Catherine's patronymic 1. Catherine I: how Marta Skavronskaya became the Russian Empress

There are some dark spots in the biography of Catherine I; information about some periods of her life is very scarce. It is known that before the adoption of Orthodoxy, Ekaterina Alekseevna’s name was Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya.

She was born in April 1684. Marta was of Baltic origin, lost her parents early, and was raised in the family of a Protestant pastor.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Russia participated in the Northern War. Sweden was the enemy of the Russian state. In 1702, the army occupied the Marienburg fortress, which is located on the territory of modern Latvia.

During military operation About four hundred inhabitants of the fortress were captured. Martha was among the prisoners. There are two versions of how Martha fell into the entourage of Peter I.

The first says that Marta became the mistress of the commander of the Russian army, Sheremetyev. Later, Menshikov, who had more influence than the field marshal, took Marta for himself.

The second version looks like this. Martha was assigned to manage the servants in Colonel Baur's house. Baur could not get enough of his manager, but Menshikov drew attention to her, and until the last decade of 1703 she worked in the house of His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Danilovich.

In Menshikov’s house, Peter I drew attention to Martha. The relationship between Peter I and Martha developed rapidly. In 1704, the couple had a child - a boy named Peter, who soon died.

The same fate befell the second boy, Pavel. In 1705, Marta lives in the village of Preobrazhenskoye, where she is taught to read and write. In Preobrazhenskoye she struck up friendly relations with the Menshikov couple.

Martha converted to Orthodoxy either in 1708 or a year later. Different historical sources indicate different dates on this matter. At baptism she took the name Ekaterina Alekseevna. She received this middle name because her godfather was Peter’s son from his first marriage, Tsarevich Alexei.

In 1708 and 1709, Ekaterina Alekseevna made Peter I happy with two daughters, Anna and Elizabeth. The second will eventually become the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. It is worth noting that the children were considered illegitimate, because their parents were not married in church.

In 1711, Peter I took Ekaterina Alekseevna with him on the Prut campaign. During the campaign, Catherine showed herself well, tying Peter to her even more. After returning from Prut campaign, the couple decided to get married. The wedding took place on February 19, 1712. The couple had 11 children, but all of them, except Elizabeth and Anna, died in childhood.

After the death of Peter I, the question arose about who would rule the Russian Empire. The first Russian Emperor did not leave a will. The confrontation between various political forces was decided by the Guards mutiny. The guards placed Ekaterina Alekseevna on the throne, who went down in history as the first Russian empress.

Catherine I died on May 6th (17th), 1727.

She reigned from January 28, 1725 until May 1727. Her reign did not bring any significant changes to the life of Russian society. Under Catherine I, the Bering expedition was organized, and the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky was established. That's it, we can say, that's all important events during the reign of Catherine I.

The first changes occurred already during the short reign of Peter 1’s wife, Empress Catherine 1. On the advice of influential state dignitaries (A.D. Menshikov, P.A. Tolstoy, F.M. Apraksin), she established a special body that was supposed to rise above all government agencies of the empire. He became Supreme privy council, received the status of the main government body under the Empress. It was presided over by the empress, its composition was determined by her and consisted of seven people: D.A. Menshikov, P.A. Tolstoy, F.M. Apraksin, G.I. Golovkin, A.I. Osterman, D.M. Golitsyn and son-in-law of Peter I - Karl Holstein.

All the most important issues of domestic and foreign policy were within the competence of the Supreme Privy Council. He was in charge of the appointment of senior officials, financial issues of the state, and the audit board reported to him. In addition, three most important boards were subordinate to the Council: Military, Admiralty and Foreign. Control, investigative and supervisory functions were also transferred to him. For this purpose, the Main Police Chief Office and the Preobrazhensky Prikaz were reassigned to him.

The emergence of a new supreme body of government could not but affect the status higher authorities public administration established in the Petrine era. Thus, by decision of the Empress, the Senate lost the title of Governing and was subordinated to the same Supreme Privy Council. All matters of interest to the “supreme leaders” were removed from the jurisdiction of the Senate. From now on, the Supreme Privy Council sent decrees to the Senate and demanded reports (reports) from it. Complaints against the Senate and collegiums could be submitted to the Privy Council. Senators were appointed from candidates recommended by the Council.

Catherine I herself did not have much inclination for state affairs. The Supreme Privy Council, the de facto head of which was His Serene Highness Prince Menshikov, in fact replaced the Empress. Proof of this was the decree of August 4, 1726, according to which all laws were signed either by the empress or by the Supreme Privy Council.

Reign of Peter II

Catherine I's successor, Peter II (son of Tsarevich Alexei, grandson of Peter I), due to his young age (he was barely 12 years old when he ascended the throne), was not involved in government affairs. Under him, the Supreme Privy Council, which included representatives of the group that opposed Menshikov - the Dolgoruky princes, actually concentrated all supreme power in its hands. During this period, the struggle among the “higher-ups” for influence on the young ruler intensified. The Dolgoruky group gained the upper hand. Menshikov's influence was reduced to zero; by decision of the Supreme Privy Council in 1727, he himself was exiled to Siberia, and his property was confiscated.

Reign of Anna Ioanovna

With the death of fifteen-year-old Peter II, the direct inheritance of the throne by the Romanov dynasty through the male line was interrupted. The struggle for power intensified. The fate of the throne was decided by the “sovereigns.” The law on succession to the throne, issued by Peter I, allowed any member of the Romanov family to be invited to the throne at the discretion of the tsar. While the king was away, his functions were performed by the Supreme Privy Council. He rejected the candidacy of Peter I’s daughter Elizabeth as “illegitimate” and opted for the niece of Peter the Great, the widowed Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna.

The Duchess of Courland could occupy the Russian throne only by signing the “conditions” (conditions), the authors of which were V.L. Dolgoruky and D.M. Golitsyn. The “conditions” significantly limited imperial power in favor of the “sovereigns.” Without their consent, the queen could not enter into war and make peace, grant noble ranks above the rank of colonel, take away and grant estates and estates, or independently promote anyone to the court. In accordance with the “conditions,” the guard was subordinate to the Council, and the Empress assumed the obligation “...If I do not fulfill this promise, I will be deprived of the Russian crown.” Anna, who was in extremely tight financial conditions, easily signed all this. However, seeing that the nobility did not support the “supreme leaders” in their desire to strengthen their positions by limiting the power of the autocrat, she tore the “conditions” in half, thereby depriving them of legal force. Thus, Anna Ioanovna ascended the throne as an autocratic empress.

