Biography of Emperor Alexander III Alexandrovich. Alexander III: peacemaker and reactionary

27.09.2019

Alexander III Alexandrovich Romanov
Years of life: February 26, 1845, Anichkov Palace, St. Petersburg - October 20, 1894, Livadia Palace, Crimea.

Son of Maria Alexandrovna, recognized daughter of Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse and Emperor.

Emperor of All Russia (1 (13) March 1881 - October 20 (November 1), 1894), Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke Finnish since March 1, 1881

From the Romanov dynasty.

He was awarded a special epithet in pre-revolutionary historiography - the Peacemaker.

Biography of Alexander III

He was the 2nd son of the imperial family. Born February 26 (March 10), 1845 in Tsarskoye Selo His elder brother was preparing to inherit the throne.

The mentor who had a strong influence on his worldview was K.P. Pobedonostsev.

As a prince, he became a member of the State Council, commander of the guards and chieftain of all Cossack troops.

During Russian-Turkish war 1877–1878 he was the commander of the Separate Ruschuk Detachment in Bulgaria. He created the Volunteer Fleet of Russia (since 1878), which became the core of the country's merchant fleet and the reserve of the Russian military fleet.

After the death of his elder brother Nicholas in 1865, he became the heir to the throne.

In 1866, he married the bride of his deceased brother, the daughter of the Danish king Christian IX, Princess Sophia Frederica Dagmar, who adopted the name Maria Feodorovna in Orthodoxy.

Emperor Alexander 3

Having ascended the throne after the assassination of Alexander II on March 1 (13), 1881 (his father's legs were blown off by a terrorist bomb, and his son spent the last hours of his life nearby), canceled the draft constitutional reform signed by his father just before his death. He stated that Russia would pursue a peaceful policy and deal with internal problems - strengthening the autocracy.

His manifesto of April 29 (May 11), 1881 reflected the program of domestic and foreign policy. The main priorities were: maintaining order and power, strengthening church piety and ensuring the national interests of Russia.

Reforms of Alexander 3

The tsar created the State Peasant Land Bank to issue loans to peasants for the purchase of land, and also issued a number of laws to alleviate the situation of the workers.

Alexander 3 pursued a tough policy of Russification, which faced opposition from some Finns and Poles.
After Bismarck's resignation from the post of Chancellor of Germany in 1893, Alexander III Alexandrovich concluded an alliance with France (Franco-Russian alliance).

In foreign policy, for years of reign of Alexander 3 Russia has firmly taken a leading position in Europe. Possessing a huge physical strength, the tsar symbolized for other states the power and invincibility of Russia. Once the Austrian ambassador began to threaten him during dinner, promising to move a couple of army corps to the borders. The king listened in silence, then took a fork from the table, tied it in a knot and threw it on the ambassador's plate. “This is what we will do with your couple of hulls,” the king replied.

Domestic policy of Alexander 3

Court etiquette and ceremonial became much simpler. He significantly reduced the staff of the Ministry of the Court, the number of servants was reduced and strict control over the spending of money was introduced. At the same time, a lot of money was spent on the acquisition of art objects by him, since the emperor was a passionate collector. Gatchina Castle under him turned into a storehouse of priceless treasures, which later became a true national treasure of Russia.

Unlike all his predecessors, rulers on the Russian throne, he adhered to strict family morality and was an exemplary family man - loving husband And good father. He was one of the most pious Russian sovereigns, firmly held Orthodox canons, willingly donated to monasteries, for the construction of new temples and the restoration of ancient ones.
Passionately fond of hunting and fishing, boating. Belovezhskaya Pushcha was the Emperor's favorite hunting ground. He participated in archaeological excavations, loved to play the trumpet in a brass band.

The family had very warm relations. Every year the date of marriage was celebrated. Evenings for children were often arranged: circus and puppet performances. Everyone was attentive to each other and gave gifts.

The emperor was very hardworking. And yet, despite healthy lifestyle life, died young, before the age of 50, quite unexpectedly. In October 1888, the tsar's train crashed near Kharkov. There were many victims, but the royal family remained intact. Alexander, with incredible efforts, held the collapsed roof of the car on his shoulders until help arrived.

But soon after this incident, the emperor began to complain of back pain. Doctors came to the conclusion that a terrible concussion during the fall served as the onset of kidney disease. At the insistence of the Berlin doctors, he was sent to the Crimea, to Livadia, but the disease progressed.

On October 20, 1894, the emperor died. He was buried in St. Petersburg, in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The death of Emperor Alexander III caused an echo all over the world, flags were lowered in France, memorial services were held in all churches in England. Many foreign figures called him a peacemaker.

The Marquess of Salisbury said: “Alexander III saved Europe many times from the horrors of war. According to his deeds, the sovereigns of Europe should learn how to manage their peoples.

