Peter II

Biography of Peter II - early years.
Peter II was born on October 12, 1815 in the family of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and his wife Natalya Alekseevna. A few days after Peter’s birth, his mother died, and three years later his father died. Very little attention was paid to raising a child both under Peter the Great and under Catherine I. Only two of his teachers are known: Ivan Alekseevich Zeikin and Semyon Afanasyevich Mavrin. They taught the prince mathematics, history, geography and Latin. After the death of the son of Peter I, political forces began to consider the boy’s candidacy as a contender for the throne. Finally, in 1727 A.D. Menshikov managed to convince Catherine I to leave a will, which stated that the throne would go to Peter II and that he should marry Menshikov’s daughter Maria.
After the death of Catherine I and Peter's becoming emperor, Menshikov settled him in his house and monitored all his actions. In connection with the celebrations of the coronation of the Emperor in Moscow, Governor General F.Yu. Romodanovsky was ordered to build and decorate three gates on Tverskaya Street: in Kitay-Gorod - at the expense of the synod, in the White City - at the expense of the merchants, in Zemlyanoy Gorod - at the expense of the treasury. Peter II was crowned on February 25, 1728 in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. All celebrations lasted for three days and took place in the Faceted Chamber of the Kremlin Palace. Since the spring of 1728, the residence of the emperor was the Lefortovo Palace, the courtyard and all government institutions moved to Moscow. The Tsarevich often left Moscow, going hunting in the estates of the Moscow region.
After some time, Prince Menshikov began to get sick a lot, his opponents took advantage of this, and under the influence of Princes Dolgorukiy and A.I. Osterman Peter II stripped Menshikov of all his titles, sent him to Siberia and broke off his engagement to his daughter Maria. The biography of the great emperor says that Peter II grew up as a very smart, but stubborn and wayward boy. He was similar in character to his grandfather Peter I, but unlike him, he did not want to study. Due to his young age, he was practically not involved in government affairs and almost never appeared at meetings of the Supreme Privy Council. Thanks to this, the management system came to collapse, as officials were afraid to take responsibility for any decisions. The Russian fleet was abandoned, the Supreme Council fell, since Peter II was not interested in this.
The young emperor had great respect for his grandmother, Queen Evdokia, who was tonsured a nun and, during the reign of Peter II, was transferred from the Ladonezh Monastery to the Novodevichy Convent.
Biography of Peter II - mature years.
The biography of the emperor says that his favorites were the father and son Princes Dolgoruky, for whom only their personal interests were important. Under the influence of Ivan Dolgoruky, who led a riotous lifestyle, Peter spent most of his time at various feasts, spent time playing cards, was often in the same company with girls of easy virtue, and began to abuse alcoholic beverages early. In November 1829, the Dolgoruky princes persuaded Peter to become engaged to the famous princess Ekaterina Dolgoruky. In the biography of the emperor there is information that by this time he was already burdened by the company of the father and son Dolgoruky and began to show interest in state affairs. He repeatedly promised Osterman, who was very attached to the Tsar, to start studying again, but Peter II was unable to implement his plans, since in January 1830, on the eve of his wedding, he became seriously ill.
Rumors spread throughout Russia about his possible imminent death. The emperor's condition deteriorated greatly after he took part in the frosty Epiphany blessing of water, the next day after which he was diagnosed with smallpox. The Dolgoruky princes tried to get the emperor to sign a will, in which his betrothed bride became the heir to the throne, but they were not allowed to see the sick Peter. Ivan Dolgoruky even went to extreme measures, deciding to forge the emperor’s handwriting, but this trick also failed, since Osterman was constantly next to the dying Peter. In his dying delirium, Peter II ordered horses to be given to him in order to go to his sister Natalya, who died two years ago, and died a few tens of minutes later. This happened at the dawn of a new day, when the emperor was supposed to have a wedding with Ekaterina Dolgoruka. She, saying goodbye to her deceased groom, jumped up and with a crazy face, raising her hand with a personalized ring, exclaimed that Peter Alekseevich had just declared her empress. For this, she was put under house arrest, and after some time she was sent into lifelong exile in Siberia, where Catherine later died, like the emperor’s first bride, Maria Menshikova. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin. After the death of Peter II, the male line of the Romanov dynasty was interrupted.
The activities of Peter II, who died so early, cannot be called independent; he was always under the tutelage and influence of strangers, who used him as a tool for controlling the palace parties of those times. However, during his so short and unconscious reign, several laws and decrees were issued that cannot be ignored. This is the Decree on the transfer of important matters to the Supreme Privy Council of May 24, 1727; Decrees of the same year on the abolition of the chief magistrate and the correct collection of the poll tax from the population; Decree on the transfer of Little Russian affairs from the Senate to the Foreign Collegium, dated June 16, 1727; bill of exchange charter of 1729 and a curious decree prohibiting the clergy from wearing lay clothes of September 29, 1729. Despite the fact that Peter II ascended the throne when he was only twelve years old, and that three years later he passed away, the role of the emperor’s rule for Russia cannot be underestimated. The young autocrat changed the basic ways of conducting government affairs in Russia, he prevented Princes Dolgoruky, Osterman and Prince Menshikov from coming to power.

