Profile of the Day: Nicholas II
Are you related to the last tsar of Russia? On this day in 1868, Nicholas II was born in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The eldest son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna of Russia, Nicholas succeeded his father as emperor after his death in 1894. With little government experience, Nicholas’s rule saw one of the greatest powers in Europe fall into economic and military ruin.
He took command of the Russian army during World War I and joined the troops at the front. As a result, the heavy losses and failed military campaigns were directly associated with him. While he was away, the mystic Rasputin gained significant influence over the Empress Alexandra. His close relationship with the Emperor’s family only helped to further the growing mistrust of the imperial couple.
Forced to abdicate in 1917, Nicholas and his family were imprisoned. They were eventually executed by members of the Bolshevik secret police in 1918.
View Nicholas II’s Geni Profile
Image: Library of Congress