He was married to the daughter of the Danish king Christian IX Dagmar of Denmark (Maria Feodorovna). They had children:

Nicholas II (May 18, 1868 - July 17, 1918),
Alexander (May 20, 1869 – April 21, 1870),
Georgy Alexandrovich (April 27, 1871 - June 28, 1899),
Xenia Alexandrovna (April 6, 1875 - April 20, 1960, London), also Romanova by her husband,
Mikhail Alexandrovich (December 5, 1878 - June 13, 1918),
Olga Alexandrovna (June 13, 1882 - November 24, 1960).

He had military rank- general of infantry, general of cavalry (Russian imperial army). The Emperor was of enormous stature.

In 1883, the so-called "coronation ruble" was issued in honor of the coronation of Alexander III.

10/20/1894 (2.11). – Tsar Peacemaker Alexander III died in the Livadia Palace in Crimea at the age of 50

Tsar Peacemaker

Alexander III (02/26/1845–10/20/1894) - Russian Emperor since 1881, after the death of his father, who was killed by terrorists.

The future Emperor Alexander III grew up in large family, in which there were six brothers: Nikolai, Alexander, Vladimir, Alexei, Sergey, Pavel and two sisters (Maria married the son English queen Victoria). Boys, at the insistence of their grandfather, were brought up in a strict spirit. Started at the age of eight, regular training continued for 12 years. They were taught: the Law of God, the Russian language, foreign languages(German, French, English), mathematics, geography, general and Russian history, reading, calligraphy, drawing, military affairs, gymnastics, horseback riding, fencing, music.

The teachers were the most qualified specialists, so that, contrary to the liberal myths about "lack of education" and "unpreparedness", the future Emperor Alexander III, like all the royal children, received an excellent education. He was taught the law of God by the professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy N.P. Christmas. General M.I. Dragomirov taught military history and tactics. The boys were taught marching, rifle techniques and other military skills by military educators under the guidance of Major General N.V. Zinoviev. Russian literature was taught by professor philologist and historian Ya.K. Grotto and the future director of the Public Library in St. Petersburg M.A. Korf; history was taught by a famous historian; classes in jurisprudence were first led by Professor I.E. Andreevsky, and then professor, who was destined to become one of the closest people to Alexander Alexandrovich.

Alexander Alexandrovich became heir to the throne in 1865 after the death of his elder brother Nikolai. In 1866 he married his bride -. He was an exemplary Orthodox family man, had six children (one of whom died in infancy). Royal children were traditionally brought up in strictness and simplicity.

Assuming the Throne, Emperor Alexander III was aware that the murder of His Most August Parent testified to internal trouble in the state, which required the adoption of decisive measures to combat the corrupters of state foundations. We read about the beginning of the reign of Alexander III at: “It was terrible for him to enter the kingdom. He sat down on the Throne of his fathers, irrigated with tears, ... in the midst of the horror of the people, in the midst of hissing anger and sedition. Wishing to support the new Tsar, Pobedonostsev wrote to him:

“The mad villains who killed your Parent will not be satisfied with any concession and will only become furious. And you can calm down, the evil seed can be torn out only by fighting them on your stomach and to death. It is not difficult to win: until now everyone wanted to avoid the struggle and deceived the late Sovereign, you, themselves, everyone and everything in the world ... No, Your Majesty, there is only one sure direct way to get on your feet and start, without falling asleep for a minute, the most holy struggle that has ever happened in Russia. All the people are waiting for an authoritative decision on this, and as soon as they feel the sovereign will, everything will rise, everything will come to life and freshen up in the air.

“And now the darkness of turmoil ... began to quickly dissipate,” writes historian V.V. Nazarevsky. - Sedition, which seemed insurmountable, melted like wax in the face of fire ... The confusion in the minds began to quickly give way to Russian sanity, licentiousness and self-will gave way to order and discipline. Freethinking no longer trampled Orthodoxy as a kind of ultramontanism and our native Church as clericalism. The authority of the indisputable and hereditary national supreme power has again risen to its historical and traditional height. For the general improvement of the atmosphere in the country, it is indicative that the number of crimes has sharply decreased and bribery has disappeared.

The guiding rules of his reign were: complete peacefulness in external relations and focus on the internal well-being of the power entrusted to him by God. The Tsar himself, as if a hero who came to us from a Russian epic, encouraged everything Russian both in industry and in culture. He was the founder and first chairman of the Russian Historical Society, with his active participation and partly at his own expense created , after the death of Alexander III, bearing his name.

