One of the most notable anecdotes featured in Custine’s accounts of his travels in Russia, is the wedding of Princess Olga, known as the Grand Duchess Marie, to the French Prince Maximilian Joseph de Beauharnais. Although Maxmilian was the grandson of Empress Josephine and considered handsome and well-educated, the match was considered undesirable and ill-fitting for the daughter of an Emperor. Interestingly, in Custine’s account of the wedding, he praised the Grand Duchess for her grace while admitting to developing a less favorable impression of Maximilian. The wedding was a lavish affair organized by Nicholas I, lasting for two weeks and illustrating the rich complexities of Russian society and its relationship to the European continent. Below are the individual portraits of both the Grand Duchess and her husband, who remained in Russia after their marriage and went on to raise seven children.
