Imperial Government of Russia - 1867 dated Russian Bond (Uncanceled) - During Reign of Alexander II

125 Roubles. Czar Alexander II-Romanov Dynasty Eagle. Railroad from St Petersburg to Moscow. In French and English. Uncanceled.

Alexander II, born on April 29, 1818, and passing away on March 13, 1881, held the titles of Emperor of Russia, King of Poland, and Grand Duke of Finland from March 2, 1855, until his tragic assassination in 1881. His most notable achievement as emperor was the emancipation of Russia’s serfs in 1861, for which he is remembered as Alexander the Liberator.

Beyond this significant reform, the tsar was instrumental in implementing various liberal reforms. These included reorganizing the judicial system, establishing elected local judges, abolishing corporal punishment, promoting local self-government through the zemstvo system, imposing universal military service, curtailing certain privileges of the nobility, and fostering university education.

Following an assassination attempt in 1866, Alexander adopted a somewhat more conservative stance until his untimely demise.

Alexander’s foreign policy was predominantly pacifist, with a strong support for the United States and opposition to Great Britain. During the American Civil War, he backed the Union and dispatched warships to New York Harbor and San Francisco Bay to deter Confederate naval attacks. In 1867, he made a strategic move by selling Alaska to the United States, driven by concerns that the remote colony might fall into British hands during a future conflict.

Seeking peace, Alexander distanced himself from bellicose France after Napoleon III’s downfall in 1870. In 1873, he joined Germany and Austria in the League of the Three Emperors, which played a role in stabilizing the European situation.