To re-evaluate the role of Peter I in the fate of Russia and Europe - this is the essence of the "Peter's Days", which are held in St. Petersburg in honor of the birthday of the first Russian emperor (June 9)

The great reformer Peter I in the 18th century completely changed the face of Russia, turning it to face Europe, expanding its borders, building a new capital on the Baltic Sea - St. Petersburg, reorganizing much in the state, economic and cultural order. Some adored him, elevating him to the rank of Messiah, others cursed him, considering him the Antichrist, who drowned the country in blood for the sake of his accomplishments.

Until now, scientists are breaking spears on the pages of scientific publications, trying to comprehend the complex nature of the first Russian emperor. Art workers also turn to the image of Peter I. On the movie screen, for example, the personality of the tsar turns to the viewer in different facets: a crowned carpenter, a frantic hero, a savvy merry fellow, a formidable despot ... Back in 1937, the grandiose historical epic Peter the Great was filmed, in which one of the most controversial figures in Russian history is presented exclusively positive colors.

Today's generation of filmmakers is not inclined to interpret the image of Peter I so unambiguously. This can be judged at least by the four-part television film by the famous director Vladimir Bortko, shown shortly before the birthday of Peter I. This is, first of all, the story of the last love of the great emperor. The literary basis of the film was the novel "Evenings with Peter the Great" by the venerable Russian prose writer Daniil Granin, who for 12 years worked with unique documents and archives, creating his book. Director Vladimir Bortko says:

"From Granin's novel, I learned that there was a certain girl Maria Cantemir, a representative of European culture, since she is the daughter of the Tsar of Moldavia, the heiress of the Palaeologus on one line, and on the other, the direct heiress of Tamerlane. Wow, a biography! And it seemed interesting to me to" introduce " Peter I with a girl who is not exactly equal to him, but she is the only person who understands him. "

Smart, educated, beautiful Maria Kantemir is the embodiment of an emancipated personality: she smokes a pipe, dances a belly dance ... Historians, of course, can argue with such details. “However, no one has canceled artistic fiction,” notes Vladimir Bortko.

“It’s foolish to treat a dramatic work like a history textbook,” says the director. “They say, this is not true, this is not true. Yes, these are my speculations“ about. ”But they have a right to exist."

In addition, the film is devoted not only to the relationship of the king with the heiress of the last dynasty of Byzantine emperors. The TV series is called "Peter the First. Testament", and this is the essence, says Vladimir Bortko.

“We talk about the last years, even about the last days of Peter. And this, it seems to me, is unusual in comparison with the stereotype of the perception of the emperor, who is always on horseback, always ahead. The victory over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava, for example, is all behind us. Before him is a completely different country that he created. He changed everything in Russia, he turned it around one hundred and eighty degrees. He built the city of St. Petersburg, built a fleet, moved the borders, created factories in the Urals, changed the printed font, published the first newspaper ... And what next, to whom to convey all this? His associates, being very talented people whom he himself chose, are basically performers who cannot independently determine the movement of the country. paper, and with a weakening hand he inscribed on it: "Leave everything ..." And then the pen went down. This, of course, a beautiful legend. But he "left everything" - to you and me. He practically created the country in which we are today we live. Where are the ministries from? - This is Peter. Where does the ranking of officials still exist? - From the same place. He left us the country. And each of us has a responsibility for this very country. "

“I’m not saying that the film is brilliant, but the fact that it is now badly needed is for sure,” director Vladimir Bortko is convinced.

Elena Andrusenko
rus.ruvr.ru

THE HERITAGE OF PETER I AND THE "ERA OF PALACE REVOLUTIONS"

History of Russia in the second quarter of the 18th century. characterized by a sharp struggle for power among noble groups. From 1725 to 1762, seven people were replaced on the Russian throne, and V.O. Klyuchevsky called this period "the era of palace coups." The Russian guard began to play a special role in the political life of the country, including in the change of monarchs. It is characteristic that this role was largely predetermined by Peter I, not only by the creation of guards regiments in Russia, but also by the problem of succession to the throne that arose through his fault. Tsarevich Alexei, Peter's son by his first wife, Evdokia Lopukhina, was an opponent of his father's reforms. For participation in a conspiracy against the king, he was sentenced to death, but did not wait for it and died in a cell under unexplained circumstances on June 26, 1718.

From his second wife, Marta Skavronskaya (b. 1684 in the family of a Lithuanian peasant), Peter had 11 children. In 1719, his son Peter Petrovich, a minor heir, died. In total, out of 11 children, only two daughters survived by this time - Anna (b. 1708) and Elizabeth (b. 1709).

In 1722, Peter canceled the previous order of inheritance (from father to eldest son) and established that the sovereign was free to appoint his own successor. But his choice was extremely narrow. Grandson - Peter Alekseevich, son of Tsarevich Alexei (b. 1715) was still small. In addition, the king feared that he would follow his father's path. Peter loved his daughters Anna and Elizabeth, but did not consider them capable of ruling Russia, where a firm and experienced hand was needed. In addition, Anna was declared the bride of the Duke of Holstein, and Peter wanted to marry Elizabeth to the French king Louis XV.

Therefore, Peter stopped his choice on his wife, Ekaterina Alekseevna. In May 1724 she was proclaimed empress. It is likely that Peter I would have transferred the Russian throne to her. But in November he learned that his wife was cheating on him with the 28-year-old chamberlain William Mons, the brother of Peter's former favorite. On November 16, Monet was executed on charges of "cheating, illegal actions and bribery".

On January 28, 1725, the first Russian emperor died without appointing an heir. (The tsar had a rather serious illness - uremia, renal failure, but some historians do not exclude that his death was accelerated by Catherine and Peter's favorite Alexander Menshikov.) The real contenders for the Russian throne were Catherine and Tsarevich Peter Alekseevich. Behind each of them were representatives of warring groups who sought to put their candidate on the throne. Catherine was supported by Prince Menshikov, Count Tolstoy, General-Admiral Apraksin, Archbishop Feofan Prokopovich. All of them at one time signed the death warrant to Tsarevich Alexei, and the accession to the throne of his son did not promise them bright prospects.

The ten-year-old Peter's supporters were representatives of the old boyar families - princes Dolgorukovs, Prince Golitsyn, Saltykovs, Field Marshal Repnin, striving for power. The outcome of the dispute over the imperial crown was resolved very simply. Guards officers entered the hall where the question of a successor was being discussed. They behaved modestly and respectfully, politely promising to break everyone's head if Catherine was not proclaimed empress. Under the windows of the palace, both Guards regiments, Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky, stood in formation. At the suggestion of Count Tolstoy, it was unanimously decided to consider Catherine the Empress.

Thus, the main force influencing the power in Russia was the guard, which will more than once influence the succession to the throne. Catherine I was empress from 1725 to 1727, but the struggle around the throne continued. A split arose among the supporters of Catherine - A.D. Menshikov and P.A. Tolstoy. Menshikov's desire to use the benefits of his position and his influence on the empress (he wanted to become the duke of Courland and receive the rank of generalissimo) aroused strong discontent among other nobles. In order to extinguish the discontent that arose and reach a compromise, it was decided to establish a new supreme government body - the Supreme Privy Council, to which the Senate and all the colleges were subordinate. Its members were A.D. Menshikov, P.A. Tolstoy, G.I. Golovnin, A.I. Osterman, F.M. Apraksin, D.M. Golitsyn.

At the beginning of 1727, Catherine fell ill, Menshikov tried to persuade Catherine to give a blessing for the marriage of his daughter with a young heir. At the same time, he turns the queen against his recent allies Tolstoy, Buturlin and Devier, who wanted to elevate Anna or Elizabeth to the throne. The main organizers of the conspiracy were sent into exile (Tolstoy to Solovki, Devier to Siberia, Buturlin to the countryside). Menshikov felt like a winner.

But on May 6, at the age of 43, Catherine I died, and on May 7, 11-year-old Peter II became king. At first, Menshikov was the main adviser to Peter II, he eventually acquired the rank of generalissimo and longed to become Peter II's father-in-law, i.e. actually the ruler of Russia. However, his opponent, Vice-Chancellor A. I. Osterman, managed to turn the tsar against Menshikov. On September 8, 1727 Menshikov was arrested, exiled to Chaplygin, and then to Berezov, where he died on November 12, 1729.

