View source for Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia

{{Short description|Cousin of Tsar Nicholas II (1876–1938)}}

{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich
| image        = Великий князь Кирилл Владимирович.jpg
| succession   = [[House of Romanov|Head of the House of Romanov]]<br> (disputed until 1929)
| reign        = 31 August 1924<ref name=adg/> – 12 October 1938
| reign-type   = Tenure
| predecessor  = [[Nicholas II]]
| successor    = [[Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia|Vladimir]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]|8 October 1905|2 March 1936|reason=died}}
| issue        = {{Plainlist|
*[[Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna of Russia|Maria Kirillovna, Princess of Leiningen]]
*[[Grand Duchess Kira Kirillovna of Russia|Kira Kirillovna, Princess of Prussia]]
*[[Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia]]}}
| house        = [[House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov|Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov]]
| religion     = [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox]]
| father       = [[Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia]]
| mother       = [[Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
| birth_date   = {{OldStyleDate|12 October|1876|30 September}}
| birth_place  = [[Tsarskoye Selo]], [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russian Empire]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1938|10|12|1876|10|12}}
| death_place  = [[Neuilly-sur-Seine]], [[French Third Republic|France]]
| burial_place = {{Plainlist|
*{{Interlanguage link multi|Friedhof am Glockenberg|de}}, [[Coburg]] (1938–1995)
*[[Grand Ducal Mausoleum]], [[Peter and Paul Fortress]], [[Saint Petersburg]] (since 1995)}}
}}

'''Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia''' ({{langx|ru|Кирилл Владимирович Романов}}; ''Kirill Vladimirovich Romanov''; {{OldStyleDate|12 October|1876|30 September}} – 12 October 1938) was a son of [[Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia]], a grandson of Emperor [[Alexander II of Russia|Alexander II]] and a first cousin of [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]], Russia's last emperor. He was also the uncle of [[Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark|Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent]]. 

Grand Duke Kirill followed a career in the [[Imperial Russian Navy]] serving for 20 years in the Naval Guards. He took part in the [[Russo-Japanese War]], barely surviving the sinking of the [[battleship]] {{ship|Russian battleship|Petropavlovsk|1894|2}} at [[Lüshunkou District|Port Arthur]] in April 1904. In 1905, he married his paternal first cousin, [[Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], defying Nicholas II by not obtaining his consent. They had two daughters and settled in Paris before they were allowed to visit [[Russian Empire|Russia]] in 1909. In 1910 they moved to Russia. In [[World War I]], 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]] of 1917, Kirill marched to the [[Tauride Palace]] at the head of the Naval Guards and swore allegiance to the [[Russian Provisional Government]]. During the rule of the Provisional Governmental in the summer of 1917, Kirill escaped to [[Finland]], where his wife gave birth to the couple's only son. In exile, they lived for some years among his wife's relatives in [[Weimar Republic|Germany]] and, from the late 1920s, on an estate they bought in [[Saint-Briac-sur-Mer|Saint-Briac]], [[French Third Republic|France]].

With the death of his cousins Nicholas II and Grand Duke [[Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia|Michael]], Kirill proclaimed himself to be the head of the [[House of Romanov]] 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, [[Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna of Russia|Maria Vladimirovna]], is one of two claimants to the headship of the House of Romanov.

==Early life==
[[File:Grand Dukes Andrei, Kirill and Boris Vladimirovich in their childhood.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Kirill (centre) with his brothers Andrei (left) and Boris (right)]]

Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia was born on {{OldStyleDate|12 October|1876|30 September}} in [[Tsarskoye Selo]], at his parents' country residence, the Vladimir Villa.<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 53">Korneva & Cheboksarova, ''Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna'', p. 53.</ref> His father was [[Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia|Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich]], the third son of Emperor [[Alexander II of Russia]]. His mother was Grand Duchess [[Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (Maria Pavlovna of Russia)|Maria Pavlovna]], née Duchess Marie Alexandrine of Mecklenburg. As a grandson in the male line to a Russian Tsar, he was titled [[Grand Duke]]. 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.<ref>Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 167–168</ref> Both had imposing personalities and left a big imprint in the lives of Kirill and his siblings.<ref>Korneva & Cheboksarova, ''Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna'', p. 54.</ref>

