Peter III Fedorovich Romanov

Peter III (Pyotr Fedorovich Romanov , birth nameKarl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp; February 21, 1728, Kiel - July 17, 1762, Ropsha- Russian Emperor in 1761-1762, the first representative of the Holstein-Gottorp (or rather: Oldenburg dynasty, Holstein-Gottorp branches, officially bearing the name "Imperial House of Romanov")on the Russian throne, husband of Catherine II, father of Paul I

Peter III(in the uniform of the Life Guards Regiment of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, 1762)

Peter III

The short reign of Peter III lasted less than a year, but during this time the emperor managed to turn almost all influential forces in Russia against himself. noble society: court, guard, army and clergy.

He was born on February 10 (21), 1728 in Kiel in the Duchy of Holstein ( northern Germany). The German prince Karl Peter Ulrich, who received the name Peter Fedorovich after accepting Orthodoxy, was the son of Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp and eldest daughter Peter I Anna Petrovna.

Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp

Anna Petrovna

Having ascended the throne, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna summoned the son of her beloved sister to Russia and appointed him as her heir in 1742. Karl Peter Ulrich was brought to St. Petersburg in early February 1742 and on November 15 (26) was declared her heir. Then he converted to Orthodoxy and received the name Peter Fedorovich

Elizaveta Petrovna

Academician J. Shtelin was assigned to him as a teacher, but he was unable to achieve any significant success in the prince’s education; He was only interested in military affairs and playing the violin.

Pyotr Fedorovich when he was Grand Duke. Portrait of work G. H. Groot

In May 1745, the prince was proclaimed the ruling Duke of Holstein. In August 1745 he married Princess Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst, the future Catherine II.

Petr Fedorovich ( Grand Duke) and Ekaterina Alekseevna (Grand Duchess

Tsarevich Peter Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. 1740s Hood. G.-K. Groot.

The marriage was unsuccessful, only in 1754 their son Pavel was born, and in 1756 their daughter Anna, who died in 1759. He had a relationship with the maid of honor E.R. Vorontsova, niece of Chancellor M.I. Vorontsova. Being an admirer of Frederick the Great, he publicly expressed his pro-Prussian sympathies during the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763. Peter's open hostility to everything Russian and his obvious inability to engage in state affairs caused concern for Elizaveta Petrovna. In court circles, projects were put forward to transfer the crown to the young Paul during the regency of Catherine or Catherine herself.

Portrait of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich as a child ( Rokotov F. S. , )

Peter and Catherine were granted possession of Oranienbaum near St. Petersburg

However, the empress did not dare to change the order of succession to the throne. The former Duke, who was prepared from birth to take the Swedish throne, since he was also the grandson of Charles XII, taught Swedish, Swedish legislation and Swedish history, from childhood I was accustomed to treating Russia with prejudice. A zealous Lutheran, he could not come to terms with the fact that he was forced to change his faith, and at every opportunity he tried to emphasize his contempt for Orthodoxy, the customs and traditions of the country that he was to govern. Peter was neither evil nor a treacherous person On the contrary, he often showed gentleness and mercy. However, his extreme nervous imbalance made the future sovereign dangerous, as a person who concentrated absolute power over a huge empire in his hands.

Peter III Fedorovich Romanov

Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova, favorite of Peter III

Having become the new emperor after the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, Peter quickly angered the courtiers against himself, attracting foreigners to government positions, the guard, abolishing Elizabethan liberties, the army, concluding a peace unfavorable for Russia with defeated Prussia, and, finally, the clergy, ordering the removal of all icons from churches , except for the most important ones, shave their beards, take off their vestments and change into frock coats in the likeness of Lutheran pastors.

Empress Catherine the Great with her husband Peter III of Russia and their son, the future Emperor Paul I

On the other hand, the emperor softened the persecution of the Old Believers and signed a decree on the freedom of the nobility in 1762, abolishing compulsory service for representatives of the noble class. It seemed that he could count on the support of the nobles. However, his reign ended tragically.

Peter III is depicted on horseback among a group of soldiers.The Emperor wears the orders of St. Andrew the First-Called and St. Anne.Snuff box decorated with miniatures

Many were not happy that the emperor entered into an alliance with Prussia: shortly before, under the late Elizaveta Petrovna, Russian troops won a number of victories in the war with the Prussians, and the Russian Empire could count on considerable political benefits from the successes achieved on the battlefields. An alliance with Prussia crossed out all such hopes and violated good relations with Russia's former allies - Austria and France. Even greater dissatisfaction was caused by Peter III's involvement in Russian service numerous foreigners. There were no influential forces at the Russian court whose support would ensure the stability of rule for the new emperor.

Portrait of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich

Unknown Russian artist PORTRAIT OF EMPEROR PETER III Last third XVIII century

Taking advantage of this, a strong court party, hostile to Prussia and Peter III, in alliance with a group of guards, carried out a coup.

Pyotr Fedorovich was always wary of Catherine. When, after the death of Empress Elizabeth, he became Russian Tsar Peter III, the crowned spouses had almost nothing in common, but much separated them. Catherine heard rumors that Peter wanted to get rid of her by imprisoning her in a monastery or taking her life, and declare their son Paul illegitimate. Catherine knew how harshly Russian autocrats treated hateful wives. But she had been preparing to ascend the throne for many years and was not going to give it up to a man whom everyone disliked and “slandered out loud without trembling.”

