei was appointed commander of the Guards Corps instead of him, "a complete insignificance in military terms ", according to the recall of N.A. Epanchin.

The end of his military career, in fact, served as the beginning of his main career for the 45-year-old Prince A.P. Oldenburg, in which he was able to prove himself much brighter and more significant than in military service. From his father he inherited, in particular, the desire to develop and improve healthcare in Russia. But if Peter Oldenburgsky was mainly concerned with the practical side of the matter - he opened new hospitals and generously financed them, then his son decided, first of all, to achieve an increase in the scientific level of biomedical research in Russia. To this end, he created the Institute of Experimental Medicine (IEM), which had no analogues at that time not only in Russia, but also in Europe, at his own expense, with the support of the state and with the attraction of contributions from individuals, literally from scratch. He took the Paris Institute of Pasteur as a model, but if the Pasteur Institute dealt with a relatively narrow range of problems, then Prince Alexander decided to organize a multidisciplinary institute with relatively autonomous departments that develop fundamental problems put forward by the modern development of world biomedical science. Alexander Petrovich bought a vast plot of land on the outskirts of St. Petersburg, on Aptekarsky Island, and began to build the buildings of the future institute on it. At the same time, he began to select the staff of the institute from among the most prominent biologists, chemists, physiologists and doctors in Russia. IEM was created and perfectly equipped in an unusually short time. The scientific potential of its leading employees was very high. The outstanding physiologist, academician L.A. Orbeli recalled many years later: “I still don’t know if he (A.P. Oldenburgsky) understood anything in physiology, but in general he was an enlightened person. In 1890 he founded the Institute At this institute he wanted to organize a physiological department, he learned (I don’t know who enlightened him in this regard) that we have an outstanding physiologist, Ivan Petrovich Pavlov, and he suggested that he first become the director of the institute, and when from this Ivan Petrovich refused to head the physiological department. Then this department was created. I must say that this was the period when Pavlov was already a fully formed scientist, and the laboratory at the SP Botkin clinic could no longer satisfy him "(16). It was in the IEM laboratories that I.P. Pavlov conducted his famous studies on the physiology of digestion, which brought him in 1904 Nobel Prize and worldwide recognition.

No less interesting are the recollections of another IEM veteran D.A. Kamensky: “In 1890 the Institute of Experimental Medicine was opened, work there was just beginning and there were no staffs yet. Even the director of the Institute, VK Anrep, was abnormal. Koch tuberculin and the whole world pounced on its use and study. Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky sent Anrep to Berlin, obliging him to receive this drug, and was unusually happy when he was brought from abroad. The Prince of Oldenburgsky generally wanted "him" the institute was the first in the world, and was glad that the first tuberculin studies would be carried out at his institute "(17).

A.P. Oldenburgsky was in constant correspondence with prominent European physicians and biologists (in particular, with L. Pasteur and R. Virchow). In obtaining and studying foreign scientific literature, he was actively assisted by the personal librarian Theodor Elsholz, who was also the chronicler of the Oldenburg family. His two-volume manuscript work "Aus vergangenen Tagen" ("From the days of the past"), stored in the Department of Manuscripts of the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg, is still waiting for its researcher (18).

The Institute of Experimental Medicine throughout the XX century has remained and remains to this day one of the leading medical and biological scientific institutions in Russia.

However, the name of its founder was forgotten for many years. Only in 1994, a memorial plaque was reinforced on the building of the institute: "The Institute of Experimental Medicine. Founded by Prince Alexander Petrovich Oldenburgsky in 1890" (19).

In 1896, cases of plague were discovered in the Caspian steppes. In January 1897, by decree of Nicholas II, a "Special Commission for the Prevention of the Introduction of the Plague Contagion and the Fight Against It Should It Appear in Russia" was formed under the chairmanship of A.P. Oldenburgsky. The prince immediately left for the Astrakhan province and took the strictest sanitary and quarantine measures there. Many high-ranking officials found these measures excessive, damaging Russia's foreign trade and budget (caviar was exported from Astrakhan, as is known). But the prince was adamant. And most importantly, the measures he took achieved their goal: the epidemic center was quickly localized and the plague did not penetrate into the central provinces of Russia. It must be said that A.P. Oldenburgsky was theoretically well prepared for this difficult and dangerous mission: his archive contains numerous extracts, clippings, notes on plague epidemics in Europe made by T. Elskholz (20).

