Children of Catherine the Great. Board and personal life of Catherine the Great

The life of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great, which has attracted the attention of both ordinary people and creative personalities for more than two centuries, is surrounded by large quantity all kinds of myths. AiF.ru recalls the five most common legends about the most famous Russian mistress.

The first myth. "Catherine II gave birth to the heir to the throne not from Peter III"

One of the most enduring myths associated with the Russian empress concerns who was the father of the heir to the throne, Pavel Petrovich... For Paul I, who ascended the throne, this topic remained painful until the very last days.

The reason for the persistence of such rumors is that Catherine II herself did not seek to refute them or somehow punish those who spread them.

The relationship between Catherine and her husband, the future Emperor Peter III, was really not warm. Marital relations in the early years were incomplete due to Peter's illness, which was subsequently overcome as a result of the operation.

Two years before the birth of Paul, Catherine had her first favorite, Sergey Saltykov... The relationship between him and Catherine ended after the future empress showed signs of pregnancy. Subsequently, Saltykov was sent abroad as a Russian envoy, and practically did not appear in Russia.

There seem to be many reasons for the version of Saltykov's paternity, but they all do not look convincing against the background of the undoubted portrait similarity between Peter III and Paul I. Contemporaries, focusing not on rumors, but on facts, did not doubt that Pavel was the son of Pyotr Fedorovich.

The second myth. "Catherine II sold Alaska to America"

A stable myth at the end of the 20th century was reinforced by the song of the Lyube group, after which the empress was finally assigned the status of the “liquidator of Russian America”.

In reality, during the reign of Catherine the Great, Russian industrialists were just starting to develop Alaska. The first permanent Russian settlement was founded on Kodiak Island in 1784.

The Empress really reacted without enthusiasm to the projects for the development of Alaska submitted to her, but this was caused by those who and how intended to develop it.

In 1780, Secretary of the Commerce Collegium Mikhail Chulkov submitted to the Prosecutor General of the Senate, Prince Vyazemsky, a project to create a company that was to obtain a 30-year monopoly on fishing and trade in the entire Pacific North. Catherine II, who was an opponent of monopolies, rejected the project. In 1788, a similar project, providing for the transfer of the trade and fishing monopoly of monopoly rights to the production of furs in the newly opened territories in the New World, was submitted by industrialists Grigory Shelikhov and Ivan Golikov... The project was also rejected. Only after the death of Catherine II was the development of Alaska by a monopoly company approved by Paul I.

As for the sale of Alaska, the deal with the United States was concluded in March 1867 at the initiative of the great-grandson of Catherine the Great, the emperor Alexander II.

The third myth. "Catherine II had hundreds of lovers"

Rumors about the incredible sexual adventures of the Russian empress, which have been circulating for the third century, are greatly exaggerated. The list of her lifelong hobbies contains a little more than 20 surnames - this, of course, is uncharacteristic for the Russian court of the pre-Catherine era, but for the mores of Europe at that time, the situation was quite normal. With a little clarification - for male monarchs, and not for women. But the point is that there were not so many women who ruled the states alone at that time.

Until 1772, Catherine's love list was very short - in addition to her legal spouse Peter Fedorovich, it featured Sergey Saltykov, the future Polish king Stanislav August Ponyatovsky and Grigory Orlov, relationship with whom lasted about 12 years.

Apparently, further on, 43-year-old Catherine was affected by the fear of withering of her own beauty. In an effort to catch up with youth, she began to change favorites, who were getting younger, and the duration of their stay with the empress was getting shorter.

The last of the favorites lasted for seven whole years. In 1789, 60-year-old Catherine brought a 22-year-old horse guard closer Platon Zubov... The aging woman was very attached to Zubov, whose only talent was pulling money from the state treasury. But this sad story definitely has nothing to do with the mythical "hundreds of lovers."

The fourth myth. "Catherine II spent most of her time at feasts and balls"

Little Fike's childhood was really far from the classical ideas of how a princess should live. The girl even had to learn to darn her stockings by herself. It would not be surprising if, upon arriving in Russia, Catherine rushed to compensate for her "difficult childhood" with an addiction to luxury and entertainment.

But in fact, having ascended the throne, Catherine II lived in the rigid rhythm of the head of state. She got up at 5 in the morning, and only in later years this time shifted to 7 in the morning. Immediately after breakfast, the reception of officials began, and the schedule of their reports was clearly scheduled for hours and days of the week, and this order did not change for years. The empress's working day lasted up to four hours, after which it was time for rest. At 22 o'clock, Catherine went to bed, because in the morning she had to get up to work again.

Officials who visited the empress on official business outside of solemn and official events saw her in simple dresses without any jewelry - Catherine believed that she did not need to dazzle her subjects with her appearance on weekdays.

The fifth myth. "Catherine II was killed by a Polish dwarf avenger"

The death of the empress was also surrounded by many myths. A year before her death, Catherine II was one of the initiators of the Third Partition of Poland, after which the country ceased to exist as an independent state. The Polish throne, on which the former lover of the Empress, King Stanislaw August Poniatowski, had previously sat, was sent to St. Petersburg, where, by order of the Empress, it was allegedly made a "toilet seat" for her dressing room.

Of course, Polish patriots could not endure such humiliation of their own country and the ancient throne of the Piast dynasty.

The myth says that a certain Pole dwarf allegedly managed to sneak into Catherine's chambers, watched her in the dressing room, stabbed her with a dagger and safely disappeared. The courtiers who discovered the empress could not help her, and she soon died.

The only truth in this story is that Catherine was actually found in the restroom. On the morning of November 16, 1796, the 67-year-old empress, as usual, got out of bed, drank coffee and went to toilet room where she lingered too long. The valet on duty dared to look there, and found Catherine lying on the floor. Her eyes were closed, her complexion was crimson, and wheezing came from her throat. The Empress was transferred to the bedchamber. During the fall, Catherine dislocated her leg, her body was so heavy that the servant did not have enough strength to lift him onto the bed. Therefore, a mattress was laid on the floor and the Empress was laid on it.

All signs indicated that Catherine had an apoplectic stroke - this term then meant a stroke and cerebral hemorrhage. She did not regain consciousness, and the court doctors who provided assistance to her had no doubt that the empress had only a few hours to live.

According to doctors, death should have occurred at about three o'clock in the afternoon on November 17. The strong body of Catherine, and then made its own adjustments - the great empress passed away at 9:45 pm on November 17, 1796.

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CATHERINE II the Great(1729-96), Russian empress (from 1762). German princess Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. Since 1744 - in Russia. Since 1745, the wife of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, the future emperor, who was overthrown from the throne (1762), relying on the guards (G.G. and A.G. Orlov and others). Reorganized the Senate (1763), secularized the lands (1763-64), abolished the hetmanate in Ukraine (1764). She headed the Legislative Commission 1767-69. During her reign, the Peasant War of 1773-75 took place. Published the Establishment for the management of the province in 1775, the Charter to the Nobility in 1785 and the Charter to the cities in 1785. Under Catherine II, as a result of the Russian-Turkish wars of 1768-74, 1787-91, Russia was finally consolidated on the Black Sea, the North were annexed. Black Sea region, Crimea, Kuban region. Accepted under Russian citizenship Vost. Georgia (1783). During the reign of Catherine II, the sections of the Commonwealth were carried out (1772, 1793, 1795). Corresponded with other figures of the French Enlightenment. Author of many fiction, dramatic, journalistic, popular science works, "Notes".

EKATERINA II Alekseevna(nee Sophia Augusta Frederica, Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst), Russian empress (from 1762-96).

Origin, upbringing and education

Catherine, the daughter of Prince Christian August of Anhalt of Zerbst and Princess Johann Elisabeth (nee Princess of Holstein-Gottorp), who was in the Prussian service, was related to the royal houses of Sweden, Prussia and England. She was educated at home: she studied German and French, dance, music, the basics of history, geography, theology. Already in childhood, her independent character, curiosity, perseverance, and at the same time a tendency to lively, active games, were manifested. In 1744, Catherine and her mother were summoned to Russia by the empress, baptized according to the Orthodox tradition under the name of Catherine Alekseevna and named the bride of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (future Emperor Peter III), with whom she married in 1745.

