Nicholas II had a younger brother who, in the opinion of the court, was better suited for the role of monarch. A series of strange tragic circumstances and the sudden death of this young man shocked everyone.
A short biography of our hero will fit in three lines. This should come as no surprise to those familiar with the statistics on life expectancy in the Russian Empire. However, contemporaries considered the early death of the Tsarevich very strange, and his mother argued that it was not politics that was involved, but mysticism.
Birth
The wedding of the future Emperor Alexander III and the Danish princess Dagmara was not a happy event. The groom was ready to give up his rights to the throne for the sake of an alliance with Maria Meshcherskaya, one of the ladies-in-waiting of the court. The bride has already managed to survive the tragedy - initially she was married to her older brother Alexander, but he died in 1965. At the bedside of the dying woman, she met her future husband, and the next year this strange wedding took place.
Dagmara received the Russian name Maria Fedorovna. The Danish woman was attractive in appearance, was fond of musical creativity, knew how to win people over to her. It was not difficult for her to melt her husband's heart. Soon she pleased the imperial family with the birth of their first child. In subsequent years, the family of Alexander Alexandrovich grew rapidly. George became the third son of this couple. He was born in the spring of 1871, shortly after the death of the second child of the crowned couple.
Upbringing
The All-Russian autocrat was a strange father. He never allowed himself to yell at children, or scold them. But the daily routine and living conditions of the kids were far from ideal. Their rooms were furnished with very modest furniture, the discipline of a soldier reigned there, the diet was very different from the menu of the feast. Physically strong and tall Georgy, who easily endured all the hardships of such a life, immediately became daddy's favorite. Perhaps it was the Spartan conditions that caused irreparable damage to this boy's body.
Potential heirs to the throne had to receive not only a good education, but also learn to be independent. Alexander III hired the best teachers for his sons, most of whom were famous scientists of their time. So that the sons could not use each other's prompts during classes, the lessons for each of them were conducted in a separate room. Maria Feodorovna was not delighted with the order established by her husband, but she could not do anything about it.
Family relationships
In addition to outstanding physical data, Georgy had a strong character. In the company of his brothers and sisters, he was a leader. The elder brother Nikolenka often wrote down Georgy's witticisms, carefully kept them and re-read them in order to have fun. The youngest, Mikhail, looked mediocre next to him.
In adolescence, our hero was carried away by stories of distant wanderings and the East. This passion made him related to Nicholas and it is not known which of the young men was the first in her. Parents believed that George would be able to make a brilliant career in the navy. The gift for the future admiral was the opportunity to make a cruise to Japan on the "Pamyat Azov" ship. He could not go on a journey without his best friend - his older brother Nikolai.
Bad omen
In 1890, when young people had already climbed the deck of a cruiser for us and left their native land, the emperor presented his wife an unusual souvenir - Faberge egg "Memory of Azov". Maria Feodorovna found a frightening detail on the trinket - it seemed to her that the button that opened this box looked like a drop of human blood. They didn't have time to send their work back to the jewelers so that they could replace the ruby with a stone of a different color - terrible news came to the palace.
The princes' voyage turned into a real nightmare. In Bombay, Georgy Romanov fell seriously ill after a fight with his brother. The best doctors who diagnosed pulmonary tuberculosis were summoned to him. The young man had to give up on all plans. The victim of the skirmish was sent home. Nikolay continued on his way and reached the final point of the route - the Land of the Rising Sun. He was resting in the company of the Greek and Japanese heirs to the throne when a man with a samurai sword attacked him. The Tsarevich was wounded in the head.
last years of life
Georgy, suffering from tuberculosis, did not stay in St. Petersburg for a long time. The capital climate was contraindicated for him. The unfortunate man went to the Caucasus and settled in the Georgian village of Abastumani. When in the fall of 1894 the young man was resting with his relatives in Livadia, his father died. Doctors forbade his son to attend the funeral. Everyone knew that Nicholas ascending the throne had no sons, and one of his brothers would be his heir. Georgy Romanov should not have received this right.
The health of the Grand Duke has improved. He was keenly interested in astronomy and made a contribution to science by founding an observatory in Georgia. In 1895, Georgy Romanov traveled with his mother to Denmark, where he suffered an attack of illness. At home the Tsarevich felt better again. Soon he was able to make independent walks on a motorcycle. It was claimed that the prince's personal life had improved - he visited the Georgian princess, whom he was going to marry. The marriage was prevented by hastily passing the beauty off to another. In the summer of 1899, a peasant woman found a wrecked car on the road, and beside it a dying Georgy. It was not possible to find out the causes of the disaster.
