Biography about Paul 1. Emperor Paul I
There is a historical anecdote. Alexander III instructed Chief Prosecutor Pobedonostsev to clarify who is the father of Paul I: Catherine II's lover Sergei Saltykov or her legal husband Peter III. The dignitary first informed the emperor that the rumors about Saltykov's paternity were confirmed, to which he replied: "Thank God, we are Russians!" However, Pobedonostsev later found evidence in favor of Peter III. To this, Alexander III no less joyfully declared: "Thank God, we are legal!"
Save Russia!
The aging Elizaveta Petrovna realized more and more that by choosing Peter III (the grandson of Peter the Great) as the heir to the throne, she made a mistake. The offspring of the Holstein-Gottorp dynasty was stubbornly not interested in state affairs, moreover, he worshiped the Prussians, lounged around and drank deeply.
Elizabeth's only hope was to await the birth of a son from the crowned couple in order to formally remove Peter from power. But that's the whole problem. After the marriage of Peter and Catherine, 8 years have passed, but there was still no heir.
Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin understood perfectly well that this could be expected until the end of the century and therefore reported to the empress: Peter does not sleep with Catherine, and therefore one should not count on a child. Elizabeth allegedly reacted to this: "Save Russia, save the state, save everything, figure out what to do - act as you see fit."
The cunning chancellor came up with a way out. He offered to bring the handsome chamberlain Sergei Saltykov closer to Catherine, languishing alone, Sergei Saltykov, and ordered that his half-witted husband be moved to the far part of the palace. To finally separate Catherine and Peter into different bedrooms, Elizabeth presented him with the Lyubertsy estate near Moscow.
“Sergey Saltykov made me understand what was the reason for his frequent visits,” Ekaterina recalled. - I continued to listen to him, he was as beautiful as day, and, of course, no one could compare with him at court. He was 25 years old, in general by birth, and in many other qualities he was an outstanding cavalier. I didn't give in all spring and part of summer. "
Further, Catherine describes in detail all the stages of her novel up to the rapprochement with Saltykov in the summer of 1752. In December of this year, she had a pregnancy, which ended in a miscarriage on the way to Moscow, a new pregnancy and miscarriage befell her already in May 1753. Later, the relationship between the lovers went wrong, and in April 1754 Saltykov was removed from the court. And in September 1754, the long-awaited firstborn was born to the Grand Duchess.
Compromising evidence
Catherine's notes, albeit indirectly, still hint that Peter III has nothing to do with Paul. Emperor Alexander II was so impressed by the revelations of his great-grandmother that he tried to shed light on the difficult question of his ancestry in conversations with old courtiers.
Rumors that Paul was Catherine's illegitimate son was largely fueled by the fact that the heir appeared only in the 10th year of a fruitless union. In addition, Catherine in her diary hinted that her husband suffered from phimosis before the surgery, which could seriously interfere with intimate contacts between spouses.
Peter was more interested not in the charms of young Catherine, but in military maneuvers. He was also not indifferent to the weaker sex, but he gave preference to stupid plain girls. As a fact, until the summer of 1752, Catherine was still an involuntary virgin.
On Easter 1752, the maid of honor Choglokova introduced the Grand Duchess two handsome men - Sergei Saltykov and Lev Naryshkin. Both began to vigorously court the still impregnable princess. Choglokova, in order to somehow stir up Catherine, noticed that marital infidelity, of course, is a condemned thing, but there are "situations of a higher order, for which an exception should be made." And Catherine made her choice.
Another document, in addition to Catherine's memoirs, the text of the report of Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin to Empress Elizabeth may also indicate that the mission entrusted to Saltykov was fulfilled. It contains the following lines:
“What was drawn by Your Majesty's wise considerations took a good and desirable beginning - the presence of the executor of Your Majesty's highest will is now not only unnecessary here, but even to achieve perfect fulfillment and treasure for eternal times of mystery would be harmful. With respect for these considerations, please, most merciful Empress, to order Chamberlain Saltykov to be Your Majesty's ambassador to Stockholm under the King of Sweden.
In simple terms, it sounds like this: "the Moor has done his job, the Moor can leave." At that time, the honorary exile was awarded to a person who did his job well in the interests of the state.
The version about the paternity of Sergei Saltykov was supported by the Soviet historian Nikolai Pavlenko, who in particular wrote: “Some courtiers who watched the family life of the grand ducal couple whispered that the baby should be called not Petrovich, but Sergeevich by his father. It probably was. "
Chukhonskaya version
Over time, the hype with the story of the birth of Paul I went away, but the mystery was never resolved. New rumors arose. One of them was disseminated by the writer Alexander Herzen in 1861 during his "London sitting". In the 20th century, it was revived by the writer Nathan Eidelman, who published the historical essay "Reverse Providence" in the Novy Mir magazine.
According to this version, the third child, whom Catherine conceived from Saltykov, was born dead. And then the desperate Elizabeth ordered to urgently replace the baby. A living child was found nearby, in the village of Kotly, in a Chukhon family.
So that Catherine did not suspect the substitution, the empress did not allow her to look at her son for more than a month. Exhausted by childbirth, the Grand Duchess was left to fend for herself, leaving without proper care. According to Herzen, "the empty and wicked Empress Elizabeth" wanted the woman in labor to die.
No matter how fantastic this story looks, it had witnesses. At that time, Karl Tiesenhausen's estate was located near the village of Kotly. The young aristocrat perfectly remembered that in one night the village was wiped off the face of the earth, and its inhabitants were loaded onto carts and taken to Kamchatka.
In the early 1820s, an event occurred that can also confirm the Chukhon legend. A certain Afanasy arrived in St. Petersburg from Kamchatka, who declared himself the brother of the late Paul I. The too talkative old man, of course, was sent to the Peter and Paul Fortress.
However, a member of the State Duma Dmitry Lanskoy told his nephew, the writer Alexander Odoevsky, that Emperor Alexander Pavlovich secretly visited an old man who looked like his late father at night, talked to him for a long time about something and sighed often.
Doubts remain
Many researchers, including Sergei Aldanov, are sure that Catherine, in her notes, deliberately created the feeling that Paul's father was not her husband. Not everyone trusts Catherine's work. Thus, the historian Yakov Barskov wrote: "Lying was the tsarina's main tool: all her life from early childhood to deep old age, she used this tool, wielded it like a virtuoso."
According to historians, Catherine had to justify her seizure of power in various ways. After her husband's overthrow, she composed so many stories about him and their relationship that it is extremely difficult to separate the truth from the fiction. Catherine benefited from her son's bad reputation as a direct competitor in the struggle for the throne. And feeding rumors about his illegitimacy in this sense was a powerful weapon.
Alexander Mylnikov, the author of a book about Peter III, notes that Catherine was afraid of potential supporters of Paul, who could demand the throne for a ruler with royal blood in exchange for a foreign woman who had usurped power and had no right to it. The historian has no doubt that Catherine knew perfectly well who Paul's real father was, which is why she behaved with him very formally and coldly.
Peter III himself certainly considered Paul to be his son. If he so confidently stated this, then there was still an intimate relationship between him and Catherine. Melnikov in his book compares the notification of the birth of a son sent by Peter to Frederick II with a similar notification of the birth of Anna's daughter, who was from Catherine's next lover, Stanislav Ponyatovsky. There is a huge difference between them.
