What kind of person was Nicholas 2. Biography of Emperor Nicholas II Alexandrovich
Today marks the 147th anniversary of the birth of the last Russian emperor. Although a lot has been written about Nicholas II, much of what has been written refers to "folk fiction", delusions.
The king was modest in dress. unpretentious
Nicholas II was remembered by the many surviving photographic materials as an unpretentious man. In food, he was really unpretentious. He loved fried dumplings, which he often ordered while walking on his favorite yacht Shtandart. The king kept fasts and generally ate moderately, tried to keep himself in shape, so he preferred simple food: cereals, rice cutlets and pasta with mushrooms.
Among the guards officers, the snack "nikolashka" was a success. Her recipe is attributed to Nicholas II. Powdered sugar was mixed with ground coffee, this mixture was sprinkled with a slice of lemon, which was used to eat a glass of cognac.
With regard to clothing, the situation was different. The wardrobe of Nicholas II in the Alexander Palace alone consisted of several hundred pieces of military uniform and civilian clothing: frock coats, uniforms of guards and army regiments and overcoats, cloaks, sheepskin coats, shirts and underwear made in the Nordenstrem workshop in the capital, a hussar mentik and a dolman, in which Nicholas II was on the wedding day. When receiving foreign ambassadors and diplomats, the tsar put on the uniform of the state where the envoy came from. Often, Nicholas II had to change clothes six times a day. Here, in the Alexander Palace, a collection of cigarette cases collected by Nicholas II was kept.
However, it must be admitted that out of the 16 million allocated per year for the royal family, the lion's share went to the payment of benefits for employees of the palaces (one Winter Palace served a staff of 1200 people), to support the Academy of Arts (the royal family was a trustee, therefore, carried expenses) and other needs.
The spending was serious. The construction of the Livadia Palace cost the Russian treasury 4.6 million rubles, 350 thousand rubles a year were spent on the royal garage, and 12 thousand rubles a year for photographing.
This is taking into account the fact that the average expenditure of households in the Russian Empire at that time was about 85 rubles per capita per year.
Each Grand Duke was also entitled to an annual annuity of two hundred thousand rubles. Each of the Grand Duchesses was given a dowry of one million rubles upon marriage. At birth, a member of the imperial family received a capital of one million rubles.
The Tsar Colonel personally went to the front and led the armies
Many photographs have been preserved where Nicholas II takes the oath, arrives at the front and eats from the field kitchen, where he is "the father of the soldiers." Nicholas II really loved everything military. He practically did not wear civilian clothes, preferring uniforms.
It is generally accepted that the emperor himself led the actions of the Russian army in. However, it is not. The generals and the military council decided. Several factors influenced the improvement of the situation at the front with the assumption of command by Nikolai. Firstly, by the end of August 1915, the Great Retreat was stopped, the German army suffered from stretched communications, and secondly, the situation was also affected by the change of the commanders-in-chief of the General Staff - Yanushkevich to Alekseev.
Nicholas II really went to the front, loved to live in Headquarters, sometimes with his family, often took his son with him, but never (unlike his cousins George and Wilhelm) approached the front line closer than 30 kilometers. The emperor accepted IV degree shortly after a German plane flew over the horizon during the arrival of the king.
The absence of the emperor in St. Petersburg had a bad effect on domestic policy. He began to lose influence on the aristocracy and the government. This proved fertile ground for intra-corporate splits and indecision during the February Revolution.
From the emperor's diary on August 23, 1915 (the day he assumed the duties of the Supreme High Command): "Slept well. The morning was rainy: in the afternoon the weather improved and it became quite warm. At 3.30 he arrived at his Headquarters, one verst from the mountains. Mogilev. Nikolasha was waiting for me. After talking with him, he accepted the gene. Alekseev and his first report. Everything went well! After drinking tea, I went to inspect the surrounding area. The train stops in a small dense forest. Dined at 7½. Then I took another walk, the evening was excellent.
The introduction of gold security is the personal merit of the emperor
It is customary to refer to the economically successful reforms that Nicholas II carried out as the monetary reform of 1897, when the gold backing of the ruble was introduced in the country. However, preparations for monetary reform began as early as the mid-1880s, under the finance ministers Bunge and Vyshnegradsky, during the reign.
The reform was a forced means of avoiding credit money. can be considered its author. The tsar himself avoided resolving monetary issues; by the beginning of World War I, Russia's external debt was 6.5 billion rubles, only 1.6 billion were secured with gold.
Made personal "unpopular" decisions. Often in defiance of the Duma
It is customary to say about Nicholas II that he personally carried out reforms, often in defiance of the Duma. However, in fact, Nicholas II rather "did not interfere." He didn't even have a personal secretariat. But under him, well-known reformers were able to develop their abilities. Such as Witte and. At the same time, relations between the two "second politicians" were far from idyllic.
Sergei Witte wrote about Stolypin: "No one has destroyed even the semblance of justice as he, Stolypin, and that's all, accompanied by liberal speeches and gestures."
