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January 22, 2014, 11:46
future emperor Nicholas I was born in Tsarskoye Selo on June 25 (July 6), 1796. He was the third son of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and his wife Maria Feodorovna. The newborn was baptized on July 6 (17), and he was named Nicholas - a name that had never happened before in the Russian imperial house.
As was customary at that time, Nicholas from the cradle was recorded military service. On November 7 (18), 1796, he was promoted to colonel and appointed chief of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment. Then he received his first salary - 1105 rubles.
In April 1799, the Grand Duke put on the military uniform of the Life Guards Horse Regiment for the first time. In a word, military life surrounded the future Russian emperor from the very first steps.
On May 28, 1800, Nikolai was appointed chief of the Life Guards of the Izmailovsky Regiment and since then has worn exclusively Izmailovsky uniforms.
Nicholas was not even five years old when he lost his father, who was killed on March 2, 1801 as a result of a conspiracy. Soon after, Nikolai's upbringing passed from female to male hands, and from 1803 only men became his mentors. The main supervision of his education was entrusted to General M.I. Lamzdorf. It could hardly have been a worse choice. According to contemporaries,<он не обладал не только ни одною из способностей, необходимых для воспитания особы царственного дома, призванной иметь влияние на судьбы своих соотечественников и на историю своего народа, но даже был чужд и всего того, что нужно для человека, посвящающего себя воспитанию частного лица
All sons Paul I inherited from their father a passion for the outside of military affairs: divorces, parades, reviews. But Nikolai was especially distinguished, having an extraordinary, sometimes simply irresistible craving for this. As soon as he got out of bed, brother Mikhail immediately took up military games. They had tin and porcelain soldiers, guns, halberds, grenadier caps, wooden horses, drums, pipes, charging boxes. A passion for the front, an exaggerated attention to the external side of army life, and not to its essence, remained with Nikolai for the rest of his life.
Nikolai was disgusted with the study of abstract knowledge and during lectures remained a stranger to those "soporific lectures" that were read to him.
How Nikolai differed in this regard from his old brother Alexander, who at one time charmed the intellectual European elite precisely with his ability to conduct a philosophical conversation, to maintain the most subtle and sophisticated conversation! Nicholas subsequently also gained popularity in Europe, but thanks to completely different features: they admired the splendor and regal manners, the dignity of the external appearance of the all-powerful monarch. Admired courtiers, not intellectuals. The desire to ground all problems, to make them more primitive than they really are, and therefore more understandable for himself and his environment, manifested itself in Nicholas 1 with particular force during the years of his reign. No wonder he immediately liked it so much for its simplicity and forever remained close to the famous Uvarov triad - Orthodoxy, autocracy, nationality.
In 1817, with his marriage to the Prussian princess Charlope, the future Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, the period of apprenticeship for Nicholas was over. The marriage took place on the birthday of Alexandra Fedorovna on July 1 (13), 1817. Subsequently, she recalled this event as follows:<Я чувствовала себя очень, очень счастливой, когда наши руки соединились; с полным доверием отдавала я свою жизнь в руки моего Николая, и он никогда не обманул этой надежды>.
Immediately after his marriage, on July 3 (15), 1817, Nikolai Pavlovich was appointed inspector general for engineering and chief of the Life Guards of the Engineer Battalion. This, as it were, finally determined the sphere of activity of the Grand Duke.
The sphere of state activity is quite modest, but it is quite consistent with his inclinations manifested in adolescence. Observant contemporaries already then noted his independence as the main feature of Nicholas. Military exercises, far from real combat life,
seemed to him the height of military art. Having become emperor, Nicholas strenuously planted drill, stepping, and blind obedience in the army.
By 1819, events had taken place that dramatically changed the position of Nicholas and opened up prospects for him that he could not even dream of. In the summer of 1819, Alexander 1 for the first time directly informed his younger brother and his wife that he intended to renounce the throne in favor of Nicholas after some time.
However, until 1825, all this continues to remain a family secret, and in the eyes of society, the heir to the throne, the crown prince with all the due regalia was Konstantin A Nikolai - still just one of the two junior grand dukes, the brigade commander. And this field of activity, which pleased him so much at first, can no longer correspond to his natural ambitions in such a situation.
In 1821, supporters of an armed coup in Russia created the Northern Society, which advocated a constitutional monarchy in the country, organized on the principles of federation, the abolition of serfdom, class division, and the proclamation of civil and political rights. An uprising was being prepared...
On November 19, 1825, far from the capital, in Taganrog, Alexander suddenly died. After a long clarification of the issue of succession to the throne, the oath to the new emperor Nikolai Pavlovich was scheduled for December 14, 1825.
