Rare footage of the great emperor Alexander III

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

On March 10, 1845, a man named Alexander was born in Crimea. He was called the Third. But for his deeds he was worthy to be called the First. And maybe even the only one.

It is about such kings that the current monarchists sigh. They may be right. Alexander III was truly great. Both a man and an emperor.

However, some dissidents of that time, including Vladimir Lenin, joked rather maliciously about the emperor. In particular, they nicknamed him "Pineapple". True, Alexander himself gave a reason. In the manifesto "On Our Ascension to the Throne" dated April 29, 1881, it was clearly said: "And on Us to entrust the Sacred Duty." So when the document was announced, the tsar inevitably turned into an exotic fruit.

Reception volost elders Alexander III in the courtyard of the Petrovsky Palace in Moscow. Painting by I. Repin (1885-1886)

In fact, this is unfair and dishonest. Alexander was distinguished by amazing strength. He could easily break a horseshoe. He could easily bend silver coins in the palm of his hand. He could lift a horse on his shoulders. And even to make him sit like a dog - this is recorded in the memoirs of his contemporaries.

At a dinner in the Winter Palace, when the Austrian ambassador started talking about the fact that his country was ready to form three corps of soldiers against Russia, he bent and tied a fork in a knot. Threw it in the direction of the ambassador. And he said: "This is what I will do with your corps."

Height - 193 cm. Weight - over 120 kg. It is not surprising that a peasant who accidentally saw the emperor at the railway station exclaimed: "This is a tsar so tsar, damn me!" The wicked peasant was immediately seized for "uttering obscene words in the presence of the sovereign." However, Alexander ordered to let go of the foul language. Moreover, he rewarded him with a ruble with his own image: "Here's my portrait for you!"

And his look? Beard? Crown? Remember the cartoon "The Magic Ring"? “Ampirator drink tea. The samovar is mattere! Each appliance has three pounds of sieve bread! " It's all about him. He really could eat 3 pounds of sieve bread for tea, that is, about 1.5 kg.

At home he liked to wear a simple Russian shirt. But always with sewing on the sleeves. He tucked his pants into his boots, like a soldier. Even at official receptions he allowed himself to go out in shabby trousers, a jacket or a sheepskin coat.

Alexander III on the hunt. Slept (Kingdom of Poland). Late 1880s - early 1890s Photographer K. Bech. RGAKFD. Al. 958. Sn. nineteen.

His phrase is often repeated: "While the Russian Tsar is fishing, Europe can wait." In reality, it was like that. Alexander was very correct. But he was very fond of fishing and hunting. Therefore, when the German ambassador demanded an immediate meeting, Alexander said: “Biting! It bites at me! Germany can wait. I'll take it tomorrow at noon."

In an audience with the British ambassador, Alexander said:

- I will not allow encroachment on our people and our territory.

The ambassador replied:

- It could cause an armed clash with England!

The king calmly remarked:

- Well … Probably we can do it.

And mobilized the Baltic Fleet. It was 5 times less than the forces that the British had at sea. And yet the war did not happen. The British calmed down and surrendered their positions in Central Asia.

After that, the British Interior Minister Disraeli called Russia “a huge, monstrous, terrible bear hanging over Afghanistan and India. And our interests in the world."

In order to list the deeds of Alexander III, you need not a newspaper strip, but a scroll 25 meters long. The Trans-Siberian Railway gave a real outlet to the Pacific Ocean. Gave civil liberties to the Old Believers. He gave real freedom to the peasants - the former serfs under him were given the opportunity to take solid loans, buy out their lands and farms. He made it clear that everyone is equal before the supreme power - he deprived some of the great princes of privileges, reduced their payments from the treasury. By the way, each of them was entitled to a "allowance" in the amount of 250 thousand rubles. gold.

One can indeed yearn for such a sovereign. Alexander's elder brother Nikolai(he died without ascending the throne) said about the future emperor as follows:

“Pure, truthful, crystal soul. There is something wrong with the rest of us, fox. Alexander alone is truthful and correct in soul."

In Europe, they said about his death in about the same way: "We are losing an arbiter who has always been guided by the idea of justice."

Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia Alexander III Alexandrovich Romanov

The largest deeds of Alexander III

The Emperor is credited, and, apparently, not without reason, the invention of the flat flask. And not just flat, but bent, the so-called "boot". Alexander loved to drink, but did not want those around him to know about his addictions. A flask of this shape is ideal for secret use.