The period of Anna Ioanovna's reign was called "Bironovism"- named after the all-powerful favorite Ernst Johann Biron. Without holding any official positions, Biron actually managed all state affairs: he appointed and dismissed senior officials, was in charge of the expenditure of public funds, and the issuance of all kinds of awards and privileges. He looked down on the Russian nobles, whose role in the system of government had sharply declined. He owns the ironic and condescending address: “You Russians.” It is not surprising that many lucrative positions in the state apparatus were taken by foreigners. The army was headed by Field Marshal Minich, the foreign department by Osterman, the Ural factories by Shemberg, the courtyard and guard by the Levenwolde brothers.

The empress herself did not overburden herself with state affairs. Instead of the abolished Supreme Privy Council, “for the better and more decent administration of all state affairs”, it was established Cabinet of Ministers of three persons: A.I. Osterman, Count G.I. Golovkin and Prince A.M. Cherkassky. Initially, the Cabinet had narrower competence than the Supreme Privy Council. Since November 1735, he received broad powers and legislative rights. The signature of three members of the Cabinet was now equal to the signature of the Empress.

The Senate under Anna Ioanovna continued to function, but its rights were not fully restored. The Cabinet of Ministers, like the Supreme Privy Council, constrained the activities of the Senate. He sent decrees to colleges and local institutions, and they, bypassing the Senate, sent reports and reports to the Cabinet.

Jean-Marc Nattier Portrait of Catherine I. 1717

When Peter I went to Moscow, he instructed one guards captain to take Marta there in the most secret way. Catherine, having arrived in the capital, lived there very modestly, if not secluded, with a poor woman. Having settled Catherine in this house, the tsar pursued a single goal: to keep his romance in deep secrecy. However, he was probably “embarrassed” that his mistress was a “servant,” since Peter was nominally already single; his wife Evdokia Lopukhina had already lived in a monastery near Suzdal for several years. At first, the king saw Martha only furtively, although he did not let a single day or, more precisely, night pass without seeing her. He chose nighttime for his secret visits and acted with caution, taking with him only one grenadier, who carried him on a sleigh. When Peter left on business, he wrote to his “traveling wife,” calling her in letters (perhaps for conspiracy) Katerina Vasilevskaya, after her aunt’s last name. Although the story with the aunt (based on the principle - was there an aunt?) historians have not studied in detail.

As an unofficial wife

In 1705, Peter sent Martha to the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow, to the house of his sister, Princess Natalya Alekseevna, where “Katerina Vasilevskaya” learned Russian literacy. In 1707 (or 1708) Martha was baptized into Orthodoxy and changed her name to Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova, since her godfather was Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, and the surname Mikhailov was used by Peter I himself if he wanted to remain incognito.
On February 7, 1708, Catherine gave birth to the Tsar’s daughter Anna, and on December 29, 1709, Elizabeth. The first went down in history as the Duchess of Holstein-Gottorp and the mother of Emperor Peter III, husband of Catherine the Great, the second herself was the Empress of All Russia (1741-1762). There is information that Peter's first children from Catherine were sons Peter (1704-1707) and Paul (1705-1707), who died in infancy, but historians claim that this is a legend. But then the question may arise - why didn’t Catherine become pregnant for five long years and didn’t give the Tsar children before 1708? The only answer can be the fact that Peter was constantly on the move - he fought, built, studied.
Concluding the topic, I note that Catherine gave Peter the Great seven children. In addition to Anna and Elizabeth, these were Natalya (03/03/1713-05/27/1715), Margarita (09/03/1714-07/27/1715), Peter (10/29/1715-04/25/1719), Pavel (01/02/1717-01/03/1717) and Natalya (08/31/1718-03/15/1725). As you can see, almost all of them died in infancy. However, Pyotr Petrovich (1715-1719) was considered the official heir to the crown from 1718 until his death.

Unknown artist Catherine I Alekseevna, Russian Empress. Based on a painting from 1717

I will continue, quoting Villebois (he writes very well!): “Feeling the power that she had over the mind and heart of her master, Catherine decided to become his wife. To fulfill her intention, she managed to take advantage of the discord that existed in the royal family. Under the guise of a person who seeks to extinguish the fire of contradictions between husband and wife, between father and son, she contributed significantly to fanning this fire. Everyone knew the tsar’s unworthy treatment of his first wife Evdokia, whom he divorced and forced her to become a nun. No less terrible was his attitude towards his son Alexei Petrovich, whom he put on trial and who died in prison.

Count Gerning-Friedrich Bassevich (November 6, 1680 - December 21, 1748) - President of the Privy Council of the Duke of Schleswig-Holstein Karl-Friedrich, husband of Tsarevna Anna Petrovna, who served for a long time ambassador to Russia, left behind memoirs, published after his death under the title: “Notes of Count Bassevich, serving to explain some events from the reign of Peter the Great.” However, historians write that their significance, as historical source, cannot be trusted because they were not published in the original, but in a later revision, and because the author often exaggerates his personal influence on the course of the events described, suffering from strong conceit.
So, this Bassevich writes: “Katerina alone could cope with the tsar in his fits of anger, she knew how to calm Peter’s attacks of convulsive headaches with affection and patient attention. The sound of Katerina's voice calmed Peter; then she sat him down and took him, caressing him, by the head, which she lightly scratched. This had a magical effect on him; he fell asleep within a few minutes. So as not to disturb his sleep, she held his head on her chest, sitting motionless for two or three hours. After that, he woke up completely fresh and cheerful.”

Karel de Moor Catherine I of Russia (engraving by J. Houbraken) 1724

Risen from the dead

On January 1, 1710, Peter organized a triumphal procession in Moscow on the occasion of the victory in Battle of Poltava. And here I would like to tell you another “tale” from Villebois. Thousands of Swedish prisoners were held at the parade in honor of the Victory, among whom was Martha Catherine’s husband, Johan Kruse, alive and almost healthy, although according to the notes of the Duke of Oldenburg, “the Swedish dragoon Kruse died in 1705.”
Be that as it may, Villebois writes that after the Battle of Marienburg, Kruse continued to fight in the army of the Swedish king Charles XII, participated in the Battle of Poltava and had the misfortune of being captured there. After which, among 14 thousand of his compatriots, he was brought to Moscow to serve as decoration for the triumphal entry of Peter I into main city of his empire. The captive Kruse, having learned about his wife’s relationship with the Russian Tsar (I don’t know how), decided that this connection “could bring him relief in his difficulties.” Johan reported everything to the Russian military commissar, who was in charge of the affairs of the prisoners. But the poor man's frankness did not ease his fate, as he expected. It is unlikely that the commissioner reported to the tsar about such a “piquant” circumstance. He simply sent Kruse to Siberia after the “parade”. He lived there for several years and died at the end of 1721. The history of the existence of the living legal husband of Martha Skavronskaya, who made him a cuckold, giving birth to children Petra, without being married to him, was later used by opposing factions in disputes about the right to the throne after the death of Martha herself, that is, Empress Catherine I.

