Vladimir III is the Tsar of Vyatka, head of the house of Romanov, and the legitimate heir to the Russian throne.
Lore and Biography
Born into exile in 1917, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich Romanov became head of the exiled Imperial Family of Russia in 1938 following the death of his father Kirill Vladimirovich, cousin of the late Emperor Nicholas II.
Vladimir was residing in France when World War II broke out, and he and his family quickly found themselves under German custody. After some... light coercion, he declared "eternal friendship and cooperation" with the Germans, and made frequent radio broadcasts urging all "faithful and loyal sons of the Homeland" to take up arms against the Soviets. The Nazis even offered him a role as regent of what would later become Reichskommissariat Ukraine, but he rejected it on the grounds that it would divide Russia.
The war came to an end, but Vladimir could not yet go home - the Germans were afraid that, much like with Vlasov, he may prove too popular and end up undermining their rule. It was not until the West Russian War a decade later that he convinced his handlers to let him go. Rallying a division of collaborators, monarchists, and exiled White officers, he helped lead the German counter-offensive. But as the Wehrmacht lost momentum, the Grand Duke pressed on, breaking through the Red lines and establishing a pocket of monarchist rule in Russia for the first time since 1918. The newly-minted Emperor Vladimir III had little luck extending his rule much farther, especially considering how the Germans discarded him as an asset the moment they believed the Red menace was shattered. Now the Tsar waits, biding his time for a moment of weakness in both his old enemies and his friends-turned-foes, before he dares to strike and reclaim his birthright.
In Game
Vladimir III starts as the leader of Vyatka. During the pre-German Civil War period of the warlord stage, he acts as a propagandistic figurehead of his regime. Following Adolf Hitler's death and the cessation of Luftwaffe bombing of West Russia, Vyatka attempts to reunify Russia. While Vladimir III will hold an election after reunifying West Russia, he remains the in-game leader in all paths, with the election winner being represented as head of government.
Marriage and issue
Vladimir married Princess Leonida Bagration of Mukhrani, a Georgian princess. The couple have one daughter: Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna.