On March 15, 1917, the Russian Tsar Nicholas II abdicated the throne along with his son in favor of his brother.
Nicholas II was born on May 18, 1868 in Tsarskoye Selo, near St. Petersburg. He was the son of Alexander III. Nicholas II received a military education and succeeded his father on the throne in 1894. Despite his autocratic attitude, Nicholas II was an indecisive ruler and was strongly influenced by his wife Alexandra.
His interest in Asia led to the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, as well as the disastrous Russo-Japanese War (1904-05). After the Russian Revolution of 1905, he reluctantly agreed to a representative Duma, but limited its power and made only token efforts to implement its decrees. Prime Minister Pyotr Stolytin attempted reforms, but Nicholas, increasingly influenced by Alexandra and Grigory Rasputin, opposed him.
After Russia encountered setbacks during World War I, Nicholas II removed the popular Grand Duke Nicholas from command and proclaimed himself commander-in-chief on the advice of Alexandra and Rasputin. His absence from Moscow and Alexandra's mismanagement of the state caused growing discontent, culminating in the Russian Revolution of 1917.
In March 1917, Nicholas II abdicated and was detained along with his family by forces of the Provisional Government of Georgy Lvov.
Plans to exile the royal family to England were thwarted by local Bolsheviks.
Instead, the royal family was sent to Yekaterinburg, where they were executed in July 1918. This brought an end to the Romanov dynasty.