, Vladimir Bortko Composer Vladimir Dashkevich Editing Leda Semenova Camera Elena Ivanova Script writers Igor Afanasiev , Vladimir Bortko , Daniil Granin Art director Vladimir Svetozarov , Marina Nikolaeva , Larisa Konnikova, more

Plot

Beware, the text may contain spoilers!

The plot is about recent years life of Peter the Great. Present as historical facts and fictional stories.

Peter, tired of power and constant intrigues, accidentally meets Maria Cantemir and falls in love with her. The Moldavian princess is smart and educated, which makes her a serious opponent in the eyes of the court. Maria becomes Peter's mistress, someone believes that she herself great love emperor. Prince Romadanovsky stops Peter from trying to deprive Catherine I of the throne. Maria is pregnant, the emperor is going to make the child his heir. Catherine I conspires with doctors and the nobility, the pregnancy is interrupted by medical intervention.

Together with love passions, Peter's state activity is in full swing: strengthening the army, developing the fleet, fighting embezzlers. On one of the "working" days, the emperor takes part in the rescue of sailors drowning in cold water. Peter falls ill, doctors say that this is the emperor's last illness. No one is allowed to see the dying man, and the palace intriguers have already divided the inheritance among themselves. According to the court servants, Peter did not have time to complete the will. Only 2 words were written: “Give it all…”.

Introduction………….…….…….……..…………..…………….……….….…..…….3
1. The legacy of Peter 1 and the era palace coups. ………………...………..4
2. The policy of "Enlightened absolutism". Catherine II. ……….….……….8
3. The main goals and directions of Russia's foreign policy. Russian-Turkish wars. …….…….…….…….…….…….…….…………..……….………..………16
Conclusion. …….…….…….…………..…….…….…….…….…….…….…........19
Bibliography. …….…………………...….…….…….…….…………..……21

Introduction
The middle and second half of the 18th century went down in the history of Russia as a continuation of the "Petersburg period", as the time of our country's transformation into a great European power. The reign of Peter the Great opened new era. Russia acquired Europeanized features of the state system: administration and jurisdiction, the army and navy were reorganized in a Western way. This time was a period of great upheavals (mass unrest of peasants in the middle of the century, the Plague Riot, the Pugachev uprising), but also of serious transformations. The need to strengthen the social basis of "autocratic absolutism" forced the Russian monarchs to change the forms of cooperation with estate structures. As a result, the nobility was given estate management and guarantees of property.
The history of Russia in the second quarter and the middle of the 18th century was characterized by a sharp struggle of noble groups for power, which led to frequent changes in the reigning persons on the throne, to rearrangements in their immediate environment. With a light hand, V.O. Klyuchevsky, the term "the era of palace coups" was assigned to this period. IN. Klyuchevsky associated the onset of political instability after the death of Peter I with the "autocracy" of the latter, who, in particular, decided to break the traditional order of succession to the throne. The throne turned out to be given "to the will of chance and became his toy" - it was not the law that determined who should sit on the throne, but the guard, which at that time was the "dominant force."
The era was characterized by the transition to the path of gradual elimination of the general enslavement of the population by the state (initially this process touched the nobility); a departure from the idea of ​​the omnipotence of the king; recognition of certain rights for a person; strengthening the positions of both the local bureaucracy and the local nobility in the local administration and courts; strengthening the idea of ​​cooperation, activation of local forces. An essential place in the ideology of the Enlightenment was occupied by the concept of an "enlightened sovereign" who cares about the welfare of his subjects. In an "enlightened" state, laws established for the good of the people were to be placed at the forefront in state institutions and in politics. The ruler, recognizing unlimited and free in his powers in relation to society, had to follow the laws of his society and be guided by them.

1. The legacy of Peter 1 and the era of palace coups.
By the law of 1722, the usual order of succession to the throne, which was in force in Muscovite Rus', was abolished, and the monarch was given the right to appoint heirs. In this order, the will of the monarch was of great importance. But Peter died of an accidental cold that broke his health, shattered by labors, died only 52 years old and did not leave any will. The nobles and "gentlemen of the Senate", who gathered in the palace on the night of January 28, 1725 in view of the imminent death of Peter, learned from Makarov's office secretary that Peter had not expressed his will about the heir. I had to think about who to replace the dying emperor ..........

