Small weaknesses of big people: what Russian rulers were fond of. Tsar Peter III: biography, politics, reforms Which king played soldiers

Russian Hamlet was called the contemporaries of Paul I.

Pavel Petrovich was born on September 20 (October 1), 1754, in the family of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (future Peter III) and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna (future Catherine II). The place of his birth was the Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in St. Petersburg.

Portrait by G. H. Groth. Peter III Fedorovich (Karl Peter Ulrich) State Tretyakov Gallery

Louis Caravaca. Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna (Sophia Augusta Frederick of Anhalt-Zerbst). 1745. Portrait gallery of the Gatchina Palace

Pavel Petrovich's childhood began here

Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna. 18th century engraving

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna expressed her goodwill towards the mother of the newborn by the fact that after the christening she herself brought her on a golden platter the decree of the cabinet on the issuance of 100,000 rubles to her. After the baptism at the court, a series of solemn holidays began on the occasion of the birth of Paul: balls, masquerades, fireworks lasted about a year. Lomonosov, in an ode written in honor of Pavel Petrovich, wished him to compare in business with his great great-grandfather, prophesied that he would liberate the Holy Places, step over the walls separating Russia from China.

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Whose son was he?
Since 1744, Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov was a chamberlain of the Grand Duke and heir to the throne of Peter Fedorovich at the small court. .
Why, then, in 1752, chamberlain Sergei Vasilyevich suddenly began to enjoy success with the wife of the heir to the Russian throne? What happened then at the Russian court?

By 1752, the patience of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna snapped, who had long and unsuccessfully waited for an heir from the grand ducal couple. She kept Catherine under vigilant supervision, but now she has changed tactics. The Grand Duchess was granted some freedom, of course, with a known purpose. A medical fuss was organized around Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, and rumors began to spread about his resolution from forced celibacy. Saltykov, who himself participated in both the fuss and the spread of rumors, was quite well aware of the real situation, he decided that his hour had come.

According to one version, he was the father of the future Emperor Paul I

Portrait of S. V. Saltykov
When Catherine II gave birth to Paul, Bestuzhev-Ryumin reported to the Empress:
« ... that what was inscribed, according to the most wise consideration of Your Majesty, took on a good and desirable beginning - the presence of the executor of Your Majesty's highest will is now not only not necessary here, but even to achieve an all-perfect fulfillment and concealment for eternity of mystery would be harmful. With respect for these considerations, kindly, most merciful empress, order Chamberlain Saltykov to be Your Majesty's ambassador in Stockholm, under the King of Sweden.

Catherine II herself contributed to Saltykov's fame as "the first lover"; she, of course, counted on the domestic use of this image and did not want to spread such fame to a wider sphere. But the genie could not be kept in the lamp, a scandal erupted.

On the way to his destination, Saltykov was honored in Warsaw, warmly and cordially greeted in the homeland of Catherine II - in Zerbst. For this reason, rumors about his paternity grew stronger and spread throughout Europe. On July 22, 1762, two weeks after Catherine II came to power, she appointed Saltykov as Russian ambassador to Paris, and this was taken as confirmation of his closeness to her.

After Paris, Saltykov was sent to Dresden. Deserving from Catherine II the unflattering description of the "fifth wheel of the carriage." He never again appeared at court and died in almost total obscurity. He died in Moscow with the rank of major general in late 1784 or early 1785.

And now about one more legend about the birth of Tsarevich Paul.

She was resurrected in 1970 by the historian and writer N. Ya. Eidelman, who published in the journal “ New world» Historical essay "Reverse Providence". Having studied the evidence about the circumstances of the birth of Pavel Petrovich, Eidelman does not exclude that Catherine II gave birth to a dead child, but this was kept secret, replacing him with another newborn, Chukhonian, that is, Finnish, a boy born in the village of Kotly near Oranienbaum. The parents of this boy, the family of the local pastor and all the inhabitants of the village (about twenty people) were sent under strict guard to Kamchatka, and the village The boilers were demolished, and the place where she stood was plowed up.

Fedor Rokotov. Portrait of Emperor Paul I as a child. 1761 Russian Museum

To this day no one knows whose son he is. Russian historian G.I. Chulkov in the book "Emperors: Psychological Portraits" wrote:
"He himself was convinced that Peter III was indeed his father. "

Probably still in early childhood Paul heard gossip about his birth. So, he also knew that a variety of people considered him "illegitimate". It left an indelible mark on his soul.

***
Empress Elizabeth loved her great-nephew, she visited the baby twice a day, sometimes got out of bed at night and came to watch the future emperor.

And immediately after birth, she tore him from his parents. She herself began to lead the upbringing of the newborn.
The Empress surrounded her great-nephew with maids of honor, nannies and wet nurses, the boy got used to female affection.
Pavel liked to play with soldiers, firing cannons and models of warships.

Porcelain soldiers. Meissenskaya Models of cannons on a field carriage from

porcelain manufactory. Model J. Kendler collections of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich

Such a cannon was an exact copy of a real one and could fire both small cannonballs (buckshot bullets were used for this) and blank shots, i.e. shoot with ordinary gunpowder. Naturally, these amusements of the little Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich took place under the watchful eye of both educators and a specially appointed batman from the artillery team.
(Napoleon also played such soldiers with his son and nephews, and the composer Johannes Brahms simply adored this activity. Our famous compatriot A.V. Suvorov also loved this game very much)

Pavel enjoyed the company of peers, of whom Prince Alexander Borisovich Kurakin, Panin's nephew, and Count Andrei Kirillovich Razumovsky enjoyed his special disposition. It was with them that Pavel played with soldiers.

A.K. Razumovsky L. Guttenbrunn. Portrait of A.B. Kurakina
At the age of 4, he was taught to read and write.
As a child, Pavel had three Russian teachers who took care of his education and upbringing - Fedor Bekhteev, Semyon Poroshin and Nikita Panin.

F. Bekhteev - the first tutor of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna punished "pupil of the "women's chamber" suggest that he is a future man and King ..». Immediately upon arrival, he began to teach Pavel to read Russian and French in a very original alphabet.
During his studies, Bekhteev began to apply a special method that combined fun with learning, and quickly taught the Grand Duke to read and arithmetic with the help of toy soldiers and a folding fortress.
F. Bekhteev presented the tsarevich with a map of the Russian state with the inscription: “Here you see, sovereign, the inheritance that your glorious grandfathers spread with victories.”
Under Bekhteev, the first textbook, specially compiled for Pavel, “A Brief Concept of Physics for Use by His Imperial Highness the Sovereign Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich” was printed (St. Petersburg, 1760).

Semyon Andreevich Poroshin - the second educator of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich, in the period 1762-1766, i.e. when Paul was 7-11 years old. Since 1762 he has been a permanent knight under Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich. Poroshin treated the Grand Duke with the loving warmth of his elder brother (he was 13 years older than Paul), cared about the development of his spiritual qualities and heart, and gained more and more influence on him; the Grand Duke, in turn, was on friendly terms with him.

