On today's blog, we once again turn our eyes to the royalty that governed Russia before the tragic event that led to the end of it. Previously, we have approached a few figures of the Romanov dynasty, some of which were not so well known to the public as Empress Elisabeth and Emperor Alexander II. Coincidently, today we are speaking to the father of this latter. Nicholas I Romanov is, even for us, a surprising figure that, as far as our understanding go, are barely discussed. In his reign, there's nothing glamorous or quite striking in comparison to some of his predecessors and descendants. Then why is he being the subject of today?
In History, especially one concerning the figures in power as it is the case of the royals we study, we come to several situations where we come across with the infamous "what ifs". To us, the past is done and impossible to change, but in those days where past was present and their actors were living, they had no conscience of what could happen that would lead them to History. One small action, one decision and all is changed. A complex reflection that does not, however, bring any definitive answers for us.
To Nicholas Romanov this was no different. He, who was the son and brother of Tsars, was not expected to become one himself. Would Russian Revolution have been avoided had his brother's consort gave him sons? This is exactly the sort of "what if" we come across with when we look at such character. But Nicholas is not the unique example in History that awakes in us this sort of questioning. In every country that once held monarchy, or still does in the present days, second sons inherited the crown against all expectations and changed the whole course of the History of their countries. Henry VIII of England is, perhaps, the most famous example of such things, and in Russia, we speak of one himself.
The tsar born Grand Duke Nicholas Romanov was the third son of Grand Duke Paul and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna. He was born towards the end of the reign of his grandmother, Catherine the Great, at Gatchina Palace in Gatchina. Five months after his birth, Grand Duke Paul became Emperor Paul upon the death of Catherine II. Nicholas was the youngest male of his siblings, amongst them the oldest being the future Alexander I, followed by Constantine and a few sisters.
Regarding his education, we understand he received an education proper for someone of his position in spite of the fact he was not the heir of the Russian crown. As we see below:
What captured the Grand Duke's attention was military science, which led him to become an army engineer and with no wonder awoke in him an interest towards the army, something that greatly marked him throughout his life. It was, as well, a Romanov tradition for the youngest sons to receive a military formation. It must be remembered that the whole affair against Russia marked Nicholas, who witnessed (though not directly) the defeat of Napoleon when he attempted to break in the empire. However the franco-russian relations have developed, what is important to observe is the consequence of it. One of which tells about Nicholas' marriage to Princess Charlotte of Prussia, who adopted the name Alexandra after their wedding.
His accession was marked by demonstration of the Imperial Army in order to let the people be reminded of the royal force. If any rebellion were to be risen again, the Tsar would not hesitate to crush the way he crushed the Decembrists. Nicholas I did not see liberal revolutions with good eyes, and more than once tried to interfere to prevent them to happen in Europe. Where his government is concerned, this close proximity to military affairs (which to some is seen as close to obsession) is perceptible inside his government. There, Nicholas appointed only men of experiences in battles, and by the end of his reign, he was rarely surrounded by civilians as we can observe in the following paragraph:
Paradoxally, however, literature and art flourished. The emperor, though loving everything Russian and establishing this language to be spoken at court as its manners (it is said that French and German were spoken at court), had a great deal of interest in medieval chivalry and "built palaces in Gothic styled, [...] organized stylized jousting tournaments, in which participants wore original armor from the Imperial collection." Yet, in 19th century, there was a great revival of medieval days, in which european historians and writers romancized such period, so perhaps this fondness of the tsar is a reflexion of the period. Nevertheless,
Looking back to his character, he was, undoubtedly, seen with negatives views from the liberals in Russia and to most european monarchs. The weight of duty was described by Nicholas himself as a cross he carried until the end of his days, which tells how unprepared he was when he reached the throne. Being well educated is no synonimous to be prepared to inherite a crown, especially when the expected heirs are taught and prepared for that duty from an early age to the duties that it follows. Naturally, this does not excuse his actions, but explains them.
It is only our interpretation to point out the fear of rebellions and the attachment to traditions and the military discipline that shaped the character of Nicholas as a figure of power, as the sovereign of Russia in days where liberalism was ecloding, especially after Napoleon. Seeing as how this latter tried to break into Russia and failed must have affected Nicholas, and it is not surprising to attest that he was the embodiment of the counter-revolution by the europeans in such days. Resistant to changes and trying to control everything, Nicholas perhaps would have been more successful as a general rather than a politician but this is only part of the "what if" we have mentioned earlier on this text and whose answer we will never know. What is unquestionable is his sense of duty that he took to the end, regardless of the consequences of it. Some might like to compare him with the medieval character of the fictional tv show "Game of Thrones", Stannis Baratheon.
