Pyotr Alekseevich Palen is a Russian general, one of the associates of Emperor Paul I. He went down in history as a man who led a conspiracy against the sovereign. Its result was the assassination of Paul, the change of the tsar in Russia. In this article, you will learn about the biography of the military man.
Early career
Pyotr Alekseevich Palen was born in the Courland province in 1745. He served in the Horse Guards, took part in battles with the Turks. Under Bender, he was wounded in the right knee, was awarded the Order of St. George, 4th degree.
When the second war with the Turks began, he distinguished himself during the assault on Ochakov. In 1789 he was awarded the Order of St. George, 3rd class.
In 1792 he was appointed ruler of the Riga viceroy. He took part in negotiations on the accession to the Russian Empire of Courland and several neighboring regions. In 1795 he became Governor-General of Courland.
After the death of Catherine II
When Paul I became emperor, Peter Alekseevich Palen was appointed chief of the cuirassier regiment in Riga.
However, he soon fell out of favor with the sovereign. To thatgave a frankly comical episode. In Riga, a solemn meeting was being prepared for the former king of Poland, Stanislav-August, who was heading to St. Petersburg. Honorary guards were placed on the streets, a ceremonial dinner was prepared. However, the king did not arrive, and on the same day, Prince Zubov, who was in disgrace, passed through the city. Seeing the Russian general, the guards saluted him, and they held a royal dinner for him.
Paul, having learned about this, was furious. He accused Count Peter Alekseevich Palen of meanness. In early 1797, he was removed from the post of governor with the official wording "for the honors rendered to Zubov." Soon he was relieved of the post of chief of the cuirassier regiment, which was based in Riga.
Emperor's Prop
The hot-tempered Pavel was also famous for the fact that he often radically changed his decisions. So it happened with Pyotr Alekseevich Palen. After some time, he was honored with the attention of the sovereign and taken back to the service. The hero of the article was appointed to lead the Life Guards of the Cavalry Regiment, in parallel he was the inspector of the cavalry. Palen himself compared himself to dolls that can be knocked over, but they still return to their original position.
At that time, many at the court knew who Pyotr Alekseevich Palen was. He managed to earn the trust of the emperor thanks to the help of the valet of the sovereign Kutaisov. Contemporaries noted that Paul appreciated his abilities as a courtier, his invariably good mood, resourcefulness, and the ability to always find an appropriate answer. He soon managed to earn respectEmpress and favorite of the Emperor Ekaterina Ivanovna Nelidova.
Palen enjoyed the favor of the king, having managed to build a successful career during this time. He was appointed military governor of St. Petersburg, then led the B altic provinces, was an inspector of six military inspections at once, director of the post office, chancellor of the Order of M alta, and was a member of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs.
During the time that he served as governor of St. Petersburg, the charter of the city was approved in 1798, the construction of the Naval Cadet Corps and the Mikhailovsky Castle was completed. On the Field of Mars, monuments were erected to outstanding domestic commanders - Suvorov and Rumyantsev. An iron foundry was moved from Kronstadt to the capital.
From the future king of France, Louis XVIII, the count received the Order of Lazarus. About who P. A. Palen was, they already knew well abroad.
In the summer of 1800, the earl was temporarily removed from the post of governor, as the emperor entrusted him with the command of one of the armies in case of a possible war against England. On maneuvers in the vicinity of Brest-Litovsk, Pavel was pleased with the work done by Peter Alekseevich. Even gave him a Grand Cross of the Order of M alta.
Conspiracy
Today, almost every schoolchild knows who Palen is. After all, it was he who led the conspiracy, as a result of which Paul I was killed. In the last months of the emperor's reign, in addition to leading the capital, he also de alt with foreign policy issues.
On his initiative, Rostopchin ended up in disgrace, and Palen himselfentered instead of him into the Foreign Collegium. By becoming director of the post office, he strengthened his position, as he could now look through all the correspondence of his political opponents.
Historians write that outwardly he was always cheerful, good-natured and direct. But under this mask was a completely different person, crafty and cunning.
He played a double role in the conspiracy, arranging everything so that in case of failure he could renounce participation in the coup. From Paul, Palen obtained a written order to arrest the heir, which he then provided to the future Emperor Alexander I. He hesitated to the last, not daring to participate in the conspiracy.
Killing the Emperor
The day before, the conspirators drank a lot of wine, they say that at the end of dinner Palen uttered his famous words:
Remember, gentlemen: to eat scrambled eggs, you must first break the eggs!
The emperor was killed at about one in the morning on March 12, 1801. A group of officers, bursting into his chambers, beat the king, he was hit with a snuff box in the temple, and then was strangled with a scarf. The group of performers was led by Leonty Bennigsen and Nikolai Zubov.
The next morning after the assassination of the emperor, Palen became the first to inform the Military Collegium about Paul's death. At 8 o'clock he invited everyone to take the oath to the new sovereign Alexander.
At the same time, he acquired a strong enemy in the person of Pavel's wife Maria Fedorovna, who insisted on ending his career. Already in April 1801, he was dismissed for he alth reasons, having received an order to immediately leave for hisestate in Courland.
Away from the capital, he spent about 25 more years, even surviving Alexander I. He told the guests who visited his estate the details of the organization and murder of the tyrant.
Count Pahlen died in February 1826, never repenting of the murder, believing that he had accomplished a great feat. He was 80 years old.
Private life
In 1773 Palen married the daughter of Baron Schepping Juliana. In 1799, his wife was appointed chamberlain of the court under Prince Alexander Pavlovich, accompanied Princess Alexandra Pavlovna on a trip abroad to Vienna.
The hero of our article had 10 children. Pavel and Peter became generals from the cavalry, like their father. Fedor Palen grew up to be a well-known diplomat who served as ambassador to Brazil and the United States.
