The reign of Peter III (briefly)
The reign of Peter 3 (short story)
There are many sharp turns in the biography of Peter III. He was born on February 10, 1728, but very soon lost his mother, and eleven years later, his father. From the age of eleven, the young man was prepared to rule Sweden, but everything changed when the new ruler of Russia, Empress Elizabeth, announced him in 1742 as her successor. Contemporaries note that Peter III himself was not very educated for a ruler and knew only a little of the Latin, French and Lutheran catechism.
At the same time, Elizabeth insisted on the re-education of Peter and he persistently studied the Russian language and the foundations of the Orthodox faith. In 1745, he was married to Catherine II, the future Empress of Russia, who bore him a son, Paul the First, the future heir. Immediately after the death of Elizabeth, Peter was declared the Russian emperor without coronation. However, he was destined to rule only one hundred and eighty-six days. During his reign, Peter the Third openly expressed sympathy for Prussia in the era of the Seven Years' War and for this reason was not very popular in Russian society.
With his most important manifesto of February 18, 1762, the monarch abolishes the obligatory service of the nobility, dissolves the Secret Chancellery, and also issues permission for the schismatics to return to their homeland. But even such innovative bold orders could not bring Peter popularity in society. During the short period of his reign, serfdom was significantly strengthened. In addition, according to his decree, the clergy were to shave their beards, leaving only the icons of the Savior and the Mother of God in the churches, and also to dress from now on like Lutheran pastors. Also, Tsar Peter the Third tried to remake the charter and life Russian army in the Prussian way.
Admiring Frederick the Second, who at that time was the ruler of Prussia, Peter the Third leads Russia out of the Seven Years' War on unfavorable terms, returning to Prussia all the lands conquered by the Russians. This caused general outrage. Historians believe that it was after this important decision that most of the tsar's entourage became participants in a conspiracy against him. In the role of the initiator of this conspiracy, which was supported by the guards, was the wife of Peter the Third herself - Ekaterina Alekseevna. It is from these events that the palace coup of 1762 begins, which ends with the overthrow of the tsar and the accession of Catherine II.
Historical figures, especially when it comes to their native country, are always studied with interest. The reigning persons who were at the helm of power in Russia exerted their influence on the development of the country. Some of the kings ruled for many years, others for a short time, but all the personalities were noticeable, interesting. Emperor Peter 3 ruled for a short time, died early, but left his mark on the history of the country.
royal roots
The desire of Elizabeth Petrovna, who has reigned on the Russian throne since 1741, to strengthen the throne along the line led to the fact that she declared her nephew to be the heir. She did not have her own children, but her older sister had a son who lived in the house of Adolf Frederick, in the future - the king of Sweden.
Karl Peter, Elizabeth's nephew, was the son of the eldest daughter of Peter I - Anna Petrovna. Immediately after giving birth, she fell ill and died soon after. When Karl Peter was 11 years old, he also lost his father. Having lost short biography whom he speaks of this, began to live with his paternal uncle, Adolf Frederick. He did not receive proper upbringing and education, since the main method of educators was the “whip”.
He had to stand in a corner for a long time, sometimes on peas, and the boy's knees swelled from this. All this left an imprint on his health: Karl Peter was a nervous child, he was often sick. By nature, Emperor Peter 3 grew up as a simple-minded man, not evil, and was very fond of military affairs. But at the same time, historians note: being in his youth, he liked to drink wine.
Elizabeth's heir
And in 1741, she ascended the Russian throne. From that moment on, the life of Karl Peter Ulrich changed: in 1742 he became the heir to the Empress, and he was brought to Russia. He made a depressing impression on the empress: she saw in him a sickly and uneducated young man. Having converted to Orthodoxy, he was named Peter Fedorovich, and in the days of his reign was officially called Peter 3 Fedorovich.
For three years, educators and teachers worked with him. His main teacher was Academician Jacob Shtelin. He believed that the future emperor was a capable young man, but very lazy. After all, over the three years of study, he mastered the Russian language very poorly: he wrote and spoke illiterately, he did not study the traditions. Pyotr Fedorovich liked to boast and was prone to cowardice - these qualities were noted by his teachers. His official title included the words: "Grandson of Peter the Great."