Nevertheless, we come to conclude that:
-http://www.saint-petersburg.com/royal-family/nicholas-i/In History, especially one concerning the figures in power as it is the case of the royals we study, we come to several situations where we come across with the infamous "what ifs". To us, the past is done and impossible to change, but in those days where past was present and their actors were living, they had no conscience of what could happen that would lead them to History. One small action, one decision and all is changed. A complex reflection that does not, however, bring any definitive answers for us.
To Nicholas Romanov this was no different. He, who was the son and brother of Tsars, was not expected to become one himself. Would Russian Revolution have been avoided had his brother's consort gave him sons? This is exactly the sort of "what if" we come across with when we look at such character. But Nicholas is not the unique example in History that awakes in us this sort of questioning. In every country that once held monarchy, or still does in the present days, second sons inherited the crown against all expectations and changed the whole course of the History of their countries. Henry VIII of England is, perhaps, the most famous example of such things, and in Russia, we speak of one himself.
The tsar born Grand Duke Nicholas Romanov was the third son of Grand Duke Paul and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna. He was born towards the end of the reign of his grandmother, Catherine the Great, at Gatchina Palace in Gatchina. Five months after his birth, Grand Duke Paul became Emperor Paul upon the death of Catherine II. Nicholas was the youngest male of his siblings, amongst them the oldest being the future Alexander I, followed by Constantine and a few sisters.
Regarding his education, we understand he received an education proper for someone of his position in spite of the fact he was not the heir of the Russian crown. As we see below:
"The future emperor's first guardian and instructor was a Scottish nurse, Jane Lyon, who was appointed by Catherine II to care for the infant and who stayed with Nicholas constantly during the first seven years of his life. From Lyon the young grand duke learned even such things as the Russian alphabet, his first Russian prayers, and his hatred of the Poles (at least he liked later to trace the origin of his bitter antipathy toward that people to the stories told by his nurse about her painful experience in Warsaw in the turbulent year of 1794)."Nicholas was taught French and German aside of his maternal language, as well as:
"[...] world history, and general geography in French, together with the history and geography of Russia. Religion, drawing, arithmetic, geometry, algebra, and physics were added to the curriculum. Nicholas received instruction also in dancing, music, singing, and horseback riding and was introduced at an early age to the theatre, costume balls, and other court entertainment."From 1809, Nicholas was instructed also in political economy, logic, moral philosophy, natural law to strategy, English and classic languages as Latin and Greek. Looking at his curriculum, we can contest the idea he was not educated enough as the heir of such empire should in order to be the sovereign. What might best be said is that he was in position to inherite the crown once he was one of the youngests sons of the Emperor Paul, but this is yet to be discussed.
What captured the Grand Duke's attention was military science, which led him to become an army engineer and with no wonder awoke in him an interest towards the army, something that greatly marked him throughout his life. It was, as well, a Romanov tradition for the youngest sons to receive a military formation. It must be remembered that the whole affair against Russia marked Nicholas, who witnessed (though not directly) the defeat of Napoleon when he attempted to break in the empire. However the franco-russian relations have developed, what is important to observe is the consequence of it. One of which tells about Nicholas' marriage to Princess Charlotte of Prussia, who adopted the name Alexandra after their wedding.