Conclusion
What were the main results of the 18th century for Russia?
In the 18th century, Russian autocracy was at the height of its historical development, having defended the monopoly on power in the fight against the oligarchic claims of the aristocracy and subordinating direct state control church. In the second half of the 18th century, church land ownership was virtually eliminated: its share was reduced from 12% to 2%.
A powerful economic base became one of the factors in establishing a certain independence of the autocracy from all classes. At the same time, this independence, which allowed the autocracy to maneuver between the estates, exercising, so to speak, a “above-class function”, certainly had its limits, which was clearly shown by the repeated palace coups that various factions of the nobility in St. Petersburg easily arranged between 1725 and 1801 for years.
By its feudal nature, the Russian autocracy was most obscurely associated with the nobility, on which it largely depended and in which it saw its main support. Petersburg autocrats in much more than their Moscow predecessors, cared about strengthening this social support. According to the established tradition, this was done by distributing populated lands to the nobles who distinguished themselves before the throne, as well as by deliberately expanding the nobility at the expense of distinguished military men, the most capable officials and wealthy entrepreneurs. During the 18th century from state fund more than 2.5 million peasants were sent into private ownership. Often, lands and peasants were given to the "new" nobles in addition to the noble title they received for service or other merits. By the end of the 18th century Russian nobility updated by more than 20% of people from other classes, which, of course, strengthened the social base of the autocracy.
At the same time, it was in the 18th century, or rather, at its end, that the legality of the Russian autocracy and its moral viability were first called into question. This was the inevitable logical result of the penetration into Russia of the ideology of the Enlightenment and the ideas of the French Revolution.
The 18th century was the time of the establishment of secular culture in Russia, which, however, spread only to the privileged and educated part of society. A new Russian culture is being formed, National language, there is a professional theatrical, musical and art. Russian science reached a high level of scientific knowledge at that time.
But all these innovations only to a very minimal extent affected 90% of the population of peasant Russia, who continued to live according to the customs of their ancestors. As a result of forced Europeanization, it was precisely in the 18th century that a cultural and civilizational split occurred in Russian society, which finally separated its top from the masses, defining a growing mutual misunderstanding between them for a century ahead.
One way or another, but in the 18th century, on the site of the equally original, as well as archaic Muscovite Rus', a semi-Europeanized Russian empire- an authoritarian-bureaucratic state that has established itself as a result of numerous wars as a great European power. Russia, with short breaks, fought for almost the entire duration of the 18th century. No one knows how many human and material losses she suffered in these wars. The expansionism of the Russian Empire inspired serious concern in Europe, nourishing anti-Russian sentiments there.
Regardless of the motives for the sharp intensification of Russia's external expansion since the beginning of the 18th century, generated by the need to gain access to the Baltic and Black Seas, Russian foreign policy objectively turned into a factor destabilizing the existing balance in Europe, which caused inevitable opposition to this expansion from the leading European powers. True, by the end of the 18th century, political map Europe, a new "violator" of the European balance appeared - revolutionary, and then Napoleonic France, against which all the legitimate monarchies of the Old World, including the Russian Empire, united.
The unilateral political and cultural orientation of St. Petersburg towards Western Europe throughout the 18th century was not unconditionally positive, since Russia at that time lost some of its traditional spiritual values. In this sense, the 18th century for Russia can be considered a transitional and even a turning point in its historical development.

Bibliography
1. History of political and legal doctrines. Textbook for high schools. Under the general editorship of Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences V. S. Nesesyants. M.: 1996 - 736 p.
2. History of Russia from the beginning of the XVIII to the end of the XIX century / L.V. Milov,
P.N. Zyryanov, A.N. Bokhanov, M.: OOO Publishing House AST-LTD, 1997-554s
3. Klyuchevsky V.O. Course of lectures on Russian history,
collected works, M.: 1979. (Vol. No. 3)
4. Tatishchev V.N. Russian History, M.: 1986. (Vol. No. 7)
5. Cherkasov P.P., Chernyshevsky D.V. History of Imperial Russia,
M.: Intern. relations, 1994. - 448s.
6. Yurganov A.L., Katsva L.A. History of Russia XVI-XVIII centuries: Textbook for
higher educational institutions, M.: Miros, 1994. - 424 p.
7. Kamensky A.B. Russian Empire in the 18th century: traditions and modernization. M., 1999
8. Ionov I.N. Russian civilization, IX - early XX centuries: Textbook. book. for 10-11 cells. general education institutions. M., 1995

THE HERITAGE OF PETER I AND THE "AGE OF PALACE COUPS"

