The Presidential Library marking the 205th anniversary of the birth of Alexander II

This year, April 29 marks the 205th anniversary of the birth of the Russian Emperor Alexander II, popularly called the Liberator. The Presidential Library’s portal features a collection of rare materials about the activities and personal life of the monarch. Digitized editions tell about the upbringing of the future emperor and his personal life and provide an impression of the scale of what he did for his native country and the world.

Alexander came to the throne on February 19, 1855 at a very difficult time. According to book of the historian Pyotr Karatygin Empress Maria Alexandrovna, the state was exhausted by the Crimean War, which "revealed the internal ulcers of Russia and the complete failure of the former way of life". In these historical conditions, fundamental changes were simply necessary, as was the need for a ruler of a new format.

The father paid much attention to the upbringing of the heir. The best teachers were invited for him, and the poet Vasily Zhukovsky, who developed an individual training program for him, became a mentor. The digitized curriculum is available on the Presidential Library’s portal. Zhukovsky saw the main task in the upbringing of the heir in strengthening virtue. Upon Alexander reaching the age of majority, Zhukovsky accompanied the heir to the throne on a journey through Russia and Europe. In Tobolsk, Zhukovsky and the Tsarevich met with the exiled Decembrists and both sent letters to the Sovereign Emperor asking for their pardon. The European part of the trip ended with Alexander's acquaintance with his future wife, 15-year-old Princess Maximiliana Wilhelmina Augusta Sophia Maria of Hesse-Darmstadt, who later became Empress Maria Alexandrovna. Alexander II and Maria Alexandrovna had eight children including the future Emperor Alexander III.  

The education he received was reflected in the active reformatory activities of the emperor. Like any educated person, Alexander II could not help but worry about the abolition of serfdom. “Alexander Nikolaevich devoted his entire life to the benefit and prosperity of Russia”, - recalled the contemporaries of the emperor. He decided on, perhaps, the main reform of the 19th century and the creation of a new socio-economic model of the state. The abolition of serfdom in Russia necessitated other reforms - local government, education, finance, military affairs, jurisprudence and freedom of the press.

According to lawyer Anatoly Koni in his book “In recent years”, before the reforms of Alexander II, courts were dominated by “unaccountable arbitrariness, frivolous imprisonment, vain searches, the absence of any system and inflating cases”. The governing Senate was to oversee the preservation of the exact force of the law and its uniform execution by all judicial bodies. In the criminal process, a jury was created, the principles of publicity, competitiveness, the right to defense, as well as the concept of the presumption of innocence were introduced.

Under Alexander II, the controversy on the abolition of serfdom was resolved in the press, disciplinary restrictions at universities were prohibited, public opinion demanded changes - all taken together weakened the oppression of censorship.

As a result of the Crimean War, the issue of reorganization and rearmament of the Russian army has become urgent. The military reform made it possible to reduce the number of troops in peacetime and at the same time to increase their combat effectiveness, the 25-year recruitment service was abolished. Alexander II drew attention to the burden of such a performance of military service, instead, general military service was introduced for all men over 20 years old, six years in the army and seven years in the navy, a system of military districts was introduced, and military educational institutions were reorganized. Changes also affected education in general. In 1863, a new Charter of Russian universities was issued, in 1864 a significantly modified Charter of gymnasiums was issued, and elementary schools were opened everywhere. Women's educational institutions for girls of all classes appeared, which were supervised by the wife of the emperor, Maria Alexandrovna.

Speaking about the policy of Alexander II, one cannot fail to mention the fact that it was he who defended the United States of America as a state. In 1861, a civil war broke out in the United States - the southern states declared their independence and formed the Confederate States of America. In Britain, they considered the possibility of intervening and helping the southern states. At the same time, France planned to seize power in Mexico. Russia, which abolished serfdom, was close to the ideas of the northern states fighting slavery. Alexander II decided to send two squadrons of the Russian fleet to the shores of America - the Atlantic under the command of Rear Admiral Stepan Lesovsky and the Pacific under the leadership of Rear Admiral Andrei Popov. The expedition helped prevent an armed uprising by a coalition of European states against the United States. These events, based on the Presidential Library’s’ documents, are spotlighted in the films The Russian Fleet Off the Coast of America and The Tsar and the President. Alexander II and Abraham Lincoln. Liberator and Emancipator.

Contemporaries treated the personality of the emperor and his transformations ambiguously. The government, as before, adhered to a policy of strict censorship, the reforms, according to many, had a half-hearted, uncertain character. In the last years of his reign, Alexander II was preparing to limit autocratic power. However, revolutionary ideas were still brewing in the country, several assassination attempts were made on the tsar. The latter was fatal for him. Alexander II died as a result of a terrorist act organized by the Narodnaya Volya party.

Alexander II was buried in the family tomb of the House of Romanov in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg. On the spot where he was mortally wounded in 1907 the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ (Savior on Spilled Blood) was erected. The blood shed by him on the cobblestone pavement is still the main shrine of the temple. A crystal canopy was erected over this place which entered the church interior.