2017-06-27 Tue

This August, a gold medal that commemorates the birth of Alexander I is being offered at the ANA World's Fair of Money in Denver, Colorado. Very few related Russian gold medals are known.

The obverse features Catherine II wearing a crown, wreathed with laurel. The reverse displays a crowned robed female holding a child. Her arm is near beams of light. She also holds an altar and shield with the arms of Russia to left, a legend to left, four line inscription below the main emblem.

Alexander I or Alexander Pavlovich was the first child of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (Paul I) and Grand Duchess Maris Fyodorvna. His grandmother Empress Catherine II was the one who raised him. She had disinherited her own son (Paul I) due to his unstable nature.

Alexander was educated by an excellent teacher Frederic-Cesar La Harpe. Alexander met his father at Gatchina, St. Petersburg and got military training from Aleksey Andreyevich. After Catherine II’s death, Paul I took over and Russia was under a tyrannical and strange leadership for the next five years. Paul 1 was then assassinated on 23rd March and Alexander became tsar.

He was a great king and was also loved by his people. He made several reforms in the field of public education and started three new universities. He also thought of building a constitution to control autocracy. That idea never bore fruit due to fear of opposition from his nobles. His separated wife fell ill and Alexander decided to take her to Taganrog on the Azov Sea. He then went to Crimea for inspection and then suffered from pneumonia or malaria. He died when he was on his way back to Taganrog.