Pyotr Arkadyevich did not lag behind. Witte, dissatisfied with the results of the investigation about the attempt on his life, he wrote: “From your letter, Count, I must draw one conclusion: either you consider me an idiot, or you find that I am also participating in the attempt on your life ... ".
About the death of Stolypin, Sergei Witte wrote succinctly: "Killed."
Nicholas II personally never wrote detailed resolutions, he limited himself to marginal notes, most often he simply put a “reading mark”. He sat on official commissions no more than 30 times, always on extraordinary occasions, the emperor's remarks at meetings were brief, he chose one side or another in the discussion.
The Hague court is a brilliant "brainchild" of the king
It is believed that the Hague International Court was the brilliant brainchild of Nicholas II. Yes, indeed the Russian Tsar was the initiator of the First Hague Peace Conference, but he was not the author of all its decisions.
The most useful thing that the Hague Convention was able to do concerned military laws. Thanks to the agreement, the prisoners of war of the First World War were kept in acceptable conditions, they could contact the house, they were not forced to work; sanitary posts were protected from attacks, the wounded were cared for, the civilian population was not subjected to mass violence.
But in reality, the Permanent Court of Arbitration has not brought much benefit in its 17 years of operation. Russia did not even approach the Chamber during the Japanese crisis, and so did the other signatories. “Turned into a zilch” and the Convention on the Peaceful Settlement of International Issues. The Balkans broke out in the world, and then the First World War.
The Hague does not influence international affairs even today. Few of the heads of state of world powers appeal to the international court.
Grigory Rasputin had a strong influence on the king
Even before the abdication of Nicholas II, rumors began to appear among the people about excessive influence on the king. According to them, it turned out that the state was controlled not by the tsar, not by the government, but personally by the Tobolsk "elder".
Of course, this was far from true. Rasputin had influence at court, and was well received into the emperor's house. Nicholas II and the Empress called him “our friend” or “Gregory”, and he called them “dad and mother”.
However, Rasputin still exerted influence on the empress, while government decisions were made without his participation. Thus, it is well known that Rasputin opposed Russia's entry into the First World War, and even after Russia's entry into the conflict, he tried to convince the royal family to go to peace negotiations with the Germans.
Most of the (grand dukes) supported the war with Germany and focused on England. For the latter, a separate peace between Russia and Germany threatened defeat in the war.
Do not forget that Nicholas II was a cousin of both the German Emperor Wilhelm II and the brother of the British King George V. Rasputin also performed an applied function at court - he relieved the suffering of the heir Alexei. A circle of exalted admirers really formed around him, but Nicholas II did not belong to them.
Didn't abdicate
One of the most enduring misconceptions is the myth that Nicholas II did not abdicate, and the abdication document is a fake. It really has a lot of oddities: it was written on a typewriter on telegraph forms, although there were pens and writing paper on the train where Nicholas abdicated on March 15, 1917. Supporters of the version about the falsification of the renunciation manifesto cite the fact that the document was signed with a pencil.
There is just nothing strange about this. Nikolay signed many documents with a pencil. Another strange thing. If this is really a fake and the tsar did not renounce, he should have written at least something about it in his correspondence, but there is not a word about this. Nicholas abdicated for himself and his son in favor of his brother, Mikhail Alexandrovich.
The diary entries of the tsar's confessor, rector of the Fedorovsky Cathedral, Archpriest Athanasius Belyaev, have been preserved. In a conversation after confession, Nicholas II told him: “... And now, alone, without a close adviser, deprived of liberty, like a caught criminal, I signed an act of renunciation both for myself and for my son’s heir. I decided that if it is necessary for the good of the motherland, I am ready for anything. I'm sorry for my family!".
The very next day, March 3 (16), 1917, Mikhail Alexandrovich also abdicated, transferring the decision on the form of government to the Constituent Assembly.
Yes, the manifesto was obviously written under pressure, and it was not Nicholas himself who wrote it. It is unlikely that he himself would have written: "There is no sacrifice that I would not make in the name of a real good and for the salvation of my dear Mother Russia." However, there was a formal renunciation.
Interestingly, the myths and clichés about the abdication of the king largely came from Alexander Blok's book The Last Days of Imperial Power. The poet enthusiastically accepted the revolution and became the literary editor of the Extraordinary Commission for the affairs of the former tsarist ministers. That is, he literally processed the verbatim records of interrogations.
Against the creation of the role of the tsar-martyr, young Soviet propaganda carried out active agitation. Its effectiveness can be judged from the diary of the peasant Zamaraev (he kept it for 15 years), preserved in the museum of the city of Totma, Vologda region. The head of a peasant is full of cliches imposed by propaganda:
“Romanov Nikolai and his family have been deposed, they are all under arrest and receive all the food on an equal basis with others on the cards. Indeed, they did not at all care about the welfare of their people, and the patience of the people burst. They brought their state to hunger and darkness. What was going on in their palace? This is terrible and shameful! It was not Nicholas II who ruled the state, but the drunkard Rasputin. All the princes were replaced and dismissed from their posts, including the commander-in-chief Nikolai Nikolaevich. Everywhere in all cities there is a new administration, there is no old police.”