Paul himself has repeatedly heard gossip about his origin, and this left an indelible imprint on his personality. Chulkov in his book "Emperors: Psychological Portraits" wrote: "He himself was convinced that Peter III was really his father."
It is enough to compare the portraits of Peter III and Sergei Saltykov to understand who Paul is more like. Many of Pavel's contemporaries argue that Ekaterina and Saltykov, "both beautiful as day," could not give birth to such an ugly offspring, whom Admiral Chichagov called "a snub-nosed Chukhon with the movements of a machine gun."
There is one more thing. As can be seen from the date of birth (September 20), Paul was most likely the fruit of the New Year holidays. And, as you know, the spouses celebrated them together. However, the final verdict on this painful issue could be made by a genetic examination of the remains of our courtiers. However, it is unlikely that they will do it as long as there is even the slightest suspicion that Paul I was not of Romanov blood.
Perhaps, in the life of not a single monarch there were so many sensations, only talk about which would have thrilled both contemporaries and descendants. And his very birth is a sensation ...
But it seemed that all the initial data were absolutely clear: Emperor Pavel Petrovich was the heir to the imperial couple of Peter III and Catherine II. Pavel's parents are quite legitimate monarchs. Father, Peter III, although he was discharged from a distant Holstein by his aunt Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, had the most direct relation to the Russian throne. He was the son of Prince Holstein-Gottorp and the crown princess Anna Petrovna, which means he was the grandson of Peter the Great himself. Elizaveta Petrovna, being childless, declared the son of her adored sister Annushka the legal heir, although she realized that her nephew was not strong in mind. But the active aunt took her own measures - she found an intelligent bride - Sophia-Frederica-Augusta, Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst, who took the name Ekaterina Alekseevna in Russia. And whatever the doubts about the bride's birth, the wedding took place, which means that the first-born of this couple automatically became the legal heir to the throne.
So why did the whole court whisper that the little one Pavel Petrovich, born to Catherine, was illegitimate for the throne?
Everyone knows that the personal life of the young spouses Pyotr Fedorovich and Ekaterina Alekseevna did not work out. We can say that she did not exist at all: Peter was interested not in the charms of a young wife, but in military maneuvers. In addition, the beautiful and intelligent little wife frightened the illiterate Peter, he clearly preferred completely stupid ugly girls. In a word, until the beginning of 1752, poor Catherine remained an involuntary virgin. This state of affairs led the Empress Elizabeth at first to bewilderment, then to rage. For the stability of the throne, a dynasty was needed, and the dull-witted Petrusha was not going to give Elizabeth a grandson. And then the wise ruler took her own measures - "the intrigue of creating an heir."
S. Shchukin. Portrait of Paul I. 1797On Easter 1752, the confidante of young Catherine the maid of honor Choglokova introduced her patroness to two young handsome men of the best blood - Sergei Saltykov and Lev Naryshkin. Both began to vigorously court Catherine, but she chose Saltykov. However, she did not dare to do anything except timid smiles - she feared the wrath of Empress Elizabeth. But one evening, young Catherine heard a completely tactless, in her opinion, proposal. The nosy Choglokova told the girl that adultery, of course, is a condemned thing, but there are "situations of a higher order, for which an exception should be made." In a word, Catherine was asked to immediately start "creating an heir", albeit not with her legal husband. The poor girl just gasped: "What will Mother Empress say about me?" Choglokova smiled sweetly and whispered: "She will say that you have fulfilled her will!"
This is how Catherine's rapprochement with Sergei Saltykov took place - in the interests of "high state considerations." But the child did not come easily. Twice Catherine lost her child - the first time because of the shaking in the carriage, when Elizabeth dragged her daughter-in-law with her on a journey. The second time - after stormy dances at the ball, in which it was impossible not to participate, because Elizabeth adored dancing until she fell and demanded that everyone follow her example. After these sad events, Saltykov became colder towards Catherine. Maybe he was tired of participating in "fun of the highest order", maybe he wanted to take a walk to his heart's content, but here he had to "keep faithful" to Catherine, who was not experienced in lovemaking. But perhaps something unforeseen happened: the lawful spouse Pyotr Fedorovich suddenly woke up and, slapping his lover in the face, wished to "know" his own spouse.
True, he was always drunk, but Catherine did not drive him. She, of course, understood that Empress Elizabeth dreamed of any grandson, but she herself, wise beyond her years, longed to have an heir from a legitimate husband.
How events developed further - covered with darkness. Some memoirists believe that the long-awaited baby Pavel, born on September 20, 1754, is the son of Saltykov, while others, including Catherine herself in her own Notes, argue that Pavel is really the son of her husband Peter. The surviving text of the report of the trusted chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin to the Empress Elizabeth speaks in favor of the first version, where there are also the following lines: “What Your Majesty’s wisely outlined has taken a good and desired beginning, - the presence of the executor of Your Majesty’s highest will is now not only unnecessary here, but even to attain perfect fulfillment and treasure for eternal times of the mystery would be harmful. With respect for these considerations, please, most merciful Empress, to order Chamberlain Saltykov to be Your Majesty's ambassador to Stockholm under the King of Sweden. In a word, even in those days, those "friends" who had done their job and became objectionable were sent into honorary exile. However, in favor of the second version (Pavel is the legitimate son of Pyotr Fedorovich), the thing is absolutely indisputable - the son looked like his father, and over time the similarity only intensified.
On this basis, the Chancellor's lines can be read in a different way. Saltykov was removed from the court not only so that he would not talk too much about his relationship with Catherine, but mainly because the "creation of an heir" happened in the most moral way - the husband and wife solved their problems themselves. That is why, as the chancellor put it, "[Saltykov's] presence ... is now not only unnecessary here, but even ... it would be harmful."
In a word, the heir was born, the intrigue went into the sand. But the riddle was not solved, and therefore new speculations arose. The most surprising version was published by the writer Herzen, during his "London sitting" back in 1861. According to her, the third child, whom Catherine conceived from Saltykov, was born dead. And then Elizabeth, desperate to get a grandson-heir (after all, for young Catherine this is already the third "female inability"!), Ordered to urgently replace the baby. A living child was found nearby - in the village of Kotly near Oranienbaum in a Chukhon family (that was the name of the Finns, who lived in large numbers around Petersburg). The live boy was brought to Elizabeth, and Catherine, who did not yet know about the dead child, was thrown in the cold corridor without leaving, they did not even give water to drink. Perhaps, as the article says, "the empty and wicked Empress Elizabeth" wanted the woman in labor to die. But Catherine's strong body survived, and she began to recover. Then Elizabeth went to a new trick: so that the mother did not understand that this was not her baby, the Empress did not even give Catherine even a look at her son for more than a month.
At first glance - a version worthy of an adventure novel. But, oddly enough, she had very worthy witnesses. Karl Tiesenhausen's estate was located near the village of Kotly. At the time of the incident, he was a young man, but he perfectly remembered that in one night the entire village of Kotly was wiped off the face of the earth, and all its inhabitants were loaded onto carts and taken to Kamchatka. Karl Tiesenhausen later told about this terrible incident to his son, Vasily Karlovich. Well, the word was worth it, because Vasily Tizengauzen was a brave colonel in the Russian army, later a member of the Southern Society. In 1826, together with other Decembrists, he was convicted and exiled to Siberia. It was there that the colonel wrote his memoirs, calling the truth about the heirs of the Romanovs "worse than any lie."