Gradually, the clan of princes Dolgorukov acquired influence at court, primarily Prince A. G. Dolgorukov and his son Ivan. The yard moved to Moscow. Almost all the time the tsar spent either hunting (from February 1728 to November 1729 - 243 days), or in the estate of Alexei Grigorievich Dolgorukov, who was planning to marry a 14-year-old

Petra on her 17-year-old daughter Catherine. The wedding was scheduled for January 18, 1730, but Peter caught a cold while hunting, fell ill with smallpox and died exactly on the day of the never-married wedding. The Dolgorukovs prudently drew up a will, according to which Peter II appointed his bride on the throne as his successor, but they could not get the tsar's signature.

On the night of January 19, 1730, the Supreme Privy Council discussed the question of the heir to the throne. The "supreme leaders" decided to invite Anna Ioannovna (b. 1693) to the Russian throne, the fourth daughter of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, half-brother of Peter I. In 1710, in the fall, Peter I married her to the Duke of Courland, Friedrich Wilhelm, but on January 9, 1711, the duke died, and the widow lived in Mitava in the position of a landowner of average income. In an effort to preserve their influence and limit the imperial power, the "supreme leaders" drew up the so-called "Conditions" according to which Anna Ioannovna had no right to decide questions about war and peace, appoint senior officials, manage finances, etc. without the consent of the Supreme Council.

Having ascended the throne, Anna Ioannovna soon tore apart the "Condition" and formally became a sovereign queen. But in reality, her favorite Ernest Biron was in charge of all the internal affairs of the empire, and in foreign policy, Count Andrei Ivanovich Osterman was the first violin. Russian aristocrats - relatives of the tsarina - the Saltykovs and her confidants - Bestuzhev-Ryumin and Ushakov also played a significant role at the court.

During this period, a completely wild form of political investigation, the so-called "word and deed of the sovereign", spread in Russia. It was enough to say this phrase and point to any person to be sent to the Secret Chancellery. The investigation always began with torture.

Anna Ioannovna had no direct heirs, and she did not want to cede the throne to the descendants of Peter I. On the advice of Osterman, in the early years of her reign, she declared one of the future children of her niece Anna Leopoldovna the heir. Anna Leopoldovna, daughter of Anna Ioannovna's sister Catherine, was born in 1718 in Mecklenburg. In 1722 she returned to Russia with her mother. In May 1733, she converted to Orthodoxy and received a new name (instead of Elizabeth, she became Anna Leopoldovna). Prior to that, in February 1733, she was engaged to Prince Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig, the nephew of the wife of the Austrian emperor. Ugly groom to Anna

Leopoldovna did not like it, and she continued to meet with her lover, the Saxon ambassador Moritz Linar.

In the summer of 1735, the tsarina whipped her niece on the cheeks, the ambassador was sent to Dresden, the wedding with the prince took place only on July 3, 1739.On August 12, 1740, the couple had a son, Ivan, who was a Russian tsar in his early childhood, and then a life prisoner of Shlisselburgskaya fortress.

On October 5, 1740 Anna Ioannovna announced Ivan Antonovich as her heir. Biron was appointed regent. On October 6, Anna Ioannovna died. 22 days later, Biron was arrested. Anna Leopoldovna was proclaimed the ruler. First of all, she returned to St. Petersburg Moritz Linar. Field Marshal Minich became the first minister in the empire.

The strengthening of the pro-German orientation of the government caused discontent in Russian society. Around Peter's daughter Elizabeth in 1741 a circle of people arose who planned to put her on the throne. Anna Leopoldovna became aware of the conspiracy, but she delayed the arrest of Elizabeth and decided to first send the guards regiments to the Swedish front. On November 24, 1741, the regiments were announced to be sent to the front. On the night of November 25, officers and soldiers of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards staged a bloodless palace coup. On November 25, 1741, a manifesto was issued on the accession to the throne of Elizabeth Petrovna.

Elizabeth, without postponing matters indefinitely, put an end to the dominance of the Germans at court and distributed the highest government posts to the military, on whose bayonets she ascended the throne (these were Russian nobles - the Shuvalovs, Vorontsovs, Trubetskoy, etc.; A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin). Unable to prove himself in the state arena, Elizabeth's morganatic spouse, a Cossack from Little Russia, Alexei Razumovsky, elevated to the rank of count and made a field marshal and knight of all orders, disappointed the crown princess and fell into disgrace.

Elizaveta Petrovna's plans were to continue the traditions laid down by her great father for the good of the Russian state, and indeed, domestic and Western historians have a more favorable opinion of her reign than a critical one.

At first, vigorously transforming various colleges, establishing "ministerial and generals" assemblies dealing with foreign affairs, and endowing the Senate with such broad powers (it became the highest court, appointing governors and the entire supreme provincial administration, etc.) that it actually controlled everything. internal affairs in Russia, Elizabeth gradually moved away from public affairs, spending all the time in amusement. The extravagance of the court drained the treasury.

A "small civil war" was constantly going on in the country: the increasingly impoverished peasants fled from the landowners, formed robbery detachments, they were caught, returned to the landowners, but popular indignation grew and then resulted in the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev.

The twentieth anniversary of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna (from 1841 to 1861) is notable for the fact that she proclaimed the abolition of the death penalty, with her opening the Moscow University (1755) and the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg (1757). The first curator of the university and the first president of the Academy was the patron of the arts I.I. Shuvalov, who patronized M.V. Lomonosov.

In 1756, a public theater was opened in the Northern capital.

In Russia, magistrates were restored, and the territory was divided into five recruitment districts, which somewhat streamlined the system of recruiting for the army. The system of monopolies was also developing: on May 1, 1747, the empress issued a decree, which turned large territories in the south of Western Siberia into a royal estate. The southern outskirts were settled, they were not invited to resettlement of the Gentiles, but the Orthodox Slavs - Serbs. The trend towards the development of the all-Russian market through the destruction of internal customs continued (the merchants deeply appreciated the reform efforts of Elizabeth, presenting her with a 56-carat diamond on a gold platter).

In the field of foreign policy, the following were remarkable:

• 1) the end of the war with Sweden (1741-1743) with a beneficial peace for Russia in the city of Abo, according to which Sweden confirmed the results of the Northern War and ceded part of Finland to Russia;
• 2) Russia's participation in the Seven Years War (1756-1763). Two coalitions of European powers took part in the war: Prussia, England and Portugal against France, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Saxony and Russia (since Prussia began to threaten Russia's interests in Poland and the Baltic States, in 1757 it entered the war). In the battles of the Seven Years War, the formation of the talented Russian commanders P.A. Rumyantsev and A.V. Suvorov. However, the change in the foreign policy of Russia during the time of Peter III nullified the successes of the Russian troops (Peter III, a great admirer of Frederick II, made a separate peace with Prussia on April 24, 1762 and returned all the conquered territories to it).

From the very first days of her reign, Elizabeth decided not to cede the crown to any of the descendants of Ivan V. On November 15, 1742, she announced the successor of her nephew - the son of Anna's elder sister - Karl Peter Ulrich (Peter III), who was born in 1728. In 1742 year he arrived in Russia. In 1744, 15-year-old princess of Anhalt-Zerbst Sophia Augusta Frederica (in Orthodoxy - Ekaterina Alekseevna) was invited to Russia as his bride. The wedding took place on August 21, 1745.

After Elizabeth's death on December 25, 1761, Peter III was proclaimed emperor. On June 30, 1762, as a result of a coup d'état, Catherine I.

The "Age of Catherine" was called "brilliant" and "golden", in these epithets not only an echo of the unprecedented luxury that the imperial court and nobles lived, but also recognition of those achievements of Russia that occurred during more than 30 years of the reign of Catherine II (1729-1796 ).

Russia achieved victories on land and at sea in the wars with Turkey (1768-1774 and 1867-1791), where P.A. Rumyantsev, A.V. Suvorov, F.F. Ushakov and Catherine's favorite G.A. Potemkin. As a result, Russia annexed the territories of the northern Black Sea region, dealt with the Crimean Khanate and founded the cities of Kherson, Odessa, Sevastopol, Novorossiysk, and others near the Black Sea.

During the reign of Catherine, three partitions of Poland were carried out - together with Austria and Prussia, Russia completely shattered this once sovereign state, Georgia was taken under the patronage of Russia (Georgievsky treatise 1873)

The sovereign power cut church lands, more than 100 thousand serfs were distributed to the courtiers as a token of gratitude for their faithful service. No indulgences were made to the peasants. The uprising of Yemelyan Pugachev (1773-1776) was brutally suppressed, the first Russian democrats A.N. Radishchev, N.I. Novikov, F.N. Krechetov. (More details about the "enlightened absolutism" of the time of Catherine II will be discussed below.)