History of Russia in the second quarter of the 18th century. characterized by a sharp struggle of noble groups for power. From 1725 to 1762, seven people changed on the Russian throne, and V. O. Klyuchevsky called this period "the era of palace coups." The Russian Guard began to play a special role in the political life of the country, including in the change of monarchs. It is characteristic that this role was largely predetermined by Peter I not only by the creation of guards regiments in Russia, but also by the problem of succession to the throne that arose through his fault. Tsarevich Alexei, Peter's son from his first wife, Evdokia Lopukhina, was opposed to his father's transformations. For participation in a conspiracy against the king, he was sentenced to death, but did not wait for it and died in a cell under unclear circumstances on June 26, 1718.

From his second wife, Marta Skavronskaya (b. 1684 in the family of a Lithuanian peasant), Peter had 11 children. In 1719, the son of Peter Petrovich, the minor heir, died. In total, by this time, out of 11 children, only two daughters survived - Anna (b. 1708) and Elizabeth (b. 1709).

In 1722, Peter abolished the previous order of succession (from father to eldest son) and established that the sovereign is free to appoint his own successor. But his choice was extremely narrow. Grandson - Peter Alekseevich, son of Tsarevich Alexei (b. 1715) was still small. In addition, the king was afraid that he would follow the path of his father. Peter loved his daughters Anna and Elizabeth, but did not consider them capable of governing Russia, where a firm and experienced hand was needed. In addition, Anna was declared the bride of the Duke of Holstein, and Peter wanted to marry Elizabeth to the French King Louis XV.

Therefore, Peter stopped his choice on his wife, Ekaterina Alekseevna. In May 1724 she was proclaimed empress. It is likely that Peter I would have passed the Russian throne to her. But in November, he found out that his wife was cheating on him with 28-year-old chamberlain Willim Mons, the brother of Peter's former favorite. On November 16, Monet was executed on charges of “tricking, illegal actions and bribery”.

January 28, 1725 first Russian emperor died without appointing an heir. (The tsar had a rather serious illness - uremia, kidney failure, but some historians do not exclude that his death was hastened by Catherine and Peter's favorite Alexander Menshikov.) The real contenders for the Russian throne were Catherine and Tsarevich Peter Alekseevich. Behind each of them were representatives of warring groups who sought to put their own candidate on the throne. Catherine was supported by Prince Menshikov, Count Tolstoy, Admiral General Apraksin, Archbishop Feofan Prokopovich. All of them at one time signed the death warrant for Tsarevich Alexei, and the accession to the throne of his son did not promise them bright prospects.

Supporters of the ten-year-old Peter were representatives of the old boyar families - the princes Dolgorukovs, Prince Golitsyn, Saltykovs, Field Marshal Repnin, striving for power. The outcome of the controversy over the imperial crown was decided very simply. Guards officers entered the hall where the question of a successor was being discussed. They behaved modestly and respectfully, politely promising to break the head of everyone if Catherine was not proclaimed empress. Under the windows of the palace in the ranks were both guards regiments - Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky. At the suggestion of Count Tolstoy, it was unanimously decided to consider Catherine the Empress.

Thus, the main force influencing power in Russia was the guard, which would influence the succession to the throne more than once. Catherine I was empress from 1725 to 1727. But the struggle over the throne continued. A split also arose among Catherine's supporters - A.D. Menshikov and P.A. Tolstoy. Menshikov's desire to use the benefits of his position and his influence on the empress (he wanted to become the duke of Courland and receive the rank of generalissimo) caused strong discontent among other nobles. In order to extinguish the discontent that had arisen and reach a compromise, it was decided to establish a new supreme government body - the Supreme Privy Council, to which the Senate and all collegiums were subordinate. Its members were A.D. Menshikov, P.A. Tolstoy, G.I. Golovnin, A.I. Osterman, F.M. Apraksin, D.M. Golitsyn.

At the beginning of 1727, Catherine fell ill, Menshikov tried to persuade Catherine to give her blessing for the marriage of his daughter with the young heir. At the same time, he sets the queen against his recent allies Tolstoy, Buturlin and Devier, who wanted to put Anna or Elizabeth on the throne. The main organizers of the conspiracy were sent into exile (Tolstoy - to Solovki, Devier - to Siberia, Buturlin - to the village). Menshikov felt like a winner.

