Years of life : 21 February 1 728 - June 28, 1762.

(Peter-Ulrich) Emperor of All Russia, son of Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl-Friedrich, son of the sister of Charles XII of Sweden, and Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great (born in 1728); He is, therefore, the grandson of two rival sovereigns and could, under certain conditions, be a contender for both the Russian and Swedish thrones. In 1741, after the death of Eleanor Ulrika, he was elected as the successor of her husband Frederick, who received the Swedish throne, and on November 15, 1742 he was declared by his aunt Elizaveta Petrovna heir to the Russian throne.

Weak physically and morally, Pyotr Fedorovich was raised by Marshal Brümmer, who was more of a soldier than a teacher. The barracks order of life, established by the latter for his pupil, in connection with strict and humiliating punishments, could not help but weaken Pyotr Fedorovich’s health and interfered with the development in him of moral concepts and a sense of human dignity. The young prince was taught a lot, but so ineptly that he received a complete aversion to science: Latin, for example, he was so tired of that that later in St. Petersburg he forbade placing Latin books in his library. They taught him, moreover, in preparation mainly for taking the Swedish throne and, therefore, raised him in the spirit of the Lutheran religion and Swedish patriotism - and the latter, at that time, was expressed, among other things, in hatred of Russia.

In 1742, after Pyotr Fedorovich was appointed heir to the Russian throne, they began to teach him again, but in the Russian and Orthodox way. However, frequent illnesses and marriage to the Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst (the future Catherine II) prevented the systematic implementation of education. Pyotr Fedorovich was not interested in Russia and superstitiously thought that he would find his death here; Academician Shtelin, his new teacher, despite all his efforts, could not instill in him love for his new fatherland, where he always felt like a stranger. Military affairs - the only thing that interested him - was for him not so much a subject of study as of amusement, and his reverence for Frederick II turned into a desire to imitate him in small things. The heir to the throne, already an adult, preferred fun to business, which became more and more strange every day and unpleasantly amazed everyone around him.

“Peter showed all the signs of arrested spiritual development,” says S.M. Soloviev; "he was an adult child." The Empress was struck by the underdevelopment of the heir to the throne. The question of the fate of the Russian throne seriously occupied Elizabeth and her courtiers, and they came to various combinations. Some wanted the Empress, bypassing her nephew, to transfer the throne to his son Pavel Petrovich, and to appoint Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna, the wife of Peter Fedorovich, as regent, until he came of age. That was Bestuzhev's opinion, Nick. Iv. Panina, Iv. Iv. Shuvalova. Others were in favor of proclaiming Catherine heir to the throne. Elizabeth died without having time to decide on anything, and on December 25, 1761, Peter Fedorovich ascended the throne under the name of Emperor Peter III. He began his activities with decrees, which, under other conditions, could have brought him popular favor. This is the decree of February 18, 1762 on the freedom of the nobility, which removed compulsory service from the nobility and was, as it were, a direct predecessor of Catherine’s charter to the nobility of 1785. This decree could make the new government popular among the nobility; another decree on the destruction of the secret office in charge of political crimes should, it would seem, promote his popularity among the masses.

What happened, however, was different. Remaining a Lutheran at heart, Peter III treated the clergy with disdain, closed home churches, and addressed the Synod with offensive decrees; by this he aroused the people against himself. Surrounded by the Holsteins, he began to remake the Russian army in the Prussian way and thereby armed the guard against himself, which at that time was almost exclusively noble in composition. Prompted by his Prussian sympathies, Peter III immediately after ascending the throne renounced participation in the Seven Years' War and at the same time all Russian conquests in Prussia, and at the end of his reign he began a war with Denmark over Schleswig, which he wanted to acquire for Holstein . This incited the people against him, who remained indifferent when the nobility, represented by the guard, openly rebelled against Peter III and proclaimed Catherine II empress (June 28, 1762). Peter was removed to Ropsha, where he died on July 7.

Russian Biographical Dictionary / www.rulex.ru / Wed. Brickner “The History of Catherine the Great”, “Notes of Empress Catherine II” (L., 1888); "Memoirs of the princesse Daschcow" (L., 1810); "Notes of Shtelin" ("Reading of the Society of Russian History and Antiquities", 1886, IV); Bilbasov "The History of Catherine II" (vol. 1 and 12). M. P-ov.

