Tsar Nicholas II

Tsar Nicholas II was nothing like his father, the ruthless Alexander III. He was kind-hearted, and gentle, evoking awe from his people instead of fear. Also unlike his father, he did not understand politics and more or less despised learning them as a child. Unlike the normal persona that a ruler would have, Nicolas was a very outdoorsy man - loving to ride, shoot, take walks and even (surprisingly) shovel snow.
As a child, the Tsar was raised not to rule, but to fight. His father reared him in a militaristic lifestyle. Sleeping on an army cot and bathing in cold water were a part of his upbringing.  Alexander didn't want Nicholas to be raised as a coddled and pampered palace brat, but as a man who would lead the greatest military in the land (or so he thought). The plan to harden Nicholas at an early age failed; he became a very compassionate man. Alexander's wish was for Nicholas to become a "true Russian, with something like a touch of brutality."