At the outbreak of the First World War, Tsar Nicolas II appointed Grand Duke Nikolai Supreme Commander of the Russian Army. From 1914 to 1915, and then again briefly in 1917, the Grand Duke was commander of the largest army in the world in the greatest war the world had ever seen. This presentation will appeal to those interested in the First World War, military history and Russian history.
Presenter: Paul Robinson is Vice Dean of Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa. He is the author and editor of numerous works on Russian and military history, military ethics, international security and defence policy.
In English with simultaneous translation in French
In a career spanning 50 years, Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich Romanov (1856–1929) played a vital role in leading Russia’s army and transforming Russia’s political system. In 1905, his cousin, Tsar Nicholas II assigned him the duty of coordinating defense and security planning for the entire Russian empire. When the Tsar asked him to assume the mantle of military dictator, the Grand Duke, instead of accepting, persuaded the Tsar to sign a manifesto promising political reforms.
At the outbreak of the First World War, the Tsar appointed Grand Duke Nikolai Supreme Commander of the Russian Army. From 1914 to 1915, and then again briefly in 1917, the Grand Duke was commander of the largest army in the world in the greatest war the world had ever seen.
This account of the Grand Duke’s life will appeal to those interested in the First World War, military history and Russian history.
Presented in conjunction with the World at War – International Speaker Series, an annual series of academic events, presented by the Canadian War Museum, to mark the centenary of the First World War. The events, presented in a variety of formats, provide an opportunity for the public to learn from leading Canadian and international experts about the war’s national and global reach, its cost and its legacies.
Presented by Raytheon Canada Limited.
Official Partners of the Centenary of the First World War: John and Pattie Cleghorn and Family; H.Col (Ret’d) John C. Eaton, O.Ont., K.St.J., D.Com. and H.Col Sally Horsfall Eaton, S.S.St.J., C.D., R.N., LL.D.; The Friends of the Canadian War Museum; TD Bank Group; VISITFLANDERS and the R. Howard Webster Foundation.