v09_2122 - RUSSIA - NICHOLAS II 15 roubles or, (40 francs or), grosse tête 1897 Saint-Pétersbourg

RUSSIA - NICHOLAS II

(1/11/1894-14/03/1917)

Nicolas II (18/051868-16/07/1918), the eldest son of Alexander III and Marie, succeeded his father in 1894. Married to Alix de Hesse with whom he had five children, four girls and a boy, he is a resigned autocrat. Dominated by Rasputin until his assassination in 1916, he allowed himself to be drawn into the Russo-Japanese war which took Manchuria from him. The 1905 revolution rocked his throne and the creation of a democratically elected Duma could not prevent the formation of Bolshevik small groups, determined to seize power by force. He let himself be drawn into the war of 1914 by the game of alliances and his throne did not resist it. He was overthrown in 1917 by the February Revolution and assassinated the following year with all his family..