Russian Emperor Peter II. Fatal facts from the life of Peter II

Peter II reigned for a total of only 5 years. However, during this time they were able to destroy many of the institutions that their great predecessor had created with great difficulty. It is not for nothing that before his death he was unable to choose a worthy heir to whom he could give the throne with a pure heart.

The reign of the grandson of the first Russian emperor was especially mediocre.

Parents

The future Emperor Peter II is the last representative of the Romanov family in the direct male line. His parents were the prince and the German princess Charlotte of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel. His father was an unloved child who was constantly bullied by his great father. Alexei's marriage was dynastic and he married on the orders of Peter I. Princess Charlotte was also not delighted with the prospect of going to “Muscovy” as the wife of a strange, awkward young man who did not pay attention to her.

Be that as it may, the wedding took place in 1711. The marriage lasted only four years, ending with the death of his wife after the birth of a boy, named Peter after his grandfather.

Biography: childhood

At the time of his birth (October 12, 1715), the future Emperor Peter II was the third contender for the Russian throne. However, this situation did not last very long. The fact is that a few days later his uncle was born. The baby was also named Peter, contrary to all customs, and in February 1718 he was declared heir, bypassing his brother Alexei. Thus, the childhood of the emperor's grandson was joyless and orphaned, since he had no mother, and his father, who initially did not show much interest in him, was executed. Even after the death of Pyotr Petrovich, he was not brought closer to the court, since his grandfather, who decided to examine the prince, discovered his complete ignorance.

Question of succession to the throne

According to all dynastic laws, after the death of Peter I, his only male heir should have taken the throne. However, many representatives of the great boyar families, who signed the death warrant for Tsarevich Alexei or were related to her, rightly feared for their lives in the event of his son’s accession to the throne.

Thus, two parties were formed at court: those supporting the young Peter and those consisting of his opponents. The latter received the strongest support of the emperor, who signed a decree abolishing previous laws, which allowed the appointment as heir of anyone whom the monarch considered worthy to take the throne. Since Peter the Great did not have time to do this during his lifetime, his closest ally, Menshikov, managed to place Empress Catherine on the throne. However, the all-powerful prince understood that she would not rule for long, and he had the idea of ​​marrying the only male Romanov to his daughter Maria. Thus, over time, he could become the grandfather of the heir to the throne and rule the country at his own discretion.

To do this, he even upset the engagement of Maria Menshikova and achieved recognition of the proposed son-in-law as heir to the throne.

Accession to the throne

Catherine I died on May 6, 1727. When the will was read out, it turned out that she not only appointed her husband’s grandson as heir, but also ordered everyone to facilitate the conclusion of a marriage between him and the daughter of Alexander Menshikov. The empress's last will was carried out, however, since Peter II had not reached marriageable age, they limited themselves to announcing the engagement. At the same time, the country began to be ruled by the Supreme Council, which was manipulated by the Most Serene Prince, who was going to eventually become the emperor’s father-in-law.

Peter II: reign

The teenage emperor, due to his age and abilities, was unable to rule on his own. As a result, power was at first almost entirely in the hands of his supposed father-in-law. As under Catherine I, the country was governed by inertia. Although many courtiers tried to follow the behests of Peter I, the political system he created could not operate effectively without his presence.

Nevertheless, Menshikov tried in every possible way to increase the popularity of the young tsar among the people. To do this, he drew up two manifestos on his behalf. According to the first of them, those exiled to hard labor for non-payment of taxes were pardoned, and long-standing debts to the treasury were canceled for the serfs. In addition, penalties have been significantly reduced. For example, it was forbidden to display the bodies of executed people on public display.

In the sphere of foreign trade, the need for radical reform has also long been overdue. Peter II, or rather Alexander Menshikov, who ruled for him, reduced the duty on hemp and yarn sold abroad in order to thus increase treasury revenues, and the Siberian fur trade was generally exempt from paying the state a percentage of income.

Another concern of Menshikov was to prevent palace intrigues with the aim of overthrowing his power. To do this, he tried as best he could to please his long-time associates. In particular, on behalf of the emperor, he awarded the rank of field marshal to princes Dolgorukov and Trubetskoy, as well as Burchard Minich. Menshikov granted himself the titles of Commander-in-Chief and Generalissimo of the Russian Army.

