The first Russian emperor Peter the Great
“People of all generations agreed on one thing in their assessments of Peter’s personality and activities: he was considered a force. Peter was the most prominent and influential figure of his time, the leader of the entire people. No one considered him an insignificant person who unconsciously used power or blindly walked along a random path.” (S. F. Platonov “Personality and Activity”).
Peter I was the first Russian emperor. He accepted this title in 1721 after his victory in the Great Northern War(1700-1721), the result of which was the expansion of Russian territory in Baltic region. According to the Treaty of Nystadt (August 30, 1721), Russia received access to the Baltic Sea and annexed the territory of Ingria, part of Karelia, Estland and Livonia. Thus, the country became a great European power, and Peter, by decision of the Senate, was proclaimed Emperor of the Russian Empire, and he was given the titles “Great” (“Peter the Great”) and “Father of the Fatherland”).
It is known that from the time of his activity to the present day there have been diametrically opposed assessments of both the personality of Peter I and his role in the history of Russia. Let's try to understand them and compose own opinion about him, although the obvious fact is that Peter I is one of the most outstanding statesmen, which determined the direction of Russia's development for many subsequent years.
short biography
Young Peter
He was proclaimed king at the age of 10 (in 1682), and began to rule independently in 1689. youth he showed interest in science and the foreign way of life; among his youth friends there were many foreigners, especially Germans who lived in Moscow in the German Settlement. Peter was the first of the Russian tsars to make a long journey to the countries of Western Europe (1697-1698), where he not only became acquainted with the way of life and culture of these countries, but also learned a lot, delving into many crafts and sciences, as well as engaging in self-education. After returning to Russia, he launched large-scale reforms of the Russian state and social structure. He had tireless energy and curiosity, knew 14 crafts, but main reason The ambiguous attitude towards him was that he demanded the same from others - complete dedication to the cause without compromise. He firmly believed in the correctness and necessity of his actions, therefore, to achieve his goals, he did not take anything into account.
You can read about the reform activities of Peter I on our website:,.
In this article we will pay more attention to the personality of Peter I and the assessment of his activities.
Personality of PeterI
Appearance and character
Peter was very tall (204 cm), but not of a heroic build: he had a small foot (size 38), a slender build, small hands, and a swift gait.
The beauty and liveliness of his face are distinguished, disturbed only by periodic strong convulsive twitches, especially in moments of excitement or emotional stress. It is believed that this was due to a childhood shock during the Streltsy riots - the time of the seizure of power by his sister Sofia Alekseevna.
K.K. Steuben "Peter the Great as a child, saved by his mother from the fury of the archers"
Those around him were often frightened by these facial twitches, which distorted his appearance. This is how the Duke of Saint-Simon, who met with Peter during his stay in Paris, recalls this: “ He was very tall, well-built, rather thin, with a roundish face, high forehead, and beautiful eyebrows; his nose is quite short, but not too short, and somewhat thick towards the end; the lips are quite large, the complexion is reddish and dark, beautiful black eyes, large, lively, penetrating, beautifully shaped; the look is majestic and welcoming when he watches himself and restrains himself, otherwise he is stern and wild, with convulsions on the face that are not repeated often, but distort both the eyes and the whole face, frightening everyone present. The spasm usually lasted one moment, and then his gaze became strange, as if confused, then everything immediately took on its normal appearance. His whole appearance showed intelligence, reflection and greatness and was not without charm" But this was not the only thing that sometimes frightened the sophisticated foreign aristocrats: Peter had a simple disposition and rude manners.
He was a lively, cheerful person, savvy and natural in all his manifestations: both joy and anger. But his anger was terrible and was often combined with cruelty. In anger, he could hit and even beat his associates. His cruel jokes are known, especially often they were directed at noble and old boyars, who did not approve of his innovations and slowed down the implementation of reforms, and were supporters of the original Russian moral and religious foundations. In general, he treated opponents of reforms with particular cruelty and disdain. Just look at the All-Joking, All-Drunken and Extraordinary Council that he created, which was engaged in mockery of everything that was revered in society as primordially Russian. This was one of the undertakings established by him for the purpose of entertainment, drinking amusements, a kind of clownish “order organization” that united royal like-minded people.
Y. Pantsyrev "Peter and Menshikov"
The main feature of the “Council” was its parody of the rituals of the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Some historians even believe that the “Cathedral” was created with the aim of discrediting the church and, along with shaving beards, is part of general row destruction of old Russian stereotypes Everyday life; At the “Cathedral” they drank a lot and swore a lot. It existed for about 30 years - until the mid-1720s. Perhaps this is why Peter I is still perceived by some as the Antichrist (the opposite and antipode of Christ).
In this anti-behavior, Peter was similar to Ivan the Terrible. Peter also sometimes personally performed the duties of executioner.