Georg Christoph Groot.Portrait of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (later Emperor Peter III

Six months after Peter III ascended the throne on January 5, 1762, a group of conspirators led by Catherine’s lover Count G.G. Orlov took advantage of Peter’s absence from the court and issued a manifesto on behalf of the imperial guard regiments, according to which Peter was deprived of the throne and Catherine was proclaimed empress. She was crowned by the Bishop of Novgorod, while Peter was imprisoned country house in Ropsha, where he was killed in July 1762, apparently with the knowledge of Catherine. According to a contemporary of those events, Peter III “allowed himself to be overthrown from the throne, like a child who is sent to bed.” His death soon finally cleared the path to power for Catherine.

in the Winter Palace the coffin was placed next to the coffin of Empress Catherine II (the hall was designed by the architect Rinaldi)

After the official ceremonies, the ashes of Peter III and Catherine II were transferred from the Winter Palace to the cathedral Peter and Paul Fortress

This allegorical engraving by Nicholas Anselen is dedicated to the exhumation of Peter III

Tombs of Peter III and Catherine II in the Peter and Paul Cathedral

Hat of Emperor Peter III. 1760s

Ruble Peter III 1762 St. Petersburg silver

Portrait of Emperor Peter III (1728-1762) and view of the monument to Empress Catherine II in St. Petersburg

Unknown Northern Russian carver. Plaque with a portrait of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich. St. Petersburg (?), ser. 19th century. Mammoth tusk, relief carving, engraving, drilling

Series of messages " ":
Part 1 - Peter III Fedorovich Romanov

Peter III Fedorovich (born Karl Peter Ulrich, born February 10 (21), 1728 - died July 6 (17), 1762) - Russian Emperor in 1762. The grandson of Peter I is the son of his daughter Anna.

Origin

Peter III's mother, Anna Petrovna, died of consumption two months after his birth in the small Holstein town of Kiel. She was crushed by life there and her unhappy family life. Peter's father, Duke of Holstein Karl Friedrich, nephew of the Swedish king Charles XII, was a weak sovereign, poor, ugly-looking, short in stature and weakly built. He died in 1739 and was given custody of his son, who was about 11 years old at the time. cousin Duke of Holstein and Bishop of Lübeck Adolf Friedrich, who later ascended the Swedish throne. Peter was by nature a weak, frail and homely-looking child.

Childhood, youth, upbringing

The main educators were the marshal of his court, Brümmer, and the chief chamberlain, Berchholz. None of them were suitable for this role. According to the testimony of the Frenchman Millet, Brümmer was only fit for “raising horses, not princes.” He treated his pupil extremely roughly, subjecting him to humiliating and painful punishments, forcing him to kneel on peas scattered on the floor, leaving him without lunch and even beating him.

Humiliated and embarrassed in everything, the prince acquired bad tastes and habits, became irritable, absurd, stubborn and false, acquired a sad inclination to lie, believing with simple-minded enthusiasm in his own fiction. At the same time, Peter remained puny and unattractive both physically and morally. He possessed a strange, restless soul, contained in a narrow, anemic, prematurely exhausted body. Even in his childhood, he discovered a tendency to drink, which is why teachers were forced to closely monitor him at all appointments.

Heir to the throne

At first, the prince was prepared for his accession to the Swedish throne, while being forced to learn the Lutheran catechism, Swedish and Latin grammar. However, having become the Russian Empress and wanting to ensure succession through her father, she sent Major Korf with instructions to take her nephew from Kiel and deliver him to St. Petersburg at any cost.

Arrival in Russia

Peter arrived in the Russian capital on February 5, 1742 and was soon declared Grand Duke and heir to the Russian throne. After communicating with her nephew, Elizabeth was amazed at his ignorance and ordered him to immediately start studying. Little good came of this good intention. The Russian language teacher Veselovsky appeared rarely from the very beginning, and then, having become convinced of the complete inability of his student, he stopped going completely. Professor Shtelin, who was entrusted with teaching the heir mathematics and history, showed great persistence. And soon he realized that the Grand Duke “does not like deep thinking.”

Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich

He brought books with pictures and ancient Russian coins to lessons and talked about them ancient history Russia. Using medals, Shtelin told about the history of his reign. Reading newspapers to him, he went through universal history.

However, much more important for the empress was the introduction of her nephew to Orthodoxy. On this side they also encountered considerable difficulties, because from childhood Peter learned the rules of the strictest and least tolerant Lutheranism. In the end, after many troubles for himself, he submitted to the will of the empress, but at the same time said several times that it would be more pleasant for him to go to Sweden than to stay in Russia.

One activity that the prince indulged in with selfless persistence was playing toy soldiers. He ordered to make himself a variety of different soldiers: wax, lead and wood, and placed them in his office on tables with such devices that if you pulled the laces stretched across the tables, sounds similar to rapid rifle fire were heard. On service days, Peter gathered his household, put on a general's uniform and performed a parade of his toy troops, pulling the laces and listening with pleasure to the sounds of battle. The Grand Duke retained his love for these childish games for a long time, even after his marriage to Catherine.

Catherine about Peter

From Catherine's notes it is known what kind of fun he liked to indulge in soon after the wedding. In the village, he set up a dog kennel and began training the dogs himself.

