Incorporation into what has been accumulated by previous generations is called. Man and culture, real and imaginary culture

1. Introduction

2 Birth and name

3 Childhood, education and upbringing

4 Accession to the throne

5 Personality

6 The last years of the reign of Alexander I

• 8 Literature

Introduction

By chance, I came across a work on the personality of Alexander I. In this work I will give the main biographical events from the life of the emperor, short description his political influence, and I will dwell in detail on the personality of Alexander Pavlovich.

Alexander I Pavlovich Blessed(December 12 (23), 1777, St. Petersburg - November 19 (December 1), 1825, Taganrog) - Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia (from March 12 (24), 1801), Protector of the Order of Malta (from 1801), Grand Duke of Finland (from 1809) , Tsar of Poland (since 1815), eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Maria Feodorovna.

At the beginning of his reign, he carried out moderately liberal reforms developed by the Secret Committee and M. M. Speransky. In foreign policy he maneuvered between Great Britain and France. In 1805-1807 participated in anti-French coalitions. In 1807-1812. temporarily became closer to France. He waged successful wars with Turkey (1806-1812), Persia (1804-1813) and Sweden (1808-1809). Under Alexander I, the territories of Eastern Georgia (1801), Finland (1809), Bessarabia (1812), and the former Duchy of Warsaw (1815) were annexed to Russia. After the Patriotic War of 1812, he headed in 1813-1814. anti-French coalition of European powers. He was one of the leaders of the Congress of Vienna in 1814-1815 and the organizers of the Holy Alliance.

Alexander I was a complex and contradictory personality. With all the variety of reviews from contemporaries about Alexander, they all agree on one thing - the recognition of insincerity and secrecy as the main character traits of the emperor. IN last years In his life he often spoke of his intention to abdicate the throne and “remove himself from the world,” which, after his unexpected death from typhoid fever in Taganrog, gave birth to the legend of “elder Fyodor Kuzmich.”

Birth and name

Catherine II named one of her grandchildren Konstantin in honor of Constantine the Great, the other - Alexander in honor of Alexander Nevsky. This choice of names expressed the hope that Constantine would liberate Constantinople from the Turks, and the newly-minted Alexander the Great would become the sovereign of the new empire. She wanted to see Constantine on the throne of the Greek Empire that was supposed to be recreated.

“By this very choice of name, Catherine predicted a great future for her grandson and prepared him for a royal vocation, which, in her opinion, should have been facilitated, first of all, by a militarized upbringing oriented towards ancient models.” The name “Alexander” was not typical for the Romanovs; before that, the early deceased son of Peter the Great had been baptized this way only once. However, after Alexander I, it became firmly established in the Romanov nomenclature.

Childhood, education and upbringing

Grew up in the intellectual court of Catherine the Great; teacher - Swiss Jacobin Frederic Cesar Laharpe. In accordance with his convictions, he preached the power of reason, the equality of people, the absurdity of despotism, and the vileness of slavery. His influence on Alexander I was enormous. Military teacher Nikolai Saltykov - with the traditions of the Russian aristocracy, his father passed on to him his passion for military parade and taught him to combine spiritual love for humanity with practical concern for his neighbor. Catherine II adored her grandson and predicted, bypassing Paul, to be the heir to the throne. From her the future emperor inherited flexibility of mind, the ability to seduce an interlocutor, a passion for acting bordering on duplicity. In this, Alexander almost surpassed Catherine II. “A real seducer,” M.M. wrote about him. Speransky.

The need to maneuver between the “big court” of Catherine II in St. Petersburg and the “small” court of Father Pavel Petrovich in Gatchina taught Alexander to “live on two minds” and developed distrust and caution in him. Possessing an extraordinary mind, refined manners, and, according to his contemporaries, “an innate gift of courtesy,” he was distinguished by his masterly ability to win over people of different views and beliefs.

In 1793, Alexander married Louise Maria Augusta of Baden (who took the name Elizaveta Alekseevna in Orthodoxy) (1779–1826).

