Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich, the grandson of Nicholas I, was born on April 13, 1866, in Tbilisi. He played a significant role in the development of the Russian Navy and aviation. From a young age, Alexander was prepared for imperial duties: he was taught mathematics, history, languages, and also how to handle weapons. Alexander himself decided to devote his life to the navy – one of his tutors, N.A. Zelenyy, often told his ward about the glorious history and courage of Russian sailors. Despite his parents’ disapproval (the navy in the Russian army was considered the least prestigious branch of service), by 1885, the prince had graduated from the Naval Academy and was enrolled in the Guards crew (the maritime part of the Imperial Guard). After completing his circumnavigation of the world (1886-1889), Alexander Mikhailovich, seeing the inevitability of war with Japan, attempted to modernize the domestic fleet. He developed a detailed program for the reorganization of the fleet over a ten-year period, but this program was not accepted by the then Minister of the Navy, Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich – he did not want any reforms in his department. This led to Alexander Mikhailovich’s removal from naval affairs for several long years. During the 1904-1905 war, the prince was tasked with intercepting any ships heading to Japan. However, after capturing the first ship with ammunition, Alexander Mikhailovich was removed from this work and ordered not to take any similar actions – senior officials feared worsening relations with England and Germany and their possible entry into the war. After the war, Alexander Nikolaevich began to establish aviation schools. In 1909, the first demonstration of Russian aviation organized by the prince took place. In the same year, the Sevastopol Aviation School was founded, whose graduates excelled during the First World War. During the revolution, Alexander Mikhailovich was under house arrest at his Crimean estate, Ai-Todor, which he could only leave in 1918 aboard the British cruiser HMS Foresight. The rest of his family followed aboard HMS Marlborough, making them the only grand ducal family to survive the revolution entirely.
In exile, Alexander Mikhailovich became interested in spiritualism, publishing several works on the subject. His research found followers overseas – the prince was invited to the United States, where he gave a series of lectures on the subject. Alexander Mikhailovich passed away on February 26, 1933, in France, in the town of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.