Despite the fact that many serious scholars dispute the role of chance in history, one cannot but admit that Catherine I ascended the Russian throne largely by accident. She ruled for a short time - a little more than two years. Nevertheless, despite such a short reign, she remained in history as the first empress.
From washerwoman to empress
Marta Skavronska, who will soon become known to the world as Empress Catherine 1, was born on 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 was in the service and studied literacy and needlework. 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 unequivocally, a version was established in historiography, proving that she was the daughter of the Baltic peasant Samuil Skavronsky. In the Catholic faith, the girl was baptized by her parents, giving her the name Marta. 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 partners with amazing frequency. There is even information that Marta, having become pregnant from a certain nobleman, gave birth to a daughter from him. The pastor managed to marry her, but her husband, who was a Swedish dragoon, soon disappeared without a trace during the Great Northern War.
After the capture of Marienburg by the Russians, Marta, becoming a “war trophy”, was for some time the mistress of a non-commissioned officer, later, in August 1702, she ended up in the train of Field Marshal B. Sheremetev. He, noticing her, took her as a porter - a laundress, later handing her over to A. Menshikov. It was here that she caught the eye of Peter I.
Biographers of the Russian royal family are still wondering how she could captivate the king. After all, Martha was not a beauty. Nevertheless, she soon became one of his mistresses.
and Catherine 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 Natalia Alekseevna. Here the illiterate washerwoman began to learn to write and read. According to some reports, it was during this period that the future Catherine I established quite close relations 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 frequent outbursts of anger. She was always there during his epileptic attacks, 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 a direct part in solving many political issues, she had a great influence on the king.
From 1709, she accompanied Peter everywhere, including on all trips. During the Prut campaign of 1711, when the 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, performed the duties of maids of honor accompanying the altar at the wedding. The marriage 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 strength of will and endurance. In the period from 1704 to 1723, she bore 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 rest on a hard bed without a single grumble.
Merits
In 1713, Peter I, having highly appreciated the worthy behavior of his wife during the unsuccessful Prut campaign for the Russians, established the Order of St. Catherine. He personally laid signs on his wife in November 1714. Initially, it was called the Order of Liberation and was intended only for Catherine. Peter I remembered the merits of his wife during the ill-fated Prut campaign in his manifesto about 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 affection of the tsar for the empress. And during 1722, Catherine even shaved her head and began to wear a grenadier cap. Together with her husband, she conducted a review of the troops leaving directly for the battlefield.
On December 23, 1721, the collegiums of the Senate and the Synod recognized Catherine as the Russian Empress. Especially for her coronation in May 1724, a crown was ordered, 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 appearance Catherine had were contradictory. If you focus on her male environment, then opinions are generally positive, but women, being biased towards her, considered her short, fat and black. Indeed, the appearance of the Empress did not make much of an impression. One had only to look at her to notice her low birth. The dresses she wore were old-fashioned, sheathed entirely in sequined silver. She always had a belt, which was adorned in front with gemstone embroidery with an original design in the form of a double-headed eagle. Orders, a dozen icons and amulets were constantly hung on the queen. When she walked, all this wealth rang.
Argument
One of their sons, Pyotr Petrovich, who, after the abdication of the eldest heir to the emperor, was considered the official successor to the throne since 1718, died in 1719. Therefore, the reformer tsar began to see his future successor only in his wife. But in the fall of 1724, Peter suspected the empress of treason with the chamber junker Mons. He executed the latter, and stopped communicating with his wife: he didn’t talk at all, and forbade access to her. 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 dine with Catherine, a woman who had been his inseparable friend and assistant for twenty whole 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
Upon the death of her husband, who did not have time to declare his last will, the “supreme gentlemen” - members of the Senate, the Synod and the generals, who had already been in the palace since the twenty-seventh of January, began to deal with the issue of succession to the throne. There were two parties among them. One, consisting of the remnants of the tribal aristocracy who remained at the very top of government power, was led by the European-educated Prince D. Golitsyn. In an effort to limit the autocracy, the latter demanded to enthrone Peter Alekseevich, the minor grandson of Peter the Great. I must say that the candidacy of this kid was very popular among the entire aristocratic class of Russia, which wanted to find in the offspring of the unfortunate prince someone who could restore their past privileges.
Victory
The second party was on the side of Catherine. The split was inevitable. With the help of her longtime friend Menshikov, as well as Buturlin and Yaguzhinsky, relying on the guards, she ascended the throne as Catherine 1, whose reign for Russia was not marked by anything special. 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.
Domestic politics
The state activity of Catherine I was 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. It 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 connected with the rise in prices and the 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 governor with power, a Commission was formed, which included generals and flag officers. According to the content of this reform of Catherine 1, it was they who were supposed to take care of the improvement of the Russian troops.
Catherine I Romanova (1684-1727) - Empress who ruled the Russian Empire after the death of Peter I in 1725-1727. Since 1721, she was the wife of the reigning emperor. In 1723 she was crowned Empress in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. In the entire history of the Russian state, this was the second coronation of the sovereign's wife. The first took place in 1606, and the crown was placed on the head of Marina Mnishek, the wife of False Dmitry I.
Portrait of Catherine
(artist Jean-Marc Nattier, 1717)
Origin of Catherine
With the origin of the reigning person, a lot is unclear. Her name was Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya (married to Kruse). It is believed that she was born into a peasant family. By nationality, she was either Latvian, or Lithuanian, or Estonian. At 6 months old, she was left an orphan, as her parents died of the plague. She was brought up in the home of the Lutheran priest Ernst Gluck. She performed the duties of a maid.
At the age of 17, the girl married the Swedish dragoon Johann Kruse. She lived with her husband in Marienburg. 2 days after the wedding, the husband left for the war with the army in the field, and the wife never saw her betrothed again.
At the end of August 1702, the Marienburg fortress was taken by Russian troops under the command of Field Marshal Sheremetyev. The city was sacked and many residents were arrested. Among those arrested was Martha. Soon Sheremetyev noticed her and made her his mistress. In the summer of 1703, the sovereign's favorite, Prince A. Menshikov, saw her. He took the woman to him and also made him his mistress.
In the autumn of 1703, Peter I saw Martha. He took her away from his favorite and made her his mistress. Apparently there was something special about this young woman, since high-ranking men were so attracted to her.
The king began to call her Katerina. In 1704, she gave birth to her lover's first child, who was named Peter. In total, she gave birth to 8 children: 6 girls and 2 boys. Of these, 6 died in childhood. Daughter Anna died at the age of 20, but managed to give birth to a son, who later became Emperor Peter III. Daughter Elizabeth became the Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna.
In 1707 Katerina was baptized and converted to Orthodoxy. She changed her name, and they began to call her Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova. She received her patronymic from her godfather, Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, and the tsar came up with her last name.
In 1710, a solemn parade was held in Moscow on the occasion of the victory in the Battle of Poltava. At this parade, Swedish prisoners marched in front of the Muscovites. Among them was Martha's husband, Johann Kruse. He saw his lawful wife near the Russian Tsar and began to tell everyone about it. He was immediately exiled to a remote Siberian village, where Kruse died in 1721.
In February 1712, Peter and Catherine got married. After that, they began to be considered legal husband and wife. They lived well, as the wife knew how to adapt to the hot-tempered and uncontrollable nature of the sovereign. But in 1724 there was an embarrassment. The Empress was suspected of treason. Chamberlain Mons became her lover. She was executed, however, they found another reason for this.
The emperor then moved away from his wife. He reconciled with his wife only when he was near death. The forgiven wife sat all the time near the bed of the dying sovereign, and he died, practically, in her arms.
The reign of Catherine I Romanova (1725-1727)
The sovereign died without naming a successor. Immediately, 2 groups were formed. One advocated the enthronement of the grandson of the late sovereign Peter Alekseevich - the son of the executed Tsarevich Alexei, and the other group rallied around Catherine.
The empress was supported by A. Menshikov, other associates of Peter and the guards. It was the Guards regiments that came to the Senate, where the fate of the succession to the throne was decided. The noble boyars had no choice but to recognize the power of the wife of the deceased emperor over themselves.
So, with the support of the guards bayonets, behind which stood A. Menshikov, Catherine I Romanova ascended the Russian throne. But she reigned formally. He had real power Supreme Privy Council led by Field Marshal A Menshikov. It began to function in February 1726.
In addition to the field marshal, the council included counts Apraksin, Golovkin, Tolstoy, Prince Golitsyn, Baron Osterman. Of all the members, only Golitsyn belonged to the noble nobles. The son-in-law of the Empress Duke of Holstein Karl-Friedrich was also included in this authority.
Portrait of A. Menshikov (unknown artist)
In this state of affairs, the role of the Senate fell. All important matters were decided in the Supreme Council, and the empress only signed the papers. She devoted almost all her time to balls, festivities, fireworks, which followed in a continuous series at her court.
In the meantime, in the country because of crop failure jumped the price of bread. Discontent began to grow among the people. The activities of the new rulers were limited only to minor issues. At the same time, embezzlement of public funds, corruption, abuse, and arbitrariness flourished. No serious steps were taken to improve the situation in the country.
The only positive thing they did was to open the Academy of Sciences and organize the expedition of V. Bering. In foreign policy, the Treaty of Vienna was concluded with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI in 1726. He laid the foundation for the Russian-Austrian military-political alliance.
Death of the Empress
The reign of Catherine I Romanova lasted only 2 years. The woman's health was weak, and the wild life weakened him even more. In early April 1727, the empress fell seriously ill. She began to suffer from cough and fever. The woman grew weaker every day and died on May 6, 1727 at the age of 43. It is assumed that she died from abscess pneumonia.
According to legend, a few days before her death, the Empress had a dream that she was flying to a cloud on which Peter was standing. And on the ground, a hostile crowd surrounds her daughters Anna and Elizabeth. But their mother can no longer help them.
Thus ended the reign of another representative of the Romanov dynasty. But this ruler did not show herself. She only managed to achieve tremendous personal success, but he did not bring any benefit to society..
