Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich Romanov was born on February 18, 1690 in Preobrazhensky. 02/23 was baptized. He was the heir to the Russian throne and the eldest son of Peter the Great. The mother was the first wife of the monarch Evdokia Lopukhin.
Alexey Petrovich: a brief biography
In the first years of his life, he was under the care of Natalia Kirillovna - her grandmother. At the age of 6, Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich Romanov began to learn to read and write with the simple and poorly educated Nikifor Vyazemsky. In 1698, Evdokia Lopukhina was imprisoned in a monastery. From this moment, Natalya Alekseevna (aunt) took custody of Peter's son. The boy was transferred to the Transfiguration Palace.
In 1699, Peter, remembering his son, decided to send him to Dresden to study with the gene. Karlovich. However, the latter died. In return, the Saxon Neugebauer from the University of Leipzig was invited as a mentor . However, the new teacher failed to tie the prince to himself, as a result of which in 1702 he lost his post. Baron Guyssen began to educate the boy. In 1708, N. Vyazemsky informed the tsar that Alexei was engaged in French and German, reads history, writes atlas, studies cases and declensions.
Until 1709, the boy lived away from his father in Preobrazhensky. The people who were at the palace greatly influenced the personality of Tsarevich Alexei. According to him, they taught him to often go to Chernivtsi and priests, to drink with them, to "prude."
Conflicts
Peter the Great and Alexey Petrovich had different views on life and government. The monarch demanded that the heir match the name, but the latter received the wrong education. As the Swedes moved deeper into the continent, Peter instructed his son to follow the training of recruits and the process of building fortifications in Moscow. But the result of the activities of the heir, the father was extremely dissatisfied. The information that during the work Alexey Petrovich went to his mother in the Suzdal monastery was especially angry.
In 1709, accompanied by Golovkin and Trubetskoy, the young man was sent to Dresden to study languages, "political affairs" and fortification. At the end of the course, Alexey Petrovich had to pass an exam in the presence of his father. But the young man, afraid that the monarch would force him to make a complex drawing, tried to shoot himself in the arm. An angry father beat him and forbade him to appear at court. However, subsequently lifted the ban.
Marriage
In 1707, Guissen proposes to his wife the prince - Princess Charlotte Wolfenbüttel. In the spring of 1710 they met. A year later, in early April, a marriage contract was signed. On October 14, 1711, a magnificent wedding was held in Torgau. In the marriage, a daughter Natalya and a son Peter were born. After the birth of the last Charlotte passed away. Tsarevich Alexei Romanov chose his mistress Efrosinya from Vyazemsky serfs. With her, he later traveled to Europe.
Peter the Great and Alexey Petrovich: reasons for the confrontation +
In all matters that were accomplished in the state, the monarch invested his characteristic energy and scope. However, Peter's reformist activity aroused conflicting feelings among many sections of the population. Against his transformations were archers, boyars, representatives of the clergy. Later Tsarevich Alexei, son of Peter, also joined them. According to Bestuzhev-Ryumin, the young man was the victim of an inability to understand the legitimacy of his father's demands and his character, to which all tireless activity was alien. The historian believed that the sympathy that Alexey showed for the adherents of antiquity was fed not only by his psychological inclination, but also was cultivated and supported by his environment. Until the need arose to resolve the issue of inheritance, a compromise could be reached.
Peter was tormented by the thought that his son would destroy everything that was created. He himself devoted his life to the reform of the former way of life, the formation of a new state. In his successor, he did not see the continuer of his activities. Peter and Tsarevich Aleksey had opposite goals, attitudes, aspirations, values, motives. The situation was aggravated by the division of society into opponents and supporters of reform. Each side contributed to the development of the conflict, bringing its tragic conclusion closer.
Opinion of M.P. Pogodin
The study of the conflict of Peter and his son was engaged in a lot of historians and researchers. One of them was Pogodin. He believed that Alex himself was not at all a sloven and mediocrity. In his book, he wrote that the young man was very inquisitive. In the expenditure travel book of the Tsarevich indicated expenses on foreign literature. In all the cities in which he stayed, he purchased significant amounts of publications, the content of which was not exclusively spiritual. Among them were historical books, portraits, maps. Alexey was interested in sightseeing. Pogodin also cites the words of Huyssen, who said that the young man had ambition, restrained by prudence, common sense, and also a great desire to distinguish himself and get everything that he considered necessary for the successor of a large state. Alexei had a quiet, compliant disposition, showed a desire to make up for his diligence all that was lost in education.
Escape
The birth of a son and the death of the wife of Alexei coincided with the appearance of a child with Peter and his wife Catherine, who was also named Peter. This event shook the position of the young man, because now he was not of much interest to his father, even as a forced heir. On the day of Charlotte’s burial, Peter handed a letter to Alexei. In it, he chastised the heir for his lack of inclination toward state affairs, urged him to reform, otherwise he would deprive him of all rights.