But on May 6, at the age of 43, Catherine I died, and on May 7, 11-year-old Peter II became king. At first, Menshikov was the main adviser to Peter II, he eventually received the title of generalissimo and longed to become the father-in-law of Peter II, i. de facto ruler of Russia. However, his opponent, Vice-Chancellor A. I. Osterman, managed to turn the tsar against Menshikov. On September 8, 1727, Menshikov was arrested, exiled to Chaplygin, and then to Berezov, where he died on November 12, 1729.

Gradually, the clan of princes Dolgorukov, primarily Prince A.G. Dolgorukov and his son Ivan, gained influence at court. The yard moved to Moscow. Almost all the time the tsar spent either hunting (from February 1728 to November 1729 - 243 days), or on the estate of Alexei Grigoryevich Dolgorukov, who planned to marry the 14-year-old

Petra on her 17-year-old daughter Ekaterina. The wedding was scheduled for January 18, 1730, but Peter caught a cold while hunting, fell ill with smallpox and died on the day of the failed wedding. The Dolgorukovs prudently made a will, according to which Peter II appointed his bride as his successor on the throne, but they could not get the tsar's signature.

On the night of January 19, 1730, the Supreme Privy Council discussed the question of the heir to the throne. The “Verkhovniki” decided to invite Anna Ioannovna (b. 1693), the fourth daughter of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, to the Russian throne, stepbrother Peter I. In the fall of 1710, Peter I married her to Friedrich Wilhelm, the Duke of Courland, but on January 9, 1711, the duke died, and the widow lived in Mitava as a middle-class landowner. In an effort to maintain their influence and limit the imperial power, the "supreme leaders" drew up the so-called "Conditions", according to which Anna Ioannovna did not have the right to decide questions about war and peace, to appoint higher officials, manage finances, etc. without the consent of the Supreme Council.

Having ascended the throne, Anna Ioannovna soon broke the “Conditions” and formally became the sovereign queen. But in reality everyone internal affairs empire was in charge of her favorite Ernest Biron, and in foreign policy the first violin was Count Andrei Ivanovich Osterman. A significant role at the court was also played by Russian aristocrats - relatives of the tsarina - the Saltykovs and her close associates - Bestuzhev-Ryumin and Ushakov.

During this period, a completely wild form of political investigation spread in Russia, the so-called "word and deed of the sovereign." It was enough to say this phrase and point to any person to be sent to the Secret Chancellery. The investigation always began with torture.

Anna Ioannovna had no direct heirs, and she did not want to cede the throne to the descendants of Peter I. On the advice of Osterman, even in the first years of her reign, she declared one of the future children of her niece Anna Leopoldovna to be the heir. Anna Leopoldovna, daughter of Anna Ioannovna Catherine's sister, was born in 1718 in Mecklenburg. In 1722 she returned to Russia with her mother. In May 1733, she converted to Orthodoxy and received a new name (instead of Elizabeth, she became Anna Leopoldovna). Before that, in February 1733, she was engaged to Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, the nephew of the wife of the Austrian emperor. Ugly fiance Anna

Leopoldovna did not like it, and she continued to meet with her lover, the Saxon ambassador Moritz Linar.

In the summer of 1735, the tsarina whipped her niece on the cheeks, the ambassador was sent to Dresden, but the wedding with the prince took place only on July 3, 1739. fortresses.

On October 5, 1740, Anna Ioannovna declared Ivan Antonovich her heir. Biron was appointed regent. On October 6, Anna Ioannovna died. Biron was arrested 22 days later. Anna Leopoldovna was proclaimed ruler. First of all, she returned Moritz Linar to St. Petersburg. Field Marshal Munnich became the first minister in the empire.

The strengthening of the pro-German orientation of the government caused discontent in Russian society. Around the daughter of Peter Elizabeth in 1741 a circle of people arose who planned to put her on the throne. Anna Leopoldovna became aware of the conspiracy, but she hesitated to arrest Elizabeth and decided to first send guards regiments to the Swedish front. On November 24, 1741, the regiments were announced to be sent to the front. On the night of November 25, officers and soldiers of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment carried out a bloodless palace coup. On November 25, 1741, a manifesto was issued on the accession to the throne of Elizabeth Petrovna.

Elizabeth, without delaying her affairs, put an end to the dominance of the Germans at court and handed out the highest government posts to the military, on whose bayonets she ascended the throne (these were Russian nobles - the Shuvalovs, Vorontsovs, Trubetskoys and others; A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin). The morganatic spouse of Elizabeth, a Cossack from Little Russia, Alexei Razumovsky, who failed to prove himself in the state field, was elevated to the dignity of a count and made a field marshal and holder of all orders, disappointed the princess and fell into disgrace.

