According to official records kept in the archives of the Secret Chancellery of Sovereign Peter I, on June 26 (July 7), 1718, in a cell of the Peter and Paul Fortress, a previously convicted state criminal, Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich Romanov, died of a stroke (cerebral hemorrhage). This version of the death of the heir to the throne raises great doubts among historians and makes them think about his murder, committed on the orders of the king.
Childhood of the heir to the throne
Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, who by right of birth was supposed to succeed his father, Tsar Peter I, on the Russian throne, was born on February 18 (28), 1690 in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow, where the royal summer residence was located. It was founded by his grandfather - Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, who died in 1676, in whose honor the young heir to the crown received his name. From then on, Saint Alexis, the man of God, became his heavenly patron. The Tsarevich’s mother was the first wife of Peter I, Evdokia Fedorovna (née Lopukhina), who was imprisoned by him in a monastery in 1698 and, according to legend, cursed the entire Romanov family.
In the early years of his life, Alexei Petrovich lived in the care of his grandmother, Dowager Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna (née Naryshkina), the second wife of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. According to contemporaries, even then he was distinguished by a hot-tempered disposition, which is why, having begun to learn to read and write at the age of six, he often beat his mentor, the petty nobleman Nikifor Vyazemsky. He also loved to pull the beard of the confessor assigned to him, Yakov Ignatiev, a deeply pious and pious man.
In 1698, after his wife was imprisoned in the Suzdal-Pokrovsky Monastery, Peter transferred his son to the care of his beloved sister, Natalya Alekseevna. And before, the sovereign had little interest in the details of Alyosha’s life, but from then on he stopped worrying about him altogether, limiting himself only to sending his son new teachers twice in a short time, whom he selected from among highly educated foreigners.
Difficult child
However, no matter how hard the teachers tried to instill the European spirit in the young man, all their efforts were in vain. According to Vyazemsky’s denunciation, which he sent to the Tsar in 1708, Alexei Petrovich tried in every possible way to evade the activities prescribed to him, preferring to communicate with various kinds of “priests and monks-monks,” among whom he often indulged in drunkenness. The time spent with them contributed to the rooting of hypocrisy and hypocrisy in him, which had a detrimental effect on the formation of the young man’s character.
In order to eradicate these extremely undesirable inclinations in his son and introduce him to the real business, the tsar instructed him to supervise the training of recruits recruited in connection with the advance of the Swedes deep into Russia. However, the results of his activities were extremely insignificant, and, worst of all, he went without permission to the Suzdal-Pokrovsky Monastery, where he met his mother. With this rash act, the prince incurred the wrath of his father.
Brief married life
In 1707, when Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich turned 17 years old, the question arose about his marriage. From among the contenders for marriage with the heir to the throne, the 13-year-old Austrian princess Charlotte of Wolfenbüttel was chosen, who was very cleverly matched to the future groom by his teacher and tutor, Baron Hussein. Marriage between members of the reigning families is a purely political issue, so they were in no particular hurry with it, carefully considering all the possible consequences of this step. As a result, the wedding, which was celebrated with extraordinary pomp, took place only in October 1711.
Three years after marriage, his wife gave birth to a girl, Natalya, and after some time a boy. This only son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, named after his crowned grandfather, eventually ascended to the Russian throne and became Tsar Peter II. However, soon a misfortune happened - as a result of complications that arose during childbirth, Charlotte unexpectedly died. The widowed prince never married again, and he was consoled as best he could by the young beauty Euphrosyne, a serf maiden given to him by Vyazemsky.
Son rejected by father
From the biography of Alexei Petrovich it is known that further events took an extremely unfavorable turn for him. The fact is that in 1705, his father’s second wife, Catherine, gave birth to a child who turned out to be a boy and, therefore, the heir to the throne, in the event that Alexei abandoned him. In this situation, the sovereign, who had previously not loved the son born of a woman whom he treacherously hid in a monastery, became imbued with hatred towards him.
This feeling, raging in the tsar’s chest, was largely fueled by anger caused by Alexei Petrovich’s reluctance to share with him the work of Europeanizing patriarchal Russia, and by the desire to leave the throne to the new contender who had barely been born - Pyotr Petrovich. As you know, fate opposed this wish of his, and the child died at an early age.
In order to stop all attempts by his eldest son to claim the crown in the future, and to remove himself out of sight, Peter I decided to follow the path already trodden by him and force him to become a monk, as he once did with his mother. Subsequently, the conflict between Alexei Petrovich and Peter I became even more acute, forcing the young man to take the most drastic measures.
Flight from Russia
In March 1716, when the sovereign was in Denmark, the prince also went abroad, allegedly wanting to meet his father in Copenhagen and inform him of his decision regarding monastic tonsure. Voivode Vasily Petrovich Kikin, who then held the position of head of the St. Petersburg Admiralty, helped him cross the border, contrary to the royal ban. He subsequently paid for this service with his life.
Finding himself outside of Russia, the heir to the throne Alexei Petrovich, the son of Peter I, unexpectedly for the retinue accompanying him, changed his route, and, bypassing Gdansk, went straight to Vienna, where he then conducted separate negotiations both with the Austrian Emperor Charles himself and with the whole a number of other European rulers. This desperate step, which the prince was forced to take by circumstances, was nothing more than high treason, but he had no other choice.
Far-reaching plans
As is clear from the materials of the investigation, in which the fugitive prince became a defendant some time later, he planned, having settled on the territory of the Holy Roman Empire, to wait for the death of his father, who, according to rumors, was seriously ill at that time and could die at any moment. After this, he hoped, with the help of the same Emperor Charles, to ascend to the Russian throne, resorting, if necessary, to the help of the Austrian army.
In Vienna they reacted very sympathetically to his plans, believing that Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, the son of Peter I, would be an obedient puppet in their hands, but they did not dare to openly intervene, considering it too risky an undertaking. They sent the conspirator himself to Naples, where, under the skies of Italy, he had to hide from the all-seeing eye of the Secret Chancellery and monitor the further development of events.
Historians have at their disposal a very interesting document - a report from the Austrian diplomat Count Schoenberg, which he sent to Emperor Charles in 1715. It states, among other things, that the Russian Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich Romanov has neither the intelligence, nor the energy, nor the courage necessary for decisive action aimed at seizing power. Based on this, the count considered it inappropriate to provide him with any assistance. It is possible that it was this message that saved Russia from another foreign invasion.
Homecoming
Having learned about the flight of his son abroad and foreseeing the possible consequences, Peter I took the most decisive measures to capture him. He entrusted direct leadership of the operation to the Russian ambassador to the Viennese court, Count A.P. Veselovsky, but he, as it turned out later, assisted the prince, hoping that when he came to power he would reward him for the services rendered. This miscalculation brought him to the chopping block.
Nevertheless, agents of the Secret Chancellery very soon established the location of the fugitive hiding in Naples. The Holy Roman Emperor responded to their request for the extradition of a state criminal with a decisive refusal, but allowed the royal envoys - Alexander Rumyantsev and Peter Tolstoy - to meet with him. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the nobles handed the prince a letter in which his father guaranteed him forgiveness of guilt and personal safety in the event of a voluntary return to his homeland.
As subsequent events showed, this letter was just an insidious trick aimed at luring the fugitive to Russia and dealing with him there. Anticipating such an outcome of events and no longer hoping for help from Austria, the prince tried to win over the Swedish king to his side, but never received an answer to the letter sent to him. As a result, after a series of persuasion, intimidation and all sorts of promises, the fugitive heir to the Russian throne, Alexei Petrovich Romanov, agreed to return to his homeland.
