Russian emperors of the 18th century. Palaces of Russian emperors. About Empress Anna Ioannovna

Fifth Emperor of the 18th century

Having become emperor, Paul I sought to make up for lost time and put his views into practice. He was a talented man, but his tragedy was that most of life, he waited for his “turn” to the throne, grieving and worrying about his unclear future as an heir. The wait for his time lasted over 20 years, and the feeling of his worthlessness, humiliation, annoyance for the wasted years, constant danger did not leave Paul I, spoiled his character, turned a neurasthenic man out of a once cheerful, romantic young man. Having come to power, Paul I was unable to overcome his vindictive desire to destroy everything that had been established under his mother. Pedantic attention to detail, inconsistency, inconsistency with a clear tendency to solve problems with simplified, crude methods - all this became his style of government. Paul's character deteriorated. What was previously restrained by willpower and fear of his mother burst out: the emperor became an unpredictable, hot-tempered, capricious and harsh ruler with the habits of a tyrant. He had no experience government activities, but he was stubborn and incapable of understanding complex political problems. At the same time, he was intolerant not only of the free expression of his opinions by those around him, but also of any manifestation of independence. Having become an autocrat, he began to implement the “Gatchina” version of transformations, to build not the “kingdom of reason and law”, which they talked so much about with N.I. Panin, but a crude repressive state.

Notes in the margins

Why did Paul, full of liberal ideas in his youth, become such an unexpectedly harsh ruler? The debate about the personality and political views of Paul I has not subsided for the second century: this tragic figure of Russian history seems so contradictory and complex. It is clear that the political views of Paul I were formed under the influence of many factors and underwent a certain evolution during his life. These views were ultimately based on the Enlightenment ideas common to the enlightened people of the 18th century and close to Catherine II, and pursued the common utopian goal of the “common good” for the 18th century, but these ideas were interpreted and implemented by Paul I in a different way from that of Catherine II. This ultimately determined the striking difference between the transformations of Paul I, the emperor, and those of Catherine II.

It is known that the formation of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich’s worldview was strongly influenced by his educator Count N.I. Panin, a consistent supporter of limiting imperial power in Russia. It was already said above that the meaning of the transformations proposed by N.I. Panin in 1763 boiled down to the establishment of a limiting power of the empress State Council clearly of an aristocratic type. Panin’s system of educating the heir incorporated the general idea of the supremacy of “fundamental laws”, without which it is indecent and impossible for a truly worthy sovereign to rule. This idea itself was not particularly original. Since the time of Montesquieu and Ivan Shuvalov, a lot has been written and spoken about this, these ideas were in the air. The logic of Panin’s judgments is revealed quite fully by his “Discourses on Indispensable Laws,” compiled by him on the eve of his death in 1783 and intended for Paul. These arguments are syllogisms typical of the 18th century:

1. Power is entrusted to the sovereign solely for the benefit of the people.

2. Benefit can only be given by an absolutely virtuous sovereign - “virtue on the throne.”

3. Taking into account the natural weaknesses of a sovereign as a person, achieving absolute virtue is unthinkable.

Hence the conclusion: the sovereign can achieve the good of the people only in one way - “by setting immutable rules in his state, based on the common good and which he himself could not violate.” The set of laws themselves is not so important, but what is important is that the monarch cannot break them. But here lies the death trap for autocracy, because this eliminates the most important postulate of autocracy - the complete, uncontrolled right to change laws at any time, establish them at one’s own discretion, and also to rule without any laws, when the will of the sovereign is the law.

Of course, all these ideas of Panin were closely related to the current political situation of those times. They contained a condemnation of the favoritism reigning at the court of Catherine II, the dominance not of the law, but of “passions.” After all, this opened the way to arbitrariness, when “it is not the sovereign’s disposition that adapts to the laws, but the laws to his disposition” and when, finally, the sovereign is enslaved by the exponent of passions - a favorite, as a rule, an unworthy person. That’s when autocracy “reaches incredibleness.” Everything, according to Panin, depends on the arbitrariness of the pet, everyone is afraid of him, and “his gaze, posture, speech do not signify anything other than: “Idolize me, I can destroy you!”

