Between 1855 and 1917, there were three different tsars of Russia: Alexander II, Alexander III, and Nicholas II. While all three rulers had major differences in things like approaches to ruling and some more specific problems they faced, they did all share one key issue – how to survive in an increasingly anti-monarchical world.
Tsars in Russia – background
The tsars of russia were, essentially, the kings. However, they differed from our western european understanding of 19th and 20th century monarchs. The tsars in 19th and 20th century russia were very much still holding a medieval position of power. They ruled with absolute authority with no legitimate or authoritative government to represent the people, and were thought to be not just chosen by god, but were actually considered to be a god-like figure in their own right.
Who were the Romanovs?
The Romanovs came to power after a Michael Romanov was elected to lead on the 21st of February 1613 and were the last imperial family to rule over russia. There were 18 different Romanov monarchs, most notably including Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Alexander II, and Nicholas II. Some of them were very effective rulers, others held on by the skin of their teeth, and the last one, Nicholas II, didn’t make it at all.
Who were the Romanov tsars in our time period?