Some time passed military service in the Gatchina troops formed by his father; here he developed deafness in his left ear “from the strong roar of cannons.” On November 7, 1796, he was promoted to colonel of the guard.

In 1797, Alexander was the St. Petersburg military governor, chief of the Semenovsky Guards Regiment, commander of the capital division, chairman of the food supply commission and performed a number of other duties. Since 1798, he, in addition, presided over the military parliament, and starting the next year, sat in the Senate.

Accession to the throne

At half past two on the night of March 12, 1801, Count P. A. Palen informed Alexander about the murder of his father. According to legend, Alexander I, who demanded that Paul’s life be spared, fell into frustration, to which Count Palen told him: “Stop being childish, go reign!”

Already in the manifesto of March 12, 1801, the new emperor committed himself to governing the people " according to the laws and according to the heart of the late august grandmother of our Empress Catherine the Great" In decrees, as well as in private conversations, the emperor expressed the basic rule that would guide him: to actively introduce strict legality in place of personal arbitrariness. The Emperor more than once pointed out the main drawback that plagued the Russian state order. He called this shortcoming " the arbitrariness of our rule" To eliminate it, it was necessary to develop fundamental laws, which almost did not exist in Russia. It was in this direction that the transformative experiments of the first years were carried out.

Within a month, Alexander returned to service all those previously dismissed by Pavel, lifted the ban on the import of various goods and products into Russia (including books and musical notes), declared an amnesty for fugitives, restored noble elections, etc. On April 2, he restored the effect of the Charter of the nobility and cities, and liquidated the secret chancellery.

On June 5 (17), 1801, a Russian-English convention was signed in St. Petersburg, ending the interstate crisis, and on May 10, the Russian mission in Vienna was restored. On September 29 (October 11), 1801, a peace treaty was signed with France, and a secret convention was concluded on September 29 (October 11).

On September 15, 1801, in the Assumption Cathedral of Moscow, he was crowned Metropolitan of Moscow Platon (Levshin); The same coronation sequence was used as under Paul I, but the difference was that Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna “during her coronation she did not kneel before her husband, but stood up and accepted the crown on her head.”

Personality

The unusual character of Alexander I is especially interesting because he is one of the most important characters in the history of the 19th century. His entire policy was quite clear and thoughtful. An aristocrat and a liberal, at the same time mysterious and famous, he seemed to his contemporaries a mystery that everyone solves in his own way. Napoleon considered him an “inventive Byzantine”, a northern Talma, an actor who is capable of playing any significant role. It is even known that Alexander I was called the “Mysterious Sphinx” at court.

A tall, slender, handsome young man with blond hair and blue eyes. Fluent in three European languages. He had an excellent upbringing and brilliant education.

Another element of the character of Alexander I was formed on March 23, 1801, when he ascended the throne after the murder of his father: a mysterious melancholy, ready at any moment to turn into extravagant behavior. At the beginning, this character trait did not manifest itself in any way - young, emotional, impressionable, at the same time benevolent and selfish, Alexander decided from the very beginning to play great role on the world stage and with youthful zeal began to realize his political ideals. Temporarily leaving in office the old ministers who had overthrown Emperor Paul I, one of his first decrees appointed a so-called secret committee with the ironic name “Comité du salut public” (referring to the French revolutionary “Committee of Public Safety”), consisting of young and enthusiastic friends : Viktor Kochubey, Nikolay Novosiltsev, Pavel Stroganov and Adam Czartoryski. This committee was to develop a scheme for internal reforms. It is important to note that the liberal Mikhail Speransky became one of the closest advisers to the tsar and drew up many reform projects. Their goals, based on their admiration for English institutions, far exceeded the capabilities of the time and even after they were elevated to the ranks of ministers, only a small proportion of their programs were realized. Russia was not ready for freedom, and Alexander, a follower of the revolutionary-minded Laharpe, considered himself a “happy accident” on the throne of the kings. He spoke with regret about “the state of barbarity in which the country was found due to the serfdom.”