The leaders of the Northern Society K.F. Ryleev and A.A. Bestuzhev decided to act. In addition, Nicholas became aware of the conspiracy.
According to the plan of the uprising, on December 14, the troops were to force the Senate to announce a manifesto to the Russian people with a summary of the program of the Northern Society. It was supposed to capture the Winter Palace, the Peter and Paul Fortress, to kill Nicholas.
However, the plan was thwarted from the start. The troops gathered on the Senate Square (about 3 thousand people) were surrounded by units that swore allegiance to the new king. The rebels repulsed several cavalry attacks, but did not go on the offensive. The "dictator" of the uprising, Prince S.P. Trubetskoy did not appear on the square. The king ordered the cannons to be fired. Under a hail of buckshot, the rebels fled, and soon it was all over.
Of the 579 people involved in the investigation, two hundred and eighty-nine were found guilty. K.F. Ryleev, P.I. Pestel, S.I. Muraviev-Apostol, M.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, P.G. Kakhovsky July 13, 1826, were hanged. The rest were demoted, exiled to hard labor in Siberia and the Caucasian regiments. Soldiers and sailors were judged separately. Some of them were filled with gauntlets, while others were sent to Siberia and to the active army in the Caucasus. A. I. Herzen called the period that came after the defeat of the Decembrists<временем наружного рабства>and<временем внутреннего освобождения>. The censorship charter of 1826 forbade everything that<ослабляет почтение>to the authorities. According to the Charter of 1828, in addition to the Ministry of Education, the III branch, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and many other state bodies received the right to censor. The country was flooded with blue uniforms of gendarmes. Composing denunciations in the III department has become almost the norm.
Domestic policy of Nicholas I.
Nicholas 1, who became emperor in December 1825, did not even have intentions related to changing the political system of Russia. To strengthen the existing order under the leadership of M.M. Speransky (returned to St. Petersburg in 1821) to the II Department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery were prepared<Полное собрание законов Российской империи>for 1649-1826 (1830) and<Свод законов Российской империи>(1833). The new autocrat strengthened the punitive apparatus. In July 1826, the III branch of the Own H.I.V. was established. office of the leadership of the secret police, which was headed by Count A.Kh. Benkendorf. But he became the chief of the gendarme corps, created in 1827. Own h.i.v. the office with new branches gradually acquired the features of an organ of supreme power. Office departments (their number changed) were in charge of the most important branches of government.
On December 6, 1826, a secret committee was formed under the chairmanship of Count V.P. Kochubey. The Committee prepared a number of legislative drafts, the author of most of which was Speransky (restructuring the highest and local government, on estate policy, on the peasant question).
Serfdom A.Kh. Benckendorff named<пороховым погребом под государством>. In the 1930s, secret committees on the peasant question prepared plans for the gradual emancipation of the landlord peasants. This work was attended by Count P.D. Kiselev, Prince I.V. Vasilchikov, M.M. Speransky, E.F. Kankrin and others. However, the projects were not approved, and the Decree of April 2, 1842 became the only legislative act.<Об обязанных крестьянах>. The landowners were allowed to provide the liberated peasants with land plots, for the use of which the peasants were obliged to perform certain duties.
In order to reform the management of state peasants, in May 1836, the V branch of the Own H.I.V. was created. office. In December 1837 it was transformed into the Ministry of State Property. Headed the ministry P.D. Kiselev held in 1837-1841. reform of which he was the author.
The activities of numerous secret committees and the reform of P.D. Kiseleva testified that changes were overdue. But the projects for the reform of serf relations were rejected during discussions in the State Council.
Nicholas 1 believed that the conditions for the liberation of the landlord peasants were not yet ripe. The main means of achieving political stability during his reign remained the strengthening of the military-bureaucratic apparatus in the center and in the regions.
Foreign policy of Nicholas I
The foreign policy of Nicholas 1 retained the policy of Alexander 1 to maintain the status quo in Europe and activity in the East,
March 23, 1826 Duke of Wellington on behalf of England and Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Count K.V. Nesselrode signed in St. Petersburg a protocol on cooperation in the reconciliation of Turkey and the Greeks. This cooperation was supposed, according to the concept of British diplomacy, to prevent Russia's independent actions in the East. But the protocol also indicated that if Turkey refused to mediate, Russia and England could put pressure on Turkey. Taking advantage of this, the Russian government sent Turkey an ultimatum note demanding that Turkish obligations be fulfilled under previous treaties. And although the note did not mention Greece, this speech by Russia looked like a continuation of the Petersburg Protocol. The note was supported by the European powers, and Turkey agreed to fulfill the conditions set. On September 25, 1826, a Russian-Turkish convention was signed in Akkerman, confirming the terms of the previous agreements between Russia and Turkey.
