Romanov Family

The House of Romanov

1613 to 1917

This collection of Romanov Family members belong to the House of Romanov. The Romanov family first came to power in 1613 and ruled for the next three centuries, the last imperial dynasty to rule Russia. Twenty-two Romanovs either took the Russian throne, or came close.

This is a list of the Romanov emperors who were also called tsars.

Their dynasty began with a Michael and ended with a Michael!

Romanov Dynasty Family Tree:

A. Mikhail I to Alexander I

B. Nicholas I to Mikhail II

(Russia used the Julian calendar (Old Style) until February 1918 when the Gregorian calendar (New Style), commonly used in the West, was adopted. The dates in this section correspond to the Old Style and New Style dates.)

  • Michael I        Founder of Romanov Dynasty Reigned: 26 July 1613 – 12 July 1645

Mikhail Feodorovich, Михаил Фёдорович

Born 07/12/1596 and died 07/12/1645

First cousin once removed of Feodor I, Son of Ivan IV and Anastasia Romanovna

  • Alexis I           (Alexis the Quiet) Reigned: 12 July 1645 – 29 January 1676

Alexis Mikhaylovich, Алексей I Михайлович

Born 05/0/1629 and died 01/29/1676                       

Son of Michael I and Eudoxia Streshnev      

  • Feodor III Reigned: 29 January 1676 – 7 May 1682

Feodor Alekseyevich, Фёдор III Алексеевич

Born 06/09/1661 and died 05/07/1682

Son of Alexis I and Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya

  • Sophia Alekseyevna Reigned: 17 May 1682 – 27 August 1689

Софья Алексеевна

Born 09/17/1657 and died 07/03/1704

Daughter of Alexis I and Maria Miloslavskaya and elder sister of Feodor III

Shophia ruled as a regent for Ivan V and Peter I

  • Ivan V Reigned: 2 June 1682 – 8 February 1696

 Ivan Alekseyevich, Иван Алексеевич

Born 09/06/1666 and died 02/08/1696

Son of Alexis I & Maria Miloslavskaya, brother of Sophia Alekseyevna & Feodor III

Ivan V “ruled” jointly with Peter I, but had no power.

  • Peter I      (Peter the Great) Reigned: 2 June 1682 – 2 November 1721         

Peter Alekseyevich, Пётр I Алексеевич

Born 06/09/1672 and died 02/08/1725

Son of Alexis I and Natalya Naryshkina, brother of Sophia Alekseyevna, Feodor III, & Ivan V

Peter I ruled jointly with Ivan V.

Peter declared The Empire of Russia in 1721 and ruled as emperor until 02/08/1725.

Peter became the sole ruler in 1696.

On February 16, 1722, he formulated a law of succession which gave the monarch the right to choose his successor. 

  • Catherine I      Reigned: 8 February 1725 – 17 May 1727                

Yekaterina Alekseyevna, Екатерина I Алексеевна

Born 04/15/1684 and died 05/17/1727

Wife of Peter I                                                                                   

  • Peter II Reigned: 18 May 1727 – 30 January 1730

Peter Alekseyevich, Пётр II Алексеевич

Born 10/23/1715 and died 01/30/1730

Grandson of Peter I via the murdered Tsesarevich Alexei

Last male of the direct Romanov line Romanov

Direct male descendants of Michael Romanov came to an end in 1730 with the death of Peter II of Russia, grandson of Peter the Great.

