As Peter II ruled. Brief biography of Peter II
The Russian Emperor Peter II, who ascended the throne as a child, passed away on January 19, 1730.
The king did not actually rule the country - he had to give all power to the hands of the Supreme Privy Council. The time of his short stay at the head of the empire was remembered, first of all, by the transfer of the capital from St. Petersburg to Moscow, the increased influence of the boyars and the flourishing of corruption.
the site recalls how young Peter II became a bargaining chip in the hands of the most influential people of that time.
Little king
Peter II, the grandson of the founder of the Northern capital Peter I and the son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and the German princess Sophia-Charlotte of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, was born on October 12, 1715. The future emperor lost his mother when he was not even 10 days old. The 21-year-old princess died of peritonitis. Alexei Petrovich was convicted as a traitor three years later and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, from where he did not come out alive. Peter II had only his older sister Natalia.
Parents of Peter II. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
The son of Alexei Petrovich was not considered as the heir to the throne, since the tsar at that time had sons Peter Petrovich and Pavel Petrovich, but when they died, Prince Peter Alekseevich remained the last of the Romanovs in the male line.
The future emperor was brought up mainly by nannies and invited teachers. Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich did not receive a good primary education under such conditions. By the age of seven, he spoke Russian poorly, preferring to speak German and using some Latin.
Young Peter II did not show much interest in the sciences or the army. He felt comfortable only in an atmosphere of constant celebration and entertainment. Members of the Supreme Privy Council - a group of nobles concerned with their own interests - were determined to make a pocket king out of the Grand Duke, to whom conditions could be dictated. The fact that the heir to the throne prefers a wild lifestyle was even to their advantage.
Maria Menshikova. Photo: Public Domain
At that moment, when Peter II was ready to take the throne, Peter the Great's comrade-in-arms Alexander Menshikov was closest to him. He played a leading role in the Supreme Privy Council and even convinced the dying Catherine I to sign a will, according to which power passed to Peter Alekseevich on the condition that he would marry his daughter Maria.
In May 1727, the young heir to the throne became emperor, taking the official name of Peter II. Shortly thereafter, the 12-year-old Tsar became engaged to 16-year-old Maria Menshikova, whom he was not really interested in. In correspondence, he compared her with a porcelain doll and a stone statue.
Menshikov, who decided to take up the education of Peter II more closely and have even greater influence over him, moved him to his house on Vasilyevsky Island. He even invited Vice-Chancellor Andrei Osterman, who was also a member of the Supreme Privy Council, to teach lessons to the emperor.
The overthrow of Menshikov
However, one of the most experienced people of that time in matters of the intrigues of the royal court, Alexander Menshikov, failed to foresee the intrigues that were built against him. In the summer of 1727, the first Governor-General of St. Petersburg fell ill, and when he recovered, his opponents had already extracted documents from the interrogations of Father Peter II, in which Menshikov participated, and showed them to the emperor.
Further, the king left the house of his mentor on Vasilyevsky Island and announced to the guards to listen only to his instructions. Menshikov, on September 8, was accused of high treason and embezzlement of the treasury, after which he and his family were exiled to the Tobolsk province. The engagement of Peter II with his daughter Maria was terminated.
V. I. Surikov. "Menshikov in Beryozov" (1883). Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
The actions of the 12-year-old tsar were then led by Andrey Osterman, who taught him. However, all the power in the Supreme Privy Council now belonged not to him, but to the princes Dolgorukov, and especially to the favorite of the emperor, Ivan Alekseevich, who at that time carefully watched so that the emperor would not be bored for a minute. An influential family wanted to turn the country back - to pre-Petrine orders.
The construction of the fleet was stopped, the treasury received less money, and the capital was moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The latter was wanted by the boyars gaining power, who did not like the city on the Neva.
Departure of Emperor Peter II and Tsesarevna Elizaveta Petrovna to hunt. Hood. Valentin Serov, 1900, Russian Museum. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
The tsar's stay in Moscow began with the coronation in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin on February 25, 1728. After the move, the Dolgorukovs received great power: Princes Vasily Lukich and Alexei Grigorievich were appointed members of the Supreme Privy Council, and on February 11, the young Prince Ivan Alekseevich was made chief chamberlain. In Moscow, the young tsar met with his grandmother Evdokia Lopukhina, who was exiled to the monastery by Peter the Great. She no longer claimed the throne, but was completely rehabilitated by the Supreme Privy Council and received huge sums for her maintenance until her death.
The Dolgorukovs soon decided to marry the young tsar. His chosen one was the sister of his favorite Ivan Alekseevich Ekaterina Dolgorukova. Peter II was introduced to her in the autumn of 1729. The emperor liked the 17-year-old princess. The wedding was appointed as soon as possible - on January 19, 1730. Just like Menshikov, the Dolgorukovs hoped that the marriage of the tsar to their relative would help them gain full power.
black pox
They were in a hurry with the wedding, Ekaterina Dolgorukova quickly sewed a dress, and the Lefortovo Palace was decorated for the wedding. The emperor, so that he did not have time to come to his senses and cancel what was planned, was constantly entertained with hunting, balls and drinking parties. Peter II, although still a child by today's standards, looked older than his years. He endured alcohol and protracted festivities steadfastly. Those close to him did not care at all about the health of the young king - power was much more important.
Ekaterina Dolgorukova, the second bride of Peter. Unknown artist, 1729, Pskov. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
When only 13 days remained before the wedding, Peter II decided to go to Vodosvyazie on the Moscow River. In the cold, he spent four hours in a light camisole, after which he returned to the palace and took to his bed. At first it seemed that the emperor had a cold, but then it became clear that black pox had crippled him.
While Peter II was dying, the Dolgorukovs frantically figured out how to keep power in their hands. They even decided to forge the tsar's signature on official paper and give all power to his failed bride, Catherine.
The 14-year-old emperor died on January 19, 1730. The day before his death, he woke up from agony and ordered the sledge to be harnessed. He wanted to see his sister Natalya - the only person in the world who sincerely worried about him. Unfortunately, the king's relative was not alive - she died of consumption in November 1728.
Peter II was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
Empress Anna Ioannovna. Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
The scam of the Dolgoruky, who wanted their dynasty to reign in Russia, did not pass through the Supreme Privy Council. Most of the nobles were categorically in favor of the continuation of the Romanov dynasty. The only problem was that on Peter II the male line was interrupted. Then it was decided to switch attention to the female and turn to the candidacy of the Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna, who was going to be made a “decorative” queen.
However, nothing came of this idea - the queen, having come to power, destroyed the Supreme Privy Council and began to rule independently.
Peter II Alekseevich. Born October 12 (23), 1715 in St. Petersburg - died January 19 (30), 1730 in Moscow. Russian Emperor. Grandson of Peter I. The last representative of the Romanov family in the direct male line.
Grand Duke Pyotr Alekseevich was born on October 12 (23 according to the new style) October 1715 in St. Petersburg.
Father - Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, heir to the throne, sentenced to death in 1718.
Mother - German Princess Sophia-Charlotte of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, died 10 days after giving birth.
The marriage of Alexei and Charlotte was the result of diplomatic negotiations between Peter I, the Polish King August II and the Austrian Emperor Charles VI, each of them wanted to get his own benefit from the family union of the Romanov dynasty and the ancient German Welf family. At the same time, no one was interested in the feelings of the bride and groom. The wedding was played in Torgau in October 1711.
The older sister is Natalia.
The boy turned out to be the full namesake of his grandfather,. He was baptized by his grandfather and his sister Natalya.
The father assigned to his son two always drunk "mothers" from the German settlement, who, in order to less bother with Peter, served him wine, from which he fell asleep.
After the death of Tsarevich Alexei in 1718, Peter I turned his attention to his only grandson. He ordered the negligent mothers to be driven away, and ordered him to pick up teachers. Soon, the clerk Semyon Semyonovich Mavrin and the Carpathian Rusyn from Hungary Ivan Alekseevich Zeykan (1670-1739) were assigned to the Grand Duke. After some time, Peter I checked the knowledge of his grandson and became furious: he did not know how to explain himself in Russian, knew a little German and Latin, and Tatar curses much better. The emperor personally beat Mavrin and Zeikan with a stick, but Pyotr Alekseevich never received more worthy mentors.