On July 16, 1826, when negotiations were still going on in Akkerman, Iran, seeking revenge on the post of the Gulistan Treaty of 1813 and supported by British diplomats, attacked Russia. The Iranian army captured Elizavetpol and laid siege to the fortress of Shusha. In September, Russian troops inflicted a number of defeats on the Iranians and liberated the territories that had ceded to Russia under the Gulistan Treaty. In April 1827, troops under the command of I.F. Paskevich, they entered the borders of the Erivan Khanate, occupied Nakhchivan on June 26 and defeated the Iranian army in the battle of Dzhevakoulak on July 5. In October, Erivan and Tabriz, the second capital of Iran, were occupied. There was an immediate threat to Tehran. On February 10, 1828, a peace treaty was signed in Turkmanchay. Russian envoy A.S. Griboedov managed to achieve prominent conditions: the Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates retreated to Russia, she received the exclusive right to have a navy in the Caspian.
To strengthen Russia's position in the East, unflagging attention to the Greek question was required. In December 1826, the Greeks turned to the Russian government for military assistance. June 24, 1927 Russia, England and France signed a convention in London. In a secret article, the parties agreed to use their squadrons to blockade the Turkish fleet in case Turkey refused to mediate in the Greek question. It was not supposed to engage in hostilities. After Turkey's refusal, the allied squadrons blocked the Turkish fleet in Navarin Bay. On October 8, 1827, the Allied ships entered the bay and were met by Turkish fire. In the ensuing battle, the Turkish ships were destroyed. Supported by Austria, Turkey terminated the Ackerman Convention and declared war on Russia. In mid-May 1828, Russian troops occupied the Danube
principalities, crossed the Danube and took several fortresses. During the summer and autumn, the Caucasian Corps stormed the Turkish fortresses of Kars, Akhalkalaki, Akhaldikh and others. and Prussia, England pushed Iran to war with Russia. In January 1829, an attack was made on the Russian mission in Tehran. Almost all diplomats died, including the head of the mission, A.S. Griboyedov, However, the Iranian ruler Feth-Ali-Shah did not dare to break the Turkmanchay Treaty and apologized to Russia in connection with the death of Russian diplomats. In June 1829, Russian troops under the command of General I.I. Dibich made a rapid transition through the Balkans and occupied several Turkish fortresses with the support of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet. In August, the Russian vanguards were already 60 km from Constantinople. During the summer campaign, the Caucasian Corps captured Erzurum and reached the approaches to Trebizond. On September 2, 1829, Russia and Turkey signed a peace treaty in Adrianople. The islands at the mouth of the Danube, the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the fortresses of Akhaltsikhe and Akhalkalaki went to Russia. The openness of the Black Sea straits for Russian merchant ships was confirmed. Turkey undertook not to interfere in the internal administration of the Danubian Principalities and Serbia, and also to grant autonomy to Greece. By 1832, England succeeded in nullifying Russian influence in Greece. Russia turned to Turkey. In February 1833, at the request of the Turkish government, a squadron under the command of Admiral Lazarev arrived in Constantinople and landed a 14,000-strong assault force on the outskirts of the Turkish capital. Constantinople was threatened by the Egyptian pasha Muhammad Ali, who in 1831 started a war against Turkey with the support of England and France. "On May 4, 1833, Muhamed-Ali concluded a peace agreement with the Turkish Sultan. However, the Russian troops were evacuated only after the Russian-Turkish agreement for a period of 8 years on mutual assistance was signed in Unkyar Iskelesi on June 26, 1833. The secret article provided for instead of monetary compensation for military assistance, the closure of the Dardanelles to any foreign military courts, except for Russians.The conclusion of this treaty is considered the pinnacle of success of Russian diplomacy in the Eastern question.Numerous violations of the Polish constitution, police arbitrariness of the Russian administration, European revolutions of 1830. created an explosive situation in Poland.
On November 17, 1830, members of a secret society that united student officers and the intelligentsia attacked the residence of Grand Duke Konstantin in Warsaw. Citizens and soldiers of the Polish army joined the rebels. The Polish aristocracy played the main role in the Administrative Council that was created. The popular movement, the creation of the National Guard for some time strengthened the position of the democratic leaders Lelewel and Mokhnitsky. But then a military dictatorship was established. On January 13, 1831, the Polish Sejm proclaimed the dethronement of the Romanovs and elected the National Government headed by A. Czartoryski. At the end of January, the Russian army entered the Kingdom of Poland. The Polish army, led by General Radziwill, was inferior to the Russian both in numbers and in artillery. In a number of battles, both troops suffered significant losses. Having received reinforcements, the Russian army under the command of I.F. Paskevich moved to decisive action. On August 27, after the assault, Warsaw capitulated. The Polish constitution of 1815 was repealed and Poland was declared an integral part of Russia. The July Revolution of 1830 in France and the subsequent events in Poland caused a rapprochement between Russia and Austria. On September 7, 1833, Russia, Austria and Prussia signed a convention on the mutual guarantee of Polish possessions and the extradition of participants in the revolutionary movement.
