Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia
Encyclopedia
Grand Duke Alexander Mihailovich of Russia, Александр Михайлович Aleksandr Mihailovits (13 April 1866 – 26 February 1933) was a dynast of the Russian Empire
, a naval officer, an author, explorer, the brother-in-law of Emperor Nicholas II
, and an advisor of the said Emperor.
, the youngest son of Nicholas I of Russia
, and Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna (Cecily of Baden). Through his mother, Grand Duke Alexander was a great-grandson of the reputedly imbalanced king Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
, the last Swedish Grand Duke of Finland (at the time of Alexander's life, Finland belonged to Alexander's agnatic house and its ruler was head of its senior branch, making Alexander entitled to eventual succession to the Finnish Throne and also one of the "Princes of Finland"). He was mostly known as "Sandro"
He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Grand Duke Alexander was a naval officer. In his youth, he made a good-will visit to developing Japan on behalf of the Russian Empire, as well as to the Brazilian Empire
. He married his first cousin's daughter, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna
, the eldest daughter of Alexander III
on the and was thus a brother-in-law of the last Tsar
Nicholas II
, to whose close advisors he belonged. His impact on the Tsar has been both criticized and appreciated. He and his family, together with his mother-in-law, the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark), were rescued from the Crimea
by British battleship
HMS Marlborough
in the quagmire of the 1917 Revolution, and thus they survived.
Alexander lived in Paris and wrote his memoirs. Once a Grand Duke (Farrar & Rinehart
1933) is a source of dynastical and court life in Imperial Russia's last half-century. He also spent a time as guest of the future Abyssinia
n Emperor Ras Tafaro. He talks about why he was invited to Ethiopia
, in his continuation of his biography "Always a Grand Duke". He died in 26 February 1933 in Roquebrune
, France. He was buried on 1 March in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
in the south of France. His wife Xenia died in Hampton Court Palace
in 1960.
Together Alexander and Xenia had seven children:
; he later served in the Navy and participated in the voyages. Since 1891, he was the initiator and founder of the first edition of the Russian annual directory of "Military Fleets", and was its editor until 1906. In 1895, he developed a program of strengthening the Russian Navy in the Pacific. Between 1901 and 1902, he acted as the commander of the Black Sea battleship "Rostislav", and in 1903 he was appointed a junior flag officer
of the Black Sea Fleet. In parallel, between 1901 and 1905 he acted as a chief superintendent and the chairman of several councils related to merchant shipping and ports. At these positions, he contributed to the development of commercial shipping, construction and equipment of new ports, training merchant mariners, creation of long-distance shipping lines and improvement of maritime trade legislation. During the Russian-Japanese war of 1904–1905, he oversaw the auxiliary cruisers of the Volunteer Fleet. Alexander took part in the development of programs aimed at rebuilding the fleet, brought them to the attention of governments and the public, and was an avid supporter of the construction of new battleships. In 1909, he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral
.
While in exile after 1917, he became fascinated with archaeology and conducted a number of successful expeditions.
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, a naval officer, an author, explorer, the brother-in-law of Emperor Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
, and an advisor of the said Emperor.
Biography
Alexander was born the son of Grand Duke Michael Nicolaievich of RussiaGrand Duke Michael Nicolaievich of Russia
Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia was the fourth son and seventh child of Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and Charlotte of Prussia...
, the youngest son of Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
, and Grand Duchess Olga Feodorovna (Cecily of Baden). Through his mother, Grand Duke Alexander was a great-grandson of the reputedly imbalanced king Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden
Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden also Gustav Adolph was King of Sweden from 1792 until his abdication in 1809. He was the son of Gustav III of Sweden and his queen consort Sophia Magdalena, eldest daughter of Frederick V of Denmark and his first wife Louise of Great Britain. He was the last Swedish...
, the last Swedish Grand Duke of Finland (at the time of Alexander's life, Finland belonged to Alexander's agnatic house and its ruler was head of its senior branch, making Alexander entitled to eventual succession to the Finnish Throne and also one of the "Princes of Finland"). He was mostly known as "Sandro"
He was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. Grand Duke Alexander was a naval officer. In his youth, he made a good-will visit to developing Japan on behalf of the Russian Empire, as well as to the Brazilian Empire
Brazilian Empire
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pedro I and his son Dom Pedro II, both members of the House of Braganza—a...
. He married his first cousin's daughter, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna
Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia
Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia was a daughter of Tsar Alexander III of Russia and the elder of Tsar Nicholas II two sisters. She married her cousin Grand Duke Alexander Mikailovich of Russia, with whom she had seven children....
, the eldest daughter of Alexander III
Alexander III of Russia
Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov , historically remembered as Alexander III or Alexander the Peacemaker reigned as Emperor of Russia from until his death on .-Disposition:...
on the and was thus a brother-in-law of the last Tsar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
Nicholas II
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Prince of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church.Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until...
