# Alexander II — Memoirs of a Revolutionist character guide > Alexander II in Memoirs of a Revolutionist by Peter Kropotkin. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Alexander I, Alexander **First appearance:** 0003-i ## Snapshot The reforming tsar whose promises of change kept Russian liberals waiting, hoping, and slowly losing their nerve as reaction hardened around them. ## Who they are Alexander II hovers over the reform era as the figure in whom educated Russians once placed their hopes for a freer country. By the time Kropotkin comes of age, that hope has curdled: writers still whisper that the emperor might 'once more assume the character of reformer,' while the bolder spirits of the sixties retreat into prudence and private comfort. He matters because his half-finished reforms set the stage on which the younger generation must decide whether to wait, withdraw, or act. ## Relationships ### [Peter Kropotkin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/characters/peter_kropotkin) _professional_ Tsar Alexander II and Kropotkin had a formal, hierarchical relationship as sovereign and subject, with Kropotkin serving as a page and later as a critic of the regime. ### [Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/characters/father) _professional_ Alexander II and Kropotkin's father had a formal relationship as tsar and noble subject, with the father serving the imperial court. ### [Peter Kropotkin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/characters/peter_kropotkin) _professional_ Tsar Alexander II and Kropotkin had a formal, hierarchical relationship as sovereign and subject, with Kropotkin serving as a page and later as a critic of the regime. ### [Peter Kropotkin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/characters/peter_kropotkin) _professional_ Tsar Alexander II and Kropotkin had a formal, hierarchical relationship as sovereign and subject, with Kropotkin serving as a page and later as a critic of the regime. ### [Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/characters/father) _professional_ Alexander II and Kropotkin's father had a formal relationship as tsar and noble subject, with the father serving the imperial court. ## In the story ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/v) Referred to as Nicholas I in the excerpt; the Emperor who jokes about Peter and orders the page candidacy. ### [Part II: The Corps of Pages](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/part-ii-the-corps-of-pages) Tsar during Kropotkin's time at the Corps, symbol of autocratic rule. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/i) Tsar during the period; his reign's reforms are the backdrop for the changing atmosphere in the school. ### [Stormy Times and Imperial Pageantry](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/v) Emperor present at the funeral litany; briefly loses composure when a fire breaks out but quickly orders the coffin to be secured. ### [School Years and Intellectual Awakening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/vi) Mentioned in context of revolutionary recitatives in opera that 'went straight to the heart of Alexander II'. ### [Camp Life and Military Maneuvers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/vii) Emperor who aroused the camp with a night alert and later observed the troops' exhaustion during maneuvers. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/viii) Tsar whose intentions on emancipation seemed unsettled; influenced by the serfdom party and weak in character. ### [Chapter IX: The Tsar and the Court](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/ix) Kropotkin's initial admiration for the Tsar as liberator fades as he witnesses his reactionary turn, his temper, and his personal indiscretions. ### [The Great Fire and the Turning Point](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/i) Emperor who addresses the new officers with a threatening speech and later speaks to Kropotkin about his Siberian service. ### [The Polish Insurrection and Its Aftermath](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/iii) Tsar whose reforms were curtailed after the Polish insurrection; favored reactionary schemes over progressive ones. ### [St. Petersburg in the 1870s: The Reign of Reaction](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/iv) Depicted as a double man—charming yet brutal, courageous in real danger but haunted by imaginary fears—who signs reactionary decrees under pressure from Shuvalov and Trepov. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/v) Target of Karakozov's assassination attempt; his reign turned reactionary after 1866. ### [The Women's Educational Movement in St. Petersburg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/vi) Tsar who opposed educated women, trembling at the sight of a girl in spectacles and a Garibaldian cap. ### [The Nature of Revolution and the Influence of Bakunin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/x) Mentioned in the context of the emancipation of the serfs in 1861, which Kropotkin uses as an example of change aided by ideals spreading within the privileged class. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/xii) Tsar during whose reign the revolutionary disturbances and nihilist movement emerged; his assassination is referenced as the tragic end of the period. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/xiv) Tsar whose life was saved by the Tchaikovsky Circle; considered building a prison city for suspected youth. ### [The Net Tightens](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/xvi) Referenced as the Tsar under whose reign the Third Section operates with absolute power. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/i) Emperor who grants permission for Kropotkin to complete his report, with the restriction 'till sunset.' ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/iii) Tsar who personally rejected the petition for Alexander's release, writing 'Let him remain some time more.' ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/iv) Brother of Grand Duke Nicholas; mentioned as the Tsar whom Kropotkin refuses to address through the Grand Duke. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/vi) Turgenev considers writing to Alexander III to urge a constitution, but is too ill to do so. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/vii) Emperor who increased sentences on the 193 prisoners and visited Zasulich after the shooting. ### [The Struggle Intensifies](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/viii) The Tsar's response to revolutionary activity is to proclaim a state of siege and order hangings. Kropotkin portrays him as a tragic figure, torn between his reformist past and his reactionary impulses, ultimately abandoning the Empress and hesitating on constitutional reforms before his assassination. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/ix) His death triggered the panic and events described in the chapter. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/xi) Former tsar; plots during his reign are part of the armistice negotiations. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/chapters/xi) Tsar whose coronation is the subject of the armistice; reforms for peasants are mentioned. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/characters/alexander_ii - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/memoirs_of_a_revolutionist_se/characters