Once Again about the Image of “Russian Hamlet”: the Time of Paul I of Russia as a Prologue to the Triumphs and Dramas of the 19th Century

Abstract

Following a long-standing historiographical tradition, the article examines one of the most controversial and ambiguous characters in Russian history — Emperor Paul I, who was caught in between two epochs — the 18th classic “noble” century and the autocratic-bureaucratic 19th century. The authors summarize the arguments confirming that for all its deep inconsistency, sometimes reaching the point of flippancy, he personified both a close continuity with the past and a distinct evolution of Russia's political institutions towards solidifying the absolutist pattern. In an attempt to carry out appropriate reforms, Paul took a too hasty pace, to which the ruling elite responded with deaf resistance, which eventually resulted in a palace coup.