In the common mind, the Romanov dynasty ceased to rule Russia with the abdication of Nicholas II. It turns out, however, that the tsar managed to appoint a successor who ruled ... 24 hours!
On March 2 (15), 1917, Emperor Nicholas II renounced his throne in the carriage of his train near Pskov, at the station with the meaningful name of Dno. There were many reasons for the resignation from the crown:the unpopularity of his wife Alexandra due to her unclear relationship with Rasputin and the general fatigue of the war that has been going on for 2.5 years. According to the legislation at that time, the outgoing monarch was to be succeeded by his only son - 13-year-old Aleksy. Nicholas II, however, omitted the boy and handed over power to his brother Michał, 10 years younger.
Gentlemen, understand your father's feelings…
Behind this surprising decision were concerns for the life of a terminally ill teenager. Alexius suffered from hemophilia, a hereditary blood clotting failure. The carrier of this disease was his mother Alexandra called Alix, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. It was the British monarch - most likely as a result of an automatic gene mutation - that passed the defective gene to her daughter Alice, Alexandra's mother. As a result of this disease, the heir to the throne could bleed out of a banal bruise or blowing his nose.
Tsarina Aleksandra with her son, 1906
As there was no cure for this disease at the time, the boy's parents were constantly trembling for his life. Internal bleeding was the worst, when the child was writhing in pain and begging the mother for help. Alix, however, was powerless. All she could do was sit by her son's bed and brush her hair from his sweaty forehead. In 1912 the relapse was so strong that Alexius was given the last anointing and a message of his death was prepared.
Returning to March 2, 1917, Nicholas II did not feel strong enough to part with his son. Separation from Alexius was inevitable, because the underage monarch would be separated from his dethroned parents immediately, fearing that the politically incorrect Mikołaj and Aleksandra could exert a bad influence on their child. Then the function of regent to the minor tsar would be performed by Michał, the younger brother of Nicholas II. The impossibility of seeing Aleksei would also break down his mother, for whom the boy, fondly called by her "sunbeam", was the essence of her existence.
Before signing the abdication, the emperor consulted his court doctor, who confirmed that his son's hemophilia was incurable and the child may be under 20 . Then Nicholas II came to the conclusion that Aleksy would stay with his parents. When he announced his decision accepting his abdication, he added, "Gentlemen, understand your father's feelings."
Emperor Michael II
Thus, unexpectedly for himself, the younger brother of Nicholas II became tsar. Michał, called by his relatives Misha, was the fourth and youngest son of Alexander III. Unlike his older brother, he loved intellectual activities - he participated in the work of several scientific societies and was the author of serious works on the Napoleonic Wars. He was also interested in the affairs of the state, and his political sense was appreciated by Prime Minister Sergiusz Witte himself (it is interesting that the politician did not appreciate the potential of Nicholas II too highly). It is worth noting that it was Misha who accurately assessed the prevailing public mood in the country, and not his brother the Emperor.
The closest and friends remembered Michał as a friendly, unpretentious man, inspiring trust, loving children and animals. The man liked ballet, theater and opera, he played the piano, flute, guitar and balalaika; he rode well and boxed well.
During World War I, Michał - as the only one among the Romanovs - took an active part in the fighting. He commanded the Caucasian, the so-called The "Wild" Division made up of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus. He was nicknamed "Dżygit Misha" among his subordinates (it was the greatest compliment in the Caucasus, confirming the bravery and courage of a man).
Michał Romanow
As two of Michał's three older brothers lived to adulthood, the chances of the youngest for the crown were slim. This is because Nicholas - like other Romanov men - could have had several male descendants. The second son, Jerzy, would probably also have become the father of several children. But fate wanted otherwise. The Emperor had four daughters and only one son, and he was terminally ill. Jerzy died childless of tuberculosis in 1899, at the age of 29. Thus, Michael found himself dangerously close to the throne. And on March 2 (15), 1917, the outgoing emperor handed over the crown to him.
Power for 24 hours
Those accepting the abdication of Nicholas II were surprised by his decision. Members of the newly formed Provisional Government hoped that the teenage Alexios, as a monarch, would arouse the sympathy of his subjects, and especially of the simple soldiers fighting at the front. In the end, the ruling party decided that the candidacy of Michał - the hero of World War I, who was not involved in any scandals - would calm the public mood. Nobody cared that the conduct of Nicholas II was inconsistent with the Imperial Family Act.
The former tsar's younger brother did not expect to ever sit on the throne he had never dreamed of. However, he was a man with an instilled sense of duty and decided to accept the crown in order to save the monarchy and bring order to the country. He had a good chance of that because the Russians welcomed his accession with joy ("Long live Michael I!" - cheered the inhabitants of the Russian capital).
Interim Committee of the Duma
Unfortunately, Michał II did not have a chance to rule. On March 3, he was visited by members of the Provisional Government and several Duma deputies. Its chairman Mikhail Rodzianko unexpectedly began to dissuade him from accepting power. He argued that the Russians no longer want the Romanovs on the throne, and that sticking to the monarchy would lead to the outbreak of a civil war. He warned that the government was unable to ensure Michał's safety. The others echoed Rodzianka.
Were the politicians telling the truth? Most likely not, because they were driven by their own ambitions. In fact, from the fall of 1916, members of the State Duma on behalf of the constitutional-democratic party (the so-called cadets) planned to overthrow the monarchy and seize power. So the rule of the popular Michael was against them.
The tsarist brother accepted the arguments of Rodzianka and his colleagues. He abdicated on March 3 (16), 1917. As recalled by Yevgeny Trubetskoy, a member of one of the most distinguished noble families, the resignation of Nicholas II was received calmly, but his brother's resignation caused panic, as it ended the more than three hundred-year-old Romanov dynasty.
A tragic fate awaited Michał. He was arrested after the October Revolution and then exiled to the Urals. He was murdered on June 13, 1918 in a forest near the city of Perm . Despite numerous searches made in post-Soviet times, the body of the last emperor of Russia has not been found.