There are many secrets and mysteries in Russian history. But the circumstances of the tragic death of two emperors of our country have been thoroughly studied. All the more surprising is the persistence of the versions of their murderers, who slandered the victims of their crimes, and this lie, which is still repeated even by very serious historians, has penetrated both the popular consciousness and the pages of school textbooks. Of course, we are talking about Peter III and his son Paul I. In 2003, I wrote an article about the life and fate of Emperor Paul I, which was published in the journal "History".
I had no intention of writing about Peter III, but life decided otherwise. During a recent vacation, I came across an old book written by V. Pikul back in 1963 (published in 1972, first read by me in the 80s). I read this novel again in between swimming.
With pen and sword
I must say right away that I have great respect for Valentin Savich and acknowledge his enormous contribution to the popularization of Russian history. And the frank "spreading cranberries" in his novels are much less than in the books of A. Dumas (father). Although he sometimes has "cranberry trees", alas. So, offhand: in the novel I mentioned, among other things, you can find out, for example, that cobras and tigers are found in the West Indies (these are the islands of the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico): “He can develop his vices to the limit in the colonies of the West Indies, where I will put him to be eaten by cobras and tigers "(Gershi - about de Yeon).
Baron Munchausen, who honestly served our country for 10 years, but by that time had already left Russia, according to V. Pikul, during the Seven Years War was in the Russian army, and spied in favor of Frederick II.
(You can read about the real Munchausen in the article: Ryzhov V. A. Two barons of the city of Bodenwerder.)
In addition, the concepts of "vassal" and "suzerain" are confused.
However, we will not go deep and catch the author at his word, because the main events of the Seven Years War in this novel are conveyed correctly.
The characteristic that V. Pikul gives to the monarchs of the opposing countries can also be recognized as correct. Frederick II is an intelligent and cynical "workaholic", a pragmatist for whom a person's nationality, origin or religion are absolutely irrelevant.
Louis XV is a pitiful aging lecher and degenerate.
Maria Theresia is a cunning and two-faced intriguer, for which, of course, it is difficult to reproach her as the ruler of a large and multinational country.
As for our Elizabeth, if we discard the patriotic and loyal veil, then on the pages of Pikul's novel we see a bad and absurd woman who, for some reason and why, dragged Russia into an unnecessary war on the side of insidious and constantly deceiving her "allies."
State affairs of the cheerful "daughter of Petrova" do not have enough time to deal with, top officials are practically not controlled by anyone and are kept by the ambassadors of foreign states.
On my own behalf, I will add that the influential physician and courtier Lestok received a "pension" from France of 15,000 livres.
About the Chancellor of the Russian Empire A. P. King of Prussia Frederick II wrote to Bestuzhev:
"The Russian minister, whose corruption reached the point that he would sell his mistress at an auction if he could find a sufficiently rich buyer for her."
The chancellor received seven thousand rubles from his government, and twelve thousand from the British. But he also took from the Austrians. (Kirpichnikov A. I. Bribery and Corruption in Russia. M., 1997, p. 38).
Pikul also reproaches Elizaveta with extravagance and mismanagement: "If it were not for this ownerlessness, we would now have ten such Hermitages" (quote from the novel).
In general, the situation in the Russian state under Elizabeth is portrayed in this patriotic novel by Pikul much deeper and more honestly than in the cinematic "Midshipmen" (which is not surprising, "Midshipmen" is more of a near-historical fantasy, like the novels of Dumas).
All in all:
The Merry Queen
There was Elizabeth:
Singing and having fun -
There is only no order"
(A. K. Tolstoy.)
V. Pikul does not hide from us that it was the British envoy Williams who sent his secretary, Stanislav August Poniatovsky, to bed with the wife of the heir to the throne - Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalst-Cerbskaya (who received the name Ekaterina Alekseevna - the future Catherine II after baptism): no love, the order of the chief. But "Fike" - yes, "fell in love like a cat", and completely lost her head:
"The empty (after Ponyatovsky's departure) bed of Catherine has long ceased to be a personal affair of Catherine herself. Shame was now carried out not only on the square, it was discussed at the courts of Europe."
(V. Pikul.)
At the same time, young Catherine is intriguing with might and main against her husband and aunt, takes money from everyone who gives, promising to "thank him later." Moreover, Pikul directly accuses this princess and the Grand Duchess of betraying the national interests of the country that sheltered her. And he does it repeatedly. Further - quotes from the novel:
"England … now clung to Russia with two anchors at once: money - through the great chancellor Bestuzhev and love - through the Grand Duchess Catherine."
"The ring of treason around the neck of Russia has already closed, linking four strong links: Friedrich, Bestuzhev, Ekaterina, Williams."
“Lev Naryshkin handed him a note from the Grand Duchess. where to take the oath. "As a friend," concluded Catherine, "correct and prescribe to me what is lacking in my considerations."
Williams did not even know what could be corrected or supplemented here. This is already a conspiracy, a real conspiracy ….
"The British gave money to Catherine again."
"The comet frightened Elizabeth, but pleased Catherine, and the Grand Duchess carried her head high, as if preparing for the role of the Russian Empress."
"Catherine learned about her aunt's seizure only the next day - from a note from Count Poniatovsky. Thus, the moment for the coup was missed."
"Vorontsov rushed into the palace in fear and immediately made it clear to Elizabeth that Chancellor Bestuzhev directly and irrevocably decided to elevate Catherine to the throne, bypassing her husband and son."
"Yes, they arrested the chancellor (Bestuzhev)," Buturlin replied insolently. "And now we are looking for a reason why we arrested him!"
“What if they find it? - Catherine worried. - Especially that last project, where I have already laid my aunt in the coffin, and I sat down on her throne?"
“Important papers were kept behind seven locks, which until our century only two readers knew. These readers were two Russian emperors: Alexander II and Alexander III, - only they (two autocrats) knew the secret of Catherine's direct betrayal … And only at the beginning of the XX century there was the correspondence between Catherine and Williams was published, which gave history material for shameful revelations. The documents completely restored the picture of treason, which Elizabeth could only guess about in 1758. The famous Soviet academician (and then still a young historian) Yevgeny Tarle in 1916 wrote a brilliant article about how the Grand Duchess Catherine and Bestuzhev, together with Williams, sold the interests of Russia for money."
But Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalst-Zerbskaya, despite the "incriminating evidence" cited, is still a positive character in Pikul's novel:
“Well, think about it,” as if Valentin Savvich tells us, “she slept with the secretary and confidant of the ambassador of a state traditionally hostile to Russia, she wanted to overthrow the legitimate empress of the Russian empire, and her, no less legitimate, heir - her own husband, took money for the state coup from everyone in a row … A trifle! It does not happen to anyone. " And he proposes to consider this "normal" on the grounds that Catherine will later be called "Great". And, consequently, she is a “special” person - not a “trembling creature”, and therefore “has the right”.
The novel also says that during the Seven Years War, Russia suffered heavy losses and was on the verge of financial collapse. It is reported that "officials have not been paid their salaries for years," and Russian sailors "were paid the most paltry, and even that will not pay extra from the treasury for years."
And, on the one hand, to emphasize the severity of the country's financial situation, and, on the other, to demonstrate the patriotism of the empress, V. Pikul ascribes these words to Elizabeth:
"I will sell wardrobes, I will pawn diamonds. I will go naked, but Russia will continue the war until complete victory."
As we know, in reality, Elizabeth did not mortgage or sell anything, she did not go naked. After her death, about 15,000 dresses remained in her notorious "wardrobes" (another 4,000 were burned down during a fire in Moscow in 1753), 2 chests of silk stockings and more than 2,500 pairs of shoes. (Anisimov E. V. Russia in the middle of the 17th century. M., 1988, p. 199.)
J. Shtelin writes that on April 2, 1762, Peter III examined "32 rooms in the Summer Palace, all filled with the dresses of the late Empress Elizabeth Petrovna."
What orders the new emperor gave about this "wardrobe" Stehlin does not report.
Only Imelda Márquez, the wife of the Philippine dictator, who had 2,700 pairs of shoes in her collection, can compete in squandering the state budget on personal "shopping" for the "daughter of Petrova". 1220 of them were eaten by termites, the rest can be seen in the museum.
So, it would seem, everything has already been said, before the correct conclusion is not even a step, but a half step: come on, Valentin Savvich, be bolder, do not hesitate - a little more, you have already raised your leg! No, the force of inertia is such that V. Pikul does not dare to lower his raised leg, retreats, takes not even a step, but two or three steps back, limply voicing all the nonsense of the official historians of the House of Romanov (repeated by Soviet historians). The dim-witted and eccentric "Merry" and "Meek in Heart" Elizabeth, according to his version, of course, is not an ideal of a wise ruler, but a patriot of Russia. And even her lovers are "correct" - all Russians, with the exception of the Little Russian Alexei Razumovsky (which, of course, is also very good).
And even so Elizabeth is good - in contrast to Anna Ioannovna and her favorite, the "German" Biron (this is from another novel - "Word and Deed"). True, during the reign of the "unpatriotic" Empress Anna, Russia's finances were in perfect order - treasury revenues exceeded expenses. And the "patriot" Elizabeth practically ruined the country. But who knows about this and who is interested, in fact? But Frederick II was beaten - and young and healthy Russian men were killed by tens of thousands in senseless and unnecessary bloody battles for the interests of Austria and France. Russia is invited to be proud of the role of the cat from the fable, which brutally burns its paws in order to pull chestnuts out of the fire for two "civilized" European monkeys that despise it.
At the same time, the novel says (several times) that Prussia has no claims to Russia and there is no reason to fight it. And also that Frederick had great respect for our country (having familiarized himself with the memoirs of Minich's former adjutant, Christopher Manstein, the king personally deleted from them all the places that could damage Russian honor) and made desperate attempts to avoid war with it. And when the war nevertheless began, he ordered Field Marshal Hans von Lewald to be not only a commander, but also a diplomat - to enter into negotiations with Russia on the most honorable peace after the very first victory. It is also stated that, upon learning of Louis XV's refusal to baptize Paul I (another insult to both Russia and Elizabeth), Frederick says: "I would agree to baptize piglets in Russia, just not to fight her."
But this quote is no longer from the novel, but from the notes of Frederick II himself:
"Of all the neighbors of Prussia, the Russian Empire deserves priority attention … The future rulers of Prussia are also to seek the friendship of these barbarians."
That is, Frederick II has no aggressive intentions towards the "eastern empire of barbarians". Moreover, he, like Bismarck, calls on the future kings of Prussia to build allied relations with Russia.
And there was only one person surrounded by Elizabeth who correctly assessed the situation and understood that there was nothing to divide between Russia and Prussia. Academician J. Shtelin recalled that during the Seven Years War
"The heir said freely that the Empress was being deceived in relation to the Prussian king, that the Austrians were bribing us, and the French were deceiving … we would eventually repent that we entered into an alliance with Austria and France."
Yes, the heir to the Russian throne, Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, was absolutely right, but V. Pikul in his novel repeatedly calls him "a fool" and "a freak."
By the way, Louis XVI said later:
"Strengthened by the Prussian possessions, Austria got the opportunity to measure power with Russia."
He is:
"This feeling (of Peter to Frederick II) was based on such important state reasons that his wife, who was more discerning than Elizabeth, followed her husband's example in foreign politics."
This is not entirely true, the policy of Catherine II towards Prussia and Frederick II turned out to be much weaker, but we will talk about this later - in another article.
Let us return to the novel by V. Pikul, where it is stated that the Austrian Field Marshal Down deliberately let the troops of Frederick II to Zorndorf, where, in the hardest bloody battle, the Russian and Prussian armies crashed against each other. As for the king of France, Louis XV, in Pikul's novel he says the following words:
“An alliance with Russia is necessary in order to more conveniently act against Russia … From within Russia itself, and to the detriment of Russia. upset the balance of the whole of Europe."
I will add that since 1759, both Austria and France, secretly from Russia, negotiated a separate peace with Prussia.
In general, those are still "allies". But Elizabeth Pikul's "European choice" is still unconditionally recognized as correct, welcomed and fully approved.
What can be said here (carefully choosing print expressions)? Is it possible to use the old Russian proverb: "spit in your eyes, all the dew of God." Or recall a more modern one - about how "the mice cried, injected, but continued to eat the cactus."
But we will not now carry out a historical and literary analysis of V. Pikul's novel. We will try to figure out what, in fact, was the first of the killed Russian emperors. Valentin Pikul could not or did not dare to take the last step, but we will take it now.
I understand that I will not be the first or the last, but everyone has the right to try to take their own step.
So, get acquainted - Karl Peter Ulrich Holstein-Gottorp, who received the Orthodox name Pyotr Fedorovich in Russia:
Hereditary Duke of Holstein, Schleswig, Stormarn and Dietmarschen.
Grandson of Peter I and nephew of "Merry" and "Meek at Heart" of Empress Elizabeth.
The unhappy husband of a thin German adventurer and impostor who did not have the slightest claim to the Russian throne, but usurped it under the name of Catherine II.
Absolutely legitimate and legitimate Emperor Peter III.
He did not have the makings of a great commander or an outstanding politician. Therefore, we will not compare him with Peter I, Charles XII, Frederick II, or even with Louis XIV. Talking about him, we will all the time cast a glance at his wife - Catherine II, who won not because she was smarter, more talented and more educated - rather, on the contrary. She had other qualities that turned out to be much more important and necessary at that turbulent time, which went down in Russian history under the name "The era of palace coups." And these qualities were - courage, determination, ambition and unscrupulousness. And yet - an invaluable gift to correctly evaluate people and charm those who were suitable for fulfilling her goals. Not sparing any money or promises for them, not embarrassed by either flattery or humiliation. And there was passionarity, which made it possible to fully realize all these talents. And luck accompanied this adventurer.
However, luck is always on the side of the brave, and, as the notorious Cardinal Richelieu said, "he who refuses to play never wins."
The history is known to be written by the winners. And therefore, the murdered Peter III is ordered to be considered a drunkard, a moral monster who despises Russia and everything Russian, a martyr and a moron who adores Frederick II. From whom does such monstrous information come? You probably already guessed: from the persons involved in the conspiracy and in the assassination of this emperor, and only from them.
Slanderers of the slain emperor
Memories, denigrating the murdered Peter III, in addition to Catherine, who hated him, were left by four more participants in those events, who rose to prominence after the overthrow of the legitimate Emperor. Let's call them. Firstly, Princess Dashkova is an extremely ambitious person who, according to rumors, could not forgive Peter for the closeness of her older sister, Elizaveta Vorontsova, to him, and therefore became a confidant friend of his wife. She loved when she was called "Ekaterina Malaya".
Secondly, Count Nikita Panin is the educator of Paul I, the main ideologist of the conspiracy; after the coup, he ruled the foreign affairs of the Empire for almost 20 years.
Thirdly, Peter Panin, Nikita's brother, whom Catherine promoted in every possible way along the military line. She later entrusted him with the suppression of the uprising of Yemelyan Pugachev, who terribly frightened the usurper, raising from the grave the formidable ghost of her husband.
And finally, A. T. Bolotov is a close friend of the favorite of Catherine II, Grigory Orlov.
It was these five people who basically formed the myth of the always drunken idiot-emperor, from whom the "great" Catherine "saved" Russia. Even Karamzin was forced to admit that
"Deceived Europe all this time judged this sovereign from the words of his mortal enemies or their vile supporters."
People who dared to express the opposite point of view were severely persecuted under Catherine II, their memoirs were not published, but the people had their own opinion about the unfortunate Peter III. And when Emelyan Pugachev adopted the name of the murdered husband, terrible for Catherine, it suddenly became clear that the people did not want either the "prodigal wife of Katerinka" or her many "lovers". But he very willingly becomes under the banner of "the natural sovereign-emperor Peter Fedorovich". By the way, in addition to Pugachev, almost 40 more people in different years took the name of Peter III.
Another Peter III: the opinion of people who sympathized with him
Nevertheless, objective memories of people not involved in the conspiracy of Catherine and the murder of the legitimate emperor of Russia have been preserved. They talk about Pyotr Fyodorovich in a completely different way. Here is what, for example, the French diplomat Jean-Louis Favier, who spoke with the heir, writes:
"He imitates both (his grandfathers - Peter I and Charles XII) in the simplicity of his tastes and in dress … The courtiers, immersed in luxury and inaction, fear the time when they will be ruled by a sovereign who is equally harsh to himself and to others."
The secretary of the French embassy in St. Petersburg K. Rumiere says in his "Notes":
"Peter III leaned towards his downfall by deeds, at the core of his good."
In 1762, after the assassination of the emperor, in Germany a certain Justi published a treatise on Russia, which contained the following lines:
Elizabeth was beautiful
First Peter is great
But the Third was the best.
Under him Russia was great, The envy of Europe subdued
And Frederick remained the greatest."
The words that under Peter III Russia "was great" and Europe was "pacified" may surprise. But wait a little, you will soon be convinced that there were grounds for such an assessment. In the meantime, let's continue reading the memoirs of the slain emperor's contemporaries.
J. Shtelin reports:
"He was prone to 'abuse of grace' rather than violence."
The Duke of Courland Biron, who was returned by Peter from exile, claimed that
"condescension was the main feature and the most important mistake of this sovereign."
And further:
"If Peter III had hung, chopped off heads and wheeled, he would have remained an emperor."
Later V. P. Naumov will say about this emperor:
"The strange autocrat turned out to be too good for his age and the role that was destined for him."
Birth and first years of life of Karl Peter Ulrich
Peter the Great, as you know, had two daughters - smart and "cheerful". "Merry", Elizabeth, tried to marry the future Louis XV, but the marriage did not take place. And smart, Anna, married Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp.
The Dukes of Holstein also owned the rights to Schleswig, Stormarn (Stormarn) and Dietmarsen (Dietmarschen). Schleswig and Dietmarschen were by that time captured by Denmark.
The title of Duke of Holstein-Gottorp sounded loud and impressive, but the duchy itself, after the loss of Schleswig and Dietmarschen, was a small area around Kiel, and part of the land was interspersed with the possessions of the Danes - on the above map you can see that Holstein is separated from Stormarn by Rendsburg-Eckenford. Therefore, Anna Petrovna and her husband, who counted on Russia's help, lived in St. Petersburg for a long time after the wedding. Under Catherine I, Karl Friedrich was a member of the Supreme Privy Council, and under Peter II, Anna became part of this Council. But after a representative of another branch of the Romanov dynasty, Anna Ioannovna, came to power, the spouses were "advised" to go to Kiel as soon as possible. The beautiful and intelligent Anna made the most favorable impression in Holstein and was very much liked by everyone - both the nobility and the people. The hero of our article was born in Kiel - February 10 (21 - in a new style), February 1728. After giving birth, Anna died, apparently from pneumonia - she caught a cold, opening a window to watch the fireworks in honor of the birth of the heir.
Anna was loved by her husband and the people, in her honor a new order was established in the duchy - St. Anna.
Few in Europe could compete with the son of the Duke of Holstein in terms of nobility. Being a relative of two great monarchs, he, at birth, received three names - Karl Peter Ulrich. The first is because on the paternal side he was the great-nephew of King Charles XII of Sweden, the second - in honor of his maternal grandfather, the Russian emperor Peter I. Accordingly, he had the rights to two crowns - Swedish and Russian. And in addition he was also the Duke of Holstein, Schleswig, Stormarn and Dietmarschen. Schleswig and Dietmarschen, as we remember, were occupied by Denmark, but the rights to them remained - so indisputable that in 1732 the Danes, with the mediation of Russia and Austria, tried to buy them out from Duke Karl Friedrich, the father of our hero, for a million efimks (the amount is simply huge for those times). Karl Friedrich refused, saying that he had no right to take something away from his underage son. The duke had high hopes on his son: "This fellow will avenge us," he often said to the courtiers. It is not surprising that Peter until the end of his life could not forget his duty to return the hereditary lands.
It was assumed that over time he would occupy the Swedish throne, since in Russia, it seemed, the line of the descendants of Peter I's brother, John, was established. Therefore, the prince was brought up as a zealous Protestant (according to the marriage contract, Anna Petrovna's sons were to become Lutherans, her daughters - Orthodox). It should also be borne in mind that Sweden was a state hostile to Russia, and this circumstance was probably also reflected in his upbringing.
French diplomat Claude Carloman Rumiere wrote that the training of the Holstein prince "was entrusted to two mentors of rare dignity; but their mistake was that they guided him according to the great models, meaning his breed rather than talent."
However, the boy did not grow up to be a dumb idiot. They taught him writing, reading, history, geography, languages (all the rest he preferred French) and mathematics (his favorite subject). Since it was assumed that the heir would have to restore justice by returning Schleswig and Dietmarschen to their fatherland, special attention was paid to military education. In 1737 (at the age of 9), the prince even won the title of leader of the riflemen of the Oldenburg guild of St. Johann. The competition was held in this way: a two-headed bird rose to a height of about 15 meters, made so that when a bullet hit the wing or head, only this part of its body fell. The winner was the one who knocked down the last remaining fragment from the first attempt. The young duke, apparently, lost the right to the first shot - but he also had to hit. It is interesting that 5 years earlier, in 1732, his father became the winner in this competition.
At the age of 10, Karl Peter Ulrich was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, which he was very proud of.
Amazing modesty, isn't it? The heir is 10 years old - and he is only a second lieutenant, and he is glad to death. But the son of Nicholas II, Aleksey, who was sick with hemophilia, was immediately, at birth, appointed ataman of all the Cossack troops of Russia, the chief of 4 Guards and 4 Army regiments, 2 batteries, the Alekseevsky military school and the Tashkent cadet corps.
In the memoirs of Catherine II and Dashkova, Peter tells the story of how he, as a boy, at the head of a squadron of hussars, expelled the "Bohemians" from his duchy. Both ladies used this story to denigrate the murdered emperor - that's, they say, what stupid fantasies were in the head of the infantile "Petrushka". Many historians present it in the same vein. However, documents from the archives of the ducal house of Holstein-Gottorp testify that Karl Peter Ulrich really fulfilled his father's order to expel the gypsy camp, whose members were accused by the people of fraud, theft and "witchcraft". As for the "bohemians" - this was the generally recognized name for the gypsies in Europe in those years. And the word "bohemia" then meant "gypsy", back in the 19th century it had a sharply negative meaning (if you look for comparisons that we understand, the first thing that comes to mind is hippies).
Karl Peter Ulrich had a sister, his father's illegitimate daughter, with whom he had a good relationship. After Peter ascended the throne, her husband became the emperor's aide-de-camp.
In 1739, the father of our hero died, and Karl Peter was under the tutelage of his uncle, Adolf Friedrich, who later became king of Sweden. The regent was indifferent to his nephew, practically not taking part in his upbringing. Appointed then as a mentor to the heir, the Swede Brumaire was very cruel to him, humiliating and punishing him for any reason. In fairness, it should be said that such methods of upbringing were common in those days, and princes in all countries were flogged no less often and no weaker than children from ordinary families.
Sweden or Russia? Fatal choice of the young duke
In November 1741, the childless Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, by her decree, confirmed his rights to the Russian throne (as the only legitimate descendant of Peter I).
British Ambassador E. Finch, in a report dated December 5, 1741, flashed his foresight talent:
"Adopted … a weapon for coups in the future, when the janissaries, weighed down by the present, decide to test the new government."
As you can see, not only our hero called the janissaries of the Russian guards: after two palace coups in a row, so many called them so. However, in one thing Finch did not guess: Peter became not a tool, but a victim of the Janissary Guards.
In early 1742, Elizabeth demanded that her nephew come to Russia. She held captive the legitimate emperor from the clan of Tsar John, and she needed the grandson of Peter I in order to prevent other representatives of this hated dynasty from accessing the throne, and to consolidate power for her father's line. Fearing that the Swedes, who wanted to make this young duke their future king, would intercept the heir, she ordered him to be taken under a false name. In St. Petersburg, the prince converted to Orthodoxy, receiving the name Pyotr Fedorovich at baptism, and was officially declared the heir to the throne of the Russian Empire.
Elizabeth was literally a couple of weeks ahead of the Swedish Riksdag, which also chose Karl Peter Ulrich as crown prince - heir to the childless King Frederick I of Hesse. The Swedish ambassadors who arrived in St. Petersburg found there not the Lutheran Duke Karl Peter Ulrich, but the Orthodox Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich. However, one can be sure that Elizabeth would not have given Peter to the Swedes in any case. Nevertheless, Peter was considered the heir to the Swedish throne until August 1743, when he wrote an official waiver of the rights to the crown of this country. And that says a lot. If for Elizabeth Peter was the only legitimate heir to the throne of Russia, then the Swedes had no shortage of applicants - they could choose from a dozen candidates. And they chose the young Duke of Holstein, who, according to the "Notes" of Catherine II, was not only a limited and infantile moron, but already at the age of 11 was a complete alcoholic. And they patiently waited for his decision for as long as 9 months. And in his native Kiel, the popularity of 14-year-old Karl Peter Ulrich, who left for Russia, literally went off scale. Something's wrong here, isn't it?
The long years of the prince's stay in our country as the heir to the throne, his accession to the throne, the conspiracy organized against him by his wife, and the subsequent death in Ropsha will be described in the following articles.
