Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia

1879–1956

Born: 14 May 1879, Tsarskoye Selo
Country of birth: Russian Empire, today Russia
Died: 30 Oct 1956, Paris

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sources: 3
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Facts and their sources

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Birth14 May 1879, Tsarskoye SeloProbable1 source
Death30 Oct 1956, ParisProbable1 source
ParentGrand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of RussiaConfirmed1 source
ParentDuchess Marie of Mecklenburg-SchwerinConfirmed1 source

A life in time

14 May 1879
Born · Tsarskoye Selo
Birth, Tsarskoye Selo
30 Oct 1956
Died · Paris
Death, Paris

Family

Parents

Ancestors and children

Open the full tree

Four generations back to the right, the children to the left. The number beside a child counts the generations of descendants known after them.

What was it like?

The world around Tsarskoye Selo, 1879: who ruled, who else was alive, how people lived. This is general history, not a record about the family, and every item shows where it comes from.

Grand was born around the same time as Alexander Blok, Michel Fokine, and Guillaume Apollinaire.

Known for

Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia was the youngest son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, and thus a grandson of Emperor Alexander II and the first cousin of Nicholas II, the last Russian emperor.

Born around the same time

Alexander Blok
1880 · Russian poet (1880–1921)
Michel Fokine
1880 · Russian ballet dancer and choreographer (1880–1942)
Guillaume Apollinaire
1880 · French poet (1880–1918)
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti
1876 · Italian poet and editor, founder of the Futurist movement (1876-1944)
Pau Casals
1876 · Spanish cellist, conductor and composer (1876–1973)
Hermann Friese
1880 · German-Brazilian athlete (1882-1945)

Fashion

Essential male headwear and belts

Men wore hats or caps constantly outdoors and felt it was improper to be seen bareheaded or without a belt. A belt or cap was so essential that a man might even leave one as a pawn in a tavern to guarantee he would return.

Rubber overshoes as rural status symbols

Rubber overshoes became a huge fashion trend in villages; people would wear them even in 30-degree summer heat just to show them off while attending church.

Music

The origins of the Russian garmon

In 1839, a Tula gunsmith purchased an imported harmonica for 40 roubles and used it to create the garmon, an instrument that became central to Russian village celebrations.

Harmonicas were popular affordable instruments

A harmonica was a common and relatively affordable instrument for villagers, often costing between 10 and 25 rubles to purchase.

Getting around

Cost of Post-Horse Travel

Travelers using post-horses paid 8 to 10 kopecks per horse per verst, making a 450-verst trip from Moscow to Nizhny Novgorod cost over 100 rubles. A journey using one's own horses for a similar distance was significantly cheaper, costing only 20 to 25 rubles.

Peasant Travel by Foot and Cart

For ordinary people like peasants, traveling to the nearest town was rare, often done on foot or by horse pulling a cart in summer or a sleigh in winter. Travelers carried simple food like bread, dried crusts, and vegetables, sometimes sleeping under their cart during the journey.

Daily life

Early schooling in rural communities

Children typically began school at age seven, though girls often left after a year or two to help with household chores, while boys were more likely to complete the course. Many peasant communities hired their own teachers and rotated classroom space among homes when a dedicated school was not available.

Log cabins with multifunctional ovens

Peasant homes were typically log cabins with a large brick oven that served for both heating and cooking, and in many families, as a sleeping area. By the late 19th century, most homes were still heated black, meaning smoke escaped into the room or through the door, rather than through a chimney.

Food

Peasant diet: bread, cabbage soup, and kvass

Peasant diets centered on rye bread, cabbage soup (shchi), and various porridges, with meat being a rare luxury reserved for holidays like Christmas or Easter. Ordinary families primarily drank water, kvass—a fermented beverage made from rye bread—or occasionally tea on special occasions.

Strict rules during family meals

A strict hierarchical order was observed during family meals; no one began eating until the head of the house gave the signal and said a prayer. In large families, children were often seated separately on a bench near the stove to eat.

Prices and wages

Cheap Hot Meals for Workers

A common meal for the poor in cities was a bowl of hot cabbage soup with black bread, which could be purchased for only two kopeks.

Cost of Basic Food Staples

In the late 19th century, a pound of rye bread cost approximately 2 to 2.5 kopeks, while a pound of beef ranged from 12 to 16 kopeks.

Work

Common seasonal labor occupations

Common jobs for migrant seasonal laborers included working as teamsters, excavators, street pavers, painters, shoemakers, and tavern servants.

Grueling factory working hours

Factory workers faced long days of 12 to 14 hours before 1905, often extending to 19.5 or even 21.5 hours in emergencies at some machine-building plants.

During their lifetime

1884
Standardized time zones adopted globally
In 1884, global standardized time zones were introduced, largely driven by the need to synchronize railway schedules and public life in the industrialized German Empire.
1891
Famine and Cholera Epidemic
A severe famine and cholera epidemic struck Russia in 1891-1892, causing widespread suffering and loss of life across the empire.
1891
Trans-Siberian Railway Construction Begins
The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway began in 1891, eventually connecting distant parts of the empire and opening new economic opportunities.
1895
Industrial workers equaled agricultural workers
By the mid-1890s, the number of industrial workers in the German Empire grew to match those in agriculture, marking a major demographic shift toward urbanization and factory labor.
1900
Paris Metro opens in 1900
The first Paris metro line opened on July 14, 1900, allowing travel across the city in half an hour for 20 to 25 centimes.
1903
Trans-Siberian Railway Completed
The Trans-Siberian Railway was completed, boosting industrial development and enabling travel across the vast Russian Empire.