Upon succeeding the throne on the death of his father, Emperor Alexander II of Russia, he reversed some of the liberal reforms his father had implemented during his reign. During his childhood, Alexander was tutored by Konstantin Pobedonostsev, whose lessons instilled him the young prince with both religious piety and political conservatism. The best doctors of the time were called to help, but none were able to save the dying Emperor. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Though he lived in the large Gachina Palace, he chose to live in the renovated servants area. At first the tsarevich was more Slavophile than the government, but he was disabused of his illusions during the Russo-Turkish War of 187778, when he commanded the left wing of the invading army. When his father died, Alexander became Tsar. During the years of his reign Russia was not involved in even a single major war. Should we ever presume to know God's? [citation needed], The Russian famine of 189192, which caused 375,000 to 500,000 deaths, and the ensuing cholera epidemic permitted some liberal activity, as the Russian government could not cope with the crisis and had to allow zemstvos to help with relief (among others, Leo Tolstoy helped with relief efforts on his estate and through the British press,[24] and Chekhov directed anti-cholera precautions in several villages). The general negative consensus about the tsar's foreign policy follows the conclusions of the British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury in 1885: In foreign affairs Alexander III was a man of peace, but not at any price, and held that the best means of averting war is to be well-prepared for it. All the internal reforms that he initiated were intended to correct what he considered the too liberal tendencies of the previous reign. After the assassination of Alexander II in 1881, his son became successor and was now Alexander III Emperor of Russia, and was viewed as being more radical than his father had been. Alexander's father, Alexander II, was assassinated by members of the extremist organization Narodnaya Volya. an absolute child. Pobedonostsev believed that all opposition to the government be ruthlessly crushed and viewed liberal ideas as constitutions and free press as a threat to the state. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Alexander became the Tsarevitch of Russia in 1865 following the death of his brother, Nicholas, from meningitis. "[6], Unlike his extroverted wife, Alexander disliked social functions and avoided St. Petersburg. However, his phlegmatic nature restrained him from many exaggerations, and any popular illusions he may have imbibed were dispelled by personal observation in Bulgaria where he commanded the left wing of the invading army. This site is created and maintained by Alpha History. The look of his bright eyes made quite an impression on me. Alexander was determined to strengthen autocratic rule as a God given right. Bronze Commemorative Medal for the Russo-Turkish War, Dorpalen, Andreas. In 1865, Nicolas died suddenly and Alexander became heir apparent (as Tsarevich). Alexander III is best known as a Emperor. Considered Russia's last true autocrat, Alexander III was the epitome of what a Russian Tsar was supposed to be. His first cousin, Queen Olga of Greece, offered him to stay at her villa Mon Repos, on the island of Corfu, in the hope that it might improve the Tsar's condition. Russia's economy was still challenged by the Russian-Turkish war of 18771878, which created a deficit, so he imposed customs duties on imported goods. As he passed where I was standing, he raised his head for a second, and to this day I can remember what I felt as our eyes met. As heir apparent, Alexander participated in meetings of the State Council and collaborated with various committees as well as continuing his military career, rising eventually to the rank of General of Infantry. Omissions? [citation needed], Alexander had the political goal of Russification, which involved homogenizing the language and religion of Russia's people. In disposition, Alexander bore little resemblance to his soft-hearted, liberal father, and still less to his refined, philosophic, sentimental, chivalrous, yet cunning great-uncle Emperor Alexander I. By the time of the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878, Alexander was in the theater of operations and headed a large force known as the Eastern Detachment that was assigned the task of capturing the Ruschuk fortress on the banks of the Danube. Alexander would get married and have a son named Nicholas. In 1894, Alexander III became ill with terminal kidney disease (nephritis). [8], The Tsesarevich could refer to these results as confirmation of the views he had expressed during the Franco-Prussian War; he concluded that for Russia, the best thing was to recover as quickly as possible from her temporary exhaustion, and prepare for future contingencies by military and naval reorganization. ", Nelipa, M., ALEXANDER III His Life and Reign (2014), Gilbert's Books. Both the horse and rider were sculpted in massive form, leading to the nickname of "hippopotamus". ", Suny, Ronald Grigor. Age, Height & Body Measurements. After many mistakes and disappointments, the army reached Constantinople and the Treaty of San Stefano was signed, but much that had been obtained by that important document had to be sacrificed at the Congress of Berlin. He tore packs of cards in half with his bare hands to entertain his children. At the same time a promise was made to continue Alexander II's reforms. In 1866 Alexander married the daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, Dagmar (Marie Sophie Frederikke Dagmar), who had been his late brother's fiancee. Encouraged by its successful assassination of Alexander II, the Narodnaya Volya movement began planning the murder of Alexander III. At Nicholas request, Alexander married his late brothers fiance, Dagmar, a Danish princess. In 1994, it was again put on public display, although in a different place in front of the Marble Palace. Indeed, he was not educated or prepared in his youth to be Emperor. Upon taking the throne, Alexander began to undo the liberal reforms which had been enacted over the course of . An