Peter 3 years of reign biography. The main dates of the life and activities of Peter Fedorovich. The Failed Russian Breakthrough

F. Rokotov "Portrait of Peter III"

“But nature was not as favorable to him as fate: the likely heir to two foreign and large thrones, his abilities were not suitable for his own small throne” (V. Klyuchevsky)

Childhood

Before adopting Orthodoxy, the All-Russian Emperor Peter III Fedorovich bore the name Karl-Peter-Ulrich. He was the son of Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp and Tsarevna Anna Petrovna (daughter of Peter I). Thus, he was the grandson of Peter I and the great-nephew of King Charles XII of Sweden. Born in Kiel, the capital of Holstein. He was only 3 weeks old when his mother died and 11 years old when his father died.

His upbringing was entrusted to Court Marshal Brumaire; it was reduced to barracks order and training with the help of a whip. Nevertheless, he was being prepared to take the Swedish throne, and therefore the spirit of Swedish patriotism was instilled in him, i.e. spirit of hatred towards Russia.

The current Empress Elizaveta Petrovna was childless, but wanted the throne to be inherited by a descendant of Peter I, so for this purpose she brings her nephew, Karl-Peter-Ulrich, to Russia. He converts to Orthodoxy and, under the name of Peter Fedorovich, is declared Grand Duke, heir to the throne with the title of Imperial Highness.

L. Pfantselt "Portrait of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich"

In Russia

Peter was sickly and did not receive proper upbringing and education. In addition, he had a stubborn, irritable and deceitful character. Elizaveta Petrovna was amazed at her nephew's ignorance. She assigned a new teacher to him, but he never achieved significant success from him. And a sharp change in lifestyle, country, situation, impressions and religion (before accepting Orthodoxy, he was a Lutheran) led to the fact that he was completely disoriented in the world around him. V. Klyuchevsky wrote: “... he looked at serious things with a child’s gaze, and treated children’s undertakings with the seriousness of a mature husband.”

Elizaveta Petrovna did not abandon her intention to secure the throne for the descendant of Peter I and decided to marry him. She herself chose his bride - the daughter of an impoverished German prince - Sophia Friederike Augusta (in the future Catherine II). The marriage took place on August 21, 1745. But their family life did not work out from the very first days. Peter insulted his young wife, repeatedly announced that she would be sent abroad or to a monastery, and was carried away by Elizabeth Petrovna’s ladies-in-waiting. He developed a passion for carousing. However, Peter III had two children: a son, Paul (the future Emperor Paul I), and a daughter, Anna. Rumor has it that the children were not his.

G.-K. Groot "Peter Fedorovich and Ekaterina Alekseevna"

Peter's favorite pastimes were playing the violin and war games. Already being married, Peter did not stop playing with soldiers; he had a lot of wooden, wax and tin soldiers. His idol was the Prussian King Frederick II and his army; he admired the beauty of Prussian uniforms and the bearing of the soldiers.

Elizaveta Petrovna, according to V. Klyuchevsky, was in despair at the character and behavior of her nephew. She herself and her favorites were concerned about the fate of the Russian throne; she listened to proposals to replace the heir with Catherine or Pavel Petrovich while maintaining the regency for Catherine until he came of age, but the empress could not finally decide on any proposal. She died - and on December 25, 1761, Peter III ascended the Russian throne.

Domestic policy

The young emperor began his reign by pardoning many criminals and political exiles (Minich, Biron, etc.). He abolished the Secret Chancellery, which had been in operation since the time of Peter I and was engaged in secret investigation and torture. He announced forgiveness to the repentant peasants who had previously disobeyed their landowners. He forbade the persecution of schismatics. Issued a Decree of February 18, 1762, according to which compulsory military service for nobles, introduced by Peter I, was abolished. Historians doubt that all these innovations were dictated by the desire for the good of Russia - most likely, there were more actions of court dignitaries who tried in this way increase the popularity of the new emperor. But it continued to remain very low. He was accused of disrespect for Russian shrines (he did not honor the clergy, ordered house churches to be closed, priests to take off their vestments and dress in secular clothes), as well as concluding a “shameful peace” with Prussia.

Foreign policy

Peter led Russia out of the Seven Years' War; during the hostilities, East Prussia was annexed to Russia.

The negative attitude towards Peter III intensified after he announced his intention to move to recapture Schleswig from Denmark. In his opinion, she oppressed his native Holstein. The guards, who, in fact, supported Catherine in the upcoming coup, were especially worried.

