290 years ago, on September 19, 1727, the young Tsar Peter II signed a decree on the exile and deprivation of all ranks of Prince Alexander Menshikov. The almighty favorite Alexander Danilovich, thanks to his talents, rose to prominence under Tsar Peter the Great. After the death of Tsar Peter, Alexander Danilovich, relying on part of the nobles and on the guards, elevated Catherine I to the throne and became the actual master of Russia.
Catherine did not rule for long. A dissolute lifestyle quickly undermined her poor health. Menshikov obtained consent from the dying empress to declare Tsarevich Peter Alekseevich (grandson of Peter I) heir to the throne. At the same time, he sought to marry Tsarevich Peter with his daughter Maria Alexandrovna. The Highness Prince, who came out of ordinary people, wanted to intermarry with the royal family in order to forever secure his place at the throne. However, Menshikov's dynastic plans aroused the alarm of his enemies, especially Prince Golitsyn and Duke of Holstein. They wanted to remove the "prince from the mud" from the throne. They were helped by Osterman, who had previously been a supporter of Menshikov and enjoyed his confidence, and Minich.
The boy-emperor was turned against the Most Serene Prince, noting his covetousness (which was true: the Most Serene Prince was distinguished by a tendency to accumulate wealth), his belittling of his authority and the prerogatives of autocratic power. As a result of cunningly twisted intrigues and the loss of vigilance and will by the "semi-sovereign ruler" (he had military strength and could destroy his enemies), the young Tsar Peter II signed a decree on his exile and depriving him of all ranks, titles and positions, and at the same time all his huge property … 2 years later, Menshikov died in exile in Berezovo.
Origins and rise
Alexander Danilovich was born in November 1672. At the rise of Menshikov, it was announced in high society that he came from the Lithuanian nobility. But contemporaries believed that he was of common origin. They said that Lefort, noting the wit of the boy (the seller of pies), took Menshikov into his service. True, the legend about the seller of pies could be put into circulation by the opponents of the prince in order to belittle him, as A. Pushkin pointed out: “Menshikov came from Belarusian nobles. He was looking for his family estate near Orsha. He was never a lackey and did not sell hearth pies. This is a boyar joke, taken by historians for the truth."
Then, at the age of 14, Alexander was noticed by Peter and accepted into the orderly. He was able to quickly acquire not only the trust, but also the friendship of the tsar, become his confidante in all undertakings and hobbies. Recorded as a funny soldier, Menshikov zealously served as a soldier, was a bombardier, a carpenter, worked as an oar and as a sailor. Menshikov was always with the tsar, accompanying him on trips to Russia, on the Azov campaigns, in the Great Embassy to Western Europe. After the death of Lefort Menshikov became the first assistant of the Russian Tsar in state and military affairs, as well as in secret. He remained his favorite for many years. The tsar in letters to him called him "Aleksasha, a heartfelt friend, brother and son of the heart." Endowed by nature with a sharp mind, wonderful memory and great energy,Alexander Danilovich never referred to the impossibility of fulfilling an assignment and did everything with zeal, remembered all orders, knew how to keep secrets. At the same time, he knew how to soften the hot-tempered character of the king.
In 1702 Menshikov showed courage in the storming of Noteburg during the Northern War. The tsar appointed him commandant of the fortress, which was renamed Shlisselburg. Menshikov once thanked the Tsar. "You thank me in vain," said the king, "general benefit, and not my friendship for you guided me to choose, and if anyone else was worthy of you, I would choose him." Since that time, the rapid rise of Alexander Danilovich began. Satisfied with the talent of the manager who was preparing for the new campaign, Pyotr Alekseevich asked the Austrian emperor for the title of count for his favorite. In 1703, Alexander distinguished himself at the mouth of the Neva by boarding two Swedish ships. Menshikov received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (No. 7, along with Peter I, Knight No. 6) and was appointed Governor-General of St. Petersburg. Together with the tsar, he laid the foundations of the Peter and Paul Fortress and tirelessly took up the construction and arrangement of a new city, which became the capital of the Russian Empire.
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Thus, Menshikov became the first governor-general of St. Petersburg and remained so, with a short break, until his disgrace in 1727. He supervised the construction of the city, as well as Kronstadt, shipyards on the Neva and Svir rivers (Olonets shipyard), Petrovsky and Povenets cannon factories. As governor-general, he formed the Ingermanland Infantry and Ingermanland Dragoon Regiments. Tsar Peter was very pleased with Menshikov's work on the construction of St. Petersburg, admiring the paradise (the outdated word for paradise), as he called it.
In the campaign of 1704, Menshikov bravely fought at the siege of Narva and Dorpat, and was immediately granted from lieutenant to lieutenant general. The tsar also rewarded Menshikov with money and estates, and begged the Austrian emperor for the title of prince. In 1705 he was among the first to become a Knight of the Polish Order of the White Eagle. After becoming governor-general of Ingermanland, Prince Alexander Danilovich became one of the first tsarist nobles and the plenipotentiary imperial governor. Tsar Peter himself lived in a modest house, and Alexander Menshikov built a palace on the shore of Vasilyevsky Island. Here they received ambassadors, celebrated victories, gathered noisy gatherings.
