Valdai prison. 1838. The investigator interrogates a woman who has just been brought in, whom the police considered suspicious. She is wearing tattered clothes, but the woman does not look like a beggar at all. No documents were found on her. A passer-by said that her name was Vera.
- Who are you? the investigator asks, stuffing his pipe with tobacco. The secretary dunks his pen into the inkwell, preparing to take notes.
The woman, who until then stood with her head bowed, raises a meek look at her jailers.
- Judging by the heavenly, then I am the dust of the earth, and if by the earthly, then I am above you!
The woman did not answer any more questions. For the next twenty-three years she lived with a meal of silence.
Her last words, recorded in the prison book, remained unsolved.
Was the Siberian beggar Vera Alexandrova Grand Duchess Elizabeth Alekseevna, the wife of Alexander the First?

Elizaveta Alekseevna - wife of Alexander I

Louise-Maria-Augusta of Baden was brought to St. Petersburg in 1792, at the age of thirteen. Catherine the Second saw in this girl the best candidate for a wife for her grandson, heir to the throne - Alexander. Alexander himself had not yet reached the age of majority, but the kind grandmother had already sent maids of honor experienced in love pleasures to his apartments. It seemed to Catherine that this experience would help the young man in his early life. family life but it turned out the other way around.
The wedding of Alexander and Elizabeth, as the Baden princess was called in Russia, turned out to be luxurious and promising. Lizaveta Alekseevna and Alexander Pavlovich were a brilliant couple - beautiful, like heroes of myths. When they were brought to the altar, Catherine II exclaimed:
- It's Cupid and Psyche!
Gavrila Derzhavin, who was present at the wedding, immediately issued an impromptu:

Cupid thought Psyche
frolic, fuck,
Entangle flowers with her
And tie a knot.

Beautiful captive blushes
And breaks away from him
And he seems to be shy
From this case.

Family life turned out to be completely different from an idealistic poem - the inexperienced, timid Elizaveta Alekseevna could not give Alexander what he expected from his wife. Elizabeth withdraws into herself, tries to appear less often in public, most often spends time with books and diaries.
Catherine II dreamed of placing her grandson, Alexander, on the throne, bypassing her son, Pavel. But she died without having figured out how to implement her idea. Paul ascended the throne. Alexander gathered a circle of young people like himself, and at night, in a whisper, they talked about the overthrow of Paul.
But the fate of the emperor was decided by other people. Count Palen simply locked Alexander and his brother in a room, and released him only when their father was dead.
This event further aggravated the condition of Elizabeth Petrovna, she fell into deep melancholy. Yes, and Alexander, who was now to become king, also showed no signs of courage. Count Pahlen whispered in his ear the words he should have said announcing his father's death.
Alexander said in a trembling voice:
- Pavel is dead ... Now everything will be like under Catherine ...
And this phrase was not only about public policy. Imperial Courtyard I took these words as a start to general debauchery.
Alexander himself openly got himself a mistress, the brawler Naryshkina - the direct opposite of Elizaveta Alekseevna.
- Oh, I don't feel well! - Naryshkina once said to Elizabeth during the ball. And added emphatically:
- I am pregnant!
Elizabeth knew perfectly well who the father was ...
But she dutifully accepted the blow.
In order to somehow distract herself, Elizabeth began to read French philosophers and was carried away by the ideas of freedom, equality and fraternity. She took up helping the poor and spent her entire budget on charity.
“I came to this country with nothing,” she said, “and I will die with nothing ...
Elizabeth frankly advocated the equality of people - she hated when her hand was kissed and insisted on a handshake. And if a woman kissed her hand, then Elizabeth leaned over and defiantly kissed the kissing hand.
Secret societies, banned by Alexander, but actively continuing to exist, advocated radical measures and a complete reorganization of the state. Alexander the First was a supporter of gradual reforms, for example, he advocated the gradual abolition of serfdom. In his opinion, the process should have taken at least sixty years!
Alexander did not suit either the Freemasons or those who would one day be called Decembrists. At their meetings, she began to exaggerate new topic- it was proposed to remove Alexander the First from the throne and put Elizabeth in his place!
- For Elizabeth II! - clinking glasses of champagne Russian officers who returned from France, who defeated Napoleon ...
Elizabeth seemed to them a wise, democratic ruler - moreover, childless. The absence of an heir would be another step towards the complete abolition of autocracy.
But the oppositionists clearly did not think that Elizaveta Alekseevna would never go against Alexander. Even her first lover, Adam Czartoryski, she let in on her own husband's whim! When this connection was found out in the palace, Adam was sent abroad. But the child born to Elizabeth, Alexander the First recognized as his own.
This was a girl. She lived only a year and became very ill. The poorly educated court doctors treated her with camphor and musk, which only made her worse.
Having lost a child, Elizabeth once again felt the meaninglessness of her existence in the royal palace, where she was brought as a child.
But she tried to make others happy. When she was presented with a book by the unknown poetess Anna Bunina as a gift, she ordered that she be given a monetary allowance, realizing that otherwise the poetess would have nothing to live on. Anna Bunina, thanks to the help of Elizabeth, made a career.
Once, while reading Bunina's poems, mostly devoted to love, Elizabeth sat down by a huge mirror. She felt like an old woman, but in the reflection a very beautiful woman looked at her, who was not spoiled by sadness ...
- God! Take my beauty! - Elizaveta pleaded, - From my beauty there is only a temptation!
After all, today she was again pursued by obsessive gentlemen, and one - a young cavalry guard - is now standing under the window.
Elizabeth opened the window towards the summer night and suddenly, without expecting it herself, beckoned to the young handsome man standing below.
Not believing his luck, he deftly climbed a tree growing nearby and jumped into Elizabeth's window ... His name was Alexei Okhotnikov.
Elizabeth wanted to give the memories of this passionate connection to her best friend, the historian Karamzin. But the diaries fell into the wrong hands and were burned ...
The denouement of this story was no less tragic than the whole life of Elizabeth. A stranger shot at Okhotnikov, moreover, with a poisoned bullet. Alexei was ill for four months. On the night of his death, Elizabeth had a daughter, Eliza. And Alexander the First again recognized the child, and fell in love with the girl even more than his own children born to Naryshkina.
In general, Alexander is credited with eleven illegitimate children. On the other hand, the fact that, being a man filled with a sense of duty, the emperor did not have children from his official wife is a big mystery. It is likely that the eleven children were a cover for the sovereign's infertility and were born by his mistresses from other men.
Little Eliza was allotted by God only two years of life. And again, the doctors sprayed camphor and musk so that Elizabeth could no longer endure these smells all her life.
Heartbroken, Elizabeth fell ill. From last strength she appeared at charity receptions and worked to organize a women's patriotic society.
Naryshkina, aging, began to make scandals to the emperor and demand that he marry her. Alexander suddenly looked at the situation with different eyes. He realized that all these years he had a wonderful wife, Elizabeth, ready for him to go through fire and water ...
He leaves Naryshkina and decides to take care of his wife's failing health, offering her a trip to Italy.
“I want to die in Russia,” Elizabeth firmly declares.
- No, you won't die! You are still young! - the emperor exclaimed with unusual fervor, - We will go to Taganrog - there is a wonderful climate!
The trip to Taganrog, where the palace was prepared for the arrival of the imperial couple, became a turning point in the history of Russia.
Elizabeth and Alexander lived in Taganrog for two months, and that was the most happy time in their lives. They suddenly realized how much they love each other ... From such a favorable atmosphere, Elizabeth's health began to improve. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, she looked good and could even defend the vigil.
State affairs forced Alexander to leave Taganrog for a short time ... He returned completely sick.
He died in his wife's arms, whispering words of love to her. Less than a month later, an uprising of the Decembrists took place, trying to prevent his brother Nikolai from the Russian throne.
Elizabeth's illness returned with renewed vigor, and she could not go to St. Petersburg for her husband's funeral.
For four months, Elizabeth lived in Taganrog, and suddenly decided to return to St. Petersburg, but she could only get to Belev. There, a dinner was arranged in her honor, and eyewitnesses said that she looked very sick and could hardly walk ... That night she died. Her body was sent to Petersburg in a sealed coffin. None of her immediate family saw her dead.
Elizabeth was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Simple people cried, seeing her off on her last journey. The unfortunate fate of this most beautiful woman is overgrown with legends.
In the Tikhvin Monastery, the grave of the old woman-silent Vera, who many consider to be the empress who has gone into monasticism, has now been restored. The flowers from her grave are said to cure diseases.