Born 23 (12 according to the old style) October 1715 in St. Petersburg.

He was the son of the eldest son of Peter I, and his wife, née Charlotte Sophia of Blankenburg. Peter's mother died 10 days after his birth, and in 1718 he lost his father.

After the death in 1719 of Peter I’s son from his second marriage, Tsarevich Pyotr Petrovich, the Tsarevich began to be considered by Russian society as the only legitimate heir to the imperial crown. In 1722, Peter I issued a decree on his right to appoint his successor, thereby violating the established order of succession to the throne. After the death of Peter I, Prince Alexander Menshikov achieved proclamation as empress. The attempt of the old aristocracy (Dolgoruky, Golitsyn, Count Gabriel Golovkin, Prince Anikita Repnin) to place ten-year-old Peter on the throne failed, but the empress brought him closer to her and showed him signs of attention throughout her reign.

The upbringing of Tsarevich Peter, both under Peter I and Catherine I, was not given much attention. Two of his teachers are known - Semyon Mavrin and Ivan Zeikin, who taught the prince history, geography, mathematics and Latin.

In 1727, diplomat Andrei Osterman was appointed chief chamberlain of Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich.

Anticipating the imminent death of Catherine I, not wanting the throne to pass to her daughters, and taking into account Peter’s popularity among the people and among the nobility, Prince Menshikov decided to support the candidacy of the prince, planning to marry him to his eldest daughter Maria. The prince convinced the dying empress to sign a will in favor of Tsarevich Peter Alekseevich.

Peter II ascended the throne on May 18 (7 according to the old style) 1727. At first he was under the influence of Alexander Menshikov, who moved him to his house on Vasilievsky Island and on June 4 (May 24, old style) engaged him to his daughter Maria.

Osterman retained the position of educator under Peter II, assisted by Prince Alexei Dolgoruky, Academician Goldbach and Archbishop Feofan Prokopovich.

In July 1727, using Menshikov's illness and the young emperor's dissatisfaction with him, the court opposition in the person of Andrei Osterman, the Dolgoruky princes and Tsarevna Elizaveta Petrovna achieved the removal of the prince from power. On September 19 (8 old style), Peter II announced the beginning of his independent reign and the breaking of his engagement with Maria Menshikova. Menshikov himself was stripped of all ranks and exiled to Siberia.

At the end of 1727, the imperial court moved to Moscow. On March 7 (February 24), 1728, the coronation of the 13-year-old Emperor Peter II took place.

In Moscow, the princes father and son Alexei and Ivan Dolgoruky acquired unlimited influence over the emperor, who tried to distract the emperor from business with fun and entertainment. The emperor was practically not involved in state affairs, devoting all his time to entertainment, especially hunting with dogs and falcons, baiting bears and fist fights. He became addicted to alcohol early on. Osterman's attempts to convince him to continue his education were unsuccessful.

The Dolgorukys decided to marry Peter to the eldest daughter of Alexei Dolgoruky, Princess Catherine. On December 11 (November 30, old style), 1729, the engagement took place, and the wedding ceremony was scheduled for January 30 (19, old style), 1730.

On January 17 (6 old style) Emperor Peter II was found to have signs of smallpox and on the night of January 30 (19 old style) he died in the Lefortovo Palace in Moscow.

Peter II was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. With his death, the Romanov family in the male line was interrupted.