There is no area in which, during the incomplete 14 years of the reign of Alexander III, there was no significant rise. But Alexander III was especially concerned about the Church and the peasantry. To raise the welfare of the peasants in 1882, the Peasant Land Bank was established. In 1883 Coronation Manifesto. A rule was issued on the hiring of workers for rural and factory work, a factory inspection was introduced to protect the interests of workers. But not only the financial situation common people The Emperor was concerned: his constant desire was to give public education, about which he also cared a lot, a religious basis, for which purpose the establishment of parochial schools in 1884 was adopted. In 1885 the Noble Land Bank was established. In 1890, in order to improve the civil and family life of the common people, Alexander III established the position of zemstvo chiefs. Thanks to a number of measures, despite the large crop failure in 1891, the financial and economic situation of the country improved significantly by the end of the 19th century.

In Soviet historiography, the reign of Alexander III is presented only as a "rampant gloomy reaction", this tradition is continued by many democratic post-Soviet authors. “For more than a hundred years, the figure of the penultimate Russian Tsar has been the target of the most impartial assessments; his personality serves as the object of unbridled attacks and tendentious criticism,” writes historian A. Bokhanov, and objects: “In total, 17 people were executed for political crimes (for criminal acts) in the “reaction period”. All of them either participated in the regicide, or prepared for it, and not one of them repented. In total, less than 4 thousand people were interrogated and detained for anti-state acts (almost fourteen years). Considering that the population of Russia at that time exceeded 120 million people, then these data convincingly refute the stereotyped thesis about the "terror regime" that was allegedly established in Russia during the reign of Alexander III.

The people sincerely loved their Tsar. When, by the grace of God, the Sovereign and the entire August Family remained unharmed, then all of Russia rejoiced and prayed.

The emerging threat of the death of the entire Imperial family. The fact was that his brother Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich (the next oldest son of Alexander II) in 1874 married the Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who did not accept Orthodoxy before marriage (she converted to Orthodoxy only in 1908, when the children became adults). By doing so, he violated Art. 185 of the Fundamental Laws: "The marriage of a male person of the Imperial House, who may have the right to inherit the Throne, with a special other faith is made only by the perception of her Orthodox confession." In 1886, as chairman of the Highly Approved Commission for the Review of the Institution of the Imperial Family, Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich tried to change the wording of this article, limiting its effect: instead of “Marriage of a male person of the Imperial House, who may have the right to inherit the Throne”, Vel. Book. Vladimir Alexandrovich wrote: "The marriage of the Heir to the Throne and the eldest man in his generation." In such a wording, the article would cease to apply to the family of Grand Duke Vladimir. However, in 1889 Emperor Alexander III restored the article in its previous edition. For if he had died with his family in a train crash, then, according to the meaning of the amended article, the Throne would have gone to his brother Vladimir and his non-Orthodox wife (these were the parents of a future violator of family, state and church laws and a traitor-Februalist brought up in this family -) ...

The sovereign was deeply moral and honest, an extremely simple, cheerful and very witty person. Many of his resolutions have become classics. There is a known case when in some volost board one peasant spat on his portrait. Cases of insult to Majesty were dealt with in the District Courts and the verdict was necessarily brought to the attention of the Sovereign. So it was in this case. The offending man was sentenced to six months in prison and brought to the attention of the Emperor. Alexander III burst out laughing:

- How! He didn't give a damn about my portrait, and for that I'm going to feed him for another six months? You're crazy, sir. Send him away and tell him that I, in turn, wanted to spit on him. And the end of the matter. Here's another unseen!

Or, the writer Tsebrikova was arrested on some political matter and informed the Sovereign about it. He deigned to draw the following resolution on paper: "Let go of the old fool!". All Petersburg, including the ultra-revolutionary, laughed to tears. Mrs. Tsebrikova's career was completely destroyed...

In the reign under Alexander III, it was completed, which put an end to internecine conflicts and raids on those who were part of Russian Empire tribes.

Peacetime has begun in Europe. Without interfering in European affairs, since they did not affect our interests, Alexander III, with his sincere peacefulness, strengthened the military power of Russia, skillfully and firmly created political balance in Europe, becoming the guardian of peace in it. The influence of Russia in Europe during his reign was generally recognized. The well-known episode with fishing, which Alexander III loved very much, is characteristic. One day, when he was fishing on Karpin Pond, the Minister of Foreign Affairs rushed to him and began to insistently ask him to immediately receive the ambassador of some Western power on an important European business. To which Alexander III replied: "When the Russian Tsar is fishing, Europe can wait."

But, unfortunately, the reign of Emperor Alexander III was short-lived. After a short illness, on October 20, 1894, the Tsar, having taken communion three times before his death, departed into eternity, admonished by the great prayer book and miracle worker of the Russian land who was with him.

