In Soviet historiography Emperor Nicholas I depicted exclusively in negative colors. The strangler of freedoms, the gendarme of Europe, the man who destroyed Pushkin and so on - such was the portrait of a man who had headed Russia for three decades.
It could not have been otherwise: Nicholas I suppressed the uprising of the Decembrists revered in the USSR, which already ruled out the possibility of his positive assessment.
It’s not that Soviet historians were lying, it’s just that the image of the emperor was correctly drawn from only one side. In life, everything was much more complicated.
third son Paul I was born on July 6 (according to the new style), 1796, a few months before his father's accession to the throne. Unlike older brothers Alexandra And Constantine, Nikolai did not have time to get under the care of his grandmother, Catherine the Great although she had such plans.
Little Nicholas was too far in line for the throne for anyone to seriously think about preparing him for the role of emperor. The boy's nanny became Charlotte Lieven, and in 1800 Emperor Paul assigned to his son General Matvey Lamzdorf with the prescription: “Just don’t make a rake out of my son.”
General Matvey Lamzdorf. Source: Public Domain
"Victim" of General Lamzdorf
Matvey Ivanovich Lamzdorf, an executive servant, was least of all suited for pedagogical work. Nikolai and his younger brother Mikhail were taken into the grip of the strictest discipline. The guardian-general believed that the best means for proper education was drill and the suppression of any liberties. Much of what Nikolai's contemporaries will not like very much was the result of Lamzdorf's activities.
The coup of 1801, which ended in the death of his father, Nikolai remembered very vaguely, which he honestly admitted in his memoirs. At that time, the future emperor did not think about the fight between his father and brother for power, but about his beloved wooden horse.
The rigid discipline of Lamzdorf had the opposite effect - Nikolai sabotaged home schooling, as a result of which he had serious gaps in the humanities. But Nicholas was well versed in military affairs and in fortification.
Nikolai Pavlovich knew how to critically approach himself - already in adulthood, when the prospect of taking the Russian throne became real, he tried to educate himself. It turned out, frankly, not very well. The English Queen Victoria, after twenty years of the reign of Nicholas, gave him the following characterization: "His mind is not processed, his upbringing was careless."
Subsequently, Nicholas with all care will approach the issue of educating his own sons, so that they do not end up in his position.
Sudden heir to the throne
During the Patriotic War and subsequent foreign campaigns, Nikolai rushed to the front, but Alexander I kept his younger brother away from the battlefield. Instead of military glory at this time, he found a bride - a young daughter of the King of Prussia Princess Charlotte.
In July 1817, Charlotte of Prussia, who became Orthodox Alexandra Fedorovna, married Grand Duke Nikolai Pavlovich. The young were happy and did not dream of the throne.
Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodorovna. Source: commons.wikimedia.org
In 1820, Emperor Alexander summoned Nicholas and announced that from now on he would become heir to the throne. The emperor was childless, Konstantin Pavlovich renounced his rights to the throne, as he was divorced and also had no children.
It is unlikely that Nikolai was flirting when he admitted in his notes that at that moment he became really scared: “My wife and I were left in a position that I can only liken to that feeling that, I believe, will amaze a person walking calmly along a pleasant road, dotted with flowers and from which the most pleasant views open up everywhere, when suddenly an abyss opens up under his feet, into which an irresistible force plunges him, not allowing him to retreat or return.
Nicholas did not prepare for the role of the monarch and did not want it for himself, but accepted this fate with the humility of a soldier, which General Lamzdorf hammered into him in his childhood.
"I am the emperor, but at what cost!"
The question of the heir hung in the air - information about the abdication of Constantine was not disclosed, and in 1825, when Alexander died, uncertainty arose that threatened with grave consequences. Officials and the military began to take an oath to Konstantin, the mint began printing rubles with his image. Nicholas, trying to resolve the situation, urged his brother to come to St. Petersburg from Warsaw, where he was the governor of the Kingdom of Poland.
The Decembrist uprising shocked Nicholas. The rebellion of representatives of noble and honored noble families seemed to him an unthinkable and out of the ordinary event.
Nikolai, who himself almost died when he met with the rebels right on the St. Petersburg street, was not delighted with the forceful liquidation of the performance. “I am an emperor, but at what cost, my God! At the cost of the blood of my subjects,” he wrote to his brother Konstantin.
In the Soviet period, Emperor Nicholas was presented as a kind of bloody maniac, who enthusiastically enjoyed the massacre of the rebels. In fact, nothing like that - the monarch approached traitors as condescendingly as possible. According to the current laws, for an attempt on the person of the sovereign, quartering was supposed, for participation in such a conspiracy - hanging.
As a result, Nicholas completely ruled out quartering, and only the five most active initiators of the uprising were sent to the gallows. But the liberal circles of Russian society considered this a terrible atrocity.
Emperor Nicholas I on Senate Square on December 14, 1825. Source: Public Domain
Administrator on the throne
Nicholas I carefully studied the documents of the Decembrists, especially those related to the analysis of the situation in the country. He saw pain points that required change, and in particular the problem of serfdom.
But he considered radical and revolutionary steps in this area harmful and dangerous.
The main way to solve problems, Nikolai considered the centralization of power, building its rigid vertical, administration of all sectors of the country's life.
The heyday of the bureaucracy of the times of the Russian Empire fell precisely on the reign of Nicholas I. Russian writers did not spare ironically colors for the depiction of Nicholas Russia, which turned into one large state office.
To carry out the tasks of political investigation in July 1826, a permanent body was created - the Third Branch of the Personal Office - a secret service with significant powers. "Third branch", which was headed by Count Alexander Benckendorff, became one of the symbols of the reign of Nicholas I.
The emperor loved the army, but saw the guarantee of its power not in timely rearmament and modernization, but in the establishment of strict discipline. Under Nicholas, most often they began to punish by “running through the ranks” - the offender was carried through the ranks of hundreds of soldiers, each of whom struck the punished with a stick. Such punishment, in fact, was a sophisticated form of the death penalty. For addiction to this type of punishment, the emperor received the nickname Nikolai Palkin.
Under Nicholas I, work was carried out to systematize Russian law and the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire was created.
Through the ranks, drawing by Geoffroy, 1845. Source: Public Domain
How Russia first got off the “raw material needle”
Almost throughout his reign, the emperor was engaged in solving the "peasant question". A ban was introduced to exile peasants to hard labor, to sell them one by one and without land, the peasants received the right to redeem themselves from the estates being sold. The “Decree on obligated peasants” and other measures of the tsarist government made it possible under Nicholas I to reduce the proportion of serfs from almost 60 percent of the population to 45 percent. The problem as a whole was far from being solved, but progress was obvious.
The management reform of the state village was carried out, which made it possible to improve the situation of state peasants and, at the same time, increase state revenues.
Nicholas I accepted a country that was 100 percent a raw power. The industrial revolution in Europe practically did not affect her. During the three decades of the reign of Nikolai Pavlovich, the output per worker in Russian industry has tripled.
The output of cotton products in Russia increased 30 times, and the volume of machine-building products - 33 times.
The share of the urban population under Nicholas I doubled and exceeded 9 percent.
"Only you and I do not steal"
Under Nicholas I, the construction of railways of an all-Russian scale began. We also owe him a wider railway gauge compared to the European one, which remains to this day. The monarch believed that the unification of Russia was not needed, because it was not worth creating amenities for a potential aggressor in terms of delivering troops to Russian territory.
Success, however, could not allow Russia to catch up with the leading European countries in terms of development. The vertical of power created by Nikolai, while solving certain problems, at the same time hindered many promising undertakings.
And, of course, the emperor also faced such a phenomenon as corruption. Nikolai made regular audits the norm, and mercilessly sent stealing officials to court. By the end of his reign, the number of convicted officials was measured in the thousands every year. But, despite the rigidity of the monarch, the situation did not improve.
“In Russia, only you and I don’t steal,” Nikolai said with bitter irony to the heir to the throne, the future emperor Alexander II.
Nicholas I at construction work. 1853
It is difficult for today's conscripts to imagine that in the old days in Russia, the term of service was not one, not two, or even three years - it was for life. Leaving to serve, the soldier said goodbye to his home forever. How they were taken into soldiers, who could not serve, how Peter I created the army - the answers to these questions can be found in our review.
How Peter I created the army
Before Peter I came to power, archers carried lifelong military service, passing it on by inheritance. There was such a thing as resignation, but it was quite difficult to retire. There were two options: either a diligent, impeccable service, or an available applicant for the place, who should have been looked for on his own.
Archers were well trained and were considered professionals. When there was peace, they lived quietly on the land, which they complained about for good service, worked as fire extinguishers, kept order in the territory, and performed some other duties. When the war began, the archers left their homes and were placed at the disposal of the military authorities; also, with a lack of military personnel, it was allowed to recruit additional people.