NICHOLAS II ALEXANDROVICH, the last Russian emperor (1894-1917), the eldest son of Emperor Alexander III Alexandrovich and Empress Maria Feodorovna, an honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1876).
His reign coincided with the rapid industrial and economic development of the country. Under Nicholas II, Russia was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, which was one of the reasons for the Revolution of 1905-1907, during which the Manifesto was adopted on October 17, 1905, which allowed the creation of political parties and established the State Duma; Stolypin agrarian reform began to be carried out. In 1907 Russia became a member of the Entente, in which it entered World War I. Since August (September 5), 1915, the Supreme Commander. During the February Revolution of 1917 on March 2 (15), he abdicated the throne. Shot with his family. In 2000 he was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.
Childhood. Education
Nikolai's regular homework began when he was 8 years old. The curriculum included an eight-year general education course and a five-year course in higher sciences. It was based on a modified program of the classical gymnasium; instead of Latin and Greek, mineralogy, botany, zoology, anatomy and physiology were studied. The courses of history, Russian literature and foreign languages were expanded. The cycle of higher education included political economy, law and military affairs (military jurisprudence, strategy, military geography, service of the General Staff). There were also classes in vaulting, fencing, drawing, and music. Alexander III and Maria Fedorovna themselves selected teachers and mentors. Among them were scientists, statesmen and military figures: K. P. Pobedonostsev, N. Kh. Bunge, M. I. Dragomirov, N. N. Obruchev, A. R. Drenteln, N. K. Girs.
Carier start
From an early age, Nikolai had a craving for military affairs: he knew the traditions of the officer environment and military regulations perfectly, in relation to the soldiers he felt like a patron-mentor and did not shy away from communicating with them, meekly endured the inconvenience of army everyday life at camp training or maneuvers.
Immediately after his birth, he was enrolled in the lists of several guards regiments and was appointed chief of the 65th Moscow Infantry Regiment. At the age of five he was appointed chief of the Life Guards of the Reserve Infantry Regiment, and in 1875 he was enlisted in the Life Guards of the Erivan Regiment. In December 1875 he received his first military rank - an ensign, and in 1880 he was promoted to second lieutenant, after 4 years he became a lieutenant.
In 1884, Nikolai entered active military service, in July 1887 he began regular military service in the Preobrazhensky Regiment and was promoted to staff captain; in 1891 Nikolai received the rank of captain, and a year later - colonel.
on the throne
On October 20, 1894, at the age of 26, he accepted the crown in Moscow under the name of Nicholas II. On May 18, 1896, during the coronation celebrations, tragic events took place on the Khodynka field (see "Khodynka"). His reign fell on a period of sharp aggravation of the political struggle in the country, as well as the foreign policy situation (the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05; Bloody Sunday; the Revolution of 1905-07 in Russia; the First World War; the February Revolution of 1917).
During the reign of Nicholas, Russia turned into an agrarian-industrial country, cities grew, railways and industrial enterprises were built. Nikolai supported decisions aimed at the economic and social modernization of the country: the introduction of the gold circulation of the ruble, the Stolypin agrarian reform, laws on workers' insurance, universal primary education, religious tolerance.
Not being a reformer by nature, Nicholas was forced to make important decisions that did not correspond to his inner convictions. He believed that in Russia the time had not yet come for a constitution, freedom of speech, and universal suffrage. However, when a strong social movement arose in favor of political reforms, he signed the Manifesto on October 17, 1905, proclaiming democratic freedoms.
In 1906, the State Duma, established by the tsar's manifesto, began to work. For the first time in Russian history, the emperor began to rule in the presence of a representative body elected by the population. Russia gradually began to transform into a constitutional monarchy. But despite this, the emperor still had enormous power functions: he had the right to issue laws (in the form of decrees); to appoint the prime minister and ministers accountable only to him; determine the course of foreign policy; was the head of the army, court and earthly patron of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Personality of Nicholas II
The personality of Nicholas II, the main features of his character, advantages and disadvantages caused conflicting assessments of his contemporaries. Many noted "weak will" as the dominant feature of his personality, although there is a lot of evidence that the tsar was distinguished by a stubborn desire to implement his intentions, often reaching stubbornness (only once was someone else's will imposed on him - Manifesto October 17, 1905). Unlike his father Alexander III, Nicholas did not give the impression of a strong personality. At the same time, according to the reviews of people who knew him closely, he had exceptional self-control, which was sometimes perceived as indifference to the fate of the country and people (for example, he met the news of the fall of Port Arthur or the defeat of the Russian army during the First World War with composure, hitting the royal environment). In public affairs, the tsar showed "extraordinary perseverance" and accuracy (for example, he never had a personal secretary and he himself put seals on letters), although in general the rule of a huge empire was a "heavy burden" for him. Contemporaries noted that Nikolai had a tenacious memory, keen powers of observation, and was a modest, affable and sensitive person. At the same time, most of all, he valued his peace, habits, health, and especially the well-being of his family.
