The career of the brilliant beauty Maria Hamilton, who enjoyed the favor of the Russian emperor, ended badly - she was beheaded by order of her crowned lover. The morals of that time were unbridled - the girl "Hamiltova" killed her child as soon as he was born, stole the Empress's jewelry and intrigued, for which she paid with her head.
Biography
Maria Hamilton was a famous lady at the court of Peter I. She lived a bright and eventful life, ending with the executioner's ax. Her ancestors came to Russia from Britain. The ancestor of the future favorite of Peter the Great, Thomas Hamilton, received a good position during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. In Russia, Thomas founded a new branch of the Hamiltons. The famous Maria Danilovna Hamilton, the daughter of William Hamilton, became a descendant of this family. Maria's exact date of birth is unknown.
One of the maids of honor of Catherine the First
Maria Hamilton grew up as a beautiful girl. She had a peculiar character. The girl was a real heroine of the novels of that century, she had a daring but sensual disposition, and her mind was cunning and noticed all the details. At the age of sixteen, Maria Hamilton first appeared at the court of Peter I. The young beauty charmed the imperial couple with her appearance. Soon a fateful event followed - Mary became one of the maids of honor of Catherine I. Due to her beauty, the playful girl quickly became one of the many mistresses of Emperor Peter I. She did not even imagine that this career as the Tsar's mistress would lead her to the scaffold.
Relationship between Peter the Great and Mary
Of course, the emperor's fleeting passion could not grow into something more for Mary. For Peter, she was just another pretty young lady-in-waiting. He felt nothing more than physical attraction for her. Soon the girl began to annoy the emperor. As a result, the fleeting romance ended. Peter lost interest in Mary Hamilton and forever closed the doors of his bedroom for her.
Personal life
Maria had a strong character, and she did not want to be content with the role of a retired favorite. Her goal was not to let Peter go far from her, to be aware of everything that was happening to him. Therefore, Maria began a romantic relationship with Ivan Orlov, who served as an orderly under the Russian emperor. Ivan was a simple character, Maria could easily lure out of him all the information about Peter.
Jewelry theft
In 1617, the imperial couple with their retinue, which included Orlov and Maria, went abroad. There Ivan indulged in unbridled revelry. But Maria Hamilton even suffered beatings, because she needed Orlov in her future plans. Maria decided to bribe Ivan with money, since he was no longer attracted to her body. Then she embarked on a criminal path. Finding money for Orlov was difficult. Maria decided to steal jewelry from the Empress. She sold them, and with the proceeds she presented Ivan. But Hamilton miscalculated, the man continued to drink anyway and did not pay attention to the girl.
Exposing Maria Hamilton
Once one of the courtiers spread a rumor that Peter again began to visit Mary's bedroom. After that, the adventurer suddenly began to wear dresses that hid her belly. After returning to Russia, one unpleasant story happened in the capital. A dead baby was found in the palace. It was clear that the child had been killed at birth. An investigation was immediately launched. But this did not give results. The killer was found a little later.
Once Peter the Great lost an important paper. Thinking that it was Ivan who took her, he called the orderly to him. Orlov was terribly frightened and thought that the emperor had found out about his connection with Maria. In horror, he admitted that the child was given birth and killed by Maria Hamilton. During a search of Maria's room, the stolen jewelry of Catherine was also found. Hamilton was immediately arrested. In the casemate, she confessed to theft, as well as to the fact that she had twice aborted herself and strangled the newborn baby with her own hands. In 1719, Mary was sentenced to death.
