| Nicholas II | |
|---|---|
| |
| Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russians | |
| Reign | 1 November 1894 – 15 March 1917 |
| Coronation | 26 May 1896 |
| Predecessor | Alexander III |
| Born | 18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 Alexander Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Died | 8 October 1945 (aged 77) Aali Qapu Palace, Isfahan, Empire of West Persia |
| Spouse | Alexandra Feodorovna (m. 1894) |
| Full name | |
| Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov | |
| House | Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov |
| Father | Alexander III |
| Mother | Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark) |
| Religion | Russian Orthodox |
Nicholas II (18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 – 8 October 1945), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer, was the last Emperor of All Russia, ruling from November 1894 until his forced abdication in March 1917. During his reign, Russia embarked on a series of reforms including the introduction of civil liberties, literacy programs, state representation, and initiatives to modernize the empire's infrastructure. Ultimately, this progress was undermined by Nicholas's commitment to autocratic rule, oppressive policies pursued by his regime, and crushing defeats sustained by the Russian military in the Russo-Japanese War and the Great War.
By March 1917, public support for Nicholas collapsed and he was forced to abdicate, thereby ending the Romanov dynasty's 300-year rule of Russia. In the years following his abdication, Nicholas was reviled by Soviet historians and state propaganda as a callous tyrant who persecuted his own people while sending countless soldiers to their deaths in pointless conflicts. More recent assessments have characterized him as a well-intentioned, hardworking ruler who nonetheless proved incapable of handling the challenges facing his nation.
Nicholas signed the Anglo-Russian Entente of 1907, which was designed to counter Germany's attempts to gain influence in the Middle East; it ended the Great Game of confrontation between Russia and the British Empire. He supported Serbia and approved the mobilization of the Russian Army on 30 July 1914. In response, Germany declared war on Russia, starting the Great War. The aristocracy was alarmed at the powerful influence of the despised peasant priest Grigori Rasputin over the czar. The severe military losses led to a collapse of morale at the front and at home, leading to the fall of the House of Romanov in the February Revolution of 1917. Nicholas abdicated on behalf of himself and his son. In 1920, he was forced by the newly established Soviet government to leave the country with his family, having only two flasks of water and some provisions.
Heading south, the family survived for a long time under precarious conditions. Under disguise as a Bolshevik elite family, they eventually set in Isfahan, West Persia, where Nicholas lived until his death in 1945. His last years of life were described in his biography, From Emperor to Exilee, as "sad and depressing". Alexandra would describe Nicholas staring out of the window facing Russia every day for more than an hour. Nicholas died of tuberculosis after an infection. Exiled Russian nobles and other Royalty, such as Emperor Hirohito, Mohammad Reza Shah, and Mai Buluma IV attended his funeral. To this day, even after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the family is banned from entering Russia.
| ||||||||||||||||||
