During the reign of Nicholas. Biography of Emperor Nicholas I Pavlovich

In politics, as in all public life, not to move forward means to be thrown back.
Lenin Vladimir Ilyich

The domestic policy of Nicholas 1, who ruled the Russian Empire from 1825 to 1855, was distinguished by the fact that the emperor raised the role of the state in public life, and also personally tried to delve into all the problems of his country. It is important to note that Nicholas was the third son of Paul 1, so no one really considered him in the role of a Russian ruler and no one prepared him for power. The fate of a military man was prepared for him. Nevertheless, power went to Nicholas the First, whose internal policy, especially at the initial stage, was very similar to an army dictatorship. The young emperor tried to surround himself with obedient, dutiful people who could be subordinated to his own will. If we describe in a few words the main directions of the foreign policy of Emperor Nicholas 1, here they are:

Strengthening autocracy.
Expansion of the state apparatus. In fact, it was during this era that a gigantic bureaucracy was created.
Fight against all those who disagree. During the reign of Nicholas 1, there was an active struggle against all social and political associations that dared to express their dissatisfaction with the current government.

Strengthening the role of the state

The first years of the reign of Nicholas 1 were marked by the fact that the emperor, unlike his predecessors, sought to independently delve into all the problems of the country. He delved not only into key problems, but also studied less important aspects of the country’s life. To solve these problems, the ruler expanded, and very significantly, the powers of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery. In fact, it was this government body that now began to play a fundamental role in the life of Russia. If in previous years all domestic policy was built on the basis of the work of the Cabinet of Ministers, now the Chancellery played the key role.

Moreover, the emperor sought to increase the role of this Office. So, in 1826, the second department of the Chancellery was created, headed by Speransky. He was returned from exile by the emperor. The role of the second branch was to create a unified set of state laws. It is important to note that no one managed to do this before Nicholas 1. However, already in 1832, 45 volumes of laws of the Russian Empire were published. All of them were developed with the direct participation of Speransky. In 1833, a complete set of current laws of the Russian Empire was published.

Speaking about strengthening the role of the state as the most important component of the domestic policy of Nicholas 1, it is important to note that the strengthening of the autocracy was carried out in 4 main directions:

Creation of His Imperial Majesty's Own Office. We talked about it above.
Creation of special committees. All created Committees were personally subordinate to the Emperor and were responsible for resolving various state issues.
Creation of the "Theory of Official Nationality". You can read more about this theory in the corresponding section of our website, but now I just want to note that it was the theory of creating a new ideology for the population.
Creation of complete control over the social and political life of the country. Any organization could be closed and destroyed on the mere suspicion of disagreement with the current policy.

In 1826, a secret committee was created. It was headed by Kochubey. The main task of this committee was the creation and development of key reforms of public administration in Russia. Despite the importance of this task, Kochubey failed to solve it.

A very important feature of the domestic policy of that period is the gigantic expansion of the bureaucracy. Judge for yourself. At the time of the death of Alexander 1, there were 15,000 officials in Russia. By the end of the reign of Nicholas 1, there were already 90,000 of them. Such a gigantic expansion of the bureaucracy (6 times!) led to the fact that it became impossible for the state to exercise control over the activities of each of its officials. Therefore, very often for ordinary people, the decision of a minor official was much more important than the decision of the Ministers or even the Emperor.

Reliance on the nobility

In an effort to strengthen his own power, Nicholas 1 decided to rely specifically on the nobility. This was mainly expressed in the fact that the young emperor was very worried that during the years of the reign of his predecessors, many noble families became very poor. This was especially significant during the reign of Alexander 1. The internal policy of Nicholas 1 of that time was largely based on building the foundations of public administration, relying on the nobility. Therefore, major steps were taken to improve the financial situation of the noble families, thereby making them want to protect the current monarch. The following steps were taken to implement this plan:

When inheriting noble property, which included at least 400 peasant households, it was prohibited to divide this property.
Beginning in 1828, secondary and higher education in the Russian Empire became available exclusively to children from noble families.

These steps were aimed at raising the role and authority of the nobility in the life of the state. That is why we can say that the policy of Nicholas 1 within the country was carried out largely in the interests of the wealthy classes, on which the emperor decided to rely in his work.

The solution to the peasant question

By the beginning of the reign of Nicholas 1, no one in Russia denied the fact that the life of ordinary peasants needed to be improved. The solution to the peasant question has been brewing for a long time, but no one has seriously addressed it. In 1837 - 1841, a peasant reform was carried out, which affected exclusively state peasants. This reform was led by General Kiselyov, who at the time of the reform served as a member of the State Council and Minister of State Property. As a result of these reforms, peasants were allowed to create their own self-government, and schools and hospitals began to be built in villages. An important point of this reform concerned the introduction of “public arable land”. It was introduced in order to protect peasants from lean years. But the peasants worked together on such arable land and also used the results of their work together. However, one should not think that such innovations were positively received by society. Many of the reforms of the Russian emperors were distinguished by their illogicality and lack of thought. In particular, in most cases, peasants were forcibly forced to grow potatoes on public fields. As a result, a series of potato riots swept across the country in 1842.

