Grand Duchess KseniiĶ”a Aleksandrovna papers, 1865-1960

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Summary

Creators:
Nicholas, Emperor of Russia, II, 1868-1918, MarÄ«iĶ”a įøžeodorovna, Empress, consort of Alexander III, Emperor of Russia, 1847-1928, and KseniiĶ”a Aleksandrovna, Grand Duchess of Russia
Abstract:
Correspondence, diaries, printed matter, and photographs relating to events in Russia before, during, and after the Russian Revolution, and to Russian Imperial family matters. Includes letters of Nicholas II and his mother, Mariia Feodorovna.
Extent:
19 manuscript boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1 cubic foot box (8.9 Linear Feet)
Language:
In Russian and French
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Grand Duchess KseniiĶ”a Aleksandrovna papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The papers of Kseniia Aleksandrovna were deposited in the Hoover Institution by her family in 1980, under the supervision of her son the late Vasili Romanoff, who served as honorary curator of the Hoover Institution Library & Archives Imperial Russian Collection.

Of particular interest are her diaries, covering the period from January 1916 to March 1919, the day before she left the Crimea for England. Also significant is the correspondence between her and her brother, Emperor Nicholas II, and between him and their mother, Empress Mariia Feodorovna. Those original diaries and letters, in Boxes 12-13, may not be used without permission of the Archivist, but use copies are available in Boxes 6-8.

Other diaries of note are those of Mariia Feodorovna (in Box 9) and of Kseniia's brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich (in Box 11), as well as a diary presumed to have been kept for the crown prince Aleksei by his French and English tutors (in Box 8).

The bulk of the collection relates to Mariia Feodorovna, consisting of extensive correspondence with her daughter Kseniia (Boxes 1-6) and with others (Boxes 8-9), and of condolence letters upon her death in 1928 (Boxes 9-10).

The increment consists mainly of correspondence with family members in the United States and Europe, and various royal figures from the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Yugoslavia. Correspondence includes handwritten (mostly unidentified) letters on political, social, religious, educational, and economic conditions in Russia. The increment also contains a number of remarkable prints depicting members of the royal family.

Biographical / historical:
Date Event
1875 March 25/April 7
Born to Mariia Feodorovna, Princess Dagmara of Denmark and Alexander III, Emperor of Russia
1894 April 1/14
Married Aleksandr Mikhailovich, Grand Duke of Russia (Sandro)
1895 July 3/16
Gave birth to Irina Aleksandrovna, Princess of Russia
1897 January 12/25
Gave birth to Andrei Aleksandrovich, Prince of Russia
1898 December 11/24
Gave birth to Fedor Aleksandrovich, Prince of Russia
1900 January 4/17
Gave birth to Nikita Aleksandrovich, Prince of Russia
1901 August 2/15
Gave birth to Dimitrii Aleksandrovich, Prince of Russia
1902 November 11/24
Gave birth to Rostislav Aleksandrovich, Prince of Russia
1907 June 24/July 7
Gave birth to Vasilii Aleksandrovich, Prince of Russia
1917 March 25
Traveled with her children to Ai-Todor, the estate in the Crimea that belonged to her husband Aleksandr Mikhailovich (the latter, Kseniia's mother Mariia Feodorovna, and her sister Olga with her husband had left for Ai-Todor on the 23rd). They were kept there under house arrest
1918 February
Transferred, along with the family members mentioned above as well as her son-in-law Felix Yusupov and her granddaughter, to Dulber, the fortress-like estate also in the Crimea belonging to Grand Duke Petr Nikolaevich. (The latter and his brother, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich, their wives, and Peter's children, had gone to Duil'ber after the fall of the monarchy.)
1919 April
Sailed from Yalta (along with several members of her family, her mother Mariia Feodorovna, and other relatives) on the HMS Marlborough, sent by her cousin George V, King of England (the Allied fleet had arrived in the Crimea at the end of 1918)
1919 May
Arrived in England
1919-1928
Made frequent visits to her mother in Denmark, until the death of Mariia Feodorovna in 1928
1919-1936
Lived in Frogmore Cottage, Windsor Palace
1936-1960
Lived in Wilderness House, Hampton Court, again as a guest of the British royal family
1960
Died
Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1980, with an increment of additional materials acquired in 2002.
Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is closed to researchers while it is undergoing digitization. Estimated end date: May 2025.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Grand Duchess KseniiĶ”a Aleksandrovna papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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