I’ve been trying to do weekly bios on obscure historical figures lately. Here’s this week:

Prince Vladimir Pavlovich Paley (1897-1918)

Being the lovechild of Tsar Alexander II and Olga Paley, his mistress; young Vladimir was bound to have an interesting life.  Growing up in Paris, and spending the majority of his time at a military school reserved for aristocracy back in St. Petersburg, which during so he grew into a painfully attractive young man {this you cannot deny}.  Fighting {and not dying, as millions of Russkis did} in WWI, Vladimir returned to Russia, only to find that the Reds had been rallied. Best welcome home present ever for the illegitimate child of a Tsar; you think? Well, after Nicholas II had stepped down from the Tsardom and Aleksandr Kerensky had taken his place, promising to push forward in the war and bring Russia to victory, Vladimir made the mistake of writing a poem about Kerensky, for which he was arrested by the Bolsheviks. I doubt they enjoyed it.  Then, unfortunately in 1918 he was killed and tossed down a mineshaft at the age of 22 with a number of his relatives. A disappointing end which was the fate of many of individuals somehow affiliated with the Tsar and/or the White Army.  Rest in peace, Prince Vladimir Paley. You fine.