Friday, September 18, 2020

Aleksander -- Alexandru

the Saint:

Alexander I of Yugoslavia
the Knightly King: " . . . For being an active participant in Balkan and First World War became nicknamed 'Knightly King –the Unifier'. . . ." (Popovic) [Ref1]

Briukhatiy, Bryukhatiy.

Vzmetenj

Aleksander IV of Pskov
the Chip.


the Great: "The last king of a united Georgia was the religious Aleksandre I, 'the Great' (1412-1442), who married Tamar, princess of Imereti, and so brought western Georgia back under the Georgian crown. But this fragile unity was short-lived, and Aleksandre did not merit the epithet his people bestowed on him. Aleksandre imposed a building tax on his impoverished subjects from 1425 to 1440, but despite the king's efforts many villages were left in ruin and overgrown by forest. . . ." (The Making of the Georgian Nation: 45)

Lugvitza.

Catherine the Great's lover
Mr. Redcoat (by Catherine)
Alessandro da Colle Vecchio (It. Alessandro da Collevecchio)

Alexander I of Russia's Nicknames.
"Alexander's character was as complex as it was elusive. Within his lifetime he acquired such appellations as 'the sphinx' and 'the enigmatic czar.'  After his death, some referred to him as 'the crowned Hamlet,' whereas popularly he became known as 'the Blessed.'  Emotionally and psychologically, he was a person of many and often conflicting contradictions. Exuding humility and humbleness, he also reveled in pomp and circumstance.  A declared pacifist who consorted with Quakers, he was an unabashed aficionado of all things military. Hailed by some as a liberal, he was equally damned by others for being a reactionary. Alexander invoked Christian charity and the brotherhood of man, yet like his father he drilled his troops unmercifully and approved the establishment of military colonies, a move that later in his reign would become a political hardball. He could be earnest in serious studies, yet he enjoyed the most trivial frivolity.  The inescapable, dominating trait in this chameleon like character, however, was his open manner and consummate social grace. Innately warm and kind, he knew precisely how to handle every sort of person; few failed to fall under his spell. Alexander was as much a born diplomat as Napoleon was a born general." (Troubetzkoy: 65)

" . . . Alexander grew up to be a very complex character whose approach to any given matter could be made up of several different attitudes or whose view changed quickly within a short space of time. . . Contemporaries remarked on the difficulty of knowing the tsar's mind, from Napoleon who called him 'the Sphinx of the North' and 'a real Byzantine' to La Harpe who referred to him as 'the Russian Trajan.'" (Chapman: 14)

" . . . Alexander I was twenty-three years old wen he ascended the Russian throne. His personality and manner of dealing with people had thus already been formed, and it is the psychology of the emperor that has fascinated those who became acquainted with him, both his contemporaries and later scholars. Moreover, there seems to be little agreement about Alexander I, beyond the assertion that he was the most complex and elusive figure among the emperors of Russia. This unusual sovereign has been called 'the enigmatic tsar,' a sphinx, and 'crowned Hamlet.' Striking contradictions, or alleged contradictions, appear in the autocrat's character and activities. Thus Alexander I was hailed as a liberal by many men and women, Thomas Jefferson among them, and denounced as a reactionary by numerous others, including Byron. He was glorified as a pacifist, the originator of the Holy Alliance, and in general a man who did his utmost to establish peace and a Christian brotherhood on earth. Yet this 'angel'--an epithet frequently applied to Alexander I, especially within the imperial family and in court circles--was also a drill sergeant and a parade-ground enthusiast, given to uncontrollable rages over military trifles. Some students of Alexandr I's foreign policy have concluded that the tsar was a magnificent and extremely shrewd diplomat, who consistently bested Napoleon.Napoleon himself, it might be added, called him a 'cunning Byzantine.' But other scholars, again on good evidence, have emphasized the Russian ruler's mysticism, his growing detachment from reality, even hinting at madness.

