Michael Alexandrovich of Russia

On June 12, the local Cheka commander, Gavriil Myasnikov, ordered Michael's execution. Myasnikov assembled an execution squad composed of four former Tsarist prisoners: Vasily Ivanchenko, Ivan Kolpashchikov, Andrei Markov, and Nikolai Zhuzkov. At 11:45 PM, the squad entered Michael's hotel using forged travel passes. Michael initially refused to leave the hotel, claiming to be ill after a meeting with the local Cheka chief, Pavel Markov. However, realizing that resistance was futile, he dressed and left the hotel. Johnson volunteered to accompany them, and the execution squad put the two in a carriage and drove to the forest on the outskirts of the city. In the early morning of June 13, the two, who had been removed from the carriage in the middle of the forest, were shot by the execution squad. However, the weapons the squad possessed were poorly made, homemade weapons, which caused them to jam. It is unknown whether Michael was wounded at that moment, but he opened his arms and walked towards Johnson, who had been hit in the head, and was then shot dead. Zuzukhov and Markov claimed that they were the ones who caused the "fatal wound," and said that Johnson was killed by Ivanchenko. The bodies were stripped of all clothing, covered with sulfuric acid, and burned to ashes. The clothes were given to Myasnikov as proof of the execution and then incinerated. The president of the Ural Soviet, Aleksandr Beloborodov, approved the execution, and shortly afterwards Lenin also ratified it. Michael became the first victim of the massacre of members of the imperial family by the Bolshevik regime, and after that many other members of royalty, including the family of Nicholas II, were murdered. The bodies of Michael and Johnson were never found.

On February 23, 1917, the February Revolution broke out. Michael, along with Grand Duke Alexander and the Duma president Mikhail Rodzianko, urged Nicholas II to form a new government. The unrest intensified, and on the 27th, elements of the Russian armed forces joined the revolt. In response, Nicholas II dissolved the Duma, but the deputies rebelled and established the Provisional Committee of the Russian Duma. After meeting with Rodzianko at the Mariinsky Palace, Michael urged Nicholas II to dismiss Nikolai Golitsyn's government and approve the Provisional Committee. His opinion was supported by Mikhail Alekseyev and the Stavka General Staff, but Nicholas II rejected the proposal and ordered Russian troops to suppress the revolt. Michael immediately tried to return to Gatchina to meet with Rodzianko, but was prevented by revolutionaries. Revolutionaries were arresting loyalists and blocking the road. Michael went to the safer Winter Palace, from where he contacted the Admiralty. Back in Petrograd, Michael took refuge in Prince Putyatin's apartment. In the adjacent apartment, his chamberlain Nikolai Stolypin and a priest of the Holy Synod were being held hostage by revolutionaries, and in another apartment, Baron Stäkelberg was eventually murdered by a mob. On March 1st, guards sent by Rodzianko arrived at Putyatin's apartment, where Michael signed the draft constitutional monarchy prepared by Rodzianko and Grand Duke Paul. The Petrograd Soviet rejected the draft, and the population of the capital demanded the abolition of the monarchy.

When World War I broke out, Michael wrote to Nicholas II, stating his wish to return to Russia and resume military service. Nicholas II agreed, and Michael returned to Petrograd (formerly Saint Petersburg), passing through Norway, Sweden, and the Grand Duchy of Finland. Michael had purchased new land in Sussex and planned to move there as soon as the lease on his previous residence expired. Therefore, he transferred his belongings to his new residence in Sussex and surrendered his former residence to the British army. As Natalia was not permitted to live in the Romanov palaces, Michael decided to live in a villa in Gatchina. Upon returning to the army, Michael was promoted to major general and appointed commander of the Caucasian Native Cavalry Division (also known as the "Wild Division"), composed of troops from six ethnic groups in the North Caucasus. The division, composed entirely of volunteers, proved to be a powerful force, but its heterogeneous population made it difficult to control. Miguel led his troops effectively and won a battle in the Carpathian Mountains on January 14 and 15, 1915, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George (Fourth Class). Around the same time, Miguel requested Nicholas II to recognize his son George and leave him his property after his death. In recognition of Miguel's heroism during the war, Nicholas II named George a count by decree of March 26 and granted the title of "Countess Brasova" to Natalia.

In 1902, he fell in love with Princess Beatrice of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and his first cousin. Michael spoke English and French fluently, and they corresponded in English. The two became engaged, but canon law of the Russian Orthodox Church forbade marriages between first cousins, and Nicholas II refused to give his permission, so the marriage did not take place. After his tragic romance with Princess Beatrice, Michael focused on his relationship with Alexandra Kossikovskaya (1875–1923), lady-in-waiting to his sister Olga and affectionately known as "Dina". However, her father, Vladimir Kossikovsky, was a lawyer of commoner origin, and a marriage to her would have been considered morganatic, making it difficult to consummate. Michael's friends encouraged him to abandon the idea of ​​marriage and keep Dina as one of his mistresses, but he refused and, in July 1906, sent a letter to Nicholas II requesting permission to marry. Nicholas II and his mother, Maria, were shocked upon reading the letter and refused to recognize the morganatic marriage under Russian imperial law, threatening to suspend his military pay and forbid him from leaving Russia if he married without permission. In mid-September, while Michael was away in Denmark, Maria dismissed Dina and expelled her from court.

