General Notes

Alexander II (of Russia) (1818-81), emperor of Russia (1855-81), 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 Turkey (1877-78) 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).