Russian Empire Alexander part 1. Russian Empire during the reign of Alexander I

Two films about Alexander I from Leonid Parfenov's project "Russian Empire".

Alexander I, part 1. The accession to the throne is “a wonderful beginning to the days of Alexander.” Russia's participation in anti-Napoleonic coalitions; Battle of Austerlitz; Tilsit world. War with Sweden, annexation of Finland to Russia. Speransky - “the sun of the Russian bureaucracy.” Porto-franco regime in Odessa. The rise of the Russian-American Company - Russian settlements in Alaska and California.

Alexander I, part 2. Patriotic War of 1812. The Battle of Borodino, the surrender of Moscow, the first partisans, crossing the Berezina, the expulsion of Napoleon from Russia. The foreign campaign of the Russian army, the defeat of Napoleon, the capture of Paris and the occupation of France. Holy Alliance of Monarchs. Activities of Arakcheev and military settlements. Kingdom of Poland. The beginning of the Caucasian War - the longest in the history of the empire. The village of Yarag is the capital of Gazavat. New style of the empire - Russian Empire. Crisis of the reign, illness and death of Alexander I; legend about elder Fyodor Kuzmich.

Curriculum Vitae

Alexander I (1777-1825), Russian Emperor from 1801. Eldest son of Russian Emperor Paul I.

At the beginning of his reign, Alexander I carried out moderate liberal reforms developed by the Secret Committee and M. M. Speransky. In foreign policy he maneuvered between Great Britain and France. In 1805-07 he participated in anti-French coalitions. In 1807-12 he temporarily became close to France. He fought successful wars with Turkey (1806-12) and Sweden (1808-09). Under Alexander I, the territories of Eastern Georgia (1801), Finland (1809), Bessarabia (1812), Azerbaijan (1813), and the former Duchy of Warsaw (1815) were annexed to Russia. After the Patriotic War of 1812, he led the anti-French coalition of European powers in 1813-14. He was one of the leaders of the Congress of Vienna 1814-15 and the organizers of the Holy Alliance.

Watch all episodes

Emperor Alexander I Pavlovich, sometimes mistakenly called Tsar Alexander I, ascended the throne in 1801 and ruled for almost a quarter of a century. Russia under Alexander I fought successful wars against Turkey, Persia and Sweden, and was later drawn into the War of 1812 when Napoleon attacked the country. During the reign of Alexander I, the territory expanded due to the annexation of Eastern Georgia, Finland, Bessarabia and part of Poland. For all the transformations introduced by Alexander I, he was called Alexander the Blessed.

Power today

The biography of Alexander I was initially supposed to be outstanding. Not only was he the eldest son of the emperor and his wife Maria Feodorovna, but his grandmother doted on her grandson. It was she who gave the boy a sonorous name in honor and, in the hope that Alexander would create history following the example of his legendary namesakes. It is worth noting that the name itself was unusual for the Romanovs, and only after the reign of Alexander I it firmly entered the family nomenclature.

Arguments and Facts

The personality of Alexander I was formed under the tireless supervision of Catherine the Great. The fact is that the empress initially considered the son of Paul I incapable of taking the throne and wanted to crown her grandson “over the head” of his father. The grandmother tried to ensure that the boy had almost no contact with his parents, however, Pavel had influence on his son and he adopted from him a love for military science. The young heir grew up affectionate, smart, easily absorbed new knowledge, but at the same time he was very lazy and proud, which is why Alexander I was unable to learn to concentrate on painstaking and lengthy work.

Wikiwand

Contemporaries of Alexander I noted that he had a very lively mind, incredible insight and was easily attracted to everything new. But since he was actively influenced from childhood by two opposing natures, his grandmother and his father, the child was forced to learn to please absolutely everyone, which became the main characteristic of Alexander I. Even Napoleon called him an “actor” in a good sense, and Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin wrote about Emperor Alexander “in the face and life of a harlequin.”

Runiverse

Passionate about military affairs, the future Emperor Alexander I served in the Gatchina troops, which his father personally formed. The service resulted in deafness in the left ear, but this did not prevent Paul I from promoting his son to colonel of the guard when he was only 19 years old. A year later, the ruler’s son became the military governor of St. Petersburg and headed the Semenovsky Guards Regiment, then Alexander I briefly presided over the military parliament, after which he began to sit in the Senate.