The main stages of solving the peasant question

I don’t want to die and not solve... the Krastyan question...
Nikolai 1 Pavlovich

Kiselev’s peasant reform should be assessed objectively, as changes that did not change the lives of peasants for the better. Moreover, it should be said that this reform introduced huge differences between state and serf peasants. But as for improving the lives of serfs, and even more so attempts to emancipate them, here Kiselev and Nicholas 1 were of the opinion that Russia was not ready for this. In particular, this was argued by the fact that the abolition of serfdom could lead to serious complications with the nobility. And we have already said that the internal policy of the Emperor of the Russian Empire, Nicholas 1, was largely based on the nobility.

However, some steps were taken to improve the lives of serfs:

Landowners were given the right to free serfs and provide them with land for their own use. To be fair, we note that no one took advantage of this right.
In 1847, a law was passed according to which a peasant had the right to buy back his freedom if the landowner put him up for sale for debts.

These changes did not bring any significant changes to the lives of the peasants. Serfdom existed and remained to exist, and those advantages that were formally realized on paper were not put into practice in practice.

Fight against revolutionaries within the country

One of the main directions of Nicholas 1's domestic policy was the fight against the revolution. At the same time, the emperor tried to destroy the revolution and revolutionaries in any of their manifestations. For these purposes, the activities of the political police were completely reorganized. To help her, in 1826, the 3rd department of the royal chancellery was created. Very interesting is the wording that describes the task of this office - control over the mood of minds. In the same year, 1826, strict censor control over all press organs was visible. Modern historians often call this censorship cast iron.

Therefore, we can safely say that the internal policy of Nicholas 1 was carried out exclusively in the interests of the nobility and in the fight against the revolution. All reforms and all transformations within the country during the reign of this emperor were carried out exclusively for these purposes. It is the strengthening of the power of the nobility and the fight against the revolution that explains all the political processes that were carried out in the Russian Empire during the reign of Nicholas 1.

Since childhood, the boy enthusiastically played war games. At the age of six months he received the rank of colonel, and at three years old the baby was given the uniform of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment, since the child’s future was predetermined from birth. According to tradition, the Grand Duke, who was not a direct heir to the throne, was prepared for a military career.

Family of Nicholas I: parents, brothers and sisters

Until the age of four, the upbringing of Nicholas was entrusted to the court maid of honor Charlotte Karlovna von Lieven; after the death of his father, Paul I, the responsible responsibility was transferred to General Lamzdorf. The home education of Nikolai and his younger brother Mikhail consisted of studying economics, history, geography, law, engineering and fortifications. Much attention was paid to foreign languages: French, German and Latin.

If lectures and classes in the humanities were difficult for Nikolai, then everything related to military affairs and engineering attracted his attention. The future emperor mastered playing the flute in his youth and took drawing lessons. Acquaintance with art allowed Nikolai Pavlovich to subsequently become known as a connoisseur of opera and ballet.

Since 1817, the Grand Duke was in charge of the engineering unit of the Russian army. Under his leadership, educational institutions were created in companies and battalions. In 1819, Nikolai contributed to the opening of the Main Engineering School and the School of Guards Ensigns. In the army, the younger brother of Emperor Alexander I was disliked for such character traits as excessive pedantry, pickiness about details and dryness. The Grand Duke was a person determined to indisputably obey the laws, but at the same time he could flare up for no reason.

In 1820, a conversation between Alexander’s elder brother and Nicholas took place, during which the current emperor announced that the heir to the throne, Constantine, had abandoned his obligations, and the right to reign had passed to Nicholas. The news struck the young man on the spot: neither morally nor intellectually Nikolai was ready for the possible management of Russia.

Despite the protests, Alexander in the Manifesto indicated Nicholas as his successor and ordered that the papers be opened only after his death. After this, for six years, the life of the Grand Duke was outwardly no different from before: Nicholas was engaged in military service and supervised educational military institutions.

Reign and uprising of the Decembrists

On December 1 (November 19, O.S.), 1825, Alexander I suddenly died. The emperor was at that moment far from the capital of Russia, so the royal court received the sad news a week later. Because of his own doubts, Nicholas initiated the oath of allegiance to Constantine I among the courtiers and military men. But at the State Council the Tsar's Manifesto was published, designating Nikolai Pavlovich as the heir.

The Grand Duke remained 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 Konstantin, who was in Poland, had no intention of coming to St. Petersburg. 29-year-old Nicholas had no choice but to agree with the will of Alexander I. The date of the re-oath before the troops on Senate Square was set for December 26 (December 14, O.S.).

The day before, inspired by free ideas about the abolition of tsarist power and the creation of a liberal system in Russia, participants in the Union of Salvation movement decided to take advantage of the uncertain political situation and change the course of history. At the proposed National Assembly, according to the organizers of the uprising S. Trubetskoy, N. Muravyov, K. Ryleev, P. Pestel, it was supposed to choose one of two forms of government: a constitutional monarchy or a republic.

Decembrist revolt

But the revolutionaries' plan failed, since the army did not come over to their side, and the Decembrist uprising was quickly suppressed. After the trial, five organizers were hanged, and participants and sympathizers were sent into exile. The execution of the Decembrists K. F. Ryleev, P. I. Pestel, P. G. Kakhovsky, M. P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, S. I. Muravyov-Apostol turned out to be the only death penalty that was applied during all the years of the reign of Nicholas I.

The Grand Duke's crowning ceremony took place on August 22 (September 3, O.S.) in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. In May 1829, Nicholas I assumed the rights of autocrat of the Polish Kingdom.