During his short reign, Peter II issued several decrees: on the transfer of important matters from the Cabinet of His Imperial Majesty to the Supreme Privy Council; about a more correct collection of the poll tax and about the abolition of the Chief Magistrate; on the transfer of Little Russian affairs from the Senate to the Collegium of Foreign Affairs; prohibiting the clergy from wearing secular clothing. Real power in the state was in the hands of the Supreme Privy Council and the favorites of the young emperor.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

On January 6, 1730, the Tsar [Peter II] went to the city to bless the water, and, returning to his Slobodskaya palace, complained of ill health. The next day smallpox broke out all over his body. This disease, as is known, is generally of such a nature that for several days it is impossible to make affirmative predictions regarding its outcome; but since Peter was the last of the male line of the Romanov dynasty, the possibility of his death raised questions in advance about who would be his. successor and who must open another dynasty or another line of the previous dynasty. This occupied not only Russian statesmen, but also ministers of foreign courts, obliged to guard the interests of those states of which they were representatives in Russia. Among these foreign ministers in Russia was the Danish minister Westphalen, a great diplomat and intriguer. Even under Catherine 1, as we cited above, he became close to Menshikov and encouraged him to join the party of Petrov’s grandson. At that time, the Danish minister worked to ensure that after the death of Catherine, Peter II ascended the throne, because otherwise either the Duchess of Holstein or her sister Elizabeth, who was in great friendship with her, could take the throne, and this would be dangerous and contrary to the policy of the Danish government . Now, in case of the premature death of Peter II, the same fear was raised. Upon the death of the last of the male line of the Romanov house, the inheritance of the throne could pass either to Princess Elizabeth or to the young son of the late Holstein duchess. It would be useful for Denmark if a person who did not have a friendly connection with the Holstein house inherited the throne in Russia, and it would be best if he could; become hostile towards the latter. Westphalen witnessed how, after the death of Peter the Great, the throne went to his widow, who had no family right; therefore, as he thought, in Russia there could be succession, regardless of any blood connection with the previously reigning house. The Danish minister wrote a letter to Vasily Lukich Dolgorukov and inserted into it the tempting idea of ​​declaring the royal bride as Peter’s successor, just as after the death of Peter the Great Catherine was proclaimed the reigning empress. Then, he noted, Menshikov and Tolstoy arranged such a thing, why can’t the Dolgorukovs do it now? Vasily Lukich reported this idea to Prince Alexei Grigorievich. On January 12, the sovereign felt better, and the matter was abandoned.

Everyone hoped that Peter’s illness was no longer dangerous. But on January 17, Peter, who, due to his adolescent liveliness, never protected himself from the influences of temperature, opened the window. Suddenly all the smallpox that had spread throughout the body disappeared. Everyone saw hopelessness then. The king immediately began to fall into unconsciousness.

Then Prince Alexei Grigorievich invited his relatives to his Golovinsky Palace for secret family council. His brothers, Sergei and Ivan Grigorievich, Vasily Lukich and the brother of the royal bride Ivan Alekseevich, got together. Prince Alexei Grigorievich, leaving them in his bedroom, went to the Lefortovo Palace to inquire about the health of the sovereign. In his absence, Princes Vasily and Mikhail Vladimirovich came to the Golovinsky Palace. Perhaps the father of the royal bride deliberately left home in order to give the Vladimirovich brothers the opportunity to tell the Vladimirovich brothers without himself about what was being started at the instigation of Westphalen: it seemed indecent to him to speak in favor of his daughter to those who had previously looked unfavorably on the proposed royal marriage.

The princes Grigorievich said to the princes Vladimirovich:

“His Majesty is very sick and unconscious; if he dies, then he must be held back as best he can so that after His Majesty, His Majesty’s bride, Princess Catherine, will be betrothed to the heir to the Russian throne.

“Princess Catherine did not marry the sovereign,” said Prince Vasily Vladimirovich.

“I didn’t get married, I just got engaged,” answered the Grigorievichs.

“Wedding is another matter, and betrothal is another,” said Vasily Vladimirovich. Even if she had been married, there would have been some doubt in making her heir. Not only strangers, but also other persons of our surname will not want to be her subjects. Although the late Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna reigned, only Her Majesty the Emperor crowned her in his lifetime.