Grand Duke Kirill was six months old when his eldest brother, Alexander, died in childhood.<ref name="Sullivan 168">Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 168.</ref> He also had three younger siblings: [[Grand Duke Boris Vladimirovich of Russia|Boris]], [[Grand Duke Andrei Vladimirovich of Russia|Andrei]], and [[Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia|Elena]]. The four surviving children were close to each other and to their parents, who were devoted to them.<ref name="Sullivan 168"/> Kirill Vladimirovich grew up between his parents' residence in [[St Petersburg]], the [[Vladimir Palace]], and their country retreat, the Vladimir Villa in Tsarskoye Selo.<ref name="Sullivan 169">Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 169</ref>  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.<ref name="Sullivan 169"/> He received military training and religion instruction, and learned the languages spoken by the Romanovs: [[Russian language|Russian]], [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]] and [[German language|German]]. During breaks from his daily lessons, he trained in a gym with his brothers at the Vladimir Palace.<ref name="Korneva & Cheboksarova 53"/> He traveled extensively with his parents visiting many European countries, including Spain.<ref name="Sullivan 170">Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 170.</ref> A love for music and carpentry work remained in him for the rest of his life.<ref name="Sullivan 170"/> In 1911 he designed a propeller-driven sled that is considered to be one of the predecessors of the [[Aerosani]].<ref>Illustrirte Zeitung, Der Motorschlitten des Großfürsten Kyrill von Russland. Vol. 136, Part 1, Nr. 3523,  J. J. Weber, Leipzig 5. Januar 1911, Page 46, online: {{Internet Archive|IllustrirteZeitung1361911Teil1Von3JANFEB1911|''Illustrirte Zeitung'' – "Der Motorschlitten des Großfürsten Kyrill von Russland" (in German)|page=55}}</ref>

==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.<ref name="Sullivan 170"/> He began his naval career as a midshipman on the sail training ship ''Moriak'' in the summer of 1892.<ref>Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 171.</ref> 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.<ref name="Sullivan, p. 172">Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 172.</ref> Between the summer 1893 and the autumn 1893, he was back at sea training in the ship ''[[Russian ironclad Kniaz Pozharsky|Prince Pojarsky]]''.<ref name="Sullivan, p. 172"/> After joining his father on a long trip to [[Spain]], in the summer 1894, he joined his third training ship, the frigate ''Vovin''.<ref name="Sullivan, p. 172"/> He concluded his training on the ship ''Vernyl'' on the [[Baltic Sea]] in the summer of 1895.<ref>Sullivan, ''A Fatal Passion'', p. 173.</ref> Grand Duke Kirill's uncle, Tsar [[Alexander III of Russia|Alexander III]], died on {{OldStyleDate|1 November|1894|20 October}} and Kirill's cousin, [[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]], became the new Tsar. During the coronation festivities in [[Moscow]], Kirill fell in love with his paternal first cousin,
[[Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]. They flirted with each other at the balls and celebrations, but Victoria Melita was already married to [[Ernest Louis, Grand Duke of Hesse]], the only brother of [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse)|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.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Club of Russians. The "Rousskaia Beceda," its aims and objects. A membership of forty, all of whom must speak Russian. |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1899-01-15/ed-1/seq-29/ |publisher=New York Tribune Illustrated Sunday Supplement |date=January 15, 1899 |page=5}}</ref> 

After graduating from the [[Naval Cadet Corps (Russia)|Naval Cadet Corps]] and [[Kuznetsov Naval Academy|Nikolaev Naval Academy]], on 1 January 1904, Kirill was promoted to [[Chief of staff (military)|Chief of Staff]] to the [[Russian Pacific Fleet]] in the [[Imperial Russian Navy]]. With the start of the [[Russo-Japanese War]], he was assigned to serve as [[Executive Officer (military)|First Officer]] on the [[battleship]] {{ship|Russian battleship|Petropavlovsk|1894|2}}, but the ship was blown up by a Japanese [[Naval mine|mine]] at [[Lüshunkou|Port Arthur]] in April 1904.<ref name=Cyril>{{cite news|title=Grand Duke Cyril Dies In Paris Exile|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|page=23|date=13 October 1938}}</ref> Kirill barely escaped with his life, and was invalided out of the service suffering from burns, back injuries and [[shell shock]].