In the plans of Elizabeth Petrovna, it was to continue the traditions laid down by her great father for the benefit of the Russian state, and indeed, domestic and Western historians had an opinion about her reign rather favorable than critical.

At first, energetically transforming various collegiums, establishing "ministerial and generals" meetings that dealt with foreign affairs, and endowing the Senate with such broad powers (it became the highest judicial authority, appointed governors and the entire highest provincial administration, etc.) that it actually controlled all internal affairs in Russia, Elizabeth gradually withdrew from state affairs, spending all her time in amusements . The extravagance of the court drained the treasury.

In the country there was a permanent "small Civil War”: more and more impoverished peasants ran away from the landowners, formed robber groups, they were caught, returned to the landlords, but popular indignation grew and then resulted in the uprising of Emelyan Pugachev.

The twenty years of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna (from 1841 to 1861) is notable for the fact that she proclaimed the abolition of the death penalty, Moscow University (1755) and the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg (1757) were opened under her. The first curator of the university and the first president of the Academy was the philanthropist I.I. Shuvalov, who patronized M.V. Lomonosov.

In 1756, a public theater was opened in the northern capital.

Magistrates were restored in Russia, and the territory was divided into five recruiting districts, which somewhat streamlined the recruitment system for the army. The system of monopolies was also developing: on May 1, 1747, the empress issued a decree, by which significant territories of the south Western Siberia were turned into royal estates. The southern outskirts were settled, they invited not Gentiles, but Orthodox Slavs - Serbs to resettle there. The trend towards the development of the all-Russian market continued through the destruction of internal customs (the merchants deeply appreciated the reform efforts of Elizabeth, presenting her with a 56-carat diamond on a gold platter).

In the field of foreign policy, it was notable:

• 1) the end of the war with Sweden (1741-1743) with a favorable peace for Russia in the city of Abo, according to which Sweden confirmed the results Northern war and ceded part of Finland to Russia;
• 2) Russia's participation in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). Two coalitions of European powers participated in the war: Prussia, England and Portugal against France, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Saxony and Russia (since Prussia began to threaten Russia's interests in Poland and the Baltic states, in 1757 she entered the war). In the battles of the Seven Years' War, the formation of talented Russian commanders P.A. Rumyantsev and A.V. Suvorov. However, the change in the foreign policy of Russia during the time of Peter III nullified the successes of the Russian troops ( Peter III, a great admirer of Frederick II, on April 24, 1762 concluded a separate peace with Prussia and returned to her all the conquered territories).

From the first days of her reign, Elizabeth decided not to cede the crown to any of the descendants of Ivan V. On November 15, 1742, she announced her nephew, son, as the successor older sister Anna - Karl Peter Ulrich (Peter III), who was born in 1728. In 1742 he arrived in Russia. In 1744, the 15-year-old Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst (Ekaterina Alekseevna in Orthodoxy) was invited to Russia as his bride. The wedding took place on August 21, 1745.

After the death of Elizabeth on December 25, 1761, Peter III was proclaimed emperor. On June 30, 1762, as a result of a coup d'état, Catherine I became empress.

The “age of Catherine” was called “brilliant” and “golden”, in these epithets not only an echo of the unprecedented luxury that the imperial court and nobles lived, but also recognition of those achievements of Russia that took place over more than 30 years of the reign of Catherine II (1729-1796 ).

Russia achieved victories on land and at sea in the wars with Turkey (1768-1774 and 1867-1791), where P.A. Rumyantsev, A.V. Suvorov, F.F. Ushakov and Ekaterina's favorite G. A. Potemkin. As a result, Russia annexed the territories of the northern Black Sea region, cracked down on the Crimean Khanate and founded the cities of Kherson, Odessa, Sevastopol, Novorossiysk and others near the Black Sea.

During the reign of Catherine, three partitions of Poland were carried out - together with Austria and Prussia, Russia completely crushed this once sovereign state, Georgia was taken under the protection of Russia (Georgievsky Treaty of 1873)

Church lands were cut by the sovereign's power, more than 100 thousand serfs were distributed to the courtiers as a token of gratitude for their faithful service. No concessions were made to the peasants. The uprising of Emelyan Pugachev (1773-1776) was brutally suppressed, the first Russian democrats A.N. Radishchev, N.I. Novikov, F.N. Krechetov. (More on the "enlightened absolutism" of the time of Catherine II will be discussed below.)