“You just have to really want it,” the Grigorievichs said. We’ll persuade Count Golovkin and Prince Dmitry Golitsyn, and if they argue, we’ll start beating them. How can we not do it our way? You, Prince Vasily Vladimirovich, are a lieutenant colonel in the Preobrazhensky regiment, and Prince Ivan is a major; and in the Semenovsky regiment there is no one to argue against us.

Prince Vasily Vladimirovich said to this:

- Why are you lying, childish! Is it a good deal? And then, how will I announce the regiment? They will hear about this from me, not only will they scold me, they will even beat me!

Then the Grigorievichs said:

- And if the sovereign deigns to declare Princess Catherine his spiritual heir?

Prince Vasily Vladimirovich answered:

“That would be good, since this matter is in the will of His Majesty, but how can we discuss such an untenable matter, when you yourself know that His Majesty is very sick and cannot speak: how can His Majesty carry out this matter!”

Then Prince Alexei Grigorievich arrived and reported that the sovereign’s position was not improving at all and, on the contrary, seemed hopeless. There was talk of inheritance again, and Prince Vasily Vladimirovich began to object in harsh terms to the intention to make the royal bride heir to the throne. “You will all destroy yourselves if you try to achieve this,” he prophetically said to Prince Alexei Grigorievich and then left with his brother Mikhail.

The Dolgorukovs who remained in the Golovinsky Palace again took up the issue of inheritance. Prince Sergei Grigorievich said:

- Is it possible to write a spiritual letter on behalf of the sovereign, allegedly he made his bride, Princess Catherine, his heir?

The Vladimirovich brothers were no longer there, and no one objected to such a lawless enterprise. Prince Vasily Lukich volunteered to compose a false document, sat down at the butt, took a sheet of paper and began to write; but, not having finished writing everything, he threw down the paper and said:

- The letter from my hand is bad. Who could have written it better?

Then Prince Sergei Grigorievich took up pen and paper, and Princes Vasily Lukich and Alexei Grigorievich composed a spiritual and dictated to him, so that one would say, and the other would add. In this way, Prince Sergei wrote a spiritual document on behalf of the sovereign in two copies. Here Prince Ivan Alekseevich took the sovereign’s letter and his own writing out of his pocket and said:

- Look, here is a letter from the sovereign and from my hand. The writing of my hand is word for word like a sovereign’s letter. I know how to sign the sovereign’s hand, because I wrote with the sovereign as a joke.

And under one of the copies of the spiritual document he compiled, he signed: “Peter.”

Everyone decided in unison that the handwriting of Prince Ivan Alekseevich was surprisingly similar to the handwriting of the sovereign.

But the first time they did not dare to give the meaning of a real document to the false ecclesiastical document signed by the prince for the sovereign. There was another copy left, not yet signed. Father and uncles said to Prince Ivan:

- You wait and seize the time when His Majesty becomes freer from illness, then ask him to sign this spiritual document, and if due to his illness that spiritual document is not signed by his hand, then after the death of the sovereign we will declare the one that was signed by your hand, allegedly he made his bride an heiress. But your hand with the hand of His Imperial Majesty may not be known.

After such advice, Prince Ivan, taking both copies of the ecclesiastical document, went to the Lefortovo Palace and walked around there, constantly inquiring whether the sovereign was feeling better and whether it was possible to be admitted to him. But he received the same answer: the sovereign was extremely ill and unconscious. Osterman was persistently close to the sovereign, because Peter himself had previously wanted this.

-Where is your spiritual?

“Here,” answered Prince Ivan. I did not get time from His Imperial Majesty to ask him to sign the spiritual document.

The father told him:

“Come here so that those spiritual ones won’t be seen and fall into someone’s hands.”

Prince Ivan Alekseevich gave his father both spiritual lists. (Kashperova, Pam. Nov. Russian. Ist. I, p. 160 ff).

The state of health of the sovereign was completely hopeless. He was given communion to St. mysteries, and three bishops performed the sacrament of unction over him. Osterman was relentlessly at the bedside of his dying royal pupil. Peter, in fits of agony, incessantly uttered his name. Finally, on the night of January 18-19, 1730, at two o’clock, Peter shouted: “Harness the sleigh, I want to go to my sister!” With that he drew his breath.