Finance Minister S.Yu. Witte, who chaired the plague commission in the absence of the Prince of Oldenburg, recalled how once "the prince sent a telegram demanding that the export of some goods from Russia be banned because of the plague." The commission refused, so as not to stir up a stir in Europe, and Nicholas II agreed with this. The prince was very offended by Witt, but he did not know how to be angry with someone for a long time. Soon, through the Minister of Internal Affairs DS Sipyagin, he made it clear to Witte that he would like to make peace with him. Witte went to visit him. The prince "said with tears in his eyes that this incident had an enormous effect on him, that since then he has had a heartache and that it is to this incident that he attributes his heart disease." Here Witte describes a funny everyday episode, which is the best evidence of the extravagant character traits of Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky. Suddenly, in the middle of the conversation, the prince ran out of the office and some time later ran back with a loud cry: "Woke up, woke up!" It turned out that his old nanny hadn't woken up for several days. "And so, he says, I came there and rolled her a huge klystyr, and as soon as I gave her an enema she jumped up and woke up." The Prince of Oldenburg was in a very good mood on this occasion, and I parted with him on the most friendly terms "(21).

After the Institute of Experimental Medicine, the second "favorite brainchild" of Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky became the Gagra climatic resort. In 1900, the prince came up with the idea to create a comfortable but relatively cheap resort on the picturesque but then deserted Caucasian coast between Sochi and Sukhumi, which could successfully compete with the luxurious and expensive resorts of Crimea. He managed to interest this idea and Emperor Nicholas II, who, by decree of July 9, 1901, entrusted the Prince of Oldenburg with the task of creating the Gagra climate station. The prince himself became the head of construction, road, land reclamation and other works, delved into all the little things, invested all his considerable funds in the implementation of his favorite idea. But soon this money began to be insufficient. The prince got the emperor to order an annual leave from the State Treasury of 150,000 rubles for the construction of the resort. Articles began to appear in newspapers claiming that the prince was spending public money to satisfy his ambitions and quirks. Count Witte, who, as Minister of Finance, was forced to sign state appropriations for the needs of the resort, even argued that the Gagra resort could have been created much cheaper, "if the money that Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky had swallowed for this business from the state chest , would have been given to ordinary Russian inhabitants ". According to Witte, “the whole merit of the prince was that he is a mobile person and possesses such a property of character that when he sticks to persons, including sometimes persons standing higher than the prince himself, they agree to issue hundreds of thousands of rubles from the state chest, if only he got rid of them "(22).

In organizing the Gagrinsky resort, his son Peter Alexandrovich, who in 1901 married the younger sister of Emperor Nicholas II, Olga Alexandrovna, provided constant assistance to his father. This is evidenced by the preserved correspondence of Peter Alexandrovich with the bride, and then with his wife. On May 7, 1902, he wrote to her from the Ramon estate near Voronezh: “Yesterday there was a very serious conversation about the Gagrinsky affairs. These matters are so tangled that there are no words. Dad is responsible for them both morally and financially. I consider myself obliged to get them out. [ ...] I undertake to arrange these cases if I am given the right to act completely independently. " And on May 30 from Gagra: "Things are gradually unraveling, but it is still very, very difficult to bring them to clean water" (23).

Be that as it may, in 1903 the Gagrinsky resort was solemnly opened and for almost 90 years, until the collapse Soviet Union remained one of the best climatic resorts on the Black Sea coast (24).

Very vivid pictures of the life of Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky in Gagra with inimitable folk humor were captured by the Abkhaz writer Fazil Iskander in his famous novel "Sandro from Chegem".

Prince Peter Aleksandrovich Oldenburgsky, having married the Emperor's sister Olga, converted to Orthodoxy and received as a gift from Nicholas II a palace on Sergievskaya Street in St. Petersburg. This marriage was unsuccessful. Olga Alexandrovna had been seeking permission from her brother-emperor for a divorce for many years, and finally, in 1916, she got it. This, however, is a different story, and I will not dwell on it here.

By the time of the First World War A.P. Oldenburgsky already had the highest military rank of infantry general, and in May 1914, when the 50th anniversary of his actual military service, also received the title of His Imperial Highness, that is, was officially equated with the royal family. Soon after the start of the war, "By the Imperial Order of September 3, 1914, a member of the Guards Infantry, member of the State Council and trustee of the Imperial School of Law, Adjutant General, Infantry General His Imperial Highness Prince Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg was appointed as the Chief of the Sanitary and Emergency. part "(25).

