Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia

Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia (; 24 November 1877 – 9 November 1943) was a son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, a grandson of Czar Alexander II of Russia and a first cousin of Czar Nicholas II. He followed a military career and was a Major General in the Russian Army. He took part in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. He managed to escape revolutionary Russia. In exile, he married his mistress and settled in Paris.

Early life

Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich was born on 24 November 1877 at Saint Petersburg, the third child and second surviving son among the five children of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and his wife Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, born Duchess Marie Alexandrine of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. His parents were very wealthy and lived in the luxurious Vladimir Palace in Saint Petersburg. His father Vladimir Alexandrovich, a brother of Czar Alexander III of Russia, was a renowned patron of the arts; his mother, Maria Pavlovna, one of the greatest hostesses of Russian society. Boris, more extrovert than his siblings, was his mother’s favorite.

It was traditional for the male members of the Romanov family to follow a military career. From his birth Grand Duke Boris was appointed patron of the 45th Azov Infantry Regiment, and enrolled into the Semeonovsky Life Guards and the Life Guards Dragoon regiment, the 4th Life Guard Rifle Battalion of the Imperial Family. His education emphasized languages and military training. In...
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