Change of power

With age, the young emperor began to cool towards the Menshikovs. In this matter, Osterman played an important role, who was his teacher and tried in every possible way to snatch his student from the clutches of His Serene Highness. He was helped by someone who wanted to marry Peter II to his sister Princess Catherine.

When Menshikov fell ill in the summer of 1727, his opponents showed the young emperor materials from the investigation. From them, he learned about the role of his bride's father in the matter of the conviction and execution of the son of Peter I.

When Menshikov returned to work, it turned out that his future son-in-law had left his palace and was now discussing all issues only with Osterman and the Dolgorukys.

Soon he was accused of embezzlement and treason and exiled with his family to the Tobolsk region.

Peter II himself moved to Moscow and announced his engagement to Catherine Dolgoruka. Now he indulged in entertainment, and the state was ruled by the relatives of his bride.

Death

On January 6, 1730, after the illumination of water on the Moscow River, Peter II attended a military parade and caught a severe cold. Upon arriving home, it turned out that he had smallpox. According to witnesses, in his delirium he was eager to go to his sister Natalya, who had died several years earlier. The emperor died 12 days later and became the last Russian ruler to be buried in the Kremlin Archangel Cathedral.

Personality of Peter II

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, the teenage emperor was not distinguished by either intelligence or hard work. He was also poorly educated, which is not surprising given that he never had proper adult supervision. His whims and bad manners often caused bewilderment among ambassadors and foreigners who came to Russia and were introduced to the court. Even if he had been able to live to adulthood, it is unlikely that his reign would have been successful for the country.

Emperor Peter II lived a short and rebellious life. From birth, entangled in a network of palace intrigues, he had virtually no influence on the fate of the country and at the age of fourteen he died of smallpox.

A web of intrigue from birth

Deprived of parental affection, Pyotr Alekseevich grew like grass in a meadow: they taught him “something and somehow” and practically did not educate him. In the meantime, Peter I died, the throne was taken by his widow, Empress Catherine I, and real power was in the hands of His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Menshikov. The cunning schemer watched with alarm as the health and strength of Catherine I melted away, plunging into a crazy whirlwind of pleasures and entertainment. He needed to take care of the future. And Menshikov begins to court the heir to the throne - young Pyotr Alekseevich. The child, yearning for affection, reached out to the “blessed one”; he even began to call “father” the man who signed the death warrant for his real father! Meanwhile, the “father” hastened to betroth the “little prince” to his daughter Maria. With the help of this “rose” Menshikov hoped to strengthen his influence on Peter.

A little prince

Catherine I dies, and an 11-year-old boy becomes emperor. “He is one of the finest princes you can meet; he has extreme good looks and extraordinary liveliness,” the French diplomat Lavi writes about Peter. The young sovereign promised to imitate the Roman Emperor Titus, who tried to act in such a way that no one left him with a sad face. Unfortunately, Peter did not keep this promise...

Osterman

Menshikov was in a hurry to “strike while the iron is hot”: he transported the crowned youth to his own home, and the sovereign’s bride Maria received the title of imperial highness. “His Serene Highness” sent some ill-wishers into exile, and bribed others with high positions.

The young sovereign, who completely trusted the “father,” resignedly signed any decree he drew up. But Menshikov made a big mistake with the Tsar’s tutor. He assigned to Peter the crafty German Osterman, who pretended to be a devoted supporter of the “most luminous.” In fact, Osterman hated the all-powerful temporary worker and, together with the princely Dolgoruky clan, prepared his downfall. The cunning German was a good psychologist. Osterman's lessons fascinated Peter so much that the boy, as soon as he woke up early in the morning, almost ran to class. And the teacher gradually turned the young tsar against Menshikov.

Imperial Wrath

One day, his subjects presented the sovereign with a hefty sum. Peter ordered to send money to his lady love - Elizabeth. Having learned about this, Menshikov intercepted the messenger and unceremoniously pocketed the royal gift. Peter was furious, he called the prince “on the carpet” and gave a formal dressing down. “I’ll show you which of us is the emperor!” raged the young tsar, in whom the violent temper of his grandfather, Peter the Great, leapt up. The stunned Menshikov had to return the money to Elizabeth.

Changing favorite

In September, the prince organized a magnificent celebration at his estate. Peter promised to be there, but didn’t come. And then the annoyed Menshikov made a fatal mistake: during the service in the chapel, he demonstratively stood in the royal place. The prince’s “well-wishers,” of course, reported to Peter. This outburst put an end to Menshikov’s dizzying career: the “semi-sovereign ruler” was arrested and exiled with his family to Berezov. The tsar’s new favorite was Ivan Dolgoruky, a spendthrift and reveler known throughout St. Petersburg.

With the fall of Menshikov, Peter felt completely independent. He stopped studying and abandoned government affairs. According to the memoirs of a contemporary, “the only thing the emperor does is roam the streets all day and night with Princess Elizabeth, visiting chamberlain Ivan Dolgoruky, pages, cooks and God knows who else.” Dolgoruky accustomed the young sovereign to revelry and debauchery, distracting him from any serious activities.

Peter's character also changed for the worse: the “little prince” became hot-tempered, capricious and irritable. Most of all, he fell in love with hunting, with a magnificent retinue he went into the forests and chased prey for weeks. And the state was “ruled” by the Dolgoruky clan, and under their “sensitive leadership” things in the country went worse and worse.

At the end of 1729, the presumptuous princes, in the words of the Spanish diplomat de Liria, “opened the second volume of Menshikov’s stupidity.” Repeating the mistake of the “most illustrious”, they decided to present Peter with their own “rose” - to marry Ekaterina Dolgoruky. Prince Ivan convinced Peter to announce the upcoming marriage. The Tsar reluctantly gave in to his favorite, but the courtiers noticed that at the betrothal ball Peter looked displeased and paid almost no attention to the bride.

Hateful life

In December 1729, the Tsar became seriously ill, Elizabeth came to visit her nephew. The 14-year-old boy was sad and said that he was fed up with life and would soon die. The words turned out to be prophetic: on January 19, 1730, Peter II died of smallpox.

In Saint-Exupéry's fairy tale, the Little Prince finds himself on a planet full of wonderful roses. But their beauty seems cold and empty to him. “You are not at all like my rose,” he told them. - You are nothing yet. No one has tamed you, and you have not tamed anyone.” The prince from the fairy tale was lucky - he had a Rose. But the Russian “little prince” never found his Rose among the many bright and lush flowers.

On January 6, 1730, the Tsar [Peter II] went to the city to bless the water, and, returning to his Slobodskaya palace, complained of ill health. The next day smallpox broke out all over his body. This disease, as is known, is generally of such a nature that for several days it is impossible to make affirmative predictions regarding its outcome; but since Peter was the last of the male line of the Romanov dynasty, the possibility of his death raised questions in advance about who would be his. successor and who must open another dynasty or another line of the previous dynasty. This occupied not only Russian statesmen, but also ministers of foreign courts, obliged to guard the interests of those states of which they were representatives in Russia. Among these foreign ministers in Russia was the Danish minister Westphalen, a great diplomat and intriguer. Even under Catherine 1, as we cited above, he became close to Menshikov and encouraged him to join the party of Petrov’s grandson. At that time, the Danish minister worked to ensure that after the death of Catherine, Peter II ascended the throne, because otherwise either the Duchess of Holstein or her sister Elizabeth, who was in great friendship with her, could take the throne, and this would be dangerous and contrary to the policy of the Danish government . Now, in case of the premature death of Peter II, the same fear was raised. Upon the death of the last of the male line of the Romanov house, the inheritance of the throne could pass either to Princess Elizabeth or to the young son of the late Holstein duchess. It would be useful for Denmark if a person who did not have a friendly connection with the Holstein house inherited the throne in Russia, and it would be best if he could; become hostile towards the latter. Westphalen witnessed how, after the death of Peter the Great, the throne went to his widow, who had no family right; therefore, as he thought, in Russia there could be succession, regardless of any blood connection with the previously reigning house. The Danish minister wrote a letter to Vasily Lukich Dolgorukov and inserted into it the tempting idea of ​​declaring the royal bride as Peter’s successor, just as after the death of Peter the Great Catherine was proclaimed the reigning empress. Then, he noted, Menshikov and Tolstoy arranged such a thing, why can’t the Dolgorukovs do it now? Vasily Lukich reported this idea to Prince Alexei Grigorievich. On January 12, the sovereign felt better, and the matter was abandoned.