In the early 1820s, another event took place that confirmed the incredible Chukhon legend. A certain Athanasius came to St. Petersburg from distant Kamchatka, announcing that he was the brother of Paul I, deceased by that time, and, accordingly, the uncle of the ruling emperor Alexander I. The old man, who was chatting, was put in the Peter and Paul Fortress. But…
Dmitry Lanskoy, a member of the State Council, told his nephew, Prince Alexander Odoevsky, that a certain old man was secretly brought from Peter and Paul to the Emperor Alexander Pavlovich at night, unusually similar to the late Paul I. Alexander talks to him for a long time and often sighs.
Well, if Alexander really was the son of a “Chukhon child”, there was something to sigh about. But maybe the wise Alexander sighed because he was convinced again and again: Russia is an extraordinary country. Other states are ready to consider any famous person a "person of royal blood", and in our country they are even happy to humiliate the legitimate king to a "Chukhonts". But Alexander once asked his grandmother, Catherine the Great, who his father was, and she silently put two miniatures in front of her grandson - the husband of Peter III and the son of Paul I. The similarity was complete.
Paul 1
Pavel Petrovich was born on September 20, 1754 in the city of Petersburg, in the Summer Palace. Later, at the direction of Paul, this palace was demolished, and in that place the Mikhailovsky Castle was erected. At the birth of Paul 1, Paul's father, Prince Peter Fedorovich, the Shuvalov brothers and Empress Elizabeth Petrovna were present. After the birth of Pavel, his mother and father, in fact, due to political struggle, almost did not take part in the upbringing of their child.In his childhood, Pavel was deprived of the love of his relatives, since by order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna he was separated from his parents, and was surrounded by a large number of nannies and educators. Despite the outward resemblance between Pavel and his father, rumors constantly spread at court that the child was born from an alliance with one of his favorites, Sergei Saltykov. These rumors were aggravated by the fact that Paul was born after 10 years of joint marriage of Catherine and Peter, when many already considered their marriage to be fruitless.
Childhood and education of Paul 1
One of the first people involved in the education of Paul was the famous diplomat F.D. Bekhteev, obsessed with the observance of various regulations, orders, military discipline, bordering on drill. Bakhteev even published a newspaper in which he reported on all the actions of the boy Pavel. In 1760, grandmother Elizaveta Petrovna changed her mentor, creating new prescriptions that indicated the main parameters of the training of the future emperor; N.I. became his new mentor. Panin. The new tutor reached the age of 42, had extensive knowledge, introducing additional subjects in Paul's teaching. A significant role in the upbringing of Paul was played by his entourage, among whom were the most educated people of that time, among whom it is worth highlighting G. Teplov, Prince A. Kurakin. Pavel's mentors included S.A. Poroshin, who kept a diary from 1764 to 1765, which later became a source for studying the personality of Paul 1. To educate Paul, his mother Catherine acquired a large library in Korf. Paul studied subjects such as: arithmetic, history, geography, the Law of God, fencing, drawing, astronomy, dancing, as well as French, Italian, German, Latin and Russian. In addition to the main training program, Pavel became interested in the study of military affairs. During his studies, Pavel showed good abilities, had a developed imagination, loved books and at the same time was impatient and restless. He loved French and German, mathematics, military exercises and dances. At that time, Paul received the best education that others could only dream of.
In 1773, Pavel married Wilhelmina of Hesse of Darmstadt, who later cheated on him with Count Razumovsky, dying 2.5 years later during childbirth. In the same year, Paul 1 found himself a new wife, who became Sophia-Dorothea of \u200b\u200bWürttemberg, who later received a name after the adoption of Orthodoxy. Traditionally, at that time, the final stage of training was a trip abroad, in which Pavel and his new wife set off in 1782 under the names of the fictitious Count and Countess of the North. During the trip, Paul visited Italy, France, the journey abroad lasted 428 days, during which the future emperor covered 13,115 versts.
Relationship between Catherine 2 and Paul 1
Immediately after his birth, Pavel was resettled from his mother; later, Catherine saw her son very rarely and only with the permission of her mother Elizabeth. When Pavel was 8 years old, his mother, with the support of the guard, carried out a coup, during which, under obscure circumstances, Pavel’s father died. With the accession of Catherine 2 to the throne, the troops took an oath not only to her, but also to her son Paul. But Catherine was not going to in the future, when her son reached the age of majority, to transfer to him all the full power using him only as a possible heir to the throne after her death. During the uprising, the name of Paul was used by the rioters, Pugachev himself said that after the overthrow of the power of Catherine, he did not want to reign and was busy only in favor of Tsarevich Paul. Despite this upbringing as the heir to the throne, the older Paul became, the further he was kept from state affairs. Subsequently, the mother Empress Catherine 2 and son Paul, became strangers to each other. For Catherine, the son Pavel was an unloved child, born to please the politics and interests of the state, which irritated Catherine, who contributed to the spread of rumors that Paul was not her own child, but was replaced in the youth by the order of Elizabeth's mother. When Paul came of age, Catherine deliberately did not signify the onset of this event. In the future, people close to Paul fell into the disfavor of the empress; the aggravation of relations between mother and son occurred in 1783. Then, for the first time invited to discuss state issues, Pavel showed the opposite point of view to the empress in solving important affairs of the state. Later, before the death of Catherine 2, she prepared a manifesto, according to which Pavel was awaiting arrest, and his son Alexander was to ascend the throne. But this manifesto of the empress after her death was destroyed by the secretary A.A. Beardless, thanks to which under the new Emperor Paul 1, he received the highest rank of chancellor.
The reign of Paul 1
November 6, 1796, reaching 42 years old, Paul 1 ascended the throne, after which he began to actively destroy the order established by his mother. On the day of his coronation, Paul passed a new law, according to which women were deprived of the right to inherit the Russian throne. Subsequently, the reforms carried out by Emperor Paul 1 greatly weakened the position of the nobility, among which it is worth noting the introduction of corporal punishment for committing crimes, an increase in taxes paid, limited the power of the nobles, introduced responsibility for the evasion of nobles from military service. The reforms carried out in the reign of Paul 1 improved the situation of the peasants. Among the innovations, it is worth noting that the abolition of corvee on holidays and weekends and no more than three days a week, grain offense was canceled, preferential sales of salt and bread began, a ban was introduced on the sale of peasants without land and the division of peasant families when they were sold. The administrative reform carried out by Pavel restored the collegiums previously simplified by Catherine, a water communications department was created, a state treasury was created, and the post of state treasurer was introduced. But the bulk of the reforms carried out by Emperor Paul 1 concerned the army. During the reforms, new military charters were adopted, the service life of recruits was limited to 25 years. A new form of clothing has been introduced, among which it is worth noting the introduction of an overcoat, which saved thousands of soldiers from the cold weather of the 1812 war, for the first time in Europe breastplates for ordinary soldiers were introduced. The widespread construction of new barracks began, such new units as engineering, courier, cartographic units appeared in the army. Huge influence was given to the drill of the army, for the slightest offense of the officers it was expected to be demoted, which made the atmosphere nervous among the officers.
