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| Historian Solovyov dispelled the common myth about the phrase about Russia's two allies |
| 2025-03-10 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Regnum] The opinion that Russian Emperor Alexander III said the phrase "Russia has only two allies - its army and navy" is a common myth; in reality, he did not say this. This was stated on March 9 by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Kirill Solovyov. He noted that there are no reliable sources that would confirm the authorship of this saying. The belief began after the publication of the memoirs of the Emperor's son-in-law, Prince Alexander Mikhailovich. These memoirs contain many inaccuracies, and there are no other references to the winged aphorism. “There is no doubt that if the Russian emperor had ever publicly uttered this bright and unusual phrase, many at court would have remembered it and immediately picked it up,” Solovyov said in a conversation with Lenta.ru. According to the scientist, the popular expression appeared based on the greeting of Alexander III when he met with Montenegrin Prince Nikola I. The Emperor then called him the only ally of Russia outside its borders. Since Montenegro was not an influential state, the phrase actually said that Russia had no allies. “It seems to me that Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich simply slightly rephrased this phrase to make it sound more effective,” Solovyov suggested. Earlier, candidate of historical sciences, specialist in the study of the Patriotic War of 1812 Lidiya Ivchenko in an interview with the Regnum news agency stated that Russia stopped the Western crusade during the Battle of Borodino. She noted that it was not the French army, but the pan-European army that actually invaded Russian territory. Napoleon, who led it, spoke directly about plans to stop the "destructive influence of Russia" on Europe. |
| Posted by:badanov |