And in 1760, when Paul was 6 years old, the empress appointed a chamberlain Nikita Ivanovich Panin chief chamberlain (mentor) under Paul. Panin was then forty-two years old. For some reason, he seemed to the little Tsarevich a gloomy and terrible old man.

Paul rarely saw his parents.

On December 20, 1762, Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich was granted the title of Admiral General of the Russian Navy by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. His mentors in the difficult naval wisdom were I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov (father of the famous Russian commander), I.G. Chernyshev and G.G. Kushelev, who managed to instill in the heir a love for the fleet, which he retained for the rest of his life.

Delapier N.B. Portrait of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich in an admiral's uniform.

When Paul was 7 years old,
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna died and he got the opportunity to constantly communicate with his parents. But Peter paid little attention to his son. Only once did he wander into his son's lesson and, after listening to his answer to the teacher's question, exclaimed not without pride:
"I see this rascal knows things better than we do."
As a token of his goodwill, he immediately granted Pavel the rank of corporal of the guard.

Pavel was a very sensitive boy, shuddering fearfully at any unexpected knock and quickly hid under the table. For several years now, a strange fear haunted Paul. It was difficult even for patient Panin to get used to Pavel's fears, to his constant tears at dinner.

The ghost of the strangled father, Peter III, stands before the eyes of little Pavel. He does not tell anyone about this memory of his. Pavel Petrovich matured early and at times even seemed like a little old man.

Peter III Fedorovich

Now the fate of Paul more and more resembled the fate of Hamlet. The father was overthrown by the mother from the throne and, with her consent, was killed. The murderers were not punished, but enjoyed all the benefits at court. In addition, the mental health of the unbalanced Paul resembled the madness of Hamlet.

Fate did not deprive Pavel Petrovich of the ability to science.
Here is a list of subjects mastered by him: history, geography, mathematics, astronomy, Russian and German languages, Latin, French, drawing, swordsmanship and, of course, Holy Bible.

His teacher of the law was Father Platon (Levshin), one of the most educated people of his time, the future Metropolitan of Moscow. Metropolitan Platon, recalling the training of Paul, wrote that his
“The high pupil, fortunately, was always disposed to piety, and whether reasoning or conversation about God and faith was always pleasant to him.”

The education of the Tsarevich was the best one could get at that time.

Once in a history class, the teacher listed about 30 names of bad monarchs. At this time, five watermelons were brought into the room. Only one of them was good. Pavel Petrovich surprised everyone:
"Out of 30 rulers - not a single good one, and out of five watermelons - one is good."
The boy was humorous.

Pavel Petrovich read a lot.
Here is a list of books that the Grand Duke got acquainted with: the works of the French enlighteners: Montesquieu, Rousseau, D "Alembert, Helvetius, the works of the Roman classics, historical writings Western European authors, works by Cervantes, Boileau, La Fontaine. the works of Voltaire, "The Adventures of Robinson" by D. Defoe, M.V. Lomonosov.

Pavel Petrovich knew a lot about literature and theater, but most of all he loved mathematics. Educator S.A. Poroshin spoke highly of the successes of Pavel Petrovich. He wrote in his Notes:
“If His Highness was a particular person and could completely indulge in mathematical teaching alone, then, in terms of his sharpness, he could very conveniently be our Russian Pascal”

Pavel Petrovich himself felt these abilities in himself. And as a gifted person, he could have an ordinary human desire to develop in himself those abilities to which his soul was drawn. But he couldn't do it. He was the heir. Instead of his favorite activities, he was forced to attend long dinners, dance at balls with ladies-in-waiting, and flirt with them. The atmosphere of almost outright debauchery in the palace oppressed him.

***
1768
Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich is 14 years old.

A well-known doctor who arrived from England inoculates Pavel Petrovich with smallpox. Before that, he conducts a detailed examination of Paul. Here is his conclusion:

"... I was glad to see that the Grand Duke was beautifully built, vigorous, strong and without any natural ailment. ... Pavel Petrovich ... is of medium height, has excellent facial features and is very well built ... he is very dexterous, affable, cheerful and very reasonable, which is not difficult to notice from his conversations, in which there is a lot of wit."

Vigilius Eriksen. Portrait of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich. 1768 Museum, Sergiev Posad

His mother, Empress Catherine II, decided to replace Russian teachers with foreign ones.

The teachers were: Osterwald, Nicolai, Lafermière and Leveque. All of them were ardent supporters of the Prussian military doctrine. Pavel Petrovich fell in love with parades, like his father Peter III. Catherine called it military tomfoolery.

Alexander Benois. Parade under Paul I. 1907

Catherine the Great is to blame for the fact that her son did not receive a Russian military education - the best in Europe. And she didn't do it by accident. The Empress understood that Russian generals and officers knew their worth, they won military victories more than once. And visiting emperors and empresses, in order to maintain their influence in the country, need to lower this price by all means, including by invited foreign experts to train the crown princes.

Carl Ludwig Christinek. Portrait of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich in the costume of a holder of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. 1769

At this time, Nikita Ivanovich Panin, a zealous freemason, gave Paul mysterious manuscripts to read, including "The History of the Order of the Knights of Malta." And the Tsarevich caught fire with the theme of chivalry. The writings proved that the emperor should look after the welfare of the people, as a kind of spiritual leader. The emperor must be initiated. He is the anointed one. It is not the church that should lead him, but he the church. These crazy ideas mingled in Paul's unhappy head with that childlike faith in God's providence, which he learned from infancy from Queen Elizabeth, mothers and nannies who once cherished him.

And so Paul began to dream of true autocracy, of a true kingdom for the good of the people.

***
1772
Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich came of age.

Some courtiers said that Catherine II should involve Pavel Petrovich in the management of the state. Pavel Petrovich himself told his mother about this! But Catherine II won the throne not to yield it to Paul. She decided to distract her son with marriage.

Catherine II began to look for a suitable daughter-in-law. Such that she would bind Russia by dynastic ties with the reigning houses of Europe, and at the same time be submissive and devoted to Catherine II.

Back in 1768, she instructed the Danish diplomat Asseburg to find a bride for the heir. Asseburg drew Catherine's attention to the Princess of Württemberg - Sophia - Dorothea - Augusta, who at that time was only ten years old. He was so captivated by her that he constantly wrote to Catherine II about her. But she was too young for her age.

Unknown artist. Portrait of Princess Sophia Dorothea Augusta Louise of Württemberg. 1770. Alexander Palace-Museum, Pushkin.

Asseburg sent a portrait of Louise of Saxe-Gotha to Catherine, but the proposed matchmaking did not take place. The princess and her mother were zealous Protestants and did not agree to convert to Orthodoxy.

Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg

Assenburg offered Princess Wilhelmina of Darmstadt to Catherine. He wrote:
"... the princess is described to me, especially from the kindness of the heart, as the perfection of nature; ... that she has a reckless mind prone to contention ..."

The King of Prussia Frederick II was very eager that the marriage of the Tsarevich with the Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt took place. Catherine II was very unhappy with this and at the same time wished for the soonest end of the courtship of the Tsarevich.

She invited the Landgravine and her three daughters to Russia. These daughters: Amalia-Frederica - 18 years old; Wilhelmina - 17; Louise - 15 years old

Friederike Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt

Augusta-Wilhelmina-Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt

Louise Augusta of Hesse-Darmstadt

A Russian warship was sent for them. The empress sent 80,000 guilders to raise her. Asseburg accompanied the family. In June 1773 the family arrived in Lübeck. Three Russian frigates were waiting for them here. The princesses were placed on one of them, on the rest their retinue was located.

Catherine II wrote:
“My son from the first meeting fell in love with Princess Wilhelmina; I gave three days to the deadline to see if he hesitated, and since this princess is superior to her sisters in every respect ... the older one is very meek; the younger one seems to be very smart; in the middle, all the qualities we desire: her face is charming, her features are regular, she is affectionate, intelligent; I am very pleased with her, and my son is in love ... then on the fourth day I turned to the landgravine ... and she agreed ... "

Among the documents of the Ministry of Justice for more than a hundred years, the diary of the 19-year-old Grand Duke was kept in a sealed bag. In it, he recorded his experiences while waiting for the bride:
"..joy mixed with anxiety and awkwardness, who is and will be the friend of all life ... a source of bliss in the present and in the future "

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1773

First marriage
On August 15, 1773, Princess Wilhelmina received holy anointing with the title and name of Grand Duchess Natalya Alekseevna.
On September 20, 1773, a solemn marriage took place in the Kazan Cathedral of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Natalia Alekseevna. The groom is 19 years old, the bride is 18 years old.

Alexander Roslin. Grand Duchess Natalya Alekseevna, Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1776 State Hermitage Museum

The wedding celebrations lasted 12 days and ended with fireworks on the square near the Summer Palace.
Catherine's generosity was great. The Landgravine was presented with 100,000 rubles and, in addition, 20,000 rubles for expenses on the return trip. Each of the princesses received 50,000 rubles, each of the retinue received 3,000 rubles. Thanks to the graces of Catherine, the dowries of the princesses were secured.

Only one event overshadowed the wedding celebrations: as in Shakespeare's play, the shadow of the murdered father of Pavel Petrovich, Emperor Peter Fedorovich, appeared at the wedding. As soon as the reflections of the festive fireworks went out, the rebel Pugachev appeared, declaring himself Peter III.

Emelyan Pugachev. Ancient engraving.

The honeymoon of the young spouses was overshadowed by the anxieties of the peasant war.
But despite this, everyone in the family circle was happy. Pavel Petrovich was pleased with his wife. The young wife turned out to be an active person. She dispelled her husband's fears, took him on country walks, to ballet, arranged balls, created her own theater, in which she herself played in comedies and tragedies. In a word, the closed and unsociable Pavel came to life with a young wife, in whom he did not have a soul. The Grand Duke never dared to change her.

Natalia Alekseevna did not feel love for her husband, but, using her influence, she tried to keep him away from everyone except a narrow circle of her friends. According to contemporaries, the Grand Duchess was a serious and ambitious woman, with a proud heart and a strong temper. They had been married for two years, but there was still no heir.

In 1776, the court of Empress Catherine was agitated: the long-awaited pregnancy of Grand Duchess Natalia Alekseevna was announced. On April 10, 1776, at four in the morning, the Grand Duchess began to experience the first pains. She had a doctor and a midwife with her. The contractions lasted for several days, and soon the doctors announced that the child was dead. Catherine II and Pavel were nearby.

The baby could not be born naturally, and the doctors did not use either obstetric forceps or C-section. The child died in the womb and infected the mother's body.
After five days of torment, at 5 am on April 15, 1776, Grand Duchess Natalia Alekseevna died.
The empress did not like Natalya Alekseevna, and the diplomats gossiped that she did not let the doctors save her daughter-in-law. The autopsy, however, showed that the woman in labor suffered from a defect that would have prevented her from giving birth to a child naturally, and that the medicine of the time was powerless to help her.
The funeral of Natalya Alekseevna took place on April 26 at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Paul could not find the strength to attend the ceremony.

Catherine wrote to Baron Grimm:
"I started by suggesting travel, changing places, and then I said: the dead cannot be resurrected, we must think about the living and go to Berlin for our treasure."
And then she found in the box of the deceased her love notes by Andrey Rozumovsky and handed them to her son.
And Pavel Petrovich quickly consoled himself.

***
1776
Second marriage

It had only been about three months of his widowhood!

Pavel Petrovich goes to Berlin to propose to the Princess of Württemberg Sophia-Dorotea-August. Throughout the journey, Paul wrote to his mother:
“I found my bride the way I could only wish myself mentally: not bad-looking, great, slender, not shy, answers intelligently and quickly ...”

The princess was baptized according to the Orthodox rite, taking the name Maria Feodorovna. She began to learn Russian zealously.
On September 26, 1776, the wedding took place in St. Petersburg.

The next day, Paul wrote to his young wife:
"Every manifestation of your friendship, my dear friend, is extremely precious to me and I swear to you that every day I love you more and more. May God bless our union just as He created it."

Alexander Roslin. Maria Feodorovna shortly after the wedding. The State Hermitage Museum

Maria Feodorovna turned out to be a worthy wife. She gave birth to Pavel Petrovich 10 children, of which only one died in infancy, and of the remaining 9, two, Alexander and Nikolai, became Russian autocrats.

When in 1777 they had their first child , Catherine II dealt a strong blow to the soul of Pavel Petrovich - a kind family man and did not allow him to become a happy parent.

Catherine II only from a distance showed the parents of the born boy and took him to her forever. She did the same with his other children: sons Konstantin and Nikolai and two daughters.

K. Hoyer (?) Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna with their sons Alexander and Konstantin. 1781

I.-F.Anting. Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna with their sons in the park. 1780. Black ink and gilded bronze on glass. State Hermitage

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1781
Travel to Europe
In 1780, Catherine II broke close ties with Prussia and moved closer to Austria. Pavel Petrovich did not like such diplomacy. And in order to neutralize Paul and his entourage, Catherine II sends her son and his wife on a long journey.
P they traveled under false names - the count and countess of the North.

When in 1781, while passing through Vienna, Pavel Petrovich was supposed to attend a court performance and it was decided to give Hamlet, the actor Brockman refused to play this role, saying that he did not want to so that there are two Hamlets in the hall. The Austrian Emperor Joseph II sent the actor 50 chervonets in gratitude for his tact.

They visited Rome, where they were received by Pope Pius VI.

