The heir of Peter I Alexei Petrovich is one of the most tragic and mysterious figures in the history of the Romanov dynasty. Due to a conflict with his father, he fled abroad, but was returned to his homeland, sentenced to death and died under unclear circumstances in custody.
Unloved son
Alexey Petrovich Romanov was born on February 18, 1690. His mother was Evdokia Lopukhina, whom young Peter married a couple of years before the appearance of the heir. However, very soon the monarch had a new hobby - the daughter of a foreign master Anna Mons from his favorite German settlement, where the ruler spent most of his free time. The autocrat finally broke up with Evdokia Lopukhina in 1694, when his eldest son was very young.
Therefore, Alexei Petrovich Romanov never knew a family idyll. Very quickly, he actually became a burden on his father. The situation worsened when Peter I sent Evdokia to the Intercession Monastery in Suzdal. At that time, tonsure formally replaced the divorce procedure. At first, Evdokia did not succumb to her husband's persuasion. She even asked for the intercession of Patriarch Adrian. The head of the clergy really tried to protect the princess from her husband, which is only moreinfuriated Peter. As a result, Evdokia went to the monastery under escort. It happened in 1698, against the backdrop of the Streltsy rebellion in Moscow.
Education
The disgusting story with the expulsion of his mother could not but affect Alexei Petrovich. After the incident, the boy remained in the care of his aunt, Princess Natalya Alekseevna. The father did little to his son, as he was constantly on the road. The whole life of Peter I was devoted to state affairs, while he had neither time nor desire to spend on his family.
Alexey had several teachers. The first of them - the clerk Nikifor Vyazemsky - was assigned to the six-year-old prince. He taught the boy the alphabet, and then foreign languages. At some point, Peter even wanted to send his son to study in Dresden along with the advanced noble youth, but changed his mind. Instead, the Germans, Martin Neugebauer and Heinrich Huissen, were sent to Alexei at the Transfiguration Palace. The monarch entrusted supervision of them to his favorite and right hand Alexander Menshikov.
Heir
Over the years, the relationship between the father and his child did not become warmer. On the contrary, there was more and more mutual suspicion in them. The son of Peter 1 Alexei Petrovich was well educated, he knew foreign languages and the exact sciences. But my father was upset that he was not interested in military affairs. Sometimes the monarch took the heir on campaigns. The first time this happened was in 1704, when Russian troops triumphantly stormed Narva.
Then, when the Swedish army of Charles XII invaded Russia,Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich was responsible for preparing Moscow for defense in the event of an enemy attack. Letters from his father have been preserved in which he scolded his son for inactivity and negligence. Peter's anger was caused by another circumstance. Shortly before that, Alexei secretly went to the monastery to his exiled mother. The autocrat did everything to limit the contacts of his son and his first wife. He learned about the visit of Alexei Petrovich thanks to the denunciation of his spies. The son was able to propitiate his father thanks to letters to his favorite and future Empress Catherine I.
In Germany
In 1709, the son of Peter 1 Alexei Petrovich nevertheless went to Germany to study. In addition, the father wanted to find him a foreign bride there. Prior to this, Russian tsars married exclusively Russian women, and by origin they could also be ignoble. This attitude towards marriage was characteristic of the 17th century. The tsar, having made Russia a part of Europe, considered dynastic weddings an important diplomatic tool. On the advice of the teacher Alexei Petrovich, he decided to arrange the marriage of his son with Charlotte of Wolfenbüttel, the daughter of a German duke and sister of the future Empress of Austria.
However, before getting married, the prince had to complete his education. The episode is widely known when, after returning to Russia, he was frightened by the drawing exam and shot himself in the hand with a pistol. This act again angered the father. Peter not only beat his son for this, but also forbade him to appear at court. After a while, the monarch calmed down and reconciledwith a child. In such outbursts of rage lay the whole character of Peter. With all his talents and diligence, he was a despot who did not tolerate disobedience. That is why all those close to the autocrat were dependent figures. They were afraid to contradict the king. This also explains the lack of will that distinguished Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich. He was in many ways a victim of his father's tough temper.
Wedding and children
Despite all the family squabbles and ups and downs, the planned wedding still took place. On October 14, 1711, the marriage of Alexei and Charlotte of Wolfenbüttel took place in the city of Torgau. Peter I himself was also present at the ceremony. It soon became clear that the union of the newlyweds would have a very difficult fate. Charlotte moved to St. Petersburg, but remained a strange foreigner. She failed to get close to either her husband or her father-in-law.
And although the personal relationship of the spouses did not work out, the princess nevertheless fulfilled her main dynastic function. In 1714, the young couple had a daughter, Natalya, and a year later, the long-awaited son, Peter. However, after his birth, the mother felt bad. Her condition worsened, and ten days after giving birth, Princess Natalya (as she began to be called in Russia) died. The son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich Peter after 12 years became Emperor Peter II.
Conflict continues
The young children of Alexei Petrovich were not the only replenishment in the royal family. The ruler himself, following hisunloved son got another child. The child was named Peter Petrovich (his mother was the future Catherine I). So suddenly Alexei ceased to be the sole heir of his father (now he had a second son and grandson). The situation put him in an ambiguous position.
