The Master of the Russian Land: Peter I as Perceived by Grand Princes Nikolai Alexandrovich and Alexander Alexandrovich

This article explores the perspectives on Russian history held by the eldest sons of Emperor Alexander II, with a focus on their attitudes toward the image of Emperor Peter I. Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich (1843–1865), who passed away at a young age, and Grand Prince Alexander Alexandrovich (1845–1894), who later became Emperor Alexander III, were raised during the period of the Great Reforms. During this time, discussions about Emperor Peter I gained a significant socio-political dimension. Therefore, the attitude of the grand princes towards the first Russian emperor could testify to their views on the development of the Russian Empire. It is unsurprising that historiography often contrasts Emperor Alexander III with Emperor Peter I, as the reign of the “peacemaker tsar” was marked by a deliberate cultivation of the ideology of returning to Muscovite heritage. An analysis of historical sources indicates that Grand Princes Alexander Alexandrovich and Nikolai Alexandrovich were adherents of the official cult of Russia’s first emperor, and that Alexander Alexandrovich’s allegiance to this tradition persisted even after his accession as Emperor Alexander III. The article draws upon materials from lecture courses by professors S. M. Solovyov and K. P. Pobedonostsev of Imperial Moscow University, K. N. Bestuzhev-Ryumin of Imperial St Petersburg University, and N. Kh. Bunge of Imperial St Vladimir University, who gave lectures to the grand princes in different years. Additionally, the author cites correspondence between the grand princes and the diary of Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich, as well as excerpts from contemporaneous memoirs; the article also reconstructs the reading circle of Emperor Alexander II’s elder sons. The study is based on an analysis of unpublished archival documents stored in federal archives (GARF and RGIA), manuscript departments of national libraries (RSL and RNL), and the manuscript department of the Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.