Reading this, Pavel saw the well-known figure of Orlov, Potemkin or any other favorite of Catherine II. But for Pavel, Panin’s constitutional ideas were important not only from the point of view of morality, worthy and useful service to the Fatherland, Russia (for Pavel these concepts were not an empty phrase), but also from the point of view of his future. And it was very foggy. Catherine II, generally dissatisfied with Tsarevich Paul, behaved with him in the same way as Elizabeth once did with Peter Fedorovich, whom she disliked. In other words, she simply held, like an ax over the head of the heir, the Charter on the Succession to the Throne of Peter the Great of 1722, which allowed her to appoint any of her subjects as her successor and, if necessary, cancel the decision on succession to the throne that had already been made. Let's add to this other factors: insinuations spread by Paul's enemies about his "illegitimacy", Catherine's special demonstrative love for Paul's son Alexander, humiliation and oppression of the heir by his favorites, memories of tragic fate father - Peter III, as well as Paul's suspicions and fears for his life and freedom. In a word, taking all this into account, the problem of approving such a “fundamental law,” which could become the law of succession to the throne in a direct male descendant line, seemed to Paul to be paramount. In his absence, he saw the reason for both political instability in Russia and his unstable position.

In 1787, Paul drafted a similar law on succession to the throne by primogeniture. This was necessary so that “the state would not be without an heir, so that the heir would always be appointed by law itself, so that there would not be the slightest doubt about who should inherit and in order to preserve the right of clans in the inheritance, without violating natural rights and to avoid difficulties during the transition from clan.” into the family." Later, these considerations prompted Paul I, on the day of coronation on April 5, 1797, to approve and publicly read the law on succession to the throne, which should be above the will of a particular autocrat and which abolished Peter’s “Charter” of 1722.

But it turned out that such a “fundamental law” was not enough. The root of Paul's tragedy is that, recognizing Panin's ideas, he tried to combine the unlimited power of the autocracy and human freedoms, the “power of the individual” and the “power of the law”, in a word, to combine the incompatible. So, he wrote:

“We found it best to harmonize the necessary monarchical executive power according to the vastness of the state, with the advantage of the freedom that each state needs to protect itself from despotism or the sovereign himself.”

But such “coordination” turned out to be impossible in principle. In addition, Paul I hated his mother, spreading this hatred to the liberal orders she introduced, and to her favorites, and to prominent and insignificant figures in her government. He denied everything that she brought to Russia with her reform activities. As a result, no matter what Paul I said about law, the law (and without recognition and continuation of Catherine’s actions in this area it was impossible to move further), in his consciousness, way of thinking and behavior, the Gatchina “model of life” still came to the fore. . He wanted stricter discipline, the introduction of strict regulation, “indispensable order,” and saw this as a panacea for all ills. Destroying the “state of an enlightened monarchy” erected by his mother, Paul began to build only an “executive state.” This was the root of his personal tragedy and death...

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Chapter 2 EMPEROR ANDRONIK KOMNINUS OF THE 12TH CENTURY IS JESUS CHRIST DURING HIS STAY IN TSAR CITY OF THE 12TH CENTURY 1. BRIEF CHRONICAL BIOGRAPHY OF EMPEROR ANDRONIK The Scaligerian-Romanov version of history says the following. In 1081, the Byzantine emperor in the Bosphorus

From the book History of Georgia (from ancient times to the present day) by Vachnadze Merab

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Chronicle of the 18th century, 1730–1740. Anna Ioannovna. 1731 Foundation of Rostov-on-Don. 1733–1735. Participation of Russia (in connection with Austria) in the struggle for the Polish throne. 1735. Russian troops first appeared on the Rhine. 1736–1739. Turkish War. 1736. Capture of Azov by Minikh. 1737.

From the book Life and Manners of Tsarist Russia author Anishkin V. G.