Emperor's family
The support of Nicholas was the family. Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (nee Princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt) was not only a wife for the tsar, but also a friend and adviser. The habits, ideas and cultural interests of the spouses largely coincided. They got married on November 14, 1894. They had five children: Olga (1895-1918), Tatiana (1897-1918), Maria (1899-1918), Anastasia (1901-1918), Alexei (1904-1918).
The fatal drama of the royal family was associated with the incurable disease of the son of Alexei - hemophilia (blood incoagulability). The disease led to the appearance in the royal house, which, even before meeting with the crowned bearers, became famous for the gift of foresight and healing; he repeatedly helped Alexei overcome bouts of illness.
World War I
The turning point in the fate of Nikolai was 1914 - the beginning of the First World War. The king did not want war and until the very last moment he tried to avoid a bloody clash. However, on July 19 (August 1), 1914, Germany declared war on Russia.
In August (September 5), 1915, during a period of military setbacks, Nikolai assumed military command [previously this position was held by Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich (the Younger)]. Now the tsar visited the capital only occasionally, but most of the time he spent at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander in Mogilev.
The war exacerbated the internal problems of the country. The king and his entourage began to be blamed for the military failures and the protracted military campaign. Allegations spread that "treason is nesting" in the government. At the beginning of 1917, the high military command headed by the tsar (together with the allies - England and France) prepared a plan for a general offensive, according to which it was planned to end the war by the summer of 1917.
Abdication from the throne. The execution of the royal family
At the end of February 1917, unrest began in Petrograd, which, without meeting serious opposition from the authorities, in a few days grew into mass demonstrations against the government and the dynasty. Initially, the tsar intended to restore order in Petrograd by force, but when the scale of the unrest became clear, he abandoned this idea, fearing great bloodshed. Some high-ranking military officials, members of the imperial retinue and politicians convinced the king that a change of government was required to pacify the country, he needed to abdicate the throne. On March 2, 1917, in Pskov, in the saloon car of the imperial train, after painful reflections, Nicholas signed the act of abdication, transferring power to his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, who did not accept the crown.
On March 9, Nicholas and the royal family were arrested. For the first five months they were under guard in Tsarskoye Selo, in August 1917 they were transferred to Tobolsk. In April 1918, the Bolsheviks transferred the Romanovs to Yekaterinburg. On the night of July 17, 1918 in the center of Yekaterinburg, in the basement of the Ipatiev house, where the prisoners were imprisoned, Nikolai, the queen, five of their children and several close associates (11 people in total) were shot without trial or investigation.
Canonized together with his family by the Russian Church Abroad.
The last Russian emperor, who was the son of Alexander III, is represented in the person of Nicholas II. He received an excellent education, studied many languages of the world, knew military affairs and jurisprudence, was well versed in economics, history, and literature. Due to the fact that his father died at a young age, the guy had to take the throne very early.
The coronation of the great Nicholas II took place on May 6, 1896. Together with him, his wife was crowned. This celebration also had a very terrifying event, which is called "Khodynki" in the common people. It was during this period that 1200 people died.
It was during the reign of this emperor that the country's economy increased significantly. The agricultural sector has strengthened, thanks to which the state has become the main exporter of agricultural products in all of Europe. At this time, a gold currency was introduced, which proved to be stable and unshakable. The development of the industry also went uphill: the construction of large enterprises began, large cities and railways were built. Nicholas II was just a great reformer. It was he who created the decree on the introduction of a normalized day for workers and provided them with insurance. In addition, he created good reforms for the army and navy.
But, despite the fact that the life of the state has improved significantly, the people still remained unrest. The first revolution in Russia fell on January 1905, which was formed as a result of "Bloody Sunday".
In 1914, the First World War begins, because of which the state of the entire state deteriorates sharply. Any failure of each battle significantly spoiled the reputation of the Great Ruler. In the city of Petrograd in 1917, a huge uprising was raised, which led to the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne of Russia. It happened on March 2, 1917.
The Provisional Government takes drastic measures and on March 9 of the same year arrests the entire Romanov family, after which they were exiled to Tsarskoye Selo. In August 1917 they were transported to Tobolsk, and already in April of the following year they ended up in Yekaterinburg, where on the night of July 6-7 they were sent to one of the basements. It was here that the death sentence was read and shot on the spot.
Biography of Nicholas II about the main thing
Nikolai Alexandrovich - the last tsar of the Russian Empire from the dynasty of the great Romanovs. Nicholas was born on the day of St. Job the Long-suffering: May 6, 1868, because his life was considered doomed to torment and misfortune.
