Nicholas II of Russia

Troops fired on unarmed protesters marching to the Winter Palace to present a petition to Nicholas II. Hundreds were killed or wounded. The massacre shattered the myth of the tsar as a benevolent father and sparked the 1905 Russian Revolution.

Under pressure from the 1905 Revolution, Nicholas II issued the October Manifesto, promising civil liberties and the establishment of an elected legislative body, the State Duma. The manifesto temporarily quelled the revolution but failed to satisfy demands for genuine constitutional government.

Nicholas II ordered the mobilization of the Russian army in support of Serbia after Austria-Hungary declared war. This action triggered Germany's declaration of war on Russia, drawing the Russian Empire into World War I. The war placed immense strain on the Russian economy and society.

Following the February Revolution and the collapse of his government, Nicholas II abdicated the throne on behalf of himself and his son Alexei. He named his brother Michael as successor, but Michael declined the throne. This ended the Romanov dynasty's 300-year rule.

Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, their five children, and four servants were executed by Bolsheviks in Yekaterinburg. The killings were ordered by the Ural Regional Soviet to prevent the family from being rescued by the White Army. Their bodies were buried in a secret location.