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Alexander II of Epirus | Sources | Sources
Connop Thirlwall, History of Greece, vol. viii
Johann Gustav Droysen, Hellenismus
Benediktus Niese, Geschichte der griechischen und makedonischen Staaten
Karl Julius Beloch, Griechische Geschichte vol. iii.
Category:Buddhism in the ancient Mediterranean
Category:Kings of Epirus
Category:3rd-century BC Greek people
Category:3rd-century BC monarchs in Europe
Category:Pyrrhus of Epirus
Category:Year of birth unknown
Category:240s BC deaths
Category:Year of death uncertain |
Alexander II of Epirus | Table of Content | Short description, Reign, References, Sources |
Alexander Jagiellon | Short description | Alexander Jagiellon (; ; 5 August 1461 – 19 August 1506) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1492 and King of Poland from 1501 until his death in 1506. He was the fourth son of Casimir IV and a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty. Alexander was elected grand duke of Lithuania upon the death of his father and became king of Poland upon the death of his elder brother John I Albert. |
Alexander Jagiellon | Early life | Early life
Alexander was born as the fourth son of King Casimir IV Jagiellon and Elizabeth of Austria, daughter of the King Albert II of Germany. At the time of his father's death in 1492, his eldest brother Vladislaus had already become king of Bohemia (1471) and Hungary and Croatia (1490), and the next oldest brother, Saint Casimir, had died (1484) after leading an ascetic and pious life in his final years, resulting in his eventual canonization. While the third oldest brother, John I Albert was chosen by the Polish nobility (szlachta) to be the next king of Poland, the Lithuanians instead elected Alexander to be their next grand duke. Alexander maintained a Lithuanian court and multiple Lithuanian priests served in his royal chapel of the Polish royal court. |
Alexander Jagiellon | Grand Duke of Lithuania (1492–1506) | Grand Duke of Lithuania (1492–1506)
The greatest challenge that Alexander faced upon assuming control of the grand duchy was an attack on Lithuania by Grand Duke Ivan III of Russia and his allies, the Crimean Khanate's Tatars, which commenced shortly after his accession. Ivan III considered himself the heir to the lands of Kievan Rus', and was striving to take back the territory previously gained by Lithuania. Unable to successfully stop the incursions, Alexander sent a delegation to Moscow to make a peace settlement, which was signed in 1494 and ceded extensive land over to Ivan. In an additional effort to instill a peace between the two countries, Alexander was betrothed to Helena, the daughter of Ivan III; they were married in Vilnius on 15 February 1495. The peace did not last long, however, as Ivan III resumed hostilities in 1500. The most Alexander could do was to garrison Smolensk and other strongholds and employ his wife Helena to mediate another truce between him and her father after the disastrous Battle of Vedrosha (1500). In the terms of this truce, which was concluded on 25 March 1503, Lithuania had to surrender about a third of its territory to the nascent expansionist Russian state; Alexander pledged not to touch lands including Moscow, Novgorod, Ryazan, and others, while a total of 19 cities were ceded. Historian Edvardas Gudavičius said:"The war of 1492–1494 was a kind of reconnaissance mission conducted by the united Russia. [The terms of] the ceasefire of 1503 showed the planned political aggression of Russia, its undoubted military superiority. The concept of the sovereign of all Russia, put forward by Ivan III, did not leave room for the existence of the Lithuanian state". |
Alexander Jagiellon | Also King of Poland (1501–1506) | Also King of Poland (1501–1506)
On 17 June 1501, Alexander's older brother John I Albert died suddenly, and Alexander was crowned king of Poland on 12 December of that year. Alexander's shortage of funds immediately made him subservient to the Polish Senate and szlachta, who deprived him of control of the mint (then one of the most lucrative sources of revenue for the Polish kings), curtailed his prerogatives, and generally endeavored to reduce him to a subordinate position. In 1505, the Sejm of the Kingdom of Poland passed the Act of Nihil novi, which forbade the king to issue laws without the consent of the nobility, represented by the two legislative chambers, except for laws governing royal cities, crown lands, mines, fiefdoms, royal peasants, and Jews. This was another step in Poland's progression towards a "Noble's Democracy".
During Alexander's reign, Poland suffered additional humiliation at the hands of her subject principality, Moldavia. Only the death of Stephen, the great hospodar of Moldavia, enabled Poland still to hold her own on the Danube river. Meanwhile, the liberality of Pope Julius II, who issued no fewer than 29 bulls in favor of Poland and granted Alexander Peter's Pence and other financial help, enabled him to restrain somewhat the arrogance of the Teutonic Order.
Alexander Jagiellon never felt at home in Poland, and bestowed his favor principally upon his fellow Lithuanians, the most notable of whom was the wealthy Lithuanian magnate Michael Glinski, who justified his master's confidence by his great victory over the Tatars at Kletsk (5 August 1506), news of which was brought to Alexander on his deathbed in Vilnius.
According to Giedrė Mickūnaitė, interwar Lithuanian historians assumed that Alexander was the last ruler of the Gediminid dynasty who understood the Lithuanian language, yet did not speak it, but there is a lack of sources regarding that.
In 1931, during the refurbishment of Vilnius Cathedral, the forgotten sarcophagus of Alexander was discovered, and has since been put on display. |
Alexander Jagiellon | Gallery | Gallery |
Alexander Jagiellon | See also | See also
History of Poland during the Jagiellonian dynasty
Rachela Fiszel
Sejm walny
St. Anne's Church, Vilnius |
Alexander Jagiellon | References | References |
Alexander Jagiellon | Sources | Sources |
Alexander Jagiellon | External links | External links
Pages and Forums on the Lithuanian History
Category:1461 births
Category:1506 deaths
Category:16th-century monarchs in Europe
Category:16th-century Polish monarchs
Category:Kings of Poland
Category:Grand dukes of Lithuania
Category:Polish Roman Catholics
Category:Jagiellonian dynasty
Category:Burials at Vilnius Cathedral
Category:Nobility from Kraków |
Alexander Jagiellon | Table of Content | Short description, Early life, Grand Duke of Lithuania (1492–1506), Also King of Poland (1501–1506), Gallery, See also, References, Sources, External links |
Alexander III of Russia | Short description | Alexander III (; 10 March 18451 November 1894)10 March [O.S. 26 February] 1845 – 1 November [O.S. 20 October] 1894 was Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 1894.13 March [O.S. 1 March] 18811 November [O.S. 20 October] 1894. He was highly reactionary in domestic affairs and reversed some of the liberal reforms of his father, Alexander II, a policy of "counter-reforms" (). Under the influence of Konstantin Pobedonostsev (1827–1907), he acted to maximize his autocratic powers.
During his reign, Russia fought no major wars, and he came to be known as The Peacemaker (
), with the laudatory title of Tsar’-Mirotvorets enduring into 21st century historiography. His major foreign policy achievement was the Franco-Russian Alliance, a major shift in international relations that eventually embroiled Russia in World War I. His political legacy represented a direct challenge to the European cultural order set forth by German statesman Otto von Bismarck, intermingling Russian influences with the shifting balances of power. |
Alexander III of Russia | Early life | Early life
Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich was born on 10 March 1845 at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, the second son and third child of Tsesarevich Alexander (Future Alexander II) and his first wife Maria Alexandrovna (née Princess Marie of Hesse and by Rhine). He was born during the reign of his grandfather Nicholas I.
Though he was destined to be a strongly counter-reforming emperor, Alexander had little prospect of succeeding to the throne during the first two decades of his life, as he had an elder brother, Nicholas, who seemed of robust constitution. Even when Nicholas first displayed symptoms of delicate health, the notion that he might die young was never taken seriously, and he was betrothed to Princess Dagmar of Denmark, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark and Queen Louise of Denmark, and whose siblings included King Frederik VIII of Denmark, Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom and King George I of Greece. Great solicitude was devoted to the education of Nicholas as tsesarevich, whereas Alexander received only the training of an ordinary Grand Duke of that period. This included acquaintance with French, English and German, and military drill. |
Alexander III of Russia | As Tsesarevich | As Tsesarevich
thumb|right|300px|Grand painting by artist Georges Becker of the coronation of Emperor Alexander III and Empress Maria Fyodorovna, which took place on at the Uspensky Sobor of the Moscow Kremlin. On the left of the dais can be seen his young son and heir, the Tsarevich Nicholas, and behind Nicholas can be seen a young Grand Duke George.
Alexander became tsesarevich upon Nicholas's sudden death in 1855. He had been very close to his older brother, and he was devastated. When he became tsar, he reflected that "no one had such an impact on my life as my dear brother and friend Nixa [Nicholas]"Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 407 and lamented that "a terrible responsibility fell on my shoulders" when Nicholas died.
As tsesarevich, Alexander began to study the principles of law and administration under Konstantin Pobedonostsev, then a professor of civil law at Moscow State University and later (from 1880) chief procurator of the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in Russia. Pobedonostsev instilled into the young man's mind the belief that zeal for Russian Orthodox thought was an essential factor of Russian patriotism to be cultivated by every right-minded emperor. While he was heir apparent from 1865 to 1881 Alexander did not play a prominent part in public affairs, but allowed it to become known that he had ideas which did not coincide with the principles of the existing government.
On his deathbed, Nicholas allegedly expressed the wish that his fiancée, Princess Dagmar of Denmark, should marry Alexander. Alexander's parents encouraged the match. On 2 June 1866, Alexander went to Copenhagen to visit Dagmar. When they were looking at photographs of the deceased Nicholas, Alexander proposed to Dagmar.Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 409 On in the Grand Church of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Alexander wed Dagmar, who converted to Orthodox Christianity and took the name Maria Feodorovna. The union proved a happy one to the end; unlike many of his predecessors since Peter I, there was no adultery in his marriage.
Alexander and his father became estranged due to their different political views. In 1870, Alexander II supported Prussia in the Franco-Prussian War, which angered the younger Alexander. Influenced by his Danish wife Dagmar, Alexander criticized the "shortsighted government" for helping the "Prussian pigs".Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 415
Alexander resented his father for having a long-standing relationship with Princess Catherine Dolgorukova (with whom he had several illegitimate children) while his mother, the Empress, was suffering from chronic ill-health.Van Der Kiste, John The Romanovs: 1818–1959 (Sutton Publishing, 2003) p. 94 Two days after Empress Marie died, his father told him, "I shall live as I wish, and my union with Princess Dolgorukova is definite" but assured him that "your rights will be safeguarded."Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 441 Alexander was furious over his father's decision to marry Catherine a month after his mother's death, which he believed "forever ruined all the dear good memories of family life."Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 442 His father threatened to disinherit him if he left court out of protest against the marriage.Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 445 He privately denounced Catherine as "the outsider" and complained that she was "designing and immature".John Van der Kiste, The Romanovs 1818–1959, p. 86 After his father's assassination, he reflected that his father's marriage to Catherine had caused the tragedy: "All the scum burst out and swallowed all that was holy. The guardian angel flew away and everything turned to ashes, finally culminating in the dreadful incomprehensible 1 March."Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 451 |
Alexander III of Russia | Reign | Reign
On 13 March 1881 (N.S.) Alexander's father, Alexander II, was assassinated by members of the organization Narodnaya Volya. As a result, Alexander ascended to the Russian imperial throne in the village of Nennal. He and Maria Feodorovna were officially crowned and anointed at the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow on 27 May 1883. Alexander's ascension to the throne was followed by an outbreak of anti-Jewish riots."Die Judenverfolgung in Rußland in der Krönungswoche" (in German), Das interessante Blatt, 7 June 1883."Rioting and Politics in Russia", The New York Times, 1 June 1883.
Alexander III disliked the extravagance of the rest of his family. It was also expensive for the Crown to pay so many grand dukes each year. Each one received an annual salary of 250,000 rubles, and grand duchesses received a dowry of a million rubles when they married. He limited the title of grand duke and duchess to only children and male-line grandchildren of emperors. The rest would bear a princely title and the style of Serene Highness. He also forbade morganatic marriages, as well as those outside of the Orthodox Church.Sebag Montefiore, p. 668 |
Alexander III of Russia | Domestic policies | Domestic policies
thumb|left|upright=1.3|Alexander receiving rural district elders in the yard of Petrovsky Palace in Moscow; painting by Ilya Repin
On the day of his assassination, Alexander II signed an ukaz setting up consultative commissions to advise the monarch. On ascending to the throne, however, Alexander III took Pobedonostsev's advice and cancelled the policy before its publication. He made it clear that his autocracy would not be limited.
All of Alexander III's internal reforms aimed to reverse the liberalization from his father's reign. The new Emperor believed that the principles of Orthodoxy, Autocracy, and Nationality, introduced by his grandfather Nicholas I, would quell revolutionary agitation and save Russia.
thumb|left|Photograph about arriving of Alexander III at the Fontell House (also known as "The House of Emperor") for the first time on August 4, 1885, in Lappeenranta, Finland.
