I, Emperor of all the Russias, to all
our faithful subjects:

In the course of a great struggle against a foreign enemy, who has been
endeavoring for three years to enslave our country, it has pleased God
to send Russia a further bitter trial. Internal troubles have threatened
to compromise the progress of the war. The destinies of Russia, the
honor of her heroic army, the happiness of her people, and the whole
future of our beloved country demand that at all costs victory shall be
won. The enemy is making his last efforts, and the moment is near when
our gallant troops, in concert with their glorious Allies, will finally
overthrow him.

In these days of crisis we have considered that our nation needs the
closest union of all its forces for the attainment of victory. In
agreement with the Imperial Duma, we have recognized that for the good
of our land we should abdicate the throne of the Russian state and lay
down the supreme power.

Not wishing to separate ourselves from our beloved son, we bequeath our
heritage to our brother, the Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovitch, with our
blessing upon the future of the Russian throne. We bequeath it to him
with the charge to govern in full unison with the national
representatives who may sit in the legislature, and to take his
inviolable oath to them in the name of our well-beloved country.

We call upon all faithful sons of our land to fulfil this sacred and
patriotic duty in obeying their Emperor at this painful moment of
national trial, and to aid him, together with the representatives of the
nation, to lead the Russian people in the way of prosperity and glory.

May God help Russia.

So ended the reign of Nicholas the Second, Czar of all the Russias. The
news of the Czar's abdication spread over the world with great rapidity,
and was received by the Allies with mixed feelings. The Czar had been
scrupulously loyal to the alliance. He was a man of high personal
character, and his sympathies on the whole, liberal; but he was a weak
man in a position in which even a strong man might have failed. He was
easily influenced, especially by his wife. Warned again and again of the
danger before him, he constantly promised improvement, only to fail in
keeping his promises. He deeply loved his wife, and yielded continually
to her unwise advice.

The Empress Alexandra Feodorovna is but another instance of a devoted
queen who dethroned her consort. She believed in Divine Right and l