Historical portrait of Nicholas 1

Nicholas 1 - the Russian emperor, whose board belongs to the first half of the XIX century. The psychological portrait of Nicholas 1 is already the second century is an occasion for the study of historians and politicians, as well as various public figures. Interest in his personality is due to the fact that the character of our emperor is contradictory, as his views and beliefs. All this affected the domestic and foreign policy of Russia in the first half of the 19th century. Some people call the years of his reign a grim reaction. Others say that he has prepared and implemented a huge number of reforms, and their fruits we see even today.

The purpose of our article

Attempt to make a historical portrait of Nicholas 1. We will consider the childhood and youth of the sovereign, as well as characterize his ascension to the throne from a psychological point of view, we will sum up.

Childhood

In 1796 on July 6 in the princely family of Pavel Petrovich and Maria Feodorovna the son Nicholas appeared. Since his birth, he was fascinated by those who surrounded him with physical development Nicholas 1. Portraits of artists who captured the prince, you will find in the article. Everyone said that he had a bass voice, and also noted his very high growth. Crowned grandmother Catherine the Great said that the first time sees such a strong knight. In her letters to the correspondent Baron Grimm she wrote that she was the grandmother of the third grandson, extraordinary in strength, who was destined to reign, despite the fact that he already has two older brothers. Each portrait of Nicholas 1 (their photos you see in the article) is marked by special features of appearance, which the grandmother of the prince said.

About the tutors of the prince

Nikolai and his younger brother Mikhail grew up under the supervision of Mother Maria Feodorovna's mother, and two older brothers, Konstantin and Alexander, were raised by their grandmother. From birth to 7 years, Nicholas had a nanny from England. He called her "nurse-lioness" because of her name and because she was a brave and determined woman. However, the historical portrait of Nicholas 1 is marked by features of tenderness and kindness. It was the nurse who had a tremendous influence on the formation of the character of the future sovereign. Thanks to the fact that the Englishwoman E.V. Lyon constantly and unceasingly watched the little Kolya, from him grew a real hero, who amazed and delighted the surrounding people with strong health and decisive character.

In 1802, the governor was instructed to bring up the Grand Duke (or cavaliers). Now the future sovereign was under the supervision of the educator MI Lamsdorff, who, unfortunately, had neither general educational views nor experience in pedagogy. He was from harsh servants who had a tough nature. His contemporaries stressed that Lamsdorf had a very hard heart. Nicholas wrote in his diary that the educator could instill in him a sense of fear in a moment. He also noticed that the teacher often accused him of being absent-minded. The count punished him with a cane stick, and at times threw a ruler or a weapon ramrod into it. All the games of this teacher ended up in the fact that he hurt not only himself, but also others. The Earl of Lamsdorf was prone to grimace and grimace.

Free time and science

We continue to make a portrait of Nicholas 1. Despite the anti-pedagogical approach of the governor, court servants noticed the desire of the Tsarevich to reign and command in the child's soul. In his character, both stubbornness and perseverance were combined. However, the heartfelt kindness and honesty nested by the Englishwoman have not gone away. The personalities of the future sovereign instilled a sense of camaraderie. With the younger ones, with sister Anna and brother Mikhail Nikolay, a very strong friendship was connected. The most favorite games they had were the erection of fortresses, military battles of soldiers. Accordingly, the musical instrument, on which Nikolai liked to play, was a drum. As for the sciences, Nicholas 1 did not gravitate toward humanitarian knowledge. It was his hard work to write essays. Education in the royal family suggested knowledge of the ancient Greek and Latin languages, but Nikolai did not like these subjects so much that when he became the head of the family, he struck out of the program of raising his children. So the portrait of Nicholas 1 acquires colors and shades of love for children and family.