Alexander weakened the power of the zemstvo (elective local administrative bodies) and placed the administration of peasant communes under the supervision of land-owning proprietors appointed by his government, "land captains" (zemskiye nachalniki). This weakened the nobility and peasantry and strengthed the Emperor's personal control. In such policies Alexander III followed the advice of Konstantin Pobedonostsev, who retained control of the Church in Russia through his long tenure as Procurator of the Holy Synod (from 1880 to 1905) and who became tutor to Alexander's son and heir, Nicholas. (Pobedonostsev appears as "Toporov" in Tolstoy's novel Resurrection.) Other conservative advisors included Count D. A. Tolstoy (minister of education, and later of internal affairs) and I. N. Durnovo (D. A. Tolstoy's successor in the latter post). Journalists such as Mikhail Katkov supported the emperor's autocracy policies.
thumb|5-ruble coin of Alexander III, 1888
The government was overwhelmed in dealing with the Russian famine of 1891–92 and the ensuing cholera epidemic, which caused 375,000 to 500,000 deaths, and some liberal activity was tolerated, and the zemstvos were recruited to help with relief. Among others, Leo Tolstoy helped with relief efforts on his estate and through the British press, and Chekhov directed anti-cholera precautions in several villages.
Alexander had the political goal of Russification, which involved homogenizing the language and religion of Russia's people. He implemented changes such as teaching only the Russian language in Russian schools in Germany, Poland, and Finland. He also patronized Eastern Orthodoxy and dissolved German, Polish, and Swedish cultural and religious institutions.
Alexander was hostile to Jews, and his reign witnessed a sharp deterioration in their economic, social, and political condition. His policy was eagerly implemented by tsarist officials in the May Laws of 1882. These laws encouraged open anti-Jewish sentiment and dozens of pogroms across the western part of the empire. As a result, many Jews emigrated to Western Europe and the United States.I. Michael Aronson, "The Attitudes of Russian Officials in the 1880s toward Jewish Assimilation and Emigration." Slavic Review 34.1 (1975): 1–18. online The laws banned Jews from inhabiting rural areas and shtetls (even within the Pale of Settlement) and restricted the occupations in which they could engage.I. Michael Aronson, "The Prospects for the Emancipation of Russian Jewry during the 1880s." Slavonic and East European Review (1977): 348–369. online
Encouraged by its successful assassination of Alexander II, the Narodnaya Volya movement began planning the murder of Alexander III. The Okhrana uncovered the plot and five of the conspirators, including Aleksandr Ulyanov, the older brother of Vladimir Lenin, were captured and hanged in May 1887. |
Alexander III of Russia | Foreign policy | Foreign policy
thumb|The Borki Cathedral was one of many churches built to commemorate the Tsar's miraculous survival in the 1888 train crash
The general negative consensus about the tsar's foreign policy follows the conclusions of the British Prime Minister Lord Salisbury in 1885:
It is very difficult to come to any satisfactory conclusion as to the real objects of Russian policy. I am more inclined to believe there are none; that the Emperor is really his own Minister, and so bad a Minister that no consequent or coherent policy is pursued; but that each influential person, military or civil, snatches from him as opportunity offers the decisions which such person at the moment wants and that the mutual effect of these decisions on each other is determined almost exclusively by chance.Margaret Maxwell, "A Re-examination of the Role of N. K. Giers as Russian Foreign Minister under Alexander III" pp. 352–353.
In foreign affairs Alexander III was a man of peace, but not at any price, and held that the best means of averting war is to be well-prepared for it. Diplomat Nikolay Girs, scion of a rich and powerful family, served as his Foreign Minister from 1882 to 1895 and established the peaceful policies for which Alexander has been given credit. Girs was an architect of the Franco-Russian Alliance of 1891, which was later expanded into the Triple Entente with the addition of Great Britain. That alliance brought France out of diplomatic isolation, and moved Russia from the German orbit to a coalition with France, one that was strongly supported by French financial assistance to Russia's economic modernisation. Girs was in charge of a diplomacy that featured numerous negotiated settlements, treaties and conventions. These agreements defined Russian boundaries and restored equilibrium to dangerously unstable situations. The most dramatic success came in 1885, settling long-standing tensions with Great Britain, which was fearful that Russian expansion to the south would be a threat to India.Raymond A. Mohl, "Confrontation in Central Asia, 1885", History Today (1969) 119#3 pp. 176–183. Girs was usually successful in restraining the aggressive inclinations of Tsar Alexander convincing him that the very survival of the Tsarist system depended on avoiding major wars. With a deep insight into the tsar's moods and views, Girs was usually able to shape the final decisions by outmaneuvering hostile journalists, ministers, and even the Tsarina, as well as his own ambassadors.
thumb|left|180px|Alexander III and French President Marie François Sadi Carnot forge an alliance
Though Alexander was indignant at the conduct of German chancellor Otto von Bismarck towards Russia, he avoided an open rupture with Germany—even reviving the League of Three Emperors for a period of time and in 1887, signed the Reinsurance Treaty with the Germans. However, in 1890, the expiration of the treaty coincided with the dismissal of Bismarck by the new German emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II (for whom the Tsar had an immense dislike), and the unwillingness of Wilhelm II's government to renew the treaty. In response Alexander III then began cordial relations with France, eventually entering into an alliance with the French in 1892.Van Der Kiste, John The Romanovs: 1818–1959 (Sutton Publishing; 2003) p. 162
Despite chilly relations with Berlin, the Tsar nevertheless confined himself to keeping a large number of troops near the German frontier. With regard to Bulgaria he exercised similar self-control. The efforts of Prince Alexander and afterwards of Stambolov to destroy Russian influence in the principality roused his indignation, but he vetoed all proposals to intervene by force of arms.Charles Jelavich, "Russo-Bulgarian relations, 1892–1896: with particular reference to the problem of the bulgarian succession". Journal of Modern History 24.4 (1952): 341–351. .
In Central Asian affairs he followed the traditional policy of gradually extending Russian domination without provoking conflict with the United Kingdom (see Panjdeh incident), and he never allowed the bellicose partisans of a forward policy to get out of hand. His reign cannot be regarded as an eventful period of Russian history; but under his hard rule the country made considerable progress.
thumb|Alexander III and Maria Feodorovna in the family circle on the porch of his home in Langinkoski, Finland in summer 1889.
Alexander and his wife regularly spent their summers at Langinkoski manor along the Kymi River near Kotka on the Finnish coast, where their children were immersed in a Nordic lifestyle.
Alexander rejected foreign influence, German influence in particular, thus the adoption of local national principles was deprecated in all spheres of official activity, with a view to realizing his ideal of a Russia homogeneous in language, administration and religion. These ideas conflicted with those of his father, who had German sympathies despite being a patriot; Alexander II often used the German language in his private relations, occasionally ridiculed the Slavophiles and based his foreign policy on the Prussian alliance.
thumb|Alexander III and Nicholas II on French stamps,
Some differences between father and son had first appeared during the Franco-Prussian War, when Alexander II supported the cabinet of Berlin while the Tsesarevich made no effort to conceal his sympathies for the French. These sentiments would resurface during 1875–1879, when the Eastern question excited Russian society. At first, the Tsesarevich was more Slavophile than the Russian government. However, his phlegmatic nature restrained him from many exaggerations, and any popular illusions he may have imbibed were dispelled by personal observation in Bulgaria where he commanded the left wing of the invading army. Never consulted on political questions, Alexander confined himself to military duties and fulfilled them in a conscientious and unobtrusive manner. After many mistakes and disappointments, the army reached Constantinople and the Treaty of San Stefano was signed, but much that had been obtained by that important document had to be sacrificed at the Congress of Berlin.
Bismarck failed to do what was expected of him by the Russian emperor. In return for the Russian support which had enabled him to create the German Empire, it was thought that he would help Russia to solve the Eastern question in accordance with Russian interests, but to the surprise and indignation of the cabinet of Saint Petersburg he confined himself to acting the part of "honest broker" at the Congress, and shortly afterwards contracted an alliance with Austria-Hungary for the purpose of counteracting Russian designs in Eastern Europe.
The Tsesarevich could refer to these results as confirmation of the views he had expressed during the Franco-Prussian War; he concluded that for Russia, the best thing was to recover as quickly as possible from her temporary exhaustion, and prepare for future contingencies by military and naval reorganization. In accordance with this conviction, he suggested that certain reforms should be introduced. |
Alexander III of Russia | Trade and Industry | Trade and Industry
Alexander III took initiatives to stimulate the development of trade and industry, as his father did before him. Russia's economy was still challenged by the Russian-Turkish war of 1877–1878, which created a deficit, so he imposed customs duties on imported goods. To further alleviate the budget deficit, he implemented increased frugality and accounting in state finances. Industrial development increased during his reign. Also during his reign, construction of the Trans Siberian Railway was started. |
Alexander III of Russia | Family life | Family life
thumb|upright=1.3|Left to Right: Emperor Alexander III, Prince George (later George V of the United Kingdom), Marie Feodorovna, Maria of Greece, Tsesarevich Nicholas (later Emperor Nicholas II of Russia). Probably taken on the imperial yacht near Denmark, 1893.
Following his father's assassination, Alexander III was advised that it would be difficult for him to be kept safe at the Winter Palace, and he relocated his family to the Gatchina Palace south of St. Petersburg. The palace was surrounded by moats, watch towers, and trenches, and soldiers were on guard night and day.Carolly Erickson, Alexandra: The Last Tsarina, p. 19 Under heavy guard, he would make occasional visits into St. Petersburg, but even then he would stay in the Anichkov Palace, not the Winter Palace.Kennan, George F. (1979) The Decline of Bismarck's European Order: Franco-Russian Relations, 1875-1890, caption to plate 15: "...where Alexander III and Dagmar usually stayed when in Petersburg" Alexander resented having to take refuge at Gatchina. Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich remembered hearing the tsar say, "To think that after having faced the guns of the Turks I must retreat now before these skunks."Alexander Mikhailovich, Once a Grand Duke, p. 65
In the 1860s, Alexander fell in love with his mother's lady-in-waiting, Princess Maria Elimovna Meshcherskaya. Dismayed to learn that Prince zu Sayn-Wittgenstein-Sayn had proposed to her in early 1866, he told his parents that he was prepared to give up his rights of succession in order to marry his beloved "Dusenka". In 1866 after tsesarevich Nicholas's death, tsar Alexander II informed the new tsesarevich Alexander that Russia had come to a marriage agreement with the parents of Princess Dagmar of Denmark, who had been Nicholas' fiancée. Initially, the tsesarevich refused to travel to Copenhagen because he wanted to marry Maria. Enraged, the tsar ordered him to go straight to Denmark and propose to Princess Dagmar. The young Alexander wrote in his diary "Farewell, dear Dusenka."
Despite his initial reluctance, Alexander grew fond of Dagmar, by the end of his life they loved each other deeply. A few weeks after their wedding, he wrote in his diary: "God grant that... I may love my darling wife more and more... I often feel that I am not worthy of her, but even if this was true, I will do my best to be."Julia P. Gelardi, From Splendor to Revolution, p. 29 When she left his side, he missed her bitterly and complained: "My sweet darling Minny, for five years we've never been apart and Gatchina is empty and sad without you."Simon Sebag Montefiore, The Romanovs, p. 459 In 1885, he commissioned Peter Carl Fabergé to produce the first jeweled Easter eggs for her, and she was so delighted that Alexander gave her an egg every Easter. After Alexander died, his heir Nicholas doubled the tradition, every Easter commissioning an egg for his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, and one for his mother Dagmar. When Dagmar nursed him in his final illness, Alexander told her, "Even before my death, I have known an angel."The Romanovs, p. 483 He died in Dagmar's arms, and his daughter Olga wrote that "my mother still held him in her arms" long after he died.The Romanovs, p. 484
Alexander had six children by Dagmar, five of whom survived into adulthood: Nicholas (b. 1868), George (b. 1871), Xenia (b. 1875), Michael (b. 1878) and Olga (b. 1882). He told Dagmar that "only with [our children] can I relax mentally, enjoy them and rejoice, looking at them."The Romanovs, p. 460 He wrote in his diary that he "was crying like a baby"Miranda Carter, George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm: Three Royal Cousins and the Road to World War I, p. 54 when Dagmar gave birth to their first child, Nicholas. He was much more lenient with his children than most European monarchs, and he told their tutors, "I do not need porcelain, I want normal healthy Russian children."John Curtis Perry, The Flight of the Romanovs, p. 54 General Cherevin believed that the clever George was "the favourite of both parents". Alexander enjoyed a more informal relationship with his youngest son Michael and doted on his youngest daughter, Olga.
Alexander was concerned that his heir-apparent, Nicholas, was too gentle and naive to become an effective Emperor. When Witte suggested that Nicholas participate in the Trans-Siberian Committee, Alexander said, "Have you ever tried to discuss anything of consequence with His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke? Don't tell me you never noticed the Grand Duke is ... an absolute child. His opinions are utterly childish. How could he preside over such a committee?"The Romanovs, p. 475 He was worried that Nicholas had no experiences with women and arranged for the Polish ballerina Mathilde Kschessinskaya to become his son's mistress.The Romanovs, p. 477 Even at the end of his life, he considered Nicholas a child and told him, "I can't imagine you as a fiancé – how strange and unusual!"The Romanovs, p. 479
thumb|Alexander and his wife Empress Maria Fyodorovna on holiday in Copenhagen in 1893.