Peter 3 Fedorovich - marriage
In 1745, the marriage of Peter Fedorovich took place. The princess became his wife. She also received her name after the adoption of Orthodoxy: her maiden name was Sophia Frederick Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. It was the future Empress Catherine II.
A wedding gift from Elizaveta Petrovna was Oranienbaum, which is near St. Petersburg, and Lyubertsy near Moscow. But marital relations between the newlyweds do not add up. Although in all important economic and economic matters, Pyotr Fedorovich always consulted with his wife, he had confidence in her.
Life before the coronation
Peter 3, his brief biography speaks of this, did not have a marital relationship with his wife. But later, after 1750, he underwent surgery. As a result, they had a son, who in the future became Emperor Paul I. Elizaveta Petrovna was personally involved in raising her grandson, immediately taking him away from his parents.
Peter was pleased with this state of affairs and became increasingly distant from his wife. He was fond of other women and even had a favorite - Elizaveta Vorontsova. In turn, in order to avoid loneliness, she had a relationship with the Polish ambassador - Stanislav August Poniatowski. The couples were on friendly terms with each other.
Birth of a daughter
In 1757, Catherine gave birth to a daughter, and she was given a name - Anna Petrovna. Peter 3, whose brief biography proves this fact, officially recognized his daughter. But historians, of course, have doubts about his paternity. In 1759, at the age of two, the child fell ill and died of smallpox. Peter had no other children.
In 1958, Pyotr Fedorovich had under his command a garrison of soldiers numbering up to one and a half thousand. And all your free time he devoted himself to his favorite pastime: he was engaged in the training of soldiers. The reign of Peter 3 has not yet come, and he has already aroused the hostile attitude of the nobility and people. The reason for everything was undisguised sympathy for the King of Prussia - Frederick II. His regret that he became the heir of the Russian tsar, and not the Swedish king, unwillingness to accept Russian culture, bad Russian language - all together set the masses against Peter.
The reign of Peter 3
After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, at the end of 1761, Peter III was proclaimed emperor. But he has not yet been crowned. What kind of policy did Pyotr Fedorovich begin to pursue? In his domestic politics he was consistent and took as a model the policy of his grandfather - Peter I. Emperor Peter 3, in short, decided to become the same reformer. What he managed to do during his short reign laid the foundation for the reign of his wife, Catherine.
But he made a number of mistakes in foreign policy: he stopped the war with Prussia. And those lands that the Russian army had already conquered he returned to King Frederick. In the army, the emperor introduced all the same Prussian orders, he was going to carry out the secularization of the lands of the church and its reform, he was preparing for a war with Denmark. By these actions, Peter 3 (a brief biography proves this), he set the church against himself.
coup
The reluctance to see Peter on the throne was expressed before his ascension. Even under Elizabeth Petrovna, Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin began to plot against the future emperor. But it so happened that the conspirator fell out of favor and did not finish his job. Shortly before the death of Elizabeth, an opposition was formed against Peter, consisting of: N.I. Panin, M.N. Volkonsky, K.P. Razumovsky. They were joined by officers of two regiments: Preobrazhensky and Izmailovsky. Peter 3, in short, was not supposed to ascend the throne, instead of him they were going to erect Catherine, his wife.
These plans could not be realized due to the pregnancy and childbirth of Catherine: she gave birth to a child from Grigory Orlov. In addition, she believed that the policy of Peter III would discredit him, but would give her more associates. By tradition, in May, Peter went to Oranienbaum. On June 28, 1762, he went to Peterhof, where Catherine was supposed to meet him and arrange celebrations in his honor.
But instead she hurried to Petersburg. Here she took the oath of allegiance from the Senate, the Synod, the guards and the masses. Then Kronstadt also took the oath. Peter III returned to Oranienbaum, where he signed his abdication.
End of the reign of Peter III
Then he was sent to Ropsha, where he died a week later. Or was deprived of life. Nobody can prove or disprove this. Thus ended the reign of Peter III, which was very short and tragic. He ruled the country for only 186 days.