The assassination of Emperor Paul 1
The murder of Paul took place on the night of March 11-12 in 1801, 12 guards officers took part in the conspiracy. Bursting into the emperor's bedroom, during the conflict that arose, Emperor Paul 1 was beaten and strangled. N. Panin and P. Palen became the inspirers of the assassination attempt (they did not participate directly in the murder). The reason for the dissatisfaction of the rebels was unpredictable, especially in relation to the nobility and army officers. The official cause of Paul's death was apoplexy. Subsequently, almost all the incriminating evidence of the conspirators was destroyed.
The results of Paul's reign are perceived ambiguously, on the one hand, it is a petty and absurd regulation of everything, an infringement of the rights of the nobility, which strengthened his reputation as a tyrant and tyrant. On the other hand, Paul’s keen sense of justice is noted, as well as his rejection of the era of hypocritical rule of his mother Catherine, as well as innovative ideas and separated positive aspects of his reforms in the empire.
Russian Hamlet was called the contemporaries of Paul I.
Pavel Petrovich was born on September 20 (October 1), 1754 in the family of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (future Peter III) and Grand Duchess Catherine Alekseevna (future Catherine II). The place of his birth was the Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in St. Petersburg. 
Portrait by G. Kh. Grot. Peter III Fedorovich (Karl Peter Ulrich) State Tretyakov Gallery
Louis Caravaca. Portrait of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna (Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst). 1745. Portrait gallery of the Gatchina Palace
The childhood of Pavel Petrovich began here 
Summer Palace of Elizaveta Petrovna. Engraving of the XVIII century.
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna expressed her favor to the mother of the newborn by the fact that after the christening she herself brought to her on a gold platter an order from the cabinet to give her 100,000 rubles. After the christening at the court, a number of celebrations began on the occasion of the birth of Paul: balls, masquerades, fireworks lasted about a year. Lomonosov, in an ode written in honor of Pavel Petrovich, wished him to compare in matters with his great great-grandfather, prophesied that he would free the Holy Places, step over the walls separating Russia from China.
***
Whose son was he?
Since 1744, at the small court, as a chamberlain of the Grand Duke and the heir to the throne, Pyotr Fedorovich, Sergey Vasilyevich Saltykov was .
Why, in 1752, chamberlain Sergei Vasilyevich suddenly began to enjoy success with the wife of the heir to the Russian throne? What happened then at the Russian court?
By 1752, the patience of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, who had long and unsuccessfully waited from the princely couple for an heir, burst. She kept Catherine under vigilant surveillance, but now she changed tactics. The Grand Duchess was given some freedom, of course, for a certain purpose. Around the Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich, medical bustle was organized, and rumors began to spread about his permission from forced celibacy. Saltykov, who himself participated in both the vanity and the spread of rumors, was quite well aware of the real situation, he decided that his hour had struck.
According to one version, he was the father of the future emperor Paul I 
Portrait of S. V. Saltykov
When Catherine II gave birth to Paul, Bestuzhev-Ryumin reported to the empress:
« ... that what was drawn by Your Majesty's wise considerations took a good and desirable beginning - the presence of the executor of Your Majesty's highest will is now not only unnecessary here, but even to achieve all-perfect fulfillment and treasure for eternal times of mystery would be harmful. With respect to these considerations, please, the most gracious sovereign, command Chamberlain Saltykov to be your Majesty’s ambassador to Stockholm, under the king of Sweden. ”
Catherine II herself contributed to the fame of Saltykov as "the first lover"; she, of course, counted on home use of this image and did not really want to spread such fame to a wider sphere. But the genie could not be kept in the lamp, a scandal erupted.
On the way to their destination, Saltykov was honored in Warsaw, warmly and cordially greeted in the homeland of Catherine II - in Zerbst. For this reason, rumors about his paternity grew stronger and spread throughout Europe. On July 22, 1762, two weeks after Catherine II came to power, she appointed Saltykov as Russian ambassador to Paris, and this was taken as confirmation of his closeness to her.
After Paris, Saltykov was sent to Dresden. Having earned from Catherine II the unflattering description of "the fifth wheel of the carriage." He never again appeared at court and died in almost complete obscurity. He died in Moscow with the rank of major general in late 1784 or early 1785.
And now about another legend about the birth of Tsarevich Paul.
It was resurrected in 1970 by the historian and writer N. Ya. Eidelman, who published the historical essay Reverse Providence in the New World magazine. Having studied the evidence of the circumstances of the birth of Pavel Petrovich, Adelman does not exclude that Catherine II gave birth to a dead child, but this was kept secret by replacing him with another newborn, Chukhonsky, that is, Finnish, a boy born in the village of Kotly near Oranienbaum. The parents of this boy, the family of the local pastor and all the villagers (about twenty people) were sent under strict guard to Kamchatka, and the village The boilers were demolished, and the place where she stood was plowed.
Fyodor Rokotov. Portrait of Emperor Paul I as a Child. 1761 g. Russian Museum
So still no one knows whose son he is. Russian historian G.I. Chulkov in his book "Emperors: Psychological Portraits" wrote:
"He himself was convinced that Peter III was indeed his father. "
Surely in early childhood, Paul heard gossip about his birth. So, he knew that a variety of people considered him "illegitimate." This left an indelible mark on his soul.
***
Empress Elizabeth loved her great-nephew, she visited the baby twice a day, sometimes got out of bed at night and came to watch the future emperor.
And immediately after birth, she tore him from his parents. She herself began to lead the upbringing of the newborn.
The empress surrounded her grand-nephew with maids of honor, nannies and wet nurses, the boy was accustomed to female affection.
Pavel loved to play with soldiers shooting guns and models of warships.
Porcelain soldiers. Maisenskaya Models of guns on a field carriage from
porcelain manufactory. J. Kendler's model collections of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich
Such a cannon was an exact copy of the real one and could fire both small cores (for this, card bullets were used), and produce idle shots, i.e. shoot with ordinary gunpowder. Naturally, these amusements of the little Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich took place under the watchful eye of both the tutors and a specially appointed orderly from the artillery team.
(Napoleon also played with his son and nephews in such soldiers, and the composer Johannes Brahms simply adored this occupation. Our famous compatriot A.V. Suvorov also loved this game very much)
Pavel enjoyed the society of his peers, of whom Prince Alexander Borisovich Kurakin, Panin's nephew, and Count Andrei Kirillovich Razumovsky enjoyed his special favor. It was with them that Pavel also played soldiers. 
A.K. Razumovsky L. Guttenbrunn. Portrait of A.B. Kurakina
At the age of 4, he was taught to read and write.
As a child, Pavel had three Russian teachers who took care of his training and education - Fedor Bekhteev, Semyon Poroshin and Nikita Panin.
F. Bekhteev
- the first educator of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna punished "To the pupil of the" female tower " suggest that he is the future man and the King .. ".Immediately upon arrival, he began to teach Pavel to read in Russian and in French in a very original alphabet.
During his studies, Bekhteev began to use a special method that combined fun with learning, and quickly taught the Grand Duke to read and arithmetic with the help of toy soldiers and a folding fortress.
F. Bekhteyev presented the prince with a map of the Russian state with the inscription: “Here you see, sovereign, the inheritance that your glorious grandfathers distributed with victories.”
Under Bekhteev, the first textbook specially compiled for Paul was published "A Brief Concept of Physics for the Use of His Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich" (St. Petersburg, 1760).
