Her son Paul I restored the succession of oldest sons to the throne, which continued through Alexander III and Nicholas II, the last tsar. Alexander III (ruled 1881 Ü 1894) began a web of ...

In January 1917, the Russian empire is still governed by the all-powerful Tsar Nicholas II -- one man, answerable only to God, who rules more than 170 million people. The Tsar's armies have grown ...

Tsar Nicholas II was unable to rule effectively. He made poor decisions that led to worsening relations with the government and increased hardship for civilians and soldiers alike. Nicholas ...

Left: Tsar Nicholas II, the last reigning Emperor of Russia, photographed in 1912. Centre: Detail from a mosaic of Marco Polo, displayed in Genoa's Palazzo Doria-Tursi. Right: Detail from a sculpted ...

The Empire did not have an elected parliament (until 1905) and there were no elections for positions in the government. There were no legal or constitutional methods by which Tsarist power could ...