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

Immediately after the birth, Alexander was taken away 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 be educators.

Grand Duke Alexander grew up with faith in the ideals of the Enlightenment, sympathized with the 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 a conspiracy against his father, but on the condition that the conspirators save the life of the tsar and would only seek his abdication. The violent death of Paul on March 23 (11 according to the old style), March 1801, seriously affected Alexander - he felt guilty for the death of his father until the end of his days.

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

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

In 1822, Alexander Masonic lodges and other secret societies.

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

The emperor often spoke to his relatives about his intention to abdicate the throne and "remove from the world", which gave rise to the legend of the elder Fyodor Kuzmich, according to which Alexander's double died and was buried in Taganrog, while the tsar 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 of Elizabeth Alekseevna during the transition to Orthodoxy. From this marriage two daughters were born who died in infancy.

Material prepared on the basis of information open sources

The reign of Alexander 1 (1801-1825)

By 1801, dissatisfaction with Paul 1 began to go wild. 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 non-solicitation is the rejection of the policy of Catherine 2 and the deprivation of the nobility of the leading role and some privileges. supported them in this English ambassador, since Paul 1 severed all diplomatic relations with the British, after their betrayal. On the night of March 11-12, 1801, the conspirators, led by General Palen, broke into Paul's chambers and killed him.

Emperor's First Steps

The reign of Alexander 1 actually began on March 12, 1801 on the basis of a coup carried out by the elite. In the early years, the emperor was an adherent of liberal reforms, as well as the ideas 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 main part of the nobility spoke from a position of conservatism, so 2 camps formed in Russia. In the future, the conservatives won, and Alexander himself, by the end of his reign, changed his liberal views to conservative ones.

In order to implement his vision, Alexander created a "secret committee", which included his associates. It was an unofficial body, but it was he who dealt initial projects refrm.

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 dissatisfaction 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 managed by the landlords) and in the same year the decree “On Sculptural Plowmen” was signed. According to this decree, the landowner was allowed to provide the peasants with freedom and land if they could redeem themselves. 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 freedom.

The emperor changed the system of government of the country. He dissolved the colleges 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 Alexander, the judicial system of Russia was also changed. The Senate was declared the highest judicial authority. In 1810, Emperor Alexander 1 announced the creation of the State Council, which became the country's supreme governing body. The system of government proposed by Emperor Alexander 1, with minor changes, lasted 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 estates of inhabitants:

• Privileged. Nobles, clergy, merchants, honorary citizens.
• Semi-privileged. Odnodvortsy and Cossacks.
• Taxable. Petty 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 start 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 made 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 Treaty of Tilsit was signed. Napoleon did not demand any concessions from Russia, he was looking for an alliance with Alexander, but Emperor Alexander 1, devoted to the British, did not want to move closer. As a result, this peace has become 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 the allied duty, Emperor Alexander 1 gave the order to pursue Napoleon's troops. The foreign campaign of the Russian army continued until 1814. special success for Russia, this campaign did not bring.

Emperor Alexander 1 lost his vigilance after the war. He had absolutely no control over the foreign organizations that started in large volume supply Russian revolutionaries with money. As a result, a boom of revolutionary movements began in the country 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 set 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 before 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 such a policy was terrible: the devastating war of 1812 and the powerful uprising of 1825.

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

Alexander 1 Pavlovich (born 12 (23) December 1777 - death November 19 (December 1), 1825) - Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia (since March 12 (24), 1801), eldest son of Emperor Paul 1 and Mary Fyodorovna.

Death of Paul 1

When on the morning of March 12, 1801, the news of the death of the sovereign flew around Petersburg with lightning speed, there was no limit to the delight and jubilation of the people. “On the streets,” according to the testimony of one of his contemporaries, “people wept for joy, embraced each other, as on the day of the Holy Resurrection of Christ.” This general joy was caused not so much by the fact that the difficult time of the reign of the deceased emperor had irrevocably passed, but by the fact that the adored heir of Paul, Alexander 1, brought up by himself, ascended the throne.

