Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia (; ''Kirill Vladimirovich Romanov''; – 12 October 1938) was a son of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, a grandson of Emperor Alexander II and a first cousin of

Nicholas II Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 186817 July 1918) or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. He married ...

, Russia's last emperor. He was also the uncle of Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. Grand Duke Kirill followed a career in the

Imperial Russian Navy The Imperial Russian Navy () operated as the navy of the Russian Tsardom and later the Russian Empire from 1696 to 1917. Formally established in 1696, it lasted until being dissolved in the wake of the February Revolution and the declaration of ...

serving for 20 years in the Naval Guards. He took part in the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

, barely surviving the sinking of the

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

at Port Arthur in April 1904. In 1905, he married his paternal first cousin,

Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Grand Duchess Victoria Feodorovna of Russia (born Princess Victoria Melita of Edinburgh; 25 November 1876 – 2 March 1936), was the third child and second daughter of Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna ...

, defying Nicholas II by not obtaining his consent. They had two daughters and settled in Paris before they were allowed to visit

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

in 1909. In 1910 they moved to Russia. In

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Grand Duke Kirill was appointed Commander of the Naval Depot of the Guards in 1915. He achieved the rank of rear admiral in the Imperial Navy in 1916. During the

February Revolution The February Revolution (), known in Soviet historiography as the February Bourgeois Democratic Revolution and sometimes as the March Revolution or February Coup was the first of Russian Revolution, two revolutions which took place in Russia ...

of 1917, Kirill marched to the Tauride Palace at the head of the Naval Guards and swore allegiance to the

Russian Provisional Government The Russian Provisional Government was a provisional government of the Russian Empire and Russian Republic, announced two days before and established immediately after the abdication of Nicholas II on 2 March, O.S. New_Style.html" ;"title="5 ...

. During the rule of the Provisional Governmental in the summer of 1917, Kirill escaped to

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

, where his wife gave birth to the couple's only son. In exile, they lived for some years among his wife's relatives in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and, from the late 1920s, on an estate they bought in Saint-Briac,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. With the death of his cousins Nicholas II and Grand Duke

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

, Kirill proclaimed himself to be the head of the

House of Romanov The House of Romanov (also transliterated as Romanoff; , ) was the reigning dynasty, imperial house of Russia from 1613 to 1917. They achieved prominence after Anastasia Romanovna married Ivan the Terrible, the first crowned tsar of all Russi ...

and, as next in line to the throne, as the Guardian of the Throne in 1924. Kirill proclaimed himself emperor-in-exile in 1926. He worked for the restoration of the monarchy from exile for the rest of his life, but his claims were contested by some factions of the monarchists in a division that continues today. He wrote a book of memoirs, ''My Life in Russia's Service'', which was published after his death. His granddaughter, Maria Vladimirovna, is one of two claimants to the headship of the House of Romanov.

Early life

Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia was born on in

Tsarskoye Selo Tsarskoye Selo (, , ) was the town containing a former residence of the Russian House of Romanov, imperial family and visiting nobility, located south from the center of Saint Petersburg. The residence now forms part of the Pushkin, Saint Peter ...

, at his parents' country residence, the Vladimir Villa.Korneva & Cheboksarova, ''Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna'', p. 53. His father was Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, the third son of Emperor

Alexander II of Russia Alexander II ( rus, Алекса́ндр II Никола́евич, Aleksándr II Nikoláyevich, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ftɐˈroj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ; 29 April 181813 March 1881) was Emperor of Russia, Congress Poland, King of Poland and Grand Du ...

. His mother was Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna, née Duchess Marie Alexandrine of Mecklenburg. As a grandson in the male line to a Russian Tsar, he was titled

Grand Duke Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly: * in ...