Peter II has not reached the age when a person’s personality is fully determined, and history hardly has the right to pronounce any verdict on him. Although his contemporaries praised his abilities, natural intelligence and kind heart - everything that could give hope of seeing a good sovereign, such praise cannot be given much weight, because they were only hopes for good things in the future. In essence, the behavior and inclinations of the royal youth, who occupied the Russian throne under the name of Peter the Second, did not give the right to expect from him over time a talented, intelligent and efficient ruler of the state. He not only did not like teaching and work, but hated both, and did not show any curiosity; nothing fascinated him in the sphere of public administration, he was completely addicted to idle amusements and was so subservient to the will of those close to him that he could not, on his own, without the help of others, free himself from what was already weighing him down; meanwhile, he was constantly carried away by the tempting thought that he, as an autocrat, could do things according to his own liking, and everyone around him should act as he ordered. The royal youth was deeply corrupted by ambitious people who took advantage of his orphanhood for their own selfish purposes and plotted against each other in his name. Death befell him at a time when he was in the power of the Dolgorukovs; Probably, if he had remained alive, then the Dolgorukovs, through the intrigues of some other favorites of happiness, would have suffered the fate of Menshikov, and those others who would have overthrown the Dolgorukovs, in turn, would have been overthrown by other favorites. In any case, one could expect a reign of court intrigues and petty tyranny. State affairs would fall into extreme disrepair, as has already begun: the example of the supreme autocratic head has an infectious effect on the entire governmental environment. Transferring the capital back to Moscow would pull all of Rus' back to its previous inactivity, to stagnation and hibernation, as supporters of the transformation had already feared. Of course, one cannot say that it would probably have been this way and not otherwise, because unexpected events happen that change the course of things. Such a random, unexpected event was, in fact, the early death of Peter the Second, which can, according to considerations, be considered the greatest happiness sent from above for Russia: the death of the young sovereign was still the reason that Russia was again set on the path paved by the Great Peter, although with incomparably less speed, energy and clarity of views and goals.

Peter II was the grandson of Peter the Great. He lost his parents early and ascended the throne too early, replacing Catherine the First. He showed no interest in the affairs of the state and did not actually manage it on his own.

In history he is known as the last representative of the Romanovs in the male line. Having died in his teens, he was unable to leave an heir. What is the history of the life and reign of the grandson of Peter the Great?

Origin

The future Tsar Peter II was born on October 12, 1715 in St. Petersburg. He was the son of Alexei Petrovich (heir to the throne) and Sophia-Charlotte. The mother died ten days after giving birth, and the father was sentenced to death in 1718.

The boy, like his sister Natalia, was born into an unhappy family. His parents' marriage was for dynastic purposes, to unite the House of Romanov and Welf. The prince's godparents were his grandfather Peter the Great and Princess Natalya Alekseevna.

From infancy, Peter was assigned nannies from the German settlement. They accustomed the boy to wine, which made him sleep and did not bother them. After the death of his son, the Russian Tsar turned his attention to his only grandson. He ordered Menshikov to find good teachers for the child. His mentors were able to teach the child German, Latin and Tatar curses. At the same time, the boy did not speak Russian at all. When the emperor learned about his grandson’s teaching, he personally beat the teachers, who turned out to be a clerk and a Carpathian Rusyn. The child had no other mentors.

Succession to the throne

For the first three years of his life, Peter II was not considered as a future emperor. This was due to the fact that in 1715 the current ruler had a son, whom he also named Peter. Only after the death of the youngest son did the question of succession to the throne arise.

The nobility became interested in the son of the deceased Alexei Petrovich in 1719. He was the only (not counting his grandfather) man of the Romanov dynasty. In European countries, the throne could be passed from grandfather to grandson, but according to the law of Peter the Great's succession to the throne, the heir had to be appointed by the current ruler.

Pyotr Alekseevich became friends with the Dolgorukov family. He often visited their house and met his aunt Elizaveta Petrovna there. They told him about the rights to the Russian throne.

In 1722, the emperor issued a decree regarding succession to the throne. It operated until the end of the century. As a result of the decree, the grandson was formally deprived of preferential rights to the throne. The ruler himself was supposed to appoint a successor, but did not manage to do this before his sudden death in 1725.

So Peter II (reigned 1727-1730) was still able to become the head of the state. However, could the boy rule the state on his own?