They buried him in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra: Peter was not crowned, and therefore he could not be buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. But the son, becoming emperor, corrected everything. He crowned his father's remains and reburied them next to Catherine.
Each of the Russian rulers had many secrets still unsolved, however, one of the most mysterious Russian emperors was Peter III Fedorovich.
Young years of the German prince
Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp (that was the name of Peter from birth), was born in the family of the German Duke Karl Friedrich and the daughter of Peter I, Tsarina Anna.
From birth, Peter was a contender for two European thrones at once - he could become the king of Sweden, as the great-nephew of the childless Charles XII and, being the grandson of Peter I, claimed the Russian throne. The prince was orphaned early and was brought up by his uncle Bishop Eitinsky, who hated everything Russian and raised his nephew according to Protestant customs.
Little attention was paid to the education of the child, so Peter owned only German and spoke some French. The boy grew up very nervous and cowardly, was fond of music and painting and adored everything related to military affairs (at the same time he was terribly afraid of cannon shots).
In 1741, by order of Empress Elizabeth, the thirteen-year-old heir arrives in Russia, which at that time he already hates with all his heart. A year later, Peter, by order of the Empress, converted to Orthodoxy under the name of Peter Fedorovich.
Married life
In 1745, Peter marries Sophia Augusta Frederick of Anhalt-Zerbst, the future Catherine II. Their marriage from the first days was doomed to failure - the young spouses were too different. Catherine was more educated and intellectual, and Peter was not interested in anything other than playing soldiers. The spouses also did not have intimate relationships, for a long time they did not exist at all, and later Catherine had to wear a German military uniform in order to excite her husband.
At the same time, despite the coldness in relations, Peter trusted his wife very much, and in difficult situations he often turned to her for help, for which he even came up with the nickname "Madame Help".
Empress Elizabeth and all the Russian nobility laughed at the Grand Duke's passion for playing in a soldier, so the prince played secretly, and during the day the toys were hidden in the marital bed, at night, when the spouses were left alone, he played until two in the morning.
Peter's adultery
Ignoring his beautiful wife, Peter, to the surprise of all the courtiers, got himself a mistress - Elizabeth Vorontsova, daughter of Count Roman Vorontsov. The girl was ugly - fat, with a slightly flabby and broad face. Although Peter declared that he loved and respected Vorontsova, he called her simply “Romanovna” in society. Surprisingly, Catherine was not at all offended by her husband and called his mistress "Russian Pompadour."
Peter, not embarrassed, appeared in the company of the favorite, and after becoming emperor, he immediately made her into the chamber-maid of honor and handed her the Catherine's ribbon. Moreover, Peter almost openly declared that he would divorce Catherine, send her to a monastery, and he himself would marry Vorontsova. It was these statements that became the impetus for the future palace coup.
Spy activities of the heir
Hating Russia, Pyotr Fedorovich adored Prussia and considered King Frederick his idol, therefore, during the Seven Years' War, the heir handed over secret documents to King Frederick, which spoke about the number and location of Russian regiments.
When Empress Elizaveta Petrovna found out about this, she was furious, but in memory of her late sister Anna, and realizing that she had no other heir, she forgave her nephew. The case was hushed up, and Peter himself was convinced that King Frederick was looking for friendship with the Grand Duke.
Children of Peter
Pyotr Fedorovich and Ekaterina Alekseevna had two children - Grand Duke Pavel and Grand Duchess Anna. The first son was born after nine years of marriage, which gave rise to many rumors that Peter was not the father of the newborn Paul. There were rumors at court that Sergei Saltykov was the father of the child, although Pavel was very similar to Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich.
Grand Duchess Anna lived less than two years, and although she was recognized as the daughter of the Grand Duke, whether she was such is unknown. Peter himself stated that he did not know where his wife's pregnancies come from, he had nothing to do with them.
The Grand Duke did not engage in the upbringing of his son Pavel, since he was immediately selected by Empress Elizabeth, and Peter himself was not interested in the development of his son.