, to whose close advisors he belonged. His impact on the Tsar has been both criticized and appreciated. He and his family, together with his mother-in-law, the Dowager Empress Maria Fyodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark), were rescued from the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
by British battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
HMS Marlborough
HMS Marlborough (1912)
HMS Marlborough was an Iron Duke-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named in honour of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and launched in 1912. In World War I she served in the 1st Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow...
in the quagmire of the 1917 Revolution, and thus they survived.
Alexander lived in Paris and wrote his memoirs. Once a Grand Duke (Farrar & Rinehart
Farrar & Rinehart
Farrar & Rinehart was a United States book publishing company founded in New York. Farrar & Rinehart enjoyed success with both nonfiction and novels, notably, the landmark Rivers of America Series and the first ten books in the Nero Wolfe corpus of Rex Stout...
1933) is a source of dynastical and court life in Imperial Russia's last half-century. He also spent a time as guest of the future Abyssinia
Ethiopian Empire
The Ethiopian Empire also known as Abyssinia, covered a geographical area that the present-day northern half of Ethiopia and Eritrea covers, and included in its peripheries Zeila, Djibouti, Yemen and Western Saudi Arabia...
n Emperor Ras Tafaro. He talks about why he was invited to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, in his continuation of his biography "Always a Grand Duke". He died in 26 February 1933 in Roquebrune
Roquebrune
Roquebrune may refer to the following communes in France:* Roquebrune, Gers, in the Gers département* Roquebrune, Gironde, in the Gironde département* Roquebrune, the former name for Roquebrune-Cap Martin, in the Alpes-Maritimes département...
, France. He was buried on 1 March in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France between Monaco and Menton. The name was changed from Roquebrune to differentiate the town from Roquebrune-sur-Argens in the neighboring Var Department.-History:In pre-Roman times the area was settled by the...
in the south of France. His wife Xenia died in Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
in 1960.
Together Alexander and Xenia had seven children:
- Princess Irina Alexandrovna (1895–1970)
- Prince Andrei AlexandrovichPrince Andrei Alexandrovich of RussiaPrince Andrei Alexandrovich of Russia was a member of the Imperial Family of Russia. A son of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia he was also the eldest nephew of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia...
(1897–1981) - Prince Feodor AlexandrovichPrince Feodor Alexandrovich of RussiaPrince Feodor Alexandrovich of Russia was a son of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia. He was a nephew of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia-Russian prince:...
(1898–1968) - Prince Nikita AlexandrovichPrince Nikita Alexandrovich of RussiaPrince Nikita Alexandrovich of Russia was a descendant of the Russian Imperial Family.-Russian prince:Prince Nikita Alexandrovich was born in Saint Petersburg the son of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia...
(1900–1974) - Prince Dmitri AlexandrovichPrince Dmitri Alexandrovich of RussiaPrince Dmitri Alexandrovich of Russia was a son of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia. He was a nephew of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.-Russian prince:...
(1901–1980) - Prince Rostislav AlexandrovichPrince Rostislav Alexandrovich of RussiaPrince Rostislav Alexandrovich of Russia was a member of the Imperial Family of Russia.-Russian prince:Prince Rostislav Alexandrovich was the son of HIH the Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich ‘Sandro’ and HIH the Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna . His parents were first cousins once removed...
(1902–1978) - Prince Vasili AlexandrovichPrince Vasili Alexandrovich of RussiaPrince Vasili Alexandrovich of Russia was a son of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia...
(1907–1989)
Naval career
In 1885, Alexander graduated from the Naval College at the rank of midshipmanMidshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
; he later served in the Navy and participated in the voyages. Since 1891, he was the initiator and founder of the first edition of the Russian annual directory of "Military Fleets", and was its editor until 1906. In 1895, he developed a program of strengthening the Russian Navy in the Pacific. Between 1901 and 1902, he acted as the commander of the Black Sea battleship "Rostislav", and in 1903 he was appointed a junior flag officer
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
of the Black Sea Fleet. In parallel, between 1901 and 1905 he acted as a chief superintendent and the chairman of several councils related to merchant shipping and ports. At these positions, he contributed to the development of commercial shipping, construction and equipment of new ports, training merchant mariners, creation of long-distance shipping lines and improvement of maritime trade legislation. During the Russian-Japanese war of 1904–1905, he oversaw the auxiliary cruisers of the Volunteer Fleet. Alexander took part in the development of programs aimed at rebuilding the fleet, brought them to the attention of governments and the public, and was an avid supporter of the construction of new battleships. In 1909, he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
.
While in exile after 1917, he became fascinated with archaeology and conducted a number of successful expeditions.