Domestic policy

Nicholas I turned out to be an ardent supporter of the monarchy. The emperor's views were based on the three pillars of Russian society - autocracy, Orthodoxy and nationality. The monarch adopted laws in accordance with his own unshakable principles. Nicholas I did not strive to create a new one, but to preserve and improve the existing order. As a result, the monarch achieved his goals.

The domestic policy of the new emperor was distinguished by conservatism and adherence to the letter of the law, which gave rise to an even greater bureaucracy in Russia than it had before the reign of Nicholas I. The emperor began political activity in the country by introducing brutal censorship and putting in order the Code of Russian Laws. A division of the Secret Chancellery was created, headed by Benckendorff, which was engaged in political investigations.

Printing also underwent reforms. The State Censorship, created by a special decree, monitored the cleanliness of printed materials and seized suspicious publications opposing the ruling regime. The transformations also affected serfdom.

Peasants were offered uncultivated lands in Siberia and the Urals, where farmers moved regardless of their desire. Infrastructure was organized in new settlements, and new agricultural technology was allocated to them. 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 Tsar, the construction of the first railway was completed, which connected Tsarskoye Selo and St. Petersburg. Possessing analytical thinking and foresight, Nicholas I used a wider gauge for railways than the European one. In this way, the tsar prevented the risk of enemy equipment penetrating deep into Russia.

Nicholas I played a major role in streamlining the state's financial system. In 1839, the emperor began a financial reform, the goal of which was a unified system for calculating silver coins and banknotes. The appearance of kopecks is changing, on one side of which the initials of the ruling emperor are now printed. The Ministry of Finance initiated the exchange of precious metals held by the population for credit notes. Over the course of 10 years, the state treasury increased its reserves of gold and silver.

Foreign policy

In foreign policy, the tsar sought to reduce the penetration of liberal ideas into Russia. Nicholas I sought to strengthen the position of the state in three directions: western, eastern and southern. The Emperor suppressed all possible uprisings and revolutionary riots on the European continent, after which he rightfully became known as the “gendarme of Europe.”

Following Alexander I, Nicholas I continued to improve relations with Prussia and Austria. The Tsar needed to strengthen power in the Caucasus. The Eastern Question included relations with the Ottoman Empire, the decline of which made it possible to change Russia's position in the Balkans and on the western coast of the Black Sea.

Wars and revolts

Throughout his reign, Nicholas I conducted military operations abroad. Having barely entered the kingdom, the emperor was forced to take up the baton of the Caucasian War, which was started by his elder brother. In 1826, the tsar launched the Russian-Persian campaign, which resulted in the annexation of Armenia to the Russian Empire.

In 1828, the Russian-Turkish War began. In 1830, Russian troops suppressed the Polish uprising, which arose after the crowning of Nicholas in 1829 to the Polish kingdom. In 1848, the uprising that broke out in Hungary was again extinguished by the Russian army.

In 1853, Nicholas I started the Crimean War, participation in which resulted in the collapse of his political career. Not expecting that the Turkish troops would receive assistance from England and France, Nicholas I lost the military campaign. Russia has lost influence in the Black Sea, losing the opportunity to build and use military fortresses on the coast.

Personal life

Nikolai Pavlovich was introduced to his future wife, Princess Charlotte of Prussia, daughter of Frederick William III, in 1815 by Alexander I. Two years later, the young people got married, which cemented the Russian-Prussian Union. Before the wedding, the German princess converted to Orthodoxy and received the name at baptism.

During 9 years of marriage, the first-born Alexander and three daughters were born in the family of the Grand Duke - Maria, Olga, Alexandra. After her accession to the throne, Maria Feodorovna gave Nicholas I three more sons - Konstantin, Nikolai, Mikhail - thereby securing the throne as heirs. The emperor lived in harmony with his wife until his death.

Death

Seriously ill with the flu at the beginning of 1855, Nicholas I bravely resisted the illness and, overcoming pain and loss of strength, in early February went to a military parade without outerwear. The Emperor wanted to support the soldiers and officers who were already losing in the Crimean War.

After construction, Nicholas I finally fell ill and died suddenly on March 2 (February 18, old style) from pneumonia. Before his death, the emperor managed to say goodbye to his family, and also give instructions to his son Alexander, the successor to the throne. The grave of Nicholas I is located in the Peter and Paul Cathedral of the northern capital.

Memory

The memory of Nicholas I is immortalized by the creation of more than 100 monuments, the most famous of which is the Horseman Monument on St. Isaac's Square in St. Petersburg. Also famous are the bas-relief dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of Russia, located in Veliky Novgorod, and the bronze bust on the Kazansky Station Square in Moscow.

Monument to Nicholas I on St. Isaac's Square, St. Petersburg

In cinema, the memory of the era and the emperor is captured in more than 33 films. The image of Nicholas I hit the screens back in the days of silent cinema. In modern art, audiences remember his film incarnations performed by actors.

Currently in production is the historical drama “Union of Salvation,” directed by the director, which will tell about the events preceding the Decembrist uprising. It is not yet known who played the main roles.

Nicholas I Romanov
Years of life: 1796–1855
Russian Emperor (1825–1855). Tsar of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland.

From the Romanov dynasty.

In 1816 he made a three-month journey across European
Russia, and from October 1816. until May 1817 he traveled and lived in England.