Family
Peter married for the first time at the age of 17 at the insistence of his mother in 1689. His wife was Evdokia Lopukhina. Their son, Tsarevich Alexei, was raised mainly by his mother; he was alien to Peter’s reform activities. The remaining children of Peter and Evdokia died in infancy. Subsequently, Evdokia Lopukhina became involved in the Streltsy riot and was exiled to a monastery.
Alexei Petrovich, the official heir to the Russian throne, condemned his father's reforms and fled to Vienna under the protection of his wife's relative (Charlotte of Brunswick), Emperor Charles VI. There he hoped to find support for his idea of overthrowing Peter I. In 1717, he was persuaded to return home, where he was immediately taken into custody. In 1718, the Supreme Court sentenced him to death, finding him guilty of treason.
But Tsarevich Alexei did not wait for the sentence to be carried out and died in Peter and Paul Fortress. The true cause of his death has not yet been established.
The prince had two children: Peter Alekseevich, who became Emperor Peter II in 1727 (read about him on our website:), and daughter Natalya.
In 1703, Peter I met 19-year-old Katerina, whose maiden name was Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya, captured by Russian troops as booty during the capture of the Swedish fortress of Marienburg. Peter took a former maid from the Baltic peasants from Alexander Menshikov and made her his mistress. They had 6 daughters (including Elizabeth, the future empress, and three sons who died in infancy). The official wedding of Peter I with Ekaterina Alekseevna took place in 1712, shortly after returning from Prut campaign. In 1724, Peter crowned Catherine as empress and co-ruler. After the death of Peter in January 1725, Ekaterina Alekseevna, with the support of the serving nobility and guards regiments, became the first ruling Russian Empress Catherine I (read about her on our website:), but she did not rule for long and died in 1727, leaving the throne to Tsarevich Peter Alekseevich.
According to some sources, Peter I had 14 officially registered children. Many of them died in infancy.
Death of PeterI
Peter I died on February 8, 2725 in Winter Palace. The cause of his death was kidney stones, complicated by uremia, but a sharp exacerbation of the disease began after Peter, while inspecting the Ladoga Canal in October, entered waist-deep water to save a boat with soldiers that had run aground. It turns out that he could not only execute and be angry, but also sacrifice his health and, as it turned out, his life for the sake of others. After this, his health condition deteriorated sharply and death occurred.
I. Nikitin "Peter on his deathbed"
Contemporaries and historians about the activities of Peter the Great
Here are just a few of the many characteristics of this person, who cannot be characterized unambiguously. They say a man should be judged by his deeds. Peter's deeds are enormous, but when realizing this, another problem always arises: at what cost?
Let's listen to different opinions about Peter I.
Mikhail Lomonosov always spoke enthusiastically about Peter: “Who can I compare the Great Sovereign with? I see in ancient times and in modern times Possessors called great. Indeed, they are great in front of others. However, they are small before Peter. ...Who will I liken our Hero to? I have often wondered what He is like who rules heaven, earth and sea with an omnipotent wave: His spirit breathes and waters flow, touches the mountains and they rise.” .
L. Bernshtam. Monument to Peter I "Tsar the Carpenter"
Swedish writer and playwright Johan August Strindberg characterized it this way: “The barbarian who civilized his Russia; he, who built cities, but did not want to live in them; he, who punished his wife with a whip and gave the woman wide freedom - his life was great, rich and useful in public terms, and in private terms such as it turned out.”
Historian S.M. Soloviev gave highly appreciated Peter’s activities, and he considered the polarity of assessments of such a broad personality as Peter inevitable: “The difference in views stemmed from the enormity of the deed accomplished by Peter, the duration of the influence of this deed. The more significant a phenomenon is, the more contradictory views and opinions it gives rise to, and the longer they talk about it, the longer they feel its influence.”
P. N. Milyukov believes that the reforms were carried out by Peter spontaneously, from case to case, under the pressure of specific circumstances, without any logic or plan, they were “reforms without a reformer.” He also mentions that only “at the cost of ruining the country, Russia was elevated to the rank of a European power.” According to Miliukov, during the reign of Peter, the population of Russia within the borders of 1695 decreased due to incessant wars.
N. M. Karamzin agreed with the characterization of Peter as “The Great”, but criticized him for his excessive passion for foreign things, his desire to make Russia the Netherlands. According to the historian, sudden change the “old” way of life and national traditions, the actions taken by the emperor are not always justified. As a result, the Russians educated people“became citizens of the world, but ceased to be, in some cases, citizens of Russia.” But “A great man proves his greatness by his very mistakes.”
Some historians believe that Peter did not change the most important thing in the country: serfdom. Temporary improvements in the present doomed Russia to a crisis in the future.
Thinker and publicist Ivan Solonevich gives an extremely negative description of the activities of Peter I. In his opinion, the result of Peter’s activities was a gap between the ruling elite and the people, the denationalization of the former. He accused Peter of cruelty, incompetence, tyranny and cowardice.