The premiere of the historical series is on Channel One.

Spectacular costumes, large-scale scenery, famous actors - all this and much more awaits viewers in the new historical drama “The Great,” which airs on Channel One this week. The series will take us to the mid-18th century - during the reign of Catherine II, whose role was played by Yulia Snigir.

In particular, the personality of Peter 3 has been revised in the series.

Slander THROUGH THE CENTURIES

In Russian history, there is, perhaps, no ruler more reviled by historians than Emperor Peter III

Even the authors of historical studies speak better about the crazy sadist Ivan the Terrible than about the unfortunate emperor. What kind of epithets did historians give to Peter III: “spiritual nonentity”, “reveler”, “drunkard”, “Holstein martinet” and so on and so forth.

Usually in our textbooks Peter 3 is presented as a fool who spits on the interests of Russia, leading to the idea that Catherine 2 did the right thing by overthrowing him and killing him.

What did the emperor, who reigned for only six months (from December 1761 to June 1762), do wrong before the learned men?

Holstein Prince

The future Emperor Peter III was born on February 10 (21 - according to the new style) February 1728 in the German city of Kiel. His father was Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, the ruler of the North German state of Holstein, and his mother was the daughter of Peter I, Anna Petrovna. Even as a child, Prince Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp (that was the name of Peter III) was declared heir to the Swedish throne.

Emperor Peter III

However, at the beginning of 1742, at the request of the Russian Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the prince was taken to St. Petersburg. As the only descendant of Peter the Great, he was declared heir to the Russian throne. The young Duke of Holstein-Gottorp converted to Orthodoxy and was named Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich.

In August 1745, the Empress married the heir to the German princess Sophia Frederica Augusta, daughter of the Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, who was in the military service of the Prussian king. Having converted to Orthodoxy, Princess Anhalt-Zerbst began to be called Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna.

Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna - future Empress Catherine II

The heir and his wife could not stand each other. Pyotr Fedorovich had mistresses. His last passion was Countess Elizaveta Vorontsova, daughter of Chief General Roman Illarionovich Vorontsov. Ekaterina Alekseevna had three constant lovers - Count Sergei Saltykov, Count Stanislav Poniatovsky and Count Chernyshev. Soon the Life Guards officer Grigory Orlov became the favorite of the Grand Duchess. However, she often had fun with other guards officers.

On September 24, 1754, Catherine gave birth to a son, who was named Pavel. It was rumored at court that the real father of the future emperor was Catherine’s lover, Count Saltykov. Pyotr Fedorovich himself smiled bitterly:
- God knows where my wife gets her pregnancy from. I don't really know if this is my child and if I should take it personally...

Short reign

On December 25, 1761, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna rested in Bose. Peter Fedorovich, Emperor Peter III, ascended the throne.

First of all, the new sovereign ended the war with Prussia and withdrew Russian troops from Berlin. For this, Peter was hated by the guards officers, who craved military glory and military awards. Historians are also dissatisfied with the actions of the emperor: pundits complain that Peter III “negated the results of Russian victories.”

It would be interesting to know exactly what results the respected researchers have in mind?

As you know, the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763 was caused by the intensification of the struggle between France and England for overseas colonies. For various reasons, seven more states were drawn into the war (in particular, Prussia, which was in conflict with France and Austria). But what interests the Russian Empire pursued when it acted on the side of France and Austria in this war is completely unclear. It turned out that Russian soldiers died for the French right to rob colonial peoples. Peter III stopped this senseless massacre. For which he received a “severe reprimand with a note” from grateful descendants.

Soldiers of the army of Peter III

After the end of the war, the emperor settled in Oranienbaum, where, according to historians, he “indulged in drunkenness” with his Holstein companions. However, judging by the documents, from time to time Peter was also involved in government affairs. In particular, the emperor wrote and published a number of manifestos on the transformation of the state system.

Here is a list of the first events that Peter III outlined:

Firstly, there was The Secret Chancellery was abolished- the famous secret state police, which terrified all subjects of the empire without exception, from commoners to high-born nobles. With one denunciation, agents of the Secret Chancellery could seize any person, imprison him in dungeons, subject him to the most terrible torture, and execute him. The emperor freed his subjects from this arbitrariness. After his death, Catherine II restored the secret police - called the Secret Expedition.