Peter I decided to create a regular army in Russia, using European standards. He issued a decree on recruitment duty, which allowed men to be called up for service not only at the time of the war, and which extended the duty to all classes.
Representatives of the peasantry and philistinism also went to the army, but out of a hundred men of these estates, only one was recruited. The peasant community chose the recruit, for the serfs the decision was made by the master. But the nobles were obliged to serve all without exception. True, they immediately became officers.
The population reacted to the new decree with caution, because being recruited meant that a man was leaving his home forever. A clear draft age was not established, most often men were taken in their prime, from 20 to 30 years old. The attitude to the recruiting system was also confirmed by constant shoots. It got to the point that a convoy was used to escort recruits to the assembly point. Recruits spent the nights shackled, and a tattoo in the form of a cross was knocked out on their palms.
Officers and soldiers who were captured by the enemy received compensation, the amount of which depended on the country. In the second half of the 18th century, compensations were abolished so that soldiers would not seek to surrender in order to receive money. Bonuses were paid not only for brave behavior in battle, but also for victory in general. For example, after the Battle of Poltava, Peter I ordered that all participants be rewarded.
Softening of conditions after the death of Peter I
Peter 1 took upon himself the solution of a very difficult task - the creation of a regular army capable of combat operations at any moment. The tsar took an active part in many matters, for example, he forbade the use of family and friendly ties, followed this, as well as the approval of officer appointments.
During the 18th century, conditions of service gradually became milder. Ordinary soldiers could rise to the rank of officers, while receiving a hereditary title of nobility. For the nobles, the term of military service was reduced to 25 years, and the right was given to one man from the family not to join the army. This happened after Peter I died. Catherine II freed the nobility from military service, but since it provided a good income, many nobles did not use this right.
It was possible to pay off the service by purchasing a recruit ticket for money or by finding another recruit to replace him. The clergy and merchants, as well as honorary citizens, were completely exempted from military service.
Life of retirees under Catherine II and Paul
After the abolition of lifelong service, a category of retirees appeared. The soldier had to adapt in the rear. In the time of Peter, those who had served were used as mentors for recruits or watchmen. The man received a salary and was in the army. If the soldier was too old or seriously injured, then he was sent to the monastery, Peter I even issued a decree obliging monasteries to have almshouses for soldiers.
During the reign of Catherine II, according to the Order of Public Charity, the state took care of the oldest soldiers, the soldiers' almshouses at the monasteries ceased to exist. Instead, the state received some money from the church. All disabled people (and at that time it was called not only a person with any kind of injury, but any retiree) received pensions. Under Paul, there were even disabled companies used to escort convicts, guard prisons, and guard outposts. In 1778, the first nursing home was opened, where retired soldiers, unable to live independently and receiving care for the rest of their lives, lived on a full board basis.
Soldiers' wives and their social status
Soldiers could marry, while serving, they had to get the permission of the chief for this. Soldiers' wives became free people, even if they were from serfs, and the sons of soldiers were transferred to the jurisdiction of the military department, and they necessarily received an education. For this there were regimental schools.
In the summer, the soldiers settled in field camps, when the cold season came, they moved to apartments. They were taken to stay by ordinary residents of villages and villages - a kind of apartment duty. Not all homeowners liked this state of affairs, because conflicts were quite frequent. From the middle of the 18th century, soldiers' settlements began to be created, that is, special areas for the soldier. Settlements were a kind of small towns, where there were infirmaries, churches, baths. Gradually, the soldiers moved to the barracks, which arose in large cities in the late 18th - early 19th centuries.
Appeals in the 19th century
During the 19th century, there was a gradual decrease in the service life: 20, 15 and 10 years. In 1874, recruitment was abolished and general conscription was introduced, with a service life of 6 years for the ground forces and 7 years for the navy. They were sent to serve according to the results of a lottery: conscripts pulled out notes with notes from a closed box, and those who did not get the marked ones were considered militias. They could be mobilized if needed. The draft age is from 21 to 43 years. Representatives of all estates were called, except for the Cossacks and the clergy.
The call did not apply to the only sons in the family, grandchildren of infirm grandparents who had no other guardians, older brothers in orphan families and university professors. Students and peasants moving to new places received a respite. The territorial principle was used to recruit regiments, since it was believed that countrymen could better find a common language and be more united at a crucial moment.
The Russian army personified for Nicholas II the greatness and power of the Empire, the inviolability and strength of Russia, which always evoked the most enthusiastic feelings in my soul.
