The Diaries of the Successor and Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich in the Context of the Development of the Museum Exhibition in the "Korolyov's Rooms"

Sofjina Marina Vladimirovna ORCID: 0000-0003-0116-5125 PhD in History Associate Professor; Department of Library and Documentary Information Technologies; Perm State Institute of Culture 614000, Russia, Perm Krai, Perm, Gazeta Zvezda str., 18 mar-sofina@mail.ru

At the beginning of the XX century. in the center of Perm, on Sibirskaya Street, merchant V. I. Korolev built a beautiful three-story stone building, which housed the best hotel in the city at that time. By the name of the owner, the hotel was named "Royal Rooms". The most famous guest of the "Royal Rooms" was the younger brother of Emperor Nicholas II, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, exiled by the Bolsheviks to Perm in 1918. It was from this hotel that the Grand Duke was taken away to be shot ^{[1, pp. 287-288]}.

In 2023, as part of the "Imperial Route", a national tourism project developed by the Fund for the Promotion of the Revival of Traditions of Mercy and Charity "Elisavetinsko-Sergievskoe Educational Society" with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, an exposition was created in the Carriage Passage of the former Royal Rooms Hotel. The exhibition, limited to the small space of the Carriage Passage, is dedicated to Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. Although the exhibition seeks to cover various aspects of the biography of the Grand Duke, the emphasis is on the Perm period of his life in 1918, which is recorded in the title of the exhibition.

Currently, the entire extensive building of the "Royal Rooms" is being museumified, which makes it possible to create a large-scale exhibition in which all aspects of the life and work of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich (1878-1918) can be presented in detail.

The most significant research on the Grand Duke to date is the monograph by V. M. Khrustalev ^[2]. In addition, a number of other monographs are dedicated to Mikhail Alexandrovich ^{[3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9]}, collections of articles ^{[10; 11]} and numerous individual articles in various publications ^[12]. At the same time, the period of his formation as a statesman, military and public figure, which came at a time when the Grand Duke was heir to the throne (in 1899-1904), has been insufficiently studied.

In the State Archive of the Russian Federation, in the personal fund of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, his diaries were deposited, which cover three time periods: 1887, from 1892 to 1903 and from 1915 to 1918 (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, 3-24, 134-136) ^[13]. A number of scientific articles are devoted to the diaries of the Grand Duke ^{[14; 15; 16; 17]}. Only the later diaries have been fully published ^[18], but currently, with the support of the Russian Science Foundation, the full text of the diaries for the years when the Grand Duke was heir to the throne is being prepared for scientific publication ^[19], a number of thematic fragments have already been published ^{[20; 21; 22]}. Thanks to their informational potential, Mikhail Alexandrovich's diaries can become a fundamental source for the formation of a new, extensive exposition.

During the preparation of the exhibition, it is necessary to carry out thorough work with diaries, to determine the general and special within the framework of various topics that will be reflected in the sections of the exposition. It is necessary to clearly distinguish between the typical and the exceptional in the content of the diaries in order to prevent distortion in the formation of an integral image of the Grand Duke among visitors to the exhibition. It is also necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the style of Mikhail Alexandrovich's diary entries. The Grand Duke basically adhered to the very common "Victorian" approach to writing diaries at that time, which is characterized by an accurate fixation of the events of the day in their strict sequence with a clear reference to time and scrupulous mention of standard daily practices like eating. This allows you to present the most accurate daily routine of the heir to the throne in different conditions of time and place, to show in detail his daily life.

Mikhail Alexandrovich's diaries from the period of his youth and youth describe in detail his life in the circle of the Romanov House, interests, hobbies, relationships with relatives. In the diaries of 1899-1903, much attention is paid to his mother, Empress Maria Feodorovna, elder brother, Emperor Nicholas II, younger sister, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, cousins and girlfriends, Princess Victoria of Great Britain and Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Many examples of spending time together with relatives provide a rich selection of examples for the selection of exposition material. A significant aspect of the Grand Duke's personal life is his romantic relationship with Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, the origin of which occurred during her stay with Russian relatives in the summer of 1902.

In addition to living in the Gatchina Palace, the main residence of the Grand Duke, the diaries describe life in the Anichkov Palace, as well as at the Alexandria dacha in Peterhof, where Mikhail Alexandrovich moved in the summer months. All this makes it possible to make a deeper and more meaningful section of the exposition dedicated to the family environment and the daily life of the Grand Duke.