White Chief

Mine Reid Adventure: other Adventure Masters

End of the 18th century. San Ildefonso is a town somewhere on the outskirts of the Great North American Prairie. Here the sun always shines brightly, the meadows are green, the rivers are silver. All the girls here are completely beauties, because even the local plain girls have refined taste and understand a lot about beautiful dresses.

The garrison officers match them - their chests are like wheels, their eyes are burning, their mustaches are bristling, with a carelessness worthy of emperors, they drag long sabers along the ground, jingling their spurs. The careless San Ildefonso became angry and let loose. Here they flirt, play cards, and sometimes go on rampages.

But someone must fight evil under the sun, even on the edge of the world. The legend of the White Leader is one of the pearls of adventure literature. The talent of Mine Reed, a subtle and fascinating storyteller, is revealed in this book from the first lines and is unlikely to leave anyone indifferent.

The plot of the novel revolves around the relationship between the emperor, empress and their best friend, Alexander Menshikov. Will the heroes be able to preserve their feelings and create a worthy empire?

Some of them are worthy of posthumous greatness, others, alas, ended their path ingloriously. The reader will learn how Charlemagne tried to unite all of Europe, and Philip II turned to religion, how Hitler bribed his people, how Stalin built socialism. Over 600 illustrations clearly reflect the stages of each of the 100 rulers presented.

The book is intended for a wide range of readers.

The charming Lin Suyin is at the center of this web and the only one who sees in the imperturbable, cruel young warrior not a living legend, but a man of flesh and blood, with feelings, doubts and suffering. Will a ruthless military leader, who has opposed himself to the entire empire, be able to find salvation and redemption without falling under the seductive spell, and what woman will become a worthy match for him in this war and... in love?

Peter I Europeanized Russia using Asian methods. Catherine the Great tried to turn the country into a majestic world power. Paul the First, with regrettable extravagance, tried to impose discipline and justice in the country... By the grace of God, the Emperor of All-Russia Nicholas I (1796-1855) also had his own Russian idea.

There is an apocryphal quote - words that he allegedly wrote once in the margins of a geography textbook: “Russia is not an agricultural, industrial or commercial power, Russia is a military power and its purpose is to be a threat to the rest of the world.” The entire reign of Nicholas I became the embodiment of these words.

He sought - and achieved it. And like anyone who bet everything on one card, he lost in the end. For a man of one idea becomes a man of one goal - and ultimately dooms himself to loneliness. There are timeless lessons from history. After the Crimean War, reforms began that led to the abolition of serfdom.

Has Russia become weaker after Nicholas I? No. This was proven by the final conquest of the Caucasus, the annexation of Central Asia, and Skobelev’s victories in the Balkans. And who knows, perhaps Nikolai would not have been disappointed in such a Russia: strong not only militarily, but also agriculturally, industrially, and commercially.

All-Russian Emperor Nicholas I is one of the key figures in Russian history, a tsar who did no less for the greatness and power of the Russian Empire than his great predecessors, Peter I and Catherine II. He became the embodiment of a ruler of a new type and a new - in every sense of the iron - XIX century.

The modern reader will see the entire dramatic, but surprisingly consistent path of power of this extraordinary ruler: from not yet quite confident in himself, but already forced to make fateful decisions young man, who, by chance, received the reins of royal rule, - to a mature statesman, holding the reins of government of a huge country with a confident and iron hand.

The electronic publication includes the full text of the paper book and a selected portion of illustrative documentary material. And for true connoisseurs of gift editions, we offer a classic book. Like all publications in the “Great Rulers” series, the book is equipped with detailed historical and biographical comments.

The book contains an excellent selection of illustrative material: the text is accompanied by more than 250 rare illustrations from domestic and foreign sources, many of which the modern reader will become familiar with for the first time. Elegant design, beautiful printing, and the best offset paper make this series a wonderful gift and decoration for the library of the most discerning reader.

