Николай Александрович
14 min read
Reading time
2,648
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Published
24
Film credits
52
Awards
Tsar Nicholas II became Emperor of Russia in 1894 following his father’s death. His reign saw the Russo-Japanese War defeat in 1905, the October Manifesto, and the rise of revolutionary unrest. Forced to abdicate in 1917, he was executed alongside his family in Yekaterinburg in 1918.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Tsar Nicholas II — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Tsar Nicholas II by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Tsar Nicholas II — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Nicholas was born on May 6, 1868, in St. Petersburg, the first child of Tsarevitch Alexander III and Maria Fyodorovna. His father considered him not man enough to rule, often derisively referring to him as a girl. Nicholas fell in love with German princess Alix Alexandra, despite his father’s plans for a French alliance, and his father only relented on his deathbed. He inherited the throne in 1894 at age 26.
Nicholas II was crowned in 1894, and his coronation in 1896 was marred by the Khodynka Tragedy where over 1,000 died in a stampede. He led Russia into the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, which ended in a devastating defeat. The Bloody Sunday massacre in 1905 triggered the 1905 Revolution, forcing him to issue the October Manifesto and convene the Duma. He repeatedly dissolved the Duma, alienating reformers. During World War I, Nicholas took personal command of the army in 1915, but a series of defeats and the influence of Rasputin eroded his authority. In March 1917, he abdicated.
He married Princess Alix of Hesse Tsarina Alexandra in November 1894. They had five children: Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Tsarevich Alexei. Alexei suffered from hemophilia, leading the family to rely on the mystic Rasputin. Nicholas was a chain smoker and had a dragon tattoo from his 1891 visit to Japan. He was devoted to his family.
Nicholas II’s rule ended the 300-year Romanov dynasty. His execution by the Bolsheviks in 1918 became a symbol of the Revolution’s brutality. He and his family were canonized as passion bearers by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad in 1981 and by the Moscow Patriarchate in 2000. He remains a controversial figure: blamed for Russia’s collapse but also seen as a martyr.
The complete filmography of Tsar Nicholas II — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Tsar Nicholas II — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Tsar Nicholas II — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
What Is Going to Happen to Me and to All of Russia? I Am Not Prepared to Be a Tsar. I Never Wanted to Become One. I Know Nothing of the Business of Ruling. I Have No Idea of Even How to Talk to the Ministers.
There Is No Justice Among Men.
The Tsarist System Was Not Doomed by 1914.
In the Morning I Warmed Myself While Sitting on the Greenhouse Roof.
I Will Preserve the Principle of Autocracy as Firmly and Unflinchingly as My Late Father.
Rioting and Disturbances in the Capitals and in Many Localities of Our Empire Fill Our Heart with Great and Heavy Grief. the Well-being of the Russian Sovereign Is Inseparable from the National Well-being; and the National Sorrow Is His Sorrow.
I Shall Never, Under Any Circumstances, Agree to a Representative Form of Government Because I Consider It Harmful to the People Whom God Has Entrusted to My Care.
Those Who Believe They Can Share in Government Dream Senseless Dreams.
The Japanese Are Infidels. the Might of Holy Russia Will Crush Them.
I Don’t Know the Price of Things; I Have Never Had Reason to Pay for Anything Myself.
Alexei Took His First Bath Since Tobolsk: His Knee Is Getting Better, but He Still Cannot Straighten It Completely. the Weather Is Warm and Pleasant. We Have Absolutely No News from the Outside.
Little-known facts about Tsar Nicholas II — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
He intended to live in exile in the UK after his abdication, but his first cousin King George V forced his government to withdraw the asylum offer.
His strong physical resemblance to King George V made it difficult for people to tell them apart when they were together.
He proposed the First Hague Conference in 1899, aiming to limit the armaments race, but the major powers rejected Russian proposals.
He intended to bring in further constitutional reforms but believed World War I had to be won first.
It is often erroneously stated that he was shot in the head at his execution, but analysis of his skeletal remains showed no bullet wounds to his skull.
The US could not enter World War I until after his abdication, as it meant the Allies were all democracies fighting absolute monarchies.
Like his father, he was very anti-Semitic, approving efforts to prevent anti-Semitic pogroms after the assassination of Prime Minister Stolypin in 1911.
Vladimir Lenin referred to him as Nicholas the Bloody and Nicholas the Hangman in early pamphlets.
He blamed Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany for encouraging war between Russia and Japan in 1904 to distract Russia from Europe and the Middle East.
He was second cousin to many European royals, including Grand Duchess Maria Kirillovna and King Carol II of Romania.
He was 5th cousin of Princess Cécilia of Leiningen and others.
He was the eldest son of Czar Alexander III and Czarina Maria Fyodorovna.
He was older brother of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich, Grand Duke George, Grand Duchess Xenia, Grand Duke Michael, and Grand Duchess Olga.
He was father of Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Tsarevich Alexei.
He was grandson of Tsar Alexander II and Christian IX of Denmark.
Portrayed by Michael Jayston in Nicholas and Alexandra 1971 and Sir Ian McKellen in Rasputin 1996.
He initially abdicated in favor of his son Alexei, but changed his mind after doctors warned Alexei would not live long apart from his parents, naming his brother Michael instead.
He was great-uncle of Olga Romanoff.
The stress of ruling during World War I took a serious toll on his health, but it improved in the months after his abdication and before his execution.
When a telegram announced the annihilation of the Russian fleet at Tsushima during the Russo-Japanese War, he immediately realized the war was lost and sent Count Witte to a peace conference.
He was nine inches shorter than his father, Alexander III.
His father thought little of him and did not teach him to rule, which contributed to his overthrow.
He had two faithful servants: Ilya Tatishchev and Prince Vasily Dolgorukov.
He was nephew of King Frederik VIII, Queen Alexandra, and many other royals.
He suffered a coronary occlusion on March 11, 1917, four days before his abdication.
It was disputed whether his enforced abdication was legal and whether he had the right to abdicate on behalf of his son.
He was first cousin to many royals, including Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich and King George V.
He was 4th cousin of Princess Melita of Leiningen and others.
He was granduncle of Prince Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra.
He was great-great uncle of Francis Mathew.
He had German and Danish descent.
He was first cousin once removed of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and others.
He was great-great-grandson of Paul I of Russia.
He was killed by Yakov Yurovsky.
His pets included Iman the collie, Voron the dog, and Norma the horse.
He was a chain smoker.
He had a tattoo of a dragon on his forearm, done during a trip to Japan at age 22. His cousin King George V had a similar tattoo by the same artist.
He was survived by his mother.
He spoke perfect English, was fluent in French, and had decent conversational skills in Danish and German.
He attended the first Hague conference in 1893.
He was the only Tsar ever to be filmed.
He was the only Tsar to have his voice recorded.
His 1902 speech to French President Emile Loubet remains the only surviving audio footage of his voice.
An assassination attempt in Otsu, Japan in 1891 left him permanently scarred; he received thousands of remorse messages but never forgave Japan.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Tsar Nicholas II.
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