Birth: July 6, 1796
Death: March 2, 1855 (cold)
Mother: Maria Feodorovna (Sofia Maria Dorothea Augusta Louise of Württemberg)
Father: Pavel I (Nicholas was the third boy in the imperial family, he was the brother of Alexander I)

Childhood: Preferred games with a military focus and was supposed to become an army official.

In 1799 he received the uniform of a guardsman of a cavalry regiment. He was raised by Baroness Charlotte Karlovna von Lieven and General Lamsdorf (after 1801). In 1814 he traveled with Lamsdorf throughout Europe. During that trip I saw my future wife for the first time. She was 16. Afterwards, the engagement was announced in Berlin in 1815.

He understood not only the military. Sciences, but also in the arts: fine arts, flute, ballet and opera (I figured it out and watched it).
Youth: 07/1/1817 found a wife in the person of the German princess after the baptism of Alexandra Fedorovna. Before becoming an emperor, he commanded a guards division, and after that he served as inspector general of an engineering unit. Thanks to him, at one time an engineering academy was established in his name, as well as a cavalry school named after him. Engineering units established internal battalion and internal company schools. He was brave and had an excellent memory. He was unpretentious. Worked for 3 quarters of the day. His idol is the great Tsar Peter the Great.

Emperorship: His brother wanted to renounce the emperorship, therefore he was appointed heir. After the death of Paul, on the day of the naming of Nicholas, a riot was raised on Senate Street (under the pretext of removing Constantine (Elder Brother)). On June 23, 1831, he calmed 5 thousand riots by riding out in a carriage to the rioters. He also pacified the Novgorod military settlements. State achievements level: Drew up a document with laws and increased the centralization of the state bureaucratic apparatus, also drew up 2 censorship statutes. The first railway opened in 1837. Suppressed the Polish uprising of 1830-1831 and the Hungarian revolution of 1848-1849. 1829 acquired a shore on the Black Sea.

Wars: Caucasian 1817-1864, Persian 1826-1828, Turkish 1828-1829, Crimean 1853-1856.
In total, the emperor had seven children, one of them was the future monarch Alexander II, 3 more boys and 3 girls.

Biography of Nicholas I

The future Emperor of Russia Nicholas I was born on June 25, 1796. The guy was the third son in his parents’ family. At a young age, he could receive a very good education, but, unfortunately for his parents, he did not recognize the humanities. But at the same time, he was well versed not only in fortification, but also in the art of war. Among other things, Nikolai was well versed in engineering. But, not taking into account all these factors, the soldiers and officers did not respect him much. He was a fairly cold-blooded person, and his cruel corporal punishment was accompanied by the fact that in the army he was nicknamed “Nikolai Palkin” among the employees.

In 1817, Nicholas married the Princess of Prussia.

He ascends the throne immediately after the death of his older brother Alexander. Nicholas was the youngest of the children, and if not for the refusal of his middle brother Constantine from the throne, even during the life of the eldest, Nicholas would not have seen himself in the place of the great emperor.

On the first day of his reign, the Decembrists rebelled, and their leaders were executed exactly a year later.

From 1839 to 1843, numerous financial reforms were carried out.

The ruler's foreign policy had the same goals as his domestic one. There was a constant struggle against popular sentiment.

As a result of the brutal Russian-Iranian war, Armenia also joins the great state. The ruler is perplexed by the European revolution and in 1849 sends an army detachment to Hungary to strangle it. Already in 1853, open war between Russia and Crimea began.

Interesting facts and dates from life

Baroness M.P. Friedericks told very interesting things about the personal and private life of Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich. Now this information has become available to the general public, but I always liked turning to primary sources more than retelling them.

“What an example Nikolai Pavlovich gave everyone with his deep respect for his wife and how he sincerely loved and took care of her until the last minute of his life! It is known that he had love affairs on the side - what man does not have them, firstly, and secondly , with reigning persons, an intrigue often arises to remove the legal wife, through doctors they try to convince the husband that his wife is weak, sick, she must be taken care of, etc., and under this pretext they bring in women through whom outside influence could act. But Emperor Nicholas I did not succumb to this intrigue and, in spite of everything, remained faithful to the moral influence of his angelic wife, with whom he had the most tender relationship.

Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich. Engraving by Gregoire and Deneu. It was dated 1826, but, judging by the mustache, not earlier than 1830.

