Emperor Peter III Fedorovich at birth was named Karl Peter Ulrich, since the future Russian ruler was born in the port city of Kiel, located in the north of the modern German state. On the Russian throne, Peter III lasted six months (1761-1762 are considered the official years of reign), after which he became a victim of a palace coup arranged by his wife, who replaced her deceased spouse.
It is noteworthy that in the following centuries, the biography of Peter III was presented exclusively from a pejorative point of view, so his image among people was unambiguously negative. But recently, historians have found evidence that this emperor had quite definite merits to the country, and a longer term of his reign would have brought tangible benefits to the inhabitants of the Russian Empire.
Childhood and youth
Since the boy was born in the family of Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, the nephew of the Swedish king Charles XII, and his wife Anna Petrovna, the daughter of the king (that is, Peter III was the grandson of Peter I), his fate was predetermined from infancy. As soon as he was born, the child became the heir to the Swedish throne, and besides, in theory he could claim the Russian throne, although, according to the idea of his grandfather Peter I, this should not have happened.
The childhood of Peter III was not royal at all. The boy lost his mother early, and his father, obsessed with reclaiming the lost Prussian lands, raised his son like a soldier. Already at the age of 10, little Karl Peter was awarded the rank of second lieutenant, and a year later the boy was orphaned.
Carl Peter Ulrich - Peter III After the death of Karl Friedrich, his son ended up in the house of Bishop Adolf Eitinsky, his cousin uncle, where the boy turned into an object for humiliation, cruel jokes and where they regularly flogged. Nobody cared about the education of the crown prince, and by the age of 13 he could barely read. Karl Peter was in poor health, he was a frail and timid teenager, but at the same time kind and simple-hearted. He loved music and painting, although because of the memories of his father, he also adored the "military".
However, it is known that until his death, Emperor Peter III was afraid of the sound of cannon shots and rifle volleys. The chroniclers also noted the young man's strange predilection for fantasies and inventions, which often turned into outright lies. There is also a version that even in adolescence, Karl Peter became addicted to alcohol.
The life of the future All-Russian Emperor changed when he was 14 years old. His aunt ascended the Russian throne, who decided to secure the monarchy for the descendants of her father. Since Karl Peter was the only direct heir of Peter the Great, he was summoned to St. Petersburg, where the young Peter the Third, who already bore the title of Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, adopted the Orthodox religion and received the Slavic name Prince Peter Fedorovich.
At the first meeting with her nephew, Elizabeth was amazed at his ignorance and assigned a tutor to the royal heir. The teacher noted the excellent mental abilities of the ward, which debunks one of the myths about Peter III as a "feeble-minded martinet" and "mentally handicapped."
Although there is evidence that the emperor behaved in public in an extremely strange way. Especially in temples. For example, during the service, Peter laughed and spoke loudly. Yes, and with foreign ministers behaved familiarly. Perhaps this behavior gave rise to a rumor about his "inferiority".
Also in his youth, he had been ill with a severe form of smallpox, which could cause developmental disabilities. At the same time, Pyotr Fedorovich understood the exact sciences, geography and fortification, spoke German, French and Latin. But he practically did not know Russian. But he didn't want to master it either.
By the way, smallpox severely disfigured the face of Peter III. But this defect in appearance is not displayed in any portrait. And then no one thought about the art of photography - the first photo in the world appeared only after more than 60 years. So only his portraits, painted from life, but “embellished” by artists, survived to his contemporaries.
Governing body
After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna on December 25, 1761, Peter Fedorovich ascended the throne. But he was not crowned, it was planned to do this after a military campaign against Denmark. As a result, Peter III was crowned posthumously in 1796.
He spent 186 days on the throne. During this time, Peter the Third signed 192 laws and decrees. And that's not even counting the award nominations. So, despite the myths and rumors around his personality and activities, even for such a short period, he managed to prove himself both in the foreign and domestic policies of the country.
The most important document of the reign of Peter Fedorovich is the “Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility”. This piece of legislation exempted nobles from the mandatory 25-year service and even allowed them to travel abroad.
Slandered Emperor Peter IIIOf the other affairs of the emperor, it is worth noting a number of reforms on the transformation of the state system. He, being on the throne for only six months, managed to abolish the Secret Chancellery, introduce freedom of religion, abolish church supervision over the personal lives of his subjects, forbid giving away state lands to private ownership, and most importantly, make the court of the Russian Empire open. And he also declared the forest a national wealth, established the State Bank and introduced the first banknotes into circulation. But after the death of Pyotr Fedorovich, all these innovations were destroyed.
Thus, Emperor Peter III intended to make the Russian Empire freer, less totalitarian and more enlightened.
Despite this, most historians consider the short period and results of his reign to be among the worst for Russia. The main reason for this is the actual annulment of the results of the Seven Years' War by him. Peter developed a bad relationship with military officers, as he ended the war with Prussia and withdrew Russian troops from Berlin. Some regarded these actions as a betrayal, but in fact the victories of the guardsmen in this war brought glory either to them personally, or to Austria and France, whose side was supported by the army. But for the Russian Empire, this war was of no use.
He also decided to introduce the Prussian order into the Russian army - the guards had a new form, and now the punishments were also in the Prussian manner - the cane system. Such changes did not add to his authority, but, on the contrary, gave rise to discontent and uncertainty about the future both in the army and in court circles.
Personal life
When the future ruler was barely 17 years old, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna hurried to marry him. The German princess Sophia Frederica Augusta was chosen as his wife, whom the whole world knows today under the name Catherine II. The wedding of the heir was played on an unprecedented scale. As a gift, Peter and Catherine were presented with the palaces of the count - Oranienbaum near St. Petersburg and Lyubertsy near Moscow.
It is worth noting that Peter III and Catherine II could not stand each other and were considered a married couple only legally. Even when his wife gave Peter the heir of Paul I, and then his daughter Anna, he joked that he did not understand "where she takes these children."
The infant heir, the future Russian Emperor Paul I, was taken from his parents after birth, and Empress Elizaveta Petrovna herself immediately took up his upbringing. However, this did not upset Pyotr Fyodorovich at all. He never showed much interest in his son. He saw the boy once a week, this was the permission of the empress. Daughter Anna Petrovna died in infancy.