“With amazing patience,” wrote Catherine, “he trained several dogs, punishing them with stick blows, shouting hunting terms and walking from one end of his two rooms to the other. As soon as any dog ​​got tired or ran away, he subjected it to cruel torture, causing it to howl even louder. When these exercises, unbearable to the ears and peace of mind of his neighbors, finally tired of him, he took up the violin. Peter did not know notes, but he had a strong ear and considered the main advantage of playing to be to move the bow as hard as possible and to make the sounds as loud as possible. His playing tore apart the ears, and often the listeners had to regret that they did not dare to cover their ears.

Then the dogs were trained and tortured again, which truly seemed to me extremely cruel. Once I heard a terrible, incessant screech. My bedroom, where I was sitting, was located next to the room where the dog training took place. I opened the door and saw how the Grand Duke lifted one of the dogs by the collar, ordered the Kalmyk boy to hold it by the tail and beat the poor animal with all his might with the thick stick of his whip. I began to ask him to spare the unfortunate dog, but instead he began to beat her even harder. I went to my room with tears in my eyes, unable to bear such a cruel sight. In general, tears and screams, instead of arousing pity in the Grand Duke, only angered him. Pity was a painful and, one might say, unbearable feeling for his soul...”

Through Madame Crouse, Peter got himself dolls and children's trinkets, which he was a passionate hunter for. “During the day he hid them from everyone under my bed,” Ekaterina recalled. “The Grand Duke immediately after dinner went into the bedroom, and as soon as we were in bed, Madame Kruse locked the door, and the Grand Duke began to play until one and two in the morning. I, along with Madame Kruse, whether glad or not, had to take part in this pleasant activity. Sometimes I amused myself with it, but much more often it tired me and even bothered me, because the dolls and toys, some very heavy, filled and covered up the entire bed.”

Contemporaries about Peter

Is it any wonder that Catherine gave birth to a child only 9 years after the wedding? Although there were other explanations for this delay. Champeau, in a report compiled for the Versailles court in 1758, wrote: “The Grand Duke, without knowing it, was unable to produce children due to an obstacle removed from eastern peoples through circumcision, which he considered incurable. The Grand Duchess, who did not love him and was not imbued with the consciousness of having heirs, was not saddened by this.”

For his part, Caster wrote: “He (the Grand Duke) was so ashamed of the misfortune that struck him that he did not even have the determination to admit it, and the Grand Duchess, who accepted his caresses with disgust and was at that time as inexperienced as “he did not think to console him or encourage him to look for means to return him to her arms.”

Peter III and Catherine II

If you believe the same Champeau, the Grand Duke got rid of his shortcoming with the help of Catherine’s lover Sergei Saltykov. It happened like this. Once upon a time the entire court was present at a big ball. The Empress, passing by the pregnant Naryshkina, Saltykov's sister-in-law, who was talking with Saltykov, told her that she should pass on a little of her virtue Grand Duchess. Naryshkina replied that this may not be as difficult to do as it seems. Elizabeth began to question her and thus learned about the Grand Duke’s physical disability. Saltykov immediately said that he enjoyed Peter’s trust and would try to persuade him to agree to the operation. The Empress not only agreed to this, but made it clear that by doing this he would be of great service. On the same day, Saltykov arranged a dinner, invited all of Peter’s good friends to it, and in a cheerful moment they all surrounded the Grand Duke and asked him to agree to their requests. The surgeon immediately came in, and in one minute the operation was done and was a great success. Peter was finally able to enter into normal communication with his wife and soon after that she became pregnant.

But even if Peter and Catherine united to conceive a child, after his birth they felt absolutely free from marital obligations. Each of them knew about the other's love interests and treated them with complete indifference. Catherine fell in love with August Poniatowski, and the Grand Duke began to court Countess Elizaveta Vorontsova. The latter soon took full power over Peter.

Contemporaries unanimously expressed bewilderment at this point, because they absolutely could not explain how she could bewitch the Grand Duke. Vorontsova was completely ugly and even more so. “Ugly, rude and stupid,” Masson said about her. Another witness put it even more harshly: “She swore like a soldier, squinted, stank and spat when talking.” There were rumors that Vorontsova encouraged all of Peter's vices, got drunk with him, scolded and even beat her lover. By all accounts, she was an evil and ignorant woman. Nevertheless, Peter wanted nothing more than to marry her, having first divorced Catherine. But while Elizabeth was alive, this could only be a dream.

Everyone who more or less knew the Grand Duke had no doubt that with his coming to power, the politics of Russia would change radically. Peter's Prussian affections were well known, because he did not consider it necessary to hide them (and in general, by his very nature, he could not keep secrets and immediately blurted them out to the first person he met; this vice, more than any other, harmed him in the future).

Accession to the throne of Peter III

1761, December 25 - Elizabeth died. On the very first night of his accession to the throne, Peter sent messengers to different corps of the Russian army with the order to stop enemy actions. On the same day, the favorite of the new emperor, brigadier and chamberlain Andrei Gudovich, was sent to the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst with notification of the accession of Peter III to the throne and took the emperor’s letter to Frederick. In it, Peter III invited Frederick to renew harmony and friendship. Both were received with the greatest gratitude.