Coup

Having ascended the throne, Peter was in no hurry to be crowned. And although Frederick II in his letters persistently advised Peter to carry out this procedure as quickly as possible, for some reason the emperor did not listen to the advice of his idol. Therefore, in the eyes of the Russian people, he was, as it were, a fake tsar. For Catherine, this moment was the only chance to take the throne. Moreover, the emperor has publicly stated more than once that he intends to divorce his wife and marry Elizaveta Vorontsova, Elizaveta Petrovna’s former maid of honor.

On June 27, 1762, P. Passek, one of the main organizers of the conspiracy, was arrested in the Izmailovo barracks. Early in the morning, the brother of Catherine’s favorite A. Orlov brought Catherine from Peterhof to St. Petersburg, where the Izmailovsky and Semenovsky regiments swore allegiance to her, and her Manifesto was urgently read out in the Winter Palace. Then the rest swore allegiance to her. Peter III at this time was in his favorite castle in Oranienbaum. Having learned about the events that had taken place, he hurried to Kronstadt (on the advice of Minich), but by that time the soldiers there had already sworn allegiance to Catherine. He returned lost and, despite the fact that Minikh offered him various ways out of the situation, did not dare to take any action and rewrote the act of abdication drawn up by Catherine. He was sent first to Peterhof, and then to Ropsha, where he was taken under arrest. While Catherine was thinking about what to do with the deposed emperor, her entourage killed him (by strangulation). It was announced to the people that Peter III died of “hemorrhoidal colic.”

L. Pfanzelt "Portrait of Emperor Peter III"

Frederick II commented on his death: “ He allowed himself to be overthrown like a child being sent to bed.”

Peter III served as Russian Emperor for only 186 days.

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.

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.

The fate of famous personalities and their genealogy are always of interest to history buffs. People who have died or been killed tragically are often of interest, especially if this happens at a young age. Thus, the personality of Emperor Peter III, whose fate was cruel to him from childhood, worries many readers.

Tsar Peter 3

Peter 3 was born on February 21, 1728 in the city of Kiel, Duchy of Holstein. These days it is German territory. His father was a nephew and his mother was the daughter of Peter I. Being a relative of two sovereigns, this man could become a contender for two thrones at once. But life decreed otherwise: Peter 3’s parents left him early, which affected his fate.

Almost immediately, two months after the birth of the child, the mother of Peter 3 fell ill and died. At the age of eleven, he also lost his father: the boy was left in the care of his uncle. In 1742 he was transported to Russia, where he became the heir to the Romanov dynasty. After the death of Elizabeth, he was on the Russian throne for only six months: he survived his wife’s betrayal and died in prison. Who are the parents of Peter 3 and what is their fate? This question interests many readers.

III Fedorovich

The father of Peter 3 was Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. He was born on April 30, 1700 in the city of Stockholm and was the nephew of Charles XII, King of Sweden. He failed to ascend the throne, and in 1721 Karl Friedrich went to Riga. All the years after the death of his uncle Charles XII and before his arrival in Russia, the father of Peter 3 tried to return Schleswig to his possessions. He really hoped for the support of Peter I. That same year, Karl-Friedrich travels from Riga to Russia, where he receives a salary from the Russian government and expects support for his rights on the throne of Sweden.

In 1724 he was engaged to Anna Petrovna, a Russian princess. He soon died, and the marriage took place already in 1725. It was the parents of Peter 3 who displeased Menshikov and made other enemies in the capital of Russia. Unable to withstand the oppression, in 1727 they left St. Petersburg and returned to Kiel. Here the young couple gave birth to an heir the following year, the future Emperor Peter III. Karl-Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, died in 1739 in Holstein, leaving his eleven-year-old son an orphan.

Anna - mother of Peter 3

Russian Princess Anna, mother of Peter III, was born in 1708 in Moscow. She and her younger sister Elizabeth were illegitimate until their father, Peter I, married their mother (Martha Skavronskaya). In February 1712, Anna became the real “Princess Anne” - she signed her name in letters to her mother and father. The girl was very developed and capable: at the age of six she learned to write, then mastered four foreign languages.

At the age of fifteen, she was considered the first beauty in Europe, and many diplomats dreamed of seeing Princess Anna Petrovna Romanova. She was described as a beautiful brunette of angelic appearance with a beautiful skin color and a slender figure. The father, Peter I, dreamed of becoming related to Karl-Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp and therefore agreed to the engagement of his eldest daughter Anna.

The tragic fate of the Russian princess

Anna Petrovna did not want to leave Russia and part with her close relatives. But she had no choice: her father died, Catherine I ascended the throne, but two years later she unexpectedly dies. The parents of Peter 3 were subjected to oppression and were forced to return to Kiel. Through the efforts of Menshikov, the young couple was left almost destitute, and in this state they arrived in Holstein.