In the first three years of his life, Peter was not considered as the future emperor, since Peter I had a son, Peter. The death of the latter in early childhood raised the question of succession to the throne.
From birth, Peter Alekseevich was called the Grand Duke. Prior to this, the sons of kings were called princes. The birth of Peter was the first since the introduction of the royal title (and the first in the history of the Romanov dynasty) the appearance of a grandson by the reigning sovereign.
In February 1718, arrested abroad and brought to Russia, Alexei Petrovich renounced the throne in favor of the infant son of Peter I from his second marriage to Peter Petrovich, who was born a few days after his nephew Peter Alekseevich. In the summer of the same year, Tsarevich Alexei died in custody. Thus, Peter Alekseevich was, following his father, removed from the throne.
The nobility became interested in Pyotr Alekseevich in 1719, after the three-year-old Pyotr Petrovich, officially recognized as the heir, died and the tsar's grandson remained the only male representative of the Romanov dynasty, except for the sovereign. The transition of the throne from grandfather to grandson corresponded to the tradition of monarchical houses (for example, shortly before that, in France, after the death of Louis XIV, the throne passed to his young great-grandson Louis XV), but it contradicted the law of succession in force at that time.
During his grandfather's illness, Pyotr Alekseevich met Ivan Dolgorukov, his future favorite. The child often visited the Dolgorukovs' house, in which the capital's youth from ancient noble families gathered. There he met his aunt, Elizaveta Petrovna. So the party began to take shape, predicting Peter Alekseevich to emperor. At meetings in the Dolgorukovs' house, he was explained his rights to the throne of the Russian Empire, and Pyotr Alekseevich swore to crush his grandfather's favorite, Menshikov, who led the opposition to the old boyar families.
The supporters of the elevation of Peter Alekseevich to the throne had a strong opposition. Quite definite fears for their lives and property arose among those associates of Peter who signed the death warrant to his father. If the emperor followed the custom and declared the heir to his grandson - the son of the disgraced Alexei and the grandson of the conservative Evdokia Lopukhina, then this would give rise to the opponents of the reforms hope to return the old order.
On February 5 (16), 1722, Peter issued a decree on succession to the throne (which continued to be valid until the end of the century), in which he abolished the ancient custom of transferring the throne to direct male descendants, but allowed the appointment of any worthy person as heir at the will of the monarch. So Peter Alekseevich was formally deprived of pre-emptive rights to the throne, but the question of the heir remained open. Before his sudden death in 1725, Peter did not have time to appoint an heir.
After the death of Peter I, the question of an heir began to be decided. Representatives of the old tribal nobility (Lopukhins, Dolgorukovs) advocated the candidacy of 9-year-old Peter Alekseevich, while representatives of the new service nobility, who became influential under Peter I, spoke in favor of declaring Peter's widow Catherine Empress. The issue was resolved simply - Prince Menshikov surrounded the palace with guards and elevated his former mistress to the throne.
Vice-Chancellor Osterman proposed, in order to reconcile the interests of the noble and new serving nobility, to marry Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich to Tsesarevna Elizabeth Petrovna, daughter of Catherine I. Their unacceptably close relationship according to church canons served as an obstacle: Elizabeth was Peter's own aunt (although she was not born from the same mother that his father). Empress Catherine, wishing to appoint her daughter Elizabeth (according to other sources - Anna), did not dare to accept Osterman's project and continued to insist on her right to appoint her successor, hoping that the issue would be resolved over time.
Over time, the main supporter of Catherine, Menshikov, knowing about her poor health and assuming her imminent death, began to think about how to win Peter over to his side. He hoped to betroth his daughter Maria to the heir to the throne, and after his accession to the throne, to become regent until he came of age and thereby strengthen his already strong power, and in the long run - to become the grandfather of the future emperor if Peter and Mary had children. Despite the fact that Maria was betrothed to the Polish magnate Pyotr Sapega, Menshikov managed to get Catherine's consent to marry his daughter with Pyotr Alekseevich. Sapieha was married to Sophia Karlovna Skavronskaya, the niece of the Empress.
Menshikov's opponents wanted to avoid Peter's enthronement, as this would strengthen Menshikov's power. They hoped, under the pretext of training, to send Peter Alekseevich abroad, and after the death of Catherine, to enthrone one of her daughters - Anna or Elizabeth. The husband of Anna Petrovna, the Duke of Holstein, Karl-Friedrich, also joined this party. The plans of the conspirators were thwarted by the suddenly aggravated illness of the empress.
Shortly before the death of the empress, members of the Supreme Privy Council, the Senate, the Synod, the presidents of the collegiums and the staff officers of the guards gathered in the palace for a meeting on who should become emperor after the death of Catherine. Enemies of Menshikov began to discuss the idea of coronating one of the princesses, but the majority voted for Pyotr Alekseevich, who was supposed to be under the tutelage of the Supreme Privy Council until the age of 16 and take an oath not to take revenge on anyone who signed the death sentence on his father, Alexei Petrovich.
After resolving the issue of succession to the throne, Menshikov, on behalf of the Empress, began an investigation into the intrigues of his enemies. Many opponents of Menshikov were arrested and tortured, exiled and deprived of their ranks, some were only demoted. The duke of Holstein tried to negotiate with Menshikov through his minister Bassevich. Menshikov set the condition that the daughters of Peter I, Anna and Elizabeth, would not interfere with the accession to the throne of Peter Alekseevich, and Menshikov agreed to issue a million rubles for each princess.
On May 6 (17), 1727, the 43-year-old Empress Catherine I died. Before his death, Bassevich urgently drew up a will, signed instead of the sick queen by her daughter Elizabeth. According to the will, the throne was inherited by the grandson of Peter I, Peter Alekseevich. Later, Empress Anna Ioannovna ordered Chancellor Gavrila Golovkin to burn this spiritual one. He carried out her order, having previously made a copy of the document.
The will provided for guardianship of the minor emperor, determined the power of the Supreme Council and the order of succession to the throne in the event of the death of Peter Alekseevich (in this case, the throne passed to the daughters of Catherine, Anna and Elizabeth, and their descendants, if they did not renounce the Russian throne or the Orthodox faith, and then to Peter's sister Natalya Alekseevna). The 8th article of the Empress's Testament read: "If the Grand Duke has no heirs, then Tsarina Anna with her descendants (descendants) has (the right to inherit), Tsarina Elizabeth and her descendants have (the right to inherit) from her."
The 11th article amazed those who read the will: it commanded all nobles to promote the betrothal of Peter Alekseevich to one of the daughters of Prince Menshikov, and then, upon reaching adulthood, to promote their marriage. Literally: “our princesses and the government of the administration also have to try to arrange a marriage between his love [Grand Duke Peter] and one princess of Prince Menshikov.” This clearly indicated that Menshikov took an active part in the preparation of the will, however, for Russian society, the right of Peter Alekseevich to the throne - the main article of the will - was indisputable, and there were no unrest due to the content of the 11th article.
Peter II (documentary)
The reign of Peter II
Peter II was not able to rule on his own, as a result of which practically unlimited power was first in the hands of Menshikov, and then - Osterman and Dolgoruky. As with its predecessor, the state was ruled by inertia. The courtiers tried to follow the precepts of Peter the Great, but the conservation of the political system he created revealed all the shortcomings inherent in it.
The time of Menshikov's regency was not much different from the reign of Catherine I, since the actual ruler of the country remained the same, only gained more power. After his fall, the Dolgorukovs came to power, and the situation changed radically. The last years of the reign of Peter II, some historians tend to consider the "boyar kingdom": much of what appeared under Peter I fell into decay, the old order began to be restored. The boyar aristocracy was strengthening, and the "chicks of Petrov's nest" faded into the background. On the part of the clergy there were attempts to restore the patriarchate. The army and especially the fleet fell into decay, corruption and embezzlement flourished. The capital was moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow.
The result of the reign of Peter II was the strengthening of the influence of the Supreme Privy Council, which included mainly old boyars (out of eight seats in the council, six belonged to the Dolgorukovs and Golitsyns). The council became so strong that it forced Anna Ioannovna, who became the ruler after Peter, to sign the “Conditions”, transferring all power to the Supreme Privy Council. In 1730, the "Conditions" were destroyed by Anna Ioannovna, and the boyar clans again lost their strength.
On May 6 (17), 1727, Peter Alekseevich became the third All-Russian emperor, taking the official name Peter II. According to the will of Catherine I, until the age of 16, the teenager-emperor had to rule not independently, but relying on the Supreme Privy Council, which was manipulated by Alexander Menshikov.
Menshikov led the fight against everyone whom he considered dangerous in terms of succession to the throne. The daughter of Peter I Anna Petrovna was forced to leave Russia with her husband. Anna Ioannovna, daughter of Tsar John (the elder brother of Peter I and co-ruler until 1696), was forbidden to come from Mitava to congratulate her nephew on his ascension to the throne. Baron Shafirov, president of the Commerce Collegium, an old enemy of Menshikov, was removed to Arkhangelsk, allegedly "to set up a whaling company."
Trying to strengthen his influence on the emperor, Menshikov moved him on May 17 (28) to his house on Vasilyevsky Island. May 25 (June 5) happened betrothal of 11-year-old Peter II to 16-year-old Princess Maria Menshikova. She received the title "Her Imperial Highness" and an annual allowance of 34 thousand rubles. Although Peter was kind to her and her father, in his letters of that time he called her "porcelain doll".
Maria Menshikova - the first bride of Peter II
It is unlikely that Menshikov had anything to do with the initiative of the emperor to summon his grandmother, Yevdokia Lopukhina, whom he had never seen before, from Shlisselburg imprisonment. She was moved to the Novodevichy Convent, where she received a decent maintenance.
Shortly after the accession of Peter II to the throne, Menshikov drew up two manifestos on his behalf, designed to turn the population in his favor. The first of these decrees forgave long-standing arrears to the serfs, and freedom was granted to those exiled for non-payment of taxes to hard labor. This initiative has been continued. Under Peter, a softening of the code of punishments began in Russia - a process that will reach its climax under Elizabeth. In particular, the imperial decree was henceforth forbidden "for intimidation" to put on display the dismembered bodies of the executed.
The so-called "turnaround tax" was also abolished - to file from each arriving cart. The explanation for this was “the concern of the government to protect subjects from insults perpetrated by collectors,” however, the amount usually obtained in this way for a year was distributed in the form of an indirect tax to imperial taverns.
Along with the forgiveness of old arrears, which, apparently, it was still impossible to recover, the Menshikov government made efforts leading to a tightening of control over tax collections. So, after a failed attempt to appoint zemstvo commissars from local residents to collect taxes (in the hope that they would be better aware of the situation on the ground), it was decided to oblige local governors to send messengers directly to local estates, and demand arrears from landlords, their clerks or managers .
The 37.5% protectionist duty introduced by Peter I on hemp and yarn sold abroad was reduced to 5%. The Siberian fur trade was completely left without duty.
According to the second manifesto, Princes Trubetskoy, Dolgorukov and Burkhard Munnich were given the rank of Field Marshal General, and the latter, in addition, was given the title of Count. Menshikov himself became the generalissimo and commander-in-chief of the entire Russian army.
The Sejm was introduced in Livonia, in 1727 the Little Russian Collegium was abolished and the hetmanate in Ukraine was restored. This decision was due to the need to tie Ukrainians to the Russian government in light of the impending Russian-Turkish war. Menshikov also benefited from this, since many complaints had accumulated about the board and its president, Stepan Velyaminov, and its abolition could increase Menshikov's authority in Little Russia.
In the Supreme Privy Council, Peter announced: “In Little Russia, to the pleasure of the local people, decide the hetman and other general foremen in everything according to the content of the points at which this people entered the citizenship of the Russian Empire.” In other words, Ukraine began to submit to Russia according to the agreements established at the Pereyaslav Rada. All cases concerning Ukraine were transferred to the jurisdiction of a foreign collegium.
On July 22 (August 2), 1727, a decree was issued: “In Little Russia, the hetman and the general foreman should be and support them according to the treatise of the hetman Bohdan Khmelnitsky, and for the election to the hetman and foreman, send Privy Councilor Fyodor Naumov, who will be the minister under the hetman” . Menshikov, in secret paragraphs about the selection of good people to centurions and other ranks, ordered to add: "Except for the Jews." Daniil Apostol was elected hetman.
Under Catherine I, magistrates were subordinate to governors and governors, and under Peter II, the idea arose to completely abolish them, since they duplicated the power of governors and governors and a lot of money was spent on them. The idea was not implemented, but the Chief Magistrate was abolished. The abolition of the Chief Magistrate, in addition to visible positive effects (monetary savings), however, led to the disappearance of the cassation body, where the subject could apply with a complaint against the governor or local authorities.
Osterman drew up a plan for teaching Peter, which consisted of ancient and modern history, geography, mathematics and geometry: “Read history and briefly the main cases of former times, changes, increment and depreciation of different states, the reasons for this, and especially the virtues of the rulers of the ancients with subsequent benefits and represent glory. And in this way, it is possible to go through the Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Roman monarchies to the most recent times in half a year, and you can also use the author of the first part of historical cases, Yagan Gibner, and for searching, the so-called Bilderzaal ... New history can also be interpreted in this at the instigation of Mr. Pufendorf, the new act of each, and especially the border states, to present, and in other things the news of the ruling name of each state, interest, form of government, strength and weakness, gradually submit ... Geography partly on the globe, partly on the land maps to show, and In addition, use a brief description of Gibner's ... Mathematical operations, arithmetic, geometry and other mathematical parts and arts from mechanics, optics, and so on.
The training plan also included entertainment: billiards, hunting, and so on. At the direction of Osterman, the Collegium of Foreign Affairs compiled a “curious” handwritten newspaper for the emperor based on materials from the European press. In addition to the training plan drawn up by Osterman, a note written personally by Peter II has also been preserved: “On Monday afternoon, from 2 to 3 o’clock, study, and then teach the soldiers; Tuesday and Thursday afternoons - from the dog to the field; Wednesday afternoon to train soldiers; Friday afternoon - ride with birds; Saturday afternoon - music and dancing; in the afternoon on Sunday - to the summer house and to the gardens there.
According to Osterman's plan, Peter was to visit the Supreme Privy Council on Wednesdays and Fridays. However, he appeared there only once - on June 21 (July 2), 1727. More about Peter's visits to the highest government body under Menshikov is not known.
The young emperor did not like to study, preferring fun and hunting, where he was accompanied by the young prince Ivan Dolgorukov and the 17-year-old daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth. Menshikov also did not come to the meetings of the Council: papers were carried to his house. Disposing as an autocratic ruler, the "semi-powerful ruler" turned against himself the rest of the nobility, as well as the sovereign himself.
In 1727, on the territory of the Menshikov estate, on the site where the house of the butler prince had previously been, the construction of the palace of Peter II began. The butler's house entered this palace as the southeast wing. After the death of Peter II in 1730, construction was stopped. By this time, only the foundation and the lower floor of the palace had been erected. The building was completed in 1759-1761 as part of the Stable Yard of the Land Gentry Corps.
Gradually, the emperor began to grow cold towards Menshikov and his daughter. There were several reasons for this: on the one hand, the arrogance of Menshikov himself, on the other, the influence of Elizaveta Petrovna and the Dolgorukovs. On the name day of Natalya Alekseevna, August 26 (September 6), Peter treated Mary rather dismissively. Menshikov reprimanded Peter, to which he remarked: “I love her in my soul, but caresses are superfluous; Menshikov knows that I have no intention of getting married before the age of 25.” As a result of this quarrel, Peter ordered the Supreme Privy Council to transfer all his belongings from the Menshikov Palace to the Peterhof Palace and make an order that state money should not be issued to anyone without a decree signed personally by the emperor.