Each summer his parents-in-law, King Christian IX and Queen Louise, held family reunions at the Danish royal palaces of Fredensborg and Bernstorff, bringing Alexander, Maria and their children to Denmark.Van Der Kiste, John The Romanovs: 1818–1959 (Sutton Publishing, 2003), p. 151 His sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, would come from Great Britain with some of her children, and his brother-in-law and cousin-in-law, King George I of Greece, his wife, Queen Olga, who was a first cousin of Alexander and a Romanov Grand Duchess by birth, came with their children from Athens. In contrast to the strict security observed in Russia, Alexander and Maria revelled in the relative freedom that they enjoyed in Denmark, Alexander once commenting to the Prince and Princess of Wales near the end of a visit that he envied them being able to return to a happy home in England, while he was returning to his Russian prison.Van Der Kiste, p. 152 In Denmark, he was able to enjoy joining his children, nephews and nieces, in muddy ponds looking for tadpoles, sneaking into his father-in-law's orchard to steal apples, and playing pranks, such as turning a water hose on the visiting King Oscar II of Sweden.
Alexander had an extremely poor relationship with his brother Grand Duke Vladimir. At a restaurant, Vladimir had brawled with the French actor Lucien Guitry when the latter kissed his wife, Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.John Van der Kiste, The Romanovs 1818–1959, p. 121 The prefect of St. Petersburg needed to escort Vladimir out of the restaurant. Alexander was so furious that he temporarily exiled Vladimir and his wife and threatened to exile them permanently to Siberia. When Alexander and his family survived the Borki train disaster in 1888, Alexander joked, "I can imagine how disappointed Vladimir is going to be when he learns that we all stayed alive!"Julia P. Gelardi, From Splendor to Revolution, p. 128 This tension was reflected in the rivalry between Maria Feodorovna and Vladimir's wife Marie Pavlovna.Van Der Kiste, p. 141
Alexander had better relationships with his other brothers Alexei (who he made rear admiral and then grand admiral of the Russian Navy), Sergei (who he made governor of Moscow) and Paul.
Despite the antipathy that Alexander had towards his stepmother, Catherine Dolgorukov, he nevertheless allowed her to remain in the Winter Palace for some time after his father's assassination and to retain keepsakes such Alexander II's blood-soaked uniform and his reading glasses.Van Der Kiste, p. 118
Even though he disliked their mother, Alexander was kind to his half-siblings. His youngest half-sister Princess Catherine Alexandrovna Yurievskaya remembered when he would play with her and her siblings: "The Emperor... seemed a playful and kind Goliath among all the romping children."Van Der Kiste, p. 119
On the Imperial train derailed in an accident at Borki. At the moment of the crash, the imperial family was in the dining car. Its roof collapsed, and Alexander held its remains on his shoulders as the children fled outdoors. The onset of Alexander's kidney failure was later attributed to the blunt trauma suffered in this incident. |
Alexander III of Russia | Illness and death | Illness and death
thumb|Alexander III in the uniform of the Danish Royal Life Guards, 1894
In 1894, Alexander III became ill with terminal kidney disease (nephritis). His first cousin, Queen Olga of Greece, offered to let him stay at her villa Mon Repos, on the island of Corfu, in the hope that it might improve the Tsar's condition.King, Greg The Court of the Last Tsar: Pomp, Power and Pageantry in the Reign of Nicholas II (John Wiley & Sons, 2006) p. 325 By the time that they reached Crimea, they stayed at the Maly Palace in Livadia, as Alexander was too weak to travel any farther.King, p. 325 Recognizing that the Tsar's days were numbered, various imperial relatives began to descend on Livadia. Clergyman John of Kronstadt paid a visit and administered Communion to the Tsar.John Perry & Constantine Pleshakov The Flight of the Romanovs: a Family Saga (Basic Books, 1999) p. 62 On 21 October, Alexander received Nicholas's fiancée, Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, who had come from her native Darmstadt to receive the Tsar's blessing.King, p. 326 Despite being exceedingly weak, Alexander insisted on receiving Alix in full dress uniform, an event that left him exhausted.King, p. 327 Soon after, his health began to deteriorate more rapidly. He died in the arms of his wife, and in the presence of his physician, Ernst Viktor von Leyden, at Maly Palace in Livadia on the afternoon of at the age of 49, and was succeeded by his eldest son Tsesarevich Nicholas, who took the throne as Nicholas II. After leaving Livadia on 6 November and traveling to St. Petersburg by way of Moscow, his remains were interred on 18 November at the Peter and Paul Fortress, with his funeral being attended by numerous foreign relatives, including King Christian IX of Denmark, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Duke of York, and Duke and Duchess of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, and his daughter-in-law to be, Alix of Hesse, and her brother, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse. |
Alexander III of Russia | Personality | Personality
thumb|150px|right|Alexander III as Tsesarevich, by Sergei Lvovich Levitsky, 1865
In disposition, Alexander bore little resemblance to his soft-hearted, liberal father, and still less to his refined, philosophic, sentimental, chivalrous, yet cunning great-uncle Emperor Alexander I. Although an enthusiastic amateur musician and patron of the ballet, Alexander was seen as lacking refinement and elegance. Indeed, he rather relished the idea of being of the same rough texture as some of his subjects. His straightforward, abrupt manner savoured sometimes of gruffness, while his direct style of expression matched his rough-hewn, immobile features and somewhat sluggish movements. His education was not such as to soften these peculiarities.
Alexander was extremely strong. He tore packs of cards in half with his bare hands to entertain his children.John Van der Kiste, The Romanovs 1818–1959, p. 101 When the Austrian ambassador threatened that Austria would mobilize two or three army corps against Russia, he twisted a silver fork into a knot and threw it onto the plate of the ambassador.John Van der Kiste, The Romanovs 1818–1959, p. 132 He said, "That is what I am going to do to your two or three army corps."
Unlike his extroverted wife, Alexander disliked social functions and avoided St. Petersburg. At palace balls, he was impatient for the events to end. He would order each musician of the orchestra to leave and turn off the lights until the guests left.
After an unpleasant childhood experience on a bad-tempered mount, he developed a lifelong fear of horses.John Van der Kiste, The Romanovs 1818–1959, p. 133 His wife once convinced him to go on a carriage ride with her, but as he reluctantly entered the carriage, the ponies reared back. He immediately left the carriage and no amount of pleading from his wife could convince him to get back in.
An account from the memoirs of the artist Alexander Benois gives one impression of Alexander III:
After a performance of the ballet Tsar Kandavl at the Mariinsky Theatre, I first caught sight of the Emperor. I was struck by the size of the man, and although cumbersome and heavy, he was still a mighty figure. There was indeed something of the muzhik [Russian peasant] about him. The look of his bright eyes made quite an impression on me. As he passed where I was standing, he raised his head for a second, and to this day I can remember what I felt as our eyes met. It was a look as cold as steel, in which there was something threatening, even frightening, and it struck me like a blow. The Tsar's gaze! The look of a man who stood above all others, but who carried a monstrous burden and who every minute had to fear for his life and the lives of those closest to him. In later years I came into contact with the Emperor on several occasions, and I felt not the slightest bit timid. In more ordinary cases Tsar Alexander III could be at once kind, simple, and even almost homely. |
Alexander III of Russia | Monuments | Monuments
thumb|The equestrian statue of Alexander III, by Prince Paolo Troubetzkoy, shows the Emperor sitting heavily on the back of a ponderous horse
thumb|right|Memorial dedicated to Alexander III in Pullapää, Estonia
In 1909, a bronze equestrian statue of Alexander III sculpted by Paolo Troubetzkoy was placed in Znamenskaya Square in front of the Moscow Rail Terminal in St. Petersburg. Both the horse and rider were sculpted in massive form, leading to the nickname of "hippopotamus". Troubetzkoy envisioned the statue as a caricature, jesting that he wished "to portray an animal atop another animal", and it was quite controversial at the time, with many, including the members of the Imperial Family, opposed to the design, but it was approved because the Empress Dowager unexpectedly liked the monument. Following the Revolution of 1917, the statue remained in place as a symbol of tsarist autocracy until 1937 when it was placed in storage. In 1994, it was again put on public display, although in a different place – in front of the Marble Palace. Another pre-revolutionary memorial is located in the city of Irkutsk at the Angara embankment.
For Alexander's role in forging the Franco-Russian Alliance, the French Republic commissioned a bridge named in his honour, Pont Alexandre III. It was opened by his son, Nicholas II, and exists to this day.
On 18 November 2017, Vladimir Putin unveiled a bronze monument to Alexander III on the site of the former Maly Livadia Palace in Crimea. The four-meter monument by Russian sculptor Andrey Kovalchuk depicts Alexander III sitting on a stump, his stretched arms resting on a sabre. An inscription says "Russia has only two allies: the Army and the Navy", although historians dispute whether the Tsar actually said those words. Alexander III is believed to be one of Putin's admired historic leaders, along with Joseph Stalin. On 5 June 2021, he unveiled another monument to Alexander on the site of Gatchina Palace.
There remains a monument dedicated to Alexander III in Zaczerlany, Poland. |
Alexander III of Russia | Honours | Honours
DomesticRussian Imperial Army – Emperor Alexander III of Russia (In Russian)
Knight of St. Andrew, 10 March 1845
Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky, 10 March 1845
Knight of St. Anna, 1st Class, 10 March 1845
Knight of the White Eagle, 10 March 1845
Knight of St. Vladimir, 4th Class, 1864; 3rd Class, 1870
Knight of St. Stanislaus, 1st Class, 1865
Knight of St. George, 2nd Class, 1877
Foreign |
Alexander III of Russia | Arms | Arms
230px|center|thumb|Lesser Coat of Arms of the Russian Empire |
Alexander III of Russia | Issue | Issue
thumb|right|200px|Alexander III with his wife and their children
Alexander III had six children (five of whom survived to adulthood) of his marriage with Princess Dagmar of Denmark, also known as Marie Feodorovna.
(Note: all dates prior to 1918 are in the Old Style Calendar)
NameBirthDeathNotesHis Imperial Majesty Emperor Nicholas II of Russia18 May 186817 July 1918married 26 November 1894, Princess Alix of Hesse (1872–1918); had five childrenGrand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich of Russia7 June 18692 May 1870died of meningitis, aged 10 months and 26 daysGrand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia9 May 187110 July 1899died of tuberculosis, aged 28; had no issueGrand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia6 April 187520 April 1960married 6 August 1894, Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia (1866–1933); had seven childrenGrand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia4 December 187813 June 1918married 16 October 1912, Natalia Sergeyevna Wulfert (1880–1952); had one childGrand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia13 June 188224 November 1960married 9 August 1901, Duke Peter Alexandrovich of Oldenburg (1868–1924); div. 16 October 1916; had no issue.
married 16 November 1916, Colonel Nikolai Kulikovsky (1881–1958); had two children |
Alexander III of Russia | Ancestors | Ancestors |
Alexander III of Russia | See also | See also
Russian America
Tsars of Russia family tree
List of Russian monarchs
Emperor of all the Russias
President of the Soviet Union |
Alexander III of Russia | References | References
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Alexander III of Russia | Bibliography | Bibliography
Dorpalen, Andreas. "Tsar Alexander III and the Boulanger Crisis in France." Journal of Modern History 23.2 (1951): 122–136. online
Etty, John. "Alexander III, Tsar of Russia 1881–1889." History Review 60 (2008): 1–5. online
Hutchinson, John F. Late Imperial Russia: 1890–1917
Lincoln, W. Bruce. The Romanovs : autocrats of all the Russias (1981) online free to borrow
Lowe, Charles. Alexander III of Russia (1895) online free full-length old biography
Nelipa, M., Alexander III His Life and Reign (2014), Gilbert's Books
Polunov, A. Iu. "Konstantin Petrovich Pobedonostsev – Man and Politician". Russian Studies in History 39.4 (2001): 8–32. online, by a leading scholar
Polunov, A. Iu. "The Orthodox Church in the Baltic Region and the Policies of Alexander Ill's Government." Russian Studies in History 39.4 (2001): 66–76. online
Suny, Ronald Grigor. "Rehabilitating Tsarism: The Imperial Russian State and Its Historians. A Review Article" Comparative Studies in Society and History 31#1 (1989) pp. 168–179 online
Thomson, Oliver. Romanovs: Europe's Most Obsessive Dynasty (2008) ch 13
Whelan, Heide W. Alexander III & the State Council: bureaucracy & counter-reform in late imperial Russia (Rutgers UP, 1982). |
Alexander III of Russia | External links | External links
Alexander III. Historical photos.