Achieving the political isolation of France (center<революционной заразы>), Nicholas 1 tried to strengthen relations with England. Meanwhile, Russian-English contradictions were constantly growing. Under agreements with Turkey and Iran, Russia owned the entire Caucasus. But in Chechnya, Dagestan and some other regions there was a war between the highlanders and the tsarist troops. In the 1920s, the movement of murids (seekers of truth) under the leadership of the local clergy spread in the Caucasus. Murids called all Muslims under the banner of holy war against the "infidels". In 1834, the movement was headed by Imam Shamil, who gathered up to 60 thousand soldiers. Shamil's popularity was enormous. After significant successes in the 40s, Shamil was forced to surrender under pressure from Russian troops in 1859. Military operations continued in the Western Caucasus until 1864. Shamil's anti-colonial struggle was used by England and Turkey for their own purposes. The British supplied the Highlanders with weapons and ammunition. England tried to penetrate into Central Asia. The activity of British agents intensified with the beginning of the war between England and Afghanistan. Their goal was to conclude profitable trade agreements with the Central Asian khans. Russia's interests were determined by significant Russian exports to this region and imports of Central Asian cotton to Russia. Russia constantly advanced its cordons to the south, built military fortifications in the Caspian and the Southern Urals. In 1839 Orenburg Governor-General V.A. Perovsky undertook a campaign in the Khiva Khanate, but due to poor organization he was forced to return without reaching his goal. Continuing the attack on Kazakhstan, Russia in 1846 took into citizenship the Cossacks of the Senior Zhuz, who were previously under the rule of the Kokand Khan. Now almost all of Kazakhstan was part of Russia. During the opium war of England and the USA with China (1840-1842), Russia provided him with economic support by establishing a favorable regime for Chinese exports to Russia. More serious assistance could cause a new aggravation of contradictions with England, which was strengthening its positions in the Middle East. England sought to abolish the Unkar-Iskelesi Treaty even before its expiration. By organizing the conclusion of the London Conventions (July 1840 and July 1841), England nullified Russia's successes in the Eastern question. England, Russia, Prussia, Austria and France became the collective guarantors of the integrity of Turkey and announced the neutralization of the straits (i.e. their closure to warships).
In 1848 the situation escalated throughout Europe. Switzerland, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, the Danubian Principalities were embraced by the revolutionary movement. In the summer of 1848, Nicholas 1, together with Turkey, sent troops to the Danube principalities. The Baltiman Act (April 1849), signed by Russia and Turkey, effectively eliminated the autonomy of the principalities. Nicholas 1 severed diplomatic relations with France and concentrated significant forces on the Russian-Austrian border. Austria received a large loan from Russia. In 1849, the Russian corps under the command of I.F. Paskevich, together with the Austrian army, crushed the Hungarian uprising.
In the early 1950s, the situation in the Middle East became more complicated. The main cause of the conflict was the eastern trade, for which Russia, England and France fought. Turkey's position was determined by revanchist plans for Russia. Austria hoped in case of war to seize the Balkan possessions of Turkey.
The reason for the war was the old feud between the Catholic and Orthodox churches over the ownership of holy places in Palestine. Turkey, supported by French and British diplomats, refused to satisfy Russia's demands for the priority of the Orthodox Church. Russia severed diplomatic relations with Turkey and in June 1853 occupied the Danubian principalities. On October 4, the Turkish Sultan declared war on Russia. Despite the superiority of the Turkish army in terms of numbers and quality of weapons, its offensive was thwarted. On November 18, 1853, the Russian fleet under the command of Vice Admiral P.S. Nakhimov defeated the Turkish fleet in Sinop bay. This battle became a pretext for the entry into the war of England and France. In December 1853, the English and French squadrons entered the Black Sea. In March 1854 England and France declared war on Russia.
The war exposed Russia's backwardness, the weakness of its industry, and the inertia of its high military command. The Allied steam fleet was 10 times larger than the Russian one. Only 4% of Russian infantrymen had rifled guns, in the French army - 70, in the English - 50%. The same situation was in artillery. Military units and ammunition, due to the lack of railways, arrived too slowly.