a Real Byzantine
le Comte R. de P.
the Angel
the Bald-coot Bully:
the Blessed (Rus. Blaoslovennyi): " . . . [I]t was felt that Alexander deserved still higher praise; and the senate, by unanimous vote, conferred on him the epithet of 'Blessed,' which his modesty or wisdom rejected. . . ."  (Rabbe: 72)
the Coxcomb Czar: 
the Crafty Greek
the Crowned Hamlet: "Alexander's character was as complex as it was elusive. Within his lifetime he acquired such appellations as 'the sphinx' and 'the enigmatic czar.' After his death, some referred to him as 'the crowned Hamlet,' whereas popularly he became known as 'the Blessed.' Emotionally and psychologically, he was a person of many and often conflicting contradictions. Exuding humility and humbleness, he also reveled in pomp and circumstance. A declared pacifist who consorted with Quakers, he was an unabashed aficionado of all things military. Hailed by some as a liberal, e was equally damned by others for being a reactionary. Alexander invoked Christian charity and the brotherhood of man, yet like his father he drilled his troops unmercifully and approved the establishment of military colonies, a move that later in his reign would become a political hardball. He could be earnest in serious studies, yet he enjoyed the most trivial frivolity. The inescapable, dominating trait in this chameleon like character, however, was his open manner and consummate social grace. Innately warm and kind, he knew precisely how to handle every sort of person; few failed to fall under his spell. Alexander was as much a born diplomat as Napoleon was a born general." (Imperial Legend: The Mysterious Disappearance of Tsar Alexander I: 65)
the Crowned Sphinx
the Cunning Byzantine
the Enigmatic Czar:
the Great: : "Distinguished as a man, and great as an emperor, Alexander I seemed to live only for the welfare of his people and the benefit of mankind, and, had his days been prolonged, would have been better entitled to the epithet of GREAT, than any of monarch of his name that ever reigned." (Halliday: 413)
the Handsome Emperor:
the Muscovite Bayard:
the Northern Sphinx:
the Northern Telemaque:
the Northern Thor:
the Russian Trajan: " . . . Contemporaries remarked on the difficulty of knowing the tsar's mind, from Napoleon who called him 'the Sphinx of the North' and 'a real Byzantine' to La Harpe who referred to him as 'the Russian Trajan'.  (Chapman:14))
the Sphinx of Europe
the Sphinx of the North: "All those who had come into contact with Alexander had been struck by his ambiguous character. He had been nicknamed 'the sphinx of the North,' 'the crowned sphinx,' the sphinx uncomprehended even in his tomb.'. . . . " (Troyat: 297)
the Sphinx Uncomprehended Even in His Tomb
the Sphinx Who Remained an Enigma to the Grave
the Talma of the North: "...The strange contradictions of his character make Alexander one of the most interesting as he is one of the most important figures in the history of the 19th century. Autocrat and 'Jacobin,' man of the world and mystic, he was to his contemporaries a riddle which each read according to his own temperament. Napoleon thought him a 'shifty Byzantine,' and called him the Talma of the North, as ready to play any conspicuous part. To Metternich he was a madman to be humoured. Castlereagh, writing of him to Lord Liverpool, gives him credit for " grand qualities," but adds that he is 'suspicious and undecided.'" (1911 Encyclopedia)
the Trajan of Russia; Russian Trajan: 
Alexander II of Russia
the forming Tsar
Re@Wikipedia
the Reforming Tsar: " . . . On 19 February 1861, Alexander II, who came to be known as the reforming tsar, issued a manifesto abolishing serfdom. As a result of the 'great emancipation,' as this act came to be known, the serf was liberated from his or her personal and legal subjection to the landlord. The former serf could engage in trade, buy and sell property, and marry at his or her own volition." (Magocsi. A History of Ukraine: 322)

the Tsar Liberator
"The single most important law or decree issued by any tsar in nineteenth-century Russia was passed by Alexander II. In 1861, he published terms for the emancipation of the serfs and so set free from their forced labours approximately one half of the entire Russian population. It was for this reason that he was popularly known as the 'Tsar Liberator'. It took six years for him to negotiate this because it was such a delicate matter, risking as it did the wrath of the nobles. But it was also a fundamental issue which necessarily meant that a great many reforms were needed in Russia to fill the void left by serfdom in the legal system, education, local government and army. . . ." (Chapman. Imperial Russia, 1801-1905: 79)

