Historical figures, especially when it comes to their home country, are always studied with interest. The reigning persons who stood at the helm of power in Russia exerted their influence on the development of the country. Some of the kings ruled for many years, others - for a short time, but all personalities were noticeable, interesting. Emperor Peter 3 did not rule for long, he died early, but left his mark on the history of the country.
Royal roots
The desire of Elizabeth Petrovna, reigning on the Russian throne since 1741, to strengthen the throne along the lines of Peter the Great, led to the fact that she declared the heir to her nephew. She did not have her children, but her older sister had a son who lived in the house of Adolf Frederick, in the future - the king of Sweden.
Karl Peter, the nephew of Elizabeth, was the son of the eldest daughter of Peter I - Anna Petrovna. Immediately after giving birth, she fell ill and soon died. When Karl Peter turned 11, he lost his father. Having lost his parents, Peter 3, whose brief biography speaks about this, began to live with his paternal uncle, Adolf Frederick. He did not receive proper upbringing and education, since the main method of educators was the “stick”.
He had to stand for a long time in a corner, sometimes on peas, and the boy's knees swelled up from this. This all left an imprint on his health: Karl Peter was a nervous child, often sick. By nature, Emperor Peter 3 grew up as a simple-minded person, not evil, and very fond of military affairs. But at the same time, historians say: as a teenager, he loved to drink wine.
Heir to Elizabeth
And in 1741, Elizaveta Petrovna ascended the Russian throne. From this moment, the life of Karl Peter Ulrich changed: in 1742 he became the heir to the Empress, and he was brought to Russia. He made a depressing impression on the Empress: she saw in him a sickly and uneducated young man. Having adopted Orthodoxy, he was named Peter Fedorovich, and in the days of his reign, Peter 3 Fedorovich was officially called.
For three years, educators and teachers worked with him. His main teacher was academician Jacob Shtelin. He believed that the future emperor was a capable young man, but very lazy. Indeed, for three years of study, he very poorly mastered the Russian language: he wrote and spoke illiterate, did not learn traditions. Pyotr Fedorovich loved to brag and was inclined to cowardice - these qualities were noted by his teachers. His official title included the words: "Grandson of Peter the Great."
Peter 3 Fedorovich - marriage
In 1745, the marriage of Peter Fedorovich. Princess Ekaterina Alekseevna became his wife . She also received her name after the adoption of Orthodoxy: her maiden name was Sophia Frederick Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst. It was the future Empress Catherine II.
A wedding gift from Elizabeth Petrovna was Oranienbaum, near St. Petersburg, and Lyubertsy near Moscow. But marital relations between the newlyweds do not add up. Although in all important economic and economic affairs Pyotr Fedorovich always consulted with his wife, he had confidence in her.
Life before the coronation
Peter 3, a brief biography of him speaks about this, did not have a marital relationship with his wife. But later, after 1750, he underwent surgery. As a result, they had a son, who in the future became Emperor Paul I. Elizabeth Petrovna personally engaged in the education of her grandson, immediately taking him from his parents.
Peter was pleased with this state of affairs and more and more moved away from his wife. He was fond of other women and even had a favorite - Elizaveta Vorontsova. In turn , Catherine, in order to avoid loneliness, had relations with the Polish ambassador - Stanislav Augustus Ponyatovsky. Couples were on friendly terms with each other.
The birth of a daughter
In 1757, Catherine's daughter is born, and she is given a name - Anna Petrovna. Peter 3, whose brief biography proves this fact, officially recognized his daughter. But historians, of course, have doubts about his paternity. In 1759, at the age of two, the child fell ill and died of smallpox. Peter had no other children.
In 1958, Pyotr Fedorovich had under his command a garrison of soldiers of up to one and a half thousand. And all his free time he devoted himself to his favorite pastime: he was engaged in training soldiers. The reign of Peter 3 had not yet arrived, and he had already aroused the hostile attitude of the nobility and the people. The reason for everything was an outspoken sympathy for the king of Prussia - Frederick II. His regret that he had become the heir to the Russian tsar, and not the Swedish king, his reluctance to accept Russian culture, the poor Russian language, all together set up the masses against Peter.
Reign of Peter 3
After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, at the end of 1761, Peter III was proclaimed emperor. But he has not yet been crowned. What policy did Pyotr Fedorovich begin to pursue? In his domestic policy, he was consistent and took as a model the policy of his grandfather - Peter I. Emperor Peter 3, in short, decided to become the same reformer. What he managed to do during his short reign laid the foundation for the reign of his wife - Catherine.
But a number of mistakes he made in foreign policy: he stopped the war with Prussia. And he returned the lands that the Russian army had already conquered in East Prussia to King Frederick. In the army, the emperor introduced the same Prussian order, was planning to secularize the land of the church and its reform, and was preparing for a war with Denmark. By these actions Peter 3 (a brief biography proves this), he set the church against himself.
Coup
Reluctance to see Peter on the throne was expressed before his ascension. Even under Elizabeth Petrovna, Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin began to prepare a conspiracy against the future emperor. But it so happened that the conspirator fell out of favor and did not finish his job. Against Peter, shortly before the death of Elizabeth, an opposition was formed consisting of: N.I. Panin, M.N. Volkonsky, K.P. Razumovsky. They were joined by officers of two regiments: Preobrazhensky and Izmailovsky. Peter 3, in short, was not supposed to ascend the throne, instead they were going to elevate Catherine, his wife.
These plans could not be realized due to the pregnancy and childbirth of Catherine: she gave birth to a child from Grigory Orlov. In addition, she believed that the policy of Peter III discredits him, but will give her more associates. According to tradition, in May Peter left for Oranienbaum. On June 28, 1762, he went to Peterhof, where Catherine was to meet him and arrange celebrations in his honor.
But instead, she hurried to Petersburg. Here she took the oath of allegiance from the Senate, the Synod, the guard and the masses. Then he swore allegiance to Kronstadt. Peter III returned to Oranienbaum, where he signed his abdication.
The end of the reign of Peter III
Then he was sent to Ropsha, where he died a week later. Or was deprived of life. Nobody can either prove or disprove this. Thus ended the reign of Peter III, which was very short and tragic. He ruled the country only 186 days.
He was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra: Peter was not crowned, and therefore he could not be buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. But the son, Paul I, becoming emperor, corrected everything. He crowned the remains of his father and reburied them next to Catherine.