does anyone know any good historians on Tsar Nicholas II?

Question

If so, could you please write their names and books they have published.

thanks

Answer 1

Nicholas II of Russia (Nikolai Aleksandrovich Romanov) (18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 – 17 July [O.S. 4 July] 1918) (Russian: Никола́й II, Nikolay II) was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Poland,[1] and Grand Duke of Finland. He ruled from 1894 until his forced abdication in 1917. Nicholas proved unable to manage a country in political turmoil and command its army in World War I. His rule ended with the Russian Revolution of 1917, after which he and his family were executed by Bolsheviks. Nicholas's full name was Nikolay Aleksandrovich Romanov (Никола́й Алекса́ндрович Рома́нов). His official title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias.[2] He is sometimes referred to as Nicholas the Martyr due to his execution and as Bloody Nicholas because of the tragic events during his coronation and his government's subsequent suppression of dissent. As a result of his canonization, he has been regarded as Saint Nicholas The Passion Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church Nicholas was born in Saint Petersburg, the eldest son of Emperor Alexander III and Maria Fyodorovna of Denmark. His paternal grandparents were Alexander II of Russia and his first consort Maria Alexandrovna of Hesse-Darmstadt. His maternal grandparents were Christian IX of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. A sensitive child, Nicholas felt intimidated by the strength of his father, Alexander III, though Nicholas adored him and would often speak of him nostalgically in letters and diaries after Alexander's death. Nicholas and his mother, Maria Fyodorovna, were very close, as can be seen in their letters to one another, which have been published.

Nicholas II was the first cousin once removed of Grand Duke Nicholas Nikolaevich. To distinguish both of them, the Grand Duke was often known within the Imperial family as Nicholasha. The Grand Duke also towered over the Tsar, so they were nicknamed "Nicholas the Tall" and "Nicholas the Short", respectively.

Known as "Nicky" to his close family and friends, Tsesarevitch Nicholas fell in love with Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, the fourth daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by the Rhine and Princess Alice of the United Kingdom, second eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, in 1884. He was sixteen; she was just twelve. His parents, however, did not approve of this match, hoping to cement Russia's new alliance with France. They had hoped that Nicholas would marry Princess Hélène, the daughter of Count Philippe of the House of Orléans. Deemed overly soft by his hard and demanding father, Nicholas received little grooming for his imperial role. Nicholas was a polite and charming child but lacking in any interest or curiosity in his tutors' lessons. Even when the Tsar did decide to initiate Nicholas into State business, Nicholas lost interest after only about twenty minutes in State Council sessions and left to see friends at cafes. When Alexander died at the age of 49 in 1894 of kidney disease after an unexpectedly rapid deterioration of health, Nicholas felt so unprepared for the duties of the crown that he tearfully asked his cousin, "What is going to happen to me and all of Russia?"[3] He nevertheless decided to maintain the conservative policies favoured by his father. While Alexander had concentrated on the formulation of general policy, Nicholas devoted much more attention to the details of administration.

Answer 2

Do you mean a biographer?
If you really mean a historian, try Richard Pipes, The Russian Revolution, and Orlando Figes, A People's Tragedy. You will learn a lot from their agreement and their disagreement.

Answer 3

The Orthodox church later gave his family the status of martyrs, but most historians I've read on the subject are not very positive about his decisions. He was completely disconnected from the reality of the problems that his country faced and most of his decisions were simply to preserve his position as autocrat.

Answer 4

I don't know if he is held in esteem by professional historians, but Robert K. Massie has written extensively about the era, especially in "Nicholas and Alexandra."

Answer 5

If you go to AlexanderPalace.org, you'll find, on the message board, people who are not only experts on the Romanov family, but are descendants of people who escaped the Russian Revolution(even aristocrats!).