Alexander II (of Russia)

Alexander II (of Russia) (1818-1881), emperor of Russia (1855-1881), son of Emperor Nicholas I and nephew of Alexander I. He ascended the throne during the Crimean War and in 1856 signed the Treaty of Paris, which brought the hostilities to an end. After establishing committees to study the need for reform, Alexander II abolished serfdom throughout Russia in 1861. He also abolished corporal punishment, established local self-government, initiated judicial reform, revised the educational system, and developed a system of universal military service. Under his rule the administration of the police was greatly improved, and military operations in Central Asia and in a war with the Ottoman Empire (1877-1878) were highly successful. The Russian possessions in North America, now constituting the state of Alaska, were sold to the United States in 1867. Alexander was assassinated by a bomb thrown into his carriage by a member of a revolutionary group, the Narodnaya Volya (People's Will).