Alexander I Pavlovich Romanov was born December 23, 1777 to Emperor Pavel I Petrovich Romanov and Sophie Dorthea of Wurttemberg (renamed Maria Feodorovna, per Russian custom) at the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia. He was educated by private tutors, most notably, Frédéric-César de La Harpe of Switzerland, Imperial Field Marshal, Prince Nikolay Saltykov, and Orthodox Priest, Andrey Afanasyevich Samborsky, who also taught him to speak English, an unusual thing for the Russian Court. He was 15 years old on October 9, 1793, when he married the 14 yar old Princess Louise of Baden (renamed Elizabeth Alexeievna.) Together, the couple is said to have had two daughters, but both died in infancy. Alexander succeeded his father, Pavel I, to the throne of Russia after his father’s assassination on March 23, 1801. During his time on the throne, he created and issued numerous reforms. These reforms included changes in the status of serfs, the courts, the Governing Senate, and military settlements in the Empire. Because of the changes he made to better the lives of all the people in Russia, he was given the descriptor of “the Blessed.” Alexander was also instrumental in the final defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo and was present at the abdication of the French Emperor on June 22, 1815. Alexander died at the Alexander I Palace in Taganrog, Russian Empire on December 1, 1825.