==Marriage and children==
[[File:Le grand duc Cyril Vladimirovitch et sa famille (1922).jpg|thumb|upright|Kirill with his wife Victoria and their two daughters Marie and Kira]]

Grand Duke Kirill married his first cousin, [[Princess Victoria Melita of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]] on 8 October 1905 without any consent from Tsar Nicholas II.<ref name=adg>{{cite book|year=1998|publisher=Almanach de Gotha|edition=182nd|title=Almanach de Gotha|page=214}}</ref> Victoria's father was [[Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]], the second eldest son of [[Queen Victoria]]. Victoria's mother was [[Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia]], 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 of Hesse|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 (Dagmar of Denmark)|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 [[military awards and decorations|honours and decorations]], his position in the navy and then banished him from Russia,<ref>{{cite news|title=Czar Furious With Cousin|newspaper=New York Times|page=6|date=15 October 1905}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Grand Duke Degraded|newspaper=The New York Times|page=1|date=17 October 1905}}</ref> though the style of Imperial Highness and title of Grand Duke was restored on 5 October 1905,{{Clarification needed|reason=If he was stripped of title after the marriage on the 8th how can the title have restored before the marriage?|date=July 2025}} shortly after Kirill left Russia<ref>{{cite book |last1=Mironenko |first1=Sergei |title=A Lifelong Passion |date=1997 |publisher=Doubleday |isbn=0385486731 |page=282 |edition=1st}}</ref>

In 1908, after the death of Grand Duke [[Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia|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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Death Wins Pardon For A Grand Duke|newspaper=The New York Times|page=6|date=19 November 1908}}</ref> He was given the title Grand Duke of Russia {{Clarification|reason=how was he given a title in 1908 which was restored to him in 1905|date=July 2025}} and from then on his wife was styled as ''Her Imperial Highness'' Grand Duchess Viktoria Feodorovna. From 1909–1912, Kirill served on the cruiser {{ship|Russian cruiser|Oleg||2}} 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]] (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]] (30 August 1917 – 21 April 1992) married [[Leonida Bagration of Mukhrani|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]]. 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 [[Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (1856–1929)|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."<ref>Romanov, Kirill V. "My Life in Russia's Service," London: Seleyn & Blount, 1939., p.222.</ref>

==Revolution==
[[File:Victoria Melita and her family.jpg|thumb|Grand Duke Kirill with his wife and their three children.]] 
During the [[February Revolution]] of 1917, Kirill participated in a plan to establish a constitutional monarchy alongside [[Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia|Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich]] and [[Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia|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 [[Tsarskoye Selo]] on 1 March 1917. Mikhail and Kirill were supposed to deliver it to the Duma and request its implementation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Tsuyoshi Hasegawa Debunks False Stories About Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich |url=https://www.russianlegitimist.org/dr-tsuyoshi-hasegawa-debunks-false-stories-about-grand-duke-kirill-vladimirovich |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=The Russian Legitimist |language=en-GB}}</ref> However Kirill alone marched to the [[Tauride Palace]] at the head of the ''Garde Equipage'' (Marine Guard) .<ref name="Cyril" /><ref>{{cite news|title=Duke Cyril Prompt To Side With Duma|newspaper=New York Times|page=2|date=17 March 1917}}</ref> 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".<ref>{{cite book|author=Massie, Robert|page=[https://archive.org/details/nicholasalexandr00robe_3/page/433 433]|title=Nicholas and Alexandra|year=1969|url=https://archive.org/details/nicholasalexandr00robe_3|url-access=limited|isbn=033002213X}}</ref> It is probable that he had hoped that by ingratiating himself with the Provisional Government he would be declared [[regent]] after Nicholas II was made to abdicate.<ref>Crawford, Rosemary and Donald ''Michael and Natasha: The Life and Love of the Last Tsar of Russia'' [[Weidenfeld & Nicolson]] (1997) p.276.</ref>

In June 1917 Kirill and Victoria moved to [[Finland]] and then escaped to [[Coburg]] 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]], 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''.<ref name=adg/> By the laws of the [[Russian Empire]] 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 [[Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich of Russia (1856–1929)|Nicholas]]. 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.<ref>Shain, Yossi ''The Frontier of Loyalty: Political Exiles in the Age of the Nation-State'' University of Michigan Press (2005) p.69.</ref>

