All about Nikolai. Standard of education

Nicholas II is a controversial personality, historians speak very negatively about his rule of Russia, most people who know and analyze history are inclined to believe that the last All-Russian Emperor had little interest in politics, did not keep up with the times, slowed down the development of the country, was not a visionary ruler, was able to catch the current in time, did not keep his nose in the wind. And even then, when everything practically went to hell, dissatisfaction was already building not only among the lower classes, but also at the top, and even then Nicholas II was unable to draw any correct conclusions. He did not believe that his removal from governing the country was real; in fact, he was doomed to become the last autocrat in Rus'. But Nicholas II was an excellent family man. He should be, for example, a Grand Duke, not an emperor, and not delve into politics. Five children are no joke; raising them requires a lot of attention and effort. Nicholas II loved his wife for many years, missed her in separation from her, and did not lose either physical or mental attraction to her even after many years of marriage.

I collected many photographs of Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna (nee Princess Victoria Alice Elena Louise Beatrice of Hesse-Darmstadt, daughter of Ludwig IV), their children: daughters Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, son Alexei.

This family loved to be photographed, and the shots turned out very beautiful, spiritual, and bright. Look at the attractive faces of the children of the last Russian Emperor. These girls did not know marriage, never met their lovers and could not know the happiness and sorrows of love. And they died a martyr's death. Although they were not guilty of anything. Many people died in those days. But this family was the most famous, the highest-ranking, and her death still haunts anyone, a black page in the history of Russia, the brutal murder of the royal family. The fate destined for these children was this: girls were born in turbulent times. Many people dream of being born in a palace, with a golden spoon in their mouth: to be princesses, princes, kings, queens, kings and queens. But how often was the life of blue-blooded people difficult? They were caught, killed, poisoned, strangled, and very often their own people, close to the royals, destroyed and occupied the vacant throne, attracting with its limitless possibilities.

Alexander II was blown up by a Narodnaya Volya member, Paul II was killed by the conspirators, Peter III died under mysterious circumstances, Ivan VI was also destroyed, the list of these unfortunates can be continued for a very long time. And those who were not killed did not live long by today’s standards; they would either get sick or undermine their health while running the country. And it was not only in Russia that there was such a high mortality rate for royalty; there are countries where it was even more dangerous for reigning individuals to be there. But all the same, everyone was always so zealous for the throne, and they pushed their children there at any cost. I wanted, although not for long, to live well, beautifully, go down in history, take advantage of all the benefits, live in luxury, be able to order slaves, decide the destinies of people and rule the country.

But Nicholas II never longed to be an emperor, but understood that being the ruler of the Russian Empire was his duty, his destiny, especially since he was a fatalist in everything.

Today we will not talk about politics, we will just look at photographs.

In this photo you see Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna, as the couple dressed for a costume ball.

In this photo, Nicholas II is still very young, his mustache is just emerging.

Nicholas II in childhood.

In this photo, Nicholas II with his long-awaited heir Alexei.

Nicholas II with his mother Maria Fedorovna.

In this photo, Nicholas II with his parents, sisters and brothers.

Since childhood, the boy enthusiastically played war games. At the age of six months he received the rank of colonel, and at three years old the baby was given the uniform of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, since the child’s future was predetermined from birth. According to tradition, the Grand Duke, who was not a direct heir to the throne, was prepared for a military career.

Family of Nicholas I: parents, brothers and sisters / Wikipedia

Until the age of four, the upbringing of Nicholas was entrusted to the court maid of honor Charlotte Karlovna von Lieven; after the death of his father, Paul I, the responsible responsibility was transferred to General Lamzdorf. The home education of Nikolai and his younger brother Mikhail consisted of studying economics, history, geography, law, engineering and fortifications. Much attention was paid to foreign languages: French, German and Latin.

If lectures and classes in the humanities were difficult for Nikolai, then everything related to military affairs and engineering attracted his attention. The future emperor mastered playing the flute in his youth and took drawing lessons. Acquaintance with art allowed Nikolai Pavlovich to subsequently become known as a connoisseur of opera and ballet.

Since 1817, the Grand Duke was in charge of the engineering unit of the Russian army. Under his leadership, educational institutions were created in companies and battalions. In 1819, Nikolai contributed to the opening of the Main Engineering School and the School of Guards Ensigns.

In the army, the younger brother of Emperor Alexander I was disliked for such character traits as excessive pedantry, pickiness about details and dryness. The Grand Duke was a person determined to indisputably obey the laws, but at the same time he could flare up for no reason.

In 1820, a conversation between Alexander’s elder brother and Nicholas took place, during which the current emperor announced that the heir to the throne, Constantine, had abandoned his obligations, and the right to reign had passed to Nicholas. The news struck the young man on the spot: neither morally nor intellectually Nikolai was ready for the possible management of Russia.

Despite the protests, Alexander in the Manifesto indicated Nicholas as his successor and ordered that the papers be opened only after his death. After this, for six years, the life of the Grand Duke was outwardly no different from before: Nicholas was engaged in military service and supervised educational military institutions.

Reign and uprising of the Decembrists

On December 1 (November 19, O.S.), 1825, Alexander I suddenly died. The emperor was at that moment far from the capital of Russia, so the royal court received the sad news a week later. Because of his own doubts, Nicholas initiated the oath of allegiance to Constantine I among the courtiers and military men. But at the State Council the Tsar's Manifesto was published, designating Nikolai Pavlovich as the heir.

The Grand Duke remained adamant in his decision not to assume such a responsible position and persuaded the Council, Senate and Synod to swear allegiance to his elder brother. But Konstantin, who was in Poland, had no intention of coming to St. Petersburg. 29-year-old Nicholas had no choice but to agree with the will of Alexander I. The date of the re-oath before the troops on Senate Square was set for December 26 (December 14, O.S.).

The day before, inspired by free ideas about the abolition of tsarist power and the creation of a liberal system in Russia, participants in the Union of Salvation movement decided to take advantage of the uncertain political situation and change the course of history. At the proposed National Assembly, according to the organizers of the uprising, it was supposed to choose one of two forms of government: a constitutional monarchy or a republic.

But the revolutionaries' plan failed, since the army did not come over to their side, and the Decembrist uprising was quickly suppressed. After the trial, five organizers were hanged, and participants and sympathizers were sent into exile. The execution of the Decembrists K.F. Ryleev, P.I. Pestel, S.I. Muravyov-Apostol turned out to be the only death penalty that was applied during all the years of the reign of Nicholas I.

The Grand Duke's crowning ceremony took place on August 22 (September 3, O.S.) in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. In May 1829, Nicholas I assumed the rights of autocrat of the Polish Kingdom.

Domestic policy

Nicholas I turned out to be an ardent supporter of the monarchy. The emperor's views were based on the three pillars of Russian society - autocracy, Orthodoxy and nationality. The monarch adopted laws in accordance with his own unshakable principles. Nicholas I did not strive to create a new one, but to preserve and improve the existing order. As a result, the monarch achieved his goals.

The domestic policy of the new emperor was distinguished by conservatism and adherence to the letter of the law, which gave rise to an even greater bureaucracy in Russia than it had before the reign of Nicholas I. The emperor began political activity in the country by introducing brutal censorship and putting in order the Code of Russian Laws. A division of the Secret Chancellery was created, headed by Benckendorff, which was engaged in political investigations.

Printing also underwent reforms. The State Censorship, created by a special decree, monitored the cleanliness of printed materials and seized suspicious publications opposing the ruling regime. The transformations also affected serfdom.

Peasants were offered uncultivated lands in Siberia and the Urals, where farmers moved regardless of their desire. Infrastructure was organized in new settlements, and new agricultural technology was allocated to them. Events created the preconditions for the abolition of serfdom.

Nicholas I showed great interest in innovations in engineering. In 1837, on the initiative of the Tsar, the construction of the first railway was completed, which connected Tsarskoye Selo and St. Petersburg. Possessing analytical thinking and foresight, Nicholas I used a wider gauge for railways than the European one. In this way, the tsar prevented the risk of enemy equipment penetrating deep into Russia.

Nicholas I played a major role in streamlining the state's financial system. In 1839, the emperor began a financial reform, the goal of which was a unified system for calculating silver coins and banknotes. The appearance of kopecks is changing, on one side of which the initials of the ruling emperor are now printed. The Ministry of Finance initiated the exchange of precious metals held by the population for credit notes. Over the course of 10 years, the state treasury increased its reserves of gold and silver.

Foreign policy

In foreign policy, the tsar sought to reduce the penetration of liberal ideas into Russia. Nicholas I sought to strengthen the position of the state in three directions: western, eastern and southern. The Emperor suppressed all possible uprisings and revolutionary riots on the European continent, after which he rightfully became known as the “gendarme of Europe.”

Following Alexander I, Nicholas I continued to improve relations with Prussia and Austria. The Tsar needed to strengthen power in the Caucasus. The Eastern Question included relations with the Ottoman Empire, the decline of which made it possible to change Russia's position in the Balkans and on the western coast of the Black Sea.

Wars and revolts

Throughout his reign, Nicholas I conducted military operations abroad. Having barely entered the kingdom, the emperor was forced to take up the baton of the Caucasian War, which was started by his elder brother. In 1826, the tsar launched the Russian-Persian campaign, which resulted in the annexation of Armenia to the Russian Empire.

In 1828, the Russian-Turkish War began. In 1830, Russian troops suppressed the Polish uprising, which arose after the crowning of Nicholas in 1829 to the Polish kingdom. In 1848, the uprising that broke out in Hungary was again extinguished by the Russian army.

In 1853, Nicholas I started the Crimean War, participation in which resulted in the collapse of his political career. Not expecting that the Turkish troops would receive assistance from England and France, Nicholas I lost the military campaign. Russia has lost influence in the Black Sea, losing the opportunity to build and use military fortresses on the coast.

Personal life

Nikolai Pavlovich was introduced to his future wife, Princess Charlotte of Prussia, daughter of Frederick William III, in 1815 by Alexander I. Two years later, the young people got married, which cemented the Russian-Prussian Union. Before the wedding, the German princess converted to Orthodoxy and received the name at baptism.

During 9 years of marriage, the first-born Alexander and three daughters were born in the family of the Grand Duke - Maria, Olga, Alexandra. After her accession to the throne, Maria Feodorovna gave Nicholas I three more sons - Konstantin, Nikolai, Mikhail - thereby securing the throne as heirs. The emperor lived in harmony with his wife until his death.

Death

Seriously ill with the flu at the beginning of 1855, Nicholas I bravely resisted the illness and, overcoming pain and loss of strength, in early February went to a military parade without outerwear. The Emperor wanted to support the soldiers and officers who were already losing in the Crimean War.

In cinema, the memory of the era and the emperor is captured in more than 33 films. The image of Nicholas I hit the screens back in the days of silent cinema. In modern art, audiences remember his film incarnations performed by actors.

In 2019, the historical drama "" by the director was released, which tells about the events preceding the Decembrist uprising. He played the role of the emperor.

"Angel Alexander"

The second child of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich and Maria Feodorovna was Alexander. He, alas, died in infancy from meningitis. The death of “angel Alexander” after a fleeting illness was deeply experienced by his parents, judging by their diaries. For Maria Fedorovna, the death of her son was the first loss of relatives in her life. Meanwhile, fate had prepared for her to outlive all her sons.

Alexander Alexandrovich. The only (post-mortem) photograph

Handsome Georgy

For some time, the heir of Nicholas II was his younger brother George

As a child, Georgiy was healthier and stronger than his older brother Nikolai. He grew up to be a tall, handsome, cheerful child. Despite the fact that George was his mother's favorite, he, like the other brothers, was brought up in Spartan conditions. The children slept on army beds, got up at 6 o'clock and took a cold bath. For breakfast, they were usually served porridge and black bread; for lunch, lamb cutlets and roast beef with peas and baked potatoes. The children had at their disposal a living room, a dining room, a playroom and a bedroom, furnished with the simplest furniture. Only the icon, decorated with precious stones and pearls, was rich. The family lived mainly in the Gatchina Palace.

Family of Emperor Alexander III (1892). From right to left: Georgy, Ksenia, Olga, Alexander III, Nikolai, Maria Fedorovna, Mikhail

George was destined for a career in the navy, but then the Grand Duke fell ill with tuberculosis. Since the 1890s, George, who became crown prince in 1894 (Nicholas did not yet have an heir), lives in the Caucasus, in Georgia. Doctors even forbade him to go to St. Petersburg for his father’s funeral (although he was present at his father’s death in Livadia). George's only joy was visits from his mother. In 1895, they traveled together to visit relatives in Denmark. There he had another attack. Georgiy was bedridden for a long time until he finally felt better and returned to Abastumani.

Grand Duke Georgy Alexandrovich at his desk. Abastumani. 1890s

In the summer of 1899, Georgy was traveling from the Zekar Pass to Abastumani on a motorcycle. Suddenly his throat started bleeding, he stopped and fell to the ground. On June 28, 1899, Georgy Alexandrovich died. The section revealed: extreme degree of exhaustion, chronic tuberculous process in the period of cavernous decay, cor pulmonale (right ventricular hypertrophy), interstitial nephritis. The news of George's death was a heavy blow for the entire imperial family and especially for Maria Feodorovna.

