Nicholas II Alexandrovich. Accession to the throne of Nicholas II -, Russia Accession to the throne of Nicholas II when it happened

Nicholas II Alexandrovich. Born on May 6 (18), 1868 in Tsarskoe Selo - shot on July 17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg. Emperor of All Russia, Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. He reigned from October 20 (November 1), 1894 to March 2 (15), 1917. From the imperial house of the Romanovs.

Full title of Nicholas II as Emperor: “By the grace of God, Nicholas the Second, the emperor and autocrat of All-Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; tsar of Kazan, tsar of Astrakhan, tsar of Poland, tsar of Siberia, tsar of Tauric Chersonesos, tsar of Georgia; the sovereign of Pskov and the Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuanian, Volyn, Podolsk and Finland; Prince of Estland, Livland, Courland and Semigalsky, Samogitsky, Belostok, Korelsky, Tversky, Yugorsky, Perm, Vyatsky, Bulgarian and others; the sovereign and grand duke of Novgorod, the lower lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsky, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udora, Obdorsky, Kondiysky, Vitebsk, Mstislavsky and all the Northern countries sovereign; and the sovereign of Iversk, Kartala and Kabardian lands and regions of Armenia; Cherkassk and Mountain princes and other hereditary sovereign and owner, sovereign of Turkestan; the heir of Norway, the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarnsky, Dietmarsen and Oldenburgsky and so on, and so on, and so on. "

Nicholas II Alexandrovich was born on May 6 (18th according to the old style), 1868 in Tsarskoe Selo.

The eldest son of the Emperor and Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Immediately after birth, on May 6 (18), 1868, he was named Nikolai. This is a traditional Romanov name. According to one of the versions, it was “naming after an uncle” - a custom known from Rurikovich: it was named in memory of the deceased young elder brother of his father and mother's fiancé - Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich (1843-1865).

Two great-great-grandfathers of Nicholas II were siblings: Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel and Karl of Hesse-Kassel, and two great-great-grandmothers were cousins: Amalia of Hesse-Darmstadt and Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt.

The baptism of Nikolai Alexandrovich was performed by the confessor of the imperial family, Protopresbyter Vasily Bazhanov, in the Resurrection Church of the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace on May 20 of the same year. The recipients were: Queen Louise of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna.

From birth, His Imperial Highness (Sovereign) Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich was titled. After the death as a result of a terrorist attack committed by the populists, on March 1, 1881, his grandfather, Emperor Alexander II, received the title of heir to the crown prince.

In early childhood, the educator of Nikolai and his brothers was an Englishman, Karl Osipovich Heath, who lived in Russia (Charles Heath, 1826-1900). General G.G. Danilovich was appointed his official tutor as heir in 1877.

Nikolai was educated at home as part of a large gymnasium course.

In 1885-1890 - according to a specially written program that combined the course of the state and economic departments of the law faculty of the university with the course of the Academy of the General Staff.

The training sessions were conducted for 13 years: the first eight years were devoted to the subjects of the extended gymnasium course, where special attention was paid to the study of political history, Russian literature, English, German and French (Nikolai Alexandrovich spoke English as his native language). The next five years were devoted to the study of military affairs, legal and economic sciences, necessary for a statesman. Lectures were delivered by world-renowned scientists: NN Beketov, NN Obruchev, Ts. A. Cui, MI Dragomirov, N. Kh. Bunge, and others. All of them were just giving lectures. They had no right to ask in order to check how the material was learned. Protopresbyter John Yanyshev taught the Tsarevich canon law in connection with the history of the church, the main departments of theology and the history of religion.

On May 6 (18), 1884, upon reaching the age of majority (for the heir), he took the oath in the Great Church of the Winter Palace, which was announced by the highest manifesto.

The first act published on his behalf was a rescript addressed to the Moscow governor-general V. A. Dolgorukov: 15 thousand rubles for distribution, at the discretion of that, "among the residents of Moscow who most need help."

For the first two years, Nikolai served as a junior officer in the ranks of the Preobrazhensky regiment. For two summer seasons, he served in the ranks of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment as a squadron commander, and then in a camp gathering in the ranks of artillery.

6 (18) August 1892 was promoted to colonel. At the same time, his father introduces him to the course of governing the country, inviting him to participate in meetings of the State Council and the Cabinet of Ministers. At the suggestion of the Minister of Railways S. Yu. Witte, Nikolai in 1892 to gain experience in public affairs was appointed chairman of the committee for the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. By the age of 23, the Heir was a person who had received extensive information in various fields of knowledge.

The educational program included travels to various provinces of Russia, which he made with his father. To complete his education, his father allocated the cruiser "Pamyat Azov" at his disposal as part of a squadron for traveling to the Far East.

For nine months he visited Austria-Hungary, Greece, Egypt, India, China, Japan with his retinue, and later returned by dry route from Vladivostok across Siberia to the capital of Russia. During the trip, Nikolai kept a personal diary. In Japan, an attempt was made on Nikolai's life (the so-called Otsu Incident) - a shirt with blood stains is kept in the Hermitage.

The growth of Nicholas II: 170 centimeters.

Personal life of Nicholas II:

The first woman of Nicholas II was a famous ballerina. They were in an intimate relationship during the period 1892-1894.

Their first meeting took place on March 23, 1890, during the final exam. Their romance developed with the approval of members of the royal family, from Emperor Alexander III, who organized this acquaintance, and ending with Empress Maria Feodorovna, who wanted her son to become a man. Matilda called the young Tsarevich Niki.

Their relationship ended after the engagement of Nicholas II to Alice of Hesse in April 1894. By her own admission Kshesinskaya, she went through this break hard.

Matilda Kshesinskaya

The first meeting of Tsarevich Nicholas with his future wife took place in January 1889 during the second visit of Princess Alice to Russia. At the same time, mutual attraction arose. In the same year, Nikolai asked his father for permission to marry her, but was refused.

In August 1890, during Alice's third visit, Nikolai's parents did not allow him to meet with her. A letter in the same year to Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna from Queen Victoria of England, in which the grandmother of a potential bride probed the prospects of a marriage union, also had a negative result.

Nevertheless, due to the deteriorating health of Alexander III and the perseverance of the Tsarevich, his father allowed him to make an official proposal to Princess Alice and on April 2 (14) 1894 Nicholas, accompanied by his uncle, went to Coburg, where he arrived on April 4. Queen Victoria and the German Emperor Wilhelm II also came here.

On April 5, the Tsarevich made an offer to Princess Alice, but she hesitated because of the issue of changing her religion. However, three days after the family council with relatives (Queen Victoria, sister Elizabeth Fedorovna), the princess gave her consent to the marriage and on April 8 (20), 1894 in Coburg at the wedding of the Duke of Hesse Ernst Ludwig (Alice's brother) and Princess Victoria of Edinburgh Melita (daughter of Duke Alfred and Maria Alexandrovna) their engagement took place, announced in Russia by a simple newspaper notice.

In his diary, Nikolai named this day "Wonderful and unforgettable in my life".

On November 14 (26), 1894, in the palace church of the Winter Palace, the wedding of Nicholas II with the German princess Alice of Hesse took place, who after chrismation (committed on October 21 (November 2) 1894 in Livadia) took her name. The newlyweds originally settled in the Anichkov Palace next to the Empress Maria Feodorovna, but in the spring of 1895 they moved to Tsarskoe Selo, and in the fall to the Winter Palace in their chambers.

In July-September 1896, after the coronation, Nikolai and Alexandra Feodorovna made a large European tour as a royal couple and visited the Austrian emperor, the German Kaiser, the Danish king and the British queen. The trip ended with a visit to Paris and rest at the Empress's homeland in Darmstadt.

In subsequent years, the royal couple were born four daughters:

Olga(November 3 (15), 1895;
Tatiana(May 29 (June 10) 1897);
Maria(June 14 (26), 1899);
Anastasia(5 (18) June 1901).

The Grand Duchesses used the abbreviation to designate themselves in their diaries and correspondence "OTMA", composed according to the first letters of their names, following in the order of birth: Olga - Tatiana - Maria - Anastasia.

On July 30 (August 12), 1904, the fifth child appeared in Peterhof and The only son- Tsarevich Alexey Nikolaevich.

The entire correspondence of Alexandra Feodorovna with Nicholas II (in English) has been preserved, only one letter from Alexandra Feodorovna has been lost, all her letters are numbered by the empress herself; published in Berlin in 1922.

At the age of 9, he began to keep a diary. The archive contains 50 voluminous notebooks - the original diary for the years 1882-1918, some of them were published.

Contrary to the assurances of Soviet historiography, the tsar was not among the richest people in the Russian Empire.

Most of the time, Nicholas II lived with his family in the Alexander Palace (Tsarskoe Selo) or Peterhof. In the summer he rested in the Crimea in the Livadia Palace. For recreation, he also made two-week trips to the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea on a yacht "Standart".

I read both light entertainment literature and serious scientific works, often on historical topics - Russian and foreign newspapers and magazines.

Smoked cigarettes.

He was fond of photography, he also liked to watch films, all his children also took pictures.

In the 1900s, he became interested in a then new type of transport - cars. It has one of the largest car parks in Europe.

The official government press in 1913, in an essay on the everyday and family side of the emperor's life, wrote: “The sovereign does not like so-called secular pleasures. His favorite pastime is the hereditary passion of the Russian Tsars - hunting. She settles down both in the permanent places of the Tsar's stay, and in special places adapted for that - in Spala, near Skierniewice, in Belovezhie. "

I had a habit of shooting crows, stray cats and dogs on walks.

Nicholas II. Documentary

Coronation and accession to the throne of Nicholas II

A few days after the death of Alexander III (October 20 (November 1), 1894) and his accession to the throne (the highest manifesto was made public on October 21), on November 14 (26), 1894, he was married to Alexandra Fedorovna in the Great Church of the Winter Palace. The honeymoon took place in an atmosphere of memorial services and funeral visits.

One of the first personnel decisions of Emperor Nicholas II was the dismissal in December 1894 of the conflicted I.V. Gurko from the post of governor-general of the Kingdom of Poland and the appointment in February 1895 of the post of Foreign Minister A. B. Lobanov-Rostovsky - after the death of N. K. Gears.

As a result of the exchange of notes dated March 27 (April 8), 1895, "the delimitation of the spheres of influence of Russia and Great Britain in the Pamir region, east of Lake Zor-Kul (Victoria)", along the Pyanj River was established. The Pamir volost became part of the Osh district of the Fergana region, the Vakhan ridge on Russian maps received the designation of the ridge of Emperor Nicholas II.

The first major international act of the emperor was the Triple Intervention - the simultaneous (11 (23) April 1895), at the initiative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the presentation (together with Germany and France) of demands for Japan to revise the terms of the Shimonoseki Peace Treaty with China, abandoning claims to the Liaodong Peninsula ...

The first public appearance of the emperor in St. Petersburg was his speech, delivered on January 17 (29), 1895 in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace before the deputations of the nobility, zemstvos and cities who arrived "to express loyal feelings to their majesties and to bring congratulations on the wedding." The spoken text of the speech (the speech was written in advance, but the emperor pronounced it only from time to time looking at the paper) read: “I know that recently in some zemstvo assemblies we have heard the voices of people who were carried away by senseless dreams about the participation of zemstvo representatives in the affairs of internal administration. Let everyone know that, devoting all my strength to the good of the people, I will protect the beginning of autocracy as firmly and unswervingly as my unforgettable, deceased parent did. ".

The coronation of the emperor and his wife took place on May 14 (26), 1896. The celebration resulted in mass casualties on the Khodynskoye field, the incident is known as Khodynka.

The Khodynskaya catastrophe, also known as a mass stampede, occurred in the early morning of May 18 (30), 1896 on Khodynskoye Pole (north-western part of Moscow, the beginning of modern Leningradsky Prospekt) on the outskirts of Moscow during the celebrations of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II on May 14 (26) ... In it 1,379 people died and more than 900 were injured. Most of the corpses (except for those identified immediately on the spot and given out for burial to their parishes) were collected at the Vagankovskoye cemetery, where they were identified and buried. In 1896, at the Vagankovskoye cemetery, a monument to the victims of the stampede on Khodynskoye field was erected at the Vagankovskoye cemetery, designed by the architect I. Ivanov-Shits, with the date of the tragedy engraved on it: "May 18, 1896".

In April 1896, the Russian government officially recognized the Bulgarian government of Prince Ferdinand. In 1896, Nicholas II also made a big trip to Europe, meeting with Franz Joseph, Wilhelm II, Queen Victoria (Alexandra Fedorovna's grandmother), the end of the trip was his arrival in the capital of the allied France, Paris.

By the time of his arrival in September 1896 in Great Britain, there had been a sharp aggravation of relations between Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire, associated with the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and the simultaneous rapprochement of St. Petersburg with Constantinople.

Visiting Queen Victoria in Balmoral, Nicholas, agreeing to jointly develop a reform project in the Ottoman Empire, rejected the proposals made to him by the British government to remove Sultan Abdul-Hamid, keep Egypt for England, and in return receive some concessions on the issue of the Straits.

Arriving in Paris in early October of the same year, Nicholas approved joint instructions to the ambassadors of Russia and France in Constantinople (which the Russian government had categorically refused until that time), approved the French proposals on the Egyptian question (which included "guarantees of neutralizing the Suez Canal" - the goal, which was previously outlined for Russian diplomacy by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Lobanov-Rostovsky, who died on August 30 (September 11), 1896).