During the summer campaign of 1854, Russian troops defeated the Turkish army in several battles and stopped its advance. Shamil's raid was also reflected. The English and French fleets launched a series of demonstrative attacks on Russian fortresses in the Baltic, Black and White Seas and in the Far East. In July 1854, Russian troops left the Danubian principalities at the request of Austria, which immediately occupied them. From September 1854, the Allies directed their efforts towards the capture of the Crimea. The mistakes of the Russian command allowed the landing of the allies in the battle near the Alma River on September 8 to push back the Russian troops and then besiege Sevastopol. The defense of Sevastopol under the leadership of V.A. Kornilov, P.S. Nakhimov and V.M. Istomin lasted 349 days with a 30,000-strong garrison. During this time, the city was subjected to five massive bombardments. The allies brought in new troops and ammunition, and the forces of the defenders of Sevastopol decreased every day. Attempts by the Russian army to divert the forces of the besiegers from the city ended in failure. On August 27, 1856, French troops stormed the southern part of the city. The advance ended there. Subsequent military operations in the Crimea, as well as in the Baltic and White Seas, were not of decisive importance. In the Caucasus in the autumn of 1855, the Russian army stopped a new Turkish offensive and occupied the fortress of Kars.
Nicholas I (short biography)
The future Russian Emperor Nicholas I was born on June 25, 1796. Nicholas was the third son of Maria Feodorovna and Paul the First. He was able to get a pretty good education, but denied the humanities. At the same time, he was well-versed in fortification and military art. Nikolai also owned and engineering. But despite all this, the ruler was not a favorite of soldiers and officers. His coldness and cruel corporal punishment led him to be nicknamed "Nikolai Palkin" in the army environment.
In 1817 Nicholas married the Prussian princess Frederica Louise Charlotte Wilhelmine.
Nicholas I comes to the throne after the death of his elder brother Alexander. The second pretender to the Russian throne, Konstantin renounces the rights to rule during the life of his brother. At the same time, Nicholas did not know this and at first gave the oath to Constantine. Historians call this time the Interregnum.
Although the manifesto on the accession to the throne of Nicholas I was issued on December 13, 1825, his actual administration of the country began on November 19. On the very first day of the reign, the Decembrist uprising took place, the leaders of which were executed a year later.
The domestic policy of this ruler was characterized by extreme conservatism. The smallest manifestations of free thought were immediately suppressed, and the autocracy of Nicholas was defended with all his might. The secret office, which was led by Benckendorff, carried out a political investigation. After the release in 1826 of a special censorship charter, all printed publications that had at least some political overtones were banned.
At the same time, the reforms of Nicholas I were distinguished by their limitations. Legislation was streamlined and the publication of the Complete Collection of Laws began. In addition, Kiselev is reforming the management of state peasants, introducing new agricultural techniques, building first-aid posts, etc.
In 1839 - 1843, a financial reform was carried out, which established the relationship between the banknote and the silver ruble, but the issue of serfdom remained unresolved.
Nikolaev's foreign policy had the same goals as the domestic one. The constant struggle against the revolutionary moods of the people did not stop.
As a result of the Russian-Iranian war, Armenia joins the state territory, the ruler condemns the revolution in Europe and even sends an army in 1849 to suppress it in Hungary. In 1853 Russia enters the Crimean War.
Nicholas died on March 2, 1855.
The most beautiful man in Europe in the days of his life, who was not forgotten even after his death, is Nicholas 1. The years of reign are from one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five to one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five. He immediately becomes in the eyes of his contemporaries a symbol of formalism and despotism. And there were reasons for that.
The reign of Nicholas 1. Briefly about the birth of the future king
The young tsar managed to maintain his composure, both when he came face to face with Lieutenant Panov's rebellious life-grenadiers at the gates of the Winter Palace, and when he persuaded, standing in the square, the rebellious regiments to submit. The most surprising thing, as he later said, is that he was not killed on the same day. When the persuasion did not work, the king set in motion artillery. The rebels were defeated. The Decembrists were convicted and their leaders hanged. The reign of Nicholas 1 began with bloody events.
Briefly summing up this uprising, we can say that the tragic events of the fourteenth of December left a very deep mark in the heart of the sovereign and the rejection of any free thought. Nevertheless, several social movements continued their activities and existence, overshadowing the reign of Nicholas 1. The table shows their main directions.
Handsome and brave with a stern look
Military service made the emperor an excellent drillman, demanding and pedantic. During the reign of Nicholas 1, many military educational institutions were opened. The emperor was brave. During the cholera riot on June 22, 1831, he was not afraid to go out to the crowd on Sennaya Square in the capital.