At the end of Catherine's reign, as A.N. Herzen, a "heavy, old woman's, suffocating atmosphere" was created, which was "cleared by Pavel."

After the death of Catherine on November 6, 1796, Paul I was on the throne. In March 1801, he was strangled by the conspirators, and his eldest son Alexander I became emperor.

• The further fate of Biron is remarkable: he spent 22 years in exile in Yaroslavl, in 1762 Peter III returned him from exile, then Catherine II transferred him de facto power in Courland. Biron died in 1772 at the age of 82.
• Anna was married to Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, son of Charles XII's sister. Thus, Karl Peter Ulrich could formally claim both the Russian and Swedish throne.

To embellish your own history, concealing the unsightly truth, to keep silent about the true motives and facts, which, it would seem, are accompanied by irrefutable evidence, to expose what is happening in the right light ... This is perhaps the basic rule when writing history textbooks. Academic science has long ceased to be irrefutable for people who are accustomed to thinking independently, analyzing facts and looking for truth on their own, albeit not always in an easy way. There are many controversial moments in history, in which lines of textbooks diverge from actual events, but perhaps one of the most discussed is the substitution of Peter I - the last tsar and first emperor of Russia.

The legacy of Peter the Great

The trail left by Peter the Great is truly striking in its scale: few of the rulers were able to change the course of events so much, overturning the habitual way of life of Russians, completely changing all the foundations, habits and even the mentality of the people. Scientific, cultural and social achievements are attributed to him, and the progress that society achieved at that time seems indisputable ... But all this is only on the papers of academic textbooks, which, as you know, prefer to present everything in a rosy light, believing in the disinterest and ignorance of people ... At the same time, the methods of Peter I, as well as the motives that he pursued, are far from being as rosy as historians imagine: for whom did he “cut a window to Europe”, what goals did he strive to achieve by introducing exorbitant taxes and imposing a culture alien to the Russian soul ? The issue is controversial.

The only reasonable and logical response to such a change in behavior can be the substitution of Peter the Great. This opinion not only explains all his reforms and atypical behavior, but also finds a response in the traces left by the tsar: numerous portraits, strikingly different before and after the trip, hints of a completely different origin of false Peter and the deliberate alienation of relatives.

Healthy doubts about the authenticity of Peter I, supported by facts, appeared among the people even during the reign of the tsar. For such speeches at that time it was possible to earn big trouble, starting with a public flogging and ending with a link to hard labor and even execution. Nevertheless, they could not eradicate such rumors: people whispered, coming up with new and new versions. Some believed that the newborn tsarevich was replaced by German ambassadors right in the cradle, others believed that Tsarina Natalya herself gave the born baby girl to be raised, replacing her with an heir of German descent, allegedly fearing Alexei's displeasure with her daughter. However, the most logical, consistent and reasonable version is still the substitution of the tsar during his trip to Western Europe, which ended in a completely different way from what Peter I expected when he set out on the road.

Peter the First before traveling to Europe

What was Peter I like before that ill-fated journey, and for what purpose did he even go to Western Europe? Collecting the truth bit by bit, the easiest way is to turn to portrait painters, whose works at that time were akin to today's photography: for them to distort something was a manifestation of unprofessionalism and bad form. Looking at the early images of Peter, we can conclude that he was a rather stocky man of average height who respected Russian life and culture. In most of the paintings, the tsar is depicted in national costumes, traditional caftans, and on the occasion he wore solemn tsarist vestments. The same was with his speech: according to the chronicles, he was fluent in Russian, which is not surprising for representatives of his family. In addition, the tsar visited the library of Ivan the Terrible, improving his knowledge in the fields of science and art.

With his legal wife Evdokia Lopukhina, Peter the First lived in perfect harmony for about 8 years. Being married, as well as before him, the tsar adhered to strict canons, was always restrained and was never noticed in debauchery: at that time it was unacceptable for representatives of the royal family. They had two sons - Alexey and Alexander. Alexander died in infancy, and Alexei was to become the official heir to the throne. Perhaps everything would have turned out exactly like this, if not for that ill-fated trip, which turned the way of not only the royal family, but the whole of Russia ...

Being in excellent relations with the German Lefort, Peter I often listened to his stories about Western Europe. Curiosity drove the king to look at the distant lands, about which his friend spoke with such inspiration, if not for one "but": the king was terribly afraid of sea travel. The fact is that earlier he had already survived a shipwreck, almost saying goodbye to life. This incident left an imprint on his behavior, so Peter tried his best to avoid water. Nevertheless, curiosity overcame, and the king decided to make a two-week visit to Western Europe.

When going on a trip, Peter the Great equipped with him a large retinue of 200 families (about 450-500 people). At the same time, the tsar was called Peter Alekseev Mikhailov: in Europe at that time there was no concept of patronymics, so "Alekseevich" became the second surname. But the autocrat failed to return either after the planned two weeks, or even a year later: Peter reappeared in St. Petersburg only after a little less than two years. And did he come back?

Newly born Peter

The man who returned from Europe did not bear much resemblance to the former Peter the Great. And if small changes in behavior could be attributed to new habits and more "progressive" views that the king adopted in the West, then what about appearance and blatant personality changes? The portrait of the tsar, painted in Holland at the very beginning of his visit, strikingly resembles the facial features of his son Alexei. And this is not surprising: the similarity of such close relatives can be easily explained by genetics. Here are just the subsequent portraits of the autocrat, which we are used to seeing in textbooks and other historical literature, have nothing to do with the original picture. Of course, the changes could be attributed to age, however, even after 50 years, moles and the very structure of the face cannot be corrected. Yes, and the tsar's complexion has changed: after his arrival, he became thinner and lengthened by 15 cm, but the size of his legs became surprisingly miniature (about the modern 37 size). And if weight loss could be explained by a new diet, then such an increase in height and a change in the shape of the foot is simply impossible in adulthood.

In addition, portrait painters had a custom to leave signatures of those depicted on the canvas. So, on one of the later paintings of Peter I, the inscription is clearly visible: "Anatoly from Ankara." So Peter or Anatoly? Digging deeper and evaluating the manners of the newly-minted king, one can put forward an assumption about the Dutch origin of the aforementioned Anatoly, who later became the false Peter the Great. However, there are many versions as to who took the place on the throne, however, Professor Chudinov's arguments look the most convincing: it was a monk who came from Ankara.

The impostor king returned, accompanied by only one person. Where the remaining entourage went is a mystery. This is not surprising: it is much easier to convince one person of the correct substitution than five hundred. The newly-minted Peter broke off communication with relatives and friends who might suspect a substitution, and he sent his wife to a monastery, never seeing her after a long separation. Moreover, the ruler's pure Russian speech was replaced by an indistinct dialect with a pronounced European accent: it was evident that complex verbal constructions were difficult for him. And the tsar stopped visiting the famous library of Ivan the Terrible: apparently, its location was simply unknown to the impostor, because this secret was passed on only to crowned persons. There is an assumption that the false Peter was subsequently engaged in excavations in order to discover the repository of Russian literature, however, apparently, he did not succeed.

Having sent his wife to a monastery, Peter-Anatoly found himself a new companion, who did not belong to the princely, noble and even to the count's family. In fact, he took her away from his subordinate, Menshikov, who, in turn, took the woman away from a representative of lower ranks in the same way. This behavior was not typical for a tsar, moreover, it ran counter to ideas about the honor and dignity of the royal family, but did this mean something for a European monk? As a result of his actions, Empress Catherine I became not the most decent Baltic lady, which is insulting for the royal family in itself.

However, after his arrival, the false Peter changed his views not only on family values, but also on the military craft. If earlier the king avoided the fleet in every possible way, now he has become a real professional boarding battle. Of course, we can assume that in two years he learned how to conduct battles on the water, but where did his fear of hydration go? And why should the king do this, if even the officers disdained boarding battles - it was an occupation for the lower ranks. But Anatoly, apparently, was well acquainted with this technique and did not fail to use his own experience and knowledge.

