Tsar with an evangelical soul: 200 years since the birth of Alexander II

Alexander II

Alexander II the Liberator

(
Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov
, 1818-1881) - Emperor of All Russia, reigned from February 18 [March 2], 1855 to March 1 [13], 1881. He carried out the Great Reforms and abolished serfdom. Under him, Russia won the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878 and helped in the struggle for the independence of the Balkan states. Killed on March 1 (13), 1881 by members of the terrorist organization “People's Will” during another assassination attempt.

Biography

Russian Emperor Alexander II was born on April 29 (17), 1818 in Moscow. The eldest son of Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. After his father's accession to the throne in 1825, he was proclaimed heir to the throne.

Received an excellent education at home. His mentors were lawyer Mikhail Speransky, poet Vasily Zhukovsky, financier Yegor Kankrin and other outstanding minds of that time.

He inherited the throne on March 3 (February 18), 1855, at the end of the Crimean War, which was unsuccessful for Russia, which he managed to complete with minimal losses for the empire. He was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin on September 8 (August 26, old style) 1856.

On the occasion of the coronation, Alexander II declared an amnesty for the Decembrists, Petrashevites, and participants in the Polish uprising of 1830-1831.

The transformations of Alexander II affected all spheres of Russian society, shaping the economic and political contours of post-reform Russia.

On December 3, 1855, by imperial decree, the Supreme Censorship Committee was closed and discussion of government affairs became open.

In 1856, a secret committee was organized “to discuss measures to organize the life of the landowner peasants.”

On March 3 (February 19), 1861, the emperor signed the Manifesto on the abolition of serfdom and the Regulations on peasants emerging from serfdom, for which they began to call him the “tsar-liberator.” The transformation of peasants into free labor contributed to the capitalization of agriculture and the growth of factory production.

In 1864, by issuing the Judicial Statutes, Alexander II separated the judicial power from the executive, legislative and administrative powers, ensuring its complete independence. The process became transparent and competitive. The police, financial, university and entire secular and spiritual educational systems as a whole were reformed. The year 1864 also marked the beginning of the creation of all-class zemstvo institutions, which were entrusted with the management of economic and other social issues locally. In 1870, on the basis of the City Regulations, city councils and councils appeared.

As a result of reforms in the field of education, self-government became the basis of the activities of universities, and secondary education for women was developed. Three Universities were founded - in Novorossiysk, Warsaw and Tomsk. Innovations in the press significantly limited the role of censorship and contributed to the development of the media.

Alexander II between 1878 and 1881

By 1874, Russia had rearmed its army, created a system of military districts, reorganized the Ministry of War, reformed the officer training system, introduced universal military service, reduced the length of military service (from 25 to 15 years, including reserve service), and abolished corporal punishment. .

The emperor also established the State Bank.

The internal and external wars of Emperor Alexander II were victorious - the uprising that broke out in Poland in 1863 was suppressed, and the Caucasian War (1864) ended. According to the Aigun and Beijing treaties with the Chinese Empire, Russia annexed the Amur and Ussuri territories in 1858-1860. In 1867-1873, the territory of Russia increased due to the conquest of the Turkestan region and the Fergana Valley and the voluntary entry into vassal rights of the Bukhara Emirate and the Khanate of Khiva. At the same time, in 1867, the overseas possessions of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands were ceded to the United States, with which good relations were established. In 1877, Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire. Turkey suffered a defeat, which predetermined the state independence of Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania and Montenegro and annexed the region of the Kars fortress in the Caucasus to Russia.

The reforms of 1861-1874 created the preconditions for a more dynamic development of Russia and strengthened the participation of the most active part of society in the life of the country. The downside of the transformations was the aggravation of social contradictions and the growth of the revolutionary movement.