And it was absolute heroism to go out to an angry mob that killed even the doctors who tried to help her. But the sovereign was not afraid to go alone, without retinue and guards, to these distraught people. Moreover, he was able to calm them down!
After Peter the Great, it was Nicholas 1 who became the first techie ruler who understood and appreciated practical knowledge and education.
Major achievements of industry during the reign
The sovereign often repeated that the revolution, although on the threshold of the Russian state, would not cross it as long as the breath of life was preserved in the country. However, it was during the reign of Nicholas 1 that the period of the scientific and technological revolution began in the country, the so-called In all factories, manual labor was gradually replaced by machine labor.
In 1834 and 1954, the first Russian railway and steam locomotive built by the Cherepanov masters were built at the plant in Nizhny Tagil. And in the forty-third between St. Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo, experts laid the first telegraph line. Huge ships sailed along the Volga. The spirit of modern times gradually began to change the very way of life. In large cities, this process took place in the first place.
In the forties of the nineteenth century, the first public transport appeared, which was equipped with horse-drawn traction - stagecoaches for ten or twelve people, as well as omnibuses, which were more spacious. The inhabitants of Russia began to use domestic matches, and they began to drink tea from which used to be only a colonial product.
The first public banks and stock exchanges for wholesale trade in industrial and agricultural products appeared. Russia became even more majestic and strong power. In the reign of Nicholas 1, she found a great reformer.
Date of publication or update 01.11.2017
Nicholas I Pavlovich Romanov
Years of life: 1796–1855
Russian emperor (1825–1855). King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland.
From the Romanov dynasty.
Monument to Nicholas I in St. Petersburg.
In 1816 he made a three-month journey through European Russia, and from October 1816. to May 1817 Nicholas traveled and lived in England.
In 1817 Nikolay the First Pavlovich married the eldest daughter of the Prussian king Frederick William II, Princess Charlotte Frederick-Louise, who adopted the name Alexandra Feodorovna in Orthodoxy.
In 1819, his brother Emperor Alexander I announced that the heir to the throne, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, wanted to renounce his right to succeed to the throne, so Nikolai would become the heir as the next brother in seniority. Formally, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich renounced his rights to the throne in 1823, since he had no children in a legal marriage and was married in a morganatic marriage to the Polish Countess Grudzinskaya.
On August 16, 1823, Alexander I signed a manifesto appointing his brother Nikolai Pavlovich as heir to the throne.
However Nikolay the First Pavlovich refused to proclaim himself emperor until the final expression of the will of his elder brother. Nicholas refused to recognize Alexander's will, and on November 27 the entire population was sworn in to Constantine, and Nicholas Pavlovich himself swore allegiance to Constantine I as emperor. But Konstantin Pavlovich did not accept the throne, at the same time he did not want to formally renounce him as emperor, to whom the oath had already been taken. An ambiguous and very tense interregnum was created, which lasted twenty-five days, until December 14th.
Nicholas was married once in 1817 to Princess Charlotte of Prussia, daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, who received the name Alexandra Feodorovna after converting to Orthodoxy. They had children:
Alexander II (1818-1881)
Maria (08/6/1819-02/09/1876), was married to the Duke of Leuchtenberg and Count Stroganov.
Olga (08/30/1822 - 10/18/1892), was married to the King of Württemberg.
Alexandra (12/06/1825 - 29/07/1844), married to Prince of Hesse-Kassel
Konstantin (1827-1892)
Nicholas (1831-1891)
Mikhail (1832-1909)
Nicholas led an ascetic and healthy lifestyle. He was a believing Orthodox Christian, he did not smoke and did not like smokers, he did not drink strong drinks, he walked a lot and did drills with weapons. He had a remarkable memory and a great capacity for work. Archbishop Innokenty wrote about him: "He was ... such a crowned bearer, for whom the royal throne served not as a head to peace, but as an incentive to unceasing work." According to the memoirs of the maid of honor of Her Imperial Majesty, Anna Tyutcheva, the favorite phrase of Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich was: "I work like a slave in the galleys."
The king's love for justice and order was well known. He personally visited military formations, inspected fortifications, educational institutions, government agencies. He always gave concrete advice to correct the situation.
He had a pronounced ability to form a team of talented, creatively gifted people. The employees of Nicholas I Pavlovich were the Minister of Public Education Count S. S. Uvarov, the commander Field Marshal His Serene Highness Prince I. F. Paskevich, the Minister of Finance Count E. F. Kankrin, the Minister of State Property Count P. D. Kiselev and others.
Growth Nicholas I Pavlovich was 205 cm.
All historians agree on one thing: Nikolay the First Pavlovich was undoubtedly a bright figure among the rulers-emperors of Russia.
