Imperial House of Russia
| House of Romanov Рома́новы |
|
|---|---|
 |
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| Country | |
| Titles |
|
| Founded | 1613 |
| Founder | Michael I |
| Final ruler | Nicholas II |
| Current head | Disputed since 1992: |
| Deposition | 1917 (February Revolution) |
| Ethnicity | Russian, German, Lithuanian |
| Cadet branches | Several minor branches |
The House of Romanov (Russian: Рома́новы, Románovy, IPA: [rɐˈmanəf]) was the second dynasty, after the House of Rurik, to rule over Russia, and reigned from 1613 until the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II on March 15, 1917, as a result of the February Revolution.
The Romanovs achieved prominence as boyars of the Grand Duchy of Moscow, later the Tsardom of Russia. In 1613, following years of interregnum (Time of Troubles), the zemsky sobor offered the Russian crown to Mikhail Romanov. He acceded to the throne as Michael I, becoming the first Tsar of Russia from the House of Romanov. His grandson Peter I established the Russian Empire and transformed the country into a continental power through a series of wars and reforms.
The direct male line of the Romanovs came to an end when Elizabeth of Russia died in 1762. After an era of dynastic crisis, the House of Holstein-Gottorp, a cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg which reigned in Denmark, ascended the throne in 1762 with Peter III, a grandson of Peter I. All rulers from the middle of the 18th century to the revolution of 1917 were descended from that branch. Though officially known as the House of Romanov, these descendants of the Romanov and Oldenburg dynasties are sometimes referred to as Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov.
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