Secondly, Peter declared freedom of religion for all his subjects: “let them pray to whomever they want, but not to have them reproached or cursed.” This was an almost unthinkable step at that time. Even in enlightened Europe there was not yet complete freedom of religion. After the death of the emperor, Catherine II, a friend of the French enlightenment and “philosopher on the throne,” repealed the decree on freedom of conscience.

Thirdly, Peter canceled church supervision over the personal lives of his subjects: “no one should condemn the sin of adultery, for Christ did not condemn.” After the death of the Tsar, church espionage was revived.

Fourthly, realizing the principle of freedom of conscience, Peter stopped persecuting Old Believers. After his death, government authorities resumed religious persecution.

Fifthly, Peter announced liberation of all monastery serfs. He subordinated the monastic estates to civil colleges, gave arable land to the former monastic peasants for eternal use and imposed only ruble dues on them. To support the clergy, the tsar appointed “his own salary.”

Sixth, Peter allowed the nobles unhindered travel abroad. After his death, the Iron Curtain was restored.

Seventh, Peter announced the introduction in the Russian Empire public court. Catherine abolished the publicity of the proceedings.

Eighth, Peter issued a decree about " silverlessness of service", prohibiting senators and government officials from giving gifts of peasant souls and state lands. Only orders and medals were to be signs of encouragement for senior officials. Having ascended the throne, Catherine first of all presented her associates and favorites with peasants and estates.

One of the manifestos of Peter III

In addition, the emperor prepared mass other manifestos and decrees, including those on limiting the personal dependence of peasants on landowners, on the optionality of military service, on the optionality of observing religious fasts, etc.

And all this was done in less than six months of reign! Knowing this, how can one believe the fables about Peter III’s “heavy drinking”?
It is obvious that the reforms that Peter intended to implement were long ahead of their time. Could their author, who dreamed of establishing the principles of freedom and civic dignity, be a “spiritual nonentity” and a “Holstein martinet”?

CONSPIRACY

So, the emperor was engaged in state affairs, in between which, according to historians, he smoked in Oranienbaum.

What was the young empress doing at this time?

Ekaterina Alekseevna and her many lovers and hangers-on settled in Peterhof. There she actively intrigued against her husband: she gathered supporters, spread rumors through her lovers and their drinking companions, and attracted officers to her side.

By the summer of 1762, a conspiracy arose, the soul of which was the empress. Influential dignitaries and generals were involved in the conspiracy:

Count Nikita Panin, actual privy councilor, chamberlain, senator, tutor of Tsarevich Pavel;

His brother Count Pyotr Panin, general-in-chief, hero of the Seven Years' War;

Princess Ekaterina Dashkova, nee Countess Vorontsova, Ekaterina's closest friend and companion;

Her husband is Prince Mikhail Dashkov, one of the leaders of the St. Petersburg Masonic organization;

Count Kirill Razumovsky, marshal, commander of the Izmailovsky regiment, hetman of Ukraine, president of the Academy of Sciences;

Prince Mikhail Volkonsky, diplomat and commander of the Seven Years' War;

Baron Korf, chief of the St. Petersburg police, as well as numerous officers of the Life Guards led by the Orlov brothers.

According to a number of historians, influential Masonic circles were involved in the conspiracy. In Catherine’s inner circle, the “free masons” were represented by a certain mysterious “Mr. Odar.” According to an eyewitness to the events, the Danish envoy A. Schumacher, the famous adventurer and adventurer Count Saint-Germain was hiding under this name.

Events were accelerated by the arrest of one of the conspirators, Lieutenant Captain Passek.

Count Alexey Orlov - killer of Peter III

On June 26, 1762, the Orlovs and their friends began to solder the soldiers of the capital's garrison. With the money that Catherine borrowed from the English merchant Felten, allegedly to buy jewelry, more than 35 thousand buckets of vodka were purchased.

On the morning of June 28, 1762, Catherine, accompanied by Dashkova and the Orlov brothers, left Peterhof and headed to the capital, where everything was ready. Deadly drunk soldiers of the guard regiments took the oath to “Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna,” and a very inebriated crowd of ordinary people greeted the “dawn of a new reign.”