The childhood of the last ruler of the Romanov family
The future monarch was brought up in harsh conditions. From childhood, Nikolai's father accustomed him to Spartan conditions: Dear Nick (as his father called him) slept on a soldier's bunk with a hard pillow, doused himself with cold water in the morning, and was served ordinary porridge for breakfast. Nikolai devoted his childhood, youth and youth to study. His first mentors were: the Englishman Karl Hees and General Danilovich. Being at home education, Nicholas II completed a full gymnasium course, according to a program specially drawn up for him. He studied three languages: German, French and English, he also devoted a lot of time to studying military affairs, legal and economic sciences, and political history.
On the way to the throne
Nicholas took the oath in the Great Church of the Winter Palace on May 18, 1884. For several years, the future tsar served in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, after that he served in the Hussar Regiment of the Life Guards of the Russian Empire, for one season he was at the training camp in the artillery ranks. In 1892 Having risen to the rank of colonel, Nikolai begins to prepare to rule the country. He is invited to meetings of the State. The Council and the Cabinet of Ministers are appointed to manage the construction of the Trans-Siberian (a).
Romanov's reign
In 1894 Nicholas ascended the throne. Society from the reign of Nicholas expected the continuation of the reforms of his grandfather, Alexander II. However, in his first public speech, the Tsar declared that his policy would be aimed at preserving autocracy. Nicholas carried out important political and economic reforms, but he failed to maintain unshakable autocratic power in Russia. The tsar signed the renunciation of the throne on March 2, 1917.
last years of life
The king and his family lived out their last days in captivity. On the night of July 16-17, Nicholas II and his family were shot in the place of their imprisonment: the "House of Special Purpose" in Yekaterinburg.
Interesting facts and dates from life
Years of life: 1868-1818
Years of government: 1894-1917
Born on May 6 (19 according to the old style) May 1868 in Tsarskoe Selo. The Russian emperor, who reigned from October 21 (November 2), 1894 to March 2 (March 15), 1917. Belonged to the Romanov dynasty, was the son and successor.
From birth he had the title of His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke. In 1881, he received the title of Tsarevich's Heir, after the death of his grandfather, the Emperor.
Title of Emperor Nicholas II
The full title of the emperor from 1894 to 1917: “By God's hastening mercy, We, Nicholas II (Church Slavonic form in some manifestos - Nicholas II), Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauric Chersonese, Tsar of Georgia; Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuanian, Volyn, Podolsk and Finland; Prince of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Semigalsky, Samogitsky, Belostoksky, Korelsky, Tversky, Yugorsky, Permsky, Vyatsky, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novgorod Nizovsky lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udorsky, Obdorsky, Kondia, Vitebsk, Mstislav and all northern countries Sovereign; and Sovereign of Iver, Kartalinsky and Kabardian lands and regions of Armenia; Cherkasy and Mountain Princes and other Hereditary Sovereign and Possessor, Sovereign of Turkestan; Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarn, Ditmarsen and Oldenburg and others, and others, and others.
The peak of Russia's economic development and at the same time growth 
revolutionary movement, which resulted in the revolutions of 1905-1907 and 1917, fell precisely on years of reign of Nicholas 2. Foreign policy at that time was aimed at Russia's participation in blocs of European powers, the contradictions that arose between which became one of the reasons for the start of the war with Japan and World War I.
After the events of the February Revolution of 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne, and a period of civil war soon began in Russia. The Provisional Government sent him to Siberia, then to the Urals. Together with his family, he was shot in Yekaterinburg in 1918.
Contemporaries and historians characterize the personality of the last king inconsistently; most of them believed that his strategic abilities in the conduct of public affairs were not successful enough to change for the better the political situation at that time.
After the revolution of 1917, he began to be called Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov (before that, the surname "Romanov" was not indicated by members of the imperial family, titles indicated the family affiliation: emperor, empress, grand duke, crown prince).
With the nickname Bloody, which the opposition gave him, he appeared in Soviet historiography.
Biography of Nicholas 2
He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Feodorovna and Emperor Alexander III.
In 1885-1890. received home education as part of a gymnasium course under a special program that combined the course of the Academy of the General Staff and the Faculty of Law of the University. Training and education took place under the personal supervision of Alexander III with a traditional religious basis.
Most often he lived with his family in the Alexander Palace. And he preferred to relax in the Livadia Palace in the Crimea. For annual trips to the Baltic Sea and the Finnish Sea, he had at his disposal the Shtandart yacht.
From the age of 9 he began keeping a diary. The archive has preserved 50 thick notebooks for the years 1882-1918. Some of them have been published.
He was fond of photography, he liked to watch movies. He also read serious works, especially on historical topics, and entertaining literature. He smoked cigarettes with tobacco grown specially in Turkey (a gift from the Turkish Sultan).
On November 14, 1894, a significant event took place in the life of the heir to the throne - the marriage with the German princess Alice of Hesse, who, after the rite of baptism, took the name - Alexandra Feodorovna. They had 4 daughters - Olga (November 3, 1895), Tatyana (May 29, 1897), Maria (June 14, 1899) and Anastasia (June 5, 1901). And the long-awaited fifth child on July 30 (August 12), 1904 was the only son - Tsarevich Alexei.