account from the memoirs of the artist Alexander Benois gives one impression of Alexander III: After a performance of the ballet Tsar Kandavl at the Mariinsky Theatre, I first caught sight of the Emperor. - Alexander III, the Russian Revolution. When he became tsar, he reflected that no one had such an impact on my life as my dear brother and friend Nixa [Nicholas]"[9] and lamented that "a terrible responsibility fell on my shoulders" when Nicholas died. His straightforward, abrupt manner savoured sometimes of gruffness, while his direct, unadorned method of expressing himself harmonized well with his rough-hewn, immobile features and somewhat sluggish movements. He was also good with kids and doted upon his daughters. [citation needed] Girs was in charge of a diplomacy that featured numerous negotiated settlements, treaties and conventions. Estimated Net Worth in 2021: $1-$3million: Previous Year's Net Worth (2020) Under Review: Annual Salary: . The most dramatic success came in 1885, settling long-standing tensions with Great Britain, which was fearful that Russian expansion to the south would be a threat to India. The marriage proved to be a happy one and produced six children of whom five survived to adulthood. He wanted to create a nation that was composed of a single nationality, language, and religion, as well as one form of administration. Never consulted on political questions, Alexander confined himself to military duties and fulfilled them in a conscientious and unobtrusive manner. Though indignant at the conduct of Bismarck toward Russia, he avoided an open rupture with Germany and even revived for a time the Alliance of the Three Emperors between the rulers of Germany, Russia, and Austria. John Van der Kiste, The Romanovs 1818-1959," p. 101, John Van der Kiste, The Romanovs 1818-1959," p. 132, John Van der Kiste, The Romanovs 1818-1959," p. 133, Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 407, Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 409, Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 415, Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 441, Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 442, Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 445, John Van der Kiste, The Romanovs 1818-1959," p. 86, Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 451, I. Michael Aronson, "The Attitudes of Russian Officials in the 1880s toward Jewish Assimilation and Emigration. Although an enthusiastic amateur musician and patron of the ballet, Alexander was seen as lacking refinement and elegance. Alexander died suddenly from a stroke in November 1894. The guardian angel flew away and everything turned to ashes, finally culminating in the dreadful incomprehensible 1 March. He married Dagmar of Denmark (1847-1928) 9 November 1866 . As a result, Alexander relocated his family to the Gatchina Palace, located 30 kilometres (20mi) south of St. Petersburg. It's free to sign up and bid on jobs. [31] Girs was usually successful in restraining the aggressive inclinations of Tsar Alexander convincing him that the very survival of the Tsarist system depended on avoiding major wars. These agreements defined Russian boundaries and restored equilibrium to dangerously unstable situations. As a young man he was madly in love with his mother's lady-in-waiting, Princess Maria Elimovna Meshcherskaya and wanted to marry her. During his reign, Russia fought no major wars; he was therefore came to be known as the "The Peacemaker" (Russian: , tr. In October 1888 the Imperial train derailed while the Tsar and his family were eating in the dining car. He was the recipient of several honors including Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation from the Kingdom of Italy (1865), French Lgion d'Honneur (1865), Order of the Golden Fleece from Spain (1865), Order of the Southern Cross from the Empire of Brazil (1866), and Order of St. Stephen of Hungary (1866). He worked to strengthen and modernize Russia's armed forces while avoiding armed conflict and improve Russia's standing as a world power. His only accomplishment being to strengthen his autocratic rule at the expense of the working class and peasantry. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/alexander-iii-of-russia-6260.php, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia. On 19 May 1866, Alexander II informed his son that Russia had come to an agreement with the parents of Princess Dagmar of Denmark, the fiance of his late elder brother Nicholas. In spite of all his shortcomings, Russia fought no major wars during his reign and thus he was dubbed "The Peacemaker". Romanovs. George died at 27 of tuberculosis in 1899. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. He ascended the throne March 14, 1881, the day after the assassination of his father, Alexander II. This event would solidify the reactionary tone of his 13-year reign. He possessed such a strong will as to rule the Russian Empire as absolute autocrat, to the point where the Empire stabilized and prospered, thus allowing capitalism to begin to take root. Though Alexander was indignant at the conduct of German chancellor Otto von Bismarck towards Russia, he avoided an open rupture with Germanyeven reviving the League of Three Emperors for a period of time and in 1887, signed the Reinsurance Treaty with the Germans. Having succeeded to the throne on the assassination of his father, Alexander II, he rejected the latter's plans for constitutional reform. His Father, Alexander II was within hours of granting the country its first constitution. He gloried in the idea of being of the same rough texture as the great majority of his subjects. Alexander III was known to be a man of peace when it came to foreign relations with other nations. [66] On 5 June 2021, he unveiled another monument to Alexander on the site of Gatchina Palace, Leningrad Oblast.[67]. Construction began on the Trans-Siberian Railway. He limited the title of grand duke and duchess to only children and male-line grandchildren of emperors. He made it clear that his autocracy would not be limited. 