With the appointment to this position, created for the first time in Russia, A.P. Oldenburgsky received extremely broad responsibilities and powers. The entire military medical service in Russia was subordinated to him - field and rear hospitals with all their personnel, ambulance trains; he was responsible for providing medical institutions with medicines, food and the necessary equipment, for preventing epidemics, and returning recovered soldiers to the front.

Materials about the activities of Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky in this post are kept in the vast archival fund of the Office of the Supreme Chief of the Sanitary and Evacuation Unit, stored in the Russian State Military Historical Archive (26).

Reporting to the emperor for the first year of his activity (from September 1914 to September 1915), A.P. Oldenburgsky wrote: “Having assumed my duties, I considered it necessary, first of all, to personally get acquainted with the organization of the work entrusted to me on the ground. I made a detour around the front line, the rear area and the largest centers within the area located on the evacuation route. The impression from the first detours turned out to be unfavorable. " The prince lamented the "extraordinary multi-command, which was actually reduced to anarchy", constant friction with local authorities, and the lack of medical personnel (in Germany, according to his data, there were 1,960 residents per doctor, in Russia - 5,140). At the same time, he noted the great help from the Red Cross and other public organizations, a huge influx of people wishing to enroll in sisters of mercy. Among the priority measures he took, A.P. Oldenburgsky named the organization of early graduation of doctors from medical schools, which gave the front and rear hospitals an additional 3023 doctors; attraction of female freelance doctors, creation of 357 military ambulance trains. By July 1, 1915, about 1,571,000 wounded and sick were evacuated from the front, more than 597,000 beds were deployed in hospitals.

“Almost from the very beginning of the war,” he wrote further, “our military ambulance trains began to be bombarded with bombs from enemy airplanes. In view of this, an order was made to paint the roofs of all military ambulance train cars white with the image of the Red Cross. According to the provisions of the Geneva Convention, these images were supposed to protect trains from attacks. Reality showed the opposite: the Red Cross began to serve as an aiming point for enemy pilots and the dropping of bombs on trains became more frequent. Therefore, on May 2, I ordered to immediately paint all the roofs of medical cars in a protective color "(27) ...

The prince completely reoriented the Gagrinsky resort and other Russian resorts for military medical needs. In addition to the fact that medical institutions for convalescents were organized there, the cultivation of medicinal plants was also established there.

Official archival documents about the activities of Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky in the position of the Supreme Chief of the sanitary and evacuation unit can be supplemented, and partly corrected by the testimony of memoirists. So, A.A. Polivanov, who until May 1915 was under the Prince of Oldenburg, and in June of the same year was appointed Minister of War, reproached his former boss for the fact that at the beginning of the war he overestimated the effectiveness of protection against gases with the help of "gas mask bands ", which consisted of several layers of gauze, impregnated with certain compounds, and thus delayed the development of more effective means - gas masks. “Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky,” Polivanov later recalled, “grabbed onto this new business (making bandages) with his characteristic energy, but then, as always and in all his new endeavors, instead of carefully following the application of the new means and on the basis of the experience of our and our allies to introduce into it the improvements prompted by practice, stubbornly settled on his own, was irritated when he learned that other types of gas masks were being developed in public organizations, and, in the end, statements from the army rushed that the supply of gas masks is unsatisfactory, especially when comparing the same means that appeared among the Germans. , exclusive for his age energy "(28). At the beginning of 1916, between A.P. Oldenburgsky and Minister of War Polivanov, an open conflict arose due to the fact that the prince was unexpectedly carried away not by protection from poisonous gases, which was part of his duties, but by issues of their manufacture, which was fully within the competence of the Minister of War. The emperor had to intervene and resolve this issue in favor of Polivanov (29).

One way or another, memoirists and historians agree that the military medical service in the Russian army during the First World War was well organized. This, and not only the notorious "severity" of the prince or his proximity to the Imperial House can explain his high authority not only in the army, but also among ordinary soldiers and officers

When a revolution broke out in Petrograd in February 1917, Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky was among those generals who urged Nicholas II to abdicate (30). He was one of the first to announce his support for the Provisional Government. The original telegram has survived, which A.P. Oldenburgsky sent on March 9 (22), 1917 from Mogilev, where the Headquarters of the Supreme High Command was located, to Petrograd to his son Peter: "I sent [G.E.] Lvov the following dispatch:" On behalf of my wife My and mine declare my full desire and readiness to energetically support the Provisional Government for the glory and benefit of our dear Motherland. "Tell your mother. Prince Alexander of Oldenburg" (31).