In addition to this, in the summer of 1727, Menshikov fell ill. After five or six weeks, the body coped with the disease, but during the time that he was absent from the court, Menshikov’s opponents extracted the protocols of interrogations of Tsarevich Alexei, the emperor’s father, in which Menshikov participated, and familiarized the sovereign with them.
On September 6 (17), by order of the Supreme Privy Council, all the things of the emperor were transferred from the Menshikov house to the Summer Palace.
On September 7 (18), Peter, upon his arrival from hunting in Petersburg, sent to announce the guards so that she obeyed only his orders.
On September 8 (19), Menshikov was accused of high treason, embezzlement of the treasury, and, together with his whole family, was exiled to the city of Berezov, Tobolsk Territory.
After the fall of Menshikov, Evdokia Lopukhina began to call herself the queen and on September 21 (October 1) wrote to her grandson: “The most powerful emperor, most gracious grandson! Although for a long time my desire was not only to congratulate Your Majesty on the assumption of the throne, but rather to see you, but due to my misfortune I have not been honored to this date, since Prince Menshikov, not allowing me to reach Your Majesty, sent me for guard to Moscow. And now I have been informed that for my opposition to your majesty I have been excommunicated from you; and I take the liberty of writing to you and congratulating you. Moreover, I ask that if your majesty do not deign to be in Moscow soon, that I be ordered to be with me, so that by the ardor of blood I can see you and your sister, my dear grandson, before my death.
Thus, the emperor's grandmother urged him to come to Moscow, but she was afraid that if Peter came to Moscow, then Lopukhina would be released and become the ruler. Despite this, at the end of 1727, preparations began for the court to move to Moscow for the upcoming coronation along the lines of the Russian tsars.
In early January, the emperor left St. Petersburg with his court, but along the way, Peter fell ill and was forced to spend two weeks in Tver. For some time, Peter stopped near Moscow to prepare for the solemn entry, which took place on February 4 (15), 1728.
The stay of Peter II in Moscow began with the coronation in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin (February 25 (March 8), 1728). This was the first coronation of an emperor in Russia, which in many ways set a model for future ones. According to the latest information, a special crown was made for the young sovereign. Like all subsequent emperors, Peter II (according to a certificate specially drawn up in the Supreme Privy Council) during the coronation took communion in the altar, not reaching the throne, according to the order of the clergy (from the bowl); the chalice with the Holy Gifts was given to him by the Archbishop of Novgorod Feofan Prokopovich.
On November 22 (December 3), 1728, the 14-year-old elder sister of the emperor Natalya Alekseevna died in Moscow, which he loved very much and which, according to contemporaries, had a beneficial effect on him.
After moving to Moscow, the Dolgorukovs received great power: on February 3 (14), 1728, princes Vasily Lukich and Alexei Grigoryevich Dolgorukov were appointed members of the Supreme Privy Council, and on February 11 (22), the young prince Ivan Alekseevich was made chief chamberlain.
The fall of Menshikov brought Peter closer to Anna Petrovna. At the end of February 1728, a message came to Moscow that Anna Petrovna had a son, Peter (the future Peter III). On this occasion, a ball was arranged. The messenger who announced the birth of Peter was presented with 300 chervonets, and Feofan Prokopovich sent a long congratulatory letter to the Duke of Holstein, the husband of Anna Petrovna, in which he praised the newborn in every possible way and humiliated Menshikov.
After Peter's arrival in Moscow, he met with his grandmother, Evdokia. This meeting is touchingly described by many historians. But the emperor treated the grandmother rather dismissively, despite the fact that she loved her grandson very much.
In the Moscow period of his life, Peter II mainly had fun, leaving the princes Dolgorukov to conduct state affairs. The Dolgorukovs themselves, and especially Ivan Alekseevich, spoke indignantly about the emperor's constant amusements, but, nevertheless, did not interfere with him and did not force him to engage in state affairs. In 1728, the Saxon envoy Lefort compared Russia during the reign of Peter II with a ship that rushes by the will of the winds, while the captain and crew sleep or get drunk.
In the Supreme Privy Council, Apraksin, Golovkin and Golitsyn - that is, almost half of the members - expressed their dissatisfaction with the fact that the emperor was not present in the Council and two of his members, Prince Alexei Dolgorukov and Osterman, were mediators between the emperor and the Council, they themselves almost never go to meetings, and the opinions of the Council should be sent to them with a request to carry out the matter, reporting to the emperor.
The army and navy were in crisis: after Menshikov’s exile, the Military Collegium was left without a president, and after the transfer of the capital to Moscow, without a vice president, the army lacked ammunition, many capable young officers were fired. Peter was not interested in the army; the organization of military maneuvers near Moscow in the spring of 1729 did not attract his attention.
The construction of ships was stopped, they wanted to limit themselves to the release of some galleys, which practically led to a war with Sweden. The transfer of the capital to Moscow also did not contribute to the development of the fleet. When Osterman warned Peter that due to the removal of the capital from the sea, the fleet might disappear, Peter answered: “When the need requires the use of ships, I will go to sea; but I do not intend to walk on it like a grandfather.
During the reign of Peter II, disasters often occurred: for example, on April 23 (May 4), 1729, a fire broke out in Moscow, in the German Quarter. When extinguishing it, the grenadiers took valuable things from the owners of the houses, threatening with axes, and only the arrival of the emperor stopped the robberies. When Peter was informed about the robbery, he ordered the guilty to be taken away, but Ivan Dolgorukov tried to hush up the matter, since he was their captain.
At that time, robbery attacks were very common. So, for example, in the Alatorsky district, the robbers burned the village of Prince Kurakin and killed the clerk, two churches and more than 200 courtyards were burned. They wrote that this village was not the only one affected, and the robbers stand near Alatyr in large numbers with weapons and cannons and boast that they will take and ruin the city, where there is no garrison, and send no one to catch the thieves.
Bribery and embezzlement flourished on a large scale. In December 1727, the trial of Admiral Matvey Zmaevich began, who abused his powers and plundered the treasury. The court sentenced Zmaevich and his accomplice, Major Pasynkov, to death, which was replaced by a demotion, an honorary exile to Astrakhan, and compensation for damages.
After the repressions of the time of Peter the Great, relief was given from monetary duties and recruitment sets, and on April 4 (15), 1729, the punitive body, the Preobrazhensky Prikaz, was liquidated. His affairs were divided between the Supreme Privy Council and the Senate, depending on their importance.
Contradictions in the church escalated. After the death of Menshikov, the opposition clergy felt strength and began to advocate the restoration of the patriarchate. Since the time of Peter I, all church affairs have been in charge of the Vice-President of the Holy Synod Feofan Prokopovich, who was accused of condescension to the spread of Lutheranism and Calvinism, as well as participation in the All-Joking and All-Drunken Council. The main accusers were Bishop of Rostov Georgy (Dashkov) and Markell (Rodyshevsky).
Many undertakings of Peter the Great continued by inertia. So, in 1730, Vitus Bering returned to St. Petersburg and announced the discovery of a strait between Asia and America.
Through his friend, Ivan Dolgorukov, in the fall of 1729, the emperor met and fell in love with his sister, the 17-year-old princess. On November 19 (30), Peter II gathered the Council and announced his intention to marry the princess, November 30 (December 11) was engaged to Ekaterina Dolgorukova at Lefort Palace. On the other hand, there were rumors that the Dolgorukovs forced the emperor to marry. Observers noted that Peter II treated his bride coldly in public. On January 19 (30), 1730, a wedding was scheduled, which did not take place due to the premature death of Peter II.
Ekaterina Dolgorukova - the second bride of Peter II
Meanwhile, there was no unity in the camp of the Dolgorukovs. So, Alexei Dolgorukov hated his son Ivan, who was also disliked by his sister Ekaterina because he did not allow her to take away the jewels that belonged to the late emperor's sister. In early January 1730, a secret meeting between Peter and Osterman took place, at which the latter tried to dissuade the emperor from marriage, talking about the embezzlement of the Dolgorukovs. This meeting was also attended by Elizaveta Petrovna, who talked about the bad attitude of the Dolgorukovs towards her, despite Peter's constant decrees that she should be given proper respect. Probably, the Dolgorukovs had a dislike for her due to the fact that the young emperor was very attached to her, although he was going to marry Ekaterina Dolgorukova.