Ksenia Alexandrovna

Ksenia was her mother’s favorite, and even looked like her. Her first and only love was Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich (Sandro), who was friends with her brothers and often visited Gatchina. Ksenia Alexandrovna was “crazy” about the tall, slender brunette, believing that he was the best in the world. She kept her love a secret, telling about it only to her older brother, the future Emperor Nicholas II, Sandro’s friend. Ksenia was Alexander Mikhailovich’s cousin. They married on July 25, 1894, and she bore him a daughter and six sons during the first 13 years of their marriage.

Alexander Mikhailovich and Ksenia Alexandrovna, 1894

When traveling abroad with her husband, Ksenia visited with him all those places that could be considered “not quite decent” for the Tsar’s daughter, and even tried her luck at the gaming table in Monte Carlo. However, the married life of the Grand Duchess did not work out. My husband has new hobbies. Despite seven children, the marriage actually broke up. But Ksenia Alexandrovna did not agree to a divorce from the Grand Duke. Despite everything, she managed to preserve her love for the father of her children until the end of her days and sincerely experienced his death in 1933.

It is curious that after the revolution in Russia, George V allowed a relative to live in a cottage not far from Windsor Castle, while Ksenia Alexandrovna’s husband was forbidden to appear there due to infidelity. Among other interesting facts, her daughter, Irina, married Felix Yusupov, the killer of Rasputin, a scandalous and shocking personality.

Possible Michael II

Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich was, perhaps, the most significant for all of Russia, with the exception of Nicholas II, the son of Alexander III. Before the First World War, after his marriage to Natalya Sergeevna Brasova, Mikhail Alexandrovich lived in Europe. The marriage was unequal; moreover, at the time of its conclusion, Natalya Sergeevna was married. The lovers had to get married in the Serbian Orthodox Church in Vienna. Because of this, all the estates of Mikhail Alexandrovich were taken under the control of the emperor.

Mikhail Alexandrovich

Some monarchists called Mikhail Alexandrovich Mikhail II

With the beginning of the First World War, Nikolai’s brother asked to go to Russia to fight. As a result, he headed the Native Division in the Caucasus. Wartime was marked by many plots being prepared against Nicholas II, but Mikhail did not participate in any of them, being loyal to his brother. However, it was the name of Mikhail Alexandrovich that was increasingly mentioned in various political combinations drawn up in the court and political circles of Petrograd, and Mikhail Alexandrovich himself did not take part in drawing up these plans. A number of contemporaries pointed to the role of the wife of the Grand Duke, who became the center of the “Brasova salon,” which preached liberalism and promoted Mikhail Alexandrovich to the role of head of the reigning house.

Alexander Alexandrovich with his wife (1867)

The February Revolution found Mikhail Alexandrovich in Gatchina. Documents show that during the days of the February Revolution he tried to save the monarchy, but not because of the desire to take the throne himself. On the morning of February 27 (March 12), 1917, he was called by telephone to Petrograd by the Chairman of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko. Arriving in the capital, Mikhail Alexandrovich met with the Provisional Committee of the Duma. They convinced him to essentially legitimize the coup d'etat: to become a dictator, dismiss the government and ask his brother to create a responsible ministry. By the end of the day, Mikhail Alexandrovich was convinced to take power as a last resort. Subsequent events would reveal the indecisiveness and inability of brother Nicholas II to engage in serious politics in an emergency situation.

Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich with his morganatic wife N.M. Brasova. Paris. 1913

It is appropriate to recall the description given to Mikhail Alexandrovich by General Mosolov: “He was distinguished by exceptional kindness and gullibility.” According to the memoirs of Colonel Mordvinov, Mikhail Alexandrovich was “of a gentle character, although quick-tempered. He is inclined to succumb to the influence of others... But in actions that touch upon issues of moral duty, he always shows persistence!”

The Last Grand Duchess

Olga Alexandrovna lived to be 78 years old and died on November 24, 1960. She outlived her older sister Ksenia by seven months.

In 1901 she married the Duke of Oldenburg. The marriage was unsuccessful and ended in divorce. Subsequently, Olga Alexandrovna married Nikolai Kulikovsky. After the fall of the Romanov dynasty, she left for Crimea with her mother, husband and children, where they lived in conditions close to house arrest.

Olga Alexandrovna as honorary commander of the 12th Akhtyrsky Hussar Regiment

She is one of the few Romanovs who survived the October Revolution. She lived in Denmark, then in Canada, and outlived all the other grandchildren (granddaughters) of Emperor Alexander II. Like her father, Olga Alexandrovna preferred a simple life. During her life, she painted more than 2,000 paintings, the proceeds from the sale of which allowed her to support her family and engage in charity work.

Protopresbyter Georgy Shavelsky recalled her this way:

“Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, among all the persons of the imperial family, was distinguished by her extraordinary simplicity, accessibility, and democracy. On his estate in Voronezh province. she completely grew up: she walked around the village huts, nursed peasant children, etc. In St. Petersburg, she often walked on foot, rode in simple cabs, and really loved to talk with the latter.”

The imperial couple among their circle of associates (summer 1889)

General Alexey Nikolaevich Kuropatkin:

“My next date is with my boyfriend. Princess Olga Alexandrovna was born on November 12, 1918 in Crimea, where she lived with her second husband, captain of the hussar regiment Kulikovsky. Here she became even more at ease. It would be difficult for someone who didn’t know her to believe that this was the Grand Duchess. They occupied a small, very poorly furnished house. The Grand Duchess herself nursed her baby, cooked and even washed the clothes. I found her in the garden, where she was pushing her child in a stroller. She immediately invited me into the house and there treated me to tea and her own products: jam and cookies. The simplicity of the situation, bordering on squalor, made it even more sweet and attractive.”

Nicholas II Alexandrovich. Born on May 6 (18), 1868 in Tsarskoye Selo - executed on July 17, 1918 in Yekaterinburg. Emperor of All Russia, Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. Reigned from October 20 (November 1), 1894 to March 2 (15), 1917. From the Imperial House of Romanov.

Full title of Nicholas II as Emperor: “By the advancing grace of God, Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauride Chersonesos, Tsar of Georgia; Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volyn, Podolsk and Finland; Prince of Estland, Livonia, Courland and Semigal, Samogit, Bialystok, Korel, Tver, Ugra, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgaria and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novagorod of the Nizovsky lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udorsky, Obdorsky, Kondiysky, Vitebsk, Mstislavsky and the entire Northern country; and the sovereign of Iversk, Kartalinsky and Kabardian lands and the Armenian region; Cherkassy and Mountain princes and other hereditary sovereign and owner, Sovereign of Turkestan; heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarn, Ditmarsen and Oldenburg, and so on, and so on, and so on.”

Nicholas II Alexandrovich was born on May 6 (18th old style) 1868 in Tsarskoe Selo.

The eldest son of the Emperor and Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Immediately after birth, on May 6 (18), 1868, he was named Nikolai. This is a traditional Romanov name. According to one version, this was a “naming after an uncle” - a custom known from the Rurikovichs: it was named in memory of his father’s elder brother and mother’s fiancé, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich (1843-1865), who died young.

Two great-great-grandfathers of Nicholas II were brothers: Friedrich of Hesse-Kassel and Karl of Hesse-Kassel, and two great-great-grandmothers were cousins: Amalia of Hesse-Darmstadt and Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt.

The baptism of Nikolai Alexandrovich was performed by the confessor of the imperial family, Protopresbyter Vasily Bazhanov, in the Resurrection Church of the Great Tsarskoye Selo Palace on May 20 of the same year. The successors were: Queen Louise of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederick of Denmark, Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna.

From birth he was titled His Imperial Highness (sovereign) Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich. After the death of his grandfather, Emperor Alexander II, as a result of a terrorist attack committed by the populists, on March 1, 1881, he received the title of heir to the crown prince.

In early childhood, the teacher of Nikolai and his brothers was the Englishman Karl Osipovich Heath (1826-1900), who lived in Russia. General G. G. Danilovich was appointed his official tutor as his heir in 1877.

Nikolai was educated at home as part of a large gymnasium course.

In 1885-1890 - according to a specially written program that combined the course of the state and economic departments of the law faculty of the university with the course of the Academy of the General Staff.

The studies were conducted for 13 years: the first eight years were devoted to subjects of an extended gymnasium course, where special attention was paid to the study of political history, Russian literature, English, German and French (Nikolai Alexandrovich spoke English as his native language). The next five years were devoted to the study of military affairs, legal and economic sciences necessary for a statesman. Lectures were given by world-famous scientists: N. N. Beketov, N. N. Obruchev, Ts. A. Cui, M. I. Dragomirov, N. H. Bunge, and others. They all just gave lectures. They had no right to ask questions to check how they had mastered the material. Protopresbyter John Yanyshev taught the Tsarevich canon law in connection with the history of the church, the most important departments of theology and the history of religion.

On May 6 (18), 1884, upon reaching adulthood (for the heir), he took the oath in the Great Church of the Winter Palace, as announced by the highest manifesto.

The first act published on his behalf was a rescript addressed to the Moscow Governor-General V.A. Dolgorukov: 15 thousand rubles for distribution, at the discretion of that person, “among the residents of Moscow who are most in need of help.”

For the first two years, Nikolai served as a junior officer in the ranks of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. For two summer seasons he served in the ranks of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment as a squadron commander, and then did a camp training in the ranks of the artillery.

On August 6 (18), 1892, he was promoted to colonel. At the same time, his father introduces him to the affairs of governing the country, inviting him to participate in meetings of the State Council and the Cabinet of Ministers. At the suggestion of the Minister of Railways S. Yu. Witte, Nikolai in 1892, in order to gain experience in government affairs, was appointed chairman of the committee for the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. By the age of 23, the Heir was a man who had received extensive information in various fields of knowledge.

The educational program included travel to various provinces of Russia, which he made together with his father. To complete his education, his father allocated at his disposal the cruiser “Memory of Azov” as part of the squadron for a trip to the Far East.

In nine months, with his retinue, he visited Austria-Hungary, Greece, Egypt, India, China, Japan, and later, by land from Vladivostok through the whole of Siberia, he returned to the capital of Russia. During the trip, Nikolai kept a personal diary. In Japan, an attempt was made on Nicholas's life (the so-called Otsu Incident) - a shirt with blood stains is kept in the Hermitage.

Nicholas II's height: 170 centimeters.

Personal life of Nicholas II:

Nicholas II's first woman was a famous ballerina. They were in an intimate relationship in the period 1892-1894.

Their first meeting took place on March 23, 1890 during the final exam. Their romance developed with the approval of members of the royal family, starting from Emperor Alexander III, who organized this acquaintance, and ending with Empress Maria Feodorovna, who wanted her son to become a man. Matilda called the young Tsarevich Niki.

Their relationship ended after Nicholas II's engagement to Alice of Hesse in April 1894. By Kshesinskaya’s own admission, she had a hard time surviving this breakup.

Matilda Kshesinskaya

The first meeting of Tsarevich Nicholas with his future wife took place in January 1889 during Princess Alice’s second visit to Russia. At the same time, mutual attraction arose. That same year, Nikolai asked his father for permission to marry her, but was refused.

In August 1890, during Alice's 3rd visit, Nikolai's parents did not allow him to meet with her. A letter in the same year to Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna from the English Queen Victoria, in which the grandmother of the potential bride probed the prospects of a marriage union, also had a negative result.

However, due to the deteriorating health of Alexander III and the persistence of the Tsarevich, he was allowed by his father to make an official proposal to Princess Alice and on April 2 (14), 1894, Nicholas, accompanied by his uncles, went to Coburg, where he arrived on April 4. Queen Victoria and German Emperor Wilhelm II also came here.

On April 5, the Tsarevich proposed to Princess Alice, but she hesitated due to the issue of changing her religion. However, three days after a family council with relatives (Queen Victoria, sister Elizabeth Feodorovna), the princess gave her consent to the marriage and on April 8 (20), 1894 in Coburg at the wedding of the Duke of Hesse Ernst-Ludwig (Alice’s brother) and Princess Victoria-Melita of Edinburgh (daughter of Duke Alfred and Maria Alexandrovna) their engagement took place, announced in Russia with a simple newspaper notice.

In his diary Nikolai named this day “Wonderful and unforgettable in my life”.

On November 14 (26), 1894, in the palace church of the Winter Palace, the marriage of Nicholas II took place with the German princess Alice of Hesse, who after confirmation (performed on October 21 (November 2), 1894 in Livadia) took the name. The newlyweds initially settled in the Anichkov Palace next to Empress Maria Feodorovna, but in the spring of 1895 they moved to Tsarskoe Selo, and in the fall to their chambers in the Winter Palace.

In July-September 1896, after the coronation, Nikolai and Alexandra Feodorovna made a large European tour as a royal couple and visited the Austrian Emperor, the German Kaiser, the Danish King and the British Queen. The trip ended with a visit to Paris and a vacation in the empress’s homeland in Darmstadt.

In subsequent years, the royal couple gave birth to four daughters:

Olga(3 (15) November 1895;
Tatiana(29 May (10 June) 1897);
Maria(14 (26) June 1899);
Anastasia(5 (18) June 1901).

The Grand Duchesses used the abbreviation to refer to themselves in their diaries and correspondence "OTMA", compiled according to the first letters of their names, following in order of birth: Olga - Tatyana - Maria - Anastasia.

On July 30 (August 12), 1904, a fifth child was born in Peterhof and The only son- Tsarevich Alexey Nikolaevich.

All correspondence between Alexandra Feodorovna and Nicholas II (in English) has been preserved, only one letter from Alexandra Feodorovna has been lost, all her letters are numbered by the Empress herself; published in Berlin in 1922.

At the age of 9 he began keeping a diary. The archive contains 50 voluminous notebooks - the original diary for the years 1882-1918, some of them have been published.

Contrary to the assurances of Soviet historiography, the tsar was not among the richest people in the Russian Empire.

Most of the time, Nicholas II lived with his family in the Alexander Palace (Tsarskoe Selo) or Peterhof. In the summer I vacationed in Crimea at the Livadia Palace. For recreation, he also annually made two-week trips around the Gulf of Finland and the Baltic Sea on the yacht “Standart”.

I read both light entertainment literature and serious scientific works, often on historical topics - Russian and foreign newspapers and magazines.

I smoked cigarettes.

He was interested in photography, also loved watching movies, and all his children also took photographs.

In the 1900s, he became interested in the then new type of transport - cars. It has one of the largest car parks in Europe.

In 1913, the official government press organ wrote in an essay about the everyday and family side of the emperor’s life: “The Emperor does not like so-called secular pleasures. His favorite pastime is the hereditary passion of the Russian Tsars - hunting. It is organized both in permanent places of the Tsar’s stay, and in special places adapted for this purpose - in Spala, near Skierniewice, in Belovezhye.”

I had the habit of shooting crows, stray cats and dogs on walks.

Nicholas II. Documentary

Coronation and accession to the throne of Nicholas II

A few days after the death of Alexander III (October 20 (November 1), 1894) and his accession to the throne (the highest manifesto was published on October 21), on November 14 (26), 1894, in the Great Church of the Winter Palace, he married Alexandra Feodorovna. The honeymoon took place in an atmosphere of funeral services and mourning visits.

One of the first personnel decisions of Emperor Nicholas II was the dismissal of the conflict-ridden I.V. Gurko from the post of Governor-General of the Kingdom of Poland in December 1894 and the appointment of A.B. Lobanov-Rostovsky to the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs in February 1895 - after the death of N. K. Girsa.

As a result of the exchange of notes dated March 27 (April 8), 1895, “the delimitation of the spheres of influence of Russia and Great Britain in the Pamir region, east of Lake Zor-Kul (Victoria)” along the Pyanj River was established. The Pamir volost became part of the Osh district of the Fergana region, the Wakhan ridge on Russian maps received the designation of the ridge of Emperor Nicholas II.

The first major international act of the emperor was the Triple Intervention - a simultaneous (April 11 (23) 1895), on the initiative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, presentation (together with Germany and France) of demands for Japan to reconsider the terms of the Shimonoseki Peace Treaty with China, renouncing claims to the Liaodong Peninsula .

The first public appearance of the Emperor in St. Petersburg was his speech, delivered on January 17 (29), 1895 in the Nicholas Hall of the Winter Palace before deputations of the nobility, zemstvos and cities who arrived “to express loyal feelings to Their Majesties and bring congratulations on the marriage.” The delivered text of the speech (the speech was written in advance, but the emperor pronounced it only from time to time looking at the paper) read: “I know that recently in some zemstvo meetings the voices of people who were carried away by meaningless dreams about the participation of zemstvo representatives in the affairs of internal government have been heard. Let everyone know that, devoting all my strength to the good of the people, I will protect the beginning of autocracy as firmly and unswervingly as my unforgettable, late parent guarded it.”.

The coronation of the emperor and his wife took place on May 14 (26), 1896. The celebration resulted in mass casualties on the Khodynskoye field, the incident is known as Khodynka.

The Khodynka disaster, also known as the mass stampede, occurred in the early morning of May 18 (30), 1896 on the Khodynka field (northwestern part of Moscow, the beginning of modern Leningradsky Prospekt) on the outskirts of Moscow during the celebrations on the occasion of the coronation of Emperor Nicholas II on May 14 (26). . 1,379 people died in it and more than 900 were maimed. Most of the corpses (except for those identified immediately on the spot and handed over for burial in their parishes) were collected at the Vagankovskoye cemetery, where their identification and burial took place. In 1896, at the Vagankovskoye cemetery, at the mass grave, a monument was erected to the victims of the stampede on Khodynskoye Field, designed by the architect I. A. Ivanov-Shits, with the date of the tragedy stamped on it: “May 18, 1896.”

In April 1896, the Russian government formally recognized the Bulgarian government of Prince Ferdinand. In 1896, Nicholas II also made a big trip to Europe, meeting with Franz Joseph, Wilhelm II, Queen Victoria (Alexandra Feodorovna’s grandmother), the end of the trip was his arrival in the capital of the allied France, Paris.

By the time of his arrival in Britain in September 1896, there had been a sharp deterioration in relations between Great Britain and the Ottoman Empire, associated with the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and a simultaneous rapprochement between St. Petersburg and Constantinople.

While visiting Queen Victoria in Balmoral, Nicholas, having agreed to jointly develop a project of reforms in the Ottoman Empire, rejected the proposals made to him by the English government to remove Sultan Abdul Hamid, retain Egypt for England, and in return receive some concessions on the issue of the Straits.

Arriving in Paris in early October of the same year, Nicholas approved joint instructions to the ambassadors of Russia and France in Constantinople (which the Russian government had categorically refused until that time), approved French proposals on the Egyptian issue (which included “guarantees of neutralization of the Suez Canal” - a goal which was previously outlined for Russian diplomacy by Foreign Minister Lobanov-Rostovsky, who died on August 30 (September 11), 1896).

The Paris agreements of the tsar, who was accompanied on the trip by N.P. Shishkin, aroused sharp objections from Sergei Witte, Lamzdorf, Ambassador Nelidov and others. However, by the end of the same year, Russian diplomacy returned to its previous course: strengthening the alliance with France, pragmatic cooperation with Germany on certain issues, freezing the Eastern Question (that is, supporting the Sultan and opposition to England’s plans in Egypt).

It was ultimately decided to abandon the plan for landing Russian troops on the Bosphorus (under a certain scenario) approved at a meeting of ministers on December 5 (17), 1896, chaired by the Tsar. In March 1897, Russian troops took part in the international peacekeeping operation in Crete after the Greco-Turkish War.

During 1897, 3 heads of state arrived in St. Petersburg to pay a visit to the Russian Emperor: Franz Joseph, Wilhelm II, and French President Felix Faure. During Franz Josef's visit, an agreement was concluded between Russia and Austria for 10 years.

The Manifesto of February 3 (15), 1899 on the order of legislation in the Grand Duchy of Finland was perceived by the population of the Grand Duchy as an encroachment on its rights of autonomy and caused mass discontent and protests.

The manifesto of June 28 (July 10), 1899 (published on June 30) announced the death of the same June 28 “heir to the Tsarevich and Grand Duke George Alexandrovich” (the oath to the latter, as the heir to the throne, was previously taken along with the oath to Nicholas) and read further: “From now on, until the Lord pleases to bless us with the birth of a son, the immediate right of succession to the All-Russian throne, on the precise basis of the main State Law on Succession to the Throne, belongs to our dear brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.”

The absence in the manifesto of the words “heir to the crown prince” in the title of Mikhail Alexandrovich aroused bewilderment in court circles, which prompted the emperor to issue a personal imperial decree on July 7 of the same year, which ordered the latter to be called “sovereign heir and grand duke.”

According to the data of the first general census conducted in January 1897, the population of the Russian Empire was 125 million people. Of these, 84 million had Russian as their native language, 21% of the Russian population were literate, and 34% among people aged 10-19 years.

In January of the same year it was carried out currency reform, which established the gold standard of the ruble. Transition to the gold ruble, among other things, was a devaluation of the national currency: on imperials of the previous weight and fineness it was now written “15 rubles” - instead of 10; However, the stabilization of the ruble at the “two-thirds” rate, contrary to forecasts, was successful and without shocks.

Much attention was paid to the work issue. On June 2 (14), 1897, a law was issued on limiting working hours, which established a maximum working day limit of no more than 11.5 hours on ordinary days, and 10 hours on Saturdays and pre-holidays, or if at least part of the working day fell on night time.

In factories with more than 100 workers, free medical care was introduced, covering 70 percent of the total number of factory workers (1898). In June 1903, the Rules on Remuneration for Victims of Industrial Accidents were supremely approved, obliging the entrepreneur to pay benefits and pensions to the victim or his family in the amount of 50-66% of the victim’s maintenance.

In 1906, workers' trade unions were created in the country. The Law of June 23 (July 6), 1912 in Russia introduced compulsory insurance of workers against illnesses and accidents.

A special tax on landowners of Polish origin in the Western Region, introduced as punishment for the Polish Uprising of 1863, was abolished. By decree of June 12 (25), 1900, exile to Siberia as a punishment was abolished.

The reign of Nicholas II was a period of economic growth: in 1885-1913, the growth rate of agricultural production averaged 2%, and the growth rate of industrial production was 4.5-5% per year. Coal production in the Donbass increased from 4.8 million tons in 1894 to 24 million tons in 1913. Coal mining began in the Kuznetsk coal basin. Oil production developed in the vicinity of Baku, Grozny and Emba.

The construction of railways continued, the total length of which, amounting to 44 thousand kilometers in 1898, by 1913 exceeded 70 thousand kilometers. In terms of the total length of railways, Russia surpassed any other European country and was second only to the United States, but in terms of the provision of railways per capita, it was inferior to both the United States and the largest European countries.

Russo-Japanese War 1904-1905

Back in 1895, the emperor foresaw the possibility of a clash with Japan for dominance in the Far East, and therefore prepared for this struggle - both diplomatically and militarily. From the tsar's resolution on April 2 (14), 1895, at the report of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, his desire for further Russian expansion in the Southeast (Korea) was clear.

On May 22 (June 3), 1896, a Russian-Chinese agreement on a military alliance against Japan was concluded in Moscow; China agreed to the construction of a railway through Northern Manchuria to Vladivostok, the construction and operation of which was provided to the Russian-Chinese Bank.

On September 8 (20), 1896, a concession agreement for the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER) was signed between the Chinese government and the Russian-Chinese Bank.

On March 15 (27), 1898, Russia and China signed the Russian-Chinese Convention of 1898 in Beijing, according to which Russia was granted lease use for 25 years of the ports of Port Arthur (Lushun) and Dalniy (Dalian) with adjacent territories and waters; In addition, the Chinese government agreed to extend the concession it granted to the CER Society for the construction of a railway line (South Manchurian Railway) from one of the points of the CER to Dalniy and Port Arthur.

On August 12 (24), 1898, according to the order of Nicholas II, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count M. N. Muravyov, handed a government message (circular note) to all representatives of foreign powers staying in St. Petersburg, which read, among other things: “To put a limit to continuous armaments and to find means to prevent misfortunes that threaten the whole world - this is now the highest duty for all States. Filled with this feeling, the Emperor deigned to order me to contact the Governments of states, whose Representatives are accredited to the Supreme Court, with a proposal to convene a conference to discuss this important task.”.

The Hague Peace Conferences took place in 1899 and 1907, some of whose decisions are still in effect today (in particular, the Permanent Court of Arbitration was created in The Hague). For the initiative to convene the Hague Peace Conference and their contribution to its holding, Nicholas II and the famous Russian diplomat Fyodor Fedorovich Martens were nominated in 1901 for the Nobel Peace Prize. To this day, the UN Secretariat contains a bust of Nicholas II and his Address to the powers of the world on the convening of the first Hague Conference.

In 1900, Nicholas II sent Russian troops to suppress the Yihetuan uprising together with the troops of other European powers, Japan and the United States.

Russia's lease of the Liaodong Peninsula, the construction of the Chinese Eastern Railway and the establishment of a naval base in Port Arthur, and Russia's growing influence in Manchuria clashed with the aspirations of Japan, which also laid claim to Manchuria.

On January 24 (February 6), 1904, the Japanese ambassador handed the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs V.N. Lamzdorf a note, which announced the termination of negotiations, which Japan considered “useless,” and the severance of diplomatic relations with Russia. Japan recalled its diplomatic mission from St. Petersburg and reserved the right to resort to “independent actions” as it deemed necessary to protect its interests. On the evening of January 26 (February 8), 1904, the Japanese fleet attacked the Port Arthur squadron without declaring war. The highest manifesto, given by Nicholas II on January 27 (February 9), 1904, declared war on Japan.

The border battle on the Yalu River was followed by battles at Liaoyang, the Shahe River and Sandepu. After a major battle in February - March 1905, the Russian army abandoned Mukden.

After the fall of the Port Arthur fortress, few people believed in a favorable outcome of the military campaign. Patriotic enthusiasm gave way to irritation and despondency. This situation contributed to the strengthening of anti-government agitation and critical sentiment. The emperor for a long time did not agree to admit the failure of the campaign, believing that these were only temporary setbacks. He undoubtedly wanted peace, only an honorable peace, which a strong military position could provide.

By the end of the spring of 1905, it became obvious that the possibility of changing the military situation existed only in the distant future.

The outcome of the war was decided by the sea battle of Tsushima 14-15 (28) May 1905, which ended in the almost complete destruction of the Russian fleet.

On May 23 (June 5), 1905, the emperor received, through the US Ambassador to St. Petersburg Meyer, a proposal from President T. Roosevelt for mediation to conclude peace. The answer did not take long to arrive. On May 30 (June 12), 1905, Foreign Minister V.N. Lamzdorf informed Washington in an official telegram about the acceptance of T. Roosevelt’s mediation.

The Russian delegation was headed by the Tsar's authorized representative S. Yu. Witte, and in the USA he was joined by the Russian ambassador to the USA Baron R. R. Rosen. The difficult situation of the Russian government after the Russo-Japanese War prompted German diplomacy to make another attempt in July 1905 to tear Russia away from France and conclude a Russian-German alliance: Wilhelm II invited Nicholas II to meet in July 1905 in the Finnish skerries, near the island of Bjorke. Nikolai agreed, and at the meeting signed the agreement, returning to St. Petersburg, he abandoned it, since on August 23 (September 5), 1905, a peace treaty was signed in Portsmouth by Russian representatives S.Yu. Witte and R.R. Rosen. Under the terms of the latter, Russia recognized Korea as Japan's sphere of influence, ceded to Japan Southern Sakhalin and the rights to the Liaodong Peninsula with the cities of Port Arthur and Dalniy.

American researcher of the era T. Dennett stated in 1925: “Few people now believe that Japan was deprived of the fruits of its upcoming victories. The opposite opinion prevails. Many believe that Japan was already exhausted by the end of May, and that only the conclusion of peace saved it from collapse or complete defeat in a clash with Russia.". Japan spent about 2 billion yen on the war, and its national debt increased from 600 million yen to 2.4 billion yen. The Japanese government had to pay 110 million yen annually in interest alone. The four foreign loans received for the war placed a heavy burden on the Japanese budget. In the middle of the year, Japan was forced to take out a new loan. Realizing that continuing the war due to lack of funding was becoming impossible, the Japanese government, under the guise of the “personal opinion” of War Minister Terauchi, through the American ambassador, back in March 1905, brought to the attention of T. Roosevelt the desire to end the war. The plan was to rely on US mediation, which is what ultimately happened.

The defeat in the Russo-Japanese War (the first in half a century) and the subsequent suppression of the unrest of 1905-1907, subsequently aggravated by the emergence of rumors about influences, led to a decline in the authority of the emperor in ruling and intellectual circles.

Bloody Sunday and the first Russian revolution of 1905-1907.

With the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, Nicholas II made some concessions to liberal circles: after the murder of the Minister of Internal Affairs V.K. Plehve by a Socialist Revolutionary militant, he appointed P.D. Svyatopolk-Mirsky, who was considered a liberal, to his post.

On December 12 (25), 1904, the highest decree was given to the Senate “On plans for improving the state order,” which promised the expansion of the rights of zemstvos, insurance of workers, emancipation of foreigners and people of other faiths, and the elimination of censorship. When discussing the text of the Decree of December 12 (25), 1904, he, however, privately told Count Witte (according to the latter’s memoirs): “I will never, under any circumstances, agree to a representative form of government, because I consider it harmful for the person entrusted to me.” God of the people."

January 6 (19), 1905 (on the feast of Epiphany), during the blessing of water on the Jordan (on the ice of the Neva), in front of the Winter Palace, in the presence of the emperor and members of his family, at the very beginning of the singing of the troparion, a shot was heard from a gun, which accidentally (according to the official version) there was a charge of buckshot left after the exercises on January 4th. Most of the bullets hit the ice next to the royal pavilion and the facade of the palace, the glass of which was broken in 4 windows. In connection with the incident, the editor of the synodal publication wrote that “one cannot help but see something special” in the fact that only one policeman named “Romanov” was mortally wounded and the pole of the banner of “the nursery of our ill-fated fleet” - the banner of the naval corps - was shot through.

On January 9 (22), 1905, in St. Petersburg, on the initiative of priest Georgy Gapon, a procession of workers took place to the Winter Palace. On January 6-8, priest Gapon and a group of workers drew up a Petition on Workers' Needs addressed to the Emperor, which, along with economic ones, contained a number of political demands.

The main demand of the petition was the elimination of the power of officials and the introduction of popular representation in the form of a Constituent Assembly. When the government became aware of the political content of the petition, it was decided not to allow workers to approach the Winter Palace, and, if necessary, to detain them by force. On the evening of January 8, the Minister of Internal Affairs P. D. Svyatopolk-Mirsky notified the emperor of the measures taken. Contrary to popular belief, Nicholas II did not give the order to shoot, but only approved the measures proposed by the head of government.

On January 9 (22), 1905, columns of workers led by priest Gapon moved from different parts of the city to the Winter Palace. Electrified by fanatical propaganda, the workers stubbornly pressed toward the city center, despite warnings and even cavalry attacks. To prevent a crowd of 150,000 from gathering in the city center, the troops were forced to fire rifle volleys at the columns.

According to official government data, on the day of January 9 (22), 1905, 130 people were killed and 299 wounded. According to the calculations of the Soviet historian V.I. Nevsky, there were up to 200 killed and up to 800 wounded. On the evening of January 9 (22), 1905, Nicholas II wrote in his diary: "Hard day! Serious riots occurred in St. Petersburg as a result of the workers’ desire to reach the Winter Palace. The troops had to shoot in different places in the city, there were many killed and wounded. Lord, how painful and difficult!”.

The events of January 9 (22), 1905 became a turning point in Russian history and marked the beginning of the First Russian Revolution. The liberal and revolutionary opposition placed all the blame for the events on Emperor Nicholas.

Priest Gapon, who fled from police persecution, wrote an appeal on the evening of January 9 (22), 1905, in which he called on the workers for an armed uprising and the overthrow of the dynasty.

On February 4 (17), 1905, in the Moscow Kremlin, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, who professed extreme right-wing political views and had a certain influence on his nephew, was killed by a terrorist bomb.

On April 17 (30), 1905, a decree “On strengthening the principles of religious tolerance” was issued, which abolished a number of religious restrictions, in particular in relation to “schismatics” (Old Believers).

Strikes continued in the country, unrest began on the outskirts of the empire: in Courland, the Forest Brothers began to massacre local German landowners, and the Armenian-Tatar massacre began in the Caucasus.

Revolutionaries and separatists received support with money and weapons from England and Japan. Thus, in the summer of 1905, the English steamer John Grafton, which ran aground, was detained in the Baltic Sea, carrying several thousand rifles for Finnish separatists and revolutionary militants. There were several uprisings in the navy and in various cities. The largest was the December uprising in Moscow. At the same time, Socialist Revolutionary and anarchist individual terror gained great momentum. In just a couple of years, revolutionaries killed thousands of officials, officers and police officers - in 1906 alone, 768 were killed and 820 representatives and agents of the government were wounded.

The second half of 1905 was marked by numerous unrest in universities and theological seminaries: due to the unrest, almost 50 secondary theological educational institutions were closed. The adoption of a temporary law on university autonomy on August 27 (September 9), 1905, caused a general strike of students and stirred up teachers at universities and theological academies. Opposition parties took advantage of the expansion of freedoms to intensify attacks on the autocracy in the press.

On August 6 (19), 1905, a manifesto was signed on the establishment of the State Duma (“as a legislative advisory institution, which is provided with the preliminary development and discussion of legislative proposals and consideration of the list of state revenues and expenses” - the Bulygin Duma) and the law on the State Duma and regulations on elections to Duma.

But the revolution, which was gaining strength, overstepped the acts of August 6: in October, an all-Russian political strike began, over 2 million people went on strike. On the evening of October 17 (30), 1905, Nikolai, after psychologically difficult hesitations, decided to sign a manifesto, which commanded, among other things: "1. To grant the population the unshakable foundations of civil freedom on the basis of actual inviolability of the individual, freedom of conscience, speech, assembly and unions... 3. Establish as an unshakable rule that no law can take effect without the approval of the State Duma and that those chosen by the people are guaranteed the opportunity to truly participation in monitoring the regularity of actions of the authorities assigned to us".

On April 23 (May 6), 1906, the Basic State Laws of the Russian Empire were approved, which provided for a new role for the Duma in the legislative process. From the point of view of the liberal public, the manifesto marked the end of the Russian autocracy as the unlimited power of the monarch.

Three weeks after the manifesto, political prisoners were amnestied, except for those convicted of terrorism; The decree of November 24 (December 7), 1905 abolished preliminary general and spiritual censorship for time-based (periodical) publications published in the cities of the empire (April 26 (May 9), 1906, all censorship was abolished).

After the publication of the manifestos, the strikes subsided. The armed forces (except for the navy, where unrest took place) remained faithful to the oath. An extreme right monarchist public organization, the Union of the Russian People, arose and was secretly supported by Nicholas.

From the First Russian Revolution to the First World War

On August 18 (31), 1907, an agreement was signed with Great Britain to delimit spheres of influence in China, Afghanistan and Persia, which generally completed the process of forming an alliance of 3 powers - the Triple Entente, known as Entente (Triple-Entente). However, mutual military obligations at that time existed only between Russia and France - according to the agreement of 1891 and the military convention of 1892.

On May 27 - 28 (June 10), 1908, a meeting between the British King Edward VII and the Tsar took place - on the roadstead in the harbor of Revel, the Tsar accepted from the King the uniform of the admiral of the British fleet. The Revel meeting of the monarchs was interpreted in Berlin as a step towards the formation of an anti-German coalition - despite the fact that Nicholas was a staunch opponent of rapprochement with England against Germany.

The agreement concluded between Russia and Germany on August 6 (19), 1911 (Potsdam Agreement) did not change the general vector of the involvement of Russia and Germany in opposing military-political alliances.

On June 17 (30), 1910, the law on the procedure for issuing laws relating to the Principality of Finland, known as the law on the procedure for general imperial legislation, was approved by the State Council and the State Duma.

The Russian contingent, which had been stationed there in Persia since 1909 due to the unstable political situation, was reinforced in 1911.

In 1912, Mongolia became a de facto protectorate of Russia, gaining independence from China as a result of the revolution that took place there. After this revolution in 1912-1913, Tuvan noyons (ambyn-noyon Kombu-Dorzhu, Chamzy Khamby Lama, noyon Daa-ho.shuna Buyan-Badyrgy and others) several times appealed to the tsarist government with a request to accept Tuva under the protectorate of the Russian Empire. On April 4 (17), 1914, a resolution on the report of the Minister of Foreign Affairs established a Russian protectorate over the Uriankhai region: the region was included in the Yenisei province with the transfer of political and diplomatic affairs in Tuva to the Irkutsk Governor-General.

The beginning of military operations of the Balkan Union against Turkey in the fall of 1912 marked the collapse of the diplomatic efforts undertaken after the Bosnian crisis by the Minister of Foreign Affairs S. D. Sazonov towards an alliance with the Porte and at the same time keeping the Balkan states under his control: contrary to the expectations of the Russian government, the troops of the latter successfully pushed back Turks and in November 1912 the Bulgarian army was 45 km from the Ottoman capital of Constantinople.

In connection with the Balkan War, the behavior of Austria-Hungary became increasingly defiant towards Russia, and in connection with this, in November 1912, at a meeting with the emperor, the issue of mobilizing troops of three Russian military districts was considered. Minister of War V. Sukhomlinov advocated this measure, but Prime Minister V. Kokovtsov managed to convince the emperor not to make such a decision, which threatened to drag Russia into the war.

After the actual transition of the Turkish army under German command (German General Liman von Sanders at the end of 1913 took over the post of chief inspector of the Turkish army), the question of the inevitability of war with Germany was raised in Sazonov’s note to the emperor dated December 23, 1913 (January 5, 1914), Sazonov’s note was also discussed at the meeting of the Council of Ministers.

In 1913, a wide celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty took place: the imperial family traveled to Moscow, from there to Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, and then along the Volga to Kostroma, where the first tsar was called to the throne in the Ipatiev Monastery on March 14 (24), 1613 from the Romanovs - Mikhail Fedorovich. In January 1914, the solemn consecration of the Fedorov Cathedral, erected to commemorate the anniversary of the dynasty, took place in St. Petersburg.

The first two State Dumas were unable to conduct regular legislative work: the contradictions between the deputies, on the one hand, and the emperor, on the other, were insurmountable. So, immediately after the opening, in a response to Nicholas II’s speech from the throne, the left Duma members demanded the liquidation of the State Council (the upper house of parliament) and the transfer of monastery and state-owned lands to the peasants. On May 19 (June 1), 1906, 104 deputies of the Labor Group put forward a land reform project (project 104), the content of which was the confiscation of landowners' lands and the nationalization of all land.

The Duma of the first convocation was dissolved by the emperor by a personal decree to the Senate of July 8 (21), 1906 (published on Sunday, July 9), which set the time for convening the newly elected Duma on February 20 (March 5), 1907. The subsequent highest manifesto of July 9 explained the reasons, among which were: “Those elected from the population, instead of working on legislative construction, deviated into an area that did not belong to them and turned to investigating the actions of the local authorities appointed by us, to pointing out to Us the imperfections of the Fundamental Laws, changes to which may to be undertaken only by our royal will, and to actions that are clearly illegal, as an appeal on behalf of the Duma to the population.” By decree of July 10 of the same year, the sessions of the State Council were suspended.

Simultaneously with the dissolution of the Duma, I. L. Goremykin was appointed to the post of Chairman of the Council of Ministers. Stolypin's agricultural policy, successful suppression of the unrest, and bright speeches in the Second Duma made him the idol of some right-wingers.

The second Duma turned out to be even more left-wing than the first, since the Social Democrats and Socialist Revolutionaries, who boycotted the first Duma, took part in the elections. The government was ripening the idea of ​​dissolving the Duma and changing the electoral law.

Stolypin did not intend to destroy the Duma, but to change the composition of the Duma. The reason for the dissolution was the actions of the Social Democrats: on May 5, at the apartment of a Duma member from the RSDLP Ozol, the police discovered a meeting of 35 Social Democrats and about 30 soldiers of the St. Petersburg garrison. In addition, the police discovered various propaganda materials calling for the violent overthrow of the state system, various orders from soldiers of military units and fake passports.

On June 1, Stolypin and the chairman of the St. Petersburg Judicial Chamber demanded that the Duma remove the entire Social Democratic faction from Duma meetings and lift immunity from 16 members of the RSDLP. The Duma responded to the government's demands with a refusal; the result of the confrontation was the manifesto of Nicholas II on the dissolution of the Second Duma, published on June 3 (16), 1907, along with the Regulations on elections to the Duma, that is, a new electoral law. The manifesto also indicated the date for the opening of the new Duma - November 1 (14), 1907. The act of June 3, 1907 in Soviet historiography was called the “June Third Coup”, since it contradicted the manifesto of October 17, 1905, according to which no new law could be adopted without the approval of the State Duma.

Since 1907, the so-called "Stolypin" agrarian reform. The main direction of the reform was to assign lands, previously in the collective ownership of the rural community, to peasant owners. The state also provided extensive assistance to peasants in purchasing landowners' lands (through lending from the Peasant Land Bank) and subsidized agronomic assistance. When carrying out the reform, much attention was paid to the fight against striping (a phenomenon in which a peasant cultivated many small strips of land in different fields), and the allocation of plots to peasants “in one place” (cuts, farmsteads) was encouraged, which led to a significant increase in the efficiency of the economy.

The reform, which required a huge amount of land management work, unfolded rather slowly. Before the February Revolution, no more than 20% of communal lands were assigned to peasant ownership. The results of the reform, obviously noticeable and positive, did not have time to fully manifest themselves.

In 1913, Russia (excluding the Vistlensky provinces) was in first place in the world in the production of rye, barley and oats, in third (after Canada and the USA) in wheat production, in fourth (after France, Germany and Austria-Hungary) in production potatoes. Russia has become the main exporter of agricultural products, accounting for 2/5 of all world agricultural exports. Grain yield was 3 times lower than in England or Germany, potato yield was 2 times lower.

The military reforms of 1905-1912 were carried out after the defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, which revealed serious shortcomings in the central administration, organization, recruitment system, combat training and technical equipment of the army.

In the first period of military reforms (1905-1908), the highest military administration was decentralized (the Main Directorate of the General Staff, independent of the War Ministry, was established, the State Defense Council was created, inspector generals were subordinate directly to the emperor), the terms of active service were reduced (in the infantry and field artillery from 5 to 3 years, in other branches of the military from 5 to 4 years, in the navy from 7 to 5 years), the officer corps was rejuvenated, the life of soldiers and sailors was improved (food and clothing allowances) and the financial situation of officers and long-term servicemen.

In the second period (1909-1912), the centralization of senior management was carried out (the Main Directorate of the General Staff was included in the Ministry of War, the Council of State Defense was abolished, inspector generals were subordinate to the Minister of War). Due to the militarily weak reserve and fortress troops, the field troops were strengthened (the number of army corps increased from 31 to 37), a reserve was created in the field units, which during mobilization was allocated for the deployment of secondary ones (including field artillery, engineering and railway troops, communications units) , machine gun teams were created in regiments and corps air detachments, cadet schools were transformed into military schools that received new programs, new regulations and instructions were introduced.

In 1910, the Imperial Air Force was created.

Nicholas II. A thwarted triumph

World War I

Nicholas II made efforts to prevent war in all the pre-war years, and in the last days before its outbreak, when (July 15 (28), 1914) Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia and began bombing Belgrade. On July 16 (29), 1914, Nicholas II sent a telegram to Wilhelm II with a proposal to “transfer the Austro-Serbian issue to the Hague Conference” (to the International Court of Arbitration in The Hague). Wilhelm II did not respond to this telegram.

At the beginning of WWII, opposition parties in both the Entente countries and Russia (including the Social Democrats) considered Germany the aggressor. in the fall of 1914 he wrote that it was Germany that started the war at a time convenient for it.

On July 20 (August 2), 1914, the emperor gave and by the evening of the same day published a manifesto on the war, as well as a personal highest decree, in which he, “not recognizing it possible, for reasons of a national nature, to now become the head of our land and sea forces intended for military operations,” ordered Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich to be Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

By decrees of July 24 (August 6), 1914, the sessions of the State Council and the Duma were interrupted from July 26.

On July 26 (August 8), 1914, a manifesto on the war with Austria was published. On the same day, the highest reception of members of the State Council and the Duma took place: the emperor arrived at the Winter Palace on a yacht together with Nikolai Nikolaevich and, entering the Nicholas Hall, addressed those gathered with the following words: “Germany and then Austria declared war on Russia. That huge upsurge of patriotic feelings of love for the Motherland and devotion to the throne, which swept like a hurricane across our entire land, serves in my eyes and, I think, in yours, as a guarantee that our great Mother Russia will bring the war sent by the Lord God to the desired end . ...I am confident that each and every one of you in your place will help me endure the test sent down to me and that everyone, starting with me, will fulfill their duty to the end. Great is the God of the Russian Land!”. At the conclusion of his response speech, the Chairman of the Duma, Chamberlain M.V. Rodzianko, said: “Without differences of opinions, views and beliefs, the State Duma, on behalf of the Russian Land, calmly and firmly says to its Tsar: “Be brave, Sovereign, the Russian people are with you and, firmly trusting in the mercy of God, will not stop at any sacrifice until the enemy is broken.” and the dignity of the Motherland will not be protected".

During the period of Nikolai Nikolaevich's command, the tsar traveled to Headquarters several times for meetings with the command (September 21 - 23, October 22 - 24, November 18 - 20). In November 1914 he also traveled to the south of Russia and the Caucasian Front.

At the beginning of June 1915, the situation on the fronts deteriorated sharply: Przemysl, a fortress city captured with huge losses in March, was surrendered. At the end of June Lvov was abandoned. All military acquisitions were lost, and the Russian Empire began losing its own territory. In July, Warsaw, all of Poland and part of Lithuania were surrendered; the enemy continued to advance. The public started talking about the government's inability to cope with the situation.

Both from public organizations, the State Duma, and from other groups, even many grand dukes, they started talking about creating a “Ministry of Public Trust.”

At the beginning of 1915, troops at the front began to experience a great need for weapons and ammunition. The need for a complete restructuring of the economy in accordance with the demands of the war became clear. On August 17 (30), 1915, Nicholas II approved documents on the formation of four Special Meetings: on defense, fuel, food and transportation. These meetings, consisting of government representatives, private industrialists, members of the State Duma and the State Council and headed by the relevant ministers, were supposed to unite the efforts of the government, private industry and the public in mobilizing industry for military needs. The most important of these was the Special Conference on Defense.

On May 9 (22), 1916, All-Russian Emperor Nicholas II, accompanied by his family, General Brusilov and others, reviewed troops in the Bessarabia province in the city of Bendery and visited the infirmary located in the city Auditorium.

Along with the creation of special meetings, in 1915 Military-Industrial Committees began to emerge - public organizations of the bourgeoisie that were semi-oppositional in nature.

Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolayevich’s overestimation of his abilities ultimately led to a number of major military mistakes, and attempts to deflect the corresponding accusations from himself led to the fanning of Germanophobia and spy mania. One of these most significant episodes was the case of Lieutenant Colonel Myasoedov, which ended with the execution of an innocent man, where Nikolai Nikolaevich played the first violin along with A.I. Guchkov. The front commander, due to the disagreement of the judges, did not approve the sentence, but Myasoedov’s fate was decided by the resolution of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich: “Hang him anyway!” This case, in which the Grand Duke played the first role, led to an increase in clearly oriented suspicion of society and played a role, among other things, in the May 1915 German pogrom in Moscow.

Failures at the front continued: on July 22, Warsaw and Kovno were surrendered, the fortifications of Brest were blown up, the Germans were approaching the Western Dvina, and the evacuation of Riga began. In such conditions, Nicholas II decided to remove the Grand Duke, who could not cope, and himself stand at the head of the Russian army.

On August 23 (September 5), 1915, Nicholas II assumed the title of Supreme Commander-in-Chief, replacing Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich in this post, who was appointed commander of the Caucasian Front. M.V. Alekseev was appointed chief of staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

The soldiers of the Russian army greeted Nicholas's decision to take up the post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief without enthusiasm. At the same time, the German command was satisfied with the resignation of Prince Nikolai Nikolaevich from the post of Supreme Commander-in-Chief - they considered him a tough and skillful opponent. A number of his strategic ideas were assessed by Erich Ludendorff as extremely bold and brilliant.

During the Sventsyansky breakthrough on August 9 (22), 1915 - September 19 (October 2), 1915, German troops were defeated and their offensive was stopped. The parties switched to positional warfare: the brilliant Russian counterattacks that followed in the Vilna-Molodechno region and the events that followed made it possible, after the successful September operation, to prepare for a new stage of the war, no longer fearing an enemy offensive. Work began to begin throughout Russia on the formation and training of new troops. Industry was rapidly producing ammunition and military equipment. This speed of work became possible due to the emerging confidence that the enemy’s advance had been stopped. By the spring of 1917, new armies were created, provided with equipment and ammunition better than ever before during the entire war.

The autumn conscription of 1916 put 13 million people under arms, and losses in the war exceeded 2 million.

During 1916, Nicholas II replaced four chairmen of the Council of Ministers (I. L. Goremykin, B. V. Sturmer, A. F. Trepov and Prince N. D. Golitsyn), four ministers of internal affairs (A. N. Khvostov, B. V. Sturmer, A. A. Khvostov and A. D. Protopopov), three foreign ministers (S. D. Sazonov, B. V. Sturmer and N. N. Pokrovsky), two military ministers (A. A. Polivanov, D.S. Shuvaev) and three ministers of justice (A.A. Khvostov, A.A. Makarov and N.A. Dobrovolsky).

By January 1 (14), 1917, changes had also occurred in the State Council. Nicholas expelled 17 members and appointed new ones.

On January 19 (February 1), 1917, a meeting of high-ranking representatives of the Allied powers opened in Petrograd, which went down in history as the Petrograd Conference: from Russia’s allies it was attended by delegates from Great Britain, France and Italy, who also visited Moscow and the front, had meetings with politicians of different political orientations, with the leaders of the Duma factions. The latter unanimously told the head of the British delegation about an imminent revolution - either from below or from above (in the form of a palace coup).

Nicholas II, hoping for an improvement in the situation in the country if the spring offensive of 1917 was successful, as agreed upon at the Petrograd Conference, did not intend to conclude a separate peace with the enemy - he saw the victorious end of the war as the most important means of strengthening the throne. Hints that Russia might begin negotiations for a separate peace were a diplomatic game that forced the Entente to accept the need to establish Russian control over the Straits.

The war, during which there was a widespread mobilization of the working-age male population, horses and massive requisition of livestock and agricultural products, had a detrimental effect on the economy, especially in the countryside. Among the politicized Petrograd society, the authorities were discredited by scandals (in particular, related to the influence of G. E. Rasputin and his henchmen - “dark forces”) and suspicions of treason. Nicholas’s declarative commitment to the idea of ​​“autocratic” power came into sharp conflict with the liberal and leftist aspirations of a significant part of the Duma members and society.

Abdication of Nicholas II

The general testified about the mood in the army after the revolution: “As for the attitude towards the throne, as a general phenomenon, in the officer corps there was a desire to distinguish the person of the sovereign from the court filth that surrounded him, from the political mistakes and crimes of the tsarist government, which clearly and steadily led to the destruction of the country and the defeat of the army . They forgave the sovereign, they tried to justify him. As we will see below, by 1917, this attitude among a certain part of the officers was shaken, causing the phenomenon that Prince Volkonsky called a “revolution on the right,” but on purely political grounds.”.

Forces opposed to Nicholas II were preparing a coup d'etat starting in 1915. These were the leaders of various political parties represented in the Duma, and major military officers, and the top of the bourgeoisie, and even some members of the Imperial Family. It was assumed that after the abdication of Nicholas II, his minor son Alexei would ascend the throne, and the tsar’s younger brother, Mikhail, would become regent. During the February Revolution, this plan began to be realized.

Since December 1916, a “coup” in one form or another was expected in the court and political environment, the possible abdication of the emperor in favor of Tsarevich Alexei under the regency of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.

On February 23 (March 8), 1917, a strike began in Petrograd. After 3 days it became universal. On the morning of February 27 (March 12), 1917, the soldiers of the Petrograd garrison revolted and joined the strikers; only the police provided resistance to the rebellion and unrest. A similar uprising took place in Moscow.

On February 25 (March 10), 1917, by decree of Nicholas II, meetings of the State Duma were stopped from February 26 (March 11) until April of the same year, which further inflamed the situation. Chairman of the State Duma M.V. Rodzianko sent a number of telegrams to the emperor about the events in Petrograd.

Headquarters learned about the beginning of the revolution two days late, according to reports from General S.S. Khabalov, Minister of War Belyaev and Minister of Internal Affairs Protopopov. The first telegram announcing the beginning of the revolution was received by General Alekseev only on February 25 (March 10), 1917 at 18:08: “I report that on February 23 and 24, due to a shortage of bread, a strike broke out in many factories... 200 thousand workers... At about three o'clock in the afternoon on Znamenskaya Square, police officer Krylov was killed while dispersing the crowd. The crowd is scattered. In addition to the Petrograd garrison, five squadrons of the Ninth Reserve Cavalry Regiment from Krasnoe Selo hundred of the Leningrad Guards are taking part in suppressing the unrest. a combined Cossack regiment from Pavlovsk and five squadrons of the Guards Reserve Cavalry Regiment were called to Petrograd. No. 486. Sec. Khabalov". General Alekseev reports to Nicholas II the contents of this telegram.

At the same time, the palace commandant Voyekov reports to Nicholas II a telegram from the Minister of Internal Affairs Protopopov: "Bid. To the palace commandant. ...On February 23, a strike broke out in the capital, accompanied by street riots. The first day about 90 thousand workers went on strike, the second - up to 160 thousand, today - about 200 thousand. Street riots are expressed in demonstrative processions, some with red flags, destruction of some shops, partial cessation of tram traffic by strikers, and clashes with the police. ...the police fired several shots in the direction of the crowd, from where they fired back. ...bailiff Krylov was killed. The movement is unorganized and spontaneous. ...Moscow is calm. Ministry of Internal Affairs Protopopov. No. 179. February 25, 1917".

Having read both telegrams, Nicholas II on the evening of February 25 (March 10), 1917, ordered General S. S. Khabalov to put an end to the unrest by military force: “I command you to stop the riots in the capital tomorrow, which are unacceptable during the difficult times of the war with Germany and Austria. NICHOLAY".

On February 26 (March 11), 1917 at 17:00 a telegram from Rodzianko arrives: “The situation is serious. There is anarchy in the capital. ...There is indiscriminate shooting on the streets. Troop units shoot at each other. It is necessary to immediately entrust a person with confidence to form a new government.”. Nicholas II refuses to respond to this telegram, telling the Minister of the Imperial Household Fredericks that “again this fat man Rodzianko wrote me all sorts of nonsense, to which I won’t even answer him”.

The next telegram from Rodzianko arrives at 22:22, and also has a similar panic character.

On February 27 (March 12), 1917 at 19:22, a telegram from War Minister Belyaev arrives at Headquarters, declaring the almost complete transition of the Petrograd garrison to the side of the revolution, and demanding the sending of troops loyal to the tsar; at 19:29 he reports that the Council of Ministers has declared a state of siege in Petrograd. General Alekseev reports the contents of both telegrams to Nicholas II. The Tsar orders General N.I. Ivanov to go at the head of loyal army units to Tsarskoye Selo to ensure the safety of the imperial family, then, as Commander of the Petrograd Military District, take command of the troops that were supposed to be transferred from the front.

From 11 pm to 1 am, the Empress sends two telegrams from Tsarskoe Selo: “The revolution yesterday took on terrifying proportions... Concessions are necessary. ...Many troops went over to the side of the revolution. Alix".

At 0:55 a telegram from Khabalov arrives: “Please report to His Imperial Majesty that I could not fulfill the order to restore order in the capital. Most of the units, one after another, betrayed their duty, refusing to fight against the rebels. Other units fraternized with the rebels and turned their weapons against the troops loyal to His Majesty. Those who remained faithful to duty fought against the rebels all day, suffering heavy losses. By evening, the rebels captured most of the capital. Small units of various regiments gathered near the Winter Palace under the command of General Zankevich remain faithful to the oath, with whom I will continue to fight. Lieutenant General Khabalov".

On February 28 (March 13), 1917, at 11 am, General Ivanov alerted the Battalion of St. George's Knights of 800 people, and sent it from Mogilev to Tsarskoye Selo via Vitebsk and Dno, leaving himself at 13:00.

The battalion commander, Prince Pozharsky, announces to his officers that he will not “shoot at the people in Petrograd, even if Adjutant General Ivanov demands it.”

Chief Marshal Benkendorf telegraphs from Petrograd to Headquarters that the Lithuanian Life Guards Regiment shot its commander, and the battalion commander of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment was shot.

On February 28 (March 13), 1917 at 21:00, General Alekseev orders the Chief of Staff of the Northern Front, General Yu. N. Danilov, to send two cavalry and two infantry regiments, reinforced with machine-gun teams, to help General Ivanov. It is planned to send approximately the same second detachment from the Southwestern Front of General Brusilov as part of the Preobrazhensky, Third Rifle and Fourth Rifle regiments of the Imperial Family. Alekseev also proposes, on his own initiative, to add one cavalry division to the “punitive expedition”.

On February 28 (March 13), 1917 at 5 a.m. the tsar departed (at 4:28 a.m. the Litera B train, at 5:00 a.m. the Litera A train) for Tsarskoye Selo, but was unable to travel.

February 28, 8:25 General Khabalov sends a telegram to General Alekseev about his desperate situation, and at 9:00 - 10:00 talks with General Ivanov, stating that “At my disposal, in the Main building. Admiralty, four guards companies, five squadrons and hundreds, two batteries. Other troops went over to the side of the revolutionaries or remain, by agreement with them, neutral. Individual soldiers and gangs roam around the city, shooting at passers-by, disarming officers... All stations are in the power of the revolutionaries, strictly guarded by them... All artillery establishments are in the power of the revolutionaries.”.

At 13:30 Belyaev’s telegram is received about the final capitulation of units loyal to the tsar in Petrograd. The king receives it at 15:00.

On the afternoon of February 28, General Alekseev tries to take control of the Ministry of Railways through a fellow (deputy) minister, General Kislyakov, but he convinces Alekseev to reverse his decision. On February 28, General Alekseev stopped all combat-ready units on the way to Petrograd with a circular telegram. His circular telegram falsely stated that the unrest in Petrograd had subsided and there was no longer any need to suppress the rebellion. Some of these units were already an hour or two away from the capital. They were all stopped.

Adjutant General I. Ivanov received Alekseev’s order already in Tsarskoe Selo.

Duma deputy Bublikov occupies the Ministry of Railways, arresting its minister, and prohibits the movement of military trains for 250 miles around Petrograd. At 21:27, a message was received in Likhoslavl about Bublikov’s orders to the railway workers.

On February 28 at 20:00 the uprising of the Tsarskoye Selo garrison began. The units that remain loyal continue to guard the palace.

At 3:45 am the train approaches Malaya Vishera. There they reported that the path ahead was captured by rebel soldiers, and at the Lyuban station there were two revolutionary companies with machine guns. Subsequently, it turns out that in fact, at the Lyuban station, the rebel soldiers plundered the buffet, but did not intend to arrest the tsar.

At 4:50 a.m. on March 1 (14), 1917, the Tsar orders to turn back to Bologoye (where they arrived at 9:00 a.m. on March 1), and from there to Pskov.

According to some evidence, on March 1 at 16:00 in Petrograd, the cousin of Nicholas II, Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich, went over to the side of the revolution, leading the Guards naval crew to the Tauride Palace. Subsequently, monarchists declared this slander.

On March 1 (14), 1917, General Ivanov arrives in Tsarskoye Selo and receives information that the Tsarskoye Selo guards company has rebelled and left for Petrograd without permission. Also, rebel units were approaching Tsarskoe Selo: a heavy division and one guards battalion of the reserve regiment. General Ivanov leaves Tsarskoe Selo for Vyritsa and decides to inspect the Tarutinsky regiment transferred to him. At the Semrino station, railway workers are blocking his further movement.

On March 1 (14), 1917 at 15:00 the royal train arrives at the Dno station, at 19:05 in Pskov, where the headquarters of the armies of the Northern Front of General N.V. Ruzsky was located. General Ruzsky, due to his political convictions, believed that the autocratic monarchy in the twentieth century was an anachronism, and did not like Nicholas II personally. When the Tsar's train arrived, the general refused to arrange the usual ceremony of welcoming the Tsar, and appeared alone and only after a few minutes.

General Alekseev, who in the absence of the Tsar at Headquarters assumed the responsibilities of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, on February 28 receives a report from General Khabalov that he has only 1,100 people left in the loyal units. Having learned about the beginning of unrest in Moscow, on March 1 at 15:58 he telegraphed to the Tsar that “The revolution, and the latter is inevitable, once unrest begins in the rear, marks the shameful end of the war with all the grave consequences for Russia. The army is too closely connected with the life of the rear, and we can say with confidence that unrest in the rear will cause the same in the army. It is impossible to demand from the army that it fight calmly when there is a revolution in the rear. The current young composition of the army and the officer corps, among which a huge percentage are called up from the reserves and promoted to officers from higher educational institutions, does not give any reason to believe that the army will not react to what will happen in Russia.”.

After receiving this telegram, Nicholas II received General N.V. Ruzsky, who spoke in favor of establishing in Russia a government responsible to the Duma. At 22:20 General Alekseev sends Nicholas II a draft of the proposed manifesto on the establishment of a responsible government. At 17:00 - 18:00 telegrams about the uprising in Kronstadt arrive at Headquarters.

On March 2 (15), 1917, at one in the morning, Nicholas II telegraphed General Ivanov “I ask you not to take any measures until my arrival and report to me,” and instructs Ruzsky to inform Alekseev and Rodzianko that he agrees to the formation of a responsible government. Then Nicholas II goes into the sleeping car, but falls asleep only at 5:15, having sent a telegram to General Alekseev: “You can announce the presented manifesto, marking it Pskov. NICHOLAY."

On March 2, at 3:30 a.m., Ruzsky contacted M.V. Rodzianko, and during a four-hour conversation he became familiar with the tense situation that had developed by that time in Petrograd.

Having received a recording of Ruzsky’s conversation with M.V. Rodzianko, Alekseev on March 2 at 9:00 ordered General Lukomsky to contact Pskov and immediately wake up the Tsar, to which he received the answer that the Tsar had only recently fallen asleep, and that Ruzsky’s report was scheduled for 10:00 .

At 10:45 Ruzsky began his report by informing Nicholas II of his conversation with Rodzianko. At this time, Ruzsky received the text of a telegram sent by Alekseev to the front commanders on the question of the desirability of abdication, and read it to the tsar.

On March 2, 14:00 - 14:30, responses from the front commanders began to arrive. Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich stated that “as a loyal subject, I consider it the duty of the oath and the spirit of the oath to kneel and beg the sovereign to renounce the crown in order to save Russia and the dynasty.” Also in favor of abdication were Generals A. E. Evert (Western Front), A. A. Brusilov (South-Western Front), V. V. Sakharov (Romanian Front), Commander of the Baltic Fleet Admiral A. I. Nepenin, and General Sakharov called the Provisional Committee of the State Duma “a bandit group of people who took advantage of a convenient moment,” but “while sobbing, I have to say that abdication is the most painless way out,” and General Evert noted that “you cannot count on the army in its current composition to suppress unrest... I am taking all measures to ensure that information about the current state of affairs in the capitals does not penetrate the army in order to protect it from undoubted unrest. There are no means to stop the revolution in the capitals.” The commander of the Black Sea Fleet, Admiral A.V. Kolchak, did not send an answer.

Between 14:00 and 15:00, Ruzsky entered the tsar, accompanied by generals Danilov Yu.N. and Savich, taking with him the texts of the telegrams. Nicholas II asked the generals to speak out. They all spoke in favor of renunciation.

Around 15:00 on March 2 the tsar decided to abdicate in favor of his son during the regency of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich.

At this time, Ruzsky was informed that representatives of the State Duma A.I. Guchkov and V.V. Shulgin had moved to Pskov. At 15:10 this was reported to Nicholas II. Representatives of the Duma arrive on the royal train at 21:45. Guchkov informed Nicholas II that there was a danger of unrest spreading at the front, and that the troops of the Petrograd garrison went over to the side of the rebels immediately, and, according to Guchkov, the remnants of loyal troops in Tsarskoye Selo went over to the side of the revolution. After listening to him, the king reports that he has already decided to renounce for himself and his son.

March 2 (15), 1917 at 23 hours 40 minutes (in the document the time of signing was indicated by the tsar as 15 hours - the time of decision making) Nikolai handed over to Guchkov and Shulgin Manifesto of renunciation, which read, in part: “We command our brother to rule over the affairs of the state in complete and inviolable unity with the representatives of the people in legislative institutions, on those principles that will be established by them, taking an inviolable oath to that effect.”.

Guchkov and Shulgin also demanded that Nicholas II sign two decrees: on the appointment of Prince G. E. Lvov as head of government and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich as supreme commander-in-chief, the former emperor signed the decrees, indicating in them the time of 14 hours.

After this, Nikolai writes in his diary: “In the morning Ruzsky came and read his long conversation on the phone with Rodzianko. According to him, the situation in Petrograd is such that now the ministry from the Duma is seemingly powerless to do anything, since the social-democratic party, represented by the working committee, is fighting it. My renunciation is needed. Ruzsky conveyed this conversation to headquarters, and Alekseev to all commanders in chief. By 2½ o'clock answers came from everyone. The point is that in the name of saving Russia and keeping the army at the front calm, you need to decide to take this step. I agreed. Headquarters sent a draft manifesto. In the evening, Guchkov and Shulgin arrived from Petrograd, with whom I talked and gave them the signed and revised manifesto. At one o'clock in the morning I left Pskov with a heavy feeling of what I had experienced. There is treason, cowardice, and deceit all around.”.

Guchkov and Shulgin leave for Petrograd on March 3 (16), 1917 at three o’clock in the morning, having previously informed the government by telegraph the text of the three accepted documents. At 6 am, the temporary committee of the State Duma contacted Grand Duke Mikhail, informing him of the abdication of the former emperor in his favor.

During a meeting on the morning of March 3 (16), 1917 with Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich Rodzianko, he declared that if he accepted the throne, a new uprising would immediately break out, and consideration of the issue of the monarchy should be transferred to the Constituent Assembly. He is supported by Kerensky, opposed by Miliukov, who stated that “the government alone without a monarch... is a fragile boat that can sink in the ocean of popular unrest; “Under such conditions, the country may be in danger of losing all consciousness of statehood.” After listening to the Duma representatives, the Grand Duke demanded a private conversation with Rodzianko, and asked whether the Duma could guarantee his personal safety. Having heard that he cannot, Grand Duke Mikhail signed a manifesto renouncing the throne.

On March 3 (16), 1917, Nicholas II, having learned about the refusal of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich from the throne, wrote in his diary: “It turns out that Misha renounced. His manifesto ends with a four-tail for elections in 6 months of the Constituent Assembly. God knows who convinced him to sign such disgusting stuff! In Petrograd, the unrest stopped - if only it continued like this.". He draws up a second version of the renunciation manifesto, again in favor of his son. Alekseev took the telegram, but did not send it. It was too late: two manifestos had already been announced to the country and the army. Alekseev, “so as not to confuse minds,” did not show this telegram to anyone, kept it in his wallet and handed it to me at the end of May, leaving the high command.

March 4 (17), 1917, the commander of the Guards Cavalry Corps sends a telegram to Headquarters to the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief “We have received information about major events. I ask you not to refuse to place at the feet of His Majesty the boundless devotion of the Guards Cavalry and the willingness to die for your beloved Monarch. Khan of Nakhichevan". In a reply telegram, Nikolai said: “I never doubted the feelings of the Guards cavalry. I ask you to submit to the Provisional Government. Nikolay". According to other sources, this telegram was sent on March 3, and General Alekseev never handed it over to Nikolai. There is also a version that this telegram was sent without the knowledge of the Khan of Nakhichevan by his chief of staff, General Baron Wieneken. According to the opposite version, the telegram, on the contrary, was sent by the Khan of Nakhichevan after a meeting with the commanders of the corps units.

Another well-known telegram of support was sent by the commander of the 3rd Cavalry Corps of the Romanian Front, General F. A. Keller: “The Third Cavalry Corps does not believe that You, Sovereign, voluntarily abdicated the throne. Command, King, we will come and protect You.". It is not known whether this telegram reached the Tsar, but it reached the commander of the Romanian Front, who ordered Keller to surrender command of the corps under threat of being charged with treason.

On March 8 (21), 1917, the executive committee of the Petrograd Soviet, when it became known about the tsar’s plans to leave for England, decided to arrest the tsar and his family, confiscate property and deprive them of civil rights. The new commander of the Petrograd district, General L. G. Kornilov, arrives in Tsarskoye Selo, arresting the empress and setting up guards, including to protect the tsar from the rebellious Tsarskoye Selo garrison.

On March 8 (21), 1917, the tsar in Mogilev said goodbye to the army, and issued a farewell order to the troops, in which he bequeathed to “fight until victory” and “obey the Provisional Government.” General Alekseev transmitted this order to Petrograd, but the Provisional Government, under pressure from the Petrograd Soviet, refused to publish it:

“For the last time I appeal to you, my beloved troops. After my abdication for myself and for my son from the Russian throne, power was transferred to the Provisional Government, which arose at the initiative of the State Duma. May God help him lead Russia along the path of glory and prosperity. May God help you, valiant troops, to defend Russia from the evil enemy. For two and a half years, you have carried out heavy combat service every hour, a lot of blood has been shed, a lot of effort has been made, and the hour is already approaching when Russia, bound with its valiant allies by one common desire for victory, will break the last effort of the enemy. This unprecedented war must be brought to complete victory.

Whoever thinks about peace, who desires it, is a traitor to the Fatherland, its traitor. I know that every honest warrior thinks like this. Fulfill your duty, defend our valiant Great Motherland, obey the Provisional Government, listen to your superiors, remember that any weakening of the order of service only plays into the hands of the enemy.

I firmly believe that the boundless love for our Great Motherland has not faded in your hearts. May the Lord God bless you and may the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George lead you to victory.

Before Nicholas leaves Mogilev, the Duma representative at Headquarters tells him that he “must consider himself as if under arrest.”

Execution of Nicholas II and the royal family

From March 9 (22), 1917 to August 1 (14), 1917, Nicholas II, his wife and children lived under arrest in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoe Selo.

At the end of March, the Minister of the Provisional Government P. N. Milyukov tried to send Nicholas and his family to England, in the care of George V, for which the preliminary consent of the British side was obtained. But in April, due to the unstable internal political situation in England itself, the king chose to abandon such a plan - according to some evidence, against the advice of Prime Minister Lloyd George. However, in 2006, some documents became known indicating that until May 1918, the MI 1 unit of the British Military Intelligence Agency was preparing for an operation to rescue the Romanovs, which was never brought to the stage of practical implementation.

In view of the strengthening of the revolutionary movement and anarchy in Petrograd, the Provisional Government, fearing for the lives of the prisoners, decided to transfer them deep into Russia, to Tobolsk, they were allowed to take the necessary furniture and personal belongings from the palace, and also offer service personnel, if desired, to voluntarily accompany them to the place of the new placement and further service. On the eve of departure, the head of the Provisional Government, A.F. Kerensky, arrived and brought with him the brother of the former emperor, Mikhail Alexandrovich. Mikhail Alexandrovich was exiled to Perm, where on the night of June 13, 1918 he was killed by local Bolshevik authorities.

On August 1 (14), 1917, at 6:10 a.m., a train with members of the imperial family and servants under the sign “Japanese Red Cross Mission” departed from Tsarskoye Selo from the Aleksandrovskaya railway station.

On August 4 (17), 1917, the train arrived in Tyumen, then those arrested on the ships “Rus”, “Kormilets” and “Tyumen” were transported along the river to Tobolsk. The Romanov family settled in the governor's house, which was specially renovated for their arrival.

The family was allowed to walk across the street and boulevard to services at the Church of the Annunciation. The security regime here was much lighter than in Tsarskoe Selo. The family led a calm, measured life.

At the beginning of April 1918, the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) authorized the transfer of the Romanovs to Moscow for the purpose of their trial. At the end of April 1918, the prisoners were transported to Yekaterinburg, where a private house was requisitioned to house the Romanovs. Five service personnel lived with them here: doctor Botkin, footman Trupp, room girl Demidova, cook Kharitonov and cook Sednev.

Nicholas II, Alexandra Fedorovna, their children, Doctor Botkin and three servants (except for the cook Sednev) were killed with bladed weapons and firearms in the “House of Special Purpose” - Ipatiev’s mansion in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 16-17, 1918.

Since the 1920s, in the Russian diaspora, on the initiative of the Union of Devotees of the Memory of Emperor Nicholas II, regular funeral commemorations of Emperor Nicholas II were carried out three times a year (on his birthday, namesake day and on the anniversary of his assassination), but his veneration as a saint began to spread after the end of Second World War.

On October 19 (November 1), 1981, Emperor Nicholas and his family were canonized by the Russian Church Abroad (ROCOR), which then had no church communion with the Moscow Patriarchate in the USSR.

Decision of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church dated August 14, 2000: “To glorify the royal family as passion-bearers in the host of new martyrs and confessors of Russia: Emperor Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra, Tsarevich Alexy, Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia” (their memory - 4 July according to the Julian calendar).

The act of canonization was received ambiguously by Russian society: opponents of canonization claim that the proclamation of Nicholas II as a saint was of a political nature. On the other hand, in part of the Orthodox community there are ideas circulating that glorifying the king as a passion-bearer is not enough, and he is a “king-redeemer.” The ideas were condemned by Alexy II as blasphemous, since “there is only one redemptive feat - that of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In 2003, in Yekaterinburg, on the site of the demolished house of engineer N. N. Ipatiev, where Nicholas II and his family were shot, the Church on the Blood was built in the name of All Saints who shone in the Russian land, in front of which a monument to the family was erected Nicholas II.

In many cities, the construction of churches began in honor of the holy Royal Passion-Bearers.

In December 2005, a representative of the head of the “Russian Imperial House” Maria Vladimirovna Romanova sent to the Russian Prosecutor’s Office an application for the rehabilitation of the executed former Emperor Nicholas II and members of his family as victims of political repression. According to the statement, after a number of refusals to satisfy, on October 1, 2008, the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation decided to rehabilitate the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II and members of his family (despite the opinion of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation, which stated in court that the requirements for rehabilitation do not comply with the provisions of the law due to that these persons were not arrested for political reasons, and no judicial decision was made to execute them).

On October 30 of the same 2008, it was reported that the General Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation decided to rehabilitate 52 people from the entourage of Emperor Nicholas II and his family.

In December 2008, at a scientific and practical conference held on the initiative of the Investigative Committee under the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation, with the participation of geneticists from Russia and the United States, it was stated that the remains found in 1991 near Yekaterinburg and interred on June 17, 1998 in the Catherine's chapel of the Peter and Paul Cathedral (St. Petersburg), belong to Nicholas II. In Nicholas II, the Y-chromosomal haplogroup R1b and the mitochondrial haplogroup T were identified.

In January 2009, the Investigative Committee completed a criminal investigation into the circumstances of the death and burial of the family of Nicholas II. The investigation was closed “due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution and the death of those who committed premeditated murder.” A representative of M.V. Romanova, who calls herself the head of the Russian Imperial House, stated in 2009 that “Maria Vladimirovna fully shares on this issue the position of the Russian Orthodox Church, which has not found sufficient grounds for recognizing the “Ekaterinburg remains” as belonging to members of the royal family.” Other representatives of the Romanovs, led by N.R. Romanov, took a different position: the latter, in particular, took part in the burial of the remains in July 1998, saying: “We came to close the era.”

On September 23, 2015, the remains of Nicholas II and his wife were exhumed for investigative actions as part of establishing the identities of the remains of their children, Alexei and Maria.

Nicholas II in cinema

Several feature films have been made about Nicholas II and his family, among which are “Agony” (1981), the English-American film “Nicholas and Alexandra” (Nicholas and Alexandra, 1971) and two Russian films “The Regicide” (1991) and “ Romanovs. The Crowned Family" (2000).

Hollywood made several films about the supposedly saved daughter of the Tsar Anastasia, “Anastasia” (Anastasia, 1956) and “Anastasia, or the Mystery of Anna” (Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna, USA, 1986).

Actors who played the role of Nicholas II:

1917 - Alfred Hickman - The Fall of the Romanovs (USA)
1926 - Heinz Hanus - Die Brandstifter Europas (Germany)
1956 - Vladimir Kolchin - Prologue
1961 - Vladimir Kolchin - Two Lives
1971 - Michael Jayston - Nicholas and Alexandra
1972 - - Kotsyubinsky family
1974 - Charles Kay - Fall of Eagles
1974-81 - - Agony
1975 - Yuri Demich - Trust
1986 - - Anastasia, or the mystery of Anna (Anastasia: The Mystery of Anna)
1987 - Alexander Galibin - The Life of Klim Samgin
1989 - - Eye of God
2014 - Valery Degtyar - Grigory R.
2017 - - Matilda.

The meaning of the name Nikolai: The boy's name means "conqueror of nations." This affects the character and fate of Nikolai.

Origin of the name Nikolai: Ancient Greek.

Diminutive form of name: Kolya, Kolenka, Kolechka, Kolyunya, Kolyusya, Kolyusha, Kolyanya, Kolyasha, Koka, Nikolaika, Nikolasha, Nikola, Nick, Nikasha, Nikusya, Nikusha, Nikosha, Nikolka.

What does the name Nikolai mean? Nicholas comes from the merger of the ancient Greek words "nike" (lit. "victory") and "laos" (lit. "people"). The word is translated as “conqueror of nations.” The meaning of the name Nikolai promises quick temper, mobility, and sociability. Kolya tries to be an outside observer, but he is often drawn into the very abyss of conflicts. Because of this, a man becomes hot-tempered and irritable. The guy has a good memory. The name Nikolai was very common in the 19th century, in the 1st half - mid-20th century it became rare, now it is again willingly given to children.

Patronymic: Nikolaevich, Nikolaevna.

Angel Day and patron saints named: Nicholas celebrates his name day several times a year:

• N. Kochanov, Novgorod, Fool for Christ's sake, August 4 (July 2).
• N. Sebastian, martyr, March 22 (9).
• Nikolai Slavyanin, schemamonk, January 6 (December 24).
• N. Studiysky, abbot, confessor, February 17 (4).
• Nicholas of Japan, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Archbishop, February 16 (3).
• N. Sallos (Blessed) Pskov, Fool for Christ's sake, March 13 (February 28).
• Blessed Nicholas, Fool for Christ's sake, Pskov, lived in the 16th century.
• N. Myra, archbishop, wonderworker, May 22 (9), December 19 (6). The great saint of the Orthodox Church, Saint N. the Wonderworker, was born in the city of Patara in Asia Minor. In Rus', the cult of Nicholas is especially wide: he is the patron of carpenters, constantly helps peasants, without fear of soiling his vestments, he is the bearer of the beneficial forces of nature in the form of Father Frost.

