The reign of Peter III (briefly). Unknown Emperor Peter III (7 photos)

Russian Emperor Peter III (Peter Fedorovich, born Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein Gottorp) was born on February 21 (10 old style) February 1728 in the city of Kiel in the Duchy of Holstein (now a territory of Germany).

His father is Duke of Holstein Gottorp Karl Friedrich, nephew of the Swedish king Charles XII, his mother is Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter I. Thus, Peter III was the grandson of two sovereigns and could, under certain conditions, be a contender for both the Russian and Swedish thrones .

In 1741, after the death of Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden, he was chosen to succeed her husband Frederick, who received the Swedish throne. In 1742, Peter was brought to Russia and declared heir to the Russian throne by his aunt.

Peter III became the first representative of the Holstein-Gottorp (Oldenburg) branch of the Romanovs on the Russian throne, which ruled until 1917.

Peter's relationship with his wife did not work out from the very beginning. He spent all his free time engaged in military exercises and maneuvers. During the years spent in Russia, Peter never made any attempt to better know this country, its people and history. Elizaveta Petrovna did not allow him to participate in resolving political issues, and the only position in which he could prove himself was the position of director of the Gentry Corps. Meanwhile, Peter openly criticized the activities of the government, and during the Seven Years' War publicly expressed sympathy for the Prussian king Frederick II. All this was widely known not only at court, but also in wider layers of Russian society, where Peter enjoyed neither authority nor popularity.

The beginning of his reign was marked by numerous favors to the nobility. The former regent Duke of Courland and many others returned from exile. The Secret Investigation Office was destroyed. On March 3 (February 18, old style), 1762, the emperor issued a Decree on the liberty of the nobility (Manifesto “On the granting of liberty and freedom to the entire Russian nobility”).

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

On January 5, 1762, Peter III became Russian Emperor. He made faces during ceremonies, played with soldiers and declared that he would prefer to rule civilized Sweden rather than wild Russia. Under his name, Emelyan Pugachev will “disturb Russia.”

A stranger among his own

At birth, Peter Fedorovich received the name Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp. His mother was the daughter of Peter I, Tsarevna Anna Petrovna. She died almost immediately after the birth of her son, having caught a cold during celebrations in honor of little Peter. At the age of 11, he also lost his father, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Friedrich. On his father's side, Peter III was the great-nephew of King Charles XII of Sweden and was raised for a long time as the heir to the Swedish throne in the house of his uncle, Bishop Adolf of Eitin, who later became the Swedish king Adolf Fredrik. At the age of 14, the boy was taken by his aunt from Russia, Empress Elizabeth, who was trying to secure the throne for the Romanovs.

Main enemy

After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna in 1762, Peter III was proclaimed emperor. Contemporaries painted an unflattering portrait of the new ruler. With his antics he threw the whole court into confusion. They said that from his grandfather he only inherited a passion for strong drinks, which he allegedly began drinking in early childhood. In front of foreign ministers, he behaved familiarly and spoke such absurdity and nonsense that “his heart bled from shame.” They believed that the main enemy of the new sovereign was himself.

Developmental delay?

The emperor's strange behavior gave rise to rumors about his inferiority. In his youth, he suffered from a severe form of smallpox, which could have caused developmental disabilities. At the same time, Pyotr Fedorovich received an excellent technical education. He was well versed in the exact sciences, geography and fortification, and spoke German, French and Latin. The only problem was that he hardly knew Russian, and, apparently, was not very keen on mastering it - the prospect of ruling Russia generally irritated him. However, many educated nobles spoke Russian no better. However, he was not an evil person, but rather a simple-minded one. He liked to lie or fantasize. Especially “oddities” “overcame” Pyotr Fedorovich in the temple. During the service, he could giggle, twirl, and talk loudly. He forced the court ladies to curtsey instead of bowing.