The difficult relationship between Peter the Third and Catherine II is evidenced by the fact that the ruler repeatedly quarreled publicly with his wife and even threatened to divorce her. Once, after his wife did not support the toast he had uttered at the feast, Peter III ordered the woman to be arrested. Catherine was saved from prison only by the intervention of Peter's uncle, Georg of Holstein-Gottorp. But with all the aggression, anger and, most likely, burning jealousy for his wife, Pyotr Fedorovich had respect for her mind. In difficult situations, more often economic and financial, Catherine's husband often turned to her for help. There is evidence that Peter III called Catherine II "Madame Help".
It is noteworthy that the absence of intimate relations with Catherine did not affect the personal life of Peter III. Pyotr Fedorovich had mistresses, the main of which was the daughter of General Roman Vorontsov. Two of his daughters were presented to the court: Catherine, who would become a friend of the imperial wife, and later Princess Dashkova, and Elizabeth. So she was destined to become the beloved woman and favorite of Peter III. For her sake, he was even ready to terminate the marriage, but this was not destined to happen.
Death
On the royal throne, Peter Fedorovich stayed a little longer than six months. By the summer of 1762, his wife Catherine II inspired her henchman to organize a palace coup, which took place at the end of June. Peter, struck by the betrayal of his environment, abdicated the Russian throne, which he initially did not value and did not want, and intended to return to his native country. However, by order of Catherine, the deposed emperor was arrested and placed in a palace in Ropsha near St. Petersburg.
And on July 17, 1762, a week after that, Peter III died. The official cause of death was an "attack of hemorrhoidal colic", aggravated by the abuse of alcoholic beverages. However, the main version of the death of the emperor is considered to be a violent death by hand, the elder brother - the main favorite of Catherine at that time. It is believed that Orlov strangled the prisoner, although neither the later medical examination of the corpse nor historical facts confirm this. This version is based on the "repentant letter" of Alexei, which has survived in our time in a copy, and modern scholars are sure that this paper is a fake made by Fyodor Rostopchin, the right hand of Paul the First.
Peter III and Catherine IIAfter the death of the former emperor, there was a misconception about the personality and biography of Peter III, since all conclusions were made on the basis of the memoirs of his wife Catherine II, an active participant in the conspiracy Princess Dashkova, one of the main ideologists of the conspiracy, Count Nikita Panin, and his brother, Count Peter Panin . That is, based on the opinion of those people who betrayed Pyotr Fedorovich.
It was precisely “thanks to” the notes of Catherine II that the image of Peter III was formed as a drunken husband who hanged a rat. Allegedly, the woman went into the emperor's office and was amazed at what she saw. There was a rat hanging over his desk. Her husband replied that she had committed a criminal offense and, according to military laws, was subjected to the most severe punishment. According to him, she was executed and will hang in front of the public for 3 days. This "story" was repeated by both, and, describing Peter the Third.
Whether this was in reality, or whether in this way Catherine II created her own positive image against its “unsightly” background, now it is not possible to find out.
Rumors of death have given rise to a considerable number of impostors calling themselves the "surviving king." Similar phenomena have happened before, it is worth remembering at least the numerous False Dmitrys. But in terms of the number of people who pretended to be the emperor, Pyotr Fedorovich has no competitors. At least 40 persons turned out to be "False Peters III", among which was Stepan Maly.
Memory
- 1934 - feature film "The Dissolute Empress" (as Peter III - Sam Jaffe)
- 1963 - feature film "Katerina from Russia" (in the role of Peter III - Raul Grassili)
- 1987 - the book "The Legend of the Russian Prince" - Mylnikov A.S.
- 1991 - feature film "Vivat, midshipmen!" (as Peter III -)
- 1991 - the book "The temptation of a miracle. "Russian Prince" and impostors "- Mylnikov A. S.
- 2007 - the book "Catherine II and Peter III: the history of the tragic conflict" - Ivanov O. A.
- 2012 - the book "The Heirs of the Giant" - Eliseeva O.I.
- 2014 - the series "Catherine" (in the role of Peter III -)
- 2014 - a monument to Peter III in the German city of Kiel (sculptor Alexander Taratynov)
- 2015 - series "The Great" (as Peter III -)
- 2018 - series "The Bloody Lady" (as Peter III -)
Peter III (Pyotr Fedorovich, born Carl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp; February 21, Kiel - July 17, Ropsha) - Russian emperor in -, the first representative of the Holstein-Gottorp (Oldenburg) branch of the Romanovs on the Russian throne. From 1745 - Sovereign Duke of Holstein.
After a six-month reign, he was overthrown as a result of a palace coup that enthroned his wife, Catherine II, and soon lost his life. The personality and activities of Peter III for a long time were regarded by historians unanimously negatively, but then a more balanced approach appeared, noting a number of state merits of the emperor. During the reign of Catherine, many impostors pretended to be Pyotr Fedorovich (about forty cases were recorded), the most famous of which was Emelyan Pugachev.
Childhood, education and upbringing
Peter grew up timid, nervous, impressionable, loved music and painting and at the same time adored everything military (however, he was afraid of cannon fire; this fear remained with him for the rest of his life). It was with military comforts that all his ambitious dreams were connected. He did not differ in good health, rather the opposite: he was sickly and frail. By nature, Peter was not evil; often acted rudely. Peter's penchant for lies and absurd fantasies is also noted. According to some reports, already in childhood he was addicted to wine.
Heir
At the first meeting, Elizabeth was struck by the ignorance of her nephew and upset by her appearance: thin, sickly, with an unhealthy complexion. Academician Jacob Shtelin became his tutor and teacher, who considered his student quite capable, but lazy, at the same time noting in him such features as cowardice, cruelty to animals, and a tendency to boast. The education of the heir in Russia lasted only three years - after the wedding of Peter and Catherine, Shtelin was dismissed from his duties (however, he forever retained Peter's disposition and trust). Neither during his studies, nor subsequently, did Pyotr Fedorovich ever learn to properly speak and write in Russian. The tutor of the Grand Duke in Orthodoxy was Simon Todorsky, who also became a teacher of the law for Catherine.
The wedding of the heir was played on a special scale - so that before the ten-day celebrations "all the tales of the East faded." Peter and Catherine were granted the possession of Oranienbaum near St. Petersburg and Lyubertsy near Moscow.