Where did the real king go

The fate of the real Peter the Great, apparently, was disappointing. Comparing the chronology of historical events in Russia and in the West, one can notice that during the disappearance of the tsar in the Bastille appeared a legendary prisoner, the "Iron Mask", whose face no one has ever seen. Caricaturists, replacing photographers in the modern press, portrayed him in a leather mask that completely hid all facial features, however, “Peter Alekseev Mikhailov” was carved on the camera - the name under which the autocrat set off on his journey. The prisoner was kept in decent conditions, however, in 1703 he was still executed.

The activities of the impostor

What mark did the false Peter the Great leave behind? It is believed that it was he who contributed to the progress in Russia and "opened a window to Europe", however, in reality, everything looked a little different. In his new activities, there are many confirmations that the interests of the Russian people became secondary for the tsar, since the Western trend came to the fore. However, this is not surprising for an impostor. What is the memory of the false autocrat?

1. The culture of Russia began to resemble more and more that of the West. Modesty as the greatest female dignity was replaced by vulgarity and cheeky behavior. Instead of classic outfits, the tsar ordered to wear low-cut ball gowns that attract the attention of the opposite sex. Such defiant outfits were offensive to women and their families, however, no one dared to argue with the decision of the false Peter.
2. The appearance of men was not ignored either. Now the primordially Russian beards with a "shovel" became objectionable: they had to be shaved off. Those who refused had to pay an exorbitantly high tax to the treasury.
3. The severity and restraint in entertainment was replaced by frequent massive balls, the promotion of alcohol, coffee and tobacco. In fact, the licentiousness that came from the West began to flourish precisely during the reign of the newly-minted Peter I.
4. The reforms also affected the army. So, the archers closest to the tsar, who always followed the real Peter the Great and his sister Sophia, were mostly executed. This event, remembered in history as the "suppression of the rifle revolt", marked another oddity: the coin issued that year contained an image of a typical Western knight and a Latin inscription.
5. Taking Europe as a model, the tsar founded the Academy of Sciences in Russia, which is characteristic of the West. The Russian people used to live with science, which was closely intertwined with Vedic knowledge, however, this form was abolished. This was not done at all in order to promote knowledge to the masses: in this case, Russian scientists would become representatives of the scientific community. However, there were much more Western scientists in the Academy of Sciences - about a hundred people against three domestic representatives, among whom was Lomonosov. That is why all the meetings were held in German: most of the representatives of the Russian Academy of Sciences did not even know Russian!

To list the "achievements" of false Peter I, which were more reminiscent of the destruction of the state, even a three-volume edition is not enough: he changed the alphabet, numbers, chronology ... After his reign, Russia could no longer become the same: reforms completely destroyed the usual way of people, changed their mentality and worldview. At the cost of tens of thousands of lives, the king forcibly implanted European culture instead of going his own way. Is this not the main proof that the true representative of the Romanov family was impudently substituted. The answer to this question should not be sought in academic textbooks.

The material was compiled from numerous videos on this topic.

With the death of Peter, Russia entered the era of palace coups that lasted a decade and a half. Disorganized and weakened state power, they testified to the heightened rivalry between groups at the St. Petersburg court. One line of contradictions separated the ancestral aristocracy that was leaving the scene and the service bureaucracy that was established in power under Peter I. “It was not the clans that became respectable, but the ranks, merits and length of service,” asserted Prince Mikhail Shcherbatov, the ideologist of the Russian aristocracy of the second half of the 18th century, bitterly. Another line of contradictions took place within the bureaucracy itself, represented by the nominees and associates of Peter from the rank and file nobility and even from the lower classes of society. Under Peter, they still acted as a united front against the old nobility, but after his death this unity was violated, an increasingly acute struggle for power and influence within the highest bureaucracy began.

Peter the Great died on January 28, 1725. He was dying hard, with excruciating pains. The subjects did not dare to disturb him with the question of the heir. Tradition states that before his death, Peter wrote: "Give everything ..." Further words could not be made out. The decree on the right of the reigning emperor to appoint his successor was not used. And the dynastic situation turned out to be difficult ...

We will never know about the painful thoughts of the dying king: into whose hands should the power be transferred? One thing can be said for sure: all the options for inheritance for Peter I were bad. Otherwise, he would not hesitate in choosing. Transfer power to your daughter, 16-year-old Anna? But then at the head of the empire will be the Duke of Holstein Karl Friedrich, to whom she was engaged in 1724. In addition, there is a simple calculation: Anna will have too many enemies from Peter's inner circle. The tsar's grandson, Peter Alekseevich, also had the right to the throne. But he would avenge his father's death. To whom then? Catherine? ..

Peter was seriously considering handing over the throne to Catherine. To this end, he solemnly crowned her in 1724. However, the king never announced his wife as the official heiress. Probably, this was prevented by the fact that at the very end of Peter's life the fires between the spouses were overshadowed by Catherine's infidelity. She was carried away by the brilliant young employee of her office, Willim Mons. Ironically, it was the younger brother of Peter the Great's longtime favorite, Anna Mons.

Upon learning of Catherine's connection, Peter was furious. The pug was accused of embezzling state money and beheaded. Wanting to hurt his wife more painfully, Peter took her for a ride around the city and showed her the head of an unlucky lover impaled on a stake. Catherine showed restraint - she showed no grief or embarrassment, but only said, looking firmly into the eyes of the tsar: “How sad that the courtiers can have so much corruption! "

Peter I did not establish firm principles of succession to the throne: too often the closest people betrayed him or ended up in the camp of his opponents. Peter's "company" also disintegrated, relations with his comrades-in-arms became official. The great reformer was terribly lonely as a human being. In the absence of a specific order of succession to the throne, the Senate was to decide who would take the throne. Senators were divided. Old nobility: Golitsyn, Dolgorukiy - played for Tsarevich Peter. The closest associates of Peter I - for Catherine. The dispute was resolved by the Guards regiments brought by Menshikov. They demanded to obey the will of the empress.

A woman appeared on the Russian throne. She was not stupid, but she never dealt with government affairs. In fact, Mentikov became the sole ruler of Russia, who had unlimited influence over the empress. His omnipotence irritated other dignitaries, and especially representatives of the ancient princely families, who could not forget about the "vile origin of the" half-sovereign ruler ".

The desire of some people from the former Peter's circle to retain power led in 1726 to the creation of the Supreme Privy Council. From now on, the three "first" colleges were subordinate to him. The functions of the Senate were sharply limited, which now began to be called not "ruling", but "high".

Menshikov found it beneficial to limit the role of the Senate because of the long-standing enmity with Prosecutor General P.I. Yaguzhinsky. In turn, some of the dignitaries hoped that the establishment of a small Supreme Privy Council, all members of which would have equal rights, would help them prevent the further rise of Menshikov. In addition to the prince himself, the council included F.M. Apraksin, G.I. Golovkin, P.A. Tolstoy, A.I. Osterman, D.M. Golitsyn and Duke of Holstein Karl Friedrich. Most of the council members belonged to the closest associates of Peter I.

It was not possible to limit Menshikov's influence. Soon quarrels began between the leaders, as a result of which P.A. Tolstoy, who dared to oppose His Serene Highness, was arrested and ended his days in prison.

• May 6, 1727 Catherine I died. Shortly before her death, she signed a will that established the sequence of succession to the throne. Pyotr Alekseevich was to inherit the empress. In the event of his childless death, the eldest daughter of Peter and Catherine, Anna, received the right to the throne. If she died without leaving offspring, Elizabeth should have taken the throne. Thus, it was supposed to streamline the succession to the throne, which became completely uncertain as a result of the decree of Peter I. Why did Catherine agree to prefer the son of Tsarevich Alexei to her daughters?
• 12-year-old Peter has long been the hope of aristocrats. But Catherine was influenced by a new and unexpected supporter of Peter - Menshikov. Seeing that Catherine I's health was deteriorating and she would not live long, the prince made a new bet: he decided to intermarry with the royal family, hoping to marry his 16-year-old daughter Maria to Peter II. The engagement was announced immediately after the death of the queen. “The Most Serene One” did not let Peter go away from himself, protecting him from any unwanted influence.