In 1817 Nikolai Pavlovich Romanov married the eldest daughter of the Prussian King Frederick William II, Princess Charlotte Frederica-Louise, who took the name Alexandra Feodorovna in Orthodoxy.

In 1819, his brother Emperor Alexander I announced that the heir to the throne, the Grand Duke, wanted to renounce his right of succession to the throne, so Nicholas would become the heir as the next senior brother. Formally, Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich renounced his rights to the throne in 1823, since he had no children in a legal marriage and was married in a morganatic marriage to the Polish Countess Grudzinskaya.

On August 16, 1823, Alexander I signed a manifesto appointing his brother Nikolai Pavlovich as heir to the throne.

However, he refused to proclaim himself emperor until the final expression of the will of his elder brother. Refused to recognize Alexander's will, and on November 27 the entire population was sworn in to Constantine, and Nikolai Pavlovich himself swore allegiance to Constantine I as emperor. But Konstantin Pavlovich did not accept the throne, and at the same time did not want to formally renounce it as emperor, to whom the oath had already been taken. An ambiguous and very tense interregnum was created, which lasted twenty-five days, until December 14.

Emperor Nicholas I

After the death of Emperor Alexander I and the abdication of the throne by Grand Duke Constantine, Nicholas was nevertheless proclaimed emperor on December 2 (14), 1825.

By this day, the conspiratorial officers, who later began to be called “Decembrists,” ordered a mutiny with the aim of seizing power, allegedly protecting the interests of Konstantin Pavlovich. They decided that the troops would block the Senate, in which the senators were preparing to take the oath, and a revolutionary delegation consisting of Pushchin and Ryleev would burst into the Senate premises with a demand not to take the oath and to declare the tsarist government overthrown and to issue a revolutionary manifesto to the Russian people.

The Decembrist uprising greatly amazed the emperor and instilled in him fear of any manifestations of free-thinking. The uprising was brutally suppressed, and 5 of its leaders were hanged (1826).

After suppressing the rebellion and large-scale repression, the emperor centralized the administrative system, strengthened the military-bureaucratic apparatus, established a political police (Third Department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery) and also established strict censorship.

In 1826, a censorship statute was issued, nicknamed “cast iron”; according to it, it was forbidden to print almost anything that had a political background.

Autocracy of Nikolai Romanov

Some authors nicknamed him “the knight of autocracy.” He firmly and fiercely defended the foundations of the autocratic state and fiercely suppressed attempts to change the existing system. During the reign, persecution of the Old Believers resumed again.

On May 24, 1829, Nicholas the First Pavlovich was crowned in Warsaw as the king (tsar) of Poland. Under him, the Polish uprising of 1830-1831 was suppressed, during which he was declared dethroned by the rebels (Decree on the dethronement of Nicholas I). After the suppression of the uprising by the Kingdom of Poland, independence was lost, and the Sejm and the army were divided into provinces.

Meetings of commissions were held that were designed to alleviate the situation of serfs; a ban was introduced on killing and exiling peasants, selling them individually and without land, and assigning them to newly opened factories. Peasants received the right to own private property, as well as to redeem from the estates being sold.

A reform of state village management was carried out and a “decree on obligated peasants” was signed, which became the foundation for the abolition of serfdom. But these measures were belated and during the tsar’s lifetime the liberation of the peasants did not occur.

The first railways appeared in Russia (since 1837). From some sources it is known that the emperor became acquainted with steam locomotives at the age of 19 during a trip to England in 1816. He became the first Russian fireman and the first Russian to ride on a steam locomotive.

Property trusteeship over state-owned peasants and the status of obligated peasants was introduced (laws of 1837–1841 and 1842), codified Russian laws (1833), stabilized the ruble (1839), and new schools were founded under him - technical, military and general education.

In September 1826, the emperor received Pushkin, who had been released from Mikhailovsky exile, and listened to his confession that on December 14, Alexander Sergeevich was with the conspirators. Then he dealt with him like this: he freed the poet from general censorship (he decided to personally censor his works), instructed Pushkin to prepare a note “On Public Education,” and called him after the meeting “the smartest man in Russia.”

However, the tsar never trusted the poet, seeing him as a dangerous “leader of the liberals”; the great poet was under police surveillance. In 1834, Pushkin was appointed chamberlain of his court, and the role played by Nikolai in the conflict between Pushkin and Dantes is assessed by historians as quite contradictory. There are versions that the tsar sympathized with Pushkin’s wife and set up the fatal duel. After the death of A.S. Pushkin was assigned a pension to his widow and children, but the tsar tried in every possible way to limit the memory of him.

He also doomed Polezhaev, who was arrested for his free poetry, to years of soldiery, and twice ordered M. Lermontov to be exiled to the Caucasus. By his order, the magazines “Telescope”, “European”, “Moscow Telegraph” were closed.

Significantly expanded Russian territory after the wars with Persia (1826–
1828) and Turkey (1828–1829), although the attempt to make the Black Sea an internal Russian sea met active resistance from the great powers, led by Great Britain. According to the Unkar-Iskelesi Treaty of 1833, Turkey was obliged to close the Black Sea straits (Bosphorus and Dardanelles) to foreign military vessels at the request of Russia (the treaty was canceled in 1841). Russia's military successes caused a negative reaction in the West because world powers were not interested in Russia's strengthening.