Despite the short reign of Peter, Russia's foreign policy in his time was quite active. Osterman, who was in charge of foreign policy, relied entirely on an alliance with Austria. The emperor had no doubts about this policy, because his maternal uncle was Emperor Charles VI, and his cousin was the future Empress Maria Theresa. The interests of Russia and Austria coincided in many areas - in particular, in relation to countering the Ottoman Empire.
An alliance with Austria, according to the concepts of that time, automatically meant strained relations with France and England. They wanted to use the coronation of George II to improve relations between Russia and Great Britain, but the death of the chief Russian ambassador to France and England, Boris Kurakin, ruined these plans.
Relations between Russia and Poland deteriorated significantly due to the fact that the Poles considered Courland, in which Anna Ioannovna ruled, their province and openly said that it should be divided into provinces. Moritz of Saxony, the illegitimate son of the Polish king Augustus II, was refused marriages with Elizaveta Petrovna and Anna Ioannovna.
Relations with the Qing Empire were difficult due to territorial disputes, in connection with which the borders were closed to merchants. The Qing Empire wanted to annex the southern part of Siberia up to Tobolsk, where there were many Chinese inhabitants, and Russia opposed this. On August 20 (31), 1727, Count Raguzinsky concluded an agreement according to which the borders remained the same and trade between the powers was established in Kyakhta.
The news of Peter's accession was well received in Denmark, since in Denmark they feared the accession to the Russian throne of the daughter of Peter I, Anna Petrovna, who was the wife of the Duke of Holstein, who in turn laid claim to the Danish province of Schleswig. Alexei Bestuzhev reported to Peter from Copenhagen: "The king hopes to receive your friendship and is ready to seek it in every possible way, directly and through the Caesar."
At first, relations with Sweden were very hostile: the Russian envoy was treated coldly, while the Turkish envoy was showered with favors; Sweden forced Russia to start a war in order to attribute to it the beginning of a hostile movement and to receive help from France and England. Disputes about Peter's conquests continued: Sweden threatened that it would not recognize Peter II as emperor if Russia did not return Vyborg to Sweden. However, later the Swedes, having learned that the army and navy in Russia were still in a combat-ready state, abandoned these requirements. Despite this, relations remained tense: in Sweden, many regretted that Menshikov was exiled, and, in addition, an invasion of Russia by Sweden and Turkey was being prepared with the support of England and France. However, relations soon changed, and the main enemy of Russia, Count Horn, began to swear allegiance to the emperor.
At the end of Peter's reign, King Frederick I of Sweden himself tried to ally with Russia. Such inconsistency in Swedish politics is explained by the fact that the political situation has changed. At the beginning of the reign of Peter II, there were many contradictions between the Hanoverian and Vienna unions, and Russia's aggression was beneficial to Sweden, since in this case the entire Hanoverian union (England, Holland, Denmark, France) would stand up for it. At the end of the reign of Peter II, these contradictions were settled through mutual concessions of the parties, and Sweden could no longer count on the fact that in the event of Russian aggression, the Hanoverian Union would stand up for it. Therefore, she radically changed her behavior towards Russia.
Peter II was lazy, did not like to study, but he loved entertainment and at the same time was very capricious. Peter was far from intellectual work and interests, he did not know how to behave decently in society, he was capricious and impudent to those around him. The reason for this, perhaps, was not so much an inherited bad character, but rather an upbringing, which, as the grandson of the emperor, Peter received rather mediocre. According to diplomats, he was very headstrong, cunning and somewhat cruel.
Death of Peter II
On the feast of the Epiphany on January 6 (17), 1730, despite the severe frost, Peter II, together with Field Marshal Munnich and Osterman, hosted a parade dedicated to the consecration of water on the Moscow River. When Peter returned home, he developed a fever caused by smallpox.
Then Ivan Dolgorukov, forced by relatives, forged the will of the emperor in order to enthrone his sister. Dolgorukov knew how to copy Peter's handwriting, which entertained him as a child. The Supreme Privy Council, after the death of Peter, did not accept this forgery.
At the first hour of the night from 18 (29) to 19 (30) January 1730, the 14-year-old sovereign came to his senses and said: “Lay the horses. I will go to my sister Natalia” - forgetting that she had already died. A few minutes later he died, leaving no descendants or a designated heir. On it, the house of the Romanovs was cut short in the male knee.
The last of the Russian rulers, Peter II was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. On his tombstone (near the southern edge of the northeastern pillar of the cathedral) is the following epitaph: “The most pious and most autocratic sovereign Peter the Second Emperor of All Russia. Born in the summer of 1715 October 12, ancestral possession of the adopted 1727 on May 7, married and anointed on February 25, 1728. Having briefly hoped for great blessings by the hope of their subjects, by the will of God to the eternal kingdom, they settled down in the summer of 1730 Januarius 18. The joy of our hearts scattered, turned into our weeping, the crown fell from our head, woe to us, as if we have sinned (Lamentations 5:15-16 )".
Titles of Peter II:
1715-1727 - Grand Duke
1727-1730 - Божіею поспѣшествующею милостію, Мы Петръ Вторый, Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссійскій, Московскій, Кіевскій, Владимірскій, Новгородскій, Царь Казанскій, Царь Астраханскій, Царь Сибирскій, Государь Псковскій и Великій Князь Смоленскій, Князь Эстляндскій, Лифляндскій, Корельскій, Тверскій, Югорскій, Пермскій, Вятскій, Болгарскій и иныхъ Государь и Великій Князь Новагорода Низовскія земли, Черниговскій, Рязанскій, Ростовскій, Ярославскій, Бѣлоозерскій, Удорскій, Обдорскій, Кондійскій и всея Сѣверныя страны Повелитель и Государь Иверскія земли, Карталинскихъ и Грузинскихъ Царей, и Кабардинскія земли , Cherkasy and Mountain Princes and other Hereditary Sovereign and Possessor.
Impostors posing as Peter II:
The 18th century in the history of Russia was rich in peasant and soldier "tsars" - monarchs and members of their families, both those who died of natural causes and those killed during a palace coup, were not left without "successors". Peter II was no exception. His sudden death at a young age also caused gossip and tales of villainous courtiers who hastened to get rid of the "objectionable" ruler, who, of course, planned to make his subjects happy.
Rumors that Peter was "changed and locked in a dungeon" began to circulate almost immediately after his death. In one of the cases of the Secret Chancellery, a recording of a conversation between two unnamed peasants was preserved, one of whom told the other that during his illness the young tsar was replaced by scoundrel courtiers, “walled up in the wall”, but after a long imprisonment he managed to free himself and hide in schismatic sketes.
The impostor appeared in the Trans-Volga region, and, according to his own stories, while still a prince, together with Prince Golitsyn, Ivan Dolgorukov and Count Minikh, for some reason, he went to foreign lands to hunt dogs. On the way, the young prince fell ill with smallpox and was safely replaced and taken to Italy, where he was kept “in a stone pillar” with a single window for serving food and water. He spent 24 and a half years in prison and finally managed to escape. For another nine years he wandered around different countries, after which he returned to his homeland. The impostor did not skimp on generous promises - so, after his accession, he promised freedom of religion for the Old Believers and exemption from taxes for the peasants. However, the false Peter was quickly arrested and during interrogation called himself Ivan Mikhailov. In the future, his traces are lost.