Upbringing. Alexander's education

When Grand Duke Paul 1 Petrovich had a son - the first-born Alexander, Catherine 2 from the very first year of her grandson's life took care of his upbringing. She herself began to study with him and his brother Konstantin, who was born a year and a half later, she herself compiled the alphabet for the children, wrote several fairy tales, and eventually a small guide to Russian history. When the grandson Alexander grew up, the Empress appointed Count N.I. Saltykova, and the teachers were chosen from the most educated people of that era - M.N. Muravyov, famous writer, and Pallas, a famous scientist. Archpriest Samborsky taught Alexander the Law of God and in his lessons inspired the pupil to "find his neighbor in every human condition."

Since Catherine was preparing Alexander for the throne, even intending to bypass her son, she took care early on to give her beloved grandson a solid education in legal sciences, most needed for the future ruler of a great power. They were invited to teach by the Swiss citizen Laharpe, a man of noble soul, imbued with a deep love for people and the desire for truth, goodness and justice. Laharpe was able to exert the most beneficial influence on the future emperor. Subsequently, Alexander told La Harpe's wife: "Everything that disposes people to me, I owe to my tutor and mentor, your husband." Sincere friendly relations were soon established between the teacher and the student, which remained until the death of La Harpe.

Personal life

Unfortunately, the upbringing of the future emperor ended quite early, when he was not yet 16 years old. At this young age, he had already entered into marriage, at the request of Catherine, with a 14-year-old Baden princess, named after the adoption of Orthodoxy, Elizaveta Alekseevna. Alexander's wife was distinguished by a gentle character, infinite kindness to those who suffer, and an extremely attractive appearance. From his marriage to Elizaveta Alekseevna, Alexander had two daughters, Maria and Elizaveta, but both of them died in early childhood. Therefore, it was not the children of Alexander who became the heir to the throne, but his younger brother.

Due to the fact that his wife could not give birth to his son, the relationship between the sovereign and his wife cooled greatly. He practically did not hide his love relationships on the side. At first, for almost 15 years, the emperor cohabited with Maria Naryshkina, the wife of Chief Jägermeister Dmitry Naryshkin, whom all the courtiers called in his eyes "an exemplary cuckold." Maria gave birth to 6 children, while the paternity of five of them is usually attributed to Alexander. However, most of these children died in infancy. The sovereign also had an affair with the daughter of the court banker Sophie Velho and with Sophia Vsevolozhskaya, who gave birth to his illegitimate son, Nikolai Lukash, a general and war hero.

Wife Elizaveta Alekseevna and favorite Maria Naryshkina

Accession to the throne

Upon accession to the throne, Alexander 1 announced in a manifesto that he would rule the power “according to the laws and according to his heart” of his great grandmother, Catherine 2: “Yes, marching along her wise intentions,” the new emperor promised in his first manifesto, “we will achieve to elevate Russia to the top glory and deliver inviolable bliss to all our faithful subjects.

The very first days of the new reign were marked by great favors. Thousands of people exiled under Paul were returned, thousands of others were restored in their civil and official rights. Corporal punishment for nobles, merchants and clergy was abolished, torture was abolished forever.

Domestic policy. Transformations. reforms

Soon radical changes began in the public administration. 1802, September 8 - ministries are established. For a more perfect development of legislative issues, the sovereign formed an Unspoken Committee, which included friends of Alexander's youth, persons who enjoyed the emperor's special confidence: N.N. Novosiltsev, Prince Adam Czartoryski, Count P.A. Stroganov and Count V.P. Kochubey. The Committee was entrusted with the task of drawing up bills for the transformation of the entire Russian national and state life.

The emperor chose as his closest collaborator famous Michael Mikhailovich Speransky, later Count. Speransky was the son of a simple priest. After graduating from the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, he took a teaching position in this educational institution, and then moved to the civil service, where he was able to quickly advance with his enormous ability to work and extensive knowledge.

On behalf of the sovereign, Speransky drew up a coherent plan for reforms in legislation, administration and courts, the main feature of which was the admission of the participation of popular representation in all areas of public life. But, realizing that the population of Russia is not yet ripe for participation in state activities, the emperor did not implement the entire plan of Speransky, but carried out only some parts of it. So, on January 1, 1810, the Council of State was opened in the presence of Alexander himself, who in his opening speech said, among other things: protect the empire with good laws."

Once a week, Alexander 1 attended the meetings of the Council in person, and Speransky reported to him on the cases that were considered at the remaining meetings.

