The October Manifesto was signed on October 30, 1905. The Russian people were thrilled, Nicholas wasn’t. The October Manifesto was a blow to his autocratic power. Now the people could have a Duma, an elected body they put into office. For the first time, people could say what they wanted without being beaten or arrested. But, there were also people who opposed the Manifesto.
The mourning period for Alexander III is finally over, and now the young Tsar and Tsaritsa can finally be crowned in May 1896. Olga is six months old at this point, but while mom and dad were on their way to Moscow for their coronation, little Olga was left behind.
The Romanov family had ruled Russia for almost 300 years. And like many monarchs before the Romanovs, they believed that it was God who gave them the power to rule Russia. The Divine Right to Rule as it was called, the Divine Right of Kings. St. Petersburg was, for centuries, the seat of the Tsar of Russia. From here, the Tsar ruled over 130 million people from all different backgrounds.