At the end of Catherine's reign, as A.N. Herzen, a "heavy, old woman's, suffocating atmosphere" was created, which "Pavel cleared".

After the death of Catherine on November 6, 1796, Paul I ended up on the throne. In March 1801, he was strangled by conspirators, and his eldest son Alexander I became emperor.

• The further fate of Biron is remarkable: he spent 22 years in exile in Yaroslavl, in 1762 Peter III returned him from exile, then Catherine II gave him actual power in Courland. Biron died in 1772 at the age of 82.
• Anna was married to Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, son of Charles XII's sister. Thus, Karl Peter Ulrich could formally claim both the Russian and Swedish thrones.

P ridecorate own history, covering up the ugly truth, keep silent about the true motives and facts, which, it would seem, are accompanied by irrefutable evidence, put what is happening in the right light ... This is perhaps the main rule when writing history textbooks. Academic science has long ceased to be irrefutable for people who are accustomed to think independently, analyze facts and seek the truth in their own, albeit not always easy, way. There are many controversial points in history in which the lines of textbooks diverge from actual events, but perhaps one of the most discussed is the substitution of Peter I, the last tsar and first emperor of Rus'.

Legacy of Peter the Great

The trace left by Peter the Great is truly striking in its scale: few of the rulers were able to change the course of events so much, turning the usual way of Russians, completely changing all the foundations, habits and even the mentality of the people. Scientific, cultural and social achievements are attributed to him, and the progress achieved by society at that time seems indisputable ... But all this is only on the papers of academic textbooks, which, as you know, prefer to present everything in a rosy light, believing in the disinterest and lack of enlightenment of people . At the same time, the methods of Peter I, as well as the motives that he pursued, are far from being as rosy as historians imagine: for whom did he “cut a window to Europe”, what goals did he seek to achieve by imposing exorbitant taxes and planting a culture alien to the Russian soul ? The question is moot.

The only reasonable and logical response to such a change in behavior can be the substitution of Peter the Great. This opinion not only explains all his reforms and atypical behavior, but also finds a response in the traces that the tsar left behind: numerous portraits that are strikingly different before and after the trip, hints at a completely different origin of the false Peter and the conscious alienation of relatives.

Healthy doubts about the authenticity of Peter I, supported by facts, appeared among the people during the reign of the tsar. For such speeches at that time it was possible to earn big troubles, starting with public flogging and ending with a reference to hard labor and even execution. Nevertheless, such rumors could not be eradicated: people whispered, coming up with new and new versions. Some believed that the newborn prince was replaced German ambassadors right in the cradle, others believed that Tsarina Natalya herself gave the born baby girl to be raised, replacing her with an heir of German origin, allegedly fearing Alexei's dissatisfaction with her daughter. However, the most logical, consistent and justified version is still the substitution of the king during his trip to Western Europe, which ended in a completely different way than Peter I assumed when setting off.

Peter the Great before his trip to Europe

What was Peter I like before that ill-fated journey, and for what purpose did he go to Western Europe at all? Gathering the truth bit by bit, the easiest way is to turn to portrait painters, whose work at that time was akin to today's photography: to distort something for them was a manifestation of unprofessionalism and bad form. Looking at the early images of Peter, we can conclude that he was a rather stocky man of medium height who honored Russian life and culture. In most of the paintings, the king is depicted in national costumes, traditional caftans, and on occasion he wore solemn royal vestments. The same was with his speech: according to the annals, he was fluent in Russian, which is not surprising for representatives of his family. In addition, the tsar visited the library of Ivan the Terrible, improving his knowledge in the fields of science and art.

With his legal wife Evdokia Lopukhina, Peter the Great lived soul to soul for about 8 years. Being married, as well as before him, the king adhered to strict canons, was always restrained and was never seen in debauchery: at that time this was unacceptable for representatives of the royal family. They had two sons - Alex and Alexander. Alexander died in infancy, and Alexei was to become the official heir to the throne. Perhaps everything would have turned out exactly like that, if not for that ill-fated trip that turned the way not only royal family but all of Russia...

Being in great relationship with the German Lefort, Peter I often heard his stories about Western Europe. Curiosity drove the king to look at the distant lands, about which his friend spoke with such inspiration, if not for one “but”: the king was terribly afraid of sea travel. The fact is that earlier he had already survived a shipwreck, almost saying goodbye to his life. This incident left an imprint on his behavior, so Peter tried his best to avoid water. Nevertheless, curiosity overpowered, and the king decided on a two-week visit to Western Europe.

Going on a trip, Peter the Great equipped with him a large retinue of 200 families (about 450-500 people). At the same time, the tsar called himself Peter Alekseev Mikhailov: in Europe at that time there was no concept of patronymics, so “Alekseevich” became the second surname. But the autocrat failed to return either after the planned two weeks, or even a year later: Peter reappeared in St. Petersburg only after a little less than two years. And did you return?

New Peter

The man who returned from Europe bore little resemblance to the former Peter the Great. And if small changes in behavior could be attributed to new habits and more “progressive” views that the Tsar adopted in the West, then what about appearance and blatant personality changes? The portrait of the tsar, painted in Holland at the very beginning of his visit, strikingly resembles the facial features of his son Alexei. And this is not surprising: the similarity of such close relatives is easily explained by genetics. Here are just the subsequent portraits of the autocrat, which we are used to seeing in textbooks and other historical literature, have nothing to do with the original picture. Of course, the changes could be attributed to age, however, even after 50 years, moles and the very structure of the face cannot be corrected. Yes, and the complexion of the king changed: after his arrival, he became thinner and stretched out by 15 cm, but the size of his legs became surprisingly miniature (about the modern size 37). And if weight loss could be explained by a new diet, then such an increase in growth and a change in the shape of the foot is simply impossible in adulthood.

In addition, portrait painters used to leave signatures depicted on the canvas. So, on one of the later paintings of Peter I, the inscription is clearly visible: "Anatoly from Ankara." So Peter or is it Anatoly? Digging deeper and evaluating the manners of the newly-born tsar, one can put forward an assumption about the Dutch origin of the above-named Anatoly, who later became the false Peter the Great. However, there are many versions as to who took the throne, however, the arguments of Professor Chudinov look the most convincing: it was the monk who came from Ankara.

The impostor king returned, accompanied by only one person. Where the rest of the retinue went is a mystery. This is not surprising: it is much easier to convince one person of the correctness of the substitution than five hundred. The newly-appeared Peter broke off communication with relatives and relatives who could suspect a substitution, and exiled his wife to a monastery, having never seen her after long separation. Moreover, the pure Russian speech of the ruler was replaced by an indistinct dialect with a pronounced European accent: it was clear that complex verbal constructions were difficult for him. And the tsar stopped visiting the famous library of Ivan the Terrible: apparently, its location was simply unknown to the impostor, because this secret was transmitted only to crowned persons. There is an assumption that the false Peter subsequently engaged in excavations in order to discover the repository of Russian literature, however, apparently, he did not succeed.

Having exiled his wife to a monastery, Peter-Anatoly found himself a new companion who did not belong to a princely, noble, or even count family. In fact, he took her away from his subordinate - Menshikov, who, in turn, recaptured the woman from a representative of the lower ranks in the same way. Such behavior was not typical for the king, moreover, it ran counter to the notions of honor and dignity of the royal family, but did this mean anything to a European monk? As a result of his actions, not the most decent Baltic lady became Empress Catherine I, which is insulting in itself for the royal family.

However, after the arrival of the false Peter, the views of not only family values but also for military craft. If earlier the tsar avoided the fleet in every possible way, now he has become a true professional in boarding combat. Of course, it can be assumed that in two years he learned to conduct battles on the water, but where did his hydrophobia go? And why should the king do this, even if the officers abhorred boarding battles - this was an occupation for the lower ranks. But Anatoly, apparently, was well acquainted with this technique and did not fail to use his own experience and knowledge.

Where is the real king

The fate of the real Peter the Great, apparently, was disappointing. Comparing the chronology historical events in Russia and in the West, you can see that during the disappearance of the king in the Bastille, a legendary prisoner appeared, the "Iron Mask", whose face no one had ever seen. Cartoonists replacing photographers in the modern press depicted him in a leather mask that completely hid all facial features, however, “Peter Alekseev Mikhailov” was carved on the camera - the name under which the autocrat went on a trip. The prisoner was kept in decent conditions, however, in 1703 he was nevertheless executed.