The Paris agreements of the tsar, who was accompanied on the trip by NP Shishkin, aroused sharp objections from Sergei Witte, Lamsdorf, Ambassador Nelidov and others. Nevertheless, by the end of the same year, Russian diplomacy returned to its former course: strengthening the alliance with France, pragmatic cooperation with Germany on certain issues, freezing the Eastern question (that is, support for the Sultan and opposition to Britain's plans in Egypt).

It was ultimately decided to abandon the plan for the landing of the Russian landing on the Bosphorus (under a certain scenario), approved at a meeting of ministers on December 5 (17), 1896 under the chairmanship of the tsar. In March 1897, Russian troops took part in an international peacekeeping operation in Crete after the Greco-Turkish war.

During 1897, 3 heads of state arrived in St. Petersburg to pay a visit to the Russian emperor: Franz Joseph, Wilhelm II, French President Felix Faure. During the visit of Franz Josef, an agreement was concluded between Russia and Austria for 10 years.

The manifesto of February 3 (15), 1899 on the procedure for legislation in the Grand Duchy of Finland was perceived by the population of the Grand Duchy as an encroachment on its autonomy rights and caused massive discontent and protests.

The manifesto of June 28 (July 10), 1899 (published June 30) announced the death of the same June 28, "the heir to the Tsarevich and Grand Duke George Alexandrovich" (the oath to the latter, as the heir to the throne, was taken earlier together with the oath to Nicholas) and read further: "From now on, as long as the Lord does not want to bless us with the birth of a son, the immediate right to inherit the All-Russian throne, on the exact basis of the main State Law on succession to the throne, belongs to our dear brother, our Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich."

The absence of the words "heir to the crown prince" in the title of Mikhail Alexandrovich in the manifesto aroused bewilderment in court circles, which prompted the emperor to issue a personalized imperial decree on July 7 of the same year, which commanded to call the latter "the sovereign heir and the grand duke."

According to the data of the first general census conducted in January 1897, the population of the Russian Empire was 125 million people. Of these, 84 million had Russian as their native language, 21% were literate among the population of Russia, and 34% among people aged 10-19.

In January of the same year, monetary reform, which established the gold standard for the ruble. Transition to the gold ruble, among other things, it was the devaluation of the national currency: the imperials of the previous weight and standard now had “15 rubles” instead of 10; nevertheless, the stabilization of the ruble at the rate of “two-thirds”, contrary to forecasts, was successful and without shocks.

Much attention was paid to the working issue. On June 2 (14), 1897, a law was passed on the limitation of working hours, which established the maximum limit of the working day no more than 11.5 hours on ordinary days, and 10 hours on Saturday and pre-holiday days, or if at least part of the working day fell on night time.

In factories with more than 100 workers, free medical care was introduced, reaching 70 percent of the total number of factory workers (1898). In June 1903, the Rules on the remuneration of victims of industrial accidents were imposed, which obliged the entrepreneur to pay an allowance and pension to the victim or his family in the amount of 50-66% of the victim's maintenance.

In 1906, workers' trade unions were created in the country. The law of June 23 (July 6) 1912 introduced compulsory insurance of workers against illness and accidents in Russia.

The special tax on landowners of Polish origin in the Western Region, imposed in punishment for the Polish uprising of 1863, was abolished. By the decree on June 12 (25), 1900, exile to Siberia as a punishment was canceled.

The reign of Nicholas II was a period of economic growth: in 1885-1913, the growth rate of agricultural production averaged 2%, and the growth rate of industrial production was 4.5-5% per year. Coal production in Donbass increased from 4.8 million tons in 1894 to 24 million tons in 1913. Coal mining began in the Kuznetsk coal basin. Oil production developed in the vicinity of Baku, Grozny and on the Emba.

The construction of railways continued, the total length of which, 44 thousand km in 1898, exceeded 70 thousand km by 1913. In terms of the total length of railways, Russia surpassed any other European country and was second only to the United States, but in terms of railroad availability per capita it was inferior to both the United States and the largest European countries.

Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905

Back in 1895, the emperor foresaw the possibility of a clash with Japan for dominance in the Far East, and therefore prepared for this struggle - both diplomatically and militarily. From the resolution of the tsar on April 2 (14), 1895, at the report of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, his desire for further expansion of Russia in the South-East (Korea) was evident.

On May 22 (June 3), 1896, a Russian-Chinese treaty on a military alliance against Japan was concluded in Moscow; China agreed to the construction of a railway through Northern Manchuria to Vladivostok, the construction and operation of which was left to the Russian-Chinese Bank.

On September 8 (20), 1896, a concession agreement was signed between the Chinese government and the Russian-Chinese Bank for the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER).

On March 15 (27), 1898, Russia and China signed the Russian-Chinese Convention of 1898 in Beijing, according to which the ports of Port Arthur (Lushun) and Dalny (Dalian) with adjacent territories and water space were provided for rent for 25 years; in addition, the Chinese government agreed to extend the concession granted to them to the CER Society for the construction of a branch of the railway (South Manchurian Railway) from one of the points of the CER to Dalniy and Port Arthur.

On August 12 (24), 1898, according to the order of Nicholas II, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count M.N. “To put a limit to continuous armaments and find means to prevent misfortunes threatening the whole world - this is now the highest duty for all States. Filled with this feeling, the sovereign emperor to command me deigned to appeal to the Governments of states, whose representatives are accredited at the Imperial Court, with a proposal to convene a conference in order to discuss this important task ".

In 1899 and 1907, the Hague Peace Conferences were held, some decisions of which are still valid (in particular, the Permanent Court of Arbitration was established in The Hague). Nicholas II and the famous Russian diplomat Fyodor Fedorovich Martens were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 for their initiative to convene the Hague Peace Conference and their contribution to its holding. To this day, there is a bust of Nicholas II in the UN Secretariat and his Appeal to the powers of the world on the convocation of the first Hague conference is placed.

In 1900, Nicholas II sent Russian troops to suppress the Ikhetuan uprising together with the troops of other European powers, Japan and the United States.

The lease of the Liaodong Peninsula by Russia, the construction of the Sino-Eastern Railway and the establishment of a naval base in Port Arthur, the growing influence of Russia in Manchuria collided with the aspirations of Japan, which also claimed Manchuria.

On January 24 (February 6), 1904, the Japanese ambassador handed the Russian Foreign Minister VN Lamzdorf a note announcing the termination of negotiations, which Japan considered "useless", of the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia. Japan withdrew its diplomatic mission from St. Petersburg and reserved the right to resort to "independent actions" to protect its interests, which it deemed necessary. On the evening of January 26 (February 8), 1904, the Japanese fleet attacked the Port Arthur squadron without declaring war. The highest manifesto given by Nicholas II on January 27 (February 9), 1904, declared war on Japan.

The border battle on the Yalu River was followed by the battles of Liaoyang, the Shahe River and Sandepu. After a major battle in February - March 1905, the Russian army left Mukden.

After the fall of the fortress of Port Arthur, few people already believed in a favorable outcome of the military campaign. Patriotic enthusiasm gave way to irritation and despondency. This situation contributed to the strengthening of anti-government agitation and critical sentiment. For a long time, the emperor did not agree to admit the failure of the campaign, believing that these were only temporary failures. He undoubtedly wanted peace, only an honorable peace that a strong military position could provide.

By the end of the spring of 1905, it became obvious that the possibility of changing the military situation exists only in the distant future.

The outcome of the war was decided by the sea battle of Tsushima May 14-15 (28), 1905, which ended with the almost complete destruction of the Russian fleet.

On May 23 (June 5), 1905, the emperor received, through the US Ambassador in St. Petersburg Meyer, an offer from President T. Roosevelt to mediate for the conclusion of peace. The answer was not long in coming. On May 30 (June 12), 1905, the Minister of Foreign Affairs V. N. Lamsdorf informed Washington by an official telegram about the acceptance of T. Roosevelt's mediation.

The Russian delegation was headed by the Tsar's plenipotentiary S. Yu. Witte, and in the United States he was joined by the Russian ambassador to the United States, Baron R.R.Rosen. The difficult situation of the Russian government after the Russian-Japanese war prompted German diplomacy to make another attempt in July 1905 to tear Russia away from France and conclude a Russian-German alliance: Wilhelm II invited Nicholas II to meet in July 1905 in the Finnish skerries, near the island of Bjorke. Nikolai agreed, and at the meeting he signed the treaty, returning to St. Petersburg, refused it, since on August 23 (September 5), 1905, a peace treaty was signed in Portsmouth by the Russian representatives S. Yu. Witte and R.R.R. Rosen. Under the terms of the latter, Russia recognized Korea as a sphere of influence of Japan, yielded to Japan South Sakhalin and the rights to the Liaodong Peninsula with the cities of Port Arthur and Dalny.

The American researcher of the era T. Dennett in 1925 argued: “Few now believe that Japan has been deprived of the fruits of the upcoming victories. The opposite opinion prevails. Many believe that Japan was exhausted by the end of May, and that only the conclusion of peace saved it from collapse or complete defeat in a clash with Russia. "... Japan spent about 2 billion yen on the war, and its national debt increased from 600 million yen to 2.4 billion yen. In interest alone, the Japanese government had to pay 110 million yen annually. The four foreign loans received for the conduct of the war were a heavy burden on the Japanese budget. In the middle of the year, Japan was forced to take out a new loan. Realizing that the continuation of the war due to lack of funding becomes impossible, the Japanese government, under the guise of the "personal opinion" of Minister of War Terauti, through the American ambassador, back in March 1905, brought to the attention of T. Roosevelt the desire to end the war. The calculation was made on the mediation of the United States, which ultimately happened.

The defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (the first in half a century) and the subsequent suppression of the turmoil of 1905-1907, subsequently aggravated by the appearance of rumors of influences, led to the fall of the emperor's authority in ruling and intellectual circles.

Bloody Sunday and the first Russian revolution 1905-1907

With the outbreak of the Russian-Japanese war, Nicholas II made some concessions to liberal circles: after the assassination of the Minister of Internal Affairs VK Pleve by a Social Revolutionary militant, he appointed PD Svyatopolk-Mirsky, who was considered a liberal, to his post.

On December 12 (25), 1904, a supreme decree was given to the Senate "On the outlines for improving the state order", promising the expansion of the rights of the zemstvos, insurance of workers, the emancipation of foreigners and gentiles, and the elimination of censorship. When discussing the text of the Decree of December 12 (25), 1904, he, however, privately told Count Witte (according to the latter's recollections): God of the people. "

On January 6 (19), 1905 (on the feast of Epiphany), during the consecration of water on the Jordan (on the ice of the Neva), in front of the Winter Palace, in the presence of the emperor and his family members, at the very beginning of the troparion's singing, a gun shot was heard, in which accidentally (according to the official version) there was a charge of buckshot after the exercises on January 4. Most of the bullets hit the ice next to the royal pavilion and the facade of the palace, in 4 windows of which the glass was broken. In connection with the incident, the editor of the synodal edition wrote that “one cannot but see something special” in the fact that only one policeman named “Romanov” was mortally wounded and the flag staff of “the nursery of our ill-fated fleet” - the banner of the naval corps - was shot through.

On January 9 (22), 1905, a procession of workers to the Winter Palace took place in St. Petersburg on the initiative of priest Georgy Gapon. On January 6-8, priest Gapon and a group of workers drew up a petition on workers' needs addressed to the emperor, which, along with economic ones, contained a number of political demands.

The main demand of the petition was the elimination of the power of officials and the introduction of popular representation in the form of a Constituent Assembly. When the government became aware of the political content of the petition, it was decided not to admit workers to the Winter Palace, and if necessary, detain them by force. On the evening of January 8, Minister of Internal Affairs PD Svyatopolk-Mirsky informed the emperor of the measures taken. Contrary to popular belief, Nicholas II did not give the order to fire, but only approved the measures proposed by the head of government.

On January 9 (22), 1905, columns of workers led by priest Gapon moved from different parts of the city to the Winter Palace. Electrified by fanatical propaganda, the workers stubbornly pushed for the city center despite warnings and even cavalry attacks. To prevent the gathering of a crowd of 150,000 in the city center, the troops were forced to fire rifle volleys at the columns.

According to official government figures, 130 people were killed and 299 injured on January 9 (22), 1905. According to the calculations of the Soviet historian V.I. Nevsky, there were up to 200 killed and up to 800 wounded. On the evening of January 9 (22), 1905, Nicholas II wrote in his diary: "Tough day! In St. Petersburg, there were serious riots as a result of the desire of the workers to reach the Winter Palace. The troops had to shoot in different parts of the city, there were many killed and wounded. Lord, how painful and hard it is! ".

The events of January 9 (22), 1905 became a turning point in Russian history and marked the beginning of the First Russian Revolution. The liberal and revolutionary opposition placed all the blame for the events on Emperor Nicholas.

Priest Gapon, hiding from police persecution, wrote a proclamation on the evening of January 9 (22), 1905, in which he called on the workers for an armed uprising and the overthrow of the dynasty.

On February 4 (17), 1905, in the Moscow Kremlin, a terrorist bomb killed Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who professed extreme right-wing political views and had a certain influence on his nephew.

On April 17 (30), 1905, a decree “On strengthening the principles of religious tolerance” was issued, which abolished a number of confessional restrictions, in particular in relation to “schismatics” (Old Believers).

Strikes continued in the country, unrest began on the outskirts of the empire: in Courland, the Forest Brothers began to massacre local German landowners, and the Armenian-Tatar massacre began in the Caucasus.

Revolutionaries and separatists received support in money and weapons from England and Japan. For example, in the summer of 1905 in the Baltic Sea, the British steamer John Grafton, which had run aground, was detained, carrying several thousand rifles for the Finnish separatists and revolutionary militants. There have been several uprisings in the navy and in various cities. The largest was the December uprising in Moscow. At the same time, the Socialist-Revolutionary and the anarchist individual terror became widespread. In just a couple of years, the revolutionaries killed thousands of officials, officers and policemen - in 1906 alone 768 were killed and 820 representatives and agents of the government were wounded.