Alexey Starikov
May 6, 1727 (May 19). – Empress Catherine I died
Ekaterina I Alekseevna (nee Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya) (April 5, 1684–May 6, 1727), Empress of Russia (crowned on May 7, 1724, reigned from January 28, 1725). Second wife. The daughter of the Baltic peasant (or tradesman) Samuil Skavronsky, a Catholic. After the death of her father, she was in the service of Superintendent E. Gluck in Marienburg (Lifland). She was not distinguished by special chastity. Around 1701-1702 was given in marriage to a Swedish dragoon. During the Northern War in 1702, during the capture of Marienburg, she was taken prisoner by the Russians. At first she was the concubine of a non-commissioned officer who beat her, then Field Marshal Sheremetyev. He gave her to Menshikov's house, including doing housework. At one of the dinners in Menshikov's house around 1704, Peter I saw Marta and took her to Moscow with him.
In 1705, Marta Skavronskaya actually became the illegal "wife" of Peter I; adopted Orthodoxy and the name Catherine; her godfather was the son of Peter I, Tsarevich Alexei. In 1708 she gave birth to a daughter Anna (her son will be briefly on the Russian throne -), in 1709 - Elizabeth (future). Since 1709, she accompanied the Tsar on all campaigns and trips. According to contemporaries, Catherine had an almost magical influence on Peter I: no one else but her could curb Peter's anger, stop nervous attacks. At the same time, Catherine did not make any claims to interfere in state affairs. She was married to Peter I only in 1712, at the same time their daughters Anna and Elizabeth were legitimized. The marriage took place privately in a small chapel that belonged to Prince Menshikov.
On May 7, 1724, by the will of Peter I, the coronation of Catherine took place. For her, the first Russian imperial crown was made of gilded silver, similar to wedding crowns (2564 precious stones). This crown was placed on his wife by the Emperor himself.
However, in the same year, the relationship of the spouses was overshadowed by Catherine's long-standing betrayal. It was revealed by denunciation that since 1716 Willy Mons, her chamberlain, had become her lover; his patronage was sought by the most high-ranking persons. Bribery flourished in Catherine's circle. Mons was arrested in 1724 and his head was cut off. Peter forbade the colleges to accept orders and recommendations from the Empress, and her personal funds were seized. Relations between Catherine and Peter remained tense until his death, they no longer spoke to each other, did not dine, did not sleep together. Only once, daughter Elizabeth was able to bring father and mother together and arrange, at least outwardly, their reconciliation. Lefort wrote about this scene: “The Queen knelt before the Tsar for a long time, asking for forgiveness for all her misdeeds; the conversation lasted more than three hours, after which they had dinner together and dispersed.
Less than a month later, Peter died. All the time of his illness, Catherine was at the bedside of a dying man. Although she was proclaimed Empress under her husband the Emperor, she still did not have legal rights to the Russian throne. Going on the Persian campaign, Peter wanted to declare her his heiress, but after the Mons affair he tore up the will. If then the opponents of the Petrine reforms, who advocated the young Peter, the son of the executed Tsarevich Alexei, had taken the upper hand, then people like Menshikov would have lost everything, and therefore they helped the nomination of Catherine, having secured her promises.
Immediately after the death of Peter in the morning, senators, members of the Synod and the so-called generals gathered in the palace - officials belonging to the four first classes. They began to argue about the succession to the throne. Under the pressure of the majority and the demonstrative behavior of the guards, Catherine was elevated to the throne. However, she was not a full-fledged Empress and ruled jointly with the Supreme Privy Council headed by Menshikov. It's a good time for abuse...
From 1704 to 1723 Catherine gave birth to eleven children from Peter I, most of whom died at an early age. In 1725, Catherine married her daughter Anna to Friedrich Karl, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp. Their son will be destined to become in time.
In April 1727, Catherine fell ill and before her death left a will on the transfer of the throne to the grandson of Peter I - (Catherine was signed by her daughter Elizabeth, the Empress herself was illiterate). Until the tsarevich came of age, Menshikov was appointed regent. In fact, Peter II Alekseevich was supposed to inherit the throne immediately after Peter I as his direct and only descendant in the male line. Catherine I (Marta Samuilovna), an illiterate foreign commoner on the Russian throne, was an illegal arbitrary decision of the then oligarchy and a consequence of personal Peter's sins. Little positive can be said about the reign of Catherine I, and to retell all the intrigues, etc. we won't.
The Russian Empress Catherine I was born on April 5 (15), 1684 in Livonia, probably in Dorpat (now Tartu in Estonia). Much in the history of the young Catherine remains unclear, her origin is not exactly known. Some historians claim that Catherine is a Swede, the daughter of a Swedish quartermaster, others are sure that she was born in the family of a Latvian (or Lithuanian) peasant Samuil Skavronsky and was named Martha during baptism according to the Catholic rite. There is also a version that her mother belonged to the Livonian nobleman von Alvendahl, who made her his mistress. The girl seemed to be the fruit of this connection. For sure, we can only say that Martha was not born into a noble family and belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. Having lost her parents at the age of 3, she found shelter with her aunt Veselovskaya, who lived in Kreutzburg, from whom, at the age of 12, she entered the service of the Marienburg superintendent Gluck and grew up with his children. There Martha converted to Lutheranism. A Protestant theologian and learned linguist, Gluck raised her in the rules of the Lutheran faith, but he never learned to read and write.