The Tsar wanted to intervene in the internal affairs of France and Belgium after the revolutions of 1830, but the Polish uprising prevented the implementation of his plans. After the suppression of the Polish uprising, many provisions of the Polish Constitution of 1815 were repealed.

He took part in the defeat of the Hungarian revolution of 1848–1849. An attempt by Russia, ousted from the markets of the Middle East by France and England, to restore its position in this region led to a clash of powers in the Middle East, which resulted in the Crimean War (1853–1856). In 1854, England and France entered the war on the side of Turkey. The Russian army suffered a series of defeats from its former allies and was unable to provide assistance to the besieged fortress city of Sevastopol. At the beginning of 1856, following the results of the Crimean War, the Paris Peace Treaty was signed; the most difficult condition for Russia was the neutralization of the Black Sea, i.e. prohibition to have naval forces, arsenals and fortresses here. Russia became vulnerable from the sea and lost the opportunity to conduct an active foreign policy in this region.

During his reign, Russia participated in wars: the Caucasian War of 1817-1864, the Russian-Persian War of 1826-1828, the Russian-Turkish War of 1828-29, the Crimean War of 1853-56.

The Tsar received the popular nickname “Nikolai Palkin” because as a child he beat his comrades with a stick. In historiography, this nickname was established after the story of L.N. Tolstoy "After the Ball".

Death of Tsar Nicholas 1

Died suddenly on February 18 (March 2), 1855 at the height of the Crimean War; According to the most common version, it was from transient pneumonia (he caught a cold shortly before his death while attending a military parade in a light uniform) or influenza. The emperor forbade performing an autopsy on himself and embalming his body.

There is a version that the king committed suicide by drinking poison due to defeats in the Crimean War. After his death, the Russian throne was inherited by his son, Alexander II.

He was married once in 1817 to Princess Charlotte of Prussia, daughter of Frederick William III, who received the name Alexandra Fedorovna after converting to Orthodoxy. They had children:

Alexander II (1818-1881)
Maria (08/06/1819-02/09/1876), was married to the Duke of Leuchtenberg and Count Stroganov.
Olga (08/30/1822 - 10/18/1892), was married to the King of Württemberg.
Alexandra (06/12/1825 - 07/29/1844), married to the Prince of Hesse-Kassel
Konstantin (1827-1892)
Nicholas (1831-1891)
Mikhail (1832-1909)

Personal qualities of Nikolai Romanov

He led an ascetic and healthy lifestyle. Was an Orthodox believer a Christian, he did not smoke and did not like smokers, did not drink strong drinks, walked a lot and did drill exercises with weapons. He was distinguished by his remarkable memory and great capacity for work. Archbishop Innocent wrote about him: “He was... such a crown-bearer, for whom the royal throne served not as a head to rest, but as an incentive to incessant work.” According to the memoirs of Her Imperial Majesty's maid of honor, Mrs. Anna Tyutcheva, her favorite phrase was: “I work like a slave in the galleys.”

The king's love for justice and order was well known. I personally visited military formations, inspected fortifications, educational institutions, and government institutions. He always gave specific advice to correct the situation.

He had a pronounced ability to form a team of talented, creatively gifted people. The employees of Nicholas I Pavlovich were the Minister of Public Education Count S. S. Uvarov, the commander Field Marshal His Serene Highness Prince I. F. Paskevich, the Minister of Finance Count E. F. Kankrin, the Minister of State Property Count P. D. Kiselev and others.

The king's height was 205 cm.

All historians agree on one thing: the tsar was undoubtedly a prominent figure among the rulers-emperors of Russia.

The fifteenth Russian autocrat from the Romanov dynasty, was born in 1796. Since he was the third son in the family of Emperor Pavel Petrovich, no one prepared him for the reign. Nicholas, like other great princes, received an excellent military education. His interests included engineering, fortification, and drawing. But the humanities were of little interest to the future sovereign.

Nikolai's family, including his older brother Alexander, from an early age saw him as more of a military man than a politician, so they practically did not involve him in government affairs. But Nikolai Pavlovich’s guard knew very well: stern and extremely hot-tempered, he began to discipline her more than once.

After the sudden death of Emperor Alexander I and the unauthorized abdication of the crown by Konstantin Pavlovich, the second eldest brother, Nicholas “assumed” the throne. On the day when the newly-crowned autocrat decided to declare himself one, the Decembrists came out to Senate Square, not wanting to swear allegiance to the new sovereign. The consequences of the rebellion, which left a serious imprint on the entire reign of Nikolai Pavlovich, are well known.

Russia under Nicholas I

Despite the fact that attempts on the life of the tsar, according to the laws that existed at that time, were punishable by quartering, Nicholas I replaced this execution with hanging. Some contemporaries wrote about his despotism. At the same time, historians note that the execution of five Decembrists was the only one in the entire thirty years of the reign of Nicholas I. For comparison, for example, under Peter I and Catherine II, executions numbered in the thousands, and under Alexander II - in the hundreds. It is also noted that under Nicholas I, torture was not used against political prisoners.

Nicholas I. (wikipedia.org)

The most important direction of domestic policy was the centralization of power. To carry out the tasks of political investigation, a permanent body was created in July 1826 - the Third Department of the Personal Chancellery - a secret service that had significant powers. The first of the secret committees was also created, whose task was, firstly, to consider the papers sealed in the office of Alexander I after his death, and, secondly, to consider the issue of possible transformations of the state apparatus.