It was he who owns the slogan, for which today you can seriously pay: "Russia - for the Russians." However, his nationalism was not aimed at bullying national minorities. In any case, the Jewish deputation headed by Baron Gunzburgexpressed to the emperor "boundless gratitude for the measures taken to protect the Jewish population at this difficult time."

The construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway has begun - until now it is almost the only transport artery that somehow connects the whole of Russia. The Emperor also instituted the Day of the Railroad Worker. Even the Soviet government did not abolish it, despite the fact that Alexander set the date of the holiday for the birthday of his grandfather Nicholas I, under whom they began to build railways.

He actively fought against corruption. Not in words, but in deeds. The Minister of Railways Krivoshein, Minister of Finance Abaza were sent to shameful resignation for bribes. He did not bypass his relatives either - because of corruption, Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolaevich and Grand Duke Nikolai Nikolaevich were deprived of their posts.

Emperor Alexander III with his family in the Private Garden of the Great Gatchina Palace.

The story of the patch

Despite his more than noble position, disposed to luxury, extravagance and a cheerful lifestyle, which, for example, Catherine II managed to combine with reforms and decrees, Emperor Alexander III was so modest that this trait of his character became a favorite topic of conversation of his subjects …

For example, there was an incident that one of the tsar's close associates recorded in his diary. He happened to be one of the days next to the emperor, and then an object suddenly fell from the table. Alexander III bent down to the floor to pick it up, and the courtier, with horror and shame, from which even the top of the head acquires a beetroot color, notices that the tsar has a rough patch on the place, which is not customary to name in society!

It should be noted here that the tsar did not wear trousers made of expensive materials, preferring rough, military cut, not at all because he wanted to save money, as did the future wife of his son, Alexandra Feodorovna, who gave her daughters' dresses to the junkers for sale, before the disputes were expensive buttons. In everyday life, the emperor was simple and undemanding, he wore his uniform, which was long overdue to be thrown away, and gave the torn clothes to his orderly, so that he would fix it and mend it where necessary.

Nonar preferences

Alexander III was a man of a categorical nature and it was not for nothing that he was nicknamed a monarchist and an ardent defender of autocracy. He never allowed his subjects to contradict him. However, there were plenty of reasons for this: the emperor significantly reduced the staff of the ministry of the court, and the balls that were given in St. Petersburg on a regular basis were reduced to four a year.

Emperor Alexander III with his wife Maria Feodorovna 1892

The emperor not only showed indifference to secular fun, but also showed a rare neglect of what many enjoyed and served as an object of worship. Take food, for example. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, he preferred simple Russian food: cabbage soup, fish soup and fried fish, which he caught himself, leaving with his family on vacation in the Finnish skerries.

One of Alexander's favorite delicacies was "Guryev's" porridge, invented by the serf chef of retired Major Yurisovsky, Zakhar Kuzmin. The porridge was prepared simply: semolina was boiled in milk and nuts were added there - walnuts, almonds, hazel, then creamy foam was poured in and dried fruits were poured with a generous hand.

The tsar always preferred this simple dish to exquisite French desserts and Italian delicacies, which he ate with tea in his Annichkov Palace. The tsar did not like the Winter Palace with its pompous luxury. However, against the background of darned trousers and porridge, this is not surprising.

The power that saved the family

The emperor had one pernicious passion, which, although he fought with it, sometimes prevailed. Alexander III loved to drink vodka or strong Georgian or Crimean wine - it was with them that he replaced expensive foreign varieties. In order not to injure the tender feelings of his beloved wife Maria Feodorovna, he secretly put a flask with a strong drink in the boot of wide tarpaulin boots and applied to it when the empress could not see it.

Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna. Petersburg. 1886 g.

Speaking about the relationship of spouses, it should be noted that they can serve as an example of reverent treatment and mutual understanding. For thirty years they lived in perfect harmony - a timid emperor who did not like crowded gatherings and a cheerful, cheerful Danish princess Maria Sophia Frederica Dagmar.

It was rumored that in her youth she loved to do gymnastics and performed virtuoso somersaults in front of the future emperor. However, the tsar also loved physical activity and was famous throughout the state as a man-hero. Standing 193 centimeters tall, with a large figure and broad shoulders, he bent coins with his fingers and bent horseshoes. His amazing strength even once saved the life of him and his family.

In the fall of 1888, the tsarist train crashed at the Borki station, 50 kilometers from Kharkov. Seven cars were broken, there were seriously wounded and died among the servants, but the members of the royal family remained unharmed: at that time they were in the dining car. However, the roof of the car still collapsed, and, according to eyewitnesses, Alexander kept it on his shoulders until help arrived. Investigators, who were investigating the reasons for the crash, concluded that the family had miraculously survived, and if the tsar's train continued to travel at such a speed, then the miracle might not happen a second time.

