Known in the family as "Miche-Miche", he was a year old when, in 1862, the family moved to Tiflis, Georgia, on the occasion of his father's being named Viceroy of the Caucasus. Grand Duke Michael spent his youth in the Caucasus, where his family lived for twenty years. He had a spartan upbringing that included sleeping on army cots and taking cold baths. He was educated at home by private tutors. The relationship with his parents was troublesome. His father, occupied in military and governmental endeavours, remained a distant figure.