Nicholas I and his era. Essays on the history of Russia the second quarter of the XIX century

“Nikolai Palkin ", the“ crowned drummer", the “bloody executioner of the Decembrists", the“ gendarme of Europe ” - these and similar epithets regarding the“ unsympathetic monarch ”, in the words of one of the historians, stereotypes, firmly dominated both in the mass consciousness and and In historical science in relation to Emperor Nicholas I. Yes, he proudly called himself "sovereign-conservation, but the conservative is not a synonym for a reactionary. In fact, Nicholas I was by no means an absolute opponent of changes, he clearly saw numerous problems, was looking for recipes for solving them, and carried out a number of reforms. Another thing is that after a break with a part of the Russian elite, which followed the events of December 14, 1825, he could not find sufficient social support for wide reformal activities, and the efforts of numerous Kelei committees did not always lead to the forms. But his activity was not barren, she prepared the reforms of Alexander II. Here is a new book by the author, plot and conceptually connected with his previous monographs. The subject in it is expanded. In more detail, the Grand Duke period of the life of Nikolai Pavlovich, the interrelation, the attitude of Nicholas I to culture, the Crimean war, the end of the emperor are highlighted. New publications and archival documents have been involved, in particular, more widely - cameras -funeral magazines. The emphasis is on the coverage of the Nikolaev era in the context of the identity of the emperor, his views and activities, which is inextricably linked with the history of Russia. The necessary corrections and clarifications have been made. The author brings gratitude to the employees of the RGIA, the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the GMZ "Peterhof", the colleagues of the Department of History of Russia from ancient times to the beginning of the twentieth century St. Petersburg State University, who helped all books and tips and will be grateful for all comments