Six attempts were made on the life of Alexander II, the seventh was the cause of his death. The first shot was shot by nobleman Dmitry Karakozov in the Summer Garden on April 17 (4), 1866. By luck, the emperor was saved by the peasant Osip Komissarov. In 1867, during a visit to Paris, Anton Berezovsky, a leader of the Polish liberation movement, attempted to assassinate the emperor. In 1879, the populist revolutionary Alexander Solovyov tried to shoot the emperor with several revolver shots, but missed. The underground terrorist organization “People's Will” purposefully and systematically prepared regicide. Terrorists carried out explosions on the royal train near Alexandrovsk and Moscow, and then in the Winter Palace itself.

The explosion in the Winter Palace forced the authorities to take extraordinary measures. To fight the revolutionaries, a Supreme Administrative Commission was formed, headed by the popular and authoritative General Mikhail Loris-Melikov at that time, who actually received dictatorial powers. He took harsh measures to combat the revolutionary terrorist movement, while at the same time pursuing a policy of bringing the government closer to the “well-intentioned” circles of Russian society. Thus, under him, in 1880, the Third Department of His Imperial Majesty’s Own Chancellery was abolished. Police functions were concentrated in the police department, formed within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

On March 14 (1), 1881, as a result of a new attack by Narodnaya Volya, Alexander II received mortal wounds on the Catherine Canal (now the Griboyedov Canal) in St. Petersburg. The explosion of the first bomb thrown by Nikolai Rysakov damaged the royal carriage, wounded several guards and passers-by, but Alexander II survived. Then another thrower, Ignatius Grinevitsky, came close to the Tsar and threw a bomb at his feet. Alexander II died a few hours later in the Winter Palace and was buried in the family tomb of the Romanov dynasty in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. At the site of the death of Alexander II in 1907, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was erected.

Upbringing

His birth is a long-awaited event in the royal family, because... Nikolai's older brothers had no sons. In this regard, he was raised as the future heir to the throne.

According to tradition, he was immediately appointed chief of the Life Guards Hussar Regiment. At the age of 7 he was promoted to cornet, and at the age of 11 he already commanded a company. Alexander liked both military service and war games, but as the heir to the throne, the idea of ​​his special purpose was constantly instilled in him - “to live for others.”

His systematic home education began at the age of 6. His father chose his mentors himself. The poet V.A. was appointed teacher. Zhukovsky, who compiled the “Teaching Plan” for 12 years. The basis of this plan was comprehensive education combined with morality. Zhukovsky was also a teacher of the Russian language. The teacher of the Law of God and Sacred History was Archpriest G. Pavsky, the military instructor was Captain K. Merder, a simple officer awarded for bravery at Austerlitz. He was an intelligent and noble man who worked in a cadet school and had experience working with children. Legislation was taught by M.M. Speransky, statistics and history - K.I. Arsenyev, economics – E.F. Kankrin, foreign policy - F.I. Brunnov, arithmetic - Academician Collins, natural history - K.B. Trinius, famous German and Russian botanist, academician of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

F. Kruger “Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich”

As a result, the prince received a good education, was fluent in French, German and English, and from childhood he was distinguished by his responsiveness and impressionability, alertness of mind, good manners and sociability.

But at the same time, the teachers noted that he was hot-tempered and unrestrained; gives in to difficulties, not having a strong will, unlike his father. K. Merder noted that sometimes he acted not out of inner need, but out of vanity or the desire to please his father and receive praise.

Nicholas I personally supervised his son’s education, organized exams twice a year and attended them himself. From the age of 16, he began to involve Alexander in state affairs: the prince was supposed to participate in meetings of the Senate, then he was introduced to the Synod, and in 1836 he was promoted to major general and was included in the tsar’s retinue.

The process of education of the crown prince ended with travels around Russia (May-December 1837) and abroad (May 1838 - June 1839). Before his trip to Russia, Nicholas I prepared a special “instruction” for his son, which said: “Your first duty will be to see everything with the indispensable goal of becoming thoroughly familiar with the state over which sooner or later you are destined to reign. Therefore, your attention should be equally directed to everything... in order to gain an understanding of the present state of affairs.”