Alexander II of Russia's early part of reign "was characterized by sweeping reforms and his liberal approach earned him the title of Tsar Liberator. . . ." (Alexandrite)
Alexander I of Scotland
the Fierce
@Wikipedia
the Fierce
" . . . Fordun tells us that Alexander was surnamed Fers or the Fierce, and his interpolator Bower adds 'that he acquired this name because he had received from his father's brother, who was earl of Gowry, at his baptism, according to custom, the lands of Lyff and Invergowry, neat Dundee;  that when he became king, he proceeded to erect a palace at Lyff, but was attacked by certain people of the Mearns and Moray in the night, who broke in the door, but he was brought secretly out by his attendant, Alexander Carron, and having taken ship at Invergowry, he went to the south of Scotland, and having collected an army, he hastened against the rebels. . . He then pursued the rebels . . . and finding his enemies collected in great numbers on the opposite bank . . . he gave his standard to Alexander Carron, who plunged into the stream, was followed by the army, and his enemies ere put to flight. . . ." (Skene:  52)

" . . . In the chronicles and traditions of his own country he is distinguished by the epithet of 'the Fierce;' and several stories are related of his great personal strength and daring valour. . . ."  (SDUK: 883)

the Little Red Fox: " . . . Even though John of England dubbed Alexander II 'the little red fox', he was far more astute than his future brother-in-law Henry III of England, whose sister Joan he married in 1221. . . ." (Edinburgh History of Scottish Literature: 41)

" . . . It may now be that he earned his nickname of 'the Fierce', apparently after the ferocious way he quelled an uprising by the men of Moray. It may have been through such an indomitable strength of character that Alexander began to win over the Highland Scots, despite considerable opposition. . . ." (Ashley. A Brief History of British Kings & Queens)
Alexander Mikhailovich
Alexander I of Tver
the Exile
@Wikipedia
Aleksandr Mikhailovich of Tver
Alexander II of Pskov
Alexander II of Vladimir-Suzdal

the Exile: "Disaster soon befell Tver. In 1327, Khan Uzbek sent his cousin Chol-Khan to occupy the city with a Tatar force. According to Russian chroniclers, Chol-Khan intended to make himself ruler of the principality and to destroy the Christian faith. Whatever their intentions, he and his men settled into Prince Alexander's residence and began to mistreat the local population in order to provoke a revolt. When they complained to him, Alexander advised his subjects not to offer resistance. Eventually, however, Chol-Khan and his men persecuted the Tverians beyond endurance. A spontaneous revolt broke out and the citizens lynched any Tatars they could find. Vengeance followed swiftly. With the khan's blessing, Ivan of Moscow led a punitive expedition which sacked the city and a number of lesser towns and forced Alexander to flee into exile in Pskov. From there, the prince of Tver fought valiantly to regain his lost throne. After years of effort, he finally succeed, in 1338, in winning the khan's patent to rule his homeland. Only a year later, however, Alexander was abruptly summoned to the Horde and executed. Moscow's triumph was complete." (Crummey. The Formation of Muscovy 1300 - 1613: 39)