Some authors call Nicholas I a “knight of autocracy”: he firmly defended the foundations of absolutism and suppressed attempts to change the existing system, despite the revolutions in Europe. After the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, he launched large-scale measures in the country to eradicate the “revolutionary infection”.

Nicholas I announces to his guards about the uprising in Poland. (wikipedia.org)

Nicholas I focused on discipline within the army, since at that time there was licentiousness in it. He emphasized so much that the minister during the reign of Alexander II wrote in his notes: “Even in military affairs, which the emperor was engaged in with such passionate enthusiasm, the same concern for order and discipline prevailed; they were not chasing the essential improvement of the army, not adapting it to military purpose, but behind only the external harmony, behind the brilliant appearance at parades, the pedantic observance of countless petty formalities that dull the human mind and kill the true military spirit.”

During the reign of Nicholas I, meetings of commissions were held to alleviate the situation of serfs. Thus, a ban was introduced on exiling peasants to hard labor, selling them individually and without land, and peasants received the right to redeem themselves from the estates being sold. A reform of state village management was carried out and a “decree on obligated peasants” was signed. These transformations became the foundation for the abolition of serfdom.

One of Nikolai Pavlovich’s greatest achievements can be considered the codification of law. Involved by the tsar in this work, Mikhail Speransky performed a titanic work, thanks to which the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire appeared.

Nicholas I in a general's uniform. (wikipedia.org)

The state of affairs in industry at the beginning of the reign of Nicholas I was the worst in the entire history of the Russian Empire. By the end of the reign of Nicholas I, the situation had changed greatly. For the first time in the history of the Russian Empire, a technically advanced and competitive industry began to form in the country. Its rapid development led to a sharp increase in the urban population.

For the first time in the history of Russia, under Nicholas I, intensive construction of paved roads began.

He introduced a moderate system of incentives for officials, which he controlled to a large extent. Unlike previous reigns, historians have not recorded large gifts in the form of palaces or thousands of serfs granted to any nobleman or royal relative.

Nicholas I at construction work. (wikipedia.org)

An important aspect of foreign policy was the return to the principles of the Holy Alliance. Russia's role in the fight against any manifestations of the “spirit of change” in European life has increased. It was during the reign of Nicholas I that Russia received the unflattering nickname of “the gendarme of Europe.”

Russian-Austrian relations were hopelessly damaged until the end of the existence of both monarchies.

Russia under Nicholas I abandoned plans to divide the Ottoman Empire, which were discussed under previous emperors (Catherine II and Paul I), and began to pursue a completely different policy in the Balkans - a policy of protecting the Orthodox population and ensuring its religious and civil rights up to political independence.

During the reign of Nicholas I, Russia took part in wars: the Caucasian War 1817 - 1864, the Russian-Persian War 1826 - 1828, the Russian-Turkish War 1828 - 1829, the Crimean War 1853 - 1856.

As a result of the defeat of the Russian army in Crimea in 1855, at the beginning of 1856 the Paris Peace Treaty was signed, under the terms of which Russia was prohibited from having naval forces, arsenals and fortresses in the Black Sea. Russia became vulnerable from the sea and lost the opportunity to conduct an active foreign policy in this region. Also in 1857, a liberal customs tariff was introduced in Russia. The result was an industrial crisis: by 1862, iron smelting in the country fell by a quarter, and cotton processing decreased by 3.5 times. The increase in imports led to an outflow of money from the country, a deterioration in the trade balance and a shortage of funds in the treasury.

Death of Nicholas I

At the beginning of March 1855, a manifesto appeared in Russian printed publications, striking not only Russian readers, but the whole world: “Emperor Nicholas I has died.” The official cause of death was named pneumonia, which Nikolai Pavlovich earned while taking part in the parade in a mild form. And yet, what happened did not fit into the minds of his contemporaries: a physically strong emperor, a real Spartan, who rarely complained of illness, suddenly fell, and with such lightning speed.

Rumors spread. The first thought is suicide. Allegedly, Nicholas, who was never able to recover from his defeat in the Crimean War, took poison. The second is that the emperor was poisoned by his doctor, the German Martin Mandt. It’s hard to say what it really was like. Apparently, failures - both within the country and outside it - greatly crippled Nikolai Pavlovich.

Russian society perceived the death of the emperor differently. Some, believing that the country had lost a “fearless knight”, “a worker on the throne”, sincerely mourned. Others, who never forgave Nicholas for his reprisals against the Decembrists, breathed a sigh of relief, hoping in the depths of their souls that his son, Alexander II, would be able to build a “new” Russia.