Peter's relationship with his wife did not work out from the very beginning: she was intellectually more developed, and he, on the contrary, was infantile. Catherine in her memoirs noted:
(In the same place, Catherine, not without pride, mentions that she read The History of Germany in eight large volumes in four months. Elsewhere in her memoirs, Catherine writes about the enthusiastic reading of Madame de Sevigne and Voltaire. All memories are about the same time.)
The mind of the Grand Duke was still occupied by children's games, military exercises, and he was not at all interested in women. It is believed that until the beginning of the 1750s there was no marital relationship between husband and wife, but then Peter underwent some kind of operation (presumably circumcision to eliminate phimosis), after which in 1754 Catherine gave birth to his son Paul (future Emperor Paul I) . However, the letter of the Grand Duke to his wife, dated December 1746, testifies to the inconsistency of this version:
| madam, I ask you not to bother yourself to sleep with me this night, because it is too late to deceive me, the bed has become too narrow, after a two-week separation from you, this day at noon Your unfortunate husband, whom you never honored with this name |
The infant heir, the future Russian Emperor Paul I, was taken away from his parents immediately after birth, and Empress Elizaveta Petrovna herself took up his upbringing. However, Pyotr Fedorovich was never interested in his son and was quite satisfied with the permission of the Empress to see Paul once a week. Peter became more and more distant from his wife; his favorite was Elizaveta Vorontsova (sister of E. R. Dashkova). Nevertheless, Catherine noted that for some reason the Grand Duke always had an involuntary trust in her, all the more strange that she did not strive for spiritual intimacy with her husband. In difficult situations, financial or economic, he often turned to his wife for help, calling her ironically Madame la Resource("Lady Help").
Peter never hid his hobbies for other women from his wife; Catherine felt humiliated by this state of affairs. In 1756 she had an affair with Stanisław August Poniatowski, at that time the Polish envoy to the Russian court. For the Grand Duke, his wife's passion also did not become a secret. There is evidence that Peter and Catherine more than once arranged dinners with Poniatovsky and Elizaveta Vorontsova; they took place in the chambers of the Grand Duchess. After, leaving with the favorite for his half, Peter joked: “Well, children, now you don’t need us anymore.” Both couples lived on very good terms with each other. In 1757, the grand ducal couple had another child - Anna (she died of smallpox in 1759). Historians cast great doubt on the paternity of Peter, calling S. A. Poniatovsky the most probable father. However, Peter officially recognized the child as his own.
In the early 1750s, Peter was allowed to discharge a small detachment of Holstein soldiers (by 1758 their number was about one and a half thousand), and he spent all his free time doing military exercises and maneuvers with them. Some time later (by 1759-1760) these Holstein soldiers formed the garrison of the amusing fortress Peterstadt, built in the residence of the Grand Duke Oranienbaum. Another hobby of Peter was playing the violin.
During the years spent in Russia, Peter never made any attempts to get to know the country, its people and history better, he neglected Russian customs, behaved inappropriately during church services, did not observe fasts and other rituals.
It is noted that Peter III was energetically engaged in state affairs (“Already in the morning he was in his office, where he listened to reports<…>, then hurried to the Senate or collegiums.<…>In the Senate, he took on the most important cases himself energetically and assertively. His policy was quite consistent; he, in imitation of his grandfather Peter I, proposed a series of reforms.
Among the most important cases of Peter III are the abolition of the Secret Office (Office of Secret Investigative Affairs; Manifesto of February 16, 1762), the beginning of the process of secularization of church lands, the promotion of commercial and industrial activities by creating the State Bank and issuing banknotes (Nominal Decree of May 25), adoption of the decree on freedom of foreign trade (Decree of March 28); it also contains a demand for a careful attitude to forests as one of the most important wealth of Russia. Among other measures, researchers note a decree that allowed factories for the production of sailing fabric in Siberia, as well as a decree that qualified the murder of peasants by landlords as "tyrannical torment" and provided for life exile for this. He also stopped the persecution of the Old Believers. Peter III is also credited with the intention to reform the Russian Orthodox Church according to the Protestant model (In the Manifesto of Catherine II on the occasion of her accession to the throne of June 28, 1762, Peter was blamed for this: “Our Greek Church was already extremely exposed to its last danger of changing the ancient Orthodoxy in Russia and the adoption of an infidel law).
Legislative acts adopted during the short reign of Peter III, in many ways became the foundation for the subsequent reign of Catherine II.
The most important document of the reign of Peter Fedorovich is the “Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility” (Manifesto of February 18, 1762), thanks to which the nobility became the exclusive privileged class of the Russian Empire. The nobility, being forced by Peter I to obligatory and total duty to serve the state all his life, under Anna Ioannovna, who received the right to retire after 25 years of service, now received the right not to serve at all. And the privileges, initially granted to the nobility as a service class, not only remained, but also expanded. In addition to being exempted from service, the nobles received the right to leave the country virtually unhindered. One of the consequences of the Manifesto was that the nobles could now freely dispose of their land holdings, regardless of their attitude to service (the Manifesto passed over in silence the rights of the nobility to their estates; while the previous legislative acts of Peter I, Anna Ioannovna and Elizaveta Petrovna, concerning noble service, linked service duties and landownership rights). The nobility became as free as a privileged estate in a feudal country can be.
The reign of Peter III was marked by the strengthening of serfdom. The landlords got the opportunity to arbitrarily move the peasants who belonged to them from one county to another; there were serious bureaucratic restrictions on the transition of serfs to the merchant class; during the six months of Peter's reign, about 13 thousand people were distributed from state peasants to serfs (in fact, there were more of them: only men were included in the audit lists in 1762). During these six months, peasant riots arose several times, suppressed by punitive detachments. Noteworthy is the Manifesto of Peter III of June 19 regarding the riots in the Tver and Cannes districts: “We intend to inviolably preserve the landowners with their estates and possessions, and keep the peasants in due obedience to them.” The riots were caused by a spreading rumor about the granting of "liberties to the peasantry", a response to the rumors and served as a legislative act, which was not accidentally given the status of a manifesto.
The legislative activity of the government of Peter III was extraordinary. During the 186-day reign, judging by the official "Complete collection of laws of the Russian Empire", 192 documents were adopted: manifestos, nominal and Senate decrees, resolutions, etc. (They do not include decrees on awards and rank production, monetary payments and on specific private issues).