"On November 4, 1815, at a state dinner in Berlin, Alexander I and King Frederick William III rose to announce the engagement of Nicholas and Princess Charlotte of Prussia (Alexandra, after she became Orthodox). [...] The solemn wedding followed some 20 months later, on July 13, 1817. [...] It proved singularly successful. Not only was Nicholas in love with his wife, but he became very closely attached to his father-in-law as well as to his royal brothers, one of whom was later to be his fellow ruler as King Frederick William IV. Beyond that, Nicholas was powerfully attracted by the Prussian court and even more so by the Prussian army."By 1825, Tsar Alexander I died. He and his wife failed in producing any sons who would inherite the crown, so that way the crown passed to his brother. It should be passed to Grand Duke Constantine. Some sources claim he strongly refused so, others tell that he did not produce any sons himself so that way the crown would go to Nicholas. What is most likely is that he married to a woman of non-royal blood, so that way he could not become emperor himself. Whatever the case, the crown went to Nicholas, the third son, who now became Tsar Nicholas I. According to the next paragraph:
"In 1825, Alexander I died suddenly in Taganrog in the south of Russia, and as soon as the news reached Petersburg, the governmental authorities and the Guard regiments took the oath to the new Emperor (as it seemed to them): Constantine. However, at this point, Constantine's previous renunciation was made public, and troops were told they would have to take a new oath within several days, this time to Nicholas. A secret society, composed of liberal nobles, officers of the Guard and civilians, took advantage of the confusion to organzie a revolt in the hope of forcing Nicholas I to give the country a constitution and civil liberties. On 14 December, the Decembrists (as they came to be called due to the timing of the revolt) consolidated their forces around the "Bronze Horseman" on Senatskaya Ploshchad (Senate Square) and presented their demands. The uprising was crushed, the ringleaders arrested and after a lenghty investigation, five were unceremoniously hanged and the rest were exiled to hard labor in Siberia."This uprising would leave a mark in Nicholas as sovereign and helped, with no shadow of doubt, to shape his conservative characteristic that would turn the rest of the years he'd reign, as an autocrat monarch. It is said he was the classic autocrat already by appearance and manners, in behaviour and policy.
"To quote Constantin de Grunwald, one of his biographers: 'With his height of more than six feet, his head always held high, a slightly aquiline rose, a firm and well-formed mouth under a light moustache, a square chin, an imposing, domineering, set face, noble rather than tender, monumental rather than human, he had something of Apollo and Jupiter... Nicholas was unquestionably the most handsome man in Europe."Seeing that his role was "of a paternal autocrat ruling his people by whatever means necessary", he set the beginning of his reign the day after his eldest brother's death. It started in a Monday and, according to some sources, it was one very cold Monday, which was not seen with good eyes for the very supersticious russian people, who believed that Mondays were unlucky days.
His accession was marked by demonstration of the Imperial Army in order to let the people be reminded of the royal force. If any rebellion were to be risen again, the Tsar would not hesitate to crush the way he crushed the Decembrists. Nicholas I did not see liberal revolutions with good eyes, and more than once tried to interfere to prevent them to happen in Europe. Where his government is concerned, this close proximity to military affairs (which to some is seen as close to obsession) is perceptible inside his government. There, Nicholas appointed only men of experiences in battles, and by the end of his reign, he was rarely surrounded by civilians as we can observe in the following paragraph:
"Nicholas liked to appoint generals who seen combat as about least 30 of the men who served as a minister under him had seen action in the wars against France, the Ottoman Empire, and Sweden. This proved to be something of a handicap in the sense that could make a man distinguished on the battlefields such as bravery did not necessarily make a man capable of running a ministry. The most notorious case was Prince Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov, a competent brigade commander in the Imperial Army who proved himself out of his depth as a Navy minister."As a result, this government "exercised censorship and other forms of control over education, publishing, and all manifestation of public life." A few years later, for example, Sergey Uvarov, who was part of the ministry of National Education, organized a program entitled as "Orthodoxy, Autocracy and Nationality", which consisted in having the Russian people showing:
"loyalty to the unrestricted authority of the tsar, to the tsar, to the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church and to the Russian language. These romantic and conservative principles outlined by Uvarov were also espoused by Vasily Zhukovsky, one of the tutors of the Grand Duke Alexander. The results of these Slavophile principles led, broadly speaking, to the increasing repression of all classes, excessive censorship and surveillance of independent minded intellectuals like Pushkin and Lermontov and to the persecution of non-Russian languages and non-Orthodox religions."It is said that the quote below was a speech that leaves it crystal clear what were his thoughts concerning his view of kingship:
"Here [in the Army] there is order. All things flow logically from one another. No one here commands without first learning to obey. No one rises above anyone else except through a clearly defined system. Everything is subordinated to a single, defined goal and everything has its precise designations. That is why I shall always hold the title of soldier in the highest esteem. I regard human life as service because everybody must serve."
