Editing Paul I of Russia (section)

==Purported eccentricities==
{{Main|Personality and reputation of Paul I of Russia}}

Paul was idealistic and capable of great generosity, but he was also mercurial and capable of vindictiveness. In spite of doubts of his legitimacy, he greatly resembled his father, Peter III, and other Romanovs as well and shared the same character. During the first year of his reign, Paul emphatically reversed many of his mother's policies. Although he accused many of [[Jacobinism]], he allowed Catherine's best known critic, [[Alexander Radishchev]], to return from [[Siberia]]n exile. Besides Radishchev, he liberated [[Nikolay Novikov]] from [[Shlisselburg|Schlüsselburg fortress]], and also [[Tadeusz Kościuszko]], yet after liberation both were confined to their own estates under police supervision. He viewed the [[Russian nobility]] as decadent and corrupt, and was determined to transform them into a disciplined, principled, loyal caste resembling a medieval [[chivalric order]]. To those few who conformed to his view of a modern-day knight (e.g., his favourites [[Mikhail Kutuzov]], [[Aleksey Arakcheyev]], and [[Feodor Rostopchin]]) he granted more serfs during the five years of his reign than his mother had presented to her lovers during her thirty-four years. Those who did not share his chivalric views were dismissed or lost their places at court: seven field marshals and 333 generals fell into this category.

Paul made several idiosyncratic and deeply unpopular attempts to reform the [[Imperial Russian Army]]. Under Catherine's reign, [[Grigori Potemkin]] introduced new uniforms that were cheap, comfortable, practical and designed in a distinctly Russian style. Paul decided to fulfill his father Peter III's intention of introducing Prussian uniforms. Impractical for active duty, these were deeply unpopular with the men, as was the effort required to maintain them.<ref>Digby Smith (2008). ''An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms of the Napoleonic wars... 1792-1815'' {{ISBN|0-7548-1571-4}}. pp. 157-187</ref>

His love of parades and ceremony was not well-liked either. He ordered that ''Wachtparad'' ("Watch parades") take place early every morning in the parade ground of the palace, regardless of the weather conditions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleonistyka.atspace.com/img/Russian_military_parade_by_Benois.jpg |title="Russian military parade", Alexandre Benois, 1907 |access-date=2012-09-23 |archive-date=2021-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023194259/http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleonistyka.atspace.com/img/Russian_military_parade_by_Benois.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref> He would personally sentence soldiers to be flogged if they made a mistake, and on one occasion ordered a Guards regiment to march to Siberia after they became disordered during maneuvers, although he changed his mind after they had walked about {{convert|10|mi}}.<ref>Laurence Spring. ''Russian Grenadiers and Infantry 1799-1815''. Ed. Osprey Publishing, 2002. {{ISBN|9781841763804}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7NUPxCVT2DAC&pg=PA56 Pg. 56]</ref><ref>Count Cherep-Spriridovich. ''The Secret World Government Or "The Hidden Hand": The Unrevealed in History''. Ed. Osprey Publishing, 2002. {{ISBN|9781841763804}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=zKFBPKa8vxoC&pg=PA79 p. 79]</ref> He attempted to reform the organization of the army in 1796 by introducing ''The Infantry Codes'', a series of guidelines for the army based largely upon show and glamour. But his greatest commander, [[Alexander Suvorov]], completely ignored them, believing them to be worthless. At great expense, he built three palaces in or around the Russian capital. Much was made of his [[courtly love]] affair with [[Anna Lopukhina]].

Emperor Paul also ordered the bones of [[Grigori Potemkin]], the famed military commander and one of his mother's lovers, dug out of his grave and scattered.<ref>Farquhar, Michael (2001). ''A Treasure of Royal Scandals'', p.192. Penguin Books, New York. {{ISBN|0-7394-2025-9}}.</ref>