Alexander I was born in St. Petersburg in 1777. His parents were Paul, son of Catherine the Great, and Maria Fyodorovna, the former Princess of Wurttemburg. At his birth he was taken to be raised by his Grandmother Catherine the Great. Due to Alexander’s troubled childhood and life, he proved to be very insecure and unstable as the Tsar of Russia. Alexander’s childhood was troubled by divisions in the family. Both sides tried to use him for their own purposes. Alexander found himself in a difficult position between his half-mad father and his overwhelming and possessive grandmother. Alexander was obedient to both, learning early in life to conceal his true thoughts. From his