According to Metternich, Alexander I was an intelligent and insightful man, but “devoid of depth.” He quickly and passionately became interested in various ideas, but he also easily changed his hobbies. The researchers also note that since childhood, Alexander was accustomed to doing “what his grandmother Ekaterina and father Pavel liked.” “Alexander lived with two minds, had two ceremonial appearances, double manners, feelings and thoughts. He learned to please everyone - it was his innate talent, which ran like a red thread through his entire future life.”

Family

In 1793, Alexander married Louise Maria Augusta of Baden (who took the name Elizaveta Alekseevna in Orthodoxy) (1779-1826, daughter of Karl Ludwig of Baden). Both of their daughters died in early childhood:

Maria (1799-1800)

Elizabeth (1806-1808)

The paternity of both girls in the imperial family was considered doubtful - the first was considered born from Czartoryski; the father of the second was the cavalry guard headquarters captain Alexei Okhotnikov.

For 15 years, Alexander practically had a second family with Maria Naryshkina (nee Chetvertinskaya). She bore him two daughters and, according to some reports, even insisted that Alexander dissolve his marriage to Elizaveta Alekseevna and marry her. Researchers also note that from his youth Alexander had a close and very personal relationship with his sister Ekaterina Pavlovna. Historians with the most playful imagination count 11 of his illegitimate children.

Alexander was also the godfather of the future Queen Victoria (baptized Alexandrina Victoria in honor of the Tsar) and the architect Vitberg (baptized Alexander Lavrentievich), who created the unrealized project of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The last years of the reign of Alexander I

Alexander claimed that under Paul “three thousand peasants were distributed like a bag of diamonds. If civilization were more developed, I would end serfdom, even if it cost me my head.” While addressing the issue of widespread corruption, he was left without people loyal to him, and filling government positions with Germans and other foreigners only led to greater resistance to his reforms from the “old Russians.” Thus, the reign of Alexander, begun with a great opportunity for improvement, ended with the heavier chains on the necks of the Russian people. This happened to a lesser extent due to the corruption and conservatism of Russian life and to a greater extent due to the personal qualities of the tsar. His love of freedom, despite its warmth, was not based in reality. He flattered himself, presenting himself to the world as a benefactor, but his theoretical liberalism was associated with an aristocratic willfulness that did not tolerate objections. “You always want to teach me! - he objected to Derzhavin, the Minister of Justice, “but I am an emperor, and I want this and nothing else!” “He was ready to agree,” wrote Prince Czartoryski, “that everyone could be free if they freely did what he wanted.”

Moreover, this patronizing temperament was combined with the habit of weak characters of seizing every opportunity to delay the application of the principles which he publicly supported. Under Alexander I, Freemasonry became almost government organization(at that time the largest Masonic lodge of the Russian Empire, “Pont Euxine”, which the emperor himself visited in 1820, was located in Odessa), but was prohibited by a special imperial decree in 1822. The Tsar himself, before his passion for Orthodoxy, patronized the Freemasons and in his views was more of a republican than the radical liberals of Western Europe.

In the last years of the reign of Alexander I, A. A. Arakcheev acquired special influence in the country. A manifestation of conservatism in Alexander's policy was the establishment of military settlements in 1815. At one time, mystically minded persons, in particular Baroness Kridener, had a great influence on him.

On August 16, 1823, Alexander ordered the drawing up of a secret manifesto, in which he accepted the abdication of his brother Constantine from the throne and recognized his younger brother, Nicholas, as the legal heir. The last year of Alexander's life was overshadowed by the death of his only undisputed child, his 16-year-old illegitimate daughter Sophia.

Death

Emperor Alexander died on December 1, 1825 in Taganrog, in the house of Papkov, of a fever with inflammation of the brain at the age of 47. A. Pushkin wrote an epitaph: “ He spent his entire life on the road, caught a cold and died in Taganrog" In the house where the sovereign died, the first in Russia was organized memorial museum named after him, which existed until 1925.