In 1716, Alex went to Poland, formally, to visit Peter, who was then in Copenhagen. However, he flees from Gdansk to Vienna. Here he is negotiating with European monarchs, among whom was a relative of the deceased wife, the Austrian emperor Karl. Secretly, the Austrians transported their son Peter to Naples. On the territory of the Roman Empire, he planned to wait for the death of his father, who was seriously ill at that time. Then, with the support of the Austrians, Alex assumed to become the Russian Tsar. They, in turn, wanted to use the heir as a puppet in the intervention against the Russian Empire. However, subsequently, the Austrians abandoned their plans, considering them too dangerous.
Wanted
A few weeks after the flight of the heir, the case of Tsarevich Alexei was opened. The search began. The resident of Russia in Vienna, Veselovsky, was ordered to take measures to establish the place of residence of the fugitive. For quite a long time, searches did not yield results. This was probably due, among other things, to the fact that Veselovsky was at the same time as Kikin, who supported Alexei in his intentions.
As a result, Russian intelligence managed to track down the heir. On behalf of the emperor, a request was issued for the extradition of the fugitive. In April 1717, Veselovsky gave Charles VI a letter from Peter. In it, the emperor asked him to give him a runaway heir for "paternal correction."
Return to Russia
Alex was in despair and begged not to give him to Peter. Meanwhile, Tolstoy and Rumyantsev were sent for him. They promised to procure the king’s permission to marry Euphrosyne and then reside in the village. Tolstoy and Rumyantsev did the impossible.
For two months they performed a massive operation using all possible types of pressure. In addition to meeting with the prince and promising forgiveness from his father, they bribed everyone, right up to the viceroy of Naples, scared Alexei that they would certainly kill him if he didn’t return, they scared his mistress and persuaded her to influence him. Finally, they caught fear on the Austrian authorities, threatening a military invasion of troops. The Roman emperor at first refused to extradite the fugitive. However, Tolstoy was given permission to visit the Tsarevich. The letter that he handed over to the heir from his father could not convince him to return. Tolstoy bribes an Austrian official to tell Alexei "in secret" that the issue of his extradition has already been resolved. This convinced the heir that there was no need to count on Austrian help. Then Alex turned to the Swedes. However, the response from the government about the readiness to provide him with an army was late. Before it was received, Tolstoy managed to convince Alexei to return to his homeland. The heir surrendered.
As a result, in early October 1717, the prince wrote to Peter about his readiness to return to Russia, hoping for forgiveness. At the last station in Austria, they were caught up with the envoy of Karl to make sure that the decision was made voluntarily by the heir. Tolstoy was extremely dissatisfied with this and talked with the messenger rather coldly. Alex, in turn, confirmed the voluntary intentions.
Clarification of the circumstances of the escape
On February 3, the heir to the Russian monarch signs the abdication of the throne. Along with this, he receives the forgiveness of his father on one condition. It was the fugitive's duty to extradite his accomplices. The investigation began in the case of Tsarevich Alexei. After the abdication, provided that the former heir gives the names of all those who sympathized and helped, he will be allowed to live in his estates and lead a private life. After a conversation with his father, arrests began. In 1871, the painting "Peter 1 interrogates Tsarevich Alexei" was painted by the artist Nikolai Ge. She is included in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery. During the search, more than 130 people were arrested.
The public actively discussed the case of Tsarevich Alexei. The year 1718 was the beginning of the so-called "Kikin wanted". Kikin was the main accused. Moreover, at one time he was Peter's favorite. In the years 1713-1716. he, in fact, formed a grouping around the heir to the monarch. At the same time, a search began in Moscow concerning Evdokia Lopukhina. It is generally accepted that he became part of the "Kikin events" that made up the case of Tsarevich Alexei. Documents relating to the Suzdal search, however, refute this opinion. According to sources, the meeting between Lopukhina and the heir took place only once - in 1708. This meeting aroused Peter's outrage. Later, Lopukhina tried to arrange correspondence with her son through her brother. However, the heir was very scared by his father. In letters to Yakov Ignatiev (confessor), Alesay not only forbade all contact with his mother, but also did not allow him to visit friends and relatives in Suzdal and its environs.
Sentence
The case of Tsarevich Alexei ended very tragically. At the same time, the renounced heir did not expect such an outcome. Before the sentencing, the monarch asked for the opinions of advisers. The judges themselves conducted a survey among representatives of various classes and groups.
The clergy, considering the case of Tsarevich Alexei, quoted the Old Testament, according to which the punishment of the rebellious successor was allowed. Along with this, however, they remembered Christ speaking of forgiveness. Peter was asked to choose - to punish or have mercy.
As for civilians, they all independently and unanimously declared the death penalty.
The verdict was signed by 127 people. Among them, the first was Menshikov, then Apraksin, Golovkin, Yakov Dolgoruky and so on. Of the prominent people close to the court, there was no signature only of Count Sheremetyev. Opinions about the reasons for her absence differ. So, Shcherbatov claimed that Sheremetyev announced that it was not in his competence to judge the heir. According to Golikov, the field marshal was ill at that moment and was in Moscow, so he could not sign the verdict.
