Emperor Nicholas I through the Eyes of the British Travellers of the Last Decade before the Crimean War

This essay explores the image of Russian Emperor Nicholas I and the concept of “the Russian menace” as perceived by British travellers who visited the Russian Empire during the final decade preceding the Crimean War (1842–1852) and published their travel accounts just on the eve of the Eastern crisis. Central to the analysis are six relatively obscure travelogues which are examined in the context of the key Anglo-Russian developments during the period, alongside the contemporaneous public discourse in the British press. The essay compares the travellers’ personal impressions and emotional responses towards Nicholas I with the image of the Emperor created for a domestic audience consumption, and contrasts perceptions of Russian territorial expansion with the British public debate surrounding Britain’s colonial policies