So, with the death of Catherine, Menshikov's influence at court not only did not diminish, but, on the contrary, he was ascended to the pinnacle of power. He became generalissimo, full admiral, it was supposed to be declared regent under the minor emperor. But he lost his loyal supporters - those nobles who owed their careers not to the breed, but to personal zeal in the service of Peter the Great. And luck this time betrayed him. Menshikov fell seriously ill. For more than a month he was unable to do business. At this time, 16-year-old Prince Ivan Alekseevich Dolgoruky acquired influence on Peter II, behind whom stood the powerful clans of the Dolgoruky and Golitsyn. Their actions were skillfully directed by the cunning and cautious A.I. Osterman. The tsar ceased to obey Menshikov. On September 8, 1727, the prince was arrested, and then, deprived of ranks and awards, together with his family they were exiled to Siberia, to the remote city of Berezov. There, in November 1729, the life of the former, worthy of an adventure novel, ended. tsarist orderly - His Serene Highness Prince and Generalissimo Alexander Menshikov.

Having got rid of a dangerous opponent. Dolgoruky and Golitsyns hastened to consolidate their position at court. Sister of Ivan Dolgoruky, Catherine, was declared the bride of Peter II.

The entourage of the young tsar gradually took a course of abandoning the legacy of Peter the Great. The yard left Petersburg and moved to Moscow. The fleet, the favorite brainchild of the late emperor, was decaying in inactivity. “I don’t want to walk on the sea like my grandfather,” said his grandson.

In January 1730, shortly before the wedding with Princess Dolgoruka, Peter II fell ill with smallpox and died. The Romanov dynasty cut short with him in the male line.

The question of succession to the throne arose again. No one even remembered the will of Catherine I. Prince Alexei Dolgoruky declared the rights to the throne of his daughter, the "Empress-Bride", proposing to publish in her favor the forged will of Peter II. In response to the doubts of a relative - Field Marshal V.V. Dolgoruky - he put forward a deadly simple argument: "After all, you, Prince Vasily, are a lieutenant colonel in the Preobrazhensky regiment, and Prince Ivan is a major, and in Semenovsky there will be no one to argue against that."

According to the will of Catherine I, the throne was to be taken by the son of Anna Petrovna, who died in 1728, but the "leaders" rejected the candidacies of Peter the Great's daughters as illegitimate (they were born before their parents entered into a church marriage). D. M. Golitsyn proposed to transfer the throne to the senior line of the dynasty, descending from the brother of Peter, Tsar Ivan. Since Ivan's eldest daughter, Catherine, was married to the Duke of Mecklenburg, a man of a difficult disposition, it was decided to invite her sister, Anna Ioannovna, to the throne. Married by Peter I to the Duke of Courland, she was widowed long ago and lived in Mitava as a provincial landowner, "periodically begging for money from the Russian government.

At the same time, the same D. M. Golitsyn said: "We need to feel better." It was about inviting Anna Ioan-noviau to reign, to limit the power of the monarch in favor of the Supreme Privy Council. Anna was offered “conditions (from the Latin conditio - condition), on which she could become an empress. The Duchess accepted the offer without hesitation.

One of these conditions was the replacement of autocratic rule with an oligarchic one. "Anna agreed to rule together with the Supreme Privy Council and, without its approval, not to issue laws, not to impose taxes, not to dispose of the treasury, not to favor or take away estates, not to assign ranks higher than that of a colonel. the council received the right to declare war, make peace and dispose of the troops (including the guard). Finally, Anna pledged not to marry and not to appoint an heir. If any of these conditions were not met, Anna was to lose the Russian crown. Negotiations were underway between the Supreme Privy Council and Anna, in Moscow there were many nobles who had gathered for the wedding of Peter II.

Some of the nobles who were not included in the Supreme Privy Council decided to take advantage of the situation in order, relying on the rank and file nobles and the military, to limit the tsarist power in favor of not a narrow group of people, but the entire “noble gentry”.

Noble projects of state structure began to appear. In total, more than 10 of them are known. There are about 1100 signatures under them, including 600 officers' signatures. In general terms, the meaning of these projects was as follows. The highest power was retained by the Supreme Privy Council. Council members (from 11 to 30, no more than two representatives of one family) were to be elected by the generals and the “noble gentry”. The rights of other estates were not discussed. Many projects offered benefits for the nobles: limitation of the term of service, the right to enter the service immediately as officers, the abolition of the succession. Realizing the danger of the discontent of the nobility, the most far-sighted of the "supreme leaders" - Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn - developed a project to limit the autocracy by a system of elected bodies. The highest of these remained the Supreme Privy Council of 12 members. All cases, decided in this council, had to be previously discussed in the Senate, which consisted of 36 senators. The House of Nobility was supposed to consist of 200 ordinary nobles, and the House of Citizens was to include two representatives from each city. The nobility received benefits even more extensive than those they asked for: they were completely exempted from compulsory service. At the same time, it was forbidden to admit courtyards and peasants to state affairs.

And yet the idea of ​​the “supreme leaders failed. The preparation of restrictive "conditions" in a narrow circle aroused the distrust of the nobility. Many could subscribe to the words of the Kazan governor A. P. Volynsky: “God forbid, so that instead of one autocratic ten autocratic and powerful surnames do not appear; we, the gentry, will then be completely lost. "

When Anna Ioannovna arrived in Moscow, she was asked to disassemble the projects of the nobility and establish a form of government acceptable to the entire "society." On the same day, the empress received another petition, in which 150 noblemen humbly begged her to accept autocratic rule and to destroy the "condition". Acting with ingenuous surprise ("How? Weren't these points drawn up at the request of the entire people? So you deceived me, Prince Vasily Lukich!"), Anna tore off her "condition" in front of everyone. The autocracy was restored. This moment in Russian history is extremely important. Historians drew attention to the fact that limiting the one-man tsarist power (albeit in favor of a narrow group of dignitaries) could be the beginning of Russia's rejection of despotic forms of government. It has happened more than once in history that the freedom of the majority began with the freedom of the few, with legal guarantees, at least for the elite. But Russia again was not destined to take the step that could radically change its history.

Immediately after the destruction of the "condition", Anna also liquidated the Supreme Privy Council. The Dolgoruks were exiled to Berezov, where the children of Menshikov were in exile. (True, the brides of Peter II did not meet - Maria Menshikova died in 1729) Instead of the Supreme Privy Council in 1731, the Cabinet of Ministers was created, headed by A.I. Osterman. The Empress, who did not like state affairs, in 1735, by a special decree, equated the signature of three cabinet ministers with her own.

About the appearance and character of the Empress Anna Ioannovna, different reviews, sometimes opposite, have survived. For some, she "was terrifying to look at, had a disgusting face, she was so great when she walks between the gentlemen, all her head is higher, and extremely fat." The given testimony belongs to Countess Natalya Sheremeteva, however, it is not impartial: by Anna's will, she and her husband were exiled to distant Siberia. The Spanish diplomat Duke de Liria is very delicate in his description of the Empress: “The Empress Anna is thick, dark-skinned, and her face is more masculine than feminine. She is pleasant, affectionate and extremely attentive in handling. Generous to the point of extravagance, loves splendor excessively, which is why her courtyard surpasses all other European ones in splendor. She strictly demands obedience to herself and wants to know everything that is done in her state, does not forget the services rendered to her, but at the same time she remembers well the insults inflicted on her. They say that she has a gentle heart, and I believe this, although she carefully hides her actions. In general, I can say that she is a perfect empress ... ”The Duke was a good diplomat - he knew that in Russia the letters of foreign envoys were opened and read ...

Anna Ioannovna was born on January 28, 1693 in Moscow. She spent her childhood in the village of Izmailovo. In 1710, at the behest of Peter I, who planned to link the Romanov dynasty with the ruling clans in Europe, she was married to the Duke of Courland, Friedrich Wilhelm. The young duke did not make a vivid impression: frail, pathetic, he was not an enviable groom. In 1711 the married couple went to Courland, but on the way there was a misfortune: the duke died (on the eve he had competed in drunkenness with Peter the Great himself). Anna returned to Petersburg, but soon she, a widow, was again sent to Mitava - this is how her joyless life in a foreign country began. She did not know either her language or culture, she was completely dependent on handouts from St. Petersburg. And at the age of 37, the seedy duchess, by the will of fate, becomes an empress. Superstitious, capricious, vindictive and not very smart, she gains power over a huge country.

Anna did not encourage drunkenness, but she was distinguished by the fact that she was very fond of keeping clowns at court, adored all sorts of clownish performances. One foreign contemporary described a scene that he didn’t understand very well: “The way the Empress amused herself with these people was extremely strange. Sometimes she ordered them all to stand against the wall, except for one who beat them on the veins and through that forced them to fall to the ground. Often they forced them to fight among themselves, and they dragged each other by the hair and scratched themselves even to the point of blood. The Empress and her entire court, consoled by this spectacle, were dying with laughter. " It happened that the empress was entertained as fools by the princes Rurikovich and Gedimi-novich, although Anna did not force them - many aristocrats themselves were eager to serve and please the empress. Such buffoonery was not perceived at the same time as offensive to noble honor.

