Bloody Sunday occurred in St. Petersburg (then the Russian capital), where thousands of peaceful demonstrators marched toward the Winter Palace to present a petition for better working conditions and political reforms. The imperial guards fired on the crowd, killing and wounding hundreds, sparking widespread outrage and protests. The march was organized and led by Father Georgy Gapon, a Russian Orthodox priest who sought to address the workers’ grievances by petitioning the Tsar for reforms.