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[h3]At the age of 26, Nicholas succeeded to the Russian throne, after his father, Alexander III, died from liver disease in October 1894.[/h3]

That same year he married Princess Alexandra of Hesse-Darmstadt, the granddaughter of [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/215:0/Queen_Victoria.htm]Queen Victoria[/urlnew]. A firm believer in the autocratic principle, Alexandra was instrumental in convincing Nicholas to resist popular demands for increased democracy within Russia, and her views found favour with a nationalist monarch who saw democracy as an alien western influence.

Alexandra was unpopular with the Russian elite, more so as evidence emerged of her influence over her husband, and her increasing reliance upon the infamous [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/185:0/Gregory_Efimovich_Rasputin.htm]Grigory Rasputin[/urlnew]. The debauched monk’s influence angered many, ultimately leading to his horrifically violent assassination.

With the outbreak of the First World War, matters worsened for Nicholas. The Russian army’s lack of military success was causing public dissension, so Nicholas took over personal command in September 1915. Unable to improve the situation, the army’s continued failure reflected directly upon the Tsar himself, further diminishing his standing with his subjects.

By late 1916, royalists warned the Tsar that revolution was imminent, but Nicholas refused to sanction further constitutional reform. During the so-called 'February Revolution' in 1917, which he misinterpreted as a minor uprising, his routine suppression orders to the Petrograd garrison sparked its mutiny on 10th March 1917.

Nicholas was finally persuaded to abdicate on 15th March 1917. In search of foreign exile, Lloyd George offered a haven in Britain, only for the offer to be withdrawn under the direction of King George V, who did not wish to be associated with his autocratic cousin.

Removed to the Siberian city of Ekaterinburg, Nicholas and his family were executed by revolutionary forces, on the 16th July 1918.
Tsar Nicholas II biography




Tsar Nicholas II biography




Tsar Nicholas II biography




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