She spent her childhood in Marienburg (now the city of Aluksne in Latvia). She did not receive any education and in the pastor's house she was in the miserable role of a pupil, a girl in the kitchen and laundry. The girl grew up in this house that sheltered her and tried to be useful, helped in the household and looked after the children. It is also probable that the pastor's boarders enjoyed her favor. From one of them, the Lithuanian nobleman Tizenhausen, Marta even gave birth to a daughter who died a few months later. Shortly before the siege of Marienburg, pastor Gluck decided to put an end to her debauchery by marrying off his 18-year-old pupil. But her husband or fiance - it is not known exactly - the Swedish dragoon Johann Kruse, disappeared after the capture of the city by the Russians in 1702. This happened either before or immediately after marriage.
On August 25, 1702, during the Northern War, the Russian troops of Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev besieged the Marienburg fortress. The commandant, seeing the senselessness of the defense, signed an agreement on the surrender of the fortress: the Russians occupied the fortifications, and the inhabitants were free to leave the city and go to Riga, the capital of Swedish Livonia. But at that moment one of the officers of the garrison... blew up the powder magazine. Seeing that the stones were falling on the heads of his soldiers, Sheremetev broke the contract, the city was given over to be plundered. Soldiers seized prisoners, robbed property... Marta Skavronskaya, the future Empress Catherine I, was among the prisoners... If anyone had prevented the insane act of a Swedish officer, the fortress would not have been blown up, the inhabitants would have left Marienburg, among them would be Marta... And how would Russian history go?
The soldier who grabbed the 18-year-old Martha sold her to a non-commissioned officer who often beat her. In the convoy of Russian soldiers, she was seen by the commander of the troops B.P. Sheremetev; the non-commissioned officer had to "give" her to the 50-year-old field marshal, who made her a concubine and a laundress. Then General Bour fell in love with Martha, but from Sheremetev she did not get Bour, but the influential favorite of Peter I, Prince Alexander Menshikov. It is from A.D. Menshikova Martha came to Peter I.
The tsar noticed Marta on one of his visits to Menshikov and was immediately captivated by her, although according to modern ideas she was not a beauty, her facial features are incorrect. But in her full cheeks, her upturned nose, in her velvety, sometimes languid, sometimes burning eyes, in her scarlet lips and round chin, there was so much burning passion, in her magnificent bust there was so much grace of forms, that it is not surprising to understand how Peter completely surrendered to this heartfelt feeling. . Most likely, Peter was attracted by her brisk movements and witty answers to his questions. Martha became one of the tsar's mistresses, whom Peter took with him everywhere. The people and soldiers expressed dissatisfaction with the connection of the king with the unknown beauty. "Inconveniently said" rumors rolled around Moscow. “She and Prince Menshikov circled his Majesty with a root,” the old soldiers said, “so quickly she stood out from other women, so much she fell in love with her, a simple laundress-tailor, the king. This happened no later than 1703, because already in 1704 Marta was pregnant by Peter, and in March 1705 she had two sons - Peter and Pavel. However, this did not lead to any change in Martha's life at first. For a long time she continued to live in the Menshikov house in St. Petersburg with her sisters Varvara and Daria Arseniev and Anisya Tolstaya. All of them were something like a common harem of Peter and his favorite. Soon, in 1705, Peter placed her in the village of Preobrazhensky near Moscow among the court maidens of Princess Natalia, where she again changed her faith, converted to Orthodoxy, and was named Ekaterina Alekseevna Vasilevskaya, since her godfather was the prince. On December 28, 1706, the new relationship of the sovereign was consolidated by the birth of his daughter.
Gradually, the relationship between Peter and Catherine became closer and closer. Knowing how to easily adapt to all kinds of circumstances, Catherine acquired an enormous influence on Peter, having studied his character and habits and becoming necessary for him both in joy and in sorrow. Prior to that, the personal life of the tsar was developing poorly, his marriage with Evdokia Lopukhina, an old Moscow woman, and besides, stubborn and proud, turned out to be unsuccessful. The romance between the tsar and the German woman Anna Mons also ended dramatically - the blond resident of the Moscow German settlement did not love Peter, did not want to be a queen, but only dreamed of a quiet life as a wealthy lady. Therefore, she betrayed Peter, and the king rejected her forever. It was then that Marta appeared, who, with her kindness, disinterested humility, eventually won the heart of the king. She imperceptibly became irreplaceable for the sovereign. Peter began to miss her - this can already be seen in his letters of 1708.
The king had many mistresses, whom he discussed with her, she did not reproach him, put up with his outbursts of anger, knew how to help during epileptic attacks, shared with him the difficulties of camp life, becoming in fact the wife of the king. It is known that sometimes the tsar had terrible convulsions and then everyone ran after Catherine. Her voice captivated the king. He lay down on her knees, she quietly said something to him, Peter fell asleep and after 3-4 hours he was completely healthy, cheerful and calm. He loved her at first as a simple favorite, but then he fell in love with her as a woman who subtly mastered his character. The very great influence that Catherine had on her husband depended, according to contemporaries, partly on her ability to calm him down in moments of anger. At that moment, everyone hid from the king in horror. Only Catherine approached him without fear, and her very voice already had a calming effect on him. She alone mastered the art of calming her quick-tempered husband. She did not try to take direct part in solving political issues. Since 1709, Catherine no longer left the tsar, accompanying Peter on all campaigns and trips. In the Prut campaign of 1711, when the Russian troops were surrounded, she saved her husband and the army by giving the Turkish vizier her jewels and persuading him to sign a truce. Peter never forgot about this service of hers.
