Nicholas II | |||||
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Tsar Nicholas II, in a British Royal Navy uniform as an honorary Admiral of the Fleet, 1909
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Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias | |||||
Reign | 1 November 1894 – 15 March 1917 | ||||
Coronation | 26 May 1896 | ||||
Predecessor | Alexander III | ||||
Successor | Monarchy abolished Georgy Lvov as Chairman of the Provisional Government |
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Born | 18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 Alexander Palace, Tsarskoye Selo, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
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Died | 17 July 1918 Ipatiev House, Yekaterinburg, RSFSR |
(aged 50)||||
Burial | 17 July 1998 Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation |
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Spouse | Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse) (m. 1894; d. 1918) |
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Issue | |||||
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House | Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov | ||||
Father | Alexander III of Russia | ||||
Mother | Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark) | ||||
Religion | Russian Orthodox | ||||
Signature |
Full name | |
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Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov |
Tsar Nicholas II of Russia | |
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Tsar-Martyr Nicholas II of Russia Royal Passion-Bearer Tsar Nicholas II of Russia |
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Born |
Tsarskoye Selo, Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
18 May 1868
Died | 17 July 1918 Yekaterinburg, Russian SFSR |
(aged 50)
Venerated in | Russian Orthodox Church |
Canonized | 1981 and 2000 by Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and the Russian Orthodox Church |
Major shrine | Church on Blood, Ekaterinburg, Russia |
Feast | 17 July |
Styles of Nicholas II of Russia |
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Reference style | His Imperial Majesty |
Spoken style | Your Imperial Majesty |
Alternative style | Sir |
Nicholas II (Russian: Николай II Алекса́ндрович, tr. Nikolai II Aleksandrovich; 18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 – 17 July 1918) was the last Emperor of Russia, ruling from 1 November 1894 until his forced abdication on 15 March 1917. His reign saw the fall of the Russian Empire from being one of the foremost great powers of the world to economic and military collapse. Due to the Khodynka Tragedy, anti-Semitic pogroms, Bloody Sunday, the violent suppression of the 1905 Revolution, the execution of political opponents and his perceived responsibility for the Russo-Japanese War, he was given the nickname Nicholas the Bloody by his political adversaries.Soviet historiography portrayed Nicholas as a weak and incompetent leader, whose decisions led to military defeats and the deaths of millions of his subjects.
Russia suffered a decisive defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, which saw the annihilation of the Russian Baltic Fleet at the Battle of Tsushima, loss of Russian influence over Manchuria and Korea, and the Japanese annexation of South Sakhalin. The Anglo-Russian Entente, designed to counter German attempts to gain influence in the Middle East, ended the Great Game between Russia and the United Kingdom.