Everyone hoped that Peter’s illness was no longer dangerous. But on January 17, Peter, who, due to his adolescent liveliness, never protected himself from the influences of temperature, opened the window. Suddenly all the smallpox that had spread throughout the body disappeared. Everyone saw hopelessness then. The king immediately began to fall into unconsciousness.

Then Prince Alexei Grigorievich invited his relatives to his Golovinsky Palace for secret family council. His brothers, Sergei and Ivan Grigorievich, Vasily Lukich and the brother of the royal bride Ivan Alekseevich, got together. Prince Alexei Grigorievich, leaving them in his bedroom, went to the Lefortovo Palace to inquire about the health of the sovereign. In his absence, Princes Vasily and Mikhail Vladimirovich came to the Golovinsky Palace. Perhaps the father of the royal bride deliberately left home in order to give the Vladimirovich brothers the opportunity to tell the Vladimirovich brothers without himself about what was being started at the instigation of Westphalen: it seemed indecent to him to speak in favor of his daughter to those who had previously looked unfavorably on the proposed royal marriage.

The princes Grigorievich said to the princes Vladimirovich:

“His Majesty is very sick and unconscious; if he dies, then he must be held back as best he can so that after His Majesty, His Majesty’s bride, Princess Catherine, will be betrothed to the heir to the Russian throne.

“Princess Catherine did not marry the sovereign,” said Prince Vasily Vladimirovich.

“I didn’t get married, I just got engaged,” answered the Grigorievichs.

“Wedding is another matter, and betrothal is another,” said Vasily Vladimirovich. Even if she had been married, there would have been some doubt in making her heir. Not only strangers, but also other persons of our surname will not want to be her subjects. Although the late Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna reigned, only Her Majesty the Emperor crowned her in his lifetime.

“You just have to really want it,” the Grigorievichs said. We’ll persuade Count Golovkin and Prince Dmitry Golitsyn, and if they argue, we’ll start beating them. How can we not do it our way? You, Prince Vasily Vladimirovich, are a lieutenant colonel in the Preobrazhensky regiment, and Prince Ivan is a major; and in the Semenovsky regiment there is no one to argue against us.

Prince Vasily Vladimirovich said to this:

- Why are you lying, childish! Is it a good deal? And then, how will I announce the regiment? They will hear about this from me, not only will they scold me, they will even beat me!

Then the Grigorievichs said:

- And if the sovereign deigns to declare Princess Catherine his spiritual heir?

Prince Vasily Vladimirovich answered:

“That would be good, since this matter is in the will of His Majesty, but how can we discuss such an untenable matter, when you yourself know that His Majesty is very sick and cannot speak: how can His Majesty carry out this matter!”

Then Prince Alexei Grigorievich arrived and reported that the sovereign’s position was not improving at all and, on the contrary, seemed hopeless. There was talk of inheritance again, and Prince Vasily Vladimirovich began to object in harsh terms to the intention to make the royal bride heir to the throne. “You will all destroy yourselves if you try to achieve this,” he prophetically said to Prince Alexei Grigorievich and then left with his brother Mikhail.

The Dolgorukovs who remained in the Golovinsky Palace again took up the issue of inheritance. Prince Sergei Grigorievich said:

- Is it possible to write a spiritual letter on behalf of the sovereign, allegedly he made his bride, Princess Catherine, his heir?

The Vladimirovich brothers were no longer there, and no one objected to such a lawless enterprise. Prince Vasily Lukich volunteered to compose a false document, sat down at the butt, took a sheet of paper and began to write; but, not having finished writing everything, he threw down the paper and said:

- The letter from my hand is bad. Who could have written it better?

Then Prince Sergei Grigorievich took up pen and paper, and Princes Vasily Lukich and Alexei Grigorievich composed a spiritual and dictated to him, so that one would say, and the other would add. In this way, Prince Sergei wrote a spiritual document on behalf of the sovereign in two copies. Here Prince Ivan Alekseevich took the sovereign’s letter and his own writing out of his pocket and said:

- Look, here is a letter from the sovereign and from my hand. The writing of my hand is word for word like a sovereign’s letter. I know how to sign the sovereign’s hand, because I wrote with the sovereign as a joke.