Death
The case of Tsarevich Alexei was closed on June 26, 1718. According to the official version, the death of the renounced heir came as a result of the blow. Upon learning of the verdict, Alex fell into unconsciousness. After a while, he partially came to his senses, began to ask everyone for forgiveness. However, he could not finally return to his previous state and died.
In the XIX century, papers were discovered according to which, Alexei was tortured before his death. A version has come forward that it was they who caused the death. Peter, in turn, published a notice in which he indicated that his son had listened to the verdict and was horrified. After a while, he demanded his father and apologized to him. Alexey died in a Christian way, completely repenting of his deeds. There is evidence that the sentenced was killed on the orders of his father. However, these data are very contradictory. Some sources contain information that Peter himself allegedly participated in the torture of Alexei.
According to other evidence, the direct role in the death of the heir was played by Menshikov and his entrusted persons. Some records say that before the immediate death of Alexei they were with him. According to some reports, the young man was poisoned. There is also information that Alex was sick with tuberculosis. Some historians believe that death occurred due to exacerbation and due to the side effect of medications.
The renounced heir was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the presence of his father. The monarch himself followed the coffin, followed by Menshikov, senators and other notable persons.
Interesting fact
The prince’s case was kept in a secret state archive. Seals were inspected annually. In 1812, the papers were in a special chest, but during the invasion of Napoleon he was broken, and documents scattered. Subsequently, they were again collected and described. Currently, the documents are in the public domain.
The opinion of historians
A rather rare historical event is dynastic murder. Therefore, it always causes particular interest of descendants, researchers. Russian history knows two such cases. The first occurred during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the second - during the reign of Peter the Great. Various authors and researchers have analyzed these events. For example, Yarosh in his book assesses the general and distinctive features of phenomena. In particular, he draws attention to the difference in the personal attitude of fathers to the death of their sons.
According to sources, Grozny killed by accident. Subsequently, the father bitterly regretted his deed, cried, begged the healers to restore his son's life. Grozny called himself a murderer, an unworthy ruler. He said that God punished him by deprivation of his son for all his sins in the past, he believed that he now had to go to the monastery and there to grind them. In the end, he even sent several thousand rubles to Palestine.
Pyotr, on the contrary, fought with his son for a long time, made a trial over him for several months. Yarosh believes that, having imposed his anger on the heir during his lifetime, he never forgave him after his death.
Effects
Of course, the events of those years caused a wide resonance in society. Most researchers agree that the death of the prince saved the country from returning to the pre-Petrine era. However, there were negative consequences of the events. After the death of his son, Peter in 1722 changed the order of transfer of power in the state. In fact, he destroyed the institutions he created. According to researchers, this is what later became the basis for the palace coups. In the future, in most cases, the coming to power of a monarch went through a struggle. Klyuchevsky wrote that, by a new law, Peter redeemed his dynasty, and the throne was left to chance.
If we talk about ordinary people, then even during the life of the legitimate heir, people were sent jury sheets. They should swear allegiance to the new ruler. However, not everywhere the procedure went smoothly. Resistance was provided mainly by supporters of the former order. They did not recognize the deprivation of the throne of Alexei. There is evidence that a man with paper approached the king in church on Sunday. In it, he refused to swear allegiance to the new heir, despite the fact that he understood what would cause the monarch's anger. Peter ordered him to be hung upside down over a slowly smoking fire.
Conclusion
In the period of aggravation of the conflict between Peter and Alexei, the prince wanted to leave for the monastery, voluntarily surrendering all sorts of obligations. However, according to sources, the father did not give consent. I must say that many historians agree that the root of the confrontation lay in the reluctance of Peter from the very beginning to engage in a son. He was too keen on government affairs, reforms, travel, education. For a long time the son was under the influence of opponents of the new regime.
On the one hand, some authors believe that he could become a worthy heir. After all, as the records indicate, he still showed obedience, sought to gain knowledge, was inquisitive. Along with this, his well-established sympathies for the pre-Petrine era really could destroy everything that was created by his father. The monarch was very afraid of this. For him, the interests of the state were above all. He demanded the same from his entourage and children. In some way, the birth of the son of Peter the Great from the second marriage saved the situation. Now the state could get a worthy heir and a successor to his work. Along with this, a certain collapse could occur in the country, since the sons of Peter and Alexei were called the same. This question also bothered the emperor.
The escape of Alexei was regarded by Peter as a betrayal, a conspiracy against him. That is why, after his capture, arrests and interrogations began. Alex expected pardon from his father, but instead was sentenced to death. The mistress Efrosinha was also involved in the investigation. Subsequently, he was acquitted and not punished. This was probably made possible thanks to the help she provided to Tolstoy and Rumyantsev, who asked her to influence the prince.