Russia
Nicholas II
1868–1918 Emperor of Russia, 1894–1917; commander-in-chief of the army, 1915–1917
Nicholas II was born in 1868, the eldest son of Alexander III, and became Emperor of Russia in 1894 with very little experience of government. He resisted political reform even after the Duma was established. In July 1914 he approved general mobilization, and in 1915 he dismissed Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolayevich and took personal command of the army, which tied him to the continuing losses at the front. Absent at headquarters in Mogilev, he left the capital to Empress Alexandra, whose relationship with Rasputin and German background discredited the dynasty. After riots in Petrograd and the loss of his generals' support, he abdicated on 15 March 1917 (2 March Old Style). He and his family were shot at Yekaterinburg in the early hours of 17 July 1918.