Tsar Paul I of Russia, full name Paul Petrovich Romanov, was born in 1754 in Saint Petersburg. Paul was II Catherine and Peter's III son, but he received a strict upbringing under the rule of his mother, who did not allow him to come close to power. Paul ascended the throne in 1796, after the death of his mother. During his reign, he introduced many reforms aimed at modernizing the empire. He renewed the army and tried to limit the influence of the Russian nobility. The Tsar's foreign policy was controversial. Initially, he turned against France and later against Great Britain. In 1801, during a palace revolution, he was murdered by conspirators. His son, Sándor I, ascended the throne.

Russian Tsar Paul I ruled from 1796-1801. During his reign, he introduced significant changes in Russian coinage. First, he introduced the use of the Russian ruble. Prior to this, the Russian Empire had many different currencies in use, which made trade and financial transactions difficult. Second, he reformed the Russian Mint. He introduced new technologies and improved the quality of coins.Third, he minted new coins. The 1 ruble gold coin, which depicted the portrait of Tsar Paul, the 50 kopeck silver coin, which depicted the victorious battle of St. George, and the 1 kopeck copper coin, which depicted the figures of the apostles St. Paul and St. Peter. Czar Paul's coinage reforms contributed significantly to the development of the Russian economy . By introducing the use of the ruble and reforming the mint offices, the tsar created the foundations for the modernization of the Russian financial system. Some of the coins introduced by Paul I are still highly prized by collectors today. The 1 ruble gold coin is particularly valuable as it was only minted for a short time.