I'll start with the memoirs of Anna Vyrubova (Taneeva), about the great influence of the army and navy on Nicholas II.
“The sovereign adored the army and navy; when he was the heir, he served in the Preobrazhensky and Hussar regiments and always recalled these years with delight. there were darlings, "according to them. Frequent parades, reviews and regimental holidays were the rest and joy of the Sovereign. Entering the Empress's room later, he beamed with pleasure and always repeated the same words -" it was splendid "[It was great. ( English)], almost never noticing any shortcomings.
I remember in my childhood the May parades on the Champ de Mars. We were taken to the palace of the Prince of Oldenburg, from whose windows we watched the parade. After the parade, to the delight of us children, the Sovereign and the entire Royal Family passed through the rooms of the palace, marching to breakfast.
Visiting meetings and talking with officers, the Sovereign said that he felt himself to be their comrade; one winter, he often dined in the regiments, which caused criticism, since he returned home late, at these dinners the officers did not drink wine in the presence of the Sovereign; at home, at dinner, the sovereign usually drank 2 glasses of port wine, which was placed in front of his device. The Emperor also liked to visit Krasnoye Selo.
In the Russian army, not to mention the fleet, they fed excellently: they gave meat that many peasants did not eat at home: if you slaughter a cow, you will be left without milk. And in the guards, especially in the Guards crew, they not only fed excellently and dressed better than the rest of the sailors, but the salary was bigger, and the barracks were cleaner and more spacious. One misfortune: Pushkin's old woman lives in a different Russian, for whom everything is not enough. And so, communicating with the nobility, some sailors forgot about the commandments of the Gospel, and began to envy the fact that some people live in palaces and mansions, eat on gold and silver, walk in velvet silks and sleep on downy featherbeds.
In the first decade of his reign, the sovereign, believing the reports of responsible persons, was sure that everything was going well in the Russian fleet. Therefore, the unsuccessful actions of our fleet in the Russo-Japanese War seemed absolutely amazing and incredible, starting with the treacherous attack of the Japanese fleet on our ships without declaring war, and ending with the tragic defeat of the Pacific Squadron in the Tsushima battle. The fault was our technical backwardness and unwillingness to believe in war.
The development of marine technology required a lot of effort and work, and the administrative part of our fleet lagged behind. Intelligence was put out of hand badly. New types of ships required skillful handling of complex mechanisms, which is achieved only by practice, i.e. constant swimming. Our ships, due to the observance of economy, sailed for 3-4 months. in year. In the remaining months, all our ships simply stood idle.
Few were aware of the fact that a significant proportion of the failures of the war fell on the Russian public, which forced the Sovereign to agree to send a diverse collection of dilapidated ships against the power of the modern Japanese fleet. A significant role was played by revolutionary propaganda, which sought to undermine patriotism and the will to fight. Some Russian circles even desired the defeat of the Motherland, so that there would be favorable conditions for a change of power. They also say that such meanness caused considerable surprise even in Western countries, accustomed to everything. In Tsushima, Russian sailors showed an example of rare heroism, when exhausted people went into battle, without any hope of success, but with almost complete certainty of imminent death.
Just at this dark time for the fleet, Nicholas II became close to the fleet. He began to visit ships more often, put on a naval uniform more often, often came to the cradle of the fleet - the naval corps and shipyards. The purely negative attitude of Russian society towards the navy as an expensive and useless undertaking had an unfavorable effect on shipbuilding. The Ministry of Finance began to cut loans for the construction of ships, and only the will of the Monarch saved the situation and removed the obstacles. Only thanks to the constant support of the Sovereign, the Russian sailors did not completely lose heart, they understood the lessons of Tsushima and took advantage of them.
After the Russo-Japanese War, naval technology advanced rapidly. Considering that the country actually ended up without a fleet. The fleet had to be rebuilt. The task was extremely difficult, more difficult than in the time of Peter I. Then they built wooden ships, there was more than enough forest. The modern fleet was built of steel, and we had few metallurgical plants, and there were almost no experienced workers at all. And besides, Peter I did not know any obstacles in his creative work, no one put a spoke in his wheels.
Fundraising committees were set up, donations poured in from all parts of Russia. In a short time, 18 large destroyers were built. Russian ships began to sail again in foreign waters. The command staff of the fleet was quickly reorganized.