Semyon Andreevich Poroshin - The second tutor of the prince Pavel Petrovich, in the period 1762-1766, i.e. when Paul was 7-11 years old. Since 1762 he has been a permanent cavalier under the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich. Poroshin treated the Grand Duke with the affectionate warmth of his older brother (he was 13 years older than Paul), cared about the development of spiritual qualities and heart in him, and acquired more and more influence on him; the grand duke, in turn, was on friendly terms with him.
And in 1760, when Paul was 6 years old, the empress appointed a chamberlain Nikita Ivanovich Panin
Chief Hofmeister (mentor) under Paul. Panin was then forty-two years old. For some reason he seemed to the little Tsarevich a gloomy and terrible old man. 
Paul rarely saw his parents.
On December 20, 1762, Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich was granted by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna to the Admiral General of the Russian Navy. His mentors in difficult naval wisdom were I.L. Golenishchev-Kutuzov (father of the famous Russian commander), I.G. Chernyshev and G.G. Kushelev, who managed to instill in the heir a love for the fleet, which he retained for the rest of his life.
Delapierre N.B. Portrait of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich in the admiral's uniform.
When Paul was 7 years old,
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna died and he was able to constantly communicate with his parents. But Peter paid little attention to his son. Only once did he wander into his son's lesson and, after listening to his answer to the teacher's question, exclaimed, not without pride:
"I see this rogue knows things better than we do."
As a sign of his favor, he immediately granted Paul the rank of corporal of the guard.
Pavel was a very sensitive boy, shuddering fearfully from any unintentional knock and quickly hid under the table. For several years now, a strange fear had haunted Paul. It was difficult to get used to even patient Panin's fears of Pavel, his constant tears at dinner.
The ghost of a strangled father, Peter III, stands before the eyes of little Paul. He does not tell anyone about his memory.Pavel Petrovich matured early and at times seemed even a little old man.
Peter III Fedorovich
Now the fate of Paul increasingly resembled the fate of Hamlet. The father was overthrown by the mother from the throne and killed with her consent. The killers did not suffer punishment, but enjoyed all the benefits at court. Moreover, the mental health of unbalanced Paul was reminiscent of Hamlet's frenzy.
Fate did not deprive Pavel Petrovich of his ability to science.
Here is a list of the subjects he masters: history, geography, mathematics, astronomy, Russian and German, Latin, French, drawing, fencing and, of course, Holy Bible.
His teacher of the law was Father Platon (Levshin), one of the most educated people of his time, the future Metropolitan of Moscow. Metropolitan Plato, recalling the teachings of Paul, wrote that his
"The high pupil, fortunately, was always pious, and whether he was always pleasant to reason or talk about God and faith."
The education of the prince was the best that could be obtained at that time.
Once in history class, the teacher listed about 30 names of bad monarchs. At this time, five watermelons were brought into the room. There were only one good ones. Pavel Petrovich surprised everyone:
"Out of 30 rulers, not a single good one, and out of five watermelons, one good."
There was a boy with humor.
Pavel Petrovich read a lot.
Here is a list of books that the grand duke met: works of French enlighteners: Montesquieu, Rousseau, D "Alambéra, Helvetius, works of Roman classics, historical works of Western European authors, works of Cervantes, Boileau, Lafontaine. Voltaire's works," Adventures of Robinson "by D. Defoe , M.V. Lomonosov.
Pavel Petrovich knew a lot about literature and theater, but he loved mathematics most of all. Educator S.A. Poroshin spoke highly of the successes of Pavel Petrovich. He wrote in his Notes:
"If His Highness were a particular person and could completely indulge in mathematical teaching alone, then in their acuteness it would be very convenient to be our Russian Pascal"
Pavel Petrovich himself felt these abilities. And as a gifted person, he could have an ordinary human desire to develop in himself those abilities to which his soul was drawn. But he could not do it. He was the heir apparent. Instead of his favorite activities, he was forced to attend long dinners, dance at balls with maids of honor, flirt with them. The atmosphere of almost outright depravity in the palace oppressed him.
***
1768 year
Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich is 14 years old.
A famous doctor who came from England inoculates smallpox in Pavel Petrovich. Before this, he conducts a detailed examination of Paul. Here is his conclusion:
"..... I was happy to see that the Grand Duke was beautifully built, alert, strong and without any natural ailment. ... Pavel Petrovich ... medium height, has beautiful facial features and is very well built ... he is very clever, friendly, cheerful and very reasonable, which is not difficult to notice from his conversations, in which there is a lot of wit. "
Vigilius Eriksen. Portrait of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich. 1768 Museum, Sergiev Posad
His mother, Empress Catherine II, decided to replace Russian teachers with foreign ones.
The teachers were: Osterwald, Nikolai, Lafermierre and Leveque. They were all vehement supporters of Prussian military doctrine. Pavel Petrovich fell in love with parades, like his father Peter III. Catherine called it military tomfoolery. 
Alexander Benois. Parade under Paul I. 1907
Catherine the Great is guilty of the fact that her son did not receive Russian military education - the best in Europe. And she did it for a reason. The Empress understood that Russian generals and officers know their worth, they have won military victories more than once. And we visit emperors and empresses in order to maintain their influence in the country, we need to underestimate this price by all means, including those invited by foreign experts to train the princes. 
Karl Ludwig Hristinek. Portrait of Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich dressed as a Chevalier of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. 1769 g.
At this time, Nikita Ivanovich Panin, a zealous freemason, gave Pavel mysterious manuscripts, including “The Story of the Order of the Cavaliers of Malta”. And the tsarevich caught fire with the knightly theme. In the writings it was proved that the emperor should observe the good of the people, as a kind of spiritual leader. The emperor must be initiated. He is the anointed one. Not the church should lead him, but he is the church. These crazy ideas mixed in Paul's unhappy head with that childish faith in the providence of God, which he learned from his infancy from Queen Elizabeth, the mothers and nannies who once cherished him.
And so Paul began to dream of true autocracy, of a true kingdom for the good of the people.
***
1772 year
The coming of age is the crown prince Pavel Petrovich.
Some courtiers said that Catherine II should involve Pavel Petrovich in the government. Pavel Petrovich himself told his mother about this! But Catherine II did not conquer the throne in order to yield it to Paul. She decided to distract her son by marriage.
Catherine II began to look for a suitable daughter-in-law. Such that she tied Russia with dynastic ties with the reigning houses of Europe, and at the same time was submissive and devoted to Catherine II.
Back in 1768, she instructed the Danish diplomat Asseburg to find a bride for the heir. Asseburg drew Catherine's attention to the princess of Württemberg - Sophia-Dorothea-Augusta, who at that time was only ten years old. He was so captivated by her that he constantly wrote to Catherine II about her. But she was too young in age. 
Unknown artist. Portrait of Princess Sofia Dorothea Augusta Louise of Württemberg. 1770. Alexander Palace Museum, Pushkin.
Asseburg sent Catherine a portrait of Louise of Saxe-Gotha, but the alleged matchmaking did not take place. The princess and her mother were zealous Protestants and did not agree to convert to Orthodoxy. 
Louise Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
Assenburg offered Catherine Princess Wilhelmina of Darmstadt. He wrote:
"... the princess is described to me, especially from the side of kindness of heart, as the perfection of nature; ... what is more, a heady mind, prone to contention ..."
