In our article we will draw a political and historical portrait of Alexander 1, briefly, of course. The activities of the emperor of Russia are rich in various facts, for the full coverage of which it will take more than a dozen pages.
Early ideas
Alexander Pavlovich was born on December 12, 1777. The upbringing of the heir to the throne was carried out by his grandmother Catherine II. She believed that she could raise an ideal emperor for Russia. The young man's teacher was a Swiss named La Harpe. The Empress loved and spoiled her grandson. She married him early, at the age of 16. And his wife, the Countess of Baden, was only 14. Despite their young age, they lived together, although the two children that Elizabeth gave birth to (before Louise was baptized) died in infancy.
Bug fixes
The political portrait of Alexander 1 will be complete, if not to mention that in his youth he hoped to create a humane society. He was close to the idea of abandoning autocracy. He saw nothing wrong with the French Revolution. His father died during the palace coup of 1801. Alexander was only 24years, but he already clearly saw the mistakes that must be avoided so that he would not suffer the same sad fate.
Starting activities
Therefore, having ascended the throne, he first of all returned the privileges to the nobility that Paul I had canceled. Namely: he allowed them to travel abroad, granted amnesty to the repressed, lifted the ban on foreign literature in Russia. The portrait of Emperor Alexander 1 is supplemented by information that he cared not only for the nobility, but also for ordinary people, peasants. In 1803, he issued a decree according to which a peasant could become a free man if he paid a ransom to his master. Of course, if the landowner had been against this, then the deal would not have taken place, but the serf had a certain chance to get freedom. This law was called the "Decree on free cultivators." During the reign of Alexander I, other schemes were developed, according to which a peasant could become a free man, but they were not implemented. However, already at that time, ordinary people who were given freedom could have their own property.
No autocracy
During the reign of Alexander I, a reform of public administration was carried out. After it, the decrees of the emperor could be canceled by a specially created body, which was called the Indispensable Council. This body was legislative. It included young people who surrounded the emperor from his youth. Many of their ideas were never put into practice. When Alexander I ascended the throne, he began to think about how to keep his power. And henoted that the reforms proposed by the Indispensable Council could lead to the fact that he would lose it under pressure from the upper class, whose members did not like them. The chief member of the council was Mikhail Speransky. But the cautious emperor was forced to remove him from his post and send him into exile. As if emphasizing that he did not agree with his ideas, including the equalization of the rights of nobles, peasants, burghers, workers and servants, the transformation of legislative and executive power.
Perfect is the enemy of good
However, some progressive ideas have been brought to life. For example, the Cabinet of Ministers became an administrative body. It was formed after all colleges were replaced by ministries. At the same time, the nobles' monopoly on land ownership was crumbling. Now merchants and philistines could acquire land as property. On their plots, they were engaged in economic activities using hired labor. After Speransky, Arakcheev became an important person in the state. With his help, Alexander I began to implement the idea of creating military settlements. He dreamed of saving the state from the need to maintain an army. And in these settlements there would be people who were engaged in agriculture and fed and clothed themselves. However, the experience was not entirely successful. People protested against being military and farmers at the same time. The uprisings were harshly suppressed by Arakcheev. No matter how the people opposed innovations, but by 1857, when the settlements were abolished, there were 800 thousand soldiers in them.
Need to learn
It is necessary to add some more bright colors to the historical portrait of Alexander 1. It's about education reform. Being himself a highly educated person, the emperor understood that the more literate people in Russia, the better for the country. Therefore, during the years of his reign, many gymnasiums and schools were opened. Also, 5 universities were opened. Russia was divided into educational districts, each with its own university.
Our victory
The political portrait of Alexander 1 will be incomplete, if not to say that it was during his reign, in 1812, that the war with France began. Under the leadership of the emperor, our country was able to defeat Napoleon and defend its borders. But the enemy was strong and was able to conquer all of Europe. Few people know that Napoleon asked for the hand of the sister of Alexander I - Anna Pavlovna, but he was refused.
Another interesting fact is that Russia and France were originally allies. But they could not agree on who would own some of the land.
End of life
The story of his death adds dark colors to the portrait of Alexander 1. He died in Taganrog. According to one version, from typhoid fever, according to another - from inflammation of the brain. This happened in 1825. He was only 48 years old. This death was so ridiculous that the people came up with their own version. In accordance with it, the emperor did not die, but went into the people and lived as a hermit until old age.
About the pastat times, a coin with a portrait of Alexander 1 may remind you, although during his lifetime he forbade the minting of his profile. But in the 19th century, several such coins were still issued. A total of 30 pieces were minted. Today, one such coin, which depicts a portrait of Alexander 1, costs about 2 million rubles.
Successor
To whom did power pass after the death of Alexander I? He wanted his brother Constantine to become emperor after his death, but he abdicated. Therefore, in 1923, Alexander wrote a secret manifesto on the appointment of his second brother, Nicholas, as emperor. But since no one knew about this, the guards and Nicholas swore allegiance to Constantine, which meant the appointment of the latter as emperor. However, a secret society of the Decembrists prepared an uprising in order to try to overthrow Nicholas, who allegedly illegally took the throne. At the same time, they wanted to abolish serfdom and kill the tsar, putting an end to autocracy once and for all. However, they did not succeed. And Nicholas I ascended the throne. But that's another story…
