December 1, 1900
A correspondent for the Chicago Daily Tribune writes: "Should Nicholas succumb to his present illness -- he may be dead before this letter appears in print -- something akin to an interregnum will ensue in Russia."
A correspondent for the Chicago Daily Tribune writes: "Should Nicholas succumb to his present illness -- he may be dead before this letter appears in print -- something akin to an interregnum will ensue in Russia."
Empress Alexandra expects her third child in February, "and until it is known whether the new arrival is a boy or a girl the question of the succession to the throne will remain unsolved." If the child is a girl, Grand Duke Michael will succeed to the throne as the new Czar, but until then "Michael will have to content himself with the regency, with which he will doubtless invest himself from the moment of his brother's death." As Regent, Michael will contend solely with the temporal powers of the Russian Emperor, as the "ecclesiastical prerogatives and supremacy" form a part of the coronation service.
The birth of a posthumous heir is not unknown. King Alfonso XII died six months before his wife, Queen Maria Cristina, gave birth to a son, King Alfonso XIII. Alfonso's older sister, Infanta Mercedes, Princess of Asturias, was the "Queen", but she reverted to the position as heir following Alfonso's birth. She will remain as Princess of Asturias until her brother marries and has a child.
Russia's succession laws are different. Women are allowed to succeed to the throne only after the extinction of all the eligible Grand Dukes and Princes of Russia. Although Nicholas and Alexandra have two daughters, Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana, all of "the male heirs to the throne take precedence over them.
At this time there are "twenty or thirty" male Romanovs who are ahead of Olga and Tatiana in the line of succession.
Grand Duke Michael was born on November 26, 1878. He became of age four years ago. Slightly taller than his older brother, Michael "is far from having inherited his stalwart proportions or colossal stature of his father," the late Emperor Alexander III. Michael "takes far more after his mother than his father, and resembles her alike in face and in slightness of figure."
Michael was "his father's favorite, and the one person in the empire who had the audacity to check that stern autocrat and to laugh in his face."
As Regent, Michael may be expected to "effect radical modifications of the policy pursued by his brother Nicholas, from who he is known to differ on a number of important points." He disapproves of Nicholas' attitude toward Finland, as he is especially fond of the country, and its people.
Michael is in favor of "restoring to the Finns those constitutional rights assured to them by treaty and imperial coronation oath." But he is "far less disposed" than Nicholas "to introduce anything in the shape of liberal reforms in Russia proper."
Owing to being his father's favorite, and also having been influenced by his mother, Michael "is thoroughly imbued with the reactionary ideas and principles of Alexander III." He possesses more energy than Nicholas, but he lacks "his brother's breadth of view and desire for progress and enlightenment."
Michael also "lacks cosmopolitan knowledge," as "his knowledge of foreign countries has been derived from the annual trips to Copenhagen with his mother and a couple of stays with her in the south of France."
The birth of a posthumous heir is not unknown. King Alfonso XII died six months before his wife, Queen Maria Cristina, gave birth to a son, King Alfonso XIII. Alfonso's older sister, Infanta Mercedes, Princess of Asturias, was the "Queen", but she reverted to the position as heir following Alfonso's birth. She will remain as Princess of Asturias until her brother marries and has a child.
Russia's succession laws are different. Women are allowed to succeed to the throne only after the extinction of all the eligible Grand Dukes and Princes of Russia. Although Nicholas and Alexandra have two daughters, Grand Duchesses Olga and Tatiana, all of "the male heirs to the throne take precedence over them.
At this time there are "twenty or thirty" male Romanovs who are ahead of Olga and Tatiana in the line of succession.
Grand Duke Michael was born on November 26, 1878. He became of age four years ago. Slightly taller than his older brother, Michael "is far from having inherited his stalwart proportions or colossal stature of his father," the late Emperor Alexander III. Michael "takes far more after his mother than his father, and resembles her alike in face and in slightness of figure."
Michael was "his father's favorite, and the one person in the empire who had the audacity to check that stern autocrat and to laugh in his face."
As Regent, Michael may be expected to "effect radical modifications of the policy pursued by his brother Nicholas, from who he is known to differ on a number of important points." He disapproves of Nicholas' attitude toward Finland, as he is especially fond of the country, and its people.
Michael is in favor of "restoring to the Finns those constitutional rights assured to them by treaty and imperial coronation oath." But he is "far less disposed" than Nicholas "to introduce anything in the shape of liberal reforms in Russia proper."
Owing to being his father's favorite, and also having been influenced by his mother, Michael "is thoroughly imbued with the reactionary ideas and principles of Alexander III." He possesses more energy than Nicholas, but he lacks "his brother's breadth of view and desire for progress and enlightenment."
Michael also "lacks cosmopolitan knowledge," as "his knowledge of foreign countries has been derived from the annual trips to Copenhagen with his mother and a couple of stays with her in the south of France."
He has "seen of life abroad" through the eyes of his mother. His only journey alone was to travel from Copenhagen to Aberdeen to spend a few days with the "venerable Queen Victoria" at Balmoral. Most likely, Victoria was considering the young Grand Duke as a possible husband for one of her eligible granddaughters.
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