Reign of Alexander I

Emperor Alexander I ascended the throne immediately after the violent death of his father. A number of facts confirm that he was aware of the plans of the conspirators to overthrow Paul I, although he may not have suspected the regicide. It was the new head of the Russian Empire who announced the “apoplectic stroke” that struck his father, literally a few minutes after his death. In September 1801, Alexander I was crowned.

Ascension of Emperor Alexander to the throne | Runiverse

The very first decrees of Alexander I showed that he intended to eradicate judicial arbitrariness in the state and introduce strict legality. Today it seems incredible, but at that time there were practically no strict fundamental laws in Russia. Together with his closest associates, the emperor formed a secret committee with which he discussed all plans for state transformation. This community was called the Committee of Public Safety, and is also known as the Social Movement of Alexander I.

Reforms of Alexander I

Immediately after Alexander I came to power, the transformations became visible to the naked eye. His reign is usually divided into two parts: at first, the reforms of Alexander I occupied all his time and thoughts, but after 1815, the emperor became disillusioned with them and began a reactionary movement, that is, on the contrary, he squeezed people in a vice. One of the most important reforms was the creation of the “Indispensable Council”, which was later transformed into the State Council with several departments. The next step is the creation of ministries. If previously decisions on any issues were made by a majority vote, now a separate minister was responsible for each industry, who regularly reported to the head of state.

Reformer Alexander I | Russian history

The reforms of Alexander I also affected the peasant issue, at least on paper. The emperor thought about abolishing serfdom, but wanted to do it gradually, and could not determine the steps of such a slow liberation. As a result, the decrees of Alexander I on “free cultivators” and the ban on selling peasants without the land on which they live turned out to be a drop in the ocean. But Alexander’s transformations in the field of education became more significant. By his order, a clear gradation of educational institutions was created according to the level of the educational program: parish and district schools, provincial schools and gymnasiums, universities. Thanks to the activities of Alexander I, the Academy of Sciences was restored in St. Petersburg, the famous Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum was created and five new universities were founded.

Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum founded by Emperor Alexander I | All-Russian Museum of A.S. Pushkin

But the sovereign’s naive plans for the rapid transformation of the country encountered opposition from the nobles. He could not quickly implement his reforms for fear of a palace coup, plus the wars occupied the attention of Alexander 1. Therefore, despite good intentions and the desire to carry out reforms, the emperor was unable to realize all his desires. In fact, besides educational and government reform, the only thing of interest is the Constitution of Poland, which the ruler’s associates considered as a prototype for the future Constitution of the entire Russian Empire. But the turn of Alexander I’s domestic policy towards reaction buried all the hopes of the liberal nobility.

Politics of Alexander I

The starting point for a change of opinion about the need for reform was the war with Napoleon. The Emperor realized that in the conditions that he wanted to create, rapid mobilization of the army was impossible. Therefore, Emperor Alexander 1 shifted his policy from liberal ideas to the interests of state security. A new reform is being developed, which has proven to be the most successful: military reforms.

Portrait of Alexander I | Runiverse

With the help of the Minister of War, a project for a completely new type of life is being created - a military settlement, which represented a new class. Without particularly burdening the country's budget, it was intended to maintain and staff a standing army at wartime levels. The growth in the number of such military districts continued throughout the years of the reign of Alexander I. Moreover, they were preserved under his successor Nicholas I and were abolished only by the emperor.

Wars of Alexander I

In fact, the foreign policy of Alexander I boiled down to a series of constant wars, thanks to which the territory of the country increased significantly. After the end of the war with Persia, Alexander I's Russia gained military control of the Caspian Sea, and also expanded its possessions by annexing Georgia. After the Russian-Turkish War, the Empire's possessions were replenished by Bessarabia and all the states of Transcaucasia, and after the conflict with Sweden - by Finland. In addition, Alexander I fought with England, Austria and started the Caucasian War, which did not end during his lifetime.

Russia's main military adversary under Emperor Alexander I was France. Their first armed conflict occurred back in 1805, which, despite periodic peace agreements, constantly flared up again. Finally, inspired by his fantastic victories, Napoleon Bonaparte sent troops into Russian territory. The Patriotic War of 1812 began. After the victory, Alexander I entered into an alliance with England, Prussia and Austria and made a series of foreign campaigns, during which he defeated Napoleon’s army and forced him to abdicate the throne. After this, the Kingdom of Poland also went to Russia.