These were almost the only cases when A.P. Oldenburgsky spoke openly on topical political issues. Prior to that, he preferred, like his father, to stay away from both foreign and domestic politics, engaging in military activities, mainly by matters of charity, health care, public education.

However, A.P. Oldenburgsky still apparently did not have good relations with the new government. He had to leave the post of the Supreme Chief of the sanitary and evacuation unit, sold his palace on the banks of the Neva to the Provisional Government of Russia and left for Finland shortly before the October Revolution. His wife and son came there from Ramon. From there they moved to France, leaving Russia forever.

With this begins the final and very sad chapter in the history of the Russian branch of the princes of Oldenburg. Alexander Petrovich with his wife and son settled on the Atlantic coast of France, near the Spanish border. Information about their lives there is very scarce. An unexpected source was the memoir sketch of IA Bunin, written in 1931 and entitled "His Highness" (32). Bunin says that he met Pyotr Aleksandrovich Oldenburgsky in 1921 in Paris. "I was surprised by his height," writes Bunin, "his thinness, [...] his skull, completely naked, small, thoroughbred to the point of obvious signs of degeneration." PA Oldenburgsky presented Bunin with a book of his stories "The Dream", published by him in Paris under the pseudonym "Peter Alexandrov". "He wrote about the" golden "hearts of the people, suddenly seeing their sight after the intoxication of the revolution and passionately surrendering to Christ. [...] He wrote ardently, lyrically, but completely awkwardly, naively. [...] Once at one big evening, where most of the guests there were old revolutionaries, listening to their lively conversation, he exclaimed quite sincerely: “Oh, what lovely, lovely people you are all! And how sad that Kolya [Nicholas II] never attended such parties! Everything, everything would be different if you knew each other! "[...]" Some, - writes Bunin, - called him simply "abnormal". Everything is so, but after all, the saints, the blessed ones were “abnormal." on my own small farm, doing farming, got a cow, chickens, rabbits, digging in the garden and in the garden. On Saturdays, I visit my parents who live nearby, in the vicinity of Saint Jean de Luz. "

Bunin mentions the second marriage of P.A. Oldenburgsky, his fleeting consumption, and his death in a sanatorium in Antibes on the French Riviera. His memoirs in no way contradict the information we know from other sources. The Russian State Library also found the little book of stories mentioned by Bunin. Its content is quite consistent with the characteristics that Bunin gives it (33).

Peter Oldenburgsky was seriously ill and died before his parents. A year later, on the night of May 4, 1925, his mother died in Biarritz. Alexander Petrovich outlived his wife by seven years. In the Parisian Russian newspaper "Latest News" No. 4187 of September 8, 1932, a short announcement appeared: "Prince A.P. Oldenburg died. Biarritz, September 7 (Havas). On September 6, at the age of 89, Prince Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg died. ". A more lengthy obituary signed "Ch." was placed in the newspaper "Renaissance" on September 7.

So the direct Russian line of the Oldenburg Ducal House was cut short. The study of the biographies of the descendants of the counts Osternburg and Sarnekau remained outside the scope of this study.

Notes

(*) Materials of this article were published in Germany in German: Tschernych V.A. Die dritte Generation des russischer Linie des Hauses Oldenburg. Prinz Alexander Petrowitsch (1844-1932) // Das Haus Oldenburg in Ru? Land. Oldenburg, 2000. S. 171-188 (Oldenburger Forschungen. Neue Folge. Band. 11).

(1) Papkov A.A. Life and Works of Prince P.G. Oldenburgsky. SPb., 1885.

(2) Tantzen R. Das Schicksal des Hauses Oldenburg in Ru? Land // Oldenburger Jahrbuch. Bd. 58, 1959, S. 113-195; Bd. 59. 1960. S. 1-54.

