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Portrait of Alexander I
Vladimir Lukitch Borovikovskii (b1757-1825) Circa 1817
Oil on Canvas
Pavlovsk Museum-Preserve
Inv. No. TsKh-2028-III,

Alexander I, "the Blessed", came to the throne in 1801 after the assassination of his father, Paul I. Alexander was to become one of Russia's greatest heroes by defeating Napoleon in the war of 1812. Alexander's extraordinary military skill coupled with the severity of the Russian winter made Napoleon's defeat inevitable. Heralded as a savior by the Russian people, and by Europe as a military genius, Alexander officially died in 1825, and now it is believed the Emperor faked his own death and went into holy seclusion as a monk known as Feodor Kuzmich.