And the empress also loved to find out what her subjects were talking about. She was aware of the affairs that were being carried out by the Secret Chancellery. In any case, the head of the chancellery, Andrei Ivanovich Ushakov, constantly reported to her about them. But the most unusual passion of the Empress Anna was hunting. She was reputed to be an excellent marksman. However, it was not the hunting itself that attracted her, but the shooting - and always at a live target. In the summer season of 1739 alone, Anna personally killed 9 deer, 16 wild goats, 4 wild boars, one wolf, 374 hares, 608 ducks, 16 gulls ...

The main role at the empress's court was played (1690-1772) by Ernst Johann Biron, a petty nobleman of Courland, her favorite since 1727. He arrived in Russia immediately after Anna tore off her "condition". One of his contemporaries wrote about the relationship between the empress and Biron: “Never in the world, tea, has there been a friendliest couple who mutually accept perfect participation in amusement or sorrow, like the empress with the Duke of Courland.

Both were almost never able to pretend in their outward appearance. If the duke appeared with a gloomy face, then the empress at the same moment assumed an alarmed look. That wood was cheerful, and pleasure was evident on the monarch's face. If someone did not please the duke, then from the eyes and the meeting of the monarch, he could immediately notice a sensitive change. All favors were to be asked from the duke, and through him alone the empress decided on them. "

Biron was not a kind person, but he could not be called a villain either. He, by chance, ascended to the pinnacle of power, behaved like many of his contemporaries, thinking about a career, power, wealth. Biron at one time even studied at the König-Sberg University, but did not graduate because of some dark story with a nighttime brawl that brought the student under arrest for several months. Having become the favorite of the Russian empress, he received the rank of a real privy councilor (according to the military hierarchy - general-in-chief), and the highest Russian order - St. Andrew the First-Called. But his most cherished dream came true in 1737, when he became Duke of Courland and Semigalsk. There, in Courland, he built palaces for himself, thinking about his future life. As time has shown, it was not in vain: the aged duke actually ended his days in 1772 in Courland at the age of 82. But it will be later, and under Anna Ioannovna Biron is a young handsome man, a physically very strong person. A contemporary wrote about him: “He did not have the mind that is liked in society and in conversation, but he possessed some kind of genius, or common sense, although many denied this quality in him. The saying can be applied to it that deeds create a person. Before his arrival in Russia, he hardly knew even the name of the policy, and after several years of being in it he knew quite thoroughly everything that concerns this state ... Biron's character was not the best: arrogant, ambitious to the extreme, rude and even impudent , mercenary, irreconcilable in enmity and a cruel punisher. "

The Secret Chancellery, where A.I.Ushakov raged, became a gloomy symbol of the era. Having got there on any, often false denunciation, a person was tortured: beating with a whip, twisting his hands on the rack ... Ushakov's executioners were famous for their ability to force the victim to admit the most incredible guilt. During the reign of Anna, about 10 thousand people passed through the office.

The loudest political process was the "case" of Artemy Petrovich Volynsky, begun in the spring of 1740. Peter I also liked the brave and intelligent captain Volynsky, a native of an old boyar family, who carried out important diplomatic and administrative assignments of the tsar-reformer. True, shortly before his death, Peter personally whipped Volynsky for abuse: the death of the emperor saved him from the worst consequences. Under Catherine I A.P. Volynsky became the governor of Kazan. There he became famous for money-grubbing. Complaints started again. Volynsky was dismissed from his post, and "sincere" recognition and the help of patrons helped to avoid more severe punishment.

When Anna Ioannovna ascended the throne, he was still under investigation, but since 1733 he has again successfully moved up the career ladder: he became a member of the Cabinet and even a permanent speaker with the Empress. A.P. Volynsky, being Biron's henchman and knowing the love of his patron for horses, pleased him by desperately fighting abuse in the stables department. He took care of the organization of stud farms in Russia and the purchase of thoroughbred horses abroad. He was appointed to the post of Chief Jägermeister of the court - to be in charge of the royal hunts. In addition to quickness, A.P. Volynsky also had the makings of a statesman. Biron tried to use the helpful courtier to weaken the influence of Vice-Chancellor A. I. Osterman, a man not only very smart, but also extremely cunning. On April 3, 1738 Volynsky became a cabinet minister. It was not easy for him, hot and hot-tempered, to fight the judicious Osterman, who, deftly using the mistakes of the cabinet minister, inflicted sensitive blows.

Success turned Volynsky's head: it began to seem to him that he was capable of more - to be the first nobleman in the state. Biron also began to notice his arbitrariness with irritation. In any case, the duke could not like the fact that in his apartment the cabinet minister allowed himself to beat the court poet Vasily Kirillovich Trediakovsky. Having lost patience, Biron was ready to remove Volynsky. AI Osterman helped to create the "case". He advised to arrest not only the cabinet minister himself, but also his butler, seize all Volynsky's papers and collect complaints against him.

The department of A.I. Ushakov. At first Artemy Petrovich behaved defiantly, but then he got scared and began to make excuses. An accusation arose. One of his points was to "insult" Her Imperial Majesty. And then the butler, under torture, began to slander his patron. From the "confessions" of the servants, Biron and Osterman learned about parties in Volynsky's house, about reading some books, and about the "General Project" of the transformation of the state composed by Volynsky. Different people really came to the house on the Moika: the architect Pyotr Eropkin, the cartographer sailor Fyodor Soimonov, the president of the Commerce Collegium Platon Musin-Pushkin and others.

This "case" gradually acquired a serious political character. Such a trifle as a fight in Biron's apartment was not even mentioned. “Terrible facts began to surface: the cabinet minister was preparing some kind of“ illegal projects ”, and even boldly spoke about Anna Ioannovna (“ Our Empress is a fool, and no matter how you report, you won't get any resolution from her ”). Not everyone who was involved in the investigation behaved with dignity. Pyotr Eropkin, for example, showed that Volynsky even plotted the seizure of the throne. So from the sum of different testimonies there was an impression of a whole "conspiracy". To the credit of A.P. Volynsky, it should be said that during interrogations he behaved with dignity, he did not dump the blame on anyone.

The "general project" has not survived. But its main provisions are still known. Volynsky opposed an unrestricted autocracy. His ideal was the order in Sweden - a country where the king's power from 1720 was limited in favor of the aristocracy. The "General Project" in spirit was close to the "Verkhovniki" project.

In conversations between Volynsky and friends, the idea of ​​creating a Russian university was also discussed. They touched upon, of course, the sore subject of the dominance of foreigners. Remembered with an unkind word of Duke Biron ("from him the state can come to ruin"). In the end, enough was said: the organizers of the trial had the confessions they needed.

The verdict was notable for medieval cruelty: "... to impale alive, cutting out the tongue before." On June 27, 1740, at eight o'clock in the morning, Volynsky was cut off his tongue, gagged with a rag and executed in the trading square along with other convicts involved in this case. True, Anna Ioannovna at the end “softened”: Volynsky's hand was first cut off, and then, so as not to prolong the torment, and his head ...

In the fall of 1740, Anna Ioannovna fell ill. Her only relative was her niece Anna Leopoldovna, daughter of the Duke of Mecklenburg and Princess Catherine Ioannovna. The empress proclaimed the heir to the son of Anna Leopoldovna and Duke Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig - Ivan Antonovich, who was born in August 1740. Biron was appointed Regent until the coming of age of Emperor Ivan VI. On October 17, Empress Anna died.

Biron failed to retain power. The temporary worker was hated by both the Russians and the Germans, the guards despised him. The emperor's parents feared that the regent would take their son away from them and send them to Germany. November 9, 1740 Biron was arrested by the guards led by Field Marshal Minich.

The overthrow of Biron did not lead to major changes in the way of government. Anna Leopoldovna was proclaimed regent. The domination of foreign temporary workers awakened sympathy in the guards environment for the daughter of Peter the Great - Tsarevna Elizabeth, who was seen as the legitimate successor of her father's cause. Patriotic feelings led to the idealization of the tsar who turned Russia into a great power. By that time, the severity of Peter's reforms was partly forgotten. The emperor remained harsh, but fair in the people's memory. Even legends were spread about his struggle against the oppressors of the people. However, what do these legends have to do with the views of the guards, because the guards units consisted of nobles?