Reception by Pope Pius VI of the Count and Countess of the North on February 8, 1782. 1801. Etching by A. Lazzaroni. GMZ "Pavlovsk"

In April they visited Turin. In Italy, the grand ducal couple begins to acquire antique sculpture, Venetian mirrors. All this will soon be included in the decoration of the Pavlovsk Palace.

About his position "Hamlet" Pavel Petrovich was silent for the first time. But once in a friendly (promising to become related) circle, he stopped holding back. Pavel Petrovich began to speak sharply about his mother and her politics.

These statements reached Catherine. In anticipation of the troubles threatening Russia, she said:

"I see in what hands the empire will fall after my death."

In the summer of 1782 they visited Paris. In Versailles, the grand-ducal couple was received by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, in Paris - by the Prince of Orleans, and in Chantilly - by Prince Condé. According to contemporaries in Paris, they said that
"The king received the Count of the North in a friendly way, the Duke of Orleans - in a bourgeois way, the Prince of Condé - in a royal way."
Grand ducal couple visited the workshops of artists, got acquainted with hospitals, manufactories, government agencies.
From Paris they brought furniture, Lyon silks, bronzes, porcelain and luxurious gifts from Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: tapestries and a unique Sèvres toilet set.

Parisian service. France 1782. Sevres manufactory

Gift of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to the Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna and the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich.

Toilet utensil. France. Sevr. 1782. GMZ "Pavlovsk".

We visited Holland, the house of Peter the Great in Zaandam.

Unknown artist. External view of the House of Peter the Great in Zaandam.

Then Pavel Petrovich and Maria Fedorovna spent almost a month visiting her parents in Montbéliard and Etupe.
The young people returned home in November 1782.

***
Gatchina
In 1783, Catherine II gave her son the Gatchina estate.
In 1765, Catherine II bought the estate in order to give her favorite, Count G.G. Orlov. It was for him, according to the project of A. Rinaldi, that the palace was built in the form of a hunting castle with towers and an underground passage. The laying of the Gatchina Palace took place on May 30, 1766; the construction of the palace was completed in 1781.

Palace facades. 1781 drawing

Big Gatchina Palace. Painting on porcelain. Author unknown. Second half of XIX

Having left the capital for Gatchina, Pavel adopted customs that were sharply different from those in St. Petersburg. In addition to Gatchina, he owned the Pavlovskaya estate near Tsarskoye Selo and a summer cottage on Kamenny Island. Pavlovsk and Gatchina became grand ducal residences for 13 long years.

In order to occupy himself with at least something, Pavel Petrovich turned here into an exemplary landowner-owner. The day started early. Exactly at seven in the morning, the emperor, together with the grand dukes, was already riding on horseback to meet the troops, He was present at the exercises of the Gatchina troops and parades, which took place daily on a huge parade ground in front of the palace and ended with the divorce of the guard.

Schwartz. Parade in Gatchina

At five o'clock the whole family went for a daytime walk: on foot in the garden, or in "karatai" or lines in the park and the Menagerie, where the children especially liked to visit. There, wild animals were kept in special enclosures: deer, fallow deer, guinea fowl, pheasants and even camels.

In general, life was full of conventions and saturated with strict observance of the regulations, which everyone, without exception, had to follow - both adults and children. Climb early morning, walking or horseback riding, lunches, dinners that began at the same time, performances and evening meetings - all this was subject to strict etiquette and went according to the order once and for all established by the emperor.

Pavel I, Maria Feodorovna and their children. Artist Gerhardt Kugelgen

In the Gatchina period of life, the prince:
* *creates his own mini-army.
The army of Pavel Petrovich grows here every year and acquires an increasingly clear organization. The manor itself soon turned into "Gatchina Russia".

Infantry, cavalry, consisting of their gendarmerie, dragoon, hussar and Cossack regiments, as well as a flotilla with the so-called "naval artillery" were represented here. In total, by 1796 - 2,399 people. And the flotilla by this time consisted of 24 ships.
The only case of the participation of Gatchina troops in hostilities was the 1788 campaign in the Russo-Swedish War.
Despite the small number, by 1796 the Gatchina troops were one of the most disciplined and well-trained units of the Russian army.

** prepares the Charter of the navy, which entered into force in 1797.

The charter introduced new positions in the fleet - a historiographer, professor of astronomy and navigation, and a drawing master. An important direction in the policy of Paul I in relation to the fleet was the assertion of the principle of unity of command. The double subordination of one private to several chiefs of the same rank was excluded.

The Grand Duke had two libraries in the Gatchina Palace.
The basis of the Gatchina library of Pavel Petrovich was the library of Baron I.A. Korfa, which Catherine II acquired for her son. There was also a library formed by Paul I himself.
The library was located in the Tower Study, and consisted of books that he used, which were constantly at his fingertips.

This collection is relatively small: 119 titles, 205 volumes; of them in Russian 44 titles, 60 volumes. With a small number of books, their extraordinary diversity in content attracts attention. Nearby are a variety of compositions:

"Atlas of the Russian Empire", "Diplomatic ceremonial of European courts", "Modern knowledge of horses", "Discourses on sea signals",

"A detailed description of the ore business", "The Charter of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Turin",

"A General History of the Ceremonies, Customs, and Religious Practices of All the Peoples of the World", "General Studies on the Fortification, Attack, and Defense of Fortresses."

In addition, there was historical literature.

Gatchina became Pavel Petrovich's favorite place to stay. And the word "Gatchinets" has become almost a household word. It meant a disciplined, executive, honest and devoted person.

***
1796
long-awaited throne
On the night of November 7, 1796, in the palace church, Metropolitan Gabriel announced to the capital's nobles, generals and top dignitaries of the state about the death of Catherine II and the accession to the throne of Paul I. Those present began to swear allegiance to the new emperor.

A few hours have passed since the announcement of Paul I as emperor. He went for a walk in Petersburg. Passing by the theater building, built at the behest of Catherine II, Paul I shouted: "Remove it!"
500 people were sent to the building, by the morning the theater was razed to the ground.

The day after the accession of Paul I to the throne, a thanksgiving service was served in the Winter Palace. To the horror of those present, in deathly silence, the protodeacon proclaimed: "To the most pious, most autocratic great sovereign, our Emperor Alexander Pavlovich ..." - and then he only noticed a fatal mistake. His voice broke off. The silence became ominous. Pavel I quickly approached him: “I doubt, father Ivan, that you will live to see the solemn commemoration of Emperor Alexander».
On the same night, having returned home half-dead from fear, the protodeacon dies.

Thus, under the sign of a mystical omen, the short reign of Paul I began.

Pavel Petrovich was crowned in Moscow. The crornation took place on April 27, 1797, the celebration was held very modestly, not like his mother. He was crowned with his wife. This was the first joint coronation of an emperor and an empress in the history of the Russian Empire.

