Known to posterity as the enigmatic Tsar' , Alexander has baffled his contemporaries and historians alike and has provoked many widely differing opinions. Was he sincere in his liberal principles of government? Did he undrestand how to manage the armies he delighted to see on parade? In this meticulously researched biography Alan Palmer carefully pieces together the clues to understanding Alexander both as a man and as a sovereign.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
'A pleasure to read and unlikely to be replaced for many years.' Philip Ziegler, The Times; 'Excellent ... a major biographical achievement, a notable contribution to our understanding of this still enigmatic monarch.' Robert Blake, Spectator.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Alan Palmer was educated at Bancroft's School, Woodford Green, and at Oriel College, Oxford. He was head of history at Highgate School, London, for sixteen years. He now concentrates on historical writing and research.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
From my 1974 "hardcover edition" review,
By Patrick W. Crabtree "The Old Grottomaster" (Lucasville, OH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Alexander I Pb (Phoenix Giants S.) (Paperback)
I'm not sure whether this softcover edition is a "revised" version or just a reprint of the 1974 hardcover -- so until someone comes forward with this information, I thought my "hardcover edition" review might be helpful.
Author Alan W. Palmer could hardly have chosen a more interesting personality to write about than "Alexander the Blessed," as he was known among his people after having defeated Napoleon Bonaparte. Actually, Tsar Alexander I of Russia was second in world renown only to his infamous nemesis during this period of history. Alexander I ruled as Russia's Emperor from 1801-1825. Make no mistake about it, Alexander was an autocrat but not a very despotic one. He always asserted that he wanted to end serfdom but could never deal with the politics of this national shame. Both his life and his political career are well-documented here by Palmer and it seems to have transpired in two distinct phases: his reformer period and his [religiously] "mystical" period, the latter being a time when his people saw little of him publicly and when he seems to have recanted on initiating reform. Of course, Alexander's big achievement was to defeat Napoleon when the latter invaded the Russian homeland in 1812 and drove his massive army all the way to Moscow. We know the story: Napoleon rested for a few weeks there in a deserted and fire-scorched Moscow; Alexander (in St. Petersburg) refused all communication with him; Napoleon ultimately panicked, began to pursue the Russian Army to the southwest, then changed his mind and retreated to France, post-haste and leaving his troop caravans behind to fend for themselves during one of the worst Russian winters on record. Napoleon lost about a half-million men during the escapade. Alexander then pushed on to Paris and eventually saw Napoleon exiled to Elba. Napoleon escaped his island captivity a short time later and briefly ruled again but the Englishman, Wellington, ended that futile campaign and Bonaparte was again sent into isolation and exile. All these facts can be garnered from a good many books including Tolstoy's fictional War and Peace. But Palmer has done as good a job as anyone in keeping it all straight, sifting through Russian cultural proclivities, and presenting it to us in Anglicized form. The more remarkable tale about Alexander, though, is his supposed death. At the time when this book was first published, Palmer subscribed to the view that Alexander did, in fact, die in southern Russia (Taganrog) in 1825. Legends were generated from spotty hearsay at the time which subsequently reeked of little more than rumors that Alexander had faked his death and ultimately became the Russian mystic ("starets") Feodor Kuzmich, a hermitic monk who resided peacefully in Siberia until his death many years later. Since 1991 many closed books have opened in Russia (chiefly due to the fall of the Soviet Union) and credible cases have now been made that Tsar Alexander I did in actuality re-emerge in Siberia as Feodor Kuzmich. Neither the Romanov family (the family of the Tsars) nor the Bolsheviks (Communists) who usurped them (after Kerensky) were big on revealing information of this sort - so when the Soviet Union fell, Russia suddenly became a frenzied feeding ground for historians as much as it did for capitalists. Here is a terrific recent book on the topic of Alexander's death, (I have lately read and reviewed it): Imperial Legend : The Disappearance of Czar Alexander I. Palmer's book is fairly straightforward and he includes most of the significant tabloid dirt which sticks to Alexander (which includes his extra-marital love affairs) but he doesn't sensationalize it in any way. Alexander had more-or-less endorsed the justified slaying of his demented father, Tsar Paul I, and the author does a fair job of documenting the intrigues which led to that remarkable event, (and one which caused Alexander much grief to his dying day.) This work is also nicely illustrated with relevant and helpful black-and-white photographs throughout the 487-page book and additionally includes a rarely seen map of the 1805 Austerlitz campaign. Palmer has also incorporated a simplified genealogy of the Romanov Dynasty within the final pages, albeit there's a slight mistake on it regarding the four daughters of Nicholas II (Palmer notes only two.) I was especially interested in the very personal textual excerpts which the author included of John Quincy Adams who served in Russia at the time of Alexander I as American Minister. In his bibliography Palmer cites about eight full pages of sources which support his research work. If you can lay hands on a hardcover copy of this well-written book for a cheap price, it's certainly worth reading. But be aware that there are very likely a number more recent (post Soviet) and authoritative books about this remarkable Russian Tsar now available.