Menshikov Palace on Vasilievsky Island
In November 1705, Prince Menshikov was promoted to general from the cavalry and soon came into conflict with the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Field Marshal GB Ogilvi. Tsar Peter took the side of Menshikov. The Tsar's favorite was appointed head of the entire cavalry, and after the resignation of Ogilvi, together with Boris Sheremetev, he led the entire army. Menshikov proved to be a good cavalry commander. When the Swedish king Karl XII moved to Saxony, Alexander Menshikov followed him at the head of the auxiliary corps, and fought the enemy in the Commonwealth. He managed to keep with him the Polish king and the Saxon prince Augustus, who already wanted to capitulate to the Swedes. In October 1706 Menshikov defeated the Swedish corps near Kalisz. The Swedes lost several thousand people, the enemy commander, General A. Mardefelt, was captured. The losses of the Russian troops were insignificant. As a reward for this victory, Menshikov received from the tsar a marshal's baton, decorated with precious stones, and the rank of lieutenant colonel of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment (Tsar Peter himself took the rank of colonel).
Thus, Alexander Danilovich, in the prime of his years, was at the very top of fame and honor, was the first of the king's nobles, a commander, a minister and a devoted friend. During the campaign of 1707, Menshikov organized the withdrawal of troops in front of the advancing army of Karl, using the "scorched earth" tactics. By the highest order of Tsar Peter I, dated May 30, 1707, Alexander Danilovich was elevated to the dignity of the prince of the Russian kingdom, with the name "Prince of Izhora land" and the title of "lordship". The material well-being of the Most Serene Prince, the number of estates and villages granted to him also grew.
On September 28, 1708 he took part in the battle near Lesnaya, which became, according to Peter, "the mother of the Poltava victory." After the betrayal of Hetman Mazepa, Baturin took his headquarters with a quick raid, capturing large reserves that were badly needed by the Swedish army. His Serene Highness played an important role in the Battle of Poltava on June 27, 1709, where he commanded first the vanguard, and then the left flank of the Russian army. Pursuing the defeated Swedish army with Golitsyn, Menshikov overtook it at the crossing of the Dnieper at Perevolochna and, with military cunning, exaggerating his strength, forced it to surrender. He reported from near Perevolochna: “Here we overtook the enemy fleeing from us, and just now the king himself with the traitor Mazepa in small people escaped, and the good-for-nothing Swedes were all taken alive on a chord, of which there will be about ten thousand,between which General Levengaupt and Major General Kreutz. I took all the ammunition, too”. For Poltava, Alexander Danilovich was awarded the rank of Field Marshal. In addition, the cities of Pochep and Yampol with extensive volosts were transferred to his possession. In terms of the number of serfs, he became the second after the tsar the owner of the soul in Russia.
In 1709-1714. Alexander Menshikov commanded the troops operating in Poland, Courland, Pomerania and Holstein. During the Turkish (Prut) campaign of Peter in 1711, Menshikov remained for the ruler in St. Petersburg. In 1714 Menshikov took Stettin and took the Russian army to Russia. For fighting in Western Europe he received the Order of the Elephant (Denmark) and the Order of the Black Eagle (Prussia) from the European monarchs. After that Menshikov was engaged in the arrangement of the capital, the development of the fleet and maritime affairs. With the creation of the State Military Collegium (1719), he was made its first president, with the retirement of the St. Petersburg Governor-General, was responsible for the arrangement of all the armed forces of Russia. On October 22, 1721, Menshikov was promoted to vice admiral for his services in naval affairs.
Portrait of A. D. Menshikov. 1716 - 1720
Abuse
But Menshikov distinguished himself not only by state and military labors, feats for the good of the Fatherland, but by such bad character traits as pride and greed. He became the most brilliant nobleman of the tsar, the richest man in Russia, but everything was not enough for him. The king knew about this and for a long time forgave him for his arrogance and greedy desire for enrichment. After the death of Lefort, Peter said about Menshikov: "I have one hand left, thieving, but faithful."
In the end, the tsar handed Menshikov to a strict trial and punished him. But the tsar waited in vain for the correction of his dignitary. New abuses soon emerged. The tsar already wanted to punish his servant to the fullest extent, but Menshikov was saved by the intercession of Empress Catherine. Menshikov played a significant role in the dizzying rise of the former servant, who first became the tsar's mistress, and then the lawful wife, the empress of a huge empire. The king again forgave his former favorite, but lost interest in him.
At the end of the reign of Per the Great, new crimes of Menshikov were revealed. The Tsar stripped him of the title of President of the Military Collegium, Governor-General of the St. Petersburg Province, and Menshikov's fall from the St. Petersburg Olympus was inevitable. Moreover, this time Empress Catherine could not help him. The tsar also lost interest in her - she cheated on him. But here, quite in time for Menshikov, Peter the Great died.