And under one of the copies of the spiritual document he compiled, he signed: “Peter.”

Everyone decided in unison that the handwriting of Prince Ivan Alekseevich was surprisingly similar to the handwriting of the sovereign.

But the first time they did not dare to give the meaning of a real document to the false ecclesiastical document signed by the prince for the sovereign. There was another copy left, not yet signed. Father and uncles said to Prince Ivan:

- You wait and seize the time when His Majesty becomes freer from illness, then ask him to sign this spiritual document, and if due to his illness that spiritual document is not signed by his hand, then after the death of the sovereign we will declare the one that was signed by your hand, allegedly he made his bride an heiress. But your hand with the hand of His Imperial Majesty may not be known.

After such advice, Prince Ivan, taking both copies of the ecclesiastical document, went to the Lefortovo Palace and walked around there, constantly inquiring whether the sovereign was feeling better and whether it was possible to be admitted to him. But he received the same answer: the sovereign was extremely ill and unconscious. Osterman was persistently close to the sovereign, because Peter himself had previously wanted this.

-Where is your spiritual?

“Here,” answered Prince Ivan. I did not get time from His Imperial Majesty to ask him to sign the spiritual document.

The father told him:

“Come here so that those spiritual ones won’t be seen and fall into someone’s hands.”

Prince Ivan Alekseevich gave his father both spiritual lists. (Kashperova, Pam. Nov. Russian. Ist. I, p. 160 ff).

The state of health of the sovereign was completely hopeless. He was given communion to St. mysteries, and three bishops performed the sacrament of unction over him. Osterman was relentlessly at the bedside of his dying royal pupil. Peter, in fits of agony, incessantly uttered his name. Finally, on the night of January 18-19, 1730, at two o’clock, Peter shouted: “Harness the sleigh, I want to go to my sister!” With that he drew his breath.

Peter II has not reached the age when a person’s personality is fully determined, and history hardly has the right to pronounce any verdict on him. Although his contemporaries praised his abilities, natural intelligence and kind heart - everything that could give hope of seeing a good sovereign, such praise cannot be given much weight, because they were only hopes for good things in the future. In essence, the behavior and inclinations of the royal youth, who occupied the Russian throne under the name of Peter the Second, did not give the right to expect from him over time a talented, intelligent and efficient ruler of the state. He not only did not like teaching and work, but hated both, and did not show any curiosity; nothing fascinated him in the sphere of public administration, he was completely addicted to idle amusements and was so subservient to the will of those close to him that he could not, on his own, without the help of others, free himself from what was already weighing him down; meanwhile, he was constantly carried away by the tempting thought that he, as an autocrat, could do things according to his own liking, and everyone around him should act as he ordered. The royal youth was deeply corrupted by ambitious people who took advantage of his orphanhood for their own selfish purposes and plotted against each other in his name. Death befell him at a time when he was in the power of the Dolgorukovs; Probably, if he had remained alive, then the Dolgorukovs, through the intrigues of some other favorites of happiness, would have suffered the fate of Menshikov, and those others who would have overthrown the Dolgorukovs, in turn, would have been overthrown by other favorites. In any case, one could expect a reign of court intrigues and petty tyranny. State affairs would fall into extreme disrepair, as has already begun: the example of the supreme autocratic head has an infectious effect on the entire governmental environment. Transferring the capital back to Moscow would pull all of Rus' back to its previous inactivity, to stagnation and hibernation, as supporters of the transformation had already feared. Of course, one cannot say that it would probably have been this way and not otherwise, because unexpected events happen that change the course of things. Such a random, unexpected event was, in fact, the early death of Peter the Second, which can, according to considerations, be considered the greatest happiness sent from above for Russia: the death of the young sovereign was still the reason that Russia was again set on the path paved by the Great Peter, although with incomparably less speed, energy and clarity of views and goals.

Or a representative of a noble and wealthy family? Well, they say, they have power and wealth. But power and wealth do not always bring happiness to a person.

In Russian history there are many examples of the unfortunate fates of monarchs, various officials, and people.

Of particular note in the list of these examples is the personality of Emperor Peter II, and we will talk about him.

Peter II was the grandson of Peter I, the son of Tsarevich Alexei and Princess Sophia Charlotte of Blankenburg, who received the name Natalya Alekseevna at baptism.

