The monograph of the French historian, specialist in Russia Marie-Pierre Ray is dedicated to one of the brightest Russian rulers - Emperor Alexander I. Numerous historical works have been written about Alexander I, but his unambiguous image has not yet been created. In this regard, writing another biography of the Russian emperor may seem an unthinkable undertaking, given how difficult it is to create a holistic image of this historical figure. But this is exactly the task set by the author. M.-P. Ray colorfully and brightly tells about the life of the emperor, relying on an extensive bibliography and using an extremely voluminous body of various archival and published materials, shows the changes that the international position and status of Russia underwent during the reign of Alexander I.