Legend of Prut

Soon after his triumphant entry into Moscow, Peter planned a campaign against the Turks, considering them not very dangerous enemies. It was then that he decided to crown his love with Catherine in a secret marriage. They say that Peter’s sister, Tsarevna Maria, contributed a lot to this marriage. She was afraid of the return to the court of the king’s first wife, Evdokia, and tried to find an insurmountable obstacle to this and thereby take revenge for all the troubles that she had caused her.
Before leaving for the Prut campaign in the spring of 1711, Peter ordered everyone to consider Catherine his wife. The Danish ambassador Yust Yul wrote about it in his “Notes”: “In the evening, shortly before his departure, the tsar called his sister Natalya Alekseevna to a house in Preobrazhenskaya Sloboda. There he took his hand and placed his mistress Ekaterina Alekseevna in front of them.

Hermitage

For the future, the tsar said, they should consider her his legitimate wife and Russian queen. Since now, due to the urgent need to go to the army, he cannot marry her, he takes her with him in order to do this if the opportunity arises. free time. At the same time, the king made it clear that if he died before he could get married, then after his death everyone would have to look at her as his legal wife. After that, everyone congratulated Ekaterina Alekseevna and kissed her hand.” The official wedding of Peter I with Ekaterina Alekseevna took place after returning from the campaign against the Turks on February 19, 1712 in the Church of St. Isaac of Dalmatia in St. Petersburg.

A. F. Zubov Wedding of Peter I and Katerina Alekseevna in 1712 (engraving) 1712

Catherine, by the way, went on a long hike while she was seven months pregnant. In Moldavia in July 1711 there were 190 thousand Turks and Crimean Tatars pressed the 38,000-strong Russian army to the river, completely surrounding it with numerous cavalry. There is a legend according to which, when the army was surrounded, Catherine collected all her jewelry taken on the campaign in order to bribe it to the Turkish commander. And only thanks to this, Peter I, having sacrificed Russian conquests in the south, was able to withdraw the army from encirclement by concluding the Prut Peace. Villebois writes floridly and in detail about this story, but at great length, so I decided not to quote him. Moreover, there is a small nuance - the Danish ambassador Just Yul, already known to you, who was with the Russian army after it left the encirclement, writes on the contrary that “the queen distributed her jewelry to the officers for safekeeping, and then collected them.”

Unknown artist Portrait of Catherine I.

However, in 1713, Peter I, in honor of the worthy behavior of his wife during the Prut campaign, established the Order of St. Catherine and personally conferred the insignia of the order on his wife on November 24, 1714. Initially it was called the Order of Liberation and was intended only for Catherine.
Peter I remembered Catherine’s merits during the Prut campaign in his manifesto on the coronation of his wife dated November 15, 1723: “Our dear wife, Empress Catherine, was a great helper, not just in this, but also in many military actions, putting aside women’s infirmities , willingly was present with us and helped as much as possible, and especially in the Prut campaign with the Turks, almost in desperate times, how manly and not feminine she acted, our entire army knows about this...” At the same time, the city in the Urals was named Yekaterinburg in her honor. I just want to ask: guys, which one of you is lying??

Coronation

However, it is generally accepted that the Tsar-Emperor showed unusual tenderness towards his wife. Let's turn to Bassevich's notes: “He loved to see her everywhere. There was no military review, ship launching, ceremony or holiday at which she did not appear...

Ivan Nikitin Portrait of Catherine the First. 1717

Catherine, confident in the heart of her husband, laughed at his frequent love affairs, like Livia at the intrigues of Augustus; but on the other hand, when he told her about them, he always ended with the words: “Nothing can compare with you.”

With a manifesto dated November 15, 1723, Peter announced the future coronation of Catherine as a sign of her special merits. On May 7 (18), 1724, Peter crowned Catherine empress in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral. This was the second coronation of a female sovereign's wife in Rus' (after the coronation of Marina Mnishek by False Dmitry I in 1605). The Emperor and the new Empress went to St. Petersburg, where they held huge festivities in honor of the coronation.

Unknown artist Peter I and Catherine riding in a shnyava along the Neva. 18th century engraving.

Greetings, brother...

Three months after the coronation, Catherine’s life had a “meeting with the past” - her brother Karl was accidentally found. Villebois describes this story in detail, but in a nutshell, the situation was like this:
The Polish envoy, who was traveling from Moscow to Dresden, met at one of the inns in Courland the groom Karl Skavronsky, who was very similar in features to the empress. The envoy wrote about this in a letter to one of his friends at the Russian court. The letter inexplicably got to Peter, who, also for unknown reasons, ordered the governor of Riga, Prince Repnin, to find this man. Repnin conducted a secret investigation in Courland and reported to the emperor that this man was indeed the brother of Empress Catherine. Peter, who loved all sorts of extravagances, arranged for his wife to have an “unexpected” meeting with Karl during lunch with one of his butlers named Shepelev.
Villebois writes: “The Tsar, as poor Skavronsky answered his questions, tried to attract the attention of the Empress, telling her with an air of feigned kindness: “Catherine, listen to this!” Well, doesn’t this mean anything to you?” She answered, changing her face and stuttering: “But...”. The king interrupted her: “But if you don’t understand this, then I understood well that this man is your brother.” “Well,” he said to Karl, “kiss the hem of her dress and her hand right now like an empress, and then hug her like a sister.” At these words, Catherine, deeply amazed, completely white as a sheet, fainted.” Further, the writer adds on his own: “Catherine’s royal greatness was wounded and insulted by this identification; of course, she would have chosen a different origin for herself, if only it had been her will.”