(3) I will name for example: Grebelsky P.Kh. Dukes and Princes of Oldenburg // Noble families of the Russian Empire. T.2. SPb., 1995. S. 18-21; [Chernykh V.A.]. Oldenburgsky Georgy Petrovich // Tver region. Encyclopedic Dictionary. Tver, 1994.S. 183 (without signature).

(4) For example: Annenkova E.A., Golikov Yu.P. Russian Oldenburgsky and their palaces. SPb., 1997; Stepanets K.V. Enlightened philanthropists of Oldenburg: the family's contribution to the development of medical and educational institutions. // Petersburg Readings - 97. SPb., 1998. S. 118-122; Yakovleva E.B. Charitable activities of the Oldenburgsky family in Russia // Germans and the development of education in Russia. SPb., 1998.S. 182-186; Golikov Yu.P. Prince A.P. Oldenburgsky - organizer and trustee of the Institute of Experimental Medicine // Germans in Russia: problems of cultural interaction. SPb., 1998.S. 279-286.

(5) See: Iskjul S.N. Prinz Peter Georgiewitch von Oldenburg gilt als einer der grossen russischen Philantropen // Das Haus Oldenburg in Ru? Land. Oldenburg, 2000. S. 157-170 (Oldenburger Forschungen. Neue Folge. Band. 11).

(6) Danilov Yu.N. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich. Paris, 1930.S. 20-21; Kiev. Encyclopedic reference. Kiev. 1986.S. 492.

(7) Full track record of Adjutant Wing of Colonel Prince [Nicholas] of Oldenburg. Compiled on January 1, 1863 // Russian State Military Historical Archive (hereinafter: RGVIA). F. 400. Op. 9.D. 525.L. 13-18.

(8) Bazhenova E.M. House of I.I.Betskov on the Field of Mars // Collection of materials dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the St. Petersburg State Academy of Culture. SPb., 1993.S. 154-163.

(9) Schieckel H. Briefe und Aufzeichnung des oldenburgisches Vortragenden Rates Gunter Jansen uber seine Dienstreise nach Petersburg im Mai 1872 // Geschichte in der Region. Zum 65. Geburtstag von Heinrich Schmidt. Hannover 1993 S. 351-376.

(10) Epanchin N.A. In the service of three emperors. M., 1996. S.96-97.

(11) Epanchin N.A. Essay on the actions of the Western detachment of Adjutant General Gurko. Ch. 1-3. SPb., 1889-1890.

(12) A brief note on the service of Lieutenant General Prince of Oldenburg // RGVIA. F. 400. Op. 17.D. 1066.L. 3-4.

(13) Snegurova M. Community of St. Eugene // Our heritage. 1991. No. 3. S. 27-33. See also: Benoit A. My memoirs. T. 2.M., 1990; V.P. Tretyakov Open letters of the Silver Age. SPb., 2000.

(14) Epanchin N.A. In the service of three emperors. M., 1996. P. 170.

(15) Alexander Mikhailovich, Grand Duke. Book of memories. M., 1991.S. 127-128.

(16) Orbeli L.A. Memories. M .; L., 1966.S. \u200b\u200b49.

(17) I.P. Pavlov in the memoirs of contemporaries. L., 1967.S. 104.

(18) Department of Manuscripts of the Russian National Library (hereinafter: OR RNL). F. 543.No. 39, 40.

(19) See Annenkova E., Golikov Yu. Decree. op. P. 168.

(20) OR RNB. F. 543. No. 45.

(21) Witte S.Yu. Memories. M., 1960.T. 2.S. 565-567.

(22) Ibid. P. 564.

(23) State Archives Russian Federation... F. 643. Op. 1.D. Z0. L. 20-21, 31.

(24) See: Gagra. Climatic station on the Black Sea coast. SPb., 1905; Patchulia V.P. Gagra. Essays on the history of the city and the resort. Sukhumi, 1979.

(26) RGVIA. F. 2018.1060 items.

(27) Ibid. Op. 1.D. 950.

(28) Polivanov A.A. From diaries and memoirs. 1907-1916. T. 1 M., 1924.S. 164-165.

(29) Ibid. S.166-167. Wed :. RGVIA. F.2018. Op. 1.D. 969.L. 19-24.

(30) The fall of the tsarist regime. M .; L., 1926.T. 6.S. 411-412.

(31) RGVIA. F. 2018. Op. 1.D. 98.L. 168.

(32) Bunin I.A. Memories. Paris, 1950.S. 130-140.