Coronation of Nicholas 2
On May 14 (26), 1896, the coronation of the new emperor took place. In 1896 he 
made a trip to Europe, where he met with Queen Victoria (grandmother of his wife), Wilhelm II, Franz Joseph. The final stage of the trip was a visit to the capital of the allied France.
His first personnel reshuffle was the fact of the dismissal of the Governor-General of the Kingdom of Poland Gurko I.V. and the appointment of A.B. Lobanov-Rostovsky as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
And the first major international action was the so-called Triple Intervention.
Having made huge concessions to the opposition at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Nicholas II made an attempt to unite Russian society against external enemies. In the summer of 1916, after the situation at the front had stabilized, the Duma opposition united with the generals' conspirators and decided to take advantage of the situation to overthrow the tsar.
They even called the date February 12-13, 1917, as the day the emperor abdicated from the throne. It was said that a “great act” would take place - the sovereign would abdicate the throne, and the heir Tsarevich Alexei Nikolayevich would be appointed the future emperor, and it was Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich who would become regent.
On February 23, 1917, a strike began in Petrograd, which became general three days later. On February 27, 1917, in the morning, soldiers' uprisings took place in Petrograd and Moscow, as well as their association with the strikers.
The situation escalated after the proclamation of the emperor's manifesto on February 25, 1917, on the termination of the meeting of the State Duma.
On February 26, 1917, the tsar gave an order to General Khabalov "to stop the riots, unacceptable in the difficult time of the war." General N.I. Ivanov was sent on February 27 to Petrograd with the aim of suppressing the uprising.
On February 28, in the evening, he went to Tsarskoe Selo, but could not pass, and, due to the loss of communication with Headquarters, he arrived in Pskov on March 1, where the headquarters of the armies of the Northern Front under the leadership of General Ruzsky was located.
Abdication of Nicholas 2 from the throne
At about three o'clock in the afternoon, the emperor decided to abdicate in favor of the Tsarevich under the regency of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, and in the evening of the same day he announced to V. V. Shulgin and A. I. Guchkov about the decision to abdicate the throne for his son. March 2, 1917 at 23:40 he handed over to Guchkov A.I. The renunciation manifesto, where he wrote: “We command our brother to rule the affairs of the state in full and indestructible unity with the representatives of the people.”
Nicholas 2 and his family from March 9 to August 14, 1917 lived under arrest in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo.
In connection with the strengthening of the revolutionary movement in Petrograd, the Provisional Government decided to transfer the royal prisoners to the depths of Russia, fearing for their lives. After long disputes, Tobolsk was chosen as the city of settlement of the former emperor and his relatives. They were allowed to take personal belongings and necessary furniture with them and offer the attendants a voluntary escort to the place of their new settlement.
On the eve of his departure, A.F. Kerensky (head of the Provisional Government) brought the brother of the former tsar, Mikhail Alexandrovich. Mikhail was soon exiled to Perm and on the night of June 13, 1918 was killed by the Bolshevik authorities.
On August 14, 1917, a train set off from Tsarskoye Selo under the sign "Japanese Mission of the Red Cross" with members of the former imperial family. He was accompanied by a second squad, which included guards (7 officers, 337 soldiers).
The trains arrived in Tyumen on August 17, 1917, after which the arrested were taken on three ships to Tobolsk. The Romanovs were settled in the governor's house, specially renovated for their arrival. They were allowed to go to worship at the local Church of the Annunciation. The regime of protection of the Romanov family in Tobolsk was much easier than in Tsarskoye Selo. They led a measured, calm life.
The permission of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (All-Russian Central Executive Committee) of the fourth convocation to transfer Romanov and members of his family to Moscow for the purpose of holding a trial against them was received in April 1918.
On April 22, 1918, a convoy with machine guns of 150 people left Tobolsk for the city of Tyumen. On April 30, the train arrived in Yekaterinburg from Tyumen. To accommodate the Romanovs, a house was requisitioned, which belonged to the mining engineer Ipatiev. The staff also lived in the same house: the cook Kharitonov, Dr. Botkin, the room girl Demidova, the lackey Trupp and the cook Sednev.
The fate of Nicholas 2 and his family
To resolve the issue of the future fate of the imperial family in early July 1918, the military commissar F. Goloshchekin urgently left for Moscow. The All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars authorized the execution of all the Romanovs. After that, on July 12, 1918, on the basis of the decision taken, the Ural Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies at a meeting decided to execute the royal family.
On the night of July 16-17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg, in the Ipatiev mansion, the so-called "House of Special Purpose", the former emperor of Russia, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their children, Dr. Botkin and three servants (except for the cook) were shot.
The personal property of the Romanovs was looted.
All members of his family were canonized by the Catacomb Church in 1928.