The historian spoke as follows after the death of the Sovereign Peacemaker: “Science will give Emperor Alexander III a proper place not only in the history of Russia and all of Europe, but also in Russian historiography, will say that He won a victory in the area where it is most difficult to achieve victory, defeated the prejudice of peoples and thereby contributed to their rapprochement, conquered the public conscience in the name of peace and truth, increased the amount of good in the moral circulation of mankind, encouraged and uplifted the Russian historical thought, the Russian national consciousness, and did all this so quietly and silently that only now, when He is no longer there, Europe understood what He was for her.

Monument to Alexander III at the Marble Palace (works by P. Trubetskoy)

Indeed, the whole world reacted to the death of the Russian Tsar - and this respect for him was simply amazing against the background of ordinary European Russophobia. The French Foreign Minister Flourance said: “Alexander III was a true Russian Tsar, such as Russia had not seen before him for a long time. Of course, all the Romanovs were devoted to the interests and greatness of their people. But prompted by the desire to give their people Western European culture, they looked for ideals outside of Russia ... Emperor Alexander III wished that Russia was Russia, that it was, first of all, Russian, and he himself set the best examples of this. He showed himself the ideal type of a truly Russian person. Even the Marquis of Salisbury, hostile to Russia, admitted: “Alexander III saved Europe many times from the horrors of war. According to his deeds, the sovereigns of Europe should learn how to manage their peoples. This respect of contemporaries for the Russian Emperor is still evidenced by the bridge over the Seine named after him in the very center of Paris.

Born March 10 (February 26 old style) 1845 in St. Petersburg. He was the second son of Emperor Alexander II and Empress Maria Alexandrovna.

He received a military engineering education traditional for the Grand Dukes.

In 1865, after the death of his elder brother, Grand Duke Nicholas, he became Tsarevich, after which he received more fundamental knowledge. Among Alexander's mentors were Sergei Solovyov (history), Yakov Grot (history of literature), Mikhail Dragomirov (martial arts). Biggest Influence the teacher of jurisprudence Konstantin Pobedonostsev provided the Tsarevich.

In his father's reforms, he saw, first of all, negative aspects - the growth of government bureaucracy, the difficult financial situation of the people, imitation of Western models. The political ideal of Alexander III was based on the idea of patriarchal-fatherly autocratic rule, the planting of religious values in society, the strengthening of the estate structure, and national-original social development.

On April 29, 1881, Alexander III issued a manifesto "On the inviolability of autocracy" and launched a series of reforms that were aimed at partially curtailing the liberal undertakings of his father-reformer.

The domestic policy of the king was characterized by increased control of the central government over all spheres of state life.

To strengthen the role of the police, local and central administration, the "Regulations on Measures to Protect State Security and Public Peace" (1881) were adopted. Adopted in 1882, the "Provisional Rules on the Press" clearly outlined the range of topics that could be written about, and introduced strict censorship. In addition, a number of "counter-reforms" were carried out, thanks to which it was possible to suppress the revolutionary movement, primarily the activities of the "Narodnaya Volya" party.

Alexander III took measures to protect the class rights of the noble landlords: he established the Noble Land Bank, adopted the Provision on hiring for agricultural work, which was beneficial for the landowners, strengthened administrative guardianship over the peasantry, helped to strengthen the community of the peasants, the formation of the ideal of a large patriarchal family.

At the same time, in the first half of the 1880s, he took a number of measures to alleviate the financial situation of the people and alleviate social tensions in society: the introduction of compulsory redemption and the reduction of redemption payments, the establishment of the Peasant Land Bank, the introduction of factory inspection, the gradual abolition of the poll tax.

The emperor paid serious attention to raising the public role Orthodox Church: he increased the number of parochial schools, toughened repressions against the Old Believers and sectarians.

During the reign of Alexander III, the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow was completed (1883), parishes closed in the previous reign were restored, and many new monasteries and churches were built.

Alexander III made a significant contribution to the reorganization of the system of state and social relations. In 1884, he issued the University Charter, which curtailed the autonomy of the universities. In 1887, he issued a "circular about the cook's children," which limited the admission of children from the lower classes to the gymnasium.

He strengthened the social role of the local nobility: since 1889, the peasant self-government was subordinate to the zemstvo chiefs - who combined judicial and administrative power in their hands to officials from local landowners.

He carried out reforms in the sphere of city government: zemstvo and city regulations (1890, 1892) tightened the control of the administration over local government, limited the rights of voters from the lower strata of society.

He limited the scope of the jury, restored closed court proceedings for political trials.

The economic life of Russia during the reign of Alexander III was characterized by economic growth, which was largely due to the policy of increased patronage of domestic industry. The country rearmed the army and navy and became the world's largest exporter of agricultural products. The government of Alexander III encouraged the growth of large-scale capitalist industry, which achieved notable successes (metallurgy products doubled in 1886-1892, the railway network grew by 47%).