The sudden death of the emperor gave rise to a lot of rumors among the people (N.K. Schilder, in his biography of the emperor, cites 51 opinions that arose within a few weeks after Alexander’s death). One of the rumors reported that " the sovereign fled in hiding to Kiev, there he will live in Christ with his soul and begin to give advice that the current sovereign Nikolai Pavlovich needs for better governance of the state».

Later, in the 30-40s of the 19th century, a legend appeared that Alexander, allegedly tormented by remorse (as an accomplice in the murder of his father), staged his death far from the capital and began a wandering, hermit’s life under the name of Elder Fyodor Kuzmich (died January 20 (February 1) 1864 in Tomsk ). This legend appeared during the life of the Siberian elder and became widespread in the second half of the 19th century.

In the 20th century, unreliable evidence appeared that during the opening of the tomb of Alexander I in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, carried out in 1921, it was discovered that it was empty. Also in the Russian emigrant press in the 1920s, a story by I. I. Balinsky appeared about the story of the opening of the tomb of Alexander I in 1864, which turned out to be empty. The body of a long-bearded old man was allegedly placed in it in the presence of Emperor Alexander II and the Minister of the Court Adlerberg.

The question of the identity of Fyodor Kuzmich and Emperor Alexander has not been clearly defined by historians. Only a genetic examination could definitively answer the question of whether Elder Theodore had any relation to Emperor Alexander, the possibility of which is not ruled out by specialists from the Russian Center for Forensic Expertise. Archbishop Rostislav of Tomsk spoke about the possibility of conducting such an examination (the relics of the Siberian elder are kept in his diocese).

In the middle of the 19th century, similar legends appeared regarding Alexander’s wife, Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna, who died after her husband in 1826. She began to be identified with the recluse of the Syrkov Monastery, Vera the Silent, who first appeared in 1834 in the vicinity of Tikhvin.

Conclusion

The life and death of Alexander I is truly a dramatic page in Russian history; also in to a greater extent- this is the drama of a living human personality, forced to combine, it seems, such incompatible principles as “power” and “humanity”.

He was one of the first to talk about the importance of limiting autocratic power, introducing a Duma and a constitution. With him, voices began to sound louder and louder calling to cancel serfdom, and a lot of work has been done in this regard. During the reign of Alexander I, Russia was able to successfully defend itself against external enemy, which conquered all of Europe. The Patriotic War of 1812 became the personification of the unity of the Russian people in the face of external danger.

None of the major state undertakings of Alexander I can be considered, on the one hand, outside of his desire to justify his accession to the throne, “to bring happiness to people,” and on the other hand, outside of the constant feeling of fear for his life, which he could pay if his policies would come into conflict with the powerful conservative nobility.

Literature

Alexander I//Russian biographical dictionary: in 25 volumes. - St. Petersburg-M., 1896-1918.

Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich."Emperor Alexander I: Experience of historical research." - Pg., 1915.

N. K. Schilder. Emperor Alexander the First. His life and reign. - In 4 volumes: volume 1 - before accession to the throne. v.2 - 1801-1810. vol.3 - 1810-1816. v.4 - 1816-1825. - St. Petersburg: “New Time” by A. S. Suvorin, 1897.

Valishevsky K.. Alexander I. History of the reign. In 3 volumes - St. Petersburg: “Vita Nova”, 2011. - vol. 1 - p. 480. -ISBN 978-5-93898-318-2- vol. 2 - p. 480. -ISBN 978-5-93898-320-5- vol. 3 - p. 496 -ISBN 978-5-93898-321-2- Series: Biography

http://www.seaofhistory.ru/shists-331-1.html

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%80_I

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D1%91%D0%B4%D0%BE%D1%80_%D0%9A%D1%83%D0%B7%D1%8C%D0 %BC%D0%B8%D1%87

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9B%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BF,_%D0%A4%D1%80%D0%B5 %D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BA_%D0%A1%D0%B5%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%80

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BE%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%BC

Russian Emperor Alexander I Pavlovich was born on December 25 (12 according to the old style) December 1777. He was the first-born son of Emperor Paul I (1754-1801) and Empress Maria Feodorovna (1759-1828).