4.0 out of 5 stars
A five-star book in its day (1974),
By Patrick W. Crabtree "The Old Grottomaster" (Lucasville, OH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: ALEXANDER I TSAR OF WAR AND PEACE (Hardcover)
Author Alan W. Palmer could hardly have chosen a more interesting personality to write about than "Alexander the Blessed," as he was known among his people after having defeated Napoleon Bonaparte. Actually, Tsar Alexander I of Russia was second in world renown only to his infamous nemesis during this period of history. Alexander I ruled as Russia's Emperor from 1801-1825.
Make no mistake about it, Alexander was an autocrat but not a very despotic one. He always asserted that he wanted to end serfdom but could never deal with the politics of this national shame. Both his life and his political career are well-documented here by Palmer and it seems to have transpired in two distinct phases: his reformer period and his [religiously] "mystical" period, the latter being a time when his people saw little of him publicly and when he seems to have recanted on initiating reform. Of course, Alexander's big achievement was to defeat Napoleon when the latter invaded the Russian homeland in 1812 and drove his massive army all the way to Moscow. We know the story: Napoleon rested for a few weeks there in a deserted and fire-scorched Moscow; Alexander (in St. Petersburg) refused all communication with him; Napoleon ultimately panicked, began to pursue the Russian Army to the southwest, then changed his mind and retreated to France, post-haste and leaving his troop caravans behind to fend for themselves during one of the worst Russian winters on record. Napoleon lost about a half-million men during the escapade. Alexander then pushed on to Paris and eventually saw Napoleon exiled to Elba. Napoleon escaped his island captivity a short time later and briefly ruled again but the Englishman, Wellington, ended that futile campaign and Bonaparte was again sent into isolation and exile. All these facts can be garnered from a good many books including Tolstoy's fictional War and Peace. But Palmer has done as good a job as anyone in keeping it all straight, sifting through Russian cultural proclivities, and presenting it to us in Anglicized form. The more remarkable tale about Alexander, though, is his supposed death. At the time when this book was first published, Palmer subscribed to the view that Alexander did, in fact, die in southern Russia (Taganrog) in 1825. Legends were generated from spotty hearsay at the time which subsequently reeked of little more than rumors that Alexander had faked his death and ultimately became the Russian mystic ("starets") Feodor Kuzmich, a hermitic monk who resided peacefully in Siberia until his death many years later. Since 1974 many closed books have opened in Russia (chiefly due to the fall of the Soviet Union) and credible cases have now been made that Tsar Alexander I did in actuality re-emerge in Siberia as Feodor Kuzmich. Neither the Romanov family (the family of the Tsars) nor the Bolsheviks (Communists) who usurped them (after Kerensky) were big on revealing information of this sort - so when the Soviet Union fell, Russia suddenly became a frenzied feeding ground for historians as much as it did for capitalists. Here is a terrific recent book on the topic of Alexander's death, (I have lately read and reviewed it): Imperial Legend : The Disappearance of Czar Alexander I. Palmer's book is fairly straightforward and he includes most of the significant tabloid dirt which sticks to Alexander (which includes his extra-marital love affairs) but he doesn't sensationalize it in any way. Alexander had more-or-less endorsed the justified slaying of his demented father, Tsar Paul I, and the author does a fair job of documenting the intrigues which led to that remarkable event, (and one which caused Alexander much grief to his dying day.) This work is also nicely illustrated with relevant and helpful black-and-white photographs throughout the 487-page book and additionally includes a rarely seen map of the 1805 Austerlitz campaign. Palmer has also incorporated a simplified genealogy of the Romanov Dynasty within the final pages, albeit there's a slight mistake on it regarding the four daughters of Nicholas II (Palmer notes only two.) I was especially interested in the very personal textual excerpts which the author included of John Quincy Adams who served in Russia at the time of Alexander I as American Minister. In his bibliography Palmer cites about eight full pages of sources which support his research work. If you can lay hands on a hardcover copy of this well-written book for a cheap price, it's certainly worth reading. But be aware that there are very likely a number more recent (post Soviet) and authoritative books about this remarkable Russian Tsar now available.
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