The foreign policy of Russia under Alexander III was distinguished by pragmatism. The main content was the turn from traditional cooperation with Germany to an alliance with France, which was concluded in 1891-1893. The aggravation of relations with Germany was smoothed out by the "Reinsurance Treaty" (1887).

Alexander III went down in history as the Tsar-Peacemaker - during the years of his reign, Russia did not participate in any serious military-political conflict of that time. The only significant battle - the capture of Kushka - took place in 1885, after which the annexation of Central Asia to Russia was completed.

Alexander III was one of the initiators of the creation of the Russian Historical Society and its first chairman. Established the Historical Museum in Moscow.

He simplified court etiquette and ceremonial, in particular, abolished kneeling before the king, reduced the staff of the court ministry and introduced strict control over the spending of money.

The emperor was pious, distinguished by frugality, modesty, he spent his leisure time in a narrow family and friendly circle. Interested in music, painting, history. He collected an extensive collection of paintings, decorative and applied arts, sculptures, which, after his death, was transferred to the Russian Museum founded by Emperor Nicholas II in memory of his father.

The idea of a real hero with iron health is associated with the personality of Alexander III. On October 17, 1888, he suffered in a railway accident near the Borki station, 50 km from Kharkov. However, saving the lives of loved ones, the emperor held the collapsed roof of the car for about half an hour until help arrived. It is believed that as a result of this excessive exertion, he began to progress kidney disease.

On November 1 (October 20, old style), 1894, the emperor died in Livadia (Crimea) from the effects of jade. The body was taken to St. Petersburg and buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

The wife of Alexander III was the Danish princess Louise Sophia Frederica Dagmar (in Orthodoxy - Maria Feodorovna) (1847-1928), whom he married in 1866. The emperor and his wife had five children: Nicholas (later - Russian emperor Nicholas II), George, Xenia, Mikhail and Olga.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

Sergei Yulievich Witte, Minister of Finance, Minister of Communications:

“The Emperor Alexander III had an absolutely outstanding nobility and purity of heart, purity of morals and thoughts. As a family man, he was an exemplary family man; as a boss and owner - he was an exemplary boss and an exemplary owner ... he was a good owner not because of a sense of self-interest, but because of a sense of duty. I am not only in royal family, but also among dignitaries, he never met that feeling of respect for the state ruble, for the state penny, which the emperor possessed ... He knew how to inspire confidence abroad, on the one hand, that He would not act unfairly towards anyone, would not wish for any seizures; everyone was calm that He would not start any adventure ... Emperor Alexander III never disagreed with his deed. What he said was felt by him, and he never deviated from what he said ... Emperor Alexander III was an extremely courageous man ”

“Being with him for two years as the Minister of Finance and, finally, knowing his attitude to finance, even when I was the director of the department of the Ministry of Finance, I must say that it was thanks to Emperor Alexander III, Vyshnegradsky, and then, in the end, to me, that I managed to put finances in order; for, of course, neither I nor Vyshnegradsky could have restrained all the impulses to throw money to the right and left, obtained by the blood and sweat of the Russian people, if it were not for the mighty word of Emperor Alexander III, who held back all the onslaught on the state treasury. In the sense of the state treasurer, we can say that Emperor Alexander III was an ideal state treasurer - and in this respect facilitated the task of the Minister of Finance.

“Emperor Alexander III was of a completely ordinary mind, perhaps below average intelligence, below average abilities, below average education; in appearance he looked like a big Russian peasant from the central provinces "

“Everyone knew about Emperor Alexander III that, not wanting any military laurels, the emperor would never compromise the honor and dignity of Russia entrusted to him by God”

Alexander III with his wife Maria Feodorovna in Denmark, 1892

Sergei Sergeevich Oldenburg, historian and publicist:

“Alexander III led the Russian state ship in a different course than His father. He did not consider the reforms of the 1860s and 1870s to be an unconditional blessing, but tried to introduce into them those amendments that, in his opinion, were necessary for the internal balance of Russia ... After the era of great reforms, after the war of 1877-1878, this huge strain of Russian forces in the interests of the Balkan Slavs, Russia, in any case, needed a respite. It was necessary to master, “digest” the changes that had taken place”

Vasily Osipovich Klyuchevsky, historian:

