February 09, 2001

Emperor of all Russia


Emperor of all Russia

Tsar Nicholas I was born on June 25, 1796 and was the son of Tsarevich Paul and Maria; Princess Sophia Dorothea of Wurttemberg. Paul and Maria had a total of ten children; Nicholas was the third son. Nicholas was raised by his grandmother, Catherine the Great, for the first five months of his life. Upon Catherine's death (November 6, 1796), Paul became Tsar, at age 42, and the infant was returned to his mother. Maria took little interest in the raising of her children.

This could have had something to do with the fact that she gave birth ten times in 22 years! Nicholas and his younger brother, Mikhail, were raised by Lamsdorff, an aging army general.

Since Nicholas was the third son of Paul and Maria, Alexander and Konstantin being the two elder brothers, there was little pressure placed on the boy regarding being the future tsar. He was not provided with the same amount of education as his elder brothers but he found the current events surrounding the French Revolution very intriguing. A handsome and much sought after suitor, Nicholas married the fragile Princess Charlotte of Prussia on July 1, 1817.

On March 12, 1801, Paul I was murdered in his chambers. There is much speculation surrounding his demise, some suggest it was suicide. Paul and Maria's eldest son, Alexander I, was crowned emperor. In his later years, Alexander I was a spiritually troubled man. It is rumored that he faked his death, in November of 1825, and actually ran away to become a monk and wander about Siberia.

Nicholas I was 29 when Alexander I disappeared leaving Russia without an heir. Konstantin, Nicholas' remaining elder brother, was not interested in the throne. Catherine II had given Alexander Palace to Alexander I, who, in turn, loaned it to Nicholas I. Alexander had made secret arrangements that Nicholas should succeed him. Needless to say, there was a considerable amount of confusion and controversy following Alexander I's sudden and mysterious demise. Several officers, who would later be known as Decembrists, rebelled against Alexander's wishes and attempted to place Konstantin on the throne (Dec. 14, 1825). Nicholas put down this uprising and became the Emperor of All Russia on August 22, 1826. By this time, Nicholas and Charlotte had four children: Alexander II, Maria, Olga and Alexandra.

Nicholas ruled with an iron fist. He truly believed that he was anointed by God as the ultimate, single ruler of Russia; the same way that God was the only divine sovereign. As such, it was his personal and exclusive responsibility to look after and determine the well being of each and everyone of his subjects. Nicholas considered himself to have unlimited control and power - a recipe for disaster, as we've seen many times throughout history. However, Nicholas I believed that he was accountable directly and only to God for all of his actions and answered to no man. It was his opinion that this was the attitude all persons should have. This has become known as the Nicholas System.

Nicholas believed in one God, one Tsar and, thus, One Nation. As a result, anything or anyone non-Russian, existing within the empire, was subject to oppression and the effort to Russify them. Obviously, this was met with a great deal of resistance. Non-Russians were not willing to give up their languages, cultures or non-Russian Orthodox religious traditions. Any submission to this policy was gained by force.

On the other hand, because of Nicholas' stern policy, Russia saw its first real cultural growth since Catherine the Great. The Nicholas I era produced great literature and poets such as Pushkin and Lermontov. The first literary notable to come from the peasant class appeared during this period in the form of Nickolai Gogol. The Russian intelligentsia evolved and, subsequently, grew to hate Nicholas. The tsar personally and through force, when necessary, regulated their activities and works. One of Nicholas' deepest fears was peasant revolt, making it necessary for him to regulate and censor everything that they might read or see.

Next Page

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
Fish: A History of One Migration

Fish: A History of One Migration

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
How Russia Got That Way

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955