1796-1801 Emperor of Russia.
The policies of Paul I and his incomprehensible decisions were so widely unpopular that it was predictable that he would be deposed.
Background
Lived: 1754-1801.
Paul I was the son of Catherine the Great and her husband Peter III (his paternity is often disputed).
Since early childhood Paul was interested in knowing what really happened to his father. He spent his days drilling his personal Prussian-style regiment.
Reign
As a man, Paul I was cold, arrogant and paranoid. His first act as tsar was to have his father’s remains properly reburied alongside Catherine’s. Then he passed a law establishing a principle that only a male heir could ever ascend to the throne.
It is claimed that when Catherine II died in 1796, Paul broke into her bedroom and destroyed all papers that threatened his succession. Catherine may, in fact, have left the Empire to her grandson Alexander, but there is no proof.
Paul arbitrarily reversed his mother’s policies. He passed a record-breaking number of laws every day that dictated people’s everyday life, such as what to wear and when.
Personal
Paul’s marriage to Maria Fyodorovna was a happy one. They lived in the palace in Gatchina and had 10 children. Paul also had a mistress, Anna Lopukhina.
Assassination
There were ongoing rumours about a conspiracy to replace Paul with his son Alexander .
In 1801, a group of drunken aristocrats led by Count von der Pahlen charged into Paul’s bedroom at night. When the tsar, who was hiding, was finally discovered, they tried to force him to abdicate. When he refused, the nobles first strangled him and then trampled him to death. His son Alexander was most probably aware of the conspiracy.
Paul I
1796-1801 Emperor of Russia.
The policies of Paul I and his incomprehensible decisions were so widely unpopular that it was predictable that he would be deposed.
Background
Lived: 1754-1801.
Paul I was the son of Catherine the Great and her husband Peter III (his paternity is often disputed).
Since early childhood Paul was interested in knowing what really happened to his father. He spent his days drilling his personal Prussian-style regiment.
Reign
As a man, Paul I was cold, arrogant and paranoid. His first act as tsar was to have his father’s remains properly reburied alongside Catherine’s. Then he passed a law establishing a principle that only a male heir could ever ascend to the throne.
It is claimed that when Catherine II died in 1796, Paul broke into her bedroom and destroyed all papers that threatened his succession. Catherine may, in fact, have left the Empire to her grandson Alexander, but there is no proof.
Paul arbitrarily reversed his mother’s policies. He passed a record-breaking number of laws every day that dictated people’s everyday life, such as what to wear and when.
Personal
Paul’s marriage to Maria Fyodorovna was a happy one. They lived in the palace in Gatchina and had 10 children. Paul also had a mistress, Anna Lopukhina.
Assassination
There were ongoing rumours about a conspiracy to replace Paul with his son Alexander .
In 1801, a group of drunken aristocrats led by Count von der Pahlen charged into Paul’s bedroom at night. When the tsar, who was hiding, was finally discovered, they tried to force him to abdicate. When he refused, the nobles first strangled him and then trampled him to death. His son Alexander was most probably aware of the conspiracy.
Russia Under Alexander I