Immediately after his birth, Alexander was taken from his parents by his grandmother, Empress Catherine II, who intended to raise the baby as an ideal sovereign. On the recommendation of the philosopher Denis Diderot, the Swiss Frederic Laharpe, a republican by conviction, was invited to become a teacher.

Grand Duke Alexander grew up with faith in the ideals of the Enlightenment, sympathized with the Great french revolution and critically assessed the system of Russian autocracy.

Alexander's critical attitude towards the policies of Paul I contributed to his involvement in the conspiracy against his father, but on the conditions that the conspirators would save the life of the king and would only seek his abdication. Violent death Paul on March 23 (11 old style), 1801, seriously influenced Alexander - he felt a sense of guilt for the death of his father until the end of his days.

In the first days after ascending the throne in March 1801, Alexander I created the Permanent Council - a legislative advisory body under the sovereign, which had the right to protest the actions and decrees of the tsar. But due to inconsistencies among members, none of his projects were made public.

Alexander I carried out a number of reforms: merchants, townspeople and state-owned (related to the state) villagers were given the right to buy uninhabited lands (1801), ministries and a cabinet of ministers were established (1802), a decree was issued on free cultivators (1803), which created the category personally free peasants.

In 1822 Alexander Masonic lodges and others secret societies.

Emperor Alexander I died on December 2 (November 19, old style) 1825 from typhoid fever in Taganrog, where he accompanied his wife, Empress Elizabeth Alekseevna, for treatment.

The emperor often told his loved ones about his intention to abdicate the throne and “remove the world,” which gave rise to the legend about the elder Fyodor Kuzmich, according to which Alexander’s double died and was buried in Taganrog, while the king lived as an old hermit in Siberia and died in 1864

Alexander I was married to the German princess Louise-Maria-August of Baden-Baden (1779-1826), who adopted the name Elizabeth Alekseevna upon converting to Orthodoxy. From this marriage two daughters were born who died in infancy.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

At the beginning of his reign, Alexander I tried to carry out a number of reforms that were supposed to stabilize the economic and political situation in the country. In his reform activities, he relied on the so-called. A secret committee that included statesmen moderate liberal sentiments (Stroganov, Kochubey, Czartoryski, Novosiltsev).

The most serious reforms were in the area political system. In 1802, new central governing bodies appeared - ministries, which, together with local institutions introduced by the provincial reform of 1775, formed a single, strictly centralized bureaucratic system of governing Russia. In the same year a place was determined Senate in this system as a supervisory body - again, purely bureaucratic - over compliance with the law. Such transformations made it easier for the autocratic authorities to govern the country, but did not introduce anything fundamentally new into the state system. In the socio-economic sphere, Alexander I made several timid attempts to soften serfdom. Decree of 1803 on free cultivators the landowner was given the opportunity to free his peasants with land for a ransom. It was assumed that thanks to this decree a new class of personally free peasants would arise; the landowners will receive funds to reorganize their economy in a new, bourgeois way. However, the landowners were not interested in this possibility - the decree, which was non-binding, had practically no consequences.

After the Peace of Tilsit (1807), the tsar again raised the question of reforms. In 1808 - 1809 MM. Speransky, Alexander I’s closest collaborator, developed the “Plan state transformation", according to which, in parallel with the administrative-bureaucratic management system that implements the policy of the center, it was planned to create a system of elected bodies local government- a kind of pyramid of volost, district (county) and provincial councils. The State Duma, the highest legislative body of the country, was supposed to crown this pyramid. Speransky's plan, which provided for the introduction of a constitutional system in Russia, caused sharp criticism from senior dignitaries and metropolitan nobility. Due to the opposition of conservative dignitaries, it was possible to establish only State Council- prototype of the upper house of the Duma (1810). Despite the fact that the project was created in accordance with the instructions of the king himself, it was never implemented. Speransky was sent into exile in 1812.

