I love you like a madman, you are one of the most perfect beauties in the world... - Alexander I Letter to my sister
As we all know, Tsarist Russian cross Eurasian Continent land is very vast, and there have been many legendary emperors in its history. It is worth it that one of these legendary emperors is very special.
Europeans have always feared and disgusted with Tsarist Russia, but they regard this person as the savior of the entire Europe. Tsarist Russian people have also regarded him as a hero, but some historians have commented on his " Sphinx that has not been understood until death" (a monster in mythology and legend).
This emperor was Alexander I, Tsarist Russia. Killing his father, loving his sister, and defeating the arrogant Napoleon were the labels of his life. So what kind of story does this person have? Today we will talk about this topic.
"Actor on the Throne" Alexander I was
In 1777 AD, Alexander I was born in the Russian court in Tsarist Russia. His father was Grand Duke Paul Petrovic and his mother was Duchess Maria Feodorovna. Such a birth background destined that his story would not be ordinary.
Grand Duke Paul Petrovic has the irritability of a soldier. He spends most of his time in the military camp to train soldiers with Prussian requirements, which leads to not having much time to accompany and educate his son.
Fortunately, Alexander I's grandmother loves her grandson very much and takes some time every day to educate her grandson himself. As the saying goes, "Those who are close to the red and those who are close to the ink are black." After living with her grandmother for a long time, he gradually formed the same character as her grandmother.
Alexander I's grandmother is called Yekaterina . She is the famous empress in Tsarist Russian history and the only empress who was named "the great emperor". During her reign, she embezzled hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of land for Tsarist Russia, and the entire European imperial capital trembled.
Katerina once said this: "It would be great if I could live to the age of 200, then the whole of Europe would be Russian ". This shows her desires and ambitions, but Katerina's negative comments are the same as positive praise.
There were about 23 lovers in her life, and she even stole the throne of her husband with her lover. Her private life was very chaotic. As the son of Caterina, Grand Duke Paul Petrovic was very disgusted with his mother's endless romantic affair.
So the relationship between mother and son is not good. The family disagreement indirectly affected Alexander I's personality. He himself does not like his grandmother and does not like his father very much, but he can easily get between the two.
Alexander I often wrote letters to my grandmother. The contents of the letters basically express their longing for her and their many responsibilities for her father, so as to gain my grandmother's trust and favor. When he turns around, he will praise his father in the same tone.
In this way, Alexander I successfully won the attention of both Caterina and Paul Petrovic. In 1796, Caterina died and passed the throne of emperor to her grandson.
Of course, her idea did not come true. Paul burned the imperial edict after his mother died, and ascended the throne and called himself " Paul I ". Because Alexander I woke up early, he left a good impression on himself, and he did not kill his son.
Did Alexander I know about this? The answer is yes, but at that time his strength was not enough to overthrow his father's rule, so he had to continue to disguise himself and wait for the opportunity, always treating others with a smile, laying the foundation for the later killing of his father and seizing power.
Patriarch snatched power and fell in love with sister
When Paul I just ascended the throne, there were many people supporting him, but as time went by, the interests of both sides gradually separated, Paul I continued to expand his power and damaged the power of the nobles. More and more courtiers began to oppose his rule, and even established the so-called "opposition party" in private.
Alexander I was usually very moderate to the court officials. The opposition party intended to support Paul I after abolishing him. In 1801, a coup happened quietly in the Tsarist Russian palace, and Paul I was killed in the night.
According to some records, Alexander I, who had always been cautious, did not participate in the coup personally, but he must have known that the court officials were plotting rebellion, but he did not tell his father in crisis, so Paul I was also indirectly responsible for his murder.
After learning about his father's death, Alexander I cried bitterly, and his tears were just the tears of crocodile. On the second day after the coup, Alexander I ascended the throne with the support of opposition members.
Compared to his father's irritable and stubborn personality, Alexander I seemed to be at the forefront of everything. At that time, the conservative nobles of Tsarist Russia were very powerful, and if they were not careful, they might be abolished by this group of people again.
The first thing he did when he became emperor was to restore the backward serf system , preserving the special power of the manor aristocracy. This policy of catering to the conservatives won the support of many nobles, and the foundation of Alexander I was consolidated.
