Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich Romanov was born on February 18, 1690 in Preobrazhensky. 23.02 was baptized. He was the heir to the Russian throne and the eldest son of Peter the Great. The mother was the first wife of the monarch Evdokia Lopukhin.
Aleksey Petrovich: short biography
In the first years of his life, he was in the care of Natalia Kirillovna, his grandmother. At the age of 6, Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich Romanov began to learn to read and write from the simple and poorly educated Nikifor Vyazemsky. In 1698, Evdokia Lopukhina was imprisoned in a monastery. From that moment on, Natalya Alekseevna (aunt) took custody of Peter's son. The boy was transferred to the Transfiguration Palace.
In 1699, Peter, remembering his son, decided to send him to Dresden to study with the gene. Karlovich. However, the latter died. In exchange for the general, the Saxon Neugebauer from the University of Leipzig was invited as a mentor. However, the new teacher failed to bind the prince to himself, as a result of which in 1702 he lost his position. Baron Huissen began to raise the boy. N. Vyazemsky in 1708 informed the tsar that Alexei was engaged inFrench and German, reads history, writes an atlas, studies cases and declensions.
Until 1709 the boy lived away from his father in Preobrazhensky. The people who were at the palace largely influenced the personality of Tsarevich Alexei. According to him, they taught him to often go to the blacks and priests, drink with them, "prude".
Conflicts
Peter the Great and Alexei Petrovich had different views on life and government. The monarch demanded that the heir match the surname, but the latter received the wrong upbringing. During the advance of the Swedes deep into the continent, Peter instructed his son to follow the preparation of recruits and the process of building fortifications in Moscow. But the father was extremely dissatisfied with the result of the activities of the heir. Particularly angry was the information that during the work Alexei Petrovich went to his mother in the Suzdal Monastery.
In 1709, accompanied by Golovkin and Trubetskoy, the young man was sent to Dresden to study languages, "political affairs" and fortification. Upon completion of the course, Alexei Petrovich had to pass an exam in the presence of his father. But the young man, afraid that the monarch would force him to make a complex drawing, tried to shoot himself in the arm. An angry father beat him and forbade him to appear at court. However, he subsequently lifted the ban.
Marriage
In 1707, Huyssen proposes his wife to the prince, Princess Charlotte of Wolfenbüttel. In the spring of 1710 they saw each other. A year later, in early April, a marriage contract was signed. On October 14, 1711, a magnificent wedding took place in Torgau. Marrieddaughter Natalya and son Peter were born. After the birth of the latter, Charlotte passed away. Tsarevich Alexei Romanov chose his mistress Efrosinya from the serfs of Vyazemsky. He subsequently traveled with her to Europe.
Peter the Great and Alexei Petrovich: reasons for the confrontation+
In all the affairs that were done in the state, the monarch invested his characteristic energy and scope. However, Peter's reforming activities aroused conflicting feelings among many segments of the population. Archers, boyars, representatives of the clergy were against his transformations. Tsarevich Alexei, the son of Peter, later joined them. According to Bestuzhev-Ryumin, the young man became a victim of an inability to understand the legitimacy of his father's demands and his character, to which any tireless activity was alien. The historian believed that the sympathy that Alexei showed for the adherents of antiquity was fed not only by his psychological inclination, but was also cultivated and supported by his environment. As long as there was no need to resolve the issue of inheritance, a compromise could be reached.
Peter was tormented by the thought that his son would destroy everything that had been created. He himself devoted his life to reforming the old way of life, the formation of a new state. In his successor, he did not see the successor of his activities. Peter and Tsarevich Alexei had opposite goals, attitudes, aspirations, values, motives. The situation was aggravated by the division of society into opponents and supporters of reforms. Each side contributed to the development of the conflict, bringingits tragic end.
M. P. Pogodin's opinion
The conflict between Peter and his son was studied by many historians and researchers. One of them was Pogodin. He believed that Alexei himself was not at all a slob and mediocrity. In his book, he wrote that the young man was very inquisitive. In the expenditure travel book of the prince, expenses on foreign literature are indicated. In all the cities in which he stayed, he acquired publications for considerable sums, the content of which was not exclusively spiritual. Among them were historical books, portraits, maps. Alexei was interested in sightseeing. Pogodin also cites the words of Huissen, who said that the young man had ambition, restrained prudence, common sense, as well as a great desire to distinguish himself and get everything that he considered necessary for the successor of a large state. Alexey had a quiet, compliant disposition, showed a desire to make up for everything that was missed in his upbringing with his diligence.
Escape
The birth of a son and the death of Alexei's wife coincided with the appearance of a child by Peter and his wife Catherine, who was also named Peter. This event shook the position of the young man, since now he was of no particular interest to his father, even as a forced heir. On the day of Charlotte's burial, Peter gave Alexei a letter. In it, he scolded the heir for his lack of inclination for public affairs, urged him to improve, otherwise he would deprive him of all rights.