Unknown artist Catherine I. 1725

However, in 1726, the families of Karl and another brother, Friedrich, as well as the found families of her sisters Kristina Gendrikova and Anna Efimovskaya, were transported to St. Petersburg. In January 1727, Catherine awarded Charles and Frederick the dignity of counts. However, Catherine was still ashamed of this relationship, since in her will the Skavronskys are vaguely called “close relatives of her own surname.” Already under Elizaveta Petrovna, the children of Anna and Christina were also elevated to the dignity of counts.
However, with late XIX centuries, historians have argued that Catherine is not her own, as was previously believed, but a cousin of the Skavronskys who appeared in 1726.

Treason

The autumn of 1724 was also marked by a “blunder” in the empress’s personal life. The same Villebois wrote beautifully about this: “As soon as she was on the throne, her heart, no longer having any other ambitious desires, submitted to love. And contrary to the sacred laws of marriage, and even with such a formidable sovereign, carried away by her to the point that he married her, she cheated on him.”

Unknown artist Portrait of Catherine I.

Peter I suspected the empress of adultery with her chamberlain Mons. True, the emperor’s anger touched his wife “tangentially”, thanks to the intercession of the court ministers Count Tolstoy and Count Osterman. The lover was publicly beheaded, condemned for a fictitious crime, and not for the one for which he was actually executed. As for the “mistress,” the king received satisfaction from the fact that 10 days after the execution just mentioned, she was shown the body of her lover and his head, impaled in the middle of the square.

Death of Peter

After this, Peter stopped talking to Catherine and forbade her to enter his chambers. Only once, at the request of his daughter Elizabeth, Peter agreed to have dinner with his wife. On his deathbed, the emperor nevertheless reconciled with Catherine. In January 1725, she spent all her time at the bedside of her dying husband, and he died in her arms. Peter died in the early morning of January 28 (February 8), 1725, without having time to name a successor and leaving no sons.

Unknown artist Portrait of Empress Catherine I. Hermitage

For 40 days, while the body of Peter the Great was on display for public viewing, Catherine regularly came morning and evening to spend half an hour near him. She hugged him, kissed his hands, sighed, wailed and shed a stream of tears every time.
Villebois clarifies: “There is no exaggeration in the expression “flow of tears.” She shed tears in such quantities that everyone was surprised and could not understand how such a reservoir of water could fit in one woman’s head. She was one of the most zealous mourners you can see, and many people went specially to the imperial palace during the hours when she was there, at the body of her husband, to watch her cry and lament.”

Accession to the throne

By the Law of February 5, 1722, Peter abolished the previous order of succession to the throne by a direct descendant in the male line, replacing it with the personal appointment of the reigning sovereign. The main document by virtue of which Catherine took possession of the throne was the will left by her husband even before their quarrel in the Senate archives. However, at the time of his death, the will was not found in the Senate, because shortly before his death, Peter took it away and tore it up in a fit of rage. When the question arose about proclaiming Catherine empress, they were content with only mentioning this act.

Unknown artist Portrait of Catherine I with a little black.

Only Field Marshal Menshikov, who commanded all the troops of the empire, stopped the efforts of those who tried to defend the rights of the grandson of Peter I in the direct male line - the future Emperor Peter II. If we recall further events, the entire 18th and early 19th centuries went down in history as the era of palace coups.
Villebois points out that Catherine, like her daughters later, was helped to ascend the throne by the guards:
“Guard officers from the Preobrazhensky Regiment appeared at the Senate meeting, knocking down the door to the room. They openly declared that they would break the heads of the old boyars if they went against “their mother Catherine.” Thanks to the support of the guards regiments, it was possible to convince all of Catherine’s opponents to give her their vote.

Ivan Adolsky Catherine I (possibly Adolsky is the author of the previous painting, and this is its version, since in both paintings the empress is depicted with a little arapet).

The Senate “unanimously” elevated her to the throne on January 28 (February 8), 1725, calling her “the Most Serene, Most Sovereign Great Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna, Autocrat of All Russia.”
The people were very surprised by the ascension for the first time in Russian history a woman took the throne, but there was no unrest.

Heinrich Buchholz Portrait of Catherine I. 1725

However, actual power during the reign of Catherine was concentrated in the hands of the prince and field marshal Menshikov and the Supreme Privy Council. Catherine was satisfied with her role as the mistress of Tsarskoye Selo.
Having an extraordinary penchant for navigation and the fleet, she organized a sea battle performance almost every Sunday and on holidays in the summer, and often visited the arsenals and shipyards of the Admiralty. In 1726, Catherine even intended to go at the head of her fleet to fight the English and Danish fleets, which impudently approached the Revel raid under the pretext of pacifying northern affairs, but the Council dissuaded her.
Under Catherine, as historians write, Russian empire has not lost any of its greatness. During the reign of Catherine I, the Academy of Sciences was opened, the expedition of V. Bering was organized, and the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky was established. Opponents write that the Supreme Council liquidated local authorities, there was a struggle for power within the Council itself, embezzlement and arbitrariness flourished, grain prices rose due to crop failures, etc.

End of the Empress

The short two-year period of Catherine’s reign was also marked by a galaxy of her favorites, starting with the return of her “friend of her youth” Menshikov to her arms and ending with Count statesman, diplomat Karl Gustaw von Loewenwolde (? - April 30, 1735) and the great hetman of Lithuania, Count Jan Kazimierz Sapieha (? - February 22, 1730), whom Catherine elevated to the rank of field marshal on March 10, 1726 and awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Unknown artist. Portrait of Catherine I.

Balls, celebrations, feasts and revelries, which followed in a continuous series, soon undermined her health. On April 10, 1727, the empress fell ill. The cough, previously weak, began to intensify, a fever developed, the patient began to weaken day by day, and signs of lung damage appeared.
The 43-year-old empress died in her bed at 9 pm on May 6 (17), 1727 from complications of a lung abscess. According to another version, she died “calmly from weakness, the causes of which were not known or sought,” and they also wrote that death was due to a severe attack of rheumatism.

Even before Catherine’s death, the government began to fuss over the issue of succession to the throne, but this another story. Just before the death of the Empress, the minister of the Duke of Holstein, Bassevich, hastily drew up a will, signed by Elizabeth in place of the infirm mother Empress, according to which the throne was inherited by the grandson of Peter I, Peter Alekseevich. The reins of government on behalf of Tsarevich Peter II were seized by Menshikov, who soon paid for it.

