Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia was born on December 4, 1878, and was the youngest son of Tsar Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna. He was a member of the Romanov dynasty and held the title of Grand Duke, which is a high rank in the Russian nobility. During the tumultuous period of the Russian Revolution, Michael was briefly proclaimed as the Tsar in 1917 but abdicated in favor of his brother, Tsar Nicholas II. He was later executed by Bolsheviks in 1918, marking the tragic end of the Romanov family's rule in Russia.