Nicholas I is one of the most famous emperors of Russia. He ruled the country for 30 years (from 1825 to 1855), between the two Alexanders. Nicholas I made Russia truly enormous. Before his death, it reached its geographical zenith, stretching over almost twenty million square kilometers. Tsar Nicholas I also held the title of King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland. He is known for his conservatism, his unwillingness to reform, and his defeat in the Crimean War of 1853-1856.
Early years and rise to power
Nicholas I was born in Gatchina in the family of Emperor Paul I and his wife Maria Feodorovna. He was the younger brother of Alexander I and Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich. Initially, he was not raised as a future Russian emperor. Nikolai was the youngest child in a family that, in addition to him, had two eldest sons, so it was not expected that he would ever ascend the throne. But in 1825, Alexander I died of typhus, and Konstantin Pavlovich renounced the throne. Nicholas was next in the line of succession. On December 25, he signed a manifesto on his ascension to the throne. The date of the death of Alexander I was called the beginning of the reign of Nicholas. The period between it (December 1) and his ascent is called the intermediate period. At this time, the military tried to seize power several times. This led to the so-called December Uprising, but Nicholas the First managed to quickly and successfully suppress it.
Nicholas the First: years of reign
The new emperor, according to numerous testimonies of his contemporaries, lacked the spiritual and intellectual breadth of his brother. He was not brought up as a future ruler, and this affected when Nicholas the First ascended the throne. He saw himself as an autocrat who governs people as he sees fit. He was not the spiritual leader of his people, inspiring people to work and develop. They also tried to explain dislike for the new tsar by the fact that he ascended the throne on Monday, which has long been considered a difficult and unhappy day in Russia. In addition, on December 14, 1825, it was very cold, the temperature dropped below -8 degrees Celsius.
The common people immediately considered this a bad omen. The bloody suppression of the December uprising for the introduction of representative democracy only strengthened this opinion. This event at the very beginning of the reign had a very bad effect on Nicholas. All subsequent years of his reign, he will impose censorship and other forms of education and other areas of public life, and His Majesty's Office will contain a whole network of all kinds of spies and gendarmes.
Rigid centralization
Nicholas I was afraid of all kinds of forms of national independence. He abolished the autonomy of the Bessarabian region in 1828, Poland - in 1830, and the Jewish Kahal - in 1843. The only exception to this trend was Finland. She managed to maintain her autonomy (largely due to the participation of her army in the suppression of the November Uprising in Poland).
Character and spiritual qualities
Biographer Nikolai Rizanovsky describes the rigidity, determination and iron will of the new emperor. He talks about his sense of duty and hard work on himself. According to Rizanovsky, Nicholas I saw himself as a soldier who devoted his life to serving the good of his people. But he was only an organizer, and not a spiritual leader at all. He was an attractive man, but extremely nervous and aggressive. Often the emperor got too hung up on the details, not seeing the whole picture. The ideology of his rule is "official nationalism". It was proclaimed in 1833. The policy of Nicholas I was based on Orthodoxy, autocracy and Russian nationalism. Let's dwell on this issue in more detail.
Nicholas the First: foreign policy
The emperor was successful in his campaigns against southern enemies. He took the last territories of the Caucasus from Persia, which included modern Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Russian Empire received Dagestan and Georgia. His success in ending the Russo-Persian War of 1826-1828 allowed him to gain an advantage in the Caucasus. He ended the confrontation with the Turks. He was often called behind his back "the gendarme of Europe." He indeed constantly offered to help put down the uprising. But in 1853, Nicholas the First got involved in the Crimean War, which led to disastrous results. Historians emphasize that not only an unsuccessful strategy is to blame for the terrible consequences, but also the flaws in local administration and the corruption of his army. Therefore, it is most often said that the reign of Nicholas the First is a mixture of unsuccessful domestic and foreign policies that put the common people on the brink of survival.
Military and army
Nicholas I is known for his large army. It numbered about a million people. This meant that approximately one in fifty men was in the military. They had outdated equipment and tactics, but the tsar, dressed as a soldier and surrounded by officers, celebrated the victory over Napoleon with a parade every year. Horses, for example, were not trained for battle, but looked great during processions. Behind all this brilliance, real degradation was hidden. Nicholas put his generals at the head of many ministries, despite their lack of experience and qualifications. He tried to extend his power even to the church. It was led by an agnostic known for his military exploits. The army became a social lift for noble youth from Poland, the Baltic, Finland and Georgia. The military also sought to become criminals who could not adapt to society.
Nevertheless, throughout the reign of Nicholas, the Russian Empire remained a force to be reckoned with. And only the Crimean War showed the world its backwardness in the technical aspect and corruption within the army.