In 1981, the last tsar of Russia was canonized by the Orthodox Church abroad, and in Russia the Orthodox Church canonized him as a martyr only 19 years later, in 2000.
In accordance with the decision of August 20, 2000 of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, the last emperor of Russia, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, princesses Maria, Anastasia, Olga, Tatiana, Tsarevich Alexei were canonized as holy new martyrs and confessors of Russia, revealed and unmanifested.
This decision was perceived by society ambiguously and was criticized. Some opponents of canonization believe that reckoning Tsar Nicholas 2 to the face of the saints is most likely a political character.
The result of all the events related to the fate of the former royal family was the appeal of the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, head of the Russian Imperial House in Madrid, to the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation in December 2005, demanding the rehabilitation of the royal family, who was shot in 1918.
On October 1, 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (Russian Federation) decided to recognize the last Russian emperor and members of the royal family as victims of illegal political repressions and rehabilitated them.
Nicholas II is the last Russian emperor who went down in history as the most weak-willed tsar. According to historians, the government of the country was a “heavy burden” for the monarch, but this did not prevent him from making a feasible contribution to the industrial and economic development of Russia, despite the fact that the revolutionary movement was actively growing in the country during the reign of Nicholas II, and the foreign policy situation was becoming more complicated. . In modern history, the Russian emperor is referred to by the epithets "Nicholas the Bloody" and "Nicholas the Martyr", since assessments of the activities and character of the tsar are ambiguous and contradictory.
Nicholas II was born on May 18, 1868 in Tsarskoye Selo of the Russian Empire in the imperial family. For his parents, and, he became the eldest son and the only heir to the throne, who from an early age was taught the future work of his whole life. From birth, the future tsar was educated by the Englishman Karl Heath, who taught the young Nikolai Alexandrovich to speak English fluently.
The childhood of the heir to the royal throne passed within the walls of the Gatchina Palace under the strict guidance of his father Alexander III, who raised his children in the traditional religious spirit - he allowed them to play and play pranks in moderation, but at the same time he did not allow the manifestation of laziness in studies, suppressing all thoughts of his sons about future throne.
At the age of 8, Nicholas II began to receive general education at home. His education was carried out within the framework of the general gymnasium course, but the future tsar did not show much zeal and desire for learning. His passion was military affairs - already at the age of 5 he became the chief of the Life Guards of the Reserve Infantry Regiment and happily mastered military geography, jurisprudence and strategy. Lectures to the future monarch were read by the best scientists of world renown, who were personally selected for their son by Tsar Alexander III and his wife Maria Feodorovna.
The heir especially excelled in the study of foreign languages, therefore, in addition to English, he was fluent in French, German and Danish. After eight years of the general gymnasium program, Nicholas II began to be taught the necessary higher sciences for a future statesman, which are included in the course of the economic department of the law university.
In 1884, upon reaching adulthood, Nicholas II took the oath in the Winter Palace, after which he entered active military service, and three years later he began regular military service, for which he was awarded the rank of colonel. Fully devoting himself to military affairs, the future tsar easily adapted to the inconveniences of army life and endured military service.
The first acquaintance with state affairs at the heir to the throne took place in 1889. Then he began to attend meetings of the State Council and the Cabinet of Ministers, at which his father brought him up to date and shared his experience on how to govern the country. In the same period, Alexander III made numerous journeys with his son, starting from the Far East. Over the next 9 months, they traveled by sea to Greece, India, Egypt, Japan and China, and then through all of Siberia by land returned to the Russian capital.
Ascension to the throne
In 1894, after the death of Alexander III, Nicholas II ascended the throne and solemnly promised to protect the autocracy as firmly and steadily as his late father. The coronation of the last Russian emperor took place in 1896 in Moscow. These solemn events were marked by the tragic events at the Khodynka field, where during the distribution of royal gifts there were mass riots that took the lives of thousands of citizens.
Due to the mass crush, the monarch who came to power even wanted to cancel the evening ball on the occasion of his ascension to the throne, but later decided that the Khodynka disaster was a real misfortune, but not worth it to overshadow the coronation holiday. The educated society perceived these events as a challenge, which became the foundation stone for the creation of the liberation movement in Russia from the dictator-tsar.
Against this background, the emperor introduced a tough internal policy in the country, according to which any dissent among the people was persecuted. In the first few years of the reign of Nicholas II in Russia, a census was carried out, as well as a monetary reform, which established the gold standard of the ruble. The gold ruble of Nicholas II was equal to 0.77 grams of pure gold and was half “heavier” than the mark, but twice “lighter” than the dollar at the exchange rate of international currencies.
In the same period, the "Stolypin" agrarian reforms were carried out in Russia, factory legislation was introduced, several laws on compulsory insurance of workers and universal primary education were passed, as well as the abolition of tax collection from landowners of Polish origin and the abolition of penalties such as exile to Siberia.
