The case of Tsarevich Alexei. Alexei Petrovich Romanov: the abdication of the throne

Tsarevich Aleksey Petrovich Romanov was born on February 18, 1690 in the Transfiguration. 23.02 was baptized. He was the heir to the Russian throne and the eldest son of Peter the Great. Mother was the first wife of the monarch Evdokia Lopukhin.

Alexei Petrovich: short biography

In the first years of life was in the care of Natalia Kirillovna - her grandmother. At 6 years old Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich Romanov began to learn from the simple and poorly educated Nikifor Vyazemsky. In 1698, Yevdokia Lopukhina was imprisoned in a monastery. From that moment, Natalia Alekseevna (aunt) took care of the son of Peter. The boy was transported to the Transfiguration Palace.

In 1699, Peter, remembering his son, decided to send him to Dresden for study together with the gene. Karlovich. However, the latter passed away. As a mentor in return to the general was invited Saxon Neugebauer from Leipzig University. However, the new teacher did not succeed in tying the Tsarevich to himself, so in 1702 he lost his post. The upbringing of the boy was taken up by Baron Huyssen. N. Vyazemsky in 1708 informed the tsar that Alexey was engaged in French and German languages, read history, wrote atlas, studied cases and declensions.

Until 1709 the boy lived away from his father in Preobrazhensky. The people who were at the palace greatly influenced the personality of Tsarevich Alexei. According to him, they taught him to travel often to blacks and priests, drink with them, "puke".

Conflicts

Peter the First and Alexei Petrovich had different views on life and the state system. The monarch demanded from the heir of the correspondence of the surname, but the latter received not that upbringing. In the course of advancing the Swedes deep into the continent, Peter instructed his son to track the preparation of recruits and the process of building fortifications in Moscow. But the result of the activities of the heir, the father was extremely unhappy. Particularly angered by the information that during the work Alexei Petrovich went to his mother in Suzdal Monastery.

In 1709, accompanied by Golovkin and Trubetskoy, the young man was sent to Dresden for language training, "political affairs" and fortification. Upon completion of the course, Alexey Petrovich was to pass the exam in the presence of his father. But the young man, frightened that the monarch would force him to make his complicated drawing, tried to shoot his hand. An angry father beat him and forbade him to show up at court. However, he subsequently lifted the ban.

Marriage

In 1707, Huyssen offers his wife prince - the princess Charlotte Wolfenbüttel. In the spring of 1710 they met. A year later, in early April, a marriage contract was signed. October 14, 1711 in Torgau was a magnificent wedding. In the marriage of a daughter, Natalia and son Peter were born. After the birth of the last, Charlotte passed away. Tsarevich Alexey Romanov chose himself a mistress of Efrosinho from the serfs Vyazemsky. Afterwards, he traveled to Europe with her.

Peter the First and Alexei Petrovich: reasons for confrontation +

In all affairs that were carried out in the state, the monarch invested his characteristic energy and scope. However, the reforming activities of Peter caused contradictory feelings among many sections of the population. Against his transformation were archers, boyars, representatives of the clergy. They were later joined by Tsarevich Alexei, the son of Peter. According Bestuzhev-Ryumin, the young man was a victim of the inability to understand the legitimacy of his father's claims and his character, to whom all incessant activity was alien. The historian believed that the sympathy that Alexey showed to the adherents of the past, was fed not only by his psychological inclination, but also cultivated and supported by his entourage. Until there was a need to resolve the issue of inheritance, it was possible to come to a compromise.

Peter was tormented by the thought that his son would destroy everything that had been created. He himself devoted his life to reforming the old way of life, the formation of a new state. In his successor, he did not see the continuer of his activities. Peter and Tsarevich Alexey had opposite goals, attitudes, aspirations, values, motives. The situation was aggravated by the division of society into opponents and supporters of reforms. Each side contributed to the development of the conflict, bringing its tragic end to a close.

Opinion of MP Pogodin

The study of the conflict between Peter and his son involved a lot of historians and researchers. One of them was Pogodin. He believed that Alexei himself was not at all sloven and untalented. In his book he wrote that the young man was very inquisitive. In the expenditure book of the Tsarevich, expenditure on foreign literature is indicated. In all the cities in which he stayed, he acquired for considerable sums of publication, the content of which was not exclusively spiritual. Among them were historical books, portraits, maps. Alexei surveyed the sights with interest. Pogodin also cites the words of Huyssen, who said that the youth possessed ambition, restrained by prudence, common sense, and also a great desire to excel and get everything that he considered necessary for the successor of a large state. Alexey had a quiet, compliant temper, showing a desire to fill with his diligence all that was lost in education.

Escape

The birth of his son and the death of his wife Alexei coincided with the appearance of the child of Peter and his wife Catherine, who was also named Peter. This event shook the position of the young man, because now he did not represent a special interest for his father, even as a forced heir. On the day of the burial of Charlotte, Peter handed a letter to Alexei. In it, he chastised the heir for his lack of inclination toward state affairs, persuaded him to reform, otherwise he would deprive him of all rights.

