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. 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. When his father died, Alexander became Tsar. Alexander III of Russia, Tsar of Russia, was born 10 March 1845 in Saint Petersburg, Russia to Alexander II of Russia (1818-1881) and Maria von Hessen und bei Rhein (1824-1880) and died 1 November 1894 Livadia Palace Livadiya, Russia of nephritis. He is from Russia. In such policies Alexander III followed the advice of Konstantin Pobedonostsev, who retained control of the Church in Russia through his long tenure as Procurator of the Holy Synod (from 1880 to 1905) and who became tutor to Alexander's son and heir, Nicholas. The young Grand Duke was greatly influenced by his tutor Constantine Petrovich Pobedonostsev who instilled into him conservative fundamentals of autocracy, Orthodoxy and nationalism that were required to govern the Russian Empire. Romanovs. Both the horse and rider were sculpted in massive form, leading to the nickname of "hippopotamus". Alexander III was the Tsar of the Russian Empire from 1881 to his death in 1894. Immediately after ascending the throne, Alexander promulgated a manifesto entitled "On the Inviolability of Autocracy." "[56], On 29 October[O.S. He wanted the country to remain true to Russian Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality, and took drastic steps to prevent revolutionary agitations. 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. Who Is Czar Aleksandr III's Wife? It was a look as cold as steel, in which there was something threatening, even frightening, and it struck me like a blow. Kate Middleton, 41, paid a subtle tribute to the Queen yesterday as she donned a replica of the late monarch's brooch for a St David's Day Parade. . [8], Some differences between father and son had first appeared during the Franco-Prussian War, when Alexander II supported the cabinet of Berlin while the Tsesarevich made no effort to conceal his sympathies for the French. Alexander and his wife regularly spent their summers at Langinkoski manor along the Kymi River near Kotka on the Finnish coast, where their children were immersed in a Scandinavian lifestyle of relative modesty. [11], Alexander resented his father for having a long-standing relationship with Catherine Dolgorukov (with whom he had several illegitimate children) while his mother, the Empress, was suffering from chronic ill-health. 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. His father, the Tsar Liberator, had freed the serfs, predating Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation by two years. At the age of twenty, he had to return to the schoolbooks and listen to lectures on history, economics and law, which were necessary for his new status as heir apparent. His straightforward manner savoured sometimes of gruffness, while his unadorned method of expressing himself harmonized well with his rough-hewn immobile features. born a Grand Duke, but stripped of his title by, title of pretence granted by Grand Duke Kirill Vladimirovich as claimant to the Russian throne, title of pretence granted by Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich as claimant to the Russian throne, Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg, international relations of Russian society, Queen-consort Alexandra of the United Kingdom, Russian language in Russian schools in Germany, Poland, and Finland, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia, Princess Catherine Alexandrovna Yurievskaya, Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog, Grand Cross of the Mexican Eagle, with Collar, Grand Cross of the Order of Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwig, Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich of Russia, Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia, Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia, Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia, Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia, Louis I, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rhine, Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden, https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv141649s?turn_away=true, "ALEXANDER III., ALEXANDROVICH, Emperor of Russia - JewishEncyclopedia.com", "Die Judenverfolgung in Ruland in der Krnungswoche", "Putin unveils monument to Russia's Tsar Alexander III in Crimea", Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia, Alexander Mikhailovich, "The Royal Role Model: Historical Revisionism in Russia", "Unveiling of monument to Emperor Alexander III", Russian Imperial Army - Emperor Alexander III of Russia, "Liste des Membres de l'Ordre de Lopold", Staatshandbcher fr das Herzogtum Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, The Royal TouristKalakaua's Letters Home from Tokio to London, "Militaire Willems-Orde: Romanov, Aleksandr III Nikolajevitsj", "Troca de Decoraes entre os Reis de Portugal e os Imperadores da Rssia", "Caballeros de la insigne orden del toisn de oro", Bibliography of Russian history (16131917), Child abductions in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexander_III_of_Russia&oldid=1142174685, Russian military personnel of the Russo-Turkish War (18771878), Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Russia), Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 1st class, Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir, 3rd class, Recipients of the Order of St. George of the Second Degree, Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary, Recipients of the Order of Bravery, 1st class, Grand Commanders of the Order of the Dannebrog, Recipients of