Imposter activity

What trace did the false Peter the Great leave behind? It is believed that it was he who contributed to the progress in Rus' and "cut a window to Europe", however, in reality everything looked a little different. In his new activity there is a lot of evidence that the interests of the Russian people have become secondary for the tsar, since the Western trend has come to the fore. However, this is not surprising for an impostor. What did the false autocrat remember?

1. The culture of Russia has become more and more like Western. Modesty as the greatest feminine virtue was replaced by vulgarity and cheeky behavior. Instead of classical dresses, the king ordered to wear low-cut ball gowns that attract the attention of the opposite sex. Such defiant outfits were offensive to women and their families, however, no one dared to argue with the decision of the false Peter.
2. The appearance of men was not left without attention. Now the primordially Russian beards with a “shovel” became objectionable: they had to be shaved off. Those who refused had to pay an exorbitantly high tax to the treasury.
3. Severity and restraint in entertainment gave way to frequent mass balls, the promotion of alcohol, coffee and tobacco. In fact, the promiscuity that came from the West began to flourish precisely during the reign of the newly-minted Peter I.
4. The reforms also affected the army. So, the archers closest to the king, who always followed the real Peter the Great and his sister Sophia, were mostly executed. This event, remembered in history as the “suppression of the Streltsy rebellion”, marked another oddity: a coin issued that year contained an image of a typical western knight and Latin inscription.
5. Taking Europe as a model, the tsar founded in Rus' the Academy of Sciences, characteristic of the West. The Russian people used to live with science, which was closely intertwined with Vedic knowledge, however, this form was abolished. This was done not at all in order to promote knowledge to the masses: in this case, Russian scientists would become representatives of the scientific community. However, there were much more Western scientists in the Academy of Sciences - about a hundred people against three domestic representatives, among whom was Lomonosov. That is why all meetings were held on German: most of the representatives of the Russian Academy of Sciences did not even know the Russian language!

To list the “achievements” of the false Peter I, which more resembled the destruction of the state, even a three-volume book would not be enough: he changed the alphabet, numbers, chronology ... After his reign, Russia could no longer become the same: the reforms completely destroyed the habitual way of people, changed their mentality and worldview. At the cost of tens of thousands of lives, the tsar forcibly implanted European culture, instead of going his own way. Is this not the main evidence that the true representative of the Romanov family was brazenly substituted. The answer to this question is not to be found in academic textbooks.

The material is based on numerous videos on this topic.

The legacy of Peter I and the era of palace coups (1725-1762)

The era of palace coups is a time period in the political life of Russia in the 18th century, when the transfer of supreme state power took place through the commission of palace coups by guardsmen or courtiers. There are no clear time limits for this phenomenon. Usually, the era of palace coups is dated from the death of Peter I in 1725 to the accession to the throne of Catherine II in 1762. Responsible for the instability of the supreme power in Russia in the 18th century turned out to be Peter I, who in 1722 issued the "Decree on Succession to the Throne", which greatly expanded the circle of possible contenders for the throne. In fact, the monarch could appoint anyone as his heir. If for some reason he did not have time to do this, the question of the legitimate heir turned out to be open. Already on the eve of the death of Peter I, on January 25-26, 1725, a split arose among the highest ranks of the empire. One group (Apraksin, Golitsyn, Repnin, Dolgoruky) advocated the enthronement of the grandson of Peter I - Tsarevich Peter Alekseevich and the establishment of a regency system - the reign of Peter I's wife Ekaterina Alekseevna together with the Senate. Another group (Menshikov, Yaguzhinsky) defended the candidacy of Catherine as an autocratic empress. The dispute went far, but assertiveness, skillful maneuvering and, most importantly, reliance on the Guards (Preobrazhensky and Semyonovsky) regiments at a critical moment ensured the enthronement of Ekaterina Alekseevna after the death of Peter the Great on January 28, 1725. After her, women were at the head of the state in the course of the 18th century four more times. Women's rule in Russia came to an end only in 1796. List of palace coups in the Russian Empire

1725 - the elevation of the Menshikov party to the throne of Catherine I

May 1727 - The Supreme Privy Council transfers the throne to Peter II, bypassing other applicants

September 1727 - overthrow of Menshikov

• 1730 - the throne was transferred to Anna Ioannovna, subject to the signing of conditions limiting her autocracy
• 1740 - overthrow of Biron by the Munnich group
• 1741 - enthronement of Elizabeth Petrovna
• 1762 - enthronement of Catherine II and assassination of Peter III
• 1801 - the assassination of Paul I
• 1825 - succession crisis and Decembrist uprising