NICHOLAS I Romanov, Tsar of RUSSIA. – N. was born at Tsarskoye Selo on 25 June (7 July) 1796, and died at St Petersburg on 17 (29) February 1855. After his brother’s renunciation of the throne, he proclaimed himself emperor on 14 (26) December 1825. Taking advantage of this circumstance and of various rumours deliberately circulated, members of certain secret societies of liberal and radical inspiration decided to act: they were almost exclusively young officers, who
J. Schmidtlin, *Papstgeschichte der neuesten Zeit*, I, Munich 1933, pp. 627–39; French trans., II, Lyons 1940, pp. 332–347; R. Lefevre, *S. Sede e Russia e i colloqui dello Czar Nicola nei documenti vaticani*, in *Gregorio XVI, Misc. commentaria*, II, Rome 1948, pp. 159–392; J. Leffon, *La crisi e l'volontà*, Paris 1949, p. 456 ff.; Wolf Giusti.