10 FACTS ABOUT THE LAST EMPEROR OF

RUSSIA

NICHOLAS II
 TSAR NICHOLAS II 

Nicholas II, Russian in full Nikolay Aleksandrovich

The last Russian emperor (1894–1917), who, with his wife,
Alexandra, and their children, was killed by the Bolsheviks
after the October Revolution.
HERE ARE SOME INTERESTING FACTS
THAT YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY KNOW
ABOUT NICHOLAS II:

• Nicholas II was born as Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov in

Pushkin, Russia, on May 18, 1868. He was his parents' first child
• His paternal grandparents were Emperor Alexander II and
Empress Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (born Princess Marie of
Hesse-Darmstadt). His maternal grandparents were King Christian
IX and Queen Louise of Denmark. Nicholas was of primarily
German, as well as Russian and Danish descent
• Nicholas II spoke Russian, his wife spoke German, and as a result
were often forced to speak English to each other.
 HIS GRANDFATHER WAS KNOWN AS ALEXANDER THE LIBERATOR
FOR HIS REFORMS

• Nicholas II was born Nikolai Aleksandrovich

Romanov in Pushkin, Russia, on May 18, 1868. At
the time of his birth, his grandfather Alexander
II was the Emperor of Russia. Alexander II was
the most successful Russian reformer since Peter
the Great and was known as Alexander the
Liberator. Nikolai was the eldest of six children
born to Alexander Alexandrovich, heir to the
Russian empire and Maria Feodorovna, Princess
of Denmark before marriage.
 HIS OFFICIAL CORONATION WAS MARRED BY THE KHODYNKA
TRAGEDY

• Nicholas II was officially coronated on 26

May 1896 at the Uspensky Cathedral, Kremlin.
The next day a large festival was held
at Khodynka Field as it was the only place
large enough to hold all the citizens of
Moscow. A rumor that there was not enough
for everyone led to a stampede, killing more
than a thousand people. Despite being
reluctant, Nicholas II attended a ball that night
to not strain relations with France. Attending
the ball made the public view him as being
oblivious to their grief.
 HE WAS NICKNAMED NICHOLAS THE BLOODY, BY HIS POLITICAL
ENEMIES BECAUSE OF THE KHODYNKA TRAGEDY, ALLEGED ANTI-
SEMITIC POGROMS, BLOODY SUNDAY, HIS VIOLENT SUPPRESSION
OF THE 1905 REVOLUTION, HIS EXECUTION OF POLITICAL
OPPONENTS, AND HIS PURSUIT OF MILITARY CAMPAIGNS ON AN
UNPRECEDENTED SCALE

Nicholas II's reign was heavily

influenced by his wife, who strongly
supported the principle of autocracy
meaning little political reform was
made (except the establishment of a
State Duma, but this was restricted and
the Tsar effectively remained absolute)
 NICHOLAS II WAS HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR
BLOODY SUNDAY BY THE PUBLIC
• On Sunday, 22 January 1905, unarmed demonstrators
led by Father Georgy Gapon marched towards the
Winter Palace to present a petition to Nicholas II
regarding problems faced by the working class like
wages, working hours and working conditions. Soldiers
of the Imperial Guard fired on the demonstrators.
Although official records said only 92 people died, it is
estimated that more than a thousand were dead or
wounded. Though he didn’t order the shooting, Nicholas
II was widely held responsible for Bloody Sunday.
 NICHOLAS II WAS EXECUTED ALONG WITH HIS
FAMILY BY BOLSHEVIKS

• By early 1917, Russia was on the verge of total collapse

with massive rioting and rebellions and soaring prices.
The February Revolution forced Nicholas II to
relinquish his authority marking the end of the Russian
Empire and the Romanov dynasty, which ruled Russia
for three centuries. On 17 July 1918, Tsar Nicholas II,
his wife Tsarina Alexandra and their five children were
executed by Bolsheviks led by Yakov Yurovsky under the
orders of the Ural Soviet. They were shot by revolvers
in the basement.
I HOPE YOU FOUND IT INTERESTING