Life in Russia before accession to the throne

Catherine set herself the goal of winning the favor of the empress, her husband and the Russian people. However, her personal life was unsuccessful: Peter was childish, therefore, during the first years of marriage, there was no marital relationship between them. Paying tribute to the cheerful life of the court, Catherine turned to reading French enlighteners and works on history, jurisprudence and economics. These books shaped her worldview. Catherine became a consistent supporter of the ideas of the Enlightenment. She was also interested in the history, traditions and customs of Russia. In the early 1750s. Catherine began an affair with a guard officer S.V. Saltykov, and in 1754 gave birth to a son, the future Emperor Paul I, but rumors that Saltykov was Paul's father are groundless. In the second half of the 1750s. Catherine had an affair with the Polish diplomat S. Poniatovsky (later King Stanislav August), and in the early 1760s. with G. G. Orlov, from whom she gave birth in 1762 to the son of Alexei, who received the surname Bobrinsky. The deterioration of relations with her husband led to the fact that she began to fear for her fate if he came to power and began to recruit supporters at court. The ostentatious piety of Catherine, her prudence, and sincere love for Russia - all this contrasted sharply with the behavior of Peter and allowed her to gain prestige both among the high society metropolitan society and the general population of St. Petersburg.

Accession to the throne

Within six months of reign Peter III Catherine's relations with her husband (who openly appeared in the company of her mistress E. R. Vorontsova) continued to deteriorate, becoming clearly hostile. There was a threat of her arrest and possible expulsion. Catherine carefully prepared a conspiracy, relying on the support of the Orlov brothers, N. I. Panin, E. R. Dashkova and others. On the night of June 28, 1762, when the emperor was in Oranienbaum, Catherine secretly arrived in St. Petersburg and was proclaimed autocratic empress. Soon, soldiers from other regiments joined the insurgents. The news of Catherine's accession to the throne quickly spread throughout the city and was enthusiastically greeted by the Petersburgers. To prevent the actions of the deposed emperor, messengers were sent to the army and to Kronstadt. Meanwhile, Peter, having learned about what had happened, began to send proposals to Catherine about negotiations, which were rejected. The empress herself, at the head of the guards regiments, set out for Petersburg and on the way received Peter's written abdication from the throne.

Character and mode of government

Catherine II was a subtle psychologist and an excellent connoisseur of people; she skillfully selected assistants for herself, not being afraid of bright and talented people. That is why Catherine's time was marked by the appearance of a whole galaxy of outstanding statesmen, generals, writers, artists, musicians. In dealing with her subjects, Catherine was, as a rule, restrained, patient, tactful. She was an excellent conversationalist, knew how to listen carefully to everyone. By her own admission, she did not have a creative mind, but she was good at capturing any sensible thought and used it for her own purposes. During the entire period of Catherine's reign, there were practically no noisy resignations, none of the nobles was disgraced, was not exiled, and even less executed. Therefore, there was an idea of ​​Catherine's reign as the "golden age" of the Russian nobility. At the same time, Catherine was very vain and valued her power more than anything else. For the sake of her preservation, she is ready to make any compromises to the detriment of her convictions.

Relation to religion and the peasant question

Catherine was distinguished by ostentatious piety, considered herself the head and protector of the Russian Orthodox Church and skillfully used religion in her political interests. Her faith, apparently, was not too deep. In the spirit of the times, she preached tolerance. Under her, the persecution of the Old Believers was stopped, Catholic and Protestant churches, mosques were built, however, the transition from Orthodoxy to another faith was still severely punished.

Catherine was a staunch opponent of serfdom, considering it inhuman and contrary to the very nature of man. Her papers retained a lot of harsh statements on this matter, as well as discussions about various options for the elimination of serfdom. However, she did not dare to do anything concrete in this area because of the well-founded fear of a noble revolt and another coup. At the same time, Catherine was convinced of the spiritual underdevelopment of the Russian peasants and therefore in danger of giving them freedom, believing that the life of the peasants with caring landowners was quite prosperous.

Personal life of Catherine II

At the age of 15, Peter Ulrich arrived in Russia. Here he formally adopted the Orthodox faith and became Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich. Even Elizabeth, who was not distinguished by her education, was struck by the meager knowledge of her nephew. Therefore, they began to teach him again, now in Russian and Orthodox manner. For this purpose, the teacher of Petr Fedorovich was appointed professor of "eloquent and poetry", head of the art department of the Academy of Sciences Jacob Shtelin. But all the efforts of the teacher did not give any positive results. Pyotr Fyodorovich spent his time playing with soldiers, taking his toy soldiers to parades and on guard; early on he became addicted to wine and German beer. To reason with the heir, Elizabeth decided to marry him. On the issue of choosing a bride for the Grand Duke, the opinions of the Russian courtiers were divided. Bestuzhev and his supporters wanted to marry Peter Fedorovich to the princess of Saxony, daughter of King Augustus NI. Chief Marshal Krummer, Lestok and other friends of the French ambassador Schedardi predicted one of the daughters of the French king to be the wife of the Russian heir. But Elizabeth rejected these options and chose for her nephew a person not so noble and wealthy - Princess Anhalt-Zerbst, who was born in 1729 and named in honor of her grandmothers Sophia Augusta Frederica. And her parents just called her Fix. Her mother, Johanna Elizabeth Holstein-Gottorp, in 1727, as a 15-year-old girl, was married to 42-year-old Major General Christian August of Anhalt-Zerbst. He was the commander of the 8th Anhalt-Zerbst Regiment in Stettin (Pomerania). In the summer of 1742, Frederick II appointed him governor of Stettin and bestowed the rank of lieutenant general. Somewhat later, Christian became duke and co-ruler of Zerbst. On January 1, 1744, Duchess Johann Elizabeth Fante received a letter from St. Petersburg. It was addressed to them by Krummer on behalf of Empress Elizabeth I and contained her highest invitation to come to Russia. The matchmaking of the Russian court was of great legal importance for Prussia, therefore, its ambassador in St. Petersburg, Lardefeld, promptly informed his king about Elizabeth's intentions. Frederick II welcomed, of course, the upcoming marriage of Fix with the heir to the Russian throne, hoping in the future, represented by the "young court", to have his own agents in St. Petersburg. He wished to personally talk with the bride, invited her and her mother to Berlin for a private dinner, during which he made sure that 15-year-old Fix is ​​noticeably smarter than her mother.

After meeting with the king, the duchess and her daughter, under the name of Countess Reinbeck, went to distant, snow-covered Russia; On February 5, they reached Mitava (Jelgava), then Riga, Petersburg were on their way, and finally on the evening of February 9 they arrived in Moscow at the Annenhof Palace, in which in those days the court of Elizabeth was temporarily located. That evening began a new page in the life of the little-known girl Fix from the German city of Stettin.

In contrast to her future spouse, Fix from the very first days of her stay in Russia, with enviable persistence and rare diligence, took up the study of the Russian language and Russian customs. With the help of the associate and translator of the Academy of Sciences Vasily Adadurov, she very quickly achieved noticeable success. Already at the end of June in the church, during her conversion to the Orthodox faith, she clearly pronounced her confession in pure Russian. What surprised everyone present. The Empress even shed a tear. Another task, which the young German woman was quite consciously solving at that time, was to please the Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich, and Empress Elizabeth, and all Russian people.

Later, Catherine II recalled: “... I truly did not neglect anything in order to achieve this: obsequiousness, obedience, respect, desire to please, desire to do what should be done, sincere affection, everything on my part was constantly used from GM4 to 1761. " ...

Having converted to Orthodoxy on June 28 ША, Fike was betrothed to the Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich the next day. After that, she received the title of Grand Duchess and a new name - Ekaterina Alekseevna.

In December 1741, on the way from Moscow to St. Petersburg, Pyotr Fedorovich fell ill with smallpox and lay seriously ill in Khotilov until February. Smallpox disfigured his face. He grew noticeably, but his intellect remained at the same level, and so did his childish fun.

Finally came the most important day for Ekaterina Alekseevna - the day of her wedding with Pyotr Fedorovich. It took place on August 21 in the capital. According to Russian custom, everything was there: the rich attire of the bride with precious jewelry, and the solemn service in the Kazan Church, and the ceremonial dinner in the gallery of the Winter Palace, and the magnificent ball.

Catherine's marriage can hardly be called unsuccessful or unhappy - for her, as for a woman, it was humiliating and insulting. On their wedding night, Peter avoided marital duties, the following were the same. Later, Catherine testified: "... and in this state the matter remained for nine years without the slightest change."

Before the wedding, Catherine was still hoping for something. She wrote about her attitude to Peter the groom: "... I cannot say that I liked or disliked him; I only knew how to obey. It was my mother's job to marry me off. But, in truth, I think that the Russian crown is more I liked more than his person. He was then 16 years old ... he talked to me about toys and soldiers with whom he was busy from morning till night. I listened to him out of politeness and to please him ... but we never spoke between myself in the language of love: it was not for me to start this conversation ... "Relations between the young spouses did not work out. Catherine finally understood that her husband would always be a stranger to her. And she thought about him now in a different way: "... I had a cruel thought for him in the very first days of my marriage. I said to myself: if you love this person, you will be the most unfortunate creature on earth ... this person he hardly looks at you, he only talks about dolls and pays more attention to every other woman than to you; you are too proud to make a fuss about this, therefore ... think of yourself, madam "Not every woman in this musty atmosphere of court intrigue, she could rise above the environment around her, always behave outwardly with dignity and think only about herself, about that still completely unclear perspective that awaited her in the future. And only a combination of an extraordinary mind, strong will beyond her years, considerable courage and, of course, cunning, hypocrisy, unlimited ambition and vanity, helped Catherine to wage a hidden struggle for her place at the Russian court for 18 years and achieve, in the end, the coveted crown empress.

