Oleg Konstantinovich
Romanov

Russian officer, cornet, Prince of the Imperial Blood, great-grandson of Emperor Nicholas I.

His father, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, Chief of the Main Directorate (later Inspector-General) of Russia’s military educational institutions, did not by chance assign his son to the Polotsk Cadet Corps, “so glorious for its good old traditions, close camaraderie, and truly military spirit”.

In 1903, Prince Oleg passed the entrance examination. Although he continued his studies at home, he always wore the corps’s uniform when the occasion arose and was proud of it.

With his romantic and creative nature, Oleg excelled in the humanities. Like his father, he was seriously interested in literature, writing poetry and prose. The young man’s idol was Alexander Pushkin, and during his short life, he managed to achieve a great deal in the field of Pushkin studies.

After graduating from the cadet corps in 1910, His Highness Prince Oleg Konstantinovich was officially enrolled in the Alexander Lyceum (the very same institution where the great poet studied), becoming the first member of the imperial family to receive an education there and to enter a higher civil educational institution before military service.

In 1913, Prince Oleg was promoted to cornet and assigned to His Majesty’s Own Hussars Regiment. From the beginning of World War I, as part of his regiment, he participated in combat operations on the Northwestern Front. Initially, he was offered a position as an aide-de-camp at the Supreme Headquarters, but he obtained permission to remain with his regiment. The young man yearned for the front lines, literally thirsting for heroic deeds.

On September 27, 1914, Oleg Romanov, commanding a platoon, was mortally wounded near the village of Pilviszki in the Vladislavov region (territory of modern Lithuania). A telegram from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief reported that while pursuing a screen of our advanced cavalry, German patrols were attacked and destroyed. Cornet His Highness Prince Oleg Konstantinovich was the first to reach the enemy and charge into them. However, at the end of the skirmish, one of the wounded German cavalrymen, already on the ground, shot him.

On September 28, Oleg Konstantinovich was taken to a hospital in Wilno, where he underwent surgery. On the same day, for his courage and bravery, he was awarded the Order of Saint George, 4th Class. Upon learning of this, the Prince said, “I am so happy, so happy. This was necessary. It will lift spirits. It will make a good impression in the troops when they learn that blood from the Royal House has been shed”. On September 29, 21-year-old Oleg Romanov died. He became the only member of the Russian Imperial House to perish on the front lines of World War I.

On December 25, 1914, the 1st Company of the Polotsk Cadet Corps was given the designation “His Highness Prince Oleg Konstantinovich’s Company”.