How Nicholas II's mistress once sued Lenin… & won

Is it any wonder that the ballerina, who had an affair with the tsar's heir and later became the wife of Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich, was considered one of the richest women in the Russian Empire? In Spring 1904, she purchased a large plot of land in St. Petersburg, located in the center of the city near the Peter and Paul Fortress, where a luxurious Art Nouveau mansion would soon rise. It became one of the centers of Russian cultural life for the next decade, frequented by both nobles and artists.

In 1917, Kschessinska's close relationship with the Romanovs led to anonymous threats, forcing the ballerina into hiding. By March of that year, the Bolsheviks had already occupied the mansion – party committees had moved in and Vladimir Lenin had even worked there.

Kschessinska made several attempts to reclaim her home, filing complaints and petitions with various authorities. When this failed, she decided to sue the Bolsheviks and Vladimir Lenin personally. Surprisingly, the court ultimately ruled in her favor over the ‘Father of the Revolution’.

In Summer 1917, significant forces – armored vehicles, machine guns and artillery – were deployed to evict the Bolsheviks, who were reluctant to leave the mansion. However, the ballerina was unable to return to the house – it had since been occupied by soldiers of the Provisional Government. Having lost hope, she left for Kislovodsk and, in 1920, left Russia forever.