Despite the fact that many serious scholars dispute the role of chance in history, it cannot be denied that Catherine I ascended the Russian throne largely by accident. She did not rule for long - a little more than two years. However, even despite such a short reign, she remained in history as the first empress.

From laundress to empress

Martha Skavronskaya, who would soon become known to the world as Empress Catherine 1, was born in the territory of today's Lithuania, on the lands of Livonia, in 1684. There is no exact information about her childhood. In general, the future Catherine 1, whose biography is very ambiguous and sometimes contradictory, according to one version, was born into a peasant family. Her parents soon died of the plague, and the girl was sent to the pastor's house as a servant. According to another version, Martha lived with her aunt from the age of twelve, after which she ended up in the family of a local priest, where she served and learned to read and write and handicrafts. Scientists are still arguing about where the future Catherine 1 was born.

Biography

And the origin of the first Russian empress, and the date and place of her birth, have not yet been established by domestic historians. More or less unambiguously, a version has been established in historiography proving that she was the daughter of the Baltic peasant Samuil Skavronsky. The girl was baptized into the Catholic faith by her parents, giving her the name Martha. According to some reports, she was brought up in the Marienburg boarding school, under the supervision of Pastor Gluck.

The future Catherine I was never a diligent student. But they say that she changed gentlemen with amazing frequency. There is even information that Martha, having become pregnant by a certain nobleman, gave birth to a daughter from him. The pastor managed to get her married, but her husband, who was a Swedish dragoon, soon disappeared without a trace during the Northern War.

After the capture of Marienburg by the Russians, Martha, becoming a “trophy of war,” was for some time the mistress of a non-commissioned officer, and later, in August 1702, she ended up in the train of Field Marshal B. Sheremetev. Having noticed her, he took her in as a portomoy - a laundress, later handing her over to A. Menshikov. It was here that she caught the eye of Peter I.

Biographers of Russian royal family People are still wondering how she could captivate the king. After all, Martha was not a beauty. However, she soon became one of his mistresses.

and Ekaterina 1

In 1704, Martha, according to Orthodox custom, was baptized under the name By that time, she was already pregnant. The future empress was baptized by Tsarevich Alexei. Knowing how to easily adapt to any circumstances, Catherine never lost her presence of mind. She perfectly studied the character and habits of Peter, becoming necessary for him both in joy and in sorrow. In March 1705 they already had two sons. However, the future Catherine I still continued to live in Menshikov's house in St. Petersburg. In 1705, the future empress was brought to the house of the Tsar’s sister Natalya Alekseevna. Here the illiterate washerwoman began to learn to write and read. According to some information, it was during this period that the future Catherine I established a fairly close relationship with the Menshikovs.

Gradually, relations with the king became very close. This is evidenced by their correspondence in 1708. Peter had many mistresses. He even discussed them with Catherine, but she did not reproach him for anything, trying to adapt to the royal whims and put up with his increasingly frequent outbursts of anger. She was invariably there during his attacks of epilepsy, sharing with him all the difficulties of camp life and imperceptibly turning into the actual wife of the sovereign. And although the future Catherine I did not take direct part in resolving many political issues, she nevertheless had great influence on the tsar.

From 1709, she accompanied Peter everywhere, including on all his trips. During the Prut campaign of 1711, when Russian troops were surrounded, she saved not only her future husband, but also the army, giving the Turkish vizier all her jewelry in order to persuade him to sign a truce.

Marriage

Upon returning to the capital, on February 20, 1712, Peter 1 and Catherine 1 got married. Their daughters Anna, who had already been born by that time, who later became the wife of the Duke of Holstein, as well as Elizabeth, the future empress, being at the age of three and five years old, performed the duties of maids of honor accompanying the altar at the wedding. The wedding took place almost secretly in a small chapel that belonged to Prince Menshikov.

From that time on, Catherine I acquired a courtyard. She began to receive foreign ambassadors and meet with many European monarchs. Being the wife of the reformer Tsar, Catherine the Great - the 1st Russian Empress - was in no way inferior to her husband in terms of her willpower and endurance. In the period from 1704 to 1723, she gave birth to Peter eleven children, although most of them died in infancy. Such frequent pregnancies did not in the least prevent her from accompanying her husband on his many campaigns: she could live in a tent and sleep on a hard bed without complaining a bit.

Merits

In 1713, Peter I, highly appreciating the worthy behavior of his wife during the Prut campaign, which was unsuccessful for the Russians, established the Order of St. Catherine. He personally laid signs on his wife in November 1714. It was originally called the Order of Liberation and was intended only for Catherine. Peter I also remembered his wife’s merits during the ill-fated Prut campaign in his manifesto on the coronation of his wife in November 1723. Foreigners, who followed with great attention everything that was happening in the Russian court, unanimously noted the tsar’s affection for the empress. And during 1722, Catherine even shaved her head and began wearing a grenadier cap. She and her husband inspected the troops leaving straight for the battlefield.

On December 23, 1721, the boards of the Senate and Synod recognized Catherine as the Russian Empress. A crown was commissioned especially for her coronation in May 1724, which in its splendor surpassed the crown of the king himself. Peter himself placed this imperial symbol on his wife’s head.

Portrait

Opinions about what Catherine looked like are contradictory. If we focus on her male environment, then the opinions are generally positive, but women, being biased towards her, considered her short, fat and black. And indeed, the empress’s appearance did not make much of an impression. One had only to look at her to notice her low origins. The dresses she wore were of an old-fashioned style, trimmed entirely in silver and sequins. She always wore a belt, which was decorated on the front with embroidery of precious stones with an original design in the form of a double-headed eagle. The queen was constantly wearing orders, a dozen icons and amulets. As she walked, all this wealth rang.

Argument

One of their sons, Pyotr Petrovich, who, after the abdication of the emperor's eldest heir, was considered the official heir to the throne since 1718, died in 1719. Therefore, the reformer king began to see only his future successor in his wife. But in the fall of 1724, Peter suspected the empress of treason with the chamber cadet Mons. He executed the latter, and stopped communicating with his wife: he didn’t talk at all, and denied access to her. His passion for others dealt a terrible blow to the king: in anger, he tore up the will, according to which the throne passed to his wife.

And only once, at the insistent request of his daughter Elizabeth, Peter agreed to dinner with Catherine, the woman who had been his inseparable friend and assistant for twenty years. This happened a month before the death of the emperor. In January 1725 he became ill. Catherine was always at the bedside of the dying monarch. On the night of the 28th to the 29th, Peter died in the arms of his wife.