However, some researchers stipulate that measures useful for the country were taken as if “by the way”; for the emperor himself, they were not urgent or important. In addition, many of these decrees and manifestos did not appear suddenly: they were prepared under Elizabeth by the “Commission for the drafting of a new Code”, but were adopted at the suggestion of Roman Vorontsov, Pyotr Shuvalov, Dmitry Volkov and other Elizabethan dignitaries who remained at the throne of Pyotr Fedorovich.
Peter III was much more interested in the internal affairs of the war with Denmark: out of Holstein patriotism, the emperor decided, in alliance with Prussia, to oppose Denmark (yesterday's ally of Russia), in order to return Schleswig taken away from her native Holstein, and he himself intended to go on a campaign at the head of the guard.
| Romanov dynasty (before Peter III) | |||||||
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| Nikita Ivanovich |
Immediately upon accession to the throne, Pyotr Fedorovich returned to court most of the disgraced nobles of the previous reign, who were languishing in exile (except for the hated Bestuzhev-Ryumin). Among them was Count Burchard Christopher Munnich, a veteran of palace coups. The Holstein relatives of the emperor were summoned to Russia: Princes Georg Ludwig of Holstein-Gottorp and Peter August Friedrich of Holstein-Beck. Both were promoted to field marshals in view of the war with Denmark; Peter August Friedrich was also appointed governor-general of the capital. Alexandre Vilboa was appointed Feldzeugmeister General. These people, as well as the former tutor Jacob Stehlin, who was appointed personal librarian, formed the emperor's inner circle.
Once in power, Peter III immediately stopped hostilities against Prussia and concluded the Peace of Petersburg with Frederick II on extremely unfavorable terms for Russia, returning the conquered East Prussia (which had been an integral part of the Russian Empire for four years); and abandoning all acquisitions in the course of the effectively won Seven Years' War. Russia's exit from the war again saved Prussia from complete defeat (see also "The Miracle of the Brandenburg House"). Peter III easily sacrificed the interests of Russia for the sake of his German duchy and friendship with the idol Frederick. The peace concluded on April 24 caused bewilderment and indignation in society, it was naturally regarded as a betrayal and national humiliation. The long and costly war ended in nothing, Russia did not derive any benefits from its victories.
Despite the progressive nature of many legislative measures and the unprecedented privileges of the nobility, Peter's poorly thought out foreign policy acts, as well as his harsh actions against the church, the introduction of the Prussian order in the army not only did not add to his authority, but deprived him of any social support; in court circles, his policy only gave rise to uncertainty about the future.
| Society felt in the actions of the government prank and whim, the lack of unity of thought and a certain direction. It was obvious to everyone that the governmental mechanism was in disorder. All this caused a friendly murmur, which poured down from the higher spheres and became popular. Tongues loosened, as if not feeling the policeman's fear; on the streets they openly and loudly expressed discontent, without any fear blaming the sovereign. |
Finally, the intention to withdraw the guard from Petersburg and send it to an incomprehensible and unpopular Danish campaign served as a powerful catalyst for a conspiracy that arose in the guard in favor of Ekaterina Alekseevna.
Palace coup
The first beginnings of the conspiracy date back to 1756, that is, by the time the Seven Years' War began and the health of Elizabeth Petrovna worsened. The all-powerful chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin, knowing full well about the pro-Prussian sentiments of the heir and realizing that under the new sovereign he was threatened at least by Siberia, hatched plans to neutralize Pyotr Fedorovich upon his accession to the throne, declaring Catherine an equal co-ruler. However, Alexei Petrovich fell into disgrace in 1758, hastening to implement his plan (the intentions of the chancellor remained undisclosed, he managed to destroy the dangerous papers). The Empress herself had no illusions about her successor on the throne and later thought about replacing her nephew with Paul's great-nephew:
| During illness<…>Elisaveta Petrovna I heard that<…>everyone is afraid of her heir; that he is neither loved nor honored by anyone; that the empress herself complains about whom to entrust the throne; that they find a tendency in her to dismiss the incapable heir, from whom she herself had annoyance, and take his seven-year-old son and entrust me [that is, Catherine] with management. |
Over the next three years, Catherine, who also fell under suspicion in 1758 and almost ended up in a monastery, did not take any noticeable political actions, except that she stubbornly increased and strengthened personal ties in high society.
In the ranks of the guard, a conspiracy against Pyotr Fedorovich took shape in the last months of Elizaveta Petrovna's life, thanks to the activities of the three Orlov brothers, the officers of the Izmailovsky regiment, the brothers Roslavlev and Lasunsky, the Preobrazhenians Passek and Bredikhin, and others. Among the highest dignitaries of the Empire, the most enterprising conspirators were N. I. Panin, educator of the young Pavel Petrovich, M. N. Volkonsky and K. G. Razumovsky, Little Russian hetman, president of the Academy of Sciences, favorite of his Izmailovsky regiment.
Elizaveta Petrovna died without daring to change anything in the fate of the throne. Catherine did not consider it possible to carry out a coup immediately after the death of the Empress: she was at the end of her fifth month of pregnancy (from Grigory Orlov; in April 1762 she gave birth to her son Alexei). In addition, Catherine had political reasons not to rush things, she wanted to attract as many supporters as possible to her side for a complete triumph. Knowing well the character of her husband, she rightly believed that Peter would set the entire metropolitan society against him soon enough. To carry out the coup, Catherine chose to wait for the right moment.
The position of Peter III in society was precarious, but the position of Catherine at court was also fragile. Peter III openly said that he was going to divorce his wife in order to marry his favorite Elizaveta Vorontsova. He treated his wife rudely, and on April 30, during a gala dinner on the occasion of the conclusion of peace with Prussia, there was a public scandal. The emperor, in the presence of the court, diplomats and foreign princes, shouted to his wife across the table "folle"(stupid); Catherine wept. The reason for the insult was Catherine's unwillingness to drink while standing, proclaimed by Peter III toast. The hostility between the spouses reached its climax. On the evening of the same day, he gave the order to arrest her, and only the intervention of Field Marshal Georg of Holstein-Gottorp, the emperor's uncle, saved Catherine.