Although the subject of his foreign connection lived in the palace, it never occurred to anyone to pay attention to it, all this was done so secretly, so nobly, so decently. For example, I, being no longer a very young girl, living in a palace under the same roof, seeing this person almost every day, for a long time did not suspect that there was anything wrong in the life of her and the sovereign, so he behaved cautiously and respectfully in front of wife, children and surrounding persons. Undoubtedly, this is a great dignity in a person like Nikolai Pavlovich. As for that person (maid of honor V.A. Nelidova, who died in October 1897), she did not even think of revealing her exclusive position among her fellow ladies-in-waiting, she always behaved very calmly, coldly and simply. Of course, there were individuals who, as always in these cases, tried to curry favor with this person, but they gained little through her. It is impossible not to give her justice that she was a worthy woman who deserves respect, especially in comparison with others of the same position.

After the death of Nikolai Pavlovich, this person immediately wanted to leave the palace, but the reigning Alexander II, by agreement with his august mother, personally asked her not to leave the palace (she died in the palace, which she had not left since that time): but from that She was no longer on duty during the day, she only came to read aloud to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, when Her Majesty was completely alone and resting after lunch.

Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich. Engraving by Afanasyev. 1852.

Emperor Nicholas I was extremely strict with himself, led the most abstinent life, he ate remarkably little, mostly vegetables, drank nothing except water, maybe sometimes a glass of wine, and then, really, I don’t know when this happened, at dinner every evening he ate a bowl of the same soup made from mashed potatoes; he never smoked, but he didn’t like others to smoke either. I walked twice a day without fail - early in the morning before breakfast and classes and after lunch, and never rested during the day. He was always dressed, he never had a robe, but if he was unwell, which, however, very rarely happened, then he put on an old overcoat. He slept on a thin mattress filled with hay. His camp bed stood constantly in the bedchamber of his august wife, covered with a shawl. In general, the entire situation surrounding his personal intimate life bore the imprint of modesty and strict abstinence. His Majesty had his chambers on the top floor of the Winter Palace; their decoration was not luxurious. In recent years he lived downstairs, under the empress’s apartments, where an internal staircase led. This room was small, the walls were covered with simple paper wallpaper, and there were several paintings on the walls. On the fireplace there is a large clock in wooden trim, above the clock there is a large bust of Count Benckendorff. Here stood: the sovereign's second camp bed, above it a small image and a portrait of Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna - she is represented on it in the hussar uniform of the regiment of which she was the chief - a Voltaire chair, a small sofa, a desk, on it are portraits of the empress and his children and simple decoration, several simple chairs, all mahogany furniture, covered with dark green morocco, a large dressing table, near which stood his sabers, swords and a gun, on the shelves attached to the dressing table frame there was a bottle of perfume - he always used “Parfum de la Cour” "(court spirits), - brush and comb. Here he dressed and worked... and then he died! This room remains to this day (1888), as it was during his lifetime."

P.S. The pictures are clickable.
P.P.S. I don `t understand. Either loyalty to his wife, or “the subject of his constant relationship.” But so that both phenomena at once...

Publications in the Museums section

Nine faces of Emperor Nicholas I

During the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, the Russian Empire experienced its golden age. Let's take a look at the works of art dedicated to this sovereign. Sofia Bagdasarova says.

Grand Duke Nikolasha

In the “Portrait of Paul I with his Family,” the future emperor is depicted in the company of his parents and brothers and sisters. No one knew then what fate was in store for this boy in a white suit with a blue belt, huddled on his mother’s lap. After all, he was only the third son - and only a series of accidents and unsuccessful marriages of his older brothers secured the throne for him.

Gerhardt Franz von Kügelgen. Portrait of Paul I with his family. 1800

A.Rockstuhl. Nicholas I in childhood. 1806

Handsome officer

Nicholas became emperor at the age of 29, after the death of his older brother Alexander I and the abdication of the next in line, Constantine. Like all men of his kind, he was very passionate about military affairs. However, for a good sovereign of that era this was not a disadvantage. And his uniform suited him very well - like his older brother, he was considered a real handsome man.