Pyotr Alekseevich was born on October 12, 1715. Natalya Alekseevna died ten days after giving birth. And three years later, his father, Tsarevich Alexei, died.

At the end of 1726 she began to get sick. This circumstance forced the empress and the Russian public to think about the heir to the throne.

Several descendants claimed the Russian throne at once. These were his daughters - Elizabeth (the future Empress), Anna, and grandson Peter II Alekseevich.

Representatives of the old boyar families advocated for little Peter to sit on the Russian throne. Less well-born nobles supported the “party” of princesses.

Osterman, who has great influence at court, proposed a compromise in resolving this issue that would suit all the warring parties.

We are talking, of course, about one of the princesses becoming Peter’s wife. But this was not destined to happen. The game was won by Menshikov, who bet on Peter. Catherine signed her will, and after her death Peter II became the new Russian monarch.

Having become a monarch, Peter II became an instrument with the help of which adult and influential men resolved their personal, often selfish, issues. From the very first day of his reign, the emperor came under the strict tutelage of Menshikov.

Alexander Danilovich forced the young monarch to study a lot and did not allow unnecessary entertainment. Everything would be fine, but Menshikov decided to marry Pyotr Alekseevich to his daughter, who was not at all nice to the emperor.

The Emperor's relationship with Menshikov became strained. Time passed, the little boy grew up more and more and, having a great grudge against Alexander Danilovich, accumulated it more and more in himself.

One day his grievances poured out. The reason for the conflict with Menshikov was an incident. Peter sent his sister a cash gift, which was to be handed over by one of the courtiers. It soon became clear that the gift did not reach Natalya Petrovna, but was confiscated by Menshikov.

The boy, meek until now, suddenly poured out all the grievances accumulated in his heart on Alexander Danilovich. Immediately Alexander Danilovich’s health failed. Having left the capital for a short time, Peter fell under the influence of Osterman, sister Natalya and aunt Elizabeth, who vied with each other about how old Menshikov was abusing his position.

Soon Meshnikov returned to St. Petersburg, but during the court struggle and various intrigues, he was removed from the capital and exiled. Fate was also cruel to Menshikov, but that’s another story...

Having left the tutelage of Menshikov, Peter II came under the influence of the Dolgorukys. Vasily Lukich and Alexey Grigorievich Dolgoruky occupied prominent government positions. The son of Alexei Grigorievich, Ivan Dolgoruky, generally developed friendship with the emperor.

Young Ivan had a detrimental influence on young Peter. Dolgoruky became addicted to wine and gambling; they were often seen on campaigns with various young ladies. The main hobby of Peter II, acquired from Ivan Dolgoruky, was hunting. The Emperor devoted most of his time to this hobby.

The boy loved hounds, which were specially ordered for him from abroad. He received tremendous pleasure from fiddling with them. He also liked fast horses. Peter II wasted his life.

Before the “overthrow” of Menshikov, he was close to his sister Natalya, but then he forgot about her. Although Natalya was his faithful friend and support. Soon his sister died and, for him, her death was a real blow.

The young emperor suffered from unrequited love for his aunt Elizaveta Petrovna. No, of course, she loved him, but only as a nephew. Peter saw her only as his wife.

To increase their influence, the Dolgorukys decided to marry Alexei Grigorievich’s daughter, Ekaterina, to Peter. In the course of a cunning intrigue, Ekaterina Alekseevna became engaged to Peter II. Both were not nice to each other. But he was under the great influence of a noble family, so he could not refuse a new bride.

Ekaterina Alekseevna was a decent girl, but she decided to behave selfishly in order to later, already being an empress, take revenge on her father for this wedding. The wedding ultimately did not take place. Peter II caught a cold and fell ill with smallpox. He died at the age of 14. With the death of the young emperor, the male line was cut short. The question of succession to the throne has arisen again...

The fate of Peter II is tragic. As a little boy, without a proper education, finding himself among court liars, liars and scoundrels, he could not independently cope with the temptations that were around him. After all, everything is allowed to the emperor. And delicious food, and drinks, attention from girls and friends.

There was no one to curb the emperor’s fragile childish consciousness. The Dolgorukys, who had won the trust of the monarch, were busy with their own selfish affairs. Other seemingly faithful people, like Osterman, were afraid to say their word.