As the analysis of diary entries shows, it was Gatchina that was Mikhail Alexandrovich's favorite place of residence. For example, after returning from a trip to Denmark on November 22, 1899, the heir to the throne wrote: "It's terribly nice to finally come to Gatchina sweet" (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, d. 16, l. 37ob.). The Grand Duke clearly preferred to be there, unlike St. Petersburg: "There are no words, how nice it is to finally be in dear Gatchina," he noted on April 20, 1902, having moved there after staying in the capital during the first months of the year (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, D. 22, L. 65).

Mikhail Alexandrovich's diaries reflect his educational background, including lessons from leading experts in his field – historian S. F. Platonov, Minister of Finance S. Y. Witte, lawyer, Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K. P. Pobedonostsev.

Special attention is paid to the military service of the heir to the throne as an officer of the Guards Horse Artillery Brigade (in 1900-1901), then the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment (in 1902-1903). Daily service and its various incidents are described, annual camp gatherings of guards units in Krasnoye Selo, maneuvers of troops, participation in officer races (Mikhail Alexandrovich was He was an excellent cavalryman and repeatedly won prizes in equestrian competitions). Vivid descriptions in the diaries of the military side of the Grand Duke's life, supplemented with photographs, are undoubtedly able to decorate the museum exposition.

One example of an equestrian competition was the officers' race, which took place in Gatchina on May 13, 1901 and was successful, but at the same time very dramatic for the Grand Duke: "At 2 a.m. Alexander, Chukhleb and I rode through Remiz to the races, which were at the old place; Dietz rode with us. Baby and Petya were already there. There was a 2-ver<step > jump, then 4-ver<the wall>. I participated in the 3rd one. It was a run of 12 versts, there were 5 of us, not counting the Gene<erala> Brusilov, who led, and the book<yazia > Golitsyn, who rode as an amateur. There were many obstacles, stone walls, fences made of poles, brushwood, crossed the ford 2 times, etc. At the beginning of the run, two troubles happened to me, firstly, the chain from the mouthpiece broke, secondly, after one of the obstacles, the left stirrup fell out of the saddle, and I fell headlong into the same sideways; fell on his back, but didn't hurt himself; everything settled down, Phasis was caught, immediately got back in, and drove on. We drove past the tent 3 times, on the fourth it was already a jump that was equal to a mile (smooth). Markozov rode a wonderful horse (Pavlov's former horse “Grey Boy"). Of course, I was riding on the Phase and came first by half a head, Markozov 2nd, 3rd military sergeant Popov, then J. F. Gyllenschmidt. It was a great pleasure to come first, I took Nikolasha's prize. The phase was dragging so hard all the time that I almost didn't have enough strength to hold it, especially after losing the chain. Soon after, we went to lunch at the Cuirassier Regiment, where we arrived at 5½ hours. Music, of course, was playing" (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, d. 20, l. 16ob.-18).

A significant place was occupied by the military court service of the Grand Duke as an aide-de-camp to His Majesty (since 1899), the daily duty under the monarch is characterized in sufficient detail. As an example, we can give a record of duty from March 7 to March 8, 1900: "March 7th. Anichkov. Tuesday. In the morning I studied with Mikhnevich. Then I went to Winter Duty. I replaced Andrey. Kuropatkin was in Nika's waiting room, then Muravyov. Then the Book<ide > D. Golitsyn. At breakfast there were gr<af> Muravyov and kn<ide > Golitsyn. Then we went to the Spanish Exhibition (picturesque). We returned from there. Then I had petitioners, after which I went to the garden where Nicky and Alix were. At 5 o'clock we drank tea, then Andrey came to me. At 8 a.m., Nicky, Alix and I had lunch together, after which we went to t<Eugénie, where Mom and Baby met. Petya was also there. We took turns playing bezigue. I had to drive to the fire on you<Ilyevsky Island, but on the way I met firefighters who were already on their way back. I then drove back. From t<Eugénie, my mother and I went to Anichkov, and from there to winter for the night. March 8th. Anichkov. Wednesday. In the morning at 9½ a.m. Nicky and Alix went to the Konstantinovsky Artillery School, and I followed them in the troika on duty. We visited several classes there, went to church and generally walked around the school, stayed only about 1 hour. When I returned to Winter, Boisman replaced me, I went to Anichkov..." (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, d. 16, l. 86ob.-87).

The diaries also describe the beginning of the Grand Duke's public service as a member of the State Council (since May 1901), the Finance Committee (since November 1901) and the Committee of Ministers (since December 1902).

The diaries pay attention to the extensive charitable and trusteeship activities of Mikhail Alexandrovich as the patron of the Military Charity Society of the White Cross, the Electrotechnical Institute of Emperor Alexander III, the trustee of the Gatchina Orphan Institute of Emperor Nicholas I.

