Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia

Who was Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia?

Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia was the second son of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia.

During the reign of his brother Alexander II, Konstantin was an admiral of the Russian fleet and reformed the Russian Navy. He was also an instrumental figure in the emancipation of the serfs. He was less fortunate as viceroy of Poland and had to be recalled to Russia where he was attacked for his liberalism.

After the assassination of his brother, Alexander II, Konstantin fell from favour. The new tsar, Alexander III, his nephew, opposed Konstantin's liberal ideas and gradually stripped him of all his governmental positions. His retirement was marked with personal turmoil and family setbacks. After suffering a stroke, he spent his last years as an invalid. He is a paternal great-great grandfather of Charles, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, since his daughter Olga married George I of Greece, whose son Andrea married Alice Battenberg and begat Philip, Charles' father.