In 1716 Alexei went to Poland, formally to visit Peter, who was at that time in Copenhagen. However, from Gdansk he fled to Vienna. Here he is negotiating with European monarchs, among whom was the relative of the deceased wife, the Austrian Emperor Charles. Secretly, the Austrians crossed Peter's son to Naples. On the territory of the Roman Empire, he planned to wait for the death of his father, at that time heavily ill. Then, with the support of the Austrians, Alexei planned to become a Russian tsar. They, in turn, wanted to use the heir as a puppet in the intervention against the Russian Empire. However, later the Austrians abandoned their plans, considering them too dangerous.

Search

A few weeks after the flight of the heir, the Tsarevich Alexei's case was opened. The search began. Resident of Russia in Vienna Veselovsky was ordered to take measures to establish the place of residence of the fugitive. For quite a long time, the searches did not yield results. Probably, this was due, inter alia, to the fact that Veselovsky was at one with Kikin, who supported Alexei in his intentions.

As a result, Russian intelligence succeeded in tracking down the heir. On behalf of the Emperor, a request was sent for the extradition of a fugitive. In April 1717 Veselovsky gave a letter to Charles VI from Peter. In it, the emperor asked to give him a runaway heir for "paternal correction."

Return to Russia

Alexei was in despair and begged not to extradite him to Peter. Meanwhile, Tolstoy and Rumyantsev were sent for him. They promised to obtain from the king permission for a wedding with Euphrosyne and the subsequent residence in the village. Tolstoy and Rumyantsev did the impossible.

Within two months they conducted a massive operation using all possible types of pressure. In addition to meeting with the prince and promises of forgiveness from his father, they bribed everyone, up to the Viceroy of Naples, scared Alexei that he would certainly be killed if he did not return, intimidated his mistress and persuaded her to exert influence on him. Finally, they caught fear of the Austrian authorities, threatening with military invasion of troops. The Roman emperor at first refused to extradite the fugitive. However Tolstoy was given permission to visit the prince. The letter he gave to the heir from his father could not persuade him to return. Tolstoy bribes an Austrian official to tell Alexei "in secret" that the issue of his extradition has already been resolved. This convinced the heir in that it is not necessary to count on Austria's help. Then Alex turned to the Swedes. However, the response from the government about the readiness to provide him with the army was late. Before he was received, Tolstoy managed to persuade Alexei to return to his homeland. The heir surrendered.

As a result, in early October 1717 the tsarevich wrote to Peter about his readiness to return to Russia, hoping for forgiveness. At the last station in Austria, they were overtaken by Karl's envoy, to make sure finally that the decision was made by the heir voluntarily. Tolstoy was extremely displeased with this and communicated with the messenger quite coldly. Alexey, in turn, confirmed the voluntariness of intentions.

Clarifying the circumstances of the escape

On February 3, the heir of the Russian monarch signs the abdication of the throne. Together with this, he receives the forgiveness of his father on one condition. It was the duty of the fugitive to extradite his accomplices. An investigation began in the case of Tsarevich Alexei. After the abdication, provided that the former heir names the names of all those who sympathized and helped, he will be allowed to reside in his estates and lead a private life. After the conversation with his father, arrests began. In 1871, the painting "Peter 1 interrogates Tsarevich Alexei" was painted by artist Nikolai Ge. It is included in the collection of the Tretyakov Gallery. During the search, more than 130 people were arrested.

The public quite actively discussed the business of Tsarevich Alexei. The year 1718 marked the beginning of the so-called "Kikinsky search". Kikin was the main defendant. At the same time in his time he was Petr's favorite. In the years 1713-1716. He, in fact, formed a grouping around the heir of the monarch. At the same time, a search began in Moscow concerning Evdokia Lopukhina. It is generally accepted that he became part of the "Kikin events" that compiled the case of Tsarevich Alexei. Documents related to the Suzdal search, however, refute this opinion. According to sources, the meeting between Lopukhina and the heir took place only once - in 1708. This meeting caused the undisguised wrath of Peter. Lopukhina later tried to arrange correspondence with her son through her brother. However, the heir was greatly frightened of his father. In letters to Yakov Ignatiev (confessor) Alesey not only forbade all contact with his mother, but also did not allow him to visit friends and relatives in Suzdal and the surrounding area.

Sentence

The work of Tsarevich Alexei ended very tragically. At the same time, the renounced heir did not expect such an outcome. Before the sentence was pronounced, the monarch asked the opinions of the advisers. The judges themselves conducted a survey among representatives of different classes and groups.

The clergy, considering the case of Tsarevich Alexei, cited the Old Testament citations, according to which the punishment of an unruly successor was allowed. Together with this, however, they remembered Christ and spoke of forgiveness. Peter was invited to choose - punish or pardon.

With regard to civilians, they all unquestioningly unanimously declared the death penalty unanimously.