Grand Duke Alexander Nikolaevich

During this trip, Alexander visited 28 provinces, seeing with his own eyes the ugliness of Russian reality. He was the first of the Romanov family to visit Siberia, where he met with the Decembrists, as a result of which he addressed his father in several letters “for the forgiveness of some unfortunates” and achieved a mitigation of their fate. On the journey, the Tsarevich was accompanied by Adjutant General Kavelin, the poet Zhukovsky, teacher of history and geography of Russia Arsenyev, physician Enokhin and young officers.

Later he even visited the Caucasus, where he distinguished himself in battle during an attack by highlanders, for which he was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree.

Before leaving abroad, Nicholas I admonished his son: “Many things will tempt you, but upon closer examination you will be convinced that not everything deserves imitation; ... we must always preserve our nationality, our imprint, and woe to us if we fall behind it; in it is our strength, our salvation, our uniqueness.”

During his trip abroad, Alexander visited the countries of Central Europe, Scandinavia, Italy and England. In Germany, he met his future wife, Maria Alexandrovna, daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, with whom they married two years later.

I. Makarov “Empress Maria Alexandrovna”

Maria Alexandrovna loved music and was well versed in it, and knew the latest European literature well. The breadth of her interests and spiritual qualities amazed many with whom she happened to meet. “With her intelligence, she surpasses not only other women, but also most men. This is an unprecedented combination of intelligence with purely feminine charm and... a charming character,” wrote the poet A.K. Tolstoy. In Russia, Maria Alexandrovna soon became known for her widespread charity - Mariinsky hospitals, gymnasiums and orphanages were in her field of vision and spread, earning high praise from her contemporaries.

In 1841, Nicholas I appointed the heir to the State Council, which was actually the beginning of his state activities.

And since 1842, Alexander already performed the duties of the emperor during his absence in the capital. At this stage of his activity, he shared the conservative views of his father: in 1848 he supported preventive measures to tighten censorship in connection with revolutionary events in Europe, concerning the protection of educational institutions from the “revolutionary infection.”

Results of the board

Konstantin Makovsky, “Portrait of Alexander II”

Achievements and successes

• Great reforms were carried out (financial, judicial, military, zemstvo and others). Serfdom was abolished (1862).
• Eliminating the negative consequences of the Crimean War for Russia. Return of most of the lost lands.
• The end of the Caucasian War, which lasted more than 50 years. Annexation of most of Central Asia and the North Caucasus to Russia
  .
• Transbaikalia, Khabarovsk Territory and Primorye were annexed as a result of agreements with China.
  The cities of Vladivostok (1860), Khabarovsk (1858), and Blagoveshchensk (1856) were founded.
• The Polish uprising (1863-1864) was suppressed.
• Victory in the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878
  , as a result of which the Ottoman Empire was weakened; the statehood of Bulgaria was restored, the territory of Serbia, Montenegro and Romania was increased; annexed the area of ​​the Kars fortress in the Caucasus.
• By the end of the reign of Alexander II, the population of the Russian Empire increased by almost 30 million and reached 100 million people
  .

Mistakes and failures

• Russia suffered for the first time from the global financial and economic crisis (1857-1859).
• Attempt on Alexander II and his murder on March 1 (13), 1881
  .
• Refusal of industrial protectionism and transition to a liberal policy in foreign trade, which provoked an acute economic crisis, a decrease in the growth rate of industrial production and a sharp increase in public debt.
• Sale of Alaska to the United States of America (1867).
• The reforms were unfinished. The draft Constitution of the Russian Empire developed by Loris-Melikov was never adopted.
• Increasing public discontent due to reforms and the economic crisis, the emergence of the first revolutionaries and terrorist organizations.
• Corruption and bribery are flourishing due to the liberal reforms being carried out in the country.
• A sharp increase in the incidence of syphilis due to increased migration between city and countryside after the liberation of peasants.[1][2]

