| Alexander Mikhailovich | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Grand Duke Alexander, 1890s | |
| Born | (1866-04-13)13 April 1866 Tiflis,Tiflis Governorate,Caucasus Viceroyalty,Russian Empire |
| Died | 26 February 1933(1933-02-26) (aged 66) Villa Sainte Thérèse,Roquebrune-Cap-Martin,France |
| Burial | Cimetière de Roquebrune-Cap-Martin |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | |
| House | Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov |
| Father | Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia |
| Mother | Princess Cecilie of Baden |
Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia (Russian:Александр Михайлович,romanized: Aleksandr Mikhailovich; 13 April 1866 – 26 February 1933) was aRussian grand duke anddynast of theHouse of Romanov. He was also a naval officer, author, explorer, as well as the first cousin once removed ofEmperor Nicholas II and advisor to him.
Alexander was born inTiflis, in theTiflis Governorate of theRussian Empire (present-dayGeorgia). He was the son ofGrand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia, the youngest son ofNicholas I of Russia, andGrand Duchess Olga Feodorovna (Cecilie of Baden). He was mostly known as "Sandro". From a young age, Sandro displayed a wish to join the navy, which his parents disapproved of. After the intervention of his cousin,Alexander III, he was able to become a naval officer.
In his youth, he made a good-will visit to theEmpire of Japan on behalf of the Russian Empire and another to theBrazilian Empire in 1887. There, he had his first romance with a 16-year-old Brazilian girl.[1] He married his first cousin's daughter,Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna, the eldest daughter ofAlexander III on 6 August [O.S. 25 July] 1894. He became a brother-in-law and a close advisor ofTsarNicholas II.
Like his father before him, Sandro had one daughter and six sons:
Before the revolution, the Grand Duke liked to spend his vacation inFrance, particularlyBiarritz[2] and theCôte d'Azur, where his older brother,Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia[3] had financed in 1908 the construction of theHôtel Carlton, inCannes.
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In 1885 Alexander graduated from theNaval College with the rank ofmidshipman (Russian:мичман); he served in theNavy and participated in voyages. From 1891 he initiated and founded the first edition of the Russian annual directory ofMilitary Fleets (Russian:Военные флоты), which he edited until 1906. In 1895 he developed a program of strengthening the Russian Navy in the Pacific. Starting in 1896, he taught theNaval Game at the Naval Science Classes in theNaval Academy. Between 1901 and 1902 he acted as the commander of theBlack SeabattleshipRostislav, and in 1903 he was appointed a juniorflag officer of theBlack 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, the training of merchant mariners, the founding of long-distance shipping lines and the improvement of maritime-trade legislation. During theRussian-Japanese war of 1904–1905 he oversaw theauxiliary cruisers of theVolunteer 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 avidly supported the construction of new battleships. In 1909 he was promoted to the rank ofvice admiral.[4]
Alexander played a major role in the creation of Russian military aviation. He was the initiator of the officer's aviation school nearSevastopol in 1910 and later the chief of theImperial Russian Air Service during the First World War. From December 1916 Alexander was the Field Inspector General of the Imperial Russian Air Service. At the beginning of 1917 he advocated the formation of a government with the participation of public figures, speaking out against the "responsible ministry".
His impact on Nicholas has been both criticized and appreciated. His memoirs document that he openly challenged EmpressAlexandra's political influence on her husband but wished that Nicholas had used troops to resist the revolution. He also admitted that he had been brought up to share the anti-Semitic views that he claimed were prevalent in Russia prior to the revolution. His appeal to Nicholas, as his children approached adulthood, to relax the requirement forequal marriage for Romanovdynasts was rejected, and all seven of his children married titled but non-royal Russian aristocrats, but only his daughter obtained permission of Nicholas to do so. When Alexander's eldest son, Andrei Alexandrovich, married atYalta in theCrimea on 12 June 1918,[5] Nicholas, who had abdicated on 15 March 1917, was a prisoner atYekaterinburg with his family. They would be executed by the Bolsheviks just over a month later.
Alexander left the Crimea with his eldest son,Prince Andrei Alexandrovich, and his son's new bride,Elisabetta Ruffo di Sant'Antimo, who was pregnant, in December 1918. His wife and mother-in-law, Empress-DowagerMaria Fyodorovna and his sons as well as other Romanovs, were rescued from the Crimea by the BritishbattleshipHMS Marlborough in 1919.
Alexander lived inParis and wrote hismemoirs.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 future EmperorRas Tafari(Haile Selassie). He talks about why he was invited to theEthiopian Empire in his sequel,Always a Grand Duke. He died inRoquebrune-Cap-Martin, France. He was the last surviving legitimate grandchild ofNicholas I of Russia. He was buried there in Roquebrune. His wife, Xenia, died inHampton Court Palace in 1960.
While in exile after 1917, he became fascinated witharchaeology and conducted a number of successful expeditions.[4]
Alexander was a "mysticalfreemason" and spirit, called himself aRosicrucian andPhilalethes. He was a member of the masonic "Grand Ducal Lodge" (St. Petersburg, after 1907 to 1917), the founder of the "Admiralty Lodge" (St. Petersburg, 1910), who worked on the ritual Philalethes.[6][7][not specific enough to verify] According to the Encyclopaedia by Serkov, Alexander was a master of the lodge "Karma", who worked in the years 1910–1919Swedish Rite.[8]
Russia:[9]
Württemberg:Grand Cross of the Württemberg Crown,June 1880[10]
Mecklenburg-Schwerin:Grand Commander of the Griffon,March 1881; Grand Cross,September 1886[9]
Brazil:[9]
Greece:Grand Cross of the Redeemer,January 1889[9]
Japan:Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun,January 1889[9]
Holy See:Grand Cross of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem,March 1889[9]
Denmark:Knight of the Elephant,7 September 1895[11]
Austria-Hungary: Grand Cross of theRoyal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen,22 April 1897[12]
Siam: Knight of theOrder of the Royal House of Chakri,4 July 1897[13]
Italy:Knight of the Annunciation,17 July 1902[14]
Oldenburg:Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, with Golden Crown,July 1902[9]
Norway:Grand Cross of St. Olav, with Collar,7 September 1908[15]| Ancestors of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia |
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