V. Golike. Portrait of Nicholas I. 1843

P. Sokolov. Portrait of Nicholas I. 1820

“...Thirty-two years old, tall, lean, had a wide chest, somewhat long arms, an oblong, clean face, an open forehead, a Roman nose, a moderate mouth, a quick look, a sonorous voice, suitable for a tenor, but he spoke somewhat quickly. In general, he was very slender and agile. Neither arrogant importance nor windy haste was noticeable in his movements, but some kind of genuine severity was visible. The freshness of his face and everything about him showed iron health and served as proof that youth was not pampered and life was accompanied by sobriety and moderation. Physically, he was superior to all the men from the generals and officers that I have ever seen in the army, and I can truly say that in our enlightened era it is extremely rare to see such a person in the circle of the aristocracy.”

“Notes of Joseph Petrovich Dubetsky”

Emperor Cavalry

Of course, Nikolai also loved horses, and was affectionate with “retirees” too. From his predecessor, he inherited two veterans of the Napoleonic War - the gelding Tolstoy Orlovsky and the mare Atalanta, who received a personal royal pension. These horses took part in the funeral ceremony of Alexander I, and then the new emperor sent them to Tsarskoe Selo, where Pensioner stables were built and a cemetery for horses was created. Today there are 122 burials there, including Flora, Nicholas’s favorite horse, which he rode near Varna.

Franz Kruger. Emperor Nicholas I with his retinue. 1835

N. E. Sverchkov. Emperor Nicholas I on a winter trip. 1853

"Gendarme of Europe"

The painting by Grigory Chernetsov depicts a parade on the occasion of the suppression of the Polish uprising of 1830–1831. The Emperor is depicted among approximately 300 characters in the picture (almost all are known by name - including Benckendorff, Kleinmichel, Speransky, Martos, Kukolnik, Dmitriev, Zhukovsky, Pushkin, etc.). The defeat of this rebellion was one of those military operations of the Russian state that created a gloomy reputation for it in Europe.

“Then it was in England that newspapers strongly attacked Nikolai Pavlovich, which seemed very funny to him. One evening, having met Gerlach, he told him and the Prussian diplomat Kanitz that in the English parliament they compared him to Nero, called him a Cannibal, and so on. and that the whole English vocabulary proved insufficient to express all the terrible qualities that distinguish the All-Russian Emperor. Lord Durham, an English diplomat who arrived in Russia, was in an awkward position, and Emperor Nicholas jokingly said: “Je me signerai toujours Nicolas canibal” (translated from the French: “I will now sign myself as Nicholas the cannibal”).

Alexander Brikner. "Russian court in 1826–1832"

Ladies' man

The emperor was suspected of a strong passion for the opposite sex, but, unlike his predecessor and heir - Alexander I and Alexander II, brother and son, he never flaunted his connections, did not honor anyone with recognition as an official favorite and was extremely delicate and respectful towards his wife. At the same time, according to the memoirs of Baron Modest Korf, “Emperor Nicholas was generally of a very cheerful and lively disposition, and in a close circle he was even playful.”

V. Sverchkov. Portrait of Nicholas I. 1856

A.I. Ladurner. Emperor Nicholas I at the ball. 1830

“When talking to women, he had that tone of refined politeness and courtesy, which was traditional in the good society of old France and which Russian society tried to imitate, a tone that has completely disappeared in our days, without being, however, replaced by anything more pleasant or more serious.
...The timbre of his voice was also extremely pleasant. I must therefore admit that my heart was captivated by him, although according to my convictions I remained decidedly hostile to him.

Anna Tyutcheva. “Secrets of the Royal Court (from the notes of the ladies-in-waiting)”

Good family man

Alas, unlike the priest, Nikolai did not order a classic family portrait. The emperor with his wife, six of his seven children (except for his daughter, who was married abroad) and son-in-law can be seen in a costume portrait with the mysterious title “Tsarskoye Selo Carousel”. Members of the emperor's family, dressed as medieval knights and their fair ladies, are depicted here in a scene from a masquerade tournament that was indulged in at the residence.

Horace Vernet. Tsarskoye Selo carousel. 1842

George Dow. Portrait of Grand Duchess Alexandra Feodorovna with children.1821–1824

Benefactor and Guardian

The Emperor, like other members of the dynasty, considered it his duty to personally patronize St. Petersburg educational institutions - primarily the Smolny Institute of Noble Maidens and the Naval Cadet Corps. Besides the duty, it was also a pleasure. Among children growing up without parents, Nikolai could truly relax. So, bald (like Alexander I), he was smart all his life and wore a toupee - a small wig. But when his first grandson was born, as one former cadet recalled, Nikolai came to the corps, threw the overlay from his bald cap into the air and told his adoring children that since he was now a grandfather, he would not wear toupees anymore.

