Nicholas II Alexandrovich (6 [18] May 1868, Tsarskoe Selo — 17 July 1918, Yekaterinburg) was the last Emperor of All Russia, King of Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland, who reigned from 20 October [1 November] 1894 to 2 [15] March 1917. He belonged to the Romanov dynasty and was the eldest son of Alexander III. In the Nizhny Novgorod context, his reign spans the period of the Nizhny Novgorod Yarmarka's golden age and the staging of the All-Russian Industrial and Art Exhibition of 1896 in Nizhny Novgorod. Nizhny Novgorod was the first provincial capital that Nicholas II visited after his coronation: in the summer of 1896 he arrived for the XVI All-Russian Trade, Industrial, and Art Exhibition, and the "Tsar's Pavilion" was specially built for his arrival at the Railway Station and survives to this day. At that same 1896 exhibition, the first Russian automobile with an internal combustion engine was presented — the Yakovlev and Freze carriage, a two-seat vehicle with two brakes, weighing around 300 kg and capable of up to 20 km/h; Nicholas II paid the novelty no attention, Russian industrialists followed his lead, and the sole example was never sold.

Nicholas II's second visit to Nizhny Novgorod Governorate took place in 1903: together with his family he came for the celebrations marking the canonization of the Venerable Serafim of Sarov, held on 17–19 July, and after the relics were placed in the shrine of the Assumption Cathedral, he bathed in the holy spring like an ordinary pilgrim. The following day the imperial family visited Diveevo Monastery, where Nicholas II was handed a letter written by Serafim of Sarov shortly before the elder's death and discovered some 70 years later; according to eyewitness accounts, upon reading the message the sovereign wept bitterly. At the same occasion the imperial couple met the local blessed Paraskeva Ivanovna, who foretold the destruction of the empire and the ruin of the Church. In all, Nicholas II visited Nizhny Novgorod Governorate three times during his reign; the third visit was timed to the celebrations of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty.[1] and the revolutionary upheavals that followed, which directly affected the Governorate.[2]

Reign and domestic policy

The reign of Nicholas II was marked by economic growth alongside mounting socio-political tensions. This period saw the Revolution of 1905–1907, the February Revolution of 1917, and the October Revolution. In foreign policy, Russia pursued expansion in the Far East, went to war with Japan, and then took part in the First World War as part of the European military alliances. Nicholas II held the military rank of Colonel of the Guard (from 1892) and received from the British monarchs the ranks of Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Navy (1908) and Field Marshal of the British Army (1915).[2]

Abdication and death

During the The February Revolution, Nicholas II abdicated in March 1917. After his abdication he was held under house arrest together with his family at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo. In the summer of 1917 the Provisional Government sent him, his family, and his closest associates into exile in Tobolsk. In the spring of 1918 the Bolsheviks transferred them to Yekaterinburg, where on 17 July 1918, in the basement of the Ipatiev House, Nicholas II was shot together with his wife, children, and four members of his retinue.[2]

Canonization

In 1981, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad glorified Nicholas II as a martyr. The Russian Orthodox Church canonized him together with his wife and children as a passion-bearer on August 20, 2000.[2]

Sources

  1. KP — Nizhny Novgorod — Nicholas II's fate was foretold at the Diveevo Monastery
  2. Wikipedia (ru) — Nicholas II (archive)