A short biography
– Historical reconstruction "The Romanovs". StarMedia. Babich-Design(Russia, 2013)
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Alexander III of Russia | Table of Content | Short description, Early life, As Tsesarevich, Reign, Domestic policies, Foreign policy, Trade and Industry, Family life, Illness and death, Personality, Monuments, Honours, Arms, Issue, Ancestors, See also, References, Bibliography, External links |
Alexander I of Scotland | Short description | Alexander I (medieval Gaelic: Alaxandair mac Maíl Coluim; modern Gaelic: Alasdair mac Mhaol Chaluim; c. 1078 – 23 April 1124), posthumously nicknamed The Fierce,This nickname, however, is not attested for another three centuries, in the work of Andrew of Wyntoun. was the King of Alba (Scotland) from 1107 to his death. He was the fifth son of Malcolm III and his second wife, Margaret, sister of Edward Ætheling, a prince of the pre-conquest English royal house.
He succeeded his brother, King Edgar, and his successor was his brother David. He was married to Sybilla of Normandy, an illegitimate daughter of Henry I of England. |
Alexander I of Scotland | Life | Life
Alexander was the fifth (some sources say fourth) son of Malcolm III and his wife Margaret of Wessex, grandniece of Edward the Confessor. Alexander was named after Pope Alexander II.
He was the younger brother of King Edgar, who was unmarried, and his brother's heir presumptive by 1104 (and perhaps earlier). In that year, he was the senior layman present at the examination of the remains of Saint Cuthbert at Durham prior to their re-interment. He held lands in Scotland north of the Forth and in Lothian.Barrow, p. 154.
On the death of Edgar in 1107, Alexander succeeded to the Scottish crown but, in accordance with Edgar's instructions, their brother David was granted an appanage in southern Scotland. Edgar's will granted David the lands of the former kingdom of Strathclyde or Cumbria and this was apparently agreed in advance by Edgar, Alexander, David and their brother-in-law Henry I of England. In 1113, perhaps at Henry's instigation, and with the support of his Anglo-Norman allies, David demanded and received, additional lands in Lothian along the Upper Tweed and Teviot. David did not receive the title of king, but of "prince of the Cumbrians", and his lands remained under Alexander's final authority.Oram, pp. 60–63.
The dispute over Tweeddale and Teviotdale does not appear to have damaged relations between Alexander and David, although it was unpopular in some quarters. A Gaelic poem laments:
It's bad what Malcolm's son has done,dividing us from Alexander;he causes, like each king's son before,the plunder of stable Alba.Oram, p. 66 citing Clancy, The Triumph Tree.
The dispute over the eastern marches does not appear to have caused lasting trouble between Alexander and Henry of England. In 1114, he joined Henry on campaign in Wales against Gruffudd ap Cynan of Gwynedd.Oram, p. 65. Alexander's marriage with Henry's illegitimate daughter Sybilla of Normandy may have occurred as early as 1107, or as late as 1114.Oram, p. 65; a date around 1114 would place the marriage at about the same time as that of David and Maud of Huntingdon.
William of Malmesbury's account attacks Sybilla, but the evidence argues that Alexander and Sybilla were a devoted but childless couple and Sybilla was of noteworthy piety.Duncan, p. 65; Oram, p. 71. Sybilla died in unrecorded circumstances at Eilean nam Ban (Kenmore on Loch Tay) in July 1122 and was buried at Dunfermline Abbey. Alexander did not remarry and Walter Bower wrote that he planned an Augustinian Priory at the Eilean nam Ban dedicated to Sybilla's memory, and he may have taken steps to have her venerated.Oram, p. 71.
Alexander had at least one illegitimate child, Máel Coluim mac Alaxandair, who was later involved in a revolt against David I in the 1130s. He was imprisoned at Roxburgh for many years afterwards, perhaps until his death sometime after 1157.Oram, p. 77. The identity of this person may be still in question, see Meic Uilleim and MacHeths.
Alexander was, like his brothers Edgar and David, a notably pious king. He was responsible for foundations at Scone and Inchcolm, the latter founded in thanks for his survival of a tempest at sea nearby. He had the two towers built which flanked the great western entrance of Dunfermline Abbey, where his mother was buried."History", Dunfermline Abbey
His mother's chaplain and hagiographer Thurgot was named Bishop of Saint Andrews (or Cell Rígmonaid) in 1107, presumably by Alexander's order. The case of Thurgot's would-be successor Eadmer shows that Alexander's wishes were not always accepted by the religious community, perhaps because Eadmer had the backing of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Ralph d'Escures, rather than Thurstan of York. Alexander also patronised Saint Andrews, granting lands intended for an Augustinian Priory, which may have been the same as that intended to honour his wife.Barrow, p. 156.
For all his religiosity, Alexander was not remembered as a man of peace. John of Fordun says of him:
He manifested the terrible aspect of his character in his reprisals in the Province of Moray. Andrew of Wyntoun's Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland says that Alexander was holding court at Invergowrie when he was attacked by "men of the Isles".Wyntoun, cxxvii. Walter Bower says the attackers were from Moray and Mearns. Alexander pursued them north, to "Stockford" in Ross (near Beauly) where he defeated them. This, says Wyntoun, is why he was named the "Fierce". The dating of this is uncertain, as are his enemies' identities. However, in 1116 the Annals of Ulster report: "Ladhmann son of Domnall, grandson of the king of Scotland, was killed by the men of Moray." The king referred to is Alexander's father, Malcolm III, and Domnall was Alexander's half brother. The Province or Kingdom of Moray was ruled by the family of Macbeth (Mac Bethad mac Findláich) and Lulach (Lulach mac Gille Coemgáin): not overmighty subjects, but a family who had ruled Alba within little more than a lifetime. Who the Mormaer or King was at this time is not known; it may have been Óengus of Moray or his father, whose name is not known. As for the Mearns, the only known Mormaer of Mearns, Máel Petair, had murdered Alexander's half-brother Duncan II (Donnchad mac Maíl Coluim) in 1094.MacDonald, pp. 23–24, deals with this affair.
Alexander died in April 1124 at his court at Stirling; his brother David, probably the acknowledged heir since the death of Sybilla, succeeded him.Oram, pp. 71–72. |
Alexander I of Scotland | Fictional portrayals | Fictional portrayals
Alexander was depicted in a fantasy novel,Saint Andrews, Brodrick (2010), p. 99–104 Pater Nostras Canis Dirus: The Garrison Effect (2010). Alexander is depicted as troubled by his lack of direct heirs, having no child with his wife Sybilla of Normandy. He points out that his father-in-law Henry I of England is asking them for a grandson. |
Alexander I of Scotland | References | References |
Alexander I of Scotland | Sources | Sources
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Alexander I of Scotland | Further reading | Further reading
Alexander I at the official website of the British monarchy
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Alexander I of Scotland | Table of Content | Short description, Life, Fictional portrayals, References, Sources, Further reading |
Alexander II of Scotland | Short description | Alexander II (Medieval Gaelic: ; Modern Gaelic: ; nicknamed "the Peaceful" by modern historians; Ashley, Mike. British Kings & Queens. New York: Carroll and Graf Publishers (1998), p. 407 24 August 1198 – 6 July 1249) was King of Alba (Scotland) from 1214 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of York (1237) which defined the boundary between England and Scotland, largely unchanged today. |
Alexander II of Scotland | Early life | Early life
Alexander was born at Haddington, East Lothian, the only son of the Scottish king William the Lion and Ermengarde de Beaumont. He was forced to spend time in England under the terms of the Treaty of Falaise, and (John of England knighted him at Clerkenwell Priory in 1213) before he returned home. He succeeded to the kingdom on the death of his father on 4 December 1214, being crowned at Scone on 6 December the same year.
At the time of his accession, his sisters Isabella and Margaret had been sent to England as hostages to King John. He appealed to John through the Magna Carta, which promised to deal with the rights of Alexander and his family. |
Alexander II of Scotland | King of Scots | King of Scots
In 1215, the year after his accession, the clans Meic Uilleim and MacHeths, inveterate enemies of the Scottish crown, broke into revolt, but loyalist forces speedily quelled the insurrection. In the same year, Alexander joined the English barons in their struggle against King John of England and led an army into the Kingdom of England in support of their cause. This action led to the sacking of Berwick-upon-Tweed as John's forces ravaged the north.
The Scottish forces reached the south coast of England at the port of Dover where in September 1216, Alexander paid homage for his lands in England to the pretender Louis VIII of France, chosen by the barons to replace John. After John died, the papacy and the English aristocracy changed their allegiance to John's nine-year-old son, Henry III, forcing the French and the Scots armies to return home. Peace between Henry, Louis and Alexander followed on 12 September 1217 with the Treaty of Kingston. Diplomacy further strengthened the reconciliation by the marriage of Alexander to Henry's sister Joan on 18 June or 25 June 1221.
In 1222 Jon Haraldsson, the last native Scandinavian to be Jarl of Orkney, was indirectly implicated in the burning of Adam of Melrose at his hall at Halkirk by local farmers when this part of Caithness was still part of the Kingdom of Norway. A contemporary chronicler, Boethius the Dane blamed Haraldsson for the bishop's death. After the jarl swore oaths to his own innocence, Alexander took the opportunity to assert his claims to the mainland part of the Orkney jarldom. He visited Caithness in person and hanged the majority of the farmers while mutilating the rest. His actions were applauded by Pope Honorius III, and a quarter of a century later, he was continuing to receive commendation from the Catholic Church, as in the reward of a bull from Pope Celestine IV.
thumb|left|Alexander the warrior and knight: the reverse side of Alexander II's Great Seal, enhanced as a 19th-century steel engraving. Legend: (Alexander, with God as his guide, king of the Scots)
During the same period, Alexander subjugated the hitherto semi-independent district of Argyll (much smaller than the modern area by that name, it only comprised Craignish, Ardscotnish, Glassary, Glenary and Cowal; Lorn was a separate province, while Kintyre and Knapdale were part of Suðreyar). Royal forces crushed a revolt in Galloway in 1235 without difficulty; nor did an invasion attempted soon afterwards by its exiled leaders meet with success. Soon afterwards, a claim for homage from Henry of England drew forth from Alexander a counter-claim to the northern English counties. The two kingdoms, however, settled this dispute by a compromise in 1237. This was the Treaty of York, which defined the boundary between the two kingdoms as running between the Solway Firth (in the west) and the mouth of the River Tweed (in the east).
Alexander's first wife, Joan, died in March 1238 in Essex. Alexander married his second wife, Marie de Coucy, the following year on 15 May 1239. Together they had one son, Alexander III, born in 1241.
A threat of invasion by Henry in 1243 for a time interrupted the friendly relations between the two countries; but the prompt action of Alexander in anticipating his attack, and the disinclination of the English barons for war, compelled him to make peace the next year at Newcastle.
Alexander now turned his attention to securing the Western Isles, which were still part of the Norwegian domain of Suðreyjar. He repeatedly attempted negotiations and purchase but without success. Alexander set out to conquer these islands but died on the way in 1249. This dispute over the Western Isles, also known as the Hebrides, was not resolved until 1266 when Magnus VI of Norway ceded them to Scotland along with the Isle of Man.
The English chronicler Matthew Paris in his Chronica Majora described Alexander as red-haired:
[King John] taunted King Alexander, and because he was red-headed, sent word to him, saying, "so shall we hunt the red fox-cub from his lairs".Scottish annals from English chroniclers A.D. 500 to 1286, Alan Orr Anderson, Paul Watkins, 1991. |
Alexander II of Scotland | Death | Death
upright|right|thumb|250px|Coat of arms of Alexander II as it appears on folio 146v of Royal MS 14 C VII (Historia Anglorum). The inverted shield represents the king's death in 1249. The blazon for the arms was Or, a lion rampant and an orle fleury gules.
Alexander attempted to persuade Ewen, the son of Duncan, Lord of Argyll (and King of the Isles), to sever his allegiance to Haakon IV of Norway. When Ewen rejected these attempts, Alexander sailed forth to compel him, but on the way he suffered a fever at the Isle of Kerrera in the Inner Hebrides. He died there in 1249 and was buried at Melrose Abbey.
The Hákonar saga Hákonarsonar records additional information, in that before attempting to invade the Isles, where Ewen held power, he was supposedly warned in a dream by St. Columba, St. Olaf and St. Magnus to desist. King Ewen of the Isles' status as Monarch had been confirmed by Haakon IV and was disputed by Alexander. The episode might be emblematic of a broader desire on the part of Alexander to bring the Kingdom of the Isles fully into the power of the Scottish Crown. In any case, when he finally decided to continue in his endeavour, despite the dream, and having been advised against it by his men, he died shortly afterwards. The incident was portrayed in the saga as divine punishment. His body was then transported back to the mainland.