One of the many episodes of this line of activity of the heir to the throne is a visit on January 15, 1900 to a concert of students of the Electrotechnical Institute, reflected in the diary of the Grand Duke: "After lunch, I went with Dashkov to the hall of the Noble Assembly, where there was a concert in favor of my electrotechnical students. We arrived almost at the beginning and stayed until the end. The students were escorted to the entrance with cheers" (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, d. 16, l. 59).

As another example, which would be useful for a museum exposition, one can cite a visit to the Gatchina Orphan Institute on April 19, 1901: "At 2½ a.m., Mom, Baby and I went to the Orphan Institute (where I have been considered an Honorary Trustee since December 1900). Their music was playing “God Save the Tsar”, and there was an honor guard of pupils, then they marched, we were also in the church. In another building, they played balalaika, mandolin, and an orchestra. Then we left, and they all ran out into the street and saw us off for a long time" (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, d. 19, l. 87ob.-88).

Since Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich was a passionate hunter, this side of his life is thoroughly reflected in his diaries. The heir to the throne describes in detail his hunting in the forests near Gatchina, in other places, as well as hunting trips with his brother, Nicholas II, to the imperial estates in the western provinces of Russia – Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Spala and Skernevitsy. There are sometimes funny descriptions – for example, one unsuccessful hunt on January 20, 1900: "At 3 o'clock I went hunting with Dietz, but I rode behind his sleigh… I had to drive along the Krasnoselsky highway for 9 or 10 versts. Then the circle where the fox was was to the right. I had to go skiing. The fox's canals broke through the side chain, there were 3 of them. We drove back, arrived home at 5½ hours" (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, d. 16, l. 61ob.). It should be noted that this episode is very rare against the background of numerous descriptions of successful hunts of the Grand Duke.

Mikhail Alexandrovich's diaries pay considerable attention to foreign trips, especially to Denmark, where Empress Maria Feodorovna went every year, and her youngest son kept her company. The diaries of the Grand Duke demonstrate that even while in a foreign country, the members of the House of Romanov did not forget about their "Russian" duties. While in Denmark, every Sunday Empress Maria Feodorovna and her children attended a service at the Church of the Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, a Russian Orthodox church erected in Copenhagen on the initiative of the Empress herself and consecrated in honor of her husband's heavenly patron, Emperor Alexander III. Russian Russian sailor, a sick stoker from the Russian Imperial yacht Polar Star, was visited by Empress Maria Feodorovna with Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna in the Copenhagen City Hospital in the autumn of 1899, presenting him with a silver watch with a chain and a compass (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, d. 16, l. 31).

In the diaries of the Grand Duke there are many inserts written by other persons, most often by Princess Victoria of Great Britain and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Emperor Nicholas II. So, in August 1900, the royal family, along with the heir and some other relatives, went hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha. One day, on August 18, the Grand Duke accidentally knocked over a cup of tea during a card game, soaking the Empress's dress. Ten days later, she recalled it to him, making a joking postscript in the diary of the Grand Duke: "Good night, sleep well, old bastard. You are to blame for soiling – ruining my dress" (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, d. 18, l. 20, 28).

The use of the mentioned episode in the preparation of the exhibition requires special attention to its description and framing, since such awkwardness was an exceptional case and, in general, unusual for the Grand Duke. Mikhail Alexandrovich, like his other relatives, received thorough educational training, as a result of which he acquired impeccable manners, neatness and restraint characteristic of people of his circle. But the quoted lines are able to decorate the exposition in the "Royal Rooms", showing the Romanov House in a family setting, demonstrating warm, simple and trusting relations within the Imperial Family.

In general, the materials of the diaries of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich are able to make a significant contribution to the quantitative and qualitative expansion of the exposition dedicated to him. Thanks to the diaries, it is possible to tell "in the first person" using specific visual, vivid examples about the family life of the Grand Duke, as well as about his military, state, public, charitable and trusteeship activities. The materials of the diaries can be supplemented, in addition to other documentary sources, by Mikhail Alexandrovich's extensive correspondence. Thus, in the funds of the State Archive of the Russian Federation, his letters to his parents, Emperor Alexander III (GARF, f. 677, op. 1, d. 900) and Empress Maria Feodorovna (GARF, f. 642, op. 1, d. 2219-2223), brothers, Emperor Nicholas II (GARF, f. 601, op. 1, d. 1301) and Tsarevich George Alexandrovich (GARF, f. 675, op. 1, d. 59), sisters, Grand Duchesses Xenia Alexandrovna (GARF, f. 662, op. 1, d. 196-197) and Olga Alexandrovna (GARF, f. 643, op. 1, 48), cousin and friend, Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (GARF, f. 668, op. 1, 36-51).