P. Fedotov. Nicholas I and schoolgirls

“The Emperor played with us; in an unbuttoned frock coat, he lay down on a hill, and we dragged him down or sat on him, tightly next to each other; and he shook us like flies. He knew how to instill self-love in children; he was attentive to the employees and knew all the cool ladies and men whom he called by their first and last names.”

Lev Zhemchuzhnikov. "My memories from the past"

Tired ruler

In the painting by Villevalde, the emperor is depicted in the company of the painter himself, the heir (the future Alexander II), as well as a marble bust of his elder brother. Nicholas often visited the workshop of this battle artist (as evidenced by another portrait, in which the king’s enormous stature is clearly visible). But Nikolai’s favorite portrait painter was Franz Kruger. There is a bitter historical anecdote about their communication, which characterizes the gloomy mood of the ruler in recent years.

Symbol of the era

The death of the emperor, whose strength was undermined by the unsuccessful Crimean War, shocked his contemporaries. The maid of honor Anna Tyutcheva, the poet’s daughter, recalled how she went to dinner with her parents and found them very impressed. “It was as if they had announced to us that God had died,” her father said then with his characteristic brightness of speech.

Vasily Timm. Emperor Nicholas I on his deathbed. 1855

“The university watchman Vasily was in awe of Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich and praised everything about him, even his home way of life. “The old man is not a fan of all these overseas wines and various trinkets; but just like that: before dinner he knocks over a glass for a simpleton, that’s all! He likes to eat buckwheat porridge straight from the pot...” he narrated with confidence, as if he had seen it himself. “God forbid, the old man will collapse,” he said, “what will happen then?” “The Emperor is dead,” I just had time to say, when Vasily seemed numb in front of me, muttered angrily: “Well! Now everything will go to dust!

“Memories, thoughts and confessions of a man living out his life as a Smolensk nobleman”

The reign of Nicholas 1 lasted from December 14, 1825 to February 1855. This emperor has an amazing fate, but it is noteworthy that the beginning and end of his reign are characterized by important political events in the country. Thus, Nicholas’s rise to power was marked by the Decembrist uprising, and the death of the emperor occurred during the days of the defense of Sevastopol.

Beginning of reign

Speaking about the personality of Nicholas 1, it is important to understand that initially no one prepared this man for the role of Emperor of Russia. This was the third son of Paul 1 (Alexander - the eldest, Konstantin - the middle and Nikolai - the youngest). Alexander the First died on December 1, 1825, leaving no heir. Therefore, according to the laws of that time, power came to the middle son of Paul 1 - Constantine. And on December 1, the Russian government swore allegiance to him. Nicholas himself also took the oath of allegiance. The problem was that Constantine was married to a woman of no noble family, lived in Poland and did not aspire to the throne. Therefore, he transferred authority to manage to Nicholas the First. Nevertheless, 2 weeks passed between these events, during which Russia was virtually without power.

It is necessary to note the main features of the reign of Nicholas 1, which were characteristic of his character traits:

• Military education. It is known that Nikolai poorly mastered any science except military science. His teachers were military men and almost everyone around him were former military personnel. It is in this that one must look for the origins of the fact that Nicholas 1 said “In Russia everyone must serve,” as well as his love for the uniform, which he forced everyone, without exception, in the country to wear.
• Decembrist revolt. The first day of power of the new emperor was marked by a major uprising. This showed the main threat that liberal ideas posed to Russia. Therefore, the main task of his reign was precisely the fight against the revolution.
• Lack of communication with Western countries. If we consider the history of Russia, starting from the era of Peter the Great, then foreign languages ​​were always spoken at court: Dutch, English, French, German. Nicholas 1 stopped this. Now all conversations were conducted exclusively in Russian, people wore traditional Russian clothes, and traditional Russian values ​​and traditions were promoted.

Many history textbooks say that the Nicholas era was characterized by reactionary rule. Nevertheless, governing the country in those conditions was very difficult, since all of Europe was literally mired in revolutions, the focus of which could shift towards Russia. And this had to be fought. The second important point is the need to resolve the peasant issue, where the emperor himself advocated the abolition of serfdom.

