Arakcheyev, Aleksey Andreyevich
Arakcheyev, Aleksey Andreyevich
(əlĭksyā` əndrā`yəvĭch äräkchā`yĕf), 1769–1834, Russian general, adviser to Czar Alexander IAlexander I,1777–1825, czar of Russia (1801–25), son of Paul I (in whose murder he may have taken an indirect part). In the first years of his reign the liberalism of his Swiss tutor, Frédéric César de La Harpe, seemed to influence Alexander.
..... Click the link for more information. . An exacting officer, he helped organize the bodyguard of Czar Paul IPaul I,
1754–1801, czar of Russia (1796–1801), son and successor of Catherine II. His mother disliked him intensely and sought on several occasions to change the succession to his disadvantage.
..... Click the link for more information. , who made him a count and gave him high offices. Under Alexander I he was made (1808) minister of war and was one of the czar's most powerful advisers. He virtually ruled Russia during Alexander's frequent trips abroad. Although a martinet and cruel, he was an efficient administrator and made valuable military reforms.