He was succeeded by his son, the seven-year-old Alexander III of Scotland. |
Alexander II of Scotland | Family | Family
Alexander II had two wives:
1. Joan of England (22 July 1210 – 4 March 1238), who was the eldest legitimate daughter and third child of John of England and Isabella of Angoulême. She and Alexander II married on 21 June 1221, at York Minster. Alexander was 23; Joan was 11. They had no children. Joan died in Essex in 1238 and was buried at Tarrant Crawford Abbey in Dorset;
2. Marie de Coucy, who became mother of Alexander III of Scotland.
He also had an illegitimate daughter, Marjorie, who married Alan Durward. |
Alexander II of Scotland | Fictional portrayals | Fictional portrayals
Alexander II has been depicted in historical novels:
Sword of State (1999) by Nigel Tranter. The novel depicts the friendship between Alexander II and Patrick II, Earl of Dunbar. "Their friendship withstands treachery, danger and rivalry";
Child of the Phoenix (1992) by Barbara Erskine;
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, Day the Second: Third Story. |
Alexander II of Scotland | References | References |
Alexander II of Scotland | Sources | Sources |
Alexander II of Scotland | Further reading | Further reading
Alexander II at the official website of the British monarchy
Worcester Annals
Rotuli Litterarum Patencium
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Alexander II of Scotland | Table of Content | Short description, Early life, King of Scots, Death, Family, Fictional portrayals, References, Sources, Further reading |
Alexander I of Serbia | Short description | Alexander I (; 14 August 187611 June 1903) was King of Serbia from 1889 until his death in 1903, when he and his wife, Draga Mašin, were assassinated by a group of Royal Serbian Army officers, led by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijević. |
Alexander I of Serbia | Accession | Accession
Alexander was born on 14 August 1876 to King Milan and Queen Natalie of Serbia. By birth, he was member of the House of Obrenović, ruling dynasty of the Principality of Serbia and from 1882, the Kingdom of Serbia.
In 1889, King Milan unexpectedly abdicated and withdrew to private life, proclaiming Alexander king of Serbia. Since the king was only thirteen, three regents were appointed, head among them Jovan Ristić. His mother also became his regent.
Alexander ordered the arrest of the regents on April 13, 1893, proclaiming himself of age and dissolving national assembly. On May 21, he abolished his father's liberal constitution of 1889 and restored the previous one. In 1894, the young King brought his father, Milan, back to Serbia and, in 1898, appointed him commander-in-chief of the army. During that time, Milan was regarded as the de facto ruler of the country. In 1898 penalties were brought down upon the Radical and the Russophil parties, which the court sought to tie to an attempted assassination of the former King Milan.
Alexander's attitude during the Greco-Turkish War (1897) was one of strict neutrality. |
Alexander I of Serbia | Marriage | Marriage
In the summer of 1900, King Alexander suddenly announced his engagement to Draga Mašin, a disreputable widow of an obscure engineer. Alexander had met Draga in 1897 when she was serving as a maid of honor to his mother. Draga was nine years older than the king, unpopular with Belgrade society, well known for her allegedly numerous sexual liaisons, and widely believed to be infertile. Since Alexander was an only child, it was imperative to secure the succession by producing an heir. So intense was the opposition to Mašin among the political classes that the king found it impossible for a time to recruit suitable candidates for senior posts.
thumb|Princess Alexandra Karoline of Schaumburg-Lippe, member of the House of Lippe, intended German royal bride for Alexander
Before making the announcement of his intended engagement, Alexander did not consult with his father, who had been on vacation in Karlsbad and making arrangements to secure the hand of the suitable German royal, Princess Alexandra Karoline of Schaumburg-Lippe, member of an ancient House of Lippe, sister of the Queen of Württemberg, for his son. He neither consulted his Prime Minister Dr. Vladan Đorđević, who was visiting the Universal Exhibition in Paris at the time of the announcement. Both immediately resigned, and Alexander had difficulty in forming a new cabinet. Alexander's mother also opposed the marriage and was subsequently banished from the kingdom.
Opposition to the union seemed to subside somewhat for a time upon the publication of congratulations of Nicholas II of Russia to the king on his engagement and of his agreement to act as the principal witness at the wedding. The marriage duly took place in August 1900. Even so, the unpopularity of the union weakened the king's position in the eyes of the army and the country at large. |
Alexander I of Serbia | Politics and the constitution | Politics and the constitution
King Alexander tried to reconcile political parties by unveiling a liberal constitution of his own initiative in 1901, introducing for the first time in the constitutional history of Serbia the system of two chambers (skupština and senate). This reconciled the political parties, but did not placate the army which, already dissatisfied with the king's marriage, became still more so at the rumours that one of the two unpopular brothers of Queen Draga, Lieutenant Nikodije, was to be proclaimed heir presumptive to the throne.
Alexander's good relations and the country's growing dependence on Austria-Hungary were detested by the Serbian public. According to Heinrich Berghaus, more than two million Serbs lived in Austria-Hungary, with another million in the Ottoman Empire, although many migrated to Serbia.
Meanwhile, the independence of the senate and of the council of state caused increasing irritation to King Alexander. In March 1903, the king suspended the constitution for half an hour, time enough to publish decrees dismissing and replacing the old senators and Councillors of state. This arbitrary act increased dissatisfaction in the country.
Attempting to appease the opposition, King Alexander granted an amnesty to the persecuted Radicals, and in 1901 issued a moderately liberal constitution. A Council of State and a second chamber to parliament were instituted.
In 1902 Alexander's rival Peter Кarađorđević was proclaimed king by followers at Šabac, and Alexander responded by organizing a military cabinet and suspending the constitution. Radicals began to plot the King's assassination. |
Alexander I of Serbia | Assassination | Assassination
The general impression was that, as much as the senate was packed with men devoted to the royal couple and the government obtained a large majority at the general elections, King Alexander would not hesitate any longer to proclaim Queen Draga's brother as the heir presumptive to the throne. In spite of this, it had been agreed with the Serbian government that Prince Mirko of Montenegro, who was married to Natalija Konstantinović, the granddaughter of Princess Anka Obrenović, an aunt of King Milan, would be proclaimed heir presumptive in the event that the marriage of King Alexander and Queen Draga was childless.
Apparently to prevent Queen Draga's brother being named heir presumptive, but in reality, to replace Alexander Obrenović with Prince Peter Karađorđević, a conspiracy was organized by a group of army officers headed by Captain Dragutin Dimitrijević, also known as "Apis", and Novak Perišić, a young Serbian Orthodox militant who was in the pay of the Russian Empire,C. L. Sulzberger, The Fall of Eagles, p. 202, Crown Publishers, New York, 1977 as well as the leader of the Black Hand secret society which would assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914. Several politicians were also members of the conspiracy and allegedly included former Prime Minister Nikola Pašić.Sulzberger, p. 202 The royal couple's palace was invaded and they hid in a wardrobe in the queen's bedroom.
The conspirators searched the palace and eventually discovered the royal couple and murdered them in the early morning of 11 June 1903. They were shot and their bodies mutilated and disembowelled, after which, according to eyewitness accounts, they were thrown from a second-floor window of the palace onto piles of garden manure. King Alexander and Queen Draga were buried in the crypt of St. Mark's Church, Belgrade. |
Alexander I of Serbia | Honours | Honours
:
Founder of the Order of St. Prince Lazar, 28 June 1889
Founder of the Order of Miloš the Great, 1898
: Grand Cross of the Order of St. Stephen, 1891"A Szent István Rend tagjai"
:Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1896), "Großherzogliche Orden" pp. 63, 77
Knight of the House Order of Fidelity, 1894
Knight of the Order of Berthold the First, 1894
: Knight of the Order of the Annunciation, 25 November 1896
: Grand Cross of the Sash of the Three Orders, 5 August 1893
: Knight of the Order of St. Andrew
: Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, with Collar, 24 September 1897 |
Alexander I of Serbia | Gallery | Gallery |
Alexander I of Serbia | Notes | Notes |
Alexander I of Serbia | References | References
Category:1876 births
Category:1903 deaths
Category:Kings of Serbia
Category:People from Belgrade
Category:19th-century Serbian monarchs
Category:20th-century Serbian monarchs
Category:Obrenović dynasty
Category:Murdered Serbian monarchs
Category:Assassinated Serbian people
Category:Executed Serbian people
Category:Child monarchs from Europe
Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Sava
Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of St. Sava
Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Stephen of Hungary
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Category:People murdered in Serbia
Category:Burials at St. Mark's Church, Belgrade
Category:20th-century murdered monarchs
Category:People murdered in 1903
Category:Assassinated heads of state in Europe
Category:Sons of princes regnant |
Alexander I of Serbia | Table of Content | Short description, Accession, Marriage, Politics and the constitution, Assassination, Honours, Gallery, Notes, References |
Alexander III of Scotland | Short description | Alexander III (; Modern Gaelic: ; 4 September 1241 – 19 March 1286) was King of Alba (Scotland) from 1249 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of Perth, by which Scotland acquired sovereignty over the Western Isles and the Isle of Man. His heir, Margaret, Maid of Norway, died before she could be crowned. |
Alexander III of Scotland | Life | Life
thumb|Alexander III of Scotland Rescued from the Fury of a Stag by Benjamin West, 1786
Alexander was born at Roxburgh, the only son of Alexander II by his second wife Marie de Coucy. Alexander's father died on 6 July 1249 and he became king at the age of seven, inaugurated at Scone on 13 July 1249.
The years of his minority featured an embittered struggle for the control of affairs between two rival parties, the one led by Walter Comyn, Earl of Menteith, the other by Alan Durward, Justiciar of Scotia. The former dominated the early years of Alexander's reign. At the marriage of Alexander to Margaret of England in 1251, Henry III of England seized the opportunity to demand homage from his son-in-law for the Scottish kingdom, but Alexander did not comply. In 1255, an interview between the English and Scottish kings at Kelso led to Menteith and his party losing to Durward's party. But though disgraced, they still retained great influence, and two years later, seizing the person of the king, they compelled their rivals to consent to the erection of a regency representative of both parties.
On attaining his majority at the age of 21 in 1262, Alexander declared his intention of resuming the projects on the Western Isles which the death of his father thirteen years before had cut short. He laid a formal claim before King Haakon IV of Norway. Haakon rejected the claim, and in the following year responded with a formidable invasion. Sailing around the west coast of Scotland he halted off the Isle of Arran, and negotiations commenced. Alexander artfully prolonged the talks until the autumn storms began. At length Haakon, weary of delay, attacked, only to encounter a terrific storm which greatly damaged his ships. The Battle of Largs (October 1263) proved indecisive, but even so, Haakon's position was hopeless. Baffled, he turned homewards but died in Orkney on 15 December 1263. The Isles now lay at Alexander's feet, and in 1266 Haakon's successor concluded the Treaty of Perth by which he ceded the Isle of Man and the Western Isles to Scotland in return for a monetary payment. Norway retained Orkney and Shetland until 1469 when they became a dowry for James III's bride, Margaret of Denmark. |
Alexander III of Scotland | Marriages and issue | Marriages and issue
thumb|Monument to Alexander III, west of Kinghorn, by Hippolyte Blanc
Alexander had married Margaret, daughter of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence, on 26 December 1251, when he was ten years old and she was eleven. She died in 1275, after they had had three children:
Margaret (28 February 1261 – 9 April 1283), who married King Eric II of Norway;
Alexander, Prince of Scotland (21 January 1264 Jedburgh – 28 January 1284 Lindores Abbey), buried in Dunfermline Abbey;
David (20 March 1272 – June 1281 Stirling Castle), buried in Dunfermline Abbey.
According to the Lanercost Chronicle, Alexander did not spend his decade as a widower alone: "he used never to forbear on account of season nor storm, nor for perils of flood or rocky cliffs, but would visit none too creditably nuns or matrons, virgins or widows as the fancy seized him, sometimes in disguise."
Towards the end of Alexander's reign, the death of all three of his children within a few years made the question of the succession one of pressing importance. In 1284 he induced the Estates to recognize as his heir-presumptive his granddaughter Margaret, the Maid of Norway. The need for a male heir led him to contract a second marriage to Yolande de Dreux on 1 November 1285. |
Alexander III of Scotland | Death | Death
Alexander died in a fall from his horse while riding in the dark to visit the queen at Kinghorn in Fife on 19 March 1286 because it was her birthday the next day. He had spent the evening at Edinburgh Castle celebrating his second marriage and overseeing a meeting with royal advisors. He was cautioned against making the journey to Fife because of weather conditions but crossed the Forth from Dalmeny to Inverkeithing anyway. On arriving in Inverkeithing, he insisted on not stopping for the night, despite the pleas of the nobles accompanying him and one of the burgesses of the town, Alexander Le Saucier. Le Saucier (who was either linked to the King's kitchen or the master of the local saltpans) must have been known to the King since his rather blunt warning to the King lacks the usual deference: "My lord, what are you doing out in such weather and darkness? How many times have I tried to persuade you that midnight travelling will do you no good?"
However, Alexander ignored the repeated warnings about travelling in a storm and set off with his retinue and two local guides. The king became separated from his party near Kinghorn, and was found dead with a broken neck near the shore the following morning. It is assumed that his horse lost its footing in the dark. While some texts say that he fell off a cliff, there is none at the site where his body was found; however, there is a very steep rocky embankment, which "would have been fatal in the dark." After Alexander's death, his realm was plunged into a period of darkness that would eventually lead to war with England. He was buried in Dunfermline Abbey.
As Alexander left no surviving children, the heir to the throne was his unborn child by Queen Yolande. When Yolande's pregnancy ended, probably with a miscarriage, Alexander's three-year-old granddaughter Margaret, Maid of Norway, became the heir. Margaret died, still uncrowned, on her way to Scotland in 1290. The inauguration of John Balliol as king on 30 November 1292 ended the six years of the Guardians of Scotland governing the land.
The death of Alexander and the subsequent period of instability in Scotland was lamented in an early Scots poem recorded by Andrew of Wyntoun in his Orygynale Cronykil of Scotland:
In 1886, a monument to Alexander III was erected at the approximate location of his death in Kinghorn. |
Alexander III of Scotland | Legend | Legend
Raphael Holinshed, in his oft-fanciful history of England in his Chronicles, stated that at Alexander III's wedding to Yolande de Dreux, "a creature resembling death, naked of flesh & lire, with bare bones right dreadfull to behold" appeared at the end of a dance and caused it to be hurriedly concluded. This was, in tradition, an omen of death.
A similar account is given in Walter Bower's Scotichronicon, a figure that "seemed to glide like a ghost rather than walk on feet" supposedly appeared amidst a group performing Scottish sword dances. |
Alexander III of Scotland | Fictional portrayals | Fictional portrayals
thumb|upright=0.88|Statue of Alexander on the west door of St Giles' Cathedral, Edinburgh
Alexander III has been depicted in historical novels. They include:Nield (1968), p. 37
The Thirsty Sword (1892) by Robert Leighton. The novel depicts the "Norse invasion of Scotland" (1262–1263, part of the Scottish–Norwegian War) and the Battle of Largs. It includes depictions of Alexander III and his opponent Haakon IV of Norway.Nield (1968), p. 37
Alexander the Glorious (1965) by Jane Oliver. The novel covers the entire reign of Alexander III (1249–1286), "almost entirely from Alexander's viewpoint".
The Crown in Darkness (1988) by Paul C. Doherty. A crime fiction novel where Hugh Corbett investigates the "mysterious death" of Alexander III (1286). Alexander supposedly suffered a fatal fall from his horse. But there are suspicions of murder. The novel concludes that Alexander was indeed murdered "by a fanatical servant" of Edward I of England. The killer acting according to "Edward's secret desire to overwhelm and control Scotland". Doherty suggests that the personal relations of the two kings were strained by constant arguments, though this is not confirmed by historical sources.Browne, Kreiser (2000), pp. 78, 80-81
Quest For A Maid (1988) by Frances Mary Hendry. The novel depicts the life of Meg, her power-hungry older sister Inge, Lady Marjorie, Countess of Carrick, and their part in securing the succession of Lady Marjorie's son Robert the Bruce to the Scottish throne. It includes depictions of Alexander III's death as "falling off a cliff" with sorcery as the cause.
Insurrection (2010) by Robyn Young. This novel is the first of a series of novels primarily about the life and times of Robert the Bruce. However, it covers Alexander III and the circumstances surrounding his death in some detail.
Crusader (1991) by Nigel Tranter. This novel follows the minority of Alexander III and his relationship with David de Lindsay. Tranter, who has written scores of historical novels spanning the range of Scotland's history, also wrote: "Envoy Extraordinary" (1999) (about Patrick Earl of Dunbar) and "True Thomas" (1981) (about Thomas the Rhymer), both of which take place during the reign of Alexander III, and in which Alexander is a featured character. |
Alexander III of Scotland | References | References |
Alexander III of Scotland | Sources | Sources
Anderson, Alan Orr (ed.); Early Sources of Scottish History: AD 500–1286, 2 Vols, (Edinburgh, 1922), republished, Marjorie Anderson (ed.); (Stamford, 1991).
idem (ed.); Scottish Annals from English Chroniclers: AD 500–1286, (London, 1908), republished, Marjorie Anderson (ed.); (Stamford, 1969)
.
.
Scott, Robert McNair; Robert the Bruce: King of Scots, 1869. |
Alexander III of Scotland | Further reading | Further reading
Alexander III at the official website of the British monarchy
Alexander III at BBC History
|-
Category:1241 births
Category:1286 deaths
Category:House of Dunkeld
Category:Deaths by horse-riding accident in Scotland
Category:Medieval child monarchs
Category:13th-century Scottish monarchs
Category:Burials at Dunfermline Abbey
Category:Scottish people of the Wars of Scottish Independence
Category:Gaelic monarchs in Scotland
Category:Scottish Roman Catholics |
Alexander III of Scotland | Table of Content | Short description, Life, Marriages and issue, Death, Legend, Fictional portrayals, References, Sources, Further reading |
Alexander of Greece (disambiguation) | '''[[Alexander of Greece]]''' | Alexander of Greece (1893–1920) was king of Greece from 1917 until his death.
Alexander of Greece may also refer to:
Alexander of Greece (rhetorician) ()
Alexander the Great (356–323 BC), ancient Greek king and general |
Alexander of Greece (disambiguation) | See also | See also
Alexander § People with the given name Alexander |
Alexander of Greece (disambiguation) | Table of Content | '''[[Alexander of Greece]]''', See also |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | short description | right|thumb|Opening paragraph of the treatise On Fate (Peri eimarmenes) by Alexander of Aphrodisias dedicated to the Emperors (tous autokratoras). From an anonymous edition published in 1658.
Alexander of Aphrodisias (; AD) was a Peripatetic philosopher and the most celebrated of the Ancient Greek commentators on the writings of Aristotle. He was a native of Aphrodisias in Caria and lived and taught in Athens at the beginning of the 3rd century, where he held a position as head of the Peripatetic school. He wrote many commentaries on the works of Aristotle, extant are those on the Prior Analytics, Topics, Meteorology, Sense and Sensibilia, and Metaphysics. Several original treatises also survive, and include a work On Fate, in which he argues against the Stoic doctrine of necessity; and one On the Soul. His commentaries on Aristotle were considered so useful that he was styled, by way of pre-eminence, "the commentator" (). |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | Life and career | Life and career
Alexander was a native of Aphrodisias in Caria (present-day Turkey)A. Chaniotis, 'Epigraphic evidence for the philosopher Alexander of Aphrodisias', in Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, , v.47 (2004) pp. 79-81 and came to Athens towards the end of the 2nd century. He was a student of the two Stoic,J.P. Lynch, Aristotle's School, Berkeley, 1972, p. 215. See Sosigenes the Peripatetic. or possibly Peripatetic, philosophers SosigenesSee Alexander's Comm. in Arist. Meteor., p. 143.13 Hayduck (), Themistius, Paraphr. in Arist. de Anima, p. 61.23 Heinze, Ps.-Ammonius, Comm. in Arist. Anal. Pr. p. 39.24 Wallies, and Philoponus, Comm. in Arist. Anal. Pr., p. 126.20-23 Wallies. and Herminus,Simplicius, Comm. in Arist. de Caelo, p. 430.32 Heiberg, quoting Alexander: , "I heard from Herminus, as was said among Aspasius' students..." and perhaps of Aristotle of Mytilene.Pierre Thillet, in his 1984 Budé edition of On Fate, has argued against Moraux's identification (Der Aristotelismus im I. und II. Jahrhundert n. Chr., vol. 2, 1984) of Aristotle of Mytilene as Alexander's teacher, pointing out that the text that has been taken to mean this (On Fate, mantissa, p. 110.4 Bruns, ) could refer instead to Alexander's learning from the texts of Aristotle the Stagirite. See R.W. Sharples, "Review: Alexander of Aphrodisias, on Fate", Classical Review, n.s., 36 (1986), p. 33. Cyril of Alexandria, Against Julian 2.38, may name Aristocles of Messene, but the text edited by Burguière and Évieux (Sources Chrétiennes 322, 1985) reads . At Athens he became head of the Peripatetic school and lectured on Peripatetic philosophy. Alexander's dedication of On Fate to Septimius Severus and Caracalla, in gratitude for his position at Athens, indicates a date between 198 and 209. A recently published inscription from Aphrodisias confirms that he was head of one of the Schools at Athens and gives his full name as Titus Aurelius Alexander. His full nomenclature shows that his grandfather or other ancestor was probably given Roman citizenship by the emperor Antoninus Pius, while proconsul of Asia. The inscription honours his father, also called Alexander and also a philosopher. This fact makes it plausible that some of the suspect works that form part of Alexander's corpus should be ascribed to his father.R. Sharples, 'Implications of the new Alexander of Aphrodisias inscription', in Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies 48 (2005) pp. 47-56. |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | Commentaries | Commentaries
thumb|Commentaria in Analytica priora Aristotelis, 1549
thumb|Andrea Briosco, Aristotle and Alexander of Aphrodisias, 16th century plaquette, Bode-Museum
thumb|upright|Commentaria in meteorologica Aristotelis, 1548
Alexander composed several commentaries on the works of Aristotle, in which he sought to escape a syncretistic tendency and to recover the pure doctrines of Aristotle. His extant commentaries are on Prior Analytics (Book 1), Topics, Meteorology, Sense and Sensibilia, and Metaphysics (Books 1–5).Donald J. Zeyl, Daniel Devereux, Phillip Mitsis, (1997), Encyclopedia of Classical Philosophy, page 20. The commentary on the Sophistical Refutations is deemed spurious, as is the commentary on the final nine books of the Metaphysics.William W. Fortenbaugh, R. W. Sharples, (2005), Theophrastus of Eresus, sources for his life, writings, thought and Influence, page 22. BRILL The lost commentaries include works on the De Interpretatione, Posterior Analytics, Physics, On the Heavens, On Generation and Corruption, On the Soul, and On Memory. Simplicius of Cilicia mentions that Alexander provided commentary on the quadrature of the lunes, and the corresponding problem of squaring the circle.Dunham, William. Journey through Genius, Penguin, 1991 In April 2007, it was reported that imaging analysis had discovered an early commentary on Aristotle's Categories in the Archimedes Palimpsest, and Robert Sharples suggested Alexander as the most likely author. |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | Original treatises | Original treatises
There are also several extant original writings by Alexander. These include: On the Soul, Problems and Solutions, Ethical Problems, On Fate, and On Mixture and Growth. Three works attributed to him are considered spurious: Medical Questions, Physical Problems, and On Fevers. Additional works by Alexander are preserved in Arabic translation, these include: On the Principles of the Universe,Charles Genequand, (2001), Alexander of Aphrodisias: On the Cosmos. BRILL On Providence, and Against Galen on Motion.N. Rescher, M. E. Marmura, (1965), The Refutation by Alexander of Aphrodisias of Galen's Treatise on the Theory of Motion. Islamic Research Institute
On the Soul (De anima) is a treatise on the soul written along the lines suggested by Aristotle in his own De anima.Gerd Van Riel, 2010, Ancient Perspectives on Aristotle's de Anima, page 174. Leuven University Press Alexander contends that the undeveloped reason in man is material (nous hylikos) and inseparable from the body. He argued strongly against the doctrine of the soul's immortality. He identified the active intellect (nous poietikos), through whose agency the potential intellect in man becomes actual, with God. A second book is known as the Supplement to On the Soul (Mantissa). The Mantissa is a series of twenty-five separate pieces of which the opening five deal directly with psychology.Robert B. Todd, (1976), Alexander of Aphrodisias on Stoic physics: a study of the De Mixtione with Preliminary Essays, Text, Translation and Commentary, page 18. BRILL The remaining twenty pieces cover problems in physics and ethics, of which the largest group deals with questions of vision and light, and the final four with fate and providence. The Mantissa was probably not written by Alexander in its current form, but much of the actual material may be his."The two books of the De Anima differ markedly in form and content, and they were not originally a single work. Book I is generally recognized as authentic. Book II is almost certainly not by Alexander of Aphrodisias in its present form, though much of the material may be his or from his school."
Problems and Solutions (Quaestiones) consists of three books which, although termed "problems and solutions of physical questions," treat of subjects which are not all physical, and are not all problems.Robert B. Todd, (1976), Alexander of Aphrodisias on Stoic physics: a study of the De Mixtione with Preliminary Essays, Text, Translation and Commentary, page 19. BRILL Among the sixty-nine items in these three books, twenty-four deal with physics, seventeen with psychology, eleven with logic and metaphysics, and six with questions of fate and providence. It is unlikely that Alexander wrote all of the Quaestiones, some may be Alexander's own explanations, while others may be exercises by his students.R. W. Sharples, 1992, Alexander of Aphrodisias: Quaestiones 1.1-2.15, pages 3-4. Duckworth.
Ethical Problems was traditionally counted as the fourth book of the Quaestiones. The work is a discussion of ethical issues based on Aristotle, and contains responses to questions and problems deriving from Alexander's school.Miira Tuominen, (2009), The ancient commentators on Plato and Aristotle, page 237. University of California Press It is likely that the work was not written by Alexander himself, but rather by his pupils on the basis of debates involving Alexander.
