He ruled Russia during the chaotic period of the Napoleonic Wars. As prince and during the early years of his reign, he often used liberal rhetoric but continued Russia's absolutist policies in practice. In the first years of his reign, he initiated some minor social reforms and in β04 major liberal educational reforms, such as building more universities. Alexander appointed Mikhail Speransky , the son of a village priest, as one of his closest advisors. The over-centralized Collegium ministries were abolished and replaced by the Committee of Ministers , State Council , and Supreme Court to improve the legal system.
Plans were made but never consummated, to set up a parliament and sign a constitution. In contrast to his westernizing predecessors such as Peter the Great , Alexander was a Russian nationalist and Slavophile who wanted Russia to develop on the basis of Russian culture rather than European.
In foreign policy, he changed Russia's position towards France four times between and , shifting among neutrality, opposition, and alliance. In he joined Britain in the War of the Third Coalition against Napoleon , but after suffering massive defeats at the battles of Austerlitz and Friedland , he switched sides and formed an alliance with Napoleon in the Treaty of Tilsit and joined Napoleon's Continental System.
He fought a small-scale naval war against Britain between and as well as a short war against Sweden β09 after Sweden's refusal to join the Continental System. Alexander and Napoleon hardly agreed, especially regarding Poland, and the alliance collapsed by Alexander's greatest triumph came in when Napoleon's invasion of Russia descended into a catastrophe for the French.
As part of the winning coalition against Napoleon, he gained territory in Finland and Poland. He formed the Holy Alliance to suppress the revolutionary movements in Europe, which he saw as immoral threats to legitimate Christian monarchs. He also helped Austria 's Klemens von Metternich in suppressing all national and liberal movements. During the second half of his reign, Alexander became increasingly arbitrary, reactionary, and fearful of plots against him; as a result he ended many of the reforms he had made earlier on his reign.