The second half of 1905 was marked by numerous unrest in universities and theological seminaries: because of the riots, almost 50 secondary theological educational institutions were closed. The adoption on August 27 (September 9), 1905, of a provisional law on university autonomy provoked a general strike of students and stirred up university and theological academies. Opposition parties took advantage of the expansion of freedoms to intensify their attacks on the autocracy in the press.

On August 6 (19), 1905, a manifesto was signed on the establishment of the State Duma ("as a legislative institution, which is provided with preliminary development and discussion of legislative proposals and consideration of the list of state revenues and expenditures" - the Bulygin Duma) and the law on the State Duma and the provision on elections to Duma.

But the revolution, which was gaining strength, stepped over the acts of August 6: in October, an all-Russian political strike began, over 2 million people went on strike. On the evening of October 17 (30), 1905, Nikolai, after psychologically difficult hesitation, decided to sign a manifesto, commanding, among other things: "1. To grant the population the unshakable foundations of civil freedom on the basis of the real inviolability of the person, freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and association ... participation in the supervision of the lawfulness of the actions of the authorities assigned from us ".

On April 23 (May 6), 1906, the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire were approved, providing for a new role for the Duma in the legislative process. From the point of view of the liberal public, the manifesto marked the end of the Russian autocracy as the unlimited power of the monarch.

Three weeks after the manifesto, political prisoners other than those convicted of terrorism were amnestied; the decree of November 24 (December 7) 1905 abolished both preliminary general and spiritual censorship for time-based (periodical) publications published in the cities of the empire (on April 26 (May 9), 1906, all censorship was abolished).

After the publication of the manifestos, the strikes subsided. The armed forces (except for the navy, where the unrest took place) remained faithful to the oath. An extreme right-wing monarchist public organization, the Union of the Russian People, arose and was tacitly supported by Nicholas.

From the First Russian Revolution to the First World War

On August 18 (31), 1907, an agreement was signed with Great Britain on the delimitation of spheres of influence in China, Afghanistan and Persia, which in general completed the process of forming an alliance of the 3 powers - the Triple Accord, known as Entente (Triple-Entente)... However, mutual military obligations at that time existed only between Russia and France - under the agreement of 1891 and the military convention of 1892.

On May 27 - 28 (June 10), 1908, the British King Edward VII met with the tsar - on the roadstead in the harbor of Reval, the tsar received the uniform of an admiral of the British fleet from the king. The Revel rendezvous of the monarchs was interpreted in Berlin as a step towards the formation of an anti-German coalition - despite the fact that Nicholas was a staunch opponent of rapprochement with England against Germany.

The agreement concluded between Russia and Germany on August 6 (19), 1911 (the Potsdam Agreement) did not change the general vector of the involvement of Russia and Germany in opposing military-political alliances.

On June 17 (30), 1910, the law on the procedure for issuing laws relating to the Principality of Finland, known as the law on the procedure for general imperial legislation, was approved by the State Council and the State Duma.

The Russian contingent, which had been in Persia since 1909 due to the unstable political situation, was sent there in 1911 and was strengthened.

In 1912, Mongolia became a de facto protectorate of Russia, gaining independence from China as a result of the revolution that took place there. After this revolution in 1912-1913, Tuvan noyons (ambyn-noyon Kombu-Dorzhu, Chamzy Khamby-lama, noyon Daa-ho.shuna Buyan-Badyrgy and others) several times appealed to the tsarist government with a request to accept Tuva under the protectorate of the Russian Empire. On April 4 (17), 1914, by a resolution on the report of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, a Russian protectorate was established over the Uryankhai Territory: the Territory was included in the Yenisei province with the transfer of political and diplomatic affairs in Tuva to the Irkutsk Governor-General.

The outbreak of hostilities of the Balkan Union against Turkey in the fall of 1912 marked the collapse of diplomatic efforts undertaken after the Bosnian crisis by Foreign Minister S.D.Sazonov towards an alliance with the Porte and at the same time keeping the Balkan states under his control: contrary to the expectations of the Russian government, the troops of the latter successfully pressed Turks and in November 1912 the Bulgarian army was 45 km from the Ottoman capital of Constantinople.

In connection with the Balkan War, the behavior of Austria-Hungary became more and more defiant in relation to Russia, and in this regard, in November 1912, at a meeting with the emperor, the issue of mobilizing the troops of the three Russian military districts was considered. This measure was advocated by the Minister of War V. Sukhomlinov, but Prime Minister V. Kokovtsov managed to convince the emperor not to make such a decision, which threatened to involve Russia in the war.

After the actual transfer of the Turkish army under the German command (German General Liman von Sanders took over the post of chief inspector of the Turkish army at the end of 1913), the question of the inevitability of war with Germany was raised in Sazonov's note to the Emperor on December 23, 1913 (January 5, 1914), Sazonov's note also discussed at the meeting of the Council of Ministers.

In 1913, a wide celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty took place: the imperial family traveled to Moscow, from there to Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, and then along the Volga to Kostroma, where in the Ipatiev Monastery on March 14 (24), 1613 the first tsar was called to the kingdom from the Romanovs - Mikhail Fedorovich. In January 1914, the solemn consecration of the Fedorov Cathedral, erected to commemorate the anniversary of the dynasty, took place in St. Petersburg.

The first two State Dumas were unable to conduct regular legislative work: the contradictions between the deputies, on the one hand, and the emperor, on the other, were insurmountable. So, immediately after the opening, in a response to the address to the throne of Nicholas II, leftist Duma members demanded the liquidation of the State Council (upper house of parliament), the transfer of monastic and state lands to the peasants. On May 19 (June 1), 1906, 104 deputies of the Labor Group put forward a draft land reform (draft 104), the content of which boiled down to the confiscation of landowners' lands and the nationalization of the entire land.

The Duma of the first convocation was dissolved by the Emperor by a personal decree to the Senate of July 8 (21), 1906 (published on Sunday July 9), which appointed the time of the convocation of the newly elected Duma for February 20 (March 5), 1907. The subsequent supreme manifesto of July 9 explained the reasons, among which it was stated: “The elected from the population, instead of the work of building the legislative, evaded into an area that did not belong to them and turned to the investigation of the actions of the local authorities put from us, to instructions to Us on the imperfections of the Basic Laws, changes of which could to be undertaken only by our monarch's will, and to actions clearly illegal, as an appeal on behalf of the Duma to the population. " By a decree of July 10 of the same year, the activities of the State Council were suspended.

Simultaneously with the dissolution of the Duma, instead of IL Goremykin, he was appointed to the post of chairman of the Council of Ministers. Stolypin's agrarian policy, the successful suppression of the turmoil, and vivid speeches in the Second Duma made him the idol of some right-wingers.

The Second Duma turned out to be even more left-wing than the first, since the Social Democrats and Socialist-Revolutionaries, who boycotted the First Duma, took part in the elections. In the government, the idea of ​​dissolving the Duma and changing the electoral law was ripening.

Stolypin did not intend to destroy the Duma, but to change the composition of the Duma. The reason for the dissolution was the actions of the Social Democrats: on May 5, at the apartment of a member of the Duma from the RSDLP Ozolya, the police discovered a gathering of 35 Social Democrats and about 30 soldiers of the St. Petersburg garrison. In addition, the police found various propaganda materials calling for the violent overthrow of the state system, various orders from soldiers of military units and false passports.

On June 1, Stolypin and the chairman of the St. Petersburg Court of Justice demanded that the Duma remove the entire membership of the Social Democratic faction from Duma sessions and remove immunity from 16 members of the RSDLP. The Duma responded to the government's demands with a refusal, the result of the confrontation was the manifesto of Nicholas II on the dissolution of the II Duma, published on June 3 (16), 1907, together with the Regulations on the elections to the Duma, that is, a new electoral law. The manifesto also indicated the date for the opening of the new Duma - November 1 (14), 1907. The act of June 3, 1907 in Soviet historiography was called the "June third coup", since it came into conflict with the manifesto of October 17, 1905, according to which no new law could be passed without the approval of the State Duma.

Since 1907, the so-called "Stolypin" agrarian reform... The main direction of the reform was the consolidation of land, formerly in the collective ownership of the rural community, to the peasant owners. The state also provided broad assistance in the purchase of landowners' lands by peasants (through loans from the Peasant Land Bank), subsidized agronomic assistance. During the reform, much attention was paid to the fight against stripes (a phenomenon in which a peasant cultivated many small strips of land in different fields), the allocation of plots to peasants "to one place" (a cut, a farm) was encouraged, which led to a significant increase in the efficiency of the economy.

The reform, which required a huge amount of land management work, developed rather slowly. Before the February Revolution, no more than 20% of the communal lands were assigned to the ownership of the peasants. The results of the reform, obviously noticeable and positive, did not have time to manifest themselves in full.

In 1913, Russia (excluding the Vistula provinces) was in the first place in the world in the production of rye, barley and oats, in the third place (after Canada and the USA) in the production of wheat, in the fourth place (after France, Germany and Austria-Hungary) in the production potatoes. Russia became the main exporter of agricultural products, accounting for 2/5 of all world agricultural exports. The grain yield was 3 times lower than the English or German, the potato yield was 2 times lower.

The military transformations of 1905-1912 were carried out after the defeat of Russia in the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905, which revealed serious shortcomings in the central administration, organization, manning system, combat training and technical equipment of the army.

In the first period of military transformations (1905-1908), the highest military administration was decentralized (the Main Directorate of the General Staff was established, independent of the Ministry of War, the Council of State Defense was created, the inspector generals were directly subordinate to the emperor), the terms of active service were reduced (in the infantry and field artillery from 5 to 3 years, in other branches of the armed forces from 5 to 4 years, in the navy from 7 to 5 years), the officer corps is rejuvenated, the life of soldiers and sailors (food and clothing allowance) and the material situation of officers and servicemen are improved.

In the second period (1909-1912), the centralization of the top management was carried out (the General Directorate of the General Staff was included in the War Ministry, the State Defense Council was abolished, the inspector generals were subordinated to the Minister of War). Due to the militarily weak reserve and fortress troops, field troops were strengthened (the number of army corps increased from 31 to 37), a reserve was created at the field units, which, during mobilization, was allocated for the deployment of secondary (including field artillery, engineering and railway troops, communications units) , machine-gun teams were created in regiments and corps air detachments, cadet schools were transformed into military schools, which received new programs, new regulations and instructions were introduced.

In 1910, the Imperial Air Force was created.

Nicholas II. Triumph frustrated

World War I

Nicholas II made efforts to prevent war both in all the pre-war years, and in the last days before its start, when (July 15 (28), 1914) Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and began the bombing of Belgrade. On July 16 (29), 1914, Nicholas II sent a telegram to William II with a proposal to "transfer the Austro-Serbian question to the Hague Conference" (to the International Arbitration Court in The Hague). Wilhelm II did not reply to this telegram.

Opposition parties both in the Entente countries and in Russia (including the Social Democrats) at the beginning of WWI considered Germany to be the aggressor. in the fall of 1914 he wrote that it was Germany who unleashed the war, at a convenient time for her.

On July 20 (August 2), 1914, the emperor gave and by the evening of the same day published a manifesto on the war, as well as a personalized imperial decree, in which he, “not recognizing the possibility, for reasons of a national nature, to become now the head of our land and sea forces intended for military operations ", commanded the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich to be the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

By decrees of July 24 (August 6), 1914, the classes of the State Council and the Duma were interrupted from July 26.

On July 26 (August 8), 1914, a manifesto on the war with Austria was issued. On the same day, the highest reception of the members of the State Council and the Duma took place: the emperor arrived at the Winter Palace on a yacht together with Nikolai Nikolaevich and, entering the Nikolaev Hall, addressed the audience with the following words: “Germany and then Austria declared war on Russia. That huge upsurge of patriotic feelings of love for the Motherland and devotion to the throne, which like a hurricane swept across our land, serves in my eyes and, I think, in yours, a guarantee that our great mother Russia will bring the war sent down by God to the desired end ... ... I am sure that each and every one of you in his place will help me to endure the test sent down to me and that everyone, starting with me, will fulfill their duty to the end. Great is the God of the Russian Land! "... In conclusion of his response speech, the Chairman of the Duma, Chamberlain M.V. Rodzianko, said: “Without differences of opinion, views and convictions, the State Duma, on behalf of the Russian Land, calmly and firmly says to its tsar:“ Dare, sir, the Russian people are with you and, firmly trusting in the mercy of God, will not stop at any sacrifice until the enemy is broken and the dignity of the Motherland will not be protected "".

During the period of Nikolai Nikolaevich's command, the tsar traveled to Headquarters several times for meetings with the command (September 21-23, October 22-24, November 18-20). In November 1914, he also traveled to the south of Russia and the Caucasian front.

At the beginning of June 1915, the situation on the fronts deteriorated sharply: Przemysl, a fortress city, captured in March with huge losses, was surrendered. At the end of June, Lviv was abandoned. All military acquisitions were lost, and the loss of the Russian Empire's own territory began. In July, Warsaw, all of Poland and part of Lithuania were surrendered; the enemy continued to advance. There was talk in society about the government’s inability to cope with the situation.

Both on the part of public organizations, the State Duma, and on the part of other groupings, even of many grand dukes, they started talking about creating a "ministry of public trust."