"Fever"

As soon as Peter III ascended the throne, he became enthusiastically immersed in state affairs. During the 186 days of his reign, he signed 192 documents. He abolished the Secret Chancellery, banned denunciations and torture, declared an amnesty, returning 20 thousand people from exile, and issued a decree on freedom of religion and a ban on the persecution of Old Believers. Peter Fedorovich transferred the lands seized from the monasteries to the state, declared the forest to be national wealth, established the State Bank and put the first banknotes into circulation. He issued a manifesto on the freedom of the nobility, according to which nobles were exempted from compulsory military service and from corporal punishment. Among the important and, at times, progressive laws, there were some that were not very relevant (the emperor ordered infants to be baptized only in heated water) and truly frightening ones - there were rumors that the new emperor wanted to carry out church reform along the Protestant model.

Unloved wife

At the age of 17, Peter was married to the Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst, the future Empress Catherine II. Probably, Pyotr Fedorovich tried to “make friends” with his 16-year-old wife, but they were too different: she was lively and curious, he was childish and manically passionate about playing toy soldiers, hunting, and wine. After 10 years of marriage, their son Pavel was born - the future emperor. The external similarity between father and son, meanwhile, did not stop people from gossiping that the real father of the heir was Catherine’s favorite, Sergei Saltykov. There was no longer any debate about the fact that the father of Catherine’s subsequent children was definitely not her legal husband, because the emperor himself stated that he did not know where his wife’s “pregnancies came from.” However, the emperor himself was not distinguished by marital fidelity. He seriously intended to marry his favorite, Elizaveta Vorontsova, for which it was necessary to eliminate his unloved wife. Special chambers had already been prepared for Catherine and her son Pavel in the Shlisselburg fortress. But the empress will get ahead of her slow husband.

Do not make yourself an idol!

The idol and object of imitation for Peter Fedorovich was the Prussian king Frederick II - an unsuccessful choice, considering that for several years Russia had been at war with Prussia. To everyone's amazement, Peter III not only concluded a peace with Prussia that was unfavorable for Russia, but also introduced Prussian uniforms into the Russian army. The introduced cane system of punishment in the Prussian style did not contribute to the popularity of the emperor. Soon the guards began to openly express their discontent.

A weak-willed victim of circumstances

It is the guards who will help Catherine ascend the throne: the Senate, troops and fleet will swear allegiance to the new ruler, and Peter will agree to sign an abdication of the throne. Catherine will be able to give the coup a decent appearance so that everything looks like the fulfillment of the people's will. The manifesto will say so: “at the request of all our loyal subjects.” Meanwhile, the deposed emperor awaited his fate in the Ropshinsky Palace, 30 kilometers from St. Petersburg. A week later, Ekaterina Alekseevna received a letter stating that her husband had died. What happened in Ropsha is still unknown. It was announced to the people that the emperor had died of hemorrhoidal colic. However, there is a well-known version that Peter Fedorovich was killed by Alexei Orlov, a loyal man of the empress. The mysterious death of the emperor will allow the most famous liar, Emelyan Pugachev, to enter Russian history.

Peter III was a very extraordinary emperor. He did not know the Russian language, loved to play toy soldiers and wanted to baptize Russia according to the Protestant rite. His mysterious death led to the emergence of a whole galaxy of impostors.

Heir to two empires

Already from birth, Peter could lay claim to two imperial titles: Swedish and Russian. On his father's side, he was the great-nephew of King Charles XII, who himself was too busy with military campaigns to marry. Peter's maternal grandfather was Charles's main enemy, Russian Emperor Peter I.

The boy, who was orphaned early, spent his childhood with his uncle, Bishop Adolf of Eitin, where he was instilled with hatred of Russia. He did not know Russian and was baptized according to Protestant custom. True, he also did not know any other languages ​​besides his native German, and 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.

Soldier games

In fact, no one really needed the sickly young man: neither his aunt-empress, nor his teachers, nor, subsequently, his wife. Everyone was only interested in his origins; 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, primarily soldiers. Can we accuse him of being childish? 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, his priorities do not change with age. He continued to play, but secretly. Ekaterina writes: “During the day, his toys were hidden in and under my bed. The Grand Duke went to bed first after dinner and, as soon as we were in bed, Kruse (the maid) locked the door, and then the Grand Duke played until one or two in the morning.”
Over time, toys become larger and more dangerous. Peter is allowed to order 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...