In 1716 Alexeywent to Poland, formally to visit Peter, who was at that time in Copenhagen. However, from Gdansk he flees to Vienna. Here he negotiates with European monarchs, among whom was a relative of his deceased wife, the Austrian Emperor Karl. Secretly, the Austrians transported their son Peter to Naples. On the territory of the Roman Empire, he planned to wait for the death of his father, who was seriously ill at that time. Then, with the support of the Austrians, Alexei proposed to become the Russian Tsar. They, in turn, wanted to use the heir as a puppet in the intervention against the Russian Empire. However, later the Austrians abandoned their plans, considering them too dangerous.
Wanted
A few weeks after the flight of the heir, the case of Tsarevich Alexei was opened. The search began. Veselovsky, a Russian resident in Vienna, was ordered to take measures to establish the place of residence of the fugitive. For quite a long time, the search yielded no results. This was probably due, among other things, to the fact that Veselovsky was at one with Kikin, who supported Alexei in his intentions.
As a result, Russian intelligence managed to track down the heir. On behalf of the emperor, a demand was sent for the extradition of the fugitive. In April 1717, Veselovsky gave Charles VI a letter from Peter. In it, the emperor asked to give him a fugitive heir for "fatherly correction".
Return to Russia
Aleksey was in despair and begged not to extradite him to Peter. Meanwhile behind himTolstoy and Rumyantsev were sent. They promised to obtain permission from the tsar for the wedding with Efrosinya and subsequent residence in the village. Tolstoy and Rumyantsev did the impossible.
For two months, they performed a massive operation using all kinds of pressure. In addition to meeting with the prince and promising forgiveness from their father, they bribed everyone, even the Viceroy of Naples himself, scared Alexei that he would certainly be killed if he did not return, intimidated his mistress and convinced her to influence him. Finally, they struck fear into the Austrian authorities, threatening a military invasion of troops. The Roman emperor at first refused to extradite the fugitive. However, Tolstoy was given permission to visit the prince. The letter that he gave to the heir from his father failed to persuade him to return. Tolstoy bribes an Austrian official to tell Aleksei "in confidence" that the issue of his extradition has already been decided. This convinced the heir that Austria could not count on help. Then Alex turned to the Swedes. However, the answer from the government about the readiness to provide him with an army was late. Before it was received, Tolstoy managed to convince Alexei to return to his homeland. The heir surrendered.
As a result, in early October 1717, the tsarevich wrote to Peter about his readiness to return to Russia, hoping for forgiveness. At the last station in Austria, Charles's envoy caught up with them to make sure that the decision was made voluntarily by the heir. Tolstoy was extremely dissatisfied with this and communicated with the messenger rather coldly. Alexey, in turn,confirmed voluntary intentions.
Clarifying the circumstances of the escape
On February 3, the heir to the Russian monarch signs his abdication. Along with this, he receives his father's forgiveness on one condition. It consisted in the duty of the fugitive to betray his accomplices. An investigation into the case of Tsarevich Alexei began. After the abdication, provided that the former heir will name all those who sympathized and helped, he will be allowed to live on his estates and lead a private life. After a conversation with his father, the arrests began. In 1871, the painting "Peter 1 Interrogates Tsarevich Alexei" was painted by artist Nikolai Ge. It is included in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery. More than 130 people were arrested during the search.
The case of Tsarevich Alexei was actively discussed by the public. The year 1718 was the beginning of the so-called "Kikinsky search". Kikin was the main defendant. At the same time, at one time he was Peter's favorite. In 1713-1716. he, in fact, formed a group around the heir to the monarch. At the same time, a search began in Moscow regarding Evdokia Lopukhina. It is generally accepted that he became part of the "Kikin events" that made up the case of Tsarevich Alexei. Documents related to the Suzdal search, however, refute this opinion. According to sources, the meeting between Lopukhina and the heir took place only once - in 1708. This meeting aroused Peter's undisguised anger. Later, Lopukhina tried to organize a correspondence with her son through her brother. However, the successorvery scared of his father. In letters to Yakov Ignatiev (confessor), Alesei not only forbade any contact with his mother, but also did not allow him to visit friends and relatives in Suzdal and the surrounding area.
Sentence
The case of Tsarevich Alexei ended very tragically. At the same time, the forsaken heir did not expect such an outcome. Before sentencing, the monarch asked the opinion of the advisers. The judges themselves conducted a survey among representatives of various estates and groups.
The clergy, considering the case of Tsarevich Alexei, quoted the Old Testament, according to which the punishment of the recalcitrant successor was allowed. At the same time, however, they remembered Christ, who spoke of forgiveness. Peter was asked to choose for himself - to punish or pardon.
As for the civilians, all of them, independently of each other, implicitly and unanimously announced the death pen alty.
The verdict was signed by 127 people. Among them, Menshikov was the first, then Apraksin, Golovkin, Yakov Dolgoruky, and so on. Of the prominent people close to the court, only Count Sheremetyev did not have a signature. Opinions differ as to the reasons for her absence. So, Shcherbatov claimed that Sheremetyev announced that it was not in his competence to judge the heir. According to Golikov, the field marshal was ill at that moment and was in Moscow, so he could not sign the verdict.
