Alexander (II)

Alexander II of Russia was born in Moscow, Russia in 1818, the eldest son of Nicholas I of Russia and Charlotte of Prussia. The first part of Alexander’s life before his accession in 1855 at age 37 was, by most accounts, unremarkable. At the time of Alexander’s ascension, Russia was beset by unrest and corruption after humiliating defeat in the Crimean War. As emperor, Alexander instituted reforms to attempt to help the poor and rebuild Russia. His most important achievement was his 1861 emancipation of the serfs; for this he became known as “Alexander the Liberator.” Alexander was assassinated by a bomber from the Narodnaya Volya movement in St. Petersberg in 1881. He was 62.