Emperor Alexander III

Emperor Alexander III earned the title of Peacemaker during his lifetime, as not a drop of Russian blood was shed on the battlefields during his reign. Under his rule, Russia regained the prestige of a great world power, the significance and influence of which became evident and widely recognized. Alexander III was not enamored with the West, nor did he worship liberal ideas, believing that the literal imposition of foreign orders would not benefit Russia. He was a Russian man, Russian not by "blood composition," but by the nature of his thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. He was an Orthodox Tsar-Patriot, for whom everything Russian was always dear and priceless, because it was the legacy of his ancestors, a gift from the Almighty. He never doubted for a moment that the shortcomings and inconsistencies in Russian life should be overcome, relying on his own sense of duty and responsibility, on his own interests.