. Kirill's parents, wealthy and sophisticated, were influential figures in Russian society. Grand Duke Vladimir was cultured and a great patron of the arts, while Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna was a renowned hostess in the Imperial capital. Both had imposing personalities and left a big imprint in the lives of Kirill and his siblings. Grand Duke Kirill was six months old when his eldest brother, Alexander, died in childhood.Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 168. He also had three younger siblings: Boris, Andrei, and Elena. The four surviving children were close to each other and to their parents, who were devoted to them. Kirill Vladimirovich grew up between his parents' residence in

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, the

Vladimir Palace The Vladimir Palace (, Vladimirsky dvorets) is the former palace of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, son of Alexander II of Russia, Alexander II. It was one of the last imperial palaces to be constructed in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It ...

, and their country retreat, the Vladimir Villa in Tsarskoye Selo.Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 169 Until he was fourteen years of age, Grand Duke Kirill was educated at home by private tutors. His education was supervised by General Alexander Daller, a retired artillery officer. He received military training and religion instruction, and learned the languages spoken by the Romanovs:

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

, English, French and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. During breaks from his daily lessons, he trained in a gym with his brothers at the Vladimir Palace. He traveled extensively with his parents visiting many European countries, including Spain.Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 170. A love for music and carpentry work remained in him for the rest of his life. In 1911 he designed a propeller-driven sled that is considered to be one of the predecessors of the Aerosani.

Naval career

From an early age, Grand Duke Kirill had a love for the sea and his parents encouraged him to follow a career in the Imperial Navy. At age fifteen, in the autumn 1891, he began his training for the naval college. He began his naval career as a midshipman on the sail training ship ''Moriak'' in the summer of 1892. He returned to his home in Tsarkoe Selo in the winter 1892 and spent the following year studying for his examinations at the naval college.Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 172. Between the summer 1893 and the autumn 1893, he was back at sea training in the ship '' Prince Pojarsky''. After joining his father on a long trip to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

, in the summer 1894, he joined his third training ship, the frigate ''Vovin''. He concluded his training on the ship ''Vernyl'' on the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

in the summer of 1895. Grand Duke Kirill's uncle, Tsar Alexander III, died on and Kirill's cousin,

, became the new Tsar. During the coronation festivities in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, Kirill fell in love with his paternal first cousin,

. They flirted with each other at the balls and celebrations, but Victoria Melita was already married to

Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse Ernest Louis (; 25 November 1868 – 9 October 1937) was the last Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, reigning from 1892 until 1918. Early life Ernest Louis was the elder son of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine and Princess Alice of ...

, the only brother of Tsarina Alexandra. In 1898, he took a trip around the world. One of his last stops was in New York in January 1899. He was invited to the newly formed Russian-speaking club "Rousskaia Beceda" and elected Honorary President. After graduating from the Naval Cadet Corps and Nikolaev Naval Academy, on 1 January 1904, Kirill was promoted to

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

to the Russian Pacific Fleet in the

. With the start of the

, he was assigned to serve as First Officer on the

, but the ship was blown up by a Japanese mine at Port Arthur in April 1904. Kirill barely escaped with his life, and was invalided out of the service suffering from burns, back injuries and

shell shock Shell shock is a term that originated during World War I to describe symptoms similar to those of combat stress reaction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which many soldiers suffered during the war. Before PTSD was officially recogni ...

Marriage and children

Grand Duke Kirill married his first cousin,

on 8 October 1905 without any consent from Tsar Nicholas II. Victoria's father was

Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Alfred (Alfred Ernest Albert; 6 August 184430 July 1900) was sovereign Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 22 August 1893 until his death in 1900. He was the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He was known as the Du ...

, the second eldest son of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. Victoria's mother was

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (; – 22 October 1920) was the sixth child and only surviving daughter of Alexander II of Russia and Marie of Hesse and by Rhine; she was Duchess of Edinburgh and later Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and G ...

