Prince Vasili Alexandrovich of Russia

Gatchina Palace, 6 Jul 1907 – Woodside, 23 Jun 1989

8 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

Born6 Jul 1907, Gatchina Palacenot verified1 source
Died23 Jun 1989, Woodsidenot verified1 source
FatherGrand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russianot verified1 source
MotherGrand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russianot verified1 source

A life in time

6 Jul 1907
Born in Gatchina Palace
23 Jun 1989
Dies in Woodside, aged 81

Family

See the tree

Parents

During his lifetime

He lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Gatchina Palace.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1900s · Prince is born in Gatchina Palace

Who governed

Theodore Roosevelt(opens in a new tab)
President of the United States, 1901–1909 · United States
William Howard Taft(opens in a new tab)
President of the United States, 1909–1913 · United States

In the news1905

Bloody Sunday Massacre

Troops fired on a peaceful demonstration in St. Petersburg, killing and wounding hundreds and causing a collapse in public confidence.

Music

Khorovod circle dances

Traditional khorovod round dances could involve up to one hundred participants moving in a sunwise circle or in complex lines.

The Model T. Ford’s assembly line made a car ordinary families could buy: fifteen million were built.
ModelTMitch · public domain

Daily life

Poor conditions in urban worker housing

In urban areas like St. Petersburg, worker housing was frequently described as damp, dark, and filthy, with many residents lacking access to basic running water or toilets. In some studied apartments, entire families lived in spaces similar to kitchens, with some individuals completely deprived of natural daylight.

In the news1903

Trans-Siberian Railway Completed

The Trans-Siberian Railway was completed, boosting industrial development and enabling travel across the vast Russian Empire.

What people wore

Men's Peasant Attire and Festive Shirts

Peasant men commonly wore a shirt belted over trousers, often paired with a felt cap and boots or bast shoes. For festive occasions, they might wear shirts made from red calico instead of everyday homespun fabric.

Getting around

Slow river travel against the current

River travel against the current was slow; barges pulled by human haulers (burlaks) from Astrakhan to Nizhny Novgorod covered only about 30 km per day, requiring 70 to 75 days for the trip.