Portraits of Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich (young)

Foreign policy

Upon accession to the throne, one of the most basic concerns of the sovereign was the establishment of the external world of Russia, exhausted by wars in the previous reigns. Everything possible was done in this direction, and for some time, albeit a short one, not only Russia, but all of Europe enjoyed peace.

However, European political relations were such that already in 1805, Russia, despite the peacefulness of its emperor, was forced to take part in the struggle of the European powers with France, led by the great conqueror, who based his rise from a simple officer to a huge emperor on victories. powers. Starting a fight with him, Alexander 1 entered into an alliance with Austria and England and began to direct military operations himself. The war ended unsuccessfully for the allies. Several times Napoleon defeated the Austrian troops, and then, on the fields of Austerlitz, he met, on November 20, 1805, the allied Russian-Austrian army, which included both emperors, Alexander and Franz. In a desperate battle, Napoleon emerged victorious. Austria hurried to make peace with him, and the Russian army returned home.

However, the next year hostilities against Napoleon resumed. This time, Russia was in alliance with Prussia, which inadvertently hurried to start a fight without waiting for the arrival of Russian troops. Near Jena and Auerstedt, Napoleon defeated the Prussian army, occupied the capital of Prussia, Berlin, and took possession of all the lands of this state. The Russian army was forced to act alone. In the big battle at Preussisch-Eylau, Napoleon, who attacked the Russian army, failed, but in 1807 he was able to defeat the Russians near Friedland.

The war ended with a meeting between Napoleon and Alexander in Tilsit, on a raft in the middle of the Neman River. A peace was concluded between France and Russia, according to which Russia was to accept the continental system invented by Bonaparte against England - not to allow English goods to itself and not to have any trade relations with England at all. For this, Russia received in its possession the Bialystok region and freedom of action in Eastern Europe.

Napoleon and Emperor Alexander 1 - a date in Tilsit

Patriotic War - 1812

The peace of Tilsit turned out to be fragile. Less than 2 years later, disagreements reappeared between Russia and France. The war was inevitable, and soon it broke out - as soon as Napoleon completed all the preparations for it.

In order to destroy Russia, Napoleon gathered the forces of almost all of Europe subject to him and, at the head of a 600,000-strong army, on June 12 (24), 1812, invaded Russian borders. The Patriotic War began, glorifying Alexander and Russia and causing the fall of Napoleon.

Russia, led by Alexander 1, was not only able to defend its existence as a state, but then liberated the whole of Europe from the power of the hitherto invincible conqueror.

1813, January 1 - the Russian army, under the command of the emperor and Kutuzov, entered the Duchy of Warsaw created by Napoleon, cleared it of the remnants of " great army”And moved to the borders of Prussia, where she was met with popular rejoicing. The Prussian king immediately entered into an alliance with Alexander and gave his army under the command of Kutuzov. Unfortunately, the latter soon died from his labors, bitterly mourned by all of Russia.

Napoleon, hastily gathering a new army, attacked the allies near Lutzen and defeated them. In the second battle, at Bautzen, the French were again victorious. In the meantime, Austria decided to join Russia and Prussia by sending her army to help them. At Dresden, there was a battle of now three allied armies with the army of Napoleon, who again was able to win the battle. However, this was his last success. First in the Kulm Valley, and then in a stubborn battle near Leipzig, in which more than half a million people took part and which is called the “battle of the peoples” in history, the French were defeated. This defeat was followed by Napoleon's abdication and removal to the island of Elba.

Alexander became the arbiter of the destinies of Europe, its liberator from Napoleonic power. When he returned to St. Petersburg on July 13, the Senate, the Synod and the Council of State unanimously asked him to accept the name "Blessed" and allow him to erect a monument during his lifetime. The sovereign refused the latter, declaring: “May a monument be built for me in your feelings, as it was built in my feelings for you!”

Congress of Vienna

1814 - the Congress of Vienna took place, at which the European states were restored to their former possessions, violated by the conquests of the French, and Russia received almost the entire Duchy of Warsaw, called the Kingdom of Poland, for the liberation of Europe. 1815 - Napoleon left the island of Elba, arrived in France and wanted to retake the throne. But at Waterloo, he was defeated by the British and Prussians, and then exiled to St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean.