At the beginning of 1915, the troops at the front began to feel a great need for weapons and ammunition. The need for a complete restructuring of the economy in accordance with the demands of the war became clear. On August 17 (30), 1915, Nicholas II approved the documents on the formation of four Special Meetings: on defense, fuel, food and transportation. These meetings, which consisted of representatives of the government, private industrialists, members of the State Duma and the State Council and headed by the relevant ministers, were to join the efforts of the government, private industry and the public in mobilizing industry for military needs. Chief among these was the Special Defense Conference.

On May 9 (22), 1916, the All-Russian Emperor Nicholas II, accompanied by his family, General Brusilov and others, conducted a review of troops in the Bessarabian province in the city of Bender and visited the hospital located in the city Auditorium.

Along with the creation of special conferences, in 1915 the Military-Industrial Committees began to arise - public organizations of the bourgeoisie, which were of a semi-oppositional character.

The Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich's overestimation of his abilities resulted in a number of major military mistakes, and attempts to deflect the relevant accusations led to fanning Germanophobia and spy mania. One of these most significant episodes was the case of Lieutenant Colonel Myasoedov, which ended in the execution of an innocent, where Nikolai Nikolaevich played the first violin along with AI Guchkov. The front commander, due to the disagreement of the judges, did not approve the verdict, but the fate of Myasoedov was decided by the resolution of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich: "Hang anyway!" This case, in which the Grand Duke played the first role, led to an increase in the clearly oriented suspicion of society and played a role, among other things, in the May 1915 German pogrom in Moscow.

Failures at the front continued: on July 22, Warsaw and Kovno were surrendered, the fortifications of Brest were blown up, the Germans were approaching the Western Dvina, and the evacuation of Riga was started. In such conditions, Nicholas II decided to remove the failed Grand Duke and himself to stand at the head of the Russian army.

On August 23 (September 5), 1915, Nicholas II assumed the title of Supreme Commander-in-Chief, replacing the Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich in this post, who was appointed commander of the Caucasian Front. MV Alekseev was appointed Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

The soldiers of the Russian army greeted Nikolai's decision to take the post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief without enthusiasm. At the same time, the German command was satisfied with the departure of Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich from the post of supreme commander-in-chief - it considered him a tough and skillful enemy. A number of his strategic ideas were assessed by Erich Ludendorff as extremely daring and brilliant.

During the Sventsiansk breakthrough on August 9 (22), 1915 - September 19 (October 2) 1915, the German troops were defeated, and their offensive was stopped. The parties switched to trench warfare: the brilliant Russian counterattacks that followed in the Vilna-Molodechno area and the events that followed made it possible, after a successful September operation, to prepare for a new stage of the war, no longer fearing an enemy offensive. Throughout Russia, work began to boil on the formation and training of new troops. Industry was rapidly producing ammunition and military equipment. This speed of work became possible thanks to the emerging confidence that the enemy offensive had been stopped. By the spring of 1917, new armies had been created, supplied with equipment and ammunition better than ever before in the entire war.

The autumn draft of 1916 put 13 million people under arms, and the losses in the war exceeded 2 million.

In 1916, Nicholas II replaced four chairmen of the Council of Ministers (I.L. Goremykin, B.V. Shtyurmer, A.F. Trepov and Prince N.D. V. Shtyurmer, A. A. Khvostov and A. D. Protopopov), three ministers of foreign affairs (S. D. Sazonov, B. V. Shturmer and N. N. Pokrovsky), two ministers of war (A. A. Polivanov, D. S. Shuvaev) and three ministers of justice (A. A. Khvostov, A. A. Makarov and N. A. Dobrovolsky).

By January 1 (14), 1917, there were changes in the State Council. Nikolai expelled 17 members and appointed new ones.

On January 19 (February 1), 1917, a meeting of high-ranking representatives of the allied powers opened in Petrograd, which went down in history as the Petrograd Conference: delegates from Great Britain, France and Italy attended it from the allies of Russia, who also visited Moscow and the front, had meetings with politicians of various political orientations, with the leaders of the Duma factions. The latter unanimously spoke to the head of the British delegation about the imminent revolution - either from below or from above (in the form of a palace coup).

Nicholas II, hoping for an improvement in the situation in the country in the event of the success of the spring offensive of 1917, as agreed at the Petrograd conference, did not intend to conclude a separate peace with the enemy - in the victorious end of the war, he saw the most important means of strengthening the throne. Hints that Russia might start negotiations for a separate peace was a diplomatic game that forced the Entente to admit the need to establish Russian control over the Straits.

The war, during which there was a widespread mobilization of the able-bodied male population, horses and the massive requisition of livestock and agricultural products, had a detrimental effect on the economy, especially in the countryside. In the midst of a politicized Petrograd society, the authorities were discredited by scandals (in particular, those associated with the influence of G. Ye. Rasputin and his henchmen - "dark forces") and suspicions of treason. Nicholas' declarative adherence to the idea of ​​"autocratic" power came into sharp conflict with the liberal and leftist aspirations of a significant part of the Duma members and society.

Abdication of Nicholas II

The general testified about the mood in the army after the revolution: “As for the attitude to the throne, then, as a general phenomenon, in the officer corps there was a desire to distinguish the person of the sovereign from the court filth that surrounded him, from the political mistakes and crimes of the tsarist government, which clearly and steadily led to the destruction of the country and to the defeat of the army ... The Tsar was forgiven, they tried to justify him. As we will see below, by 1917 this attitude in a certain part of the officers wavered, causing the phenomenon that Prince Volkonsky called the "revolution on the right", but on a purely political basis. ".

The forces opposed to Nicholas II were preparing a coup d'etat starting in 1915. These were the leaders of various political parties represented in the Duma, and large military men, and the top of the bourgeoisie, and even some members of the Imperial Family. It was assumed that after the abdication of Nicholas II, his minor son Alexei would ascend to the throne, and the Tsar's younger brother, Mikhail, would become regent. In the course of the February Revolution, this plan began to be realized.

Since December 1916, a "coup" in one form or another was expected in the court and political environment, a possible abdication of the emperor in favor of Tsarevich Alexei during the regency of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.

On February 23 (March 8), 1917, a strike began in Petrograd. After 3 days, it became universal. On the morning of February 27 (March 12), 1917, the soldiers of the Petrograd garrison revolted and joined the strikers, only the police resisted the rebellion and riots. A similar uprising took place in Moscow.

On February 25 (March 10), 1917, by decree of Nicholas II, the meetings of the State Duma were terminated from February 26 (March 11) to April of the same year, which further inflamed the situation. Chairman of the State Duma MV Rodzianko sent a number of telegrams to the emperor about the events in Petrograd.

The headquarters learned about the beginning of the revolution with a delay of two days, according to reports from General S. S. Khabalov, Minister of War Belyaev and Minister of Internal Affairs Protopopov. The first telegram announcing the beginning of the revolution arrives at General Alekseev only on February 25 (March 10) 1917 at 18:08: “I inform you that on February 23 and 24, due to a lack of grain, a strike broke out in many factories ... 200 thousand workers ... At about three o'clock in the afternoon on Znamenskaya Square, the bailiff Krylov was killed when the crowd scattered. The crowd is scattered. In the suppression of the riots, in addition to the Petrograd garrison, five squadrons of the Ninth Reserve Cavalry Regiment from Krasnoe Selo, one hundred L.-Guards take part. the combined Cossack regiment from Pavlovsk and five squadrons of the Guards Reserve Cavalry Regiment were summoned to Petrograd. No. 486. Sec. Khabalov "... General Alekseev reports to Nicholas II the content of this telegram.

At the same time, the palace commandant Voyekov reports to Nicholas II a telegram from the Minister of the Interior Protopopov: "Bid. The palace commandant. ... On February 23, a strike broke out in the capital, accompanied by street riots. The first day about 90 thousand workers went on strike, the second - up to 160 thousand, today - about 200 thousand. Street riots are expressed in demonstrative processions, partly with red flags, destruction of some shops, a partial cessation of tram traffic by strikers, clashes with the police. ... the police fired several shots in the direction of the crowd, followed by return shots. ... the bailiff Krylov was killed. The movement is unorganized and spontaneous. ... It's calm in Moscow. Ministry of Internal Affairs Protopopov. No. 179. February 25, 1917 ".

After reading both telegrams, Nicholas II on the evening of February 25 (March 10) 1917 ordered General S. S. Khabalov to suppress the riots by military force: “I command tomorrow to stop the unrest in the capital, which is unacceptable in the difficult time of the war with Germany and Austria. NIKOLAI ".

On February 26 (March 11) 1917 at 17:00 a telegram from Rodzianko arrives: “The situation is serious. There is anarchy in the capital. ... There is indiscriminate shooting in the streets. Parts of the troops shoot at each other. It is necessary to immediately instruct a trusted person to form a new government. "... Nicholas II refuses to respond to this telegram, telling the Minister of the Imperial Court Fredericks that "Again this fat man Rodzianko wrote me all sorts of nonsense, to which I will not even answer him".

Rodzianko's next telegram arrives at 22:22, and also has a similar panic character.

On February 27 (March 12), 1917 at 19:22, a telegram from the Minister of War Belyaev arrives at Headquarters, declaring that the Petrograd garrison will almost completely go over to the side of the revolution, and demanding the sending of troops loyal to the tsar, at 19:29 he announces that the Council of Ministers has declared a state of siege in Petrograd. General Alekseev reports the content of both telegrams to Nicholas II. The tsar ordered General N.I. Ivanov to go at the head of loyal army units to Tsarskoe Selo to ensure the safety of the imperial family, then, as Commander of the Petrograd military district, take command of the troops that were supposed to be transferred from the front.

From 11 pm to 1 am the Empress sends two telegrams from Tsarskoe Selo: “The revolution took on appalling proportions yesterday ... Concessions are necessary. ... Many troops went over to the side of the revolution. Alix ".

Khabalov's telegram arrives at 0:55: “I ask you to report to His Imperial Majesty that I could not fulfill the order to restore order in the capital. Most of the units, one by one, have betrayed their duty, refusing to fight against the rebels. Other units fraternized with the rebels and turned their weapons against the troops loyal to His Majesty. Those who remained faithful to their duty fought against the rebels all day, suffering heavy losses. By evening, the rebels captured most of the capital. Small parts of different regiments, gathered near the Winter Palace under the command of General Zankevich, remain faithful to the oath, with whom I will continue to fight. General-leith. Khabalov ".

On February 28 (March 13), 1917, at 11 a.m., General Ivanov raised the alarm for a battalion of St. George's Knights of 800 people, and sent it from Mogilev to Tsarskoe Selo through Vitebsk and Dno, leaving at 13:00 himself.

The battalion commander, Prince Pozharsky, announces to his officers that he will not "shoot at the people in Petrograd, even if Adjutant General Ivanov demands it."

Chief Marshal Benckendorff telegraphed from Petrograd to Headquarters that the Lithuanian Life Guards regiment shot its commander, and the battalion commander was shot in the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment.

On February 28 (March 13), 1917 at 21:00, General Alekseev orders the Chief of Staff of the Northern Front, General Danilov Yu.N., to send two cavalry and two infantry regiments reinforced with machine-gun teams to help General Ivanov. It is planned to send about the same second detachment from the Southwestern Front of General Brusilov as part of the Preobrazhensky regiments, the Third Rifle and the Fourth Rifle Imperial Family. Alekseev also proposes to add one cavalry division to the "punitive expedition" on his own initiative.

On February 28 (March 13), 1917, at 5 a.m. the tsar departed (at 4:28 am the letter B train, at 5:00 am the letter A train) to Tsarskoe Selo, but could not get through.

On February 28, 8:25 am General Khabalov sends a telegram to General Alekseev about his desperate situation, and at 9:00 - 10:00 he talks with General Ivanov, stating that “At my disposal, in the main building. admiralty, four guard companies, five squadrons and hundreds, two batteries. Other troops went over to the side of the revolutionaries or remain, by agreement with them, neutral. Individual soldiers and gangs roam the city, shooting at passers-by, disarming officers ... All stations are in the power of revolutionaries, they are strictly guarded by them ... All artillery establishments are in the power of revolutionaries ".

At 13:30, Belyaev's telegram arrives on the final surrender of the units loyal to the tsar in Petrograd. The king receives it at 15:00.

On the afternoon of February 28, General Alekseev tries to take control of the Ministry of Railways through a comrade (deputy) minister, General Kislyakov, but he convinces Alekseev to reverse his decision. On February 28, General Alekseev with a circular telegram stopped all combat-ready units on the way to Petrograd. In his circular telegram it was falsely asserted that the disturbances in Petrograd had subsided and the need to suppress the rebellion had disappeared. Some of these parts were already within an hour or two drive from the capital. They were all stopped.

Adjutant General I. Ivanov received Alekseev's order already in Tsarskoe Selo.

Duma deputy Bublikov occupies the Ministry of Railways, arresting his minister, and bans the movement of military trains 250 miles around Petrograd. At 21:27 in Likhoslavl, a message was received about Bublikov's orders to railway workers.

On February 28, at 20:00, the uprising of the Tsarskoye Selo garrison began. The remaining loyal units continue to guard the palace.

At 3:45 am the train approaches Malaya Vishera. There they reported that the path ahead was captured by the insurgent soldiers, and two revolutionary companies with machine guns were stationed at the Lyuban station. Subsequently, it turns out that in fact, at the Lyuban station, the insurgent soldiers looted the buffet, but they did not intend to arrest the tsar.

At 4:50 am on March 1 (14), 1917, the tsar ordered to turn back to Bologoye (where they arrived at 9:00 am on March 1), and from there to Pskov.

According to a number of testimonies, on March 1 at 16:00 in Petrograd, the cousin of Nicholas II, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, went over to the side of the revolution, who led the Guards naval crew to the Tauride Palace. Subsequently, the monarchists declared this to be slander.