King Frederick II of Prussia really wanted the crown prince's marriage to the princess of Hesse-Darmstadt to take place. Catherine II was very dissatisfied with this and at the same time wished for the speedy end of the courtship of the prince.
She invited a landgrafin with three daughters to Russia. These daughters: Amalia-Frederica - 18 years old; Wilhelmina - 17; Louise - 15 years old
Frederic Amalia Hesse-Darmstadt
Augusta-Wilhelmina-Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt
Louise Augusta of Hesse-Darmstadt
A Russian warship was sent for them. The empress sent 80,000 guilders to help her. Asseburg accompanied the family. In June 1773, the family arrived in Lubeck. Here three Russian frigates were waiting for them. The princesses were placed on one of them, the rest were their retinue.
Catherine II wrote:
"My son from the very first meeting fell in love with Princess Wilhelmina; I gave three days to see if he hesitates, and since this princess is superior in all respects to her sisters ... the eldest is very meek; the younger seems to be very smart; in the middle, we have all the desirable qualities: her face is lovely, her features are correct, she is affectionate, smart; I am very pleased with her, and my son is in love ... then on the fourth day I turned to the Landgrave ... and she agreed ... "
Among the documents of the Ministry of Justice, for more than a hundred years, a diary of the 19-year-old Grand Duke was kept in a sealed package. In it, he wrote down his experiences while waiting for the bride:
"..joy mixed with anxiety and awkwardness, who is and will be the friend of all life ... a source of bliss in the present and in the future "
***
1773 year
First marriage
On August 15, 1773, Princess Wilhelmina accepted holy anointing with the title and name of Grand Duchess Natalya Alekseevna.
On September 20, 1773, a solemn wedding took place in the Kazan Cathedral of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Natalia Alekseevna. The groom is 19 years old, the bride is 18 years old. 
Alexander Roslin. Grand Duchess Natalia Alekseevna, Princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, 1776 State Hermitage
The wedding celebrations lasted 12 days and ended with fireworks on the square near the Summer Palace.
Catherine's generosity was great. Landgrafina was presented with 100,000 rubles and, in addition, 20,000 rubles for expenses on the way back. Each of the princesses received 50,000 rubles, each of the retinue - 3,000 rubles. Thanks to the graces of Catherine, the dowry of the princesses was provided.
Only one event darkened the wedding celebrations: as in Shakespeare's play, the shadow of Pavel Petrovich's murdered father, Emperor Pyotr Fedorovich, appeared on the wedding. Only the glimmers of the festive fireworks went out, the rebel Pugachev appeared, declaring himself Peter III.
Emelyan Pugachev. Old engraving.
The honeymoon of the young couple was overshadowed by the anxieties of the peasant war.
But despite this, everyone in the family circle was happy. Pavel Petrovich was pleased with his wife. The young wife turned out to be an active nature. She dispelled the fears of her husband, took him out on country walks, to the ballet, arranged balls, created her own theater, in which she herself played in comedies and tragedies. In a word, the reserved and unsociable Paul came to life with his young wife, in whom he did not cherish a soul. The Grand Duke never dared to betray her.
Natalia Alekseevna did not feel love for her husband, but, using her influence, she tried to keep him away from everyone except a narrow circle of her friends. According to contemporaries, the Grand Duchess was a serious and ambitious woman with a proud heart and a sharp temper. They had been married for two years, but there was still no heir.
In 1776, the court of Empress Catherine was agitated: the long-awaited pregnancy of the Grand Duchess Natalia Alekseevna was announced. On April 10, 1776, at four o'clock in the morning, the Grand Duchess began to experience the first pains. A doctor and a midwife were with her. Contractions lasted several days, and soon the doctors announced that the child was dead. Catherine II and Paul were nearby.
The baby could not be born naturally, and the doctors did not use forceps or caesarean section. The child died in the womb and infected the mother's body.
After five days of torment, at 5 am on April 15, 1776, Grand Duchess Natalia Alekseevna died.
The empress did not like Natalya Alekseevna, and the diplomats gossiped that she did not allow the doctors to save her daughter-in-law. The autopsy, however, showed that the woman in labor had a defect that would have prevented her from giving birth to a child naturally, and that the medicine of that time was powerless to help her.
The funeral of Natalya Alekseevna took place on April 26 at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Paul did not find the strength to attend the ceremony.
Catherine wrote to Baron Grimm:
"I started by proposing travels, changing places, and then I said: you can’t resurrect the dead, you have to think about the living and go to Berlin for your treasure."
And then she found in the casket of the deceased her love notes of Andrei Rozumovsky and handed it to her son.
And Pavel Petrovich was quickly comforted.
***
1776 year
Second marriage
It took only about three months of his widowhood!
Pavel Petrovich goes to Berlin to make an offer to the Princess of Wurttemberg Sofia-Dorothea-Augusta. Throughout the journey, Paul wrote to his mother:
"I found my bride the kind that I could only wish for myself in my mind: not ugly, great, slender, not shy, answers intelligently and quickly ..."
The princess was baptized according to the Orthodox rite, taking the name Maria Feodorovna. She began to study Russian with zeal.
On September 26, 1776, the wedding took place in St. Petersburg.
The next day, Paul wrote to his young wife:
"Every manifestation of your friendship, my dear friend, is extremely precious to me and I swear to you that I love you more and more every day. God bless our union just as He created it."
Alexander Roslin. Maria Fedorovna shortly after the wedding. The State Hermitage Museum
Maria Feodorovna turned out to be a worthy wife. She gave birth to Pavel Petrovich 10 children, of whom only one died in infancy, and of the 9 remaining, two, Alexander and Nikolai, became Russian autocrats.
When in 1777 their firstborn was born , Catherine II dealt a strong blow to the soul of Pavel Petrovich - a good family man and did not allow him to become a happy parent.
Catherine II only from a distance showed the parents of the born boy and took him to her forever. She did the same with his other children: sons Konstantin and Nikolai and two daughters.
K. Hoyer (?) Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna with sons Alexander and Constantine. 1781
I.-F. Anting. Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich and Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna with their sons in the park. 1780. Black ink and gilded bronze on glass. State Hermitage
***
1781 year
Travel to Europe
In 1780, Catherine II broke her close ties with Prussia and became close to Austria. Pavel Petrovich did not like such diplomacy. And in order to neutralize Paul and his entourage, Catherine II sends her son and his wife on a long journey.
P they consoled themselves under false names - Count and Countess of the North.
When in 1781, passing through Vienna, Pavel Petrovich was supposed to be present at the court performance and it was decided to give "Hamlet", the actor Brockman refused to play this role, saying that he did not want so that there are two Hamlets in the hall. Austrian Emperor Joseph II sent 50 ducats to the actor in gratitude for his tact.
Visited Rome, here they were received by Pope Pius VI.
Reception by Pope Pius VI Count and Countess of the North on February 8, 1782. 1801. Etching by A. Lazzaroni. GMZ "Pavlovsk"
In April, they visited Turin. In Italy, the grand ducal couple began to acquire antique sculpture, Venetian mirrors. All this will soon be included in the decoration of the Pavlovsk Palace.
About his position of "Hamlet" Pavel Petrovich was silent at first. But once in a friendly circle (which promised to become kindred), he ceased to restrain himself. Pavel Petrovich began to speak out sharply about his mother and her politics.