1812. Hour of pride and glory

Sergey Nechaev Encyclopedias Absent

1812 A huge army that has conquered half of Europe is advancing. The invincible emperor leads his army to the final frontier. What prevented Napoleon from conquering Russia? Weather and roads? Insurmountable distances? Tactical miscalculations? Or he first encountered a worthy opponent and was crushed by the power of the resistance that Russian army, led by outstanding commanders? In this book, the events of the Patriotic War of 1812 come to life in portraits and biographies of famous generals and marshals, descriptions and maps of the main battles, drawings of military weapons, and in these details the words “great era” take on a new meaning.

The author of the texts is Sergei Nechaev, a famous historian, writer and translator from French. The Corpus publishing house published his books “Three d'Artagnans” and “Venice of Casanova”. The project consultant is Mikhail Chereisky. Page by page, the book describes the most important events relating to the period immediately preceding the Patriotic War of 1812, the course of the military operations themselves with participation of the Russian and French armies.

Do you dream of the revival of the Russian Empire? Then this book is for you! An empire, that is, order, honor, strength, faith, dynamic development and prosperity - all this will definitely exist. On Earth and in the vastness of the Galaxy. But to be majestic Russian Empire 2.

0 has become a reality, first we need to restore the monarchy. Who will be the candidate? From what environment, by what criteria should those worthy of the Russian throne be selected? Of course, a cruel and calculating enemy will try to prevent this. Conspiracies, sabotage, assassination attempts on pretenders, battles in cyberspace, intrigues of the special services are coming.

Blood will be shed at the steps of the temple. But the coronation day will definitely take place. The Emperor is coming to us!

Dragon Queen

Anna Minaeva Absent

By day, Tina is a modest employee in a large corporation, and by night, she is an artifact thief. She likes this life on the edge, but one day she will meet a worthy opponent and turn from a free hunter into a victim. Lord Executioner of the Northern Lands, scourge of the Emperor, Lord of Terror...What secret do his amber eyes hide? And will there be a winner in their confrontation?

For almost 400 years of the existence of this title, it was worn completely different people- from adventurers and liberals to tyrants and conservatives.

Rurikovich

Over the years, Russia (from Rurik to Putin) has changed its political system many times. At first, rulers bore the title of prince. When, after a period of political fragmentation, a new Russian state emerged around Moscow, the owners of the Kremlin began to think about accepting the title of Tsar.

This was accomplished under Ivan the Terrible (1547-1584). This one decided to marry into the kingdom. And this decision was not accidental. So the Moscow monarch emphasized that he was the legal successor. It was they who bestowed Orthodoxy on Russia. In the 16th century, Byzantium no longer existed (it fell under the onslaught of the Ottomans), so Ivan the Terrible rightly believed that his act would have serious symbolic significance.

Such historical figures had a great influence on the development of the entire country. In addition to changing his title, Ivan the Terrible also captured the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, beginning Russian expansion to the East.

Ivan's son Fedor (1584-1598) was distinguished by his weak character and health. Nevertheless, under him the state continued to develop. The patriarchate was established. Rulers have always paid a lot of attention to the issue of succession to the throne. This time he became especially acute. Fedor had no children. When he died, the Rurik dynasty on the Moscow throne came to an end.

Time of Troubles

After Fyodor's death, Boris Godunov (1598-1605), his brother-in-law, came to power. He did not belong to the reigning family, and many considered him a usurper. With him because of natural disasters a colossal famine began. The tsars and presidents of Russia have always tried to maintain calm in the provinces. Due to the tense situation, Godunov was unable to do this. Several peasant uprisings took place in the country.

In addition, the adventurer Grishka Otrepyev called himself one of the sons of Ivan the Terrible and began a military campaign against Moscow. He actually managed to capture the capital and become king. Boris Godunov did not live to see this moment - he died from health complications. His son Feodor II was captured by the comrades of False Dmitry and killed.

The impostor ruled for only a year, after which he was overthrown during the Moscow uprising, inspired by disgruntled Russian boyars who did not like the fact that False Dmitry surrounded himself with Catholic Poles. decided to transfer the crown to Vasily Shuisky (1606-1610). IN Troubled times The rulers of Russia changed frequently.