On Fate is a treatise in which Alexander argues against the Stoic doctrine of necessity. In On Fate Alexander denied three things - necessity (), the foreknowledge of fated events that was part of the Stoic identification of God and Nature, and determinism in the sense of a sequence of causes that was laid down beforehand () or predetermined by antecedents (). He defended a view of moral responsibility we would call libertarianism today.Alexander of Aphrodisias
On Mixture and Growth discusses the topic of mixture of physical bodies.Robert B. Todd, (1976), Alexander of Aphrodisias on Stoic physics: a study of the De Mixtione with Preliminary Essays, Text, Translation and Commentary, page ix. BRILL It is both an extended discussion (and polemic) on Stoic physics, and an exposition of Aristotelian thought on this theme.
On the Principles of the Universe is preserved in Arabic translation. This treatise is not mentioned in surviving Greek sources, but it enjoyed great popularity in the Muslim world, and a large number of copies have survived.Charles Genequand, (2001), Alexander of Aphrodisias: On the Cosmos, page 1. BRILL The main purpose of this work is to give a general account of Aristotelian cosmology and metaphysics, but it also has a polemical tone, and it may be directed at rival views within the Peripatetic school.Charles Genequand, (2001), Alexander of Aphrodisias: On the Cosmos, page 4. BRILL Alexander was concerned with filling the gaps of the Aristotelian system and smoothing out its inconsistencies, while also presenting a unified picture of the world, both physical and ethical.Charles Genequand, (2001), Alexander of Aphrodisias: On the Cosmos, page 6. BRILL The topics dealt with are the nature of the heavenly motions and the relationship between the unchangeable celestial realm and the sublunar world of generation and decay. His principal sources are the Physics (book 7), Metaphysics (book 12), and the Pseudo-Aristotelian On the Universe.
On Providence survives in two Arabic versions.Robert W. Sharples, "The Peripatetic school", in David Furley (editor), (2003), From Aristotle to Augustine, pages 159-160. Routledge In this treatise, Alexander opposes the Stoic view that divine Providence extends to all aspects of the world; he regards this idea as unworthy of the gods. Instead, providence is a power that emanates from the heavens to the sublunar region, and is responsible for the generation and destruction of earthly things, without any direct involvement in the lives of individuals. |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | Influence | Influence
By the 6th century Alexander's commentaries on Aristotle were considered so useful that he was referred to as "the commentator" ().Cf. Simplicius, in Phys. 707, 33; 1170, 13; 1176, 32; Philoponus, in An. Pr. 126, 21; Olympiodorus, in Meteor. 263, 21. But see Jonathan Barnes et al., (1991), Alexander of Aphrodisias, On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.1-7, page 4, who argue: "In all these texts Alexander is indeed referred to by phrases such as 'the commentator' or 'Aristotle's commentator'; but these phrases are not honorific titles - they are ordinary referring expressions. If, at the end of a book review, you read 'The author deserves our thanks', you will rightly take this for praise - but you will not think that the author has been honoured as The Author par excellence." His commentaries were greatly esteemed among the Arabs, who translated many of them, and he is heavily quoted by Maimonides.
In 1210, the Church Council of Paris issued a condemnation, which probably targeted the writings of Alexander among others.G. Théry, Autour du décret de 1210: II, Alexandre d'Aphrodise. Aperçu sur l'influence de sa noétique, Kain, Belgium, 1926, pp. 7 ff.
In the early Renaissance his doctrine of the soul's mortality was adopted by Pietro Pomponazzi (against the Thomists and the Averroists), and by his successor Cesare Cremonini. This school is known as Alexandrists.
Alexander's band, an optical phenomenon, is named after him. |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | Modern editions | Modern editions
Several of Alexander's works were published in the Aldine edition of Aristotle, Venice, 1495–1498; his De Fato and De Anima were printed along with the works of Themistius at Venice (1534); the former work, which has been translated into Latin by Grotius and also by Schulthess, was edited by J. C. Orelli, Zürich, 1824; and his commentaries on the Metaphysica by H. Bonitz, Berlin, 1847. In 1989 the first part of his On Aristotle's Metaphysics was published in English translation as part of the Ancient commentators project. Since then, other works of his have been translated into English. |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | Bibliography | Bibliography |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | Translations | Translations
M. Bergeron, Dufour (trans., comm.), 2009. De l’Âme. Textes & Commentaires. . Paris: Librairie Philosophique J. Vrin, 2008. 416 p.
R. W. Sharples, 1990, Alexander of Aphrodisias: Ethical Problems. Duckworth.
W. E. Dooley, 1989, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Metaphysics 1. Duckworth.
W. E. Dooley, A. Madigan, 1992, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Metaphysics 2-3. Duckworth.
A. Madigan, 1993, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Metaphysics 4. Duckworth.
W. Dooley, 1993, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Metaphysics 5. Duckworth.
E. Lewis, 1996, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Meteorology 4. Duckworth.
E. Gannagé, 2005, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle On Coming-to-Be and Perishing 2.2-5. Duckworth.
A. Towey, 2000, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle On Sense Perception. Duckworth.
V. Caston, 2011, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle On the Soul. Duckworth.
J. Barnes, S. Bobzien, K. Flannery, K. Ierodiakonou, 1991, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.1-7. Duckworth.
I. Mueller, J. Gould, 1999, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.8-13. Duckworth.
I. Mueller, J. Gould, 1999, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.14-22. Duckworth.
I. Mueller, 2006, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.23-31. Duckworth.
I. Mueller, 2006, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Prior Analytics 1.32-46. Duckworth.
J. M. Van Ophuijsen, 2000, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Aristotle Topics 1. Duckworth.
R. W. Sharples, 1983, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On Fate. Duckworth.
R. W. Sharples, 1992, Alexander of Aphrodisias: Quaestiones 1.1-2.15. Duckworth.
R. W. Sharples, 1994, Alexander of Aphrodisias: Quaestiones 2.16-3.15. Duckworth.
R. W. Sharples, 2004, Alexander of Aphrodisias: Supplement to On the Soul. Duckworth.
Charles Genequand, 2001, Alexander of Aphrodisias: On the Cosmos. Brill. |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | See also | See also
Alexander's band - an optical phenomenon associated with rainbows
Free will in antiquity |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | Notes | Notes |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | Further reading | Further reading
Fazzo, Silvia. Aporia e sistema. La materia, la forma e il divino nelle Quaestiones di Alessandro di Afrodisia, Pisa: ETS, 2002.
Flannery, Kevin L. Ways into the Logic of Alexander of Aphrodisias, Leiden: Brill, 1995.
Gili, Luca. La sillogistica di Alessandro di Afrodisia. Sillogistica categorica e sillogistica modale nel commento agli "Analitici Primi" di Aristotele, Hildesheim: Georg Olms, 2011.
Kessler, Eckhart, Alexander of Aphrodisias and his Doctrine of the Soul. 1400 years of lasting significance, Leiden: Brill 2012
Moraux, Paul. Der Aristotelismus bei den Griechen, Von Andronikos bis Alexander von Aphrodisias, III: Alexander von Aphrodisias, Berlin: Walter Gruyter, 2001.
Rescher, Nicholas & Marmura, Michael E., The Refutation by Alexander of Aphrodisias of Galen's Treatise on the Theory of Motion, Islamabad: Islamic Research Institute, 1965.
Todd, Robert B., Alexander of Aphrodisias on Stoic Physics. A Study of the "De Mixtione" with Preliminary Essays, Text, Translation and Commentary, Leiden: Brill, 1976. |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | External links | External links
Alexander on Information Philosopher
Online Greek texts:
Scripta minora, ed. Bruns
Aristotelian commentaries: Metaphysics, Prior Analytics I, Topics, De sensu and Meteorology, In Aristotelis Metaphysica commentaria , Miscellanea
Category:2nd-century Greek philosophers
Category:Greek-language commentators on Aristotle
Category:Roman-era Peripatetic philosophers
Category:Roman-era philosophers in Athens
Category:Roman-era students in Athens
Category:People from Aphrodisias |
Alexander of Aphrodisias | Table of Content | short description, Life and career, Commentaries, Original treatises, Influence, Modern editions, Bibliography, Translations, See also, Notes, Further reading, External links |
Severus Alexander | Short description | Marcus Aurelius Severus Alexander (1 October 208 – March 235), also known as Alexander Severus, was Roman emperor from 222 until 235. He was the last emperor from the Severan dynasty. Alexander took power in 222, when he succeeded his slain cousin Elagabalus at the age of 13. Alexander himself was eventually assassinated in 235, and his death marked the beginning of the events of the Crisis of the Third Century, which included nearly fifty years of civil war, foreign invasion, and the collapse of the monetary economy.
Alexander was the heir to his cousin, the 18-year-old Emperor Elagabalus. The latter had been murdered along with his mother Julia Soaemias by his own guards, who, as a mark of contempt, had their remains cast into the Tiber river.Dio, 60:20:2 Alexander and his cousin were both grandsons of Julia Maesa, who was the sister of empress Julia Domna and had arranged for Elagabalus's acclamation as emperor by the Third Gallic Legion.
Alexander's 13-year reign was the longest reign of a sole emperor since Antoninus Pius.A handful of emperors since Antoninus Pius reigned for longer than 13 years, but for some or most of their reign they were co-emperors with others and therefore they were sole emperor for less time. Alexander's peacetime reign was prosperous. However, Rome was militarily confronted with the rising Sassanid Empire and growing incursions from the tribes of Germania. Alexander managed to check the threat of the Sassanids, but when campaigning against Germanic tribes, he attempted to bring peace by engaging in diplomacy and bribery. This alienated many in the Roman army, leading to a conspiracy that resulted in the assassination of Alexander, his mother Julia Avita Mamaea, and his advisors. After their deaths, the accession of Maximinus Thrax followed. Alexander's death marked the epoch event for the Crisis of the Third Century. |
Severus Alexander | Early life | Early life
The future emperor Severus Alexander was born on 1 October 208 in Arca Caesarea, Phoenicia.Furius Dionysius Filocalus, Chronograph of 354, Part 3: "DIVI·ALEXANDRI·KAL·OCT".Herodian, who lived during his reign, writes that Elagabalus and Alexander were "about fourteen and ten, respectively" in May 218 (5.3.3). The Epitome de Caesaribus (23, 24), written over a century later, states that "he lived sixteen years", while Alexander died in his "twenty-sixth year" (Elagabalus lived 18 years). Of his birth name, only two cognomina are known, from literary sources: Bassianus () according to the historian Cassius Dio, and Alexianus () according to Herodian. "Bassianus" was also borne by several family members, while "Alexianus" was probably later converted to Alexander.
The historian Cassius Dio thought Alexianus was the son of Marcus Julius Gessius Marcianus, but Icks disputes this, saying the latter could not have married the emperor's mother before 212 and that Alexianus must have been fathered by his mother's first husband, who is of unknown name but of certain existence. The priest Marcus Julius Gessius Bassianus may have been his younger brother. |
Severus Alexander | Emperor | Emperor |
Severus Alexander | Early reign | Early reign
thumb|180px|left|Bust of young Severus Alexander, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen
Severus Alexander became emperor when he was around 14 years old, making him the second youngest sole emperor in Rome's history, second only to Gordian III, who was 13. Alexander's grandmother Maesa believed that he had more potential to rule and gain support from the Praetorian Guard than her other grandson, the increasingly unpopular emperor Elagabalus.Jasper Burns (2006). Great Women of Imperial Rome: Mothers and Wives of the Caesars. London: Routledge, pp. 214–217. Thus, to preserve her own position, she had Elagabalus adopt the young Alexander and then arranged for Elagabalus' assassination, securing the throne for Alexander.Wells, Colin (1997). The Roman Empire, Harvard University Press. The Roman army hailed Alexander as emperor on 13 March 222, and the Senate ratified this the following day, conferring on him the titles of Augustus, Pater patriae and Pontifex maximus.Feriale Duranum 20–25: iii I[d]us Ṃ[artias quod] Imp(erator) [Caesar M(arcus) Aurelius Severus Alexander im]peratọṛ ap[pellat]ụ[s... [Pridie Idu]ṣ [Martias q]uod Ạ[lexander Augustus no]ṣ[ter Augustus et Pater] [Patriae et Pontife]x̣ Max̣[imus appellatus s]ịṭ supp̣[licat]io.
Throughout his life, Alexander relied heavily on guidance from his grandmother, Maesa, before her death in 224, and mother, Julia Mamaea. As a young, immature, and inexperienced adolescent, Alexander knew little about government, warcraft, or the role of ruling over an empire. In time, however, the army came to admire what Jasper Burns refers to as "his simple virtues and moderate behavior, so different from [Elagabalus]". |
Severus Alexander | Domestic achievements | Domestic achievements
Under the influence of his mother, Alexander did much to improve the morals and condition of the people, and to enhance the dignity of the state. He employed noted jurists, such as Ulpian, to oversee the administration of justice. His advisers were men like the senator and historian Cassius Dio, and historical sources claimed that with the help of his family, he created a select board of 16 senators, although this claim is sometimes disputed. Some scholars have rejected Herodian's view that Alexander expanded senatorial powers. He also created a municipal council of 14 who assisted the urban prefect in administering the affairs of the 14 districts of Rome.Historia Augusta, Life of Severus Alexander, 33:1 Excessive luxury and extravagance at the imperial court were diminished,Historia Augusta, Life of Severus Alexander, 15:1 and he restored the Baths of Nero in 227 or 229; consequently, they are sometimes also known as the Baths of Alexander after him. He extended the imperial residence at the Horti Lamiani on the Esquiline Hill with elaborate buildings, and created the Nymphaeum of Alexander (known as the Trophies of Marius), which still stands in the Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. This was the great fountain he built at the end of the Aqua Claudia aqueduct.