Changes within the country

Nicholas 1 was a military man, so his reign was associated with attempts to transfer army orders and customs to everyday life and government of the country.

There is clear order and subordination in the army. The laws apply here and there are no contradictions. Everything here is clear and understandable: some command, others obey. And all this to achieve a single goal. This is why I feel so comfortable among these people.

Nicholas the First

This phrase best emphasizes what the emperor saw in order. And it was precisely this order that he sought to introduce into all government bodies. First of all, in the Nicholas era there was a strengthening of police and bureaucratic power. According to the emperor, this was necessary to fight the revolution.

On July 3, 1826, the III Department was created, which performed the functions of the highest police. In fact, this body kept order in the country. This fact is interesting because it significantly expands the powers of ordinary police officers, giving them almost unlimited power. The third department consisted of about 6,000 people, which was a huge number at that time. They studied the public mood, observed foreign citizens and organizations in Russia, collected statistics, checked all private letters, and so on. During the second stage of the emperor's reign, Section 3 further expanded its powers, creating a network of agents to work abroad.

Systematization of laws

Even in the era of Alexander, attempts to systematize laws began in Russia. This was extremely necessary, since there were a huge number of laws, many of them contradicted each other, many were only in a handwritten version in the archive, and the laws had been in force since 1649. Therefore, before the Nicholas era, judges were no longer guided by the letter of the law, but rather by general orders and worldview. To solve this problem, Nicholas 1 decided to turn to Speransky, who was given the authority to systematize the laws of the Russian Empire.

Speransky proposed carrying out all the work in three stages:

1. Collect in chronological order all the laws issued from 1649 until the end of the reign of Alexander 1.
2. Publish a set of laws currently in force in the empire. This is not about changes in laws, but about considering which of the old laws can be repealed and which cannot.
3. The creation of a new “Code”, which was supposed to amend the current legislation in accordance with the current needs of the state.

Nicholas 1 was a terrible opponent of innovation (the only exception was the army). Therefore, he allowed the first two stages to take place and categorically prohibited the third.

The work of the commission began in 1828, and in 1832 the 15-volume Code of Laws of the Russian Empire was published. It was the codification of laws during the reign of Nicholas 1st that played a huge role in the formation of Russian absolutism. In fact, the country has not changed radically, but has received real structures for quality management.

Policy regarding education and enlightenment

Nicholas believed that the events of December 14, 1825 were connected with the educational system that was built under Alexander. Therefore, one of the first orders of the emperor in his post happened on August 18, 1827, in which Nicholas demanded that the charters of all educational institutions in the country be revised. As a result of this revision, any peasants were prohibited from entering higher educational institutions, philosophy as a science was abolished, and supervision of private educational institutions was strengthened. This work was supervised by Shishkov, who holds the position of Minister of Public Education. Nicholas 1 absolutely trusted this man, since their basic views converged. At the same time, it is enough to consider just one phrase from Shishkov to understand what the essence was behind the education system of that time.

Sciences are like salt. They are useful and can only be enjoyed if given in moderation. People should be taught only the kind of literacy that corresponds to their position in society. Educating all people without exception will undoubtedly do more harm than good.

A.S. Shishkov

The result of this stage of government is the creation of 3 types of educational institutions:

1. For the lower classes, single-class education was introduced, based on parish schools. People were taught only 4 operations of arithmetic (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), reading, writing, and the laws of God.
2. For the middle classes (merchants, townspeople, and so on) three-year education. Additional subjects included geometry, geography and history.
3. For the upper classes, seven-year education was introduced, the receipt of which guaranteed the right to enter universities.

The solution to the peasant question

Nicholas 1 often said that the main task of his reign was the abolition of serfdom. However, he was unable to directly solve this problem. It is important to understand here that the emperor was faced with his own elite, who were categorically against this. The issue of the abolition of serfdom was extremely complex and extremely acute. One only has to look at the peasant uprisings of the 19th century to understand that they occurred literally every decade, and their strength increased each time. Here, for example, is what the head of the third department said.

Serfdom is a powder charge under the building of the Russian Empire.

OH. Benckendorf

Nicholas the First himself also understood the significance of this problem.

It is better to start changes on your own, gradually, carefully. We need to start at least with something, because otherwise, we will wait for changes to come from the people themselves.

