Czar Nicholas II of Russia

Czar Nicholas II Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the PassionBearer was the last Emperor of Russia ruling from November 1 1894 until his abdication on March 15 1917 During his reign he gave support to the economic and political reforms promoted by his prime ministers He advocated modernization based on foreign loans and close ties with France but resisted giving the Duma major roles Ultimately progress was undermined by Nicholas commitment to autocratic rule strong aristocratic opposition and defeats sustained by the Russian military in the RussoJapanese War and World War I By March 1917 public support for Nicholas had collapsed and he was forced to abdicate the throne thereby ending the Romanov dynastys 300year rule of Russia