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Alexander II (1854-1881)

Alexander II was born on 17 (29) in April 1818 in the bishop's house Chudov Monastery in the Moscow Kremlin, the son of Grand Prince Nikolay, the future Emperor Nikolay I. In 1825 Alexander II was proclaimed to the throne.

Tsarevich Alexander was educated at home under the personal supervision of his father. His "mentor" with the responsibility of leading the entire process of upbringing and education was the poet Vasily Zhukovsky. From him the future emperor learned liberal views and a romantic attitude toward life.

In 1837 Crown Prince Alexander made a long trip to Russia, visited the 29 provinces of its European part, the Caucasus and western Siberia. In 1838-1839, he made a study tour of the countries of Western Europe.

In 1841, the heir to the throne married a princess of Hesse-Darmstadt Maximilian Maria Wilhelmina Augusta Sophia, who took the name in the Orthodox Maria Alexandrovna (1824-1880). In this marriage were born six sons and two daughters, including Crown Prince Nikolay Alexandrovich (1843-1865), heir to the throne in the years 1855-1865, and the Grand Prince, and then Crown Prince Alexander Alexandrovich (1845-1894), the future Emperor Alexander III.

In 1844, Crown Prince Alexander was promoted to full generals, appointed commander of the Guards infantry. From 1849 he was head of the military schools. During the Crimean War of 1853-1856 with the announcement Petersburg province under martial law crown prince commanded all the troops of the capital.

Emperor Alexander II came to the throne after his father's death on February 19 (March 3) 1855. In the early days of his reign, he was set up with the new energy to continue the Crimean War, but soon was forced to sign a peace treaty with the countries that opposed the Russian coalition (Paris, 18 (30) March 1856). After a failed war for Russia in all sectors of society demands for change have intensified . In terms of social upheaval caused considerable resonance pardon exiled Decembrists, Petrashevists and members of the Polish uprising of 1830-1831, announced during the coronation of Alexander II in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, August 26 (September 12), 1856.

Course of economic development of Russia and the public agitation forced Alexander II to expedite the country needs reforms to promote the development of capitalist relations. Chief among them was the abolition of serfdom. February 19 (March 3) 1861 Alexander II issued a manifesto about the emancipation of the peasantry from serfdom. This radical reform preceded the other, no less important reforms such as administrative (the position on the provincial and district institutions), judicial (court publicity and transparency, independence of judges, the new order of proceedings), a complex of military reforms and modernization of the public education system.

Polish uprising of 1863-1864 and the rise of revolutionary sentiment in Russia forced the government of Alexander II to a more conservative domestic policy. Reaction to it was a wave of revolutionary terror, one objective of which was the Emperor himself.

Foreign policy of Alexander II subordinate tasks to extract Russia from international isolation in which it was due to the Crimean War. In the spring of 1856, Alexander II visited Berlin. A meeting with the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV, comes to his uncle, was a secret "dual union", to break through the blockade of Russia's foreign policy.

In the 1870s, Russia's leading allies in Europe were Germany and Austria-Hungary.

Turkish policy in the Balkans has led to the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 that ended in victory for Russia.

Under Alexander II the annexation of the Caucasus to Russia was completed . Empire expanded its influence in the East. Empire included Turkestan, Amur, Ussuri region and the Kuril Islands (in exchange for southern Sakhalin).

During the Civil War of 1861-1865 in the United States, Alexander II, despite the policies of Britain and France, strongly supported the administration of President Abraham Lincoln.

The second half of the reign of Alexander II was characterized by the progressive rise of revolutionary terrorism. In total, the emperor's life was made six attempts. Initially, these were the actions of single terrorists. In August 1879 decision of the murder of Alexander II was taken by revolutionary organization "People's Will". The participants had a disruption of the imperial train near Moscow (1879). S.N. Halturin powered powerful bomb in the Winter Palace under the private apartments of the Emperor (1880).

1 (13) March 1881 Alexander II was fatally wounded by a bomb thrown by I. Grinevitski. The emperor died a few hours after the shooting at the Winter Palace.

In the history of Russia, Alexander II came as a liberator of the serfs and the initiator of a number of important for the further development of the country's reforms. However, the economic situation in Russia during his reign deteriorated industry struck prolonged depression in the village have been several cases of mass hunger. Larger trade deficit reached and external debt, which led to the breakdown of monetary and public finance. Exacerbated the problem of corruption. By the end of the reign of the emperor in the Russian society more clearly designated acute social contradictions.

Examples of coins of this period you can purchase:

Alexander II (1854-1881), 1 Rouble 1877, Bit-90

Alexander II (1854-1881), 1 Rouble 1877, Bit-90 (16.5.2013, Sold for 450NIS, 124$)

Alexander II (1854-1881), 1 Rouble 1877, Bit-91

Alexander II (1854-1881), Coronation Jeton 1856 (8.6.2013, Sold for 1150NIS, 310$)

Alexander III (1881-1894)

Alexander, the second son of Emperor Alexander II, was born on March 10, 1845 in Tsarskoye Selo. He became the heir after the death of his elder brother, Nikolay I (1865) .