“During the reign of Emperor Alexander III, in front of the eyes of one generation, we peacefully accomplished in our state system a series of deep reforms in the spirit of Christian rules, therefore, in the spirit of European principles - such reforms as cost Western Europe century-old and often stormy efforts - and this Europe continued to see in us representatives of Mongolian inertia, some kind of imposed adopted children cultural world... 13 years of the reign of Emperor Alexander III have passed, and the more hastily the hand of death hurried to close His eyes, the wider and more amazed the eyes of Europe were opened to the world significance of this short reign. Finally, the stones cried out, the organs public opinion Europe spoke the truth about Russia, and they spoke the more sincerely, the more unusual it was for them to say this. It turned out, according to these confessions, that European civilization did not sufficiently and carelessly ensure its peaceful development, for its own safety it fit on a powder magazine, that a burning fuse approached this dangerous defensive warehouse more than once from different sides, and each time the caring and patient hand of the Russian Tsar quietly and carefully took it away ... Europe recognized that the Tsar of the Russian people was a sovereign international peace, and by this recognition she confirmed the historical vocation of Russia, for in Russia, according to her political organization, the will of the King expresses the thought of His people, and the will of the people becomes the thought of their King.

Alexey Alekseevich Brusilov, military leader:

“Alexander III, a firm and direct man, did not have a penchant for military affairs, did not like parades and military tinsel, but he understood that in order to maintain peace, it was especially necessary to be strong, and therefore demanded the greatest possible strengthening military power Russia"

Lev Aleksandrovich Tikhomirov, member of the People's Will, who later became a monarchist:

“Under Alexander II, Russia was some kind of humiliated country, and, of course, it could not have occurred to anyone to be proud of the fact that he was Russian. Under Alexander III, a transformation took place. Russia began to rise in the form of some kind of huge national force. This made a huge impression even on emigration. Previously, being an enemy of the government did not in the least mean being an enemy of Russia. Now the government began to become more and more identified with Russia, so that, being at enmity with it, a person began to ask himself in the depths of his soul whether he was at enmity with his own people?

Nikolai Aleksandovich Velyaminov, doctor, professor at the Imperial Military Medical Academy:

“He was a deeply believing and religious man, believed that He was God’s anointed, that His destiny to reign was predetermined by God, and He accepted His God-predetermined destiny humbly, completely submitting to all its hardships, and with amazing, rare conscientiousness and honesty fulfilled all His duties as an autocratic king. These duties required enormous, almost superhuman work, which neither His abilities, nor His knowledge, nor His health corresponded to, but He worked tirelessly, until His death, worked in a way that rarely anyone else. This tireless, backbreaking work made Him very tired, and He allowed Himself about one month a year to rest and live as He wanted. He loved silence, solitude, simplicity of environment, family hearth and nature, that is why He loved solitude in Gatchina so much. But the proximity of Gatchina to the capital and the need to continue doing state affairs there did not satisfy Him, He was looking for at least temporary solitude away from the state wheel and the opportunity to live like a mere mortal. He left for a while, while still heir, to Gapsal, to the Finnish skerries, to Denmark and, finally, to Spala"

“The sovereign, on the one hand, was feared, and on the other, they loved, revered and were devoted to Him, knowing full well that He is the enemy of all intrigues, fair, loves modest workers and is very attentive even to the smallest workers, if He knows them, He will not give offense and will fairly evaluate their work. Sovereign Alexander III knew the lives of people and perfectly understood how his open support affects the fate of humble workers, and he often used this to help those whom he considered necessary and fair to help.

“I must emphasize that the Royal Couple is surprisingly kind and affable; The Sovereign and Empress behaved like hospitable hosts, which gave the society a tone of simplicity and intimacy; anyway it worked complete absence stiffness, but this did not detract from the majesty of the August hosts. For everyone, the King and Queen found a word and a topic for conversation.

Konstantin Nikolaevich Leontiev, philosopher:

“Those who personally experienced the times of Alexander III cannot imagine his sharp difference from the era of Alexander II. It was like two different countries. In the era of Alexander II, all progress, all good in the view of Russian society was inextricably linked with destruction. historical foundations countries. Under Alexander III, a national feeling flared up, which indicated progress and good in the strengthening and development of these historical foundations. The remnants of the former anti-national, European, as it considered itself, were still very powerful, but it seemed that step by step they receded before the new, national "

Émile Flourens, French Foreign Minister

“Alexander III was a true Russian tsar, such as Russia had not seen before him for a long time. Of course, all the Romanovs were devoted to the interests and greatness of their people. But, prompted by the desire to give their people Western European culture, they looked for ideals outside of Russia - now in France, now in Germany, now in England and Sweden. Emperor Alexander III wanted Russia to be Russia, to be first of all Russian, and he himself gave the best examples of this. He showed himself the ideal type of a truly Russian person.

On March 10 (February 26, old style), 1845 - exactly 165 years ago - the following message was printed in the Vedomosti of the St. Petersburg City Police: " On February 26, Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess Tsesarevna and Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna was successfully relieved of her burden by the Grand Duke, named Alexander. This happy event was announced to the inhabitants of the capital at three o'clock in the afternoon by three hundred and one cannon shots from the bastions. Peter and Paul Fortress, and in the evening the capital was illuminated". Thus, the second son of Emperor Alexander II, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich, entered into life, who, by the will of fate, was destined to become Emperor of Russia Alexander III.