On March 1 (14), 1917, General Ivanov arrives at Tsarskoe Selo, and receives information that the Tsarskoye Selo guards company rebelled and left for Petrograd without permission. Also, insurgent units approached Tsarskoe Selo: a heavy division and one guards battalion of a reserve regiment. General Ivanov leaves Tsarskoe Selo for Vyritsa and decides to inspect the Tarutinsky regiment transferred to him. At the Semrino station, railroad workers block his further movement.

On March 1 (14), 1917 at 15:00, the tsarist train arrives at the Dno station, at 19:05 in Pskov, where the headquarters of the armies of the Northern Front of General N.V. Ruzsky was located. General Ruzsky, by his political convictions, believed that the autocratic monarchy in the twentieth century was an anachronism, and personally disliked Nicholas II. Upon the arrival of the tsarist train, the general refused to arrange the usual ceremony to welcome the tsar, and appeared alone and only a few minutes later.

General Alekseev, who, in the absence of the tsar in Headquarters, assumed the duties of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, on February 28 receives a report from General Khabalov that he has only 1,100 men left in loyal units. Upon learning of the beginning of the riots in Moscow, he telegraphed the Tsar on March 1 at 15:58 that “The revolution, and the latter is inevitable, once riots begin in the rear, marks the shameful end of the war with all the grave consequences for Russia. The army is too closely connected with the life of the rear, and it is safe to say that unrest in the rear will cause the same in the army. It is impossible to require the army to fight calmly when a revolution is taking place in the rear. The current young composition of the army and the officer corps, among which a huge percentage of those called up from the reserve and promoted to officers from higher educational institutions, does not give any reason to believe that the army will not react to what will happen in Russia ".

After receiving this telegram, Nicholas II received General N.V. Ruzsky, who spoke in favor of establishing a government responsible to the Duma in Russia. At 22:20, General Alekseev sends Nicholas II a draft of the proposed manifesto on the establishment of a responsible government. At 17:00 - 18:00, the Headquarters receives telegrams about the uprising in Kronstadt.

On March 2 (15), 1917, at 1 am, Nicholas II telegraphed General Ivanov "I ask you not to take any measures before my arrival and report to me," and instructs Ruzsky to inform Alekseev and Rodzianko that he agrees to the formation of a responsible government. Then Nicholas II goes to the sleeping car, but falls asleep only at 5:15, sending a telegram to General Alekseev “You can announce the manifesto presented, marking it with Pskov. NIKOLAI ".

On March 2, at 3:30 am, Ruzsky got in touch with M.V. Rodzianko, and during a four-hour conversation he got acquainted with the tense situation that had developed by that time in Petrograd.

Having received a record of the conversation between Ruzsky and Rodzianko M.V., Alekseev on March 2 at 9:00 ordered General Lukomsky to contact Pskov and immediately wake up the tsar, to which he received the answer that the tsar had only recently fallen asleep, and that Ruzsky's report was scheduled for 10:00 ...

At 10:45, Ruzsky began his report by informing Nicholas II of his conversation with Rodzianko. At this time, Ruzsky received the text of a telegram sent by Alekseev to the front commander on the issue of the desirability of abdication, and read it to the tsar.

On March 2, 14:00 - 14:30, replies from the front commanders began to arrive. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich said that "as a loyal subject, I consider it my duty of oath and the spirit of the oath to kneel down on my knees to the sovereign to renounce the crown in order to save Russia and the dynasty." Generals A.E. Evert (Western Front), A.A. Brusilov (Southwestern Front), V.V. Sakharov (Romanian Front), the commander of the Baltic Fleet, Admiral A.I. Nepenin, and General Sakharov called the Provisional Committee of the State Duma "a robbery bunch of people who took advantage of a convenient moment," but "crying, I have to say that abdication is the most painless way out," and General Evert noted that "the army in its present composition cannot be counted on to suppress riots .. I am taking all measures to ensure that information about the current state of affairs in the capitals does not penetrate the army in order to protect it from undoubted unrest. There are no means to stop the revolution in the capitals. " The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral A. Kolchak, did not reply.

Between 14:00 and 15:00 Ruzsky entered the tsar, accompanied by generals Danilov Yu.N. and Savich, taking with him the texts of the telegrams. Nicholas II asked the generals to speak. They all spoke in favor of renunciation.

Around 3 p.m. March 2 the tsar decided to abdicate in favor of his son during the regency of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.

At this time, Ruzsky was informed that representatives of the State Duma A.I.Guchkov and V.V. Shulgin had moved to Pskov. At 15:10 Nicholas II was informed about this. Duma representatives arrive on the Tsar's train at 21:45. Guchkov told Nicholas II that there was a danger of the spread of unrest at the front, and that the troops of the Petrograd garrison went over to the side of the rebels immediately, and the remnants of the loyal troops in Tsarskoye Selo went over to the side of the revolution, according to Guchkov. After listening to him, the king informs that he has already decided to deny himself and his son.

On March 2 (15), 1917 at 23 hours 40 minutes (in the document the time of signing was indicated by the tsar, as 15 hours - the time of the decision) Nikolai handed over to Guchkov and Shulgin Abdication manifesto which read in particular: "We command our brother to rule the affairs of the state in full and indestructible unity with representatives of the people in legislative institutions, on the basis that they will establish, taking an inviolable oath to that".

Guchkov and Shulgin also demanded that Nicholas II sign two decrees: on the appointment of Prince G. Ye. Lvov as head of government and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich as supreme commander in chief, the former emperor signed decrees indicating the time of 14 hours.

After that, Nikolai writes in his diary: “In the morning Ruzsky came and read his longest conversation on the telephone with Rodzianko. According to him, the situation in Petrograd is such that now the ministry from the Duma is seemingly powerless to do anything, since the Social [ial] -dem [okraty] party, represented by the workers' committee, is fighting against it. My renunciation is needed. Ruzsky relayed this conversation to headquarters, and Alekseev to all the commander-in-chief. By 2½ o'clock the answers came from everyone. The bottom line is that in the name of saving Russia and keeping the army at the front calm, you need to decide on this step. I agreed. The draft of the manifesto was sent from the headquarters. In the evening Guchkov and Shulgin arrived from Petrograd, with whom I talked and gave them a signed and revised manifesto. At one o'clock in the morning I left Pskov with a heavy feeling of the experience. All around treason, and cowardice, and deceit ".

Guchkov and Shulgin leave for Petrograd on March 3 (16), 1917 at three o'clock in the morning, having previously communicated the text of the three adopted documents to the government by telegraph. At 6 am, the interim committee of the State Duma contacted the Grand Duke Mikhail, informing him of the abdication of the already former emperor in his favor.

During a meeting on the morning of March 3 (16), 1917 with the Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, Rodzianko declares that if he accepts the throne, a new uprising will immediately break out, and the consideration of the question of the monarchy should be transferred to the Constituent Assembly. He is supported by Kerensky, opposed by Milyukov, who declared that “the government is one without a monarch ... is a fragile boat that can drown in the ocean of popular unrest; the country under such conditions may be threatened with the loss of all consciousness of statehood ”. After listening to the representatives of the Duma, the Grand Duke demanded a private conversation with Rodzianko, and asked if the Duma could guarantee his personal safety. After hearing that he cannot, Grand Duke Michael signed a manifesto on the abdication of the throne.

On March 3 (16), 1917, Nicholas II, having learned about the refusal of the Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich from the throne, wrote in his diary: “It turns out that Misha disowned. His manifesto ends with a four-tail for elections after 6 months of the Constituent Assembly. God knows who advised him to sign such disgusting! In Petrograd, the riots stopped - if only it went on like this "... He draws up the second version of the renunciation manifesto, again in favor of his son. Alekseev took away the telegram, but did not send it. It was too late: two manifestos had already been announced to the country and the army. Alekseev did not show this telegram to anyone, “in order not to confuse the minds,” he kept it in his wallet and handed it over to me at the end of May, leaving the high command.

On March 4 (17), 1917, the commander of the Guards Cavalry Corps sent a telegram to Headquarters to the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief “We have received information about major events. I ask you not to refuse to plunge into the footsteps of His Majesty the boundless loyalty of the Guards cavalry and the willingness to die for your adored Monarch. Khan Nakhichevan "... In a reply telegram, Nikolai said: “I never doubted the feelings of the guards cavalry. I ask you to obey the Provisional Government. Nikolay "... According to other sources, this telegram was sent back on March 3, and General Alekseev never gave it to Nikolai. There is also a version that this telegram was sent without the knowledge of the Nakhichevan Khan by his chief of staff, General Baron Vineken. According to the opposite version, the telegram, on the contrary, was sent by Khan Nakhichevansky after a meeting with the commanders of the corps units.

Another well-known telegram of support was sent by the commander of the 3rd Cavalry Corps of the Romanian Front, General F.A.Keller: “The Third Cavalry Corps does not believe that You, Sovereign, have voluntarily abdicated the throne. Order, King, we will come and protect You "... It is not known whether this telegram reached the tsar, but it reached the commander of the Romanian front, who ordered Keller to surrender command of the corps under the threat of being accused of high treason.

On March 8 (21), 1917, the executive committee of the Petrograd Soviet, when it became known about the tsar's plans to leave for England, decided to arrest the tsar and his family, confiscate property and deprive them of civil rights. The new commander of the Petrograd district, General L.G. Kornilov, arrives in Tsarskoye Selo, arresting the empress and setting up guards, including to protect the tsar from the rebellious Tsarskoye Selo garrison.

On March 8 (21), 1917, the tsar in Mogilev said goodbye to the army, and issued a farewell order to the troops, in which he bequeathed "to fight until victory" and "obey the Provisional Government." General Alekseev forwarded this order to Petrograd, but the Provisional Government, under pressure from the Petrograd Soviet, refused to publish it:

“For the last time I appeal to you, my beloved troops. After my abdication for myself and for my son from the Russian throne, power was transferred to the Provisional Government, which arose on the initiative of the State Duma. May God help him to lead Russia along the path of glory and prosperity. May God help you, valiant troops, to defend Russia from the evil enemy. Over the course of two and a half years, you have carried out heavy military service every hour, much blood has been shed, a lot of efforts have been made, and the hour is already approaching when Russia, bound with its valiant allies by one common desire for victory, will break the last effort of the enemy. This unprecedented war must be brought to complete victory.

Whoever thinks about the world, who wants it, is a traitor to the Fatherland, its traitor. I know that every honest warrior thinks this way. Do your duty, defend our valiant Great Motherland, obey the Provisional Government, listen to your superiors, remember that any weakening of the order of service only plays into the hands of the enemy.

I firmly believe that the boundless love for our Great Motherland has not faded in your hearts. May the Lord God bless you and may the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George lead you to victory.

Before Nikolai's departure from Mogilev, the representative of the Duma at Headquarters declares to him that he "must consider himself arrested, as it were."

The execution of Nicholas II and the royal family

From March 9 (22), 1917 to August 1 (14), 1917, Nicholas II, his wife and children lived under arrest in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoye Selo.

At the end of March, the Minister of the Provisional Government P. N. Milyukov tried to send Nikolai and his family to England, in the care of George V, for which the preliminary consent of the British side was obtained. But in April, due to the unstable internal political situation in England itself, the king chose to abandon such a plan - according to some evidence, contrary to the advice of Prime Minister Lloyd George. However, in 2006, some documents became known indicating that until May 1918, the MI 1 unit of the British military intelligence directorate was preparing for the operation to rescue the Romanovs, which was never brought to the stage of practical implementation.

In view of the strengthening of the revolutionary movement and anarchy in Petrograd, the Provisional Government, fearing for the life of the prisoners, decided to transfer them deep into Russia, to Tobolsk, they were allowed to take the necessary furniture, personal belongings from the palace, and also to offer the service personnel, if they wish, to voluntarily accompany them to the place of the new placement and further service. On the eve of the departure, the head of the Provisional Government, AF Kerensky, arrived and brought with him the brother of the former emperor, Mikhail Alexandrovich. Mikhail Alexandrovich was exiled to Perm, where on the night of June 13, 1918, he was killed by the local Bolshevik authorities.

On August 1 (14), 1917, at 0610 hours, a train with members of the imperial family and servants under the guise of "Japanese Red Cross Mission" departed from Tsarskoye Selo from the Alexandrovskaya railway station.

On August 4 (17), 1917, the train arrived in Tyumen, then those arrested on the steamers Rus, Kormilets and Tyumen were transported along the river to Tobolsk. The Romanov family settled in the governor's house, specially renovated for their arrival.

The family was allowed to walk across the street and boulevard to worship at the Church of the Annunciation. The security regime here was much lighter than in Tsarskoe Selo. The family led a calm, measured life.

In early April 1918, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) authorized the transfer of the Romanovs to Moscow in order to conduct a trial over them. At the end of April 1918, the prisoners were transported to Yekaterinburg, where a private house was requisitioned to accommodate the Romanovs. Five service personnel lived here with them: doctor Botkin, footman Trupp, room girl Demidova, cook Kharitonov and cook Sednev.

Nicholas II, Alexandra Fedorovna, their children, Dr. Botkin and three servants (except for Sednev the cook) were killed with cold weapons and firearms in the "House of Special Purpose" - Ipatiev's mansion in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 16-17, 1918.

Since the 1920s, in the Russian diaspora, on the initiative of the Union of Zealots of the Memory of Emperor Nicholas II, regular memorial services of Emperor Nicholas II have been performed three times a year (on his birthday, name day and the anniversary of the murder), but his veneration as a saint began to spread after the end of World War II.

