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Grand Duke Michael of Russia, Mikhail Alexandrovich Romanov (Russian: Михаил Александрович Романов), sometimes called Emperor Michael II (November 22, 1878 (O.S.) - about June 12, 1918) was the son of Tsar Alexander III of Russia, and brother of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. When Nicholas II abdicated the imperial crown on March 15, 1917, he did so in both his own name and in the name of his son, and named Michael as the next Tsar. However, on March 16, 1917 Michael publicly declared his refusal of the throne, thereby ending the rule of the Romanov dynasty that began on February 7, 1613 with Michael Fedorovitch. Though history sometimes refers to him as Michael II, in reality he never reigned. Historians differ as to whether to view Michael as the last Tsar. They universally accept Nicholas II as the last effective Tsar.
Bolshevik functionaries killed Michael Alexandrovich in the course of attempting to exterminate the Romanovs. The best source material, both archival from Russia and elsewhere, seems to indicate that Michael was killed in the outskirts of Perm on June 12, 1918. The order to execute him appears to have been given by the Perm Cheka, though responsibility is clouded by the conflicting statements of the men involved. The Ural Regional Soviet at Yekaterinburg and the Bolshevik leadership in Moscow would not admit having any hand in the murder, but each had good reason for pleading ignorance; each endorsed it afterwards and both conspired in the cover-up.
The Bolshevik regime purportedly shot Michael as a test and floated rumours of his execution in the West -- to see exactly what reaction would come from the Romanovs' relatives, most specifically from King George V of the United Kingdom. Substantial documentation suggests that the King's silence on the issue, and that of the British government of David Lloyd George, convinced the Soviets that they could then shoot other members of the Imperial Family without fear of retribution.
Virtual Museum of Michael Romanov in Perm with information about his last days in Perm
http://www.permonline.ru/~museum/romanov/
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