Nicholas 1 is the Russian emperor, whose reign dates back to the first half of the 19th century. The psychological portrait of Nicholas 1 for the second century is an occasion for research by historians and politicians, as well as various public figures. The interest in his personality is due to the fact that the character of our emperor is contradictory, as are his views and beliefs. All this was reflected in the domestic and foreign policy of Russia in the first half of the 19th century. Some individuals call the years of his reign a grim reaction. Others say that he prepared and implemented a huge number of reforms, and we see their fruits even today.
The purpose of our article
An attempt to compose 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, to summarize.
Childhood
In 1796, on July 6, the son of Nikolai was born into the princely family of Pavel Petrovich and Maria Fedorovna. From birth, Nikolai 1 was fascinated by the physical development of others. You will find portraits of artists who captured the crown prince 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 she saw 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 had two older brothers. Each portrait of Nicholas 1 (a photo of them you see in the article) is marked by special appearance features, about which the grandmother of the prince spoke.
About the tutors of the prince
Nicholas and his younger brother Michael grew up under the supervision of the Empress Maria Feodorovna's mother, and two older brothers - Konstantin and Alexander - were raised by their grandmother. From birth to 7 years, Nikolai had a nanny from England. He called her the “nanny lioness” because of her last 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 nanny who had a huge influence on the formation of the character of the future sovereign. Due to the fact that the Englishwoman E.V. Lyon constantly watched little Kolya day and night, a real hero grew out of him, who amazed and delighted the people around him with good health and decisive character.
In 1802, tutors were entrusted with tutors (or cavaliers). Now the future sovereign was under the supervision of a teacher M. I. Lamsdorf, who, unfortunately, had neither general educational views, nor experience in pedagogy. He was from harsh employees who were tough. His contemporaries emphasized that Lamsdorf had a very callous heart. Nikolai wrote in his diary that the educator could instill a sense of fear in him in an instant. He also noticed that the teacher often accused him of distraction. The count punished him with a cane stick, and sometimes threw a ruler or a gun ramrod at him. All the games of such a teacher ended up causing pain not only to himself, but also to others. Count Lamsdorf had a tendency to grimace and grimace.
Free time and science
We continue to draw up a portrait of Nicholas 1. Despite the anti-pedagogical approach of the tutor, the court servants noticed the desire to reign and command in the child’s soul. His character combined stubbornness and perseverance. However, the kindness and honesty invested by the Englishwoman did not go away. The personalities of the future sovereign instilled a sense of camaraderie. A very strong friendship was connected with the younger ones with sister Anna and brother Mikhail Nikolai. Their favorite games were the construction of fortresses, military battles of soldiers. Accordingly, the musical instrument that Nikolai liked to play was a drum. As for the sciences, Nicholas 1 did not gravitate to humanitarian knowledge. Overwork for him was writing essays. Education in the royal family presupposed knowledge of ancient Greek and Latin, but Nikolai did not like these subjects so much that when he became the head of the family, he deleted these subjects from the program for 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 prince visited Europe. On the way back to Russia, a significant meeting took place in Berlin. He met the young Princess Charlotte (daughter of the King of Prussia). Nikolay admired the young girl. However, mother Maria Fyodorovna said that he was still too young to marry.
In 1817, Nicholas still awaited the marriage, which took place in July. At baptism, Princess Charlotte received the name Alexandra Fedorovna. She said that she felt very happy, especially when their hands joined. Alexandra Fedorovna became a kind of guardian angel of the emperor. She was an exemplary wife and caring mother. They lived 38 years in marriage, they had 7 children. Contemporaries wrote about these relationships so that the spouse for the emperor is like a fragile elegant creature. For him, she is a beautiful bird, so the emperor holds her in a golden cage. He adorns her with precious stones, feeds her with nectar and ragweed, but her wings were cut off so that she would not break out of the golden cage. However, the care for this bird was such that she did not even remember her wings.
Thus, we see a psychological portrait of Nicholas 1. He is described from childhood as a contradictory nature, in which there was a place for kindness and cruelty, rudeness and tenderness. From childhood, the prince was attracted to military affairs. His character was marked by obstinacy and perseverance, thanks 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 got married, it meant that his teenage years were over. At that time, he was appointed brother as an inspector general and chief of a sapper battalion. He brilliantly performed his duties. Soon, however, Emperor Alexander 1 had to abandon the throne. Due to its childlessness, the throne was supposed to pass to the next brother Konstantin, but he also refuses the position of sovereign. At that time, a joke was born among the people that the throne was offered as tea, but only everyone abandoned it. Alexander visited the family of Nicholas, where he informed the young spouses that none other than Nicholas 1 should come to power. Everyone congratulated him on acquiring the powers of the emperor, but Nicholas himself wrote in his diaries that he had not received this 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 the events thanks to which Russia will be freed from the imperial regime. December 14 of the same year was the worst day for the emperor. The synod, the Senate and the troops simultaneously gathered at the palace. Some Moscow officers persuaded the soldiers not to swear allegiance to the lord. Nicholas learned that a coup would be organized on the day of the coronation. But, since Nicholas by nature was brave and fearless, a coup and bloody consequences for the dynasty were avoided. The Decembrist uprising is timed to this date. The emperor himself for a long time wondered why he survived that day, because he had to be killed. On the night of July 17, the rebels were executed. This execution made a heavy impression on Russian society.
The purpose of domestic policy
The December uprising taught the sovereign to distrust the noble 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 hiding in the bowels of the Empire. And he called on all classes of society to trust the real government and to meet with understanding all future reforms. In other words, the sovereign cares for the future of the Russian Empire. Until the end of his days, he was devoted to his homeland. On the world stage, his personality was defeated, since Europe was unprofitable to abolish serfdom.
Thus, we see a political portrait of Nicholas 1, marked by difficulties. Here, the contradiction of the dynasty played a role, as well as the Decembrist uprising. These phenomena had a great influence on the worldview and personality of the emperor. We can say that Nikolai matured in just one night. In his actions, he became even more decisive, and he also acutely began to feel responsibility for the decisions he made.
Conclusion
So, the article described a historical portrait of Nicholas 1 (briefly). It shows that the sovereign had a firm and decisive character, coupled with wisdom and prudence. He understood that the elimination of serfdom was necessary, but did not succeed in translating the plan. This business was continued by his son, Alexander II. The portrait of Nicholas 1 described by us is associated with historical events, because without them it is impossible to characterize a historical person. We need to know our history in order not to make mistakes of the past.