Emperor of Russia Nicholas I

Emperor Nicholas I ruled Russia from 1825 to 1855. His activities are contradictory. On the one hand, he was an opponent of the liberal reforms that were the goal of the Decembrist movement, he implanted a conservative and bureaucratic way of action in Russia, created new repressive government bodies, tightened censorship, and abolished the freedoms of universities. On the other hand, under Nikolai, under the leadership of M. Speransky, work was completed on drawing up a new legislative code, a Ministry of State Property was created, whose activities were aimed at changing the situation of state peasants, secret commissions developed projects for the abolition of serfdom, there was an increase in industry, mainly light industry, along with With the bureaucracy and nobility, a new class of people began to emerge - the intelligentsia. During the time of Nicholas, Russian literature reached its peak: Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol, Nekrasov, Tyutchev, Goncharov

Years of reign of Nicholas I 1825 - 1855

Nicholas set himself the task of not changing anything, not introducing anything new in the foundations, but only maintaining the existing order, filling in the gaps, repairing revealed dilapidations with the help of practical legislation, and doing all this without any participation from society, even with the suppression of social independence, by government means alone; but he did not remove from the queue those burning questions that had been raised during the previous reign, and, it seems, he understood their burning importance even more than his predecessor. So, a conservative and bureaucratic mode of action is the characteristic of the new reign; to support what exists with the help of officials - this is another way to describe this character. (V. O. Klyuchevsky “Course of Russian History”)

Brief biography of Nicholas I

1796, June 25 - birthday of Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich, the future Emperor Nicholas I.
1802 - beginning of systematic education
1814, February 22 - acquaintance with the Prussian Princess Charlotte.
1816, May 9 - August 26 - educational trip around Russia.
1816, September 13 - 1817, April 27 - educational trip to Europe.
1817, July 1 - marriage to Princess Charlotte (named Alexandra Fedorovna at baptism into Orthodoxy).
1818, April 17 - birth of the first-born Alexander (future emperor)
1819, July 13 - Alexander I informed Nicholas that the throne would eventually pass to him due to Constantine’s reluctance to reign
1819, August 18 - birth of daughter Maria
1822, September 11 - birth of daughter Olga
1823, August 16 - secret manifesto of Alexander I, declaring Nicholas heir to the throne
1825, June 24 - birth of daughter Alexandra
1825, November 27 - Nicholas received news of the death of Alexander I in Taganrog on November 19
1825, December 12 - Nicholas signed the Manifesto on his accession to the throne
1825, December 14 - in St. Petersburg
1826, August 22 - coronation in Moscow
1827, September 21 - birth of son Konstantin
1829, May 12 - coronation in Warsaw as Polish constitutional monarch
1830, August - the beginning of the cholera epidemic in Central Russia
1830, September 29 - Nikolai arrived in cholera-ridden Moscow
1831, June 23 - Nicholas calmed the cholera riot on Sennaya Square in St. Petersburg
1831, August 8 - birth of son Nicholas
1832, October 25 - birth of son Mikhail
1843, September 8 - the birth of the first grandson of Nikolai Alexandrovich, the future heir to the throne.
1844, July 29 - death of his beloved daughter Alexandra
1855, February 18 - death of Emperor Nicholas I in the Winter Palace

Domestic policy of Nicholas I. Briefly

In domestic policy, Nikolai was guided by the idea of “arranging private public relations so that a new state order could then be built on them” (Klyuchevsky). His main concern was the creation of a bureaucratic apparatus that would become the basis of the throne as opposed to the nobility, which lost its trust after December 14, 1825. As a result, the number of bureaucrats increased manifold, as well as the number of clerical cases.

At the beginning of his reign, the emperor was horrified to learn that he had carried out 2,800 thousand cases in all official places in the Department of Justice alone. In 1842, the Minister of Justice presented a report to the sovereign, which stated that in all official places of the empire, another 33 million cases, which were set out on at least 33 million written sheets, had not been cleared. (Klyuchevsky)

1826, January - July - transformation of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery into the highest body of government

Directing the most important matters himself, entering into their consideration, the Emperor created His Majesty’s Own Office, with five departments, reflecting the range of affairs that the Emperor directly wanted to manage.

The first department prepared papers for the report to the emperor and monitored the execution of the highest commands; the second department was engaged in the codification of laws and was under control until his death in 1839; the third department was entrusted with the affairs of the high police under the control of the chief of gendarmes; the fourth department managed charitable educational institutions, the fifth department was created to prepare a new order of management and state property

1826, December 6 - formation of the December 6 Committee to prepare “better structure and management” in the state

Working for several years, this committee developed projects for the transformation of both central and provincial institutions, prepared a draft of a new law on estates, which envisaged improving the life of serfs. The law on estates was submitted to the State Council and approved by it, but was not promulgated due to the fact that the revolutionary movements of 1830 in the West instilled fear of any reform. Over time, only some of the measures from the projects of the “Committee of December 6, 1826” were implemented in the form of separate laws. But on the whole, the committee’s work remained without any success, and the reform designed by it did not

1827, August 26 - introduction of military service for Jews with the aim of converting them to Christianity. Children from the age of 12 were recruited

1828, December 10 - St. Petersburg Technological Institute was founded

Under Nicholas I, cadet corps and military and naval academies, the Construction School in St. Petersburg, and the Survey Institute in Moscow were established; several women's institutes. The Main Pedagogical Institute for training teachers was reopened. Boarding houses with a gymnasium course were founded for the sons of nobles. The situation in male gymnasiums has been improved

1833, April 2 - Count S. S. Uvarov took office as Minister of Public Education, who developed the theory of official nationality - state ideology -

— Orthodoxy - without love for the faith of their ancestors, the people will perish
— Autocracy - The main condition for the political existence of Russia
— Nationality - preserving the integrity of folk traditions

1833, November 23 - the first performance of the anthem “God Save the Tsar” (under the title “Prayer of the Russian People”).

1834, May 9 - Nikolai confessed to Count P.D. Kiselev, who is convinced of the need to liberate the serfs over time

1835, January 1 - the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire came into force - an official collection of current legislative acts of the Russian Empire arranged in thematic order

1835, March - the beginning of the work of the first of the “Secret Committees” on the peasant question

1835, June 26 - adoption of the University Charter.