Upon his accession he reduced the silver purity of the denarius from 46.5% to 43%the actual silver weight dropped from 1.41 grams to 1.30 grams; however, in 229 he revalued the denarius, increasing the silver purity and weight to 45% and 1.46 grams. The following year he decreased the amount of base metal in the denarius while adding more silver, raising the silver purity and weight again to 50.5% and 1.50 grams. Additionally, during his reign taxes were lightened; literature, art and science were encouraged;Historia Augusta, Life of Severus Alexander, 21:6 and, for the convenience of the people, loan offices were instituted for lending money at a moderate rate of interest.Historia Augusta, Life of Severus Alexander, 21:2
In religious matters, Alexander preserved an open mind. According to the Historia Augusta, he wished to erect a temple to Jesus but was dissuaded by the pagan priests; however, this claim is unreliable as the Historia Augusta is considered untrustworthy by historians, containing significant amounts of information that is false and even invented, extending to when it was written and the number of authors it was written by.Historia Augusta, Life of Severus Alexander, 43:6–7 He allowed a synagogue to be built in Rome, and he gave as a gift to this synagogue a scroll of the Torah known as the Severus Scroll.
In legal matters, Alexander did much to aid the rights of his soldiers. He confirmed that soldiers could name anyone as heirs in their will, whereas civilians had strict restrictions over who could become heirs or receive a legacy. He also confirmed that soldiers could free their slaves in their wills, protected the rights of soldiers to their property when they were on campaign, and reasserted that a soldier's property acquired in or because of military service (his castrense peculium) could be claimed by no one else, not even the soldier's father. |
Severus Alexander | Military discipline | Military discipline
Alexander's reign was also characterized by a significant breakdown of military discipline. In 228, the Praetorian Guard murdered their prefect, Ulpian, in Alexander's presence. Alexander could not openly punish the ringleader of the riot, and instead removed him to a nominal post of honor in Egypt and then Crete, where he was "quietly put out of the way" sometime after the excitement had abated. The soldiers then fought a three-day battle against the populace of Rome, and this battle ended after several parts of the city were set on fire.
Dio was among those who gave a highly critical account of military discipline during the time, saying that the soldiers would rather just surrender to the enemy. Different reasons are given for this issue; Campbell points to ...the decline in the prestige of the Severan dynasty, the feeble nature of Alexander himself, who appeared to be no soldier and to be completely dominated by his mother's advice, and lack of real military success at a time during which the empire was coming under increasing pressure.
Herodian, on the other hand, was convinced that "the emperor's miserliness (partly the result of his mother's greed) and slowness to bestow donatives" were instrumental in the fall of military discipline under Alexander. |
Severus Alexander | Persian War | Persian War
On the whole, Alexander's reign was prosperous until the rise of the Sassanids under Ardashir I. In 231 AD, Ardashir invaded the Roman provinces of the east, overrunning Mesopotamia and penetrating possibly as far as Syria and Cappadocia, forcing from the young Alexander a vigorous response.Arthur E.R. Boak (1921). A History Of Rome To 565 A.D., New York: The Macmillan Company, chap. XVIII., p. 258 Of the war that followed there are various accounts. According to the most detailed authority, Herodian, the Roman armies suffered a number of humiliating setbacks and defeats,Herodian, 6:5–6:6 while according to the Historia AugustaHistoria Augusta, Life of Severus Alexander, 55:1–3 as well as Alexander's own dispatch to the Roman Senate, he gained great victories. Making Antioch his base, he organized in 233 a three-fold invasion of the Sassanian Empire; at the head of the main body he himself advanced to recapture northern Mesopotamia, while another army invaded Media through the mountains of Armenia, and a third advanced from the south in the direction of Babylon. The northernmost army gained some success, fighting in mountainous territory favorable to the Roman infantry, but the southern army was surrounded and destroyed by Ardashir's skilful horse-archers, and Alexander himself retreated after an indecisive campaign, his army wracked by indiscipline and disease.Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, (The Modern Library, 1932), chap. VIII., p. 182Herodian, 6:5:10 Further losses were incurred by the retreating northern army in the inclement cold of Armenia as it retired into winter quarters, due to a failure through incompetence to establish adequate supply lines.Herodian, 6:6:3 Still, Mesopotamia was retaken, and Ardashir was not thereafter able to extend his conquests, though his son, Shapur, would obtain some success later in the century.
Although the Sassanids were checked for the time, the conduct of the Roman army showed an extraordinary lack of discipline. In 232, there was a mutiny in the Syrian legion, which proclaimed Taurinus emperor.Epitome de Caesaribus, 24:2 Alexander managed to suppress the uprising, and Taurinus drowned while attempting to flee across the Euphrates. The emperor returned to Rome and celebrated a triumph in 233. |
Severus Alexander | Germanic War | Germanic War
A new and menacing enemy started to emerge directly after Alexander's success in the Persian war. In 234, the barbarians crossed the Rhine and Danube in hordes that caused alarm as far as Rome. The soldiers serving under Alexander, already demoralized after their costly war against the Persians, were further discontented with their emperor when their homes were destroyed by the barbarian invaders.
As word of the invasion spread, the emperor took the front line and went to battle against the Germanic invaders. The Romans prepared heavily for the war, building a fleet to carry the entire army across. However, at this point in Alexander's career, he still knew little about being a general. Because of this, he hoped the mere threat of his armies would be sufficient to persuade the hostile tribes to surrender. Severus enforced a strict military discipline in his men that sparked a rebellion among his legions. Due to incurring heavy losses against the Persians, and on the advice of his mother, Alexander attempted to buy the Germanic tribes off, so as to gain time.Herodian, 6:7
It was this decision that resulted in the legionaries looking down upon Alexander. They considered him dishonorable and feared he was unfit to be Emperor. Under these circumstances the army swiftly looked to replace Alexander.Herodian, 6:8
Gaius Julius Verus Maximinus was the next best option. He was a soldier from Thrace who had a golden reputation and was working hard to increase his military status. He was also a man with superior personal strength, who rose to his present position from a peasant background. With the Thracian's hailing came the end of the Severan Dynasty, and, with the growing animosity of Severus' army towards him, the path for his assassination was paved. |
Severus Alexander | Assassination | Assassination
thumb|right|Bust of Severus Alexander, Musée Saint-Raymond, Toulouse
Alexander was forced to face his Germanic enemies in the early months of 235. By the time he and his mother arrived, the situation had settled, and so his mother convinced him that to avoid violence, trying to bribe the Germanic army to surrender was the more sensible course of action. According to historians, it was this tactic combined with insubordination from his own men that destroyed his reputation and popularity. Alexander was thus assassinated together with his mother in early March in a mutiny of the Legio XXII Primigenia at Moguntiacum (Mainz) while at a meeting with his generals. These assassinations secured the throne for Maximinus.
The Historia Augusta documents two theories that elaborate on Severus's assassination. The first claims that the disaffection of Mamaea was the main motive behind the homicide. However, Lampridius makes it clear that he is more supportive of an alternative theory, that Alexander was murdered in Sicilia (located in Britain).Historia Augusta, Life of Severus Alexander, 59:6
This theory has it that, in an open tent after his lunch, Alexander was consulting with his insubordinate troops, who compared him to his cousin Elagabalus, the divisive and unpopular Emperor whose own assassination paved the way for Alexander's reign. A Germanic servant entered the tent and initiated the call for Alexander's assassination, at which point many of the troops joined in the attack. Alexander's attendants fought against the other troops but could not hold off the combined might of those seeking the Emperor's assassination. Within minutes, Alexander was dead. His mother, Julia Mamaea, was in the same tent with Alexander and soon fell victim to the same group of assassins.
Alexander's body is traditionally believed to have been buried together with the body of his mother, Julia Mamaea, in a mausoleum in Rome. The mausoleum, called , is the third largest in Rome after those of Hadrian and Augustus. A large sarcophagus was found inside the tomb in the 16th century, now in the Palazzo dei Conservatori Museum in Rome, was traditionally thought to contain the emperor's remains but this has been disputed and is today considered groundless. |
Severus Alexander | Legacy | Legacy
Alexander's death marked the end of the Severan dynasty. He was the last of the Syrian emperors and the first emperor to be overthrown by military discontent on a wide scale. After his death his economic policies were completely discarded, and the Roman currency was devalued; this signaled the beginning of the chaotic period known as the Crisis of the Third Century, which brought the empire to the brink of collapse.
Alexander's death at the hands of his troops can also be seen as the heralding of a new role for Roman emperors. Though they were not yet expected to personally fight in battle during Alexander's time, emperors were increasingly expected to display general competence in military affairs. Thus, Alexander's taking of his mother's advice to not get involved in battle, his dishonorable and unsoldierly methods of dealing with the Germanic threat, and the relative failure of his military campaign against the Persians were all deemed highly unacceptable by the soldiers. Indeed, Maximinus was able to overthrow Alexander by "harping on his own military excellence in contrast to that feeble coward". Yet by arrogating the power to dethrone their emperor, the legions paved the way for a half-century of widespread chaos and instability.
thumb|The Portland Vase
Alexander was deified after the death of Maximinus in 238. |
Severus Alexander | Portland Vase | Portland Vase
Perhaps his most tangible legacy was the emergence in the 16th century of the cameo glass Portland Vase (or "Barberini Vase"), dated to around the reign of Augustus. This was allegedly found at the mausoleum of the emperor and his family at Monte Del Grano. The discovery of the vase is described by Pietro Santi Bartoli. Pietro Bartoli indicates that the vase contained the ashes of Severus Alexander. However, there is no definitive proof that it was found at Alexander's sarcophagus and the interpretations of the scenes depicted are the source of many disputed theories. The vase passed through the hands of Sir William Hamilton Ambassador to the Royal Court in Naples, and in 1784 was sold to the Duchess of Portland, and has subsequently been known as the Portland Vase. After an attack by a disturbed man in the British Museum in 1845 smashed it into many fragments, the vase has been reconstructed three times. In 1786 the Portland vase had been borrowed from the 3rd Duke of Portland and copied in black Jasperware pottery by Josiah Wedgwood for his firm Wedgwood. He appears to have added some drapery to cover nudity, but his replicas were useful in the reconstructions. |
Severus Alexander | Personal life | Personal life
According to the Historia Augusta, Alexander's "chief amusement consisted in having young dogs play with little pigs."Historia Augusta, Life of Severus Alexander, 41:5 Herodian portrays him as a mother's boy. |
Severus Alexander | Family | Family
thumb|left|Denarius of Sallustia Orbiana. Inscription: SALL. BARBIA ORBIANA AVG.|174x174px
Alexander's only known wife was Sallustia Orbiana, Augusta, whom he married in 225 when she was 16 years old. Their marriage was arranged by Alexander's mother, Mamaea. According to historian Herodian, however, as soon as Orbiana received the title of Augusta, Mamaea became increasingly jealous and resentful of Alexander's wife due to Mamaea's excessive desire of all regal female titles. Alexander divorced and exiled Orbiana in 227, after her father, Seius Sallustius, was executed after being accused of treason.
According to Historia Augusta, a late Roman work containing biographies of emperors and others, and considered by scholars to be a work of dubious historical reliability, Alexander was also at some point married to Sulpicia Memmia, a member of one of the most ancient Patrician families in Rome and a daughter to a man of consular rank; her grandfather's name was Catulus. She is mentioned as his wife only in this later text, thus the marriage has been questioned.Historia Augusta, Life of Severus Alexander, 20:3Kosmetatou, Elizabeth, The Public Image of Julia Mamaea. An Epigraphic and Numismatic Inquiry, in Latomus 61, 2002, pp. 409 note 38
The ancient historian Zosimus claimed that Alexander was married three times. A man named Varius Macrinus may have been Alexander's father-in-law, but it is uncertain if he was the same man as Seius Sallustius, the father of Memmia or the father of an entirely unknown third wife.
Alexander is not known to have fathered any children. |
Severus Alexander | Christianity | Christianity
He was extremely tolerant of Jews and Christians alike. He continued all privileges towards Jews during his reign. The Historia Augusta, a source considered to be generally unreliable, relates that Alexander placed images of Abraham and Jesus in his oratory, along with other Roman deities and classical figures such as deified emperors, Orpheus and Apollonius of Tyana, and prayed there every morning. |
Severus Alexander | Severan dynasty family tree | Severan dynasty family tree |
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