After the wedding, Ekaterina Alekseevna's mother left Russia, and she remained completely alone among the Russians. But this did not upset her, she and her mother were never spiritually close people. To top it off, the mother, with rash actions, only prevented her daughter from maintaining an unblemished good name at court. Most of all, Ekaterina Alekseevna sought the favor of the empress. Despite all the efforts of the Grand Duchess always and in everything she liked, the relationship between them was uneven, far from friendly, and sometimes even tense. True, Elizabeth did not skimp on gifts. Before the engagement, Ekaterina Alekseevna received a necklace worth 150 thousand rubles. For minor expenses, she was assigned a maintenance of 30 thousand rubles.

The Empress very soon realized that she was in a hurry to declare Pyotr Fedorovich the heir to the throne. The behavior of her talentless nephew often irritated her. Not knowing how to get out of this awkward situation, she involuntarily transferred her dissatisfaction with the heir to the throne on his wife. She was accused of indifference to her husband, that she could not or did not want to influence him in an amicable way, to captivate him with her feminine charms. Finally, the empress demanded an heir from the young. And yet it was not foreseen.

It should not be forgotten that the life of the "young court" proceeded in front of the servants appointed by Elizabeth herself. To the Grand Duchess, in particular, in 1746, the State Dame Maria Semyonovna Choglokova, especially devoted to the Empress, was assigned as her Chief Hofmeister. This evil and capricious woman, according to Catherine, spied on her and reported everything to Elizabeth. At Pyotr Fedorovich's office, the empress also replaced the knight marshal Krümmer with Prince Vasily Anikitich Repnin, and then, in 1747, with chamberlain Nikolai Naumovich Choglokov, the husband of Maria Semyonovna. Due to their limitations, the Choglokov couple could not contribute to the rapprochement of the Grand Duchess with the Empress, on the contrary, they introduced excessive wariness and distrust into their relationship. And apparently, Ekaterina Alekseevna had reason to write: “... it seemed to me that she (Elizabeth. Deg.) Was always unhappy with me, as it happened very rarely that she did me the honor of entering into a conversation; however, at least and we lived in the same house, and our chambers touched both in the Winter and Summer palaces, but we did not see her for months, and often more. We did not dare to appear in her chambers without a call, and we almost never We were often scolded on behalf of Her Majesty for such trifles, about which one could not even suspect that they could anger the Empress. "Something like this to convey to us not only extremely unpleasant things, but even harshness, tantamount to the most gross insults. At the same time, it was impossible to be more careful than I was at heart, so as not to violate the respect and obedience due to Her Majesty."

At the age of 18, Catherine has developed into a beautiful and physically strong woman. The flattery of many around her began to turn her head pleasantly. To give a release of youthful energy, she spent a lot of time hunting, boating and riding a horse dashingly. It was not difficult for her to spend the whole day in the saddle, while she sat equally beautifully and firmly in it both in English (as befits a noble aristocrat) and in Tatar (as is customary among real cavalrymen). Her body was well accustomed to the climate of St. Petersburg, and all of her now radiated health and feminine dignity, while deeply hiding her offended pride and her secret thoughts.

And the Grand Duke continued to play with dolls and deal with a detachment of Holstein soldiers, whom he specially summoned to Russia, thereby turning all Russians against him. He placed these Holsteins in Prussian uniform in a special camp in Oranienbaum, where he often disappeared himself, endlessly and without special need building up and setting up the guards. Family life was still of little interest to him. And therefore the French attaché Count d "Allion reported to Versailles:" The Grand Duke still cannot prove to his wife that he is a man. "

Elizaveta Petrovna got tired of waiting for the Grand Duke to become a capable husband, and she found it possible to solve the problem of the heir without his participation. For this purpose, two young men were assigned to the court of the Grand Duchess - Sergei Saltykov and Lev Naryshkin. Saltykov was 26 years old, for two years he had been legally married to one of the court maids of honor. According to Ekaterina Alekseevna, “he was as beautiful as day, and, of course, no one could equal him ... at court. give great light and court ... in general and by birth, and in many other qualities he was an outstanding gentleman; he knew how to hide his shortcomings; the greatest of them were a tendency to intrigue and lack of strict rules... ". Later, Ekaterina Alekseevna did not speak so enthusiastically about her favorite. But then Saltykov's shortcomings, in particular" the lack of strict rules ", that is, his weakness for the fair sex," had not yet unfolded before her eyes. "Lev Naryshkin was in a young the company was just a kind and cheerful joker. In the planned "operation" he was assigned the role of a cover.

After Easter 1752, Sergei Saltykov began to stubbornly seek special attention from the Grand Duchess. At first, Ekaterina Alekseevna did not feel entirely confident. She certainly liked this persistent admirer, but she could not help but be afraid of the empress's wrath. Very soon Choglokova rescued her. Without hesitation, this always strict and impeccable lady openly declared to Catherine that “in the interests of the succession to the throne,” she was allowed to choose any of the assigned gentlemen for herself. The former girl Fix did not ask stupid questions. She immediately understood what was expected of her, and with an open heart she went towards her first love.

The court of Elizabeth once again moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow on December 14, 1752. Ekaterina Alekseevna was in the entourage of the Empress, along with the Grand Duke. Then she recalled that she had set off "with some slight signs of pregnancy," that "we were driving fast, day and night," and that "at the last station, these signs disappeared with severe cuts." This was her first miscarriage.

At the beginning of 1753, Sergei Saltykov arrived in Moscow. Now he met with his beloved less often and, in justification, complained to her that he had many enemies, meaning Chancellor Bestuzhev's supporters. Then Ekaterina Alekseevna decided that their love would not lose its charms, if you add politics to it. To this end, through one of the court officials, she turned to Bestuzhev with a request to consider her among his loyal allies.

Prior to this, relations between the Grand Duchess and the Chancellor were unfriendly. The latter felt hostile feelings towards Pyotr Fedorovich and at the same time transferred his hostility to his wife. Ekaterina Alekseevna also considered Bestuzhev the main culprit of all the troubles and difficulties that she had to meet at court. However, over time, both sides realized that she was mutually interested in friendship. The astute Bestuzhev noticed long ago how carefully and intelligently he behaves grand duchess in her difficult relationship with her husband and empress. Therefore, he willingly accepted her offer, and soon they really became allies.

After that, the meetings of the young lovers continued. But the Grand Duchess was again unlucky. In the summer of 1753, while the court was in Moscow, she danced a lot on her husband's birthday, as a result of which there was a second miscarriage. Of course, this could not please the Empress. That's why when next spring Elizabeth was informed about the new pregnancy of the Grand Duchess, she put her in quarantine.

Ekaterina Alekseevna gave birth to a son on September 20, 1754. He was named Paul and was forever taken away from his mother to the Empress's chambers. On the sixth day, the baby was christened, and the Grand Duchess was awarded the highest reward of 100 thousand rubles. It is interesting that at first Pyotr Fedorovich was not noted by the attention of the empress, since in reality he had nothing to do with the birth of a child. However, this put him in a ridiculous position at court and gave him a formal reason to express his sharp displeasure. Elizabeth very soon realized her mistake and retroactively ordered to give her nephew also 100 thousand rubles. As for Sergei Saltykov, the real father of the newborn, his presence at court became not only unnecessary, but also highly undesirable. Therefore, 17 days after the birth of the baby, he was sent first to Sweden, and then to Dresden, where he spent time in the company of the fair sex, making no secret of his adventures for those around him.

Baby Paul was shown to his mother only 15 days after birth. Then the Empress took him back to her apartments, where she personally took care of him and where, according to Catherine, "there were many old ladies around him who, with their stupid care, completely devoid of common sense, brought him incomparably more bodily and moral suffering than benefit." ... And the princess fat, happily relieved of the burden, Zhila is now left alone, without any participation and attention. She was unwell, she "could not and did not want to see anyone, because she was in grief." And I read a lot.

Reading was one of Ekaterina Alekseevna's favorite pastimes - she always had a book with her. At first she was amused by light novels, but very soon she took up serious literature, And if you believe her "Notes", she had the intelligence and patience to overcome the nine-volume "History of Germany". Kappa and the multivolume Bailey Dictionary, The Lives of Famous Men of Plutarch and The Life of Cicero, Letters of Madame de Seville and Annals of Tacitus, works by Plato, Montesquieu and Voltaire. The historian S. F. Platonov, in particular, wrote about her: "The degree of her theoretical development and education reminds us of the strength of the practical development of Peter the Great. And both of them were self-taught."