For the fulfillment of his will and plans, the Sovereign, with amazing foresight, chose just those whose activities were most suitable at that time to recreate the fleet. On one of these voyages, our ship ended up in a small Sicilian port, where an earthquake just happened .. Russian sailors quickly and smoothly helped to cope with helping the Italian residents. Upon the return of the detachment, the emperor said: "You did in a few days what our diplomats could not do in years!" The sovereign spoke of a significant improvement with Italy after the assistance rendered by our sailors. 
In the last years before the World War, the Sovereign, sensing the falsehood and intrigues of the court environment, the insincere, but often servile attitude of dignitaries, the hostility of members of the State Duma, sought the society of simple, combat officers. He guessed in them the true support of the state. He looked at the sailors of his yacht Shtandart and those with whom he often met as members of his family. Not embarrassed, feeling himself in a circle of faithful people, the sovereign joked and often showed humor.
D. Khodnev recalls: “On one of the days of July 19, our entire regiment was in the Alexandria, visiting the royal family. Is it possible to forget the words of the Tsar addressed to us: “... I am glad, gentlemen officers, to receive you at home easily; thank you for your unfailingly zealous and faithful service. I am sure that the Finnish Life Guards Regiment will continue to serve me and the Motherland. Once again, ladies and gentlemen, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Thank you brothers!"
Is it possible to forget how the Empress herself poured tea, and how happy we were to receive a cup of tea from her hands ... How can we forget with what tenderness and love the Sovereign looked at his son-Heir when he ran and frolicked with his sisters. How extraordinarily happy were the soldiers who were given the royal treat, whom the Sovereign walked around and graciously turned to us with various questions ... His Majesty deigned to ask us in detail about whether the scouts were provided with warm clothes, whether everyone had sheepskin coats and felt boots, whether there were skis How is it supposed to organize allowances and medical assistance? The Sovereign finished his conversation with us, affectionately wishing a happy journey: "Well, with God!" 
"Nicholas II's concern for officers and soldiers manifested itself continuously. Often, having learned about the difficult financial situation of one of them, the Tsar provided assistance from his personal funds.
The personality of the Sovereign Emperor, as the Autocrat of the All-Russian, His continuous connection with the army and navy, as the Supreme Leader, formed the basis of the education of a soldier, sailor, cadet, midshipman and cadet. The emperor wore only a military uniform to raise the importance of military service to the state. All officers of the Imperial Russian army and navy always wore military uniforms, carrying edged weapons. This symbolized the state of uninterrupted presence of an officer in the service of the Tsar and the Fatherland.
The imperial army was a harmonious whole, resting on a solid foundation of 3 centuries of glory, fixed by history. The army was alien to politics, its ranks were not involved. But the army was not "politicalless": whatever the Tsar commands, we will do - that was its policy. "(from the memoirs of Colonel Shaiditsky)
This is how Colonel E Messner described the reasons for the enormous reverence of ordinary soldiers for the last Emperor in his memoirs. “In our vile time, when the expression “Cult of Personality” appeared and when such a “cult” really arose and arises, it may seem that an indignant colonel and a frightened captain, and that an officer of an academic course who fainted, and that the old colonel, shocked by the contemplation of the Tsar his young adjutant was watching at Tiraspol, and that the soldiers of the fourth platoons of batteries, who imagined that they were undersized, saw the Sovereign through the backs of the tall first platoon, that all these were adherents of the personality cult. NO! Between the personality cult and the veneration of the king, the difference is the same, as between the fashionable cult of the "Unknown Soldier" and the age-old veneration of the great heroes-commanders. Looking at the Emperor, everyone saw in him 170 million Russia, the homeland from Libau to Vladivostok. Without deifying, everyone saw in him - in the words of a Caucasian song - an earthly god Russia, the power of Russia, its greatness, its glory... Such was the attitude of the officer towards each of the predecessors of Nikolai Alexandrovich.
But to the earthly-divine veneration of Nikolai Alexandrovich, there was also added a special love that arose when contemplating him, at least during instant communication with him, love that was awakened by the obvious, tangible properties of this kindest of the Tsars of Russia - his gracious smile, his gentle eyes, his holy soul.
He continues: “The officer’s consciousness that the Emperor is the Sovereign Father was also expressed in the fact that we did not condemn him for problems in the army and for the fact that sometimes there were worse problems. So the officer did not blame the Tsar for the lack of military technical equipment troops, for the beggarly officer salary, for the sadistic ferocity of General Sandetsky (commander of the troops of the Kazan Military District) They blamed this general, they blamed other generals by name, under the collective name "bosses", but the reproach of the officer did not rise to the Tsar, because we understood the impotence of the Autocrat against the system that gave birth to frivolous (if not worse) Sukhomlins, ignorant Brusilovs, self-conscious Sandetskys. "//Materials taken from the book of Nicholas II in memoirs and testimonies.-M.: Veche, 2008.-352p.
