Peter III of Russia

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Peter III
Holstein-Gottorp, Duchy of Holstein
Died17 July 1762(1762-07-17) (aged 34)
Ropsha, Russian Empire
Burial
Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg
Spouse
Catherine II of Russia
​
​
(m. 1745)​
Issue
  • Paul I
  • Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia
Lutheran
SignaturePeter III's signature

Peter III Fyodorovich (

Catherine II (the Great). He was born in the German city of Kiel as Charles Peter Ulrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp (German: Karl Peter Ulrich von Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp), but he was a grandson of Peter the Great and a great-grandson of Charles XI of Sweden
.

Peter III could barely speak Russian and pursued a strongly pro-

conspiracy. However, another theory is that his death was unplanned, resulting from a drunken brawl with one of his guards.[1]

Despite his generally poor reputation, Peter made some progressive reforms during his short reign. He proclaimed

religious freedom and encouraged education, sought to modernize the Russian army, abolished the secret police, which had been infamous for its extreme violence, and made it illegal for landowners to kill their serfs without going to court. Catherine reversed some of his reforms and carried through others, notably the annexation of church property.[2]

Early life

Portrait of Peter III by Georg Christoph Grooth, 1743

Peter was born in

Holstein-Gottorp. His parents were Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, and Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia. Charles Frederick was a grandson of Charles XI of Sweden, and Anna was a daughter of the Russian monarchs Peter the Great and Catherine I. Peter's mother died shortly after his birth. In 1739, Peter's father died, and he became Duke of Holstein-Gottorp as Charles Peter Ulrich (German: Karl Peter Ulrich) at the age of 11.[3]

When Peter's maternal aunt

Grand Duke of Russia. The words "Grandson of Peter the Great" (Russian: внук Петра Великого, romanized: vnuk Petra Velikogo) were made an obligatory part of his official title, underscoring his dynastic claim to the Russian throne, and it was made a criminal offence to omit them.[4]

Empress Elizabeth arranged for Peter to marry his second cousin, Sophia Augusta Frederica (later

Princess Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp. Sophia formally converted to Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Ekaterina Alexeievna (i.e., Catherine). They married on 21 August 1745. The marriage was not a happy one but produced one son, the future Emperor Paul I, and one daughter, Anna Petrovna (1757–1759).[5][a] Catherine later claimed that Paul was not fathered by Peter; that, in fact, they had never consummated the marriage.[6] During the sixteen years of their residence in Oranienbaum
, Catherine took numerous lovers, while her husband did the same in the beginning.

Character

Peter's letter to his wife in French from 1746, the language of the Russian aristocracy

The classical view of Peter's character is mainly drawn out of the memoirs of his wife and successor. She described him as an "idiot" and as a "drunkard from Holstein", also describing her marriage with him with "there is nothing worse than having a child-husband"; even Peter's idol, Frederick the Great mentioned him by saying "he allowed himself to be dethroned like a child sent off to bed".[7]

This portrait of Peter can be found in most history books, including the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica:

Nature had made him mean, the smallpox had made him hideous, and his degraded habits made him loathsome. And Peter had all the sentiments of the worst kind of a small German prince of the time. He had the conviction that his princeship entitled him to disregard decency and the feelings of others. He planned brutal practical jokes, in which blows had always a share. His most manly taste did not rise above the kind of military interest which has been defined as "corporal's mania," the passion for uniforms, pipeclay, buttons, the "tricks of parade and the froth of discipline." He detested the Russians, and surrounded himself with Holsteiners.[8]

There have been many attempts to revise the traditional characterization of Peter and his policies. The Russian historian A. S. Mylnikov views Peter III very differently:

Many contradictory qualities existed in him: keen observation, zeal and sharp wit in his arguments and actions, incaution and lack of perspicuity in conversation, frankness, goodness, sarcasm, a hot temper, and wrathfulness.[9]

The German historian Elena Palmer goes even further, portraying Peter III as a cultured, open-minded emperor who tried to introduce various courageous, even democratic reforms in 18th-century Russia.[10] A monument for Peter III stands in Kiel, the city of his birth.[11]

Reign

Foreign policy

Portrait of Peter III by Aleksey Antropov, 1762

After Peter succeeded to the Russian throne (5 January 1762 [

balance of power in Europe, suddenly handing the delighted Frederick the initiative. Frederick recaptured southern Silesia (October 1762) and subsequently forced Austria to the negotiating table.[citation needed
]

As Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, Peter planned war against

Kolberg in Russian-occupied Pomerania. Alarmed at the Russian troops concentrating near their borders, unable to find any allies to resist Russian aggression, and short of money to fund a war, the government of Denmark threatened in late June to invade the free city of Hamburg in northern Germany to force a loan from it. Peter considered this a casus belli and prepared for open warfare against Denmark.[13]
: 220 

In June 1762, 40,000 Russian troops assembled in Pomerania under General Pyotr Rumyantsev, preparing to face 27,000 Danish troops under the French general Count St. Germain in case the Russian–Danish freedom conference (scheduled for 1 July 1762 in Berlin under the patronage of Frederick II) failed to resolve the issue. However, shortly before the conference, Peter lost his throne (9 July [O.S. 28 June] 1762) and the conference did not occur. The issue of Schleswig remained unresolved. Peter was accused of planning an unpatriotic war.[14][page needed]

