person
Alexander III of Russia
the Emperor
also: государь, the Emperor, Alexander III, Tsar Alexander III
Emperor of Russia (r. 1881-1894); his expected arrival in Moscow occasions a mass turnout of university students, gymnasium boys, and gymnasium girls to the Kremlin, among them Finik (Seryozha Kiselev), marched out with his schoolmates -- an episode Chekhov treats as good, bracing exercise for the boy rather than a matter of state.
Reading notes
- To A. S. Kiselev, 20 October 1888. Moscow. §8 the Emperor
"Государя" refers to Alexander III, whose expected arrival in Moscow prompts the mass turnout of students and schoolchildren, including Finik, to the Kremlin -- treated by Chekhov with characteristic irony as a bracing, healthful outing for the boy rather than a matter of civic or political weight.
- To I. L. Leontyev, 29 August 1889. Sumy. §9 even prompted the Tsar to pay me a compliment
The reigning Tsar at the time was Alexander III (r. 1881-1894); the compliment is reported to Chekhov secondhand, not witnessed by him directly.