The son of cruel, ruthless Tsar Paul I, Alexander Pavlovich was determined to be a better ruler than his father had been. Ascending the throne at the age of twenty-four, he enthusiastically began to make plans to reform Russia. Unfortunately the Tsar was a poor leader and found that he could not realize his dreams. Seeking to fill the gap in his soul, he began to spend a lot of time with a mistress, ignoring his beautiful wife. He also determined to conquer Napoleon Bonaparte, who was marching through Europe winning battle after battle. The tsar’s plans also failed in this and he only succeeded in making a deadly enemy. A friend encouraged the depressed tsar to read the Bible and the tsar began to do so. But soon he was distracted by the consequences of picking a fight with the most powerful man in Europe.

After defeating Tsar Alexander, Napoleon had continued on to conquer Berlin and Prussia. Anxiously the tsar watched the progress of the ‘Lion of Europe’ and realized that he had do something before the ambitious emperor reached Russia. In 1807 the two deadly enemies met in person. As they talked together Napoleon and Alexander were all smiles and friendliness and to the onlooking world it seemed that the two rulers had become the best of friends. They made peace and Russia was safe – for now.

Meanwhile, back home, tragedy hit Alexander’s household.  His daughter, the only surviving child of his wife Princess Elizabeth, became ill and died. Through this heartbreaking time, Tsar Alexander and Princess Elizabeth, who had both been unfaithful to each other, were drawn closer together. The death of his child also moved the tsar to think again of the One who controls life and death.

A few years went by and once again the tsar began to feel threatened by Napoleon and secretly he began to build up his army. It was too late. Napoleon anticipated Alexander’s strategy and in 1812 he marched into Russia. Once again the French and Russian armies met and again the Russians were defeated. But this time Tsar Alexander had a surprise prepared for Napoleon. When the victorious but exhausted French army reached Moscow, the capital city of Russia, they found it deserted and mostly in flames. The city had not surrendered and there was no need to capture it. It was just there, abandoned and empty and promising very little food and shelter to the French army. Puzzled, Napoleon set up camp at Moscow and waited for five weeks until his supplies ran out. He sent letters to Alexander but received no response. Then the bitter Russian winter set in. As powerful as he was, Napoleon could not fight the elements. Retreating from Russia, he lost most of his men to cold and starvation. This defeat by the Russians was the beginning of Napoleon’s downfall.

But in the palace of Alexander an even greater victory took place that year. Just as Moscow had been given up to save Russia, Tsar Alexander finally understood that he needed to give up his own sin and pride so that he could be saved. Nearly six years after Tsar Alexander had begun to read the Bible he finally understood the truth, repented of his sin and trusted Christ as his Saviour. The weak, lost king became a joyful subject in the kingdom of God.

Two years later the Russians, led by Alexander, helped to overthrow Napoleon Bonaparte and free the French people.  No longer seeking revenge,  the tsar did not try to humiliate his beaten enemy but simply had Napoleon exiled to the island of Elba to keep him from doing any more harm.

After this victory Tsar Alexander reigned for ten more years. He left Princess Marie Naryshkin and was reunited with his wife. In the last years of his reign he began to do what he had wanted to do for so long but had been unable to do – reform Russia. In fact, considering the very sad condition in which Tsar Paul had left Russia, the extent of Tsar Alexander’s reforms was absolutely incredible. He and his wife began by exchanging their luxurious lifestyle and their magnificent palace for a simpler life and plainer home. Cutting government expenditure, the tsar was able to reduce the heavy tax that had been laid on the poorer people. He also established a national corn storage plan to relieve starving peasants, founded around two thousand schools, supported the Russian Bible Society and much, much more. Tsar Alexander had such an interest in his people that he even got to know every Christian congregation that gathered in the main cities.

Tsar Alexander had not always been a strong leader or a brilliant thinker. Even during the last ten years of his reign some of the tsar’s attempts to help his country were not successful and at court he had many enemies. However, weak as Alexander Pavlovich was, God used him in unforseen ways to bring light and peace to dark, suffering Russia. Tsar Alexander I died in 1825. His life was short but it was a life that gave testimony to the amazing mercy and saving power of God. As the Lord says in Jeremiah 9 : “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,  but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth.” (Jer 9:23-24 ESV)

Bibliography:

Masters, Peter, Men of Destiny, The Wakeman Trust, London, 1995

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexander-I-emperor-of-Russia#ref228

https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/history/russian-soviet-and-cis-history-biographies/alexander-i

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Alexeievna_(Louise_of_Baden) 

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