Ruler of Russia
The death of the great monarch could either preserve Menshikov's role on the throne, even elevate him even more, or cast him down from the imperious Olympus. He had many enemies and rivals, especially among the well-born Russian nobility. In particular, Menshikov was hated for participating in the dark affair of Tsarevich Alexei, when they killed the heir to Peter. On the issue of succession to the throne (Peter did not leave clear instructions on this matter), two main parties emerged. The first - Menshikov, Duke of Holstein, and all the foreigners, "the chicks of Petrov's nest", whom he raised for ability, not generosity, stood up for Empress Catherine. Under her, they could maintain their positions or even strengthen them. In case of defeat, they could lose not only their places, titles, power and wealth, but also the very head. The second batch included the Dolgoruks, the Golitsins and almost all the old Russian families,who wanted to elevate the grandson of Peter, Tsarevich Peter Alekseevich to the throne. It is clear that if Catherine was removed from the throne, Menshikov would have suffered first.
When Tsar Peter died, the dignitaries gathered for a meeting in one of the rooms of the palace. However, while his enemies conferred, Alexander Danilovich acted. He seized the treasury, dragged the guards along with him, convincing her that the rights of the empress and she herself were under threat, occupied the Peter and Paul Fortress. Menshikov surrounded the palace with a guard and boldly burst into the meeting. “Long live Empress Catherine!” Shouted the guards. The dignitaries had no choice but to recognize the new ruler (no one wanted to die on the bayonets of the guards). So, Menshikov made Catherine, the former field wife of Sheremetev, Menshikov himself, and then Peter, the Russian empress.
It is clear that with the accession of Catherine in January 1725, Menshikov became the sovereign ruler of the Russian Empire. "Happiness is a darling of a rootless, semi-powerful ruler," as Alexander Pushkin called Menshikov in the poem "Poltava". All the prosecutions and penalties were immediately forgotten, he was again granted 50 thousand souls of peasants. He regained the post of Governor-General of St. Petersburg, in 1726 - the post of President of the Military Collegium. Menshikov became commander-in-chief of all troops and a colonel of three regiments that made up his own guard. On August 30, 1725, Empress Catherine I made him a knight of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. When the Supreme Privy Council was established, Menshikov became its first member. He repressed his obvious enemies and sent them into exile.
The ambitious thought about kinship with the royal house in order to permanently consolidate the position of his family. He proposed to the empress to marry the eldest daughter to the heir to the throne and declare him the ruler of the state himself until the emperor comes of age. Empress Catherine, who did not have any state gifts, did not mind. Shortly before the death of Catherine, the prince was betrothed to Maria Menshikova. Thus, Menshikov retained his position under the new Tsar Peter II.
A fall
It seemed that Menshikov was firmly taking the place of the master of Russia. His family was showered with posts and awards. Menshikov forced the Duke of Holstein (Anna Petrovna's husband) to leave Russia. The Austrian emperor granted Alexander Danilovich the Duchy of Kozelsk in Silesia and offered his youngest daughter to the duke of Anhalt-Dessaussky as suitors. The Krol of Prussia sent his son the Order of the Black Eagle. The Kurlanders proposed to make Menshikov their duke. Menshikov cherishes plans to marry his son to Grand Duchess Elizabeth.
He had already forgotten about caution, but the enemies did not doze. Through the favorite, the young prince I. Dolgorukov, they aroused the suspicion of the young emperor Peter towards Menshikov. A large role in the conspiracy was played by Osterman, whom the ruler of Russia himself appointed as the emperor's chamberlain. Menshikov's enemies took advantage of his illness when he temporarily lost control of the situation. At this time, the emperor was removed from the all-powerful nobleman. Minikh, whom Menshikov himself identified as the commandant of Petersburg, removed the Ingermandlan regiment loyal to him. Menshikov himself these days lost his former determination and will, and refused to resist. “God humbled me!” He told his family.
On September 19, 1727 Menshikov was arrested by order of the boy-emperor Peter II, and sent into exile. On charges of abuse and embezzlement, he was deprived of all positions held, awards, property, titles and was exiled with his family to the Siberian town of Berezov (Tobolsk province). In addition to the estates, they found 14 million rubles of money and bank notes at Menshikov's, and several million rubles of gold, silver and jewelry. Menshikov's wife, the favorite of Peter I, Princess Daria Mikhailovna, could not stand the fall and died on the way.
V. I. Surikov. "Menshikov in Berezovo"
Bering's comrades, sent by Menshikov to explore Eastern Siberia in 1726, met him outside Kazan and could not believe their eyes when they were told that the poor, overgrown exile was the former all-powerful ruler of Russia, and the young girl was the emperor's bride. In Berezovo Menshikov built himself a village house (together with 8 faithful servants) and a small church. His statement of that period is known: "I began with a simple life, and I will finish with a simple life." During the epidemic, his eldest daughter died, his son and youngest daughter were also ill, but recovered. Menshikov died on November 12, 1729 at the age of 56. Menshikov's son and daughter received justice. Anna Ivanovna freed them from exile, returned part of her father's estates.
Author: Samsonov Alexander