The image of Peter II in the cinema:
1986 - Mikhailo Lomonosov (as Peter II -)
2000 - Secrets of palace coups (as Peter II - Ivan Sinitsyn (as a child) and Dmitry Verkeenko)
2012 - Notes of the Expeditor of the Secret Office (in the role of Peter II - Roman of Macedon)
2013 - Romanovs. Film four. Chapter 1. Peter II Alekseevich (in the role of Peter II - Velimir Rusakov)
After the death of the four-year-old son of Peter the Great from his first marriage, his grandson Peter Alekseevich Romanov became the main contender for the Great Russian throne. He lost his mother and father early, suffered many hardships and losses, but was still recognized as the new emperor after the death of Catherine the Great. He could not hold out on the throne for a long time, his reign was short, but he still managed to show himself. Let's see what kind of person he was, Tsar Peter 2, and how his fate turned out, squeezed in the vice of history.
Emperor Peter 2: biography of the king in the maelstrom of palace conspiracies
After the unexpected death of Empress Catherine the First, troubled and difficult times began in the country. She herself did not do much for the country, especially against the backdrop of her husband's stormy activities. However, she managed to indicate the value of the boy and brought him closer to herself, even despite the fact that he was actively promoted to the emperors, instead of her Dolgoruky and Golitsyn. She did not keep the prince in a black body, but entrusted him to mothers, nannies and all sorts of teachers. Prince Menshikov showed special attention to the young boy, since he hoped to marry his daughter to him and put such a family couple on the throne, which he almost succeeded in. But all this is in the future, it is worth telling how it all began.
It was Prince Menshikov, assuming that Catherine's illness was fatal, who decided to take some steps to ensure his own safety and well-being. He supported the young heir in every possible way, promoting his personality among the people, and then completely convinced the dying queen to write a will in favor of Peter II.
The childhood of little Petenka
The Great Russian Prince Peter Alekseevich was born on October 12, 1715, in St. Petersburg itself, and his childhood cannot be called simple. His mother was the notorious Princess Charlotte Christina Sophia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. She was brought up from the age of six at the court of the Polish king August II, so she received an excellent education and had perfect manners. However, she did not have time to convey all this knowledge to her beloved son, as she unexpectedly died just a few days after giving birth. Modern researchers believe that banal peritonitis is most likely to blame.
Alexei's two children were named Natalya and Peter, in honor of their beloved sister and father. However, it is difficult to call their life happy. After only two or three weeks, another son was born to Peter, also named Peter, so that the importance of his grandson as the only male heir fell noticeably. However, the “competitor”, hated by the environment of his parents, died before reaching his four years of age, again making way for the former royal grandson.
Being brought up from early childhood in rejection of his father and everything he does, Tsarevich Alexei did not teach his son in the "German manner". He sent the boy to the village and assigned to him two eternally young and eternally drunk "teachers-mothers". In order to play less and bother with the tiny boy, they simply gave him wine to drink and he fell asleep, freeing the teachers assigned to him from unnecessary trouble. On February 14, 1718, the father of the future Tsar Peter Alekseevich was completely deprived of the right to succeed to the throne.
He himself, after returning from an unauthorized trip abroad, renounced all rights to the throne in favor of his half-brother, for which he was formally forgiven by his father: and if something is concealed, then you will be deprived of your stomach; ... if you hide something and then it will obviously be, don’t blame me: it was announced yesterday before all the people that for this pardon not pardon. However, over time, his other dark deeds and conspiracies with the Swedes against his father came out, so he was sentenced and died on June 26, 1718. Presumably, he was tortured and as a result of this he died, which could not but affect his little offspring, who remained a complete orphan.
Personal qualities and growing up
After Tsarevich Alexei passed away, Tsar Peter could not but turn his royal attention to the little grandson. Seeing who was bringing up the boy, he became extremely angry and ordered Menshikov to select normal teachers and teachers for him. Drunken nannies are a thing of the past, but contrary to expectations, life did not get any better for Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov. His teachers were the clerk Semyon Semenovich Mavrin, as well as the Rusyn from Hungary Ivan Alekseevich Zeykan, who also did not take their duties very seriously.
After some time, Peter the Great decided to check how his little hope was progressing in his studies and fell into a uniform rage. It could not be otherwise, since the kid could hardly have learned to express himself intelligibly in Russian, he knew a little German, and best of all he learned Tatar and other curses. Unfortunately, the teachers were immediately beaten with a stick, which, however, did not change anything, and little Petenka still remained in their care.
Over time, the meek, but rather quick-witted boy Peter became interested in the noble houses of St. Petersburg and Moscow. He met Ivan Dolgorukov, the son of the prince, an associate of his grandfather, and often visited their house. They became very good friends and in the future Vanya will become the closest favorite of the young king. There he met with his own aunt, Princess Elizabeth. Thus, a kind of circle began to form, which wanted to see this particular young man on the throne. Yes, he himself, confident in his own rights, promised everyone to remove the mighty Menshikov, who was always in opposition to the old Russian boyar families, a man, as they said, "without a family, without a tribe."
The reign of Peter 2: a short path of the young emperor
On a winter day on February 5, 1722, Peter 1 issued a decree on changing the order of succession to the throne. The new law stated that, by order of the emperor, any worthy person could become a ruler, regardless of nobility and family ties, which did not please many conservative people. In fact, the grandfather formally deprived his grandson of pre-emptive rights to the throne, but he himself died in 1725, and he did not have time to appoint a successor. Therefore, Peter 2 Alekseevich nevertheless received an advantage that could not be used.
Beginning of the reign
After the death of Catherine the Great, the question of succession to the throne surfaced, just like after the death of Peter 1 himself. Then the Lopukhins, Golitsyns and Dolgorukis vehemently advocated the candidacy of Peter's grandson, but at that time he was barely nine years old. Then Prince Menshikov helped the Empress by surrounding the palace with regiments, after which she was crowned. Vice-Chancellor Heinrich Osterman offered an ideal solution in general - to marry the boy to Peter's daughter from his second marriage, Elizabeth, and that's it. However, too close relationship could anger the clergy and the boyars.
Prince Menshikov had his own plans for the young Peter 2 Alekseevich. He was going to enthrone him, but only after he marries his daughter Mashenka, although she had already been promised to the Polish magnate Piotr Sapieha. As a result, he was married to Catherine's niece, Sophia Karlovna Skavronskaya, and Maria went with her father to a distant exile. But this will happen later, but for now, on May 6, 1727, the accession of Peter 2 took place as the third Russian emperor. However, due to his young age, he did not rule himself. Everything was controlled by the Supreme Privy Council, where Menshikov was the main driving force.
On the Throne: A Path of Mistakes and Dubious Achievements
According to the will of Catherine the Great, her grandson could independently begin to rule only after he turned 16 years old. Therefore, everything, as it was, remained in the hands of Prince Menshikov. In fact, the government remained in his hands, and he tried to manipulate the boy-king as he wanted, which at first was quite successful. On May 17, 1728, in order to finally gain a foothold near the throne, the prince moved Peter to his house on Vasilyevsky Island, and a few days later he betrothed him to his daughter. The eleven-year-old boy did not have any feelings for his future wife, and in letters to his grandmother he called her a “porcelain doll”, soulless and cold.
He did not forget to rescue his grandmother Evdokia Lopukhina from Shlisselburg imprisonment, who was settled in the Novodevichy Convent and assigned a very glorious content. In the early years, at the suggestion of Prince Menshikov, Tsar Peter issued many manifestos useful for the country and saving for the oppressed peasantry. He forgave old arrears and also eliminated some taxes. The Little Russian Collegium was abolished and the hetmanship was reintroduced, as it was useful for the country to "tie" Ukrainians to the Russian Empire, because the Russian-Turkish war was clearly looming ahead again.
At the same time, Osterman seriously took up the upbringing of the young king, he even made a special schedule of classes that the young monarch preferred to skip. He did not like to study, he did not want to know Latin or German, he did not see the point in history, geography, mathematics and astronomy, but he was seriously addicted to hunting, walking and noisy celebrations for any reason. The entire reign of Peter 2 can be called a continuous holiday and pandemonium, with which most researchers agree.
