What year was Paul 1 killed? On the night of March 11 to 12 (old style), 1801, as a result of a conspiracy, the All-Russian Emperor, the son of Catherine II and Peter III, the āRussian Hamletā, who carried out many reforms during his short reign, was killed. But the Tsar was despised by the whole Petersburg, and the conspirators deliberately made him insane. Who killed Paul 1? When and where did this happen? Why did they kill Paul 1 (the reasons for the coup)? What did the conspirators initially plan?
Sources of Emperor Murder
Why they killed Paul 1, it becomes clear when studying the sources of data about this event. More precisely, this is clear after familiarizing yourself with the historical characteristics of the personalities who took the life of the emperor. Circumstances are known from the memoirs of contemporaries who spoke directly with participants in the conspiracy against the government. Only two documents created by the conspirators, namely the letter from Bennigsen and the note by Poltoratsky, have survived.
Some of the information can be gleaned from the memoirists, but they are usually quite contradictory in detail. The modern historian Sorokin Yu.A., who specializes in this period in the history of the Russian state, writes that authentic facts, separated from the fiction of eyewitnesses and simply contemporaries of this event, probably can never be reproduced.
A list of the main sources from which you can find out where Paul 1 was killed, who and why, is rather scarce as for such an important historical event. Army Major General Nikolai Sablukov during the murder was in Mikhailovsky Castle, but was not directly among the conspirators. He wrote "Notes" in English, which were intended for an extremely narrow circle of readers. They got to print only in 1865, and in Russian were first published in 1902 by Erasmus Kasprovich.
Leonty Bennigsen (one of the conspirators) spoke about the coup and campaign against Napoleon in a letter to Fock. His speeches were recorded by several other interlocutors. The plans for the palace coup are mentioned from the words of Bennigsen in the memoirs of his nephew, life medic Grieve, a note by Langeron, Adam Czartoryski, August Kotzebue and some other personalities.
Lieutenant General Konstantin Poltoratsky (then Yaroslavl governor) left notes in which tragic events were described. Poltoratsky belonged to the third (lowest) group of participants in the conspiracy. During the assassination of Paul I, he stood on guard. The lieutenant general claimed that he did not know the exact date of the crime, since his immediate superior had forgotten to warn him.
The Russian commander of the era of the Napoleonic Wars, Alexander Langeron, arrived in the capital shortly after the coup to collect information. His notes set forth conversations with Palen, Prince Constantine. The final part contains the author's thoughts.
Why Paul 1 was killed was clear to his contemporaries, and especially to those who spoke with the participants in the conspiracy. Information about this tragic event can be obtained from the following memoir sources:
- Daria Lieven, an agent of the Russian government in London (her mother-in-law was the teacher of the children of Paul I, was in the Mikhailovsky Castle on the ill-fated night of March 11 to 12).
- Adam Czartoryski, Prince, friend of Alexander I, arrived in the capital after the coup.
- The writer Mikhail Fonvizin (at the time of the murder he was 14 years old) later conducted a whole study, based on conversations with conspirators, whose names he does not name.
- Nikita Muravyov (8 years old at the time of the death of the emperor) later compiled a detailed description of the events.
- The anonymous "Diary of a Contemporary".
- The German playwright and novelist August Kotzebue, who was in the capital on the night of the murder (some sources mention that his son handed over a note to Paul II about Alexander II).
- Karl-Heinrich Heyking, who arrived shortly after the crime.
Why did they kill Paul 1? Background to the crime
Why did they kill Paul 1? In short, the main reason was his coronation. Such a sad outcome of the emperorās life was influenced by his actions in domestic and foreign policy. In addition, the madness of Paul I is called among the possible reasons, because everyone was sure that if something was not done about it, then a revolution awaited the country. But here you need to talk about everything in order.
Why did they kill Paul 1? Briefly, the reasons are listed above, but now itās worth considering some of them in more detail. The preconditions for the conspiracy are the following:
- Methods of government, reaching the cruelty. The emergence of a plan for the assassination of the king was caused by the instability of the political course, the atmosphere of uncertainty and fear in the higher circles, and the discontent of the nobles who were deprived of privileges. Paul I threatened the dynasty, and this allowed the participants in the plot to consider themselves remaining loyal to the Romanovs.
