Biography
Few monarchs were awarded in the history of the epithet "Liberator". Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov deserved this honor. And Alexander II is called the reformer king, because he managed to move away from the dead point, many old problems of the state, threatened by rebellions and uprisings.Childhood and youth
The future emperor was born in April 1818 in Moscow. The boy was born on a festive day, in a light Wednesday in the Kremlin, in the bishops of the miracle of the monastery. Here, the whole imperial surname, arriving for the meeting of Easter, gathered at that holiday morning. In honor of the birth of a boy, the Moscow silence ripped the cannon Salute in 201 volley.
Archbishop Moscow Augustine baptized Baby Alexander Romanova on May 5 in the Church of the Monastery of the Monastery. His parents at the time of the birth of the Son were great princes. But when a graduate heir was 7 years old, his mother Alexander Fedorovna and father Nikolai I became an imperial chet.
The future emperor Alexander II received excellent home education. His main mentor, responsible not only for tuition, but also for the upbringing, was Vasily Zhukovsky. The sacred history and the law of God taught Archpriest Gerasim Pavsky himself. Academician Collins taught the boy to the wisdom of arithmetic, and Karl Merda gave the basis of military affairs.
No less well-known teachers were at Alexander Nikolayevich and under legislation, statistics, finance and foreign policy. The boy grew quite intelligently and quickly absorbed the science teachers. But at the same time in the youthful age, like many of his peers, was in love and romantic. For example, during a trip to London, he fell in love with the young British queen Victoria.
Interestingly, in a couple of dozen years, she has become for the Russian Emperor Alexander II in the most unworthy European ruler.
Board and reform Alexander II
When Alexander Nikolaevich Romanov reached the majority, his father introduced him to the main state institutions. In 1834, Cesarevich entered the Senate, next year - the composition of Holy Synod, and in 1841 and 1842 Romanov became a member of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers.
In the middle of the 1830s, the heir made a great familiarization trip around the country and visited 29 provinces. In the late 30s visited Europe. And he also had a very successful military service and in 1844 he became a general. He was entrusted by the Guards Infantry.
Cesarevich is headed by military-educational institutions and presides in secret committees in the peasant case of 1846 and 1848. He is pretty well deliberate in the problems of peasants and understands that changes and reforms have long called.
The killed Crimean War of 1853-56 becomes a serious exam for the future of the sovereign on his maturity and courage. After the announcement in the St. Petersburg province of Military situation, Alexander Nikolaevich assumes the command of all the troops of the capital.
Alexander II, joined in 1855 to the throne, received a heavy heritage. His father for 30 years of government failed to solve any of the many sharp and long-standing state issues. In addition, the country's serious position was aggravated by defeat in the Crimean War. The treasury was empty.
It was necessary to act resolutely and quickly. The foreign policy of Alexander II was that with the help of diplomacy to break through the dense ring of the blockade, closed around Russia. The first step was the conclusion of the Paris world in the spring of 1856. The conditions adopted by Russia cannot be called very profitable, but the weakened state could not dictate his will. The main thing, managed to stop England, who wanted to continue the war to the complete defeat and dismemberment of Russia.
Alexander II visited Berlin in the same spring and met with the King Friedrich Wilhelm IV. Friedrich had to Emperor his mother uncle. With him managed to conclude a secret "dual union". With the foreign policy blockade of Russia, it was finished.
The internal policy of Alexander II was no less successful. In the life of the country, the long-awaited "thaw" came. At the end of the summer of 1856, on the occasion of coronation, the king was amniced by Decembrists, Petrashevtsev, participants in the Polish uprising. And for another 3 years, he suspended the recruit sets and eliminated military settlements.
There are times time and for the decision of the peasant question. Emperor Alexander II decided to cancel the serfdom, this ugly remote, which stood on the path of progress. The sovereign chose the "Ostsee" of the landless liberation of peasants. In 1858, the king agreed to the reform program developed by liberals and public figures. According to the reform, the peasants received the right to redeem the land endowed with them.