Foreign and domestic policy of Peter III

Frederick immediately sent his adjutant, Colonel Goltz, to St. Petersburg. On April 24, peace was concluded, and on the most favorable terms for Frederick: all his lands occupied by Russian troops in former war; a separate paragraph proclaimed the desire of both sovereigns to conclude a military alliance, which, obviously, was directed against Russia's former ally Austria.

Elizaveta Vorontsova

Peter behaved in the same radical way in domestic policy. On February 18, a manifesto on the freedom of the nobility was published. From now on, all nobles, no matter what service they were in, military or civil, could continue it or retire. Prince Peter Dolgorukov tells an anecdote about how this famous manifesto was written. One evening, when Peter wanted to cheat on his mistress, he called Secretary of State Dmitry Volkov and addressed him with the following words: “I told Vorontsova that I would work with you part of the night on a law of extreme importance. Therefore, I need a decree tomorrow that will be discussed at court and in the city.” After this, Volkov was locked in an empty room with a Danish dog. The unfortunate secretary did not know what to write about; in the end he remembered what Count Roman Larionovich Vorontsov most often repeated to the sovereign - namely, about the freedom of the nobility. Volkov wrote a manifesto, which was approved by the sovereign the next day.

On February 21, a very important manifesto is issued, abolishing the Secret Chancellery, an agency known for its numerous abuses and obvious atrocities. On March 21, a decree on the secularization of church property appears. According to it, monasteries were deprived of their numerous land holdings, and monks and priests were given fixed state salaries.

Meanwhile, Goltz, who even after the signing of peace continued to remain in St. Petersburg and had great influence on the sovereign in all matters, anxiously reported to Frederick about the growing discontent against the emperor. Bolotov wrote about the same thing in his notes. Having mentioned some of the decrees of the new reign that aroused the pleasure of the Russians, he further writes:

“But the other orders of the emperor that followed aroused strong murmurs and indignation among his subjects, and most of all, he intended to completely change our religion, for which he showed special contempt. He called on the leading bishop (of Novgorod) Dmitry Sechenov and ordered him that only icons of the Savior and the Virgin Mary should be left in the churches, and there would be no others, and that the priests should shave their beards and wear dresses like foreign pastors. It is impossible to describe how amazed Archbishop Dmitry was at this order. This prudent elder did not know how to begin to fulfill this unexpected command, and clearly saw that Peter had the intention of changing Orthodoxy to Lutheranism. He was forced to announce the sovereign’s will to the noblest clergy, and although the matter stopped there for the time being, it produced strong displeasure among the entire clergy.”

Palace coup

To the displeasure of the clergy was added the displeasure of the troops. One of the first acts of the new reign was the dissolution of the Elizabethan life company, in whose place they immediately saw a new, Holstein, guard, which enjoyed the clear preference of the sovereign. This aroused murmurs and indignation in the Russian Guard. As Catherine herself later admitted, she was offered a plan to overthrow Peter III shortly after the death of Elizabeth. But she refused to take part in the conspiracy until June 9. On this day, when peace was being celebrated with the Prussian king, the emperor publicly insulted her at dinner and in the evening gave the order to arrest her. Uncle Prince George forced the sovereign to cancel this order. Catherine remained free, but no longer made excuses and agreed to accept the help of her volunteer assistants. Chief among them were the guards officers the Orlov brothers.

The coup was carried out on June 28, 1762 and was crowned with complete success. Having learned that the guard unanimously supported Catherine, Peter was confused and without further ado abdicated the throne. Panin, who was tasked with conveying the will of his wife to the deposed sovereign, found the unfortunate man in the most pitiful state. Peter tried to kiss his hands and begged him not to be separated from his mistress. He cried like a guilty and punished child. The favorite threw herself at the feet of Catherine's envoy and also asked that she be allowed not to leave her lover. But they were still separated. Vorontsova was sent to Moscow, and Peter was assigned as a temporary stay a house in Ropsha, “a very secluded area, but very pleasant,” according to Catherine, and located 30 miles from St. Petersburg. Peter was supposed to live there until suitable premises were prepared for him in the Shlisselburg fortress.

Death

But, as it soon became clear, he did not need these apartments. On the evening of July 6, Catherine was given a note from Orlov, written with an unsteady and hardly sober hand. Only one thing could be understood: that day Peter had an argument at the table with one of his interlocutors; Orlov and others rushed to separate them, but did it so awkwardly that the frail prisoner ended up dead. “Before we had time to separate him, he was already gone; We ourselves don’t remember what we did,” Orlov wrote. Catherine, in her words, was touched and even amazed by this death. But none of those responsible for the murder were punished. Peter's body was brought directly to the Alexander Nevsky Monastery and there it was modestly buried next to the former ruler Anna Leopoldovna.

Peter and Catherine: a joint portrait by G. K. Groot

There are many individuals in Russian history whose actions make their descendants (and in some cases even their contemporaries) shrug their shoulders in surprise and ask the question: “Have people brought any benefit to this country?”

Unfortunately, among this kind of figure there are also people who, by virtue of their origin, ended up at the very top of Russian state power, introducing confusion and discord with their actions into the forward movement of the state mechanism, and even openly causing harm to Russia on the scale of the country's development. Such people include the Russian Emperor Peter Fedorovich, or simply Tsar Peter III.