The verdict was signed by 127 people. Among them, Menshikov was first, then Apraksin, Golovkin, Yakov Dolgoruky and others. From the prominent associates to the court there was no signature only of Count Sheremetyev. The opinion about the reasons for its absence diverge. Thus, Shcherbatov argued that Sheremetiev announced that it was not in his competence to decide the trial of the heir. According to Golikov, the field-marshal was sick at that time and stayed in Moscow, so he could not sign the verdict.

Death

The case of Tsarevich Alexei was closed on June 26, 1718. According to the official version, the death of the renounced heir came after a blow. Upon learning of the verdict, Alexei fell into unconsciousness. After a while he partly came to himself, began to ask forgiveness from all. However, he could not finally return to his former state and died.

In the XIX century, papers were found, according to which, Alexey was tortured before his death. The version was advanced that it was they who caused the death. Peter, in turn, published a notice in which he indicated that the son listened to the verdict and was horrified. After a while he demanded his father and apologized to him. Alexei died in the Christian way, completely repent of his deed. There is evidence that the prisoner was killed by order of his father. However, these data are very contradictory. Some sources contain information that Peter himself allegedly participated in the torture of Alexei.

According to other evidence, Menshikov and his entrusted persons played a direct role in the death of the heir. In some records it is said that before the immediate death of Alexei they were with him. According to some reports, the young man was poisoned. There is also information that Alexei was sick with tuberculosis. Some historians believe that death occurred due to an exacerbation and because of the side effect of medications.

The Forsaken heir was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the presence of his father. Behind the coffin was the monarch himself, followed by Menshikov, senators and other notable persons.

Interesting fact

The Tsarevich's case was kept in a secret state archive. Every year, the seals were inspected. In 1812 the papers lay in a special trunk, but when Napoleon invaded it he was defeated, and the documents were scattered. Subsequently, they were again collected and described. Currently, the documents are in public access.

Opinion of historians

A rare historical event is considered to be a dynastic murder. Therefore, it always evokes a special interest of descendants, researchers. Russian history knows two such cases. The first occurred during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, the second - during the reign of Peter the Great. Different authors and researchers analyzed these events. For example, Yarosh in his book assesses the general and distinctive features of phenomena. In particular, he draws attention to the difference between the personal attitude of the fathers to the death of their sons.

According to sources, Grozny killed by accident. Subsequently, the father bitterly regretted what he had done, cried, begged the healers to bring their son back to life. Grozny himself called himself a murderer, an unworthy ruler. He said that God by forfeiting his son punished him for all his sins in the past, believed that he had to go now to the monastery and there to pray for them. In the end, he even sent several thousand rubles to Palestine.

Peter, on the other hand, fought with his son for a long time, several months judged him. Ярош considers, that, having imposed the anger on the successor during a life, he and has not forgiven it after death.

Effects

Undoubtedly, the events of those years caused a wide resonance in the society. Most researchers agree that the death of the tsarevich saved the country from returning to the pre-Petrine era. However, there were negative consequences of the events. After the death of his son, Peter in 1722 changed the order of transfer of power in the state. In fact, he destroyed the institutes created by him. According to the researchers, this was the basis for the palace coups. In the future, in most cases, the coming to power of one or another monarch went through a struggle. Klyuchevsky wrote that by the new law Peter extinguished his dynasty, and the throne was given to chance.

If we talk about the common people, then during the lifetime of the legal heir, people were sent to the jury. They should be sworn to a new ruler. However, not everywhere the procedure went smoothly. Resistance was provided, mainly, by supporters of the former order. They did not recognize the deprivation of the throne of Alexei. There is evidence that a man with paper came to the king in the church on Sunday. In it, he refused to swear to the new heir, despite the fact that he understood that would cause the monarch's wrath. Peter ordered to hang it over a slowly smoking fire upside down.

Conclusion

During the exacerbation of the conflict between Peter and Alexei, the Tsarevich wanted to go to the monastery, voluntarily laying off all obligations. However, according to sources, the father did not give consent to this. I must say that many historians agree that the root of the confrontation lay in Peter's unwillingness to engage in his son from the very beginning. He was too keen on public affairs, reforms, travel, education. For a long time the son was under the influence of opponents of the new regime.

On the one hand, some authors believe, he could become a worthy heir. After all, as records testify, he nevertheless showed obedience, aspired to receive knowledge, was inquisitive. Together with this, his established sympathies for the pre-Petrine era could indeed destroy everything that was created by the father. The monarch was very afraid of this. For him, the interests of the state were above all. He also demanded this from his entourage and children. In a way, the birth of Peter the Great's son from a second marriage saved the situation. Now the state could get a worthy heir and a successor to his cause. Along with this, a definite collapse could occur in the country, since the sons of Peter and Alexei were called alike. This question also troubled the sovereign.

The escape of Alexei was regarded by Peter as a betrayal, a conspiracy against him. That is why, after his capture, arrests and interrogations began. Alexei expected forgiveness from his father, but instead was sentenced to death. And the mistress of Efrosinya was also involved in the investigation. Subsequently, he was acquitted and not punished. Perhaps this was made possible thanks to the help that she had rendered to Tolstoy and Rumiantsev, who asked her to influence the prince.