On the eve of the campaign against the Turks in the spring of 1711, Peter announced his engagement to Catherine, and upon his return, on February 19, 1712, a modest wedding was played in St. Petersburg by Admiral Peter Mikhailov (the tsar's naval pseudonym). At the same time, everyone knew that it was not a clownish wedding - Catherine became a real queen. At the same time, their daughters were legalized - Anna (later the wife of the Duke of Holstein) and Elizabeth (future Empress Elizabeth Petrovna). Both of their daughters, then aged 3 and 5, performed the duties of ladies-in-waiting at the wedding and received the official status of princesses. The marriage was almost secret, performed in a small chapel that belonged to Prince Menshikov.
From that time on, Catherine acquired a court, received foreign ambassadors, and met with European monarchs. Her descriptions, left by foreigners, said that she "does not know how to dress," her "low birth is conspicuous, and her court ladies are ridiculous." But the clumsy wife of the reformer tsar was not inferior in willpower and endurance to her husband: from 1704 to 1723 she bore him 11 children, most of whom died in infancy, but frequent pregnancies passed almost imperceptibly for her and did not interfere with accompanying her husband on his wanderings. She was a real "camping officer's wife", able to sleep on a hard bed, live in a tent and make long transitions on horseback. During the Persian campaign of 1722-1723, she shaved her head and wore a grenadier cap. Together with her husband, she reviewed the troops, rode through the ranks before the battle, encouraging the soldiers with words and giving them a glass of vodka. The bullets that whistled over her head hardly bothered her. In her character, tender femininity was combined with purely masculine energy. In 1714, in memory of the Prut campaign, the tsar established the Order of St. Catherine and awarded his wife on her name day.
The magical transformation did not change the character of the Livonian Cinderella - she remained the same sweet, modest, unpretentious fighting friend of the king. Catherine was distinguished by a cheerful, even, affectionate character; she did not have grace, beauty, a special mind, but she had the charm of Hera - the goddess of home comfort and warmth. Not only deprived of any education, but even illiterate, she was so able to show her husband grief to his grief, joy to his joy, and general interest in his needs and concerns, that Peter constantly found that his wife was smart, and gladly shared with her political news, reflections on current and future events. Peter was crazy about Katerinushka, his "friend of the heart": she became the mother of his beloved children, the keeper of the hearth, which the tsar had never had before. The letters of the spouses that have come down to us have preserved intimacy and warmth, a deep mutual feeling that has connected them for more than 20 years. Hints and jokes, understandable only to them, touching worries about health, constant melancholy and boredom without a loved one: "No matter how I go out," SHE writes about the Summer Garden, "I often regret that I am not walking with you." “And what do you write,” HE answers, “that it’s boring to walk alone, although the garden is good, I believe that, because the same news is behind me - just pray to God that this summer will already be the last in separation, and henceforth to be together” . And SHE picks up: "Only we pray to God, give us, so that this summer is the last to be in such separation."
A stern despot, a man with an iron character, who calmly looked at the torture of his own son, Peter in his relationship with Catherine was unrecognizable: he sent letter after letter to her, one more tender than the other, and each full of love and care. Peter missed her. "I miss you much," he wrote to her from Vilna; but because "there is no one to sew and wash ..." "For God's sake, come soon," the sovereign invited the "womb" to St. Petersburg on the day of his own arrival. that I don’t hear, I don’t see you ... ”Invitations to come“ soon, so as not to be bored, ”regrets about separation, wishes for good health and a quick meeting were full of almost every letter of the 42-year-old tsar.
Catherine placed all monetary gifts from her husband and other persons in an Amsterdam bank - and this was also different from the wives of the kings before her. She tried to restrain all kinds of excesses that Peter indulged in: nightly orgies and drunkenness. At the same time, Catherine did not make any claims to interfere in state affairs, did not start any intrigues. The only role she has taken upon herself in recent years is to intercede for those on whom the tsar, formidable and quick to punish, brought down his wrath.
On December 23, 1721, the Senate and the Synod recognized her as empress. For her coronation on May 7, 1724, a crown was made that surpassed the crown of the king in splendor, Peter himself laid it on the head of his wife, yesterday's Baltic washerwoman. The coronation took place in Moscow in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin. A few days after that, they gave water and treats to the people, and then for a long time there were holidays, masquerades, and feasts at the court. Until now, none of the Russian queens, except for Marina Mniszek, has received such an honor.