The activities of Peter III as emperor were inextricably linked with Prussia, which in the mid-18th century was a major European power and played an important role in the major military conflict of that time - the Seven Years' War.

The Seven Years' War can be briefly described as a war against Prussia, which became too strong after the division of the Austrian inheritance. Russia participated in the war as part of the anti-Prussian coalition (consisting of France and Austria according to the Versailles defensive alliance, and Russia joining them in 1756).

During the war, Russia defended its geopolitical interests in the Baltic region and northern Europe, on whose territory Prussia fixed its greedy gaze. The short reign of Peter III, due to his excessive love for Prussia, had a detrimental effect on Russian interests in this region, and who knows - how would the history of our state have developed if he had stayed on the throne longer? After all, following the surrender of positions in the practically won war with the Prussians, Peter was preparing for a new campaign - against the Danes.

Peter III Fedorovich was the son of the daughter of Peter I Anna and Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Friedrich (who was the son of the sister of the Swedish king Charles XII and this created a well-known paradox for the reigning houses of the two powers, since Peter was the heir to both the Russian and Swedish thrones).

Full name Petra sounded like Karl Peter Ulrich. The death of his mother, which followed a week after his birth, left Peter virtually an orphan, since the chaotic and riotous life of Karl Friedrich did not allow him to raise his son properly. And after the death of his father in 1739, his tutor became a certain knight marshal O.F. Brümmer, a stern soldier of the old school, who subjected the boy to all sorts of punishments for the slightest offense, and instilled in him the ideas of Lutheran meekness and Swedish patriotism (which suggests that Peter was originally trained still to the Swedish throne). Peter grew up as an impressionable, nervous man who loved art and music, but most of all he adored the army and everything that was somehow connected with military affairs. In all other areas of knowledge, he remained a complete ignoramus.

In 1742, the boy was brought to Russia, where his aunt, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, took care of him. He was baptized under the name of Peter Fedorovich, and Elizabeth selected a candidate for the role of his wife, the daughter of Christian Augustus Anhalt of Zerbst and Johanna Elisabeth - Sophia Augusta Frederica (in Orthodoxy - Ekaterina Alekseevna).

Peter's relationship with Catherine did not work out from the very beginning: the infantile young man was much inferior in intelligence to his wife, was still interested in children's war games and did not show any signs of attention to Catherine at all. It is believed that until the 1750s there was no relationship between the spouses, but after some operation, Catherine gave birth to a son, Paul, from Peter in 1754. The birth of his son did not help bring people who are essentially strangers closer together; Peter has a favorite, Elizaveta Vorontsova.

Around the same time, Pyotr Fedorovich was issued a regiment of Holstein soldiers, and almost all of his free time he spends time on the parade ground, completely devoting himself to military drill.

During his stay in Russia, Peter almost never learned the Russian language, he did not like Russia at all, did not try to learn its history, cultural traditions, and he simply despised many Russian customs. His attitude towards the Russian Church was just as disrespectful - according to contemporaries, during church services he behaved inappropriately and did not observe Orthodox rituals and fasts.

Empress Elizabeth deliberately did not allow Peter to resolve any political issues, leaving behind him the only position of director of the gentry corps. At the same time, Pyotr Fedorovich did not hesitate to criticize the actions of the Russian government, and after the start of the Seven Years' War he openly showed sympathy for Frederick II, the Prussian king. All this, naturally, did not add either popularity or any little respect to him from the circles of the Russian aristocracy.

An interesting foreign policy prologue to the reign of Pyotr Fedorovich was the incident that “happened” to Field Marshal S. F. Apraksin. Having entered the Seven Years' War, Russia quite quickly seized the initiative from the Prussians in the Livonia direction, and throughout the spring of 1757 it pushed the army of Frederick II to the west. Having driven the Prussian army beyond the Neman River with a powerful onslaught after a general battle near the village of Gross-Jägersdorf, Apraksin suddenly turned the Russian troops back. The Prussians, who woke up only a week later, quickly made up for lost positions and pursued the Russians right up to the Prussian border.

What happened to Apraksin, this experienced commander and veteran warrior, what kind of obsession came over him?

The explanation is the news Apraksin received in those days from Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin from the capital Russian Empire about the sudden illness of Elizaveta Petrovna. Logically reasoning that in the event of her death, Peter Fedorovich (who was crazy about Frederick II) would ascend the throne and for military actions with Prussian king will definitely not pat him on the head, Apraksin (most likely, on the orders of Bestuzhev-Ryumin, who also decided to play it safe) retreats back to Russia.

That time everything worked out, Elizabeth recovered from her illness, the chancellor, who had fallen out of favor, was sent to the village, and the field marshal was put on trial, which then lasted three years and ended with the sudden death of Apraksin from an apoplexy.

Portrait of Peter III by artist A. P. Antropov, 1762

However, later Elizaveta Petrovna still dies, and on December 25, 1761, Pyotr Fedorovich ascended the throne.

Literally from the very first days after his accession, Peter III developed vigorous activity, as if proving to the entire royal court and to himself that he could rule better than his aunt. According to one of Peter’s contemporaries, “in the morning he was in his office, where he heard reports..., then he hurried to the Senate or collegium. ... In the Senate, he took on the most important matters himself energetically and assertively.” As if in imitation of his grandfather, the reformer Peter I, he envisioned a series of reforms.