Paradoxally, however, literature and art flourished. The emperor, though loving everything Russian and establishing this language to be spoken at court as its manners (it is said that French and German were spoken at court), had a great deal of interest in medieval chivalry and "built palaces in Gothic styled, [...] organized stylized jousting tournaments, in which participants wore original armor from the Imperial collection." Yet, in 19th century, there was a great revival of medieval days, in which european historians and writers romancized such period, so perhaps this fondness of the tsar is a reflexion of the period. Nevertheless,
"This was the era during which the poets Pushkin and Lermontov worked, when Zhukovsky brilliantly translated foreign poetry, when Mikahil Glinka composed the first Russian operas, and Karl Bryullev and Alexander Ivanov painted their masterpieces. A plethora of construction projects contributed to the development of sculpture and architecture."Also,
"his minister of education, Sergei Uvarov, quietly promoted academic freedom and autonomy, raised academic standards, improved facilities and opened higher education to the middle classes. By 1848 the tsar, fearing the political upheavals in the West might inspire similar uprisings in Russia, ended Uvarov's innovations. The universities were small and closely monitored, especially the potentially dangerous philosophy departments."In spite of this conservative and severe character of the tsar, he was not fond of serfdom, but, unlike his son, was reluctant in abolishing it completely in Russia. A main reason (which is understandable if you have read the post about Alexander II on this blog, in which we have spoken more about it) is that he believed aristocracy would turn against him and Russian was, to certain great extent, dependent of this rural aristocracy. However,
"he did make some efforts to improve the lot of the Crown Serfs (serfs owned by the government) with the help of his minister Pavel Kiselyov. During most of his reign he tried to increase his control over the landowners and other influential groups in Russia."
"[...] A half hearted measure for solving the peasant question was sought in the creation of "military settlements" and by encouraging landowners to voluntarily free their peasants under the condition that the peasants would carry out various tasks in the landlord's favor."By february 1855, Nicholas I caught a chill at a society wedding in St Petersburg, which worsened after he checked the troops in the following day. Medicine conditions in those days were not as good and excellent as in our days, so it could have not prevented a pneumonia to develop it. If at first the physician thought it was nothing serious, granting the Tsarina Alexandra that was nothing serious, quickly at the evening of 1 March, he changed his mind.
"During that night the doctor realized that the cold had turned to pneumonia and at one in the morning he advised the Tsar to send for a priest. Nicholas asked if that meant he was dying. The doctor told him he had only a few hours left. There was certainly nothing wrong with the Tsar's courage. He accepted the situation with unruffled dignity, sent for a priest to give him the sacraments and took leave of his family, friends and servants. He then turned back to matters of state and told his son, the future Alexander II, to say farewell for him to the army and especially to the brave defenders of Sebastopol, and tell them that he would pray for them in the next world. At five o'clock he calmly dictated messages to be telegraphed to Moscow, Warsaw and Berlin to announce his demise and told Alexander to order the guards regiments to the palace so that they could swear allegiance to their new tsar after his death."That way, Nicholas Romanov died in 1855 and was later buried in the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress, leaving the country to be ruled by Alexander II.
Looking back to his character, he was, undoubtedly, seen with negatives views from the liberals in Russia and to most european monarchs. The weight of duty was described by Nicholas himself as a cross he carried until the end of his days, which tells how unprepared he was when he reached the throne. Being well educated is no synonimous to be prepared to inherite a crown, especially when the expected heirs are taught and prepared for that duty from an early age to the duties that it follows. Naturally, this does not excuse his actions, but explains them.
It is only our interpretation to point out the fear of rebellions and the attachment to traditions and the military discipline that shaped the character of Nicholas as a figure of power, as the sovereign of Russia in days where liberalism was ecloding, especially after Napoleon. Seeing as how this latter tried to break into Russia and failed must have affected Nicholas, and it is not surprising to attest that he was the embodiment of the counter-revolution by the europeans in such days. Resistant to changes and trying to control everything, Nicholas perhaps would have been more successful as a general rather than a politician but this is only part of the "what if" we have mentioned earlier on this text and whose answer we will never know. What is unquestionable is his sense of duty that he took to the end, regardless of the consequences of it. Some might like to compare him with the medieval character of the fictional tv show "Game of Thrones", Stannis Baratheon.
Nevertheless, we come to conclude that:
"He became a conservative, severe, and sometimes brutal monarch, who did not tolerate any sort of dissent. In everyday affairs, he was very demanding of his family, the court, and all who were in civil service, and he put a high priority on order and obedience. A military man by nature, Nicholas I especially trusted the military and installed them in all key positions in the country. He also reorganized many governmental departments along military lines. Many institutes of higher education were militarized and students had to wear uniforms and a single, unified and very severe Charter was given to all universes in the country."Bibliography:
-http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/death-tsar-nicholas-i-russia
-https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nicholas-I-tsar-of-Russia
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_I_of_Russia