IN. Klyuchevsky understands Peter’s reforms not as transformations carried out according to a pre-thought-out plan, but as a response and reaction to the dictates of the time: “The reform itself arose from the urgent needs of the state and the people, instinctively
felt by a powerful person with a sensitive mind and strong character" "The reform was his personal matter, an unprecedentedly violent deed, and yet involuntary and necessary.”
And further the historian notes that “The reform gradually turned into a stubborn internal struggle, stirring up all the stagnant mold of the Russian
life, excited all classes of society...".
Conclusion
Peter I, the first Russian emperor, influenced Russian history so significantly that interest in his activities is unlikely to ever fade, no matter how his reforms are assessed.
Who was last Russian Emperor? From a legal point of view, there is no exact answer to this seemingly elementary question.
Nicholas II in the uniform of the Life Guards 4th Infantry Battalion of the Imperial Family. Photo from 1909
Late in the evening 2nd of March(15th New Style) 1917 in Pskov, in the carriage of the imperial train Nicholas II signed the Act of Abdication of the Throne. Everything happened very quickly. The night before, receiving news from Petrograd, in the grip of an uprising, the autocrat barely agreed to the creation of a government of people's trust to replace the ministers he had appointed. The next morning it became clear that now only a radical measure could save the country from revolutionary chaos - his renunciation of power. The Chairman of the State Duma, Mikhail Rodzianko, and the Chief of Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, General Mikhail Alekseev, and the front commanders were convinced of this... From Headquarters, the Emperor was sent a draft manifesto, which he reflected on for the rest of the day.
Nicholas II signed at approximately 23:40, but the time in the Act of Abdication was indicated during the day, before the arrival of the delegates of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma from the capital, in order to avoid suspicion that the decision was made under their pressure. And then the former emperor wrote in his diary: “He handed over... the signed and revised manifesto. At one o'clock in the morning I left Pskov with a heavy feeling of what I had experienced. There is treason and cowardice and deceit all around!”
Act of abdication of Nicholas II from the throne
On the right is the emperor's varnished signature, written in pencil, as on many of his orders. On the left, in ink, countersignature of the act by the minister in accordance with the requirements of the law: “Minister of the Imperial Household, Adjutant General Count Fredericks”
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Mutinous soldiers in February 1917
Forgery or coercion?
There are several popular theories that the Act of Abdication is in fact a fake, either in whole or in part. However, the decision that the emperor made and carried out was recorded not only in his diary. There were many witnesses to how Nicholas II considered the abdication, negotiated about it, drew up and signed a document - the courtiers and officials who were with the sovereign, the commander of the Northern Front, General Ruzsky, emissaries from the capital Alexander Guchkov and Vasily Shulgin. They all subsequently spoke about this in memoirs and interviews. Supporters and opponents of abdication testified: the monarch came to this decision of his own free will. The version that the text was changed by the conspirators is also refuted by many sources - correspondence, diary entries, memoirs. Former Emperor knew perfectly well what he signed and what was published, and did not challenge the contents of the act after its publication, like the witnesses to the preparation of the document.
So, The act of abdication expressed the true will of the emperor. Another thing is that this will was contrary to the law.
The interior of the imperial train, in which Nicholas II announced his abdication of the throne
Cunning or negligence?
The rules of succession to the throne in force in the Russian Empire of those years were established by Paul I. This monarch was afraid all his life that his mother, Catherine II, would appoint her grandson as successor, and as soon as he could, he eliminated the right of the emperor established by Peter I to arbitrarily determine the heir to the throne. The corresponding decree was promulgated on April 5, 1797, the day of Paul's coronation. From then on, the emperor was obliged to obey the law, according to which the eldest son was considered the successor, if he was (or other close relatives in a clearly established priority). Representatives of the imperial house, upon reaching adulthood, took the oath: “I undertake and swear to observe all the regulations on the succession to the throne and the order of the family establishment, depicted in the Fundamental Laws of the Empire, in all their force and inviolability.” In 1832, the provisions of the document, with some additions, were included in Volume I of the Code of State Laws. They were also preserved in the Code of Basic State Laws of 1906, according to which the empire lived on the eve of revolutions.
According to the law, after the abdication of Nicholas II, the throne passed to his 12-year-old son Alexei. However, on the day of signing, the monarch consulted with doctor Sergei Fedorov about hemophilia, a severe hereditary disease from which the Tsarevich suffered. Fedorov confirmed that there was no hope of curing the attacks, and expressed the opinion that Nikolai, after his abdication, would most likely be separated from his son. And then the emperor announced that, bypassing the crown prince, he was transferring the crown to his brother, Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich. However, according to the law, the monarch did not have the right to do so. Michael, next in line of succession to the throne, could ascend the throne only if Alexei died or, upon reaching 16 years of age, abdicated himself, leaving no sons.
Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich Romanov
Nikolai’s paternal feelings are understandable, but what’s the point of certifying a document whose incompetence is obvious? The leader of the Cadet Party, Pavel Milyukov, suspected a trick: “A refusal in favor of a brother is invalid, and this is a trick that was conceived and carried out in the absence of the Empress, but is fully approved by her... Given the transfer of power to Mikhail, it was later easier to interpret the entire act of abdication as invalid "
Salvation or usurpation?
Having signed the Act of Abdication, Nicholas sent a telegram to his brother as “His Imperial Majesty Michael the Second.” However, according to the law, the prince could not be considered the next monarch. The very possibility of Nicholas II’s abdication is already quite debatable from a legal point of view, since in the Code of Basic State Laws the renunciation of the throne is prescribed only for “a person entitled to it”, and not for the reigning emperor (Article 37). However, Professor Nikolai Korkunov, like many prominent lawyers of that time, interpreted this provision as follows: “Can someone who has already ascended the throne renounce it? Since the reigning sovereign undoubtedly has the right to the throne, and the law grants everyone who has the right to the throne the right to abdicate, then we must answer this in the affirmative.” If we nevertheless accept the abdication of Nicholas II, technically Alexei was considered the next emperor, regardless of the wishes of his father.
From a legal point of view, Alexei was considered the next emperor after Nicholas II, regardless of the wishes of his father
Grand Duke Mikhail found himself in a difficult situation. He was actually being set up. His brother entrusted Mikhail with the mission of preserving the monarchy in Russia, but if Grand Duke accepted the throne, from a legal point of view he would be a usurper. On March 3 (Old Art.) in Petrograd, in the presence of ministers of the Provisional Government, as well as lawyers Nabokov and Baron Boris Nolde, Mikhail Alexandrovich signed the Act of Abdication of the Throne. He simply saw no other way out.
Act on the renunciation of Grand Duke Mikhail Alexandrovich from the throne
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Nicholas II’s assumption that he had the right to make Michael emperor was incorrect, Nabokov, who helped the prince draw up the Act of Refusal, admitted, “but under the conditions of the moment it seemed necessary... to use this act in order to in the eyes of that part of the population for whom he could have a serious moral significance - to solemnly reinforce the full power of the Provisional Government and its continuous connection with the State Duma.” At the instigation of the Duma lawyers, the Grand Duke did not become a usurper on the throne, but at the same time usurped the right to dispose of the supreme power, ceding the reins of government that did not belong to him to the Provisional Government and the future Constituent Assembly. Thus, the transfer of power twice turned out to be outside the legislation of the Russian Empire, and on this shaky basis the new government asserted its legitimacy.
The mass burial ceremony of the victims of the February Revolution on the Champ de Mars on March 23 (New Style) 1917
On top level the authorities have created a precedent when, in an unstable situation, laws are neglected as a formality. This trend was brought to its logical conclusion by the Bolsheviks, who dispersed the popularly elected Constituent Assembly in January 1918. In the same year, Nikolai and Mikhail Alexandrovich, great-great-grandsons of the creator of the unshakable rules of succession to the throne in Russia - Paul I, like Tsarevich Alexei, were executed. By the way, the descendants of Emperor Paul through his daughter Anna still reign in the Netherlands today. Not so long ago, in 2013, Queen Beatrix abdicated the throne due to age, and her son, Willem-Alexander, became her successor.
News about the abdication of the Russian emperor on the cover of a British tabloid Daily Mirror
Victim of the Revolution
Liberal from the royal family
After the October Revolution, 17 representatives of the Romanov dynasty were executed. Among the victims is the emperor's cousin, the second Chairman of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich. The prince had merits in two areas of science: as a historian, the author of works on the era of Alexander I, and an entomologist who discovered six species of butterflies.
The freethinking prince, who had a reputation at court as a “dangerous radical,” was nicknamed Philippe Egalite, after the French revolutionary prince of the 18th century. However, as was the case with the rebellious prince of the blood, the revolution dealt with the prince. In January 1919, Romanov was shot, although scientists from the Academy of Sciences and writer Maxim Gorky petitioned for his pardon. “The revolution does not need historians,” Lenin is rumored to have said in response to these requests.
Photo: Diomedia, Alamy (x2) / Legion-media, Rosarkhiv (archives.ru) (x2), Fine Art Images, Mary Evans / Legion-media
EMPERORS
Emperor (from Latin imperator - ruler) is the title of the monarch, head of state (empire).
There were emperors in Russia from 1721 to 1917. The title All-Russian Emperor (Emperor All-Russian) was adopted for the first time after the victory in the Northern War by Peter I the Great on October 22, 1721 at the request of the Senate “as usual from the Roman Senate for the noble deeds of emperors, such titles were publicly presented to them as a gift and on statutes for memory in eternal birth is signed.” The last Emperor Nicholas II was overthrown during the February Revolution of 1917.
The Emperor had supreme autocratic power (since 1906 - legislative power together with the State Duma and State Council), officially he was titled “His Imperial Majesty” (in shortened form - “Sovereign” or “E.I.V.”).
