Alexander III

ALEXANDER III was Emperor of the Russian Empire from 1881 to 1894 and the second son of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna. He was born at Anichkov Palace in Saint Petersburg on 26 February (10 March) 1845. He was not initially expected to inherit the throne; after the death of his elder brother Nicholas in 1865 he became heir apparent and undertook broader study of law and state administration. In 1866 he married Princess Dagmar of Denmark, who took the Orthodox name Maria Feodorovna. Following the assassination of Alexander II on 1 (13) March 1881, Alexander succeeded to the throne. His reign saw the 1881 Manifesto on the Inviolability of Autocracy, the University Statute of 1884, the Zemstvo Regulation of 1890 and the Municipal Regulation of 1892, which strengthened administrative supervision; it also saw reductions in redemption payments, creation of the Peasant Land Bank, development of factory inspection and the gradual abolition of the poll tax. In foreign policy Russia moved toward closer relations with France, culminating in agreements of 1891–1893. Alexander III died at Livadia Palace in Crimea on 20 October (1 November) 1894 and was succeeded by his eldest son, Nicholas II.