In general, during the 186 days of his reign, Peter managed to issue many legislative acts and rescripts.

Among them, some serious ones include the decree on the secularization of church land property and the Manifesto on granting “liberty and freedom to the entire Russian noble nobility” (thanks to which the nobles received an exceptionally privileged position). In addition, Peter seemed to have begun some kind of struggle with the Russian clergy, issuing a decree on the mandatory shaving of the beards of priests and prescribing for them a uniform of clothing very similar to the uniform of Lutheran pastors. In the army, Peter III everywhere imposed Prussian rules of military service.

In order to somehow raise the steadily declining popularity of the new emperor, his entourage insisted on implementing some liberal laws. So, for example, a decree was issued signed by the tsar on the abolition of the Secret Investigation Office of the office.

WITH positive side we can characterize the economic policy of Pyotr Fedorovich. He created the State Bank of Russia and issued a decree on the issue of banknotes (which came into force already under Catherine), Peter III made a decision on freedom of foreign trade in Russia - all these undertakings, however, were fully realized already during the reign of Catherine the Great .

As interesting as Peter’s plans were in the economic sector, things were just as sad in the foreign policy sphere.

Soon after the accession of Peter Fedorovich to the throne, the representative of Frederick II, Heinrich Leopold von Goltz, arrived in St. Petersburg, whose main goal was to negotiate a separate peace with Prussia. The so-called “Petersburg Peace” of April 24, 1762 was concluded with Frederick: Russia returned all the eastern lands conquered from Prussia. In addition, the new allies agreed to provide each other with military assistance in the form of 12 thousand infantry and 4 thousand cavalry units in the event of war. And this condition was much more important for Peter III, since he was preparing for war with Denmark.

As contemporaries testified, the murmur against Peter, as a result of all these dubious foreign policy “achievements,” was “nationwide.” The instigator of the conspiracy was the wife of Pyotr Fedorovich, with whom he had a relationship lately have gotten extremely worse. The speech of Catherine, who declared herself empress on June 28, 1762, was supported among the guards and a number of court nobles - Peter III Fedorovich had no choice but to sign a paper on his own abdication of the throne.

On July 6, Peter, temporarily staying in the town of Ropsha (before being transferred to the Shlissedburg fortress), suddenly dies “from hemorrhoids and severe colic.”

Thus ended the inglorious short reign of Emperor Peter III, who was non-Russian in spirit and deeds.

Portrait of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, Rokotov Fedor Stepanovich

• Years of life: February 21 (10), 1728 – July 17 (6), 1762
• Years of reign: January 5 (December 25, 1761) 1762 – July 9 (June 28) 1762
• Father and mother: Karl Friedrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp and Anna Petrovna.
• Spouse: .
• Children: Pavel (Paul I), Anna.

The future Emperor Peter III Fedorovich (Karl Peter Ulrich at birth) was born on February 21 (10 according to the old calendar) February 1728 in the city of Kiel in Holstein (in what is now Germany). Karl's mother was Anna Petrovna (daughter), and his father was the nephew of King Charles XII of Sweden - Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Friedrich.

The childhood of Peter III Fedorovich

A month after the boy was born, his mother caught a cold and died. Even as a child, the prince was awarded the rank of non-commissioned officer; from a young age he was taught to march and hold a gun. Officers who had previously served in the Prussian army served at court, so the boy grew up in an environment where service and military affairs were often discussed. At the age of 9 he was promoted to second lieutenant, of which he was incredibly happy and very proud.

When Karl was 11 years old, his father died, and the prince was taken in by his paternal cousin, Bishop Adolf of Eitin, who later became the king of Sweden. The prince was raised by the nobles F.V. Berchgolts and O.F. Brümmer. They were not very involved in Karl’s education; in addition, they often punished him: they put him in a corner, flogged him, and used other cruel and humiliating punishments. As a result, at the age of 13 he spoke only a little French. The prince grew up as a restless, even nervous child; he was interested in painting and music and still loved military affairs.

Peter III Fedorovich in Russia

In 1741, Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden died, and Adolf of Eytinsky received the throne. In fact, Karl could lay claim to the Swedish throne. But in the same year she became empress in Russia, she had no children, so the next year at her coronation she announced her elder sister’s son, Karl Peter Ulrich, as her heir.

The Empress sent Major von Korff to Kiel to bring the Duke to Russia. On February 5, 1742, Karl arrived in St. Petersburg. Elizabeth, seeing her successor for the first time, was struck by his thinness, not very healthy appearance and low level education. She appointed him as tutor to academician Jacob Stehlin. Stehlin believed that his student had abilities, but laziness was hindering him. He tried in every possible way to interest Karl, but he was reluctant to study. The prince did not even learn to speak calmly in Russian and did not master Russian traditions. He also had Brümmer and Berchholz with him, who, as usual, were not particularly involved in his training.

In November 1742, Karl was baptized according to Orthodox custom, after which he began to be called Peter Fedorovich.

In 1745, Peter III married Princess Sophia Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst, who later became Catherine II. Shtelin, Berchholtz and Brümmer stopped teaching Peter, I.P. Veselovsky began to teach him Russian, military general Vasily Repnin was also assigned to him, and Simon Todorsky became a mentor in Orthodox matters for him and his wife. But Peter was unlucky with the teacher; Repnin did not fulfill his duties, so Elizaveta Petrovna removed him from his post and appointed the Choglokovs in his place.

