Militza and Anastasia: Russia’s Most Colorful Grand Duchesses
Towards the twilight of the rule of the Romanovs in Russia, two Slavic princesses reigned supreme as the most colorful figures in the Czar’s court. Grand Duchess Militza and Grand Duchess Anastasia were Montegrin princesses who married two brothers from the Imperial Family. They were daughters of King Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro and his wife Milena Vukotić. Their tendencies towards the occult made them notorious as “The Black Peril”of the Russian Court.
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| Grand Duchess Militza and Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia. Images from Wikimedia Commons |
Militza and Anastasia were praised for their elegance and intelligence, not to mention their exotic beauty, grace, honesty, pride and frankness that drawn them to the people of Saint Petersburg.
The Grand Duchess Militza was described as a “clever woman, with wide intellectual interests” and “real knowledge of the East and of Eastern things.” She spoke Persian and was well-versed in ancient Persian literature. She also studied Oriental philosophy and religion, particularly those of Persia, India and China. Above all, Militza and Anastasia, were particularly devoted to each other.
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaevna was described as a handsome woman with "far-sighted intelligence" and the devotion to the Slavic cause. Endowed with "barbaric voluptuous beauty of the orient," she was a "firebrand" in spreading the Slavic cause, which also complemented the grand duke's "ambitions as a natural leaderof the Russian slavs."
The Montenegrins deeply hated Turkey and Austria and Anastasia’s Pan-Slavic tendencies helped reinforce her husband’s own.
The Grand Duchess Militza was described as a “clever woman, with wide intellectual interests” and “real knowledge of the East and of Eastern things.” She spoke Persian and was well-versed in ancient Persian literature. She also studied Oriental philosophy and religion, particularly those of Persia, India and China. Above all, Militza and Anastasia, were particularly devoted to each other.
Grand Duchess Anastasia Nicholaevna was described as a handsome woman with "far-sighted intelligence" and the devotion to the Slavic cause. Endowed with "barbaric voluptuous beauty of the orient," she was a "firebrand" in spreading the Slavic cause, which also complemented the grand duke's "ambitions as a natural leaderof the Russian slavs."
The Montenegrins deeply hated Turkey and Austria and Anastasia’s Pan-Slavic tendencies helped reinforce her husband’s own.
Militza and Anastasia: Montenegrin Princesses, Russian Grand Duchesses
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