Lot Essay
Count Nikolai (1819-92), the son of Vladimir Feodorovich Adlerberg, dedicated his life to serving the Tsar as ordained by his family motto, 'Trust and Fidelity'. In 1837, Nikolai left the Corps des Pages and was appointed aide-de-camp to the Tsar the following year. He fought for his sovereign in the Caucasus (1841-4) and in Hungary in 1849 before sustaining an injury sufficient enough to require him to leave the army. Undeterred, he re-enlisted in 1854 and served as military governor of Simferopol and civil governor of Tauride from 1854-1858 during the Crimean War. He was promoted to infantry commander in 1870 and was governor of the grand duchy of Finland from 1866 to 1881 before becoming a member of the state council.
In 1855 Adlerberg married Amalia Krudener, the illegitimate daughter of the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III whose beauty was praised by Pushkin and Tyutchev both of whom dedicated verses to her.
In 1855 Adlerberg married Amalia Krudener, the illegitimate daughter of the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm III whose beauty was praised by Pushkin and Tyutchev both of whom dedicated verses to her.