Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia (; 25 October 1832 – 18 December 1909) was a Russian field marshal, the fourth son and seventh child of Emperor Nicholas I of Russia and Charlotte of Prussia. He was the first owner of the New Michael Palace on the Palace Quay in Saint Petersburg.

Marriage and issue On 16 August 1857, he married Princess Cecilie of Baden (1839–1891), daughter of Leopold, Grand Duke of Baden and Sophie of Sweden. Cecilie adopted the name Olga Feodorovna, and had the following children with him:

 NameBirthDeathSpouse (dates of birth & death) and childrenWhitaker's Almanack (1900) Facsimile Reprint 1998, London: Stationery Office, , p. 86Whitaker's Almanack, 1993, Concise Edition, (), pages 134–136 Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia 184026 April1859 191928 January1919 Unmarried. He was killed by the Bolsheviks during the Russian revolution;no issue Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia186028 July1860192211 March 1922 Married 1879 (24 January),Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1851–1897); 1 son, 2 daughters; 1 illegitimate son. Grand Duke Michael Mikhailovich of Russia 186116 October 1861192926 April1929 Married 1891 (26 February), Sophie of Merenberg (1868–1927); 1 son, 2 daughters. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia186323 August1863191928 January1919 Married 1900 (12 May), Princess Maria of Greece and Denmark (1876–1940); 2 daughters. He was killed by the Bolsheviks during the Russian revolution. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia186613 April1866 193326 February1933 Married 1894 (6 August),Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia (1875–1960); 1 daughter, 6 sons. Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich of Russia18697 October1869 191818 July1918 Unmarried. He was killed by the Bolsheviks during the Russian revolution; no issue Grand Duke Alexei Mikhailovich of Russia 187528 December1875 18952 March1895 Unmarried; no issue

Career

He served 20 years (1862–1882) as the Governor General of Caucasia, being seated in Tbilisi, the town which most of his children remembered as the home of their childhood. In the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, he was nominal Commander-in-Chief of the Russian troops in the Caucasus and was appointed Field Marshal General in April 1878.

In the course of his life, four members of his family ruled as Emperors of Russia: his father, Nicholas I; his brother, Alexander II; his nephew, Alexander III; as well as his grand-nephew, Nicholas II, whose second daughter, Grand Duchess Tatiana, the Grand Duke was godfather to.

He died in Cannes, France, on 18 December 1909. He was the last surviving legitimate grandchild of Paul I of Russia.

Legacy He was remembered by Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, granddaughter of his eldest brother, in her memoirs: "My great-uncle, Grand Duke Michael came from time to time to pay us visits. He was an old gentleman of great height and unforgettable elegance; he fascinated us by the perfection and harmony of his gestures, by his affability and his air of a grand seigneur of an epoch already vanished. He was the last of the Grand Dukes who, according to the custom of my grandfather's time, tutoi-ed the men, and in spite of his age he bowed with touching grace before the women as he kissed their hands."

Honours National orders and decorationsRussian Imperial Army - Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich (In Russian) Knight of St. Andrew, 1832 Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky, 1832 Knight of the White Eagle, 1832 Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class, 1832 Knight of St. George, 4th Class, July 1854; 2nd Class, February 1864; 1st Class, September 1877 Knight of St. Vladimir, 1st Class, January 1863 Golden Saber "For Bravery", 1863; Golden Sword "For the conquest of the Caucasus", in Diamonds and Emeralds, February 1864 Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class, November 1865

Foreign orders and decorations

Ancestors

References