Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich of Russia

Grand Duke Sergei Mikhailovich of Russia, born on September twenty-fifth, eighteen sixty-nine, was the fifth son of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaievich and a first cousin to Alexander III. His early years were spent in the Caucasus, where his father served as viceroy, before the family relocated to Saint Petersburg in eighteen eighty-one. It was in this vibrant city that Sergei formed a close bond with Tsarevich Nicholas, a friendship that would wane following Nicholas II's marriage and ascension to the throne.

Despite his royal lineage, Grand Duke Sergei chose to remain a bachelor, residing in his father's palace in the imperial capital. His personal life was marked by a long affair with the renowned ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska, who had previously been involved with Nicholas II. Sergei acknowledged Mathilde's son as his own and took on the role of protector for both mother and child throughout his life.

Following the family tradition, Sergei pursued a distinguished military career, ultimately serving as General Inspector of the Artillery with the rank of Adjutant General. His leadership during World War I included a tenure as chief of the artillery department, a position he resigned amid controversy. Later, he was appointed Field Inspector General of Artillery at Stavka, where he continued to serve until the fall of the monarchy.

After the Bolsheviks seized power, Grand Duke Sergei maintained a low profile in the former imperial capital. However, his fate took a tragic turn when he was sent into internal exile. On July eighteenth, nineteen eighteen, he was murdered by the Bolsheviks in Alapayevsk, alongside several other Romanov relatives and his personal secretary, just one day after the execution of Tsar Nicholas II and his immediate family.