Anna wrote to her sister Elizabeth many letters in which she asked to get her out of there. But I received no answers. But her life was unhappy: her husband, Karl-Friedrich, had changed a lot, drank a lot, and became a deteriorator. Spent a lot of time in dubious establishments. Anna was alone in the cold palace: here in 1728 she gave birth to her son. After giving birth, she developed a fever: Anna was ill for two months. On May 4, 1728 she died. She was only 20 years old, and her son was two months old. So, Peter 3 first lost his mother, and after 11 years his father.

The parents of Peter 3 had an unfortunate fate, which was involuntarily passed on to their son. He also lived a short life and died tragically, having served as emperor for only six months.

In the 18th century in the Russian Empire, the stability of the transfer of power from monarch to monarch was seriously disrupted. This period went down in history as the “era of palace coups,” when the fate of the Russian throne was decided not so much by the will of the monarch as by the support of influential dignitaries and the guard.

In 1741, as a result of another coup, she became empress daughter of Peter the Great Elizaveta Petrovna. Despite the fact that Elizabeth was only 32 years old at the time of her accession to the throne, the question arose about who would become the heir to the imperial crown.

Elizabeth did not have legitimate children, and therefore, an heir had to be looked for among other members of the Romanov family.

According to the “Decree on Succession to the Throne,” issued by Peter I in 1722, the emperor received the right to determine his successor himself. However, simply naming the name was not enough - it was necessary to create solid ground for the heir to be recognized by both the highest dignitaries and the country as a whole.

Bad experience Boris Godunov And Vasily Shuisky said that a monarch who does not have firm support can lead the country to turmoil and chaos. Likewise, the absence of an heir to the throne can lead to confusion and chaos.

To Russia, Karl!

In order to strengthen the stability of the state, Elizaveta Petrovna decided to act quickly. She was chosen as her heir son of sister, Anna Petrovna, Karl Peter Ulrich.

Anna Petrovna was married to Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Friedrich and in February 1728 she gave birth to his son. Karl Peter lost his mother just a few days after his birth - Anna Petrovna, who did not recover after a difficult birth, caught a cold during the fireworks in honor of the birth of her son and died.

Great-nephew Swedish King Charles XII Karl Peter was initially considered as the heir to the Swedish throne. At the same time, no one was seriously involved in his upbringing. From the age of 7, the boy was taught marching, handling weapons and other military wisdom and traditions of the Prussian army. It was then that Karl Peter became a fan of Prussia, which subsequently had a detrimental effect on his future.

At the age of 11, Karl Peter lost his father. His cousin took up raising the boy, future king of Sweden Adolf Frederick. The teachers assigned to train the boy focused on cruel and humiliating punishments, which made Karl Peter nervous and fearful.

Pyotr Fedorovich when he was Grand Duke. Portrait by G. H. Groot

The envoy of Elizabeth Petrovna, who arrived for Karl Peter, took him to Russia under an assumed name, secretly. Knowing the difficulties with succession to the throne in St. Petersburg, Russia’s opponents could well have prevented this in order to subsequently use Karl Peter in their intrigues.

Bride for a troubled teenager

Elizaveta Petrovna greeted her nephew with joy, but was struck by his thinness and sickly appearance. When it became clear that his training was carried out purely formally, it was time to grab his head.

During the first months, Karl Peter was literally fattened up and put in order. They began to teach him almost all over again, from the basics. In November 1742 he was baptized into Orthodoxy under the name Peter Fedorovich.

The nephew turned out to be completely different from what Elizaveta Petrovna expected him to see. However, she continued her policy of strengthening the dynasty, deciding to marry the heir as soon as possible.

Considering candidates for brides for Peter, Elizaveta Petrovna chose Sophia Augusta Frederica, daughter of Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst, a representative of an ancient princely family.

At my father's Fike, as the girl was called at home, there was nothing but a loud title. Like her future husband, Fike grew up in spartan conditions, even though both her parents were in perfect health. Home schooling was caused by a lack of funds; noble entertainment for the little princess was replaced by street games with boys, after which Fike went to darn her own stockings.

The news that the Russian Empress had chosen Sophia Augusta Frederica as the bride for the heir to the Russian throne shocked Fike's parents. The girl herself very quickly realized that she had a great chance to change her life.

In February 1744, Sofia Augusta Frederica and her mother arrived in St. Petersburg. Elizaveta Petrovna found the bride quite worthy.

Ignorant and clever

On June 28, 1744, Sophia Augusta Frederica converted from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy and received the name Ekaterina Alekseevna. On August 21, 1745, 17-year-old Pyotr Fedorovich and 16-year-old Ekaterina Alekseevna were married. The wedding celebrations were held on a grand scale and lasted 10 days.