Under the yoke of accusations
Repression fell on the prince as soon as he arrived in Moscow. It began with the fact that on February 3 (14), 1718, the sovereign’s manifesto was published depriving him of all rights of succession to the throne. In addition, as if wanting to enjoy the humiliation of his own son, Peter I forced him within the walls of the Assumption Cathedral to publicly swear an oath that he would never again lay claim to the crown and would renounce it in favor of his half-brother, the young Peter Petrovich. At the same time, the sovereign again committed an obvious deception, promising Alexei, subject to a voluntary admission of guilt, complete forgiveness.
Literally the next day after the oath taken in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, the head of the Secret Chancellery, Count Tolstoy, began an investigation. His goal was to clarify all the circumstances related to the treason committed by the prince. From the records of the inquiry it is clear that during interrogations, Alexey Petrovich, showing cowardice, tried to shift the blame to the closest dignitaries, who allegedly forced him to enter into separate negotiations with the rulers of foreign states.
Everyone he pointed out was immediately executed, but this did not help him avoid answering. The defendant was exposed by many irrefutable evidence of guilt, among which the testimony of his mistress, the same serf maiden Euphrosyne, generously given to him by Vyazemsky, turned out to be especially disastrous.
Death Sentence
The Emperor closely followed the progress of the investigation, and sometimes he himself conducted the investigation, which formed the basis of the plot of the famous painting by N. N. Ge, in which Tsar Peter interrogates Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich in Peterhof. Historians note that at this stage the defendants were not handed over to executioners and their testimony was considered voluntary. However, there is a possibility that the former heir slandered himself out of fear of possible torment, and the girl Euphrosyne was simply bribed.
One way or another, by the end of the spring of 1718, the investigation had sufficient materials to accuse Alexei Petrovich of treason, and the trial that took place soon sentenced him to death. It is known that at the meetings his attempt to seek help from Sweden, a state with which Russia was then at war, was not mentioned, and the decision was made on the basis of the remaining episodes of the case. According to contemporaries, upon hearing the verdict, the prince was horrified and on his knees begged his father to forgive him, promising to immediately become a monk.
The defendant spent the entire previous period of time in one of the casemates of the Peter and Paul Fortress, ironically becoming the first prisoner of the notorious political prison into which the citadel founded by his father gradually turned. Thus, the building with which the history of St. Petersburg began is forever associated with the name of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich (a photo of the fortress is presented in the article).
Various versions of the death of the prince
Now let's turn to the official version of the death of this unfortunate scion of the House of Romanov. As mentioned above, the cause of death that occurred even before the sentence was carried out was called a blow, that is, hemorrhage in the brain. Perhaps in court circles they believed this, but modern researchers have great doubts about this version.
First of all, in the second half of the 19th century, Russian historian N. G. Ustryalov published documents according to which, after the verdict, Tsarevich Alexei was subjected to terrible torture, apparently wanting to find out some additional circumstances of the case. It is possible that the executioner was overzealous and his actions caused his unexpected death.
In addition, there is evidence from persons involved in the investigation who claimed that while in the fortress, the prince was secretly killed on the orders of his father, who did not want to compromise the Romanov family name with a public execution. This option is quite probable, but the fact is that their testimony is extremely contradictory in detail, and therefore cannot be taken on faith.
By the way, at the end of the 19th century, a letter allegedly written by a direct participant in those events, Count A.I. Rumyantsev, and addressed to a prominent statesman of the Peter the Great era, V.N. Tatishchev, became widely known in Russia. In it, the author talks in detail about the violent death of the prince at the hands of jailers who carried out the order of the sovereign. However, after proper examination, it was determined that this document was a fake.
And finally, there is another version of what happened. According to some information, Tsarevich Alexei suffered from tuberculosis for a long time. It is possible that the experiences caused by the trial and the death sentence imposed on him provoked a sharp exacerbation of the disease, which became the cause of his sudden death. However, this version of what happened is not supported by convincing evidence.
Disgrace and subsequent rehabilitation
Alexei was buried in the cathedral of the very Peter and Paul Fortress, of which he happened to be the first prisoner. Tsar Peter Alekseevich was personally present at the burial, wanting to make sure that the body of his hated son was swallowed up by the earth. He soon issued several manifestos condemning the deceased, and Novgorod Archbishop Feofan (Prokopovich) wrote an appeal to all Russians, in which he justified the tsar’s actions.
The name of the disgraced prince was consigned to oblivion and was not mentioned until 1727, when, by the will of fate, his son ascended to the Russian throne and became Emperor of Russia, Peter II. Having come to power, this young man (he was barely 12 years old at the time) completely rehabilitated his father, ordering that all articles and manifestos compromising him be withdrawn from circulation. As for the work of Archbishop Feofan, published at one time under the title “The Truth of the Will of the Monarchs,” it, too, was declared to be malicious sedition.
Real events through the eyes of artists
The image of Tsarevich Alexei is reflected in the works of many Russian artists. It is enough to recall the names of the writers - D. S. Merezhkovsky, D. L. Mordovtsev, A. N. Tolstoy, as well as the artist N. N. Ge, who was already mentioned above. He created a portrait of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, full of drama and historical truth. But one of his most striking incarnations was the role played by Nikolai Cherkasov in the film “Peter the First,” directed by the outstanding Soviet director V. M. Petrov.
In it, this historical character appears as a symbol of the bygone century and the deeply conservative forces that prevented the implementation of progressive reforms, as well as the danger posed by foreign powers. This interpretation of the image was fully consistent with official Soviet historiography; his death was presented as an act of just retribution.
Tsarevich Alexey Petrovich
There are many pages in Russian history that are difficult to read, but necessary. If these pages are torn out, you will get a popular print - a series of high-profile victories and brilliant breakthroughs against the backdrop of wise transformations and fateful decisions of worthy rulers. This story is warm and comfortable - it feels cozy, like in a good hotel room somewhere in the Maldives. But Russia is not a coral atoll, and our history is not popular print, but an explosive mixture of Shakespearean drama, military reports, family chronicles and detective stories.
We will turn to one of the most difficult pages of Russian history to read in modern times - the death of Tsarevich Alexei, the son of Peter I. The conflict with his father turned into death for the Tsarevich in the prime of his life in the dungeons of the Peter and Paul Fortress. A family drama with a chilling ending.
Today this is the Peter and Paul Fortress - almost the main tourist attraction of St. Petersburg. Honored guests of the city personally fire at 12 noon from a cannon installed on the Naryshkin Bastion. The walking public happily takes pictures on the knees of the Shemyakino monument to Peter I. Noisy city and corporate celebrations are held. In summer, the fortress also turns into the main city beach.
It’s hard to believe that for 200 years the Peter and Paul Fortress was the Russian Bastille, the main political prison of the empire and struck terror into the hearts of the Tsar’s subjects. The transformation of the fortress into a prison took place on the day when the first prisoner was placed there. This happened on June 14, 1718. The prisoner’s name was Alexey Petrovich. In Russian history he is known as Tsarevich Alexei. After 16 days, Alexei Petrovich was buried there, in the Peter and Paul Fortress. The fortress on Hare Island became not only the main Russian prison, but also the main Russian cemetery. Seven years later, the first Russian Emperor Peter I will be buried there.
