Alexander Bagration of Mukhrani

Alexander Bagration of Mukhrani (ალექსანდრე ბაგრატიონ-მუხრანელი, Alek’sandre Bagration-Mukhraneli; Александр Ираклиевич Багратион-Мухранский, Aleksandr Iraklyevich Bagration-Mukhransky) (July 20, 1853 – October 30, 1918) was a Georgian nobleman, and head of the princely House of Mukhrani, a collateral branch of the former royal dynasty of Bagrationi. A general in the Imperial Russian service and member of the tsar Nicholas II’s immediate circle, he was killed by the Bolsheviks in the post-revolution turmoil in Russia.

Alexander was born to Prince Irakli Bagration of Mukhrani and Princess Ketevan née Argutinsky-Dolgorukov in the village of Mchadijvari, Georgia, then part of the Russian Empire. Educated at Nikolaevsky Cavalry School, he entered the Russian military service in 1874 and took part in the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878). He was promoted to colonel in 1893 and served in the Caucasus military district until 1902, when he was appointed commander of the Nizhny Novgorod dragoon regiment.

In 1903, Prince Alexander succeeded on the death of his cousin Konstantin as Head of the Princely House of Mukhrani. Next year, he was made major-general and placed in command of the Leib Guard cavalry regiment. In 1905, he was appointed major-general à la suite to Tsar Nicholas II. He was a member of the State Duma of the Russian Empire and promoted to lieutenant-general in 1917. After the Bolshevik coup d’etat, he attempted to make his way to his native Georgia, but was captured by the Red Guards in the North Caucasus and killed during a mass murder of Imperial army officers in Pyatigorsk in October 1918.

Alexander Bagration of Mukhrani survived by his wife Maria née Golovatcheva (1855–1932), who died as an émigré in Nice, France, and by his two children – Prince George and Princess Nina. He outlived two of his children – Prince Kyrion (died in infancy in 1898) and Princess Maria (1882–1893). His granddaughter Leonida, widow of Vladimir Cyrillovich, Grand Duke of Russia, was the current titular Dowager Empress of Russia.