That Pellean Conqueror
the Accursed; Cursed: " . . . Alexander is also known in the Zoroastrian Middle Persian work Arda Wiraz Namag as 'the accursed Alexander' due to his conquest of the Persian Empire and the destruction of its capital Persepolis. He is known as Eskandar-e-Maqduni (Alexander of Macedonia) in Persian, Dhul-Qarnaym (the two-horned one) in Middle Eastern traditions, al-Iskandar al-Kabeer in Arabic, Sikandar-e-azam in Urdu and Hindi, Skandar in Pashto, Alexander Mokdon in Hebrew, and Tre-Qarnayia in Aramaic (the two horned one), apparently due to an image on coins minted during his rule that seemingly depicted him with the two ram's horns of the Egyptian god Ammon. He is know as Sikandar in Urdu and Hindi, a term also used as a synonym for 'expert' or extremely skilled'."(Ashraf: 1)
the Accursed Alexander
the Bihorned Lord from the Two Horns of his Coins 
the Conqueror
the Conqueror of the World
the Emathian Conqueror
the Great 
the Madman of Macedonia; Macedonia's Madman: "Madman of Macedonia [is a] name sometimes applied to Alexander the Great (356-323 B. a), king of Macedonia, whose extraordinary and uninterrupted military success created in him a thirst for universal dominion so insatiable that he is said to have wept because there were no more worlds than this for him to conquer." (Wheeler: 225) (Brewer)
the Philhellene 
the Philosopher-King. 
the Son of Jupiter Ammon
the Two-horned One.

Rolando of Siena:
Europe's First Minister of Education:

the Great Moral Gatherer of Russian Land: " . . . After Alexander III's death in 1894, Moskovskie Vedomosti, described him as the initiator of a new period in Russian history, 'the Russian period'; he was 'the great moral gatherer of Russian land,' placing him among the princes of Moscow. He had restored 'Russian autocracy,' which had been realized in Muscovy when the idea of autocracy received from Byzantium had gained its distinctive Russian character. . . ."  (Siefert: 57)
the Young Bull: " . . . Alexander's massive physique won for him the nickname 'young bull' within his family; he became a man of great physical strength but limited intelligence, a conscientious worker who hated any social gathering more sophisticated than a beer evening. . . ." (Palmer: 11)


Alexander III of Suzdal
Briukhatiy, Bryukhatiy:

Alexander VI (Pope)
the Poisoner of Italy:

Alexander of Nizhegorod.
Vzmetenj: 

Alexander of Suzdal-Nizhegorod.
Briukhatiy, Bryukhatiy:

the Limp:

Alexander, Prince Shuyskiy
Lugvitza: 



Alexander Hamilton, 10th Duke of Hamilton, 7th Duke of Brandon (1767-1852)
the Proudest Man in Britain

the Diamond Prince: "While in Paris, Kurakin was famously referred to as a "diamond prince", due to magnificence and richness of his costumes. . . ."


Alexander MacCoinneach, 7th Lord of Kintail.
the Upright:

Alexander Mackenzie.
the Upright:

Alexander Mavrocordatos, Prince of Moldavia (1742-1812).
Mad Lord (Delibey): " . . . In 1784 another Alexander Mavrocordatos (1742-1812), Nicholas's grandson, was Prince of Moldavia. . . The temperamental Prince, known also as Delibey (the mad lord) exploded. . . ." (Ricks and Trapp: 7)

Nevsky (of the Neva): 
--"The wretched condition into which the southern and central parts of the empire were thrown by these invasions, afforded a most advantageous opportunity for other enemies to attack it; and accordingly, in 1242, and during the reign of Yaroslav II, the Swedes, Danes, and Livonians, sent a numerous and well-disciplined army to demand the submission of Novgorod. This Alexander, the son of the reigning sovereign, refused; and, leaving his capital, he advanced, unaided by any allies, to meet his opponents, and fought the celebrated battle of the Neva, which gained him the surname of Nevski, and a place in the Russian calendar. The personal courage of Alexander was of the highest order, and mainly contributed to secure the victory. His memory is still cherished by the Russians, and the order instituted in honor of him is much valued." (Sears: 605)

Baba Sahib (by her father)

Alexandra Escat.