Reign under Menshikov

Immediately after the death of the emperor, his widow Catherine took the throne. Not all representatives of the old family nobility liked this. For example, the Dolgorukovs wanted to see nine-year-old Peter on the throne.

Menshikov understood that Catherine would not live long and decided to lure his son Alexei Petrovich to his side. The plans of Catherine’s former lover were to marry the boy to his daughter and become regent.

Through intrigue, disputes, and secret negotiations, it was decided that the grandson of the late emperor would become the heir to the throne. Menshikov showed great participation in this issue. Thus began the reign of Peter II under the regency of Menshikov.

The Emperor's policy in 1727:

• serfs were forgiven for long-standing arrears;
• freedom was granted to those who were sent to hard labor for non-payment of taxes;
• a ban was introduced on displaying the dismembered bodies of those executed for public viewing;
• the “turning tax” has been abolished;
• tightened control over tax collections;
• Princes Trubetskoy, Burchard-Minich, Dolgorukov became field marshals;
• Menshikov was appointed generalissimo;
• hetmanship was restored on Ukrainian lands;
• The Chief Magistrate was abolished.

Gradually, the young emperor began to move away from Menshikov. After another disagreement between them, Pyotr Alekseevich moved to the Peterhof Palace. At the same time, the regent became very ill and was absent from court for five to six weeks. During this time, the emperor was familiarized with the interrogation protocols of Alexei Petrovich. From this it became clear that Menshikov had something to do with the interrogation of the emperor’s father. He was accused of high treason and exiled to the Tobolsk region. His daughters were also sent with him.

Now Ivan Dolgoruky became the king's favorite.

Reign under the Dolgorukovs

By 1728, Peter II (Alekseevich) decided to move to Moscow. Upon arrival, he was crowned king. In the same year, the emperor’s sister died. Natalya was fourteen years old and had a positive influence on her brother.

The Dolgorukovs finally gained greater power in the state. They carried out their transformations:

• the capital was moved to Moscow;
• the punitive body was liquidated;
• Recruitment rates have been relaxed.

The Emperor was not involved in business at all, he did not attend the Council, his life was spent in celebrations and entertainment. This led to a weakening of the army, embezzlement, bribery, and robbery.

Foreign policy

The reign of Peter II fell during the wars with the Ottoman Empire. Russia needed an ally. It became Austria.

At the same time, strained relations remained with France and England. Poland and Russia could not divide Courland among themselves, and the Qing Empire sought to take possession of Siberia.

Relations with Sweden changed from hostile to friendly.

Denmark immediately well received the news of Pyotr Alekseevich's accession to the throne. They feared that Anna Petrovna would take the throne, since her husband would want to lay claim to the Danish province.

Death of a ruler

In 1730, Emperor Peter II took part in the parade for the feast of Epiphany. It was bitterly cold that day. When the ruler arrived home, he developed a fever caused by smallpox. Thirteen days later he died (01/19/1730). The last man from the House of Romanov was fourteen years old. He passed away at the same age as his older sister, to whom he was strongly attached. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral.

Personality

Peter II did not like to study. He loved entertainment. The emperor was willful, did not know how to behave in society, could be insolent to others, and be capricious.

According to some diplomats, the young ruler was cunning and somewhat cruel. He always did what he wanted and did not tolerate objections. At the same time, he could hide his thoughts well and, if necessary, pretend. So, while dining at the Dolgorukys, he mocked Osterman, but in front of Osterman he did not show his thoughts, dining with him several times a week.

It is difficult to say whether it was an inherited bad character or a lack of normal upbringing. He was never loved, only used for his own purposes. This could hardly have a positive effect on the teenager’s unformed personality.

Rise to power

Shortly before the death of the Empress, members of the Supreme Privy Council, the Senate, the Synod, the presidents of the colleges and the staff officers of the guard gathered in the palace for a meeting about who should become emperor after the death of Catherine. Menshikov's enemies began to discuss the idea of ​​coronating one of the crown princesses, but the majority spoke in favor of Pyotr Alekseevich, who was supposed to be under the tutelage of the Supreme Privy Council until he was 16 years old and pledged by oath not to take revenge on any of those who signed the death warrant against his father, Alexei Petrovich.

