NICHOLAS II., Emperor of Russia, son of Alexander III.; born in St. Pe tersburg, Russia, May 18, 1868. His mother was the Princess Dagmar, a daughter of King Christian IX. of Den mark. The course of his studies was by his father's wish, directed chiefly tc modern history and languages, consti tutional history, political and social econ omy, and the law and adminstration of his own country. During the famine of 1891 he was, at his own request, made president of the Committee of Succor, and worked hard in the organization of relief. As czarevitch he held several military commands in his own country— in the famous Preobrajensky regiment among others—and in England he had conferred on him in 1893 the Order of the Garter. He succeeded to the throne Nov. 1, 1894. He married the Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, grand-daugh ter of Queen Victoria of England, Nov. 26, 1894. His coronation took place with impressive and elaborate ceremonial at Moscow in May, 1896, and in August of the same year he commenced a tour which included visits to the Emperor of Austria and Germany, to the King of Denmark, to Queen Victoria, and to the President of France. The visit to Paris was taken advantage of to accentuate the friendly understanding or alliance, as it may now be called, between France and Russia. This alliance was definitely an nounced on the occasion of the visit of President Faure to St. Petersburg in 1887. The Franco-Russian convention as an offset to the Anglo-Japanese entente was further strengthened when the Czar visited Paris in September, 1901, and by the visit of President Loubet to St.
Petersburg in May, 1902. The Russo-Jap anese war led to revolutionary uprisings at the capital in 1905 that were vigor ously suppressed. Nicholas II. in the negotiations that culminated in the World War was anxious to avoid a con flict, but at the same time was deter mined that Austria should not crush Serbia. (See WORLD WAR.) Russian reverses and German intrigue shook the government of the Empire in 1915-1916. The influence of the monk Rasputin on the Czar and his family created great discontent throughout the nation. His subsequent murder came too late; for the country was seething with revolu tion. The Duma met in March, 1917, and defied the Czar's attempt to dis solve it. Rodzianko, leader of the Duma, urged the Emperor to crush German in trigue and change his counsellors, if he would save his throne. The Czar pal tered and delayed, and on March 15, 1917, he was forced to abdicate at Pskov for himself and his son in favor of the Grand-Duke Michael. The latter de clined the honor until the National As sembly should decide what the future government was to be.
The imperial family were placed un der arrest and after some months they were transferred to Tobolsk. Some time between night and morning of July 16 17, 1918, the Czar and his family were shot at Ekaterinburg in the Urals by the Executive Committee of the Ural Dis trict Soviet of the Workmen's, Peasants', and Red Army deputies.