I
born Aug. 24, 1198, Haddington, Lothian
died July 8, 1249, Kerrera Island
King of Scotland (1214–49).
He came to the throne on the death of his father, William I (the Lion). In 1215 he supported the rebellious English barons against King John , hoping to regain land in northern England. After the rebellion collapsed (1217), he did homage to Henry III and in 1221 married Henry's sister, Joan. He consolidated royal authority in Scotland and subdued Argyll in 1222. In 1237 he concluded the Peace of York with Henry by which he abandoned his claim to land in England and received in exchange several English estates.
II
Russian Aleksandr Nikolayevich
born April 29, 1818, Moscow, Russia
died March 13, 1881, St. Petersburg
Tsar of Russia (1855–81).
He succeeded to the throne at the height of the Crimean War , which revealed Russia's backwardness on the world stage. In response, he undertook drastic reform, improving communications, government, and education, and most importantly, emancipating the serfs (1861). His reforms reduced class privilege and fostered humanitarian progress and economic development. Though sometimes described as a liberal, Alexander was in reality a firm upholder of autocratic principles, and an assassination attempt in 1866 strengthened his commitment to conservatism. A period of repression after 1866 led to a resurgence of revolutionary terrorism, and in 1881 he was killed in a plot sponsored by the terrorist organization People's Will.