It is believed that Peter was going to officially proclaim her his successor, but did not do this when he learned about his wife's betrayal with chamberlain Willy Mons. Peter was much older than Catherine, he spent the last years in an unceasing struggle with the disease, while his wife retained the health and hot blood of youth. As her friend aged, Catherine apparently moved away from him. Since 1716, Willy Mons, a dexterous, cheerful and helpful person, has become the closest person to the queen. His sister Modesta Balk became the Empress' closest confidante. The success of the young Mons was no secret to anyone in St. Petersburg. His friendship and patronage were sought by dignitaries, ministers, envoys and bishops. Only Peter did not suspect anything about his wife's affair, perhaps because he could not even imagine betrayal on her part. He learned about the opponent almost by accident from an anonymous denunciation that did not even directly concern Mons. But, taking up the search, Peter very soon found out the whole ins and outs of the case. When Mons was arrested, Petersburg society was as if struck by thunder; many now expected imminent punishment. But the fears were in vain, the emperor limited himself to Mons. Peter was furious. Mons was charged with bribery, and on November 16, 1724, on Trinity Square, at 10 am, Willim Mons was beheaded. Catherine was very cheerful that day. On the evening of the day of the execution of her favorite, Peter rolled the queen in a carriage past the pillar on which the head of Mons was planted. The empress, lowering her eyes, said: "How sad that the courtiers have so many corruptions."
Relations between Peter and Catherine became strained. Peter forbade the boards to accept orders and recommendations from the empress, and a "questor" was imposed on her personal funds. Catherine suddenly found herself in such a cramped position that she had to resort to the help of court ladies to pay her debts. According to Y. Lefort, they no longer spoke to each other, did not dine, did not sleep together. However, Peter did not make any direct reproaches or accusations to his wife of treason. If there were any explanations between them about this, they passed completely unnoticed by the courtiers. At the beginning of January 1725, their daughter Elizabeth was able to bring her father and mother together and arrange, at least outwardly, their reconciliation. "The queen knelt before the king for a long time, asking for forgiveness for all her misdeeds; the conversation lasted more than three hours, after which they had dinner together and dispersed" (J. Lefort).
The betrayal of the “friend of the heart” painfully hit Peter - the tsar had no more hope for the future: he did not know to whom now to transfer his great CASE so that it would not become the property of any rogue who jumped into Catherine’s bed. Soon Peter fell ill. All the time of his illness, Catherine was at the bedside of the dying man and, it seems, only then was she able to finally reconcile with him. Meanwhile, she did not forget about herself. Her position was very uncertain, since she had no legal rights to the Russian throne. Fortunately for Catherine, the fate of the entire new aristocracy was also in danger. If the opponents of the reforms, who advocated the young Peter, the son of the executed, took the upper hand, then people like A.D. Menshikov, P.I. Yaguzhinsky, A.V. Makarov, A.I. Osterman had to lose everything. P.A. Tolstoy and Count Apraksin, due to their involvement in the execution of Alexei, also stuck to this party. Thus, the most influential people from Peter's entourage were forced to help Catherine. Catherine managed to take their advice. During the day preceding the death of her husband, she often left the head of the dying man and locked herself in her office. All the majors and captains of the guard visited here in turn, and then the commander of the Semenovsky regiment I.I. Buturlin. The Empress promised them an immediate payment of their salaries, which had been delayed for 18 months, and a reward of 30 rubles for each soldier. However, no special reward was required - the guards loved the dying emperor and were ready to act in the interests of his wife.
At 5 am on January 28, 1725, without appointing a successor, Peter the Great died. And at 8 o'clock, senators, members of the Synod and the so-called generals - officials belonging to the first four classes of the table of ranks - gathered to resolve the issue of succession to the throne. According to the established order of succession, the throne after Peter was supposed to pass to his son from his first marriage, Tsarevich Alexei. However, Peter executed his son because he was among the opponents of his reforms. In addition, Peter did not love Alexei, the son of his wife Evdokia, who had been rejected by him, and wanted to leave the throne to Catherine's offspring. When Catherine bore him a son, Pyotr Petrovich, he began to pursue Alexei even more persistently. Catherine also dreamed of leaving the throne after Peter I for her children. But Pyotr Petrovich died before reaching the age of five. There was still a young grandson, Peter Alekseevich, the son of the executed prince. The daughter from her second marriage, Elizabeth, could also claim the throne after her older sister, Anna, renounced her rights to the Russian throne upon marriage. Among the heirs were also Peter's nieces, daughters of Ivan V. The second wife of the emperor, Catherine, had no grounds for inheriting the throne.
Princes Repnin, Golitsyn, Dolgorukov defended the rights to the throne of the grandson of Peter I as the direct male heir. Menshikov, Tolstoy and Apraksin stood for the proclamation of Catherine Alekseevna as the ruling empress. Before dawn, it is not known how in the hall where the meeting was held, there were guards officers who demanded the accession of Catherine as an ultimatum, and on the square in front of the palace two guards regiments were lined up under arms, expressing support for the empress by drumming. This forced the dispute to end. Catherine was recognized as empress. The grandson of Peter I by his first marriage, the son of Tsarevich Alexei, Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich, was declared the heir to the throne. So, through the efforts of A.D. Menshikov, I.I. Buturlina, P.I. Yaguzhinsky, relying on the guards, by virtue of the acts of 1722 and 1724, she was enthroned under the name of Catherine I. So for the first time a woman sat on the Russian throne, and even a foreigner of simple origin who had come from nowhere, who became the wife of the tsar on very dubious legal grounds.