Ascension to the throne

After the death of the husband, who did not have time to declare his last will, the issue of succession to the throne began to be dealt with by the “supreme gentlemen” - members of the Senate, Synod and generals, who had already been in the palace since January twenty-seventh. There were two parties among them. One, consisting of the remnants of the family aristocracy that had remained at the very top of government power, was led by the European-educated Prince D. Golitsyn. In an effort to limit autocracy, the latter demanded that Peter Alekseevich, the young grandson of Peter the Great, be elevated to the throne. It must be said that the candidacy of this kid was very popular among the entire aristocratic class of Russia, who wanted to find in the offspring of the unfortunate prince someone who could restore their past privileges.

Victory

The second party was on Catherine's side. A split was inevitable. With the help of her longtime friend Menshikov, as well as Buturlin and Yaguzhinsky, relying on the guard, she ascended the throne as Catherine 1, the years of whose reign were not marked by anything special for Russia. They were short lived. By agreement with Menshikov, Catherine did not interfere in state affairs; moreover, on February 8, 1726, she transferred control of Russia into the hands of the Supreme Privy Council.

Politics within the country

The state activities of Catherine I were limited for the most part only to the signing of papers. Although it must be said that the empress was interested in the affairs of the Russian fleet. On her behalf, the country was actually ruled by a secret council - a body created shortly before her ascension to the throne. Its members included A. Menshikov, G. Golovkin, F. Apraksin, D. Golitsyn, P. Tolstoy and A. Osterman.
The reign of Catherine 1 began with the fact that taxes were reduced and many prisoners and exiles were pardoned. The first was associated with rising prices and fear of causing discontent among the people. Some of the reforms of Catherine 1 canceled the old ones, adopted by Peter 1. For example, the role of the Senate was significantly reduced and local bodies were abolished, which replaced the power of the governor, a Commission was formed, which included generals and flagships. According to the content of this reform of Catherine 1, it was they who should have taken care of the improvement of the Russian troops.

On April 15, 1684, Marta Skavronskaya, the future second wife of Peter I and the Russian Empress, was born in Livonia. Her rise was amazing for that time. Martha's origins are not exactly known. According to one version, she was born into the family of a Livonian peasant Skavronsky (Skovarotsky). According to another version, Martha was the daughter of the quartermaster of one of the regiments of the Swedish army, Johann Rabe. The parents died of the plague and the girl was given to the Lutheran pastor Ernst Gluck. According to another version, Martha’s mother, having become a widow, gave her daughter to serve in the pastor’s family.

At the age of 17, Martha was married to a Swedish dragoon named Johann Kruse. During the Northern War, the Russian army under the command of Field Marshal Sheremetev took the Swedish fortress of Marienburg. Sheremetev took the young girl he liked as his maid. A few months later, Prince Alexander Menshikov became her owner, who took her away from Sheremetev. On one of his regular visits to Menshikov in St. Petersburg, Tsar Peter I noticed Martha and made her his mistress. Gradually he became attached to her and began to single her out among the women who always surrounded the loving king.

When Katerina-Marta was baptized into Orthodoxy (in 1707 or 1708), she changed her name to Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova. Even before her legal marriage to Peter, Martha gave birth to two boys, but both died. Daughters Anna and Elizabeth survived. Catherine will give birth to 11 children for Peter, but almost all will die in childhood. The cheerful, affectionate and patient woman tied Peter to her, could pacify his attacks of anger, and the Tsar in 1711 ordered that Catherine be considered his wife. In addition, Peter was attracted by such a character trait of Catherine as lack of ambition - a trait characteristic of many people from the lower classes. Until her accession to the throne, Catherine remained a housewife, far from politics.

On February 19, 1712, the official wedding of Peter I and Ekaterina Alekseevna took place. In 1713, the Tsar, in honor of the worthy behavior of his wife during the Prut campaign, which was unsuccessful for Russia, established the Order of St. Catherine. Pyotr Alekseevich personally placed the insignia of the order on his wife. On May 7 (18), 1724, Peter crowned Catherine empress in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral (this was the second case in the history of Russia; the first to be crowned was the wife of False Dmitry, Marina Mnishek).

By the law of February 5, 1722, Emperor Pyotr Alekseevich abolished the previous order of succession to the throne by a direct descendant in the male line (the first official heir, Alexei Petrovich, was killed, the second, Pyotr Petrovich, died in infancy), replacing it with the personal appointment of the sovereign. According to the Decree of 1722, any person who, in the emperor’s opinion, was worthy to lead the state, could become Pyotr Alekseevich’s successor. Peter died in the early morning of January 28 (February 8), 1725, without having time to appoint a successor and leaving no sons.

Empress

When it became obvious that Pyotr Alekseevich was dying, the question arose of who would take the throne. A fierce struggle for power ensued. Members of the Senate, Synod, senior dignitaries and generals, even before the death of the sovereign, gathered on the night of January 27-28, 1725 to resolve the issue of power. The first “palace coup” took place in the country. The struggle for power was fleeting, did not break out of the palace, and did not develop into an armed confrontation. However, it is no coincidence that the beginning of the “era of palace coups” is celebrated in 1725.

The emperor did not leave a written will, nor did he have time to give oral orders regarding the throne. All this created a crisis situation. After all, besides the widow, a woman who did not have a great mind that would allow her to play an independent role, there were still several possible successors left - children and grandchildren from the king’s two marriages. The children of the murdered heir, Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, Natalya and Peter, were alive and well. From Peter's second marriage to Martha-Catherine, three daughters remained alive by January 1725 - Anna, Elizaveta and Natalya. Thus, six people could claim the throne.

In pre-Petrine Russia there was no law on succession to the throne, but there was a tradition that was stronger than any law - the throne passed in a direct descending male line: from father to son and from son to grandson. In 1722, Peter issued the “Charter on the Succession to the Throne.” The document legitimized the unlimited right of the autocrat to appoint an heir from among his subjects and, if necessary, change his choice. The “Charter” was not a whim of the tsar, but a vital necessity. Peter lost two heirs - Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and Pyotr Petrovich. The only man left in the Romanov house was Grand Duke Pyotr Alekseevich, grandson of the emperor. However, Emperor Peter could not allow this. He feared that opponents of his policies would unite around his grandson. And the coming to power of his grandson will lead to the collapse of the business to which Peter I devoted his whole life.