After the coronation, the emperor traveled around the southern provinces for two months, and returning to St. Petersburg, he placed on himself the crown of the Grand Master of the spiritual-knightly order of St. John of Jerusalem. The Order needed military assistance. And Paul I took over the patronage of the Order of Malta .. Europe did not like this, and for the Russian people the order was alien. This did not add authority to Paul I.

Paul I in the crown, dalmatics and signs of the Order of Malta. Artist V. L. Borovikovsky. Around 1800.
After accession to the throne, Paul I resolutely set about breaking the rules established by his mother.

He transferred the ashes of his father Peter III to the imperial tomb - the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

He ordered the release of the writer N.I. Novikov, to return A.N. Radishchev from exile. He carried out a provincial reform, reducing the number of provinces and liquidating the Yekaterinoslav province. Special mercy was shown to the rebel Kosciuszko: the emperor personally visited the prisoner in prison and granted him freedom, and all the Poles arrested in 1794 were soon released. Pavel I fully rehabilitated Kosciuszko, gave him financial assistance and allowed him to leave for America.

Paul I accepted new law about the succession to the throne, which drew a line under the century of palace coups and female rule in Russia. Now power legitimately passed to the eldest son, in his absence to the eldest man in the family.

With his first manifesto, Emperor Paul reduced peasant labor for landlords (“corvée”) to three days a week, that is, by half. On Sunday, as the day of the Lord, it was forbidden to force the peasants to work.
Paul I perfectly understood the role of the book in the life of society, its influence on the mood of the minds.

In 1800, a decree of Paul I to the Senate was published, which stated:
"So how corruption of faith, civil law and morality is inflicted through various books exported from abroad, then from now on, until the decree, we order to prohibit the entry from abroad of all kinds of books, in whatever language they may be, without exception, into our state, uniformly and music.

Under Paul I, three monuments were erected: a statue of Peter the Great, an obelisk "Rumyantsev's Victories" designed by Brenna on the Field of Mars and a monument to A.V. Suvorov in the form of the god of war Mars, which was replaced by Emperor Paul I, ordered by Emperor Paul I to the sculptor M. Kozlovsky, but already erected after the death of the emperor.
In 1800, the construction of the Kazan Cathedral was started according to the project of A. Voronikhin.

During his reign, the General Armorial was compiled and approved. Under him, the distribution of princely titles began, which was almost never practiced before.

During the reign of Paul I, 17 new battleships, 8 frigates were launched in the Baltic and Black Sea fleets, and the construction of 9 more large ships began. In St. Petersburg, at the end of Galernaya Street, a new shipyard was built, called the New Admiralty.

The results of the activities of Paul I in the maritime department were significantly higher than the results of the activities carried out in the previous reign.

In memoirs and history books, dozens and thousands of those exiled to Siberia during the Pavlovian time are often mentioned. In fact, the number of those exiled does not exceed ten people in the documents. These people were exiled for military and criminal offenses: bribes, theft on an especially large scale, and others.

Literature:

1.I.Chizhova. Immortal triumph and mortal beauty. EKSMO.2004.
2.Toroptsev A.P. the rise and fall of the Romanov dynasty. Olma Madia Group.2007
3.Ryazantsev S. Horns and crown Astrel-SPb.2006

4 Chulkov G. Emperors (Psychological portraits)

5. Schilder N.K. Emperor Paul the First. SPb. M., 1996.

6. Pchelov E. V. The Romanovs. History of the dynasty. - OLMA-PRESS.2004.

7. Grigoryan V. G. The Romanovs. Biographical guide. —AST, 2007

8.photo from the website Our heritage magazine website http://www.nasledie-rus.ru

9. Photo from the website of the State Hermitage http://www.hermitagemuseum.org

The king, as you know, is also a man. Even as fierce as Ivan the Terrible. And this ruler had outlets in the form of favorite activities. Ivan Vasilyevich was fond of astrology, and not only wanted to know what the stars had prepared, but he himself dabbled in making forecasts and maps. Under the wise guidance of the Englishman Elisha Bomelius, however, in 1575 the "teacher" was accused of some kind of conspiracy and executed.

And the king has one more hobby - playing chess. He met his death at the chessboard. There is evidence that on that day the king arranged the pieces and the king fell off the board three times.

Falcon hunting

It was the passion of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov. Under which the position of falconer was very important and honorable. The king could not boast of health, and therefore, when ailments did not allow him to go hunting with falcons, Alexei the Quietest was compiling a document with the rules of his favorite type of hunting.

Comprehensively developed personality

Tsar-reformer Peter the Great, greedy for life, was interested in everything from building ships to pulling out teeth from his subjects. They say that he even tried to master the weaving of bast shoes, but there was a catastrophic lack of time and patience for this. Peter studied carpentry and turning, was interested in clock design and anatomy.

Hunting and drinking

These were the main hobbies of the grandson of Peter I, Peter II. He disappeared hunting for weeks, months, and the court with seals, documents and decrees was forced to follow the young emperor in the hope that in the intervals between the fight of animals and drunkenness, state issues would be resolved.

However, the boy simply accepted what the slanderers and temporary workers persuaded him to, hoping for the mercy of the king.

The game of toy soldiers

This was the favorite occupation of Peter III, to which he devoted his free time. He also forced his supruna to play soldiers, dressing her in the uniform of a sentry. When Ekaterina Alekseevna got tired of this, did she overthrow her husband from the throne?

Soldier figurines could be made from different material, sometimes they were molded from starch. Once there was an incident: a rat wandered into the chambers of the emperor and ate several figurines with appetite. The king sentenced the criminal.

Seamstress and turner

Such was the couple Paul I and his wife Maria Fedorovna. True, the roles were a little unexpectedly distributed. This imperial wife in her free time sharpened various products on a lathe. Including quite skillful cameos made from natural minerals. And the husband loved cutting and sewing.

It is to Paul I that the soldiers of the Russian army owe the appearance of a hat with earflaps. The sovereign personally reshaped the foreign cocked hat, in which many soldiers simply froze their ears in winter.

Son to father or mother?

No, Nicholas I was not fond of sewing. But from his father he inherited a love for military uniforms, and from his mother - a passion for fine arts. The king painted. And not just anything, but a new military uniform for the Russian army.

Numerous sketches made by the hand of Nikolai Pavlovich have been preserved, and he was ready to devote day and night to his favorite pastime. And the sovereign drew very well.

Everything real men love

The brutal Emperor Alexander III respected traditional male occupations. He was an avid hunter and fisherman, devoting his hobbies and energy and time. And the mighty sovereign hunted bears from the age of 20. And, as of old, he loved to go after the clubfoot personally with a horn and a shoemaker's knife.

While hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the tsar caught a cold, earning acute inflammation kidneys, which became fatal. And Alexander III painted beautifully. Mostly the sea and ships. The emperor loved the fleet. His wife Maria Fedorovna fully shared her husband's passion for painting.

