Alexander I Pavlovich (Russian: Александр I Павловиチ; December 23, 1777- December 1, 1825), also known as Alexander I, was the 14th Tsar of the Romanov dynasty in Russia and the 10th Emperor of the Russian Empire (reigned from March 23, 1801 to December 1, 1825). He was the son of Paul I. [18-19]
Alexander I was raised by his grandmother Catherine II during his childhood. After his father's death in a palace coup in 1801, he was enthroned as the Tsar. In the early stages of his reign, he released some political prisoners, relaxed the system of checking books and periodicals, carried out government institutional reforms modeled after Western European countries, and established a Council of Ministers; Another decree was issued to adjust the serfdom system. In 1808, the Spelinsky Reform was implemented, but after encountering failure, it turned to the police dictatorship policy formulated by Arakchev, continued to promote military settlement, and allowed landlords to exile serfs to Siberia at will. In terms of foreign policy, we should first establish friendly relations with France and the United Kingdom. In 1805, he joined the Third Coalition against France and negotiated peace with Napoleon after his defeat. After the victory of the War of 1812, he led the anti French alliance to defeat Napoleon. Subsequently, the Congress of Vienna and the Holy Alliance were organized to plan and organize armed intervention in the Italian and Spanish revolutions. In addition, it also annexed Georgia, Finland, Bessarabia, Azerbaijan, and the Duchy of Warsaw. [18] In the late period of his reign, he gradually neglected political affairs. He passed away suddenly in 1825.
In order to save the increasingly dangerous Tsarist system, Alexander I used swords and knives to promote national power to the outside world, while also winning over people's hearts with slogans such as "freedom" and "seeking the welfare of the masses" at home. History's evaluation of him often shows a polarized trend. Due to his achievements in defeating Napoleon and establishing the Holy Alliance, he is known as the "savior of Europe" and the "Holy King". Some scholars refer to him as the 'dual god of Russian history', while others call him the 'Sphinx of the North'.

Grandmother's Palace
On December 23, 1777 [Russian calendar December 12], Alexander was born in St. Petersburg. He was the eldest son of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (later known as Paul I) and Duchess Maria Feodorovna. [18]
Alexander's birth brought great joy to his grandmother Catherine II. In order to announce the birth of the little grandson, 101 cannons were fired in the suburbs of St. Petersburg, and celebratory bells rang out in major churches. Immediately take away the little prince and raise him himself. On the eighth day of his birth, he was named "Alexander" during a baptism ceremony in honor of the Russian national hero Alexander Nevsky. [20]
Catherine II decided to personally educate this child. She stipulated that the child must sleep with the window open, get used to the noisy voices around them, and take a cold shower in a room with a temperature not exceeding 15 degrees Celsius every morning. When Alexander was only a few months old, she had him brought to the study and let the children play on the carpet in front of her desk. Her gaze would turn to the child as soon as she left the official documents. Catherine II had great hopes for this child. She chooses toys and Paper Cuttings for her children. After Alexander's brother Constantine (later known as Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich) was born, she compiled a series of Russian historical stories and a book of proverbs for her children. [20]
On the recommendation of her favorite Alexander Lanskoy, Catherine II hired a teacher for Alexander, Swiss Friedrich Caesar Raalp. Lagerfeld sympathized with the Jacobins during the French Revolution, advocated for the French Republic, and opposed absolute monarchy. His Enlightenment worldview had a great influence on Alexander. Alexander later said, "My character, perhaps all my strengths, should be attributed to Mr. LaAlp

