Biography of Paul I
Russian Emperor Pavel I Petrovich - born: October 1, 1754 died: March 24, 1801 From the Romanov dynasty, son of Catherine II and Peter III.
Childhood of Paul I
Pavel was born under rather mysterious circumstances. Emperor Peter III and Catherine II had no heir for 10 years. This was explained quite simply: Peter was a chronic alcoholic. And yet the Empress managed to get pregnant. Many did not consider Peter III to be the father of the baby, but they preferred to keep quiet about this.
The long-awaited child that was born did not become happiness for the parents. The emperor suspected that the child was not from him, but the mother regarded the appearance of the boy, rather as a "state project". The whole horror of the saying: "The seven nannies have a child without an eye" Paul experienced on himself. They often forgot to feed him, repeatedly dropped him, and he remained alone for a long time. He hadn't seen his parents for years! The boy grew up shy, withdrawn and deeply unhappy …
Paul I - Away from the throne
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1762 - Peter III was overthrown, and for 34 long years the Russian throne was occupied by his wife Catherine II. Catherine treated her son rather coldly: first of all, he was the direct heir to the throne, and she was not going to share power with anyone.
1772, September 20 - Paul turned 18 - it's time to take the throne. But from his mother he received only the rank of admiral-general of the Russian fleet and colonel of the cuirassier regiment. For the young prince, this was the first serious humiliation, followed by others: he was not awarded a seat either in the Senate or in the Imperial Council. On April 21, on her birthday, Catherine gave the prince a cheap watch, and her favorite Count Potemkin, an expensive one, for 50,000 rubles. And this is in front of the entire yard!
Paul I - between two worlds
So that the prince thought less about power, the empress decided to marry him. The choice was stopped at the Prussian princess Wilhelmina. 1773, autumn - the young got married. Expectations did not come true, the marriage did not bring Paul happiness. His wife, as it turned out, was a powerful woman - she actually subdued her husband and began to cheat on him. This did not last long - after 3 years, Wilhelmina died in childbirth. The heartbroken Tsarevich was consoled by Catherine in a peculiar way: she personally conveyed to Paul the love correspondence between the princess and Razumovsky, a close friend of the Tsarevich. After the double betrayal, Paul became an even darker and more closed person.
Pavel did not remain single for long and in the same 1776 he went to Berlin to meet the 17-year-old princess Sophia-Dorothea. Prussia made a strong impression on Paul: unlike Russia, the Germans reigned order and exemplary morality. Paul's respect for a foreign country quickly grew into sympathy for the bride; the princess reciprocated. 1776, October - the wedding took place. In Russia, Sophia-Dorothea received the name Maria Fedorovna.
For many years, Paul lived in two worlds - enjoying happiness in his private life, and in his public life he suffered from universal contempt. If Europe had long revered him as a full-fledged emperor, then in Russia the courtiers looked at him with a grin - the country was ruled by Catherine II with her lover Count Potemkin.
When Paul's sons began to grow up, Catherine personally began to engage in their upbringing, demonstrating that she would allow one of her grandchildren to ascend the throne rather than her son. Paul's patience was still not unlimited … 1783, May 12 - a final disagreement occurred between the Empress and Paul. In the same year, in August, his mother gave Pavel an estate near St. Petersburg. It said only one thing - voluntary exile.
Paul I - exile
The donated estate became for Paul both a place of unspoken exile and an island of long-awaited freedom.
The first thing Pavel did was to defend the right to have three personal battalions of 2,399 people in Gatchina. They lived and served according to Prussian laws; the daily teachings were conducted by the prince himself.
Having inflicted a blast on the soldiers, Paul went to oversee numerous construction projects. In Gatchina, under his leadership, a hospital, a school, factories specializing in the production of porcelain and glass, 4 churches (Orthodox, Lutheran, Catholic and Finnish), and a library were built. Its funds contained 36,000 volumes.
The prince forgot his harshness and unsociability only in the evenings in the circle of loved ones. He spent all evenings with his wife Maria Fedorovna. Dinner was modest - a glass of burgundy claret and sausage with cabbage. It seemed that all his life he would be content with this measured and calm life.
Paul I - reforms
The death of Catherine II was sudden - November 6, 1796 from an apoplectic stroke. If Catherine had lived for more than six months, Alexander would have ascended the throne. All papers with an order on his inheritance were prepared.
Unexpected power became for Paul 1 not only a long-awaited gift, but also a real curse: the country was in a terrible state. The ruble was depreciating, corruption and theft flourished everywhere, and about 12,000 unsolved cases had accumulated in the Senate. Three-quarters of the Russian army's officer corps existed only on paper. Many received ranks without even serving, desertion became the norm, and the fleet was still equipped with cannons from the time of Peter the Great.
The emperor began to fight hard against lawlessness and decay of morals. Arrests, trials and exile swept across the country. Neither connections nor past merits could save from punishment of high officials. The officers also had a hard time: revels and trips to balls were forbidden by Paul, and they were replaced by early wakes and exhausting teachings. Ordinary officials also expressed dissatisfaction with Pavlov's reforms - already at five in the morning they should have been at work.
Paul 1 was in power for only 4 years and 4 months. During this time, 7 marshals and more than 300 senior officers were demoted to him, he distributed 600,000 peasants to the landowners and issued 2,179 laws.
Despite the tough temper of the emperor, his eldest son Alexander was always on the side of his father. However, Paul 1 managed to lose this ally as well. Somehow he called the prince a fool in front of everyone, and this turned the heir against himself.
Bloody night
Paul 1 had a premonition of his death. At least this is evidenced by many of the memoirs of his contemporaries.
SM Golitsyn wrote about the last evening: “It was established that at the end of the supper everyone went into another room and said goodbye to the emperor. That evening he did not say goodbye to anyone and said only: "What will be, that will not escape."
Another eyewitness wrote: “After supper the emperor looked at himself in the mirror, which had a flaw and made faces crooked. He laughed at this saying: “Look what a funny mirror; I see myself in it, with my neck to one side. It was an hour and a half before his death …”.
… The last meeting of the conspirators took place on the night of March 12, 1801. General Bennigsen, the princes Zubovs, and also Count Palen were in charge. Dissatisfaction with the policy pursued by Paul 1 passed over champagne and wine. Having invigorated themselves with drinks, the conspirators went to the chambers of Paul 1.
After passing two sentries, the men rushed to the emperor. Zubov made an offer to Paul 1 to sign an act of abdication. The emperor's refusal infuriated the uninvited visitors. According to one version, the emperor was strangled with a pillow, and then his body was cut up with sabers.
Even before dawn, the news spread around the northern capital that the emperor had died suddenly from an "apoplectic stroke", and Alexander ascended the throne. Stormy fun began in St. Petersburg …
A few years later, General Ya. I. Sanglen, head of the secret police under Alexander 1, wrote: “Pavel will forever remain a psychological problem. With a kind, sensitive heart, an exalted soul, an enlightened mind, a fiery love of justice … he was an object of horror for his subjects. The nature of Paul 1 was never fully understood either by his contemporaries or by descendant historians.
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