Emperor of Russia Alexander III. Russian Tsar - Peacemaker

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 a large family with six brothers: Nikolai, Alexander, Vladimir, Alexei, Sergei, Pavel and two sisters (Maria married the son of Queen Victoria of England). 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, Russian, 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 moment, the most holy struggle that has ever been 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 of the common people worried the Emperor: his constant desire was to give the people's 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 children become 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 the future violator of family, state and church laws and traitor Februaryist 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 the tribes that became part of the Russian Empire.

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 in the area where it is most difficult to achieve victory, defeated the prejudice of peoples and this contributed to their rapprochement, subjugated the public conscience in the name of peace and truth, increased the amount of goodness in the moral circulation of mankind, encouraged and uplifted Russian historical thought, Russian national consciousness, and did all this so quietly and silently that only now, when He is no longer , 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.

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 residents of the capital at three o'clock in the afternoon with three hundred and one cannon shots from the bastions of the 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, Kyiv, 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, Beloozersky, Udora, Obdorsky, Kondia, Vitebsk, Mstislav and all Northern countries Princes and other hereditary 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, world history, Russian history, mathematics, geography, Russian language, gymnastics, fencing, languages, etc. The teachers were the best people of 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, he knew German, French and English well, 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 a military career and it was not expected 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 the first horror, he immediately had to resolve the most important, most urgent matter - the project presented by Count Loris-Melikov constitution, allegedly 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 managed to suppress the revolutionary movement, primarily the People's Will, through repressions. At the same time, a number of measures were taken to alleviate the financial situation of the people and alleviate social tension in society (the introduction of mandatory redemption and a reduction in redemption payments , the establishment of the Peasants' Land Bank, the introduction of factory inspection, the gradual abolition of the poll tax, etc.) Under Alexander III, Russia received the right to maintain a 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 Russia, 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 Russia... for all people.

A. L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov

P.S. Most of the paintings and photographs are clickable and enlarge to a large size.

Facts from articles used

"In everything, always, everywhere, He was a Christian..." A. Rozhintsev

"Emperor Alexander III. Tsar-Peacemaker" V.A. Teplov

Volkov V. (V. V.), Voronin Vs. (Vs. V.), Voronin I. (I. V.), Gorsky V. (V. G.), Kumpan P. (P. K), Molchanova A. (A. M.), Naumov O. ( O. N.), Nikitin D. (D. N.), Perevezentsev S. (S. P.), Petrusenko N. (N. P.), Pchelov E. (E. P.), Sekachev V. ( V. S.), Sekacheva E. (E. S.), Sekacheva N. (N. S.), Smolin M. (M. S.), Fedorov V. (V. F.), Churakov D. ( D. Ch.)

Alexander was the second son in the family of Alexander II. His older brother Nikolai was to inherit the throne. However, in 1865 he suddenly fell seriously ill and died shortly thereafter. Alexander Alexandrovich became heir to the throne of the Russian Empire at the age of twenty. He was never prepared for this role, and it was not possible to fill in the gaps in the education of the newly minted heir.

Alexander III came to the throne in an unstable situation. His father had just been killed by populist terrorists; between the government and society, a lot of contradictions have matured, and from day to day they were waiting in fear for a revolution. However, the crisis was quickly overcome, giving Alexander Alexandrovich the opportunity to implement his political course of counter-reforms.

The results of the Great Reforms were revised: some of them were limited, some were canceled, but some were developed. At this time, the control of power over society increased. Censorship was tightened, the autonomy of universities was abolished, and the Higher Women's Courses were closed. The "Circular on the Cook's Children" forbade the admission of peasant children to the gymnasium. The reform of the zemstvos strengthened the role of the nobles in them. Judicial reform limited the irremovability of judges; the number of cases tried by jurors has decreased.