Catherine reached these statements. In anticipation of the troubles threatening Russia, she said:
"I see in what hands the empire will fall after my death."
In the summer of 1782 they visited Paris. At Versailles, the grand-ducal couple was received by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, in Paris by the Prince of Orleans, and at Chantilly by the Prince of Condé. According to contemporaries in Paris, they said that
"The king received the Count of the North in a friendly way, the Duke of Orleans - in a philistine, the Prince of Condé - in a royal way."
Grand Ducal couple visited the workshops of artists, got acquainted with hospitals, manufactories, government agencies.
From Paris they brought furniture, Lyon silk, bronze, porcelain and luxurious gifts from Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette: tapestries and the unique Sevres toilet appliance. 
Paris service. France 1782. Sevres Manufactory
Gift of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to Grand Duchess Maria Fyodorovna and Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich.
Toilet appliance. France. Sevres 1782. GMZ "Pavlovsk".
We visited Holland, the house of Peter the Great in Zaandam.
Unknown artist. Exterior view of the House of Peter the Great in Zaandam.
Then Pavel Petrovich and Maria Fedorovna spent almost a month visiting her parents in Montbéliard and Etupé.
The young returned home in November 1782.
***
Gatchina
In 1783, Catherine II gave her son the Gatchina estate.
In 1765, Catherine II bought the estate in order to present Count G.G. to her favorite. Orlov. It was for him, according to the project of A. Rinaldi, that a palace was built in the form of a hunting castle with towers and an underground passage. The laying of the Gatchina Palace took place on May 30, 1766, the construction of the palace was completed in 1781. 
Facades of the palace. 1781 drawing
The Great Gatchina Palace. Painting on porcelain. Author unknown. Second half of the XIX
Having left the capital for Gatchina, Pavel established customs that were very different from those in St. Petersburg. In addition to Gatchina, he owned the Pavlovskaya estate near Tsarskoye Selo and a cottage on Kamenny Island. Pavlovsk and Gatchina became grand princely residences for a long 13 years.
In order to occupy himself with something, Pavel Petrovich here turned into an exemplary landowner-owner. The day started early. At exactly seven in the morning, the emperor, along with the grand dukes, was already riding on a walk towards the troops,attended the exercises of the Gatchina troops and parades, which took place daily on a huge parade ground in front of the palace and ended with the changing of the guard. 
Schwartz. Gatchina Parade
At five o'clock the whole family went for a day walk: on foot in the garden, or in "karatekas" or lines in the park and the Menagerie, where the children especially loved to be. There, wild animals were kept in special enclosures: deer, fallow deer, guinea fowls, pheasants and even camels.
In general, life was full of conventions and full of strict observance of the regulations, which everyone should follow, without exception, both adults and children. The rise in the early morning, walking or horseback riding, lunch, dinner, starting at the same time, performances and evening gatherings - all this was subject to strict etiquette and followed the order once and for all established by the emperor. 
Paul I, Maria Fedorovna and their children. Artist Gerhardt Kügelgen
During the Gatchina period of his life, the prince:
* * creates his own mini-army.
The army of Pavel Petrovich grows here every year and acquires an ever clearer organization. The manor itself soon turned into "Gatchina Russia".
Here were represented the infantry, cavalry, consisting of gendarmerie, dragoon, hussar and Cossack regiments, as well as a flotilla with the so-called "naval artillery". In total, by 1796 - 2 399 people. And the flotilla by this time consisted of 24 ships.
The only case of the Gatchina forces participating in the hostilities is the 1788 campaign in the Russian-Swedish war.
Despite their small numbers, by 1796 the Gatchina troops were one of the most disciplined and well-trained units of the Russian army.
** prepares the Charter of the Navy, which entered into force in 1797.
The charter introduced new positions in the fleet - historiographer, professor of astronomy and navigation, drawing master. An important direction of Paul I's policy in relation to the fleet was the establishment of the principle of one-man command. Double subordination of one private to several chiefs of the same rank was excluded.
The Grand Duke had two libraries in the Gatchina Palace.
The basis of the Gatchina library of Pavel Petrovich was the library of Baron I.A. Corfa, which Catherine II acquired for her son. There was also a library formed by Paul I.
The library was in the Tower Cabinet, and consisted of books that he used, which were constantly at his fingertips.
This collection is relatively small: 119 titles, 205 volumes; 44 of them are in Russian, 60 volumes. With a small number of books, their extraordinary diversity in content is noteworthy. Nearby are a variety of works:
“Atlas of the Russian Empire”, “Diplomatic ceremonial of European courts”, “Modern knowledge of horses”, “Reasoning about sea signals”,
"Detailed description of the ore business", "Statute of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Turin",
"General history of ceremonies, customs and religious rites of all the peoples of the world", "General research on fortification, attack and defense of fortresses."
In addition, there was historical literature.
Gatchina became Pavel Petrovich's favorite place of residence. And the word "Gatchina" has become almost a household name. It meant a person who was disciplined, executive, honest, and devoted.
***
1796 year
The long awaited throne
On the night of November 7, 1796, in the palace church, Metropolitan Gabriel announced to the capital's nobles, generals and top dignitaries of the state about the death of Catherine II and the accession to the throne of Paul I. Those present began to swear allegiance to the new emperor.
Several hours have passed since Paul I was declared emperor. He went for a walk in Petersburg. Passing by the theater building, built at the behest of Catherine II, Paul I shouted: "Take him out!"
500 people were sent to the building, by morning the theater was razed to the ground.
The day after the accession of Paul I to the throne, a thanksgiving service was served in the Winter Palace. To the horror of those present, in deathly silence, the protodeacon proclaimed: "To the most pious autocratic great sovereign our Emperor Alexander Pavlovich ..." - and then he only noticed a fatal mistake. His voice broke off. The silence became ominous. Paul I swiftly approached him: “I doubt, Father Ivan, that you will live to see the solemn remembrance of Emperor Alexander».
On the same night, returning home half-dead from fear, the protodeacon dies.
So, under the sign of a mystical omen, the short reign of Paul I began.
Crowned Pavel Petrovich in Moscow. The crowning took place on April 27, 1797, the celebration was held very modestly, not like his mother. He was crowned with his wife. This was the first joint coronation of the emperor and empress in the history of the Russian Empire.
After the coronation, the emperor traveled to the southern provinces for two months, and returning to St. Petersburg, he placed on himself the crown of the Grand Master of the spiritual-knightly order of St. John of Jerusalem. The order needed military assistance. And Paul I took over the patronage of the Order of Malta .. Europe did not like this, and the order was alien to the Russian people. This did not add authority to Paul I.
Paul I wearing the crown, dalmatics and insignia of the Order of Malta. Artist V.L. Borovikovsky. About 1800.
After accession to the throne, Paul I resolutely proceeded to breaking the rules instituted by his mother.
He transferred the ashes of his father Peter III to the imperial tomb - the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
He ordered the release of the writer N.I. from the Shlisselburg fortress. Novikov, return from the link A.N. Radishchev. He conducted a provincial reform, reducing the number of provinces and eliminated the Yekaterinoslav province. Special mercy was shown to the rebel Kosciuszko: the emperor personally visited the prisoner in prison and granted him freedom, and soon all Poles arrested in 1794 were also released. Pavel I completely rehabilitated Kosciuszko, gave him cash assistance and allowed him to leave for America.