After resolving the issue of succession to the throne, Menshikov, on behalf of the Empress, began an investigation into the machinations of his enemies. Many of Menshikov's opponents were arrested and tortured, exiled and deprived of their ranks, some were only demoted in rank. The Duke of Holstein tried to come to an agreement with Menshikov through his minister Bassevich. Menshikov set the condition that the daughters of Peter I, Anna and Elizabeth, would not interfere with Peter Alekseevich’s accession to the throne, and Menshikov agreed to give each crown princess a million rubles.

Reign (1727-1730)

Peter II was not able to rule independently, as a result of which practically unlimited power was first in the hands of Menshikov, and then in Osterman and Dolgorukiy. As under his predecessor, the state was governed by inertia. The courtiers tried to follow the behests of Peter the Great, but the conservation of the political system he created revealed all the shortcomings inherent in it.

The time of Menshikov's regency was not much different from the reign of Catherine I, since the actual ruler of the country remained the same, only gaining greater power. After his fall, the Dolgorukovs came to power, and the situation changed radically. Some historians are inclined to consider the last years of the reign of Peter II as a “boyar kingdom”: much of what appeared under Peter I fell into decay, and the old order began to be restored. The boyar aristocracy was strengthened, and the “chicks of Petrov’s nest” faded into the background. There were attempts by the clergy to restore the patriarchate. The army and especially the navy fell into decay, corruption and embezzlement flourished. The capital was moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow.

The result of the reign of Peter II was the strengthening of the influence of the Supreme Privy Council, which included mainly old boyars (of the eight seats on the council, five belonged to the Dolgorukovs and Golitsyns). The council became so strong that it forced Anna Ioannovna, who became ruler after Peter, to sign the “Conditions”, which transferred full power to the Supreme Privy Council. In 1730, the “Conditions” were destroyed by Anna Ioannovna, and the boyar families again lost strength.

Foreign policy.

Despite Peter's short reign, Russia's foreign policy during his time was quite active. Osterman, who was in charge of foreign policy, relied entirely on an alliance with Austria. The emperor had no doubts about this policy, because his maternal uncle was Emperor Charles VI, and his cousin was the future Empress Maria Theresa. The interests of Russia and Austria coincided in many areas - in particular, with regard to counteracting the Ottoman Empire.

An alliance with Austria, according to the concepts of that time, automatically meant strained relations with France and England. They wanted to use the coronation of George II to improve relations between Russia and Great Britain, but the death of the main Russian ambassador to France and England, Boris Kurakin, destroyed these plans.

Russia's relations with Poland deteriorated significantly due to the fact that the Poles considered Courland, where Anna Ioannovna ruled, to be their province and openly said that it should be divided into voivodships. Moritz of Saxony, the illegitimate son of the Polish king August II, was refused marriages with Elizabeth Petrovna and Anna Ioannovna.

Relations with the Chinese Qingbyli Empire were complicated due to territorial disputes, due to which the borders were closed to merchants. China wanted to annex the southern part of Siberia up to Tobolsk, where there were many Chinese residents, but Russia opposed this. On August 20, 1727, Count Raguzinsky concluded an agreement according to which the borders of China remained the same and trade was established between the powers in Kyakhta.

The news of Peter’s accession to the throne was well received in Denmark, since a close relative of the king, the Duke of Holstein, was married to Peter’s aunt, which could serve as the basis for an alliance with Denmark. Alexey Bestuzhev reported to Peter from Copenhagen: “The king hopes to receive your friendship and is ready to seek it in every possible way, directly and through the king."

Relations with Sweden were at first very hostile: the Russian envoy was treated coldly, while the Turkish envoy was showered with favors; Sweden forced Russia to start a war in order to be credited with starting a hostile movement and to receive help from France and England. Disputes about Peter's conquests continued: Sweden threatened that it would not recognize Peter II as emperor if Russia did not return Vyborg to Sweden. However, later the Swedes, having learned that the army and navy in Russia were still in combat-ready condition, abandoned these demands. Despite this, relations remained tense: in Sweden many regretted that Menshikov was exiled, and, in addition, an invasion of Russia by Sweden and Turkey with the support of England and France was being prepared. However, relations soon changed, and the main enemy of Russia, Count Horn, began to swear allegiance to the emperor. At the end of Peter's reign, the king of Sweden, Frederick I himself, tried to enter into an alliance with Russia.