Emperor Peter III
Emperor Peter stayed only 186 days, however, during these days he was able to show himself as an intelligent and energetic ruler. So he abolished the Secret Chancellery, began the secularization of lands, created the State Bank, stopped the persecution of the Old Believers, and carried out a rather broad amnesty for political prisoners.
Most of his documents became the foundation for the Catherine era. The reason chosen for coup d'état- Peter's fantasies about the baptism of Russia according to the Protestant rite, was not documented by historians, and most likely was specially invented by Catherine II's entourage.
The riddle of death
According to the official version, Emperor Peter died of an illness, which, in principle, may be true, since the events palace coup undermined the already poor health of the emperor. There is also a legend that Peter was killed by Catherine's favorite Alexei Orlov.
Such a sudden death gave rise to a lot of legends that Peter was saved, therefore, for a long time in Russia and abroad, there were figures of false-Petrov impostors, one of whom even became the king of Montenegro, and the second became notorious robber Emelyan Pugachev. The last of the impostors was arrested in 1802, already under Peter's grandson Emperor Alexander.
Coronation after death
Since Peter's reign lasted, they did not manage to hold an official coronation ceremony for half a year, it was because of this that he was buried not in the tomb of the imperial family in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, but in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra without any honors. Only 34 years later, his son Emperor Pavel, having ascended the throne, transferred the ashes of his father to the Peter and Paul Cathedral and personally conducted the coronation ceremony over the ashes of his dead father.
The series “Catherine” was released on the screens, in connection with this, there is a surge of interest in the controversial figures in the history of Russia, Emperor Peter III and his wife, who became Empress Catherine II. Therefore, I present a selection of facts about the life and reign of these monarchs of the Russian Empire.
Peter and Catherine: a joint portrait by G.K.Groot
Peter III (Peter Fedorovich, born Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp) was a very extraordinary emperor. He did not know the Russian language, he liked to play with soldiers and wanted to baptize Russia according to the Protestant rite. His mysterious death led to the emergence whole galaxy impostors.
Already from birth, Peter could claim two imperial titles: Swedish and Russian. On his father's side, he was the great-nephew of the king. Charles XII, who himself was too busy with military campaigns to marry. Peter's grandfather on his mother's side was Karl's main enemy, Russian emperor Peter I.
An early orphaned boy spent his childhood with his uncle, Bishop Adolf of Eitinsky, where he was raised to hate Russia. He did not know the Russian language and was baptized according to the Protestant custom. True, he also did not know other languages \u200b\u200bbesides his native German, he only spoke a little French.
Peter was supposed to take the Swedish throne, but the childless Empress Elizabeth remembered the son of her beloved sister Anna and declared him heir. The boy is brought to Russia to meet the imperial throne and death.
In fact, the sickly young man was not particularly needed by anyone: neither the aunt-empress, nor the tutors, nor, subsequently, his wife. Everyone was only interested in his origin, even the cherished words were added to the official title of the heir: "Grandson of Peter I."
And the heir himself was interested in toys, first of all - soldiers. Can we accuse him of infantilism? When Peter was brought to St. Petersburg, he was only 13 years old! Dolls attracted the heir more than state affairs or a young bride.
True, with age, his priorities do not change. He continued to play, but secretly. Ekaterina writes: “During the day, his toys were hidden in my bed and under it. The Grand Duke went to bed first after supper, and as soon as we were in bed, Kruse (the maid) locked the door with a key, and then Grand Duke played until one or two in the morning.
Over time, toys become bigger and more dangerous. Peter is allowed to write a regiment of soldiers from Holstein, whom the future emperor enthusiastically drives around the parade ground. Meanwhile, his wife is learning Russian and studying French philosophers...
In 1745, the wedding of the heir Peter Fedorovich and Ekaterina Alekseevna, the future Catherine II, was magnificently celebrated in St. Petersburg. There was no love between the young spouses - they differed too much in character and interests. The more intelligent and educated Catherine makes fun of her husband in her memoirs: “he doesn’t read books, and if he does, it’s either a prayer book or descriptions of torture and executions.”
Letter from the Grand Duke to his wife. obverse, bottom left: le .. fevr./ 1746
Madame, this night I ask you not to inconvenience yourself - to sleep with me, since the time to deceive me has passed. After living apart for two weeks, the bed was too narrow. This afternoon. Your most unfortunate husband, whom you would never deign to call that Peter.
February 1746, ink on paper
With marital duty, Peter also did not have everything going smoothly, this is evidenced by his letters, where he asks his wife not to share the bed with him, which has become “too narrow”. This is where the legend originates that the future Emperor Paul was born not at all from Peter III, but from one of the favorites of the loving Catherine.
However, despite the coldness in the relationship, Peter always trusted his wife. In difficult situations, he turned to her for help, and her tenacious mind found a way out of any trouble. Therefore, Catherine received from her husband the ironic nickname "Lady Help".
But not only children's games distracted Peter from the matrimonial bed. In 1750, two girls were presented to the court: Elizaveta and Ekaterina Vorontsov. Ekaterina Vorontsova will be a faithful companion of her royal namesake, while Elizabeth will take the place of the beloved of Peter III.
The future emperor could take any court beauty as his favorite, but his choice fell, nevertheless, on this “fat and awkward” maid of honor. Love is evil? However, is it worth trusting the description left in the memoirs of a forgotten and abandoned wife.
The sharp-tongued Empress Elizaveta Petrovna found this love triangle very amusing. She even nicknamed the good-natured, but narrow-minded Vorontsova "Russian de Pompadour."
It was love that became one of the reasons for the fall of Peter. At court, they began to say that Peter was going, following the example of his ancestors, to send his wife to a monastery and marry Vorontsova. He allowed himself to insult and bully Catherine, who, apparently, endured all his whims, but in fact cherished plans for revenge and was looking for powerful allies.
During the Seven Years' War, in which Russia took the side of Austria. Peter III openly sympathized with Prussia and personally with Frederick II, which did not add to the popularity of the young heir.
Antropov A.P. Peter III Fedorovich (Karl Peter Ulrich)
But he went even further: the heir handed over to his idol secret documents, information about the number and location of Russian troops! Upon learning of this, Elizabeth was furious, but she forgave a lot of her near-nephew for the sake of his mother, her beloved sister.
Why is the heir to the Russian throne so openly helping Prussia? Like Catherine, Peter is looking for allies, and hopes to find one of them in the person of Frederick II. Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin writes: “The Grand Duke was convinced that Frederick II loves him and speaks with great respect; therefore, he thinks that as soon as he ascends the throne, the Prussian king will seek his friendship and will help him in everything.
After the death of Empress Elizabeth, Peter III was proclaimed emperor, but was not officially crowned. He showed himself to be an energetic ruler, and in the six months of his reign he managed, contrary to popular opinion, to do a lot. Estimates of his reign vary greatly: Catherine and her supporters describe Peter as a weak-minded, ignorant martinet and Russophobe. Modern historians create a more objective image.
First of all, Peter made peace with Prussia on unfavorable terms for Russia. This caused discontent in army circles. But then his "Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility" gave the aristocracy huge privileges. At the same time, he issued laws prohibiting the torture and murder of serfs, and stopped the persecution of the Old Believers.
Peter III tried to please everyone, but in the end, all attempts turned against him. The reason for the conspiracy against Peter was his ridiculous fantasies about the baptism of Russia according to the Protestant model. The guards, the main support and support of the Russian emperors, took the side of Catherine. In his palace in Orienbaum, Peter signed the abdication.
Tombs of Peter III and Catherine II in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
The headstones of the buried have the same date of burial (December 18, 1796), which gives the impression that Peter III and Catherine II lived together for many years and died on the same day.
Peter's death is one big mystery. It was not in vain that Emperor Paul compared himself with Hamlet: during the entire reign of Catherine II, the shadow of her deceased husband could not find peace. But was the Empress guilty of her husband's death?
According to the official version, Peter III died of an illness. He was no different good health, and the unrest associated with the coup and abdication could have killed more strong man. But the sudden and so quick death of Peter - a week after the overthrow - caused a lot of talk. For example, there is a legend according to which the favorite of Catherine, Alexei Orlov, was the killer of the emperor.