Article 1 of the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire indicated that “The All-Russian Emperor is an autocratic and unlimited Monarch. God himself commands to obey his supreme authority not only out of fear, but also out of conscience.” The terms “autocratic” and “unlimited”, coinciding in their meaning, indicate that all functions of state power on legal formation, expedient activities within the law (administrative-executive) and the administration of justice are performed undividedly and without the obligatory participation of other institutions by the head of state, who transfers the implementation of some of them by certain bodies acting on his behalf and with his authority (Article 81).
Russia under the emperors was a rule of law state with a monarchical-unlimited form of government.
Full title of the emperor at the beginning of the 20th century. was like this (Article 37 of the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire):
By God's hastening mercy, We, ΝΝ, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauride Chersonis, Tsar of Georgia; Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volyn, Podolsk and Finland; Prince of Estland, Livonia, Courland and Semigal, Samogit, Bialystok, Korel, Tver, Yugorsk, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novagorod of the Nizovsky lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udora, Obdorsky, Kondiysky, Vitebsk, Mstislavsky and all northern countries Sovereign; and Sovereign of Iversk, Kartalinsky and Kasardinsky lands and regions of Armenia; Cherkasy and Mountain Princes and other Hereditary Sovereign and Possessor; Sovereign of Turkestan; Heir to Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstin, Stormarn, Ditmarsen and Oldenburg, and so on, and so on, and so on.
In some cases determined by law, an abbreviated form of title was used: “By God's hastening grace, We, ΝΝ, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauride Chersonis, Tsar of Georgia, Grand Duke of Finland and so on, and so on, and so on.”
After Peter the Great accepted the title of Emperor, October 22 (November 2), 1721 and the recognition of his title by other countries, Russian state became known as the Russian Empire (Russian Empire).
On February 5 (16), 1722, Peter the Great issued a Decree on Succession to the Throne, in which he abolished the ancient custom of transferring the throne to direct descendants in the male line, but allowed, at the will of the monarch, the appointment of any worthy person as heir.
On April 5 (16), 1797, Paul I established a new order of inheritance. From that time on, the order of succession to the Russian throne was based on the principle of primogeniture, i.e. with the accession to the throne by descendants of their ascendants in the event of death or abdication of the latter by the time of the opening of the succession. In the absence of direct heirs, the throne should pass to the lateral ones. Within each line (straight or side), males are preferred over females, and male sidelines are called before females. Accession to the throne for those who are called must be limited to the confession of the Orthodox faith. The reigning emperor (and heir) comes of age at the age of sixteen; until this age (as well as in other cases of incapacity), his power is exercised by the ruler, who can be (if there is no person specially appointed by the previously reigning emperor), the surviving father or mother of the emperor , and in their absence - the closest adult heir.
All the emperors who ruled Russia belonged to the same imperial family - the House of Romanov, the first representative of which became monarch in 1613. Since 1761, the descendants of the daughter of Peter I Anna and the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl-Friedrich, who descended from the family in the male line, reigned Holstein-Gottorp (a branch of the Oldenburg dynasty), and in the genealogy these representatives of the House of Romanov starting from Peter III are called Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp.
By right of birth and by the scope of his powers, the emperor was the supreme leader of a great world power, the first official in the state. All laws were issued on behalf of the emperor and he was appointed to positions.
All government ministers, governors and others senior officials. It was the emperor who determined the most important directions government activities, including issues of war and peace, had almost no control over public finances.
The organic nature of the Russian autocracy is inextricably linked with historical conditions the development and fate of the Russian Empire, the peculiarities of the Russian national mentality. Supreme power had support in the minds and souls of the Russian people. The monarchical idea was popular and accepted by society.
In terms of their objective role, all the emperors of Russia were major political figures, whose activities reflected both public interests and contradictions, as well as their personal qualities.
Intelligence and education, political preferences, moral principles, life principles and features of the psychological makeup of the monarch’s character largely determined the direction and nature of the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian state and, ultimately, had great value for the fate of the entire country.
In 1917, with the abdication of Nicholas II for himself and his son Tsarevich Alexei, the imperial title and the empire itself were abolished.
Transformation of a fragmented, weakened Tatar-Mongol invasion, feudal Rus' into centralized strong state- a complex and lengthy process.
One of the main signs of this process is the strengthening of power. The reign gradually became a thing of the past. The administration of vast territories could only be effective under the sole rule of a strong monarch.
Russian tsarism, with all its shortcomings, lasted almost 400 years. At the same time, a change of dynasty occurred only once, and even then as a result of events that became a turning point in Russian history. Of great interest are the two Russian monarchs who became the first tsars of each dynasty.
The first emperor of Russia was.
Let's consider the life of the last tsar and first emperor of Russia, Peter I. He completely overthrew the old mores and brought Russia to a new level of development in various sectors. Thanks to his successful innovative ideas and competent approach to leading the country, he was called the Great.