By agreement with Menshikov, Catherine was not involved in state affairs. Since she herself did not have the abilities and knowledge of a statesman, on February 8, 1726, she transferred control of the country to the Supreme Privy Council (1726-1730) of six persons, headed by A.D. Menshikov. The new empress, without looking, signed decrees. Before accession to the throne, she could neither read nor write, three months later she learned to sign papers. This, in fact, limited her state activity. Her thoughts and desires were far from state affairs. And only when it came to the fleet, Catherine brightened up: her husband's love for the sea touched her too. For the first time she was free, but nothing but fun and entertainment, she did not care. She desperately wasted her last health and time, surrounded by young friends and old jesters. Catherine indulged in revelry all night long with her chosen ones, who changed every night: Yaguzhinsky, Levenvold, Devier, Count Sapega ... All Catherine's friends and confidantes, all her ladies tried to keep up with their ruler. Thus, the Russian court was a picture of the most obvious, undisguised debauchery.
According to the Saxon Freksdorf, the morning of the Empress began with a visit by Menshikov. The conversation was invariably preceded by the question: "What would we like to drink?" Immediately emptied several glasses of vodka. Then she went out to the reception room, where soldiers, sailors and artisans were constantly crowded, she distributed alms to all of them, and if anyone asked the queen to be the foster mother of his child, she never refused and usually gave each of her godson a few chervonets. Sometimes she was present at the guards' exercises and herself distributed vodka to the soldiers. The day ended with a party in the circle of a constant company, and the queen spent the night with one of her lovers. Lefort wrote in one of his dispatches: “There is no way to determine the behavior of this court. Day turns into night, everything stands still, nothing is done ... Everywhere there are intrigues, searching, decay ...” Holidays, drinking parties, walks occupied all her time. On solemn days, she appeared in all her splendor and beauty, in a golden carriage. It was so breathtakingly beautiful. Power, glory, the delight of loyal subjects - what else could she dream of? But... sometimes the Empress, having enjoyed her glory, would go down to the kitchen and, as it is written in the court journal, "we cooked in the kitchen ourselves."
Among the most significant events of this time, carried out in accordance with the plans of Peter I, were the opening of the Academy of Sciences on November 19, 1725, the dispatch of an expedition by Vitus Bering to Kamchatka to decide whether Asia is connected to North America by an isthmus; improvement of diplomatic relations with Austria, the establishment of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. There were almost no deviations from Peter's traditions in foreign policy. Catherine demanded from Denmark the return of Schleswig to her son-in-law the Duke of Holstein, and when the demand was rejected, she entered into an alliance with Austria, and Russia was almost drawn into the war. From Persia and Turkey, Russia obtained confirmation of the concessions made under Peter in the Caucasus, and acquired the Shirvan region. Friendly relations were established with China through Count Raguzinsky. Russia also acquired exceptional influence in Courland, preventing Moritz of Saxony from taking the throne in it.
Catherine I Alekseevna reigned prosperously and even cheerfully, not engaging in affairs in which she was poorly versed. She sat up at feasts among close people, launched a department in which "everyone thinks only about how to steal." She ruled for a short time. Balls, festivities, feasts and revels, which followed a continuous succession, undermined her health. In March 1727, a tumor appeared on the Empress's legs, which quickly grew along her thighs. In April, she fell ill, Catherine's health was weakening hour by hour. The medical doctor Blumentrost wrote about the illness of the Empress: “Her Imperial Majesty fell into a fever on the 10th of April, then the cough, which she had previously had, only not very great, began to multiply, and the febra (fever) also happened to be more powerless began to come, and the sign announced that there should have been some damage to the lung, and the opinion gave that there was a fomica (abscess) in the lung, which, four days before Her Majesty's death, clearly turned out to be, after a great cough, direct pus, in in a great multitude, Her Majesty began to spit out that before Her Majesty the death did not stop, and from that fomiki, on the 6th day of May, she passed away with great peace.
They say that shortly before her death, she dreamed that the shadow of Peter appeared at the table where she was feasting with her friends. He beckoned her to follow him, and they flew away together under the clouds... one of his servants drowned in a drunken affair, "to water flower beds in the next world." She wanted to transfer the throne to her daughter, Elizabeth Petrovna, but before her death, at the insistence of Menshikov, she signed a will on the transfer of the throne to the grandson of Peter I, Peter II Alekseevich, who was represented by representatives of the clan nobility. As soon as she died, Prince Menshikov set guard at all the entrances of the palace, and the next day, in the morning, he announced the will of the Empress. At the very beginning of her will, she declared the aforementioned prince, the grandson of her husband, her sole heir. All who were in the congregation, having heard this, immediately shouted "Hurrah!" His aunt, the Duchess of Holstein, was the first to fall at his feet, and after her all the others, and immediately swore allegiance. A new emperor, Peter II, ascended the Russian throne at the age of eleven and a half. Soon he was betrothed to the daughter of the Most Serene Prince Menshikov, Maria. The daughters of Peter I Anna and Elizabeth were declared regents under the young emperor until his 16th birthday. In September 1727, as a result of court intrigues, princes Dolgorukovs, close to Peter I, accused Menshikov of seeking to usurp power and succeeded in exiling him to Siberia, to the town of Berezov, where the once all-powerful favorite of Peter I died. In the same place, the bride of Peter II, the daughter of Menshikov, Princess Maria, died at the age of 18. Peter II declared himself an opponent of the reforms of Peter I and liquidated the institutions created by his grandfather. All fullness of power passed to the Supreme Privy Council. Foreign ambassadors wrote that "everything in Russia is in a terrible mess." In January 1730, Emperor Peter II fell ill with smallpox and died soon after. With the death of Peter II, the Romanov family came to an end in the male line.