In 1781, Alexander I began studying English, French, and German. In 1782, he studied geography and, under the guidance of his teacher, he mastered the geographical knowledge that his grandmother had spent several years mastering in just one and a half hours, holding Catherine II's globe. However, Alexander lived in superior living conditions and inevitably had a habit of freedom and laxity. In the end, he did not make significant progress in academia, and his understanding of knowledge was mostly superficial.
Alexander looks very happy and carefree all day long, very likable to those around him, kind and humble in attitude, sometimes even chatting with his grandmother and her favorite courtiers with a flirtatious demeanor. He played cards, drank alcohol, listened to opera, and attended dances there; But as soon as he returned to his father Paul's fiefdom of Gatchina, he was completely transformed into another person: an officer wearing a sharp Prussian style uniform, supervising the work of his subordinates with a serious expression, and even listening to his superiors' vulgar language without expression. At this moment, Alexander was completely the standard military image in his father Paul's mind: cold and resolute, without any personal emotions, completely a component of the cold machine of the army.
Early maturing Alexander had a very early understanding of human relationships and customs. At a young age, he felt the opposition and differences between his grandmother and father. The mediation between the two enabled Alexander to learn how to please people early on and to understand the subtle psychological activities of others. Alexander preserved the letter he wrote to his grandmother Catherine II in 1786, in which he would write words of praise for her, and almost every letter would end with words such as' kiss you, kiss your hand '. Moreover, in some individual letters, young Alexander knew where to seize the opportunity, but with restraint, he mocked and ridiculed a courtier in the palace, often eliciting laughter from his lively grandmother.
In 1790, my grandmother found a future wife for Alexander. Catherine II fell in love with Princess Louise Marie Auguste of the Duchy of Baden and later underwent Eastern Orthodox baptism, changing her name to Elizabeth Alexeyevna. In 1793, the two got married. After marriage, Alexander served in the Gatchina Regiment formed by his father Paul for a period of time. As a result of his service, he suffered from partial hearing loss in his left ear, reportedly due to the artillery unit he served in. The roar of the cannons damaged his hearing.

Alexander's biggest headache was that his grandmother was determined to bypass his father Paul and let him inherit the throne directly. Alexander expressed his agreement to inherit the Tsar from his grandmother, but on the other hand, when he returned to his father, he swore to acknowledge his father as the legitimate heir to the Russian Empire Emperor. In his heart, Alexander actually tended to let his father succeed to the throne, avoiding conflicts between his grandmother, father, and himself. In addition, he even planned to flee to North America when his grandmother was under too much pressure to avoid the issue of succession to the throne. During this period, the main flaw in Alexander's character had been exposed: his willpower was not strong enough. Faced with the strong, his performance is not stronger, but tends to hide his own opinions, conceal his true thoughts, and strive to dress himself up in a different way. His true feelings and thoughts can only be inferred through speculation.
Years of the Crown Prince
In 1796, Catherine II passed away, Paul I ascended to the throne, and Alexander was officially appointed as the Crown Prince. In addition, Paul I successively conferred a large number of official titles on Alexander, including Colonel of the Artillery of the Sh é mianovsky Guard, Governor of the St. Petersburg Imperial Guard, Chairman of the Military Committee of the Privy Council, Commander of the St. Petersburg Cavalry Division, and Inspector of the Finnish Infantry Division. He obeys his father's orders and seeks his approval for everything he does, even his own time cannot be independently managed. Father would summon him at any time to report on trivial details, and in half of the cases, he would be reprimanded for incompetence. Gradually, Alexander made some powerful friends who were dissatisfied with the authoritarian rule of Paul I. They often discussed together how to abolish the shackles that hindered freedom, achieve equality for all Russian citizens, and establish a just and loving society. As Paul's arrogance and madness escalated, more and more people began to oppose him and began planning to overthrow his rule and support Alexander's accession to the throne. Among these coup plotters was Count Palen, who had previously served as the military governor of St. Petersburg. British Ambassador Walter assured the conspirators that his government would fully support them. Palen and others went to meet with the then Crown Prince Alexander and secretly informed them of their action plan. They stated that they would not kill his father, but would use all means to force Paul I to abdicate, and the future throne would belong to him. Alexander, who grew up in the imperial palace, was already familiar with similar conspiracies in Russian history and had no other choice.