When the French army found itself on the territory of the Russian Empire, Alexander I declared himself commander-in-chief and forbade peace negotiations until at least one enemy soldier remained on Russian soil. But the numerical advantage of Napoleon's army was so great that Russian troops constantly retreated deeper into the country. Soon the emperor agrees that his presence is disturbing the military leaders, and leaves for St. Petersburg. Mikhail Kutuzov, who was highly respected by soldiers and officers, became the commander-in-chief, but most importantly, this man had already proven himself to be an excellent strategist.

Painting "Kutuzov on the Borodino Field", 1952. Artist S. Gerasimov | Mind mapping

And in the Patriotic War of 1812, Kutuzov again showed his keen mind as a military tactician. He planned a decisive battle near the village of Borodino and positioned the army so well that it was covered by natural terrain on both flanks, and the commander-in-chief placed artillery in the center. The battle was desperate and bloody, with huge losses on both sides. The Battle of Borodino is considered a historical paradox: both armies declared victory in the battle.

Painting "Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow", 1851. Artist Adolph Northern | Chrontime

To keep his troops in combat readiness, Mikhail Kutuzov decides to leave Moscow. The result was the burning of the former capital and its occupation by the French, but Napoleon's victory in this case turned out to be Pirova. In order to feed his army, he was forced to move to Kaluga, where Kutuzov had already concentrated his forces and did not allow the enemy to go further. Moreover, partisan detachments delivered effective blows to the invaders. Deprived of food and unprepared for the Russian winter, the French began to retreat. The final battle near the Berezina River put an end to the defeat, and Alexander I issued a Manifesto on the victorious end of the Patriotic War.

Personal life

In his youth, Alexander was very friendly with his sister Ekaterina Pavlovna. Some sources even hinted at a relationship closer than just brotherly and sisterly. But these speculations are very unlikely, since Catherine was 11 years younger, and at the age of 16, Alexander I had already connected his personal life with his wife. He married a German woman, Louise Maria Augusta, who, after converting to Orthodoxy, became Elizaveta Alekseevna. They had two daughters, Maria and Elizabeth, but both died at the age of one, so it was not the children of Alexander I who became the heir to the throne, but his younger brother Nicholas I.

TVNZ

Due to the fact that his wife was unable to give him a son, the relationship between the emperor and his wife cooled greatly. He practically did not hide his love affairs on the side. At first, Alexander I cohabited for almost 15 years with Maria Naryshkina, the wife of Chief Jägermeister Dmitry Naryshkin, whom all the courtiers called “an exemplary cuckold” to his face. Maria gave birth to six children, and the paternity of five of them is usually attributed to Alexander. However, most of these children died in infancy. Alexander I also had an affair with the daughter of the court banker Sophie Velho and with Sofia Vsevolozhskaya, who gave birth to an illegitimate son from him, Nikolai Lukash, a general and war hero.

Wikipedia

In 1812, Alexander I became interested in reading the Bible, although before that he was basically indifferent to religion. But he, like his best friend Alexander Golitsyn, was not satisfied with the framework of Orthodoxy alone. The emperor was in correspondence with Protestant preachers, studied mysticism and various movements of the Christian faith and sought to unite all faiths in the name of “universal truth.” Russia under Alexander I became more tolerant than ever before. The official church was outraged by this turn and began a secret behind-the-scenes struggle against like-minded people of the emperor, including Golitsyn. Victory remained with the church, which did not want to lose power over the people.

Emperor Alexander I died in early December 1825 in Taganrog, during another trip that he loved very much. The official cause of death of Alexander I was fever and inflammation of the brain. The sudden death of the ruler caused a wave of rumors, spurred by the fact that shortly before, Emperor Alexander drew up a manifesto in which he transferred the right of succession to the throne to his younger brother Nikolai Pavlovich.

Death of Emperor Alexander I | Russian Historical Library

People began to say that the emperor falsified his death and became the hermit Fyodor Kuzmich. This legend was very popular during the lifetime of this truly existing old man, and in the 19th century it received additional argumentation. The fact is that it was possible to compare the handwriting of Alexander I and Fyodor Kuzmich, which turned out to be almost identical. Moreover, today genetic scientists have a real project to compare the DNA of these two people, but so far this examination has not been carried out.

Born on December 23, 1777. From early childhood, he began to live with his grandmother, who wanted to raise him to be a good sovereign. After Catherine's death, Paul ascended the throne. The future emperor had many positive character traits. Alexander was dissatisfied with his father's rule and conspired against Paul. On March 11, 1801, the Tsar was killed, and Alexander began to rule. Upon ascending the throne, Alexander 1st promised to follow the political course of Catherine 2nd.

