Nicholas II, the last czar of Russia, was neither trained nor inclined to rule,

Nicholas II, the last czar of Russia, was neither trained nor inclined to rule,

which did not help the autocracy he sought to preserve in an era desperate for change. Born in 1868, he succeeded to the Russian throne upon the death of his father, Czar Alexander III, in November 1894. That same month, the new czar married Alexandra, a German-born princess who came to have great influence over her husband. After a period of mourning for his late father, Nicholas and Alexandra were crowned czar and czarina in on ThisDayinHistory 1896. 

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As the ruler of Russia, Nicholas resisted calls for reform and sought to maintain czarist absolutism; although he lacked the strength of will necessary for such a task. The disastrous outcome of the Russo-Japanese War led to the Russian Revolution of 1905, which Nicholas only diffused. In 1914, Nicholas led his country into another costly war–World War I–and discontent grew as food became scarce, soldiers became war-weary, and devastating defeats at the hands of Germany demonstrated the ineffectiveness of Russia under Nicholas.

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In March 1917, the army garrison at Petrograd joined striking workers in demanding socialist reforms, and Nicholas II was called on to abdicate. By November 1917, the Bolsheviks led by Vladimir Lenin seized power in Russia and set about establishing the world’s first communist state. Just after midnight on July 17, 1918, Nicholas, along with his wife Alexandra and their five children were ordered to dress quickly and go down to the cellar of the house in which they were being held and executed.