Nicholas II

Nicholas II or Nikolai II was the last reigning Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from 1 November 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. During his reign, Nicholas gave support to the economic and political reforms promoted by his prime ministers, Sergei Witte and Pyotr Stolypin. He advocated modernisation based on foreign loans and close ties with France, but resisted giving the new parliament major roles. Ultimately, progress was undermined by Nicholas's commitment to autocratic rule, strong aristocratic opposition and defeats sustained by the Russian military in the Russo-Japanese War and World War I. By March 1917, public support for Nicholas had collapsed and he was forced to abdicate, thereby ending the Romanov dynasty's 304-year rule of Russia (1613–1917).

18 May 1868

Born on the same birth day (18 May): Alan Kupperberg • Bernadette Chirac • Eric Backman • Gary O'Neil • Gordon O'Connor • Hedley Verity • Henrietta Moore • Jeanie MacPherson • John George Children • John Godber • Priscilla Pointer • Walter Hawkins • Yuya Osako

Born in the same month (May 1868): Aleksa Šantić • Augusto Pestana (politician) • Charlie Taylor (mechanic) • Gaston Leroux • Horace Elgin Dodge • Magnus Hirschfeld • Panagis Tsaldaris • Sumner Paine