nicholas ii of russia

The tumultuous reign of Nicholas II, the last czar of Russia, was tarnished by his ineptitude in both foreign and domestic affairs that helped to bring about the Russian Revolution.The Romanov Dynasty, which had ruled Russia for three centuries, came to an abrupt and bloody end in July 1918, when Nicholas and his family, who had been held under house arrest for more than a year, were … In fact, he confessed to a close friend, "I am not prepared to be a tsar. Nicholas II's father, Alexander Alexandrovich, was heir to the Russian empire. The Alexander Palace was the site of his birth, where his mother delivered him in her plush Blue Bedroom on the sixth of May in 1868. 6 May] 1868 – 17 July 1918) was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland, and titular King of Poland. Nicholas II (Russian: Николай II, Николай Александрович Романов, tr. In 1942, Fleetlord Atvar of the Race's Conquest Fleet was horrified to hear of the assassination of from Soviet Foreign Commissar Vyacheslav Molotov, who had taken part in the Russian Revolution. Nicholas II’s father was Tsar Alexander III, and his mother was Maria Fyodorovna, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark. She had the strength of character that he lacked, and he fell completely under her sway. Nicholas II had been the Tsar of Russiauntil he was forced to abdicate in 1917, and executed just over a year later by the Bolsheviks. Alexander the Great served as king of Macedonia from 336 to 323 B.C. We strive for accuracy and fairness. Since the emperor had no experience of war, almost all his ministers protested against this step as likely to impair the army’s morale. He distrusted his ministers, mainly because he felt them to be intellectually superior to himself and feared they sought to usurp his sovereign prerogatives. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicholas-II-tsar-of-Russia, Spartacus Educational - Biography of Tsar Nicholas II, Alpha History - Biography of Tsar Nicholas II, RT Russiapedia - Biography of Nicholas II, Jewish Virtual Library - Biography of Nicholas, Nicholas II - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Nicholas II - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), Learn how Bloody Sunday of 1905 and the outbreak of World War I led to the collapse of the reign of Tsar Nicholas Romanov. To make matters worse, his father failed to provide him with much training in affairs of state. He ascended to the throne following the death of his father in 1894. Troops opened fire on the demonstrators, killing more than a thousand people in what would come to be called the infamous “Bloody Sunday.”. The power vacuum was filled by Alexandra, who elevated unqualified favourites like Rasputin and disregarded signs of impending revolution. He was christened His Imperial Highness Nicholas Aleksandrovitch Romanov, Grand Duke of Russia. 6 May] 1865 - July 17, 1968), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer, or Nicholas the Great, The Good (by China) or The Pious, was the Emperor (or Tsar) of All Russia, ruling from November 1894 until his peaceful death on July 17, 1968 from complications of an unknown illness. Yet on formal occasions he felt ill at ease. Nicholas II did not, in fact, interfere unduly in operational decisions, but his departure for headquarters had serious political consequences. In the subsequent October Manifesto, Nicholas pledged to introduce basic civil liberties, provide for broad participation in the State Duma, and endow the Duma with legislative and oversight powers. Atvar had assumed that hereditary monarchy was the only political system a "civilized society" wo… He met the rising groundswell of popular unrest with intensified police repression. Nicholas II was an uncompromising autocrat, and this stance helped provoke the Russian Revolution of 1905. The couple’s oblivion made a poor first impression on Nicholas II’s new subjects. Because Alexandra was originally from Germany, suspicion spread that she might have even deliberately sabotaged Russia, ensuring its defeat in the war. In 1897 the couple gave birth to a second daughter, Tatiana. Passionate about the military, Nicholas II rose to the rank of colonel. Nicholas II was the commander-in-chief of the Russian Army during World War I, under whom, the military failed to perform and the nation suffered a crushing defeat. Nicholas II was born Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov in Pushkin, Russia, on May 6, 1868. Nicholas II of Russia Former Emperor of all the Russias. When he tried to get home to Petrograd, the Duma (the elected legislature), which had by then turned on him, prevented him from boarding the train. Reeling from the loss, and poorly trained in affairs of state, Nicholas II hardly felt up to the task of assuming his father’s role. On March 3, 1905, he reluctantly agreed to create a national representative assembly, or Duma, with consultative powers, and by the manifesto of October 30 he promised a constitutional regime under which no law was to take effect without the Duma’s consent, as well as a democratic franchise and civil liberties. In 1881, when Nicholas II was 13 years old, his grandfather, Alexander II, was assassinated by a revolutionary bomber. Russia was also expanding in the Far East. Russian industry grew rapidly during the decade, aided by investment from abroad and particularly from France, assisted by a political alliance between the two countries signed during the last months of Alexander III's reign. Nicholas II and the tsarevitch Alexis in Russian army uniforms, 1917. Alexandra turned Nicholas’s mind against the popular commander in chief, his father’s cousin the grand duke Nicholas, and on September 