Education and nature

Alexander II was born on April 29 (April 17, Old Style) in Moscow in 1818. The eldest son of the Grand Duke's first, and from 1825 the imperial couple Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodorovna (daughter of Prussian King Frederick William III), Alexander received a good education. His mentor was his VA Zhukovsky, educator - KK Murder, among teachers - Mikhail Speransky (legislation), KI Arsenyev (statistics and history), EF Kankrin (Finance), and F. . Brunow (foreign policy).

heir personality was formed under the influence of his father, who wanted to see in the son of "war in the soul", and at the same time under the leadership of Zhukovsky, who sought to instill in the future monarch of enlightened man, who gives his people a reasonable laws, the monarch-legislator. Both of these influences have left a deep imprint on the character, tendencies, heir to the perception of the world and are reflected in the affairs of his reign. By nature endowed with diverse abilities, excellent memory, sober and common sense, responsive heart, cheerful nature, kindness to people, Alexander, however, did not have an internal need for a systematic mental activity, did not have a strong will, had no inclination to mission coming to him to reign that Nicholas I called "duty" and constantly inspired his son. Adulthood and take an oath to reconcile it with its purpose. And 19 years, traveling to Russia, he wrote to his father, "he felt a new force should earnestly contend for the work to which God has destined me." The ratio of it to the public [en] policy is well within the mainstream of the official direction of Nicholas era.

Home state activities

Since 1834, Alexander II, Senator, from 1835 a member of the Holy Synod, since 1841 a member of the State Council, from 1842 - the Committee of Ministers. In 1837 he traveled to Russia (29 provinces of the European part, the Caucasus, Western Siberia), in 1838-1839 - in Europe. Major-General (1836), since 1844 a full general in command of the Guards Corps, from 1849 head of the military schools, the chairman of the Secret Committee on Peasant Affairs 1846 and 1848. During the Crimean War of 1853-1856 ad Petersburg province under martial law, Alexander II governor over all the forces of capital.

A family

Alexander II was married (1841) Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt Maximilian Wilhelmina Augusta Sophia Maria (Maria Alexandrovna in Orthodoxy, 1824-1880), he had seven children: Alexander, Nicholas, Alexander, Vladimir, Maria, Sergey, Paul (the first two died - a daughter in 1849, heir to the throne in 1865).