While historically Peter's planned war against Denmark was seen[

triumph in the Seven Years War, could offer more to aid his plans than alliance with either Austria or France.[citation needed
]

Domestic reforms

Peter III depicted as emperor on a 10 ruble gold coin (1762)

During his 186-day period of government, Peter III passed 220 new laws that he had developed and elaborated during his life as a crown prince. Elena Palmer claims that his reforms were of a democratic nature;[15][page needed] he also proclaimed religious freedom.[16]

Peter III's economic policy reflected the rising influence of Western capitalism and the merchant class or "Third Estate" that accompanied it. He established the first state bank in Russia, rejected the nobility's monopoly on trade and encouraged mercantilism by increasing grain exports and forbidding the import of sugar and other materials that could be found in Russia.[17]

Overthrow and death

Peter III with Catherine II, 1756

Peter was still asleep at Oranienbaum, the royal residence 20 miles (32 km) west of Saint Petersburg which had been his primary residence during his marriage, while Catherine gained support of the military with the help of Grigori Orlov and his four brothers. Peter tried to escape by taking a boat to the military base of Kronstadt on Kotlin Island, hoping that the fleet remained loyal to him. However, the fleet's cannons opened fire on Peter's boat with two or three shots, and he was repulsed back to the shore, with the commandant declaring that he was no longer recognized as emperor and that Russia was ruled by Empress Catherine. The people of St. Petersburg, drawn to the shore by the loud echoes of cannons, also armed themselves with sticks and stones to prevent him from returning to the capital city. Twenty four hours later, after learning that the senate, army, and fleet had sworn allegiance to Catherine, with the aid of two guards whom Peter had planned to discipline, he was arrested and forced to abdicate on 9 July [O.S. 28 June] 1762.[18]

Shortly thereafter, he was transported to

Alexander Nevsky Monastery, Saint Petersburg.[18][7]

Legacy

The tombs of Peter III and Catherine II in Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg

After his death, four pretenders to the throne, insisting that they were Peter (five if

castrating sect known as the Skoptsy, claimed to be both Jesus and Peter III.[citation needed
]

In December 1796, after succeeding Catherine, Peter's son, Emperor Paul I, who disliked his mother's behavior, arranged for Peter's remains to be exhumed and reburied with full honors in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, where other tsars (Russian emperors) were buried.[citation needed]

Lore

The legend of Peter is still talked about, especially in the town where he lived most of his life, formerly Oranienbaum, later

Konigsberg.[14][page needed][15][page needed
]

Second burial of Peter III, c. 1796

Cultural references

Monument of Peter III in Kiel

Peter has been depicted on screen a number of times, almost always in films concerning his wife Catherine. He was portrayed by

The Great, also starring Elle Fanning
as Catherine.

Ancestry

See also

References

  1. ^ Not to be confused with the Grand Duchess of the same name
  1. ISBN 978-1615237326
    .
  2. ^ "Романовы. Исторические портреты".
  3. ISBN 9789004523050
    .
  4. ISBN 978-0-494-92606-2
    . Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  5. ISBN 978-0836855357
    . Retrieved 24 November 2017 – via Google Books.
  6. ISBN 978-0-7394-2025-6
    .
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-1-68177-114-4
    .
  8. ^ Bain 1911.
  9. ^ Raleigh, Donald, J; Iskenderov, AA (1996), The Emperors and Empresses of Russia: Rediscovering the Romanovs, New York: ME Sharpe, p. 127.
  10. ^ "Peter III - The Prince of Holstein (German) on Amazon". Elena Palmer.
  11. ^ "Memory of Russia abroad: The first monument dedicated to Russian Emperor Peter III opened in Germany". Presidential Library. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  12. ^ Anderson, pages=492–494[unreliable source?]
  13. ^ a b Dull, Jonathan R (2005), The French Navy and the Seven Years' War, University of Nebraska.
  14. ^ a b Mylnikov, AS (2002), Piotr III (in Russian), Moskva, RU{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).[page needed]
  15. ^ a b Palmer, Elena (2005), Peter III – Der Prinz von Holstein (in German), DE: Sutton Publishing.[page needed]
  16. ISBN 1-58939-498-4
    .
  17. ^ Raleigh, Donald J; Iskenderov, AA (1996), The Emperors and Empresses of Russia: Rediscovering the Romanovs, New York: ME Sharpe, p. 118.
  18. ^
    ISBN 978-0-679-45672-8
    .
  19. ^ Nauka i jizn (in Russian), Moskva, RU, 1965{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).

Bibliography

See also: Bibliography of Russian history (1613–1917)

External links
Peter III of Russia
Cadet branch of the House of Oldenburg
Born: 21 February 1728 Died: 17 July 1762
Regnal titles
Preceded by Emperor of Russia
1762 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Duke of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp

1739–1762 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Duke of Holstein
1739–1762
with Christian VI (1739–1746)
Frederick V
(1746–1762) 		Succeeded by
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