niche \'nich\ Smallest unit of a habitat that is occupied by an organism. A habitat niche is the physical space occupied by the organism; an eco¬ logical niche is the role the organism plays in the community of organ¬ isms found in the habitat. The activities of an organism and its relationships to other organisms are determined by its particular structure, physiology, and behaviour.
Nichiren \'ne-che-,ren\ orig. Zennichi (b. March 30, 1222, Kominato, Japan—d. Nov. 14, 1282, Ikegami) Japanese Buddhist prophet, founder of Nichiren Buddhism. The son of a fisherman, he entered a Buddhist mon¬ astery at age 11. After an exhaustive study of all the major Buddhist schools in Japan, he concluded in 1253 that the Lotus Sutra was the only doctrine suitable for his age and predicted calamity for Japan if all other sects were not abandoned. This pronouncement caused him to be ban¬ ished from his monastery. He also claimed that Japan was the chosen country of Buddhism, from which Buddhist salvation would spread to
other lands. He was later exiled to an island in the Sea of Japan, where in 1272 he wrote his major work. Liberation from Blindness.
Nichiren Buddhism One of the largest schools of Japanese Buddhism, founded by Nichiren. It believes that the essence of the Buddha’s teach¬ ings are contained in the Lotus Sutra and that the beliefs of other Buddhist schools are erroneous. In Nichiren Buddhism, the chanting of the title of the Lotus Sutra can lead to salvation. After Nichiren’s death the school split into various subsects, notably Nichiren-shu, which controls the temple founded by Nichiren at Mount Minobu, and Nichiren-sho-shu, which is headquartered in a temple at the foot of Mount Fuji. Nichiren- sho-shu has adherents in the U.S.; in Japan its lay organization is the SOKA-GAKKAI.
Nicholas Russian Nikolay Nikolayevich (b. Nov. 18, 1856, St. Petersburg, Russia—d. Jan. 5, 1929, Antibes, France) Russian grand duke. The nephew of Tsar Alexander II, he entered the imperial army (1872) and served in the Russo-Turkish War (1877-78). As inspector general of cal¬ vary (1895-1905), he introduced reforms in training and equipment. From 1905 he commanded the St. Petersburg military district, and in 1914 he was appointed head of all Russian forces. A popular commander, he led the army to early successes in World War I but was hampered by shortages. Dismissed in 1915 by Nicholas II, he commanded in the Cau¬ casus (1915-17). After the Russian Revolution of 1917 he moved to France, where he led an organization to unite anticommunist Russian emigres.
Nicholas, Saint or Santa Claus
Minor; feast day December 6) Minor saint associated with Christmas. Probably bishop of Myra, he is reputed to have provided dowries for three poor girls to save them from prostitution and to have restored to life three children who had been chopped up by a butcher. He became the patron saint of Russia and Greece, of charitable fraternities and guilds, and of children, sailors, unmarried girls, merchants, and pawnbrokers. After the Reformation his cult disappeared in all the Prot¬ estant countries of Europe except Holland, where he was known as Sinterklaas. Dutch colonists brought the tradition to New Amsterdam (now New York City), and English- speaking Americans adopted him as Santa Claus, who is believed to live at the North Pole and to bring gifts to children at Christmas.
(fl. 4th century, Myra, Lycia, Asia
Merry Old Santa Claus by Thomas Nast.
BETTMANN/CORBIS
Nicholas I Russian Nikolay Pavlovich (b. July 6, 1796, Tsarkoye Selo, near St. Petersburg, Russia—d. March 2, 1855, St. Petersburg) Tsar of Russia (1825-55). He was the son of Paul I and was trained as an army officer. In 1825 he succeeded his brother Alexander I as emperor and sup¬ pressed the Decembrist revolt. His reign came to represent autocracy, mili¬ tarism, and bureaucracy. To enforce his policies, he created such agencies as the Third Section (political police). In foreign policy, Nicholas quelled an uprising in Poland (1830-31) and aided Austria against a Hungarian uprising (1849). His designs on Constantinople led to war with Turkey (1853) and drew other European powers into the Crimean War. He was succeeded by his son Alexander II.
Nicholas II orig. Gerard of Burgundy (b. Lorraine—d. July 19/26, 1061, Florence) Pope (1058-61). Known as an advocate of reform, he was bishop of Florence before being elected pope in opposition to the antipope Benedict X. At the Lateran Council of 1059 he reformed the pro¬ cess of papal election, placing it in the hands of the cardinals and limit¬ ing the emperor’s role. The German bishops voided his decree (1061), revealing growing tensions between empire and papacy. Nicholas brought about a diplomatic revolution, which worsened relations with Germany and its weak regent, when he sought an alliance with the Normans in southern Italy and invested Robert Guiscard as duke of Apulia, Calabria, and Sicily (1059). His legislation against clerical marriage and simony was an important part of the Gregorian reform movement.
L_
M
N
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
1360 I Nicholas II ► Nicolet
L_
N
Nicholas II Russian Nikolay Aleksandrovich (b. May 18, 1868, Tsarskoye Selo, near St. Petersburg, Russia—d. July 16/17, 1918, Yeka¬ terinburg) Tsar of Russia (1894-1917). Son of Alexander III, he received a military education and succeeded his father as tsar in 1894. He was an autocratic but indecisive ruler and was devoted to his wife, Alexandra, who strongly influenced his rule. His interest in Asia led to construction of the Trans-Siberian Railroad and also helped cause the disastrous Russo- Japanese War (1904-05). After the Russian Revolution of 1905, he agreed reluctantly to a representative Duma but restricted its powers and made only token efforts to enact its measures. His prime minister, Pyotr Stolypin, attempted reforms, but Nicholas, increasingly influenced by Alexandra and Grigory Rasputin, opposed him. After Russia suffered setbacks in World War I, Nicholas ousted the popular grand duke Nicholas as com¬ mander in chief of Russian forces and assumed command himself, at the bidding of Alexandra and Rasputin. His absence from Moscow and Alex¬ andra’s mismanagement of the government caused increasing unrest and culminated in the Russian Revolution of 1917. Nicholas abdicated in March 1917 and was detained with his family by Georgy Y. Lvov’s pro¬ visional government. Plans for the royal family to be sent to England were overruled by the local Bolsheviks. Instead the family was sent to the city of Yekaterinburg, where they were executed in July 1918.
Nicholas V orig. Tommaso Parentucelli (b. Nov. 15, 1397, Sar- zana, Republic of Genoa—d. March 24, 1455, Rome) Pope (1447-55). Soon after his election, he ended the schism caused by the rivalry between popes and church councils. He restored peace to the Papal States, won Poland’s allegiance, and gained the support of Austria by promising to crown Frederick III as Holy Roman emperor. Nicholas initiated the Peace of Lodi (1455) in order to end strife in Italy, and he tried to stamp out simony and other corrupt practices in the church. A patron of art and scholarship, he rebuilt many of Rome’s architectural treasures and founded the Vatican Library. Although Nicholas was the first of the Renais¬ sance popes, his failure to promote real religious reform helped bring about the Reformation of the 16th century.