Peter III was a very extraordinary emperor. He did not know Russian, loved to play soldiers and wanted to baptize Russia according to the Protestant rite. His mysterious death led to the emergence of a whole galaxy of impostors.
Heir to two empires
From birth, Peter could lay claim to two imperial titles: Swedish and Russian. On his father's side, he was the great-nephew of King Charles XII, who himself was too busy with military campaigns to marry. Peter's grandfather on his mother's side was Charles' main enemy, the Russian emperor Peter I.
The orphaned boy spent his childhood with his uncle, Bishop Adolf Eitinsky, where he was raised to hate Russia. He did not know the Russian language and was baptized according to the Protestant custom. True, he did not know any other languages besides his native German either, he spoke only a little French.
Peter was supposed to take the Swedish throne, but the childless Empress Elizabeth remembered the son of her beloved sister Anna and announced him as heir. The boy is brought to Russia to meet the imperial throne and death.
Toy soldiers
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In fact, the sickly young man was not particularly needed by anyone: neither the aunt-empress, nor the educators, nor, later, his wife. Everyone was only interested in his origin, even the cherished words were added to the official title of the heir: "Grandson of Peter I".
And the heir himself was interested in toys, especially the soldiers. Can we blame him for being childish? When Peter was brought to St. Petersburg, he was only 13 years old! Dolls attracted the heir more than state affairs or a young bride.
True, his priorities do not change with age. He continued to play, but secretly. Ekaterina writes: “during the day, his toys were hidden in my bed and under it. The Grand Duke went to bed first after supper, and as soon as we were in bed, Kruse (the maid) locked the door with a key, and then the Grand Duke played until one or two in the morning."
Over time, toys get bigger and more dangerous. Peter is allowed to dismiss a regiment of soldiers from Holstein, whom the future emperor enthusiastically chases along the parade ground. Meanwhile, his wife is learning Russian and studying French philosophers …
Lady help
In 1745, in St. Petersburg, the wedding of the heir to Peter Fedorovich and Ekaterina Alekseevna, the future Catherine II, was magnificently celebrated. There was no love between the young spouses - they differed too much in character and interests. The more intellectual and educated Catherine makes fun of her husband's memoirs: “he doesn't read books either, and if he reads, then either a prayer book or descriptions of torture and executions”.
Peter's marital duty was also not going smoothly, as evidenced by his letters, where he asks his wife not to share the bed with him, which has become "too narrow." This is the origin of the legend that the future Emperor Paul was born not at all from Peter III, but from one of the favorites of the loving Catherine.
However, despite the coldness in the relationship, Peter always trusted his wife. In difficult situations, he turned to her for help, and her tenacious mind found a way out of any troubles. Therefore, Catherine received from her husband the ironic nickname "Lady Help".
Russian Marquise Pompadour
But not only children's games distracted Peter from the matrimonial bed. In 1750, two girls were presented to the court: Elizaveta and Ekaterina Vorontsov. Ekaterina Vorontsova will be a faithful companion of her royal namesake, while Elizabeth will take the place of Peter III's beloved.
The future emperor could take any court beauty as his favorite, but his choice fell, nevertheless, on this "fat and awkward" maid of honor. Love is evil? However, is it worth trusting the description left in the memoirs by the forgotten and abandoned wife?
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, sharp-tongued, found this love triangle very amusing. She even nicknamed the good-natured, but narrow-minded Vorontsova "Russian de Pompadour".
It was love that became one of the reasons for the fall of Peter. At court they began to say that Peter was going, following the example of his ancestors, to send his wife to a monastery and to marry Vorontsova. He allowed himself to insult and bully Catherine, who, apparently, tolerated all his whims, but in fact nurtured plans for revenge and was looking for powerful allies.
Spy in the service of her majesty
During the Seven Years' War, in which Russia took the side of Austria. Peter III openly sympathized with Prussia and personally with Frederick II, which did not add to the popularity of the young heir.
But he went even further: the heir passed on secret documents to his idol, information about the number and location of Russian troops! Upon learning of this, Elizabeth was furious, but she forgave a lot to the close-minded nephew for the sake of his mother, her beloved sister.
Why is the heir to the Russian throne helping Prussia so openly? Like Catherine, Peter is looking for allies, and hopes to find one of them in the person of Frederick II. Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin writes: “The Grand Duke was convinced that Frederick II loved him and spoke with great respect; therefore, he thinks that as soon as he ascends the throne, the Prussian king will seek his friendship and will help him in everything."
186 days of Peter III
After the death of Empress Elizabeth, Peter III was proclaimed emperor, but was not officially crowned. He showed himself to be an energetic ruler, and during the six months of his reign he managed, contrary to popular opinion, to do a lot. Assessments of his reign vary greatly: Catherine and her supporters describe Peter as a feeble-minded, ignorant soldier and Russophobe. Modern historians create a more objective image.
First of all, Peter made peace with Prussia on conditions that were unfavorable for Russia. This caused discontent in army circles. But then his "Manifesto on the Liberty of the Noble" gave the aristocracy enormous privileges. At the same time, he issued laws prohibiting the torture and murder of serfs, and stopped the persecution of the Old Believers.
Peter III tried to please everyone, but in the end all attempts turned against him. The reason for the conspiracy against Peter was his ridiculous fantasies about the baptism of Russia according to the Protestant model. The guard, the main support and support of the Russian emperors, sided with Catherine. At his palace in Orienbaum, Peter signed the abdication.
Life after death
Peter's death is one big mystery. It was not in vain that Emperor Paul compared himself to Hamlet: during the entire reign of Catherine II, the shadow of her deceased husband could not find peace. But was the Empress guilty of her husband's death?
According to the official version, Peter III died of illness. He was not in good health, and the excitement of a coup and abdication could kill a stronger person. But the sudden and so quick death of Peter - a week after the overthrow - caused a lot of talk. For example, there is a legend according to which Catherine's favorite Alexei Orlov was the murderer of the emperor.
Peter's illegal overthrow and suspicious death spawned a galaxy of impostors. In our country alone, more than forty people tried to impersonate the emperor. The most famous of them was Emelyan Pugachev. Abroad, one of the false Petrov even became the king of Montenegro. The last impostor was arrested in 1797, 35 years after the death of Peter, and only after that the emperor's shadow finally found peace.