Tsar Alexander II

Czar Alexander II was the emperor of Russia from 1855 until 1881. He was also the king of Poland and the grand duke of Finland.

He was born Alexander Nikolaevich in Moscow on April 29, 1818.

He was the eldest son of Nicholas I of Russia and Charlotte of Prussia (daughter of Frederick William III of Prussia and of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz)

Czar Alexander II succeeded to the Russian throne upon the death of his father, Nicholas I, on March 2, 1855.

Alexander ascended the throne during the Crimean War and in 1856 signed the Treaty of Paris, which brought the hostilities to an end.

Czar Alexander II was motivated by Christian principles and a desire for modernization and progress in Russia

The serfs were the largest group of unfree peasants in Russia. They were tied to the land and bound to their lords, or nobles. The serfs were not free to leave their villages or work for anyone else, and they were subject to various forms of exploitation and abuse by their masters. The serfdom system had been in place in Russia for centuries, and it was a major obstacle to progress and modernization.

Czar Alexander II recognized that the serfs were a major impediment to Russia's development, and he was also motivated by his Christian beliefs to free them from bondage. On March 3, 1861, he announced the emancipation of the serfs. The emancipation was a significant reform that marked the beginning of a new era in Russian history.

 During Czar Alexander II's reign there was a revival in the Russian church helped by the wide availability to all Russians from the 1860s of the Scriptures in their native language.

He also abolished corporal punishment, established local self-government, initiated judicial reform, revised the educational system, and developed a system of universal military service.

The Russian possessions in North America, now constituting the state of Alaska, were sold to the United States in 1867.

Under Alexander's rule military operations in Central Asia and in a war with Turkey (1877–78) were highly successful.

Alexander II had a special crystal bottle of Roederer champagne made for the Three Emperors Dinner in 1867. He feared assassination so the Tsar ordered the bottles to be made clear instead of regular dark green so that he could see the bubbles and prevent an explosive being hidden inside.

Alexander was assassinated on March 13, 1881 by bombs thrown beneath his carriage in St Petersburg by a member of a revolutionary group, the Narodnaya Volya (People’s Will).

His dying words were "I am sweeping through the gates, washed in the blood of the Lamb."

Source Funk & Wagnells Encyclopedia