Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg

Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg (21 November 1868 – 11 March 1924) was the first husband of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, the youngest sister of Tsar Nicholas II. Biography Early life He was born in Saint Petersburg in the Oldenburg Palace (present-day site of Saint-Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts), the only child of Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg (1844–1932) and Princess Eugenia Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg (1845–1925). His mother was a granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia through Nicholas's daughter, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna, and his father was a great-grandson of Tsar Paul I of Russia through his paternal grandmother Grand Duchess Catherine Pavlovna. He was known by the name of "Petya". Marriage In 1900, he began to escort the 18-year-old Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna (1882–1960), the youngest daughter of the late Tsar Alexander III and younger sister to the reigning Tsar Nicholas II, to the theatre and opera. His proposal of marriage the following year came as a surprise to Olga, who later explained, "I was so taken aback that all I could say was 'thank you'". She assumed that Oldenburg was pushed into proposing by his ambitious mother. Perhaps Olga accepted his proposal to gain independence from her mother, or avoid marriage into a foreign court. The marriage was announced in May 1901, and was unexpected by many, as Oldenburg had shown no prior interest in women. The Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna wrote to her son, Tsar Nicholas II, "I am sure you won't believe what has happened. Olga is engaged to Petya and both are very happy. I had to consent, but it was all done so quickly and unexpectedly that I still cannot believe it." Tsar Nicholas replied to his mother, "...I cannot believe Olga is actually engaged to Petya. They were probably both drunk yesterday. ... We both laughed so much reading your note that we have not recovered yet." A prenuptial agreement drawn up by a committee of the Tsar, the Oldenburg family, and government ministers, promised Olga an annuity of 100,000 rubles from the Tsar, and one million rubles to be deposited in a fund from which she could draw interest.