Peterhof. Cascade "Golden Mountain". 19th century photolithography
By May 1762, the change of mood in the capital became so obvious that the emperor was advised on all sides to take measures to prevent a catastrophe, there were denunciations of a possible conspiracy, but Pyotr Fedorovich did not understand the seriousness of his situation. In May, the court, led by the emperor, as usual, left the city, to Oranienbaum. There was a calm in the capital, which greatly contributed to the final preparations of the conspirators.
The Danish campaign was planned for June. The emperor decided to postpone the march of the troops in order to celebrate his name day. On the morning of June 28, 1762, on the eve of Peter's Day, Emperor Peter III with his retinue set off from Oranienbaum, his country residence, to Peterhof, where a gala dinner was to be held in honor of the emperor's name day. On the eve of St. Petersburg, there was a rumor that Catherine was being held under arrest. The strongest turmoil began in the guard; one of the conspirators, Captain Passek, was arrested; the Orlov brothers feared that there was a threat of disclosure of the conspiracy.
In Peterhof, Peter III was supposed to be met by his wife, who, on the duty of the empress, was the organizer of the celebrations, but by the time the court arrived, she had disappeared. After a short time, it became known that Catherine fled to St. Petersburg early in the morning in a carriage with Alexei Orlov (he arrived in Peterhof to Catherine with the news that events had taken a critical turn and it was no longer possible to delay). In the capital, the guards, the Senate and the Synod, the population swore allegiance to the "Empress and Autocrat of All Russia" in a short time.
The guards marched towards Peterhof.
Peter's further actions show an extreme degree of confusion. Rejecting Minich's advice to immediately head to Kronstadt and fight, relying on the fleet and the army loyal to him stationed in East Prussia, he was going to defend himself in Peterhof in a toy fortress built for maneuvers with the help of a Holstein detachment. However, having learned about the approach of the guards led by Catherine, Peter abandoned this thought and sailed to Kronstadt with the whole court, ladies, etc. But by that time Kronstadt had already sworn allegiance to Catherine. After that, Peter completely lost heart and, again rejecting Minich's advice to go to the East Prussian army, returned to Oranienbaum, where he signed the abdication.
| Somewhere they got wine, and a general binge began. The rampant guard was clearly going to inflict reprisals on their former emperor. Panin forcibly gathered a battalion of reliable soldiers to surround the pavilion. It was hard to look at Peter III. He sat powerless and weak-willed, constantly crying. Seizing a moment, he rushed to Panin and, catching his hand for a kiss, whispered: “I ask for one thing - leave Lizaveta [Vorontsova] with me, I conjure in the name of the Merciful Lord!” . |
The events of June 28, 1762 have significant differences from previous palace coups; firstly, the coup went beyond the "walls of the palace" and even beyond the boundaries of the guards barracks, gaining hitherto unprecedented broad support from various segments of the capital's population, and secondly, the guards became an independent political force, and not a protective force, but a revolutionary one that overthrew the legitimate emperor and Catherine, who supported the usurpation of power.
Death
Palace in Ropsha, built during the reign of Catherine II
The circumstances of the death of Peter III have not yet been finally clarified.
Immediately after the coup, the deposed emperor, accompanied by a guard of guards led by A. G. Orlov, was sent to Ropsha, 30 miles from St. Petersburg, where he died a week later. According to the official (and most likely) version, the cause of death was an attack of hemorrhoidal colic, aggravated by prolonged alcohol consumption, and accompanied by diarrhea. An autopsy (which was carried out on the orders of Catherine) revealed that Peter III had a pronounced dysfunction of the heart, inflammation of the intestines, and there were signs of apoplexy.
However, the common version considers the death of Peter violent and calls Alexei Orlov the killer. This version is based on Orlov's letter to Ekaterina from Ropsha, which has not been preserved in the original. This letter has come down to us in a copy made by F. V. Rostopchin; the original letter was allegedly destroyed by Emperor Paul I in the first days of his reign. Recent historical and linguistic studies refute the authenticity of the document (the original, apparently, never existed, and Rostopchin is the true author of the fake).
Already today, a number of medical examinations have been carried out on the basis of surviving documents and evidence. Experts believe that Peter III suffered from manic-depressive psychosis in a weak stage (cyclothymia) with a mild depressive phase; suffered from hemorrhoids, which is why he could not sit in one place for a long time; A “small heart” found at autopsy usually suggests dysfunction of other organs as well, making it more likely to have poor blood circulation, which means there is a risk of a heart attack or stroke.
The funeral
Chimes of the Peter and Paul Cathedral
Initially, Peter III was buried without any honors in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, since only crowned heads were buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, the imperial tomb. The full Senate asked the Empress not to attend the funeral.
But, according to some reports, Catherine decided in her own way; came to the Lavra incognito and paid her last debt to her husband. In, immediately after the death of Catherine, by order of Paul I, his remains were transferred first to the house church of the Winter Palace, and then to the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Peter III was reburied simultaneously with the burial of Catherine II; At the same time, Emperor Paul personally performed the ceremony of crowning the ashes of his father.
The headstones of the buried have the same date of burial (December 18, 1796), which gives the impression that Peter III and Catherine II lived together for many years and died on the same day.
Life after death
Impostors in the world community have not been a novelty since the time of the False Nero, who appeared almost immediately after the death of his "prototype". In Russia, false tsars and false princes of the Time of Troubles are also known, but among all other domestic rulers and members of their families, Peter III holds the absolute record for the number of impostors who tried to take the place of the untimely deceased tsar. In Pushkin's time there were rumors of five; according to the latest data, in Russia alone there were about forty false Peters III.
Shortly thereafter, the name of the late emperor was appropriated by a fugitive recruit Ivan Evdokimov, who tried to raise an uprising in his favor among the peasants of the Nizhny Novgorod province and a Ukrainian Nikolay Kolchenko in Chernihiv /
In the same year, shortly after the arrest of Kremnev, in Sloboda Ukraine, in the settlement of Kupyanka, Izyumsky district, a new impostor appears. This time it turned out to be Chernyshev Pyotr Fedorovich, a runaway soldier of the Bryansk regiment. This impostor, unlike his predecessors, turned out to be smart and eloquent. Soon captured, convicted and exiled to Nerchinsk, he did not leave his claims there either, spreading rumors that the "father-emperor", who incognito inspected the soldiers' regiments, was mistakenly captured and beaten with whips. The peasants who believed him tried to organize an escape by bringing a horse to the "sovereign" and supplying him with money and provisions for the road. However, the impostor was not lucky. He got lost in the taiga, was caught and severely punished in front of his admirers, sent to Mangazeya for eternal work, but died on the way there.