Peter III and his retinue were in Oranienbaum. Having learned about the events in Petrograd, ministers and generals betrayed the emperor and fled to the capital. Only the old Field Marshal Minich, General Gudovich and several close associates remained with Peter.
On June 29, the emperor, struck by the betrayal of his most trusted people and having no desire to get involved in the fight for the hated crown, abdicated the throne. He wanted only one thing: to be released to his native Holstein with his mistress Ekaterina Vorontsova and his faithful adjutant Gudovich.
However, by order of the new ruler, the deposed king was sent to the palace in Ropsha. On July 6, 1762, the brother of the Empress's lover Alexei Orlov and his drinking companion Prince Fyodor Baryatinsky strangled Peter. It was officially announced that the emperor “died of inflammation in the intestines and apoplexy”...

Slander

So, the facts do not give any reason to consider Peter III a “nonentity” and a “soldier.” He was weak-willed, but not weak-minded. Why do historians so persistently blaspheme this sovereign? St. Petersburg poet Viktor Sosnora decided to look into this problem. First of all, he was interested in the question: from what sources did researchers draw (and continue to draw!) dirty gossip about the “feeble-mindedness” and “insignificance” of the emperor?

And this is what was discovered: it turns out that the sources of all the characteristics of Peter III, all these gossip and fables are the memoirs of the following persons:

Empress Catherine II - who hated and despised her husband, who was the mastermind of the conspiracy against him, who actually directed the hand of Peter's killers, who finally, as a result of the coup, became an autocratic ruler;

Princess Dashkova - a friend and like-minded person of Catherine, who hated and despised Peter even more (contemporaries gossiped: because Peter preferred her older sister, Ekaterina Vorontsova), who was the most active participant in the conspiracy, who after the coup became the “second lady of the empire” ;

Count Nikita Panin, a close employee of Catherine, who was one of the leaders and main ideologist of the conspiracy against Peter, and soon after the coup he became one of the most influential nobles and headed the Russian diplomatic department for almost 20 years;

Count Peter Panin - Nikita's brother, who was one of the active participants in the conspiracy, and then became a commander trusted and favored by the monarch (it was Peter Panin that Catherine instructed to suppress the uprising of Pugachev, who, by the way, declared himself "Emperor Peter III").

Even without being a professional historian and not being familiar with the intricacies of source study and criticism of sources, it is safe to assume that the above-mentioned persons are unlikely to be objective in assessing the person whom they betrayed and killed.

It was not enough for the Empress and her “accomplices” to overthrow and kill Peter III. To justify their crimes, they had to slander their victim!

And they zealously lied, piling up vile gossip and dirty lies.

Catherine:

In her memoirs, the empress portrayed her murdered husband as a drunkard, a carouser, a coward, a fool, a slacker, a tyrant, a weak-minded, a debauchee, an ignoramus, an atheist... “What kind of slop she pours on her husband just because she killed him!” - Viktor Sosnora exclaims.

But, oddly enough, the learned men who wrote dozens of volumes of dissertations and monographs did not doubt the veracity of the killers’ memories of their victim. To this day, in all textbooks and encyclopedias you can read about the “insignificant” emperor who “nullified the results of Russian victories” in the Seven Years’ War, and then “drank with the Holsteiners in Oranienbaum.”

Lies have long legs...

Peter III (Peter Fedorovich, Karl Peter Ulrich) (1728-1762), Russian emperor (from 1761).

Born on February 21, 1728 in the city of Kiel (Germany). Son of Holstein-Gottorp Duke Karl Friedrich and Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter I.

Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, who ascended the throne, appointed her nephew as her heir. The little prince was brought from Germany to Russia and began to be raised at the Russian court. Mentors and many nobles drew attention to his rudeness, uncouthness, poor physical development, childishness and extreme stubbornness. Peter did not love his new homeland, despised the Russian people and, although he converted to Orthodoxy, he continued to secretly adhere to Lutheranism. These qualities could not help but play a fatal role in the future.

In 1745, Peter married Princess Sophia Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst (future Empress Catherine II). Family life was not happy, the spouses did not love each other, and even the son born nine years later (the future Emperor Paul I) did not bring the grand-ducal couple closer. Peter openly expressed doubts that he was his father, and after ascending the throne, he refused to recognize Paul as his heir.

