Edited sentence: A common popularist and unresearched view of Emperor Paul I, is that he was mad, that he had a mistress, that his fascination with, and subsequent adoption of the Order of St John and his induction into the office of Grand Master, are seen in this context as indulging further his delusions, and that these eccentricities and his unpredictability in other areas led to his assassination.Given that as histories are often written by the victorious or dominant party to any conflict, in this context, how true is that picture of Paul.Such a portrait of Paul is a gift to those who seek to discount and ridicule the reign of Paul I