In the meantime, Alexander 1 had the idea to form a Holy Union from the sovereigns of the Christian peoples to unite all of Europe on the basis of the gospel truths and to combat the destructive revolutionary ferment of the masses. According to the terms of this alliance, Alexander in subsequent years took an active part in the suppression of popular uprisings that now and then arose in various parts of Europe.

Last years of reign

The Patriotic War had strong influence on the character and views of the emperor, and the second half of his reign was little like the first. No changes were made in the administration of the state. Alexander became thoughtful, almost stopped smiling, began to be weary of his position as a monarch, and several times even expressed his intention to renounce the throne and retire to private life.

IN last years During his reign, Count A.A. Arakcheev, who became the only speaker to the sovereign of all management affairs. Arakcheev was also very religious, and this feature brought him even closer to the sovereign.

Inside Russia at the end of the reign was restless. In some parts of the troops, there was ferment among the officers, who had been in Europe during numerous campaigns and learned there new ideas about the state order. The sovereign even received information about the existence of a conspiracy aimed at changing the form of supreme government in Russia. But, feeling tired from all the labors and unrest experienced, the sovereign did not take measures against the conspirators.

By the end of 1825, the health of Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna became so weak that doctors advised her not to stay in St. Petersburg for the winter, but to go south. Taganrog was chosen as the seat of the empress, where Alexander decided to leave earlier in order to make the necessary preparations for the arrival of his wife, and on September 1 he left Petersburg.

Death of Alexander 1

Life in the warm southern climate had a beneficial effect on the health of Elizaveta Alekseevna. The sovereign took advantage of this and left Taganrog to visit neighboring places along the Sea of ​​\u200b\u200bAzov, as well as travel through the Crimea. On November 5, he returned to Taganrog completely ill, having caught a bad cold while traveling through the Crimea, but refused the help of doctors. Soon the state of his health began to threaten his life. The sovereign partook of the Holy Mysteries and felt the approach of death. His wife, who was always with him, begged him to allow doctors, this time the emperor agreed to accept their help, but it was too late: the body was so weakened by the disease that at 11 am on November 19, Alexander 1 the Blessed quietly died.

The ashes of the sovereign were transported to St. Petersburg and on March 13, 1826, they were buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Emperor Alexander I was the grandson of Catherine the Great from her only son Pavel Petrovich and the German princess Sophia of Württemberg, in Orthodoxy Maria Feodorovna. He was born in St. Petersburg on December 25, 1777. Named after Alexander Nevsky, the newborn crown prince was immediately taken away from his parents and brought up under the control of the royal grandmother, which greatly influenced the political views of the future autocrat.

Childhood and youth

Alexander's entire childhood passed under the control of his reigning grandmother, he almost did not communicate with his parents, however, despite this, he, like Father Pavel, loved and was well versed in military affairs. The Tsarevich served in active service in Gatchina, at the age of 19 he was promoted to colonel.

The Tsarevich had insight, quickly grasped new knowledge and studied with pleasure. It was in him, and not in her son Paul, that Catherine the Great saw the future Russian emperor However, she could not put him on the throne bypassing her father.

At the age of 20, he became the governor-general of St. Petersburg and the chief of the Semenovsky Guards Regiment. A year later, he begins to sit in the Senate.

Alexander was critical of the policies pursued by his father Emperor Paul, so he became involved in a conspiracy aimed at removing the emperor from the throne and accession of Alexander. However, the condition of the crown prince was to save the life of his father, so the violent death of the latter brought the crown prince a feeling of guilt for life.

Married life

The personal life of Alexander I was very eventful. Marriage relations with the Tsarevich began early - at the age of 16 he was married to the fourteen-year-old Princess Louise Maria Augusta of Baden, who changed her name in Orthodoxy, becoming Elizaveta Alekseevna. The newlyweds were very suitable for each other, for which among the courtiers they received the nicknames Cupid and Psyche. In the first years of marriage, the relationship between the spouses was very tender and touching, the Grand Duchess was very loved and respected at court by everyone except mother-in-law Maria Feodorovna. However warm relationship in the family they soon changed to cool ones - the newlyweds had too different characters, besides, Alexander Pavlovich often cheated on his wife.