It turns out that already under Anna Ioannovna, recruits from the common people began to be called up to the guards regiments. Biron hoped in this way to deprive the guard of its political role. His calculation was not justified: people from different classes, gathered together, did not become peasants or townspeople, but namely guardsmen, members of a privileged military caste. And yet, some difference between the guards nobility and the guards from small landowners and "black people" persisted. The lower classes of the guards were more patriotic, they were more inspired by the opportunity to see the "legitimate heiress" on the throne. It is no coincidence that among the 308 guards who carried out a coup and elevated Elizabeth to the throne, only 54 (17.5%) were nobles. There were no natives of noble families among them at all. There were no officers either. Due to the lack of commanders capable of leading the soldiers, Elizabeth had to personally lead the coup.

The popularity of Elizabeth was also taken into account by foreign diplomats. France and Sweden counted on using the crown princess in order to overthrow the government of Anna Leopoldovna, which was oriented towards Austria in foreign policy. However, for their help, the Swedes demanded territorial concessions in the Baltics. This did not suit Elizabeth. After all, her consent to these claims would mean that she renounces her father's heritage. The popularity of the crown princess would be irreparably damaged. Therefore, the help of foreigners had to be abandoned. Anna Leopoldovna herself became aware of Elizabeth's suspicious meetings with the French and Swedish ambassadors. The Tsarevna was in danger. It was impossible to hesitate.

On the night of November 25, 1741, Elizabeth appeared in the barracks of the Preobrazhensky regiment. And, calling on the soldiers to serve her in the same way as they served her father, she went at the head of the grenadier company to the Winter Palace. The guards carried her into the palace on their shoulders. The arrest of the Braunschweig family passed without the slightest resistance. Thus began the 20-year reign of Elizabeth Petrovna.

... It was the end of 1724. Peter I was reclining in an armchair, knocked over by a sudden illness. Patient and hardy, accustomed to pain, he frowned, his face twitched, and then suddenly calmed down, looking around everyone with dark eyes.

His wife, absentmindedly touching the blond hair of the tsar's two grandchildren, Peter and Natalia, did not take her eyes off the emperor. Sometimes he lifted his eyelids and looked around with a clear gaze. Here they are, his companions! And briefly, with interruptions, he called their names, as if wishing to take everyone with him ...

The noblest of all - Field Marshal Boris Petrovich Sheremetev, the kingdom of heaven to him! .. The most cunning of the cunning - min hertz Menshikov ... Dolgorukiy (Dolgorukovs) ... An ancient surname, they have both intelligence and anger in abundance ... Prince Cherkassky is the organizer of my city St. Petersburg. - He looked at his grandson. - Memorize them, Petrusha ... Shafirov, Tolstoy Peter. And that one over there, a watchtower in a black wig, is the most learned husband, Jacob Bruce.

After a pause, he turned to Bruce:

Ask: what is my grandson thinking - will he not have to inherit the throne? He had two teachers, but only fools, I beat them with batogs and drove them away ... Appointed Osterman as a teacher. How do you look at this, Yakov Vilimovich?

Bruce nodded, and the king turned his gaze back to the boy.

Why are you frowning at me? Are you afraid? In vain! Come on, get away, get up a little way ... Yes, you are hefty, lad ... Well, tell me, how many will it be five seven? .. And also: if the wind blows from the east, where should the ship be led?

I don’t know, sir.

Oh you, "I don't know" ...

Peter I closed his eyes and fell silent for a long time. And Petrusha and his sister Natalia - blue-eyed, blond, like two angels, on their faces - no tears, no sadness, only bewilderment and shyness, and perhaps fear ...

By Christmas, Peter felt better, priests, ordinary people prayed for his health. And the frosty Christmas days passed, the winds blew - there was no improvement. Peter I was sorting through papers, but somehow sluggishly ...

To the left of his deathbed, a little further away, a man stood at the easel with tassels in his hands - he was in a hurry to capture a great moment: there was not a single phenomenon that this emperor did not penetrate and did not introduce his own interpretation. For the sake of supporting the painters, he made an exhibition of Artamon Matveyev, and ordered the nobles and senators, princes and counts to buy those "courts". The artist Tannauer painted the picture with special care, inspiration, with a wide brush - the king seemed to him lying on a raft that floats across the Styx River to the kingdom of Hades ...

The Neva in those days was frozen, hunchbacked, dark, as if it was also in mourning. Sad flags fluttered on the houses, and painted Dutch houses with colored pictures, sailing ships, bouquets and even female faces peeped out on the outskirts.

Those around them plunged into sorrow. At the same time, everyone was tormented by the question: who will inherit the throne? Why is the sovereign silent and how to understand him?

But here the eyelids opened again, the living dark eyes flashed - and again they became clouded ... Completely or not? .. However, one eye is open, frighteningly open ... Petrusha looks into him with fear. Catherine sobs loudly. Menshikov fiddles with his wig in despair. And the Novgorod Archbishop, theatrically raising his hands, exclaims:

Who are you leaving us with, benefactor?! .. Get up from your deathbed! ..

Kirill Razumovsky grins: "Will he rise if he looks at what we are doing, what will he say?"

The noise and hubbub are incongruous with the hour ... Dignitaries, nobles, generals are in horror, in sorrowful amazement.

There are also children, adolescents - the Golitsyns, Sheremetevs, Cherkasskys, undergrowths and adolescents. "What will become now?" - thinks Natasha Sheremeteva, remembering how five years ago her father died in the same stately manner, and then the tsar was the first to follow the coffin, and there was crying all over the Nevsky prospect.

Marya Menshikova gazes steadily into the face of the tsar - how dark his hair and mustache, how pale his forehead, his suffering face twitches. Her father is the emperor's favorite, but what awaits them now?

The grandsons of Peter I, Natalia and Peter, began to cry.

Music rang out, a quiet chorus of female voices was heard, evoking thoughts of the eternal. About eternal - and about tomorrow: who will inherit the giant king? Petrified, they listen attentively to his last words. But only two words were heard: "Give everything ..." And Peter I gave up the ghost. Who should I give everything to? Who is it reliable for?

One eye is completely closed, and the other looks menacing and dead. Surely the Almighty, who himself sent this giant to earth, stepped back and baptized him for the last time? ..

And now eight horses in black epanches, a golden and black chariot, generals, dignitaries, princes and counts moved along the flat lancet road to the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The procession, like the entire ceremony, is directed by Jacob Bruce. A scientist, an inventor, an expert on politeness, adoring the king, he does not take his eyes off the dead face, as if conjuring, as if hoping for a resurrection.

He had thirty sheets and twenty points of that ceremony written, but his appearance is terrible: thin as a pillar, in a black wig, his jacket dangles. Embalming the king is also his business. Who else can do this? He made stuffed animals, healed the cavalry, was engaged in alchemy, they said that he sewed a leg to a dog and almost revived a woman, like the Egyptian queen Isis, who gathered pieces of her murdered husband and resurrected.

Breezing (bad. - Ed.) Was February 1725. For a month the tsar lay in the frost, in a coffin lined with gold eyelets, silver laces, in a jacket embroidered with silver, with a sword and with an Andreevskaya ribbon. Nashchokin, a witness of those days, wrote: “The year 1725 was very bad for Russia in the beginning ... I cannot describe from the non-skill of the pen how we saw a common cry ... There were a great many about his burial behind the coffin, and everyone wanted to remember. An inconsolable sadness was everywhere. But my lack of imagination stops spreading about a bit of sadness ... "

The stunned country plunged into mourning. And at court complaints, disputes and gossip did not subside: whose turn now? Which party will prevail? Supporters of Catherine, Little Peter, or the German Party? Many, taking advantage of the opportunity, wanted to retire "to their estates and homes." The ambitious, on the other hand, longed to gain a foothold in the new capital.

Bruce strode along the paved road, pondering how wisely the emperor had built his city. He planned together with the architect Trezzini and assigned a special role to this road to the Peter and Paul Cathedral. On the other side of the Neva are amusements, palaces, and on this side there is a prison and the Peter and Paul Cathedral, a resting place, proof of the futility of human efforts. Now the creator of this city will be buried in this cathedral.