Nikolay 1

A secret committee was created to solve peasant problems. In total, in the Nicholas era, 9 secret committees met on this issue. The greatest changes affected exclusively the state peasants, and these changes were superficial and insignificant. The main problem of giving peasants their own land and the right to work for themselves has not been resolved. In total, during the reign and work of 9 secret committees, the following problems of the peasants were resolved:

• Peasants were forbidden to sell
• It was forbidden to separate families
• Peasants were allowed to buy real estate
• It was forbidden to send old people to Siberia

In total, during the reign of Nicholas 1, about 100 decrees were adopted that related to the solution of the peasant issue. It is here that one must look for the basis that led to the events of 1861 and the abolition of serfdom.

Relations with other countries

Emperor Nicholas 1 sacredly honored the “Holy Alliance,” an agreement signed by Alexander 1 on Russian assistance to countries where uprisings began. Russia was the European gendarme. In essence, the implementation of the “Holy Alliance” did not give Russia anything. The Russians solved the problems of the Europeans and returned home with nothing. In July 1830, the Russian army was preparing to march to France, where the revolution took place, but events in Poland disrupted this campaign. A major uprising broke out in Poland, led by Czartoryski. Nicholas 1 appointed Count Paskevich as commander of the army for the campaign against Poland, who defeated the Polish troops in September 1831. The uprising was suppressed, and the autonomy of Poland itself became almost formal.

In the period from 1826 – 1828. During the reign of Nicholas I, Russia was drawn into a war with Iran. Her reasons were that Iran was dissatisfied with the peace of 1813 when they lost part of their territory. Therefore, Iran decided to take advantage of the uprising in Russia to regain what it had lost. The war began suddenly for Russia, however, by the end of 1826, Russian troops completely expelled the Iranians from their territory, and in 1827 the Russian army went on the offensive. Iran was defeated, the existence of the country was under threat. The Russian army cleared its way to Tehran. In 1828, Iran offered peace. Russia received the khanates of Nakhichevan and Yerevan. Iran also pledged to pay Russia 20 million rubles. The war was successful for Russia; access to the Caspian Sea was won.

As soon as the war with Iran ended, the war with Turkey began. The Ottoman Empire, like Iran, wanted to take advantage of the visible weakness of Russia and regain some of the previously lost lands. As a result, the Russian-Turkish War began in 1828. It lasted until September 2, 1829, when the Treaty of Adrianople was signed. The Turks suffered a brutal defeat that cost them their position in the Balkans. In fact, with this war, Emperor Nicholas 1 achieved diplomatic submission to the Ottoman Empire.

In 1849, Europe was in revolutionary flames. Emperor Nicholas 1, fulfilling the allied dog, in 1849 sent an army to Hungary, where within a few weeks the Russian army unconditionally defeated the revolutionary forces of Hungary and Austria.

Emperor Nicholas 1 paid great attention to the fight against revolutionaries, keeping in mind the events of 1825. For this purpose, he created a special office, which was subordinate only to the emperor and conducted only activities against revolutionaries. Despite all the efforts of the emperor, revolutionary circles in Russia were actively developing.

The reign of Nicholas 1 ended in 1855, when Russia was drawn into a new war, the Crimean War, which ended sadly for our state. This war ended after the death of Nicholas, when the country was ruled by his son, Alexander 2.

Nikolai Pavlovich Romanov, the future Emperor Nicholas I, was born on July 6 (June 25, O.S.) 1796 in Tsarskoe Selo. He became the third son of Emperor Paul I and Empress Maria Feodorovna. Nicholas was not the eldest son and therefore did not claim the throne. It was assumed that he would devote himself to a military career. At the age of six months, the boy received the rank of colonel, and at three years old he was already sporting the uniform of the Life Guards Horse Regiment.

Responsibility for raising Nikolai and his younger brother Mikhail was entrusted to General Lamzdorf. Home education consisted of studying economics, history, geography, law, engineering and fortification. Particular emphasis was placed on the study of foreign languages: French, German and Latin. The humanities did not give Nikolai much pleasure, but everything related to engineering and military affairs attracted his attention. As a child, Nikolai mastered playing the flute and took drawing lessons, and this acquaintance with art allowed him to be considered a connoisseur of opera and ballet in the future.

