Royal thief ... or more accurately with a femme fatale ... For fraught with ...

Romanov family in 1917 in addition to the emperor, his wife and children had more than 60 people. Among them were quite decent people were not very much. But about one in the Romanov family tried not to even mention, because on it hung from the sin that is not forgiven.
In the photo 1867 ... Nicholas Roerich in a circle of relatives. From left to right seated sister Olga and her fiancé George Greek, mother - Alexander losifovna. Bottom row: Grand Prince Konstantin, Vyacheslav K. Dmitry K. - younger brothers Nicholas Roerich


Pride of the Romanov
The Romanov family was called Nikola. Father Nicholas, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich, was the second son of Nicholas I and the younger brother of Alexander II. So Nicolas was in the Romanov table of ranks a step below the reigning emperor.
Nicholas was considered the most beautiful of all the great princes. Beautiful dancer, he was the decoration of all the balls. Over time, he was to inherit one of the states in the vast empire. His parents belonged to the Marble Palace in St. Petersburg, inferior only to the luxury Winter and dazzling beauty Pavlovsk.
I do not hurt the young man nor god mind or character. On his own initiative, he in 1868 entered the Academy of the General Staff. He studied on a general basis, no exceptions member of the royal family were not given, but Nicholas graduated from the Academy among the best with a silver medal.
He entered military service and at age 21 became the commander of a squadron of the Life Guards Regiment. He had become the pride of the Romanov family, but ... Women killed not one brilliant career officer.

Femme Fatale
On one of the balls Grand Duke met with the American dancer Fanny Lear. At first, this relationship in the Romanov family is not serious (brilliant officer next amorous adventure). But soon we began to hear rumors that the relationship of the Grand Duke and frivolous actress goes far beyond a love affair. There were fears that everything could end the scandalous marriage.
Concerned parents of Nicholas, has long lived separately, met to discuss how to save his son. Father expressed that the best way to cure cholera officer of love - to send him to the war. And the young 23-year-old Colonel General Staff in 1873, together with the Russian Expeditionary Force went to campaign against Khiva.
Nicholas returned warrior, she has been exposed to the fire and the Order of Vladimir III degree. First I went to the beloved Fanny, and in the company of his lover on a journey through Europe. Roman continued. Nicholas showered expensive gifts to his mistress. Money for its content required more and more, and money was not enough.
The Grand Duke Nicholas was rich, very rich. But if anyone thinks that he could spend any amount of money without control, it is mistaken. Allocated Nicholas pocket money amounts were large, but limited, and it was not millions. The royal family was taken at a personal cost savings.

Theft
April 14, 1874 in the Marble Palace discovered the theft. It was not just theft, it was sacrilege. With the salary of one of the family icons disappeared diamonds. The icon was very dear married couple, her Nicholas I blessed his son Constantine and his bride Alexander of Saxe-Altenburg marriage. Grand Duchess fell ill from frustration, furious husband called the police. The investigation took control of the chief personally gendarmerie Count Shuvalov.
The investigation stalled. Access to the icon had a strictly limited number of people: the doctor, maid, two footmen, a lady in waiting. All the years of service of the people tested, no one doubted the honesty. There were still members of the imperial family, but they were a priori suspicion.

The scandal in the royal family
Investigators did not eat bread for nothing. They started from the other end, and soon found the diamonds in one of St. Petersburg pawnshops. Passed stones officer from the suite of the Grand Duke Nicholas Roerich, one Varnahovsky. Officer arrested and began to interrogate.
Then feather police clerk, filled with a protocol, hung in the air: according Varnahovskogo, diamonds he received from the Nicholas Roerich! And the money allegedly was supposed to spend on gifts for Fanny Lear. Count Shuvalov went to the palace to personally inform the Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich terrible news: his son - a thief
. Summoned to explain Nikola first denied everything, but later confessed. At the same time, to the dismay of his father, he showed no regret for what he did, no remorse. Members of the House of Romanov were by no means free from the usual human weaknesses, but to steal one of them never fell.
Marble palace gathered members of the Romanov family name to decide the fate of Nikola. About to bring him to court, we certainly did not go: the prestige of the royal family had to be protected. But all disgraced Nikolay Romanov must be punished - agreed with this all

. Outcast
Nicholas declared that he, as a thief expelled from the family. From now on in the papers relating to the imperial house, his name will never be mentioned. Nicholas deprived of property - it is transferred to younger brothers. Deprived of all titles, awards, military and court officials, his name deleted from the lists of the regiment, wearing a military uniform is prohibited. He was sent from St. Petersburg forever and will now live there, where it will be shown.
For society, it will be declared mentally ill, undergoing compulsory cure. Fanny Lear, expelled from Russia without the right to ever return. The only Nicholas kept the title of Grand Duke, and until his last days he was asked, "Your Imperial Highness." In the fall of 1874 Nicholas left St. Petersburg forever.

wandering
It began life exile. Uman, Orenburg, Samara, Crimea, Vladimir Province, Tivrovo town near Vinnitsa - up to 7 years, he changed more than 10 times a place of exile, not allowing to take root anywhere
. In 1877, while in Orenburg, Nicholas married the daughter of the local chief of police Nadezhda Dreyer. Through the efforts of the Holy Synod of the Romanov special decree declared the marriage invalid. Hope remained at the Prince in an obscure status of concubine-wife.
In 1881, a rogue prince asked permission to come to the capital for the funeral of the murdered Alexander II. Alexander III replied: "You have dishonored us all. As long as I'm alive, your legs will be in St. Petersburg! ", But allowed to legalize marriage with Dreyer and sent the couple to permanent exile in Tashkent.
What is the end of the XIX century Tashkent? Garrison on the edge of the empire with continuous drunkenness, misery and eternal dream to go from these mud-walled cottages in Russia. It is here, and had to stay the Grand Duke until his death.

The resourceful businessman
In the distant Turkestan disgraced prince he became an entrepreneur. In St. Petersburg, one after another came the reports: the Grand Duke is the owner of the soap factory, billiards, organizing the sale of kvass and rice grows cotton ginneries builds and produces textiles, opened the first motion picture in Tashkent "Hiva". Income from business activities Prince exceeded $ 1, 5 million rubles a year.
Grand Duke Nicholas Roerich Palace. Constructed in 1890 B.C. Geyntselmanom. Benoit Fligely finishing work.
On the earnings Nicholas built himself a palace (today the Uzbek Foreign Ministry holds it official receptions of foreign guests), held in the city of water, he built a theater. Still, the money still remained. Nicholas decided to take up the development of the edge.

Tashkent Prince
Disgraced Prince started a large-scale irrigation works. At his own expense he paved 100-kilometer channel to irrigated lands were 119 settlements. As the newspapers, "one high-ranking official to make Central Asia more than the entire state administration." Farmers literally prayed to him, the settlers turned "prince-priest", burgers for the eyes called "the prince of Tashkent".
All these years, Nicholas remained in exile situation. One can only regret that such a talented and energetic man had been thrown out of public and political life of St. Petersburg.
February Revolution "Tashkent Prince" met with enthusiasm, hoping that it will put an end to his 43-year exile. But to taste the air of freedom Nicholas Romanov had not. In January 1918, the 68th year of his life, he died in Tashkent. He was not shot or hacked to death KGB drunken sailors, as written in some newspapers in the early 1990s. Grand Duke died of pneumonia. Did he think in the last minute of that for which once took from the salary of the icon are wretched diamonds? Who knows.