Here is an incomplete list of favorite activities of Nicholas II. However, he also drew well, but he also played music tolerably, and he simply adored tennis. But chopping and sawing firewood is a completely unusual hobby. But who knows, maybe the king just relieved stress in this way?

What did the rulers of the Russian lands play, what sports did they like to do - from Peter I to Vladimir Putin.

Let's start with Peter the Great, because I did not find information about the hobbies, games and hobbies of earlier rulers. Probably not looking well...

Peter I

Peter I - the last Tsar of All Rus' (since 1682) and the first All-Russian Emperor (since 1721) from childhood was an outstanding and restless child. Peter's favorite game was war. And, if in childhood we played “war games” in the yard, then from childhood the young ruler had everything in an adult way, on a large scale and for real.

Peter from childhood loved to play in the war. His children's room with wooden horses, soldiers, guns, cannons scattered everywhere resembled a battlefield. Once in Preobrazhenskoye, the boy felt like a fish in water: expanse, groves, glades were all around, the Yauza was flowing nearby.

He could not sit beside his mother, listening to her confidantes' annoying gossip about the hated Miloslavskys, and at every opportunity he ran out into the street. Now the whole village with its country palace, servants' huts, stables, kennels becomes his children's room. For the first time for Russian, and maybe all world history the minor monarch got the opportunity to be himself and do what his heart desires.

True, now instead of wooden guns he has real muskets and even cannons, instead of wooden soldiers - amusing soldiers from among the gentry and local peasants. The quiet, blessed place near Moscow resounds with the roar of drums, blank shots and shouts of “Hurrah!”. True, on some days the young tsar seemed to lose interest in the "Mars fun". But then in Preobrazhensky axes clatter, saws screech. It is on the orders of the king-boy that the amusing fortress of Pressburg is being built and, therefore, soon the drums will crackle again and “Hurrah!” will be heard.

The mother queen, of course, was worried, did not sleep at night, worrying that Petrusha would not be killed during these games. But what can she do? Although he is a minor, he is a king, and it is better not to argue with kings. Yes, and with a purely maternal instinct, she guesses that such energy is seething in her lanky, ankle-length son that if you don’t let her go out, she will tear her beloved child to pieces ... This is how the amusing troops of Peter the Great were born, perhaps one of the most beloved hobbies and games of all life emperor. By the way, we have already written about them - I recommend it.

It is also known that Peter I loved checkers and chess. So, going on campaigns, he took with him not only chess, but also two permanent partners. He himself played excellently and ordered to arrange rooms for games at the assemblies.

In the so-called chess, the famous Persian game, truly royal in name and course, they play daily, developing their mind by it to an amazing degree. Roman Ambassador to Muscovy Jacob Reitenfels.

Catherine II

Empress of All Russia from 1762 to 1796.

In addition to palace intrigues and reckless amorousness, Catherine II passionately loved to play quadruple chess, fashionable in the 18th century. "Quadruple" chess is a game of "pair for a pair", which made it possible to blame your ally in case of a loss. Knowing about Catherine's hobby, Stroganov gave her chess. Only not simple, but ... alive. The lawn with highlighted squares of turf served as a chessboard, and instead of figures, servants dressed in medieval clothes moved around the field according to the orders of the players. Once, King of Sweden Gustav IV, who was visiting Stroganov's country palace, was invited to a "live chess game" with Catherine herself. However, historians do not know who won that game.

These Russians are excellent at chess; our best players in front of them are schoolchildren. Adam Olearius.

Nicholas II

The last emperor of Russia. Years of government 1894-1917

Nicholas II was a big fan of tennis. Apparently, he became acquainted with the game of "lawn-tennis" during his visits to England in the mid-1890s. However, in England, he only watched how they play.

In Russia, Nicholas II first entered the tennis court in the village of Ilyinsky near Moscow, where he rested after his coronation in Moscow in 1896. The diary of Nicholas II records the exact date when he first picked up a tennis racket. On June 2, 1896, he wrote:

After tea I went to play lawn-tennis with the others for the first time.

On the tennis court in the village of Ilyinsky, Nicholas II received his first playing skills. And since Nicholas II was physically well developed, his game went well.

Usually the tsar in his diary entries called this game lawn-tennis, net, or tennis in Russian.

The partners of Nicholas II, as a rule, were officers of the security units or officers of the imperial yacht Shtandart.

The first tennis court for Nicholas II was built in the summer of 1896 in the Peterhof Alexandria Park, shortly after the tsar's return from Moscow. It was this tennis court that became the most frequently used of all the royal tennis courts. In total, by order of the emperor, 5 truly royal tennis courts were built.

The emperor addicted to tennis and all his five children. Even the hemophiliac heir Alexei, who was not recommended by doctors to make sudden movements, got carried away. Once, after playing tennis, Alexei's illness began to worsen: “Alexey had a pain in his right elbow from the increased movements of his hands during the game. He could not sleep for a long time and suffered greatly, poor man!” - the Sovereign Emperor wrote in his diary.

The Grand Duchesses also loved to play tennis. Tennis courts were in Tsarskoye Selo, in Peterhof, in Livadia. Often, photographs of the Royal Family playing tennis appeared on the pages of the St. Petersburg magazine Lawn Tennis. The last time the Tsar played tennis was on July 16, 1914. Three days later, Germany declared war on Russia, the first World War. More Nicholas II did not go to court.

Also, one of the most favorite games of the emperor and the entire royal family was a card game - bezique. The family especially liked to play bezique in the evenings, before going to bed.

Bezique(fr. besique), an old card game of French origin.

Vladimir Lenin

Lenin did not go in for sports, in childhood and adolescence he was sick a lot, apparently to strengthen his body physical activity was not for him. The leader of the socialist revolution, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, was by no means proletarian in his hobbies.

Contrary to the ideals of social equality, Lenin was interested in cars, he was very fond of hunting, cycling and horseback riding, and chess. But I did not find a single source about what games besides chess, or what sports Vladimir Lenin played. If my reader is more purposeful and inquisitive, I will be glad for any information in the format of this article.

Stalin and sport

There is a myth that Stalin was not physically developed, did not go in for physical education and sports.

Stalin was not really a hero. As a child, he was a lively and active child, he loved to play all the games accepted at that time by boys. Subsequently, when he plunged headlong into politics, he had no time to play sports and even physical education. With regard to physical disabilities, as you know, his left hand did not unbend at the elbow, which was a consequence of a serious injury received in childhood. Concerning physical education and sports, then first of all it should be borne in mind that he, in general, had no time to do this, at least regularly. Having headed the party and the state, he worked all the time, even on holidays, even on his birthdays.

Nevertheless, this does not mean that he was completely far from physical education and sports. He was very fond of playing the old Russian game "towns", which he learned in exile.

Stalin himself did not play so well. After each hit, he did not hide his joy and would certainly say: "This is how we can do it." And when he missed, he immediately began to look for matches in his pockets.

