Peter the Great is known as a controversial personality. The founder of St. Petersburg was a great politician. At the same time, he is a cruel and uncompromising person, and not only in solving state affairs, but also in his personal life.
Peter I
Peter Alekseevich Romanov, the future Emperor Peter I, born on the night of June 9, 1672, was the son of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and his second wife Natalia Naryshkina. When young Peter was 4 years old, his father died; his brother and the new Tsar Fyodor Alekseevich were appointed guardian. Six years later, Fyodor Alekseevich died, which became the reason for the uprising of the archers: they demanded the erection of the young princes Ivan and Peter. Their demand was fulfilled, and their elder sister Sofya Alekseevna took the reins of government (since the brothers were still very young).
Peter was sent away from the court and became interested in military affairs: he formed "amusing regiments" of peasant youths, and under his leadership they underwent drill training and learned the basics of fighting. At the age of seventeen, Peter married for the first time - to Evdokia Lopukhina. In the same year, after several public conflicts with the royal sister, he, having made a coup with the help of the regiments loyal to him, became the sole ruler of the state. In the early years of his reign, Peter embarks on an educational journey through the main European powers. The reason for his return was the Streltsy uprising; Having dealt harshly with the rebels, the ruler clearly showed the people what would become of those who dare to contradict him.
From 1700, Peter began active reform activities: he switched to the chronology according to the Julian calendar, ordered the nobles to change into European clothes and “put themselves in order” according to the European model. In the same year, the Northern War with Sweden begins, which will end only in 1721. In 1704-1717, the future capital of the state, St. Petersburg, was built. In the 1710s, not the most successful wars were waged with Turkey, which ended in a peace treaty between the parties. In 1721, Peter accepts the title of emperor, and the Russian state is declared the Russian Empire.
In 1725, Emperor Peter I died. The official version of his death is pneumonia, it is known that during the previous six months the ruler suffered from serious chronic diseases.
The king was also known as a great reformer, and his reforms affected almost all areas of life. These were military, industrial, church and educational reforms. It was during his reign that the first gymnasium and many schools were opened. In the last years of his life, Peter was often ill, but did not stop his rule of the country. After his death, power over the great power passed to his wife Catherine I.
Evdokia Lopukhina
The king married for the first time at the age of seventeen. Evdokia Lopukhina is the daughter of a solicitor who served Alexei Mikhailovich. She was chosen by Natalya Kirillovna as the bride to the young tsar without his knowledge. Peter's mother liked the girl's piety and humble character. The wedding took place in February 1689. This event became a landmark - according to the laws of that time, a married man was considered an adult, which means that the Tsarevich could claim the throne (at that time there was a struggle for power between Sophia and Peter.
There were three children in this marriage: Alexei, Alexander and Pavel. The Tsar was quickly bored with his young wife. He left for Pereyaslavl, where he stayed for several months. Subsequently, Peter decided to get rid of Evdokia. But she did not commit adultery and bore him three children. Peter 1, according to the law, could send his wife to a monastery if she was sterile or was in a criminal relationship. But according to some reports, Evdokia participated in the Streletsky riot. The king was hooked on this in order to get rid of his unloved wife, imprisoning her in a monastery.
Children from Evdokia Lopukhina
In marriage, the first son of Peter the Great, Alexei Petrovich, was born. The relationship between father and son initially went wrong. Evdokia did not accept the reforms and innovations of the tsar, she organized around herself a circle of dissatisfied with the activities of Peter. After some time, the conspiracy was revealed, and Evdokia was sent to the monastery against her will. Alexei was strictly forbidden to see his mother, which made him suffer a lot. Alexey Petrovich himself never showed activity and did not participate in the affairs of his father.
Alexey Petrovich, like his mother, did not accept the innovations introduced by Peter. A few years later, Alexei was accused of an organized conspiracy against the tsar, he was convicted and thrown into the Trubetskoy bastion of the Peter and Paul Fortress, where he soon died. There is a version that he died under torture or was deliberately killed. This happened in 1718. From Alexei remained a son - Peter, who in 1727 was destined to become the head of the empire. But his reign was very short-lived, in 1730 he fell seriously ill and died of smallpox.
From the marriage of Peter to Lopukhina in 1691, another son was born - Alexander, who died in infancy.
Children from Martha Skavronskaya (Catherine I)
In 1703 Marta Skavronskaya, a Livonian peasant woman, became the new favorite of the ruler. Marta adopted the Orthodox faith and received a new name - Ekaterina Alekseevna. In March 1717, the wife of Peter 1, Catherine, was declared Empress. In 1725 she ascended the throne. But she only had a chance to rule for two years. Not much outlived her husband, Catherine 1 died in 1727.
From the union of Peter and Martha, Catherine appeared. At the time of birth, the girl was considered illegitimate. She did not live long - only a year and a half. The girl was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Another illegitimate daughter from this relationship is Anna. When the young girl was 17 years old, she was married to the Duke of Holsting. In this marriage, Peter Ulrich was born, who later became the Emperor of Russia, Peter III.
In 1709, the future Empress Elizabeth was born. When she was two years old, she was declared a princess. Elizabeth was destined to ascend the throne, rule for 20 years (from 1741 to 1761) and continue her father's reforms. Elizabeth remained unmarried and did not leave behind direct heirs.
The first legitimate child was Natalya Petrovna, who was born in 1713. The girl was named after her grandmother - the mother of Peter Natalya Kirillovna. The child lived a little over two years. Natalia's grave is in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. Subsequently, Peter will have another daughter, who will also be called Natalya. But she too will live a short time and will die at the age of five from measles.
Five more children were born between 1713 and 1719, but they all died at an early age. Of the 10 children born in this marriage, 8 died in childhood. Only Anna and Elizabeth remained.
Death of Peter I
Almost all his life he suffered from severe headaches, and in the last years of his reign, Peter the Great suffered from kidney stones. The attacks intensified even more after the emperor, together with ordinary soldiers, pulled out the grounded boat, but he tried not to pay attention to the illness.
At the end of January 1725, the ruler could no longer tolerate pain and took to his bed in his Winter Palace. After the emperor had no strength left to shout, he only groaned, and the whole environment realized that Peter the Great was dying. Peter the Great accepted death in terrible agony. The doctors named pneumonia as the official cause of his death, but later doctors had strong doubts about such a verdict. An autopsy was performed, which showed a terrible inflammation of the bladder, which had already developed into gangrene. Peter the Great was buried in the Cathedral of the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, and his wife, Empress Catherine I became the heir to the throne.
