Changes

== Equal marriage dispute ==

== Equal marriage dispute ==

When Vladimir died in 1992, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (b. 1953) claimed the right to succeed as the only child of the last male dynast. Unlike the Romanovs of 1938, those of 1992 were sharply divided.<ref>With succession in dispute, ''Almanach de Gotha'' does not recognize the claims of any current member of the House. It describes Vladimir as, "the last Head of the Imperial House of Russia." James, John. ''Almanach de Gotha,'' 2016.</ref> The refusal of Vladimir and Maria to confirm the marriages of other members of the family has led to a great deal of resentment against them.

The succession law's requirement of "equal marriage" has proven troublesome for exiled royals:{{cquote|Children born of a marriage between a person of the Imperial Family and a person not of corresponding dignity, that is not belonging to any royal or sovereign house, have no right of succession to the Throne.<ref>Article 36, ''[https://www.russianlegitimist.org/the-fundamental-laws The Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire]'', 1906.</ref>}}In 1948, Vladimir married Princess Leonida Bagration-Mukhransky in Lausanne. The House of Bagration is one of the world's oldest families, ruling Georgia from 813 to 1801.<ref>The Japanese Imperial House is the only ruling house that is older than the Bagrations.</ref> Russia and Georgia concluded a treaty affirming the royal status of the house in 1783.<ref>"Treaty of Georgievsk," Russia-Georgia, 1783, ‘Her Imperial Majesty [Catherine II], graciously accept in supreme power and protection over the Kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti, promises in Her name and in the name of Her Heirs… to preserve forever on the Throne of the Kingdoms of Kartli and Kakhety [Georgia] the Serene Tsar Irakly, son of Theimouraz, and his Heirs and Descendants.’ Quoted by Brien Horan in "[https://www.russianlegitimist.org/russian-imperial-succession The Russian Imperial Succession]."</br> "[http://www.imperialhouse.ru/en/dynastyhistory/dinzak3/1117.html Decree of the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duke Wladimir Kirillovich, on the Recognition of the Royal Rank of the House of Bagration]," 22 November/5 December 1946.</ref>

According to the succession law:{{cquote|Children born of a marriage between a person of the Imperial Family and a person not of corresponding dignity, that is not belonging to any royal or sovereign house, have no right of succession to the Throne.<ref>Article 36, ''[https://www.russianlegitimist.org/the-fundamental-laws The Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire]'', 1906.</ref>}}This requirement has proven troublesome for exiled royals.

In 1969, Vladimir issued a proclamation which stated that his daughter Maria Vladimirovna would succeed when he died as all other male dynasts had contracted unequal marriages. The other senior Romanovs protested, arguing that their marriages had equal standing with Vladimir's.<ref name="Massie">Massie, Robert K., ''The Romanovs: The Final Chapter'', 1995, p. 282.</br>"Both sexes have the right of succession to the Throne; but this right belongs by preference to the male sex according to the principle of primogeniture; with the extinction of the last male issue, succession to the Throne passes to the female issue by right of substitution." Article 27, ''The Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire'' (1906).</ref>

In 1948, Vladimir married Princess Leonida Bagration-Mukhransky in Lausanne. The House of Bagration is one of the world's oldest families, ruling Georgia from 813 to 1801.<ref>The Japanese Imperial House is the only ruling house that is older than the Bagrations.</ref> Russia and Georgia concluded a treaty affirming the royal status of the house in 1783.<ref>"Treaty of Georgievsk," Russia-Georgia, 1783, ‘Her Imperial Majesty [Catherine II], graciously accept in supreme power and protection over the Kingdoms of Kartli and Kakheti, promises in Her name and in the name of Her Heirs… to preserve forever on the Throne of the Kingdoms of Kartli and Kakhety [Georgia] the Serene Tsar Irakly, son of Theimouraz, and his Heirs and Descendants.’ Quoted by Brien Horan in "[https://www.russianlegitimist.org/russian-imperial-succession The Russian Imperial Succession]."</ref> As head of the House of Romanov, Vladimir had recognized the royal status of the Bagrations in 1946.<ref>Horan.</ref>

In 1979, those who felt slighted by Vladimir's proclamation formed the Romanov Family Association. This association included almost all the surviving Romanovs aside from Vladimir and Maria. As the Bagrations had been incorporated into the Russian nobility, so Vladimir's own marriage was unequal, the association argued. Maria was thus not eligible to succeed. The association called for the dynasty's rules on equal marriage to be revised.<ref name="Massie"/>

In 1969, Vladimir issued a proclamation which declared that the marriages of other Romanov dynasts were not "equal" according to the rules of the House. They had married members of non-ruling noble families.<ref name="Massie">Massie, Robert K., ''The Romanovs: The Final Chapter'', 1995, p. 282.</ref> The succession law had an absolute preference for males, so this proclamation protected Maria's position as Vladimir's heir.<ref>"Both sexes have the right of succession to the Throne; but this right belongs by preference to the male sex according to the principle of primogeniture; with the extinction of the last male issue, succession to the Throne passes to the female issue by right of substitution." Article 27, ''The Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire'' (1906).</ref>

When Vladimir died in 1992, Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna (b. 1953) claimed the right to succeed as the only child of the last male dynast. Unlike the Romanovs of 1938, those of 1992 were sharply divided.<ref>With succession in dispute, ''Almanach de Gotha'' does not recognize the claims of any current member of the House. It describes Vladimir as, "the last Head of the Imperial House of Russia." James, John. ''Almanach de Gotha,'' 2016.</ref> The refusal of Vladimir and Maria to confirm the marriages of other members of the family has led to a great deal of resentment against them.

 

Led by Nicholas Romanov (1922 – 2014), those slighted by Vladimir's proclamation formed the Romanov Family Association in 1979. This association included almost all the surviving Romanovs aside from Vladimir and Maria. As the Bagrations had been incorporated into the Russian nobility, Vladimir's own marriage was unequal, the association argued. Maria was thus not eligible to succeed. The association called for the dynasty's rules on equal marriage to be revised.<ref name="Massie"/>

== Alternative scenarios ==

== Alternative scenarios ==