The princes, tsars and presidents of Russia had to carefully guard their power. Shuisky could not restrain her and was overthrown by the Polish interventionists.

The first Romanovs

When Moscow was liberated from foreign invaders in 1613, the question arose of who should be made sovereign. This text presents all the kings of Russia in order (with portraits). Now the time has come to talk about the rise to the throne of the Romanov dynasty.

The first sovereign from this family - Mikhail (1613-1645) - was just a youth when he was put in charge of a huge country. His main goal was the fight with Poland for the lands it captured during the Time of Troubles.

These were the biographies of the rulers and the dates of their reign until the middle of the 17th century. After Mikhail, his son Alexei (1645-1676) ruled. He annexed left-bank Ukraine and Kyiv to Russia. So, after several centuries of fragmentation and Lithuanian rule, the fraternal peoples finally began to live in one country.

Alexei had many sons. The eldest of them Feodor III(1676-1682), died at a young age. After him came the simultaneous reign of two children - Ivan and Peter.

Peter the Great

Ivan Alekseevich was unable to rule the country. Therefore, in 1689, the sole reign of Peter the Great began. He completely rebuilt the country in a European manner. Russia - from Rurik to Putin (we will consider all the rulers in chronological order) - knows few examples of an era so saturated with changes.

Appeared new army and the fleet. For this, Peter started a war against Sweden. The Northern War lasted 21 years. During it, the Swedish army was defeated, and the kingdom agreed to cede its southern Baltic lands. In this region, St. Petersburg, the new capital of Russia, was founded in 1703. Peter's successes made him think about changing his title. In 1721 he became emperor. However, this change did not abolish the royal title - in everyday speech, monarchs continued to be called kings.

The era of palace coups

Peter's death was followed by a long period of instability in power. Monarchs replaced each other with enviable regularity, which was facilitated by the Guard or certain courtiers, as a rule, at the head of these changes. This era was ruled by Catherine I (1725-1727), Peter II (1727-1730), Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740), Ivan VI (1740-1741), Elizaveta Petrovna (1741-1761) and Peter III (1761-1762) ).

The last of them was German by birth. Under Peter III's predecessor, Elizabeth, Russia waged a victorious war against Prussia. The new monarch renounced all his conquests, returned Berlin to the king and concluded a peace treaty. With this act, he signed his own death warrant. The Guard organized another palace coup, after which Peter's wife Catherine II found herself on the throne.

Catherine II and Paul I

Catherine II (1762-1796) had a deep state mind. On the throne, she began to pursue a policy of enlightened absolutism. The Empress organized the work of the famous laid down commission, the purpose of which was to prepare a comprehensive project of reforms in Russia. She also wrote the Order. This document contained many considerations about the transformations necessary for the country. The reforms were curtailed when a peasant uprising led by Pugachev broke out in the Volga region in the 1770s.

All the tsars and presidents of Russia (we have listed all the royal persons in chronological order) made sure that the country looked decent in the external arena. She was no exception. She conducted several successful military campaigns against Turkey. As a result, Crimea and other important Black Sea regions were annexed to Russia. At the end of Catherine's reign, three divisions of Poland occurred. Thus, the Russian Empire received important acquisitions in the west.

After the death of the great empress, her son Paul I (1796-1801) came to power. This quarrelsome man was not liked by many in the St. Petersburg elite.

First half of the 19th century

In 1801, the next and last palace coup took place. A group of conspirators dealt with Pavel. His son Alexander I (1801-1825) was on the throne. His reign was Patriotic War and Napoleon's invasion. Rulers Russian state For two centuries they have not faced such a serious enemy intervention. Despite the capture of Moscow, Bonaparte was defeated. Alexander became the most popular and famous monarch of the Old World. He was also called the "liberator of Europe."

Within his country, Alexander in his youth tried to implement liberal reforms. Historical figures often change their policies as they age. So Alexander soon abandoned his ideas. He died in Taganrog in 1825 under mysterious circumstances.

At the beginning of the reign of his brother Nicholas I (1825-1855), the Decembrist uprising occurred. Because of this, conservative orders triumphed in the country for thirty years.