From the very beginning of the marriage, the relationship between Peter and Catherine did not work out. She actively studied Russian traditions, the Russian language, studied in every possible way various sciences, Peter was only interested in military affairs. Marital relations there was no relationship between them until the 1750s, but on October 1 (September 20), 1754, Catherine gave birth to her husband’s son Pavel, who in the future became the Russian emperor. After his birth, Elizaveta Petrovna immediately took Pavel to raise him herself. She allowed the parents to visit the child occasionally.

After the relationship between the spouses began to deteriorate even more, Peter had a favorite - Elizaveta Vorontsova, Ekaterina also had affairs. At the same time, on important economic and business issues, Peter turned to his wife for advice, which displeased Elizabeth.

On December 9, 1757, Catherine gave birth to a daughter, Anna. At first Peter doubted that the child was his, but in the end he recognized the girl as his daughter. Anna lived only a couple of years, after which she died of smallpox.

The Empress did not allow her successor to participate in government, but he was entrusted with being the director of the Gentry Corps. Peter III opposed the actions of the authorities and even at one time took the side of Frederick II, the King of Prussia.

In the mid-1750s. Peter was allowed to discharge a garrison of Holstein soldiers, the number of which by 1758 reached 1.5 thousand. All his time, Peter and Brockdorff were engaged in training the military.

Reign of Peter III

January 5, 1762 (December 25, 1761) Elizaveta Petrovna died, and Peter III became emperor. His reign did not last long, only 186 days, and there was no coronation. When Peter became emperor, he returned to the court many nobles who were in exile and significantly increased the privileges of the nobility. In addition, under Peter the Secret Chancellery was abolished.

During the same period, it intensified serfdom, now landowners could resettle their serfs from one district to another, huge amount state peasants became serfs, all this led to periodic riots. Peter III started secularization of church lands, which caused strong discontent among the clergy. In the army, he began to introduce rules like in Prussian military units, which, of course, was not to the liking of the guard.

Foreign policy also caused discontent; first of all, Peter III stopped the war with Prussia and returned the conquered lands to it. This decision brought to naught all the costs and sacrifices of the Russian army and the entire people, in addition, such an action prevented the defeat of Prussia. Thus, for Russia the Seven Years' War ended in nothing. Peter III also started a war with his former ally, Denmark.

Such actions led to conspiracies being planned against the emperor.

Conspiracies against Peter III

Conversations that Peter should not rule the country arose during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna. Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin planned a conspiracy, but in 1758 his plan was discovered.

Shortly before the death of Elizabeth, another conspiracy was formed, the instigators were: N.I. Panin, M.N. Volkonsky, K.P. Razumovsky, the Orlov brothers, and with them officers of the Preobrazhensky and Izmailovsky regiments. But when Elizabeth died, it became obvious that a coup should not be carried out, since at that time Catherine II was pregnant with Grigory Orlov’s child, in addition, the position of the emperor’s wife was not strong enough, so she wanted to wait until Peter’s popularity became even less and the number her allies will increase.

Relations between the spouses deteriorated greatly, Peter III openly spoke about the possibility of divorce, later he even planned to arrest her, but his uncle, Field Marshal Georg Holstein-Gottorp, intervened in the matter.

After these events, Peter was periodically informed about possible conspiracies, but he did not pay attention to this. On June 28, 1762, the emperor went to Peterhof for a gala dinner, where, as he thought, his wife would meet him. At this time, Catherine left for St. Petersburg, where the Senate, Synod, guard and people swore allegiance to her.

Afterwards, the guards moved towards Peterhof, while Peter went to Kronstadt, which had already sworn allegiance to his wife.

As a result, Peter III decided to return to Oranienbaum, where he abdicated the Russian throne.

Peter III: death

After the coup, Peter was sent to Ropsha, accompanied by guards led by A.G. Orlov. But already on July 17, 1762 he died. The true cause of death present moment unknown, but there are different points of view. It is believed that health problems led to the death.

There is another point of view: the cause of death was the murder of Peter III by his own guards when he was plotting against Catherine.

He was buried on July 21, 1762 in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, because Peter was not crowned, he could not be buried in the same place as other emperors. But when Paul I became the head of state, he ordered the remains of his father to be transferred to the church at the Winter Palace, and then to the Peter and Paul Cathedral, and he himself crowned the ashes of Peter III.

After the death of Peter, many impostors appeared, they tried to overthrow Catherine by introducing themselves to them. Emelyan Pugachev achieved greater success, who in 1773 became the leader Peasant War , which, however, ultimately ended in defeat.

February 21, 1728 Count Heinrich Friedrich Bassevich, the first minister of the Holstein court, left a note: “Born between noon and the first hour of the day, healthy and strong. It was decided to call him Karl Peter" The newborn in question will be destined to become Russian Emperor Peter III.

We have a wrong idea about this figure. So much so that one wonders how a “national traitor and frankly feeble-minded drunkard” even lasted for Russian throne even for such a short time? Many people have the impression that the main and even the only historical role Peter III is to marry your future one at the right time Catherine the Great, and then die to clear the way for the brilliant “Mother Empress.”