  • Anna Ioannovna Reigned: 13 February 1730 – 28 October 1740

Анна Иоанновна

Born 02/07/1693 and died 10/28/1740

Daughter of Ivan V (a Romanov) and niece of Peter the Great

  • Anna Leopoldovna Reigned: 28 October 1740 – 6 December 1741

Анна Леопольдовна, Ruled as Regent for her son Ivan VI

Born 12/18/1718 and died 03/19/1746

Deposed by Empress Elizabeth and Imprisoned

  • Ivan VI Reigned: 28 October 1740 – 6 December 1741

Ivan Antonovich,Иван VI Антонович                               

Born 08/23/1740 and died 07/16/1764

Great-grandson of Ivan V, Overthrown as a baby, imprisoned, and murdered   

  • Elizabeth Reigned: 6 December 1741 – 5 January 1762

Yelizaveta Petrovna, Елизавета Петровна

Born 12/29/1709 and died 01/05/1762

Daughter of Peter I and Catherine I

  • Peter III Reigned: 9 January 1762 – 9 July 1762

Peter Feodorovich, Пётр III Фëдорович

Born 02/21/1728 and died 07/17/1762

Grandson of Peter I, nephew of Elizabeth                           

Murdered, rumors persist that his wife Catherine was involved in the murder plan

Peter III was a German prince of the House of Holstein-Gottorp before ruling Russia. He and his German wife Sophia (Catherine II) changed their name to Romanov upon inheriting the throne.

  • Catherine II   (Catherine the Great) Reigned: 9 July 1762  17 November 1796

Yekaterina Alekseyevna, Екатерина II Алексеевна

Born 05/02/1729 and died 11/17/1796

Wife of Peter III

  • Paul I Reigned: 17 November 1796 – 23 March 1801

Pavel Petrovich, Павел I Петрович

Born 10/01/1754 and died 03/23/1801

Son of Peter III and Catherine II

Assassinated by conspirators supporting his son Alexander I

Paul I established clear new succession laws that governed who would ascend the Imperial throne until the fall of the Romanov Empire in 1917.

  • Alexander I    (Alexander the Blessed) Reigned: 23 March 1801 – 1 December 1825

Aleksandr Pavlovich, Александр I Павлович

Born 12/23/1777 and died 12/01/1825

Son of Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg

Alexander I was the first Romanov King of Poland and Grand Prince of Finland.

  • Constantine Pavlovich         Uncrowned Reigned: 1 December 1825    26 December 1825

Константин Павлович

Born 04/27/1779 and died 06/27/1831

Son of Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg

Younger brother of Alexander I who abdicated the throne in favor of his brother, Nicholas I

  • Nicholas I Reigned: 26 December 1825 – 2 March 1855

Nikolay Pavlovich, Николай I Павлович,

Born 07/6/1796 and died 03/02/1855                                    

Son of Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg

Younger brother of Alexander I and Constantine Pavlovich            

  • Alexander II  (Alexander the Liberator) Reigned: 2 March 1855 – 13 March 1881

Aleksandr Nikolayevich, Александр II Николаевич

Born 04/29/1818 and died 03/13/1881

Son of Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodrovna, Nephew of Alexander I

Assassinated by members of Narodnaya Volya, a revolutionary political organization

  • Alexander III (Alexander the Peacemaker) Reigned: 13 March 1881 – 1 November 1894

Aleksandr Aleksandrovich, Александр III Александрович

Born 03/10/1845 and died 11/01/1894

Son of Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna

  • Nicholas II Reigned: 1 November 1894 – 15 March 1917

Nikolay Aleksandrovich, Николай II Александрович

Born 05/18/1868 and died 07/17/1918

Son of Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna

Abdicated during the February 1917 Revolution for himself & his son

Chose his youngest brother, Michael, to succeed him                                                 

He & his family were murdered by the Bolsheviks while under imprisonment in Siberia.

  • Michael II Disputed dates of reign: 15 March 1917 – 13 June 1918

Mikhail Aleksandrovich, Михаил II Александрович

Born 12/04/1878 and died 06/13/1918

Son of Alexander III, brother of Nicholas II

The first Romanov to be murdered by Lenin’s Bolsheviks

  • Michael’s reign ended the dynastic Romanov rule. During the Russian Revolution of October 1917, Lenin’s Bolsheviks toppled the monarchy and grabbed power from the Russian Provisional Government.