Personality of a great man
Outwardly, Peter I (06/09/1672 - 02/08/1725) was handsome, stood out for his tall stature, regular physique, large, penetrating black eyes, and beautiful eyebrows.
From an early age, he was interested in mastering various crafts such as carpentry, turning, blacksmithing and others. He had the ability to master foreign languages.
Tsarevna Sofya Alekseevna was the daughter of Marie Miloslavskaya. After the tsars declared sixteen-year-old Ivan and ten-year-old Peter boyars, the Streletsky revolt took place in May 1682.
The Sagittarius suffered disfavor from the state and were dissatisfied with their living and service conditions. Streltsy troops at that time they were a huge force, and from childhood I remembered how the mass of soldiers smashed the Naryshkins.
Sophia was smart, ambitious, and also possessed English language and knew Latin. In addition, she was pretty and wrote poetry. Legally, the queen could not get to the throne, but her excessive ambition was constantly “gnawing from the inside.”
Sophia managed to stop the Khovanshchina - the Streltsy riot. The Sagittarius attracted the Apologist Nikita from the uprising, trying to give the performance a religious character.
However, Sofya Alekseevna invited Nikita to the Garnovitaya Chamber to talk with him in person, away from the people. Next, the queen fought against the “schismatics” according to the law, relying on 12 articles. Thousands of people were accused of Old Belief and executed publicly.
Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich is known as Theodore the Blessed. One of the kings of all and the princes of Moscow. His reign spanned from March 1584 until his death in 1598.
Fedor, the son of the Fourth and Anastasia Romanova, became the last of the Rurikovichs. In honor of the birth of Fedor, he ordered the construction of a temple in. The church still exists today and bears the name of Theodore Stratelates.
In 1581, the heir to the throne, John, died tragically: this is how Fyodor the Blessed became king. The twenty-year-old youth was completely unfit to reign. The father himself spoke of him as if he was born more “for the cell than for power.”
characterize Fedor as a person of weak mind and health. The tsar actually did not take part in governing the state, but relied on the opinion of the nobles and his brother-in-law. It was he who ruled the kingdom through the mouth of Theodore the Blessed. It was Godunov who became the tsar’s successor after his death.
There is a very sad period of history in Russia - we're talking about about a period of time called "". This era “gave” many tragic destinies.
Especially tragic, against the backdrop of the unfulfilled lives of historical characters, are the fates of the children of the emperors - Peter II and Ivan VI Antonovich. It is the latter that will be discussed.
The Empress had no children; she had to think about the heir to the Russian throne. Anna spent a long time choosing, and her choice fell on her niece’s unborn child.
In August 1740, Anna Leopoldovna and her husband Anton Ulrich had their first child, named John. Soon he was destined to become the Russian emperor.
In mid-autumn, Empress Anna Ioannovna dies and Ivan Antonovich becomes her heir. The baby ascended the throne on October 28, 1740, and Biron was proclaimed regent under him.
Biron was already pretty boring to everyone with his anti-Russian rules, and his regency, with his parents still alive, looked strange. Soon Biron was arrested, and Anna Leopoldovna was proclaimed regent of Ivan Antonovich.
Anna Leopoldovna was unsuited to govern the country and at the end of 1741 another palace coup took place.
Relying on the guard, the daughter of Elizaveta Petrovna became the new Russian empress. Fortunately, the coup took place without bloodshed.
Catherine II was born on April 21, 1729, before accepting Orthodoxy she had the name Sophia-August-Frederike. As fate would have it, in 1745 Sophia converted to Orthodoxy and was baptized under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna.
Married the future Emperor of Russia. The relationship between Peter and Catherine somehow did not work out right away. A wall of barriers arose between them due to the banal misunderstanding of each other.
Despite the fact that the spouses did not have a particularly big difference in age, Pyotr Fedorovich was a real child, and Ekaterina Alekseevna wanted a more adult relationship with her husband.
Catherine was quite well educated. I studied since childhood various sciences such as: history, geography, theology and foreign languages. The level of her development was very high, she danced and sang beautifully.
Arriving in, she was immediately imbued with the Russian spirit. Realizing that the emperor’s wife must have certain qualities, she sat down with textbooks on Russian history and the Russian language.
There have been incomprehensible characters in Russian history. One of these was Peter III, who, by the will of fate, was destined to become the Russian emperor.
Peter-Ulrich was the son of Anna Petrovna, the eldest daughter, and the Duke of Holstein, Kal - Friedrich. The heir to the Russian throne was born on February 21, 1728.
Anna Petrovna died three months after the birth of the boy, from consumption. At the age of 11, Peter-Ulrich will lose his father.
Peter-Ulrich's uncle was the Swedish king Charles XII. Peter had rights to both the Russian and Swedish thrones. From the age of 11, the future emperor lived in Sweden, where he was brought up in the spirit of Swedish patriotism and hatred of Russia.