The illegal overthrow and suspicious death of Peter gave rise to a whole galaxy of impostors. In our country alone, more than forty people tried to impersonate the emperor. The most famous of them was Emelyan Pugachev. Abroad, one of the false Peters even became the king of Montenegro. The last impostor was arrested in 1797, 35 years after the death of Peter, and only after that the shadow of the emperor finally found peace.
Under the reign Catherine II Alekseevna the Great(nee Sophia Augusta Frederick of Anhalt-Zerbst) from 1762 to 1796, the possessions of the empire expanded significantly. Of the 50 provinces, 11 were acquired during the years of her reign. The amount of state revenues increased from 16 to 68 million rubles. 144 new cities were built (more than 4 cities per year throughout the reign). The army almost doubled, the number of ships of the Russian fleet increased from 20 to 67 battleships apart from other courts. The army and navy scored 78 brilliant victories, which strengthened Russia's international prestige.
Anna Rosina de Gask (née Lisevski) Princess Sophia Augusta Friederike, in the future Catherine II 1742
Access to the Black and Azov Seas was won, Crimea, Ukraine (except for the Lvov region), Belarus, Eastern Poland, and Kabarda were annexed. The annexation of Georgia to Russia began. At the same time, during her reign, only one execution was carried out - the leader of the peasant uprising, Emelyan Pugachev.
Catherine II on the balcony Winter Palace, welcomed by the guards and the people on the day of the coup on June 28, 1762
The daily routine of the Empress was far from the idea of \u200b\u200bthe inhabitants of the royal life. Her day was scheduled by the hour, and its routine remained unchanged throughout her reign. Only the time of sleep changed: if in her mature years Catherine got up at 5, then closer to old age - at 6, and by the end of her life even at 7 in the morning. After breakfast, the empress received high-ranking officials and secretaries of state. The days and hours of reception of each official were constant. The working day ended at four o'clock, and it was time for rest. The hours of work and rest, breakfast, lunch and dinner were also constant. At 10 or 11 pm Catherine finished the day and went to bed.
Every day, 90 rubles were spent on the food of the Empress (for comparison: the salary of a soldier during the reign of Catherine was only 7 rubles a year). Boiled beef with pickles was a favorite dish, and currant juice was used as a drink. For dessert, preference was given to apples and cherries.
After dinner, the empress took up needlework, while Ivan Ivanovich Betskoy read aloud to her at that time. Ekaterina “skillfully sewed on canvas”, knitted on knitting needles. Having finished reading, she moved to the Hermitage, where she sharpened from bone, wood, amber, engraved, played billiards.
Artist Ilyas Faizullin. Visit of Catherine II to Kazan
Catherine was indifferent to fashion. She did not notice her, and sometimes quite deliberately ignored her. On weekdays, the Empress wore a simple dress and did not wear jewelry.
By her own admission, she did not have a creative mind, but she wrote plays, and even sent some of them to Voltaire for "reviewing".
Catherine came up with a special suit for the six-month-old Tsarevich Alexander, the pattern of which was asked from her by the Prussian prince and the Swedish king for their own children. And for her beloved subjects, the empress invented the cut of the Russian dress, which they were forced to wear at her court.
Portrait of Alexander Pavlovich, Jean Louis Veil
People who knew Ekaterina closely note her attractive appearance not only in her youth, but also in her mature years, her exceptionally friendly appearance, and ease of handling. Baroness Elizabeth Dimsdale, who was first introduced to her with her husband in Tsarskoye Selo at the end of August 1781, described Catherine as follows: “a very attractive woman with lovely expressive eyes and an intelligent look”
Catherine was aware that men liked her and she herself was not indifferent to their beauty and masculinity. “I received from nature a great sensitivity and appearance, if not beautiful, then at least attractive. I liked the first time and did not use any art and embellishment for this.
The empress was quick-tempered, but knew how to control herself, and never made decisions in a fit of anger. She was very polite even with the servants, no one heard a rude word from her, she did not order, but asked to fulfill her will. Her rule, according to the testimony of Count Segur, was "to praise out loud, and to scold on the sly."