After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna (1761), Peter became emperor. He immediately took a number of unpopular measures in Russian noble society. An admirer of the Prussian king Frederick II, the new sovereign emerged from the Seven Years' War of 1756-1763, in which Russia participated along with France and Austria against Prussia. Peace with Frederick and the return of all conquered lands to him negated the victories of Russian weapons.

The strong court groups of the Vorontsovs and Shuvalovs who supported Peter were able to carry out a number of important reforms. In 1761, the Decree on the Freedom of the Nobility was signed, allowing representatives of the noble class not to serve the state. In 1762, the Secret Chancellery, a body of political investigation, was abolished. However, other actions of Peter caused a wave of discontent in the army, the Church and at court.

Preparations for the secularization of the monastic lands were perceived in society as the beginning of the transformation of the Orthodox Church into the Lutheran. Neglect of national customs, unpopular foreign policy, and the introduction of Prussian orders into the army led to a conspiracy in the guard. The conspirators were led by the emperor's wife, Catherine. Peter was overthrown from the throne, arrested and sent to the Ropsha manor near St. Petersburg, where he died on July 18, 1762 under unclear circumstances.

In 1761, Emperor Peter 3 Fedorovich ascended to the Russian throne. His reign lasted only 186 days, but during this time he managed to commit a lot of evil for Russia, leaving a memory in history of himself as a cowardly person.

The path to power of Peter is interesting for history. He was the grandson of Peter the Great and nephew of Empress Elizabeth. In 1742, Elizabeth named Peter her heir, who would lead Russia after her death. Young Peter was engaged to the German princess Sophia of Zerbska, who after the baptism ceremony received the name Catherine. As soon as Peter became an adult, the wedding took place. After this, Elizabeth became disappointed in her nephew. He, loving his wife, spent almost all his time with her in Germany. He became more and more imbued with the German character and love for everything German. Peter Fedorovich literally idolized the German king, the father of his wife. In such conditions, Elizabeth understood perfectly well that Peter would be a bad emperor for Russia. In 1754, Peter and Catherine had a son, who was named Pavel. Elizaveta Petrovna, in infancy, demanded Pavel to come to her and personally took up his upbringing. She instilled in the child a love for Russia and prepared him to rule a great country. Unfortunately, in December 1761, Elizabeth died and Emperor Peter 3 Fedorovich was installed on the Russian throne, according to his will. .

At this time, Russia took part in the Seven Years' War. The Russians fought with the Germans, whom Peter admired so much. By the time he came to power, Russia had literally destroyed the German army. The Prussian king was in panic; he tried to flee abroad several times, and his attempts to renounce power were also known. By this time, the Russian army had almost completely occupied the territory of Prussia. The German king was ready to sign peace, and he was ready to do this on any terms, just to save at least part of his country. At this time, Emperor Peter 3 Fedorovich betrayed the interests of his country. As mentioned above, Peter admired the Germans and adored the German king. As a result, the Russian emperor did not sign a pact of surrender of Prussia, or even a peace treaty, but entered into an alliance with the Germans. Russia received nothing for winning the Seven Years' War.

Signing a shameful alliance with the Germans played a cruel joke on the emperor. He saved Prussia (Germany), but at the cost of his life. Returning from the German campaign, the Russian army was indignant. For seven years they fought for the interests of Russia, but the country gained nothing due to the actions of Pyotr Fedorovich. The people shared these same sentiments. The Emperor was called nothing less than “the most insignificant of people” and “a hater of the Russian people.” On June 28, 1762, Emperor Peter 3 Fedorovich was overthrown from the throne and arrested. One week later, a certain Orlov A.G. in the heat of a drunken brawl he killed Peter.

The bright pages of this period have also been preserved in the history of Russia. Peter tried to restore order in the country, took care of monasteries and churches. But this is not able to cover up the betrayal of the emperor, for which he paid with his life.

In 1762, another palace coup took place in Russia, for which the 18th century was so rich. In the 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 absurd assessments in historiography - from “tyrant” and “toady of Frederick II” to “hater of everything Russian” - as Peter III. Domestic historians did not honor him with any praise in their works. The authoritative professor Vasily Klyuchevsky wrote: “His development stopped before his growth, in the years of courage he remained the same as he was in childhood, he grew up without maturing.”