, a daughter of Tsar Alexander II and Kirill's paternal aunt. The marriage caused a scandal in the courts of European royalty as Princess Victoria was divorced from her first husband, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse, also her first cousin. The Grand Duke of Hesse's sister was Tsarina Alexandra Fyodorovna, the wife of Nicholas II. The Tsarina already disliked her former sister-in-law and first cousin, being instrumental in leading the opposition to the marriage in the Russian court. She was not alone in her opposition. Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna was also appalled at the effrontery of Kirill's marriage. Shortly after Kirill's return to Russia, the Tsar stripped Kirill of his imperial allowance and title of Imperial Highness, his honours and decorations, his position in the navy and then banished him from Russia, though the style of Imperial Highness and title of Grand Duke was restored on 5 October 1905, shortly after Kirill left Russia In 1908, after the death of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich, Nicholas II restored Kirill to his rank of captain in the Imperial Russian Navy and his position as aide de camp to the emperor. He was given the title Grand Duke of Russia and from then on his wife was styled as ''Her Imperial Highness'' Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna. From 1909–1912, Kirill served on the cruiser and was its captain in 1912. In 1913, he joined the Maritime Division of the Imperial Guard and was made Commander of the Naval Guards in 1915. Grand Duke Kirill and Princess Victoria Melita had three children: *

Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna of Russia Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor Places * Grand, Oklahoma, USA * Grand, Vosges, village and commune in France with Gallo-Roman amphitheatre * Grand County (disambiguation) ...

(2 February 1907 – 27 October 1951) married Friedrich Karl, Prince of Leiningen on 25 November 1925. They had seven children. * Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia (9 May 1909 – 8 September 1967) married Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia on 31 October 1938. They had seven children. *

Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia (; 21 April 1992) was the Head of the Imperial Family of Russia, a position which he claimed from 1938 to his death in 1992. Early life Vladimir was born Prince Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia at Porvoo in ...

(30 August 1917 – 21 April 1992) married Princess Leonida Georgievna Bagration-Moukhransky on 13 August 1948. They had one daughter. All the children were born to the rank of Prince and Princess of Russia, not entitled to the rank of Grand Duke or Grand Duchess as they were not children or grandchildren in the male line of a Russian Emperor according to the

Pauline Laws The Pauline Laws are the house laws of the Romanov rulers of the Russian Empire. The name comes from the fact that they were initially established by Emperor Paul I of Russia in 1797. Previously drafted privately as a contract between Paul Petrov ...

. In accordance with these laws, Kirill raised his children to the rank of Grand Duke and Grand Duchess after assuming the position of senior male of the Romanov family, and Head of the Imperial House. This elevation was openly denounced by Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich when he published a private letter of the Dowager Empress in 1924 in which she stated that Kirill's assumption of the position was "premature." The Dowager Empress believed that her sons and grandsons might still be alive in Russia. Grand Duke Kirill wrote to Grand Duchess Xenia "Nothing can be compared to what I shall now have to endure on this account, and I know full well I can expect no mercy from all the malicious attacks and accusations of vanity."

Revolution

During the

of 1917, Kirill participated in a plan to establish a constitutional monarchy alongside Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich and Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich. Grand Duke Paul drafted a decree and planned to convince Nicholas to sign it when he disembarked from his train at

on 1 March 1917. Mikhail and Kirill were supposed to deliver it to the Duma and request its implementation. However Kirill alone marched to the Tauride Palace at the head of the ''Garde Equipage'' (Marine Guard) . Kirill had authorised the flying of a red flag over his palace on Glinka Street in Petrograd and in correspondence with a Romanov relative claimed credit for "saving the situation by my recognition of the Provisional Government". It is probable that he had hoped that by ingratiating himself with the Provisional Government he would be declared

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

after Nicholas II was made to abdicate. In June 1917 Kirill and Victoria moved to

and then escaped to

Coburg Coburg ( , ) is a Town#Germany, town located on the Itz (river), Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Ernestine duchies, Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only ...

in 1920. The exiled family subsequently moved to a small residence in the tiny French fishing village of Saint-Briac-sur-Mer.