An extraordinary personality turned out to be Fedot Bogomolov, a former serf who fled and joined the Volga Cossacks under the name Kazin. Strictly speaking, he himself did not pretend to be the former emperor, but in March-June 1772 on the Volga, in the Tsaritsyn region, when his colleagues, due to the fact that Kazin-Bogomolov seemed to them too quick-witted and smart, suggested that in front of them hiding emperor, Bogomolov easily agreed with his "imperial dignity." Bogomolov, following his predecessors, was arrested, sentenced to tearing out his nostrils, branding and eternal exile. On the way to Siberia, he died.
In the same year, a certain Don Cossack, whose name has not been preserved in history, decided to extract monetary benefits for himself from the widespread belief in the "hiding emperor." Perhaps, of all the applicants, this was the only one who spoke in advance with a purely fraudulent purpose. His accomplice, posing as the secretary of state, traveled around the Tsaritsyn province, taking oaths and preparing the people for the reception of the "father-tsar", then the impostor himself appeared. The couple managed to profit enough at someone else's expense before the news reached the other Cossacks and they decided to give everything a political aspect. A plan was developed to capture the town of Dubrovka and arrest all the officers. However, the plot became known to the authorities and one of the high-ranking military showed sufficient decisiveness to radically suppress the plot. Accompanied by a small convoy, he entered the hut where the impostor was, hit him in the face and ordered him to be arrested along with his accomplice (“secretary of state”). The Cossacks present obeyed, but when the arrested were brought to Tsaritsyn for trial and reprisals, rumors immediately spread that the emperor was in custody and dull unrest began. To avoid an attack, the prisoners were forced to be kept outside the city, under heavy escort. During the investigation, the prisoner died, that is, from the point of view of the inhabitants, he again "disappeared without a trace." In 1774, the future leader of the peasant war Emelyan Pugachev, the most famous of the false Peters III, skillfully turned this story to his advantage, assuring that he himself was the "disappeared emperor" from Tsaritsyn - and this attracted many to his side. .
The Lost Emperor appeared at least four times abroad and enjoyed considerable success there. For the first time he appeared in 1766 in Montenegro, which at that time was fighting for independence against the Turks and the Venetian Republic. Strictly speaking, this man, who appeared from nowhere and became a village healer, never declared himself emperor, but a certain captain Tanovich, who had previously been in St. from Orthodox monasteries and came to the conclusion that the original is very similar to its image. A high-ranking delegation was sent to Stephen (that was the name of the stranger) with requests to take power over the country, but he flatly refused until internal strife was stopped and peace was made between the tribes. Such unusual demands finally convinced the Montenegrins of his "royal origin" and, despite the resistance of the churchmen and the intrigues of the Russian general Dolgorukov, Stefan became the ruler of the country. He never revealed his real name, giving Yu. V. Dolgoruky, who sought the truth, a choice of three versions - “Raichevich from Dalmatia, a Turk from Bosnia and finally a Turk from Ioannina”. Openly recognizing himself as Peter III, he, however, ordered to call himself Stephen and went down in history as Stephen the Small, which is believed to come from the signature of the impostor - “ Stefan, small with small, kind with good, evil with evil". Stefan turned out to be an intelligent and knowledgeable ruler. In the short time that he remained in power, internecine strife ceased; after short frictions, good-neighborly relations with Russia were established and the country confidently defended itself against the onslaught of both the Venetians and the Turks. This could not please the conquerors, and Turkey and Venice repeatedly attempted on Stephen's life. Finally, one of the attempts was successful: after five years of reign, Stefan the Small was stabbed to death in his sleep by his own doctor, a Greek by nationality, Stanko Klasomunya, who was bribed by the Skadar Pasha. The things of the impostor were sent to Petersburg, and his associates even tried to get themselves a pension from Catherine for "valiant service to her husband."
After the death of Stefan, the ruler of Montenegro and Peter III, once again “miraculously escaped from the hands of the murderers,” a certain Zenovich tried to declare himself, but his attempt was not crowned with success. Count Mocenigo, who at that time was on the island of Zante in the Adriatic, wrote about another impostor in a report to the Doge of the Venetian Republic. This impostor operated in Turkish Albania, in the vicinity of the city of Arta. What ended his epic - is unknown.
The last foreign impostor, having appeared in 1773, traveled all over Europe, corresponded with monarchs, kept in touch with Voltaire and Rousseau. In 1785 in Amsterdam, finally, the swindler was arrested and opened his veins.
The last Russian "Peter III" was arrested in 1797, after which the ghost of Peter III finally leaves the historical scene.
Notes
- Biographies of the cavalry guards: N. Yu. Trubetskoy
- Iskul S.N. Year 1762. - St. Petersburg: Information and Publishing Agency "Lik", 2001, p. 43.
- Peskov A. M. Pavel I. The author refers to:
Kamensky A. B. Life and fate of Empress Catherine the Great. - M., 1997.
Naumov V.P. An amazing autocrat: the mysteries of his life and reign. - M., 1993.
Ivanov O. A. The mystery of Alexei Orlov's letters from Ropsha // Moscow magazine. - 1995. - № 9. - VIVOS VOCO: N. Ya. Eidelman, “YOUR XVIII CENTURY…” (Chapter 6)
- Integrated lesson on the course of Russian history and literature in the 8th… :: Open Lesson Festival
- Murmansk MBNEWS.RU - Polar truth number 123 dated 24.08.06
- SHIELD and SWORD | A long time ago
- http://www.rustrana.ru/article.php?nid=22182 (unavailable link - history)
- Alexey Golovnin. The word is infallible. Samizdat magazine (2007). - Application of methods of structural hermeneutics to the text "Words about Igor's Campaign". Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
- Count Benevsky. Part four. Runaway Noah's Ark
- http://window.edu.ru/window_catalog/files/r42450/r2gl12.pdf
- :: Russian torture. Political investigation in Russia of the 18th century - Evgeny Anisimov - Page: 6 - Read - Free download txt fb2:: (unavailable link - history)
- Sergey Kravchenko. Crooked Empire. My day is my year!┘
- Pugachev on the Volga | History of Tsaritsyn | History of Volgograd
- Selivanov Kondraty
- How Stephen the Small came to save Montenegro and afterwards | Spectator, The | Find Articles at BNET (unavailable link)
- Stepan (Stefan) Small. Impostor. He posed as Peter III in Montenegro. Books in the 100 One Hundred Great series
- Doubles, impostors or historical figures who lived twice
References
- Klyuchevsky V. O. historical portraits. - M .: "Pravda", 1990. - ISBN 5-253-00034-8
In 1762, another palace coup took place in Russia, which was so rich in the 18th century. For 37 years after the death of Peter the Great until the accession of Catherine II, the throne was occupied by six monarchs. All of them came to power after palace intrigues or coups, and two of them - Ivan Antonovich (Ivan VI) and Peter III were overthrown and killed ..
