Sak K.V. Milestones in the professional biography of the Grand duke Konstantin Konstantinovich

Abstract: The article illustrates the key milestones in the professional biography of the Grand duke Konstantin Konstantinovich (1856–1915), presented in the context of the socio-political events during the reigns of the last three emperors. The aim of the study is to analyse, on the example of Konstantin Romanov’s biography, the career development particularities of the Romanov dynasty members, to reveal the objective and subjective factors that influenced their sociopolitical activity, and to show how the significance of the dynasty’s members in the state life of the Russian empire changed in the course of the late-imperial period. The author comes to the conclusion that the career advancement of the Grand duke Konstantin Konstantinovich depended on the monarchs’ individual perceptions of the role of dynasty members in the socio-political life of the state. At the same time, professional appointments could be made on high officials’ initiatives, which were eager to reach their ambitions through this. The opposition against Alexander III had a decisive influence on the careers of the Grand dukes of his time, as the emperor did not deem necessary to engage his relatives in state affairs. This, in consequence, under Nicholas II led to Konstantin Konstantinovich having the possibility to influence state life, but not to fulfil his initiatives. The absence of experience gave the Grand duke a sense of incertitude in his abilities as a statesman and made his private life more appealing than the life of a public figure. Thus, on the example of the professional biography of the Grand duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, one can see how the dynasty’s members lost their fundamental roles in the life of the state, which ultimately led to the crisis of the dynasty as a political institute of authority.

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