PAUL (Pornownscu), emperor of Russia, the second son of the unfortunate Peter 111. and the empress Catherine II., was b. in 1754, became heir-apparent on the death of his elder brother in 1763, and succeeded his mother on the imperial throne in 1790. The tragical death of his father when he was still a child, and the neglect and want of confidence with which his mother treateo him. exerted a baneful influence on the char acter of Paid, who was kept in compulsory seclusion while Catharine shared the admin istration of the government with her favorites. In 1770 Paul, on the death of his first wife, a princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, married the princess Dorothea of WOrtemberg, by whom he had four sons—the late emperors Alexander and Nicholas, and the grand dukes Constantine and Michael, and several daughters. After spending some years in travel ing with his wife through Germany, France, and Italy, Paul was recalled by his oicther, who assigned to him the palace of Gatehina, 30 m. from St. Petersburg, as his settled residence, while she toot his children under her own immediate care. The death of flue empress in 1796 released him from his unnatural restraint, and he ascended the throne with no practical acquaintance with the mechanism of government, and no knowledge of the people whom he was called to rule over. A detmnination to change everytldng that had existed under the previous reign, and to wreak vengeance on the murderers of his father, were the predominating influences that guided his actions; and his earliest measures, width were the disgrace of his father's murderers. and the pardon of all Polish prisoners, gave hopes of a good reign; but the capricious violence of character and anew pacify for business which Paul betrayed, soon disappointed the hopes that lie had awakened. No department of the state was free from his frivolous interference, and Lc, class of the nation exempt from the effect of his arbitrary legislation. While he inimical the soldiery by vexatious regulations in regard to their dress, he offended the nobles by imperious enactments as to the ceremonials to be observed in his presence. Ilis foreign
policy was marked with similar caprice. After having adopted a system of neutral'ii,y in the war between France and the rest of Europe, he suddenly declared in favor of the allied powers. and sent an army of 56,000 men under Suwaroff into Italy. The success of his general encouraged him to send a second army of equal strength to co-operate with the Austrians; but their defeat in 1799 induced Paul to recall Suwaroff with the Russian troops; and having retired from the allied coalition wit bout having given /Inv reason for his conduct, he quarreled with England, because she would not comply with his whimsical demand for the surrender of Malta, and his own recognition as grand toaster of the order of Malta, and entered into a close alliance with Bonaparte, who was then first consul. The jealousy and hatred of England by which both were actuated, proved a powerful bond of union between 11iem; and in furtherance of their scheme of uniting all the smaller maritime powers into one vast confederation against England, Paul concluded a convemion with Sweden and Denmark for the purpose of opposing the right on by England of searching neutral vessels. The result was that the English government sent a fleet into the Baltic ender Nelson to dissolve the coalition, at the close of March, 1801. Paul was preparing to give material aid. to the Danes. \Olen a conspiracy was formed at St. Petersburg to put a stop to the capricious despotism under all classes of men in Russia were groaning. The conspirators, whose num bers in•lnded count Padden. the most influential man at court, gen. Beniapen, Uwtuow, and many other distinguished nobles and officers, appear originally to have intended only to force Paul to abdicate, lint his obstinate disposition led to a scuffle, in which the emperor was strangled, Mar. 24, 1801.