List of Grand Duchesses of Russia
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This is a list of those members of the Russian Imperial House who bore the title Velikaia Kniaginia (Russian: Великая Княгиня) or Velikaia Knazhna (Russian: Великая Княжна) (usually translated into French and English as Grand Duchess, but more accurately Grand Princess). This courtesy title was borne (usually) by daughters and male-line granddaughters of the Emperors of Russia, as well as by wives of Grand Dukes of Russia, all along with the style of Her Imperial Highness as members of the House of the reigning Emperor.
For more information on the titles, see List of Grand Dukes of Russia.
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[edit] Grand Duchesses of Russia by birth
Interestingly enough, after 1918 no such daughter was born into the deposed imperial house who would have been entitled to the title grand duchess - i.e, had been a male-line granddaughter of a reigning emperor; although such would have been technically possible, as there lived sons of reigning emperors and their daughters would have been so entitled.
[edit] Grand Duchesses of Russia by marriage
Amazingly, although there lived male grand dukes of Russia (such who were sons or male-line grandsons of reigning emperors) after 1918 when the imperial house was deposed, none of them contracted an equal marriage after that date and therefore no woman received the title grand duchess by marriage after that - though it would have been technically possible as said above.
[edit] Later claimants
The Russian Empire ceased to exist in March 1917 and many members of the Imperial House were executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918 and 1919, also one Grand Duchess (Elizabeth Fyodorovna), though most of them were able to flee Russia. Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich succeeded as de jure Head of the Imperial House in 1918, though the precise fate of his predecessors at the hands of the revolutionaries was not known until some time later.
In 1924 Grand Duke Kiril proclaimed himself Emperor and his children Grand Duke (Vladimir) and Grand Duchesses (Maria and Kira) of Russia, despite the fact that they were not grandchildren of a reigning Emperor and were by birth Prince and Princesses of Russia. On his death in 1938, his son Vladimir Kirillovich, styled "Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia", succeeded as Head of the Imperial House, though he never claimed the title of Emperor. Vladimir was married in 1948 to a divorcée, Leonida Georgievna Kirby, née Princess Leonida Bagration-Moukhransky, who accordingly used the title Grand Duchess Leonida Georgievna of Russia. Whether or not this marriage was dynastically valid according to the laws governing the succession to the Empire of all the Russias and thus the Headship of the Imperial House of Romanov is a subject of great contention between different branches of the Romanov family.
Vladimir's daughter Maria Vladimirovna styles herself "Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia", by designation made by her father, and claims to have succeeded her father in 1992 as Head of the Imperial House and de jure Empress of Russia. She was married 1976-85 with Prince Franz Wilhelm of Prussia, and they have one son, George Mikhailovich, born in 1982, who also is styled Grand Duke of Russia.
Note that a Grand Duke or Grand Duchess as a translation is not necessarily associated with a Grand Duchy; see the relevant articles for more information.
A Russian Grand Duchess was an Imperial Highness.