The Patriotic War and foreign campaigns distracted Alexander I from internal political problems for a long time. During these years, the king experiences a serious spiritual crisis, becomes a mystic and, in fact, refuses to solve pressing problems. Last decade his reign went down in history as Arakcheevism- named after the Tsar’s main confidant A. A. Arakcheev, a strong-willed, energetic and merciless person. This time is characterized by the desire to establish bureaucratic order in all spheres of Russian life. Its most striking signs were the pogroms of young Russian universities - Kazan, Kharkov, St. Petersburg, from which professors objectionable to the government were expelled, and military settlements- an attempt to make part of the army self-sustaining by planting it on the ground, combining soldier and farmer in one person. This experiment was extremely unsuccessful and caused powerful uprisings of military settlers, which were mercilessly suppressed by the government.

Reign of Alexander 1 (1801-1825)

By 1801, dissatisfaction with Paul 1 began to go off scale. Moreover, it was not ordinary citizens who were dissatisfied with him, but his sons, in particular Alexander, some generals and the elite. The reason for the dissatisfaction is the rejection of the policy of Catherine 2 and the deprivation of the nobility of a leading role and some privileges. The English ambassador supported them in this, since Paul 1 broke off all diplomatic relations with the British after their betrayal. On the night of March 11-12, 1801, the conspirators, under the leadership of General Palen, broke into Paul's chambers and killed him.

The Emperor's First Steps

The reign of Alexander 1 actually began on March 12, 1801, based on a coup carried out by the elite. In the early years, the emperor was a supporter of liberal reforms, as well as the idea of ​​the Republic. Therefore, from the first years of his reign he had to face difficulties. He had like-minded people who supported the views of liberal reforms, but the bulk of the nobility spoke from a position of conservatism, so two camps formed in Russia. Subsequently, the conservatives won, and Alexander himself, by the end of his reign, changed his liberal views to conservative ones.

To implement the vision, Alexander created a “secret committee”, which included his associates. It was an unofficial body, but it was the one that dealt with initial projects refr.

Internal government of the country

Alexander's domestic policy differed little from that of his predecessors. He also believed that serfs should not have any rights. The discontent of the peasants was very strong, so Emperor Alexander 1 was forced to sign a decree banning the sale of serfs (this decree was easily dispensed with by the landowners) and in the year the decree “On Sculpted Plowmen” was signed. According to this decree, the landowner was allowed to provide freedom and land to the peasants if they could buy themselves out. This decree was more formal, since the peasants were poor and could not redeem themselves from the landowner. During the reign of Alexander 1, 0.5% of peasants throughout the country received 1 manumission.

The emperor changed the system of government of the country. He dissolved the collegiums that had been appointed by Peter the Great and organized ministries in their place. Each ministry was headed by a minister who reported directly to the emperor. During the reign of Alexandra, she underwent changes and judicial system Russia. The Senate was declared the highest judicial body. In 1810, Emperor Alexander 1 announced the creation of the State Council, which became the highest governing body of the country. System political system, which was proposed by Emperor Alexander 1, existed with minor changes until the very moment of the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917.

Population of Russia

During the reign of Alexander the First in Russia there were 3 large classes of inhabitants:

• Privileged. Nobles, clergy, merchants, honorary citizens.
• Semi-privileged. "Odnodvortsy" and Cossacks.
• Taxable. Bourgeois and peasants.

At the same time, the population of Russia increased and by the beginning of the reign of Alexander (early 19th century) it amounted to 40 million people. For comparison, at the beginning of the 18th century, the population of Russia was 15.5 million people.