In the Russian Empire during the time of Nicholas II, large-scale industrialization took place, the pace of agricultural production increased, and coal and oil production started. At the same time, thanks to the last Russian emperor, more than 70 thousand kilometers of the railway were built in Russia.
Reign and abdication
The reign of Nicholas II at the second stage took place during the years of aggravation of the internal political life of Russia and a rather difficult foreign policy situation. At the same time, the Far East direction was in the first place. The main obstacle of the Russian monarch to domination in the Far East was Japan, which without warning in 1904 attacked the Russian squadron in the port city of Port Arthur and, due to the inaction of the Russian leadership, defeated the Russian army.
As a result of the failure of the Russian-Japanese war, a revolutionary situation began to develop rapidly in the country, and Russia had to cede the southern part of Sakhalin and the rights to the Liaodong Peninsula to Japan. It was after this that the Russian emperor lost authority in the intelligentsia and ruling circles of the country, who accused the tsar of defeat and connections with, who was an unofficial "advisor" to the monarch, but who was considered in society a charlatan and a swindler, having full influence over Nicholas II.
The turning point in the biography of Nicholas II was the First World War of 1914. Then the emperor, on the advice of Rasputin, tried with all his might to avoid a bloody massacre, but Germany went to war against Russia, which was forced to defend itself. In 1915, the monarch took over the military command of the Russian army and personally traveled to the fronts, inspecting military units. At the same time, he made a number of fatal military mistakes, which led to the collapse of the Romanov dynasty and the Russian Empire.
The war exacerbated the internal problems of the country, all military failures in the environment of Nicholas II were assigned to him. Then “treason” began to “nest” in the government of the country, but despite this, the emperor, together with England and France, developed a plan for the general offensive of Russia, which should have been triumphant for the country by the summer of 1917 to end the military confrontation.
The plans of Nicholas II were not destined to come true - at the end of February 1917, mass uprisings began in Petrograd against the royal dynasty and the current government, which he initially intended to stop by force. But the military did not obey the orders of the king, and members of the monarch's retinue persuaded him to abdicate the throne, which supposedly would help suppress the unrest. After several days of painful deliberation, Nicholas II decided to abdicate in favor of his brother, Prince Mikhail Alexandrovich, who refused to accept the crown, which meant the end of the Romanov dynasty.
Execution of Nicholas II and his family
After the signing of the abdication manifesto by the tsar, the Provisional Government of Russia issued an order to arrest the tsar's family and his associates. Then many betrayed the emperor and fled, so only a few close people from his entourage agreed to share the tragic fate with the monarch, who, together with the tsar, were sent to Tobolsk, from where, supposedly, the family of Nicholas II was supposed to be transported to the USA.
After the October Revolution and the coming to power of the Bolsheviks, headed by the royal family, they were transported to Yekaterinburg and imprisoned in a "special purpose house". Then the Bolsheviks began to hatch a plan for the trial of the monarch, but the Civil War did not allow their plan to be realized.
Because of this, in the upper echelons of Soviet power, it was decided to shoot the tsar and his family. On the night of July 16-17, 1918, the family of the last Russian emperor was shot in the basement of the house where Nicholas II was imprisoned. The tsar, his wife and children, as well as several of his entourage were taken to the basement under the pretext of evacuation and shot point-blank without explanation, after which the victims were taken outside the city, their bodies were burned with kerosene, and then buried in the ground.
Personal life and the royal family
The personal life of Nicholas II, unlike many other Russian monarchs, was the standard of the highest family virtue. In 1889, during the visit of the German princess Alice of Hesse-Darmstadt to Russia, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich paid special attention to the girl and asked his father for his blessing to marry her. But the parents did not agree with the choice of the heir, so they refused their son. This did not stop Nicholas II, who did not lose hope of marriage with Alice. They were assisted by the Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, the sister of the German princess, who arranged secret correspondence for the young lovers.
After 5 years, Tsarevich Nicholas again persistently asked his father's consent to marry a German princess. Alexander III, in view of his rapidly deteriorating health, allowed his son to marry Alice, who, after chrismation, became. In November 1894, the wedding of Nicholas II and Alexandra took place in the Winter Palace, and in 1896 the couple accepted the coronation and officially became the rulers of the country.
In the marriage of Alexandra Feodorovna and Nicholas II, 4 daughters were born (Olga, Tatyana, Maria and Anastasia) and the only heir Alexei, who had a serious hereditary disease - hemophilia associated with the process of blood clotting. The illness of Tsarevich Alexei Nikolayevich forced the royal family to get acquainted with Grigory Rasputin, widely known at that time, who helped the royal heir to fight bouts of illness, which allowed him to gain a huge influence on Alexandra Feodorovna and Emperor Nicholas II.
Historians report that the family for the last Russian emperor was the most important meaning of life. He always spent most of his time in the family circle, did not like secular pleasures, especially valued his peace, habits, health and well-being of his relatives. At the same time, worldly hobbies were not alien to the emperor - he went hunting with pleasure, participated in horse riding competitions, skating with passion and played hockey.