According to it, the management of universities passed to the trustees of educational districts subordinate to the Ministry of Public Education. The Council of Professors lost its independence in educational and scientific affairs. Rectors and deans began to be elected not annually, but for a four-year term. Rectors continued to be approved by the emperor, and deans by the minister; professor - trustee

1837, October 30 - opening of the Tsarskoye Selo railway

1837, July - December - the emperor's big trip to the south: St. Petersburg-Kyiv-Odessa-Sevastopol-Anapa-Tiflis-Stavropol-Voronezh-Moscow-Petersburg.

1837, December 27 - formation of the Ministry of State Property with the Minister Count P. D. Kiselev, the beginning of the reform of state peasants

Under the influence of the Ministry, “chambers” of state property began to operate in the provinces. They were in charge of state lands, forests and other property; they also observed the state peasants. These peasants were organized into special rural societies (of which there were almost 6,000); A volost was formed from several such rural societies. Both rural societies and volosts enjoyed self-government, had their own “assemblies”, elected “heads” and “elders” to manage volost and rural affairs, and special judges for the court.

The self-government of state-owned peasants subsequently served as a model for privately owned peasants in liberating them from serfdom. But Kiselev did not limit himself to concerns about the self-government of peasants. The Ministry of State Property carried out a number of measures to improve the economic life of the peasantry subordinate to it: the peasants were taught the best methods of farming and were provided with grain in lean years; those with little land were given land; started schools; gave tax benefits, etc.

1839, July 1 - the beginning of the financial reform of E. F. Kankrin.
— a fixed exchange rate for the silver ruble was introduced
— the circulation of endless banknotes that appeared in Russia from nowhere was destroyed
— a gold reserve of the treasury was created, which did not exist before
— the ruble exchange rate has become strong, the ruble has become a hard currency throughout Europe,

1842, February 1 - Decree on the construction of the St. Petersburg-Moscow railway

1848, April 2 - establishment of the “Buturlinsky” censorship committee - “Committee for the highest supervision over the spirit and direction of works printed in Russia.” The Committee's supervision extended to all printed publications (including announcements, invitations and notices). Received the name after the surname of its first chairman D. P. Buturlin

1850, August 1 - foundation of the Nikolaev post (now Nikolaevsk-on-Amur) at the mouth of the Amur by captain G.I. Nevelsky.

1853, September 20 - founding of the Muravyovsky post in the south of Sakhalin.

1854, February 4 - decision to build the Trans-Ili fortification (later - the Verny fortress, the city of Alma-Ata)

So, during the reign of Nicholas the following were produced:

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Foreign policy of Nicholas I

Two directions of diplomacy of Nicholas I: the disintegration of Turkey for the sake of Russia's inheritance of the straits and its possessions in the Balkans; fight against any manifestations of revolution in Europe

The foreign policy of Nicholas the First, like any policy, was characterized by unprincipledness. On the one hand, the emperor strictly adhered to the principles of legitimism, always and in everything supporting the official authorities of states against dissidents: he broke off relations with France after the revolution of 1830, harshly suppressed the Polish liberation uprising, and took the side of Austria in its affairs with the rebellious Hungary

In 1833, an agreement was reached between Russia, Austria and Prussia, which entailed continuous Russian intervention in European affairs with the goal of “maintaining power wherever it exists, strengthening it where it weakens, and defending it where it is openly attacked.” »

On the other hand, when it seemed profitable, Nicholas launched a war against Turkey, protecting the Greek rebels, although he considered them rebels

Russian wars during the reign of Nicholas I

— War with Persia (1826-1828)
Ended with the Turkmanchay Peace Treaty, which confirmed the terms of the Gulistan Peace Treaty of 1813 (the annexation of Georgia and Dagestan to Russia) and recorded and recognized the transition to Russia of part of the Caspian coast and Eastern Armenia

— War with Turkey (1828-1829)
It ended with the Peace of Adrianople, according to which most of the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the Danube Delta, the Kartli-Kakheti Kingdom, Imereti, Mingrelia, Guria, the Erivan and Nakhichevan Khanates, Moldavia and Wallachia passed to Russia, Serbia was granted autonomy in the presence of Russian troops there

— Suppression of the Polish uprising (1830-1831)
As a result, the rights of the Kingdom of Poland were significantly curtailed, and the Kingdom of Poland became an indivisible part of the Russian state. The previously existing elements of Polish statehood (the Sejm, a separate Polish army, etc.) were abolished.

— Khiva campaign (1838-1840)
An attack by a detachment of the Separate Orenburg Corps of the Russian Army on the Khiva Khanate in order to stop the Khivan raids on Russian lands, freeing Russian prisoners in the Khiva Khanate, ensuring safe trade and exploring the Aral Sea. The campaign ended in failure

— 2nd Khiva campaign (1847-1848)
Russia continued to pursue a policy of advancing deeper into Central Asia. In 1847-1848, Colonel Erofeev’s detachment occupied the Khiva fortifications of Dzhak-Khoja and Khoja-Niaz.

— War with Hungary (1849)
Military intervention in the Austro-Hungarian conflict. Suppression of the Hungarian liberation movement by the army of General Paskevich. Hungary remained part of the Austrian Empire