Abstract:

The author considers the personality of Paul I. He is trying to discredit the stereotypes created around this name by the domestic, above all, noble historiography. The main result: the author proved that most of the stories and urban legends about Paul I, created to discredit the emperor, do not correspond to reality. He emphasizes the humanistic orientation of the policy of Paul I, aimed at supporting the common man in the person of millions of Russian peasants and soldiers.

Keywords: Paul I, Catherine II, estate, nobility, peasantry, reform, conspiracy