The wife of Alexander I was distinguished by modesty, did not like luxury, was engaged in charity work, she preferred walking and reading books to balls and social events.

Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna

For almost six years, the marriage of the Grand Duke did not bear fruit, and only in 1799 did Alexander I have children. Grand Duchess gave birth to a daughter - Maria Alexandrovna. The birth of the baby led to an intra-family scandal in the imperial family. Alexander's mother hinted that the child was born not from the Tsarevich, but from Prince Czartoryski, in an affair with whom she suspected her daughter-in-law. In addition, the girl was born a brunette, and both parents were blondes. Emperor Paul also hinted at the betrayal of his daughter-in-law. Tsarevich Alexander himself recognized his daughter and never spoke about the possible betrayal of his wife. The happiness of fatherhood was short-lived, Grand Duchess Maria lived a little over a year and died in 1800. The death of her daughter briefly reconciled and brought the couple closer.

Grand Duchess Elizabeth Alexandrovna

Numerous novels increasingly alienated the crowned spouses, Alexander, without hiding, cohabited with Maria Naryshkina, and since 1803, Empress Elizabeth began an affair with Alexy Okhotnikov. In 1806, the wife of Alexander I gave birth to a daughter, Grand Duchess Elizabeth, despite the fact that the couple had not lived together for several years, the emperor recognized his daughter, which made the girl first in line for the Russian throne. The children of Alexander I did not please him for long. The second daughter died at the age of 18 months. After the death of Princess Elizabeth, the relationship of the married couple became even cooler.

Love affair with Maria Naryshkina

Married life with in many ways did not work out because of Alexander's fifteen-year relationship with the daughter of a Polish aristocrat M. Naryshkina, before the marriage of Chetvertinskaya. Alexander did not hide this connection, his family and all the courtiers knew about it, moreover, Maria Naryshkina herself at every convenient occasion tried to prick the wife of the emperor, hinting at an affair with Alexander. Over the years of a love affair, Alexander was credited with paternity of five of the six children of Naryshkina:

• Elizaveta Dmitrievna, born in 1803,
• Elizaveta Dmitrievna, born in 1804,
• Sofia Dmitrievna, born in 1808,
• Zinaida Dmitrievna, born in 1810,
• Emmanuil Dmitrievich, born in 1813.

In 1813, the emperor broke up with Naryshkina, as he suspected her of having an affair with another man. The emperor suspected that Emmanuel Naryshkin was not his son. After parting, the former lovers maintained friendly relations. Of all the children of Maria and Alexander I, Sofya Naryshkina lived the longest. She died at 16, on the eve of her wedding.

Illegitimate children of Alexander I

In addition to children from Maria Naryshkina, Emperor Alexander also had other favorites.

• Nikolai Lukash, born in 1796 from Sophia Meshcherskaya;
• Maria, born in 1819 to Maria Turkestanova;
• Maria Alexandrovna of Paris (1814), mother of Margarita Josephine Weimer;
• Alexandrova Wilhelmina Alexandrina Paulina, born 1816, mother unknown;
• (1818), mother Elena Rautenstrauch;
• Nikolay Isakov (1821), mother - Karacharova Maria.

The paternity of the last four children among researchers of the biography of the emperor remains controversial. Some historians generally doubt whether Alexander I had children.

Domestic policy 1801 -1815

Having ascended the throne in March 1801, Alexander I Pavlovich proclaimed that he would continue the policy of his grandmother Catherine the Great. In addition to the title of Russian emperor, Alexander was titled Tsar of Poland since 1815, Grand Duke of Finland since 1801 and Protector of the Order of Malta since 1801.

Alexander I (from 1801 to 1825) began his reign with the development of radical reforms. The emperor abolished the Secret Expedition, prohibited the use of torture against prisoners, allowed the importation of books from abroad and the opening of private printing houses in the country.

Alexander took the first step towards the abolition of serfdom by issuing a decree “On free cultivators”, and introduced a ban on the sale of peasants without land, but these measures did not make any special changes.

Reforms in the education system

Alexander's reforms in the education system were more fruitful. A clear gradation was introduced educational institutions according to level educational programs Thus, district and parish schools, provincial gymnasiums and colleges, and universities appeared. During the years 1804-1810. were opened Kazan, Kharkov universities, in St. Petersburg was opened pedagogical institute, privileged Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum, the Academy of Sciences was restored in the capital.