Alexandra Sergueievna Dolgoruky.
la Grande Mademoiselle: " . . . That young girls was the Princess Alexandra Sergueievna Dolgoruky, and the high personage who fell in love with her was none other than the Emperor Alexander II. About 1860 her influence with her imperial lover,the favours he heaped upon her, her quick intellect, charm of mind, and dignified manners won her the nickname of 'La Grande Mademoiselle.' Before long the Tsar married her to General Albedinsky, to whom a totally unexpected career was thus opened; he was Governor of Poland when he died. Up to the last Alexandra Sergueievna remained the friend and confidante of Alexander II. Her brother, Prince Alexander Dolgoruky, became Grand Marshal of the Imperial Court in the reign of Alexander III. One of her sisters married the present Grand Marshall, Count Paul Benckendorff." (Paleologue)
--" . . . Prince Alexander . . . obtained the epithet or surname Newski, from a victory which he gained over the Knights of Livonia near the Neva (1241). . . ." (Koch: 148)
--" . . . The battle on the Neva in 1240 has assumed the stature of a large triumph in Russia.  The architect of this victory, Alexander Jaroslavich, Prince of Novgorod, ultimately acquired the name 'Nevsky,' but his is probably not a contemporary epithet.  Lind has shown that the version of the tale as it usually appears in modern Russian historiography originates in the late thirteenth-century Life of Alexander Nevsky.  This subsequently found its way into the Laurentian Chronicle, the four chronicles of Novgorod, the First Sophia Chronicle and later works, some of which contain additional elements." (Line: 442)
--"Among the princes who suffered for their country, the place of honor belongs to Alexander Nevsky ('of the Neva') who remained for the people the model defender of the faith and of justice . . . Exceptionally handsome and possessing an immense greatness of spirit, Prince Alexander (1219-1263) was a legendary hero for many Russians. . . The Grand Prince Alexander vanquished the Swedes on the Neva in 1240 (this his surname, Nevsky) and the Teutonic Knights on the ice of the lake in Pskov in 1242. He took upon himself the burden of the difficult negotiations with the Mongols.  He had to go to Asia to defend his people, and upon returning from one of these sad missions, he died of exhaustion (1263)

Big Alexander:
the Celtic Attila: " . . . Robert II granted Badenoch to his son, Alexander, Earl of Buchan, 'a species of Celtic Attila, whose common appellation of 'the Wolf of Badenoch' is sufficiently characteristic of the deadly attributes which composed his character.'" (Gazetteer of Scholand, Vol. I: 94)
the Wolf of Badenoch: " . . . [I]n 1390, soon after Robert II's death, he and his and his band of 'wyld, wikkit heland men' burned the cathedral of Moray at Elgin -- an outrage justifying his later nickname 'the Wolf of Badenoch'. He had united the political community against himself, however, and was soon made to submit and pay reparations; he lost Ross when his wife divorced him for desertion, and although his illegitimate sons took part in a great raid southwards in 1392; they were caught and imprisoned. The system of government did, eventually manage to deal with the Wolf of Badenoch." (Jones & McKitterick: 372)

Rymniski:  " . . . Suwarow and the Prince of Coburg beat the Turks near Focksani in Moldavia (July 21, 1789).The same general, with the assistance of that Prince, gained the brilliant victory over the Turks near Martinesti, on the banks of the Rymna (Sept. 22) which gained him the epithet of Rymniski. . . ." (Koch: 138)


the Bad:
the Evil (Lat. Malus, Armipoteus):
the Evil Prince: 

the Child-Prince (Rom. Coconul): 

Alexandru Mavrocordato of Moldavia.
the Fugitive: 

the Father of His Country: "Michael died in 1643 and was succeeded by his son Alexis. Although the reign of this sovereign was long, lasting for thirty-one years, it was not brilliant in a military sense, although it proved so humane, sagacious and successful that he is often called, in Russian annals, 'the Father of his Country'."
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