Only in February 1755, Ekaterina Alekseevna overcame her hypochondria and for the first time after childbirth appeared in society. By this time, Pyotr Fedorovich had completely ceased to notice his wife. He matured and began to care for women, while showing a rather strange taste: he liked ugly and narrow-minded girls more. At first, he was carried away by the Princess of Courland, the natural daughter of the exiled Biron. Ugly, short and slightly hunchbacked, this girl quarreled with her parents, fled from Yaroslavl, converted to the Orthodox faith and, with the empress's permission, lived at the Russian court. The Grand Duke was impressed by her German origin and knowledge German language... However, the princess turned out to be smarter than her royal admirer and, not agreeing to become his mistress, later married Baron Alexander Ivanovich Cherkasov. Then Pyotr Fedorovich turned his high attention to Elizaveta Vorontsova. The girl Elizaveta Romanovna was the niece of the Vice-Chancellor MI Vorontsov. In 1749, at the age of 11, she was appointed maid of honor to Ekaterina Alekseevna. Foreigners wrote about her that "she swore like a soldier, squinted her eyes, smelled foul and spat while talking." In the summer of 1755, the English envoy, Genbury, Williams, arrived in St. Petersburg. In his retinue was the 23-year-old Count Stanislav Poniatovsky, a man with a beautiful appearance and superficial education, already spoiled by the high society life of Paris, where he had fun since 1753. His father, by the way, in his youth served in the troops of the Austrian prince Eugene. He supported the Swedish king Charles XII, was then his adjutant, took part in the Battle of Poltava and, together with Charles XII, fled to Turkey, where he defended the interests of the Swedes and helped the Turks declare war against Russia. The son inherited from his father many of the worst traits of his character - lack of principle in politics, licentiousness in Everyday life and thirst for light pleasures.

Very soon Poniatovsky became close friends with Lev Naryshkin. And he at the beginning of 1756 brought him together with Ekaterina Alekseevna. Thus began a new fascinating romance of the Grand Duchess. And on December 9, 1758, Ekaterina Alekseevna was allowed to be her second child. The girl was named Anna in honor of her grandmother. And again, the empress took the baby from the mother to her chambers. Among his confidants, Pyotr Fedorovich made a statement on this matter. "God knows, he said, where does my wife get her pregnancy from, I don't really know if this is my child and if I should take it personally." However, when Elizabeth, on the occasion of the girl's birth, ordered her Cabinet to give her parents 60 thousand rubles each, he accepted this award with great satisfaction.

After the fall of Bestuzhev, relations between the Empress and Ekaterina Alekseevna reached the greatest tension. Instead of the Choglokovs, it was not just anyone who was assigned to the "young court", but the head of the Secret Chancellery, Alexander Shuvalov, with his wife. The Grand Duchess, deprived of any attention after childbirth, was blamed not only for her unfriendly attitude towards her husband, but also for her impartial friendship with Bestuzhev.

In the last days of the oil week of 1759, another quarrel arose between the spouses. At the same time, Pyotr Fedorovich, who had already openly declared Elizaveta Vorontsova the mistress in his half, began to talk with his wife in the tone of an order. In addition, rumors have already spread among the courtiers that Vorontsova will soon become the wife of the Grand Duke, and the Grand Duchess will be sent to a monastery.

Ekaterina Alekseevna, having soberly assessed the situation, wrote to the Empress a polite but rather bold letter. In it, she thanked Elizabeth for all her favors, admitted herself unhappy that she could not please the Grand Duke and Empress, and therefore asked to let her go back home. She motivated the necessity of her departure with very weighty arguments: the Grand Duke did not need her at all; since her children were taken away from her and their upbringing is in safer hands, her departure will not affect their future fate; she is no longer able to remain in the unhealthy environment that has developed around her at court; her departure will calm all her ill-wishers and free the empress from unnecessary troubles.

Of course, Ekaterina Alekseevna was not so naive as to really strive to leave Russia. She knew very well that Elizabeth could not bear her nephew for a long time and that she would never dare to dissolve his marriage for the sake of the stupid girl Vorontsova. By this well-calculated act, the Grand Duchess hoped to consolidate her position at court. And she succeeded quite well.

Elizabeth's conversation with Ekaterina Alekseevna took place at three o'clock in the morning in the presence of Pyotr Fedorovich and Alexander Shuvalov. Ivan Shuvalov was also at that time in the Empress's chambers behind a screen. At first, Elizabeth behaved very strictly - anger and impatience sounded in her voice. But the courteous and at the same time rather bold and accurate answers of the interlocutor gradually disarmed her. The unpleasant conversation between the women ended in moved tears. Then the Grand Duchess was told the words of Elizabeth, which she said to her relatives about her daughter-in-law: "She loves truth and justice; she is a very intelligent woman, but my nephew is a fool."

Towards the end of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, her nephew finally lost the respect of many around him and aroused the sharp discontent of the majority of Russians. On the contrary, even her opponents began to respect Ekaterina Alekseevna. A large circle of Russian adherents formed around her, among whom were not only officers of the Guards and middle-class nobles, but also influential nobles who stood close to the empress.

Elizabeth herself understood her mistake in appointing a successor to the throne, but she lost time and now, when her health was seriously damaged, she could not solve the problem of succession in another way. When she died on December 25, 1761 at the age of 52, Pyotr Fedorovich was proclaimed the Russian emperor (1761-1762).

Bibliography:

1) Zaichkin I.A., Pochkaev I.N. - Russian history. I and II books.

2) S. F. Platonov "Lectures on Russian history".

3) The magazine "Rodina" number 1 for 1993.

Doctor of Historical Sciences M.RAKHMATULLIN.

During the long decades of the Soviet era, the history of the reign of Catherine II was presented with obvious bias, and the image of the empress herself was deliberately distorted. From the pages of a few publications, a cunning and vain German princess appears, cunningly seizing the Russian throne and most of all concerned about satisfying her sensual desires. Such judgments are based on either an openly politicized motive, or purely emotional memories of her contemporaries, or, finally, the tendentious intention of her enemies (especially from among foreign opponents), who tried to discredit the empress's tough and consistent defense of Russia's national interests. But Voltaire, in one of his letters to Catherine II, called her "Semiramis of the North", likening the heroine of Greek mythology, whose name is associated with the creation of one of the seven wonders of the world - the Hanging Gardens. Thus, the great philosopher expressed his admiration for the work of the empress to transform Russia, her wise rule. In the proposed essay, an attempt has been made to tell with an open mind about the affairs and personality of Catherine II. "I did my task pretty well."

Crowned Catherine II in all the splendor of her coronation attire. The coronation traditionally took place in Moscow on September 22, 1762.

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, who reigned from 1741 to 1761. Portrait of the mid-18th century.

Peter I married his eldest daughter, the crown princess Anna Petrovna, to the Duke of Holstein Karl-Friedrich. Their son became the heir to the Russian throne, Peter Fedorovich.

Matushka Catherine II Johann-Elizabeth of Anhalt-Zerbst, who secretly tried to intrigue from Russia in favor of the Prussian king.

The Prussian king Frederick II, whom the young Russian heir tried to imitate in everything.

Science and Life // Illustrations

Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna and Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich. Their marriage was extremely unsuccessful.

Count Grigory Orlov is one of the active organizers and performers of the palace coup, which elevated Catherine to the throne.

The most ardent part in the coup of June 1762 was taken by a very young princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova.

A family portrait of a royal couple, taken shortly after the accession to the throne of Peter III. Next to his parents is the young heir Pavel in an oriental costume.

The Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, where dignitaries and nobles took the oath to Empress Catherine II.

The future Russian Empress Catherine II Alekseevna, nee Sophia Frederica Augusta, Princess of Anhaltzerbst, was born on April 21 (May 2), 1729 in the provincial at that time Stettin (Prussia). Her father, the unremarkable prince Christian Augustus, made a good career with his devoted service to the Prussian king: regiment commander, commandant of Stettin, governor. In 1727 (he was then 42 years old) he married the 16-year-old Holstein-Gottorp princess Johann Elizabeth.

A somewhat eccentric princess, who had an irrepressible addiction to entertainment and short-distance travel to numerous and, unlike her, rich relatives, did not put family concerns in the first place. Among the five children, the first-born daughter Fikkhen (that was the name of all the household Sophia Frederica) was not her favorite - they were expecting a son. "My birth was not particularly joyfully welcomed," Ekaterina would write later in her Notes. The power-hungry and strict parent, out of a desire to "beat out pride", often rewarded her daughter with slaps in the face for innocent childish pranks and for childish perseverance of character. Little Fikkhen found solace from her good-natured father. Constantly engaged in the service and practically did not interfere in the upbringing of children, he nevertheless became for them an example of conscientious service in the state arena. “I have never met a more honest person, both in the sense of principles and in terms of actions,” - Ekaterina will say about her father at a time when she already got to know people well.