Bruce, or perhaps Osterman, came up with Lefort's story about the ancient knightly order, which professed faith in the Holy Grail, that Christ and Magdalene went to the north, not to the south, and therefore it is necessary to look there for the Cup of Christ and His blood. Secret people predicted: there, among the white nights, under the pale sun, the trail of the Holy Grail, there is no need for light, for there is a white night. Is this why Bruce, having traveled around Europe, having studied dozens of languages, remained forever here, in the royal city of white nights? .. And secret people said that geniuses, endowed with insight and will, obsessed with a single idea, live only up to fifty years , - and Peter I.

Bruce peered into Peter's rejuvenated face. Death erased the traces of a painful question: will he defeat Russian inertness, will the country not turn down the old road after him, will the supporters of his first wife Evdokia Lopukhina and his traitorous son gain the upper hand? And won't his deeds throw him into a landfill?

Neither Catherine nor the other heir, the ten-year-old grandson Petrusha, had any idea of ​​anything like this, although all around was disorder, slanting gossip, views ...

The Supreme Council will meet tomorrow and decide who will inherit the throne. Its members: Menshikov, Repnin, Apraksin, Peter Tolstoy, Musin-Pushkin, Vasily Dolgoruky, Yakov Bruce, Dmitry Golitsyn, Yusupov ...

One great Greek dared to assert that if he was given a fulcrum, he would turn the globe - Archimedes was a genius theorist. But in practice, in politics? Russia gave birth to two people who, by their own will, wanted to turn over a sixth of the land. Peter succeeded in this despite the dull discontent of the people. In the XX century Lenin's movement gained strength, scale, but - caused a civil war. Alas! In practice, great plans end badly: both of them did not live up to the age of 55 - human strength has a limit.

The dispute, which began at the tomb of the first emperor, went on for many years, and it has not ended even now. Some historians consider Peter I to be a tough dictator who in vain shaken the old laws. Others see him as a titan, who gave a runaway to Russia and did not in the least betray traditions, Orthodoxy.

Philosophers say: Peter's educators were not quiet boyars, but the Almighty himself, who put in him an obsession and faith in the country's might, in the fact that Russia would become a great sea power. The tsar made his first sea trip to Arkhangelsk. Then he found out about the glorious city of Amsterdam, rich because sailboats and ships with merchants dock in its ports. And how he loved fascinating stories about overseas countries! ..

Peter was rarely seen in the Kremlin, he, like the "Flying Dutchman", rushed about European cities. “What kind of king do we have? - they used to say in Moscow. "Not a king, but some kind of devil." Indeed, he sent Boris Petrovich Sheremetev along the southern borders of Europe (he was 20 years older than Peter, knew languages ​​and politeness, could agree with the Poles, and with the Pope, and with the Knights of Malta) - in the upcoming war, Peter needed allies. The tsar went along the northern borders of Europe himself. He learned to craft there, learned the secrets of shipbuilding, so he returned already armed with the knowledge of seafaring.

Even earlier, trying to take Azov from land, he was defeated. However, the tsar was never lost from defeats, but simply drew conclusions. Soon, having built ships, he crept up to Azov from the sea - and the Turks asked for peace.

After Amsterdam and Venice, the tsar got the idea to build a city at the confluence of the Neva into the sea, that is, on a swamp. Serfs and working people were brought from all over the country - innumerable, how many of them labored and died. The city grew. And Peter made Europe not only reckon with him, but respect Russia. Now it was possible to measure strength with the young daredevil, the Swedish king Charles XII.

Introducing a new, European order in Russia, the tsar ordered to cut beards (or pay tax), cut off long sleeves, because they interfere with work ...

Obsessed with the idea of ​​putting Russia on a par with Europe, he already dreamed of seeing his subjects literate - after all, so far beyond the Urals, only in monasteries they knew how to read and write. The governors ordered to open parish schools. He ordered Jacob Bruce to teach drawing, mathematics, and navigation to dumb and capable youths.

The people grumbled, quietly cursed the king, but the soldiers already fell in love with him for his character, energy, and his associates served faithfully (although not without grunting), and a whole cohort of them was formed. It was they who set in motion the complex Peter's control machine. And his human qualities conquered him. He ate and drank a little - and noticed everything through the contents of the glass.

The clever sovereign took on clever ministers. Yakov Dolgoruky is one of the few who spoke the truth to the tsar in his face, made reproaches. When Dolgoruky expressed his disagreement, Peter (writes Klyuchevsky) kissed him, saying: “Good faithful servant! Thou art faithful to me in mala, I will put thee over many. "

The historian V.O. Klyuchevsky writes:

“Peter's misfortune was that he was left without any political consciousness, with one vague and empty feeling that his power had no boundaries, but only dangers. This boundless emptiness of consciousness was not filled with anything for a long time ... Lack of judgment and moral instability with ingenious abilities and extensive technical knowledge were striking ...

From childhood badly directed morally and early spoiled physically, incredibly rude in upbringing and way of life and inhuman due to the terrible circumstances of his youth, at the same time he was full of energy, sensitive and observant by nature. These natural qualities somewhat restrained the shortcomings and vices imposed on him by the environment and life ...

He knew how to develop his sense of the tsarist duty to selfless service, but he could no longer give up his habits, and if the misfortunes of his youth helped him to break away from the Kremlin's political hypocrisy, then he was unable to cleanse his blood from the only strong guide of Moscow politics, from the instinct of arbitrariness. He could not fully understand either the historical logic or the physiology of the people's life. However, one cannot blame him too much for this: the wise politician and adviser of Peter Leibniz could hardly understand this ... All his transformative activities were guided by the thought of the necessity and omnipotence of imperious coercion; he hoped only by force to impose on the people the benefits he lacked and, therefore, believed in the possibility of turning people's life off its historical channel and driving them to new shores. Therefore, caring for the people, he strained their labor to the extreme, spent human resources and lives recklessly, without any frugality.

Peter was an honest and sincere man, strict and exacting to himself, just and benevolent to others; but in the direction of his activity, he was more accustomed to dealing with things, with working tools than with people, and therefore he treated people as with working tools, knew how to use them, quickly guessed who was good for what, but did not know how and did not love to enter into their position, to preserve their strength, did not differ in moral responsiveness ... "

Peter could hit him with his fist, or he could kiss him hard for a good deed. Never before have there been such tsars in Russia.

Church? The tsar was reprimanded for removing the bells, for his failure to perform all church rituals, but respected for his prayerful attitude to sacred history, to the Gospel, for loyalty to Orthodoxy (although they were afraid of Latinism, Protestants who surrounded the tsar in Lefortovo, in the German settlement).

... Years passed, Peter was no longer in the world, but disputes about his role in Russian history continued.

In the 19th century, the historian Pogodin argued that the son of Peter, Tsarevich Alexei, was also "a great mind and strong will." Alas! The prince was weak, went against his father's innovations, stood for old Russia, did not argue with those who called his father "Antichrist". Nashchokin wrote a book "On the Damage of Morals in Peter's Times", however, he was forced to admit that if Peter had not made such a leap, Russia would have been catching up with Europe for another 200 years.

The historian S.M. Solovyov reminded: not only the common people and not only schismatics, or in general people who did not tolerate transformative ideas, were dissatisfied with Peter. Eminent nobles too. They did not want to send their children to European schools, institutes, it was not to the liking of the lazy boyars. Peter is not Archimedes, but he moved this colossus from a dead center.

... And yet, no matter how scientists-historians studied the era of Peter the Great, something always escaped them, and something very important. In our opinion, such a feeling as passion escaped. Thoughts can be read in the letters and documents of the emperor, but feelings! .. The king lived with feelings, dreams, passions. He had a wife, the first, he had lovers, but only in "Katerinushka" did he find something without which it would be difficult for him to live. She could calm his seizures (they started because at the age of five they killed his uncle in front of his eyes), nervous twitching of the face, sudden weakness in the head. Surely they were equal in love pleasures. And both forgave each other's hobbies, for they really loved, and passionately loved.

There was one more remarkable thing in Peter's biography: he did not play toys as a child, he immediately started with real boots, with real soldiers of his own - his friends, boys. And just as playfully he took up government affairs: launching a boat is the same as building a ship according to the English example, and even a bombardier, even a captain could lead it ...

GAME and PASSION are the main properties of Peter I ...

But why did he not name his successor? Did he really want to leave his German spouse? .. Or because of illness he didn’t have time to pronounce the name? .. And this remained a secret ...