The beginning of the 1880s was also marked by a number of important events, partly already prepared in the previous reign. The reduction in redemption payments, the legalization of the obligation to buy out peasant plots, the establishment of a peasant bank for issuing loans to peasants for the purchase of land (1881–1884) were supposed to smooth out the unfavorable aspects of the 1861 reform for the peasants. The abolition of the poll tax, the inheritance tax, and interest-bearing papers showed a desire to start a radical reorganization of the tax system; restriction of work of minors and night work of adolescents and women was aimed at protecting labor.

The era of Alexander III and his personality are ambiguously assessed by both contemporaries and historians. Conservative “guardians” glorify Alexander III as a peacemaker tsar, during whose reign the Russian Empire did not wage wars. However, one cannot fail to notice that the breaking of the barely carried out transformations of the 60–70s. did not benefit society. The harsh police regime drove peaceful liberals underground. It also failed to revive the primacy of the nobility and consolidate the patriarchy of the peasants. In the downtrodden peasant class, discontent was accumulating, which has yet to manifest itself during the revolutions of the early 20th century.

The future tsar-peacemaker was born on February 26, 1845 at 3 pm in St. Petersburg; he was the second son of the heir to Tsarevich Alexander Nikolaevich. On his birth, the poet Boris Fedorov wrote a poem that was published in the Mayak magazine:

Like Nevsky Alexander, be a pious prince,

Like a new Alexander, a hero of later years,

Be Alexander the Peaceful!

In time, be great - loving heavenly light!

Worthy of the Blessed One,

You add more greatness to Russia,

And the Russian name in all ends of the universe

Glorify with your life!

Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich was the second son in the imperial family; and his elder brother Nikolai was to inherit the throne. He enjoyed special attention from his mother, father and grandfather. Nikolai was a smart, kind and sympathetic boy, although his exceptional position among his brothers and sisters made him arrogant.

Alexander was completely different in character and ability. Already in childhood, he was serious, thorough, stingy with the outward manifestation of feelings. Etiquette always weighed on him, and he usually said what he thought, and did what he considered necessary, and not what high-society rules prescribed. And by this he always attracted hearts. Alexander Alexandrovich possessed ordinary abilities in the sciences and did not achieve outstanding success in them. Since no one assumed that he would inherit the throne, he did not receive a worthy heir to education. Alexander's studies were led by a well-known economist, professor of Moscow University A. I. Chivilev. Academician Ya. K Grot taught Alexander history, geography, Russian and German; prominent military theorist M. I. Dragomirov - tactics and military history, S. M. Solovyov - Russian history. The future emperor studied political and legal sciences, as well as Russian legislation, under KP Pobedonostsev.

Having already become the heir to the throne, the crown prince learned to conduct state affairs: he participated in meetings of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers. In 1868, when Russia suffered a severe famine, he stood at the head of a commission formed to provide assistance to the victims. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878. Alexander also gained military experience: he commanded the Ruschuk detachment, which held back the Turks from the east, facilitating the actions of the Russian army, which besieged Plevna.

The future Russian emperor grew up in a large family with many children. Only the sons of Alexander II had six: Nikolai, Alexander, Vladimir and Alexei were born with a break of one and a half to two years. Then, after a significant pause, Sergei and Pavel.

The eldest of the brothers, Nikolai, named after his grandfather, was born in September 1843 and was the second child in the family of the heir to the throne (the first was a girl, Alexandra). So in this family there was no acute problem of succession to the throne, like Alexander I or Nicholas II. Although officially Grand Duke Nikolai Alexandrovich did not become the heir immediately, but only after the death of his grandfather in February 1855, the principle of succession of power by seniority promised him the reign, and the attention of his parents focused primarily on him. In early childhood, the upbringing of children was similar: they were all in the care of English nannies and a whole army of military personnel who took care of them. The grandfather-emperor insisted on this, and the father adhered to the same point of view. The two older brothers Nikolai and Alexander began to be taught both literacy and military affairs at the same time. The mentor, V. N. Skripitsyna, gave them the first lessons in reading and writing, arithmetic and sacred history, and military educators, led by Major General N. V. Zinoviev and Colonel G. F. Gogel, taught them the front, marching, rifle techniques, changing of the guard.