The high-born prisoner of the Russian Bastille dies right where the first stone of this capital, and in fact, of this state, was laid. Moreover, they bury him in the same place - as if they were making a sacrifice as a pledge.
The story of the death of Tsarevich Alexei is more like a novelist’s fiction than a chronicle of real events. His death is filled with ominous symbolism. The events that preceded it, as we will see, are a full-fledged scenario for some absolutely incredible historical thriller.
Fleeing abroad with a mistress dressed in a man's dress. CONSPIRACY. Big European politics. Spies in Vienna. Secret agents in Naples. The finale includes torture and brutal executions. It was an absolutely amazing time. There are simply no analogues in Russian history. No wonder Pushkin, in a dispute with Chaadaev, said that “Peter the Great... alone is world history.”
Tsarevich Alexei fell victim to this incredibly stressful time. For almost 300 years, there has been fierce controversy surrounding his death. Who is he - a punished villain or a victim of a villain? The question is fundamental, because the answer to it determines our attitude towards the path Russia took with the light hand of Peter.
In the endless dispute between Westerners and Slavophiles, Tsarevich Alexei always appears. In the Slavophile version of Russian history, he is a champion of Russian antiquity, who paid with his life for his beliefs. He is the first victim of the Westernization of Russia.
Tsarevich Alexei is Peter’s son from his first wife Evdokia Lopukhina. Born in 1690, he grew up near his mother until the age of eight, when Queen Evdokia was forcibly sent to a monastery. He was brought up under the supervision of teachers in Moscow. From the age of 17, he carried out his father’s orders in the army, being deep in the rear. Over the course of several years, Peter became completely disillusioned with his son, becoming convinced of his complete indifference to the affairs of the state.
In 1711, the marriage of Alexei and Princess Charlotte, a relative of the Austrian emperor, took place. The marriage was unsuccessful and short-lived. After the death of his wife in 1715, Alexei was given a choice by his father: either selfless work for the good of the country, or a monastery. At the first opportunity, the prince flees to Vienna and hides in the domains of the Austrian emperor for more than a year. Upon returning to Russia, he was put on trial, sentenced to death, after which he dies under unclear circumstances.
Everything seems obvious. Unloved son. Overbearing father. Fleeing from the monastery, the prince flees abroad. Returned. Convicted. Died. Here, no matter how you feel about Peter’s personality and transformations, it is difficult to justify him. I can’t wrap my head around such cruelty towards my own son.
But, as the French say, the devil is in the details. Peter really was not an exemplary father for Alexei, but his attitude towards his son was not initially biased. He involved him in the affairs of the state, took him on campaigns, trying to understand his abilities and capabilities. Not to mention that he took care of his education, appointing teachers and even sending him abroad for a short time. Only when Peter became convinced in practice that his son was not interested in either study or work, that he was indifferent to the fate of the fleet, the army, and all his father’s reforms, only then did Peter take an extremely tough position towards his son.
This was a tragedy not only for Alexei, but also for Peter. At the time of Alexei’s death, Peter was convinced not only that his son did not share his views on the future of the country, but also that he was his fierce opponent. The prince was sentenced to death not for disobedience, but for plotting against his father.
The question is whether there was a conspiracy. If there was, then Peter acts as a victim - a father betrayed by his son is forced, in the interests of the country, to agree to a death sentence for his own child. If there was no conspiracy, then the victim is Alexey. This unfortunate young man did not meet the high demands of his great father, for which he was accused of all mortal sins and destroyed.
FIRST AND ONLY VERSION: FAILED EXECUTION OF A POLITICAL CONSPIRACY
It was officially announced that the prince died from a stroke. Immediately after his death, a rumor spread among the people that the prince was killed either by Peter himself, or on his orders. This folk version turned out to be extremely tenacious - it periodically surfaced in both the 19th and 20th centuries. However, there is no serious evidence in its favor. Most likely - as most historians believe today - Alexei died, unable to withstand the severe torture to which he was subjected in the last week of his life.
If Alexei was not killed on the direct orders of Peter (and this, most likely, was the case), then there is no crime. The fact is that for that time torture was a completely normal investigative measure, and the prince was under investigation. He died because he was in poor health. Not a deliberate murder, but an ordinary excess, an accident.
Torture is a legally established part of the investigative process in Russia in the 17th–18th centuries. Only testimony given under torture was of real value in the eyes of the court and investigation.
In Russia, the most widely used methods were hanging on the rack, whipping and torture by fire. Before torture, the defendant was completely undressed, thus, according to the ideas of the time, the person was deprived of honor. Women were tortured just like men. Deaths during the test were rare. The executioner's task was to preserve the life of the defendant in order to testify. At the same time, having been subjected to torture, a person most often remained disabled. Formally, torture in Russia was prohibited in 1801, but was unofficially used before the start of the great reforms.
Alexei Petrovich was tortured continuously. After the end of the investigation and the court verdict, he was subjected to "whiskey". The body, with its hands tied, was lifted to the ceiling and beaten with a whip on the stretched skin. They covered the bleeding wounds with cabbage leaves to heal, and after a few days they beat them again. The last two times the prince received 20 blows with a whip, and before his death another 15. He could have died from blood poisoning or from painful shock.
Tormenting your son like that? But there was never a close relationship between Peter and Alexei, although for the time being Peter perceived his son as a future heir, and hoped that he would someday show interest in the affairs of the state and come to his senses. It is known that more than anything else in the world, Alexei loved idleness and drunkenness. Peter also drank heavily, but this never interfered with the matter.
As soon as Alexei had an alternative as an heir, Peter gave him an ultimatum: either radical correction or disinheritance. On October 12, 1715, Alexei’s son Peter was born, 10 days later his wife Charlotte died, two weeks later she was buried, and the very next day Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna was delivered from her pregnancy - Peter Petrovich was born. Now Peter I had a choice of heirs - two sons and a grandson. Alexei seemed the worst option.
In the fall of 1715, Peter finally decided for himself that his son was not suitable as an heir, and directly stated this to Alexei. The prince decided to play for time and wait for the storm to pass. At that time, he probably did not yet understand how serious his father’s intentions were. Alexey Petrovich consulted with close people. These were Alexander Vasilyevich Kikin and Prince Vasily Dolgoruky. Kikin is Peter’s former orderly, who defected to the prince after he was convicted of embezzlement. Dolgoruky is a lieutenant general, a representative of a famous family. Both advised the prince to renounce the throne. Alexey writes to his father that he refuses the inheritance in favor of his brother, and also entrusts his own children to the will of Peter.
But this was only the beginning of a sinister game between father and son. Peter was too smart not to understand that Alexei was trying to gain time. If something happened to Peter, the throne would most likely go not to his young son from Catherine, but to Alexei, who had the sympathies of many representatives of the nobility and some church hierarchs on his side. Peter had no doubt that the eldest unloved son, in the event of his death, would immediately renounce his words and lay claim to the throne.
Peter constantly tightens his demands on his son. First he abdicated the throne, then he took tonsure. He is obviously looking for guarantees that Alexei will not get power. The Tsar demands an immediate decision from Alexei: “either abolish your character... or become a monk.” The prince responded to this letter the very next day: “I wish you the monastic rank.”
Of course, tonsure into monasticism provides some guarantees. Monks do not ascend to the throne. Vasily Shuisky was tonsured a monk at one time precisely so that he would never interfere with becoming a king. But the story of Filaret Romanov, sent to a monastery on the orders of Boris Godunov, shows that there are other cases. Filaret himself did not sit on the throne, but he actually ruled Russia for his son Mikhail Fedorovich.