From the first days of his reign, the emperor surrounded himself with young educated people with progressive views. One of these was the jurist Speransky, it was under his leadership that the Petrovsky collegiums in the Ministry were reformed. Speransky also began developing a project to rebuild the empire, which provided for the separation of powers and the creation of an elected representative body. Thus, the monarchy would have been transformed into a constitutional one, but the reform was opposed by the political and aristocratic elites, so it was not carried out.

Reforms 1815-1825

Under the reign of Alexander I, the history of Russia changed dramatically. The Emperor was active in domestic politics early in their reign, but after 1815 they began to decline. In addition, each of his reforms met with fierce resistance. Russian nobility. Since that time, there have been no significant changes in the Russian Empire. In 1821-1822, a secret police was established in the army, secret organizations and Masonic lodges were banned.

The exceptions were the western provinces of the empire. In 1815, Alexander 1 granted the Polish kingdom a constitution, according to which Poland became a hereditary monarchy within Russia. In Poland, the bicameral Sejm was retained, which, together with the king, was the legislative body. The constitution was liberal in nature and in many ways resembled the French Charter and the constitution of England. Also in Finland, the implementation of the constitutional law of 1772 was guaranteed, and the peasants of the Baltic states were freed from serfdom.

Military reform

After the victory over Napoleon, Alexander saw that the country needed a military reform, so since 1815 the Minister of War Arakcheev was instructed to develop its project. It implied the creation of military settlements as a new military-agricultural class, which would complete the army on a permanent basis. The first such settlements were introduced in the Kherson and Novgorod provinces.

Foreign policy

The reign of Alexander I left its mark in foreign policy. In the first year of his reign, he concluded peace treaties with England and France, and in 1805-1807 joined the squad against the Emperor of France, Napoleon. The defeat at Austerlitz aggravated the position of Russia, which led to the signing of the Peace of Tilsit with Napoleon in June 1807, which implied the creation of a defensive alliance between France and Russia.

More successful was the Russian-Turkish confrontation of 1806-1812, which ended with the signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, according to which Bessarabia was ceded to Russia.

The war with Sweden in 1808-1809 ended with the victory of Russia, under a peace treaty, the empire received Finland and the Aland Islands.

Also during the reign of Alexander during Russo-Persian War Azerbaijan, Imereti, Guria, Mengrelia and Abkhazia were annexed to the empire. The empire received the right to have its own Caspian fleet. Earlier, in 1801, Georgia became part of Russia, and in 1815, the Duchy of Warsaw.

However greatest victory Alexandra is winning Patriotic War 1812, so it was he who led the years 1813-1814. In March 1814, the emperor of Russia entered Paris at the head of the armies of the coalition, he also became one of the leaders Congress of Vienna to establish a new order in Europe. The popularity of the Russian emperor was colossal, in 1819 he became the godfather of the future Queen of England Victoria.

Emperor's death

According to the official version, Emperor Alexander I Romanov died on November 19, 1825 in Taganrog from complications of inflammation of the brain. Such an early death of the emperor caused a lot of rumors and legends.

In 1825, the health of the emperor's wife deteriorated sharply, the doctors advised the southern climate, it was decided to go to Taganrog, the emperor decided to accompany his wife, with whom relations had become very warm in recent years.

While in the south, the emperor visited Novocherkassk and the Crimea, on the way he caught a bad cold and died. Alexander was distinguished by good health and never got sick, so the death of the 48-year-old emperor became suspicious for many, and many considered his unexpected desire to accompany the empress on a trip suspicious too. In addition, the body of the king before the burial was not shown to the people, the farewell took place with a closed coffin. Even more rumors were generated by the imminent death of the emperor's wife - Elizabeth died six months later.

Emperor - old man

In 1830-1840. the deceased tsar began to be identified with a certain old man Fyodor Kuzmich, who, with his features, resembled the emperor, and also had excellent manners that were not characteristic of a simple tramp. There were rumors among the population that the emperor's double was buried, and the tsar himself lived under the name of an elder until 1864, while Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna herself was also identified with the hermit Vera the Silent.

The question of whether Elder Fyodor Kuzmich and Alexander are one person has not yet been clarified; only a genetic examination can put all the dots over the “i”.