Lack of material resources prevented parents from hiring expensive experienced teachers and governesses. And here fate smiled generously at Sophia Frederica. After a change of several careless governesses, the French emigrant Elizabeth Kardel (nicknamed Babet) became her good mentor. As Catherine II later wrote about her, she "knew almost everything without learning anything; she knew like the back of her hand all comedies and tragedies and was very funny." The heartfelt response of the pupil paints Babet "as a model of virtue and prudence - she had a naturally elevated soul, a developed mind, an excellent heart; she was patient, meek, cheerful, fair, constant."

Perhaps the main merit of the clever Kardel, who had an exceptionally balanced character, can be called the fact that she inspired the stubborn and secretive at first (the fruits of her previous upbringing) Fikkhen to read, in which the capricious and wayward princess found true pleasure. A natural consequence of this hobby is the soon arisen interest of a precocious girl in serious works of philosophical content. It is no coincidence that already in 1744 one of the enlightened friends of the family, the Swedish Count Güllenborg, jokingly, but not without reason, called Fikchen "a fifteen-year-old philosopher." It is curious that Catherine II herself admitted that her acquisition of "intelligence and dignity" was greatly facilitated by her mother's instilled belief "that I was completely ugly," which kept the princess from empty secular entertainments. Meanwhile, one of her contemporaries recalls: "She was perfectly built, from infancy she was distinguished by a noble posture and was taller than her years. Her expression was not beautiful, but very pleasant, and an open look and a kind smile made her whole figure very attractive."

but further destiny Sophia (like many later German princesses) was determined not by her personal merits, but by the dynastic situation in Russia. The childless Empress Elizabeth Petrovna immediately after accession began to look for an heir worthy of the Russian throne. The choice fell on the only direct successor of the family of Peter the Great, his grandson - Karl Peter Ulrich. The son of the eldest daughter of Peter I Anna and Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Friedrich was already an orphan at the age of 11. The prince was raised by pedantic German teachers, led by the pathologically cruel knight marshal Count Otto von Brummer. The duke's son, who was sickly from birth, was sometimes kept from hand to mouth, and for any wrongdoing he was forced to kneel on peas for hours, often and painfully flogged. "I will order you to be whipped," Brummer went into a shout, "that the dogs will lick blood." The boy found an outlet in his passion for music, addicted to a pitiful sounding violin. His other passion was playing with the tin soldiers.

The humiliations to which he was subjected from day to day yielded results: the prince, as his contemporaries note, became "hot-tempered, false, loved to brag, learned to lie." He grew up to be a cowardly, secretive, capricious man without measure and thought of himself a lot. Here is a laconic portrait of Peter Ulrich painted by our brilliant historian V.O. Klyuchevsky: “His way of thinking and acting gave the impression of something surprisingly half-thought and unfinished. He looked like a child who imagined himself to be an adult; in fact, he was an adult who was forever a child. "

Such a "worthy" heir to the Russian throne in January 1742 was hastily (so that he would not be intercepted by the Swedes, whose king he, by his ancestry, could also become) was brought to St. Petersburg. In November of the same year, the prince was converted to Orthodoxy against his will and named Peter Fedorovich. But in his heart he always remained a devout German Lutheran who showed no desire to master the language of his new homeland with any tolerance. In addition, the heir was not lucky with his studies and upbringing in St. Petersburg. His main mentor, Academician Yakov Shtelin, was completely lacking any pedagogical talents, and he, seeing the amazing inability and indifference of the student, preferred to please the constant whims of an ignoramus, and not teach him properly.

Meanwhile, 14-year-old Pyotr Fedorovich has already found a bride. What was the decisive factor in the choice of Princess Sophia by the Russian court? The Saxon resident Pezold wrote about this: being, although "from a noble, but of such a small family," she would be an obedient wife without any claims to participate in big politics. In this case, Elizaveta Petrovna's elegiac memories of her failed marriage with her mother's elder brother, Sophia, Karl August (shortly before the wedding, he died of smallpox), and the portraits of the pretty princess delivered to the empress, who even then "liked everyone at first sight, also played a role. "(so without false modesty Catherine II will write in her" Notes ").

At the end of 1743, Princess Sophia was invited (with Russian money) to Petersburg, where she arrived accompanied by her mother in February of the following year. From there they went to Moscow, where at that time the royal court was located, and on the eve of the birthday (February 9) of Peter Fedorovich, a pretty and dressed up (for the same money) bride appeared before the empress and the grand duke. J. Shtelin writes about Elizaveta Petrovna's sincere delight at the sight of Sophia. And the mature beauty, the become and the greatness of the Russian tsarina made an indelible impression on the young provincial princess. As if they liked each other and the betrothed. In any case, the mother of the future bride wrote to her husband that "the Grand Duke loves her." Fikkhen herself was assessing more and more soberly: "To tell the truth, I liked the Russian crown more than him (the groom. - M.R.) person ".

Indeed, the idyll, if it did arise at the beginning, did not last long. Further communication between the Grand Duke and the princess showed a complete dissimilarity of both characters and interests, and outwardly they were strikingly different from each other: the lanky, narrow-shouldered and frail groom lost even more against the background of an unusually attractive bride. When the Grand Duke suffered smallpox, his face was so disfigured by fresh scars that Sofia, seeing the heir, could not restrain herself and was frankly horrified. However, the main thing was different: the stunning infantilism of Pyotr Fedorovich was opposed by the active, purposeful, ambitious nature of Princess Sophia Frederica, who knows her worth, who was named in Russia in honor of the mother of Empress Elizabeth, Ekaterina (Alekseevna). This happened with her adoption of Orthodoxy on June 28, 1744. The Empress gave the new convert noble gifts - a diamond cufflink and a necklace worth 150 thousand rubles. The next day, the official betrothal took place, which brought Catherine the titles of Grand Duchess and Imperial Highness.

Evaluating later the situation that arose in the spring of 1744, when Empress Elizabeth, having learned about the frivolous attempts of the intriguing mother Sophia, Princess Johannes Elizabeth, to act (secretly from the Russian court) in the interests of the Prussian king Frederick II, almost sent her and her daughter back , "to his home" (which the groom, how sensitively the bride grasped, would perhaps be glad), Catherine expressed her feelings as follows: "He was almost indifferent to me, but the Russian crown was not indifferent to me."

On August 21, 1745, the wedding ceremony began for ten days. Lavish balls, masquerades, fireworks, a sea of ​​wine and mountains of treats for the common people on the Admiralty Square in St. Petersburg exceeded all expectations. However, the family life of the newlyweds began with disappointments. As Catherine herself writes, her husband, who had a hearty dinner that evening, "lay down beside me, dozed off and slept safely until the morning." And so it went on from night to night, from month to month, from year to year. Pyotr Fyodorovich, as before the wedding, selflessly played with dolls, trained (or rather tortured) a pack of his dogs, arranged daily reviews for a comic company of court gentlemen of his own age, and at night with passion taught his wife "gun exercise", bringing her to complete exhaustion. It was then that he first discovered an excessive addiction to wine and tobacco.

It is not surprising that Catherine began to feel physical disgust for her nominal husband, finding consolation in reading a wide variety of serious books and in horse riding (she used to spend on horseback up to 13 hours a day). The famous "Annals" of Tacitus had a strong influence on the formation of her personality, as she recalled, and the newest work of the French enlightener Charles Louis Montesquieu "On the Spirit of Laws" became her reference book. She is absorbed in studying the works of French encyclopedists and already at that time intellectually outgrew everyone around her.

Meanwhile, the aging Empress Elizaveta Petrovna was waiting for the heir and that he did not appear, she blamed Catherine. In the end, at the prompting of confidants, the empress arranged a medical examination of the married couple, the results of which we learn from the reports of foreign diplomats: "The Grand Duke was not able to have children because of the obstacle removed among the Eastern peoples by circumcision, but which he considered incurable." The news of this plunged Elizaveta Petrovna into shock. “Struck by this news, like a thunderous blow,” writes one of the eyewitnesses, “Elizabeth seemed speechless, for a long time she could not utter a word, and finally she burst into tears.”

However, tears did not prevent the empress from agreeing to an immediate operation, and in case of her failure, she ordered to find a suitable "gentleman" for the role of the father of the unborn child. It was "handsome Serge", 26-year-old chamberlain Sergei Vasilyevich Saltykov. After two miscarriages (in 1752 and 1753) on September 20, 1754, Catherine gave birth to the heir to the throne, named Pavel Petrovich. True, evil tongues at court almost aloud said that the child should have been called Sergeevich. Doubted about his paternity and safely got rid of the disease by that time, Peter Fedorovich: "God knows where my wife gets her pregnancy, I do not really know if this is my child and should I take it personally?"