Only the very initial training both older brothers took place together: soon the difference in age began to affect, and the tasks before them were different. Great importance was already attached to the education of heirs to the throne in the 19th century.

FROM THE LETTER OF ALEXANDER III TO HIS WIFE. “If there is anything good, good and honest in me, then I owe it only to our dear dear Mama. None of the tutors had any influence on me, I did not like any of them (except B. A. Perovsky, and even then later); they could not convey anything to me, I did not listen to them and paid absolutely no attention to them, they were just pawns for me. Mom constantly took care of us, prepared for confession and fasting; by her example and deeply Christian faith, she taught us to love and understand the Christian faith, as she herself understood. Thanks to Mama, we, all the brothers and Marie, became and remained true Christians and fell in love with both the faith and the church. How many conversations there were of the most diverse, heartfelt; Mom always listened calmly, gave time to express everything and always found something to answer, reassure, scold, approve, and always from a lofty Christian point of view ... We loved and respected Dad very much, but he, due to the nature of his occupation and overwhelmed with work, could not deal with us so much like a sweet, dear mother. I repeat once again: I owe everything, everything to Mom: both my character and what I have!

The name of Emperor Alexander III, one of the greatest statesmen of Russia, was desecrated and forgotten for many years. And only in recent decades, when it became possible to speak unbiasedly and freely about the past, evaluate the present and think about the future, the public service of Emperor Alexander III is of great interest to everyone who is interested in the history of their country.

Emperor Alexander III was not intended to reign by birth. As the second son of Alexander II, he became heir to the Russian throne only after the untimely death of his elder brother Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich in 1865. Then, on April 12, 1865, the Supreme Manifesto announced to Russia the proclamation of Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich as the Tsarevich's heir, and a year later the Tsarevich was married to the Danish princess Dagmar, who was married to Maria Feodorovna.

On the anniversary of his brother’s death on April 12, 1866, he wrote in his diary: “I will never forget this day ... the first funeral service over the body of a dear friend ... I thought in those moments that I would not survive my brother, that I would constantly cry at just one thought that I no longer have a brother and friend. But God strengthened me and gave me the strength to take on my new assignment. Maybe I often forgot in the eyes of others my purpose, but in my soul there was always this feeling that I should not live for myself, but for others; heavy and difficult duty. But: "Thy will be done, O God". I repeat these words all the time, and they always console and support me, because everything that happens to us is all the will of God, and therefore I am calm and trust in the Lord! Awareness of the gravity of obligations and responsibility for the future of the state, entrusted to him from above, did not leave the new emperor throughout his short life.

The educators of the Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich were Adjutant General, Count V.A. Perovsky, a man of strict moral rules, appointed by his grandfather Emperor Nicholas I. The education of the future emperor was in charge of the well-known economist, professor of Moscow University A.I. Chivilev. Academician Ya.K. Grotto taught Alexander history, geography, Russian and German; prominent military theorist M.I. Dragomirov - tactics and military history, S.M. Solovyov - Russian history. The future emperor studied political and legal sciences, as well as Russian legislation, under K.P. Pobedonostsev, who had a particularly great influence on Alexander. After graduation, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich repeatedly traveled around Russia. It was these trips that laid in him not only love and the foundations of a deep interest in the fate of the Motherland, but formed an understanding of the problems facing Russia.

As heir to the throne, the Tsarevich participated in meetings of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers, was chancellor of the University of Helsingfors, ataman of the Cossack troops, commander of the guards in St. Petersburg. In 1868, when Russia suffered a severe famine, he stood at the head of a commission formed to provide assistance to the victims. During the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878. he commanded the Ruschuk detachment, which played an important and difficult tactical role: he held back the Turks from the east, facilitating the actions of the Russian army, which besieged Plevna. Understanding the need to strengthen the Russian fleet, the Tsesarevich addressed an ardent appeal to the people for donations to the Russian fleet. In a short time the money was raised. Vessels of the Volunteer Fleet were built on them. It was then that the heir to the throne became convinced that Russia had only two friends: its army and navy.