Relations with other countries

Alexander's foreign policy was not distinguished by prudence. The Emperor believed in the need for an alliance against Napoleon and as a result, in 1805 a campaign was launched against France, in alliance with England and Austria, and in 1806-1807. in alliance with England and Prussia. The British did not fight. These campaigns did not bring success, and in 1807 the Peace of Tilsit was signed. Napoleon did not demand any concessions from Russia; he sought an alliance with Alexander, but Emperor Alexander 1, loyal to the British, did not want to make a rapprochement. As a result, this peace became only a truce. And in June 1812, the Patriotic War began between Russia and France. Thanks to the genius of Kutuzov and the fact that the entire Russian people rose up against the invaders, already in 1812 the French were defeated and expelled from Russia. Fulfilling his allied duty, Emperor Alexander 1 gave the order to pursue Napoleon's troops. The foreign campaign of the Russian army continued until 1814. This campaign did not bring much success for Russia.

Emperor Alexander 1 lost his vigilance after the war. He had absolutely no control over foreign organizations, which began to supply Russian revolutionaries with money in large quantities. As a result, a boom began in the country revolutionary movements aimed at overthrowing the emperor. All this resulted in the Decembrist uprising on December 14, 1825. The uprising was subsequently suppressed, but a dangerous precedent was created in the country, and most of the participants in the uprising fled from justice.

results

The reign of Alexander 1 was not glorious for Russia. The Emperor bowed to England and did almost everything he was asked to do in London. He got involved in the anti-French coalition, pursuing the interests of the British; Napoleon at that time did not think about a campaign against Russia. The result of this policy was terrible: the devastating war of 1812 and the powerful uprising of 1825.

Emperor Alexander 1 died in 1825, losing the throne to his brother, Nicholas 1.

Alexander (Blessed) I – Emperor of the Russian Empire, who reigned from 1801 to 1825. The autocrat tried to maneuver between France and Great Britain and expanded the territory of his state. His domestic and foreign policies were aimed at improving government controlled and gaining international prestige.

The reign of Alexander 1 became important stage our history. Russia under Alexander emerged victorious from the war with Napoleon and underwent a number of serious changes.

In contact with

Early years and beginning of reign

Was born future king December 23, 1777 and was named Alexander by his grandmother - in honor of the hero and famous Prince Alexander Nevsky. His teachers were Nikolai Saltykov and Frederic Cesar. Huge influence on the formation of the personality of the future ruler provided by his grandmother. He spent his entire childhood with Catherine II - away from his parents.

Alexander ascended the throne immediately after killing his father. The conspirators, among whom were diplomat Nikita Panin, General Nikolai Zubov and his closest associate Peter Palen, were dissatisfied with his unpredictable decisions in foreign and domestic policy. Historians still do not know whether the future emperor knew about the murder of his father.

March 24, 1801 Alexander becomes emperor- a few hours after the overthrow of Paul I. Upon his accession to the throne, the emperor pardoned thousands of people who were convicted at the whim of his father.

The Russian Tsar also wanted to quickly improve relations with Great Britain and Austria, which had suffered seriously under the previous ruler, who acted impulsively and unwisely. Six months later, the young emperor restored the former allied relations and even signed a peace treaty with the French.

Domestic policy

Peculiarities domestic policy king in many ways caused by his associates. Even before ascending the throne, he surrounded himself with smart and talented people, among whom were Count Kochubey, Count Stroganov, Count Novosiltsev and Prince Czartoryski. With their help, the emperor wanted transform the state, for which the Secret Committee was created.

Secret committee - government agency, which was unofficial and existed from 1801 to 1803.

The main directions of the domestic policy of the Russian sovereign were to carry out the so-called liberal reforms, which were supposed to turn Russia to a new country. Under his leadership the following were carried out:

• reform of central government bodies;
• financial reform;
• education reform.

In addition to the above reforms, it was planned to eliminate the estates, but this did not happen due to lack of support in higher circles.

Attention! Alexander planned by issuing decrees that reduced injustice against serfs.

