Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia

Grand Duke Michael of Russia, Mikhail Aleksandrovich Romanov (Russian: Михаил Александрович Романов) (November 22, 1878 (O.S.) - about June 12, 1918).

Family

He was a son of Alexander III of Russia and Dagmar of Denmark. His paternal grandparents were Alexander II of Russia and his first wife Marie of Hesse and by Rhine. His maternal grandparents were Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel.

Michael was a younger brother of Nicholas II of Russia, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich of Russia, Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia. He was also an elder brother of Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia.

Heir to the Russian throne

At the time of his birth his paternal grandfather Alexander II was still the active Emperor of Russia. Michael was fourth-in-line heir to the throne following his father and elder brothers Nicholas and George. His elder brother Alexander was already deceased.

His paternal grandfather was assassinated by Ignacy Hryniewiecki of the Narodnaya Volya on March 13, 1881. His father succeeded him as Emperor of Russia. Nicholas became Heir Apparent while George was second-in-line for the throne. Michael was third-in-line for the throne at this point.

Their father Alexander III died on November 1, 1894. Nicholas II became the new Emperor of Russia while George was his Heir Presumptive. Michael was second-in-line for the throne.

George suffered from poor health and died from tuberculosis on August 9, 1899. Michael became Heir Presumptive to his still reigning elder brother Nicholas II. He was considered likely to become Emperor of Russia in his own right. Nicholas II and his Empress consort Alexandra Fyodorovna of Hesse were parents to four daughters: Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia, Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia, and Grand Duchess Anastasia of Russia. All four nieces were only eligible for the throne provided that no other male Romanov survived.

Michael continued to be Heir Presumptive until August 12, 1904. The birth of Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich of Russia to Nicholas II and Alexandra resulted in the newborn becoming Heir Apparent to his father. Michael again became the second-in-line heir to the throne and retained this status for the remaining reign of Nicholas II.

Emperor?

On 2 March (Julian calendar) / 15 March (Gregorian calendar), 1917 Emperor Nicholas II abdicated in favor of his brother, saying, "We bequeath Our inheritance to Our brother the Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich and give him Our Blessing on his accession to the throne." ^*

One day later (3 March/16 March 1917) Michael signed a manifesto which stated in part: "I am firmly resolved to assume supreme power only if such is the will of our great people, who must now by universal suffrage and through their representatives in the Constituent Assembly establish a form of government and new fundamental laws of the Russian State." ^* For one day Michael entertained the hope of being elected by the people as ruler, but this was not to be.

Historians differ as to whether to view Michael as the last tsar. Some claim he became tsar the moment Nicholas's abdication became effective, and Michael himself would have had to abdicate in order to renounce the throne. His acceptance of the throne was subject to a condition that proved not to be met, and this is sometimes regarded as effectively an abdication. Thus, they claim, he technically reigned as tsar for a day. Others argue he could have become tsar only upon his full and unconditional acceptance of the throne, which never occurred.

This debate is of interest only to specialist historians because even if Michael was technically tsar:

he reigned for a maximum of one day
he never ruled
he was never crowned
he was never recognised by his people as ruler, and
Nicholas II is universally recognised as the last effective tsar.

Furthermore, it is important to note that the historical progression of events had Nicholas II abdicating for himself before he abdicated for his son, Alexei, some hours later. Since Michael died before Alexei, succession rights are considered by some to have passed directly from Alexei to his grand uncle Cyril upon Alexei's death in Yekaterinburg in 1918, bypassing Michael entirely.

Marriage

Michael began a relationship with Natalya Sergeyevna Wulffert née Sheremetevskaya, a twice-divorced commoner. Their only child, George, was born in 1910, whom Michael named for his elder brother, George. The couple married in secret on October 30, 1912 (N.S.) in Vienna. Natalya was not entitled to be known as Grand Duchess.

Nicholas II later created Natalya and her son Countess Brasova and Count Brasov, and legitimitized George, although he still held no claim to the throne. Count Brasov died in a car crash at age 21 on July 22, 1931. On July 28, 1935, Countess Brasova was granted the title of HSH Princess Romanovskaya-Brasova by HIH Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia, the pretender to the Russian throne.

Murder

The best source material, both archival from Russia and elsewhere, seems to indicate that on June 12 1918 Michael was ordered by a group of men to get out of the hotel in Perm where he lived. Then he and his secretary were taken by a car to the outskirts of town where they were shot and their bodies were burnt. The official Soviet point of view was that those men were local workers who hated the Tsarist regime and were annoyed by Michael's "luxury" lifestyle. The documents, however, show that the order to execute him appears to have been given by the Perm Cheka.

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