Nicholas II

Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov) was the last Tsar of Russia, reigning from 1894 to 1917. Ascending the throne at just 26 years of age following the sudden death of his father, Alexander III, he admitted from the outset that he did not feel ready to bear the weight of the crown. His reign was marked by profound socio-political crises, including the defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), the tragedy of Bloody Sunday (1905), and the devastating losses of World War I. Unable to manage popular discontent and heavily influenced by his wife, Alexandra Feodorovna (and, through her, by the controversial mystic Grigori Rasputin), Nicholas II was forced to abdicate during the February Revolution of 1917. In July 1918, he and his entire family were executed by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg.