Nicholas II of Russia
Biography
Pious, family devoted, catastrophically mismatched to revolution. Bloody Sunday 1905, Rasputin influence, Alexandra dependence. World War dissolved command and home front. February 1917 forced abdication, the Romanov 304 years ended. Family shot in Ekaterinburg basement July 1918, cellar massacre. Canonized by the Russian church 2000, relics of the imperial cult, nostalgia symbol.
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