Curiously enough. Nicholas was obligated to face an insurrection against him at the very outset reign. None of the three brothers had been very popular in Russia, but Constantine was the favorite of the army, and the military party declared for him. Many citizens of the capital joined in revolt, feigning disbelief in the statement that Constantine had relinquished the thorn of his own accord. Then, too, a prejudice against the autocracy had been steadily gaining$ ground for years and the country was ripe for rebellion, so that the alleged usurpation of Nicholas merely formed a convenient pretext. The new Emperor suppressed the uprising with great vigor and cruelty, and for the first time in eight years the death penalty was restored, and many of the best and bravest men of the leading families of Russia perished on the scaffold, as the price of treason. Many more were sent into exile to Siberia, and for years, Nicholas, who was implacable, continued to exile prominent people by the score for he never forgave or forgot he sin of disloyalty.
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From General Nelson A. Miles
Thrilling Stories of The Russian-Japanese War, 1904