If you are asked: “Give me overall rating internal policy of Alexander 1,” we can answer that at first he took all the necessary steps that would turned an empire V modern state European standards. The main achievements of the tsar were reforms in the field of education and the creation of centralized government bodies, including important role played Unspoken committee. Attempts to abolish serfdom should also be considered positive.

However, internal activities in the second half of the reign cause negative assessments among historians. Under Alexander 1, taxes were significantly increased and military reform was carried out, which caused even more sharp reaction in the empire.

Thus, we can highlight the following features of the internal policy of Alexander I:

• liberal reforms on initial stages boards that had a positive effect in the process of development of the Russian Empire;
• the desire to create a state according to European standards;
• a number of unsuccessful reforms in the financial and military spheres;
• cooling towards any kind of reforms in the second half of the reign;
• complete renunciation of government at the end of life.

Foreign policy

In the first years of the reign, vector foreign policy Alexandra 1 was sent to eliminate the threat from Napoleon's side. In 1805, our country became a member of the Third Anti-French Coalition, which also included Great Britain, Austria, the Kingdom of Naples and Sweden.

The Tsar personally led the Russian army. His mismanagement and lack of military experience led to defeat of the united army Austrians and Russians at the Battle of Austerlitz. This battle went down in history as the “Battle of Three Emperors.” Napoleon inflicted a crushing defeat on his opponents and forced the Russian army to leave Austria.

In 1806, Prussia declared war on France, after which Alexander violated the terms of the peace treaty and also sent an army against Napoleon. In 1807 french emperor defeats opponents, and Alexander is forced to negotiate.

After his defeat in 1807, Alexander was forced, under pressure from Napoleon, to declare war on Sweden. Without official statement about the beginning of hostilities Russian army crosses the Swedish border.

The beginning of the war for Alexander was disastrous, but during the fighting a radical change occurred, which led to the victory of the Russian Empire in 1809. As a result of the agreement, the Swedes joined the continental blockade against the British, entered into an alliance with the Russian Empire and ceded Finland to that country.

In 1812, Napoleon invades Russia. Alexander 1 announces about the beginning Patriotic War . During the fighting and under the influence of severe frosts, Napoleon suffered a crushing defeat, losing most of his army.

After Napoleon's flight, the emperor takes part in the attack on France. In 1814 he entered Paris as a victor. During this time, Alexander I represented the interests of Russia.

results

The foreign policy of Alexander 1 can be briefly formulated in one phrase - the desire for geographical expansion of the empire's space. During the years of his reign, the following territories were included in the state:

• Western and Eastern Georgia;
• Finland;
• Imereti (Georgia);
• Mingrelia (Georgia);
• most of the territory of Poland;
• Bessarabia.

In general, the results of the tsar’s international actions were positive value For further development the role of the Russian state in the international arena.

Last stage of life

In his last years the emperor lost all interest To state affairs. His indifference was so deep that he repeatedly said that he was ready to abdicate the throne.

Shortly before his death, he issues a secret manifesto, in which he transfers the right to inherit the throne to his younger brother Nikolai. Alexander I dies in 1825 in Taganrog. His death raised a lot of questions.

At the age of 47, the Emperor was practically not ill, and such imminent death no one wanted to admit it was natural.

Attention! There is an opinion that the emperor faked his death and became a hermit.

Results of the reign

During the first period of his reign the emperor was energetic and wanted to carry out a wide series of reforms that would change Russian Empire. His policy was initially characterized by activity. Changes in the government and educational spheres have been successful. Financial reform saved the country from crisis, but caused discontent, however, like the military one. Russia under Alexander 1 was not freed from serfdom, although the emperor understood that this step was already inevitable.

Foreign and domestic policy

Conclusion on the topic

The results of Alexander I's foreign policy were great importance for the future of the country, since the territory of the empire was expanded and authority was gained in the international arena. The achievements of the beginning of the reign were largely negated in the last years of the emperor's life. His indifference led to growing crisis, prompted the Decembrist movement and caused the creation of secret societies. After his death the emperor becomes younger brother Nikolai, subsequently named .