The Romanov family today.


1. Tsar Alexander II. Father of Alexander and Vladimir. Born 1818, assassinated 1881.
2. Grand Duke Vladimir, younger brother of Alexander III. Born 1847, died 1909.
3. Grand Duke Cyril, son of Vladimir. Born 1876, died 1938.
4. Grand Duke Vladimir, son of Cyril. Born 1917, died 1992.
5. Grand Duchess Marie, daughter of Vladimir. Born 1953.
6. Tsar Alexander III, older brother of Grand Duke Vladimir. Born 1845, died 1894.
7. Tsar Nicholas II, born 1868, murdered by the Bolsheviks in July of 1918.
8. Grand Duke George, younger brother of Nicholas II. Born 1871, died 1899.
9. Grand Duke Michael, also the younger brother of Nicholas II. Born 1878, murdered by the Bolsheviks in June of 1918.

With the murder of Nicholas II in 1918, the Romanov dynasty ended, as there was no longer any political support for it. Given the fact that Nicholas's two brothers were already dead, at least in theory, the line of succession to the throne passed to Grand Duke Cyril, Nicholas's cousin, and so on down that line of the branch of the family until even today. Again in theory, Marie is today's Empress, or at least a Grand Duchess. However, there is, again, no political support for her claim to the throne, hence I would think that her role would be strictly matriarchal. Life, does indeed, go on...