Why was Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich the first Romanov murdered?
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Romanov
December 4, 1878 – June 13, 1918
Who is Mikhail Aleksandrovich?
History has been hard on Grand Duke Michael, Nicholas II’s younger brother and successor. Until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Soviets successfully hid Grand Duke Michael’s importance during the last years of Imperial Russia by insisting that he followed his brother’s example by also abdicating the Russian throne.
You can see that is not true when you read Michael’s manifesto.
This is Grand Duke Michael’s Manifesto dispersed a day after Nicholas II named Michael as his successor:
“A heavy burden has been laid on me by my brother’s will in transferring to me the imperial throne of All Russia at a time of unprecedented war and unrest among the people.
Inspired by the thought common to the whole nation, that the well-being of our homeland comes above all, I have taken the hard decision to accept supreme power only in the event that it shall be the will of our great people, who in nationwide voting must elect their representatives to a Constituent Assembly, establish a new form of government and new fundamental laws for the Russian State.
Therefore, calling on God’s blessing, I ask all citizens of the Russian State to obey the provisional government which has been formed and been invested with complete power on the initiative of the State Duma, until a Constituent Assembly, to be convened in the shortest possible time on the basis of general, direct, equal, secret ballot, expresses the will of the people in its decision on a form of government.”
MIKHAIL
3/III – 1917, Petrograd
Michael dreamed of transitioning Russia from an autocracy to a constitutional monarchy.
Since the collapse of the USSR in 1991, countless documents and diaries have been recovered from the State Archives of the Russian Federation (GARF), prompting contemporary historians and government officials to acknowledge Michael as Russia’s last emperor–Michael II. As a result, he is finally being recognized as an influential historical figure, not the weak leader portrayed by the Soviets.
Michael Alexandrovich was murdered on the night of June 13, 1918–the first Romanov to be murdered–a year after accepting the Russian throne on the condition that the people would be offered a public referendum to voice their preference for a democratic government.
Now, to address the reason for Lenin’s decision for ordering Michael to be the first Romanov murdered:
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, better known by his alias Lenin, was a Marxist who led the Bolshevik party to victory during the Russian Revolution and overthrew Romanov rule.
He served as head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until his death in 1924 and continues to be revered as a leading political theorist by communists today.
When Nicholas II abdicated on March 3, 1917, naming Michael as his successor, the Russian Bolsheviks weren’t the all-powerful united totalitarian force they later became; they shared power with other parties. The Provisional Government maintained the actual running of the government until the Bolsheviks took over the government by force in October 1917. Lenin’s ideology and leadership led to the breakdown of the Romanov monarchy, even though he never achieved the level of personal dictatorship Stalin claimed in later years and his orders were often disputed or openly sabotaged by his Party comrades.
For 30 years, Lenin harbored a very personal reason for retaliating against the Romanov family–he blamed them for the death of his older brother, Aleksandr Ilyich Ulyanov. In 1887, Aleksandr was a student at St. Petersburg University and a member of a terrorist group who attempted to assassinate Alexander III (Nicholas II and Michael’s father). Ulyanov was arrested and hanged with four of his comrades. Lenin was seventeen years old at the time and greatly impacted by his brother’s death. He carried a grudge against the Romanovs and everyone associated with them.
After learning why Lenin ordered Michael to be the first Romanov murdered, I knew I had to share his almost forgotten story. My historical novel, Living Banner, highlights Michael’s love for his country and completes his vision for a democratic Russia.
Michael was one of six children, five of whom were born before their father became Emperor Alexander III on March 13, 1881.
In this photo, Michael is the boy on the far left wearing a sailor shirt.
His place in the family is particularly important. Since he was the youngest son and not expected to become emperor, his parents were more relaxed with his up-bringing. They are reported to have favored him and given him a “more normal” life. Having older brothers (one of whom died as an infant) meant that he was not expected to face the demands of governing.