Meanwhile, time has shown the groundlessness of suspicions. Pavel inherited not only the specific features of Peter Fedorovich's appearance, but, more importantly, the features of his character - including mental instability, irritability, a tendency to unpredictable actions and an irrepressible love for the senseless drill of soldiers.

The heir, immediately after birth, was excommunicated from his mother and placed under the supervision of nannies, and Sergei Saltykov was sent from Catherine, who was in love with him, to Sweden on an invented diplomatic mission. As for the grand-ducal couple, Elizaveta Petrovna, having received the long-awaited heir, lost her previous interest in her. Because of his unbearable tricks * and foolish antics, she could not stay with her nephew "even a quarter of an hour so as not to feel disgust, anger or grief." For example, he drilled holes in the wall of the room where the aunt-empress received the favorite Alexei Razumovsky, and not only watched what was happening there, but also invited "friends" from his entourage to look through the peephole. One can imagine the power of Elizaveta Petrovna's anger when she found out about the trick. From now on, the aunt-empress often calls him a fool, a freak, and even a "damned nephew" in her hearts. In such a situation, Ekaterina Alekseevna, who secured the heir to the throne, could calmly reflect on her future fate.

The twenty-year-old Grand Duchess reports on August 30, 1756 British ambassador in Russia to Sir Charles Herbert Williams, with whom she was in secret correspondence, that she decided "to perish or to reign." The life attitudes of young Catherine in Russia are simple: to please the Grand Duke, to please the Empress, to please the people. Recalling this time, she wrote: "Truly, I did not neglect anything in order to achieve this: obsequiousness, obedience, respect, the desire to please, the desire to do what should be done, sincere affection - everything on my part was constantly used from 1744 to 1761. I confess that when I lost hope of success in the first paragraph, I redoubled my efforts to complete the last two; it seemed to me that I did more than once in the second, but the third was a success for me in all its volume, without any limitation of any time, and therefore I think I did my task quite well. "

The methods of acquiring “the power of attorney of the Russians” by Catherine did not contain anything original and, in their simplicity, perfectly matched the mental mood and the level of enlightenment of the St. Petersburg high society. Let's listen to her herself: "They attribute this to a deep mind and a long study of my position. Not at all! I owe this to Russian old women.<...>And in solemn meetings, and at simple gatherings and parties, I approached the old women, sat down beside them, asked about their health, advised them what remedies to use in case of illness, patiently listened to their endless stories about their young years, about the current boredom, about the frivolity of young people; I myself asked their advice in various matters and then sincerely thanked them. I knew the name of their mosek, lapdogs, parrots, fools; knew when which of these ladies had a birthday. On that day, my valet came to her, congratulated her on my behalf and brought flowers and fruits from the Oranienbaum greenhouses. Less than two years later, the warmest praise to my mind and heart was heard from all sides and spread throughout Russia. In the simplest and most innocent way, I made myself a resounding glory, and when it came to the occupation of the Russian throne, a significant majority found myself on my side. "

On December 25, 1761, after a long illness, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna passed away. Senator Trubetskoy, who announced this long-awaited news, immediately proclaimed the accession to the throne of Emperor Peter III. As the remarkable historian S.M. Soloviev writes, “the answer was sobbing and groaning for the whole palace<...>The majority greeted the new reign gloomily: they knew the character of the new sovereign and did not expect anything good from him. " , then, being at that time in the fifth month of pregnancy, she practically could not actively intervene in the course of events.

Perhaps it was for the better for her - during the six months of his reign, Peter III was able to turn the capital's society and the nobility as a whole against himself to such an extent that he practically opened the way for his wife to power. Moreover, the attitude towards him was not changed either by the abolition of the hated Secret Chancellery with its dungeons filled with prisoners at the infamous cry: "The word and deed of the sovereign!" compulsory public service and giving them the freedom to choose their place of residence, occupation and the right to travel abroad. The last act aroused such an enthusiasm among the nobility that the Senate even set out to erect a monument of pure gold to the Tsar-benefactor. However, the euphoria did not last long - everything was outweighed by the extremely unpopular actions of the emperor in society, which greatly hurt the national dignity of the Russian people.

The adoration of the Prussian king Frederick II, deliberately advertised by Peter III, was subjected to angry condemnation. He loudly proclaimed himself his vassal, for which he received the nickname "Frederick the monkey" among the people. The degree of public discontent rose especially sharply when Peter III made peace with Prussia and returned the lands won by the blood of Russian soldiers to her without any compensation. This step practically nullified all the successes of the Seven Years War for Russia.

Peter III was able to turn the clergy against himself, because, according to his decree of March 21, 1762, they began to hastily implement the decision made during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna to secularize church lands: the treasury, devastated by a long-term war, demanded replenishment. Moreover, the new tsar threatened to deprive the clergy of their usual magnificent vestments, replacing them with black clerical robes, and shave off the beards of the priests.

The addiction to wine did not add glory to the new emperor. It did not go unnoticed how extremely cynical he behaved in the days of mournful farewell to the late empress, allowing obscene antics, jokes, loud laughter at her coffin ... According to contemporaries, Peter III did not have these days "a more cruel enemy than himself, because he does not neglect anything that could harm him. " This is confirmed by Catherine: her husband "in the whole empire had no more fierce enemy than himself." As you can see, Peter III thoroughly prepared the ground for the coup.

It is difficult to say exactly when the concrete outline of the conspiracy emerged. With a high degree of probability, its occurrence can be attributed to April 1762, when Catherine, after giving birth, received a physical opportunity for real action... The final decision on the conspiracy, apparently, was confirmed after the family scandal that happened in early June. At one of the solemn dinners, Peter III in the presence of foreign ambassadors and about 500 guests publicly called his wife a fool several times in a row. Then the adjutant was ordered to arrest his wife. And only the persistent persuasion of Prince George Ludwig Holstein (he was the uncle of the imperial couple) extinguished the conflict. But they did not change the intention of Peter III by any means to get rid of his wife and fulfill his long-standing desire - to marry his favorite, Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova. According to the opinions of people close to Peter, she "swore like a soldier, mowed, smelled foul and spat while talking." Pockmarked, fat, with an exorbitant bust, she was just the type of woman who liked Pyotr Fyodorovich, who loudly called his girlfriend "Romanov" during drinking. Catherine was threatened with imminent tonsure as a nun.

There was no time left for organizing a classic conspiracy with lengthy preparation and thinking through all the details. Everything was decided according to the situation, almost at the level of improvisation, however, compensated by the decisive actions of Ekaterina Alekseevna's supporters. Among them was her secret admirer, the Ukrainian hetman K. G. Razumovsky, at the same time the commander of the Izmailovsky regiment, a favorite of the guards. Explicit sympathy was shown to her and those close to Peter III, Chief Prosecutor A.I. Glebov, General Feldzheikhmeister A.N. Vilboa, Director of Police Baron N.A. The 18-year-old princess E.R. Dashkova (the favorite of Peter III was her sister), who had extensive connections in society due to her closeness to N.I. Panin and the fact that Chancellor MI Vorontsov was her uncle.

It was through the sister of the favorite, who did not arouse any suspicion, that officers of the Preobrazhensky regiment - P. B. Passek, S. A. Bredikhin, brothers Alexander and Nikolai Roslavlev, were attracted to participate in the coup. Through other reliable channels, contacts were established with other energetic young guard officers. All of them paved the way for Catherine a relatively easy path to the throne. Among them, the most active and active - "who stood out from the crowd of comrades in beauty, strength, courageousness, sociability" 27-year-old Grigory Grigorievich Orlov (who had long been in love with Catherine - the boy born to her in April 1762 was their son Alexei). Favorite Catherine in everything was supported by two of his same brave brothers-guards - Alexei and Fyodor. It was the three Orlov brothers who were actually the mainspring of the conspiracy.

In the Horse Guards, "everything was prudently, boldly and actively directed" by the future favorite of Catherine II, 22-year-old non-commissioned officer G. A. Potemkin and his peer F. A. Khitrovo. By the end of June, according to Catherine, her "accomplices" in the guard were up to 40 officers and about 10 thousand privates. One of the main inspirers of the conspiracy was the tutor of Tsarevich Pavel N.I. Panin. True, he pursued goals different from Catherine's: the removal of Pyotr Fedorovich from power and the establishment of a regency under his pupil, the juvenile Tsar Pavel Petrovich. Catherine knows about this, and, although such a plan is absolutely unacceptable for her, she, not wanting to split the forces, when talking with Panin, confines herself to the non-binding phrase: "It is more pleasant for me to be a mother than the wife of the sovereign."