- The madness of the emperor. Based on the data of modern psychiatry, then Paul I, of course, was a heavy neurotic. The king was distinguished by an unrestrained character, often suffered from depression and panic attacks, did not know how to choose reliable favorites. Citizens also considered the emperor abnormal because of his objectively unpopular orders. For example, in 1800, Paul invited the head of the Catholic Church to move to Russia. Since 1799, the king was overwhelmed by suspicions about the infidelity of his wife and sons.
- The fact of accession to the throne. Why did they kill Paul 1? The reasons lie in the very fact of the coronation of the king. Catherine II was preparing for the throne of Alexander, so the coronation of Paul I served as a reason for dissatisfaction with the powerful circle of empress close associates.
- Deterioration of the kingās relations with representatives of the nobility and the guard. There is a known case when staff captain Kirpichnikov received 1,000 sticks for harsh remarks about the Order of St. Anne (the order was named after the beloved emperor). Contemporaries believed that this fact played a considerable moral role in the background of the murder of Paul.
- Anti-English policy. The decision to withdraw from the anti-French coalition, made by Paul I at the very beginning of the reign, greatly interfered with the plans of the Austrians and the British. At the initial stage of the organization, the English ambassador in St. Petersburg was clearly involved in the upcoming coup, but Paul sent him long before the murder. Some historians suggest that England still took part in the conspiracy.
- It is rumored that the emperor plans to imprison his wife and children in a fortress to marry one of the favorites (either Madame Chevalier, or Anna Gagarina), as well as a decree on the legalization of Paul's future illegitimate children.
- Politics in the army. Pavel introduced Prussian order in the army, which irritated almost the entire officer corps and nobility in St. Petersburg. Dissatisfaction with the innovations was so great that it overlapped all the previous successful military reforms of the emperor. Only the Preobrazhensky Regiment remained truly devoted to the tsarist regime.
Why did they kill Paul 1 (briefly)? He just prevented the conspirators. Most likely, it is worth talking here not about one specific reason for the coup, but about several factors that influenced this event to the greatest extent.
The initial plan of the conspirators
The bulk of the conspirators, who believed in the need for change, was formed back in the summer of 1799. At first, the criminals planned to simply arrest Paul to force him to leave the throne and transfer the rule to his eldest son. Nikita Panin (ideological inspirer) and Pyotr Palen (technical director) considered it necessary to introduce the Constitution, but the first talked about regency, and the second - about the murder of Paul.
Regency was generally spoken about only against the background of the fact that shortly before planning a coup in Britain over the crazy king George III, the regency of his son had been officially established. In Denmark, under the unbalanced Christian VII, the regent also actually ruled, who later became King Frederick VI.
True, many historians believe that the main organizers initially planned the physical elimination of the emperor, and not just the arrest or establishment of the custody of his son. Such a "plan B", most likely, was the development of Peter Palen. Even Nikita Panin was not aware of the alleged bloody denouement. At the dinner preceding the penetration of the kingās chambers, the question of what to do with the emperor after his arrest was discussed. Palen answered everything very evasively. Even then, one could suspect that he was planning the murder of the sovereign.
The conspiracy against the emperor
Those who were initiated into criminal plans, there are very, very many, but who killed Paul 1? According to various estimates, from 180 to 300 people were included in the conspiracy, so it makes sense to name only the main ones. The historian Nathan Eidelman all of them were conditionally divided into three groups:
- Initiators, ideological inspirers, the most devoted persons. In the future, many of them occupied high positions under the new emperor. Each of these people tried to whitewash themselves, so there are so many theories and speculations around this murder.
- Officers involved later who were not directly involved in the development of the strategy. Engaged in recruitment and leadership at the next level of the hierarchy.
- Middle and junior officers. People were selected on the basis of dissatisfaction with Paul's system. Some of them became direct executors, while others were involved in the crime only indirectly. For a long time, historians believed that it was among these people that one should look for the one who killed Paul 1, the son of Catherine II. The initiators did strive to whitewash themselves at all costs, perhaps their words are true, ordinary officers became the executors.