The children of Tsesarevich Alexander (Emperor Alexander III) and Princess Dagmar of Denmark (Empress Maria Feodorovna):
| Children | Born | Died |
| Nicholas Alexandrovich | May 18, 1868 | July 17, 1918 murdered |
| Alexander Alexandrovich | June 7, 1869 | May 2, 1870 meningitis |
| George Alexandrovich | May 9, 1871 | August 9, 1899 tuberculosis |
| Xenia Alexandrovna | April 6, 1875 | April 20, 1960, England |
| Michael Alexandrovich | December 4, 1878 | June 13, 1918, murdered |
| Olga Alexandrovna | June 13, 1882 | November 24, 1960, Canada |
As an adult, Grand Duke Michael mingled freely with the people while dispensing the duties assigned to him as a grand duke. He is described as amiable, honest, down-to-earth, a Russian patriot to the core, and liked by nearly everyone.
Michael was also a highly respected and popular military leader. He enrolled in the military, completed training at a gunnery school, and joined the Horse Guards Artillery. When World War I broke out in 1914 Grand Duke Michael was promoted to the rank of major general and given command of the Caucasian Native Cavalry.
He was a capable commander, very popular with his troops and decorated with the military’s highest honor, the Decoration of the Military Order of Saint George, for his actions while commanding his troops in the Carpathian Mountains in January 1915.
General Alexei Brusilov, an innovative commander during World War I, praised Michael’s leadership and courage. Michael was also awarded a second gallantry medal for valor: the Order of St. Vladimir with Swords.
Nicholas II’s Abdication on March 3, 1917, 3 p.m. in Pskov
When Nicholas II abdicated, he abdicated in his name and the name of his only son (Alexei), selecting Grand Duke Michael, his only remaining brother, as his successor. According to the Russian Rules of Succession, the Pauline Laws, as soon as Nicholas signed his Manifesto of Abdication, Michael automatically became Emperor Michael II.
News that Michael was replacing his brother became known the following day. The response was overwhelmingly positive because the people were familiar with Michael and knew of his support for a constitutional monarchy.
- People rushed to the churches to light candles for their new emperor.
- A Te Deum (an early Christian hymn of praise) was ordered for Michael II in the cathedral at Pskov where Nicholas’ manifesto was read and prayers were said for the new emperor.
- The Orthodox Church changed the liturgy to read: “Our Right Orthodox and Sovereign Lord and Emperor Mikhail Aleksandrovich.”
- People gave three cheers for His Majesty Michael II: “Long live Emperor Michael!”
- Michael II’s portrait replaced Nicholas II’s in shops.
- Thousands of troops swore an oath of allegiance to Emperor Michael II.
- For the next two days, General Krasnov decorated soldiers with the Cross of St. George in the name of their new emperor.
During Nichlas II’s reign, Michael had consistently pressed his brother for a representative government. The day after Michael was named to succeed his brother, he prepared his own responding Manifesto stating his preference for governing.
Grand Duke Michael’s Manifesto
Clearly, Michael did not abdicate. Instead, he insisted on offering the Russian people the opportunity to choose their government through a free election process. The Provisional Government agreed with Michael’s decision. The elections were set-up for November 11, 1917, and the new assembly was due to convene on November 28th. Unfortunately, Lenin’s Bolsheviks seized power in October 1917. As a result, the Provisional Government was dissolved, and Michael was arrested. Because Michael did not renounce the Russian throne, he remained emperor from the moment Nicholas abdicated in March 1917, right up to the moment the Constituent Assembly was dissolved by the Bolshevik October Revolution. Michael also remained the leading Romanov until his death in 1918.
The Romanov murders began with Michael in June 1918, but Lenin was careful not to sign his name to any of the orders.