"In the whole world we have only two faithful allies - our army and navy. All the rest, at the first opportunity, will take up arms against us."

"Russia - for Russians and in Russian"

Alexander III

By God's hastening mercy, Alexander the Third, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod, Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauric Chersonis, Tsar of Georgia; Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuanian, Volyn, Podolsk and Finland; Prince of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Semigalsky, Samogitsky, Belostoksky, Korelsky, Tversky, Yugorsky, Permsky, Vyatsky, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novgorod Nizovsky lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Beloozersk, Udora, Obdorsk, Kondia, Vitebsk, Mstislav and all Northern countries Sovereign and Possessor, Sovereign of Turkestan, Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarn, Ditmarsen and Oldenburg and others, and others, and others

Later, contemporaries and descendants will call Alexander III the Tsar the Peacemaker: this is due to the fact that during his reign, Russia did not wage a single war. But not only this is his merit, for 13 years of his reign he managed to do a lot for Russia, for which the Russian people were grateful to him and considered him truly theirs. Enemies of Russia are still afraid and hate this Russian Tsar.

Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich in childhood

Zaryanko S.K. Portrait of Grand Duke Tsesarevich Alexander Alexandrovich 1867
(State Russian Museum)

The family... the family from early childhood to the end of his life was the basis for Emperor Alexander III. " If there is something good, good and honest in Me, then I owe this only to our dear dear Mama ... Thanks to Mama, we, all brothers and Marie, became and remained true Christians and fell in love with both faith and the Church ... "(from a letter of Emperor Alexander III to his wife Maria Feodorovna). Empress Maria Alexandrovna raised Alexander as a deeply religious and decent person with strong moral principles. He also owes her love for art, Russian nature, history. Alexander's education began at the age of eight and lasted twelve years. The obligatory list of lessons was as follows: the Law of God, General history, Russian history, mathematics, geography, Russian language, gymnastics, fencing, languages, etc. The teachers were the best people Russia: historian Professor S. M. Solovyov, philologist - Slavic professor F. I. Buslaev, academician Ya. K. Grot, the creator of Russian classical orthography, General M. I. Dragomirov., Professor K. P. Pobedonostsev. Alexander considered M. Yu. Lermontov his favorite poet, knew German, French and English languages, but in communication he used only Russian.

Jokers... the famous Romanov pyramid

In the photo: Prince Albert of Altenburg, Grand Duke Alexander, his brother Vladimir and Prince Nicholas of Leuchtenberg

But still the boy was mainly prepared for military career and it was not supposed that he would rule the state. On the day of his birth, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich, by the Highest Order, was enrolled in the Life Guards Hussars, Preobrazhensky and Pavlovsky regiments and was appointed chief of the Astrakhan Carabinieri His Imperial Highness Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich Regiment. But ... in April 1865 in Nice, the heir to the throne, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, dies from a serious illness and the century-old Prince Alexander Alexandrovich, according to the will of Emperor Alexander II, becomes heir to the throne.

Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna and Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich

Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich Photo 1873

Khudoyarov V.P. Portrait of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich

Unknown artist Portrait of Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna 1880

Mihai Zichy Wedding of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich and Maria Feodorovna

On October 28, 1865, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich entered into marriage with the fiancée of his elder brother Nikolai Alexandrovich, the daughter of the Danish king Christian IX, Dagmar, who adopted the name Maria Feodorovna in Orthodoxy. This marriage was happy, six children were born in love, although the fate of some was very tragic.

Sverchkov N. Alexander III 1881

(State Palace-Museum of Tsarskoye Selo)

Communion of the Holy Mysteries by Sovereign Emperor Alexander III during the coronation 1883

Alexander Alexandrovich ascended the throne on March 14 (March 1, according to the old style), 1881, 36 years old, after the villainous murder of Alexander II by Narodnaya Volya. The coronation took place on May 28 (May 15, old style), 1883, after the end of mourning for his father. And immediately it was necessary to solve important state affairs, and one of them was the one that his father did not have time to complete. Dane Beshorn, author of "Allexandre III et Nicolas II" says: "... Not a single monarch ascended the throne under such circumstances as Emperor Alexander III. Before he had time to recover from his first horror, he immediately had to resolve the most important, most urgent matter - the draft constitution submitted by Count Loris-Melikov, approved already in principle by Emperor Alexander II. At first glance, Emperor Alexander III wanted to fulfill the last will of his parent, but his inherent prudence stopped him".

