page_title: Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia
section_title: Political leanings
hierarchical_section_title: Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia / Political leanings
caption_attribution_description: English: en:Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia Русский: Великий князь ru:Николай Михайлович
context_page_description: Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia was the eldest son of Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia and a first cousin of Alexander III.
  A scholar and an eminent historian, he made many valuable contributions to the study of Russian history in the reign of Tsar Alexander I. His works, published in Russian and French, include: diplomatic documents of Tsar Alexander I and Napoleon; a life of Tsar Alexander's close friend, Pavel Strogonov; and biographical studies of Alexander I and his wife, Elizabeth Alexeievna.
  A political liberal, he veered towards what he called "authoritarian republicanism". He fought tirelessly for reform from within the system. His reformist views made him an oddball within his own family, and contemporary recognition of his accomplishments came more from abroad than at home. He was a member of the French Academy, Honorary Doctor of History and Philosophy from the University of Berlin, Honorary Doctor of History from Moscow University, and President of the Imperial Russian Historical Society, the Society of Pomology and the Russian Geographic Society.
context_section_description: Very outspoken about his ideas, he begged Nicholas II to cancel the coronation ball at the French embassy in Moscow following the Khodynka Tragedy, warning him that holding it would create a perception of monarchical indifference such as had made Marie Antoinette unpopular. When it was held nevertheless, he arrived with his brothers, then departed soon after in protest. His manner could turn caustic. The Imperial family always said he had a mean and critical tongue. He loathed Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna and her family, the Vladimirovichi. A vehement critic of most of his male cousins, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich in particular, Nicholas Mikhailovich was a divisive figure among the Romanovs.
  At the death of his father in 1909, he became the head of the Mikhailovichi branch of the Romanov family and inherited great wealth. He received all of the lands and houses of his father: Borjomi, his large rural estate in Georgia where he enjoyed living and preferred to work; Mikhailovskoe outside St Petersburg; an enormous palace on the Neva in St Petersburg, and the great estate Grushovka in southern Ukraine. His primary residence was the palace on the Neva, which was so large that his brother Grand Duke Sergei, who lived with him, used a bicycle to go from one side to the other. Between his two residences in the capital region, he employed more than 400 servants.
  Nicholas Mikhailovich was initially on good terms with Nicholas II, both when he was heir to the crown and later as an emperor. However, the Grand Duke's liberal political views placed him at odds with Empress Alexandra, who regarded him as her personal enemy. A pessimistic man, Grand Duke Nicholas became increasingly worried about the political situation, especially after the Russian defeat in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 and the subsequent unrest. He wrote to Tolstoy, with whom he had carried on a friendly correspondence, on 1 October 1905: "I suffer all the more from my silence because every one of the government's flaws is so blindingly clear to me and I see no remedy except in a radical change from everything that now exists. But my aged father is still alive and, out of respect for him, I must be careful not to offend him by my views or my behavior."
caption: Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia
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