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.<ref name=Cyril/> While living in exile, he was supported by some [[émigré]]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]]'' 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]] – although it distanced itself from other fascist movements.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.imperialhouse.ru/en/allnews-en/articles/4311.html|title=This era of globalization is also an era of monarchs as symbols: An Interview with the Director of the Chancellery of the Russian Imperial House, A. N. Zakatov on the website "Russia for Everyone"|publisher=Imperial House|date=30 May 2013|access-date=13 September 2019}}</ref> 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 Lvovich Kazembek|Alexander Kazem-Bek]], was spotted meeting with an [[Joint State Political Directorate|OGPU]] 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cyril |url=https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/541667 |title=My life in Russia's service - then and now |last2=Lieven |first2=Leonid |date=1939 |publisher=Selwyn & Blount |location=London}}</ref>

Kirill was succeeded by his son [[Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia|Vladimir Kirillovich]] who styled himself "Grand Duke and head of the Russian Imperial House".

Kirill was buried at the ducal mausoleum at ''{{Interlanguage link multi|Friedhof am Glockenberg|de}}'', Coburg.<ref>{{cite book|author=Klüglein, Norbert|title=Führer durch Coburg Stadt und Land|language=de|publisher=Verkehrsverein Coburg|orig-year=1991|year=1995}}</ref>{{rp|47}} Following the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union]], the remains of Kirill and his spouse were transferred from Coburg to the [[Grand Ducal Mausoleum]] of the [[Peter and Paul Fortress]] in [[St. Petersburg]], Russia on 7 March 1995 after negotiations conducted by his granddaughter Maria Vladimirovna.
[[File:Imperial Monogram of Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich of Russia.svg|thumb|264x264px|The imperial monogram of Grand Duke Cyril Vladimirovich]]

Among his activities he was close to members of the [[Nazi Party]], when he was in Germany. On one occasion, he is said to have paid [[Erich Ludendorff]] "a sum of nearly half a million gold marks in 1922-1923 for German-Russian national matters".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Coogan |first1=Kevin |title=Dreamer of the day: Francis Parker Yockey and the Postwar Fascist International|page=603 |date=1999 |publisher=Autonomedia |location=Brooklyn, New York |isbn=1-57027-039-2}}</ref>

==Honours==
*{{flagicon|Russian Empire}} Knight of the [[Order of St. Andrew]], Russian Empire<ref name="p84">Justus Perthes, ''Almanach de Gotha'' (1922) [https://archive.org/details/almanachdegotha1922goth/page/84 p. 84]</ref>
*{{flagicon|Denmark}} Knight of the [[Order of the Elephant]], Kingdom of Denmark – ''18 October 1928''<ref>Jørgen Pedersen: ''Riddere af Elefantordenen 1559–2009'', Odense: Syddansk Universitetsforlag, 2009. {{ISBN|8776744345}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Greece|royal}} Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Redeemer]], Kingdom of Greece – ''January 1901'' – during a visit to Greece<ref>{{cite newspaper The Times|title=Court circular|date=8 January 1902|page=4|issue=36659}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach}} Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the White Falcon]], Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach – ''1896''<ref>''[https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00185861/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_16_0245.tif Staatshandbuch für das Großherzogtum Sachsen / Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenach] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200906150133/https://zs.thulb.uni-jena.de/rsc/viewer/jportal_derivate_00185861/Staatshandbuch_Film_Nr_16_0245.tif |date=6 September 2020 }}'' (1900), "Großherzogliche Hausorden" p. 17</ref>
*{{flagicon|Austria-Hungary}} Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of St. Stephen of Hungary|Royal Hungarian Order of St. Stephen]], Austro-Hungarian Empire – ''1897''<ref>[http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm "A Szent István Rend tagjai"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101222022855/http://tornai.com/rendtagok.htm|date=22 December 2010}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|French Third Republic}} Knight Grand Cross of the [[Legion of Honour]], French Republic – ''September 1897''<ref>{{cite book| author = M. Wattel, B. Wattel. | title = Les Grand'Croix de la Légion d'honneur de 1805 à nos jours. Titulaires français et étrangers |location= Paris |date = 2009 |publisher= Archives & Culture | page = 518 | isbn = 978-2-35077-135-9| ref = M. et B. Wattel}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Grand Duchy of Hesse}} Knight Grand Cross of the [[Ludwig Order]], Grand Duchy of Hesse and by Rhine – ''12 October 1899''<ref name="ordensliste">{{citation|title=Großherzoglich Hessische Ordensliste|chapter=Ludewigs-orden|page=8|lang=German|location=Darmstadt|year=1907|publisher=Staatsverlag}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Portugal|1830}} Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Tower and Sword]], Kingdom of Portugal – ''31 December 1903''<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bragança |first1=Jose Vicente de|last2=Estrela |first2=Paulo Jorge |date=2017 |title=Troca de Decorações entre os Reis de Portugal e os Imperadores da Rússia|url=https://www.academia.edu/35782766 |language=pt|trans-title=Exchange of Decorations between the Kings of Portugal and the Emperors of Russia|journal=Pro Phalaris |volume=16 |page=12 |access-date=19 March 2020 }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Brunswick}} Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Henry the Lion]], Duchy of Brunswick – ''1907''<ref>Zimmermann, Paul: ''Hof- und Staatshandbuch des Herzogtums Braunschweig für das Jahr 1912''. Braunschweig 1912. Meyer. p. 9</ref>
*{{flagicon|Sweden}} Knight of the [[Order of the Seraphim]], Kingdom of Sweden – ''13 July 1912''<ref>{{citation|title=Svensk rikskalender|year=1921|page=784|url=https://runeberg.org/statskal/1921/0784.html|via=runeberg.org|access-date=2018-01-06|language=sv}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Empire of Japan}} Grand Cordon of the [[Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum]], Empire of Japan – ''8 July 1898''<ref>{{cite book|author=刑部芳則|title=明治時代の勲章外交儀礼|url=http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f54-5.pdf|year=2017|publisher=明治聖徳記念学会紀要|language=ja|page=149}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|Kingdom of Prussia}} Knight of the [[Order of the Black Eagle]], Kingdom of Prussia<ref name="p84"/>
*{{flagicon|Kingdom of Saxony}} Knight of the [[Order of the Rue Crown]], Kingdom of Saxony<ref name="p84"/>