On October 19 (November 1), 1981, Emperor Nicholas and his family were canonized by the Russian Church Abroad (ROCOR), which at that time had no church communion with the Moscow Patriarchate in the USSR.

Decision of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church of August 14, 2000: "To glorify as martyrs in the host of new martyrs and confessors of the Russian royal family: Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexy, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia" (their memory is 4 July Julian).

The act of canonization was perceived ambiguously by Russian society: opponents of canonization argue that the proclamation of Nicholas II as a saint was of a political nature. On the other hand, in part of the Orthodox community, ideas are circulating that glorifying the tsar as a passion-bearer is not enough, and that he is a "redeemer tsar." The ideas were condemned by Alexy II as blasphemous, since "there is only one redemptive feat - our Lord Jesus Christ."

In 2003, in Yekaterinburg, on the site of the demolished house of engineer N.N. Ipatiev, where Nicholas II and his family were shot, the Church on the Blood was built in the name of All Saints Who Shone in the Land of Russia, in front of which a monument to the family was erected Nicholas II.

In many cities, the construction of temples in honor of the Holy Royal Passion-Bearers began.

In December 2005, the representative of the head of the "Russian Imperial House" Maria Vladimirovna Romanova sent a statement to the Russian prosecutor's office about the rehabilitation of the executed former Emperor Nicholas II and his family members as victims of political repression. According to the statement, after a series of refusals to satisfy, on October 1, 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation made a decision on the rehabilitation of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and his family members (despite the opinion of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, which stated in court that the requirements for rehabilitation did not correspond to the provisions of the legislation due to the fact that these persons were not arrested for political reasons, and a court decision on the execution was not taken).

On October 30 of the same 2008, it was reported that the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation made a decision on the rehabilitation of 52 people from the entourage of Emperor Nicholas II and his family.

In December 2008, at a scientific and practical conference, held at the initiative of the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation, with the participation of geneticists from Russia and the United States, it was stated that the remains found in 1991 near Yekaterinburg and buried on June 17, 1998 in the Catherine Chapel of the Peter and Paul Cathedral (St. Petersburg), belong to Nicholas II. In Nicholas II, the Y-chromosomal haplogroup R1b and the mitochondrial haplogroup T.

In January 2009, the UPC completed a criminal investigation into the circumstances of the death and burial of the family of Nicholas II. The investigation was terminated "due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for criminal proceedings and the death of the persons who committed premeditated murder." The representative of M. V. Romanova, who calls herself the head of the Russian Imperial House, stated in 2009 that “Maria Vladimirovna fully shares the position of the Russian Orthodox Church on this issue, which has not found sufficient grounds for recognizing the“ Yekaterinburg remains ”belonging to members of the royal family.” Other representatives of the Romanovs, headed by NR Romanov, took a different position: the latter, in particular, took part in the burial of the remains in July 1998, saying: "We have come to close the era."

On September 23, 2015, the remains of Nicholas II and his wife were exhumed for investigative actions as part of identifying the remains of their children - Alexei and Maria.

Nicholas II in the cinema

Several feature films have been made about Nicholas II and his family, including Agony (1981), the English-American film Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) and two Russian films The Tsaricide (1991) and The Romanovs. The Crowned Family "(2000).

Hollywood made several films about the allegedly escaped daughter of Tsar Anastasia "Anastasia" (Anastasia, 1956) and "Anastasia, or the secret of Anna" (Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, USA, 1986).

Actors who played the role of Nicholas II:

1917 - Alfred Hickman - The Fall of the Romanovs (USA)
1926 - Heinz Hanus - Die Brandstifter Europas (Germany)
1956 - Vladimir Kolchin - Prologue
1961 - Vladimir Kolchin - Two Lives
1971 - Michael Jayston - Nicholas and Alexandra
1972 - - The Kotsyubinsky family
1974 - Charles Kay - Fall of Eagles
1974-81 - - Agony
1975 - Yuri Demich - Trust
1986 - - Anastasia, or Anna's secret (Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna)
1987 - Alexander Galibin - The Life of Klim Samgin
1989 - - Eye of God
2014 - Valery Degtyar - Grigory R.
2017 - - Matilda.

Nikolai 2 Alexandrovich (May 6, 1868 - July 17, 1918) - the last Russian emperor who ruled from 1894 to 1917, the eldest son of Alexander 3 and Maria Feodorovna, was an honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. In the Soviet historiographic tradition, he was given the epithet "Bloody". The life of Nicholas 2 and his reign are described in this article.

Briefly about the reign of Nicholas 2

During the years, there was an active economic development of Russia. Under this sovereign, the country lost in the Russian-Japanese war of 1904-1905, which was one of the reasons for the revolutionary events of 1905-1907, in particular the adoption of the Manifesto on October 17, 1905, according to which the creation of various political parties was allowed, and The State Duma. According to the same manifesto, the agrarian process began to be carried out.In 1907, Russia became a member of the Entente and took part in the First World War as part of it. In August 1915, Nikolai II Romanov became the supreme commander in chief. During March 2, 1917, the sovereign abdicated the throne. He and his entire family were shot. The Russian Orthodox Church canonized them in 2000.

Childhood, early years

When Nikolai Alexandrovich was 8 years old, his home education began. The program included a general education course lasting eight years. And then - a course of higher sciences lasting five years. It was based on the program of the classical gymnasium. But instead of Greek and Latin, the future king mastered botany, mineralogy, anatomy, zoology and physiology. The courses of Russian literature, history and foreign languages ​​were expanded. In addition, the higher education program included the study of law, political economy and military affairs (strategy, jurisprudence, the service of the General Staff, geography). Nikolay II was also engaged in fencing, vaulting, music, painting. Alexander 3 and his wife Maria Feodorovna themselves chose mentors and teachers for the future tsar. Among them were military and statesmen, scientists: N. Kh. Bunge, K. P. Pobedonostsev, N. N. Obruchev, M. I. Dragomirov, N. K. Girs, A. R. Drenteln.

Carier start

From childhood, the future Emperor Nicholas II was interested in military affairs: he perfectly knew the traditions of the officer environment, the soldier did not shy away, realizing himself as their patron mentor, easily endured the inconveniences of army life during camp maneuvers and gatherings.

Immediately after the birth of the future sovereign, he was enrolled in several guards regiments and made the commander of the 65th Moscow infantry regiment. At the age of five, Nicholas 2 (dates of reign - 1894-1917) was appointed commander of the Life Guards of the Reserve Infantry Regiment, and a little later, in 1875, of the Erivan Regiment. The future sovereign received his first military rank (ensign) in December 1875, and in 1880 he was promoted to second lieutenant, and four years later - to lieutenant.

Nicholas 2 entered active military service in 1884, and since July 1887 he served in and attained the rank of staff captain. He became a captain in 1891, and a year later - a colonel.

The beginning of the reign

After a long illness, Alexander 3 died, and Nicholas 2 took over the government in Moscow on the same day, at the age of 26, on October 20, 1894.

During his solemn official coronation on May 18, 1896, dramatic events took place on the Khodynskoye field. Riots broke out, and thousands of people were killed and injured in the spontaneous crush.

The Khodynskoye field was not previously intended for folk festivals, since it was a training base for the troops, and therefore it was not well equipped. There was a ravine right next to the field, and the field itself was covered with numerous holes. On the occasion of the celebration, the pits and the ravine were covered with boards and covered with sand, and along the perimeter they put benches, booths, stalls for distributing free vodka and food. When people, attracted by rumors about the distribution of money and gifts, rushed to the buildings, the floorings that covered the pits collapsed, and people fell, not having time to get to their feet: the crowd was already running along them. The policemen, swept away by the wave, could do nothing. Only after reinforcements arrived, the crowd gradually dispersed, leaving the bodies of mutilated and trampled people in the square.

The first years of the reign

In the first years of the reign of Nicholas II, a general census of the country's population and a monetary reform were carried out. During the reign of this monarch, Russia became an agrarian-industrial state: railways were built, cities grew, industrial enterprises arose. The sovereign made decisions aimed at the social and economic modernization of Russia: the golden circulation of the ruble was introduced, several laws on workers' insurance were introduced, Stolypin's agrarian reform was carried out, laws on religious tolerance and universal primary education were adopted.

Main events

The years of the reign of Nicholas II were marked by a strong aggravation in the internal political life of Russia, as well as a difficult foreign policy situation (the events of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, the Revolution of 1905-1907 in our country, the First World War, and in 1917 - the February Revolution) ...

The Russo-Japanese War, which began in 1904, although it did not cause much damage to the country, however, significantly shaken the authority of the sovereign. After numerous setbacks and losses in 1905, the Battle of Tsushima ended in a devastating defeat for the Russian fleet.

Revolution of 1905-1907

On January 9, 1905, the revolution began, this date is called Bloody Sunday. Government troops shot at a workers' demonstration, organized, as is commonly believed, by George of the transit prison in St. Petersburg. As a result of the shootings, more than a thousand demonstrators were killed, who participated in a peaceful march to the Winter Palace in order to submit a petition to the sovereign about the needs of the workers.

After this, the uprisings engulfed many other Russian cities. Armed performances were in the navy and in the army. So, on June 14, 1905, the sailors captured the battleship Potemkin, brought it to Odessa, where at that time there was a general strike. However, the sailors did not dare to disembark to support the workers. Potemkin went to Romania and surrendered to the authorities. Numerous speeches forced the king to sign the Manifesto on October 17, 1905, granting civil liberties to the inhabitants.

Not being a reformer by nature, the king was forced to carry out reforms that did not correspond to his convictions. He believed that the time had not yet come for freedom of speech, constitution, universal suffrage in Russia. However, Nikolai 2 (whose photo is presented in the article) was forced to sign the Manifesto on October 17, 1905, since an active social movement for political transformations began.

Establishment of the State Duma

The Tsar's Manifesto of 1906 established the State Duma. In the history of Russia, for the first time, the emperor began to rule with a representative elected body from the population. That is, Russia is gradually becoming a constitutional monarchy. However, despite these changes, the emperor during the reign of Nicholas II still had enormous powers of power: he issued laws in the form of decrees, appointed ministers and the prime minister who were accountable only to him, was the head of the court, the army and the patron of the Church, determined the foreign policy course of our country.

The first revolution of 1905-1907 showed the deep crisis that existed at that time in the Russian state.

Personality of Nicholas 2

From the point of view of his contemporaries, his personality, main character traits, advantages and disadvantages were very ambiguous and sometimes provoked conflicting assessments. According to many of them, Nicholas II was characterized by such an important trait as weak-willedness. However, there is plenty of evidence that the sovereign stubbornly strove to implement his ideas and undertakings, sometimes reaching the point of stubbornness (only once, when signing the Manifesto on October 17, 1905, he was forced to submit to someone else's will).

In contrast to his father, Alexander 3, Nikolai 2 (see his photo below) did not create the impression of a strong personality. However, according to people close to him, he had exceptional self-control, sometimes interpreted as indifference to the fate of people and the country (for example, with a composure that struck the circle of the sovereign, he met the news of the fall of Port Arthur and the defeat of the Russian army in the First World war).

Being engaged in state affairs, Tsar Nicholas 2 showed "extraordinary perseverance", as well as attentiveness and accuracy (for example, he never had a personal secretary, and he put all the seals on letters with his own hand). Although, in general, the management of a huge power was still a "heavy burden" for him. According to contemporaries, Tsar Nicholas II had a tenacious memory, observation, in communication he was an affable, modest and sensitive person. At the same time, he valued most of all his habits, peace, health, and especially the well-being of his own family.

Nikolai 2 and his family

The support of the sovereign was his family. Alexandra Feodorovna was not just a wife for him, but also an adviser, a friend. Their wedding took place on November 14, 1894. The interests, ideas and habits of the spouses often did not coincide, largely due to cultural differences, because the empress was a German princess. However, this did not interfere with family harmony. The couple had five children: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and Alexey.

The drama of the royal family was caused by the ailment of Alexei, who suffered from hemophilia (incoagulability of blood). It was this disease that caused the appearance in the royal house of Grigory Rasputin, famous for the gift of healing and foresight. He often helped Alexei cope with bouts of the disease.

World War I

1914 was a turning point in the fate of Nicholas 2. It was at this time that the First World War began. The sovereign did not want this war, trying to avoid a bloody massacre until the very last moment. But on July 19 (August 1), 1914, Germany nevertheless decided to start a war with Russia.

In August 1915, marked by a series of military failures, Nicholas II, whose history of reign was already approaching the final, took over the role of the commander-in-chief of the Russian army. Previously, it was assigned to Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich (the Younger). From that time on, the sovereign only occasionally came to the capital, spending most of his time in Mogilev, at the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

The First World War exacerbated Russia's internal problems. The tsar and his entourage began to be considered the main culprit of the defeats and the protracted campaign. There was an opinion that treason was nesting in the Russian government. The country's military command, led by the emperor, at the beginning of 1917 created a general offensive plan, according to which it was planned to end the confrontation by the summer of 1917.

Abdication of Nicholas 2

However, at the end of February of the same year, unrest began in Petrograd, which, due to the absence of strong opposition from the authorities, a few days later grew into massive political protests against the dynasty of the tsar and the government. At first, Nicholas II planned to use force to achieve order in the capital, but, realizing the true scale of the protests, he abandoned this plan, fearing even more bloodshed that he might cause. Some of the high-ranking officials, politicians and members of the tsar's retinue convinced him that in order to suppress the unrest, a change of government was necessary, the abdication of Nicholas II from the throne.

After painful reflections on March 2, 1917, in Pskov, during a trip on the imperial train, Nicholas II decided to sign an act of abdication from the throne, handing over the rule to his brother, Prince Mikhail Alexandrovich. However, he refused to accept the crown. The abdication of Nicholas II thus meant the end of the dynasty.