Tsar-artist and art lover

Despite the fact that in everyday life he was simple and unassuming, thrifty and even economical, huge funds were spent on the acquisition of art objects. Even in his youth, the future emperor was fond of painting and even studied drawing with the famous professor Tikhobrazov. However, the royal troubles took a lot of time and effort, and the emperor was forced to leave his studies. But he retained his love for the graceful until the last days and transferred it to collecting. It was not for nothing that his son Nicholas II, after the death of his parent, founded the Russian Museum in his honor.

The emperor provided patronage to artists, and even such a seditious canvas as "Ivan the Terrible and his son Ivan on November 16, 1581" by Repin, although it aroused discontent, but did not become the reason for the persecution of the Itinerants. Also, the tsar, who was deprived of external gloss and aristocracy, was unexpectedly well versed in music, loved the works of Tchaikovsky and contributed to the fact that not Italian opera and ballets, but the works of domestic composers, sounded on the stage of theaters. Until his death, he supported Russian opera and Russian ballet, which received worldwide recognition and veneration.

After the death of his parent, his son Nicholas II founded the Russian Museum in his honor.

Emperor's legacy

During the reign of Alexander III, Russia was not dragged into any serious political conflict, and the revolutionary movement became deadlocked, which was nonsense, since the murder of the previous tsar was seen as a sure reason for the beginning of a new round of terrorist acts and a change in the state order.

The emperor introduced a number of measures that made life easier for the common people. He gradually canceled the poll tax, paid special attention to the Orthodox Church and influenced the completion of the construction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. Alexander III loved Russia and, wanting to fence it off from an unexpected invasion, strengthened the army.

HIS EXPRESSION: RUSSIA HAS ONLY TWO ALLIES: THE ARMY AND THE NAVY »HAS BEEN WINGED.

Also, the emperor owns another phrase "Russia for the Russians." However, there is no reason to reproach the tsar for nationalism: Minister Witte, whose wife was of Jewish origin, recalled that Alexander's activities were never aimed at opposing national minorities, which, by the way, changed during the reign of Nicholas II, when the Black Hundred movement found support in the state level.

In honor of Emperor Alexander III, about forty monuments were erected in the Russian Empire

In only 49 years, fate measured this autocrat. His memory is alive in the name of the bridge in Paris, in the Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, in the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, in the village of Aleksandrovsky, which laid the foundation for the city of Novosibirsk. And in these troubling days, Russia remembers the catch phrase of Alexander III: “In the whole world we have only two loyal allies - the army and the navy. All the rest, at the first opportunity, themselves will take up arms against us."

Grand Dukes Vladimir Alexandrovich (standing), Alexander Alexandrovich (second from right) and others. Koenigsberg (Germany). 1862 Photographer G. Hessau.

Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich. Petersburg. Mid-1860s Photographer S. Levitsky.

Alexander III on the deck of the yacht. Finnish skerries. End of the 1880s

Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna with children Georgy, Xenia and Mikhail and others on the deck of the yacht. Finnish skerries. End of the 1880s

Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna with children Xenia and Mikhail on the porch of the house. Livadia. End of the 1880s

Alexander III, Empress Maria Feodorovna, their children Georgy, Mikhail, Alexander and Xenia, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich and others at the tea table in the forest. Khalila. Early 1890s

Alexander III with children watering trees in the garden. End of the 1880s

Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich and Tsarevna Maria Fedorovna with their eldest son Nikolai. Petersburg. 1870 Photographer S. Levitsky.

Alexander III and Empress Maria Feodorovna with her son Mikhail (on horseback) and Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich for a walk in the forest. Mid-1880s

Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich in the uniform of the Life Guards Rifle Battalion of the Imperial Family. 1865 Photographer I. Nostitz.

Alexander III with Empress Maria Feodorovna and her sister, Princess of Wales Alexandra. London. 1880s Photo studio "Maul and K °"

On the veranda - Alexander III with Empress Maria Fedorovna and children Georgy, Xenia and Mikhail, Count II Vorontsov-Dashkov, Countess EA Vorontsova-Dashkova and others. Red Village. End of the 1880s

Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich with Princess Maria Feodorovna, her sister, Princess Alexandra of Wales (second from right), their brother, Crown Prince of Denmark Frederick (far right) and others. Denmark. Mid-1870s Photo studio Russell and Sons