The son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich from his 2nd marriage to Princess Sophia-Charlotte of Blankenburg, who died 10 days after his birth.

Pyotr Alekseevich was born on October 12 (23), 1715. At the age of 3 he lost his father. Peter I did not love his grandson and neglected his upbringing.

As if mocking his father’s desire to have European-educated heirs, Tsarevich Alexei assigned 2 illiterate, drunken “mothers” from the German settlement to his unloved son Peter, who constantly gave him wine so that he would fall asleep and not disturb them. But after Alexei’s death, the sovereign grandfather came to check on his grandson’s progress and fell into a rage - the boy did not know how to speak correctly in his native language, but he knew Tatar curses well.

During the illness of Peter I, the young nobleman Prince Ivan Dolgorukov often visited his grandson Petrusha, who took him to his place for a long time, where the capital’s youth gathered. A court party began to form around the scion of the royal family, prophesying the throne for him. It was as if by chance that Pyotr Alekseevich was explained his legal rights to the Russian throne. He selflessly fell in love with his charming and cheerful aunt Elizaveta Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great, while still a boy.

After the death in 1719 of Pyotr Petrovich, the emperor's son from Catherine I, Pyotr Alekseevich began to be considered by Russian society as the only legitimate heir to the imperial crown. Peter I, however, issued a decree in 1722 on his right to appoint his successor, thereby violating the established order of succession to the throne. After the death of Peter I, the all-powerful A.D. Menshikov ensured that Catherine I was proclaimed empress; the attempt of the old aristocracy (Dolgoruky, Golitsyn, G.I. Golovkin, A.I. Repnin) to place 10-year-old Peter on the throne failed. But the empress still brought Peter closer to her and throughout her reign showed him signs of attention.

Anticipating the imminent death of Catherine I and not wanting the throne to pass to her daughters, and also taking into account Peter’s popularity among the people and among the nobility, A.D. Menshikov decided to support the candidacy of the prince, planning to marry him to his eldest daughter Maria. His Serene Highness, preparing to become regent for the young emperor until he came of age, convinced the dying empress to sign a will in favor of Peter.

Peter II ascended the throne on May 7 (18), 1727 after the sudden death of Catherine I. Soon he issued 2 highest manifestos, carefully thought out by Menshikov. According to the 1st, all old debts were written off from the serfs, and those sent to hard labor for non-payment of the poll tax were given freedom. According to the 2nd manifesto, princes Dolgorukov and Trubetskoy, secret enemies of Menshikov, who presided over the Supreme Privy Council, were awarded field marshal's batons, and Burchard Minich, in addition to the rank of field marshal, was awarded the title of count. So His Serene Highness Prince Menshikov tried to appease his opponents. The young sovereign Peter announced that he was elevating Menshikov himself to the rank of generalissimo and appointing him commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Russian Empire.

At first, Pyotr Alekseevich was completely under the influence of A.D. Menshikov, who moved him to his house and on May 24 (June 4), 1727, engaged him to his daughter; According to her father's wishes, she received the title Her Imperial Highness.

Andrei Ivanovich Osterman, strict but smart, was appointed as the young man’s teacher. They spent a lot of time in fascinating conversations about the achievements of Peter the Great and his faithful companions. A.I. Osterman was helped by A.G. Dolgoruky, Academician Goldbach and Feofan Prokopovich.

Palace life quickly taught the Tsarevich hypocrisy. Outwardly, everything looked fine in the relationship with Menshikov and his daughter, but in his soul Peter hated Maria, who was far from brilliant in her intelligence.

After his daughter’s engagement, Menshikov fell ill: signs of tuberculosis were discovered. During the few weeks of his absence, the young monarch’s attitude towards Alexander Danilovich Menshikov changed dramatically, because secret interrogation protocols of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, sentenced to death, and signed by members of the Secret Court Menshikov, Tolstoy and Yaguzhinsky were brought to light..

A stormy explanation took place between them. In July 1727, a strong court opposition formed against him (A.I. Osterman, Dolgoruky and Tsarevna Elizaveta Petrovna), which achieved his fall in early September. On September 8 (19), 1727, Peter II announced the beginning of his independent reign and the breaking of his engagement with Maria Menshikova.