The chance brought the fall of Peter III closer: the reckless decision to start a war with Denmark (with a completely empty treasury) and command the troops himself, although the emperor's inability to engage in military affairs was the talk of the town. His interests here were limited to a love of colorful uniforms, to endless drill and the assimilation of rough soldier manners, which he considered an indicator of masculinity. Even the insistent advice of his idol Frederick II - not to go to the theater of military operations before the coronation - had no effect on Peter. And now the guards, spoiled under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna by the free life of the capital, and now, at the whim of the tsar, dressed in the hated uniforms of the Prussian model, receive an order to urgently prepare for a campaign that did not at all meet the interests of Russia.

The immediate signal for the beginning of the actions of the conspirators was the accidental arrest on the evening of June 27 of one of the conspirators, Captain Passek. The danger was great. Alexei Orlov and the guards lieutenant Vasily Bibikov on the night of June 28, hastily galloped to Peterhof, where Catherine was. The brothers Gregory and Fyodor who remained in St. Petersburg prepared everything for a fitting "royal" meeting for her in the capital. At six o'clock in the morning on June 28, Alexei Orlov woke Catherine up with the words: "It's time to get up: everything is ready for your proclamation." "Like what?" - says Catherine asleep. "Passek has been arrested," was A. Orlov's answer.

And now the hesitations were discarded, Catherine with the chamber lady-in-waiting got into the carriage in which Orlov had arrived. V.I.Bibikov and the camera-lackey Shkurin are accommodated on the heels, Alexei Orlov is on the box next to the coachman. Grigory Orlov meets them five miles before the capital. Catherine is transferred to his carriage with fresh horses. In front of the barracks of the Izmailovsky regiment, the guardsmen take the oath of allegiance to the new empress in delight. Then the carriage with Catherine and a crowd of soldiers, led by a priest with a cross, head to the Semyonovsky regiment, which met Catherine with a thunderous "Hurray!" Accompanied by the troops, she goes to the Kazan Cathedral, where a prayer service immediately begins and at the litanies "the autocratic Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna and the heir to the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich were proclaimed." From the cathedral, Catherine, already an empress, leaves for the Winter Palace. Here, the two regiments of the guard were joined by the guardsmen of the Preobrazhensky regiment, who were a little late and terribly upset by this. By noon, army units pulled up.

Meanwhile, members of the Senate and Synod, and other high officials of the state are already crowding in the Winter Palace. They without any delay took the oath to the Empress according to the text hastily drawn up by the future Secretary of State of Catherine II G.N. Teplov. The Manifesto on the accession to the throne of Catherine "at the request of all our subjects" was also promulgated. Residents of the northern capital are jubilant, wine from the cellars of private wine merchants flows like a river at public expense. Hot drunk, the common people rejoice heartily and expect blessings from the new queen. But she is not up to them yet. To the exclamations of "Hurray!" the Danish campaign was canceled. To attract the fleet to its side, a reliable man was sent to Kronstadt - Admiral I. L. Talyzin. The decrees on the change of power were prudently sent to the part of the Russian army located in Pomerania.

And what about Peter III? Did he suspect the threat of a coup and what was happening in his inner circle on the unfortunate day of June 28? The surviving documentary evidence unequivocally shows that he did not even think about the possibility of a coup, confident in the love of his subjects. Hence his disregard for the previously received, though vague, warnings.

Having sat down for a late dinner the night before, Peter arrives at Peterhof on June 28 at noon to celebrate his upcoming name days. And he discovers that Catherine is not in Monplaisir - she unexpectedly left for St. Petersburg. Messengers were urgently sent to the city - N. Yu. Trubetskoy and A. I. Shuvalov (one - Colonel Semenovsky, the other - Preobrazhensky regiment). However, neither one nor the other returned, without hesitation swearing allegiance to Catherine. But the disappearance of the messengers did not give decisiveness to Peter, who from the very beginning was morally crushed by the complete, in his opinion, hopelessness of the situation. Finally, a decision was made to move to Kronstadt: according to the report of the commandant of the fortress P. A. Devier, they were supposedly ready to receive the emperor. But while Peter and his people sailed to Kronstadt, Talyzin had already arrived there and, to the joy of the garrison, led everyone to an oath of allegiance to Empress Catherine II. Therefore, at the first hour of the night, the flotilla of the deposed emperor (one galley and one yacht) approached the fortress and had to turn back to Oranienbaum. Peter did not accept the advice of the aged Count B. Kh. Minikh, who was returned from exile, to act "like a king," without hesitation for an hour, to go to the troops in Revel and move with them to St. Petersburg.

Meanwhile, Catherine once again demonstrates her decisiveness, ordering to pull up to Peterhof up to 14 thousand troops with artillery. The task of the conspirators who seized the throne is complex and at the same time simple: to achieve a "voluntary" decent abdication of Peter from the throne. And on June 29, General M.L. Izmailov delivers to Catherine a pitiful message from Peter III asking for forgiveness and relinquishing his rights to the throne. He also expressed his readiness (if permitted), together with E.R. Vorontsova, adjutant A.V. Gudovich, a violin and his beloved pug, to go to live in Holstein, if only he was allocated a boarding house sufficient for a comfortable existence. From Peter demanded "written and handwritten certificate" of renunciation of the throne "voluntarily and naturally." Peter agreed to everything and in writing meekly declared "solemnly to the whole world": "I renounce the government of the Russian state for my whole century."

By noon, Peter was arrested, taken to Peterhof, and then transferred to Ropsha - a small country palace 27 miles from Petersburg. Here he was placed "under a strong guard" allegedly until the premises in Shlisselburg were ready. Alexei Orlov was appointed the main "guard". So, the whole coup, which did not shed a single drop of blood, took less than two days - June 28 and 29. Frederick II later, in a conversation with the French envoy in St. Petersburg, Count L.-F. Segur gave the following review of the events in Russia: “Lack of courage in Peter III ruined him: he allowed himself to be overthrown like a child sent to sleep".

In this situation, the physical elimination of Peter was the surest and most trouble-free solution to the problem. As ordered, this is exactly what happened. On the seventh day after the coup d'etat, under circumstances that have not yet been fully clarified, Peter III was killed. It was officially announced to the people that Pyotr Fedorovich died of hemorrhoidal colic, which happened "by the will of divine Providence."

Naturally, contemporaries, as later historians, were burningly interested in the question of Catherine's involvement in this tragedy. There are different opinions on this matter, but they are all based on guesses and assumptions, and there are simply no facts that incriminate Catherine in this crime. Apparently, the French envoy Beranger was right when, hot on the heels of events, he wrote: "I do not suspect such a terrible soul in this princess as to think that she participated in the death of the king, but since the deepest secret will probably always be hidden from general information the real author of this terrible murder, suspicion and vileness will remain with the Empress. "

AI Herzen spoke more definitely: "It is very likely that Catherine did not give the order to kill Peter III. We know from Shakespeare how these orders are given - with a glance, a hint, a silence." It is important to note here that all the participants in the "accidental" (as A. Orlov explained in his penitential note to the Empress) the murders of the deposed emperor not only did not incur any punishment, but were then superbly rewarded with money and serfs. Thus, Catherine, willingly or unwillingly, took this grave sin upon herself. Perhaps that is why the empress showed no less mercy in relation to her recent enemies: practically not one of them was not only sent into exile according to the established Russian tradition, but was not punished at all. Even the metress of Peter, Elizaveta Vorontsova, was just quietly brought into her father's house. Moreover, later Catherine II became the godmother of her first child. Truly generosity and forgivingness are the faithful weapons of the strong, always bringing them glory and loyal admirers.

On July 6, 1762, the Manifesto on the accession to the throne, signed by Catherine, was announced in the Senate. On September 22, a solemn coronation took place in Moscow, which greeted her coolly. This is how the 34-year reign of Catherine II began.

Coming to characterize the long reign of Catherine II and her personality, let us turn our attention to one paradoxical fact: the illegality of Catherine's accession to the throne had its undoubted advantages, especially in the first years of her reign, when she “had to redeem with hard work, great services and donations that that lawful kings have no difficulty. This very necessity was partly the spring of her great and brilliant deeds. " This was not only the opinion of the famous writer and memoirist N.I. Grech, to whom the above judgment belongs. In this case, he only reflected the opinion of the educated part of society. V.O. Klyuchevsky, speaking about the tasks facing Catherine, who took, and did not receive power according to the law, and noting the extreme complexity of the situation in Russia after the coup, emphasized the same point: "Power seized always has the character of a bill, according to which waiting for payment, and according to the mood of Russian society, Catherine had to justify various and dissenting expectations. " Looking ahead, let us say that this promissory note was repaid by her on time.