Peter did not receive a 100% guarantee even if Alexei was tonsured. He didn't trust him too much. And it is obvious that the last demand was just another move in the sinister game that the monarch was playing. But why did Peter so stubbornly refuse to believe his son? Is this autocratic paranoia, or did the tsar have real reasons not to trust the prince?
No, Peter’s suspicions were not unfounded. Alexey was lying when he expressed his consent to go to the monastery. This was confirmed when Peter sent his son a third letter, this time from Copenhagen, where he had gone to prepare the next operation against the Swedes. In the letter, the king again demanded a final decision: either immediately become a monk, or come to his senses and join his father and the army and participate in the war together, as befits an assistant and heir. After this third letter, Alexey decides to flee abroad. It is obvious that he was not going to join any monastery and preferred high treason to monasticism - this is how flight abroad was regarded.
Alexey himself was by no means a fool, and his advisers were cunning. He was not the neurasthenic we remember from the film “Peter the First,” brilliantly performed by Nikolai Cherkasov. The prince planned and carried out his escape deliberately and deftly. Borrowed money. He deceived Peter by saying that he was going to see him in Copenhagen. And with his mistress Euphrosyne dressed in a man’s dress, he disappeared into the vastness of Europe and showed up in Vienna.
Alexey committed a state crime. For what? Is it only out of fear of being tonsured? Was this flight an impulsive step in response to the despotism of the father, who demanded that his son be tonsured as a monk, or was it part of a cunning conspiracy? This is the question we have to answer.
The same Alexey Kikin advised Alexey to flee to Vienna. This was the most obvious choice. Emperor Charles VI is a powerful European monarch, and he is related to Alexei. The Tsarevich's late wife was the sister of the Tsarevich's wife.
Alexey not only asks Karl for political asylum, but also places himself under his relative protection. The emperor finds himself in such a position that he cannot hand over the fugitive without damaging his own reputation. He values this reputation and, with complete secrecy, hides his relative in the distant fortress of Ehrenberg in Upper Tyrol. Alexei arrives there at the very end of 1716. At this time, Peter's agents are scouring all over Europe, looking for a high-born fugitive.
The behavior of the prince in Vienna, if not suggestive of a conspiracy, at least confirms the fact of his treason. Alexey declares that he became a victim of his father’s despotism and the slander of Menshikov and Catherine. Allegedly, Peter, at the instigation of his wife and his vizier, decided to exclude Alexei and his children, relatives of the Austrian Caesar, from the inheritance in favor of Catherine’s newly born son. Thus, he made Charles himself a victim of the willfulness of the Russian Tsar.
They say that Alexey himself is pure before his father, he never plotted anything against him and always conscientiously carried out his will. Further, he directly denounces Peter, Menshikov, and Catherine. Tells about the cruelty and bloodsucking of the king. He claims that Peter and Catherine hated his late wife Charlotte, a relative of the Tsar, and they also hate her children. This was an outright lie, because it was Alexey who, more than anyone else in St. Petersburg, poisoned the life of his wife, whom he could not stand, and he transferred this attitude towards her to his own children from her. On the contrary, Peter and Catherine always patronized her.
Alexey never gave up his dream of taking the Russian throne after his father. He did not flee to the enemy in Sweden, but left the door open for a future return. He denied the fact of his own voluntary renunciation of the inheritance, although it is confirmed by his own letter, which has been preserved. It is obvious that, asking for political asylum in Vienna, he expected to wait until Peter’s death and then intended to present his claims to the throne.
Were the plans for the future power simply empty dreams or were there some forces within the country behind the actions of the prince? The later investigation into his case revealed a huge number, if not of Alexei’s supporters, then of people who sympathize with him. Peter, like any radical reformer, had many ill-wishers. Neither the old Moscow nobility nor the common people loved him.
Most of the Russian clergy, including the hierarchy, sympathized with Alexei. They all hated Peter I. Stefan Yavorsky, who is sometimes unfairly called the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, in 1712 preaches a sermon about Alexy, the man of God. This is the patron saint of Tsarevich Alexei. And at the end there is a prayer to Alexy, the man of God, and it says that he should help his namesake, the only hope of Russia.
So, even if there was no conspiracy by the prince against Peter, there was obviously a social basis for it. There was a powerful, although not yet organized, party that flocked to Alexei. He had someone to count on.
The runaway son posed a real danger to Peter. We have not yet found out whether he was plotting to remove Peter from the throne, but we received confirmation that in the event of his father’s death he was definitely going to fight for power. For Peter this was unacceptable. He considered Alexei unfit to govern the state.
The king sent his agents after his son. He soon found out that he was hiding in the possessions of the Austrian emperor. The task of returning the fugitive turned out to be extremely difficult. It was not easy to compete with such a powerful monarch. Some extraordinary person was needed to complete this task. It turned out to be Pyotr Andreevich Tolstoy. Perhaps he was the only one on whom the king could entrust this mission.
Pyotr Andreevich Tolstoy is a statesman and diplomat. From the small landed nobility. Before Peter's accession to the throne, he sided with his opponents, the Miloslavskys. The only one from the losing party made a career in Peter's time. He studied in Italy to become a sailor. Upon his return, he went as envoy to Istanbul, where he achieved serious diplomatic successes. An absolutely unprincipled diplomat and politician. In 1718 he headed a secret political investigation. With the accession of Emperor Peter II, the son of Tsarevich Alexei, he was put on trial in 1727 and sent to Solovki, where he died two years later. The founder of the Tolstoy count family. Great-great-grandfather of Leo Tolstoy.
To help Tolstoy, Peter equipped another extraordinary person, guards captain Alexander Ivanovich Rumyantsev. If Tolstoy was a cunning diplomat, then Rumyantsev was a real secret agent, the Russian James Bond of the early 18th century. By the way, the descendants of Rumyantsev became famous in Russian history in the same way as the descendants of Tolstoy. The most famous of them is the son of our captain, Count and Field Marshal Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky.
In the summer of 1717, Rumyantsev and Tolstoy in Vienna. Rumyantsev managed to find out the exact location of the prince, who by that time had been transferred to Naples, which had recently fallen to the Austrians. Now it’s Tolstoy’s turn, who will have to get permission from the emperor to act, that is, to begin an operation to return Alexei.
The task before Tolstoy and Rumyantsev seems to be impossible - to persuade Alexei to voluntarily return to his homeland, to his father, whom he fears and hates.
But Peter Tolstoy shows all his diplomatic talent. He asks the friendly Austrian court not to interfere in a purely family quarrel between father and son.
Tsarevich Alexei is guaranteed forgiveness and gives him a letter from his father: “Son, come back, nothing bad will happen to you.” He recruits Euphrosyne with promises and money, and she begins to persuade Alexei to obey the Tsar. And, in the end, Alexey Petrovich cannot stand it and goes back to his homeland.
Before Alexei returned to his homeland, there was no talk of a conspiracy. It is obvious that if the prince was accused of conspiracy, no Tolstoy would have been able to lure him out of Naples. Alexey knew his father’s character very well, and knew how he dealt with those who encroached on his power. The case of conspiracy will arise as soon as the prince appears in Moscow, before the eyes of his parent. Was this case artificially fabricated, like Stalin’s political trials, or was Alexei just a crappy son of a brilliant father?