(33) Peter Alexandrov. Sleep. Paris. Printing house "Zemgora". 216, Bd Raspail. 1921.46 S.

(Reprinted from the site: http://www.allabout.ru.)

Igor Vadimovich Ledogorov. Born on May 9, 1932 in Moscow - died on February 10, 2005 in Hamilton (New Zealand). Soviet and Russian theater and film actor. People's Artist of the RSFSR (1989).

During the Great Patriotic War lived with his family in evacuation in Tashkent. It was there that he first got into the cinema - starred in the crowd scene of the famous film directed by L. D. Lukov "Two fighters". Together with other boys, he portrayed the Nazis who attack the Soviet positions. The cameraman was filmed in such a way that in the frame the gang of boys looked like a group of real German soldiers.

However, at first he was not going to become an actor. After school in 1958 he graduated from the Polytechnic Institute, where he began to play in an amateur theater. Having shown abilities, on the advice of the head of the institute circle (he was Honored Artist of the RSFSR Nikolai Khlibko) decided to try himself as an actor and entered the Tashkent Theater and Art Theater named after I. A. N. Ostrovsky, who graduated in 1964.

Since 1967 - actor of the Leningrad Lenin Komsomol Theater.

Since 1969 - an actor of the Leningrad Lensovet Theater, among his works: "Warsaw Melody" (c); "The Road to Calvary"; "Forty-first".

Since 1971 - actor of the Central Academic Theater Soviet army, was engaged in the play "The Holy of Holies" by I. Druta.

Since 1963 he acted in films, making his debut in the film "Your Footprints".

He became famous for the role of Nikolai Bauman in the historical and biographical film of 1967 "Nikolai Bauman" directed by S.I. Tumanov.

Igor Ledogorov in the film "Nikolai Bauman"

A notable work was the role of Dmitry Ovtsyn in the film "The Ballad of Bering and His Friends." His hero is a historical person who left a huge mark on the exploration of Siberia and Alaska.

Then there was the main role in the military drama "The Ruins Are Shooting ...", in which he played the underground worker Jean (aka Ivan Konstantinovich Kabushkin). For this work in 1974 the actor was awarded the State Prize of the BSSR.

Igor Ledogorov in the film "The Ruins Are Shooting ..."

The main roles played by the actor in the films Comrade General (General Fyodor Kapitonov), The Sky with Me (Ivan Klinov), Georgy Sedov (Georgy Sedov) were successful.

Igor Ledogorov in the film "Georgy Sedov"

The actor's works in the films “The Life and Death of Ferdinand Luce” (Bauer) and “Nobody in Your Place” (Grigore Ciobanu) were interesting.

In 1978, the artist was awarded the State Prize of the RSFSR named after the Vasiliev brothers for playing the role of the scout Afanasyev-Reisner in the film "Front behind the front line".

Igor Ledogorov in the film "Front behind the front line"

Ledogorov found it easy to create heroic images - a courageous face, shrewd, gray eyes provided him with a long list of relevant roles. He was a polar explorer, a revolutionary and more than once tried on general's shoulder straps.

Igor Vadimovich himself has repeatedly said that in all heroic roles the entourage is not important for him. In his characters, he tried to show that inner struggle, that fortitude, when a man in an extreme situation should behave exactly like a man with a capital letter.

In the mid-1980s, he played the role of Sergei Chernikov in the science fiction film People and Dolphins.

Igor Ledogorov in the film "People and Dolphins"

By the way, in the films "Teens in the Universe", "Through Thorns to the Stars" and the already mentioned "People and Dolphins" Igor Ledogorov starred with his son Vadim - first a student of school number 82, and then a student of a theater university.

The last work on the screen was the main role - the head of the Russian intelligence department, Colonel General Vadim Petrovich - in the disaster film "Black Ocean". Since the actor left for permanent residence abroad, the role was voiced by Dmitry Matveev.

Igor Ledogorov in the film "Black Ocean"

In 1997 Igor Ledogorov emigrated to New Zealand, where his son Vadim already lived and worked. The reason was that in the post-perestroika time, the actor, like many of his colleagues, was unclaimed, lived poorly and hard. And son Vadim Ledogorov taught in New Zealand at a local theater studio.

In New Zealand, he lived in nature in his home with his wife, son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Sometimes he played in the theater on english language, in particular, played Firs in the play based on Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard". He starred in several commercials.