28 October]1866 in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Alexander wed Dagmar, who converted to Orthodox Christianity and took the name Maria Feodorovna. We conducted nine more studies with nearly 5,500 participants, mostly . As tsesarevich, Alexander began to study the principles of law and administration under Konstantin Pobedonostsev, then a professor of civil law at Moscow State University and later (from 1880) chief procurator of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in Russia. His education was not such as to soften these peculiarities. The Romanovs family Alexander III Alexander III Born: St. Petersburg, 26 February (10 March) 1845 Died: Livadiya, 20 October (1 November) 1894 Reigned: 1881-1894 Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich (the future Emperor Alexander III) was the second son of Alexander II and the Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Alexander, then 23 years old, was in the palace at the moment of the assassination and his accession to the throne was announced by General Nicholas Zubov, one of the assassins. [50] His sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, would come from Great Britain with some of her children, and his brother-in-law and cousin-in-law, King George I of Greece, his wife, Queen Olga, who was a first cousin of Alexander and a Romanov Grand Duchess by birth, came with their children from Athens. He wanted the country to remain true to Russian Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality, and took drastic steps to prevent revolutionary agitations. "Tsar Alexander III and the Boulanger Crisis in France. On May 11 (April 29, Old Style), 1881, Pobedonostsev published a manifesto, written without the ministers' knowledge, in which the emperor described himself as "chosen to defend" autocratic power. With the death of his brother, Alexander inherited more than just the title of Tsarevich. Tsarist and Communist Russia Alexander III Alexander III Alexander III Birth of the USA American Constitution American Independence War Causes of the American Revolution Democratic Republican Party General Thomas Gage biography Intolerable Acts Loyalists Powers of the President Quebec Act Seven Years' War Stamp Act Tea Party Cold War [12] Two days after Empress Marie died, his father told him, I shall live as I wish, and my union with Princess Dolgorukova is definite" but assured him that "your rights will be safeguarded.[13] Alexander was furious over his father's decision to marry Catherine a month after his mother's death, which he believed forever ruined all the dear good memories of family life.[14] His father threatened to disinherit him if he left court out of protest against the marriage. Alexander III was not a popular ruler and several assassination attempts were made on his life. He was born as Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov on 10 March 1845 at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, to Emperor Alexander II of Russia and his wife Maria Alexandrovna (Marie of Hesse). In 1870, Alexander II supported Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War, which angered the younger Alexander. We can help you make the right choice from hundreds of St. Petersburg hotels and hostels. His father's liberal ministers resigned, and Alexander established a government composed of people with a more conservative mindset. The termination of the Russo-German alliance in 1890 drove Alexander reluctantly into an alliance with France, a country that he strongly disliked as the breeding place of revolutions. Alexander III became ill with incurable kidney disease in early 1894 and died on 1 November 1894, at the age 6f 49. Alexander III of Russia is best remembered as a man of peace. At first, the Tsesarevich was more Slavophile than the Russian government.[how?] Authors: Jennifer Llewellyn, Michael McConnell, Steve Thompson While his brother Nicolasthe tsarevich or heir apparentwas groomed to be the future king, Alexander only received the training of an ordinary Grand Duke of that period. Title: Tsar Alexander III Upon succeeding the throne on the death of his father, Emperor Alexander II of Russia, he reversed some of the liberal reforms his father had implemented during his reign. When he became heir apparent on the death of his elder brother Nikolay in 1865, he began to study the principles of law and administration under the jurist and political philosopher K.P. History has made its judgement. He was succeeded by his eldest son who took the throne as Nicholas II. 1878) and Olga (b. In 1865, Nicolas died suddenly and Alexander became heir apparent (as Tsarevich). [3]. Please send your comments or suggestions on this page to Scott Malsom. Raymond A. Mohl, "Confrontation in Central Asia, 1885,", Charles Jelavich, "Russo-Bulgarian relations, 1892-1896: with particular reference to the problem of the bulgarian succession. With regard to Bulgaria he exercised similar self-control. Copyright: The content on this page may not be republished without our express permission. Author of. My dad's Sullivan family ancestors were descendants of the famous Powhatan "princess". 1 March] 1881 1 November [O.S. Their first child, Nicholas, was born in 1868 and would be the last Tsar of Russia. Born: St.Petersburg, 26 February (10 March) 1845Died: Livadiya, 20 October (1 November) 1894Reigned: 1881-1894. Together, Alexander III and Empress Marie had five children. While on his deathbed, his brother Nicholas insisted that he also take his fiance. He was known to be highly conservative and a staunch supporter of Russian nationalism. [8] Alexander's parents encouraged the match. This Russian Revolution site contains articles, sources and perspectives on events in Russia between 1891 and 1927. During the first 20 years of his life, Alexander had no prospect of succeeding to the throne. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The crown passed to his son, Nicholas, who Alexander had privately expressed was unsuited for leadership. Need tickets for the Mariinsky, the Hermitage, a football game or any event? The antagonism between father and son first appeared publicly during the Franco-German War, when the tsar sympathized with Prussia and the tsarevich Alexander with the French. On the day of his assassination, Alexander II signed an ukaz setting up consultative commissions to advise the monarch. 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