So, Alexey decided to return, having received from his father a promise of forgiveness and permission to marry his mistress, the serf girl Efrosinya. On February 3, 1718 he arrives in Moscow. On the same day, his abdication of the throne is officially formalized in favor of his half-brother Pyotr Petrovich. At the end of the ceremony, Peter publicly asks his son a question about who his accomplices were, that is, who was behind the organization of the escape. And then Alexey makes a fatal mistake - he names names. Thus begins the loudest political process in Russian history of the 18th century.
The very next day, Peter personally compiled a list of questions that his son had to answer: about accomplices, about treasonous conversations, about secret correspondence with Russia during the escape, about letters sent from Austria, about Austrian advisers. At the end there was a threat that if the prince concealed something in his testimony, then “for this, sorry not, sorry,” that is, the promised forgiveness would not happen.
Weak-willed and cowardly, Aleksey, in a panic, begins to bombard the investigation with names, blaming his own entourage, who allegedly led him with their advice along the path of treason. There were only a few real accomplices during the escape. Alexey names dozens - those who, as it seemed to him, sympathized with the tsar’s son, who lent him money, with whom he spoke on abstract topics. He even goes so far as to openly slander him, naming the names of those who have once displeased him.
It was a huge mistake. Firstly, it created the feeling of an extensive conspiracy. Secondly, new people arrested in the case appeared, who, under torture, testified against the prince, destroying his own legend of passive participation. The process grew, and soon, along with Alexei, the second main defendant appeared - his mother, Evdokia Lopukhina.
Evdokia Fedorovna Lopukhina, Tsarina Evdokia - the first wife of Peter I. From a poor and humble noble family. Chosen as Peter's wife by his mother, Natalya Naryshkina. She was distinguished by her exceptional beauty and narrow-minded mind. The marriage was unhappy. Peter did not feel any feelings for Evdokia.
Upon returning from a trip abroad in 1698, Peter insisted on tonsuring his wife as a nun. In monasticism she took the name Elena. Placed in the Suzdal Intercession Monastery. After the trial of Tsarevich Alexei, she was transferred to the Assumption Ladoga Monastery, essentially in the position of a prisoner. Upon the accession of her grandson, Emperor Peter II, she was returned to Moscow in 1727 and again became known as Tsarina Evdokia Fedorovna. After which she lived for another four years.
She did not take any part in her son’s escape. The investigation into Alexei's case accidentally revealed her connection with Colonel Glebov and less serious violations of monastic vows, as well as criminal conversations with Bishop Dosifei. Even Petra’s sister Marya Alekseevna was involved in the case. The punishments were severe. The investigation artificially gave the case a political turn.
Evdokia Lopukhina actually did not commit any crime. Peter sent her to a monastery as a young woman, probably, and there, perhaps, she entered into a relationship with Stepan Glebov, but this is not a state crime. Stepan Glebov died painfully, impaled. Metropolitan Dositheus of Rostov was defrocked and executed because he commemorated Evdokia, and not Catherine, as the ruling queen.
During the investigation, Tsarevich Alexei is asked: “Did you tell your confessor Yakov Ignatiev that you are waiting for your father’s death?” “Well, he did, yes, he did.” And Yakov Ignatiev told him: “What kind of sin is this? We are all waiting for his death, because there is a lot of hardship among the people.”
Interrogations showed that many really hoped for Peter's death. Alexey Petrovich, if you like, was with his people. The people experienced endless hardships from the reign of Peter the Great. The population of Russia during his reign decreased by a third. And basically everyone wanted this torment of endless wars and reforms to finally end, and to be able to live at least a little in peace.
At the very least, the conspiracy case was blown out of proportion. This is a political process, obviously pursuing some goals other than finding out the truth. With the trial against Alexei, Peter tried to pull the rug out from under the feet of the opposition, opponents of his reforms, who saw in the prince a symbol of a return to the old order. It was not for nothing that in his testimony Alexei named many names of people who had sympathetic conversations with him - these were the most prominent dignitaries, representatives of the most noble families.
If all of them had been involved in the case, then 1718 would have gone down in Russian history as the country's first Great Purge, and Peter would have acted as Stalin's direct predecessor. But Peter, despite persistent comparisons, was not Stalin. He deliberately slowed down the investigation and prevented the circle of accused from expanding endlessly.
Whether he believed in the reality of the conspiracy or not is a question. The fact that he agreed to sacrifice his son to the interests of the state is a fact. In the same interests of the state, he did not allow this process to turn into a Great Purge, as Stalin would have done. This would seriously damage the country's image, putting it on a par with eastern despotisms, and not with European states. That is why, at the end of the trial, Peter organized a trial of the prince, who passed the verdict. He himself seemed to distance himself from deciding the fate of his son, although he had every right as an absolute monarch.
Peter promised his son forgiveness. He could not blatantly break his promise. The court resolved this problem. Also, the trial of the Tsar's son demonstrated that there are laws in Russia. In addition, by forcing all state dignitaries to pass judgment on this case, Peter, as it were, bound them with mutual responsibility.
Alexey was not allowed to come to his senses. As soon as Peter launched this process and began organizing the trial, Alexey was transferred to a cell in the Peter and Paul Fortress. And soon he was subjected to torture, which was repeated several times and in which, as we have already said, his father was sometimes present. This is the creepiest part of our history. Torture was completely unnecessary. The matter is virtually completed. Testimony has been collected. All the culprits were executed. It is also surprising that, showing absolute lack of will throughout the entire process, Alexey, having experienced terrible torment, came to trial as a completely different person - calm, decisive, full of inner strength. He told the judges about his direct participation in the conspiracy against the king, essentially signing his own death warrant.
The court pronounced a death sentence, but the prince died not at the hands of the executioner, but in his cell in the Peter and Paul Fortress. This death is shrouded in mystery. Most likely, he was poisoned or strangled, because Peter could not allow the public execution of the prince. Versions of death: from the consequences of torture or murder on the orders of Peter. It is impossible for us to establish the truth.
So, there was no “conspiracy of Tsarevich Alexei.” The Tsarevich, of course, hoped to outlive his father and return to Russia and ascend the throne. And Peter wanted to deprive Alexei Petrovich of succession to the throne. Peter had another son from Catherine, Pyotr Petrovich. And Peter wanted to leave the throne to him. To do this, it was necessary to destroy his eldest son, Alexei Petrovich
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Who is Tsarevich Alexei? A traitor, a traitor, or an unfortunate person who failed to please his oppressive father? Who influenced the conflict between Peter and his son, which led to the famous Decree on Succession to the Throne of February 5, 1722.
"The king is played by his retinue"
And the young man is his educators. The first blow befell the prince in childhood - he became an orphan while his mother was alive. Peter I decides to get rid of his legal but unloved wife Evdokia Lopukhina and sends her to a monastery, and transfers his son to be raised by his sister Natalya Alekseevna.
From the age of seven, the semi-literate Nikita Vyazemsky has been educating the boy. Peter at one time thought about sending his son to study abroad, following his example, but the war with Sweden distracted the Russian Tsar from such an unimportant matter as the education of an heir. Only in 1703, when Alexei was already 13 years old, Peter found him a suitable teacher - the German baron Heinrich von Huyssen. He draws up a brilliant educational program for the boy: foreign languages, politics, arithmetic, geometry, fencing, horse riding. But through the intrigues of Menshikov, Huyssen was removed from the upbringing of the prince and sent abroad on a minor assignment.