He was crowned on September 3, 1826. Being the third son of Paul I, he did not dream of the throne. But fate had its own way. We bring you the most interesting facts from his life
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According to the Encyclopedia of Russian History, the 11th All-Russian Emperor Nicholas I He was crowned king on September 3 (August 22 according to the old style), 1826. Nicholas had two older brothers - Alexander (I) and Constantine, so they did not take his education seriously, thinking that he would not get the throne. However, Constantine did not want to be even more head of state. After the death of Alexander I, Nicholas immediately swore allegiance to his elder brother. But he abdicated the throne, citing the fact that he had no children, and he was married a second time, and in a morganatic marriage (misalliance) to the Polish Countess Grudzinskaya. Only after several letters from his brother did Nicholas agree to wear the crown. Taking the oath, he said: "Russia is on the verge of a revolution, but I swear it will not penetrate it as long as the breath of life remains in me ...".
He began his reign with the suppression of the Decembrist uprising
On the day of the oath to Nicholas, an uprising of members of a secret society took place. He was brutally suppressed on the same day. The surviving Decembrist nobles were sent into exile, 5 leaders were executed. Later, Nikolai wrote to his brother: "My dear Konstantin! Your will is done: I am the emperor, but at what cost, my God! At the cost of the blood of my subjects!" Despite the fact that many considered him despotic, Nicholas's first steps after the coronation were very liberal. He returned Pushkin from exile, and appointed Zhukovsky as the main teacher of the heir. The execution of 5 Decembrists was the only execution in all 30 years of the reign of Nicholas I (under Peter I and Catherine II, executions numbered in the thousands). Under Nicholas I, torture of political prisoners was not used (579 people were involved as suspects in the case of the Decembrists). Later, under Alexander II, violence against political prisoners resumed.
But at the same time, Nicholas I condemned Polezhaev, who was arrested for free poetry, to years of soldiery, twice ordered Lermontov to be exiled to the Caucasus. Turgenev was arrested in 1852, and then administratively sent to the village only for writing an obituary dedicated to the memory of Gogol.
“There are a lot of ensigns and a little Peter the Great in him,” Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin wrote about the new emperor in his diary.
The throne is work, not pleasure
Nicholas I led an ascetic and healthy lifestyle. He was devout and never missed Sunday services. He did not smoke and did not like smokers, did not drink strong drinks, walked a lot, and did drills with weapons. I got up at 7 am and worked 16 hours a day. Discipline in the army was also established under him. He did not like magnificent royal outfits, he preferred to dress in a simple officer's overcoat, and slept on a hard bed.
Did not shy away from connections on the side
In this regard, he could not be strict with himself, and was, like most rulers, a real womanizer. In 1817, he married Princess Charlotte of Prussia, daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm III, who received the name Alexandra Feodorovna after converting to Orthodoxy. They had 7 children, among them the future Emperor Alexander II. At the same time, he had many hobbies, and according to some reports, 7 illegitimate children. For 17 years he was in connection with Varvara Nelidova.
He was poorly educated himself, but created an education system
Despite his brilliant knowledge of military affairs, he was completely cold towards other sciences. He had a very mediocre knowledge of the mores of Americans, he believed in illiterate rumors that people were being eaten in the USA. When in 1853 the Ministry of Public Education sent Joseph Hamel to America to get acquainted with the state of science, Nicholas I approved this trip with the instruction: “To oblige him with a secret order not to dare to eat human meat in America.”
At the height of the Crimean War, due to heavy losses among officers at the front, the emperor introduced drill training in civilian gymnasiums, and higher military sciences (fortification and artillery) at universities. That is, he became the founder of military training in Russia. Every day, 2 hours were devoted to company and battalion exercises.
In addition, the number of peasant schools in the country increased from 60 (where 1.5 thousand people studied) to 2551 (111,000 students). In the same period, many technical schools and universities were opened, a system of vocational primary and secondary education of the country was created.
Made concessions to the peasants
Under Nicholas I, for the first time, the number of serfs sharply decreased (from 58% to 35-45%). They no longer make up the majority of the population. The landowners were forbidden to sell peasants (without land) and exile them to hard labor (which was previously a common practice). The position of the state peasants also improved, they were given allotments of land and forest plots. Auxiliary cash desks and bread shops were opened, which provided assistance to the peasants. Not only the well-being of the peasants increased, but also the revenues of the treasury, tax arrears decreased, and there were almost no poor landless laborers left.
