The last ruling monarch of the Russian Empire was Czar Nicholas II, who reigned from 1894 until his abdication in 1917. His rule saw significant political turmoil, social strife, and involvement in World War I, culminating in the Russian Revolution. Nicholas II was ultimately executed alongside his family in 1918 by Bolshevik forces. His abdication marked the end of more than three centuries of Romanov rule and the establishment of a republic, setting the stage for the rise of the communist regime under the Bolsheviks. Nicholas II's legacy remains controversial, viewed by some as a martyr and by others as a symbol of autocratic failure.