Nicholas I Pavlovich was the Emperor of All Russia, Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland, the younger brother of Alexander I and Konstantin Pavlovich. His reign, characterized by both social changes and a desire to maintain authoritarian power, spanned the period from 1826 to 1855. The autocrat's management style was reflected in many aspects of the life of the Russian state.
Childhood[]
Nicholas I was born on June 25 (July 6), 1796, in Tsarskoye Selo. He was the third son of Emperor Paul I and Empress Maria Feodorovna. At the age of six months, he received the rank of colonel, and at three years old, he was presented with the uniform of the Life Guards Horse Regiment, since the baby's future was predetermined from birth. According to tradition, a child who was not a direct heir to the throne was prepared for a military career. In early childhood, the boy's upbringing was entrusted to the court lady-in-waiting Charlotte Karlovna von Lieven. After the death of Paul I, this responsible duty was transferred to General Matvey Lamsdorf. The future ruler's home education consisted of studying economics, history, geography, law, engineering and fortifications. Much attention was paid to foreign languages: French, German and Latin.
While lectures and classes in the humanities were difficult for Nicholas I, everything related to military affairs and engineering fascinated him. In his youth, he learned to play the flute and took drawing lessons. His acquaintance with art allowed the young man to later become known as a connoisseur of opera and ballet.
From 1817, Nicholas I was in charge of the engineering unit of the Russian army. Already in his youth, he contributed to the opening of the Main Engineering School and the School of Guards Ensigns. Under his leadership, a system for training junior commanders began to be created.
At the same time, the Grand Duke was disliked in the army for such character traits as excessive pedantry, pickiness over trifles, and dryness. He was a person who was determined to unquestioningly obey the laws, but at the same time he could flare up for no reason.
In 1819, Alexander I informed his younger brother that the heir to the throne, Konstantin Pavlovich, intended to renounce his obligations, and the right to reign would pass to Nicholas I. The latter was struck dead by the news: the young man was neither morally nor intellectually prepared for the possible reign. In a manifesto, Alexander secretly designated Nicholas I as his successor and ordered that the papers be opened only upon his “demand” or immediately after his death.
Nicholas I and the Decembrist Uprising[]
On November 19 (December 1), 1825, Alexander I died suddenly. The Emperor was in Taganrog at the time, so the royal court received the sad news a week later. The supposed heir to the throne initiated the oath of allegiance to Constantine I among the courtiers and military, but a manifesto was published at the State Council. Nicholas was still adamant in his decision not to assume such a responsible position and persuaded the Council, Senate and Synod to swear allegiance to his elder brother. But Constantine, who was in Poland, was not going to come to St. Petersburg. Nicholas had no choice but to agree with the will of his deceased relative. The date of his oath before the troops on Senate Square was set for December 14.
The day before, the participants of the Union of Salvation movement, inspired by free ideas about the abolition of the tsarist power and the creation of a liberal system in the Russian Empire, decided to take advantage of the uncertain political situation and change the course of history. At the proposed national gathering, according to the organizers of the uprising, Sergei Trubetskoy, Sergei Muravyov-Apostol, Kondraty Ryleyev and Pavel Pestel, it was supposed to choose one of two forms of government: a constitutional monarchy or a republic.
But the revolutionaries' plan failed, since the army did not go over to their side, and the Decembrist uprising was quickly suppressed. After the trial, 5 organizers were hanged, and the participants in the rebellion and sympathizers were sent into exile. The execution of Ryleyev, Pestel, Pyotr Kakhovsky, Mikhail Bestuzhev-Ryumin and Muravyov-Apostol took place on July 13 (25), 1826, on the crownwork of the Peter and Paul Fortress.
The coronation of the Grand Duke took place on August 22 (September 3), 1826, in the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral. The event was originally planned for June of that year, but mourning for Empress Elizabeth Alexeyevna (Alexander I's widow), who died in May, forced the date to be revised.
Domestic policy of Nicholas I[]
Nicholas I turned out to be an ardent supporter of the monarchy. The emperor's views were based on three pillars: autocracy, Orthodoxy, and nationality. He passed laws in accordance with his own unshakable principles. The conservative sought not to create a new order, but to preserve and improve the existing one.
The monarch's domestic policy was distinguished by conservatism and commitment to the letter of the law, which gave rise to an even greater bureaucracy in the state than there was before the reign of Nicholas I. He began to introduce strict censorship and put the code of laws of the Russian Empire in order. The Third Section of the Secret Chancellery was established, headed by Alexander Benckendorff, which fought against political radicalism and foreign spies.
The printing industry was also subject to reform. The state censorship, created by a special decree, monitored the purity of printed matter and confiscated suspicious publications that opposed the ruling regime.
The transformations also affected serfdom. Commoners were offered uncultivated lands in Siberia and the Urals, where farmers were resettled regardless of their desire. Infrastructure was organized in new settlements, farmers were given loans and other support. Events created the preconditions for the abolition of serfdom.
Nicholas I showed great interest in innovations in engineering. In 1837, on the initiative of the sovereign, the construction of the first railway connecting Tsarskoye Selo and St. Petersburg was completed. Possessing analytical thinking and foresight, the strategist-autocrat ordered the construction of railways wider than the European ones. In this way, he prevented the risk of enemy equipment penetrating deep into the empire.
Nicholas I played a major role in streamlining the financial system. In 1839, the monarch began to carry out a monetary reform, the goal of which was a unified system for calculating silver coins and banknotes. The Ministry of Finance initiated the exchange of precious metals held by the population for credit notes.
Foreign policy[]
In foreign policy, the tsar sought to reduce the penetration of liberal ideas into Russia. He sought to strengthen the state's position in three directions: western, eastern and southern. The politician suppressed all possible uprisings and revolutionary revolts on the European continent, after which he began to be called the "gendarme of Europe".
Wars and rebellions[]
For many years, Nicholas I waged military operations. Having barely begun his reign, the autocrat was forced to take up the baton of the Caucasian War, which had been started by his elder brother. The highlanders of the North Caucasus, led by Imam Shamil, fiercely resisted the superior forces of the enemy for 25 years. In 1826, the tsar unleashed the Russo-Persian campaign, which resulted in the annexation of part of Eastern Armenia - the Erivan and Nakhichevan khanates - to the Russian Empire.
In 1828, the Russo-Turkish War began. On September 2 (14), 1829, the parties signed the Treaty of Adrianople. As a result, most of the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the Danube Delta passed to Russia. In addition, the Ottoman Empire recognized the transfer of the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti, Imereti and Mingrelia.
Later, Russian troops suppressed the Polish Uprising. It arose at the end of November 1830 under the slogan of recreating an independent historical Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth within the borders of 1772 and came to naught in October 1831.
In 1853, Nicholas I unleashed the Crimean War, participation in which turned into a political collapse for him. Alexander II had to deal with the catastrophic consequences of the conflict, which, among other things, included a nearly twofold weakening of the ruble.
Death[]
Having fallen seriously ill in early 1855, Nicholas I bravely resisted his illness. Overcoming pain and loss of strength, in February he went out to a military parade without his outerwear. The direct heir of Paul I wanted to support the soldiers and officers who were already losing the Crimean War. The cause of the sovereign's death, which occurred on February 18 (March 2), 1855, was the consequences of influenza.
Heroic deeds[]
- Nicholas I played an important role in the creation of an independent Greek state.
- Decisively helped Austria during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848.
- It was he who allowed peasants to buy their landlords' property, which gradually led to the complete abolition of serfdom