Established the industry
As a legacy from his predecessors, Nicholas I received a deplorable state of affairs in industry. Russia's exports included only raw materials, everything else was bought abroad. Under Nicholas, the textile and sugar industries appeared, the production of metal products, clothing, wood, glass, porcelain, leather and other products developed, and their own machine tools, tools and even steam locomotives began to be produced. From 1819 to 1859 the volume of cotton production in Russia increased almost 30 times; the volume of engineering production from 1830 to 1860 increased 33 times.
He laid the first roads and helped his descendants in World War II
It was under him that, for the first time in the history of Russia, intensive construction of paved highways began: the Moscow-Petersburg, Moscow-Irkutsk, Moscow-Warsaw highways were built. He started building railroads. In doing so, he showed remarkable foresight. Fearing that the enemy would be able to come to Russia on a steam locomotive, he demanded to expand the Russian gauge (1524 mm against 1435 in Europe), which helped us a hundred years later. In 1941, during the Great Patriotic War, this significantly hampered the supply of the German occupation forces and their maneuverability due to the lack of locomotives for the broad gauge.
Refused favorites and began the fight against corruption
In the reign of Nicholas I in Russia, the "era of favoritism" ended. Unlike previous kings, he did not make large gifts in the form of palaces or thousands of serfs to nobles, mistresses or royal relatives. To fight corruption, for the first time, regular audits were introduced at all levels. Trials of officials under Nicholas I became commonplace. So, in 1853, 2540 officials were on trial.
mysterious death
Nicholas personally participated in the Crimean War. But in the winter of 1855 he dies of pneumonia. He caught a cold, taking the parade in a light uniform, being already sick with the flu. As eyewitnesses recalled, the emperor passed away in a clear mind. However, there is a version that Nicholas I took the news of the defeat of General Khrulev to heart. Fearing a shameful defeat, he asked the medical officer Mandt to give him a poison that would allow him to commit suicide, but avoiding personal shame. The emperor forbade the autopsy and embalming of his body. But historians rejected this version, since Nicholas I was a deeply religious Christian.
Other fun facts about Nicholas I
One of the officers of the Riga garrison named Zass, marrying his daughter, wanted her and her husband to have a double surname, in which Zass would come first. It seems that there was nothing strange in this desire ... However, Mr. Colonel was a German and knew Russian poorly ... After all, the groom's surname was Rantsev. Tsar Nicholas I found out about this case and decided that his officers should not be the object of ridicule. By the highest decree, the tsar ordered the newlyweds to bear the surname Rantsev-Zass.
Nicholas I gave his officers the choice between a guardhouse and listening to Glinka's operas as punishment.
Having met a drunken officer, Nikolai scolded him for appearing in public in an unworthy form, and ended his reprimand with the question: “Well, what would you do if you met a subordinate in such a state?” This was followed by the answer: “I would not even talk to this pig!” Nikolai burst out laughing and concluded: "Take a cab, go home and sleep!"
In Paris, they decided to put on a play from the life of Catherine II, where the Russian Empress was presented in a somewhat frivolous light. Upon learning of this, Nicholas I, through our ambassador, expressed his displeasure to the French government. To which the answer followed in the spirit that, they say, in France, freedom of speech and no one is going to cancel the performance. To this, Nicholas I asked to be told that in this case he would send 300,000 spectators in gray overcoats to the premiere. As soon as the royal answer reached the capital of France, the scandalous performance was canceled there without unnecessary delay.
Of course, the most beautiful monument is the arch of the General Staff, crowned with a sculpture of Glory on the chariot of Victory. This chariot is a symbol of Russia's victory in the Patriotic War of 1812. Initially, the Arch was conceived by Alexander I in a strict, restrained style, without a chariot crowning it. However, Nicholas I, who replaced him, decided to give glory to the courage and valor of the Russian army. Upon completion of the construction of the Arch, Nicholas I doubted its reliability. To confirm the quality of his work, the architect Rossi, after dismantling the scaffolding, together with all the workers, climbed the arch. As it turned out, the structure withstood their weight. This legend was recorded by the biographer Rossi Panin from the words of the granddaughter of the architect.
Testing on the topic "The Board of Nikolaev I »
8th grade
Full name _________________________________________________________________________________
1. Which of the Russian writers was an artillery officer and a participant in the Crimean War:
a) L.N. Tolstoy;
b) F.M. Dostoevsky;
c) V.V. Veresaev;
d) V.M. Garshin.
