Why Peter I sent his son to the chopping block – Russia today Posting in CHAT: Russia In 1715, Peter I reproached his son Alexei for not wanting anything, not studying, and not being interested in military affairs. The reformer father was perplexed how the prince would later take power into his own hands without being oriented in the affairs of the sovereign. And he complained that he did not punish his son enough and was not strict enough with him. In the famous painting by the Russian painter Nikolaos Ge, “Tsar Peter interrogates Tsarevich Alexei in Peterhof,” the heir is presented as a narrow-shouldered, forced youth. But his real image and character were completely different. And also the reasons why the dissatisfied father “removed” his son. In reality, Tsarevich Alexei bore little resemblance to the image we know. In 1709, the Ambassador Extraordinary of Vienna, Heinrich Wilhelm Wilczek, left an unusual note - “Description of the appearance and mental makeup of the Tsar’s son and heir to the throne.” The witness stated that Alexey is of average height, broad shoulders, a developed torso, narrow waist and small feet. The count testified to the elongated shape of the prince's face and his lips, proportional to his nose. As for the mental abilities of the potential heir, the stranger rated them above average. According to him, Alexey understood German perfectly, wrote and spoke it well. In addition, he spoke Polish. The famous painting by Nikolai Ge of the chief engineer Coulomb taught the prince military science, mathematics and geography. These activities were allotted up to three hours at a time, with most of the time devoted to fortification and navigation. The Tsar showed an undisguised desire to learn more about foreign countries, comparing foreign experiences with Russian ones. Wilczek argued that any attentive and competent person notices common sense and statesmanship in the heir. Tsarevich Alexei in childhood This assessment does not correspond to the image of a lazy and ignorant young man. It is reliably known that from 1707 the prince practiced important military practices. Anticipating an attack on Russia by Charles XII, Peter himself entrusted his son with several strategic matters. Near Smolensk, he prepared food for the active army and supervised the construction of the “Moscow fortified area.” At the same time, Alexey formed reinforcements, for example, from dragoon formations, and in the winter of 1709 he personally led five such regiments “to Ukraine.” There Peter was preparing to give the Swedes the legendary Poltava massacre. In this context, it is not clear why Peter had to remove such a promising and zealous heir? Some contemporaries saw the reason in the fact that Alexei condemned the reformism of his father and dreamed of returning Russia to the “old Moscow antiquity” in the future. But those who understood more believed that the prince simply had his own opinion about everything, which often differed from the sovereign. And he had enough skills and knowledge to implement a strategy close to him, which alarmed Peter. And it’s not ignorance and laziness at all. Peter forcibly placed Lopukhina in a monastery. Alexei's mother was the Tsar's first wife, Evdokia Fedorovna Lopukhina. At first, Peter showed tender feelings for her, but this lasted for a year. When their son was born, the couple lived far from each other. The Emperor was not particularly drawn to his son. Mother's love also did not last long. When Peter I had a mistress, Anna Mons, he left for Arkhangelsk for a long time, almost stopping even correspondence with his wife and son. Alexey, left with his insulted mother, absorbed a negative attitude towards Peter. As soon as the boy turned 7 years old, Lopukhina’s father announced that he no longer saw her as his wife and recommended that she take monasticism. Evdokia did not obey, and this was followed by forced tonsure. The prince came under the tutelage of Natalia Alekseevna Petrova’s sister; he missed his mother, who had been deprived of the royal title, and his father, seeing all this, became irritated and angry. At the same time, he himself did not make any special efforts to raise his son, not attaching importance to parental love. At the age of 21, Alexei married Princess Charlotte of Wolfenbüttel. There were no mutual or other feelings between the young people, since the pragmatic father arranged this union based on his own political views. The couple did not find a common language, but Charlotte gave birth to Alexei’s daughter Natalya and son Peter, the future Emperor Peter II. During her second birth, her earthly journey was shortened. Pragmatic Peter did not strive to be close to his son. On the day of his wife’s funeral, Alexei was informed that his father had deprived him of the right to inherit the throne. The decision is strange, but easily explained. Peter the Great had a second son, given to him by his adored new wife, Catherine I. Alexei had to silently agree to this unjust deprivation. True, the father went even further, offering his 25-year-old son the future of a monk. As a result, the prince fled to Vienna, hiding from the sad prospects. Alexei's beloved Efrosinya After Alexei's long suffering in a foreign country, Peter sent a messenger to him with the style of “come back, I will forgive everything.” The Tsarevich believed the slyly voiced prospects and in the winter of 1718 publicly renounced his rights as heir to the throne in favor of his younger brother. The father forgave Alexey for his escape and other misdeeds, saying that he would still have to bear responsibility for everything hidden. The next morning the investigation began. Surprisingly, Alexei was betrayed by his mistress Euphrosyne. She informed the sovereign's representatives that while abroad, the prince discussed receiving military support and planned to use it against his father. Probably everyone understood that with this step Euphrosyne, who accompanied the fugitive heir, was saving herself. And she was indeed left alone when the investigation was completed. She received from Peter a generous dowry and an officer husband. But Alexei's revelations about his beloved were destroyed. He admitted guilt, named accomplices from the nobility and expected mercy. But in the summer of 1718, the prince was declared a traitor and sentenced to death. True, he did not reach the chopping block: he died within the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress. There are several versions about the causes of death. Source link Source link