Like other members of the imperial family, Michael enlisted in the Imperial Russian Army and, after graduating from artillery school in 1897, was assigned to the Imperial Guard Cavalry. Following the sudden death of his second brother, Grand Duke George, in 1899, Michael became the heir apparent to the Russian throne, but did not receive the traditional title of Tsarevich. This was because Nicholas II and his wife, Empress Alexandra, longed for a son who would receive the title. Meanwhile, at the time, Nicholas and Alexandra had only daughters, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, and Maria, and no male heir. When the Empress became pregnant in 1900, she greatly desired a son. Alexandra even proposed acting as regent in place of the unborn child should her husband die suddenly, but the government rejected the proposal, and Michael was reaffirmed as heir to the throne. However, contrary to expectations, Alexandra gave birth to a fourth daughter, Grand Duchess Anastasia. In 1901, he represented Russia at the state funeral of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, where he was awarded the Order of the Bath, and in 1902 he also attended the coronation of King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, where he was awarded the Order of the Garter. In June of the same year, he was appointed commander of a cavalry company and sent to Gatchina. Michael owned the largest sugar mill in Poland and possessed large estates in the country, which gave him financial independence. On August 12, 1904, with the long-awaited birth of a son to Nicholas II, the Tsarevich Alexei, Michael ceased to be first in line to the throne. Michael was happy not to be the heir apparent anymore. According to Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich: "Misha was overjoyed to learn that he was no longer the successor to the throne." However, Michael received the right to act as co-regent alongside Alexandra if Nicholas died before Alexei reached the age of majority.

Michael was born in 1878 in the Anitchkov Palace, the fourth child of Tsarevich Alexander of Russia. Three years later, on March 13, 1881, his grandfather Alexander II was assassinated, and his father became Emperor Alexander III. After his ascension to the throne, Alexander III moved with his family to the Gatchina Palace, southwest of Saint Petersburg, for their safety. Michael was called "Misha" by his parents and siblings. Michael and his siblings followed a strict routine by royal standards—waking at sunrise, washing their faces with cold water, and having a simple breakfast. He was educated by his nanny, Elizabeth Franklin, from whom he learned English. Michael was close to his sister, Grand Duchess Olga, and they often went for walks in the forests around Gatchina. He also received riding training during this period. He generally led a simple life, but was allowed to consume meat and dairy products at Christmas, Easter, and Lent, and spent summers with his family at Peterhof Palace with his maternal grandparents, King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark. However, his father's failing health prevented him from visiting Peterhof in 1894, and he died on November 1st of that year. This led to his older brother, Nicholas, becoming Emperor Nicholas II, marking the end of Michael's childhood. After the death of Alexander III, his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria, returned to Anichkov Palace with Michael and Olga.

Those around him viewed Michael as a quiet, modest, and good-humored man, as Grand Duke Constantine Constantinovich recounts: "Misha keeps himself aloof from affairs of state, does not offer his opinions, and perhaps hides behind the image of a kind and ordinary lad." Michael's devotion to military service and his lack of political commentary led British consul Bruce Lockhart to write that he would have been an excellent constitutional monarch. Michael Alexandrovich was nicknamed "Misha" or "Sleepyhead" by his family and relatives because of his habit of falling asleep while driving. Michael was a commander who enjoyed more trust among his soldiers than Nicholas II or any other member of the imperial family. In his memoirs, Brusilov wrote that Michael was a commander who did not participate in conspiracies, avoided scandals, and had good leadership and a clear conscience toward his soldiers. According to American war correspondent Stanley Washburn, Michael wore a simple uniform, without epaulettes, in battle and lived in a poor village. Natalia was surprised to learn that her husband had eschewed decorations and flashy uniforms for the arduous frontline service he rendered to Russia. During World War I, Rasputin's friend, an army engineer named Bratryubov, reported to Nicholas II that he had developed a flamethrower that would change the course of the war, and Michael, on his brother's orders, ordered him to pay for the development. However, the report turned out to be false, and Bratryubov was arrested, but released at Rasputin's request. Michael was apparently gullible, and a friend of Natalia said of him: "If Natalia hadn't watched him constantly, he would have been deceived on many occasions."

Born: December 4, 1878, Anitchkov Palace, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Death: June 13, 1918 (aged 39) Perm, Russian SFSR
Wife: Natalia Brasova, Countess Brasova (morganatic)
Descendants: George Mikhailovich, Count Brassov
House: Romanov
Father: Alexander III of Russia
Mother: Dagmar from Denmark
Religion: Russian Orthodox