2. Who in the time of Nikolaev I headed the Ministry of Education and the Academy of Sciences at the same time:
a) A.A. Arakcheev;
b) S.S. Uvarov;
c) M.M. Speransky;
d) A.S. Shishkov.
3. Movement of goods at the beginning XIX in. regulated:
a) commodity exchanges;
b) government offices;
c) fairs;
d) banks.
4. In 1843, the monetary reform provided for:
a) the introduction of a hard silver currency;
b) receiving a large foreign loan;
c) creation of new banking structures;
d) the introduction of paper money.
5. Specify the chronological framework of the Caucasian War:
a) 1812-1873;
b) 1826-1855;
c) 1817-1864;
d) 1853-1856
6. What functions did the 3rd department of His Own Imperial Majesty's Chancellery perform:
a) management of women's schools and charitable institutions;
b) political investigation;
c) codification of laws;
d) management of specific peasants.
a) S.S. Uvarov;
b) NicholasI;
c) A.Kh. Benkendorf;
d) A.A. Arakcheev.
8. Which peasants were affected by the reform carried out by P.D. Kiselev:
a) landlords;
b) state;
c) peasants of Western Russian provinces;
d) specific (royal).
9. Indicate the main mode of transport in Russia in the first half XIX in.:
a) aviation;
b) railway;
c) horse-drawn and water;
d) automobile.
10. What was the main part of Russian exports in 1830-1840:
a) furs;
b) wheat;
c) potatoes;
d) forest.
11. What was the name of the state ideology developed during the reign of Nicholas I :
a) the theory of official nationality;
b) the theory of natural law;
c) the theory of cameralism;
d) the theory of relativity.
12. Who wrote the opera "Life for the Tsar", the melody from which in 1992-2000. was the national anthem of Russia:
a) A.S. Dargomyzhsky;
b) M.I. Glinka;
c) A.P. Borodin;
d) P.I. Tchaikovsky.
13. With the help of which, by 1843, the financial system was strengthened in Russia:
a) receiving large foreign loans;
b) the introduction of a hard silver currency;
c) creation of a broad banking system;
d) introduction of the strictest economy of budget expenditures.
14. Who are Westerners:
a) a religious sect;
b) representatives of Western European countries - investors in Russia;
c) supporters of the development of Russia on the model of Western European civilization;
d) residents of the western provinces of the Russian Empire.
15. Which European country was the main importer of Russian goods in the first half XIX in.:
a) England
b) France;
c) Prussia;
d) Austria.
16. Codification of Russian legislation in the 1830s. carried out under the direction of:
a) M.M. Speransky;
b) V.P. Kochubey;
c) A.Kh. Benckendorff;
d) S.s. Uvarov.
17. Part of the Russian Empire, which had in the middle XIX in. own parliament, customs, monetary system, budget:
a) Poland;
b) Finland;
c) Georgia;
d) Estonia.
18. The main trend of changes in the political system of Russia in the first half XIX in.:
a) strengthening autocracy;
b) weakening of autocracy;
c) strengthening of representative bodies of power;
d) strengthening the power of the Synod.
19. Nicholas I preferred all sciences:
a) music;
b) humanitarian;
c) engineering;
d) the military.
20. After the death of Alexander I Constantine could claim the throne because:
a) he was respected by the guards;
b) he was loved in the country;
c) he was brilliantly educated;
d) he was older than Nicholas.
21. The code of laws of the Russian Empire was drawn up by order:
a) PetraI;
b) CatherineII;
c) AlexandraI;
d) NicholasI.
22. To the events of the Kramskoy war of 1853-1856. applies to:
a) the siege of Plevna;
b) the defense of Sevastopol;
c) Chesme battle;
d) assault on Izmailov.
23. Representatives of Russian social thought in the 1830s-1850s, who idealized the historical past of Russia, believed that Russia should develop in its own way, and not follow the patterns of leading European countries, were called:
a) Westerners
b) social democrats;
c) Slavophiles;
d) Decembrists.
24. Russian Orthodox Church according to the spiritual regulations of 1721:
a) became autocephalous;
b) became directly subordinate to the emperor;
c) resubordinated to the Vatican;
d) managed by the Synod.
25. Specify the chronological framework of the defense of Sevastopol:
a) 1806-1812;
b) 1853-1856;
c) 1854-1855;
d) 1804-1813
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