Historical literature has long noted the main contradiction of Catherine's “Age of Enlightenment” (though not shared by all experts): the Empress “wanted so much enlightenment and such light so as not to fear its“ inevitable consequence. ”In other words, Catherine II was faced with an explosive dilemma: enlightenment or slavery? And since she never solved this problem, leaving serfdom intact, it seemed to give rise to further bewilderment as to why she did not. But the above formula ("enlightenment - slavery") causes natural questions: were there at that time in Russia the appropriate conditions for the abolition of "slavery" and whether the then society realized the need for a radical change in social relations in the country? Let's try to answer them.

Determining the course of its domestic policy, Catherine relied primarily on the book knowledge she had acquired. But not only. At first, the empress's transformative ardor was fueled by her initial assessment of Russia as a "not yet plowed country" where it would be best to carry out all kinds of reforms. That is why on August 8, 1762, just the sixth week of her reign, Catherine II, by a special decree, confirmed the March decree of Peter III banning the purchase of serfs by industrialists. The owners of factories and mines must henceforth be content with the labor of civilian workers, paid under the contract. It seems that she generally had an intention to abolish forced labor and to do so in order to rid the country of the "shame of slavery", as demanded by the spirit of Montesquieu's teachings. But this intention is not yet strong enough for her to decide on such a revolutionary step. Moreover, Catherine did not yet have any complete understanding of Russian reality. On the other hand, as one of the smartest people of the Pushkin era, Prince PA Vyazemsky, when the deeds of Catherine II had not yet become a "deep tradition", she "loved reforms, but gradual, transformations, but not abrupt", without breaking.

By 1765, Catherine II came to the idea of ​​the need to convene the Legislative Commission to bring "in better order" the existing legislation and in order to reliably find out "the needs and sensitive shortcomings of our people." Let us recall that attempts to convene the current legislative body - the Legislative Commission - have been made more than once before, but all of them, for various reasons, ended in failure. Taking this into account, Catherine, endowed with a remarkable mind, resorted to an act unprecedented in the history of Russia: she personally drew up a special "Order", which is a detailed program of actions of the Commission.

As follows from a letter to Voltaire, she believed that the Russian people are "excellent soil on which good seed grows quickly; but we also need axioms that are undeniably recognized as true." And these axioms are well known - the ideas of the Enlightenment, which it used as the basis for the new Russian legislation. Even V.O. Klyuchevsky specially highlighted the main condition for the implementation of Catherine's transformational plans, which she summarized in her "Instruction": "Russia is a European power; Peter I, introducing European customs and I did not expect it myself. The conclusion followed by itself: the axioms, which are the last and best fruit of European thought, will find the same comfort in this people. "

For a long time in the literature about the "Order" there has been an opinion about the purely compilation nature of this main Catherine's political work. Justifying such judgments, they usually refer to her own words spoken to the French philosopher and educator D "Alambert:" You will see how I robbed President Montesquieu for the benefit of my empire, without naming him. "And indeed, out of 526 articles of the" Order ", Divided into 20 chapters, 294 go back to the work of the famous French educator Montesquieu "On the Spirit of Laws," and 108 - to the work of the Italian legal scholar Cesare Beccaria "On Crimes and Punishments." Catherine also made extensive use of the works of other European thinkers. a simple translation into Russian of the works of eminent authors, and their creative rethinking, an attempt to apply the ideas inherent in them to Russian reality.

(To be continued.)

Portrait of the future emperor Peter III - G.K. Groot, 1743

Family tree - proof family ties Peter III and Catherine II

The history of the greatest Russian empress begins in 1729 in the city of Stettin. She was born under the name Sophia Augusta Federica Anhalt-Zerbst. In 1744, Elizaveta Alekseevna invited Catherine II to St. Petersburg, where she converted to Orthodoxy. She did not agree with her fate, but her upbringing and humility prevailed. Soon, a young lady was married to the Grand Duke Peter Ulrich. The wedding of Peter III and Catherine II took place in 1745 on September 1.

Childhood and education

Mother of Peter III - Anna Petrovna

Father of Peter III - Karl Friedrich Holstein-Gottorp

The husband of Catherine II was born in 1728 in the German town of Kiel. He was named Karl Peter Ulrich Holstein-Gottorp, since childhood he was supposed to inherit the Swedish throne. In 1742, Elizaveta Alekseevna declared Charles the heir to the Russian throne, he remained the only descendant of Peter the Great. Peter Ulrich arrived in St. Petersburg, where he was christened and given the name Peter Fedorovich. The procedure went through with great effort, the young heir opposed Orthodoxy and openly declared his dislike for Russia. Upbringing and education did not betray any importance, this was reflected in the future views of the emperor.

Tsarevich Peter Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna, 1740s G.K. Groot

Portrait of Peter III - Antropov A.P. 1762

The strong-willed, ambitious, fair Russian empress and her husband were not lucky. The husband of Catherine II was not a worthy person, not too physically and mentally developed. At the first meeting of Peter III and Catherine II, she was outraged by his ignorance and poor education. But the young people had no choice, the future was predetermined by Elizaveta Petrovna. The marriage did not bring Pyotr Fyodorovich to his senses; on the contrary, he expanded the circle of his amusements and hobbies. He was a man with strange preferences. The emperor could rush around the room for hours with a whip or gather all the lackeys in order to play soldiers. Pyotr Fedorovich had a genuine interest in military service, but only in a playful way, he was not going to seriously do this.

Relationship between spouses

The husband of Catherine the Great turned out to be cold, indifferent and even hostile to her. For example, he could wake her up at night to eat oysters or tell about a lady he liked. Pyotr Fedorovich was tactless, not only to his wife, but also to those around him. Even after the birth of his son Pavel Petrovich in 1754, Peter remained a big child. Catherine all this time was engaged in self-development and education. Even during the reign of Elizabeth, she took her worthy niche at court, where she soon found like-minded people and henchmen. People saw it in her as the future for Russian Empire, many were close to her liberal views. The inattention of her husband was one of the reasons that pushed the future empress into the arms of her first lovers and favorites.

Ekaterina Alekseevna conducted diplomatic correspondence, interfered in state affairs, tried to influence them. And this did not go unnoticed by Elizaveta Petrovna and the husband of Catherine the Great, in order to avoid exile, she began to play her game secretly, convincing the court of her simplicity and harmlessness. If not for the sudden death of Peter Fedorovich's aunt, he would not have ascended the throne, because the conspiracy already existed. With the death of Elizaveta Petrovna, the old branch of the Romanov family was interrupted.

Peter III with Catherine II and son - G.K. Groot

Sudden reign

Peter III began his reign with the destruction of the "secret office", gave freedom to the nobles in 1762, pardoned many people. But this did not win over the people to the emperor. His desire to reform the church and the return of all the lands reclaimed from Prussia in the Seven Years' War made the emperor a subject of popular indignation. Catherine II took advantage of her hostility to her husband, all this time preparing a coup, by the day of which 10 thousand army of soldiers and supporters among the nobles, including the Orlov brothers, were behind her. Who, while the husband of Catherine the Great was in Oranienbaum, secretly brought her to St. Petersburg and proclaimed the empress, and Paul I in the future, the heir to the Russian crown on July 9, 1762.

The next day, Peter III abdicated the throne. A letter from Peter III to his wife who overthrew him has survived.

Despite this request, during his imprisonment in Ropsha, he died under unclear circumstances, according to one of the versions - from a blow to the head while drinking, according to another - he was poisoned. The people were told that he had died of "hemorrhoidal colic." This marked the beginning of the reign of Catherine II the Great.

Coronation of Catherine II in the Assumption Cathedral. The year is 1762. According to the drawing by J.-L. Deville and M. Makhaeva

Murder versions

According to one version, Alexey Orlov was called the killer. There are three known letters from Alexei to Catherine from Ropsha, of which the first two exist in the originals.

"Our freak is very ill and an uncanny colic has seized him, and I am dangerous, he didn’t die tonight, but I’m more afraid that he didn’t come to life ..."

"I'm afraid of your majesty's anger, why didn't you deign to think frantically on us, and we were not the parable of the death of your villain<…>He himself is now so sick, I don’t think he lived until evening and is almost completely unconscious, which the entire local team knows and prays to God, he quickly got out of our hands. "

From these two letters, the researchers realized that the abdicated sovereign suddenly fell ill. The guards did not need to forcibly deprive him of his life due to the transience of a serious illness.

The third letter speaks of the violent nature of the death of Peter III:

“Mother, he is not in the world, but no one thought of this, and how can we plan to raise our hands against the Emperor. But, Empress, a misfortune happened: we were drunk, and he too, he argued with Prince Fyodor [Baryatinsky]; we did not have time to discord, but he was gone. "

The third letter is the only documentary evidence of the murder of the deposed emperor known to date. This letter has come down to us in a copy made by FV Rostopchin. The original letter was allegedly destroyed by Emperor Paul I in the early days of his reign.