In July 1817, Nikolai Pavlovich’s wedding took place with Princess Friederike Louise Charlotte Wilhelmina of Prussia, who after baptism took the name Alexandra Feodorovna. And from that time on, the Grand Duke began to actively take part in the arrangement of the Russian army. He was in charge of engineering units, and under his leadership, educational institutions were created in companies and battalions. In 1819, with his assistance, the Main Engineering School and schools for guards ensigns were opened. Nevertheless, the army did not like him for being excessively pedantic and picky about little things.

In 1820, a turning point occurred in the biography of the future Emperor Nicholas I: his elder brother Alexander I announced that due to the refusal of the heir to the throne Constantine, the right to reign passed to Nicholas. For Nikolai Pavlovich, the news came as a shock; he was not ready for it. Despite the protests of his younger brother, Alexander I secured this right with a special manifesto.

However, on December 1 (November 19, O.S.), Emperor Alexander I suddenly died. Nicholas again tried to renounce his reign and shift the burden of power to Constantine. Only after the publication of the tsar's manifesto, naming Nikolai Pavlovich as heir, did he have to agree with the will of Alexander I.

The date of the oath before the troops on Senate Square was set for December 26 (December 14, O.S.). It was this date that became decisive in the speech of participants in various secret societies, which went down in history as the Decembrist uprising.

The revolutionaries' plan was not implemented, the army did not support the rebels, and the uprising was suppressed. After the trial, five leaders of the uprising were executed, and a large number of participants and sympathizers went into exile. The reign of Nicholas I began very dramatically, but there were no other executions during his reign.

The crowning took place on August 22, 1826 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, and in May 1829 the new emperor assumed the rights of autocrat of the Polish kingdom.

The first steps of Nicholas I in politics were quite liberal: A. S. Pushkin returned from exile, V. A. Zhukovsky became the heir’s mentor; Nicholas’s liberal views are also indicated by the fact that the Ministry of State Property was headed by P. D. Kiselev, who was not a supporter of serfdom.

However, history has shown that the new emperor was an ardent supporter of the monarchy. His main slogan, which determined state policy, was expressed in three postulates: autocracy, Orthodoxy and nationality. The main thing that Nicholas I sought and achieved with his policy was not to create something new and better, but to preserve and improve the existing order.

The emperor's desire for conservatism and blind adherence to the letter of the law led to the development of an even greater bureaucracy in the country. In fact, an entire bureaucratic state was created, the ideas of which continue to live to this day. The most severe censorship was introduced, a division of the Secret Chancellery was created, headed by Benckendorff, which conducted political investigation. Very close monitoring of the printing industry was established.

During the reign of Nicholas I, some changes affected the existing serfdom. Uncultivated lands in Siberia and the Urals began to be developed, and peasants were sent to raise them regardless of their desire. Infrastructure was created on new lands, and peasants were supplied with new agricultural equipment.

Under Nicholas I, the first railway was built. The track of Russian roads was wider than European ones, which contributed to the development of domestic technology.

A financial reform began, which was supposed to introduce a unified system for calculating silver coins and banknotes.

A special place in the tsar's policy was occupied by concern about the penetration of liberal ideas into Russia. Nicholas I sought to destroy all dissent not only in Russia, but throughout Europe. The suppression of all kinds of uprisings and revolutionary riots could not be done without the Russian Tsar. As a result, he received the well-deserved nickname “gendarme of Europe.”

All the years of the reign of Nicholas I were filled with military operations abroad. 1826-1828 - Russian-Persian War, 1828-1829 - Russian-Turkish War, 1830 - suppression of the Polish uprising by Russian troops. In 1833, the Treaty of Unkar-Iskelesi was signed, which became the highest point of Russian influence on Constantinople. Russia received the right to block the passage of foreign ships into the Black Sea. However, this right was soon lost as a result of the Second London Convention in 1841. 1849 - Russia is an active participant in the suppression of the uprising in Hungary.

The culmination of the reign of Nicholas I was the Crimean War. It was she who was the collapse of the emperor’s political career. He did not expect that Great Britain and France would come to Turkey's aid. The policy of Austria also caused concern, whose unfriendliness forced the Russian Empire to keep an entire army on its western borders.

As a result, Russia lost influence in the Black Sea and lost the opportunity to build and use military fortresses on the coast.

In 1855, Nicholas I fell ill with the flu, but, despite being unwell, in February he went to a military parade without outerwear... The emperor died on March 2, 1855.