Nicholas II - the last Russian emperor. He took the Russian throne at the age of 27. In addition to the Russian crown, the emperor also got a huge country, torn by contradictions and all kinds of conflicts. Heavy rule awaited him. The second half of Nikolai Alexandrovich’s life took a very difficult and long-suffering turn, the result of which was the shooting of the Romanov family, which, in turn, meant the end of their reign.
Cute Nicky
Nicky was born (that was the name of Nikolai's home) in 1868 in Tsarskoye Selo. In honor of his birth, 101 gun salvos were fired in the northern capital. At the christening, the future emperor was granted the highest Russian awards. His mother - Maria Fedorovna - from early childhood instilled in her children religiosity, modesty, courtesy, good manners. In addition, she did not let Nicky forget for a moment that he was the future monarch.
Nikolai Alexandrovich heeded enough of her requirements, having learned the upbringing lessons perfectly. The future emperor was always distinguished by tact, modesty and well-mannered. He was surrounded by love from relatives. He was called "cute Nicky."
Military career
At a young age, the prince began to notice a huge craving for military affairs. Nicholas eagerly took part in all parades and shows, in camp camps. He strictly observed military regulations. It is curious that his military career began at ... 5 years! Soon the prince received the rank of second lieutenant, and a year later he was appointed ataman in the Cossack troops.
At the age of 16, the prince took the oath "of allegiance to the Fatherland and the Throne." He served in the Transfiguration Regiment. He rose to the colonel. This rank was the last in his military career, since, as emperor, Nicholas II believed that he had "no silent and non-silent right" to independently assign military ranks.
Accession to the throne
Nikolai Alexandrovich took the Russian throne at the age of 27 years. In addition to the Russian crown, the emperor also got a huge country, torn by contradictions and all kinds of conflicts.
Coronation of the emperor
It took place in the Assumption Cathedral (in Moscow). During the ceremony, when Nicholas approached the altar, the chain of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called flew off and fell to his floor from his right shoulder. All who were present at that moment at the ceremony unanimously took this as a bad omen.
The tragedy on the Khodynka field
The shooting of the Romanov family today is perceived by everyone differently. Many believe that the beginning of the “royal persecution” was laid precisely on holidays on the occasion of the coronation of the emperor, when one of the most terrible crush in history arose on the Khodynka field. More than half a thousand (!) People were killed and injured in it! Later, significant sums were paid to the families of the deceased from the imperial treasury. Despite the Khodynka tragedy, the planned ball took place on the evening of the same day.
This event made many people speak of Nicholas II as a heartless and cruel king.
The error of Nicholas II
The emperor understood that something had to be changed urgently in state administration. Historians say that is why he declared war on Japan. That was the year 1904. Nikolai Alexandrovich seriously hoped to quickly win, thereby stir up patriotism in the Russians. This became his fatal mistake ... Russia was forced to suffer a shameful defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, having lost such lands as South and Far Sakhalin, as well as the Port Arthur fortress.
A family
Shortly before the shooting of the Romanov family, Emperor Nicholas II played a wedding with his only lover - the German princess Alice of Hesse (Alexandra Fedorovna). The wedding ceremony took place in 1894 in the Winter Palace. All his life between Nikolai and his wife remained a warm, gentle and touching relationship. They were separated only by death. They died together. But more on that later.
Exactly during the Russo-Japanese War, the heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei, was born in the family of the emperor. This is the first boy, before that Nikolai had four girls! In honor of this, a salvo of 300 guns was fired. But soon the doctors determined that the boy was sick with an incurable disease - hemophilia (blood clotting). In other words, the prince could bleed even from a cut of a finger and die.
Bloody Sunday and World War I
After the shameful defeat in the war throughout the country, unrest and protests began to arise. The people demanded the overthrow of the monarchy. Dissatisfaction with Nicholas II grew every hour. On Sunday afternoon, January 9, 1905, crowds of people came to the Winter Palace with a demand to accept their complaints about the terrible and difficult life. At this time, the emperor and his family were not in Zimny. They rested in Tsarskoye Selo. The troops in St. Petersburg opened fire on the civilian population without an order from the emperor. Everyone died: women, old people and children ... Together with them, the people's faith in their king was forever killed! That "bloody Sunday" 130 people were shot and several hundred were wounded.
The emperor was very shocked by the tragedy. Now nothing and no one could calm public discontent with the entire royal family. Unrest and rallies began throughout Russia. In addition, Russia entered the First World War, which Germany declared to it. The fact is that in 1914, hostilities began between Serbia and Austria-Hungary, and Russia decided to defend the small Slavic state, for which it was called "to a duel" by Germany. The country simply faded away before our eyes, everything flew into tartarara. Nikolai did not yet know that the price for all this would be the execution of the tsar’s Romanov family!
Abdication
The First World War dragged on for many years. The army and the country were extremely unhappy with such a scanty tsarist regime. People burst with patience. In the northern capital, imperial power actually lost its power. The Provisional Government was created (in Petrograd), which included the enemies of the tsar - Guchkov, Kerensky and Milyukov. The tsar was told about everything that is happening in the country as a whole and in the capital in particular, after which Nicholas II decided to abdicate.
The October Revolution of 1917 and the shooting of the Romanov family
On the day when Nikolai Alexandrovich officially abdicated, his whole family was arrested. The interim government assured his wife that all this was being done for their own safety, promising to send them abroad. After some time, the former emperor himself was arrested. He and his family were brought to Tsarskoye Selo under guard. Then they were sent to Siberia in the city of Tobolsk in order to completely stop any attempt to restore royal power. The whole royal family lived there until October 1917 ...
It was then that the Provisional Government fell, and after the October Revolution, the life of the imperial family deteriorated sharply. They were transported to Yekaterinburg and kept in harsh conditions. The Bolsheviks, who came to power, wanted to arrange a show trial over the imperial family, but they were afraid that it would once again warm up the feelings of the people, and they themselves would be defeated. After the regional council in Yekaterinburg, a positive decision was made on the execution of the imperial family. The Ural Executive Committee granted the request for execution. Less than a day was left before the last Romanov family disappeared from the face of the earth.
The shooting (there is no photo for obvious reasons) was carried out at night. Nikolai and his family were lifted from bed, saying that they were being transported to another place. A Bolshevik by the name of Yurovsky quickly said that the White Army wanted to free the former emperor, so the Council of Soldiers and Workers' Deputies decided to immediately shoot the entire royal family in order to put an end to the Romanovs once and for all. Nicholas II did not have time to understand how there was an indiscriminate shooting at him and his family. And so the earthly path of the last Russian emperor and his family ended.