He loved billiards, enjoyed playing skittles with heavy balls. Stalin perfectly shot from a pistol, a revolver, a rifle, a hunting rifle. He was a good hunter. Photographs have been preserved in which he is depicted while hunting with friends. Although not often, he trained in shooting. He shot very accurately. He calmly hit the cartridge case from a revolver from a small-caliber rifle from a long distance.

Contrary to all the stories, Stalin knew how to ride a horse, but since he did not have enough time for constant training in riding, he, as a rule, did not demonstrate this skill.

Brezhnev and sports

Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev headed the USSR for a long 18 years. Many articles, books, and several films have been made about him. Interest is attracted not only by his biographical data and activities as a politician, but also by his personal life, his passions and tastes.

Those who knew Brezhnev note that, having become the leader of the USSR, his tastes have changed a bit. And this is not strange, because now he had a high position and great opportunities. Yet he was a simple man by nature. Of his main passions was the pool - he loved to swim in the morning. There was billiards at Brezhnev's dacha, and next to the house there was a tennis court, but the leader did not play billiards or tennis.

The Secretary General felt great love for cars and awards. He often liked to drive at breakneck speed. As long as his health allowed, he always drove himself. In addition, he loved playing dominoes and chess.

Khrushchev, Andropov, Gorbachev

Khrushchev in his memoirs (or his son Sergei writes about it) recalls that he was surprised to see Brezhnev playing dominoes with such passion: too primitive entertainment for a statesman. But nothing is known about Khrushchev's own sports hobbies. He liked to hunt and drink, but this has nothing to do with sports.

But Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, who did not stay long at the post of General Secretary, but is better known as the most mysterious chairman of the KGB of the USSR, wrote poetry. In general, Andropov was, especially by Kremlin standards, an intellectual and aesthete. Also, no sources about sports hobbies and passions are reported anywhere.

As for Mikhail Gorbachev, he closes the top three most unsportsmanlike leaders who are in charge of the country. Already retired, Gorbachev Special attention focuses on fitness and healthy lifestyle life, hiking in the fresh air and proper nutrition. But nothing beyond being known. Alas and ah.

Yeltsin

The first president of Russia, Boris Nikolaevich, was a controversial personality. He held a "stopper" in one hand, and a racket in the other. The Yeltsin era was remembered by many, but in the format of an article, we recall only Yeltsin's sports hobbies.

Yeltsin's favorite game was tennis. Although, in his youth he received a master of sports in volleyball.

Boris Yeltsin started playing tennis to cope with stress and made it a habit to play two or three times a week. Under Yeltsin's management, tennis, which was not very popular in the Soviet Union, received a lot of financial support. It was under Yeltsin that Russia began producing a steady stream of world-class tennis champions, both men and women.

Yeltsin was so keen on tennis that he appointed Shamil Tarpishchev, who had been the captain of the men's team for a long time. Soviet Union in tennis, as his personal trainer and provided him with an office in the Kremlin.

Shamil Tarpishchev:- He fell in love with tennis, of course, quite sincerely. I remember the situation of the period when he was already retired. I’m driving in a car, Boris Nikolaevich calls me and asks: “Shamil, where is Zhidkov in the rating now?” And she stood at the end of a hundred, at ninety some place. I say: "Boris Nikolaevich, I'm driving, can I call you back in 15 minutes - I'll tell you for sure?" And he says this phrase to me: “You see, I am interested in tennis, but you are not.”

Yeltsin's sports training was relatively good - after all, he was a master of sports in volleyball. The feeling of the ball, excitement - all this was present. He was always very worried about every ball, he tried to win by all means - a sports nature.

Dmitry Medvedev

The 3rd President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, along with thousands of Russians, turned out to be a fan of the ancient Indian art of yoga. Yoga, he explained, helps him relax and get rid of the stress he gets at work. At one time, there was a famous bike from The Moscow Times on the net:

The first president staged a tennis revolution, the second encouraged his people to engage in martial arts, and under the third, the whole country will soon stand on its head.

Banned during the Soviet era due to links to Hindu religious practices, yoga is becoming increasingly popular in Russia. It seems to me that if the head of state has a hobby, then it becomes a hobby for the whole people. But there is nothing wrong with that.

By the way, in his youth, Dmitry Anatolyevich was quite seriously involved in weightlifting and rowing.

Medvedev has repeatedly stated that he considers sport the best antidepressant. At one of the meetings with journalists in 2008, after being elected, and not yet being inducted as head of state, Medvedev admitted that he “did not come to an understanding of this right away” - 10 years ago he thought that everything was fine, but when the workload began to increase , I realized that you can’t do without everyday sports.

Medvedev also loves badminton. (By the way, a very dynamic game - I recommend it to everyone.) In October 2011, he took the initiative to introduce badminton lessons in the country's schools.

In addition, Medvedev pretty much scares his security service with a passion for extreme sports. He prefers ATVs, snowmobiles and skis, and he tries to choose domestic ski resorts for skiing.

Most recently, Dmitry Anatolyevich was noted in a sensational photo shoot, where he, together with Vladimir Putin, had a joint workout in the gym. I consider all this as a kind of message to the whole country, unobtrusive and well-reasoned. You can look decent at any age.

Vladimir Putin

Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has learned to appreciate martial arts. Putin, a black belt in judo, also known among his friends and members of the judo club for his haraigoshi, or underhand tuck, started judo at the age of 14. Putin and Yasuhiro Yamashita, world judo champion from Japan, released a joint video tutorial on judo.

Already during Putin's tenure as the second president of Russia, the popularity of judo has grown markedly, competitions and competitions have often been shown on television. documentaries in judo. And now the popularization of judo is developing dynamically. Why not? The desire to instill in compatriots an interest in an active lifestyle is a very powerful argument. Look at the "physics" in which Putin is. I would like to recall the age of the "first" - 63 years. Personally, I admire.

Sambo and judo.

Martial arts, according to Vladimir Putin, provide such knowledge, skills and abilities that a politician simply needs. Putin believes that judo is an activity for both the body and the mind. It develops strength, reaction, endurance, teaches you to control yourself, feel the sharpness of the moment, see the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent, strive for the best result and constantly work on yourself.

Putin has been practicing sambo and judo since the age of 11. “I came to judo as a boy. And I became seriously interested in martial arts, their special philosophy, the culture of relationships with an opponent and the rules of wrestling, ”recalls Putin, who has the title of master of sports in judo. In September 2006, he became the honorary president of the European Judo Union, and in 2010 he received an honorary diploma "Doctor in Judo" from South Korea's Yongin University.

Putin is also a repeated champion of St. Petersburg in sambo and a master of sports in this type of martial arts. He has a black belt in karate.

Judo teaches to control oneself, to feel the sharpness of the moment, to see the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent, to strive for the best result. Agree, all this knowledge, skills and abilities are simply necessary for a politician. V. Putin

Skiing.

