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Primary sourceDocument2 March 1917 (O.S.) / 15 March 1917 (N.S.)

Nicholas II of Russia's abdication

Nicholas II of Russia · 2 March 1917 (O.S.) / 15 March 1917 (N.S.)

The March 1917 document by which Nicholas II gave up the Russian throne for himself and his son, ending Romanov rule.

This is Nicholas II's own signed act giving up the imperial throne, ending his reign and Romanov rule.

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Typed Russian document on aged, yellowed paper headed 'Ставка' with the salutation 'Начальнику Штаба'. The body text announces Nicholas II's abdication in favor of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. Dated 2 March 1917 at Pskov, with a handwritten signature at lower right and additional handwritten signatures at lower left.
Manifesto of abdication of Nicholas II, 2 March 1917, Pskov.

About this source

What it is

This typed document, signed by Nicholas II at Pskov on 2 March 1917 (Old Style), is his act of abdication. In it he gives up the throne for himself and his son Alexei, passing it instead to his brother Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich.

Why it matters

The abdication came during the February Revolution and World War I, and it ended three centuries of rule by the House of Romanov. Michael refused the throne the next day unless a Constituent Assembly agreed, so power passed to the Provisional Government. The document shows Nicholas trying to frame his abdication as serving Russia's war effort and unity, even as his rule collapsed.

Look closer

  • Why does Nicholas emphasise the war against Russia's enemies rather than the revolution at home?
  • What does his choice to hand power to his brother, not his son, suggest about the situation he was in?
  • Whose signatures appear alongside his, and what might that tell you about who controlled events that day?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Tsar Nicholas II on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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