Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna |
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| Born | November 15, 1895 Tsarskoye Selo, Russian Empire |
| Died | July 17, 1918 (22 years, 244 days) Yekaterinburg, Russian SFSR |
| Burial | Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation |
| House | House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov |
| Father | Nicholas II of Russia |
| Mother | Alexandra Fyodorovna (Alix of Hesse) |
| Religion | Eastern Orthodox |
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (also known as Olga Nikolaevna Romanova) was born on November 15, 1895. She was the oldest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. He was the last ruler of Imperial Russia. Her mother was Alexandra Fyodorovna.
Many people in Russia wondered who Olga would marry. There were ideas about her marrying Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia or Crown Prince Carol of Romania. Others thought she might marry Edward, Prince of Wales, who was the son of Britain's King George V. She was also considered for Crown Prince Alexander of Serbia. But Olga wanted to marry a Russian person and stay in her home country.
During World War I, Olga worked as a nurse in a military hospital. She cared for wounded soldiers. After she became ill herself, she helped with the hospital's management duties.
Olga was killed with her family on July 17, 1918. This happened in Yekaterinburg by the Bolshevik secret police. Later, the Russian Orthodox Church made her a passion bearer, which is a type of saint. For many years, some people falsely claimed to be Olga or other members of the royal family who had survived. One woman, Marga Boodts, said she was Grand Duchess Olga, but historians did not believe her.
Historians now agree that Olga was killed with her family. Her remains were found and identified using DNA testing. In 1998, she was buried in a funeral ceremony. This took place at Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. Her parents and two of her sisters were also buried there.
Early life and personality
Olga had three younger sisters: Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. She also had a younger brother, Alexei. Olga's official title was Velikaya Knyazhna, which means "Grand Princess." This title meant she was of higher rank than most other princesses in Europe. However, "Grand Duchess" became the common English translation.
Olga's family and friends often called her simply Olga Nikolaevna. They also used nicknames like "Olishka" or "Olya." Her great-grandmother was Queen Victoria. Olga was very close to her sister Tatiana. They shared a room and often wore similar clothes. They were known as "The Big Pair." Her younger sisters, Maria and Anastasia, were called "The Little Pair."
From a young age, Olga was known for her compassion and kindness. But she also had a quick temper. She often said exactly what she thought. Once, when she was a small child, she was posing for a painter. She became impatient and told him, "You are a very ugly man and I don't like you one bit!"
Pierre Gilliard, her French teacher, first met Olga when she was 10 years old. He described her as "very fair, and with sparkling, mischievous eyes." He felt that she looked at him as if searching for his weaknesses. But he also said there was something very "pure and frank (truthful)" about her that made him like her right away.
Upbringing and education
The Tsar's children lived a very simple life. When they were healthy, they slept on hard camp cots without pillows. This tradition began with Catherine the Great. They took cold baths every morning. They also had to clean their own rooms and do needlework.
Most people living with them, including servants, called Olga by her first name, Olga Nikolaevna. They did not usually use her full title. However, Olga believed that older children should be respected. Once, when visiting a museum with state carriages, she told a servant to prepare the largest carriage for her daily ride. The servant did not obey her.
Olga loved reading. Unlike her sisters, she also enjoyed school work. Her teacher, Pierre Gilliard, said Olga had a very "quick brain." She had "good reasoning powers" and "a very independent manner." She was also good at giving "swift (quick) and entertaining (funny) repartee (replies)." Olga liked to read about politics in newspapers. She also enjoyed choosing books from her mother's collection. Once, when she was found reading a book before her mother had read it, Olga joked that her mother should wait until Olga had made sure it was a proper book for her to read.
Images for kids
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Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, 1914
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Olga with her sister, Tatiana, 1913
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Grand Duchesses Tatiana, left, and Olga with Anna Vyrubova during a summer cruise in Finland, around 1908. Courtesy: Beinecke Library. -
Grand Duchess Olga reads a book as her sister Grand Duchess Anastasia looks on. Courtesy: Beinecke Library -
Grand Duchess Olga with her brother, Tsarevich Alexei, around 1910. -
Grand Duchesses Olga, left, Tatiana, right, and Maria Nikolaevna, center, around 1911, with Pavel Voronov, the officer Olga fell in love with in 1913. -
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna and Pavel Voronov, around 1912. Olga fell in love with Voronov and was distressed when he married, though she wished him well. Courtesy: Beinecke Library. -
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna in her nursing uniform, Tsarina Alexandra, and Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna in the Tsarina's sitting room in about 1916. Courtesy: Beinecke Library. -
Grand Duchesses Anastasia, Tatiana, Maria, and Olga with Empress Alexandra on an official visit to Sevastopol in 1916. Courtesy: Beinecke Library. -
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna in her nursing uniform in a formal portrait taken around 1915. -
From left to right, Grand Duchesses Maria, Olga, Anastasia and Tatiana Nikolaevna in captivity at Tsarskoe Selo in the spring of 1917. -
Grand Duchesses Tatiana, left, and Olga Nikolaevna, far right, with their mother, Tsarina Alexandra, center, in captivity at Tobolsk in the spring of 1918. -
Tsarevich Alexei, left, and Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna in May 1918 aboard the Rus, the ship that took them to their deaths at Yekaterinburg. This is the last known photo of Olga and Alexei.
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See also
In Spanish: Olga Nikoláyevna Románova (1895-1918) para niños