Few of the Russian autocrats have earned so many negative and ridiculous assessments in historiography - from "tyrant" and "toon of Frederick II" to "hater of everything Russian" - like Peter III. Domestic historians in their writings did not honor him with a single praise. The authoritative professor Vasily Klyuchevsky wrote: “His development stopped before growth, in the years of courage he remained the same as he was in childhood, he grew up without maturing.”
In the courses of Russian history, a paradoxical thing has developed, the reforms of Peter III - the Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility and the liquidation of the sinister Secret Chancellery, which was engaged in political investigation - were all called progressive and timely, and their author - weak-minded and narrow-minded. In the people's memory, he remained a victim of his royal wife, Catherine the Great, and the most formidable rebel, Emelyan Pugachev, who instilled fear in the house of the Romanovs, was named after him.
Relative of three monarchs
Before the adoption of Orthodoxy in Russia, the name of Peter III sounded like Karl Peter Ulrich. By the will of fate, he was the heir to three royal houses at once: Swedish, Russian and Holstein. His mother, the eldest daughter of Peter I, Tsesarevna Anna Petrovna, died three months after the birth of her son, and the boy was brought up by his father, the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, Karl-Friedrich, until the age of 11.
The father raised his son in a military way, in the Prussian way, and the young man's love for military engineering remained for life. At first, the boy was being prepared for the Swedish throne, but in 1741, Elizaveta Petrovna came to power in Russia, who had no children of her own, and she chose her nephew as the future heir to the Russian throne.
After moving to Russia and adopting the Orthodox faith, he was named Peter Fedorovich, and in order to emphasize the continuity of power on the throne, the words “Grandson of Peter the Great” were included in his official title.
Pyotr Fedorovich when he was the Grand Duke. Portrait by G. H. Groot Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Heir of Elizabeth Petrovna
In 1742, during the solemn coronation, Elizaveta Petrovna declared him her heir. Soon a bride was also found - the daughter of an impoverished German prince - Sophia-Frederick-August of Anhalt-Zerbst. The marriage took place on August 21, 1745. The groom was 17 years old, and the bride - 16. The young people were granted the palaces in Oranienbaum near St. Petersburg and Lyubertsy near Moscow. But their family life did not work out from the very first days. Soon both had hobbies on the side. And even the fact that at first both were in Russia in the same position, in a foreign land, forced to change their language (Ekaterina and Peter could not get rid of a strong German accent) and religion, to get used to the orders of the Russian court - all this did not bring them closer.
The wife of Pyotr Fedorovich, who received the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna at baptism, was more willing to learn Russian, did a lot of self-education, and, most valuable, she perceived her move to Russia as an incredible fortune, a unique chance, which she did not intend to miss. Natural cunning, ingenuity, subtle intuition and determination helped her find allies, attract the sympathy of people much more often than her husband could.
Short reign
Peter and Catherine: a joint portrait by G.K. Groot Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
In 1762, Elizabeth dies and Peter III Fedorovich ascended the throne. Peter Fedorovich waited almost 20 years for his reign, and lasted only 186 days.
Immediately after his ascension, he developed a vigorous legislative activity. During his short reign, almost 200 legislative acts were adopted!
He pardoned many criminals and political exiles (among them Minich and Biron), abolished the Secret Chancellery, which had been operating since the time of Peter I and had been engaged in secret investigation and torture, announced forgiveness to repentant peasants who had previously shown disobedience to their landowners, and forbade the persecution of schismatics. Under him, the State Bank was created, which encouraged commercial and industrial activities. And in March 1762, he issued a decree, which, in theory, was supposed to attract the nobility in Russia to his side - he abolished compulsory military service for the nobles.
In reforms, he tried to imitate his great grandfather - Peter Alekseevich. Today, historians note that in many ways, the reforms of Peter III became the foundation for the future transformations of Catherine II. But it was the wife who became the first source for the unflattering characterization of the personality of the Russian Emperor Peter III. In her notes, and in the memoirs of her closest friend, Princess Ekaterina Dashkova, Pyotr Fedorovich for the first time appears as a stupid and eccentric Prussian who hated Russia.
Conspiracy
Despite the active lawmaking, much more than the laws, the emperor was interested in the war. And here the Prussian army was his ideal.
After accession, Peter introduced the Prussian uniform in the Russian army, the strictest discipline and daily training according to the Prussian model. In addition, in April 1762, he concluded an unfavorable Petersburg peace treaty with Prussia, according to which Russia withdrew from the Seven Years' War and voluntarily gave Prussia the territory occupied by Russian troops, including East Prussia. But the Russian guards were outraged not only by the unusual Prussian order, but also by the disrespectful attitude towards the officers of the emperor himself, who did not hide his intention to disband the guards regiments, considering them the main culprits of all conspiracies. And in this Emperor Peter was right.
Portrait of Peter III by the artist A. P. Antropov, 1762 Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org
Most likely, a conspiracy against Pyotr Fedorovich began to take shape long before the death of Elizabeth Petrovna. The hostile relationship between the spouses was no longer a secret to anyone. Peter III openly declared that he was going to divorce his wife in order to marry his favorite Elizaveta Vorontsova.
On the eve of Peter's Day on June 28, Peter III went to Peterhof to participate in large festivities; Ekaterina Alekseevna, the main organizer of this celebration, did not meet him at the residence. The emperor was informed about her escape in the early morning to St. Petersburg with a guards officer Alexei Orlov. It became clear that events had taken a critical turn, and suspicions of treason were confirmed.