==Portrayal==
In the 1986 miniseries ''[[Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna]],'' Sir [[Rex Harrison]] portrayed Kirill as an embittered and dangerous enemy to [[Anna Anderson]], who notoriously claimed to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia.

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes|align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|1= 1. '''Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich of Russia'''
|2= 2. [[Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia]]
|3= 3. [[Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|4= 4. [[Alexander II of Russia]]
|5= 5. [[Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse)|Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine]]
|6= 6. [[Frederick Francis II, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|7= 7. [[Princess Augusta Reuss of Köstritz]]
|8= 8. [[Nicholas I of Russia]]
|9= 9. [[Alexandra Feodorovna (Charlotte of Prussia)|Princess Charlotte of Prussia]]
|10= 10. [[Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse|Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine]]
|11= 11. [[Princess Wilhelmine of Baden]]
|12= 12. [[Paul Frederick, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin]]
|13= 13. [[Alexandrine of Prussia, Grand Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin|Princess Alexandrine of Prussia]]
|14= 14. [[Heinrich LXIII, Prince Reuss of Köstritz]]
|15= 15. Countess Eleonore of [[Stolberg-Wernigerode]]
}}

==See also==
*[[White émigré]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{Reflist|20em}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin|30em}}
*Chavchavadze, David. ''The Grand Dukes'', Atlantic, 1989, {{ISBN|0-938311-11-5}}
*Perry, John and Pleshakov, Constantine. ''The Flight of the Romanovs'', Basic Books, 1999, {{ISBN|0-465-02462-9}}.
* {{Cite book |last=Prassoloff |first=Boris |title=Tsars sans empire : Les prétendants Romanov en exil 1919–1992 |location=[[Paris]] |publisher=Éditions Perrin |year=2024 |isbn=978-2262103415 |language=fr }}
*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]], 1997, {{ISBN|0-679-42400-8}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*{{PM20|FID=pe/010772}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Romanov|House of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov]]|12 October|1876|12 October|1938|[[House of Oldenburg]]}}
{{S-pre}}
|-
{{S-vac|last=[[Nicholas II of Russia|Nicholas II]]}}
{{S-tul|title=[[Emperor of Russia]]|years=31 August 1924<sup>1</sup> – 12 October 1938|reason=[[February Revolution|Empire abolished in 1917]]}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich of Russia|Vladimir Cyrillovitch]]}}
{{s-ref|{{cite book|year=1998|publisher=Almanach de Gotha|edition=182nd|title=Almanach de Gotha|page=214}}}}

{{Russian grand dukes}}
{{Pretenders to the Russian throne since 1917}}
{{Authority control}}

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