The Grand Duke who drew a revolver on the Tsar and forced constitutional reform
In October 1905, when Nicholas II leaned toward military dictatorship, Grand Duke Nicholas drew his revolver and declared: 'If Your Majesty does not accept Witte's programme, I will shoot myself before your eyes.'
Grandson of Nicholas I and uncle of Nicholas II, he was the most respected Romanov of the dynasty's final decades. During the 1905 Revolution, when the Tsar inclined toward military dictatorship, the Grand Duke drew his revolver and threatened to shoot himself on the spot unless Nicholas II accepted Witte's reform programme, an act that forced the issuance of the October Manifesto and Russia's turn toward constitutional monarchy. Appointed supreme commander at the outbreak of World War I, he led the Eastern Front through the disaster at Tannenberg and the shell shortages of 1915 before the Tsar relieved him and reassigned him as viceroy and commander in the Caucasus. After the Revolution he lived in seclusion in Crimea until escaping aboard a British battleship in 1919; in exile he was briefly proclaimed emperor by White forces in the Russian Far East.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1877–78Fought in the Russo-Turkish War; awarded Order of St. George
- 1884Commander of the Guard Hussar Regiment
- 1895–1905Inspector-General of the Cavalry
- 1905Refused military dictatorship; pushed Nicholas II to accept the October Manifesto
- 1905–14Commander, Petersburg Military District; Chairman, Council of State Defence
- 1914–15Supreme Commander-in-Chief, World War I
- 1915–17Viceroy and Commander-in-Chief, Caucasus
- 1922Proclaimed Emperor of All the Russias by White forces
Related historical events
- 1905–1907The Revolution of 1905Grand Duke who pressed for the October ManifestoIn October 1905, he opposed military dictatorship and urged Nicholas II to accept Witte's reform programme.
- 1914–1918First World WarSupreme commander of the Eastern FrontAppointed supreme commander at the outbreak of the First World War, he led the Eastern Front.
Offensives and command on the Caucasus front
When Nicholas II assumed supreme command of the Russian armies in September 1915, Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich was sent to the Caucasus to command the front against the Ottoman forces. In January 1916 he and General Nikolai Yudenich launched a major offensive toward Ottoman Armenia. Russian forces captured Erzurum on February 16, Trabzon on April 18, and Erzincan on August 2; they also halted a delayed Ottoman counteroffensive at Oğnut. By autumn the front had stabilized to Russia’s advantage, but subsequent developments were increasingly shaped by the effects of revolution in Russia. As viceroy in the Caucasus and commander-in-chief there, the Grand Duke worked alongside Yudenich, the field commander; the victories cannot be attributed to Nicholas alone.