Pierre III of Russia

Pierre III Fiodorovitch was born the February 21st 1728 with Kiel. He is the son of Charles-Frederic, duke of Holstein-Gottorp (of the Maison of Oldenbourg) and of his wife the large-duchess Anna Petrovna Romanov has, girl of Pierre I {{er}} the Large one.

He thus became the first Russian sovereign of the branch of Holstein-Gottorp, connects which took again the name of Romanov and which reigned on the Russia until in 1917.

Youth

The mother of Pierre dies of tuberculosis whereas it has hardly two months. His/her father imposes to him as of the seven years age a strictly military education.

To died of Charles-Frederic, in 1739, it is entrusted to the guard of his/her uncle Adolphe-Frederic de Holstein, who gives up his education with Brummer, marshal of the Court. This one the pupil with hard, in a cruel way. In order to encourage it to study, it deprives it of the whole days of food and obliges it to look at its servants taking their meal in front of him.

Pierre and Catherine

In 1742, Elisabeth I {{Re}}, sister of its mother and new tsarina, the fact mander with Saint-Pétersbourg because it wants to make its heir to it. Pierre is bored quickly of Kiel and hates his new fatherland. Its too hard childhood made of him an unstable character. It became violent, cruel, loose. One of its leisures is to torture dogs and cats and to have fun reactions horrified at his wife and her courtiers. The variola which it catches in 1744 does not improve the things.

The August 21st 1745, Elisabeth the Marie with her cousin Sophie d' Anhalt-Zerbst, who took the name of Catherine by converting with the orthodoxe faith. The princess accepts the marriage in spite of her loathing for her husband, because it is ambitious and hopes to become one empress day of Russia. The impotence of Pierre makes however that the marriage is not consumed before several years.

In 1752, Catherine becomes amante of Serge Saltykov, noble of court. As Pierre seems sterile, Elisabeth encourages the lovers in their control. Catherine falls pregnant and is confined of the future Paul Ier on October 1st 1754. Pierre is not easily deceived and comes from there to hate its wife.

In 1756, Russia declares the war with the Prussia. It is the Guerre Seven Year old. Pierre, whose idol is Frederic II and who wishes at all costs to see it victorious, benefits from his presence to the council of war to communicate to him in secrecy the plans of war of the army tsarist. The Russian generals and soldiers suspect its schemes and start to take it in influenza. Some call it even the German .

At the same time, Pierre becomes the lover of Elisabeth Vorontsov whose family would like to see it well replacing Catherine like marries future tsar. On her side, Catherine is made also allies, among which the minister Nikita Panine and the Orlov brothers by which the junior, Grigori, are his lover.

The reign

Elisabeth dies the January 5th 1762. Pierre III, become tsar, stops the war at the time at once when Frederic II, completely overcome, thought of the suicide. All the conquered territories are evacuated and returned to king de Prusse, to the great displeasure of the Russian army. The May 5th, a peace treaty is signed. Pierre then promises to join Frederic in his war against Austria.

In a few months, Pierre succeeds in being made hate of all those which could be to him favorable to the court of Russia. A first ukase obliges the army to be dressed in Prussian uniforms. A second obliges the popes to cut out the beard and to get dressed like Protestant pastors. The icons are removed churches, and the goods of the orthodoxe clergy are confiscated.

A last ukase satisfies part of the nobility because it puts an end to the perpetual military service of this class in force since Pierre Large the. From now on, the noble ones are not obliged any more to serve the State, except in time of war. The following tsars will not dare to repeal this last ukase.

The coup d'etat

In spring 1762, Pierre III is on the point of stating the war in Denmark in order to seize the Schleswig and to attach to it his duchy of the Holstein. He assigns Catherine with Peterhof and leaves to join his troops with Cronstadt.

The tsarina, who is afraid for her life, decides to seize the power by the force and to reverse her husband, with the assistance of Nikita Panine and of the Orlov brothers. Those bribe a hundred soldiers of the regiments Préobrajenski and Ismaïlovski, which is used as escort in Catherine in her walk on Saint-Pétersbourg. After some hesitations, the other regiments unite with them. On her arrival in the capital, Catherine is accommodated triumphantly and recognized by the clergy and the senate.

When he learns the coup d'etat, Pierre III crumbles. Released by the army and the fleet of Cronstadt, it is stopped and assigned with residence with Ropcha where one obliges it to sign his act of abdication. The July 17th 1762, it is assassinated under turbid circumstances by Alexeï Orlov and its guards.

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