Alpine skiing Vladimir Putin got carried away for a long time. According to him, he rides with great pleasure. “This is a dynamic, technical sport and a great opportunity to actively, profitably relax, support physical form get a boost of energy and good mood,” Putin said. Soviet champion in this sport Leonid Tyagachev says that Vladimir Putin's technique is stable, and he descends the mountain at a very high speed.

Hockey

Another serious sporting passion for Putin is hockey.

In February 2011, Vladimir Putin promised the participants of the Universiade in Turkey to learn how to skate. “I thought it was simply impossible for me! I tried to do this once, when I was still actively engaged in wrestling, ”Putin recalls. But, since the promise was given, he began training.

For two months he trained under the guidance of the famous hockey player Alexei Kasatonov. Training very often took place after midnight, when Vladimir Putin ended his working day. By mid-April, he was already confidently skating and on April 15, 2011, he took part in the training of young hockey players before the final of the Golden Puck tournament, where he even threw a few goals into the goal.

And just recently, on October 7, the President celebrated his birthday on the ice by playing hockey and scoring seven goals in the Night Hockey League (NHL) gala match in Sochi.

If you missed something - do not judge strictly. If you liked the article, feel free to share it with your friends. Go in for sports - be healthy!

Biography

Russian history knows many incomprehensible characters. One of them can be called Peter III, who was destined to become the emperor of our country. Peter-Ulrich, such is his full name, was the son of Anna Petrovna, and she, in turn, was the eldest daughter of Peter, and the Duke of Holstein Cal (his name was Friedrich). The future emperor of Russia was born on February 21, 1728. His mother, Anna Petrovna, died of consumption only three months after the birth of her boy. At the age of 11, Peter-Ulrich also loses his father. And the Swedish king himself, the famous historical figure Charles XII was his uncle. Peter himself had every right to both the Swedish and Russian thrones. The future emperor lived in Sweden from the age of 11. It was there that he was brought up in every possible way in the spirit of, so to speak, Swedish patriotism, as well as fierce hatred of Russia. Peter-Ulrich grew up as a sickly and nervous boy. To a greater extent, this was due to the manner of his upbringing. Teachers took very harsh and humiliating measures against him.

In 1741 Elizaveta Petrovna, Peter Ulrich's aunt, became Empress of Russia. She immediately proclaimed an heir. It is not surprising that Peter-Ulrich himself turned out to be the successor. However, he had an unhealthy appearance, a low level of education and a mediocre mind. In 1945, Peter III entered into a legal marriage with a certain Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst. Immediately at baptism, she was given the name Ekaterina Alekseevna. She, after a certain period of time, occupied the Russian throne, and went down in history as Catherine II. The relationship between the spouses did not work out from the very beginning. He was too infantile and limited, but Ekaterina Alekseevna did not like it. For example, he played soldiers with great gusto, and indulged in various children's amusements. In a word, Peter III was not going to grow up. After the death of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna herself (this happened on December 25, 1761), it was Peter Fedorovich who immediately ascended the Russian throne. But he did not have time to crown himself.

Politics

Having ascended the Russian throne, Emperor Peter III immediately did an unprecedented thing. It is worth recalling that Russia then took part in the Seven Years' War (Alexander Suvorov was tempered at that time on the battlefields). So here it is Seven Years' War developed so successfully that it was absolutely safe to put an end to the existence of the German state. There was another option - to oblige Prussia to pay a huge, at that time, indemnity, as well as to knock out trade agreements that were unfavorable to her. Peter III turned out to be a great admirer of Frederick II. Therefore, together with the above actions, he simply concluded a gratuitous peace with Prussia. The Russian people could not like this, because people achieved success on the battlefields with blood and courage. Therefore, this step on the part of the emperor can only be called tyranny and betrayal.

If speak about domestic politics Peter III, then he launched a rather active activity. He issued a huge number of different legal acts, and all this in a short period of time. It is worth highlighting from them the manifesto on the freedom of the nobility, the fight against dissent and the liquidation of the Secret Chancellery. It was under Peter III that the persecution of the Old Believers completely ceased. But in the army, the emperor began to impose the Prussian order. Thus, he succeeded a short time turn a significant part of the country's society against itself.

Pyotr Fedorovich never acted within the framework of a single political program. Most of his actions, according to historians, had, so to speak, a chaotic order. Every day the discontent of the society became stronger, and then a coup d'état followed. Immediately after this (in 1962), the Russian throne was taken by the wife of Peter III - Ekaterina Alekseevna. History will remember her as Catherine II.

Peter III died under very mysterious circumstances in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. Someone believes that it was a transient illness that knocked him down, while others believe that the conspirators, who are also supporters of Catherine II, simply helped him die. Emperor Peter III ruled for only six months (December 1761-July 1762). This time can be characterized by only one word - misunderstanding.

Many people have hobbies that have nothing to do with their main profession. Called the overseas word hobby (from English hobby), such a pastime was no exception among the rulers of our country, the autocrats of the Russian state sometimes had very interesting and unusual activities “for the soul”.

For example, Ivan the Terrible was seriously interested in astrology. It is not surprising that the English astrologer Elisey Bomeley was at the court of the king, who not only compiled horoscopes for Ivan IV, but also taught him the wisdom of his work. True, the Englishman was involved in palace intrigues, and was executed on August 2, 1575.

Another passion of the ruler was chess. Ivan the Terrible even died at the chessboard, arranging the pieces. According to the recollections of eyewitnesses, the king could not manage to put the king in his place, who fell several times.

Alexei Mikhailovich's favorite pastime was falconry. At that time, the position of the royal falconer was very honorable. Aleksey Mikhailovich personally drew up a special charter - "The constable of the falconer's way", which contained the rules of hunting.

To list all the hobbies of the great reformer Peter the Great is not an easy task. Whatever the sovereign did not do: he built ships, sewed boots, tore the teeth of the courtiers. I even tried to learn how to weave bast shoes, however, unsuccessfully. Peter angrily threw away the unwoven bast shoe, declaring "that there is no trickier craft."

But Emperor Peter the Third liked to play with soldiers. Once the sovereign even ordered the execution of a rat that crept into his chambers and ate two soldiers made of starch. The perfidious animal was hanged.

Nicholas the First rested from state affairs, developing sketches of uniforms for Russian army. The emperor was so passionate about this occupation that he could sit for days on drawings of a military uniform.

Alexander III was passionate about fishing and hunting. At the age of twenty, he was already hunting bears. In 1894, the autocrat caught a bad cold while hunting in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and developed nephritis - an acute inflammation of the kidneys. At the insistence of doctors, the emperor left for treatment in the Crimea, where he died on October 20, 1894.

Nicholas II loved to play tennis, play the violin and chop wood. Even in 1918, while in custody with his family in Yekaterinburg, Nikolai was very lamented that he was deprived of the opportunity to do what he loved.