Books have been written and films made about the life of Alexander Menshikov, although some scholars believe that most of the materials from the biography of the famous Russian figure are still subject to study.
Origin
Alexander was born in 1763 in Moscow. Its origin is not known for certain, but there is an opinion that he comes from the family of a groom or a baker, therefore he could not receive any education. An interesting version was put forward by Pushkin when he was working on The History of Peter. He argued that Menshikov came from the Belarusian nobility.
Not a single document written by Menshikov has survived, so perhaps he did not even know literacy, but this was compensated by natural ingenuity and intelligence. In early childhood, he sold pies from a stall, where Count Franz Lefort noticed the smart boy and took him into the service.
Meeting with Peter I
Thirteen-year-old "Aleksashka" got to the tsar as a batman and helped Pyotr Alekseevich to create "amusing regiments" in Preobrazhenskoye. The king invariably took the young man on all trips, he liked his intelligence, observation and diligence. Ill-wishers from the tsar's entourage hoped that Menshikov would limit himself to the role of the court jester, and he won the favor of Peter and became a favorite. Alexander, following Western fashion, was the first of the nobles to order a wig. He mastered many crafts and began to study European languages.
During the Azov campaign in 1695, the valet's first baptism of fire took place, then he participated in the investigation of the uprising of the archers. Alexander boasted that he had executed two dozen rebels with his own hand. For a long time Menshikov carried out important state orders, but did not officially hold any post.
Military merit
Especially Menshikov showed himself during the Northern War. He was always on the front line, commanded infantry and cavalry equally well, and took fortresses. Soon, the successful commander was awarded the rank of major general. Alexander especially distinguished himself in the battle with the Swedes in Lithuania, in the battles of Kalisz and Lesnaya. In 1706, he led a 15,000-strong army provided by Peter to help the Polish king Augustus to fight the Swedes. He successfully coped with the task and received the title of the Most Serene Russian Prince.
The military leader also distinguished himself in the Battle of Poltava, where he commanded the vanguard and the left flank. The Russian army caught up with the fleeing Charles XII and forced him to surrender. The prince, who was in the center of the battles, lost three horses, but earned the title of field marshal and received several cities and tens of thousands of serfs in his own possession.
After that, he consolidated his success in his military career with victories in Poland, Courland, Holstein and Pomerania, for which he was awarded several foreign orders.
Administrative career
But Menshikov became famous not only for military victories, his contribution to state affairs was significant. In 1702, Alexander was appointed commandant of Noteburg, and a year later, when Petersburg was founded, he supervised the construction of shipyards and the construction of city buildings. The result of his work was the country residence Oranienbaum, built not far from the capital, and in the city itself he erected his own luxurious mansion.
By 1714 Menshikov was in charge of most of the issues of internal and external affairs of the state. In the absence of Peter, he headed the administration of the country and became president of the Military Collegium. As the governor-general of St. Petersburg, he developed the city in every possible way and soon the entire royal court and the Senate moved there. In the next few years, he happened to command the squadron of Kronstadt and conduct the affairs of the Admiralty. After several sea voyages, Peter's associate was awarded the rank of vice admiral.
Intrigues and scandals
Managing state affairs and collecting taxes, Menshikov repeatedly used the opportunity to get his hands on the amount from the Russian treasury. Beginning in 1714, he was followed by a train of embezzlement and abuse, and he was constantly under investigation. Even with evidence, he avoided execution or hard labor every time. The reason for this was the special tsarist favor to Alexander, given his previous merits, he "needed him in the future." So, for example, Menshikov put his signature on the death sentence of the tsar's son Alexei, and continued to carry out the most delicate imperial orders. And the amount missing from the treasury was deducted each time from the state of the Most Serene One, and he, no less, was the second landowner in Russia.
In 1724, relations between Alexander and Peter I began to deteriorate, the reason was Menshikov's desire to have even more power. After the death of the tsar, there was no will left, and Menshikov organized a real palace coup. He made every effort to elevate Catherine I to the throne, while he himself remained at the court as a gray cardinal. His Serene Highness received unlimited power after the organization of the Supreme Privy Council, which he headed. To make important state decisions, he did not need the consent of the empress.
Exile
There was one marriage in Menshikov's personal life, he got married in 1700. His chosen one Daria Arsenyeva gave birth to seven children to her husband.
In order to strengthen his own position and not part with power, Menshikov decided to unite by marriage his eldest daughter Maria and the future heir to the throne, Peter II. He managed to get the royal consent to this union, but soon the empress died, and the son of the emperor at that time was barely 11 years old. The boy took an oath not to take revenge on those who signed the sentence to his father, and Menshikov was even awarded the rank of field marshal. After the betrothal of his daughter and the heir to the throne, the Serene One made a mistake for the first time, which cost him in the future the loss of power and freedom. He entrusted the upbringing of a minor prince to Count Osterman, who managed to set the young emperor against the actual leader of the country. After a serious illness Menshikov finally dropped out of the life of the court, then he was arrested and sent into exile not far from Tobolsk. Having lost all his property, in the small town of Berezov, he built a house, a temple and spent the rest of his life there. Alexander's wife died on the way to Siberia, daughter Maria died in Berezovo. The younger children, years later, under the new empress, returned to St. Petersburg. Menshikov himself died of smallpox at the age of 56 and was buried near the church he had erected.
This is how the life of Alexander Menshikov, an associate of Peter, a master of intrigue and a notorious embezzler of the state, ended.
