Who was the Russian czar assassinated in 1881?

The Russian czar assassinated in 1881 was Alexander II.

He was killed on 13 March 1881 in Saint Petersburg while returning to the Winter Palace. Members of Narodnaya Volya, a revolutionary organization opposed to autocratic rule, attacked his carriage with bombs. The first explosion damaged the carriage; a second bomb, thrown by Ignacy Hryniewiecki, fatally wounded the emperor.

Alexander II had ruled since 1855 and was known as the “Liberator” for emancipating Russia’s serfs in 1861. His reforms also affected the military, courts, and local government, but many revolutionaries considered them too limited. His assassination led to a more conservative period under his son and successor, Alexander III.

A common mix-up is confusing Alexander II with his successor, Alexander III, who was not assassinated. The attack site later became the location of the Church of the Savior on Blood, built in his memory.