Well, apparently, he was willing to do so, so...
1840-1848 - Europe on the Eve of Revolutions: Part 1 - the Marriage of the Century (and an upset German)
Tsarevich Alexander Nikolayev was, by all accounts, not exactly an unattractive man - a trait contemporaries also ascribed to his father, Nicholas I of Russia. At the same time, Victoria of England was not exactly an unattractive woman. Having both met during Alexander's brief stay in London, they developed a swift romance. Despite objections of Parliament, Victoria was adamant in her decisions. Parliament agreed - on one condition: Alexander would give up his claim to the Russian throne.
A portrait of Alexander.
Though not expecting the reply to be so adamant, Alexander was willing to cede the claim, writing in his diary that "
Paris may be worth a mass, but Victoria is worth an Empire." His father disagreed vehemently. Feeling that the loss of Alexander might be a loss to the Russian Empire as a whole, he reportedly, in a drunken stupor one evening, actively cursed Alexander as a traitor to the empire, and ordered him to leave. Though Alexander did not leave Russia immediately, by 1840 the couple was married.
Painting of the marriage of Alexander and Victoria by George Hayter.
This does not mean, however, that there was no one else involved. Prince Albrecht, of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, had also been a suitor of Victoria. Parliament outright rejected him as an option, as a minor German princedom was no match for potential positive relations with the Russian Empire, an old ally of the Empire. Upon hearing of the marriage of Alexander and Victoria, Albrecht first went into a rage. Having calmed down, he decided to send the couple his congratulations, and would soon reconcile with Victoria - In fact, the United Kingdom was instrumental in allowing the Saxon states to unite, forming a counterweight to Prussian and Austrian power politics in the area.
Albrecht of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha and later the Principal Minister of the United Saxon States.
Meanwhile, in Russia, Konstantin Nikolayevich was declared the Tsarevich. somewhat liberal at heart, Konstantin and his father would have occasional quarrels, with Nicholas afraid that his second son would follow his first and leave. This effectively led to a great deal of reaction in Nicholas' reign. While it is true that railroads kept expanding, a general policy of Russification would hit not just the Poles, but anyone daring enough to promote national identity. Finnish, for example, would from now on be written in Cyrillic, as was the case with the national epic, the
Kalevala.
"Вака ванха Вэинэмёинен
итсе туон саноикси виркки:
ъНэистэпэ токи тулиси
каланлуинен кантелоинен,
кун оиси осоаята,
соитон луисен лаатията.ъ
Кун еи тоиста туллуткана,
еи оллут осоаята,
соитон луисен лаатията,
вака ванха Вэинэмёинен
итсе лоихе лаатиякси,
текийэкси теснтелихе.” - Excerpt of the Kalevala in Cyrillic.
The year 1840 thus passed with relative uneventfulness, something that could not be said for the next 8 years...