Nikita Panin was an ideological inspirer. It was he who invented and planned everything, but did not directly participate in the crime. On the night of March 12 (the day when Paul I was killed) he was in exile. Later, Alexander I returned the former vice chancellor to the college of foreign affairs, but soon the young emperor and the count quarreled. Panin was forced to return to the Dugino estate, where he spent the rest of his life.
Peter Palen was the support of the king (it was mentioned earlier that Paul did not know how to choose reliable favorites). This man did not hide the fact that he participated in a conspiracy against the emperor, openly spoke about this later in personal conversations. Under Alexander, he was removed from office because Maria Fedorovna (wife of Paul I) convinced her son of the danger of leaving such a person with him.
Leonty Bennigsen was extremely unhappy with Paul. Participation in the conspiracy did not affect his future career. A year after the coup, the commander of the Izyum regiment even became a general, although he gained general fame during the years of the Napoleonic Wars. It was Leonty Bennigsen who commanded the troops at the Battle of Preisisch Eylau. This was the first big battle that the Frenchman could not win. The military leader was showered with awards, he became a knight of the Order of St. George.
The first group included three Zubov brothers: Plato - the last favorite of Catherine II, Nikolai - it was he who owned the snuffbox who killed Paul 1, Valerian - his role in the plan is not entirely clear. He lost his leg, so he was not in Mikhailovsky Castle with the rest. But it is believed that Valerian managed to recruit Alexander Argamakov, without which the supporters of Panin and Palen would not be able to get into the castle.
Place of death of Emperor Paul I
Where did they kill Paul 1? The king lost his life in the same place where he was born. The Mikhailovsky Castle building was erected on the site where the wooden Summer Palace of Ekaterina Petrovna stood. For many years, Mikhailovsky Castle remained Paul's dream. The design sketches and the general construction plan belonged to the emperor himself. The design process lasted for almost twelve years. During these years, Paul I repeatedly turned to different examples of architecture, which he saw while traveling abroad. The emperor was killed only 39 days after moving to Mikhailovsky Castle from the Winter Palace, where there were many coups.
And in which room did Paul 1 be killed? This tragic event occurred in the emperor's own bedchamber. The room where Paul 1 was killed (photo above) was turned into the church of the apostles Peter and Paul at the behest of his grandson, Alexander II.
Omens associated with the murder
There is some evidence that Paul foresaw his death. On the day of the murder, the emperor approached the mirrors in the palace and noted that his face was reflected distorted. The courtiers then did not attach any significance to this. However, Prince Yusupov (the head of the palaces) fell out of favor. On the same day, Paul I spoke with Mikhail Kutuzov. The conversation turned to death. Farewell words of the emperor to the Russian commander was the phrase:
Go to the other world - not to sew knapsacks.
The emperorās dinner always ended at half-past nine, and at ten Paul was already in bed. It was so instituted that all those present went into another room and said goodbye to the king. On the ill-fated evening before the murder, Paul I went into the next room, but did not say goodbye to anyone, but only said that what could be, that could not be avoided.
Mention of crooked mirrors and Mikhail Kutuzov is in the notes of one of the memoirists. So, the author writes (according to the commander) that the emperor, looking in the mirror with a flaw, laughed and said that he sees himself in the reflection with his neck to the side. It was an hour and a half before his violent death.
In addition, they say that some time before the murder in St. Petersburg, a holy fool (a wandering nun) supposedly appeared, who predicted that the tsar would live as much as the letters in the inscription above the gates of the new palace (that of Mikhailovsky). It was a biblical aphorism:
The sanctuary of the Lord is appropriate for your house during the long days.
The phrase has forty-seven characters. Paul I was forty-seventh, when he was killed.
Timeline: March 11-12, 1801
In what year Paul 1 was killed it is known - it happened in 1801. And what happened just before the death of the emperor? How did he spend the last day of his life? On March 11 (old style), Paul got up between four and five in the morning, worked from five to nine. At nine he went to inspect the troops, and at ten he took the usual parade ground. Then Pavel went horseback riding with Ivan Kutaisov, the emperorās favorite, a Turk taken prisoner and presented to the sovereign when he was still the heir to the throne.