On the night of March 23, 1801 [Russian calendar March 11], Palen and others infiltrated the Mikhailov Palace and killed Paul I. The next day, March 24th, the imperial court announced that Paul I had died of a sudden stroke. Alexander, who was 23 years old, immediately succeeded to the throne and became known as Alexander I. [18]
Early stage of governance
After the palace coup in 1801, Alexander began to rule Russia, first by changing most of the laws issued during the reign of Paul I, restoring the privileges of the aristocratic class, ordering the abolition of corporal punishment and secret police, announcing amnesty for runaway serfs, and pardoning or rehabilitating more than 12000 people sentenced during the Paul era from exile; At the same time, Russia relaxed its domestic and foreign exchanges, lifted the ban on aristocratic children from studying abroad, and resumed trade imports from Europe.
Alexander I's teacher and former Swiss governor, Raap, advised him to carry out political and social reforms in Russia. In this regard, he was greatly influenced by some young aristocrats who highly praised and admired the ideology and political system of the upper echelons of British society. Among them are the Vorontsov brothers, Novosilzov, Stroganov brothers, and Polish Adam Jerzy Czartoryski. Under their persuasion and sponsorship, Alexander I ordered the formation of a "Committee of Close Friends", also known as an "Informal Committee", which included Kochubei, Novosilzov, Czartoryski, and Stroganov, essentially a shadow cabinet of the Privy Council. This committee claims that its purpose is to 'formulate a good law that becomes a source of national happiness'. [18]
The "Committee of Close Friends" issued an order on December 12, 1801, granting merchants, ordinary citizens, and official immigrants the right to purchase uninhabited land. In 1803, the "Free Farming Method" was promulgated, allowing landlords to grant farmers freedom upon receiving ransom (sometimes up to 5000 rubles) or using labor as collateral. This law, apart from the empty words of implementing serfdom reform in Rivonia province, failed due to fierce opposition from the nobility in Russia, where serfs accounted for three-quarters of the total population. According to another reform plan of this committee, Alexander I also ordered the reform of government institutions: in 1802, eight ministries were established to replace the previous one, namely the Army, Navy, Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, Justice, Finance, Commerce, and National Education. One minister is appointed to oversee all major matters and report directly to the Tsar. This reform strengthened the centralization of the Russian state apparatus.

Forced to negotiate peace
Main entry: Third Coalition Against France
In late March 1803, Napoleon ordered the killing of his opponent, Duke Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon Comt é, who was willing to be friendly with Britain. This is the last Duke of the Cond é family in France, known for their military achievements. Alexander I protested against Napoleon's murder of Danggan and ordered the court to express condolences. What infuriated Alexander even more was that on May 18, 1805, the French Senate passed a decree officially granting Napoleon the title of Emperor of France, and the Napoleonic Empire was declared established. [18]
In late June 1804, the British cabinet of William Pitt sent a note to Russia, Austria, and Switzerland, suggesting the formation of an anti French alliance, including Prussia. Alexander I summoned Czartoryski to discuss the issue of forming an alliance with Britain and decided to send Novosilzov to London. The negotiations between the representatives of Russia and Britain lasted for a considerable amount of time. Napoleon tried his best to undermine the establishment of this alliance. Alexander I sent Novosilzov via Berlin to Paris to negotiate with Napoleon in the hope of reaching some kind of agreement. When Novosilzov was on his way to Paris, Napoleon annexed Genoa. Upon hearing the news, Alexander I was extremely angry and ordered the cessation of all negotiations with the Napoleonic government. In July, the third anti French alliance was established, and countries declared war on Napoleon. [18]
At the end of October, after a battle in Ulm, the Austrian army of the anti French alliance was defeated. Alexander I heard this news on the day he arrived in Potsdam. His arrival temporarily stabilized the situation in Prussia. He even went to the underground tomb of Frederick the Great of Prussia to pay tribute to the deceased emperor and show his determination to continue this anti French war. However, Napoleon led his army to advance step by step, with his sharp edge pointing directly at the army led by Alexander I. The two sides engaged in fierce fighting in Austerlitz, Moravia. As a result, the Russian and Austrian armies were defeated, losing approximately 33000 troops and 186 artillery pieces. Alexander I and Emperor Francis, who were watching the battle on the Palatine Heights, fled eastward overnight. The Third War against France ended in failure. [18]
Alexander I was unwilling to accept Napoleon's victory and organized the Fourth Coalition against France in 1806. The war broke out again. In October of the same year, Napoleon's army defeated the Russian and Prussian armies in Jena and entered Berlin as the victor.

After the Battle of Jena, Alexander I faced a new choice: should he continue to ally with Britain and oppose France, or change his policy and form an alliance with France? After various trials, on June 25, 1807, Alexander I and Napoleon met on a raft in the middle of the Neman River near Tilsit. On July 7th, the Treaty of Tilsit was signed. Alexander I accepted all of Napoleon's conditions: Tsarist Russia promised to break off its alliance with Britain and recognize France's sphere of influence in Europe. Alexander I also agreed to mediate the reconciliation between France and England. Napoleon agreed to jointly divide the Ottoman Empire with Alexander I. On the same day, Russia and France also signed a secret treaty, which stipulated that if one of the two sides waged any war against any country, the other should support it and, if necessary, use all their respective forces. Alexander I also agreed that if Britain did not accept mediation, Russia would declare war on Britain.