Catherine was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral. In the still unfinished cathedral, a tightly sealed coffin with the body of the empress was placed on a hearse under a canopy upholstered in gold fabric, next to the coffins of Peter I and his daughter Natalia Petrovna, who died back in 1825. All three coffins were interred at the same time - at 11 am on May 29, 1731. This happened in the absence of Anna Ioannovna (who was in Moscow on the occasion of the coronation) with "a specially established ceremony in the presence of gentlemen from the generals, the admiralty and many college officials." The place of the burial day of Empress Catherine I was determined in the southern nave of the cathedral, in front of the iconostasis, next to her great father. During the burial, fifty-one cannon shots were fired.
The second wife of Peter I and the first Russian Empress Catherine I Alekseevna (who ruled the country from January 28, 1725 to May 6, 1727) was not among the prominent statesmen; she reigned but did not rule. Nevertheless, Catherine, of course, can be called an outstanding personality. Former "portomoy", she became the wife of Tsar Peter I, and after his death she was elevated to the Russian throne. Her reign lasted only 27 months, however, the real rulers were Menshikov and other temporary workers. The common people loved the empress because she sympathized with the unfortunate and willingly helped them. This, at first glance, clumsy woman of little seductive appearance was not inferior to Peter himself in willpower and endurance, and morally was much more balanced than him. The activities of the Catherine's government were limited to trifles. The state of state affairs was deplorable, embezzlement of public funds, arbitrariness and abuse flourished everywhere. In the last year of her life, she spent more than six million rubles on her whims, while there was no money in the state treasury. There was no talk of any reforms or transformations. 
The Russian Empress Catherine I Alekseevna (nee Marta Skavronskaya) was born on April 15 (5 according to the old style) in Livonia (now the territory of northern Latvia and southern Estonia). According to some sources, she was the daughter of a Latvian peasant Samuil Skavronsky, according to others, a Swedish quartermaster named Rabe.
Martha did not receive an education. Her youth was spent in the house of pastor Gluck in Marienburg (now the city of Aluksne in Latvia), where she was both a washerwoman and a cook. According to some sources, for a short time Marta was married to a Swedish dragoon.
In 1702, after the capture of Marienburg by Russian troops, she became a war trophy and ended up first in the convoy of Field Marshal Boris Sheremetev, and then with the favorite and associate of Peter I Alexander Menshikov.
Around 1703, a young woman was noticed by Peter I and became one of his mistresses. Soon Martha was baptized according to the Orthodox rite under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna. Over the years, Catherine acquired a very great influence on the Russian monarch, which, according to contemporaries, partly depended on her ability to calm him down in moments of anger. She did not try to take direct part in solving political issues. Since 1709, Catherine no longer left the tsar, accompanying Peter on all campaigns and trips. According to legend, she saved Peter I during the Prut campaign (1711), when Russian troops were surrounded. Catherine handed over all her jewels to the Turkish vizier, persuading him to sign a truce.
Upon his return to St. Petersburg on February 19, 1712, Peter married Catherine, and their daughters Anna (1708) and Elizabeth (1709) received the official status of princesses. In 1714, in memory of the Prut campaign, the tsar established the Order of St. Catherine, which he awarded his wife on her name day.
In May 1724, Peter I crowned Catherine as Empress for the first time in Russian history.
After the death of Peter I in 1725, through the efforts of Menshikov and with the support of the guards and the St. Petersburg garrison, Catherine I was enthroned.
In February 1726, the Supreme Privy Council (1726-1730) was created under the Empress, which included Princes Alexander Menshikov and Dmitry Golitsyn, Counts Fyodor Apraksin, Gavriil Golovkin, Pyotr Tolstoy, and Baron Andrei (Heinrich Johann Friedrich) Osterman. The Council was created as an advisory body, but in fact it ruled the country and resolved the most important state issues.
During the reign of Catherine I, on November 19, 1725, the Academy of Sciences was opened, an expedition of the Russian fleet officer Vitus Bering was equipped and sent to Kamchatka, the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky.
There were almost no deviations from Peter's traditions in foreign policy. Russia improved diplomatic relations with Austria, obtained confirmation from Persia and Turkey of the concessions made under Peter in the Caucasus, and acquired the Shirvan region. Friendly relations were established with China through Count Raguzinsky. Russia also gained exceptional influence in Courland.
Having become an autocratic empress, Catherine discovered a craving for entertainment and spent a lot of time at feasts, balls, and various holidays, which adversely affected her health. In March 1727, a tumor appeared on the Empress's legs, which grew rapidly, and in April she fell ill.
Before her death, at the insistence of Menshikov, Catherine signed a will, according to which the throne was to go to Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich, the grandson of Peter, the son of Alexei Petrovich, and in the event of his death, to her daughters or their descendants.
On May 17 (6 old style) May 1727, Empress Catherine I died at the age of 43 and was buried in the tomb of Russian emperors in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