Rules hung on the walls of the ballrooms under Catherine II: it was forbidden to stand in front of the empress, even if she approached the guest and spoke to him while standing. It was forbidden to be in a gloomy mood, insult each other. And on the shield at the entrance to the Hermitage there was an inscription: "The mistress of these places does not tolerate coercion."
Catherine II and Potemkin
Thomas Dimsdale, an English physician, was called from London to introduce smallpox inoculation into Russia. Knowing about the resistance of society to innovation, Empress Catherine II decided to file personal example and became one of Dimsdale's first patients. In 1768, an Englishman vaccinated her and Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich with smallpox. The recovery of the Empress and her son was a significant event in the life of the Russian court.
The Empress was a heavy smoker. The cunning Ekaterina, not wanting her snow-white gloves to be saturated with a yellow nicotine coating, ordered to wrap the tip of each cigar with a ribbon of expensive silk.
The Empress read and wrote in German, French and Russian, but made many mistakes. Ekaterina was aware of this and once confessed to one of her secretaries that “she could only learn Russian from books without a teacher,” since “Aunt Elizaveta Petrovna told my chamberlain: teach her enough, she’s already smart.” As a result, she made four mistakes in a three-letter word: instead of "more", she wrote "ischo".
Johann Baptist Elder Lampi, 1793. Portrait of Empress Catherine II, 1793
Long before her death, Catherine composed an epitaph for her future tombstone:
“Catherine II rests here. She arrived in Russia in 1744 to marry Peter III.
At fourteen, she made a threefold decision: to please her husband, Elizabeth, and the people.
She did not miss anything in order to achieve success in this respect.
Eighteen years of boredom and loneliness led her to read many books.
Climbing up Russian throne, she made every effort to give her subjects happiness, freedom and material well-being.
She forgave easily and hated no one. She was indulgent, loved life, had a cheerful disposition, was a true republican in her convictions and had a good heart.
She had friends. The job was easy for her. She enjoyed secular entertainment and the arts."
The reign of Peter III can hardly be called terrible, but there was little good in it. I will not re-list the pros and cons of it, which were listed, I will only comment on them. One of the respondents stated that the end of the Seven Years' War was simply the end of bloodshed, and Peter did well for doing so. It is difficult to disagree that for the interests of Russia Seven Years' War was not needed, although there is a certain basis here (Strengthening of Prussia in the region), but the way out of the war, when Berlin had already almost fallen, when our troops shed their blood, conquered (we will not talk here about the reasons for which we got involved in the war etc.), and then came the tyrant Peter, a fan of Frederick II, and crossed out all the work, all the victims with a separate peace with Prussia (in addition, violating agreements with other powers). Not only did many people die in vain, the state was wasted. funds and so on, it is also worth considering that Frederick, despite such a luxurious "gift" (and it really was luxurious, Russia almost destroyed Prussia), did not care about this and Russia, incl. There are no friends in politics and it is foolish to expect that Frederick or Prussia would help us in anything for what we have done. As for the manifesto on the freedom of the nobility, the picture is as follows: the peasants, who are already suffering a lot, in fact, almost disenfranchised slaves, who make up the bulk of the population, which is unacceptable for a civilized country, receive this manifesto from Peter. Instead of thinking about the process of emancipating the peasants and starting to implement it, because serfdom, as you know, is an inefficient and inhumane system in the state, the emperor endows the ruling elite, the nobles, with a bunch of privileges, which leads to even greater inhibition of the peasants, on whom and so much has already been thrown in. The manifesto on the freedom of the nobility is an ineffective inhumane reform that serves to roll back the country, made only to cover the imperial head. I would also like to remind you that even Peter III wanted to send the corps of the Russian army to the war in Holstein in order to protect it, sacrifice people and state. means for the sake of a piece of land, which Russia and its interests absolutely do not need. Imposing the emperors of the Prussian orders in the army is doubtful, because Russia defeated them and will continue to win with its army orders, later Suvorov will say: "We always beat the Prussians, what is there to adopt?" In addition to all of the above, as already written in one of the answers, Peter did not want to rule Russia and he did not care about her at all, which he showed with his attitude, and such a person cannot be a normal (not to mention good) emperor, at least least in his case exactly.