Later, Alexey will note during one of the interrogations: “from my infancy, I lived somewhat with my mother and with the girls, where I learned nothing other than hut amusements, but rather learned to be a prude, to which I am naturally inclined...”.
Menshikov's care
Without the participation of this man, perhaps not a single event of Peter the Great’s era took place. Among Menshikov’s other merits, Peter I lists “the education of our son, according to the rank of supreme ruler.” But did the emperor know what influence his closest associate had on the young prince?
Menshikov was appointed by Peter as the highest trustee of the heir. But he performed his service without much zeal. He gave the orphaned young man complete freedom, he lived in St. Petersburg, and sent Alexei to Moscow, to Preobrazhenskoye, where he immediately fell under the influence of his relatives, who were dissatisfied with Peter’s policies. From a young age, Alexei, left without supervision, drank alcohol immoderately, gave free rein to his tongue and hands while drunk, and got it from his teachers, his comrades, and even the prince’s confessor.
Peter's particular dissatisfaction was caused by the prince's secret correspondence with the disgraced queen Evdokia and his meeting with her in the Suzdal monastery. What about Menshikov? Did the Most Serene Prince neglect his duties or deliberately push the Tsarevich to the abyss?
Stepmother's intrigues
The marriage of Peter I and Catherine is an almost unprecedented case in history. A peasant woman originally from Livonia becomes the Russian empress, and, of course, feels the fragility of her position. Today she is loved, her children live in prosperity and prosperity, she herself has a huge influence on her husband. But all this may come to an end after the death of Peter and the accession of Alexei. At first, the relationship between the stepson and stepmother is developing well, but after the marriage of Alexei and Princess Charlotte, the Empress greatly lost interest in the young man. And when the princess became pregnant, Catherine began to bully the young couple. The salary promised to Alexei and Charlotte, already small, was either cut or not paid on time. The prince also continued to abuse alcohol. Conflicts constantly broke out between the spouses, and alienation grew. Finally, Alexey leaves his pregnant wife and leaves for Carlsbaden “to get some water.”
Femme fatale
In 1715, Princess Charlotte dies, but her husband is not too upset. He long ago found a new love - the former serf Euphrosyne Fedorova.
A stern ultimatum comes from Peter, who is in Holland at this time: either Alexei takes part in military operations (which the prince had no inclination for) or he will be tonsured a monk. Then Alexey runs abroad. He is accompanied by Euphrosyne, disguised as a page. When, succumbing to threats and persuasion, Alexey returns, his only condition is to marry her. At that time, the girl was already expecting a child from him.
In Russia, the prince is arrested, and Euphrosyne is brought to trial. The records do not mention any child; apparently he died. At the confrontation, the girl confidently denounces the prince, talks about the letters that Alexei wrote to foreign rulers, about the conspiracy against his father and stepmother.
Judging by the official protocols, torture was not used against Euphrosyne Fedorova; moreover, Peter expressed his sympathy for her. What made her testify against the man who loved her selflessly?
Some believe that Euphrosyne was bribed. There is a version according to which she was initially assigned to Tsarevich Menshikov as a secret agent. One thing is clear - it was the betrayal of this woman that led to the death of the prince.
Charles VI
On the advice of his closest circle, Alexei seeks the protection of Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Once in Vienna, he goes to Vice-Chancellor Schönborn and tells him about the reasons for fleeing: the humiliation and rudeness that he suffered at court, the constant fear for his life and the lives of his children.
Schönborn immediately notifies the emperor. Karl decides to take the fugitive under his wing, but did not allow him to approach his person. From Austria the unfortunate prince is transferred to Ehrenberg Castle, and from there to Naples. It seems to Charles VI that Alexei is reliably hidden from the royal spies.
Imagine the emperor’s surprise when Peter’s envoys arrived at the Vienna court, who politely but firmly reported that the Russian Tsar demanded the release of the prince, otherwise he would have to be returned to his homeland “with an armed hand.” Karl understands that hiding Alexei is no longer safe, he convinces the prince to reconcile with his father, and even threatens to remove Euphrosyne from him. This becomes the last straw, and the rebellious prince agrees to return home.
Petr Andreevich Tolstoy
One of the envoys of the Russian Tsar in Vienna was Count Pyotr Andreevich Tolstoy, Privy Councilor and, by the way, great-great-grandfather of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy. He had to conduct official negotiations with high officials of the Viennese court.
We can say that the negotiations were successful. Viceroyal Secretary Weingard, on Tolstoy's orders, informed Alexei that Karl was not going to protect him, and in the event of a military threat, he would immediately hand him over to his father. At the same time, Tolstoy intimidates the Viceroy and threatens Russian military intervention.
But the main thing is that Tolstoy manages to “recruit” Alexei’s mistress, Euphrosyne. She dissuades the prince from fleeing to Rome and seeking the protection of the Pope. Finally, accompanied by Tolstoy, Alexey goes home, the only condition being marriage with Euphrosyne. Tolstoy, on behalf of Peter I, gives consent to this union - but not abroad. Thus, through bribery, blackmail and threats, Tolstoy achieves his goal and brings the disgraced heir to Peter.
A few months later, the eldest son of the first emperor would die in the Peter and Paul Fortress, convicted of treason.
ALEXEY PETROVICH
(18.II.1690 - 26.VI.1718) - Tsarevich, eldest son of Peter I from his first wife E. R. Lopukhina.
Until the age of 8, he was raised by his mother in an environment hostile to Peter I. He feared and hated his father and was reluctant to carry out his instructions, especially military ones. character. The lack of will and indecision of A.P. were used politically. enemies of Peter I. In 1705-06, the reactionary group grouped around the prince. the opposition of the clergy and boyars, opposing the reforms of Peter I. In Oct. 1711 A.P. married Princess Sophia Charlotte of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (d. 1715), with whom he had a son, Peter (later Peter II, 1715-30). Peter I, threatening disinheritance and imprisonment in a monastery, repeatedly demanded that A.P. change his behavior. In con. 1716, fearing punishment, A.P. fled to Vienna under the protection of the Austrians. imp. Charles VI. He hid in Ehrenberg Castle (Tirol), from May 1717 - in Naples. With threats and promises, Peter I achieved the return of his son (Jan. 1718) and forced him to renounce his rights to the throne and hand over his accomplices. On June 24, 1718, the supreme court of the generals, senators and Synod sentenced A.P. to death. According to the current version, he was strangled by the associates of Peter I in the Peter and Paul Fortress.
Soviet historical encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. Ed. E. M. Zhukova.
1973-1982.
Death of Peter I's son Alexei
How did Alexei really die? No one knew this then, and no one knows now. The death of the prince gave rise to rumors and disputes, first in St. Petersburg, then throughout Russia, and then in Europe.
Weber and de Lavie accepted the official explanation and reported to their capitals that the prince had died of apoplexy. But other foreigners doubted it, and various sensational versions were used. Player first reported that Alexei died of apoplexy, but three days later he informed his government that the prince was beheaded with a sword or an ax (many years later there was even a story about how Peter himself cut off his son’s head); According to rumors, some woman from Narva was brought to the fortress to have her head sewn back in place so that the prince’s body could be displayed for farewell. The Dutch resident de Bie reported that the prince was killed by draining all the blood from him, for which his veins were opened with a lancet. Later they also said that Alexei was strangled with pillows by four guards officers, and Rumyantsev was among them.