Tsar Peter Alekseevich moved to Peterhof, and in September 1727, on his order, Menshikov was placed under house arrest. Soon a decree was promulgated depriving Menshikov of all ranks, positions, orders and exiling him and his family to Rannenburg, Ryazan province, with restrictions on the right of correspondence.

Having been married into the kingdom on February 24, 1728, Peter II Alekseevich dealt the final blow to Menshikov: he was sent to a lifelong settlement under supervision in the distant Siberian city of Berezov.

After the disgrace of A.D. Menshikov, the courtyard became an arena of struggle for influence over the young Peter II Alekseevich between A.I. Osterman, Golitsyn and Dolgoruky. A.I. Osterman was supported by Natalya Alekseevna, the emperor’s sister, Golitsyn was sympathized with his aunt Elizaveta Petrovna, for whom the tsar had tender feelings, and the Dolgorukys took advantage of Pyotr Alekseevich’s friendly affection for the young Ivan Dolgoruky.

At the beginning of 1728, the court moved to Moscow, and on February 24 (March 7), 1728, the coronation of the 13-year-old emperor took place.

The emperor was not involved in state affairs, devoting all his time to entertainment, especially hunting with dogs and falcons, baiting bears and fist fights. Attempts by A.I. Osterman to convince Pyotr Alekseevich to continue his education were unsuccessful.

Having become close to Princess Ekaterina Alekseevna Dolgorukova, who was ready to do anything if only the emperor would put a wedding ring on her finger, Peter left state affairs to Osterman. Indulging in all the desires of Peter II, the Dolgorukys by the beginning of 1729 acquired unlimited power over him, pushing aside all their rivals; but control over current state affairs remained in the hands of A.I. Osterman.

The peak of the Dolgorukys' success was their engagement Peter II Alekseevich with the daughter of A.G. Dolgoruky Ekaterina November 30 (December 11), 1729; The wedding ceremony was scheduled for January 19 (30), 1730.

The depressed state of mind of Emperor Peter Alekseevich, who was tormented by his conscience for the fate of Menshikov and Elizabeth, worsened after his secret meeting with Osterman. The emperor learned about specific facts of bribery and embezzlement of new relatives. He only said goodbye to Osterman: “I will soon find a way to break my chains.”

At this time, the international position of the Russian Empire was extremely difficult. Sweden and the Ottoman Empire openly demonstrated their readiness to declare war, and the previously invincible Russian fleet, for the maintenance of which there was now no money allocated, rotted on the banks of the Neva. Much of what was created in the Petrine era (and above all the armed forces) fell into decay, was upset, and was lost during Peter II Alekseevich.

The main feature of governance under Peter II was the increased political role of the Supreme Privy Council, which after the fall of A.D. Menshikov consisted of 5 members (chancellor G.I. Golovkin, vice-chancellor A.I. Osterman, A.G. and V.L. .Dolgoruky and D.M.Golitsyn); The powers of the abolished Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty (1727) and the Preobrazhensky Order (1729) were transferred to him. In the field of local government, the main trend was the expansion of the functions of governors and voivodes at the expense of city magistrates (the Chief Magistrate was abolished in 1727). In domestic policy, the tax system was somewhat streamlined, the status of Little Russia within the Russian Empire was raised, the right to convene their own Sejm was returned to the Livonian nobility, and the clergy were prohibited from wearing secular clothing.

On January 6 (17), 1730, on the day of the appointed wedding, the emperor showed signs of smallpox and on the night of January 19 (30), 1730, Peter died in the Lefortovo Palace.

Ivan Dolgorukov wanted to forge the handwriting of Emperor Peter on the will, since at one time he entertained Peter by copying his handwriting. The Emperor's Fabricated Last Will Peter II Alekseevich” provided for the transfer of power to his bride, Ekaterina Dolgorukaya. But the signature was not certified, since Osterman did not give the Dolgorukovs a single chance to be alone with the emperor.

The Dolgorukys' attempt ended in disaster for them. Ivan Dolgorukov, who tried to shout out Ekaterina Dolgorukaya to the kingdom, was arrested, and Ekaterina was later sent into lifelong exile.

The extravagant and tragic reign of the grandson of Peter I ended. After his death, there were no direct male descendants of the Romanov dynasty.