The Laws of Succession stipulated that the authority of the Russian throne must pass automatically to Nicholas’ designated successor. Therefore, Vladimir Lenin, the Bolshevik leader, was very aware that Michael represented a rallying point–a “living banner”–as the country’s new leader. Lenin feared Michael’s popularity with the people. He realized that in order to establish a successful government, the most influential Romanov must be eliminated first. Michael–officially the last Russian Emperor–was Lenin’s choice, not Nicholas II whose terrible death would come only a month after Michael’s.
Michael was 39 years old when he was murdered.
After spending seven months under house arrest in St. Petersburg, Lenin sent Michael, still under arrest, to Perm (1000 miles to the east) in March 1918. Nicholas Johnson, Michael’s assistant, insisted on going with him. in the evening and early morning hours of June 12-13, 1918, they were taken into the woods outside Perm and shot to death. Although Lenin attempted to safeguard his name from being connected to the royal family’s murders in all official documents, scholars have uncovered letters in the Russian Archives (GARF) and references in Leon Trotsky‘s diary linking him directly to Michael’s murder and the execution of Nicholas II’s entire family.
Testimonies written by those responsible for the executions of Michael and Nicholas Johnson have surfaced, but their remains have never been recovered. In 1996, a local group in Perm erected a simple wooden cross in the woods where the two are believed to have died, but their final resting place is a dark secret of history.
Searching for Michael’s Remains
Captain Peter Sarandinaki is the president and founder of The Scientific Expedition to Account for the Romanov Children (S.E.A.R.C.H.), a non-profit organization dedicated to the restoration of Truth in Russia’s history. His great-grandfather, Lt. General Sergey N. Rozanoff and grandfather, Colonel Kiril M. Naryshkin were in charge of the White Russian troops who liberated Ekaterinburg from the Reds six days after Nicholas II’s family and their faithful servants were murdered. Their troops were among first to enter the Ipatiev House where the royal family was being held.
After being instrumental in finding the second grave and coordinating the DNA validation process associated with uncovering the remains of Nicholas II and his family, SEARCH has turned its attention toward finding the remains of Grand Duke Michael and Nicholas (Brian) Johnson, Michael’s faithful assistant. Sarandinaki’s on-going search is centered in the woods six kilometers from Perm where they were murdered. Here is the background information on Sarandinaki’s search for Michael.
Present-Day Recognition—100 Years After Michael’s Murder
Grand Duke Michael’s accomplishments are gaining recognition during modern times.
A monument of Michael was unveiled in August 2016 in the city of Orel where he served as Commander of the 17th Hussars (51st Dragoon) of the Chernigov Regiment from 1909 – 1911.
In June 2011, a memorial plaque dedicated to Grand Duke Michael was erected at the former hotel in Perm where he was imprisoned.
The Moscow Times article on July 10, 2013: Last Russian Tsar Was Michael, Not Nicholas
United Kingdom’s Daily Mail on June 8, 2018: The hunt for Russia’s ‘tsar for a day’ and his faithful British manservant. Excavations begin in search for Michael Alexandrovich Romanov executed by secret police in 1918.
Vladimir Gushik, Bolshevik: “The Grand Duke had three rare qualities: kindness, simplicity, and honor. Not a single party was hostile to him. Even socialists of every variety treated him with respect.” (Zhuk, Yuri Alexandrovich, and Vladimir Mikhailovich Khrustalev. “Milestones in the Life of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich.” Royal Russia, No. 15, 2020, p. 16)
If you are interested in more in-depth information on Michael II, there are several excellent sources. I would recommend these:
Crawford, Donald. The Last Tsar: The Man Soviet Russia Hid from History, Emperor Michael II. New York, Scribners, January 25, 2012.
Crawford, Rosemary, and Donald Crawford. Michael and Natasha: The Life and Love of Michael II, The Last of the Russian Tsars. Trafalgar Square, Canada, September 8, 1997.
Zhuk, Yuri Alexandrovich, and Vladimir Mikhailovich Khrustalev. “Milestones in the Life of Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich.” Royal Russia, No. 15, 2020, pp. 3 – 42.