Osterman thought that over time he would introduce Peter to the Privy Council, where he would have to learn how to manage the state. However, in reality, the boy attended the meeting only once and did not go there again. In entertainment and various pleasures, the first friend of the newly-made emperor was Ivan Dolgoruky, as well as his broken aunt Elizabeth, who later became queen. In 1727, on the territory of the Menshikov estate, they began to build the palace of Peter the Second, but they did not have time, only the foundation had been erected before his death.
Opal for Menshikov and princes Dolgoruky
Gradually, the influence of the grandmother, as well as the closest friend of Ivan Dolgoruky with all his relatives, had their effect. Peter II began to move away from Menshikov. The prince himself was to blame, in view of his exorbitant pride and arrogance. Therefore, he ordered the servants to take their things from his house and settled in the Peterhof Palace. On September 8 of the same year, Menshikov was accused of high treason and theft of the treasury, accused and exiled with his entire family. They left and soon settled in the town of Berezov, Tobolsk province, which no one was especially surprised at, and no one began to cry for them.
In the meantime, the Dolgoruky persuaded the emperor to move to Moscow and undergo all the rites that ancient Russian rulers performed. He was crowned king in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin on February 25, 1728, in the presence of Archbishop Feofan Prokopovich of Novgorod. In the same year, both princes Dolgoruky were appointed leaders of the Privy Council, and their young offspring Ivan Alekseevich received the title of chief chamberlain of the sovereign himself. The tsar began to get closer to his aunt Anna, and even in honor of the birth of her first child, who would later become Emperor Peter the Third, a big ball was given.
He also saw his grandmother Evdokia, who simply adored her grandson, but he did not show much love for anyone. At the same time, there was a complete collapse in business. Foreign witnesses of that time wrote that Tsar Peter II Alekseevich never does any business, they don’t pay money to anyone, nobody collects taxes, but everyone just steals as much as they can snatch. Arbitrariness flourished, fires raged, and the robbers did not allow people to move freely around the country. Ambassador Lefort even compared Russia of that time to a ship rushing by the will of the waves and wind with an eternally drunk, inadequate crew and captain. In addition, in the warm autumn of 1729, the emperor decided to marry and became engaged to Ekaterina Dolgorukova. True, this marriage never happened, due to the untimely death of the groom.
Personal life, residence and death of Peter 2
The years of the reign of Peter II can hardly be called happy, just like his early childhood. He did not live long enough to enjoy it to the fullest, but he managed to fall in love with a variety of balls and entertainment. Due to his young age, he was never married and did not leave any descendants after him. Menshikov wanted to marry his daughter to him, but fell into disgrace and was exiled. The second time the engagement happened with Princess Dolgorukova, but even here the young tsar did not have time to marry. It was rumored that they had a sinful connection with their friend Ivan, the brother of the last bride, but all these data are not confirmed by anything.
For a long time he lived in the Menshikov Palace, whom he considered at first his sincere friend, after which he moved to the Winter Palace. During the Muscovite period of the emperor, for the most part, he was in the Moscow Kremlin, which can be considered his residence.
The death of the young emperor and the memory of the people
In 1730, the winter turned out to be surprisingly frosty, and on January 6, on the bright feast of the Epiphany, despite the severe cold, Emperor Peter 2 Alekseevich Romanov hosted a military parade with Munnich and Osterman in honor of the consecration of water in the Moscow River. Apparently, at that time he was already infected with smallpox, because, upon returning home, he immediately fell ill with a fever and a fever. It was at that moment that it surfaced how faithful his friend Ivan Dolgorukov was to him. He wrote a will, instead of Peter, whose handwriting he knew and knew how to forge, for his own unmarried bride of the king. However, such a document was subsequently rejected by the Privy Council.
After suffering for less than two weeks, from the 18th to the 19th of the same month, the young Tsar Peter II woke up from delirium and ordered the horses to be laid down. At the same time, he said that he would go to his sister Natalya Alekseevna, whom he loved very much. At court, this caused confusion, since by that time the girl had already died a long time ago. This was regarded as an omen of the imminent death of the king. And so it happened, after a couple of minutes he expired and died. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, where more Russian rulers have never been buried. It is believed that the Romanov family in the “male tribe” was interrupted on it.
The young Tsar Peter Alekseevich Romanov did not leave a special mark in history, since he did not have time. And he did not want to engage in public affairs, which were hateful to him. Therefore, he did not particularly deserve a trace in the memory of the people. In literary works, the personality of Peter is mentioned in the play “Dry Flame” by David Samoilov, Antioch Kantemir wrote about him in his coronation epigram, Valentin Pikul outlined his vision of the boy-king in the book “Word and Deed”, and Vsevolod Solovyov even wrote a whole book under titled "Young Emperor".
In 1986, a film by Alexander Proshkin called “Mikhailo Lomonosov” was released, Kirill Kozakov starred in the role of Peter. In the publicistic series "Secrets of Palace Coups" (2001), directed by Svetlana Druzhinina, Ivan Sinitsyn played the tsar as a child, Dmitry Verkeenko played in his youth. In 2013, the Romanovs serial film was also released, the fourth part of which is completely devoted to Peter the Second, and Velimir Rusakov starred in the title role.
Peter II reigned for a total of only 5 years. However, during this time they were able to destroy many of the institutions that their great predecessor had created with great difficulty. Not without reason, before his death, he could not choose a worthy heir, to whom he could give the throne with a pure heart.
The reign of the grandson of the first Russian emperor was especially mediocre.
Parents
The future Emperor Peter II is the last representative of the Romanov family in the direct male line. His parents were the prince and the German princess Charlotte of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. His father was an unloved child who was constantly bullied by a great father. Alexei's marriage was dynastic and he married on the orders of Peter I. Princess Charlotte was also not enthusiastic about the prospect of going to "Muscovy" as the wife of a strange, awkward young man who did not pay attention to her.
Be that as it may, the wedding took place in 1711. The marriage lasted only four years, ending with the death of his wife after the birth of a boy named Peter after his grandfather.
Biography: childhood
At the time of his birth (October 12, 1715), the future Emperor Peter II was the third contender for the Russian throne. However, this situation did not last very long. The fact is that a few days later his uncle was born. The baby was also named Peter, contrary to all customs, and in February 1718 he was declared the heir, bypassing his brother Alexei. Thus, the childhood of the emperor's grandson was bleak and orphan, since he had no mother, and his father, who initially did not show much interest in him, was executed. Even after the death of Peter Petrovich, he was not brought closer to the court, since his grandfather, who decided to examine the prince, discovered his complete ignorance.
Question of succession
According to all dynastic laws, after the death of Peter I, his only heir in the male line should take the throne. However, many representatives of the great boyar families who signed the death warrant for Tsarevich Alexei or had a relationship with her, rightly feared for their lives in the event of his son's accession to the throne.
So two parties were formed at the court: supporting the young Peter and consisting of his opponents. The latter received the strongest support of the emperor, who signed a decree repealing the old laws, which allowed the appointment of anyone whom the monarch considered worthy to take the throne as heir. Since Peter the Great did not have time to do this during his lifetime, his closest colleague - Menshikov - managed to put Empress Catherine on the throne. However, the all-powerful prince understood that she would not rule for long, and he had the idea to marry the only male Romanov to his daughter Maria. Thus, over time, he could become the grandfather of the heir to the throne and rule the country at his discretion.
To do this, he even upset the engagement of Maria Menshikova and achieved recognition of the proposed son-in-law as the heir to the throne.
Ascension to the throne
Catherine I died on May 6, 1727. When the will was announced, it turned out that she not only appointed her husband's grandson as the heir, but also ordered everyone to contribute to the conclusion of a marriage alliance between him and the daughter of Alexander Menshikov. The last will of the Empress was carried out, however, since Peter II had not reached marriageable age, they limited themselves to announcing the engagement. At the same time, the country began to be ruled by the Supreme Council, which was manipulated by the Most Serene Prince, who was going to eventually become the father-in-law of the emperor.
Peter II: reign
The teenage emperor, due to his age and abilities, was not able to rule on his own. As a result, power at first was almost entirely in the hands of his alleged father-in-law. As under Catherine I, the country was ruled by inertia. Although many courtiers tried to follow the precepts of Peter I, however, the political system he created could not operate effectively without his presence.