The coronation of Ekaterina Alekseevna was perceived by many as a sign that Peter wanted to transfer the throne to his wife. The manifesto on Catherine’s coronation emphasized her special role “as a great helper” in grave government affairs the emperor and her courage in difficult moments of her reign. However, in 1724, Peter lost interest in his wife. The case of Catherine's valet Willim Mons arose, who was suspected of having an affair with the empress. As fate would have it, V. Mons was the brother of Anna Mons, the daughter of a German artisan in the German settlement near Moscow, who had long been the favorite of Peter I, and for some time he thought about marrying her. Mons was executed on charges of bribery. Peter lost interest in his wife and did not take further steps to strengthen her rights to the throne. Having caught his wife in treason, Peter lost confidence in her, rightly believing that after his death and Catherine’s accession, any intriguer who could get into the Empress’s bed could gain supreme power. The Tsar became suspicious and stern towards Catherine, the previous warm and trusting relationships were a thing of the past.

It should also be noted that in last years During the life of the emperor, there were persistent rumors that he would transfer the throne to his daughter, Anna. Foreign envoys also reported this. Emperor Peter had great love for Anna and paid great attention to her upbringing. Anna was a smart and beautiful girl, this was noted by many contemporaries. However, Anna did not particularly strive to become the ruler of Russia, since she sympathized with Grand Duke Peter and did not want to cross the path of her mother, who saw her as a rival. As a result, the issue of succession to the throne remained unresolved.

In addition, the sovereign did not consider himself terminally ill, believing that he still had time to resolve this issue. According to a secret clause in Anna’s marriage contract with the Duke of Holstein, the path to the Russian throne was opened for their possible sons. Apparently, 52-year-old Peter planned to live a few more years and wait for the birth of his grandson from Anna, which would give him the opportunity to transfer the throne to him, and not to his unfaithful wife and the dangerous Peter II, behind whom stood the “boyar party.” However, the unexpected death of the emperor, in which some researchers see murder, was judged differently. An interesting fact is that the first palace coup was carried out in the interests of the top officials of the empire, who at the end of Peter the Great's life found themselves in disgrace - Catherine, Menshikov and the Tsar's secretary Makarov. The emperor received an anonymous denunciation of Makarov about his enormous abuses. They all feared for their future if Peter I continued to rule.

In the future, the scenario of Peter the Great will still be realized. Peter's grandson, the son of Anna Petrovna and Karl Friedrich, born in 1728, will be called from Holstein in 1742 by his childless aunt Elizabeth. Karl Peter Ulrich will become heir to the throne Peter Fedorovich, and then emperor Peter III. True, another palace coup will put an end to his short reign.

During the agony of the tsar, the court split into two “parties” - supporters of the emperor’s grandson, Peter Alekseevich, and supporters of Catherine. The ancient families of the Golitsyns and Dolgorukys rallied around the son of the executed prince. They were led by V.V. Dolgoruky, who had been pardoned by Peter shortly before, and Senator D.M. Golitsyn. The President of the Military Collegium, Prince A.I. Repnin, Count P.M. Apraksin, and Count I.A. Musin-Pushkin also spoke on the side of Pyotr Alekseevich Jr. This party had many supporters who were dissatisfied with the course of Emperor Peter and did not want the future omnipotence of Menshikov, who under Catherine would become the true ruler of Russia.

In general, the party of the Grand Duke succeeded in its work. Only at the very last moment was Menshikov able to turn the situation in his favor. Prosecutor General Pavel Yaguzhinsky (who began his career as a bootblack) somehow found out about the preparation of the Grand Duke's party and let Menshikov know about it. His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Menshikov was the head of Catherine’s party. Alexander Danilovich, who rose from the very bottom to the top of the Russian Olympus, understood better than others that the accession of Peter II would put an end to his prosperity, power, and possibly freedom and life. Menshikov and Ekaterina, like some other dignitaries who came “from rags to riches” and made a dizzying rise to the heights of power and wealth, were not protected from numerous, but still hidden, enemies. They had neither high birth nor numerous high-ranking relatives. They did not enjoy the sympathy of the majority of the nobles. Only mutual support, energetic pressure and subtle calculation could save them.

And Menshikov was able to carry out the first palace coup. He developed frantic activity, did everything possible and impossible to change the situation in his favor. Even on the eve of the emperor’s death, he took some preventive measures: he sent the state treasury to Peter and Paul Fortress, under the protection of the commandant, who was his supporter; the guard was put on alert and at the first signal could leave the barracks and surround the palace; The Preobrazhensky and Semenovsky regiments received their salaries for two-thirds of the past year (in normal times, salaries were delayed). Menshikov personally met with many dignitaries, and, sparing no promises, promises and threats, convinced them to support Catherine. Menshikov’s subordinates were also very active.

The natural allies of Menshikov and Catherine were those who, thanks to the emperor and fate, found themselves in a similar position to them. Among them, Alexey Vasilyevich Makarov stood out - the son of a clerk in the Vologda voivodeship office (official hut). Thanks to his closeness to the sovereign, Makarov rose to the rank of secret cabinet secretary of Peter, who was in charge of secret papers. Makarov became a real “gray eminence” who accompanied the tsar everywhere and knew all the secret affairs. Without the approval of the secret cabinet secretary, not a single important paper was placed on the emperor’s desk. And Makarov could retain this power, and even his head, only if the throne remained with Catherine. In addition, he thoroughly knew the management system and was an indispensable assistant to the future empress, who did not understand state affairs.

Another active and powerful supporter of Catherine was Count Pyotr Andreevich Tolstoy. An experienced diplomat, Menshikov's comrade-in-arms and head of the Secret Chancellery, Tolstoy led the case of Tsarevich Alexei, becoming one of the main culprits in his death. It was Tolstoy, through threats and false promises, who persuaded the prince to return to Russia. The affair of Tsarevich Alexei made Tolstoy a close friend of Catherine. If the grandson of Emperor Peter came to power, the saddest fate awaited him.

The two highest hierarchs of the church, Archbishops Theodosius and Theophan, also had something to lose. They turned the church into an obedient instrument of imperial power. Many enemies and ill-wishers were waiting for the hour when they could be reckoned with for the destruction of the institution of the patriarchate, the creation of the Synod and the Spiritual Regulations, which made the church part of the bureaucracy and emasculated most of the spiritual principle.