the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog, Bailiffs Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, Recipients of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, Knights Grand Cross of the Military Order of William, Grand Crosses of the Order of Christ (Portugal), Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint James of the Sword, Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania, Recipients of the Pour le Mrite (military class), Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint-Charles, Burials at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg, Articles containing Russian-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2019, Articles needing additional references from October 2020, All articles needing additional references, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2020, Articles with self-published sources from November 2021, Articles with self-published sources from January 2021, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopdia Britannica, Articles with dead external links from July 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. 1875), Michael (b. Then he started studying the principles of law and administration under Konstantin Pobedonostsev. 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. He was known to be highly conservative and a staunch supporter of Russian nationalism. Alexander III of Russia was the emperor of Russia from 1881 to 1894. . 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. His reign was one of conservative reaction and the repression of revolutionary and reform groups. Native American Ancestry - Am I descended from Pochahontas. On 2 June 1866, Alexander went to Copenhagen to visit Dagmar. [6], Alexander was afraid of horses. [citation needed] These sentiments would resurface during 18751879, when the Eastern question excited Russian society. It reappeared in an intermittent fashion during the years 187579, when the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire posed serious problems for Europe. "[53] This tension was reflected in the rivalry between Maria Feodorovna and Vladimir's wife, Grand Duchess Marie Pavlovna.[54]. The crown passed to his son, Nicholas, who Alexander had privately expressed was unsuited for leadership. In Central Asian affairs he followed the traditional policy of gradually extending Russian domination without provoking a conflict with Great Britain, and he never allowed bellicose partisans to get out of hand. His father, Alexander II, appointed the historian K. P. Pobedonostsev to tutor the heir apparent in Russian history and law in 1861. His youngest half-sister Princess Catherine Alexandrovna Yurievskaya remembered when he would play with her and her siblings: "The Emperor seemed a playful and kind Goliath among all the romping children. [15] He privately denounced Catherine as "the outsider" and complained that she was "designing and immature". "Alexander III, Tsar of Russia 1881-1889. That alliance brought France out of diplomatic isolation, and moved Russia from the German orbit to a coalition with France, one that was strongly supported by French financial assistance to Russia's economic modernisation. 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. His reign cannot be regarded as an eventful period of Russian history; but under his hard rule the country made considerable progress.[34]. The rest would bear a princely title and the style of Serene Highness. This Russian Revolution site contains articles, sources and perspectives on events in Russia between 1891 and 1927. Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich; 10 March 1845 1 November 1894)[1] was Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 1894. [50] In contrast to the strict security observed in Russia, Alexander and Maria revelled in the relative freedom that they enjoyed in Denmark, Alexander once commenting to the Prince and Princess of Wales near the end of a visit that he envied them being able to return to a happy home in England, while he was returning to his Russian prison. After Alexander died, his heir Nicholas continued the tradition and commissioned two eggs, one for his wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, and one for his mother, Dagmar, every Easter. Despite the antipathy that Alexander had towards his stepmother, Catherine Dolgorukov, he nevertheless allowed her to remain in the Winter Palace for some time after his father's assassination and to retain various keepsakes of him. 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. Though he was destined to be a strongly counter-reforming emperor, Alexander had little prospect of succeeding to the throne during the first two decades of his life, as he had an elder brother, Nicholas, who seemed of robust constitution. URL: https://alphahistory.com/russianrevolution/alexander-iii/ Even the famed clergyman John of Kronstadt paid a visit and administered Communion to the Tsar. [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. Influenced by his Danish wife Dagmar, Alexander criticized the "shortsighted government" for helping the "Prussian pigs". Born in St Petersburg on February 26, 1845 (old style), he was the second son of Alexander II, the "Tsar Liberator" who had freed the serfs. Dismayed to learn that Prince Wittgenstein had proposed to her in early 1866, he told his parents that he was prepared to give up his rights of succession in order to marry his beloved "Dusenka". `` [ 56 ], On 29 October [ O.S, leading to the nickname ``. Clergyman John of Kronstadt paid a visit and administered Communion to the of... 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