1895: Emperor Nicholas II's accession to the throne

Nicholas II ascended the throne after the sudden death of his father Emperor Alexander III on 20 October 1894. In November of that year he married Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, who converted to Russian Orthodoxy and was given the Russian name Alexandra Feodorovna (as was traditional for non-Orthodox brides of Russian monarchs and grand dukes). Nicholas was crowned on 21 October 1894.
In the complex social and political situation which took shape in Russia at the turn of the 20th century, Nicholas was lacking in his father's decisive character and this led to the overthrow of the monarchy in February 1917. Thus a Provisional Government was set up in Russia. This in turn was overthrown by the more radical Bolshevik revolution of October 1917. The Emperor and his family were arrested and kept imprisoned until 17 July 1918 when they were murdered by the Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg. Thus the Romanov dynasty came to an end. In 2000 Emperor Nicholas II and his family were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church as sainted martyrs.

Portrait of Emperor Nicholas II with Remarque-
Portraits of Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I
Rundaltsov, Mikhail Victorovich
Larger view

The Coronation of Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Fiodorovna
Tuxen, Laurits
Larger view