In 1866, Alexander married the bride's died brother , the daughter of Danish King Christian IX of the Princess Sophia Frederica Dagmar (Maria Feodorovna in Orthodoxy).

Alexander III enthroned on 13 March 1881 in a difficult political and economic situation: the revolutionary organization's terrorist activity reached its peak, the war with Turkey completely upset the finance and monetary system of the Russian Empire. The murder of Alexander II restored the new emperor against the liberals, whom he considered guilty of the death of his father.

Alexander III canceled the project of constitutional reform. His manifesto on May 11, 1881 expressed a program of internal and external policy: maintaining order in the country and the spirit of religious devotion, strengthening the government, the protection of national interests. Censorship was reinforced, university autonomy was abolished , the gymnasium was prohibited from accepting lower-class children.

The result of the Alexander III was the preservation of the existing order.

Government policy has contributed to the further development of trade, industry, eliminate the budget deficit, which allowed to pass the gold standard and created the preconditions for a robust economic recovery in the second half of the 90-s XIX century.

In 1882, the Government established the Peasant Land Bank, posing farmers loans to buy land, which contributed to the creation of private land among the peasants.

On March 13, 1887 the members from revolutionary organization made an attempt on the life of the Emperor. A week later, on March 20, the participants failed attempt to murder were hanged.

Thirteen-year reign of Alexander III was peaceful with no major military conflict for which he was called the tsar's peace.

Died November 1, 1894 in Livadia.

Examples of coins of this period you can purchase:

Alexander III (1881-1894), 1 Rouble 1893, Bit-77

Alexander III (1881-1894), 1 Rouble 1893, Bit-77 (16.5.2013, Sold for 450NIS, 124$)

Alexander III (1881-1894), 1 Rouble 1894, Bit-78

Alexander III (1881-1894), 1/2 Rouble 1894, Bit-87 (08.2013, Sold for 110$)

Alexander III (1881-1894), 1/4 Rouble 1893, Bit-96 (R), (13.7.2013, Sold for 2200NIS, 604$)

Alexander III (1881-1894), 1/4 Rouble 1894, Bit-97 (16.5.2013, Sold for 1000NIS, 275$)

Alexander III (1881-1894), Coronation Jeton 1883 (11.5.2013, Sold for 270NIS, 76$)

Nikolay II (1895-1917)

Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov, the eldest of the sons of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna, was born May 6, 1868 in Tsarskoye Selo.

Education of the future emperor was traditionally home and was held under the personal supervision of his father. He studied history, literature, botany, zoology, Russian, German, English and French languages, economics, law and military science.
From childhood Nikolay has an affinity for military affairs. Even at birth he was admitted to the regimental lists, and at the age of seven years have already received the first rank of ensign. In 1887 Nikolay II enlisted in the Preobrazhensky regiment and soon was promoted to captain and then colonel. Nikolay has traveled - as together with his father, Alexander III, and independently. He has visited many Russian provinces in the Far East, Greece, Egypt, India, China and Austria-Hungary.
In 1894 Nikolay married a German Princess Alice Hessensky - later she became Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Four daughters were born in marriage: Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia and the only son Alexei. Unfortunately the boy was terminally ill with an insidious and dangerous disease hemophilia.
October 20, 1894 after a long illness Emperor Alexander III was died. Two years later, in 1986 came to the throne Nikolay II. Coronation ceremonies were dark pages of his biography: the Khodynka disturbances occurred and in the crush thousands of people were killed and crippled.
In the first years of the reign of Nikolay II of Russia was a census population of the Empire and monetary reform. Industrial enterprises actively develop, railways were built in high temp, economic growth was in sufficiently high rate.
Labor legislation in Russia was one of the most advanced and humane in Europe. For the first time in the history of the country was established the State Duma.
The reign of Nikolay II was also a time of acute political problems and conflicts within the state and beyond. In 1904 began the Russian-Japanese War. Although the war did not inflict great damage to the country, the unquestioned authority of the Emperor staggered. In 1905 - 1907 years in Russia there was a first revolution that resulted in a state of deep crisis.
The turning point for the biography of Nikolay II was the First World War. Numerous military failures have made even more explicit internal problems in the state. After a series of serious injuries in St. Petersburg began rioting and unrest. In March 1917 Nikolay II signed an abdication of the throne, and before the middle of August he lived with his family in custody in Tsarskoye Selo. By late summer, the situation in the country has become even more explosive and the family of the former emperor's decision of the Provisional Government was transferred to the city of Tobolsk, and in April 1918 in Yekaterinburg.
The house of engineerI patiev prepared to live the royal family was the last place of residence in the biography of Nikolay II.
In July 1918 the Ural Soviet of Workers' Deputies decided to execution of Nikolay Romanov and his family. On the night of July 17 the sentence was executed. Nikolay II, Alexandra Fedorovna, the daughters Olga, Tatiana, Maria and Anastasia, family's Dr. Botkin and servants were shot in the basement.

Examples of coins of this period you can purchase: