He was considered a gray mouse among the brilliant brothers. He had a chance to surpass them, but one woman did not let his dreams come true.
The gallant age in Russia was marked by a series of palace coups. Brave nobles chose their camp and at one moment either took off to the skies, or were thrown into the abyss of exile and oblivion. Count Alexander Shuvalov also shone among the political adventurers of that time. He did not enjoy the special sympathy of any of the monarchs, but, relying on his intuition and courage, he made his way to power.
Childhood
The Shuvalov family has been famous since the time of Ivan the Terrible. In the time of troubles, one of the ancestors of our hero became a voivode, his descendants also made a career in the army. When in 1710 a son was born in the family of the commandant of the Vyborg fortress Ivan Maksimovich, everyone was sure that he would become a general. Father wished his heir Sasha a better fate, therefore he saw him at the court of the emperor.
The old campaigner managed to attach Alexander and his younger brother Peter to the pages of Peter the Great himself. Soon the sovereign was gone, and the teenagers witnessed the struggle for the throne. The boys' youth fell during the reign of Anna Ioannovna. In St. Petersburg, Biron, the ruler's favorite, ruled. The empress did not favor the ancient Russian aristocracy, but she did not oppress it either. She sent the younger Shuvalovs to the retinue of Peter's daughter Elizabeth. The teenagers had time to admire the intrigue of intrigues and were ready to test their strength in this type of creativity.
Eldest in the family
Sasha got married early - the parent wanted to see an adult son who could guide his brother on the right path. In order not to become hostages of a strong aristocratic family, it was decided to take a wife for Shuvalov from the impoverished nobles. The best contender for this role was Ekaterina Ivanovna Kastyurina. She could compare with her husband only by the nobility of her name and the antiquity of the family.
A few years after the wedding, Catherine gave birth to a daughter, whose parents will find a profitable party. Lacking a good education and secular manners, Countess Shuvalova relied on her faithful in everything. Contemporaries described her as a greedy and primitive person, infinitely devoted to her husband and his interests.
Crown for Elizabeth
In 1741 the Shuvalovs supported the crown princess and took an active part in the coup that brought her to power. Alexander at that time was a chamber junker and was in charge of the economy of the future queen. For the service rendered, he was immediately awarded the rank of second lieutenant of the Life-Campanian company of the Preobrazhensky regiment and henceforth was a chamberlain under Elizabeth Petrovna.
The personal life of Peter Shuvalov was not a secret for his brother. He was a ladies' man, the empress herself was his lover. The favorite behaved like her lawful husband. Alexander urged his younger brother to be more modest, however, he rarely heard reasonable advice. Even the relatives were unhappy with the behavior of this upstart and, realizing that there was no government on him, they sent the cousin of the powerful brothers Ivan Ivanovich to the court, who quickly solved all the problems: he seduced the daughter of Peter and expelled the impudent temporary worker from the capital. He tried to stay away from Alexander.
Grey Cardinal
Elizaveta Petrovna appreciated the contribution of Alexander Shuvalov to the success of her adventure, entrusting him with the Secret Chancellery. The courtier did not disappoint - first of all, he hid John Antonovich in prison - the baby, whom they tried to put on the throne instead of Elizabeth. The next victim was to be the famous schemer Alexei Bestuzhev-Ryumin. The old fox was able to avoid a long imprisonment and escaped with a short exile.
Such work did not arouse respect, relatives considered this episode in Alexander's biography a dark spot, but this did not affect him in any way. The nobleman was convinced that he was defending the interests of the state. The justice-loving heiress of Peter the Great was impressed by the style of behavior of Alexander Shuvalov.
Femme fatale
Elizaveta Petrovna noticed that her nephew, the future Peter III, was a depraved young man. To control his behavior, Alexander Shuvalov was introduced to the prince's retinue. In 1754 he was appointed a knight marshal at the court of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich and soon won his trust. When Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst arrived in St. Petersburg, the Empress asked the head of the Secret Chancellery to pay maximum attention to this person.
Emperor Peter III and Catherine II. Artist Georg Christoph Groth
The adorable German woman aroused the hatred of Alexander Shuvalov. Having adopted Orthodoxy under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna, she gave her opponent an original idea - why not tonsure her as a nun? Since ancient times, Russian tsars have dealt with unwanted wives. Elizabeth forbade this.
Rise and fall
After the death of Elizabeth, Peter III, who fell under the influence of Shuvalov, could not take a step without him. Having received the rank of Field Marshal in 1762, our hero actually usurped power. When his pocket monarch was deprived of the crown, Alexander Shuvalov rushed to the guards who were guarding the palace and ordered them to open fire on Catherine and her retinue. Nobody listened to the old man.
When Holstein the devil was taken away under escort to Ropsha, Alexander Ivanovich fell at the feet of Catherine II and begged her to show mercy. The young empress was not vindictive. She presented the count with several estates and granted his resignation request. Since 1763, the former arbiter of destinies lived in the village of Kositsy near Moscow. There he died in 1771.
