Nicholas II

"What is the scariest Turkish weather? - Nicholas moments before he harasses Enver Pasha because someone said its -5.5 million degrees

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   <default>Nicholas II</default>
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</image> <group> <header source="section_header">Description</header> <label>Weapon</label> <label>Motive</label> <label>Relatives</label> <label>In-Game Description</label> <label>Gender</label> <label>Age</label> <label>Status</label> <label>Appears in</label> <label>Theme</label> </group> </infobox> Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov; 18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 – 17 July 1918) was Emperor of Russia from 1 November 1894 until his abdication in 1917. He was the last Russian monarch before the Russian Revolution and oversaw the Russian Empire's participation in World War I. In 1918, the Romanovs were murdered, putting an end to the Romanov dynasty. Born in Tsarskoye Selo, Nicholas was the eldest son of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna. He was educated privately and trained for military service, but was widely considered ill-prepared for the demands of ruling a vast empire. Despite ostensibly presiding over a constitutional monarchy, Nicholas resisted political reform and retained autocratic control over the nation's governance even after the establishment of the Duma. While his reign witnessed significant industrial growth and diplomatic engagement, it was also marked by domestic unrest, military defeats, and widespread criticism of his leadership. Nicholas faced mounting disapproval following Russia's defeat in the Russo-Japanese War as well as the turmoil of the 1905 Revolution. During World War I, his popularity declined even further as military losses and economic hardship eroded public confidence in his rule. In March 1917, the February Revolution forced his abdication, ending the Romanov dynasty's 304-year rule. He and his family were imprisoned by the Provisional Government and later transferred to Bolshevik custody. On 17 July 1918, they were executed in Yekaterinburg. In the years following his death, Nicholas was reviled by Soviet historians and state propaganda as a "callous tyrant" who "persecuted his own people while sending countless soldiers to their deaths in pointless conflicts". Despite being viewed more positively in recent years, the majority view among historians is that Nicholas was a well-intentioned yet poor ruler who proved incapable of handling the challenges facing his nation. He and his family were canonised as passion bearers by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000, following the discovery and reburial of their remains in 1998. He is also known throughout the series as the 5.5 mil man.

Early Life

Nicholas was born on 18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoye Selo, south of Saint Petersburg, during the reign of his paternal grandfather, Emperor Alexander II. He was the eldest child of the then-Tsesarevich Alexander Alexandrovich and his wife, Tsesarevna Maria Feodorovna (née Princess Dagmar of Denmark). Alexandrovich was heir apparent to the Russian throne as the second, but eldest surviving, son of Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna (née Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine). Maria Feodorovna was the daughter of King Christian IX and Queen Louise of Denmark.

Nicholas was christened on 1 June [O.S. 20 May] 1868 in the Chapel of the Resurrection of the Catherine Palace at Tsarskoye Selo by the imperial family's confessor, protopresbyter Vasily Borisovich Bazhanov. His godparents were Alexander II (his paternal grandfather), Queen Louise of Denmark (his maternal grandmother), Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark (his maternal uncle), and Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna (his great-great-aunt). He received the traditional Romanov name Nicholas, in memory of his father's elder brother and mother's first fiancé, Tsesarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich of Russia who had died in 1865. Informally, he was known as Nicky throughout his life.

Nicholas was of primarily German and Danish descent and was related to several European monarchs. His mother's siblings included Kings Frederick VIII of Denmark and George I of Greece, as well as Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom (consort of King Edward VII). Nicholas, his wife Alexandra, and Wilhelm II, German Emperor, were all first cousins of King George V of the United Kingdom. Nicholas was also a first cousin of King Haakon VII and Queen Maud of Norway, as well as King Christian X of Denmark and King Constantine I of Greece. Nicholas and Wilhelm II were second cousins once removed through descent from King Frederick William III of Prussia, and third cousins as great-great-grandsons of Tsar Paul I of Russia. In addition to being second cousins through descent from Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse, and his wife Princess Wilhelmine of Baden, Nicholas and Alexandra were also third cousins once removed through descent from King Frederick William II of Prussia.

Tsar Nicholas II was the first cousin once removed of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich. To distinguish between them, the Grand Duke was often known within the imperial family as Nikolasha and Nicholas the Tall, while the Tsar was Nicholas the Short.

Childhood

Grand Duke Nicholas was to have five younger siblings: Alexander (1869–1870), George (1871–1899), Xenia (1875–1960), Michael (1878–1918), and Olga (1882–1960). Nicholas often referred nostalgically to his father in letters after Alexander's death in 1894, and he remained very close to his mother, as shown in their published correspondence. During his childhood, Nicholas, his parents, and his siblings made annual visits to the Danish royal palaces of Fredensborg and Bernstorff to see his grandparents, the king and queen. These gatherings also served as wider family reunions, with his mother's siblings travelling from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Greece with their families. It was during one such visit in 1883 that he had a brief flirtation with his British first cousin, Princess Victoria. In 1873, Nicholas accompanied his parents and his younger brother George on a two‑month semi‑official visit to the United Kingdom. In London, the family stayed at Marlborough House, as guests of his Uncle Bertie and Aunt Alix, the Prince and Princess of Wales, where Nicholas was indulged by his uncle.

In February 1880, a group of nihilist activists detonated a bomb in the dining room of the Winter Palace, destroying almost the entire room. No one was injured. Following the attack, Alexander III and his family moved to the Yelagin Palace on Yelagin Island.