Life abroad

After a London court order in July 1924 recognized Grand Duke Michael to be

legally dead ''Legally Dead'' is a 1923 American drama film directed by William Parke and written by Harvey Gates. The film stars Milton Sills, Margaret Campbell, Claire Adams, Eddie Sturgis, Faye O'Neill, and Charles A. Stevenson. The film was released o ...

, Kirill first declared himself "Guardian of the Throne" on 8 August 1924 and then on 31 August 1924 he assumed the title ''Emperor of all the Russias''. By the laws of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

he was the heir to the throne. However, his claim caused division within the family; his principal rival, and the only one to reject his claim was Grand Duke

Nicholas Nicholas is a male name, the Anglophone version of an ancient Greek name in use since antiquity, and cognate with the modern Greek , . It originally derived from a combination of two Ancient Greek, Greek words meaning 'victory' and 'people'. In ...

. In 1926 at a (Russian) monarchists congress in Paris the delegates voted to recognize Grand Duke Nicholas as their leader; however, with Nicholas's death in 1929 Kirill became the undisputed leader of the monarchists. After claiming the throne, Kirill became known as the "Soviet Tsar" because in the event of a restoration of the monarchy, he intended to keep some of the features of the Soviet regime. While living in exile, he was supported by some

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social exile or self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Hugueno ...

s who styled themselves "legitimists" (''legitimisti'', in Russian легитимисты), underlining the "legitimacy" of Kirill's succession. The opponents of Kirill were known as the "un-predetermined" (''nepredreshentsi'', in Russian непредрешенцы); they believed that in the wake of the radical revolutionary events that the convening of a ''

Zemsky Sobor The ''Zemsky Sobor'' ( rus, зе́мский собо́р, p=ˈzʲemskʲɪj sɐˈbor, t=assembly of the land) was a parliament of the Tsardom of Russia's estates of the realm active during the 16th and 17th centuries. The assembly represented ...

'' was necessary in order to choose a new monarch for Russia. Kirill found his strongest support among a group of legitimists known as the Mladorossi, a Russian émigré monarchist organization that ultimately became heavily influenced by

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

– although it distanced itself from other fascist movements. The organization began to exhibit pro-Soviet sympathies, arguing that the monarchy and the Soviet Bolshevik system could peacefully coexist (their slogan being "Tsar and the Soviets", a socialist version of the traditional "Tsar and People"). Kirill became more wary of the organization when he learned that its founder, Alexander Kazem-Bek, was spotted meeting with an

OGPU The Joint State Political Directorate ( rus, Объединённое государственное политическое управление, p=ɐbjɪdʲɪˈnʲɵn(ː)əjə ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)əjə pəlʲɪˈtʲitɕɪskəjə ʊprɐˈv ...

agent. Kirill accepted Kazem-Bek's voluntary resignation. Just before he died, he wrote his autobiography, ''My Life in Russia's Service – Then and Now'' which was published in 1939. Kirill was succeeded by his son Vladimir Kirillovich who styled himself "Grand Duke and head of the Russian Imperial House". Kirill was buried at the ducal mausoleum at ', Coburg. Following the

Dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

, the remains of Kirill and his spouse were transferred from Coburg to the

Grand Ducal Mausoleum The Grand Ducal Burial Vault (Russian language, Russian: Великокняжеская усыпальница) is the purpose-built mausoleum of the Grand Dukes of Russia, Grand Dukes and Duchesses of Russia in the Peter and Paul Fortress. The Ba ...

of the

Peter and Paul Fortress The Peter and Paul Fortress () is the original citadel of Saint Petersburg, Russia, founded by Peter the Great in 1703 and built to Domenico Trezzini's designs from 1706 to 1740 as a star fortress. Between the first half of the 1700s and early ...