In addition, an active role in Catherine’s elevation to the throne was played by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein, and his minister Bassevich, without whose advice the groom of Peter’s eldest daughter, Anna Petrovna, did not take a single step. The Holsteins' interest was simple. The coming to power of Peter II would have dispelled the duke's hopes of becoming the son-in-law of the Russian empress and, with her help, implementing certain foreign policy plans.

Many prominent figures from “Petrov’s nest” waited, taking a neutral position. They wanted to wait for the outcome of the power struggle and join the winners. Thus, the Prosecutor General of the Senate Yaguzhinsky was generally in favor of Catherine, but for many years he was at enmity with Menshikov. Only at the very last moment did he warn his Serene Highness about the conspiracy of the party of Peter II. But he himself did not openly take the side of Catherine. Chancellor G.I. Golovkin took a similar position. Count Y. V. Bruce, Baron A. I. Osterman and others were also cautious.

The Tsar’s agony had not yet ended when Menshikov convened a secret meeting in the Tsarina’s apartment. It was attended by Cabinet Secretary Makarov, Bassevich, the head of the Synod, Theodosius, and senior officers of the guards regiments. Catherine came out to them and declared her rights to the throne, promising the rights of the Grand Duke, which she would return to him after her death. In addition, words about promotions and awards were not forgotten. Bills of exchange, precious things and money were immediately prepared and offered to those present. Archbishop Feodosius of Novgorod was the first to take advantage, and he was the first to take the oath of allegiance to Catherine. The rest followed his example. The program of action was immediately discussed. The most radical plan, with the preventive arrest of Catherine's opponents, was rejected, since it could lead to an aggravation of the situation in St. Petersburg.

Until the death of the emperor, not a single party dared to act. The magic power of the mighty ruler was unusually strong until the very last moment of his life. Immediately, members of the Senate, Synod, senior officials and generals gathered in one of the halls of the palace. Many nobles were constantly in the palace and spent the night here; others were notified by secretaries and adjutants who were on duty here.

However, everything was decided by “bayonets”. Guards regiments surrounded the palace building. The President of the Military Collegium, Anikita Repnin, tried to find out who took the guards out of the barracks without his orders. The commander of the Semenovsky regiment, Buturlin, sharply responded that the guard was acting by order of the empress, to whom he, as her subject, obeyed. It is clear that the spectacular appearance of the guard made a huge impression on Catherine’s opponents and those who were wavering. To this we can add the presence in the hall, along with senators and generals, of guards officers supporting Catherine; patrolling the streets by guards; doubling the guards; prohibition of leaving the capital and delay of mail. As a result, the military coup went off like clockwork.

Catherine came to the top officials of the empire and promised to take care of the good of Russia and prepare a worthy heir in the person of the Grand Duke. Then Menshikov proposed to discuss the matter. Makarov, Feofan and Tolstoy expressed their arguments in favor of Catherine. Attempts by the Grand Duke's party to carry out the idea of ​​elections or Catherine's regency under Peter II failed. All objections and proposals of the opposition were simply drowned in the cries of the guards officers, who promised to “split the heads of the boyars” if they did not choose “mother” to the throne. Guard Major A. I. Ushakov bluntly stated that the guard sees only Catherine on the throne, and whoever disagrees may suffer. The final speech was made by Menshikov, who declared Catherine the empress. The entire meeting was forced to repeat his words. Control of the guard determined the future of the empire.

Governing body

In general, St. Petersburg officially continued the course of Peter the Great. A decree was even issued ordering to “keep everything the same.” Many generals and officers were promoted for their loyalty. The officials and commanders who had done wrong under Peter breathed a sigh of relief. The king's iron grip disappeared. Life has become much calmer and more free. The iron and restless emperor himself did not rest, and did not allow others to enjoy life. Catherine showed “mercy” and held amnesties; many thieves, debtors and swindlers were released. The empress also freed political exiles and prisoners. Thus, the lady of state of Catherine, M. Balk, who was involved in the Mons case, was released, and the former vice-chancellor Shafirov was returned from Novgorod exile. The Little Russian foreman was also released.

The work begun by Peter continued. So, the First Kamchatka Expedition was sent under the leadership of Vitus Bering; the order was established. St. Alexander Nevsky; The Academy of Sciences was opened. There were no fundamental changes in foreign policy. Ekaterinople was still being built in Transcaspia. Big wars there was none, only a separate detachment operated in the Caucasus under the command of Prince Vasily Dolgorukov. True, in Europe, St. Petersburg began to actively defend the interests of the Holstein Duke Karl Friedrich, who fought against Denmark. This caused some cooling in relations with Denmark and England. The Holstein course clearly did not meet the interests of great empire. In addition, St. Petersburg concluded a strategic alliance with Vienna (Vienna Union Treaty of 1726). Austria and Russia created an anti-Turkish bloc. Austria guaranteed the Peace of Nystadt.

In fact, the ruler of the empire during this period was Prince and Field Marshal Menshikov. His Serene Highness, who in the last years of Peter's reign had largely lost the trust of the emperor and was constantly under investigation, perked up. Repnin was sent as governor to Riga and returned under his control Military Collegium. Menshikov's case was closed, he was released from all fines and commissions imposed. Menshikov also got to his old enemy - Fiscal General Myakinin, who allowed himself to expose the powerful nobleman. A denunciation came against Myakinin, he was given the move and the general was sentenced to death, which was replaced by exile to Siberia. Menshikov reached the highest point in his abuses and theft; now no one limited him.

The Supreme Privy Council, a new body, also received enormous power state power. It included: Menshikov, Apraksin, Golovkin, Golitsyn, Osterman, Tolstoy and Duke Karl-Friedrich. The activities of Catherine’s government, in which there was a constant struggle for power (for example, Menshikov tried to push the “Holstein party” away from the empress), was limited to preserving what had already been achieved. There were no large-scale reforms or transformations.

The empress herself was completely satisfied with the role of the first mistress of the capital. She and her court were living life - balls, feasts, walks through the night capital, continuous celebration, dancing and fireworks. The entertainment continued almost all night (Ekaterina went to bed at 4-5 in the morning) and a significant part of the day. It is clear that with such a lifestyle, the empress, who was already in poor health, could not last long. Foreign observers, reporting on the festivities, interspersed them with news of Catherine’s constant illnesses. The building of the empire, which was created by the hands of Peter the Great, gradually began to decline.