Grand Duke Nicholas

Biodata

History

Succession crisis

Following the assassination of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra, Nicholas demanded that Grand Duke Mikhail’s succession be suspended. He argued that Mikhail’s feud with the late tsar supplied a motive for murder, but admitted that he had no concrete evidence. His own position immediately behind Mikhail in the succession led other officials to suspect that he wanted the throne for himself 8.

Nicholas continued to challenge the investigation’s attribution of the assassination to the Bolshevik Party. He suggested that Mikhail could have infiltrated the party and used it to conceal his involvement—an accusation consistent with Mikhail’s actual conspiracy, but one Nicholas could not prove 5 7 9.

Plan to enthrone Olga

Nicholas approached Finance Minister Sergei Witte to prevent Mikhail from becoming tsar, emphasizing that Mikhail would distrust Witte and threaten his wealth. Witte proposed forging an order naming Nicholas II’s two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, as heir 9.

Nicholas embraced the proposal because a child sovereign would allow him to exercise real power. Privately, he contemplated having Olga killed once his position was secure so that he could become tsar himself. The forged order subsequently entered public debate, but it had not passed State Duma review and could not legally amend the succession law 9 10.

Civil war and the Ryazan campaign

After Mikhail mobilized to claim the throne, Nicholas joined Kuropatkin and General Nikolai Obruchev in establishing the Headquarters for the Suppression of the Rebellion. With Imperial Guard backing, he also appointed himself commander of the Petersburg Military District—a position normally held by the tsar 12 13.

Nicholas planned to hold Mikhail’s main army at Kazan while concentrating against General Brusilov’s separate force. He intended to defeat the opposing armies in succession and finish the war within three months. An accompanying attempt to buy Brusilov’s allegiance with a pardon, command of the Caucasus Military District, and personal rewards failed 13 20.

Nicholas assembled more than 350,000 men around Moscow and committed a large force against Brusilov near Ryazan. Despite their numerical strength, his troops could not overcome the opposing artillery and machine guns. Kazan’s surrender meanwhile freed Mikhail’s main army to advance on Moscow, forcing Nicholas to abandon the siege and recall the Guards Army and Petersburg troops 16 20 21 25 26 27.

Defeat at Moscow

Seeking a victory before Mikhail’s main force arrived, Nicholas sent General Alexei and the Guards Army to attack the opposing vanguard at Noginsk. The operation ended in disaster: Mikhail’s forces captured Noginsk, killed Alexei, and took 20,000 Guards Army soldiers prisoner. Brusilov also defeated the forces left at Ryazan and advanced toward Moscow 28 31.

Nicholas continued demanding reinforcements and insisted that his remaining troops could still turn the war around. Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, however, secretly negotiated with Mikhail and agreed to bring the Mosk Military District over to his side 31 32 33.

On June 1, the Mosk troops opened their defensive lines to Mikhail’s army and attacked their former Petersburg allies. With resistance collapsing, Obruchev urged Nicholas to escape to Petersburg or take Olga into overseas exile. Nicholas refused, accepted responsibility for his defeat, sat on the tsar’s throne in the Kremlin, and shot himself. Obruchev then ordered the remaining defenders to surrender 34.

After entering Moscow, Mikhail ordered the throne removed and an identical replacement made, refusing to use the seat on which Nicholas had died 35.

Personality

Nicholas’s opposition to Mikhail combined accusations of regicide with personal ambition. His willingness to use Olga as a puppet—and eventually eliminate her—showed how far he was prepared to go to secure the throne. He also exploited Witte’s fear of losing his position and fortune to draw him into the succession plot 9.

Initially confident that superior numbers and the Guards Army would guarantee victory, Nicholas underestimated the modernization of Mikhail’s forces. As defeats accumulated, he became increasingly desperate, blaming retreating soldiers and searching for additional troops even when his commanders considered the war lost 12 26 31.

His final conduct contrasted with that desperation. Once Moscow’s defenses collapsed, he rejected flight and exile, stating that a man who gambled had to accept his loss 34.

Abilities & Skills

Political influence

Nicholas possessed considerable seniority and personal connections within the imperial army, helping him attract more senior officers than Mikhail could openly recruit 14.

• Secured support from the acting minister of war, chief of the general staff, and most military district commanders 14.
• Brought the initially neutral General Vladimir Kosel into his faction through threats of punishment and promises of a better posting 17.
• Used the Imperial Guard’s backing to assume command of the Petersburg Military District 13.

Military command

Nicholas coordinated a multi-district campaign intended to defeat Mikhail’s divided forces before they could unite 13.

• Directed the defense of Kazan and the concentration against Brusilov at Ryazan 13 20.
• Ordered the withdrawal toward Moscow and the Guards Army’s deployment to Noginsk 27 28.
• Failed to translate numerical superiority into victory against the Caucasus Military District’s stronger firepower 21 26.

Relationships

• Grand Duke Mikhail — Rival for the throne and principal civil-war opponent. Nicholas repeatedly accused him of arranging Nicholas II’s assassination without obtaining conclusive evidence 8 9 12.
• Nicholas II — Identified as Nicholas’s cousin in his introduction. Nicholas used the late tsar’s murder as the central justification for blocking Mikhail’s succession 8.
• Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna — Proposed child sovereign and intended puppet. Nicholas privately considered killing her after consolidating control 9.
• Sergei Witte — Political co-conspirator who devised the forged succession order naming Olga as heir 9 10.
• Lieutenant General Kuropatkin — Senior military ally and co-founder of the suppression headquarters; remained in Petersburg to oversee military procurement 12 19.
• General Nikolai Obruchev — Chief military adviser who accompanied Nicholas during the campaign, urged withdrawal from Ryazan, and proposed escape during Moscow’s collapse 19 26 34.
• Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich — Uncle and commander of the Mosk Military District. Initially an ally, he defected to Mikhail in exchange for appointment as minister of war 32 33.
• General Brusilov — Enemy commander who rejected Nicholas’s inducements to betray Mikhail and resisted his army at Ryazan 20 21.

Notable Quotes

“We absolutely cannot tolerate a murderer who killed His Majesty becoming the new tsar!” 8

“Forget it. A man who wagers must accept his loss. Since I lost this war, I must take responsibility for it.” 34

“So this is what it feels like to be tsar!” 34