Beginning of the reign

Monogram of Alexander II

The sudden death of Nicholas I, accelerated by the tragic events of the Crimean War, naturally led Alexander to the throne. Russia was faced with a number of acute problems that Nicholas I could not solve: the peasant problem, the eastern, Polish and other problems, state financial problems upset by the Crimean War, the international isolation of Russia, etc. Nicholas in the last hours of his life said to his son: “I surrender my command to you, but, unfortunately, not in the order you wanted, leaving you with a lot of work and worries.”

Alexander's first decisive step was the conclusion of the Paris Peace in 1856 with conditions that were not the worst for Russia. He then visited Finland and Poland, where he called on the local nobility to “give up their dreams,” which strengthened his position as a decisive emperor. In Germany, he secured a “dual alliance” with the Prussian king (his mother’s brother) Frederick William IV, thereby weakening the foreign policy blockade of Russia.

But, having begun his reign with effective support for the conservative views of his father, under the pressure of circumstances he was forced to switch to a policy of reform.

N. Lavrov “Portrait of Emperor Alexander II”

Personal life

The emperor was a passionate man. He has many novels to his credit. In his youth, he had an affair with his maid of honor Borodzina, whom his parents urgently married off. Then another novel, and again with the maid of honor Maria Trubetskoy. And the connection with the maid of honor Olga Kalinovskaya turned out to be so strong that the Tsarevich even decided to abdicate the throne for the sake of marrying her. But his parents insisted on breaking off this relationship and marrying Maximilianna of Hesse.

Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna

Nevertheless, the marriage with Maria Alexandrovna, nee Princess Maximiliana-Wilhelmina-Augusta-Sophia-Maria of Hesse-Darmstadt, was happy. 8 children were born there, 6 of whom were sons.

Emperor Alexander II mortgaged the favorite summer residence of the last Russian tsars, Livadia, for his wife, who was sick with tuberculosis, by purchasing the land along with the estate and vineyards from the daughters of Count Lev Pototsky.

Alexander II with children

Maria Alexandrovna died in May 1880. She left a note containing words of gratitude to her husband for a happy life together.

But the monarch was not a faithful husband. The personal life of Alexander II was a constant source of gossip at court. Some favorites gave birth to illegitimate children from the sovereign.

Alexander II and Ekaterina Dolgorukova

The 18-year-old maid of honor Ekaterina Dolgorukova managed to firmly capture the emperor’s heart. The Emperor married his longtime lover the same year his wife died. It was a morganatic marriage, that is, concluded with a person of non-royal origin. The children from this union, and there were four of them, could not become heirs to the throne. It is noteworthy that all the children were born at a time when Alexander II was still married to his first wife.

After the tsar married Dolgorukaya, the children received legal status and a princely title.

Territorial acquisitions

The foreign policy of Alexander II the Liberator was quite moderate, aimed mainly at eliminating the consequences of the humiliating Treaty of Paris and returning to the Black Sea. During the reign of the emperor, the country included:

1. Turkestan.
2. Bukhara, Khiva and Kokand khanates.
3. Part of Sakhalin (the Kuril Islands remained with Japan).
4. Afghanistan was recognized as neutral territory.
5. Alaska is sold.
6. The uprising in Poland in 1863 was suppressed, and the following year troops were sent in.

In 1877-1878, Russia started a war with Turkey, as a result of which it received significant lands. However, almost immediately after its completion, what was won had to be returned at the Berlin Congress. The “Union of 3 Emperors” - Russia, Germany and Austria-Hungary - collapsed there.

Traveling around Russia and Europe

In 1837, the future emperor began his great journey across Russia, visiting 29 provinces in Transcaucasia, the European part of the state and Western Siberia. It is worth noting that he became the first sovereign to visit Siberia. On his trips he was accompanied by V.A. Zhukovsky, as well as adjutants A.V. Patkul and I.M. Vielgorsky.

Interesting fact: in Tobolsk, the Tsarevich saw several exiled Decembrists, after which he petitioned his father for their pardon and release. At the end of his journey through Russia, Alexander goes on a journey through Europe for one year.

Accession to the throne

After the death of his father due to pneumonia in 1855, Alexander ascended the throne. He was perfectly prepared to fulfill the duty of serving his homeland and immediately began to solve priority problems. In the conditions of international isolation and crisis within the country existing at that time, he was forced to sign the Treaty of Paris in March 1856, ending the Crimean War with the minimum possible losses for the fatherland. In September, his coronation ceremony took place in Moscow. In connection with this significant event, arrears in government payments were forgiven, conscription for recruits was abolished for 3 years, and an amnesty was declared for political exiles.

Activities before succession to the throne

After coming of age, Nicholas I introduced his son to the Senate (the highest state body of legislative, executive and judicial power), then to the Holy Governing Synod (a body of church and state government), to the State Council, to the Finance Committee and the Cabinet of Ministers.

Alexander II in his youth

At the age of 19, in accordance with the training program, the young heir, accompanied by Zhukovsky, became acquainted with his kingdom. During the trip, he met in Siberia with the Decembrists and other “freethinkers” who were in exile. 1838-1839 were dedicated to his educational journey through European countries.

Then the heir to the crown prince underwent military service and by 1844 was already a general. In 1846 and 1848 he headed the Secret Advisory Bodies on the situation of peasants, in 1849 - several military educational institutions, during the Russian-Turkish War of 1853-1856. was responsible for the combat effectiveness of the militia in the capital.

Peasant reform

Why is Alexander 2 called the Liberator? First of all, thanks to its reforms, one of which is the “Peasant” reform, also known as the abolition of serfdom in 1861. The main provisions of the peasant reform were as follows:

1. Peasants ceased to be considered slaves and became “temporarily obligated.”
2. They received complete civil and legal freedom (“free rural inhabitants”), as well as the right to own land.
3. Peasant houses and buildings, movable and other property were recognized as the property of the peasant.
4. Peasants were given the opportunity to choose self-government. Economic (lower) – rural society, administrative (higher) – volost.
5. The landowners retained ownership of all their lands, but they were obliged to provide the peasants with a field allotment and a house plot (“estate settlement”). The size of the allotment was regulated by law.
6. For the use of field plots, peasants were obliged to serve corvée or pay quitrent, and also did not have the right to abandon the land for 49 years.
7. Rural societies had the right to purchase estate plots, as well as field allotments. After the ransom, the peasants had no obligations to the landowners and were called “peasant-owners.”
8. The state provided landowners with a financial guarantee on preferential terms upon receipt of the redemption payment, after which the peasant paid the redemption payment to the state.

It was thanks, first of all, to this revolutionary reform that Emperor Alexander 2 was called the Liberator. He also carried out a number of unprecedented transformations, which were later called great.

Education

The heir to the throne studied foreign languages ​​- French, English and German. He studied fencing, fine arts, military and other sciences, including:

• Law of God, teachers – Archpriests Bazhanov V.B., Pavsky G.P.
• Legislation – Secretary of State Speransky M. M.
• History and statistics - academician Arsenyev K.I.
• Finance – economist and Minister of Finance Kankrin E.F.
• Foreign policy – ​​diplomat Brunnov F.I.
• Physics and mathematics - academician Collins E.D.
• Natural history – academician Trinius K.B.
• Chemistry and technology - Academician G. I. Hess

As noted in numerous testimonies, Alexander 2 the Liberator was very impressionable and amorous. Once, while staying in London in 1839, he developed a liking and then a crush on Princess Victoria. An interesting fact is that, having become monarchs, they experienced hostility and enmity, which was mutual.