In St. Petersburg, Catherine was sworn in by the main government institutions - the Senate and the Synod. The Guard also supported Catherine. On the same day, Peter III, who did not dare to take any retaliatory actions, signed the abdication of the Russian throne. He was arrested and sent to Ropsha, where he died a few days later. The circumstances of his death are still unclear.
According to the official version, the cause of death was an attack of "hemorrhoid colic." This version was questioned even during the life of Catherine, suggesting that the emperor was simply strangled. Some scientists believe that death was the result of a massive heart attack. There is no doubt only that the living emperor Peter III did not need either the guard or Ekaterina Alekseevna, his wife. According to Catherine's contemporaries, the news of her husband's death shocked her. Despite the steel character, she remained an ordinary person and was afraid of retribution. But the people, the guards and posterity forgave her this crime. She remained in history, first of all, as an outstanding statesman, in contrast to her unfortunate husband. After all, history, as you know, is written by the winners.
The Russian Emperor Peter III (Peter Fedorovich, born Karl Peter Ulrich Holstein of Gottorp) was born on February 21 (10 old style) 1728 in the city of Kiel in the Duchy of Holstein (now - the territory of Germany).
His father is Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein of Gottorp, nephew of the Swedish King Charles XII, his mother is Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter I. Thus, Peter III was the grandson of two sovereigns and could, under certain conditions, be a pretender to both the Russian and Swedish thrones .
In 1741, after the death of Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden, he was chosen to succeed her husband Frederick, who received the Swedish throne. In 1742, Peter was brought to Russia and declared by his aunt to be the heir to the Russian throne.
Peter III became the first representative of the Holstein-Gottorp (Oldenburg) branch of the Romanovs on the Russian throne, which ruled until 1917.
Peter's relationship with his wife did not work out from the very beginning. He spent all his free time doing military exercises and maneuvers. During the years spent in Russia, Peter never made any attempt to get to know this country, its people and history better. Elizaveta Petrovna did not allow him to participate in solving political issues, and the only position in which he could prove himself was the position of director of the gentry corps. Meanwhile, Peter openly criticized the activities of the government, and during the Seven Years' War he publicly expressed sympathy for the Prussian king Frederick II. All this was widely known not only at the court, but also in the wider strata of Russian society, where Peter did not enjoy either authority or popularity.
The beginning of his reign was marked by numerous favors to the nobility. Returned from exile, the former regent Duke of Courland and many others. The Secret Investigation Office was destroyed. On March 3 (February 18 according to the old style), 1762, the Emperor issued a Decree on the Liberty of the Nobility (Manifesto "On the Granting of Liberty and Freedom to All the Russian Nobility").
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
Having married the Duke of Holstein Karl-Friedrich, daughter Anna Petrovna lost her rights to the Russian throne. Her son, who was named Karl-Peter-Ulrich at birth, was more fortunate - he, however, for a very short time, became the Russian emperor under the name Peter III (10.02.1728-06.07.1762). His wife, who overthrew him in 1762, an impostor on the Russian throne, Catherine II, did everything to present her husband as a narrow-minded and petty person, largely slandering his memory.
Biography of Peter III
The boy lost both parents early: his mother died in childbirth, his father when the child was only 11 years old. He did not find a common language with the teachers and did not receive a systematic education either. Despite the high origin, the future Russian emperor was subjected to cruel corporal punishment, which, in many ways, shaped his character, in which good nature and gentleness alternated with fits of anger. He was fond of playing the violin and achieved almost perfection in performance. In 1742, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna remembered her nephew and ordered him to be brought to Russia. Shortly after his arrival, he was proclaimed heir to the throne. The young man was obliged to Elizabeth by the transition to the Orthodox faith under the name of Peter Fedorovich. Soon he was married to Princess Sophia Augusta-Frederick of Angelt-Tserbskaya. This is how the future rulers of Russia, Peter III and Catherine II, met. The marriage cannot be called successful, each in it was on its own. Moreover, Peter was deliberately cold with his wife, and she, in turn, sought solace in the arms of other gentlemen. It is not for nothing that the version is so stubbornly held in Russian historiography that the father of the future Emperor Paul I was not Peter III at all, but Count Alexei Saltykov, one of Catherine's many lovers. However, a simple glance at the portraits of both is enough to easily detect a direct relationship, not to mention similar character traits. Peter became emperor after the death of Elizabeth Petrovna. His short reign left an ambiguous impression on his contemporaries and an ambiguous memory on his descendants. Peter did a lot, if not everything, contrary to, in spite of the memory of the late empress. For too long, his pride and lust for power had been infringed, and now nothing and no one held them back. In the end, Peter restored the guard against himself, which turned out to be like death in the literal sense. The deposed emperor was taken to a hunting lodge in Ropsha, where he was kept under guard. There he was, most likely, killed during lunch by one of the Orlov brothers.
Domestic policy of Peter III
Six months - exactly so much was released to Peter to implement his own plans. However, it is very difficult to say that he had any specific program for the reorganization of Russia. The emperor was in a fever and was thrown from one extreme to another. Among the most significant events of that time, one can single out the granting of liberties to the nobility through the Imperial Manifesto, the weakening of church land tenure, the cessation of persecution for the faith (this was especially true of schismatic Old Believers), as well as the liquidation of the Secret Chancellery hated by many. At the same time, Peter began to zealously rebuild the army in the Prussian manner, which was, in the end, a fatal step for him.
Foreign policy of Peter III
If it is difficult to call Peter's internal policy consistent, as noted above, then the external one, on the contrary, was quite definite. All the successes of Russia in the seven-year war with Prussia were, in fact, nullified by an alliance with the Prussian Emperor Frederick, Peter's idol from his youth.
- The body of the emperor was originally buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, but the son of Peter, Emperor Paul I, who came to power in 1796, ordered that the remains of both parents rest together in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. In retaliation, Pavel ordered one of the alleged murderers, Count Alexei Orlov, to accompany the coffin of his parent.
- The people did not have time to fall in love or hate Peter III, unlike the guards.
- Some refused to consider him killed, and on this wave of sentiment, such a phenomenon as imposture revived again. The most famous impostor who took the name of Peter III, of course, was the Yaik Cossack Emelyan Pugachev.