Second half of the 19th century

All the kings of Russia are presented here in order, with portraits. Next we will talk about the main reformer of Russian statehood - Alexander II (1855-1881). He initiated the manifesto for the liberation of the peasants. The destruction of serfdom allowed the Russian market and capitalism to develop. Economic growth began in the country. The reforms also affected the judiciary, local government, administrative and conscription systems. The monarch tried to get the country back on its feet and learn the lessons that the lost beginnings under Nicholas I taught him.

But Alexander's reforms were not enough for the radicals. Terrorists made several attempts on his life. In 1881 they achieved success. Alexander II died from a bomb explosion. The news came as a shock to the whole world.

Because of what happened, the son of the deceased monarch Alexander III(1881-1894) forever became a tough reactionary and conservative. But most of all he is known as a peacemaker. During his reign, Russia did not wage a single war.

The last king

In 1894, Alexander III died. Power passed into the hands of Nicholas II (1894-1917) - his son and the last Russian monarch. By that time, the old world order with the absolute power of kings and kings had already outlived its usefulness. Russia - from Rurik to Putin - has known a lot of upheavals, but it was under Nicholas that more than ever happened.

In 1904-1905 The country experienced a humiliating war with Japan. It was followed by the first revolution. Although the unrest was suppressed, the king had to make concessions public opinion. He agreed to establish a constitutional monarchy and parliament.

Tsars and presidents of Russia at all times faced a certain opposition within the state. Now people could elect deputies who expressed these sentiments.

In 1914 the First world war. No one then suspected that it would end with the fall of several empires at once, including the Russian one. In 1917 it broke out February Revolution, and the last king had to abdicate the throne. Nicholas II and his family were shot by the Bolsheviks in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg.

(for beginners - in it we look at murders and dismemberment from the best museums in the world, do not read while having lunch).

PAUL I

Although this emperor died in 1801, stylistically his death clearly belongs to the previous century - the era of palace coups.
A group of conspirators broke into his palace - a bunch of drunken, angry officers.
It is believed that they hit him in the temple with a heavy gold snuffbox, and then strangled him with a scarf from his uniform.
It was officially announced that the emperor died of apoplexy (stroke).

Illustration by a certain contemporary artist

A nice joke immediately arose that “Paul I died from an apoplectic blow to the temple with a snuff box.”

Napoleon, a contemporary of the events, joked sweetly and subtly.
Once, Emperor Alexander expressed his indignation that the French authorities had kidnapped the Duke of Aiguien (a member of the deposed royal family) - kidnapped on neutral territory, brought near Paris and shot in the ditch of the Vincennes castle.
Napoleon replied, as if unaware of the subtext: “If you had found out that your father’s murderers were in a neighboring country near the border, then I’m sure you would have done the same to them.”

French engraving of the assassination of Paul I, 1880s

There are no pictures about this murder; under tsarism, information about it was prohibited. Under Soviet rule, no one was particularly interested in the topic.

But images of the emperor’s funeral made by contemporaries have been preserved.

Here are the guards at the tomb

Funeral procession (alas, poor quality)

And the decoration in the Peter and Paul Cathedral above the hearse (drawing by Quarenghi)

CATHERINE THE GREAT

The Empress died at the age of 67 from apoplexy (stroke).

Unknown artist. Portrait of Catherine II

On the morning of November 16, she drank coffee and went to the restroom. She did not leave for so long that her valet Zakhar Zotov dared to enter the room and saw the body lying on the floor. It was very difficult to lift the empress’s heavy body onto the bed, especially since she twisted her leg when she fell. She died for a very long time: her last breath occurred on November 17 at 10 o’clock.

It is unknown what Catherine's dressing room looked like.
Here is a late drawing from the 19th century, depicting another room in the Hermitage for intimate purposes - "Paul I's Dressing Room", art. E. Gau. 1877.
However, there is no water closet here - the room was intended for the ceremony of dressing, powdering, etc.