Paul I adopted a new law on succession to the throne, which drew a line under the century of palace coups and women's rule in Russia. Now power was legitimately transferred to the eldest son, in his absence, to the eldest man in the family.
By his first manifesto, Emperor Paul reduced peasant labor to landowners (“corvée”) to three days a week, that is, half. On Sunday, like the day of the Lord, it was forbidden to force peasants to work.
Paul I perfectly understood the role of the book in the life of society, its influence on the mood of minds.
In 1800, a decree of Paul I was published to the Senate, which stated:
"So how, through various books exported from abroad, debauchery of faith, civil law and good behavior is applied,then from now on, until the decree, we command to ban the entry from abroad of any kind of books, no matter what language they are, without withdrawal, into our state, evenly and music. ”
Under Paul I, three monuments were erected: the statue of Peter the Great, the obelisk "Rumyantsev's Victories" designed by Brenna on the Field of Mars and the monument to A.V. Suvorov in the image of the god of war Mars, which replaced it, ordered by Emperor Paul I to the sculptor M. Kozlovsky, but already erected after the death of the emperor.
In 1800, the construction of the Kazan Cathedral was started according to the project of A. Voronikhin.
In his reign, the General Herbovnik was drawn up and approved. Under him, the distribution of princely titles began, previously almost never practiced.
During the reign of Paul I, 17 new battleships, 8 frigates were launched in the Baltic and Black Sea Fleets, and the construction of 9 more large ships began. In St. Petersburg, at the end of Galernaya Street, a new shipyard was built, which was named the New Admiralty.
the results of the activities of Paul I in the maritime department were significantly higher than the results of activities carried out in the previous reign.
In memoirs and books on history, dozens and thousands of those who were exiled to Siberia during Pavlov's time are often mentioned. In fact, in the documents the number of those exiled does not exceed ten people. These people were exiled for military and criminal crimes: bribes, theft on a large scale, and others.
Literature:
1.I. Chizhova. Immortal triumph and beauty of mortals. EKSMO. 2004.
2.Toroptsev A.P. the rise and fall of the House of Romanov. Olma Madia Group. 2007
3. Ryazantsev S. Horns and crown Astrel-SPb. 2006
4 Chulkov G. Emperors (Psychological portraits)
5. Schilder N.K. Emperor Paul the First. SPb. M., 1996.
6.Pchelov E.V. Romanovs. Dynasty history. - OLMA-PRESS. 2004.
7. Grigoryan V.G. Romanovs. Biographical reference book. —AST, 2007
8.photo from the site Our Heritage Magazine site http://www.nasledie-rus.ru
9.Photo from the State Hermitage website http://www.hermitagemuseum.org
Born on September 20, 1754. From an early age he was taught literacy and various sciences. The future Emperor studied history, mathematics, foreign languages \u200b\u200band geography.
According to the recollections of his teachers, Paul was a man of a lively mind, perfectly gifted by nature. His childhood was difficult, he lost his father early. And he lost, as he himself believed, through the fault of his mother. Pavel loved Peter Fedorovich very much, and could not forgive his mother for his death.
At the age of 17, Catherine II married her son to Princess Vilgemina, who was named Natalia Alekseevna at baptism. During childbirth, Natalia died.
In 1776, Paul I married a second time. The wife of the heir to the Russian throne was Sofia-Dorote, who at baptism took the name Maria Feodorovna. Maria Feodorovna was related to the Prussian king. Apparently under the influence of his wife, he began to like many German customs.
Meanwhile, relations between Pavel Petrovich and Catherine II became increasingly cooler. After the wedding, Catherine II presented the spouses with Gatchina. In fact, this was a real link, an attempt to remove the heir from the court.
Here in Gatchina, Paul I has his own army, they send him half a sailors, an infantry battalion, a cuirassier regiment. Pavel Petrovich devotes a lot of time to his soldiers. Organizes various exercises and shows.
In 1777, his son was born, named Alexander. The boy was immediately taken away from his parents, and people appointed by the empress herself were involved in raising him.
Paul and Mary could visit their son only on special days. Pavel tried to participate in the political life of the country, but his mother thwarted any of his undertakings and initiatives.
After the death of Catherine II, Paul I was crowned the kingdom. Pavel Petrovich entered the throne without having great skills in government. When he became a monarch, he was already 42 years old. He was already an accomplished, vibrant and outstanding personality.
His very first deed on the Russian throne was the coronation of Peter III. The father’s ashes were removed from the grave, the coronation ceremony was carried out, and the subsequent reburial of Peter III in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, next to Catherine II.
Domestic policy of Paul I
On April 5, 1797, Paul I was anointed as king. On the same day, a succession order was issued. Now the direct descendants of the monarch in the male line became the heirs of the Russian throne. Women could take the Russian throne only in the absence of males from the ruling dynasty
Paul I restored the Council of State, created under Catherine II, but for a long time not functioning. Increased the number of council members from 7 to 17 people. In 1796, the Senate was also reformed, which could not cope with its duties due to the increased number of cases.
The Senate has increased in number, new rules for paperwork aimed at accelerating the Senate. The domestic policy of Paul I caused discontent among the nobles, because the emperor tried to alleviate the situation of the peasantry. Such actions caused certain discontent in the nobility.
He also, by his decrees, canceled the Catherine's "letter of gratitude to the nobility". Now nobles were forbidden to ask for resignation if they had served as an officer for less than a year. Noble meetings were abolished. Great discontent caused the reform of the army carried out by Paul I. The Prussian order was established in the Russian army, an inconvenient form was introduced. The army lived on one drill, under conditions of the strictest discipline.
Foreign policy of Paul I
In his foreign policy, Paul I first decided to defend only the interests of Russia. But the disposition of forces in Europe obliged the Russian Empire to actively participate in the affairs of European states. In alliance with Turkey, the Russian army and navy took Corfu, under the leadership of Fyodor Fedorovich Ushakov. And Suvorov smashed the French on the continent making incredible crossings through the Alps.
At that time, among the courtiers, dissatisfaction with the emperor grew more and more. So, on the night of March 11-12, 1801, a group of conspirators broke into his chambers and demanded that he abdicate the throne. Paul I refused and, in a fight that ensued, was killed by the conspirators. The new Russian emperor was proclaimed his son - Alexander I Pavlovich. On the personality of Paul I ended the "era of palace coups."
Summary
Pavel Petrovich is of great interest to historians, and is the subject of many disputes. Some sincerely consider him a tyrant, others - a wonderful reformer. It is impossible to unequivocally answer the question of who Emperor Paul I was. Many characterize the period of his reign as chivalrous autocracy. In fact, he was a man of honor.
Unfortunately, the emperor's psyche was really not all right. But there is an explanation for this. In childhood, he lost his father early, whom he loved very much. Throughout his life, he was afraid that he would share the fate of Pyotr Fedorovich. During his reign, distrust and caution of the entire court reached its climax.
The Russian Empire was filled with various spies and scammers, who praised themselves before the emperor and reported to others. Paul I was a man of changeable character, and often made contradictory decisions. People quickly fell out of favor with him, and also quickly became his favorites. Russia Paul I ruled only 5 years.
- There are three versions of the origin of Emperor Paul I. He is the son of Peter III and Catherine II.
- The son of Catherine II and Count Sergei Saltykov.
- The son of unknown Chukhonsi parents.