The great reforms of Alexander II were truly revolutionary at that time. He supported the 1864 Zemstvo and the city status of 1870. The judicial charters of 1864 were put into effect and military reforms of the 1860-70s were adopted. Reforms in folk education took place. Finally, corporal punishment for a developing country were canceled.
Alexander II confidently continued the traditional line of imperial politics. In the first years of the reign, he won the Caucasian War. Successfully advanced in Central Asia, attaching most Turkestan to the territory of the state. In 1877-78, the king decided to war with Turkey. And he also managed to fill out the treasury, having encouraged the cumulative revenue of 1867 by 3%. This was done by selling Alaska to the United States.
But in the last years of the reign of Alexander II reforms "Zabuxov". Their continuation was sluggish and inconsistent. All major reformers Emperor dismissed. At the end of the board, the king introduced a limited public office in Russia in Russia under the State Council.
Some historians believe that the Board of Alexander II, with all his pros, had a huge minus: the king conducted a "Germanophone policy", which did not meet the interests of the state. Monarch revealed before the Prussian king - his uncle, and in every way promoted the creation of a single militarist Germany.
Contemporary Tsar, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers Peter Valuev, in his diaries wrote about the strong nervous disorder of the sovereign in the last years of his life. Romanov was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, had a tired and irritated appearance. "Curonated dilapidated" - such a non-pawy epithet, this Valuev emperor, accurately explained his condition.
"In the era, where the strength is needed in it," wrote a politician, "obviously, it is impossible to count on it."Nevertheless, in the first years of the reign, Alexander II managed to make a lot for the state. And the epithets "liberator" and "reformer" he really deserved.
Personal life
The emperor was a man fond. On his account many novels. In his youth, he had an affair with Freilinzina, which parents urgently married. Then another novel, and again with Freillan Maria Trubetskoy. And with Freillan Olga Kalinovsky, the connection was so strong that Cesarevich even decided for the sake of marriage with her to renounce the throne. But parents insisted on the gap of these relations and marriage at Maximilian Hessian.
Nevertheless, marriage with Maria Alexandrovna, in the princess of the princess Maximilian-Wilhelmina-Tomb-Sophia-Maria Hessen-Darmstadt, was happy. 8 children were born in it, 6 of whom are sons.
Emperor Alexander II For his sick tuberculosis, his wife laid his beloved summer residence of the last Russian kings - Livadia, bought land along with the estate and vineyards in the daughters of the Graph Leo Pototsky.
Maria Alexandrovna died in May 1880. She left a note in which there were words of gratitude to the spouse for a happy collaborative life.
But the monarch was not a faithful husband. The personal life of Alexander II was a reason for the repudates of the yard constantly. Some favorites gave birth from the sovereign of extramarital children.
The 18-year-old Freillina Ekaterina Dolgorukova was able to firmly to seize the heart of the emperor. The sovereign married a long-standing beloved in the same year when a spouse died. It was a morganatic marriage, that is, a prisoner with a face of not royal origin. Children from this union, and there were four of them, could not become the heirs of the throne. It is noteworthy that all the children were born at the time when Alexander II was still married on the first spouse.
After the king married a long-term, the children received a legitimate status and princely title.
Death
During the reign on Alexander II, they attended several times. The first attempt happened after the suppression of the Polish uprising in 1866. It was committed in Russia Dmitry Karakozov. Second - next year. This time in Paris. Polish emigrant Anton Berezovsky was trying to kill the king.
A new attempted was committed in early April 1879 in St. Petersburg. In August of the same year, the executive committee of the People's Will sentenced Alexander II to death. After that, the people intended to blow up the Emperor train, but mistakenly undermined another composition.
A new attempt was even more bloody: several people died in the winter palace after the explosion. By the lucky random, the emperor entered the room later.
To protect the sovereign, the Supreme Regulatory Commission was created. But she did not save the life of Romanov. In March 1881 under the legs of Alexander II, the bomb was thrown by Ignatiy Grinevitsky. From the wounds received, the king died.
It is noteworthy that the attempt took place on the day when the emperor decided to give a hand to the revolutionary constitutional project M. T. Loris-Melikova, after which Russia was supposed to go along the path of the Constitution.