Signs:

• What a day on St. Nicholas in winter, so on St. Nicholas in the summer.
• Praise winter after Nikolin's day.
• The first serious frosts are Nikolsky.
• December 19 - Winter Nikola.
• If the day covers Nikolin’s tracks, the road will not stand.
• They drink Nikolskoye mash, and they beat you for Nikolskoe hangover.
• From Nikolin's day matchmaking began, prayers were served for those who were planning to marry themselves or marry their children.
• With Nikola, young people began to prepare for Christmas gatherings, sew outfits, and make masks for mummers.
• February 17 - Nikola is cold. It's a cold day - put your fur coat back on.
• Before St. Nicholas, don’t do this buckwheat, don’t shear the sheep.
• You should not swim until spring Nikola.
• One of the main events of Nikolin's day is driving horses into the field.
• St. Nicholas of the Spring is a holiday for grooms.
• Nikola will fatten the spring horse, and drive the autumn horse into the yard.

Meaning of a boy's name

What character traits determine the meaning of the name Nikolai?

Early childhood: As a child, Nikolai is independent and does not claim the increased attention of his parents and other relatives. As a rule, Nikolai grows up to be a physically strong and morally stable boy. Kolya is a very active boy, a sociable, cheerful child. He has varied interests, he loves war games, music, chess, and checkers. As a child, the young owner of the name can attend several creative studios, sports sections, and various clubs at once, but he is able to seriously engage only in what really interests him.

Kolya is proud and self-willed. He has a cheerful childish slyness that delights his parents, and if they follow Nikolai’s lead and develop the child’s selfish tendencies, he will grow up to be a loser. In any situation in life, happy or not, there will be some kind of disharmony, constant bad luck, minor and major troubles. Nikolai will have to learn to push away from them or simply forget, otherwise he will be irritable and gloomy or just a drunkard.

Teenager: At school Nikolai does well in all subjects and is distinguished by good behavior. He gets along well with his peers, but cannot boast of many friends. He actively takes part in amateur art competitions and school sports events.

Adult: Properly raised Kolenka, following the energy of his name, is a winner in all matters and endeavors. His pride is softened by humor, and his self-will is sharply reduced by independence. A man with this name knows how to respect the desires and opinions of others, is simple and friendly with people, and is able to master any profession.

However, more often than not, Nikolai’s life is not so happy. Bright and cheerful in her youth, she becomes monotonous, filled with hard work and household worries. Nikolai's mind is capable of both analysis and generalizations; he strives to look at life as if from the outside, pretending that he is simple and friendly. But his temper, even to the point of aggressiveness, puts him in the very center of events; he is not an outside observer.

The meaning of the name Nikolai depends on the time of birth. The differences between “winter” and “summer” Kolya in the energy sector are especially visible: the “winter” owner is strict, selfish, and sometimes even cruel and despotic. Human activity is low, he thinks and weighs for a long time. A guy with this name Nikolai loves hunting and fishing and is hospitable. The man treats women condescendingly, considers helping at home to be “not a man’s” job, but is very jealous. “Summer” is active, active, good-natured, cunning, and does not consider it shameful to deceive. He has a developed creative imagination and can express himself in the field of art. He loves his wife and helps her with everything around the house. Both “winter” and “summer” Nikolai, however, like all people, crave love and care and adequately respond to kindness and devotion.

Character of the name Nikolai

Positive features: The man Nikolai loves to eat abundantly and tasty, cheerful company, and trips to nature. A man with this name loves to read books and listen to music. He has few real friends, he does not value friendly connections, but he will not betray a friend.

Negative features: He is the support of the family and the team; you can always rely on him. A man named Nikolai is proud. Must be careful with alcohol. In everyday life, it is better not to contradict Kolya: he will still do everything his way.

Name Nikolai in love and marriage

Does the meaning of the name Nikolai promise happiness in love? A man named Nikolai likes plump women, soft and sensitive. Sex has a special meaning for him. No matter what condition he is in, he always remains a man. But during intimacy, any external irritant can throw him off balance. A guy is attracted to a woman by her beautiful appearance, intelligence, and spiritual qualities.

Nikolai loves women, is able to sincerely become attached to them, is faithful, but changes girlfriends quite often, since he usually quickly breaks up with his partner on her initiative. If Kolya falls in love, then in a few days he may propose to marry him. The opinions of others do not interest him. In love, Nikolai is passionate, jealous and, in a fit of suspicion, uncontrollable. He will not forgive his wife’s betrayal; he himself may look for connections on the side. Divorce and remarriage will occur in Nikolai’s life only if extreme circumstances force him to do so.

If Kolya is already over 30 years old, he prefers a strong, stable family situation. Nikolai strives with all his heart to create the material basis of the house. He helps his wife around the house and does the home improvement work himself. He may even completely transfer the reins of the family into the hands of his wife, leaving his inner world untouchable.

The owner of this name will make a wonderful father. Often, from his youth, Nikolai sees the meaning of his life in raising healthy and happy offspring. Kolya loves children very much, indulges all their whims and caprices. In old age, he finds solace in his grandchildren, who most often dote on him.

Compatibility with female names

Ideal name compatibility:

• Nikolai and Anna
• Nikolai and Daria
• Nikolai and Zinaida
• Nikolai and Zoya
• Nikolay and Larisa
• Nikolai and Lyubov
• Nikolay and Elvira

Failed name compatibility:

• Nikolay and Alla
• Nikolay and Valentina
• Nikolay and Galina
• Nikolay and Evgenia
• Nikolai and Ekaterina
• Nikolai and Elena
• Nikolay and Inna
• Nikolay and Lyudmila
• Nikolay and Marina
• Nikolay and Olesya
• Nikolay and Olga
• Nikolai and Rimma
• Nikolay and Yulia

Talents, business, career

Choice of profession: Nikolai is an honest, decent person, has practical acumen, is a good organizer, quick-witted, and easily and boldly gets out of difficult situations. Kolya can occupy leadership positions in trade, the army, and industry. Nikolai can prove himself as an excellent organizer, diplomat, military commander, artist, writer, composer. He can be a surgeon, lawyer, investigator, teacher, artist, philosopher. He despises slackers and devotes himself completely to work. When Kolya is irritated, he has poor self-control and can create an unfavorable environment.

Business and career: Nikolai's financial affairs are changeable: periods of uncertainty will alternate with the desire to take advantage of the first chance to make money, but Nikolai cannot participate in speculation, stock trading, or dubious fraud - this is dangerous for him. Attaches great importance to perseverance and perseverance.

Health and energy named after

Health and talents named after Nikolai: The meaning of the name Nikolai from a medical point of view. The biggest danger to Kolya’s health and life is a predisposition to alcohol and drug addiction.

Horoscope named after Nikolai

Nikolai-Aries: a lively, spontaneous, sincere personality. He knows how to enjoy life, is open in communication with others, is always cheerful and knows how to cheer up a person. Nikolai-Aries treats his beloved nobly, he has no secrets from her, but, unfortunately, his feelings are fickle.

Nikolai-Taurus: a trusting and courageous person. Excessive frankness often lets him down and leads to disappointment and resentment. However, Nikolai-Taurus does not hold a grudge and quickly forgets insults. He is infinitely devoted to his partner, lives with her thoughts and desires.

Nikolai-Gemini: nature is changeable and impulsive. Nikolai belongs to the category of people who are able to fall in love at first sight and charm a woman with tempting speeches. He, of course, does not keep his promises, and his feelings quickly fade away.

Nikolai-Cancer: a person with a vivid imagination and deep intuition. He feels a constant desire for change, loves adventures and trips. Nikolai-Cancer is endowed with charm, often starts short affairs with women, and treats them extremely frivolously, which may one day turn against him.

Nikolai-Lev: an emotional and attractive man. He is very sociable and cannot stand lies, flattery and duplicity. Nikolai-Lev will never remain indifferent to the misfortune of others. In a relationship with a woman, he needs an atmosphere of trust and warmth, which he tries to create, and expects the same from his partner.

Nikolai-Virgo: a balanced and friendly person. Making decisions causes him some difficulty; he generally does not like obligations. Nikolai-Virgo behaves sincerely towards his partner, but does not allow her into the world of his feelings and thoughts.

Nikolai-Libra: dreamy, romantic, impressionable person. Selfishness is visible in his character, in his sky-high dreams everything is perfect, and he believes that this will be the case in real life. Nikolai-Libra imagines his relationship with a woman as happy and serene and often builds it according to the scenario of a novel. The partner will have to bring him down to earth more than once.

Nikolai-Scorpio: a freedom-loving person in the broadest sense of the word. He takes any intrusion into the world of his feelings and thoughts with hostility and immediately stops communication. Very often, Nikolai-Scorpio prefers bachelor life to family comfort.

Nikolai-Sagittarius: a sensual, deeply artistic nature. As a rule, this man is, in one way or another, connected with the world of art. He is cheerful, good-natured and sometimes frivolous. If Nikolai-Sagittarius achieves success and recognition, then he tries in every possible way to flaunt his merits. Having found a suitable partner, he will become a sincere and faithful husband.

Nikolai-Capricorn: energetic, active person. His trouble is that he grabs onto several things at once and is not able to complete them, in other words, he himself interferes with his success. Nikolai-Capricorn rushes headlong into love affairs, but is changeable and fickle. He has been looking for a permanent partner for a long time.

Nikolai-Aquarius: the nature is quick-tempered, hot, but able to curb her temper. He is fickle, absent-minded, feels internal discord and loneliness. It is difficult for Nikolai to find a permanent place in life, to be with only one partner all the time. Women like Nikolai-Aquarius, but he is a very difficult person.

Nikolai-Pisces: a selfless, selfless, sensitive man. Nikolai thinks much more often about others than about himself, but, nevertheless, is able to clearly plan his future. In love he gives more, gives in in everything, seeks understanding and care.

Numerological horoscope named after Nikolai

The character and fate of Nicholas are influenced by the number 6.

In the love sphere, Nikolai seeks romance and an ideal, easily gets along with women, although he is not always satisfied.

Nicholas's talismans

• Nicholas' zodiac: Sagittarius.
• Planet Jupiter.
• Blue color.
• Favorable plant: ash, gladiolus.
• Patron of Nikolaev: horse.
• Nicholas talisman stone: sapphire.
• Happy Nicholas Day: Wednesday.
• Happy time of year: autumn.

The fate of the name Nikolai

1. Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov (1810-1881) - the greatest Russian surgeon, scientist, public figure. He wrote a number of works on surgery, which became the basis of a new branch of anatomy - surgical.
2. Nikolai Annenkov - (1805 - 1826) Russian military and statesman, Russian amateur poet.
3. Nikolai Sheremetev - (1751 - 1809) Russian count from the Sheremetev family. Founder of the Hospice House in Moscow (building of the Nikolai V. Sklifosovsky Moscow Research Institute of Emergency Medicine).
4. Nikolai Golitsyn - (1850 - 1925) Russian statesman, political figure, last chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire.
5. Nikolai Rubinstein - (1835 - 1881) Russian virtuoso pianist and conductor. Founder of the Moscow Conservatory (co-founder Prince Nikolai Trubetskoy) and its first director.
6. Nikolai Nikitin - (1907 - 1973) Soviet architect and scientist in the field of building structures, Doctor of Technical Sciences (1966), Lenin laureate (1970). Author of the Ostankino TV tower project.
7. Nikolai Novikov - (1744 - 1818) Russian journalist, publisher and public figure, educator)
8. Nikolai Bukharin ((1888 - 1938) Soviet political, state and party leader. Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1929).
9. Nikolai Ozerov - (1922 – 1997) Soviet tennis player, actor, sports commentator.
10. Nicholas Roerich - (1874 – 1947) Russian artist, philosopher, mystic, scientist, writer, traveler, archaeologist, public figure, freemason, poet, teacher.
11. Nikolai Naydenov - (1834 - 1905) Moscow entrepreneur, banker, local historian, publisher of the albums “Moscow. Cathedrals, monasteries and churches" (1882).
12. Nikolai Notovich - (1858 - ?) Russian intelligence officer, writer, journalist, nobleman and Cossack officer. He is known for his book, The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ, written in French (The Tibetan Gospel).
13. Nikolai Pilyugin - (1908 - 1982) Soviet design engineer in the field of autonomous missile control systems. Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, member of the Council of Chief Designers of Rocket and Space Technology.
14. Nikolai Leikin - (1841 – 1906) Russian writer and journalist, author of the famous book “Our People Abroad”, published the humorous weekly “Oskolki” in St. Petersburg.
15. Nikolai Iossa - (1845 - 1916) Russian mining engineer and metallurgist.

Name translation

The translation of the name Nikolai in different languages ​​has a slightly different meaning and sounds a little different. In English it is translated as Nicholas, in Italian: Nicola, in German: Nikolaus, in Polish: Mikolaj.

How the name is declined according to cases

• Nominative case: Nikolai
• Genitive case: Nicholas
• Dative case: Nicholas
• Accusative case: Nicholas
• Instrumental case: Nicholas
• Prepositional case: Nicolae