It seemed that Elizabeth had achieved what she wanted. However, the result was quite unexpected.

Despite the fact that the phrase “grandson of Peter the Great” was included in the official name of Peter Fedorovich, it was not possible to instill in the heir a love for the empire created by his grandfather.

All efforts of educators to fill the problems in education have failed. The heir preferred to spend time having fun, playing soldiers, rather than studying. He never learned to speak Russian well. His hobby Prussian King Frederick, which already did not add to his sympathy, became completely obscene with the beginning of the Seven Years' War, in which Prussia acted as an opponent of Russia.

Sometimes an irritated Peter would throw out phrases like: “They dragged me to this damned Russia.” And this also did not add to his supporters.

Catherine was the complete opposite of her husband. She studied Russian with such zeal that she almost died from pneumonia, acquired while studying with the window wide open.

Having converted to Orthodoxy, she zealously observed church traditions, and people soon started talking about the piety of the heir's wife.

Ekaterina was actively engaged in self-education, reading books on history, philosophy, jurisprudence, essays Voltaire, Montesquieu, Tacita, Bayle, a large number of other literature. The ranks of admirers of her intelligence grew as rapidly as the ranks of admirers of her beauty.

Empress Elizabeth's backup

Elizabeth, of course, approved of such zeal, but did not consider Catherine as the future ruler of Russia. She was taken in order to give birth to heirs for the Russian throne, and there were serious problems with this.

The marital relationship of Peter and Catherine did not go well at all. The difference in interests, the difference in temperament, the difference in outlook on life alienated them from each other from the first day of marriage. It didn’t help that Elizabeth introduced a married couple who had lived together for many years as their tutors. In this case, the example was not contagious.

Elizaveta Petrovna hatched a new plan - if it was not possible to re-educate her nephew, then she needed to properly raise her grandson, who would then be given power. But with the birth of a grandson, problems also arose.

Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna with a page. Source: Public Domain

Only on September 20, 1754, after nine years of marriage, Catherine gave birth to a son Pavel. The Empress immediately took the newborn, limiting the parents' communication with the child.

If this did not excite Peter in any way, then Catherine tried to see her son more often, which greatly irritated the empress.

A conspiracy that failed

After the birth of Paul, the cooling between Peter and Catherine only intensified. Pyotr Fedorovich took mistresses, Catherine – lovers, and both parties were aware of each other’s adventures.

Pyotr Fedorovich, for all his shortcomings, was a rather simple-minded person who did not know how to hide his thoughts and intentions. Peter began to talk about the fact that with his accession to the throne he would get rid of his unloved wife several years before the death of Elizabeth Petrovna. Catherine knew that in this case, a prison awaited her, or a monastery no different from it. Therefore, she secretly begins to negotiate with those who, like herself, would not like to see Pyotr Fedorovich on the throne.

In 1757, during the serious illness of Elizaveta Petrovna Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin prepared a coup with the aim of removing the heir immediately after the death of the empress, in which Catherine was also involved. However, Elizabeth recovered, the conspiracy was revealed, and Bestuzhev-Ryumin fell into disgrace. Catherine herself was not touched, since Bestuzhev managed to destroy the letters compromising her.

In December 1761, a new exacerbation of the disease led to the death of the empress. It was not possible to implement plans to transfer power to Pavel, since the boy was only 7 years old, and Pyotr Fedorovich became the new head of the Russian Empire under the name of Peter III.

Fatal world with an idol

The new emperor decided to begin large-scale government reforms, many of which historians consider very progressive. The Secret Chancellery, which was an organ of political investigation, was liquidated, a decree on freedom of foreign trade was adopted, and the murder of peasants by landowners was prohibited. Peter III issued the “Manifesto on the Freedom of the Nobility,” which abolished the compulsory military service for nobles introduced by Peter I.

His intention to secularize church lands and equalize the rights of representatives of all religious denominations alarmed Russian society. Peter's opponents spread a rumor that the emperor was preparing to introduce Lutheranism in the country, which did not add to his popularity.

But the biggest mistake of Peter III was concluding peace with his idol, King Frederick of Prussia. During the Seven Years' War, the Russian army utterly defeated Frederick's vaunted army, forcing the latter to think about abdication.

And at this very moment, when the final victory of Russia had already been actually won, Peter not only made peace, but also, without any conditions, returned to Frederick all the territories he had lost. The Russian army, and primarily the guard, was offended by such a step by the emperor. In addition, his intention, together with Prussia, to start a war against yesterday’s ally, Denmark, did not find understanding in Russia.

Portrait of Peter III by the artist A. P. Antropov, 1762.