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, Russia on 7 March 1995 after negotiations conducted by his granddaughter Maria Vladimirovna. Imperial Monogram of Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia

Imperial Monogram of Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia

Among his activities he was close to members of the

Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

, when he was in Germany. On one occasion, he is said to have paid

Erich Ludendorff Erich Friedrich Wilhelm Ludendorff (; 9 April 1865 – 20 December 1937) was a German general and politician. He achieved fame during World War I (1914–1918) for his central role in the German victories at Battle of Liège, Liège and Battle ...

"a sum of nearly half a million gold marks in 1922-1923 for German-Russian national matters".

Honours

* Knight of the Order of St. Andrew, Russian EmpireJustus Perthes, ''Almanach de Gotha'' (1922
p. 84
/ref> * Knight of the

Order of the Elephant The Order of the Elephant () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry and is Denmark's highest-ranked honour. It has origins in the 15th century, but has officially existed since 1693, and since the establishment of constitutional monarchy in ...

, Kingdom of Denmark – ''18 October 1928'' * Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Redeemer The Order of the Redeemer (), also known as the Order of the Saviour, is an order of merit of Greece. The Order of the Redeemer is the oldest and highest decoration awarded by the modern Greek state. Establishment The establishment of the Orde ...

, Kingdom of Greece – ''January 1901'' – during a visit to Greece * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the White Falcon, Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – ''1896'' * Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen, Austro-Hungarian Empire – ''1897'' * Knight Grand Cross of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

, French Republic – ''September 1897'' * Knight Grand Cross of the Ludwig Order, Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine – ''12 October 1899'' * Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the Tower and Sword The Military Order of the Tower and of the Sword, of Valour, Loyalty and Merit (), before 1917 the ancient and most noble order of the Tower and of the Sword, of valour, loyalty and merit (), is one of the four former ancient Portuguese milita ...

, Kingdom of Portugal – ''31 December 1903'' * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Henry the Lion, Duchy of Brunswick – ''1907'' * Knight of the

Order of the Seraphim The Royal Order of the Seraphim (; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is the highest order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Sweden. It was created by Frederick I of Sweden, King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the ...

, Kingdom of Sweden – ''13 July 1912'' * Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum, Empire of Japan – ''8 July 1898'' * Knight of the

Order of the Black Eagle The Order of the Black Eagle () was the highest order of chivalry in the Kingdom of Prussia. The order was founded on 17 January 1701 by Elector Friedrich III of Brandenburg (who became Friedrich I of Prussia, Friedrich I, King in Prussia, the ...

, Kingdom of Prussia * Knight of the

Order of the Rue Crown The Order of the Rue Crown () or Order of the Crown of Saxony was a dynastic order of knighthood of the Kingdom of Saxony. The order takes its name from the green floral crown of rue ('' crancelin'') found in the coat of arms of Saxony. It occup ...

, Kingdom of Saxony

Portrayal

In the 1986 miniseries '' Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna,'' Sir

Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage at the Liverpool Playhouse in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play '' French W ...

portrayed Kirill as an embittered and dangerous enemy to Anna Anderson, who notoriously claimed to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia.

Ancestry

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

*Chavchavadze, David. ''The Grand Dukes'', Atlantic, 1989, *Perry, John and Pleshakov, Constantine. ''The Flight of the Romanovs'', Basic Books, 1999, . * *Kirill, Grand Duke. ''My Life in Russia's Service - Then and Now''. London: Seleyn & Blount. 1939. ASIN: B001AS1FMI *Sullivan, Michael John. ''A Fatal Passion: The Story of the Uncrowned Last Empress of Russia,''

Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...

, 1997,

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirill Vladimirovich, Grand Duke of Russia 1876 births 1938 deaths People from Pushkin, Saint Petersburg People from Tsarskoselsky Uyezd House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov Grand dukes of Russia Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour House of Romanov in exile Russian military personnel of the Russo-Japanese War Pretenders to the Russian throne White Russian collaborators with Nazi Germany White Russian emigrants to Finland White Russian emigrants to France White Russian emigrants to Germany Russian fascists Russian monarchists Burials at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg People of the February Revolution