Last months of life

Nikolai 2 and his family were arrested on March 9 of the same year. At first, for five months they were in Tsarskoe Selo, under guard, and in August 1917 they were sent to Tobolsk. Then, in April 1918, the Bolsheviks transported Nikolai and his family to Yekaterinburg. Here on the night of July 17, 1918, in the center of the city, in the basement in which the prisoners were imprisoned, Emperor Nicholas II, his five children, his wife, as well as several of the tsar's close associates, including the family doctor Botkin and servants, without any trial and the investigators were shot. In total, eleven people were killed.

In 2000, by decision of the Church, Nicholas II Romanov, as well as his entire family, were canonized, and an Orthodox church was erected on the site of the Ipatiev house.

Lived: 1868-1818
Reign: 1894-1917

Born on May 6 (19 old style), 1868 in Tsarskoe Selo. Russian emperor who reigned from October 21 (November 2) 1894 to March 2 (March 15) 1917. Belonged to the Romanov dynasty, was a son and successor.

He was born with the title - His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke. In 1881, he received the title of Heir to the Crown Prince, after the death of his grandfather, the Emperor.

Title of Emperor Nicholas II

Full title of the emperor from 1894 to 1917: “By God's passing grace, We, Nicholas II (Church Slavonic form in some manifestos - Nicholas II), Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauric Chersonesos, Tsar of Georgia; Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuanian, Volyn, Podolsk and Finland; Prince of Estland, Livonia, Courland and Semigalsky, Samogitsky, Belostoksky, Korelsky, Tversky, Yugorsky, Perm, Vyatsky, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novgorod, lower lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsky, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udora, Obdorsky, Kondiysky, Vitebsk, Mstislavsky and all northern countries; and the Sovereign of Iversky, Kartalinsky and Kabardinsky lands and regions of Armenians; Cherkassk and Mountain Princes and other Hereditary Sovereign and Owner, Sovereign of Turkestan; The Norwegian Heir, Duke of Schleswig-Golstein, Stormarnsky, Dietmarsen and Oldenburgsky and others, and so on, and so on. "

Peak of economic development in Russia and at the same time growth
the revolutionary movement, which resulted in the revolutions of 1905-1907 and 1917, fell on years of the reign of Nicholas 2... Foreign policy at that time was aimed at Russia's participation in the blocs of European powers, the contradictions that arose between which became one of the reasons for the outbreak of the war with Japan and the First World War.

After the events of the February Revolution of 1917, Nicholas II abdicated the throne, and a period of civil war soon began in Russia. The provisional government sent him to Siberia, then to the Urals. Together with his family, he was shot in Yekaterinburg in 1918.

The personality of the last tsar is characterized by contemporaries and historians contradictory; most of them believed that his strategic ability in the conduct of public affairs was not successful enough to improve the political situation at the time.

After the revolution of 1917, he began to be called Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov (before that the surname "Romanov" was not indicated by members of the imperial family, the titles indicated by the ancestral affiliation: Emperor, Empress, Grand Duke, Tsarevich).
With the nickname Bloody, which the opposition gave him, he figured in Soviet historiography.

Biography of Nicholas 2

He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Feodorovna and Emperor Alexander III.

In 1885-1890. received home education as part of a gymnasium course in a special program that combined the course of the Academy of the General Staff and the Faculty of Law of the University. Education and upbringing took place under the personal supervision of Alexander III with a traditional religious basis.

Most often he lived with his family in the Alexander Palace. And he preferred to rest in the Livadia Palace in the Crimea. For annual trips across the Baltic Sea and the Finnish Sea, I had at my disposal a yacht "Shtandart".

At the age of 9, he began keeping a diary. The archive contains 50 thick notebooks for the years 1882-1918. Some of them have been published.

He was fond of photography, he liked to watch movies. I also read serious works, especially on historical topics, and entertaining literature. He smoked cigarettes with tobacco grown specially in Turkey (a gift from the Turkish Sultan).

On November 14, 1894, a significant event took place in the life of the heir to the throne - a wedding with the German princess Alice of Hesse, who after the baptism ceremony took the name - Alexandra Feodorovna. They had 4 daughters - Olga (November 3, 1895), Tatiana (May 29, 1897), Maria (June 14, 1899) and Anastasia (June 5, 1901). And the long-awaited fifth child on July 30 (August 12), 1904 was the only son - Tsarevich Alexei.

Coronation of Nicholas 2

On May 14 (26), 1896, the coronation of the new emperor took place. In 1896 he
toured Europe, where he met with Queen Victoria (wife's grandmother), William II, Franz Joseph. The final stage of the trip was a visit to the capital of the allied France.

His first personnel reshuffle was the fact of the dismissal of the Governor-General of the Kingdom of Poland, Gurko I.V. and the appointment of A.B Lobanov-Rostovsky as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
And the first major international action was the so-called Triple Intervention.
Having made huge concessions to the opposition at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Nicholas II made an attempt to unite Russian society against external enemies. In the summer of 1916, after the situation at the front had stabilized, the Duma opposition united with the general conspirators and decided to take advantage of the situation to overthrow the tsar.

They even called the date February 12-13, 1917, as the day of the emperor's abdication from the throne. It was said that a "great act" would take place - the sovereign would abdicate, and the future emperor would be appointed the heir to Tsarevich Alexei Nikolaevich, and the Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich would become the regent.

On February 23, 1917, a strike began in Petrograd, which became general three days later. On February 27, 1917, in the morning, there were soldiers' uprisings in Petrograd and Moscow, as well as their unification with the strikers.

The situation escalated after the proclamation of the emperor's manifesto on February 25, 1917 on the termination of the meeting of the State Duma.

On February 26, 1917, the tsar gave an order to General Khabalov "to stop the riots that are unacceptable in the difficult time of the war." General N.I. Ivanov was sent on February 27 to Petrograd with the aim of suppressing the uprising.

On February 28 in the evening he went to Tsarskoe Selo, but could not pass and, due to the loss of communication with the Headquarters, he arrived in Pskov on March 1, where the headquarters of the armies of the Northern Front under the leadership of General Ruzsky was located.

Abdication of Nicholas II from the throne

At about three o'clock in the afternoon, the emperor decided to abdicate in favor of the Tsarevich during the regency of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich, and in the evening of the same day announced to V.V.Shulgin and A.I. Guchkov about the decision to abdicate for his son. March 2, 1917 at 23 hours 40 minutes. he handed over to A.I. Guchkov. Manifesto of abdication, where he wrote: "We command our brother to rule the affairs of the state in full and indestructible unity with the representatives of the people."

Nicholas II and his family from March 9 to August 14, 1917 lived under arrest in the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo.
In connection with the strengthening of the revolutionary movement in Petrograd, the Provisional Government decided to transfer the royal prisoners into the depths of Russia, fearing for their lives. After long disputes, Tobolsk was chosen as the city of the settlement of the former emperor and his relatives. They were allowed to take their personal belongings and necessary furniture with them and offer the attendants a voluntary escort to the place of their new settlement.

On the eve of his departure, AF Kerensky (head of the Provisional Government) brought the brother of the former Tsar, Mikhail Alexandrovich. Mikhail was soon exiled to Perm and on the night of June 13, 1918, he was killed by the Bolshevik authorities.
On August 14, 1917, a train departed from Tsarskoye Selo under the guise of the "Japanese Red Cross Mission" with members of the former imperial family. He was accompanied by a second team, which included guards (7 officers, 337 soldiers).
The trains arrived in Tyumen on August 17, 1917, after which the arrested on three courts were taken to Tobolsk. The Romanovs were accommodated in the governor's house, specially renovated for their arrival. They were allowed to attend services at the local Church of the Annunciation. The protection regime of the Romanov family in Tobolsk was much easier than that of Tsarskoye Selo. They led a measured, calm life.

The permission of the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of the fourth convocation to transfer Romanov and his family members to Moscow in order to conduct a trial against them was obtained in April 1918.
On April 22, 1918, a convoy with machine guns of 150 people left Tobolsk for Tyumen. On April 30, the train arrived in Yekaterinburg from Tyumen. To accommodate the Romanovs, a house that belonged to mining engineer Ipatiev was requisitioned. The service staff also lived in the same house: the cook Kharitonov, Doctor Botkin, the room girl Demidova, the lackey Trupp and the cook Sednev.

The fate of Nicholas 2 and his family

To resolve the issue of the future fate of the imperial family, at the beginning of July 1918, military commissar F. Goloshchekin urgently left for Moscow. The Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars authorized the execution of all the Romanovs. After that, on July 12, 1918, on the basis of the adopted decision, the Ural Soviet of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies at a meeting decided to execute the royal family.

On the night of July 16-17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg in the Ipatiev mansion, the so-called "House of Special Purpose", the former Emperor of Russia, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, their children, Doctor Botkin and three servants (except for the cook) were shot.

The personal property of the Romanovs was plundered.
All members of his family were canonized by the Catacomb Church in 1928.
In 1981, the last tsar of Russia was canonized by the Orthodox Church abroad, and in Russia the Orthodox Church canonized him as a martyr only 19 years later, in 2000.

In accordance with the decision of August 20, 2000, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, the last emperor of Russia, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, Princess Maria, Anastasia, Olga, Tatiana, Tsarevich Alexei were numbered among the holy new martyrs and confessors of Russia, revealed and not revealed.

This decision was perceived by the society ambiguously and was criticized. Some opponents of canonization believe that the reckoning Tsar Nicholas 2 to the ranks of the saints is most likely political in nature.

The result of all the events related to the fate of the former royal family was the appeal of the Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, head of the Russian Imperial House in Madrid, to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation in December 2005, demanding the rehabilitation of the royal family, which was shot in 1918.

On October 1, 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation (Russian Federation) made a decision to recognize the last Russian emperor and members of the royal family as victims of illegal political repression and rehabilitated them.

The coronation of Nicholas II took place on May 14, 1896. In the same year, the All-Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition was held in Nizhny Novgorod, which he attended. In 1896, Nicholas II also made a big trip to Europe, meeting with Franz Joseph, Wilhelm II, Queen Victoria (grandmother of Alexandra Fedorovna). The end of the trip was the arrival of Nicholas II in the capital of the allied France, Paris. One of the first personnel decisions of Nicholas II was the dismissal of I.V. Gurko from the post of Governor-General of the Kingdom of Poland and the appointment of Minister of Foreign Affairs A.B. Lobanov-Rostovsky after the death of N.K. Gears. The first of the major international actions of Nicholas II was the Triple Intervention.

In 1897, the All-Russian Population Census was carried out. According to the census, the population of the Russian Empire was 125 million. Of these, 84 million had Russian as their mother tongue. Literacy among the population of Russia was 21%, among people aged 10-19 years - 34%. In the same year, a monetary reform was carried out, which established the gold standard for the ruble. Tsar Nicholas II, like his father, paid great attention to the work issue. Under his supervision, the most advanced labor legislation for that time was created. In factories with more than 100 workers, free medical care was introduced, reaching 70 percent of the total number of factory workers (1898). In 1903, the Law on the Remuneration of Victims of Industrial Accidents came into force, obliging the entrepreneur to pay benefits and pensions to the victim or his family in the amount of 50-66 percent of the victim's maintenance. In 1906, workers' trade unions were created in the country. The law of June 23, 1912 introduced compulsory health and accident insurance for workers in Russia. The earnings of Russian factory workers were among the highest in the world, outstripping those of Western European countries. The unemployment rate in Russia in 1900-1910 was significantly lower than in other countries, and did not exceed 1-2 percent.

On June 2, 1897, a law was passed on the limitation of working hours. They set a maximum limit on the working day of no more than 11.5 hours on ordinary days, and 10 hours on Saturday and pre-holiday days, or if at least part of the working day fell on nighttime. The special tax on Polish landowners in the Western Region, imposed in punishment for the Polish uprising of 1863, was abolished. By a decree on June 12, 1900, exile to Siberia was abolished as a punishment.

The reign of Nicholas II was a period of high rates of economic growth. During 1885-1913, the growth rate of agricultural production averaged 2%, and the growth rate of industrial production was 4.5-5% per year.

Coal production in Donbass increased from 4.8 million tons in 1894 to 24 million tons in 1913. Coal mining began in the Kuznetsk coal basin. Oil production developed in the vicinity of Baku, Grozny and on the Emba.

The construction of railways continued, the total length of which, 44 thousand km in 1898, exceeded 70 thousand km by 1913. In terms of the total length of railways, Russia surpassed any other European country and was second only to the United States. According to the indicators of the output of the main types of industrial products per capita, Russia in 1913. was a neighbor of Spain.

It is believed that back in 1895, the emperor foresaw the possibility of a clash with Japan for dominance in the Far East, and therefore prepared for this struggle, both diplomatically and militarily.

In 1898, the Russian emperor appealed to the governments of Europe with proposals to sign agreements on the preservation of world peace and the establishment of limits for the constant growth of armaments. In 1899 and 1907, the Hague Peace Conferences were held, some decisions of which are still in effect. On his initiative and with his support, the First World Peace Conference was held in 1899 to discuss issues of maintaining peace and reducing armaments. This was followed by the establishment of the Permanent Court of Arbitration - the first court in The Hague.

The lease of the Liaodong Peninsula by Russia, the construction of the Sino-Eastern Railway and the establishment of a naval base in Port Arthur, the growing influence of Russia in Manchuria led to an attack in 1904 by Japan, which also claimed Manchuria. The Russo-Japanese War began on January 27, when eight Japanese destroyers, without declaring war, attacked Russian ships in the harbor of Port Arthur.