1st stage of transformation

The beginning of the reign of Alexander 1st was marked by reforms; he wanted to change the political system of Russia, create a constitution that guaranteed rights and freedom to everyone. But Alexander had many opponents. On April 5, 1801, the Permanent Council was created, whose members could challenge the tsar's decrees. Alexander wanted to free the peasants, but many opposed this. Nevertheless, on February 20, 1803, a decree on free cultivators was issued. This is how the category of free peasants appeared in Russia for the first time.

Alexander carried out an education reform, the essence of which was the creation of a state system, the head of which was the Ministry of Public Education. In addition, administrative reform was carried out (reform of the highest government bodies) - 8 ministries were established: foreign affairs, internal affairs, finance, military ground forces, naval forces, justice, commerce and public education. The new governing bodies had sole power. Each separate department was controlled by a minister, each minister was subordinate to the Senate.

2nd stage of reforms

Alexander introduced M.M. into his circle. Speransky, who was entrusted with the development of a new government reform. According to Speransky's project, it is necessary to create a constitutional monarchy in Russia, in which the power of the sovereign would be limited to a bicameral parliamentary body. The implementation of this plan began in 1809. By the summer of 1811, the transformation of the ministries was completed. But due to Russian foreign policy (tense relations with France), Speransky’s reforms were perceived as anti-state, and in March 1812 he was dismissed.

The threat from France was looming. June 12, 1812 began. After the expulsion of Napoleon's troops, the authority of Alexander I strengthened.

Post-war reforms

In 1817-1818 People close to the emperor were engaged in the gradual elimination of serfdom. By the end of 1820, a draft of the State Charter of the Russian Empire was prepared, approved by Alexander, but it was not possible to introduce it.

A feature of the internal policy of Alexander I was the introduction of a police regime and the creation of military settlements, which later became known as “Arakcheevism.” Such measures caused discontent among the broad masses of the population. In 1817, the Ministry of Spiritual Affairs and Public Education was created, headed by A.N. Golitsyn. In 1822, Emperor Alexander I banned secret societies in Russia, including Freemasonry.

On the night of March 12, 1801, Paul I was killed. (Last. Second Revolution) His son Alexander 1 became the new emperor. Alexander eliminated the most hated laws for the nobility, introduced by Paul. He returned to the system of noble elections, declared an amnesty, returned the officers dismissed by Paul from the army, allowed free entry and exit from Russia, and the import of foreign books.

The main directions of the government’s internal political activities were: reforms to reorganize the state apparatus, the peasant issue, the sphere of education and education. The struggle of two social movements: conservative - protective (seeking to preserve the existing order) and liberal (which pinned hopes on carrying out reforms and softening the regime of the tsar’s personal power). The reign of Alexander I can be divided into two stages.

1. 1801 - 1812 the time when liberal tendencies prevailed in government policy; 2. 1815 - 1825 - a change in the political aspirations of tsarism towards conservatism, the tsar’s departure from power towards religiosity and mysticism. During this period, the all-powerful favorite of the tsar, A. Arakcheev, actually began to rule the country.

In the first years of his reign, transformation. in the field of senior management. In 1801, the Indispensable (permanent) Council (an advisory body under the Tsar) was created. The composition of the council was appointed by the emperor himself from among the highest officials. However, ideas for transformation were mainly discussed in the so-called Secret Committee (1801 - 1803). It included representatives of the highest nobility - P. Stroganov, V. Kochubey, A Chartoryski, N. Novosiltsev. Peasant question. The most difficult issue for Russia was the peasant question. Serfdom hampered the development of the country, but the nobility unanimously advocated its preservation. The decree of February 12, 1801, allowed merchants, burghers, and state peasants to acquire and sell land. The most significant was the decree “On Free Plowmen” (1803). The practical results of this decree were insignificant (only 47 thousand peasants were able to buy their freedom by the end of the reign of Alexander I). The main reason was not only the reluctance of the landowners to release their peasants, but also the inability of the peasants to pay the appointed ransom. A series of decrees (1804-1805) limited serfdom in Latvia and Estonia (Livonia and Estland provinces); decrees of 1809 - abolished the right of landowners to exile their peasants to Siberia for minor offenses; allowed peasants, with the consent of the landowners, to engage in trade, take out bills and contracts.

Reforms in the field of reorganization of government: ministerial reform and Senate reform. In 1802 - a decree on the rights of the Senate. The Senate was declared the supreme body of the empire, possessing the highest administrative, judicial and supervisory powers. In 1802, a Manifesto on the replacement of Peter's colleges with ministries. The subordination of ministers to the emperor contributed to the strengthening of absolutism. Thus, the introduction of ministries was carried out in the interests of autocratic power. A Committee of Ministers was established to coordinate the activities of ministries. Ministers were introduced into the Senate. The functions, structure, principles of organization and the general order of affairs in the ministries were clearly delineated. The Cabinet of Ministers coordinated the activities of ministries and discussed common problems.

Liberal M.M. Speransky. In 1809 he presented Alexander with a project of state reforms, which provided for a transition to a constitutional monarchy. The only result of the planned reforms was the establishment of the State Council (in 1810), which was given advisory functions in the development of the most important laws. On March 17, 1812, Speransky was dismissed from service, accused of treason and exiled to Nizhny Novgorod under police supervision.

Estonia, carrying out peasant reform in the Baltic states, in 1816 a decree was issued on the liberation of peasants in Estonia (without land). +Latvia. In 1818-1819 projects for the liberation of the peasants of Russia were developed (with maximum respect for the interests of the landowners). In May 1815, the Kingdom of Poland, annexed to Russia, was granted a constitution (one of the most liberal constitutions of that time). This was the first step towards introducing constitutional government in Russia. Since 1819, the draft of the future Russian constitution. Since the beginning of the 20s. work on projects was curtailed.

Foreign policy of Alexander I Its main directions are European and Middle Eastern. The war with France (1805–1807) was fought by Russia as part of the III anti-French coalition (Great Britain, Austria, Sweden), which collapsed in 1805, and the IV anti-Napoleonic coalition in alliance with England, Prussia and Sweden. As a result of the war, the Peace of Tilsit was signed, according to which Russia was forced to join the continental blockade (trade blockade) of England, which did not meet Russia’s economic interests. The War with Persia (1804–1813) ended in Persia's defeat. Russia received the lands of Northern Azerbaijan and part of Dagestan. The war between Russia and Turkey (1806–1812), caused by the Turks closing the Black Sea straits to Russian ships, ended in the defeat of the Ottoman Empire. M.I. Kutuzov forced Turkey to sign the Peace of Bucharest, according to which Russia received the territory of Bessarabia (the eastern part of Moldova). As a result of the war with Sweden (1808–1809), the territory of Finland was obtained. Alexander I introduced a constitution in Finland, giving it autonomy. In 1801, Eastern Georgia voluntarily became part of Russia. In 1803, Mingrelia was conquered. In 1804, Imereti, Guria and Ganja became Russian possessions. During the Russian-Iranian War of 1805, Karabakh and Shirvan were conquered. In 1806 Ossetia was voluntarily annexed.

13. Foreign and domestic policy of Nicholas I.

Three periods of the reign of Nicholas I: transformative (1826-1830), protective (1831-1848) and reactionary (1848-1855). Having come to power at the time of the Decembrist uprising, Nicholas I from the very first days of his reign paid great attention to modifying the system of public administration with the aim of centralizing it. Leading role in domestic politics from the second half of the 1820s. The imperial chancellery and, in particular, its third department (political investigation) began to play a role. With the help of M. Speransky, by 1833 the “Code of Current Laws of the Empire” was prepared, which meant the codification of cumbersome state legislation.

In 1845, a decree was issued prohibiting the fragmentation of large noble estates, changes in the Table of Ranks, according to which officials could receive the title of hereditary nobleman not from the 7th, but from the 5th class, and a personal nobleman - not from the 12th, and from the 9th.

Projects to limit serfdom. At the end of the 20s. It was forbidden to send serfs to factories, and their exile to Siberia was limited. In 1833, it was forbidden to sell peasants at retail, and landless nobles were forbidden to buy peasants without land. In the 40s landowners received the right to set their peasants free without land.

P. Kiselyov, who headed the Ministry of State Property in 1837. In the late 30s - early 40s. XIX century under the leadership of P. Kiselyov, a reform was carried out in the management of state peasants, of whom by that time there were more than 16 million people → equal distribution of land to state peasant families, transferring them exclusively to cash dues, and the creation of local peasant self-government bodies based on the community. P. Kiselyov was the author of the decree of February 2, 1842 “On Obligated Peasants” (This document reformed the decree of Alexander I “On free cultivators”). The decree gave landowners the right, on their own initiative, to free serfs, providing them with a land plot for permanent hereditary use (for the performance of certain duties).