Nicholas Nicholaievich was an influential military figure; he also served on the State Council. A Russian Grand Duke Tall, strong and with a long thin nose, Nicholas Nicolaievich was neither handsome nor very intelligent. An incredible womanizer, Nicholas “loved all women except for his wife” as a contemporary wrote. He enjoyed army life, hunting and was a well-known gourmet. He was also an expert on cattle, purebred dogs, horse breeding, fishing and hunting. In his luxurious residence in St Petersburg, the Nikolayevsky Palace, built between 1853 and 1861, horses were a favorite topic of conversation. The Grand Duke Nicholas Nicolaievich took great interest in managing his estates, but he failed to inspire affection, even in those closest to him. Marriage Nicholas Nicolaievich unwillingly married his second cousin Grand Duchess Alexandra Petrovna, formerly Princess Alexandra of Oldenburg (1838–1900), whose paternal grandmother was a daughter of Emperor Paul I. The wedding took place in St Petersburg on 6 February 1856. Alexandra was plain and unsophisticated and the couple soon found out that they had little in common. They had two children: Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia the Younger (1856–1929) Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia (1864–1931) The marriage was in trouble from the start and four years later, Nicholas developed a permanent relationship with Catherine Chislova, a dancer from the Krasnoye Selo Theater. Their affair was quite open and they had five children: Olga Nikolaevna Nikolaeva (1868–1950) m. Prince Michael Cantacuzene Vladimir Nikolaevich Nikolaev (1873–1942) Catherine Nikolaevna Nikolaeva (1874–1940) Nicholas Nikolaevich Nikolaev (1875–1902) Galina Nikolaevna Nikolaeva (1877–1878) The Grand Duke arranged a change of class into the gentry for his mistress and the couple's illegitimate children took the surname Nikolayev. Tsar Alexander II ignored his brother's affair but advised him to be discreet. Last years Nicholas Nicolaievich was in Cannes with his two sons when his brother Alexander II was assassinated, returning immediately to Russia in March 1881. The ascension to the Russian throne of his nephew, Alexander III, marked the beginning of the Grand Duke's steady decline. Alexander III did not have any special sympathy for his uncle and Nicholas Nicholaievich was resolutely deprived of all his influence. His authority suffered even further when he was involved in fraudulent military requisitions. When the Grand Duke tried to explain his actions to the Nouvelle Revue of Paris 1880, he indiscreetly attacked government officials and military commanders and eventually was removed from