At one oāclock in the afternoon, Paul had lunch with his companions. Meanwhile, Palen - one of the participants in the conspiracy - was sending out invitations for dinner to his accomplices. Then the emperor went to replace the Preobrazhensky battalion, which occupied the guards in the Mikhailovsky Castle. One of the statesmen (Jacob de Sanglen) wrote in his memoirs that then Paul forced everyone to swear not to enter into relations with the conspirators.
On March 11, the emperor allowed his sons under arrest to have dinner with him. At nine o'clock Paul went to dinner. Konstantin and Alexander were invited with their wives, Maria Pavlovna, the state lady Palen and her daughter, Kutuzov, Stroganov, Sheremetyev, Mukhnov, Yusupov, Naryshkin and several court ladies. An hour later, dinner began at Plato Zubov, which was attended by Nikolai (Platoās brother), Bennigsen, āand three other persons who were privy to secrets.ā
Before going to bed, the emperor spends about an hour with his favorite Gagarina. He went down to her on a hidden staircase. At the same time, the conspirators are having dinner with Palen. In his house there were about 40-60 people, all of them were āheated with champagneā (according to Bennigsen), which the owner himself did not drink. It was previously decided to imprison Paul in Shlisselburg, but Palen answered all the questions about this with lengthy phrases.
Palen suggested the conspirators split into two groups. A group of Zubov-Bennigsen walked to the Christmas gate of Mikhailovsky Castle, and the other (led by Palen) headed to the main entrance. When approaching the second floor, the group is about ten to twelve people. Exactly at midnight, the conspirators penetrate the palace. They are too noisy, the troops are trying to raise the alarm.
Soon the killers come to the royal rooms. According to one version, the valet was tricked into opening the door. Alexander Argamakov (military commander), who could freely enter the palace, said that for six hours, just the valet clock stopped. There is a version that a fire was reported. At this moment, Plato Zubov panicked, he tried to hide, dragging others along, but Bennigsen stopped him.
The emperor, having heard a suspicious noise, first rushed to the door to the rooms of Maria Fedorovna, but it was closed there. Then he hid behind the curtain. He could go down to Gagarina and run, but, apparently, he was very scared to soberly assess the situation. At half past twelve on the night of March 12, the conspirators managed to break into the emperorās bedroom. It was the room where they killed Paul 1. The criminals were confused when they did not find the king in bed. Plato Zubov in French said that āthe bird had fluttered out,ā but Bennigsen felt the bed and said that āthe nest is still warm,ā that is, āthe bird is not farā.
The room was searched. Paul was found and demanded to write the abdication, but he refused. The king was announced that he was arrested. The emperor was killed between 0:45 and 1:45. How was King Paul 1 killed? There are several versions:
- A dispute arose between Nikolai Zubov and Pavel. Soon, some conspirators (who drank too much champagne) began to express impatience. The emperor turned to increased tones in the conversation, so Nikolai, in a fit of anger, hit him with a massive snuffbox in his left temple. Beating began. An officer of the Izmailovsky regiment strangled the king with a scarf.
- According to Bennigsen, there was a crush, a screen fell on the lamp, so that the light disappeared. He went into the next room to bring fire. In this short period of time, the sovereign was killed. All the contradictions arise due to the words of Bennigsen, who was trying to prove his absence in the room at the time of the murder.
- According to the notes of M. Fonvizin, the situation developed as follows. Bennigsen left the room. At this time, Nikolai Zubov talked with the emperor. Several threats escaped from Pavel, so that the furious Teeth hit him with a snuffbox. When Bennigsen was informed that the emperor abdicated, he gave a scarf, which strangled the king.
Why was Emperor Paul 1 killed? There are versions that this was an unintentional murder, but most historians are still inclined to believe that the conspirators acted according to a carefully designed plan.
Witnesses and Persons Who Knew About the Conspiracy
Who killed Paul 1? This was precisely known to those persons who were in the emperorās bedroom on the ill-fated night. None of the first group of conspirators stained themselves with murder (even Bennigsen, as well as Plato and Nikolai Zubov, had previously left the kingās bedroom). Although many historians say that this is a lie that they invented in order to whitewash themselves.