Besides, such a character as Alexei Petrovich clearly did not fit into the life of the new St. Petersburg. A photo of his portraits shows a man a little sickly and indecisive. He continued to fulfill the state orders of his powerful father, although he did so with obvious reluctance, which again and again angered the autocrat.
While still studying in Germany, Alexei asked his Moscow friends to send him a new confessor, to whom he could frankly confess everything that bothered the young man. The prince was deeply religious, but at the same time he was very afraid of his father's spies. However, the new confessor Yakov Ignatiev was indeed not one of Peter's henchmen. One day, Alexei told him in his hearts that he was waiting for the death of his father. Ignatiev replied that many Moscow friends of the heir wanted the same. So, quite unexpectedly, Alexey found supporters and embarked on a path that led him to death.
A difficult decision
In 1715, Peter sent a letter to his son, in which he confronted him with a choice - either Alexei corrects himself (that is, he begins to engage in the army and accepts his father's policy), or goes to the monastery. The heir was in a dead end. He did not like many of Peter's undertakings, including hisendless military campaigns and dramatic changes in life in the country. This mood was shared by many aristocrats (mainly from Moscow). There was indeed a rejection of hasty reforms in the elite, but no one dared to openly protest, since participation in any opposition could end in disgrace or execution.
The autocrat gave his son an ultimatum and gave him time to think about his decision. The biography of Alexei Petrovich has many similar ambiguous episodes, but this situation has become fateful. After consulting with those close to him (primarily with the head of the St. Petersburg Admir alty, Alexander Kikin), he decided to flee Russia.
Escape
In 1716, a delegation headed by Alexei Petrovich set off from St. Petersburg to Copenhagen. Peter's son was in Denmark to see his father. However, while in Gdansk, Poland, the prince suddenly changed his route and actually fled to Vienna. There Alexei began to negotiate for political asylum. The Austrians sent him to secluded Naples.
The plan of the fugitive was to wait for the death of the then sick Russian tsar, and then return to his native country to the throne, if necessary, then with a foreign army. Alexei spoke about this later during the investigation. However, these words cannot be accepted with certainty as the truth, since the necessary testimony was simply knocked out of the arrested person. According to the testimonies of the Austrians, the prince was in hysterics. Therefore, it is more likely that he went to Europe out of despair and fear for his future.
In Austria
Peter quickly found out where his son had fled. People loyal to the tsar immediately went to Austria. An experienced diplomat Pyotr Tolstoy was appointed head of an important mission. He reported to the Austrian Emperor Charles VI that the very fact of Alexei's presence in the land of the Habsburgs was a slap in the face of Russia. The fugitive chose Vienna because of his family ties with this monarch through his short marriage.
Perhaps, under other circumstances, Charles VI would have protected the exile, but at that time Austria was at war with the Ottoman Empire and was preparing for a conflict with Spain. The emperor did not want at all to receive such a powerful enemy as Peter I in such conditions. In addition, Alexei himself blundered. He acted in panic and was clearly unsure of himself. As a result, the Austrian authorities made concessions. Pyotr Tolstoy got the right to see the fugitive.
Negotiations
Peter Tolstoy, having met with Alexei, began to use all possible methods and tricks to return him to his homeland. Kind-hearted assurances were used that his father would forgive him and allow him to live freely on his own estate.
The messenger did not forget about clever hints. He convinced the prince that Charles VI, not wanting to spoil relations with Peter, would not hide him in any case, and then Alexei would definitely end up in Russia as a criminal. In the end, the prince agreed to return to his native country.
Court
February 3, 1718, Peter and Alexei met in the Moscow Kremlin. The heir wept and begged for forgiveness. The king pretended not tobe angry if the son renounces the throne and inheritance (which he did).
After that, the trial began. First, the fugitive betrayed all his supporters, who "persuaded" him to a rash act. Arrests and regular executions followed. Peter wanted to see his first wife Evdokia Lopukhina and the opposition clergy at the head of the conspiracy. However, the investigation found that a much larger number of people were dissatisfied with the king.
Death
Not a single short biography of Alexei Petrovich contains accurate information about the circumstances of his death. As a result of the investigation, which was conducted by the same Peter Tolstoy, the fugitive was sentenced to death. However, it never took place. Alexei died on June 26, 1718 in the Peter and Paul Fortress, where he was held during the trial. It was officially announced that he had a seizure. Perhaps the prince was killed on the secret order of Peter, or perhaps he died himself, unable to endure the torture he experienced during the investigation. For an all-powerful monarch, the execution of his own son would be too shameful an event. Therefore, there is reason to believe that he instructed to deal with Alexei in advance. One way or another, but the descendants never found out the truth.
After the death of Alexei Petrovich, there was a classic point of view about the causes of the drama that happened. It lies in the fact that the heir came under the influence of the old conservative Moscow nobility and the clergy hostile to the king. However, knowing all the circumstances of the conflict, one cannot call the prince a traitor and at the same time not bear in mind the degree of guilt of Peter I himself.in tragedy.