The famous emperors in Tsarist Russia's history were unwilling to bow to the court officials. Alexander I's behavior can be said to be unique. No wonder later generations would comment on his smile and his words and words to reveal hypocrisy. The "two-faced god" in Russian history.
In addition to this matter, there is another thing that makes people feel incredible, that is, his "love for girls". The above mentioned that Alexander I has lived in the gap between his grandmother and his father since he was a child, which is extremely cruel for a child.
Fortunately, the appearance of his sister Princess Ye Katerina brought him a lifelong dawn. The two lived together day and night and had a growing relationship. Even if they lived under the same roof, Alexander I would often write letters to his sister.
The words are full of meanings beyond brother-sister love: "I love you like a madman", "You are one of the most perfect beauties in the world", etc. After marriage, Alexander I even had many lovers outside, but the one I loved the most was his sister.
Once Napoleon made a request for marriage to Alexander I. The object of the marriage was Princess Caterina. Perhaps he was afraid of losing his sister forever, so he hurriedly married his sister to an ordinary duke.
Interestingly, Princess Ekaterina's marriage to the Duke did not last long, because the Duke passed away very early, and after that, the relationship between Alexander I and her sister returned to her former state.
In ancient Egypt and medieval Europe, aristocratic children had many loves beyond the norm in terms of men and women's feelings, but love girls like Alexander I were also rare. No wonder some people would call him a monster.
defeated the arrogant Napoleon, but suddenly retired at its peak
Caterina spread thousands of miles for Tsarist Russia. As her grandson, Alexander I was no less inferior to her in this regard. The most famous battle was the battle for hegemony with Napoleon in Europe.
After Alexander I ascended the throne, the land was constantly expanding to eastern Europe. Napoleon's war to unify the European continent was in full swing. As the territory was not expanded, the two people would inevitably border step by step, and eventually a conflict of interest occurred.
In 1812 AD, Napoleon, who conquered the entire Europe, finally crossed the Neman River and fought a fateful battle with Alexander I. Napoleon was well prepared for this war and formulated a complete plan to ensure the stability of logistics supplies.
Unfortunately, manpower seems insignificant in front of the weather. The cold climate and muddy land have seriously insufficient logistics for the French army. Alexander I relied on the vast land of Tsarist Russia for deep defense.
He retreated while clearing out all available supplies. The French army, which was alone and deep, was finally defeated on the land of Tsarist Russia. In the cold, Napoleon had to choose to withdraw his troops, and Alexander I took the opportunity to counterattack and achieved the final victory of the war.
The casualties of Tsarist Russia in this battle were almost the same as those of the French army, but the actual situation was that Alexander I won the victory and Napoleon was exiled by the anti-French alliance. Historical books were written by the victors, so Alexander I was also called the "savior" by Europeans.
other kings fell from their peak and fell from their altar step by step, but Alexander I showed a cliff-like decline. After the war with Napoleon, he began to become indifferent to politics, and even fled from St. Petersburg in his later years.
As for why this is the case, it is recorded that Alexander I maintained the rule of the old nobles, which seriously hindered the development of Tsarist Russia. Some young people wanted to overthrow his rule, which is reflected in Pushkin 's " Ode to Freedom ".
The history of Tsarist Russia has always been dark and cruel. As emperors, they sometimes have no choice but to be tools in the hands of nobles. Alexander I left St. Petersburg and suddenly announced his death a few months later.
The suddenness of this incident made future generations full of doubts about the death of Alexander I. Some people say that he did die, and some people say that he lived in seclusion. The Soviet government had dug up Alexander's tomb but there was nothing in it.
This incident also seems to imply that Alexander I was not dead. As for where he went, no one knows. The truth has been buried in the long river of history with the development of the times, leaving only a touching legend.
Generally speaking, Alexander I was an extremely contradictory person. He was kind but hypocritical. He had the ability and vision to do something, but he bowed his head to the old nobles. He hated his grandmother and father but greeted him with a smile.
Perhaps the only one who made him feel warm was his sister Princess Ekaterina. Unfortunately, the two are brothers and sisters, and their relationship can only stay on top of letters. The various contradictions in life made Alexander I mixed praise and criticism, and the name of "monster" (Sphinx in the North) was well deserved.
What are your different opinions about this person?