1. Works and days

Some people find the language of numbers most persuasive. In some ways they are right: this is how you can determine offhand, if not the effectiveness, then the efficiency and activity of the ruler. If you look at Peter III from this point of view, you get an interesting proportion. He spent 186 days on the throne. During this time, he signed 192 laws and decrees: this is not counting all the little things like nominations for awards. On average, about 30 decrees are issued per month, even a little more. Thus, he is confidently among the top 3 rulers XVIII century. And he even takes an honorable second place in it after his son Paul I. He issued an average of 42 legislative acts per month. For comparison: Catherine the Great issued 12 laws per month, and Peter the Great- according to 8. A curious fact should be especially noted: some of these laws are attributed to the “philanthropy and enlightenment” of Catherine II, his widow. In particular, the “Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility”, giving the murder of serfs by masters the status of “tyrannical torment” and the abolition of the sinister Secret Chancellery. Although in fact, Catherine’s entire merit lies only in the fact that she did not cancel the orders of her late husband.

2. Not from relatives, but into relatives

One of the hook phrases Bulgakov— Woland’s words from “The Master and Margarita”: “Yes, how intricately the deck is shuffled! Blood!" It is fully applicable to Peter III. In his case, however, the deck was shuffled by hand. Several dynastic marriages that seemed promising - and then, if you please, our hero was born. By the way, remember the name given to him at birth? It is also from this series. Karl Peter. Peter - in honor of his maternal grandfather, Russian Emperor Peter I. And Karl - for the reason that on his father’s side the baby was the great-nephew of the Swedish king Charles XII . Two great grandfathers who fought each other for almost a quarter of a century and redrew the map of Europe. Peter III was well aware of this. Moreover, he behaved in such a way that many noticed his similarity with both Peter I and Charles XII. For example, a French diplomat in Russia Jean-Louis Favier:“He imitates both in the simplicity of his tastes and in his clothes... The courtiers, immersed in luxury and inaction, fear the time when they will be ruled by a sovereign who is equally harsh towards himself and towards others.”

3. Coronation after death: late or never?

We can agree with those who say that Peter III was inferior. But only in one thing. He, perhaps, really was not a full-fledged emperor during his lifetime. Because he never lived to see the coronation, which marks the fullness of power. In June 1762, the proclaimed but not crowned emperor signed his abdication.

The situation was corrected by Paul I, his son. He committed a unique, unprecedented act. 34 years after the death of Peter III, the new emperor opened his coffin and crowned the remains of the late priest according to all the rules. A neat touch: the Great Imperial Crown was forced to be held Alexey Orlov, one of the alleged murderers of Peter III. According to the recollections of contemporaries, Count Orlov after this “went into a dark corner and burst into tears, his hands trembling.” The coronation of the deceased and at the same time revenge on his killers - Russian history has never seen anything like this. Peter III is the only Russian Tsar who truly became such after his death.

Exhumation of Peter III. Allegorical engraving by Nicholas Anselen. Source: Public Domain

4. Won Seven Years

The most controversial issue is the end of the war with Prussia. That same Seven Years' War, where the genius of the future brilliant commanders of the “golden age of Catherine” manifested itself: Petra Rumyantseva And Alexandra Suvorova. The claims are something like this: “Ours took Berlin a year earlier, and all of Prussia was in our pocket. Even Koenigsberg had been a Russian city for four years, and Russian students studied at its university. And then Peter III appeared, subservient to the Prussian order and the Prussian personally King Frederick. And he let everything go down the drain: ours pledged to withdraw their troops and give back everything they had conquered.”

In fact, it was almost the opposite. At the time of the death of Peter III, Russian troops still occupied this entire territory. Moreover, food warehouses and ammunition were replenished, and a Russian squadron was sent to Konigsberg.

In addition, according to the agreement, Frederick undertook to recapture the province of Schleswig from Denmark and transfer it to Russia. But Peter retained the right to stop the withdrawal of Russian troops “in view of the ongoing unrest in Europe.”

Both the withdrawal of troops from East Prussia and the fact that Russia never got what Frederick promised it were entirely the work of Catherine II. Or rather, the consequences of her inaction. She was so busy first with the coup and the elimination of her husband, and then with strengthening her own power, that she did not monitor compliance with the terms of the agreement.

5. The failed Russian breakthrough

Peter remained in the status of heir to the Russian throne for almost twenty years. And, speaking frankly, during this time he did not show himself to be anything other than a penchant for drunkenness, playing toy soldiers and drilling according to the Prussian model. In any case, that is what is commonly believed. As a rule, details are avoided when describing a short time period: from February 1759 to January 1762.

Meanwhile, this was, perhaps, the brightest stage in the life of the heir. He was finally admitted to the real case. Yes, with a lot of creaking and the matter seems to be small. But still. In February 1759, Peter was appointed director general of the Land Noble Corps.

Documents related to this educational institution and signed by the heir to the throne, clearly show that he was a reasonable, sober, sensible person, capable of thinking on a national scale. The fact that he is primarily concerned with the material base of the corps goes without saying. Expansion and reconstruction of the barracks-dormitory, establishment of a corps printing house, “in order to print everything necessary books in Russian, German and French", careful attention to nutrition and clothing... And, besides this, far-reaching plans. In particular, a large-scale project to create a “complete geographical and historical description Russia, so that the young people raised in this corps not only know the geography of foreign lands, which they are actually taught, but also have a clear understanding of the state of their fatherland.”