5, 1915, the emperor dismissed him, assuming supreme command himself. Nicholas II of Russia (18 May [O.S. Nicholas was still headquartered at Mogilev at the time. Although he believed himself to be an absolute ruler as ordained by God, Nicholas II was eventually forced to concede to creating an elected legislature, called the Duma. Nicholas II, Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov (Russian:Also known as Nikolai II,, Николай II Романов, HIM Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer, The Bloody, The Martyr, Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp, Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of … Although he was the crown prince of Russia, while in the military he attended few political meetings except for those held by the state council and the committee of ministers. They were overruled, however, and soon dismissed. Oscar Hammerstein II collaborated with Richard Rodgers on popular musicals such as ‘Oklahoma!,’ ‘South Pacific,’ ‘Carousel,’ ‘The King and I’ and ‘The Sound of Music.’. He became the head of an empire that was expanded by his son and successor, Alexander the Great. Nicholas II was the last Tsar of Russia. The emperor proved such a devoted family man that his journal entries, which were meant to log official affairs of state, instead focused on the everyday goings-on of his wife and kids. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. His official coronation was marred by the Khodynka Tragedy. After the assassination of the Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo, he tried hard to avert the impending war by diplomatic action and resisted, until July 30, 1914, the pressure of the military for general, rather than partial, mobilization. Although a figure in the public eye, Empress Alexandra was something of a homebody, who preferred to spend the majority of her time at the palace at Tsarskoe Selo. Unaware of the event, Nicholas II and Alexandra were all smiles as they went on to celebrate the coronation at a ball. . In 1894 Nicholas II married Alexandra, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Nicholas and other family members witnessed this event while staying at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg,but for security reasons, the new Czar and his family relocated their primary residence to the Gatchina Palace outside the city. Even the murder of Rasputin failed to dispel Nicholas’s illusions: he blindly disregarded this ominous warning, as he did those by other highly placed personages, including members of his own family. His dedication to the dogma of autocracy was an inadequate substitute for a constructive policy, which alone could have prolonged the imperial regime. Though he possessed great personal charm, he was by nature timid; he shunned close contact with his subjects, preferring the privacy of his family circle. Although he believed in an autocracy, he was eventually forced to create an elected legislature. The Russian Revolution toppled the Romanov dynasty, and Nicholas II abdicated on March 15, 1917. He strove to regain his former powers and ensured that in the new Fundamental Laws (May 1906) he was still designated an autocrat. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Czar Nicholas II of Russia was crowned in 1894, and was the last Emperor of Russia. He furthermore patronized an extremist right-wing organization, the Union of the Russian People, which sanctioned terrorist methods and disseminated anti-Semitic propaganda. Witte, whom he blamed for the October Manifesto, was soon dismissed, and the first two Dumas were prematurely dissolved as “insubordinate.”. Nicholas II, Russian in full Nikolay Aleksandrovich, (born May 6 [May 18, New Style], 1868, Tsarskoye Selo [now Pushkin], near St. Petersburg, Russia—died July 17, 1918, Yekaterinburg), the last Russian emperor (1894–1917), who, with his wife, Alexandra, and their children, was killed by the Bolsheviks after the October Revolution. On the night of July 16-17, 1918, Nicholas II and his family were murdered by Bolsheviks under Vladimir Lenin, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, thus ending more than three centuries of the Romanov dynasty’s rule. His attempts to overcome a … Anastasia was the daughter of the last Russian tsar, Nicholas II. She was followed by a third, named Maria, in 1899 and a fourth, named Anastasia, in 1901. Over the course of WWI, Russia endured major losses and was subject to extreme poverty and high inflation. Conservatives plotted Nicholas’s deposition in the hope of saving the monarchy. Nicholas II was an uncompromising autocrat, and this stance helped provoke the Russian Revolution of 1905. Stolypin was one of those who dared to speak out about Rasputin’s influence and thereby incurred the displeasure of the empress. He was his parents' firstborn child. He lacked, however, the strength of will necessary in one who had such an exalted conception of his task. The Duma was slighted, and voluntary patriotic organizations were hampered in their efforts; the gulf between the ruling group and public opinion grew steadily wider. Alexander was a strong influence on Nicholas II, shaping his conservative, religious values and his belief in autocratic government. Nicholas II's mother, Maria Feodorovna, had been born in Denmark. Factors that contributed to Alexander's reactionary policies included his father's assassination, his limited intelligence and education, his military background, and the influence Woefully unprepared for such a role, Nicholas II has been characterized as a naïve and incompetent leader. Desperate to find an effective treatment for Alexei, Nicholas II and Alexandra even went so far as to let the monk Rasputin hypnotize the boy. Nicholas, however, cared little for keeping promises extracted from him under duress. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives. His poor handling of Bloody Sunday and Russia’s role in World War I led to his abdication and execution. Here I have systematized little-known facts of biography of last Russian Emperor Nicholas II, related, in particular, the predictions and prophecies, which he has received during his life, and has built these facts in one time line - in result the surprising picture has opened. I never wanted to become one. In such cases Nicholas generally hesitated but ultimately yielded to Alexandra’s pressure. The murder of the Romanovs stamped out the monarchy in Russia in a brutal fashion. After she and her family were executed, rumors claimed that she might have survived. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In the fall of 1917, Russia’s provisional government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Nicholas II tried to overcome a Fate many times: in 1899 (the Hague peace conference); then (most decisively) in March, 1905 (an attempt to abdicate and to head the Russian Orthodox Church); and then again and again but he could not. Frederick II, known as Frederick the Great, was Prussia's king from 1740 to 1786. By February 1917, Nicholas II’s subjects were in such an uproar that riots broke out in St. Petersburg. Russia’s defeat not only frustrated Nicholas’s grandiose dreams of making Russia a great Eurasian power, with China, Tibet, and Persia under its control, but also presented him with serious problems at home, where discontent grew into the revolutionary movement of 1905. Charles II was the monarch of England, Scotland and Ireland during much of the latter half of the 17th century, marking the Restoration era. He spent three years in service before touring Europe and Asia for an additional 10 months. Nicholas II inherited the throne when his father, Alexander III, died in 1894. The Russian public blamed Nicholas II for his poor military decisions, and Empress Alexandra for her ill-advised role in government. The couple had their first child, a daughter named Olga, in 1895. Nicholas considered all who opposed him, regardless of their views, as malicious conspirators. Nicholas II (1868-1918) was the last tsar of Russia, reigning from November 1894 until his overthrow in March 1917. Nikolai II, Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov) (18 May [O.S. The main objective of Nicholas II’s foreign policy during his early reign was to maintain the status quo in Europe, rather than to conquer new territory. Succeeding his father on November 1, 1894, he was crowned tsar in Moscow on May 26, 1896. The reign of Nicholas II was a period of unprecedented growth for Russia in all areas from economy to culture. Nikolay Aleksandrovich was the eldest son and heir apparent (tsesarevich) of the tsarevitch Aleksandr Aleksandrovich (emperor as Alexander III from 1881) and his consort Maria Fyodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark). She was murdered, along with her entire family, in 1918. I know nothing of the business of ruling.". Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Maria Feodorovna provided a nurturing family environment during Nicholas II’s upbringing. © 2021 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. On July 17, 1918, the Bolsheviks murdered Nicholas, his family, and their closest retainers. Included is also a clip of his visit in Finland 1915. Desc: Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov, known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer, was the last Emperor of All Russia, ruling from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. The outbreak of World War I temporarily strengthened the monarchy, but Nicholas did little to maintain his people’s confidence. … On January 5, 1905, Father George Gapon led a sizable but peaceful demonstration of workers in St. Petersburg. He and his family were then taken to the Ural Mountains and placed under house arrest. Emeritus Professor of Russian History, University of Toronto. Nicholas II was born Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov in Pushkin, Russia, on May 6, 1868. Once he ascended the throne, Nicholas II had to marry and have children expediently, in order to secure a future heir to the throne. Catherine II, or Catherine the Great, served as empress of Russia for more than three decades in the late 18th century after overthrowing her husband, Peter III. [2] His official short title was Tsar Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias. His reign saw the fall of Imperial Russia from being one of the foremost great powers of the world to economic and military collapse. By winning wars and expanding territories, he established Prussia as a strong military power. Nicholas also had other irresponsible favourites, often men of dubious probity who provided him with a distorted picture of Russian life, but one that he found more comforting than that contained in official reports. Nicholas II had neither the imposing physical presence nor the strong will of his father. In his absence, the empress grew increasingly withdrawn and ever more dependent on Rasputin, who heavily influenced her political view on matters at home. [3] The co… In the spring of 1918, Russia was engaged in a civil war. Author of. His domestic life was serene. (1868–1918) The parents’ joy soon turned to concern as Alexei was diagnosed with hemophilia. He was his parents' firstborn child. In the wake of Russia’s defeat, Nicholas II entered peace negotiations with Japan that summer, but much greater concerns soon demanded his attention. 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