Nevertheless, Menshikov tried in every possible way to increase the popularity of the young tsar among the people. To do this, he compiled two manifestos on his behalf. According to the first of them, those exiled to hard labor for non-payment of taxes were pardoned, and the serfs were canceled long-standing debts to the treasury. In addition, punishments have been significantly reduced. For example, it was forbidden to put on public display the bodies of the executed.
In the field of foreign trade, too, the need for a radical reform is long overdue. Peter II, or rather Alexander Menshikov, who ruled for him, reduced the duty on hemp and yarn sold abroad in order to increase the revenues of the treasury in this way, and the Siberian fur trade was generally exempted from paying a percentage of income to the state.
Another concern of Menshikov was to prevent palace intrigues with the aim of overthrowing his power. To do this, he, as best he could, tried to caress his old associates. In particular, on behalf of the emperor, he awarded the rank of Field Marshal to Princes Dolgorukov and Trubetskoy, as well as Burkhard Munnich. Menshikov granted himself the title of commander in chief and generalissimo of the Russian army.
Change of power
With age, the young emperor began to cool towards the Menshikovs. In this matter, Osterman played an important role, who was his tutor and tried in every possible way to wrest his student from the clutches of the Most Serene Prince. He was helped by someone who wanted to marry Peter II to his sister, Princess Catherine.
When Menshikov fell ill in the summer of 1727, his opponents showed the young emperor the investigation materials.
When Menshikov returned to work, it turned out that the future son-in-law left his palace and now discusses all issues only with Osterman and Dolgoruky.
Soon he was accused of embezzlement and treason and exiled with his family to the Tobolsk Territory.
Peter II himself moved to Moscow and announced his engagement to Ekaterina Dolgoruky. Now he indulged in entertainment, and the state was ruled by the relatives of his bride.
Death
On January 6, 1730, after water lighting on the Moskva River, Peter II received a military parade and caught a bad cold. Upon arrival home, it turned out that he had smallpox. According to witnesses, in delirium, he was eager to go to his sister Natalia, who had died a few years before. The emperor died 12 days later and became the last Russian ruler to be buried in the Kremlin's Archangel Cathedral.
Personality of Peter II
According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the teenage emperor was not distinguished by either intelligence or hard work. In addition, he had little education, which is not surprising, given that he was never properly supervised by adults. His whims and bad manners often caused bewilderment among ambassadors and foreigners who came to Russia and were presented to the court. Even if he could live to adulthood, it is unlikely that his reign would have been successful for the country.
Peter II Alekseevich Romanov (1715-1730) - Russian Emperor who reigned from 1727-1730. He was the grandson of Peter I and the son of Tsarevich Alexei (1690-1718). The boy's mother is the German princess Sophia-Charlotte of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1694-1715). Pyotr Alekseevich was the last direct representative of the Romanov family in the male line.
Portrait of Peter II
(artist I. Wedekind, 1730)
After the death of his father, he was under the supervision of the main royal favorite Menshikov, who picked up teachers for the boy. But they did not give any deep knowledge to the child. Peter I never considered his grandson as a direct heir to the throne. Another Peter grew up in the emperor's family, born from a love affair with Catherine.
The situation was aggravated by the attitude of the sovereign towards his son Alexei. He, by the will of the emperor, abdicated, was accused of treason and strangled in prison. The abdication of the father automatically deprived his son of the right to inherit the crown.
However, in 1719, the heir from the marriage of the Tsar and Catherine died. In the family of men, only the sovereign himself and his half-grandson, deprived of the crown, remained. Near the latter, well-born boyars began to group, pushed aside from state affairs by Peter's reformers. The main oppositionists were the Dolgoruky family. They began to patronize the boy in every possible way.
In 1725, the Russian emperor-reformer suddenly died. He did not have time to appoint an heir, and his wife Catherine I took power into her own hands, relying on His Serene Highness Prince Menshikov and the guards. During her reign, the Supreme Privy Council was created, which concentrated in the hands of all real power in the state.
The Mother Empress was in poor health. Menshikov, seeing this, decided to play it safe and began to persuade the young Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich to his side. When the Empress became seriously ill, Menshikov convinced her to sign a will, according to which, after her death, the throne was to pass to the young Grand Duke, who at that time was 11 years old. However, the condition was set that the young emperor would marry Maria, the daughter of Menshikov.
The reign of Peter II (1727-1730)
Catherine I died on May 6, 1727 at the age of 43. Peter II Alekseevich Romanov ascended the throne. This was the third Russian emperor from the Romanov dynasty. But taking into account the young age, the Supreme Privy Council should have taken care of him until the age of 16. However, the young sovereign immediately ordered his grandmother Evdokia Lopukhina to be rescued from the Suzdal Monastery. That was transported to the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow and gave her a decent maintenance.
Meanwhile, the de facto ruler of the Russian Empire, Menshikov, moved the sovereign to his house. And at the end of May 1727 he was betrothed to Mary. The girl at that time was 16 years old, and the boy was only 11. Everything turned out as planned by the most illustrious prince and former favorite of the emperor-reformer.
Portrait of Maria Menshikova
However, in the summer Menshikov fell ill and lay in bed for a month and a half. This time was enough for the opposition to turn the young sovereign against him. Already at the beginning of September, the emperor left the house of the Most Serene Prince. Literally 2 days later, quite recently, the powerful ruler was accused of treason, embezzlement of the treasury and exiled to the distant Tobolsk Territory along with his entire family, including Maria.
There, the Most Serene Prince died in the city of Berezovsk in November 1729 at the age of 56. And on December 26 of the same year, the failed Empress Maria also died at the age of 18.
Meanwhile, the young emperor quickly matured and matured. Contemporaries noted that his character was heavy and capricious. The boy did not want to study and abandoned his studies. He became interested in hunting, which was encouraged in every possible way by the environment, consisting of empty and narrow-minded people.
The family of princes Dolgoruky became stronger at the imperial court. They began to persuade the sovereign to move from St. Petersburg to Moscow. By doing this, they wanted to return the good old days and again make the capital city of the capital.
The sovereign succumbed to persuasion, and his arrival in Moscow began with the coronation. It took place on February 25, 1728 on the territory of the Kremlin in the Assumption Cathedral. It was the very first coronation of a Russian emperor.. She served as a model for subsequent coronations.
At the end of November 1728, the 14-year-old sister of the sovereign, Natalya Alekseevna, died. The young man loved her very much and was very worried about the death of a person dear to him.
Taking advantage of the youth of the ruler, Dolgoruky firmly settled in the Supreme Privy Council. Ivan Dolgoruky became the closest to the emperor. He constantly accompanied the sovereign on hunting trips, organized sprees and various dubious adventures.
The family decided to strengthen their position by marrying Peter II to Ivan's sister, Princess Catherine Dolgoruky (1712-1747). She was a sweet and beautiful girl. The young people got engaged on November 30, 1729. The wedding was scheduled for January 19, 1730.
Portrait of Catherine Dolgoruky
Death of Peter II
As the saying goes, man proposes and God disposes. The sovereign hosted the parade on January 6, 1730. It was very cold, and the young man caught a cold. Immediately after the parade, he developed a fever and smallpox. And on January 19, 1730, Peter II Alekseevich Romanov died at the age of 14. With his death, the Romanov family was interrupted in the male line. The sovereign was buried on the territory of the Kremlin in the Archangel Cathedral. An epitaph was placed on the gravestone.
The Dolgoruky family tried to deceive everyone and presented a false will of the tsar in the name of Ekaterina Dolgoruky, who was engaged to him. But the boyars, led by Prince D. M. Golitsyn, rejected the intrigues of the family and called the Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna (1693-1740) to the throne. She was the daughter of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, co-ruler of Peter I.
There lived a woman in the capital of Courland, Mitava, and an embassy urgently left for her with conditions (conditions). They said that the power of the Empress would be limited in favor of the Supreme Privy Council. Anna signed the terms and arrived in Moscow. A new stage in the history of the Russian Empire began.
Alexey Starikov