Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg (Duke Peter Friedrich Georg von Oldenburg) was the first husband of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, the youngest sister of Tsar Nicholas II.
Background
Peter Aleksandrovich Oldenburgsky was born on November 9, 1868 in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation. The only child of Duke Alexander Petrovich of Oldenburg and Eugénie Maximilianovna of Leuchtenberg. He was known by the name of "Petya".
Education
He studied at the School of Law. He served in the Life Guards, Transfiguration Regiment. Colonel (1905), aide-de-camp to Emperor Nicholas II (since 1896), Major General (1913).
Career
After graduating from the law school, he served in the army. Also, he served in the Life Guards, Transfiguration Regiment. Colonel (1905), aide-de-camp to Emperor Nikolay II (since 1896), Major General (1913).
In the middle of World War I, after living separately for two years, Oldenburg's marriage to Olga was annulled on 16 October 1916. After the Russian Revolution, Oldenburg and his mother managed to escape Russia, and settled in France.
He died aged 55 in 1924 in exile in Antibes, France, and was buried in the crypt of the Russian Orthodox St. Michael the Archangel Church, Cannes.
Personality
Peter Aleksandrovich was engaged in literature and under the pseudonym "Peter Alexandrov".
Physical Characteristics:
Peter Aleksandrovich was thought to be a hypochondriac, had a slender, delicate build, and preferred indoor activities to sports and outdoor pursuits.
Connections
In 1900, Peter Aleksandrovich began to escort the 18-year-old Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, 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'". The marriage was announced in May 1901, and was unexpected by many, as Oldenburg had shown no prior interest in women. 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.
On 9 August 1901, they were married at Saint Petersburg in a grand ceremony attended by family, government ministers, foreign ambassadors, and courtiers. They honeymooned at the Oldenburg estate near Voronezh, but the atmosphere was soured by a quarrel between Oldenburg and his father over gambling. Oldenburg was an inveterate and well-known gambler. The money he coaxed out of his wife was often lost at the table. In the fall of 1901, they traveled onto Biarritz, where a fire at their hotel destroyed many of Oldenburg's uniforms and medals. Olga's uncle-by-marriage, England's King Edward VII, lent them a yacht, in which they sailed to Sorrento. On their return to Russia, they moved into a palatial 200-room house, made available to them by the Tsar.
Their marriage remained unconsummated, and Oldenburg was believed by family and friends to be homosexual.
Two years after their marriage, Olga met a cavalry officer her own age, Nikolai Kulikovsky, to whom she was attracted. She confronted Oldenburg and asked for a divorce, which he refused with the qualification that he might reconsider after seven years.