The truth is that to explain Alexei’s death, no additional reasons are needed: beheading, bloodletting, strangulation, or even apoplexy.
Forty blows of the whip would have been enough to kill any big man, and Alexey was not strong, so mental shock and terrible wounds from forty blows on his skinny back could well have finished him off.
But be that as it may, Peter’s contemporaries believed that the death of the prince was the work of the king himself.
Many were shocked, but the general opinion was that Alexei's death solved all of Peter's problems.
Peter did not shy away from accusations. Although he said that it was the Lord who called Alexei to himself, he never denied that he himself brought Alexei to trial and sentenced him to death. The king did not have time to approve the verdict, but he completely agreed with the decision of the judges. He did not bother himself with hypocritical expressions of grief.
What can we say about this tragedy? Was it just a family drama, a clash of characters, in which a tyrannical father mercilessly torments and ultimately kills his pathetic, helpless son?
In Peter's relationship with his son, personal feelings were inseparably intertwined with political reality. Alexei’s character, of course, aggravated the confrontation between father and son, but at the heart of the conflict was the issue of supreme power. The two monarchs - one on the throne, the other awaiting the throne - had different ideas about the good of the state and set different goals for themselves.
But everyone faced bitter disappointment. While the reigning monarch sat on the throne, the son could only wait, but the monarch also knew that as soon as he was gone, his dreams would come to an end and everything would turn back.
Interrogations revealed that treacherous speeches were made and burning hopes for Peter's death were nurtured. Many were punished; So, was it possible to condemn these secondary culprits and leave the main one unharmed? This was precisely the choice that Peter faced, and it was the same one he proposed to the court. Peter himself, torn between his father's feelings and devotion to his life's work, chose the second.
Alexey was sentenced to death for reasons of state. As for Elizabeth I of England, this was a difficult decision of the monarch, who set the goal at all costs to “preserve” the state on which he had devoted his whole life to creating.
Biofile.ru›History›655.html
The purpose of this article is to find out the true cause of death of Tsarevich ALEXEY PETROVICH by his FULL NAME code.
Let's look at the FULL NAME code tables. \If there is a shift in numbers and letters on your screen, adjust the image scale\.
1 13 19 30 48 54 64 80 86 105 122 137 140 150 174 191 206 219 220 234 249 252
ALEK SEY PETROVICH R O M A N O V 252 251 239 233 222 204 198 188 172 166 147 130 115 112 102 78 61 46 33 32 18 3
17 32 45 46 60 75 78 79 91 97 108 126 132 142 158 164 183 200 215 218 228 252
R O M A N O V A L E K S E Y P E T R O V ICH
252 235 220 207 206 192 177 174 173 161 155 144 126 120 110 94 88 69 52 37 34 24
Knowing all the twists and turns in the final stage of the fate of ALEXEY PETROVICH, it is easy to succumb to temptation and decipher individual numbers as:
64 = EXECUTION. 80 = STRAIGHTED.
But the numbers 122 = STROKE and 137 = APOPLEXY indicate the true cause of death.
And now we will make sure of this.
ROMANOV ALEXEY PETROVICH = 252 = 150-APOPPLEXIA OF THE M\brain\+ 102-...SIJA OF THE BRAIN.
252 = 179-BRAIN APOPLEXIA + 73-...SIYA M\brain\.
It should be noted that the word APOPLEXY is read openly: 1 = A...; 17 = AP...; 32 = APO...; 48 = APOP...; 60 = APOPL...; 105 = APOPLEXI...; 137 = APOPLEXIA.
174 = APOPPLEXIA OF THE MR\ha\
_____________________________
102 = ...BRAIN BRAIN
It seems that the most accurate decoding would be with the word STROKE. Let's check this with two tables: STROKE DEATH and DEATH BY STROKE.
10 24* 42 62 74 103 122*137*150* 168 181 187 204*223 252
I N S U L T O M DEATH
252 242 228*210 190 178 149 130*115* 102* 84 71 65 48* 29
We see the coincidence of the central column 137\\130 (the eighth - from left to right) with the column in the top table.
18* 31 37* 54* 73 102* 112*126*144*164*176 205 224 239*252
DEATH I N S U L T O M
252 234*221 215*198*179 150*140*126*108* 88* 76 47 28 13*
We see the coincidence of two columns 112\\150 and 126\\144, and in our table column 112\\150 is seventh from the left, and column 126\\144 is seventh from the right.
262 = APOPLEXIA OF THE BRAIN\.
Code for the number of full YEARS OF LIFE: 86-TWENTY + 84-EIGHT = 170 = 101-DEAD + 69-END.
Let's look at the column in the top table:
122 = TWENTY SUN\ is \ = STROKE
________________________________________
147 = 101-DECEASED + 46-KONE\ts\
147 - 122 = 25 = UGA\s\.
170 = 86-\ 43-IMPACT + 43-EXHAUS\ + 84-BRAIN.
170 = 127-BRAIN BLOW + 43-EXHAUSTION.
We will find the number 127 = BRAIN Stroke if we add up the letter codes that are included in the FULL NAME code only once:
L=12 + K=11 + S=18 + P=16 + T=19 + H=24 + M=13 + H=14 = 127.
When it comes to the emperor's children Peter the Great, as a rule, they remember the eldest son Tsarevich Alexei, and also a daughter Elizaveta Petrovna who became empress.
In fact, in two marriages, Peter I had more than 10 children. Why did he not have obvious heirs at the time of the emperor’s death, and what was the fate of the offspring of the most famous Russian reformer?
Tsarevich Alexey Petrovich. reproduction
Alexei
Firstborn of Peter and his first wife Evdokia Lopukhina, named Alexey, was born on February 18 (28 according to the new style) 1690 in the village of Preobrazhenskoye.
The first years of his life, Alexei Petrovich was in the care of his grandmother, the queen Natalia Kirillovna. The father, immersed in state affairs, paid practically no attention to raising his son.
After the death of Natalya Kirillovna and the imprisonment of his mother, Evdokia Lopukhina, in a monastery, Peter handed over his son to be raised by his sister, Natalya Alekseevna.
Peter I, who nevertheless became concerned with the education of the heir to the throne, could not find worthy teachers for him.
Alexey Petrovich spent most of his time away from his father, surrounded by people who were not distinguished by high moral principles. Peter's attempts to involve his son in state affairs turned out to be failures.
In 1711, Peter arranged the marriage of his son with the princess Charlotte of Wolfenbüttel, who gave birth to Alexey’s daughter Natalia and son Petra. Shortly after the birth of her son, she died.
The gap between Peter and Alexei by that time had become almost insurmountable. And after the emperor’s second wife gave birth to his son, named Peter, the emperor began to seek from the first-born his renunciation of rights to the throne. Alexei decided to flee and left the country in 1716.
The situation was extremely unpleasant for Peter I - the heir could well be used in political games against him. Russian diplomats were ordered to return the prince to his homeland at any cost.
At the end of 1717, Alexei agreed to return to Russia and in February 1718 solemnly renounced his rights to the throne.
Despite this, the Secret Chancellery began an investigation, suspecting Alexei of treason. As a result of the investigation, the prince was put on trial and sentenced to death as a traitor. He died in the Peter and Paul Fortress on June 26 (July 7), 1718, according to the official version, from a stroke.
Peter I published an official notice, which said that, having heard the death sentence, the prince was horrified, demanded his father, asked him for forgiveness and died in a Christian way, in complete repentance for his deeds.
