Tsar Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I, Tsar of Russia from 1825 to 1855, was the most powerful and determined defender of the post-Napoleonic conservative order, suppressing the Polish uprising of 1830-1831, the Hungarian revolution of 1848-1849, and intervening across Europe as the self-styled 'Gendarme of Europe.' His foreign policy combined aggressive expansion into Ottoman territory with fierce opposition to liberal and nationalist movements. The humiliating defeat of Russia in the Crimean War, which he did not survive to see concluded, shattered the illusion of Russian military invincibility and forced his successors to undertake the modernizing reforms Nicholas had spent his reign resisting.
- Lived: 1796 CE – 1855 CE
- Nationality: russian
- Roles: tsar, autocrat, conservative
