Olga Constantinovna of Russia
Olga Constantinovna of Russia (3 September 1851 – 18 June 1926) was Queen consort of the Hellenes as the wife of King George I. A member of the Romanov dynasty, she was the daughter of Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaievich and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg. She had three children with George I: George I, George II and George III, and a son-in-law, George IV, George VI and George V.
About Olga Constantinovna of Russia in brief
Olga Constantinovna of Russia (3 September 1851 – 18 June 1926) was Queen consort of the Hellenes as the wife of King George I. A member of the Romanov dynasty, she was the daughter of Grand Duke Constantine Nikolaievich and his wife, Princess Alexandra of Saxe-Altenburg. She spent her childhood in Saint Petersburg, Poland and the Crimea, and married George I of Greece in 1867 at the age of 16. At first, she felt ill at ease in the Kingdom of Greece, but she quickly became involved in social and charitable work. She founded hospitals and schools, but her attempt to promote a new, more accessible, Greek translation of the Gospels sparked riots by religious conservatives. On the assassination of her husband in 1913, Olga returned to Russia. In October 1920, she returned to Athens on the fatal illness of her grandson, King Alexander. She was appointed regent until the restoration of Constantine I the following month. After the defeat of the Greeks in the Greco-Turkish War of 1919–22 the Greek royal family were again exiled and Olga spent the last years of her life in the United Kingdom, France and Italy. Olga was described as a simple and chubby little girl with a broad face and big blue eyes. Her father was a younger brother of Alexander II, and her mother was considered one of the most intelligent and elegant women of the court. Through her father, OlGA was a granddaughter of Tsar Nicholas I, a niece of Tsars Alexander II and first cousin of Tsarevitch Alexander III.
She fell in love with George, but was nevertheless anxious and distraught at the thought of leaving Russia. Her husband was determined to find a wife and the idea of an alliance with a Russian grand duchess, born into the Eastern Orthodox Church, appealed to him. George visited Russia in 1863 to thank Olga’s uncle Tsar Alexander II for his support during George’s election to the throne of Greece. Whilst there, George met the then twelve-year-old Olga for the first time. George married Olga on 27 October 1867 and they spent a brief honeymoon at Ropsha, south-west of Saint Petersburg. The couple had five days of honeymoon festivities before Olga and George had to return to Greece for the start of the First World War. She died in 1926 and was succeeded by her son, King Constantine I, who had been deposed by his brother, King George II. She is buried at Pavlovsk Palace near Saint Petersburg in a marble sarcophagus with a portrait of George I and his mother, the Grand Duchess Alexandra. Her last will and testament was published by the Tsar of Russia in 1876. She had three children with George I: George I, George II and George III, and a son-in-law, George IV, George VI and George V. Olgas was also the mother of a daughter, Alexandra.
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