E. Gau. Bathroom of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. 1877. Here is something more familiar to our eyes.

E. Gau. Bathroom of Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna. 1850s.

Death “on the toilet” is a well-known theme that serves to belittle the image of a politician (it was not for nothing that J. Martin endowed his Tywin Lannister with it. Yes, by the way, one of the rumors about the cause of Catherine’s death, very stupid, said that in a portable There was a dwarf hiding in the toilet, who pierced her from below with a spear. Another stupid rumor - about a horse, you know, I don’t want to go deeper into the topic).

About the water closet, however, it is relatively reliable.
The obscene Pushkin many years later, in 1824, did not miss the chance to nail down this event with an epigram.

...In the alleys of Sarskoe village...
Dear old lady lived
Nice and a little prodigal
Voltaire's first friend was
I wrote orders, burned fleets,
And she died while boarding the ship. ()

It’s probably good that there are no scenes depicting Catherine’s death, not even caricatures by the British and French who hated her. Or is there? Has anyone come across it?

UPD: found a caricature of Cruikshank, tnx Ivan Lapshin

Regarding the death of Catherine, there are generally no examples of iconography similar to what we saw about the emperors of the 19th century (farewell scene, posthumous portrait, image in the coffin). This is because they were buried by a loving family and a devoted heir, who thus paid tribute to them. And Catherine was buried by her son, who, as you know, hated her and tried to destroy her memory. Therefore, there are no decent illustrations about this.

Vincenzo Brenna. Catherine II hearse project. 1796.

He also made a circus out of his mother’s funeral, but we’ll talk about that in the next section.

PETER III

Catherine's husband and Paul's father, Emperor Peter III, died after spending several months on the throne. His wife overthrew him and sent him to sit locked up in a secluded palace along with the guards loyal to her. There he quickly died, official version-- “for hemorrhoidal colic.” They say it was from suffocation. Nothing has been proven.

Pavel, who was not allowed to inherit the throne by his usurper mother, had complexes all his life, waited for her death, and suspected her of murdering his father. Hence he and "Russian Hamlet". When Catherine died (see above), the new emperor ordered the excavation of the body of his father, who thirty years earlier had been buried not in the honorable Peter and Paul Cathedral, but in the “second-rate” Alexander Nevsky Lavra (because he was not crowned).

Exhumation of the body of Peter III. Pay attention to the open coffin, and how the dead man pulls the handle.

He ordered it to be dug up and solemnly reburied.
At the same time as my mother.
Their coffins, with a fresh corpse and a skeleton, were placed side by side in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Then Paul personally crowned his father’s body (god, what necrophilia, what symbolism!)

An image of the solemn reburial procession has been preserved.
Since Pavel respected his father, the court artists depicted his funeral.
This image represents a roll 15.8 m long and 0.75 m wide.

Here are the fragments.
A figure of a "knight of light" in gilded armor, signifying the eternal memory of the deceased, which was always meant to be a consolation for those who mourned the loss. Following him on foot, a “sad knight” in black armor with a raised sword could mean state mourning

The imperial regalia of the deceased, on the orders of Paul (a man with an original, as we see, sense of humor), was carried by the suspects in the murder of his father - Count A.F. Orlov, Prince P.B. Baryatinsky and P.B. Passek.

The center of the funeral procession is a chariot with a sarcophagus under a canopy.
Next to her is the Emperor with a marshal's baton and cane, followed by Empress Maria Feodorovna with her daughters and retinue

Link to the entire scroll (huge, long, take a look at). But in separate pieces.
Thanks for the scroll reproductions babs71

On the graves of Catherine and Peter they wrote the same date (the day of burial/reburial), as if they lived for a long time and died on the same day.

IOANN ANTONOVICH

Yes, along the way I somehow lost the unfortunate baby Ivan Antonovich (Ivan VI), who was overthrown by Elizaveta Petrovna and spent her entire reign quietly sitting under lock and key. Catherine the Great ascended the throne in 1762, at the same time her husband was strangled (that is, at some point in 1762, there were 3 emperors alive in Russia).