The revolutionary newspaper Osvobozhdeniye, published abroad, did not hide its fears: "If the Russian troops win a victory over the Japanese ... then freedom will be calmly strangled to the shouts of hurray and the bell ringing of the triumphant Empire."

On May 23, 1905, the emperor received, through the US Ambassador in St. Petersburg, an offer from President T. Roosevelt to mediate for the conclusion of peace. “I will never conclude a shameful and unworthy world of great Russia,” the Tsar answered.

The outcome of the war was decided by the naval battle at Tsushima, which ended in the complete defeat of the Russian fleet. The war ended with the Peace of Portsmouth in 1905, under which Russia recognized Korea as Japan's sphere of influence, ceded South Sakhalin to Japan and the rights to the Liaodong Peninsula with the cities of Port Arthur and Dalny. For broad strata of the population, the war passed almost imperceptibly, and only one tenth of the country's military power was used.

The plight of the tsarist government after the Russian-Japanese war prompted German diplomacy to make another attempt in July 1905 to tear Russia away from France and conclude a Russian-German alliance. Wilhelm II invited Nicholas II to meet in July 1905 in the Finnish skerries, near the island of Bjorke. Nikolai agreed and signed a contract at the meeting. But when he returned to St. Petersburg, he abandoned it, since the peace with Japan had already been signed.

Defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (the first in half a century) and the subsequent suppression of the Troubles of 1905-1907. (later aggravated by the appearance of Rasputin at the court) led to the fall of the emperor's authority in the ruling and intellectual circles.

The German journalist G. Gantz, who lived in St. Petersburg during the war, noted a different position of the nobility and intelligentsia in relation to the war: “The common secret prayer not only of liberals, but also of many moderate conservatives at that time was: 'God, help us to be defeated.'

Oldenburg, a professor and publisher of scientific works, is of the opinion that the tsar, although “millions were pulling downhill,” “managed” to end the war in such a way that “Russia remained a great power in Asia”.

On April 17, 1905, a decree "On strengthening the principles of religious tolerance" was issued, which removed restrictions on the transition from Orthodoxy to other religions and restored the rights of schismatics (with the exception of especially fanatical sects like eunuchs and Khlysty).

From the report of S.Yu. Witte:

Russia has outgrown the form of the existing system. It strives for a legal system based on civil freedom ... It is very important to reform the State Council on the basis of the prominent participation of the elective element in it ...

Opposition parties took advantage of the expansion of freedoms to intensify their attacks on tsarist power. On January 9, 1905, a large workers' demonstration took place in St. Petersburg, appealing to the tsar with political and socio-economic demands. The demonstrators clashed with the troops, resulting in a large death toll. These events became known as Bloody Sunday, the victims of which, according to V. Nevsky's research, no more than 100-200 people. A wave of strikes swept across the country, and the national borderlands became agitated. In Courland, the Forest Brothers began to massacre local German landowners, and the Armenian-Tatar massacre began in the Caucasus. Revolutionaries and separatists received support in money and weapons from England and Japan. For example, in the summer of 1905 in the Baltic Sea, the British steamer John Grafton, which had run aground, was detained, carrying several thousand rifles for the Finnish separatists and revolutionary militants. There have been several uprisings in the navy and in various cities. The largest was the December uprising in Moscow. At the same time, the Socialist-Revolutionary and the anarchist individual terror became widespread. In just a couple of years, the revolutionaries killed thousands of officials, officers and policemen - in 1906 alone 768 were killed and 820 representatives and agents of the government were wounded.

The second half of 1905 was marked by numerous unrest in universities and even in theological seminaries: because of the riots, almost 50 secondary theological educational institutions were closed. The passing of the interim law on university autonomy on August 27 sparked a general strike by students and stirred up university and theological academies.

The views of the highest dignitaries about the current situation and the ways out of the crisis were clearly manifested during four secret meetings under the leadership of the emperor, held in 1905-1906. Nicholas II was forced to liberalize, moving to constitutional rule, while suppressing armed uprisings.

Another way is the provision of civil rights to the population - freedom of speech, press, assembly and association and personal inviolability;…. Witte ardently defended this path, saying that although it is risky, it is nevertheless the only one at the moment ...

On August 6, 1905, the manifesto on the establishment of the State Duma, the law on the State Duma and the regulation on elections to the Duma were published. But the revolution, which was gaining strength, easily stepped over the acts of August 6, in October an all-Russian political strike began, over 2 million people went on strike. On the evening of October 17, Nikolai signed a manifesto promising: "To grant the population the unshakable foundations of civil freedom on the basis of real personal inviolability, freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and unions." On April 23, 1906, the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire were approved.

Three weeks after the manifesto, the government pardoned political prisoners other than those convicted of terrorism, and a little over a month later canceled preliminary censorship.

The people were outraged by the arrogance and audacity of the revolutionaries and socialists ... hence the Jewish pogroms. It is striking with what unanimity and immediately this happened in all cities of Russia and Siberia. In England, of course, they write that these riots were organized by the police, as always - an old, familiar fable! .. the revolutionaries locked themselves in, and set them on fire, killing everyone who came out.

During the revolution, in 1906, Constantine Balmont wrote the poem "Our Tsar" dedicated to Nicholas II, which turned out to be prophetic:

Our king is Mukden, our king is Tsushima,

Our king is a bloody stain

The stench of gunpowder and smoke, in which the mind is dark.

Our king is blind misery, prison and whip, on trial, execution,

The tsar is a gallows, so half as low as he promised, but did not dare to give.

He is a coward, he hesitates, but he will be, the hour of reckoning awaits.

Whoever began to reign - Khodynka, will finish - by standing on the scaffold.

On July 19 (August 1), 1914, Germany declared war on Russia. The First World War began, which led the country to an economic and political crisis and two revolutions.

On November 2, 1894, Tsar Alexander III died in Livadia (Crimea). The heir to the throne, the son of Alexander III Nicholas, came to the Russian throne. A manifesto was published on the death of his parent and his accession to the throne ("Government Gazette", October 21 (November 2) 1894, No. 229, p. 1.).

Also, the entry was entered in the month as the officially celebrated day of accession to the throne of Nicholas II.

"There is no sacrifice that I would not bring in the name of the real good and for the salvation of my dear mother Russia" - these words Tsar-Nicholas II attested both in his life and in his martyrdom.

The reign of Nicholas II for all 23 years passed with the stubborn resistance of enemies, external and internal. They did not disdain either provocations, or riots, or lies, or murders. The entire theomachic world waged a latent or overt war against the Orthodox Monarchy.

"Diary of His Imperial Highness
Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich,
By the grace of God the heir to the throne,
son and subject of the All-Russian monarch,
protector, state, people and faith.
October 21, 1894. "Tears of my streams of the desert .."

Today, October 21, 1894, I will begin writing in my diary with the words with which the morning of October 21 must begin for every worthy Christian. "Thou hast cultivated fruitless tears with the currents of the desert, and, with sighs from the depths, fertile thyself in a hundred labors, and thou art a lamp to the universe." At 8 hours 45 minutes in the morning, Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov and director of the Military Medical Academy Viktor Vasilyevich Pashutin appeared to report to mother with tears in their eyes.

At 7 hours 45 minutes, when visiting the sovereign in his chamber, Viktor Vasilyevich Pashutin registered the death of the sovereign from Fatica 5 Vertebra, 6 Vertebra, 8 Vertebra, 9 Vertebra, 13 Vertebra Spina Dorsale, which occurred at about 3 am. "We never succeeded in restoring the vertebral fluid, Your Imperial Majesty, which was finally fatal for the emperor's back," Viktor Vasilyevich Pashutin said bitterly: "As a doctor, I never once allowed myself to say for you that" doctors are powerless. " but, alas, the Lord wished to make us powerless. Our medical staff was unable to save the emperor. I speak about this event with the greatest bitterness of a subject and offer my condolences to you and your family. "

The conclusions of the medical commission of the hospital of the Imperial Military Medical Academy, which acted at 4 hours 59 minutes on October 21, 1894, the death of His Imperial Majesty Alexander III Alexandrovich Romanov, from Fatica Spina Dorsale, which happened in Areas 5 Vertebra, 6 Vertebra, 8 Vertebra , 9 Vertebra, 13 Vertebra. Mother turned as if made of stone and told me that it was necessary to get ready to the hospital in order to create a certificate of the repose of the father. For this, it is necessary to give an order to the Chairman of the State Council, Prince Bogolyubsky and the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers, Prince Glinsky, to collect in the Hospital of the Imperial Military Medical Academy the full staffs of state bodies subject to them to witness the Repose of the Sovereign.

The time needed to be chosen from 12 to 15 pm, I assumed that the best option is 15 pm. Mother said: "It's good that I have a leisurely son" and, having accepted my decision, gave Count Vorontsov an order for the Ministry of the Imperial Court to convene the Committee on Personal Affairs of the Imperial Family and Succession to the throne by 6 pm on October 21, 1894 in the Throne Room of the Great Imperial Palace. After that, Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov and Viktor Vasilyevich Pashutin left, but my mother and I began to get ready to go to the hospital in order to say goodbye to my father's body without strangers. In the ward, mother indulged in sobs and farewell speeches. By eleven o'clock Sergius and Elizabeth joined us. By twelve, Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov arrived at the hospital with couriers and stacks of papers, which contained 87 copies of the morning report of the hospital's medical commission and the same number of copies of the father's medical file, which contained the results of all medical commissions for examining the father, conducted from February 18 to October 20, 1894 of the year. Also in the piles were brought special forms of the State Council on the occasion of the repose of the emperor, also in the amount of 87 copies.

It was decided to hold the meeting of the Commission for the Certification of the Repose of His Imperial Majesty within the walls of the library of the Hospital of the Imperial Military Medical Academy. It was sad to observe the dexterity of the couriers who were laying out papers with monogrammed eagles, and to feel how much the priest was missing, through the seriousness and severity of someone who shone with either his golden hair or burgher contentment at meetings of the State Council.

I wanted to go to my mother to console her with sobs, but was stopped by Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov, who informed me about the possible absence of the Minister of Mining, Prince Vasily Ivanovich Shemyachich, who was on a trip to the silver mines, and the Minister of Trade, Prince Alexander Stepanovich Vereisky, who was with the delegation. at the International Trade Fair in Frankfurt. Therefore, I went to my mother not so much with regrets and reassurances as with the need to resolve pressing state issues.

By 15 o'clock, all 85 members of the State Council and the Cabinet of Ministers arrived at the hospital. By 16 hours 45 minutes, the work on filling out the special form of the Commission for the Rest of His Imperial Majesty was completed and the papers were handed over for inspection by the head of the Ministry of the Imperial Court, Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov, and the head of the Chancellery of His Imperial Majesty, Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Volynsky. Dmitry Ivanovich shed tears and grieved more than anyone else. "I never thought that I would survive the second emperor," he shed tears on the register of members of the State Council who agreed with the medical report on certifying the death of the priest, provided by the Hospital of the Military Medical Academy: "Something is wrong in birch Russia, since I am an 88-year-old man who has to bury a golden-haired handsome man, whom I knew as a truly glorious and strong young man, and a sovereign warrior, and an efficient father.

You really try, Father Nikolai Alexandrovich, do not leave as soon as your sovereign father, do not leave Russia as an orphan! And I will pore over the archives until the end of my days, in order to help you according to my strength and convey the Will and Deeds of the former rulers. they got up on their feet and did their great deeds with them! I took the liberty and, sitting down next to him, hugged Dmitry Ivanovich. My friend burst into tears and soaked my waistcoat on his shoulder to the skin. However, he soon calmed down with emotion. And my eyes, too, admit they were wet.

At 17 o'clock, the mournful procession, consisting of the crews of the members of the State Council and the Cabinet of Ministers, headed towards the Great Imperial Palace. Many of the participants in our mournful morning meeting arrived at the Academy hospital on foot, therefore they also went on foot to the Great Imperial Palace. On foot, following the company headed by Prince Dolgoruky, Sergius and Elizabeth set off. I ended up in my mother's carriage, together with Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov and my young friend Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Volynsky. Everything had already been prepared in the Throne Room of the Great Imperial Palace.

I can't even imagine how Count Illarion Ivanovich managed to follow the order in two so disparate places. Certainly, the tired members of the State Council and the Cabinet of Ministers were not ignored, and before the consideration of the case, everyone was waiting for a coffee break. At 18 hours 45 minutes, they began to consider the issues of setting the time of the funeral, notifying society and foreign powers, setting the time for chrismation and coronation. The meeting of the Committee lasted two hours and fifty minutes. At 21.15, Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Volynsky testified to journalists and interested persons that 87 members of the State Council and the Cabinet of Ministers signed the Act of Succession to His Imperial Majesty Alexander III Alexandrovich Romanov, the son and subjects of His Imperial Highness, Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov.

Also, journalists and interested persons were informed about the appointment of the father's funeral for October 24 at 15 o'clock and about my anointing on November 3 at 12 o'clock. Count Illarion Ivanovich Vorontsov promised to send journalistic releases created by fast printers to newspapers by 5 am by the paramedic service. Mother, now tired, fell asleep in the drawing room in her clothes, and with her childlike features reminds me of my friend, Prince Dmitry Ivanovich. The similarity of internal grief probably contributes to the similarity of appearance.

I want to finish today's entry with the Troparion of St. Hilarion of Pskovozersk and Gdovsk, for other words do not fit my vigil over my mother's sleep and the contemplation of the golden lights of night St. Petersburg: "In your prayers while awake, you were the holy temple of the Holy Spirit, the same miracle worker Thou art a delightful one, venerable our father Hilarion. Pray for us Christ God with the light of Divine knowledge to enlighten us and save our souls. "