Sergei Georgievich, 8th Duke of Leuchtenberg

Prince Sergei Georgievich Romanowsky, 8th Duke of Leuchtenberg (4 July 1890 – 7 January 1974) was the son of Prince George Maximilianovich Romanowsky, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg and his second wife Princess Anastasia of Montenegro. He succeeded his half-brother Alexander Georgievich as Duke of Leuchtenberg from 1942 until his death.

Sergei Georgievich
Duke of Leuchtenberg
Sergei Georgievich, c. 1917
Born(1890-07-04)4 July 1890
Peterhof, Russian Empire
Died7 January 1974(1974-01-07) (aged 83)
Rome, Italy
HouseBeauharnais
FatherGeorge Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg
MotherPrincess Anastasia of Montenegro

Background and early life

Prince Sergei was born on 4 July 1890 in Peterhof, Russian Empire to George Maximilianovich, 6th Duke of Leuchtenberg and Princess Anastasia of Montenegro. Sergei was styled His Serene Highness from birth until 1899 when he was granted the style of His Highness. George's first wife, Duchess Therese Petrovna of Oldenburg, died in 1883, leaving a young son. Sergei's father remarried six years later, when he caught the attention of Princess Anastasia of Montenegro at her sister Milica's wedding. George and Anastasia soon married and produced two children, Sergei and Elena. Anastasia divorced her husband in 1906 in order to marry Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia.[1][2]

Later years

Sergei introduced Alexander Andreyevich Svechin to his step-father Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich, who was known for his religiosity and interest in mysticism.[3] Grand Duke Nicholas died in 1929, and Sergei attended his funeral along with his sister Princess Elena.[4]

Sergei died 16 December 1974 in Rome and was buried in the non-Catholic cemetery for foreigners in Testaccio, Rome, Italy. He was the last Duke of Leuchtenberg (now living descendants of the Duke of Leuchtenberg are descended from a morganatic marriage, which is why they lost their dynastic status of the members of the Russian Imperial House and the right to the Bavarian ducal title).

Honours and arms
Coat of Arms of the Dukes of Leuchtenberg

He received the following honours:[5]

  • Knight of the Order of St. Andrew, 1912
  • Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky, 1912
  • Knight of the Order of the White Eagle, 1912
  • Knight of the Order of St. Anna, 1st Class, 1912; 4th Class, with inscription "for Valor", 19 January 1915
  • Knight of the Order of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class, 1912
  • Knight of the Order of St. Vladimir, 4th Class, with Swords and Bow, 5 March 1915
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Danilo I of Montenegro
  • Commemoration Medal for the Golden Jubilee of King Nicholas I of Montenegro

Ancestry

Notes

    References
    1. Massie, Robert K. (1967). Nicholas and Alexandra. Random House, Inc. p. 244.
    2. Ferro, Marc; Brian Pearce (1990). Nicholas II: Last of the Tsars. Oxford University Press. p. 45.
    3. Curtis Perry, John; Constantine V. Pleshakov (1999). The Flight of the Romanovs: A Family Saga. Basic Books. p. 212.
    4. Curtis Perry and Pleshakov, p. 293.
    5. List of Adjutant Generals, Major Generals and Rear Admirals of His Majesty’s Suite and the Adjutant Outbuilding by seniority (20 March 1916). Publication of the Military Camping Office of His Imperial Majesty, 1916, p. 186.
    Sergei Georgievich, 8th Duke of Leuchtenberg
    House of Beauharnais
    Born: 4 July 1890 Died: 7 January 1974
    German nobility
    Preceded by
    Alexander Maximilianovich    		 Duke of Leuchtenberg
    26 September 1942 – 7 January 1974    		 Succeeded by
    Nicholas Nikolaevich (contested)
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