He was interested in music, fine arts and history, was one of the initiators of the creation of the Russian Historical Society and its chairman, was engaged in collecting collections of antiquities and restoring historical monuments.

The government formed with the participation of the Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod K.P. Pobedonostsev, focused on strengthening the "traditionalist" principles in the politics, economy and culture of the Russian Empire. In the 80s - mid 90s. a series of legislative acts appeared that limited the nature and actions of those reforms of the 60-70s, which, according to the emperor, did not correspond to the historical destiny of Russia. Trying to prevent the destructive power of the opposition movement, the emperor imposed restrictions on zemstvo and city self-government. The elective beginning in the magistrate's court was reduced, in the districts the execution of judicial duties was transferred to the newly established zemstvo chiefs.

At the same time, steps were taken to develop the state's economy, strengthen finances and carry out military reforms, and resolve agrarian-peasant and national-religious issues. The young emperor also paid attention to the development of the material well-being of his subjects: he founded the Ministry of Agriculture to improve agriculture, established noble and peasant land banks, with the assistance of which nobles and peasants could acquire land property, patronized domestic industry (by raising customs duties on foreign goods ), and the construction of new canals and railways, including through Belarus, contributed to the revival of the economy and trade.

The state policy in Belarus was dictated, first of all, by the unwillingness of the "violent breaking of the historically established order of life" of the local population, the "violent eradication of languages" and the desire to ensure that "foreigners become modern sons, and not remain the eternal adoptives of the country." It was at this time that the general imperial legislation, the administrative-political administration and the education system finally established themselves in the Belarusian lands. At the same time, the authority of the Orthodox Church rose.

In foreign policy affairs, Alexander III tried to avoid military conflicts, so he went down in history as the "Tsar-Peacemaker". The main direction of the new political course was to ensure Russian interests through the search for reliance on "themselves." Having approached France, with which Russia had no controversial interests, he concluded a peace treaty with her, thus establishing an important balance between the European states. Another extremely important policy direction for Russia was the preservation of stability in Central Asia, which became part of the Russian Empire shortly before the reign of Alexander III. The borders of the Russian Empire pr him advanced to Afghanistan. A railway was laid on this vast expanse, connecting the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea with the center of Russian Central Asian possessions - Samarkand and the river. Amu Darya. In general, Alexander III persistently strove for the complete unification of all the outskirts with native Russia. To this end, he abolished the Caucasian governorship, destroyed the privileges of the Baltic Germans and forbade foreigners, including Poles, to acquire land in Western Russia, including Belarus.

The emperor also worked hard to improve military affairs: the Russian army was significantly enlarged and armed with new weapons; several fortresses were built on the western border. The navy under him became one of the strongest in Europe.

Parochial schools were extremely important in the era of Alexander III. The emperor saw in the parish school one of the forms of cooperation between the State and the Church. The Orthodox Church, in his opinion, from time immemorial has been the educator and teacher of the people. For centuries, schools at churches were the first and only schools in Russia, including Belaya. Until the half of the 60s. In the 19th century, almost exclusively priests and other members of the clergy were mentors in rural schools. On June 13, 1884, the "Rules on parish schools" were approved by the emperor. Approving them, the emperor wrote in his report about them: “I hope that the parish clergy will prove worthy of their high calling in this important matter.” Parish schools began to open in many places in Russia, often in the most remote and remote villages. Often they were the only source of education for the people. At the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander III, there were only about 4,000 parish schools in the Russian Empire. In the year of his death, there were 31,000 of them and over a million boys and girls were studying in them.