Nikolay 1 and Alexandra Fedorovna

After the war of 1812 the crown prince visited Europe. On the way back to Russia, a significant meeting was held in Berlin. He met with the young princess Charlotte (daughter of the King of Prussia). Nikolai admired the young girl. However, Mother Maria Feodorovna said that he was still too young to marry.

In 1817, Nicholas still waited for the wedding, which was held in July. At the baptism Princess Charlotte was named after Alexander Fedorovna. She said she felt very happy, especially when their hands joined. Alexandra Fedorovna became a sort of guardian angel of the emperor. She was an exemplary wife and a caring mother. In marriage, they lived 38 years, they had 7 children. Contemporaries wrote about these relations in such a way that the spouse for the emperor is like a delicate, elegant creature. For him, she is a beautiful bird, so the emperor keeps her as in a golden cage. He adorns her with precious stones, feeds nectar and ambrosia, but cuts off her wings so that she does not escape from the golden cage. However, the care for this bird was such that she did not even remember her wings.

Thus, we see the psychological portrait of Nicholas 1. He is described from childhood as a contradictory nature, in which there was a place of kindness and cruelty, rudeness and tenderness. Since childhood, the crown prince was drawn to military affairs. His character was marked by stubbornness and persistence, due to which the future sovereign achieved his goals, therefore the qualities described by us in the future were reflected in his activities.

Accession to the throne

Now consider the political portrait of Nicholas 1. When he and Charlotte were married, this meant that the youthful years are over. At that time, he was appointed brother in the position of inspector-general and chief engineer of the engineer battalion. He performed his duties brilliantly. However, soon the Emperor Alexander 1 had to abandon the throne. In view of his childless logic, the throne was to move on to the next brother, Constantine, but he also relinquished his position as ruler. At that time a joke was born among the people that the throne was offered as tea, but only everyone refused it. Alexander visited the family of Nicholas, where he informed the young couple that no one other than Nikolai should come to power. All congratulated him on gaining the emperor's authority, but Nikolay wrote in his diaries that he did not meet the news with joy, And it would be more appropriate not to congratulate him, but to condole.

In 1825, Nicholas regularly receives information that underground organizations are trying to translate into reality events that will make Russia free from the imperial regime. December 14 of the same year for the emperor was the most terrible day. The Synod, the Senate and the troops gathered at the palace at the same time. Some Moscow officers persuaded the soldiers not to swear allegiance to the master. Nicholas received information that a coup would be organized on the day of the coronation. But, since Nikolai by nature was brave and fearless, coup and bloody consequences for the dynasty was avoided. By this date the Decembrist uprising is timed. The emperor himself wondered for a long time why he was alive that day, because he was to be killed. On the night of July 17, the insurgents were executed. This execution made a heavy impression on Russian society.

The purpose of domestic policy

The December uprising taught the Tsar to treat with distrust the nobility's opposition. These tragic events were reflected in the manifesto of Nicholas 1, in which he wrote that he would cleanse the state of the infection lurking in the bowels of the Empire. And he also urged all classes of society to trust the real government and with understanding to meet all future reforms. In other words, the sovereign paid for the future of the Russian Empire. Until the end of days he was devoted to his homeland. On the world arena, his personality was defeated, since it was unprofitable for Europe to abolish serfdom.

Thus, we see a political portrait of Nicholas 1, marked by complexities. Here, the contradiction of the dynasty, as well as the Decembrist uprising, played their part. These phenomena had a great influence on the worldview and personality of the emperor. One can say that Nikolai grew up in just one night. In his actions, he became even more determined, and he also sharply began to feel responsible for the decisions he had taken.

Conclusion

So, the article described the historical portrait of Nicholas 1 (briefly). It shows that the emperor had a firm and determined character, coupled with wisdom and discretion. He understood that the abolition of serfdom was necessary, but the plan did not succeed. This business was continued by his son - Alexander II. The portrait of Nicholas I described by us is associated with historical events, since without them it is impossible to characterize the historical personality. We need to know our history in order not to make mistakes of the past.