Kramskoy I. N. Portrait of Alexander III 1886

The reign of Alexander III was tough, but tough on those who wanted to destroy Russia. At the very beginning of the reign of Emperor Alexander III, it was announced: " The voice of God commands us to stand up cheerfully for the cause of government, trusting in the Divine Thought, with faith in the strength and truth of autocratic power, which we are called upon to establish and protect for the good of the people from any encroachments on it."By the mid-1880s, the government succeeded in suppressing the revolutionary movement, primarily Narodnaya Volya, through repressions. At the same time, a number of measures were taken to ease the financial situation of the people and alleviate social tensions in society (the introduction of mandatory redemption and the reduction of redemption payments, the establishment of the Peasant Land Bank, the introduction of factory inspection, the phased abolition of the poll tax, etc.). Under Alexander III, Russia received the right to keep the fleet on the Black Sea, but the fleet did not exist, it appeared there only after the death of Emperor Alexander III.

Dmitriev-Orenburgsky N. Portrait of Emperor Alexander III 1896

Family of Emperor Alexander III

Alexander III was a connoisseur of art, very well versed in painting and had a good collection of Russian and foreign art. On the initiative of the Sovereign, the Russian Museum was opened in St. Petersburg. Officially it was called "The Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III". The sovereign donated his collection, as well as the collection of Russian paintings of the Imperial Hermitage, to the new museum. The Museum of Fine Arts (now the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow) was also named in honor of Emperor Alexander III. Alexander III loved music, played the French horn, patronized P. I. Tchaikovsky, he himself participated in home concerts. Under him, the first university in Siberia was opened - in Tomsk, a project was prepared for the creation of the Russian Archaeological Institute in Constantinople, and the famous Historical Museum in Moscow was founded.

Serov V.A. Emperor Alexander III in the form of the Royal Danish Life Guards Regiment against the background of the northern facade of Fredensborg Castle 1899

(Collection of the officer corps of the Royal Danish Life Guards)

As a person, Alexander III was simple, modest and unpretentious in everyday life, he did not like secular conversations and receptions. He was distinguished by frugality. The emperor was distinguished by his enormous physical strength. Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna, daughter of the emperor, recalled: " The father had the power of Hercules, but he never showed it in the presence of strangers. He said that he could bend a horseshoe and tie a spoon into a knot, but he did not dare to do this, so as not to arouse the wrath of his mother. Once, in his office, he bent and then straightened an iron poker. I remember how he glanced at the door, fearing that someone would come in..

Makarov I.K. Sermon on the Mount 1889

(the picture depicts the family of Alexander III and was painted after the tragedy in Borki)

During the tragic events at the Borki station of the Zmievsky district of the Kharkov province on October 30 (17 old style) October 1888, the Emperor held the roof of the car on his shoulders while his whole family and other victims got out from under the rubble.

The family of Emperor Alexander III and the court retinue after the hunt 1886

Alexander III with his family on the hunt

Alexander III on the hunt

But the disease did not spare him. Emperor Alexander III did not like to be treated or talk about his illness. In the summer of 1894, hunting in Spala, among the swamps, further weakened the Emperor. On the advice of doctors, he immediately left from there for Livadia, and here he began to fade rapidly, surrounded by the cares of the best Russian foreign doctors and closest relatives. Emperor Alexander III died on October 20, 1894, at the age of 50, having reigned for 13 years, 7 months and 19 days ... remaining in memory as the most Russian Tsar of Russia.

Mihai Zichy Memorial service for Alexander III in his bedroom in the Small Palace in Livadia 1895

(State Hermitage, St. Petersburg)

Emperor Alexander III on his deathbed Photo 1894

Brozh K.O. The funeral of Alexander III in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg 1894

(State Hermitage, St. Petersburg)

On the grave of Emperor Alexander III

With a soul imbued with love and humility,
With the seal of goodness and peace on the forehead,
He was God-sent incarnation
Greatness, goodness and truth on earth.
In the days of trouble, in the dark, bleak time
Rebellious plans, disbelief and threats
He lifted the burden of royal power
And with faith to the end he carried the burden of God.
But not pride and the strength of formidable power,
Not with vain brilliance, not with blood and a sword -
He is a lie, and hostility, and flattery, and evil passions
Humbled and won only truth and kindness.
He glorified Rus', his feat is not a single
Not overshadowed by enmity, not demanding praise;
And - a quiet righteous man - before a righteous death,
Like the sun in the sky, shone over the world!
Human glory is smoke, and earthly life is mortal.
Greatness, noise and brilliance - everything will be silent, everything will pass!
But the glory of God is immortal and incorruptible:
The righteous king in native legends will not die.
He is alive and will live! And to the mountain abode
Exalted from the throne, before the King of kings
He prays - our King, our bright patron -
For the Son, for the Family, for Rus'... for all people.