Alexander and Pavel
Alexander, the second child of Peter and Evdokia Lopukhina, like his older brother, was born in the village of Preobrazhenskoye on October 3 (13), 1691.
The boy lived only seven months and died in Moscow on May 14 (May 24), 1692. The prince was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The inscription on his tombstone reads: “In the summer of 7200 of the month of May, from the 13th day at the fifth hour of the night in the second quarter from Friday to Saturday, in memory of the holy martyr Isidore, who on the island of Chios reposed the servant of God of the Blessed and Pious Great Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich, all "The Autocrat of Great, Lesser and White Russia, and the Blessed and Pious Empress Queen and Grand Duchess Evdokia Feodorovna, son, the Most Blessed Sovereign Tsarevich and Grand Duke Alexander Petrovich, of all Great, Lesser and White Russia, and was buried in this place of the same month on the 14th day" .
The existence of another son of Peter and Evdokia Lopukhina, Pavel, is completely questioned by historians. The boy was born in 1693, but died almost immediately.
Catherine
In 1703, she became the mistress of Emperor Peter I Marta Skavronskaya, which the king in the first years of the relationship called in letters Katerina Vasilevskaya.
Even before marriage, Peter's mistress was pregnant several times by him. The first two children were boys who died shortly after birth.
On December 28, 1706 (January 8, 1707) in Moscow, Marta Skavronskaya gave birth to a daughter named Ekaterina. The girl lived for one year and seven months and died on July 27, 1708 (August 8, 1709).
Like her two younger sisters, Catherine was born out of wedlock, but was later officially recognized by her father and posthumously recognized as a Grand Duchess.
She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Anna
Anna Petrovna was born on January 27 (February 7), 1708. The girl, being an illegitimate child, received the same family name “Anna”, like her legal cousin, the daughter of Ivan V Anna Ioannovna.
Anna became the first of Peter's daughters and the first of Martha Skavronskaya's children to survive infancy.
In 1711, the father, having not yet entered into a legal marriage with Anna’s mother, officially proclaimed her and her sister Elizabeth princesses.
A large plot of land in St. Petersburg was transferred to Anna's ownership. Subsequently, the Annenhof country estate was built for Anna near Ekateringhof.
In 1724, Peter I gave his consent to his daughter’s marriage to the Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp.According to the marriage contract, Anna Petrovna retained the Orthodox religion and could raise daughters born in marriage in Orthodoxy, while sons had to be raised in the faith of their father. Anna and her husband refused the opportunity to claim the Russian crown, but the agreement had a secret article, according to which Peter reserved the right to proclaim the son from their marriage as heir.
The father did not see his daughter's wedding - Peter died two months after signing the marriage contract, and the marriage was concluded on May 21 (June 1), 1725.
Anna and her husband were very influential figures in St. Petersburg during the short reign of her mother, formerly Maria Skavronskaya, who ascended the throne as Catherine I.
After Catherine's death in 1727, Anna and her husband were forced to leave for Holstein. In February 1728, Anna gave birth to a son, who was named Karl Peter Ulrich. In the future, Anna's son ascended to the Russian throne under the name of Emperor Peter III.Anna Petrovna died in the spring of 1728. According to some sources, the cause was the consequences of childbirth; according to another, Anna caught a bad cold at the celebrations in honor of the birth of her son.
Before her death, Anna expressed a desire to be buried in St. Petersburg, in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, next to her father’s grave, which was fulfilled in November 1728.
Elizabeth
The third daughter of Peter I and his second wife was born on December 18 (29), 1709, during the celebrations of the victory over Charles XII. In 1711, together with his older sister Anna, Elizabeth was officially proclaimed princess.
Her father made big plans for Elizabeth, intending to become related to the French kings, but proposals for such a marriage were rejected.
During the reign of Catherine I, Elizabeth was considered as the heir to the Russian throne. Opponents, primarily Prince Menshikov, in response began to promote the project of the princess’s marriage. The groom, Prince Karl August of Holstein-Gottorp, came to Russia to marry, but in May 1727, in the midst of preparations for the wedding, he contracted smallpox and died.After the death of Emperor Peter II in 1730, the throne passed to Elizabeth's cousin, Anna Ioannovna. For ten years of her cousin's reign, Elizabeth was in disgrace and under constant surveillance.
In 1741, after the death of Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth led a coup against the young Emperor Ivan VI and his relatives. Having achieved success, she ascended the throne under the name of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.Peter's daughter occupied the throne for twenty years, until her death. Unable to enter into an official marriage, and, accordingly, give birth to legitimate heirs to the throne, Elizaveta Petrovna returned her nephew, Duke Karl-Peter Ulrich of Holstein, from abroad. Upon arrival in Russia, he was renamed in the Russian manner to Peter Fedorovich, and the words “grandson of Peter the Great” were included in the official title.
Elizabeth died in St. Petersburg on December 25, 1761 (January 5, 1762) at the age of 52, and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Natalya (senior) and Margarita
On March 3 (14), 1713, in St. Petersburg, Peter I and his second wife had a daughter, who was named Natalia. The girl became the first legitimate child of the emperor and his new wife.
Named after her grandmother, the mother of Peter the Great, Natalya lived for 2 years and 2 months. She died on May 27 (June 7), 1715 and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
On September 3 (14), 1714, Tsarina Catherine gave birth to another daughter, who was named Margarita. The girl lived for 10 months and 24 days and died on July 27 (August 7), 1715, that is, exactly two months after her sister. Margarita was also buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Tsarevich Peter Petrovich in the image of Cupid in a portrait by Louis Caravaque Photo: reproduction
Peter
On October 29 (November 9), 1715, the son of Peter the Great was born, who, like his father, was named Peter. The Tsar made big plans in connection with the birth of his son - he was supposed to succeed his older brother Alexei as heir to the throne.
But the boy was in poor health; by the age of three he did not begin to walk or speak. The worst fears of doctors and parents came true - at the age of three and a half years, on April 25 (May 6), 1719, Pyotr Petrovich died.
For Peter the Great, this death was a heavy blow. The hope for a son who would continue the business was completely destroyed.
Paul
Unlike Pavel, who was allegedly born to Evdokia Lopukhina, the fact of the birth of a son with that name by the second wife of Peter I was confirmed.
The boy was born on January 2 (13), 1717 in Wesel, Germany, during Peter the Great’s foreign trip. The king was in Amsterdam at that time and did not find his son alive. Pavel Petrovich died after living only one day. However, he received the title of Grand Duke and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, becoming the first male of the Romanov family to be buried there.
Natalya (junior)
On August 20 (31), 1718, during peace negotiations with Sweden, the queen gave birth to Peter the Great another daughter, who was destined to become his last child.
The baby was named Natalya, despite the fact that just three years earlier, the royal couple’s daughter with the same name died.
The youngest Natalya, unlike most of her brothers and sisters, managed to survive infancy. At the time of the official proclamation of the Russian Empire in 1721, only three daughters of Peter the Great remained alive - Anna, Elizabeth and Natalya.Alas, this girl was not destined to become an adult. In January 1725, her father, Peter I, died without leaving a will. A fierce struggle for power broke out among the tsar's associates. Under these conditions, few people paid attention to the child. Natasha fell ill with measles and died on March 4 (15), 1725.
By that time, Peter I had not yet been buried, and the coffins of father and daughter were exhibited together in the same room. Natalya Petrovna was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral next to her brothers and sisters.