Death
The case of Tsarevich Alexei was closed on June 26, 1718. According to the official version, the death of the abdicated heir was due to a blow. Upon learning of the verdictAlexei fell into unconsciousness. After a while, he partially came to his senses, began to ask everyone for forgiveness. However, he could not finally return to his previous state and died.
In the 19th century, papers were discovered, according to which Alexei was tortured before his death. A version was put forward that it was they who caused the death. Peter, in turn, published a notice in which he indicated that his son had heard the verdict and was horrified. After a while, he demanded his father and apologized to him. Alexei died in a Christian way, completely repenting of his deed. There is information that the condemned man was killed on the orders of his father. However, these data are highly contradictory. Some sources contain information that Peter himself allegedly participated in the torture of Alexei.
According to other evidence, Menshikov and his confidants played a direct role in the death of the heir. Some records say that before the immediate death of Alexei they were with him. According to some reports, the young man was poisoned. There is also information that Alexey was ill with tuberculosis. Some historians believe that death was due to an exacerbation and due to a side effect of medications.
The forsaken heir was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the presence of his father. The monarch himself walked behind the coffin, followed by Menshikov, senators and other noble persons.
Interesting fact
The case of the prince was kept in a secret state archive. The seals were inspected annually. In 1812, the papers were in a special chest, but during the invasion of Napoleon it was broken, anddocuments are scattered. Subsequently, they were again collected and described. Documents are currently in the public domain.
Opinion of historians
A dynastic assassination is considered quite a rare historical event. Therefore, it always arouses special interest of descendants, researchers. Russian history knows two such cases. The first occurred during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the second - during the reign of Peter the Great. Various authors and researchers have analyzed these events. For example, Yarosh in his book evaluates the general and distinctive features of phenomena. In particular, he draws attention to the difference in the personal attitude of fathers to the death of their sons.
According to sources, Grozny killed by accident. Subsequently, the father bitterly regretted what he had done, wept, begged the doctors to return his son's life. Grozny called himself a murderer, an unworthy ruler. He said that God, by depriving his son, punished him for all his sins in the past, believed that he now had to go to the monastery and pray for them there. In the end, he even sent several thousand rubles to Palestine.
Peter, on the contrary, fought with his son for a long time, judging him for several months. Yarosh believes that, having imposed his anger on the heir during his lifetime, he never forgave him after death.
Consequences
Of course, the events of those years caused a wide resonance in society. Most researchers are unanimous in their opinion that the death of the prince saved the country from returning to the pre-Petrine era. However, there were also negative consequences of the events. After the death of his son, Peter in 1722 changed the procedure for the transfer of power in the state. In fact, by doing so, he destroyed the institutions he had created. According to researchers, it was this that subsequently became the basis for palace coups. In the future, in most cases, the coming to power of one or another monarch passed through a struggle. Klyuchevsky wrote that Peter extinguished his dynasty with the new law, and the throne was given to chance.
If we talk about the common people, then during the life of the legitimate heir, sworn sheets were sent to people. According to them, they had to swear allegiance to the new ruler. However, the process did not go smoothly everywhere. Resistance was shown mainly by supporters of the former order. They did not recognize the deprivation of the throne of Alexei. There is evidence that a man with paper approached the king in church on Sunday. In it, he refused to swear allegiance to the new heir, despite the fact that he understood that he would provoke the wrath of the monarch. Peter ordered to hang him upside down over a slowly smoking fire.
Conclusion
During the aggravation of the conflict between Peter and Alexei, the prince wanted to go to the monastery, voluntarily relinquishing all obligations. However, according to sources, the father did not agree to this. I must say that many historians agree that the root of the confrontation lay in Peter's unwillingness to deal with his son from the very beginning. He was too keen on state affairs, reforms, travel, training. For a long time, the son was under the influence of opponents of the new regime.
On the one hand,some authors believe that he could become a worthy heir. After all, as the records show, he nevertheless showed obedience, sought to gain knowledge, and was inquisitive. At the same time, his well-established sympathies for the pre-Petrine era could really destroy everything that was created by his father. The monarch was very afraid of this. For him, the interests of the state were above all. He demanded the same from his entourage and children. In some way, the birth of the son of Peter the Great from his second marriage saved the situation. Now the state could get a worthy heir and successor to his cause. Along with this, a certain collapse could occur in the country, since the sons of Peter and Alexei were named the same. This issue also worried the sovereign.
Escape of Alexei was regarded by Peter as a betrayal, a conspiracy against him. That is why, after his capture, arrests and interrogations began. Alexei expected forgiveness from his father, but instead he was sentenced to death. Efrosinya's mistress was also involved in the investigation. He was subsequently acquitted and was not punished. This was probably made possible by the help she provided to Tolstoy and Rumyantsev, who asked her to influence the prince.
