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Growing Up
Tsar Nicholas II was not always the Tsar of Russia; however, he was in line for this position at any early age. Nicholas II was born in May of 1868. Nicholas II was born into the Romanov family, which was the ruling family of Russia. When he was born, Alexander III was still ruling the country as Tsar. When Nicholas was thirteen he became the tsarevich. Tsarevich is a term given to the heir of throne. After becoming the tsarevich he became actively involved in various branches of the Russian Army. When Nicholas II was a young child he met the women he would later marry. Nicholas II met the granddaughter of Queen Victoria, Alix of Hessen, when he was twelve years of age. Nicholas and Alix married on November 26, 1894, a few weeks after the death of Alexander III. Due to marriage Alix of Hessen's name was changed to Alexandra Feodorovna. Since his father had died it was now his responsibility to control and govern the country. He took this responsibility in 1894 the same year he married Alexandra.
Starting A Famiy
Tsar Nicholas and Alexandra began their family shortly after becoming married. The Tsar had four daughters. The eldest was Olga who was born in 1895. Their three other daughters were Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia. They were born in 1897, 1899, and 1901. These were the Tsar's only children with Alexandra up untill 1903. This created a problem because the Russian law stated that the title could only be passed down to a male descendant. This created a problem if Tsar Nicholas wanted to continue the Romanov family. Eventually Tsar Nicholas II had Alexei his ony son who became the tsarevich. Alexei soon was diganosed with hemophilia, a disease that passed down from his mother.
The Leader, The Controller, The Power
Compared to his father, Alexander III, Nicholas was the weaker and less powerful leader. When Nicholas II began his rule, economy was doing well and Nicholas II did not want to involve himself in politics. Sooner than later Nicholas II would have to release some of his power. People of Russia were feeling unrest at home due to industrial problems such as long hours and poor wages. Tsar Nicholas did not want to be left out on imperialism so he felt the need to expand instead of helping the riots. and felt the need to expand. He began expanding into Manchuria which provoked war with Japan. After this event known as the Russo Japanese War and the event known as Bloody Sunday in 1904, Nicholas II would soon have to establish the Duma, parliament, and create a new constitution still with some great restrictions. In 1905, Tsar Nicholas II would make these changes that would slowly turn Russia into a constitutional monarchy. Still with this political change, Russia found itself fighting in the Great War against Germany. The Great War temporarily strengthened the country but it was not before long that military problems made Tsar Nicholas II look bad. The military problems was not the only thing reflecting poorly on the Tsar, but the larger role Alexandra was taking in government left a poor impression because she was disliked by the elite upper class of Russia.
The Execution and End of the Tsar
With the unsolved problems in Russia, the end of the Romanov family was expected. With little support of the Great War and much dislike for Alexandra many began to lose faith in the government. Tsar Nicholas II inablity to solve Russia's problems with the war and politics led the Bolsheviks to gain power in October 1917. The Tsar was stepped down from power in March 1917 and moved his entire family to Tobolsk, Siberia in August 1917 for safety; however, they would never truly be safe. The family once more move to Yekaterinburg where the entire family would be shot and killed during a July night. There bodies would later be burned and hidden in the woods.
