The Obolovitch Cousins and Succession

This thread follows the succession crisis between Prince Michael and the supposedly dead Prince Nicholas, ending when the hidden heir claims his place.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Dynasty Survives

The Republic’s Unsettled Crown The revolution kills King Nicholas IV and Queen Varaga, abolishes the monarchy, and leaves the Obolovitch line without an obvious direct successor. The republic survives, but royalist sentiment continues beneath it. A Family Beyond the Throne The absence of a son does not make the dynasty extinct; cousins and collateral heirs remain possible. The unresolved succession becomes politically important when oil makes a restored monarchy attractive.

Michael as Candidate

A Royalist Choice Prince Michael Obolovitch is selected as the candidate supported by George Lomax and Herman Isaacstein. He is expected to accept British financial assistance in exchange for oil concessions. A Rival in the Family The arrangement assumes that Prince Michael can become king without challenge. Battle’s questions soon reveal that another cousin may have a claim and outside financiers of his own.

Nicholas Presumed Dead

A Disappearance in the Congo Prince Nicholas is believed to have died in the Congo after a youthful departure from royal life. His supposed death lets the royalists treat Prince Michael as the practical claimant. A Convenient Absence The uncertainty surrounding a death in a distant country leaves room for a later impersonation. King Victor exploits that gap in America, while the real heir remains hidden as Anthony Cade.

A Fraudulent Nicholas

King Victor Takes the Name King Victor impersonates Prince Nicholas in America and raises money from financiers by promising future oil concessions. The fraud exploits the same succession gap that affects the negotiations at Chimneys. The Real Claimant Hidden The American claimant’s exposure does not immediately reveal that the genuine Prince Nicholas is alive. The political parties therefore continue to act without knowing that the person they need is already in England.

Nicholas Claims the Crown

The Heir Identified Anthony Cade reveals that he is Prince Nicholas Obolovitch, the real cousin and heir after Prince Michael’s death. The Baron accepts his identity, and the financial parties consider a new agreement. Succession Becomes Personal The claimant who once rejected the crown now accepts it, partly because of Virginia Revel. The restoration is no longer an abstract plan around Prince Michael but a choice made by the hidden heir himself.

After the revolution seven years earlier

Early October before the Chimneys gathering

Years before the restoration effort

A few months before the main events

Late on October 13