Ulrich grew up as a nervous and sickly boy. This was largely due to the manner of his upbringing. His teachers often took humiliating and harsh punishments towards their charges. The character of Peter-Ulrich was simple-minded; there was no particular malice in the boy.
In 1741, Peter-Ulrich's aunt became Empress of Russia. One of her first steps at the head of the state was the proclamation of an heir. The Empress named Peter-Ulrich as his successor.
Why? She wanted to establish the paternal line on the throne. And her relationship with her sister, Peter’s mother, Anna Petrovna, was very, very warm.
Admit it, who among us has not dreamed of being a representative of a noble and wealthy family? Well, they say, they have power and wealth. But power and wealth do not always bring happiness to a person.
In Russian history there are many examples of the unfortunate fates of monarchs, various officials, and people.
Of particular note in the list of these examples is the personality of Emperor Peter II, and we will talk about him.
Peter II was the grandson of Peter I, the son of Tsarevich Alexei and Princess Sophia Charlotte of Blankenburg, who received the name Natalya Alekseevna at baptism.
Pyotr Alekseevich was born on October 12, 1715. Natalya Alekseevna died ten days after giving birth. And three years later, his father, Tsarevich Alexei, died.
At the end of 1726 she began to get sick. This circumstance forced the empress and the Russian public to think about the heir to the throne.
Several descendants claimed the Russian throne at once. These were his daughters - Elizabeth (the future Empress), Anna and grandson Peter Alekseevich.
Representatives of the old boyar families advocated for little Peter to sit on the Russian throne.
There are some dark spots in the biography of Catherine I; information about some periods of her life is very scarce. It is known that before the adoption of Orthodoxy, Ekaterina Alekseevna’s name was Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya.
She was born in April 1684. Marta was of Baltic origin, lost her parents at an early age and was raised in the family of a Protestant pastor.
At the beginning of the 18th century, Russia participated in. Sweden was the enemy of the Russian state. In 1702, the army occupied the Marienburg fortress, which is located on the territory of modern Latvia.
During military operation About four hundred inhabitants of the fortress were captured. Martha was among the prisoners. There are two versions of how Martha got surrounded.
The first says that Marta became the mistress of the commander of the Russian army, Sheremetyev. Later, Menshikov, who had more influence than the field marshal, took Marta for himself.
The second version looks like this: Martha was entrusted with managing the servants in the house of Colonel Baur. Baur could not get enough of his manager, but Menshikov drew attention to her, and until the last decade of 1703 she worked in the house of His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Danilovich.
In Menshikov’s house, Peter I drew attention to Martha.
Peter I solemnly entered Moscow, and the monarch was immediately informed that his daughter had been born. As a result, they celebrated not the military successes of the state, but the birth of the daughter of Peter I.
In March 1711, Elizabeth was recognized as the daughter of august parents and proclaimed princess. Even in childhood, the courtiers, as well as foreign ambassadors noticed the amazing beauty of the daughter of the Russian monarch.
She danced excellently, had a lively mind, resourcefulness and intelligence. The young princess lived in the villages of Preobrazhenskoye and Izmailovskoye, where she received her education.
She studied foreign languages, history, and geography. She devoted a lot of time to hunting, horse riding, rowing, and, like all girls, she was very concerned about her appearance.
Elizaveta Petrovna excelled in horse riding; she felt very confident in the saddle and could give odds to many cavalrymen.
(1672 - 1725) a period began in the country palace coups. This time was characterized by a rapid change of both the rulers themselves and the entire elite surrounding them. However, Catherine II was on the throne for 34 years, lived a long life and died at the age of 67. After her, emperors came to power in Russia, each of whom tried in his own way to raise its prestige throughout the world, and some succeeded. The history of the country will forever include the names of those who ruled Russia after Catherine II.
Briefly about the reign of Catherine II
The full name of the most famous Empress of All Russia is Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerb. She was born on May 2, 1729 in Prussia. In 1744, she was invited by Elizabeth II and her mother to Russia, where she immediately began to study the Russian language and the history of her new homeland. That same year she converted from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy. On September 1, 1745, she was married to Pyotr Fedorovich, the future Emperor Peter III, who was 17 years old at the time of the marriage.
During the years of his reign from 1762 to 1796. Catherine II raised general culture country, its political life to the European level. Under her, new legislation was adopted, which contained 526 articles. During her reign, Crimea, Azov, Kuban, Kerch, Kiburn, the western part of Volyn, as well as some regions of Belarus, Poland and Lithuania were annexed to Russia. was founded by Catherine II Russian Academy sciences, a secondary education system was introduced, and institutes for girls were opened. In 1769, paper money, the so-called assignats, was put into circulation. Money circulation at that time was based on copper money, which was extremely inconvenient for large trade transactions. For example, 100 rubles in copper coins weighed more than 6 poods, that is, more than a hundredweight, which made financial transactions very difficult. Under Catherine II, the number of factories and plants increased fourfold, and the army and navy gained strength. But there were also many negative assessments of her activities. Including abuse of power by officials, bribery, theft. The empress's favorites received orders, gifts of fabulous value, and privileges. Her generosity extended to almost everyone who was close to the court. During the reign of Catherine II, the situation of serfs deteriorated significantly.
Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich (1754 - 1801) was the son of Catherine II and Peter III. From birth he was under the tutelage of Elizabeth II. Big influence The worldview of the heir to the throne was influenced by his mentor, Hieromonk Plato. He was married twice and had 10 children. He ascended the throne after the death of Catherine II. He issued a decree on succession to the throne, which legitimized the transfer of the throne from father to son, the Manifesto on the three-day corvee. On the very first day of his reign he returned A.N. Radishchev from Siberian exile, released N.I. from prison. Novikov and A.T. Kosciuszko. Made serious reforms and transformations in the army and navy.
The country began to pay more attention to spiritual and secular education, military educational institutions. New seminaries and theological academies were opened. Paul I in 1798 supported the Order of Malta, which was practically defeated by French troops and for this he was proclaimed protector of the order, that is, its defender, and subsequently the Chief Master. The unpopular recent political decisions made by Paul, his harsh and despotic character caused discontent throughout society. As a result of the conspiracy, he was killed in his bedroom on the night of March 23, 1801.
After the death of Paul I, in 1801, Russian throne Alexander I (1777 - 1825), his eldest son, ascended. Spent a series liberal reforms. Conducted successful military operations against Turkey, Sweden and Persia. After the victory in the war against Napoleon, Bonaparte was among the leaders of the Congress of Vienna and the organizers Holy Alliance, which included Russia, Prussia and Austria. He died unexpectedly during an epidemic of typhoid fever in Taganrog. However, due to the fact that he repeatedly mentioned the desire to voluntarily leave the throne and “remove the world,” a legend arose in society that a double died in Taganrog, and Alexander I became the elder Fedor Kuzmich, who lived in the Urals and died in 1864
The next Russian emperor was Alexander I's brother, Nikolai Pavlovich, since Grand Duke Constantine, who inherited the throne by seniority, abdicated the throne. During the oath of allegiance to the new sovereign on December 14, 1825, the Decembrist uprising took place, the goal of which was the liberalization of the existing political system, including the abolition of serfdom, and democratic freedoms up to a change in the form of government. The protest was suppressed on the same day, many were sent into exile, and the leaders were executed. Nicholas I was married to Alexandra Feodorovna, the Prussian princess Frederica-Louise-Charlotte-Wilhemina, with whom they had seven children. This marriage had great importance for Prussia and Russia. Nicholas I had engineering education and personally supervised the construction railways and Fort “Emperor Paul I”, fortification projects for the naval defense of St. Petersburg. Died on March 2, 1855 from pneumonia.
In 1855, the son of Nicholas I and Alexandra Fedorovna, Alexander II, ascended the throne. He was an excellent diplomat. He carried out the abolition of serfdom in 1861. Implemented a number of reforms that were of great importance for further development countries:
- in 1857 he issued a decree that liquidated all military settlements;
- in 1863 he introduced the university charter, which determined the procedures in Russian higher institutions;
- carried out reforms of city government, judicial and secondary education;
- approved in 1874 military reform on universal conscription.
Several attempts were made on the emperor's life. He died on March 13, 1881 after Narodnaya Volya member Ignatius Grinevitsky threw a bomb at his feet.
Since 1881, Russia has been ruled by Alexander III(1845 - 1894). He was married to a princess from Denmark, known in the country as Maria Feodorovna. They had six children. The Emperor had good military education, and after the death of his older brother Nikolai, he mastered an additional course of sciences that he needed to know in order to competently manage the state. His reign was characterized by a number of tough measures to strengthen administrative control. Judges began to be appointed by the government, censorship of printed publications was again introduced, and legal status was given to Old Believers. In 1886 the so-called poll tax was abolished. Alexander III led an open foreign policy, which contributed to strengthening its position in the international arena. The prestige of the country during his reign was extremely high; Russia did not participate in a single war. He died on November 1, 1894 in the Livadia Palace, in Crimea.
The years of the reign of Nicholas II (1868 - 1918) were characterized by rapid economic development Russia and the simultaneous increase in social tension. Increased growth revolutionary sentiments resulted in the First Russian Revolution of 1905 - 1907. It was followed by a war with Japan for control of Manchuria and Korea, and the country's participation in the First World War. After February revolution Abdicated the throne in 1917.
According to the decision of the Provisional Government, he was sent into exile with his family in Tobolsk. In the spring of 1918, he was transported to Yekaterinburg, where he was shot along with his wife, children and several associates. This is the very last of those who ruled in Russia after Catherine 2. The family of Nicholas II is glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church as saints.
