"In the Marble Palace" by Grand Duke Gabriel Konstantinovich, summary

This memoir, first published in 1955, details the daily life, military service, and tragic fate of the Imperial House of Romanov. The author faithfully chronicles the events of his life in the Russian Empire, from his early childhood to his flight abroad from the Bolsheviks in the autumn of 1918.

Childhood and upbringing

Gavriil Konstantinovich was born in 1887 in Pavlovsk. His godfather was Emperor Alexander III. The author’s father, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, was a renowned poet, published under the pseudonym K.R., and president of the Academy of Sciences. He was strict, demanding independence and an impeccable knowledge of Russian from his children, forbidding the use of foreign words in their speech. His mother, Elizaveta Mavrikievna, came from the Saxe-Altenburg family. The family spent winters in the Marble Palace in St. Petersburg and summers in Pavlovsk or Strelna. The children’s rooms were furnished in the Russian style.

In 1896, the boy attended the coronation of Nicholas II in Moscow. He vividly recalled the ceremonial ceremony in the Assumption Cathedral, the Empress’s silver gown, and the moment of the Tsar’s anointing. From an early age, the brothers were prepared for military service. In 1900, Gavriil was enrolled in the First Moscow Cadet Corps. He enjoyed life away from his family; he slept in a shared dormitory and quickly became friends with the cadets. Later, due to poor health, he spent two years in Livadia, Crimea, where he followed the gymnasium curriculum. Upon his return, the young man enrolled in the Nikolaev Cavalry School, where he wore a soldier’s greatcoat and learned to shine his own boots. In 1907, he received an officer’s rank and was enlisted in His Majesty’s Life Guards Hussar Regiment.

Court service

In 1908, Gavriil took the oath of office and was appointed aide-de-camp. He regularly served at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo. The author warmly recalls Nicholas II’s simplicity and dignity. While on duty, he attended imperial breakfasts, interacted with ministers, and accepted petitions from visitors. The Emperor often treated his guests to Black Sea oysters.

Poor health and a bout of pneumonia forced Gabriel to travel abroad frequently. He received treatment in Davos, Switzerland, and vacationed in France, Italy, and Egypt. In Rome, he was received by Pope Pius X, who presented him with a photograph. Later, in Berlin, he secured an audience with Kaiser Wilhelm II. The author notes the German emperor’s arrogance, his loud voice, his inelegant manner of wearing his uniform, and the sharp contrast with the noble composure of the Russian tsar.

Upon returning to Russia, Gavriil entered the Imperial Alexander Lyceum for higher education. His brother, Oleg, also became a student at the Lyceum. The presence of members of the imperial family at a civilian educational institution was a novelty.

World War I

In the summer of 1914, the Life Hussars marched to the front. The regiment joined General Rennenkampf’s First Army and participated in the invasion of East Prussia. Gavriil commanded a platoon, conducted reconnaissance missions, and spent the night in damp bivouacs near haystacks. The Russian cavalry successfully pushed back the enemy, capturing the German towns of Shirvindt and Vladislavov. Brother Oleg kept a regimental diary and was eager to join the fight.

A difficult retreat began in the fall. During the fighting near Goldap, Gavriil’s squadron was surrounded. Fleeing shrapnel fire from a German battery, the hussars fought their way through a swamp. Brother Igor nearly drowned along with his horse, sinking chin-deep in mud, but soldiers helped him out. In late September, Brother Oleg was fatally wounded in the stomach during a cavalry charge on a German patrol. He underwent surgery in a Vilnius hospital, where his parents arrived just in time. The young man died and was buried at the Ostashevo estate near Moscow, on the high bank of the Ruza River.

Family losses

In the spring of 1915, Tatyana’s sister’s husband, Konstantin Bagration-Mukhransky, died at the front near Lvov. In June of that year, the author’s father died of angina pectoris. His body was embalmed and transported by gun carriage to the Peter and Paul Fortress. Soil from his native Strelna was sprinkled on the coffin lid during burial.

Gabriel’s health deteriorated again. Doctors categorically forbade him from returning to active duty. He was enlisted in the Emperor’s retinue and enrolled in accelerated courses at the Military Academy in Petrograd, where he studied tactics and topography.

In December 1916, Grigory Rasputin was assassinated. Grand Duke Dmitry Pavlovich participated in the assassination and was exiled to Persia. Gabriel and other family members signed a collective letter to Nicholas II requesting a mitigation of the sentence. The Tsar issued a harsh resolution, reminding them that no one has the right to kill.

Revolution and Terror

In February 1917, street riots broke out. During the coup, the author’s car was confiscated. In April, Gavriil secretly married former ballerina Antonina Nesterovskaya. The wedding took place in a small church, without any lavish festivities. The author’s mother and uncle, Dmitry Konstantinovich, reacted coolly to the marriage.

After the Bolsheviks came to power, the repressions began. In the spring of 1918, the Cheka ordered all Romanovs to report for registration on Gorokhovaya Street. The brothers Ivan, Konstantin, and Igor were exiled to the Urals. In Alapayevsk, they were thrown alive into an old mine shaft.

In August 1918, commissars came to the author’s apartment with a search warrant and an arrest warrant. Gavriil was placed in the Pre-Trial Detention Center on Shpalernaya Street. His relatives were also in the same prison: his uncle Dmitry Konstantinovich, and the Grand Dukes Pavel Alexandrovich, Nikolai Mikhailovich, and Georgy Mikhailovich. The prisoners were taken out for short walks in the courtyard daily. At night, they heard the sound of footsteps as other prisoners were led away to be shot.

Liberation and escape

Antonina Nesterovskaya launched a desperate fight for her husband’s life. She haunted the Cheka and met with Moisei Uritsky and Gleb Bokiy. Uritsky openly mocked her, saying, "Your husband has been arrested and should go to prison." After Uritsky’s murder, the situation escalated: all the Romanovs were declared hostages.

Gavriil’s wife turned to Maxim Gorky and his wife, Maria Andreeva, for help. The writer obtained permission from Vladimir Lenin to release Gavriil due to poor health. The ailing Gavriil was secretly transferred to Dr. Gerzoni’s private clinic, and the couple then settled in Gorky’s apartment, hiding behind a curtain in a room filled with antique furniture.

In the fall of 1918, the Petrograd Soviet granted Gavriil permission to leave. In November, the couple reached the Beloostrov border station. After a search and a nervous wait, the commissars allowed them to cross the bridge. The weakened Gavriil was transported to the Finnish side in a handcart.

A historic ending

Gavriil’s relatives who remained in the Petrograd prison were executed in January 1919. His mother and her young children were able to leave Russia on a Swedish steamship. The book concludes with a brief overview of the fates of the surviving members of the imperial family, who found themselves in exile and lost their homeland forever.