Nicholas II of Russia - The Last Tsar of the Russian Empire

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Nicholas II of Russia was the last emperor (Tsar) of the Russian Empire. His dominion included the whole Russian Empire, Finland, and Poland. He remained the Tsar of Russia from 1894 to 1917 before his abdication.

During his reign, the Russian Empire declined internally and externally. Russian army and navy suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in Russian history against Japan during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). The position of Russia was also miserable during World War 1 (1914-18).

These defeats and other matters affected the economic conditions of the empire negatively. Therefore, Nicholas II initially had to replace the absolute monarchy with a constitutional monarchy after the Russian Revolution of 1905. Later, the Russian Revolution of 1917 ended his reign and replaced the monarchy with communist rule.

On 17th July 1918, Nicholas II and his whole family lost their lives at the hands of the new soviet rulers of Russia. 

Early Life

Nicholas was born on 18th May 1868 in Saint Petersburg. He was the eldest son of Russian Emperor Alexander III. His mother, Maria Feodorovna, was the former princess of Denmark.

In March 1881, Nicholas became the Tsesarevich (heir) of the Russian Empire when his father became the Russian Tsar. In 1891, he survived an assassination attempt during his visit to Japan.

On 1st November 1894, Nicholas II became the Emperor of Russia. Later in the same month, he married Alexandra Feodorovna (granddaughter of Queen Victoria of the UK).

Significant Events During Nicholas Reign

Nicholas II as Tsar
Nicholas II proved an incompetent ruler

  1. Coronation for Nicholas took place on 26th May 1896 in Kremlin. A large festival was held for the citizens of Moscow in Khodynka Field (a vast military training ground) to celebrate the event. Rumors spread that food and drink would not be enough to distribute among every participant, a gathering of nearly 100,000 people. It made the people rush forward to take their share. Consequently, a stampede occurred, resulting in around 1,400 deaths and hundreds of injuries. It is known as the Khodynka Tragedy.
  2. From 1903 to 1906, several anti-Jewish pogroms (riots) occurred in different parts of Russia. Due to thousands of casualties, many Jews had to leave Russia for safety. Publically, Tsar Nicholas II criticized the riots but was allegedly behind them to get public support. 
  3. Russo-Japanese War (Feb 1904- Sep 1905) was a major destructive event during the reign of Nicholas II. Russia and Japan fought the war to control Manchuria (now in China) and Korea. Russia suffered complete defeat at the hands of Japan as it could not win even a single naval and land battle in the war. This defeat worsened the economic condition of Russia.
  4. On Sunday, 22nd January 1905, factory workers gathered and marched towards the Winter Palace of Tsar Nicholas to present a petition against the cruelty of factory owners regarding low wages and long working hours. However, the soldiers of the Imperial Guard fired upon the unarmed protestors. According to official figures, the number of killed and injured were 96 and 333, respectively. Unofficial sources claimed the numbers to be in the thousands. This incident is known as Bloody Sunday.
  5. Bloody Sunday was the start of the Revolution of 1905. This revolution lasted from January 1905 to June 1907, which included strikes by factory workers, unrest among peasants, and mutinies by soldiers. The government suppressed the unrest by force, resulting in the deaths and imprisonments of thousands of people. However, it forced Tsar Nicholas to form a State Duma in 1906, which converted the absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy.
  6. The mysterious saint Grigori Rasputin also had a significant role during the reign of Nicholas II. Nicholas had four daughters and only one son, Alexei Nikolaevich, the future heir to the throne. However, Alexei had hemophilia (a disease with a problem with blood clotting) due to a genetic disorder. There was no medical cure for the disease then, but Rasputin’s faith healing methods proved quite successful for the royal patient. It made him (Rasputin) an influential person in the palace. In December 1916, members of the royal family murdered him due to fear or jealousy. 

World War 1 and End of Monarchy

In 1904, Great Britain and France signed an agreement to counter threats from Germany, while Russia joined the treaty through the Anglo-Russian Convention in 1907. Besides, the opposite Triple Alliance had been formed already in 1882 between Germany, Italy, and Austria-Hungary.

World War 1 started after the assassination of the heir of Austria-Hungary by a Serbian nationalist on 28th June 1914. Nicholas tried his best to prevent confrontation with Germany. However, all his efforts failed, and a full-scale war started between the opposing sides.

The performance of the Russian Army was satisfactory against the Ottomans, but they lost several battles against the German forces. The whole Second Army (strength 230,000) of Russia perished during the Battle of Tannenberg (August 1914). Germans occupied Warsaw (Poland) in August 1915. These failures and other military defeats turned the people against the Tsar. The deteriorating economic condition in the country and the rise in the body count of Russian soldiers were putting pressure on the monarchy.

Russian Revolution of 1917

This situation led to the Russian Revolution in February 1917. Nicholas II surrendered the throne in favor of his brother, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich, in March 1917, but Michael refused to accept the offer unless ratified by Duma. Instead, the Russian Provisional Government took authority. This regime could not last long, and the Soviets replaced them in November 1917. The soviet government also arrested the royal family.

Assassination of the Royal Family

The Soviet authorities moved the former tsar and the royal family to several locations, until they reached a remote place in Siberia. During the Russian Civil War, the White Army came close to that place. Therefore, the Bolsheviks decided to execute Nicholas II to prevent his possible escape. On 17th July 1918, the Soviets shot dead Nicholas II and the entire royal family. The killers hide their bodies in unmarked pits after mutilating them with fire and acid. The remains of Nicholas II and the royal family were confirmed in 1991 and 2007. [1]

Importance in History

Nicholas II was the last Tsar of the Russian Empire. When Nicholas took over the throne, the empire was already declining. However, the defeat of Russia during the Russo-Japanese War and its poor performance during World War 1 worsened the political and economic condition of the country. Nicholas proved to be a failed military commander during these wars.

The way Nicholas handled the economic condition and subsequent strikes also turned people against the entire royalty. Bloody Sunday is an example of his mishandling of situations.

His failure resulted in the take over of Russia by the communists. This event affected the entire world in the second half of the 20th Century. His incompetency also cost the lives of the entire royal family.

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