John Antonovich lived two years after the accession of Catherine the Great. - in the Shlisselburg fortress. He was 23 years old at the time of death.

Violent death, there is no dispute here: officer Mirovich, who served in the fortress, decided to rebel and proclaim the legitimate emperor the legitimate emperor.
But the guards had clear instructions, and when Mirovich became too persistent, they refused to give up and killed Ioann Antonovich.

"Mirovich in front of the body of Ivan VI." Painting by Ivan Tvorozhnikov (1884)

Mirovich was then executed, of course.

There is an absolutely hilarious book by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, Novels of the Russian Court, which describes in detail, with furs and fogs, how Empress Catherine the Great seduces this very Mirovich in order to provoke the death of a competitor. She promises to save him, but deceives him, and he dies on the chopping block with a smile on his lips. Something like that, idiotic, in general, I recommend laughing. The same author also has "Shakhinya", about the courtyard of Elizaveta Petrovna.

The unfortunate John was buried secretly, where no one knows.

ELIZAVETA PETROVNA

The estranged daughter of Peter the Great, who overthrew this same Ivan Antonovich from the throne (really, who is he anyway, what is the 7th water on jelly?), she was Peter III’s own aunt. Elizabeth died at age 52 of natural causes.

Nephew Peter III was really looking forward to the death of his beloved aunt (about the same as his son would be waiting for the death of his mother). Peter planned to quickly imprison his wife Catherine, a snake, in a monastery, and marry an ugly Russian mistress. But Catherine played ahead of the curve, and began a PR operation while Elizabeth was still cooling off in her grave.

Catherine II near the body of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. German engraving from the 18th century.

The scene at Elizabeth's tomb was remembered by many contemporaries. According to the recollections of one of the courtiers, “the emperor had no desire to participate in the ceremonies necessary for the funeral of the late empress, his aunt, and left this care to his wife, who made the best possible arrangements, possessing complete political tact.” The subjects were offended by Peter's gaiety and carelessness and highly appreciated the reverence with which Catherine stood for long church services and prayed for the memory of the Empress. Hypocrite!

Nikolai Ge’s painting is dedicated to this moment.

Nikolay Ge. Catherine II at the tomb of Empress Elizabeth. 1874.

Here the figure of Peter stands out in the background with a white camisole that is inappropriate for a funeral.
Dashkova described that the emperor came to the coffin not to mourn his aunt, but “to joke with the ladies on duty, making the clergy laugh, and to find fault with the officers about their buckles, ties or uniforms.”

Catherine’s costume in this picture is copied from a portrait of that time, where the future empress-autocrat appears truly in deep mourning for her “aunt.”

Vigilius Eriksen. Portrait of Catherine. 1762

An interesting detail: in Eriksen’s portrait, the order ribbon on Catherine is blue, of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. Only the autocrat could wear it, therefore, the portrait was painted after the coup and overthrow of Peter III. And in the picture the mourning dress is the same, but the ribbon, as it should be, is red - the Order of St. Catherine. He was granted to the consorts of emperors. The “Imperial” blue ribbon can still be seen on Peter III.

Before Elizabeth and Ivan Antonovich, Anna Ioannovna, Peter II and Catherine I still reigned. However, their death did not leave a tangible mark on the history of Russian art.
But here is a man whose death shocked the country.

PETER THE GREAT

The Emperor died at just 52 years old.
According to legend, he saw a boat with women and children running aground in stormy weather and began to save them; he caught a cold in the icy water and then became ill until his death.
But they say that this is just a legend, and Peter actually died from uremia, acute renal failure - which is quite plausible, given the unhealthy lifestyle he led from his youth, read A. Tolstoy “Peter the Great”, and in the correct version without cuts, and that is, there are options for schoolchildren, and there the “man with a whipped ass” was cut out, because it was indecent.

During the autopsy, they found “hardening in the neck of the bladder and Antonov fire” (inflammation).

The death of the titan shocked his contemporaries; no one expected that the madhouse would ever end.

Illustration by Boris Chorikov