A paradoxical thing has developed in Russian history courses: the reforms of Peter III - the Manifesto on the freedom of the nobility and the liquidation of the ominous Secret Chancellery, which was engaged in political investigation - everyone called them 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 his name was given to the most formidable rebel who brought fear to the house of the Romanovs - Emelyan Pugachev.

Kin 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, Tsarevna Anna Petrovna, died three months after the birth of her son, and the boy was raised by his father, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl-Friedrich, until he was 11 years old.

The father raised his son in a military way, in the Prussian way, and the young man’s love for military engineering remained with him throughout his life. At first, the boy was being prepared for the Swedish throne, but in 1741, Elizaveta Petrovna came to power in Russia, who did not have any children of her own, and she chose her nephew as the future heir to the Russian throne.

After moving to Russia and accepting the Orthodox faith, he was named Peter Fedorovich, and 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 Grand Duke. Portrait by G. H. Groot Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

Heir to Elizabeth Petrovna

In 1742, during the solemn coronation, Elizaveta Petrovna declared him her heir. Soon a bride was found - the daughter of an impoverished German prince - Sophia-Frederica-Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. The marriage took place on August 21, 1745. The groom was 17 years old, and the bride was 16. The newlyweds were granted possession of 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 began to have hobbies on the side. And even the fact that at first both were in the same position in Russia, in a foreign land, forced to change their language (Ekaterina and Peter were never able to get rid of a strong German accent) and religion, 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 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 that she did not intend to miss. Natural cunning, ingenuity, subtle intuition and determination helped her gain allies and attract the sympathy of people much more often than her husband managed.

Short reign

Peter and Catherine: a joint portrait by G. K. Groot Photo: Commons.wikimedia.org

In 1762, Elizabeth died and Peter III Fedorovich ascended the throne. Peter Fedorovich waited almost 20 years for his reign, but lasted only 186 days.

Immediately after his accession, he developed vigorous legislative activity. During his short reign, almost 200 pieces of legislation were adopted!

He pardoned many criminals and political exiles (among them Minikh and Biron), abolished the Secret Chancellery, which had operated since the time of Peter I and was engaged in secret investigation and torture, declared forgiveness to repentant peasants who had previously disobeyed their landowners, and prohibited the prosecution 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 noble class in Russia to his side - he abolished compulsory military service for nobles.

In reforms, he tried to imitate his great grandfather, Pyotr Alekseevich. Today, historians note that in many ways, the reforms of Peter III became the foundation for the future transformations of Catherine the Second. But it was precisely the wife who became the first source for unflattering characterizations 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 first appears as a stupid and eccentric Prussian who hated Russia.

CONSPIRACY

Despite active lawmaking, the emperor was much more interested in war than laws. And here the Prussian army was his ideal.

After his accession to the throne, Peter introduced the Prussian uniform into the Russian army, the strictest discipline and daily training according to the Prussian model. In addition, in April 1762, he concluded the unfavorable St. Petersburg Peace Treaty with Prussia, according to which Russia withdrew from the Seven Years' War and voluntarily gave up to Prussia the territory occupied by Russian troops, including East Prussia. But the Russian guard was 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 guard 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 Elizaveta 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, 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 of her early morning escape to St. Petersburg with guards officer Alexei Orlov. It became clear that events had taken a critical turn, and suspicions of treason were confirmed.

In St. Petersburg, the main government institutions - the Senate and the Synod - swore allegiance to Catherine. The Guard also supported Catherine. On the same day, Peter III, who had never decided to take any retaliatory actions, signed his abdication of the Russian throne. He was arrested and sent to Ropsha, where he died a few days later. The circumstances of his death still remain unclear.

According to the official version, the cause of death was an attack of “hemorrhoidal colic.” This version was questioned during Catherine’s lifetime, suggesting that the emperor was simply strangled. Some scientists believe that death was the result of a massive heart attack. There is no doubt that neither the guard nor Ekaterina Alekseevna, his wife, needed Emperor Peter III alive. According to Catherine’s contemporaries, the news of her husband’s death left her in shock. Despite her steely character, she remained an ordinary person and feared retribution. But the people, the guard and posterity forgave her for this crime. She remained in history, first of all, as an outstanding statesman, in contrast to her unfortunate husband. After all, history, as we know, is written by the winners.