Konstanty Pawłowicz

Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich (1779–1831) of the House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov was the second son of Tsar Paul I and the brother of Tsars Alexander I and Nicholas I. He was appointed Commander-in-chief of the Polish armed forces in the Duchy of Warsaw (1814) and then the Kingdom of Poland (1815-1830). Konstantin married the Princess of Łowicz, Joanna Grudzińska, in 1820. As his wife was beneath him in rank, he renounced his claim to the Russian throne in favour of his younger brother Nicholas. Konstantin was despised for his despotism, his disregard for the constitution and his persecution of Polish nationalistic movements. He fled to the Russian border after Polish rebels made an abortive attempt on his life on the night of 30 November 1830. The young Chopin gave compulsory concerts at the Grand Duke’s residence in Belweder Palace until the 1830s.