Along with the number of schools, their position also strengthened. Initially, these schools were based on church funds, on the funds of church brotherhoods and trustees and individual benefactors. Later, the state treasury came to their aid. To manage all parochial schools, a special school council was formed under the Holy Synod, publishing textbooks and literature necessary for education. Taking care of the parochial school, the emperor realized the importance of combining the foundations of education and upbringing in the public school. This upbringing, protecting the people from the harmful influences of the West, the emperor saw in Orthodoxy. Therefore, Alexander III was especially attentive to the parish clergy. Before him, the parish clergy of only a few dioceses received support from the treasury. Under Alexander III, a vacation was started from the treasury of sums to provide for the clergy. This order laid the foundation for improving the life of the Russian parish priest. When the clergy expressed gratitude for this undertaking, he said: "I will be quite glad when I manage to provide for all the rural clergy."

Emperor Alexander III treated the development of higher and secondary education in Russia with the same care. During his short reign, Tomsk University and a number of industrial schools were opened.

The king's family life was distinguished by impeccability. According to his diary, which he kept daily when he was his heir, one can study the daily life of an Orthodox person no worse than according to Ivan Shmelev's well-known book "The Summer of the Lord." True pleasure was given to Alexander III by church hymns and sacred music, which he put much higher than secular.

Emperor Alexander reigned thirteen years and seven months. Constant worries and intense studies broke his strong nature early: he became more and more unwell. Before the death of Alexander III, he confessed and communed St. John of Kronstadt. Not for a moment did the consciousness leave the king; saying goodbye to his family, he said to his wife: “I feel the end. Be calm. I am completely calm… “About half past 3 he took communion,” the new emperor Nicholas II wrote in his diary on the evening of October 20, 1894, “soon, slight convulsions began, ... and the end came quickly! Father John stood at the head of the bed for more than an hour, holding his head. It was the death of a saint!” Alexander III died in his Livadia Palace (in the Crimea), before reaching his fiftieth birthday.

The personality of the emperor and his significance for the history of Russia are rightly expressed in the following verses:

In the hour of turmoil and struggle, having ascended under the shadow of the throne,
He extended a mighty hand.
And the noisy sedition froze around.
Like a dying fire.

He understood Russia's spirit and believed in its strength,
Loved her space and expanse,
He lived like a Russian Tsar and he went down to the grave
Like a true Russian hero.

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. Not only in the royal family, but also among dignitaries, I 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 unjustly on in relation to anyone, does not wish for any captures; 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 - managed to put the 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 believe that the reforms of the 60s-70s were 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, before the eyes of one generation, we peacefully carried out a number of deep reforms in our state system in the spirit of Christian rules, therefore, in the spirit of European principles - such reforms that cost Western Europe centuries and often violent efforts, - and this Europe continued to see in us representatives of Mongolian inertia, some kind of imposed adoptive children of the cultural world... Thirteen years have passed since the reign of Emperor Alexander III, and the more hastily the hand of death hurried to close His eyes, the wider and more amazed were the eyes of Europe opened to the world significance of this short reign. Finally, even the stones cried out, the organs of European public opinion spoke the truth about Russia, and spoke the more sincerely, the more unusual it was for them to say this. It turned out, according to these confessions, that European civilization had insufficiently and carelessly ensured its peaceful development, for its own safety it was placed on a powder magazine, that a burning wick 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 him away ... Europe recognized that the Tsar of the Russian people was the sovereign of the international world, and with this recognition confirmed the historical vocation of Russia, because in Russia, according to its political organization, the will of the Tsar expresses the thought of His people, and the will of the people becomes the thought of its Tsar "

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 of the military power of 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 fate submissively, completely submitting to all its hardships, and with amazing, rare conscientiousness and honesty fulfilled all His duties as an autocrat. 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 public 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, just, loves modest workers and is very attentive even to the smallest workers, if He knows them - in 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; in any case, there was a complete lack of tension, but this did not in the least 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 the good in the view of Russian society was inextricably linked with the destruction of the historical foundations of the country. 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.