"Mistress Help"

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 were too different in character and interests. The more intelligent and educated Catherine ridicules 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.”

Peter’s marital duty was also not going smoothly, as 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 not born 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 troubles. That’s why Catherine received the ironic nickname “Mistress Help” from her husband.

Russian Marquise Pompadour

But it was not only children's games that distracted Peter from his marital 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 Peter III’s beloved.

The future emperor could take any court beauty as his favorite, but his choice fell, nevertheless, on this “fat and awkward” maid of honor. Is love 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 funny. 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, tolerated all his whims, but in fact cherished plans for revenge and was looking for powerful allies.

A Spy in Her Majesty's Service

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.

But he went even further: the heir gave his idol secret documents, information about the number and location of Russian troops! Upon learning of this, Elizabeth was furious, but she forgave her dim-witted nephew a lot for the sake of his mother, her beloved sister.
Why does the heir to the Russian throne so openly help 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 loved him and spoke 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.”

186 days of Peter III

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 during the six months of his reign he managed, contrary to everyone’s opinion, to do a lot. Assessments of his reign vary widely: 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 terms unfavorable for Russia. This caused discontent in army circles. But then his “Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility” gave the aristocracy enormous privileges. At the same time, he issued laws prohibiting the torture and killing of serfs, and stopped the persecution of 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 absurd fantasies about the baptism of Rus' according to the Protestant model. The Guard, the main support and support of the Russian emperors, took the side of Catherine. In his palace in Orienbaum, Peter signed a renunciation.

Life after death

Peter's death is one big mystery. It was not for nothing that Emperor Paul compared himself to Hamlet: throughout the entire reign of Catherine II, the shadow of her deceased husband could not find peace. But was the empress guilty of the death of her husband?

According to the official version, Peter III died of illness. He was not in good health, and the unrest associated with the coup and abdication could have killed a stronger person. But the sudden and so quick death of Peter - a week after the overthrow - caused a lot of speculation. For example, there is a legend according to which the emperor’s killer was Catherine’s favorite Alexei Orlov.
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.

Russian Emperor Peter III (Peter Fedorovich, born Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein Gottorp) was born on February 21 (10 old style) February 1728 in the city of Kiel in the Duchy of Holstein (now a territory of Germany).

His father is Duke of Holstein Gottorp Karl Friedrich, nephew of the Swedish king Charles XII, his mother is Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter I. Thus, Peter III was the grandson of two sovereigns and could, under certain conditions, be a contender for both the Russian and Swedish thrones .

In 1741, after the death of Queen Ulrika Eleonora of Sweden, he was chosen to succeed her husband Frederick, who received the Swedish throne. In 1742, Peter was brought to Russia and declared heir to the Russian throne by his aunt.

Peter III became the first representative of the Holstein-Gottorp (Oldenburg) branch of the Romanovs on the Russian throne, which ruled until 1917.

Peter's relationship with his wife did not work out from the very beginning. He spent all his free time engaged in military exercises and maneuvers. During the years spent in Russia, Peter never made any attempt to better know this country, its people and history. Elizaveta Petrovna did not allow him to participate in resolving political issues, and the only position in which he could prove himself was the position of director of the Gentry Corps. Meanwhile, Peter openly criticized the activities of the government, and during the Seven Years' War publicly expressed sympathy for the Prussian king Frederick II. All this was widely known not only at court, but also in wider layers of Russian society, where Peter enjoyed neither authority nor popularity.

The beginning of his reign was marked by numerous favors to the nobility. The former regent Duke of Courland and many others returned from exile. The Secret Investigation Office was destroyed. On March 3 (February 18, old style), 1762, the emperor issued a Decree on the liberty of the nobility (Manifesto “On the granting of liberty and freedom to the entire Russian nobility”).

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

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

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

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

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

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