Back Groothertog Michail Aleksandrowitsj van Rusland Afrikaans الدوق الأكبر ميخائيل أليكساندروفيتش من روسيا Arabic الدوق الاكبر ميخائيل اليكساندروفيتش من روسيا ARZ Mixail Romanov Azerbaijani Міхаіл Аляксандравіч (сын Аляксандра III) Byelorussian Miquel Aleksàndrovitx de Rússia Catalan Michail Alexandrovič Romanov Czech Mikhail Aleksandrovitj af Rusland Danish Michail Alexandrowitsch Romanow German Μιχαήλ Αλεξάντροβιτς της Ρωσίας Greek
| Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||
| Born | 4 December [O.S. 22 November] 1878[1] Anichkov Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire | ||||
| Died | 13 June 1918 (aged 39) Perm, Russian Soviet Republic | ||||
| Spouse | |||||
| Issue | George Mikhailovich, Count Brasov | ||||
| |||||
| House | Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp | ||||
| Father | Alexander III of Russia | ||||
| Mother | Dagmar of Denmark | ||||
Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia (Russian: Михаи́л Алекса́ндрович, romanized: Mikhail Aleksandrovich; 4 December [O.S. 22 November] 1878 – 13 June 1918) was the youngest son and fifth child of Emperor Alexander III of Russia and youngest brother of Nicholas II. He was de jure Emperor of Russia after his brother Nicholas II abdicated in 1917 and proclaimed his brother "Emperor Michael II", but Michael declined to take power a day later.
Michael was born during the reign of his paternal grandfather, Alexander II. He was then fourth in line to the throne after his father and elder brothers Nicholas and George. After the assassination of his grandfather in 1881, he became third in line and, in 1894, after the death of his father, second in line. George died in 1899, leaving Michael as heir presumptive to Nicholas II.
The birth of Nicholas's son Alexei in 1904 moved Michael back to second in line, but Alexei was gravely ill with hemophilia and Michael suspected the boy would die, leaving him as heir. Michael caused a commotion at the imperial court when he took Natalia Sergeyevna Wulfert, a married woman, as a lover. Nicholas sent Michael to Orel to avoid scandal but this did not deter Michael, who travelled frequently to see his mistress. After the couple's only child, George, was born in 1910, Michael brought Natalia to Saint Petersburg, where she was shunned by society. In 1912, Michael shocked Nicholas by marrying Natalia in the hope that he would be removed from the line of succession. Michael and Natalia left Russia to live in exile abroad in France, Switzerland and England.
After the outbreak of World War I, Michael returned to Russia, assuming command of a cavalry division. When Nicholas abdicated on 15 March [O.S. 2 March] 1917, Michael was named as his successor instead of Alexei. Michael, however, deferred acceptance of the throne until ratification by an elected assembly. He was never confirmed as emperor and, following the Russian Revolution of 1917, he was imprisoned and murdered.[2]
- ^ All dates before 14 February [O.S. 1 February] 1918, unless otherwise stated, are shown in Old Style, using the Julian calendar; from that date, only Gregorian (New Style) dates apply.
- ^ "The Abdication of Nicholas II: 100 Years Later". The Russian Legitimist. Retrieved 30 January 2018.