The list of attendees in the bedroom varies depending on the source. It could be:
- Bennigsen.
- Plato and Nikolai Zubovs.
- Alexander Argamakov.
- Vladimir Yashville.
- I. Tatarinov.
- Evsey Gordanov.
- Yakov Skaryatin.
- Nikolai Borozdin and several other personalities.
The former ambassador of England to the Russian Empire, Lord Whitworth, the Russian ambassador to London Semyon Vorontsov, Tsarevich Alexander (according to Panin, the Tsarevich tacitly agreed to overthrow his father), official Dmitry Troshchinsky, were aware of the plot. The latter wrote the famous manifesto on the coronation of Alexander I. The young king denied the policy of his father.
Who took the life of the emperor?
But who killed Paul 1, the son of Catherine 2? In different sources, opinions differ again. In addition, you need to pay attention to the characteristics of the murder. It is known that at first a snuffbox hit followed, and then the emperor was strangled with an officer scarf. In most sources, it is believed that the platon was struck by the Teeth. It would seem that it is clear who killed Paul 1. But the emperor died of suffocation. In addition, it is known that after hitting a massive golden snuffbox, but before strangulation with a scarf, the king was knocked to the floor and began to be kicked.
Who killed Paul 1? An officer of the Izmailovsky regiment Skaryatin strangled his emperor with a scarf. This scarf belonged (according to different versions) either to Skaryatin, or to Paul I himself, or to Bennigsen. So, directly the killers were Plato Zubov (pictured above) and Yakov Skaryatin. The first hit the king with a golden snuffbox belonging to Nikolai Zubov, and the second strangled Paul I with a scarf. There is still a version that the first blow was dealt by Vladimir Yashville.
After the murder: reaction of subjects, burial
Nikolai Zubov or Palen with Bennigsen informed Alexander about the death of his father . Then they woke Constantine, and Alexander sent his wife to the Empress Maria Fyodorovna. But the Empress was told this terrible news by Charlotte Lieven, the teacher of the children of Paul I. Maria Fedorovna lost consciousness, but quickly recovered and even declared that she should now rule. Until five in the morning she did not submit to the new emperor.
The next morning a manifesto was published, in which it was reported that the All-Russian emperor died last night from a stroke. Petersburgers began to congratulate each other with such "happiness", according to eyewitness accounts, it really was "the resurrection of Russia to a new life." Fonvizin, by the way, also speaks in his notes about "the day of the Svetlogo Resurrection." True, a large number of people still felt disgust at the events that had occurred.
The night after the murder, Medic Villiers worked on the emperorās corpse to hide the traces of violent death. The next morning they wanted to show the body to the soldiers. It was necessary to prove that the king is really dead, so the new emperor should be sworn. But the blue and black spots on the face of the deceased could not be hidden. Some sources report that a court painter was even called in to make up the corpse. When Paul I was lying in a coffin, his hat was pulled over his forehead to close his left eye and temple.
The funeral service and burial took place on March twenty-third. It was committed by all members of the Synod, led by Metropolitan Ambrose.
The ghost of Emperor Paul 1
There is a legend according to which the ghost of the murdered emperor could not leave the place of his death. The ghost was seen by the soldiers of the capital's garrison and the new inhabitants of the Mikhailovsky Palace, bystanders who noticed a luminous figure in the windows. This frightening image was very actively used by the cadets of the Nikolaev school, who subsequently settled in the castle. It is possible that the ghost was invented by them in order to intimidate the younger ones.
Attention to the ghost was drawn by the story of N. Leskov āGhost in the Engineering Castleā. The purpose of the creation of the work was to draw attention to hazing, which reigned in the school.
So why did they kill Paul 1? In short, the conspirators wanted to put ātheirā king. They hoped that they would occupy prominent posts. Why, in fact, they killed Paul 1, probably, even historians who have devoted more than one year to this problem cannot say for sure. The fact is that there can be a huge variety of reasons (including personal ones), circumstances that influenced the outcome of events, accidents and opinions.