Ledogorov Sr. often attended his son's classes with students and helped novice actors to comprehend the basics of the Stanislavsky system.

In 2001 Igor and Vadim Ledogorovs came to Moscow to dub a new version of the film "Through Thorns to the Stars", in which they starred twenty years ago. Negatives could not stand the time, and the son of director Richard Viktorov - Nikolai - decided to revive the picture to a new life. During the restoration, they completed what was not possible in the 1980s due to lack of funds or technical capabilities. As a result, the film became half an hour shorter, but more dynamic and colorful.

The last time he played was in 2003 together with Vadim Ledogorov and Galina Samoilova (Ledogorova) in the theatrical evening "Visiting Chekhov" (Bear, Proposal, Tears unknown to the world).

He died of cancer on February 10, 2005 in Hamilton (New Zealand). He was buried in a public cemetery in Cambridge (New Zealand).

Igor Ledogorov's height: 187 centimeters.

Personal life of Igor Ledogorov:

Wife - Stalina Alekseevna Ledogorova. A son was born in marriage, a theater director and teacher.

Filmography of Igor Ledogorov:

1963 - Your footprints - Volodya, newspaper editor
1965 - I want to believe - Sergei Mikhailovich
1967 - Nikolay Bauman - N.E.Bauman
1968 - Transitional age - journalist Nikolai Ivanovich Alekseev
1968 - Our friends - Altus
1969 - Ambush - Chekist Shpalov
1969 - Triple check - Nikolai Konstantinovich Klimov
1970 - Ballad about Bering and his friends - Dmitry Ovtsyn
1970-1972 - Ruins shoot ... - underground worker Jean (Ivan Konstantinovich Kabushkin)
1972 - Fifty Fifty - Mullins
1972 - Hot Snow - Colonel Osin
1973 - Comrade General - General Kapitonov
1974 - Georgy Sedov - G. Ya.Sedov
1974 - Front without flanks
1974 - Teens in the Universe - alien, father of Agapit
1974 - Heaven with me - Klinov
1975 - From Dawn to Dawn - General
1975 - Ivan and Kolombina - Spiridonov
1976 - Family Celebration Day - Pyotr Savichev
1976 - Nobody instead of you - Grigory Ciobanu
1976 - The Legend of Thiel - Prince of Orange
1976 - The Life and Death of Ferdinand Luce - Bauer
1977 - Front behind the front line - scout Afanasiev-Reisner
1977 - Portrait with rain - Anatoly
1977 - Following the wolf's trail - Makarov
1978 - Late berry
1978 - Persistent fog (film-play) - Rogachev
1978 - Seeing off - Igor Gorchakov
1978 - Procession of golden animals - archaeologist Zimin
1978 - Your son - Vadim Korolev
1980 - Smoke of the Fatherland - Elder Andrey
1980 - Through hardships to the stars - the alien Rakan
1980 - Karl Marx. The Young Years - Weitling
1980 - They were actors - Ryabinin
1982 - Tenderness to the roaring beast - Donat Kuzmich Borovsky
1982 - Cossack Outpost - Terenty
1983 - People and Dolphins - Chernikov
1984 - Victory Strategy - Journalist
1984 - Echo (film-play) - Sergei Timofeevich Raskatov, general
1984 - Winning strategy. Eve (documentary) - journalist
1985 - The distant voice of the cuckoo - Zosim Fedorovich
1985 - Housewarming (film-play) - prosecutor
1986 - Attempt on GOELRO
1986 - Head of the Gorgon - Lukonin
1986 - Astrologer - Maxim Sobolev
1988 - Let me die, Lord - director
1988 - Private visit to the clinic - Gaberkorn
1989 - Enter Every House - Prabatov
1989 - Holy of Holies (film-play) - Mihai Gruy
1989 - Revelation of John the First Printer - Prince of Ostrog
1990 - Ravines - Gordey Nikolaich Kabanov
1991 - Your gentle image (film-play) - Count Lubin
1993 - Inner enemy (film-play)
1995 - Tribunal - President of the Court
1995 - Red cherry (红 樱桃) - Vatkin, director of the international home
1997 - Hunting Season - Colonel-General Ivan Alekseevich Vertletsky
1998 - Black Ocean - Vadim Petrovich, head of the GRU (dubbed by Dmitry Matveev)