Achievements and censorship
During the reign of the heir to Alexander the First, the first railway in the Russian Empire was opened. It stretches for 16 miles, connecting St. Petersburg with the southern residence in Tsarskoe Selo. The second line was built in 9 years (from 1842 to 1851). She connected Moscow with St. Petersburg. But progress in this area was still too slow.
In 1833, Minister of Education Sergei Uvarov developed the program "Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationalism" as the main ideology of the new regime. People had to demonstrate loyalty to the tsar, love for Orthodoxy, traditions and the Russian language. The result of these Slavophile principles was the suppression of class distinctions, extensive censorship and surveillance of such independent thinker poets as Pushkin and Lermontov. Figures who did not write in Russian or belonged to other confessions were severely persecuted. The great Ukrainian poet and writer Taras Shevchenko was sent into exile, where he was forbidden to draw or compose poems.
Domestic politics
Nicholas the First did not like serfdom. He often toyed with the idea of abolishing it, but did not do so for state reasons. Nicholas was too afraid of the strengthening of free-thinking among the people, believing that this could lead to uprisings like the December one. In addition, he was wary of aristocrats and was afraid that such reforms would force them to turn away from him. However, the sovereign still tried to somewhat improve the position of the serfs. Minister Pavel Kiselev helped him in this.
All the reforms of Nicholas I centered around the serfs. Throughout his reign, he tried to increase control over the landowners and other influential groups in Russia. Created a category of state serfs with special rights. He limited the votes of the representatives of the Honorary Assembly. Now only the landlords had this right, in whose subordination there were more than a hundred serfs. In 1841, the emperor forbade the sale of serfs separately from the land.
culture
The reign of Nicholas I is the time of the ideology of Russian nationalism. It was fashionable among the intelligentsia to argue about the place of the empire in the world and its future. Debates were constantly fought between pro-Western figures and Slavophiles. The first believed that the Russian Empire had stopped in its development, and further progress was possible only through Europeanization. Another group, the Slavophiles, assured that it was necessary to focus on the original folk customs and traditions. They saw the possibility of development in Russian culture, and not in Western rationalism and materialism. Some believed in the country's mission to liberate other nations from brutal capitalism. But Nikolai did not like any freethinking, so the Ministry of Education often closed philosophy departments because of their possible negative impact on the younger generation. The benefits of Slavophilism were not considered.
Education system
After the December uprising, the sovereign decided to devote his entire reign to maintaining the status quo. He began with the centralization of the education system. Nicholas I sought to neutralize attractive Western ideas and what he calls "pseudo-knowledge." However, Minister of Education Sergei Uvarov secretly welcomed the freedom and autonomy of educational institutions. He even succeeded in raising academic standards and improving learning conditions, as well as opening universities to the middle class. But in 1848, the tsar canceled these innovations out of fear that pro-Western sentiment would lead to possible uprisings.
Universities were small and the Ministry of Education constantly monitored their programs. The main mission was not to miss the moment when pro-Western sentiments appeared. The main task was to educate the youth as true patriots of Russian culture. But, despite the repressions, at that time there was a flourishing of culture and arts. Russian literature gained worldwide fame. The works of Alexander Pushkin, Nikolai Gogol and Ivan Turgenev secured their status as true masters of their craft.
Death and heirs
Nikolai Romanov died in March 1855 during the Crimean War. He caught a cold and died of pneumonia. An interesting fact is that the emperor refused treatment. There were even rumors that he committed suicide, unable to withstand the yoke of the catastrophic consequences of his military failures. The son of Nicholas I - Alexander II - took the throne. He was destined to become the most famous reformer after Peter the Great.
The children of Nicholas I were born both in marriage and not. The sovereign's wife was Alexandra Fedorovna, and her mistress was Varvara Nelidova. But, as his biographers note, the emperor did not know what real passion was. He was too organized and disciplined for that person. He was supportive of women, but none of them could turn his head.
Heritage
Many biographers call Nicholas' foreign and domestic policy catastrophic. One of the most devoted supporters - A. V. Nikitenko - noted that the entire reign of the emperor was a mistake. However, some scholars are still trying to improve the reputation of the king. Historian Barbara Jelavic notes many of the mistakes, including bureaucracy that led to irregularities, corruption, and inefficiency, but did not view his entire reign as a complete failure.
Under Nicholas, the Kyiv National University was founded, as well as about 5,000 other similar institutions. Censorship was ubiquitous, but this did not interfere with the development of free thought. Historians note the good heart of Nicholas, who simply had to behave the way he behaved. Every ruler has his failures and achievements. But it seems that the people could not forgive anything to Nicholas. His reign largely determined the time in which he had to live and rule the country.
