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They renounce in love, or Why Tsarevich Constantine abandoned the kingdom
They renounce in love, or Why Tsarevich Constantine abandoned the kingdom

Video: They renounce in love, or Why Tsarevich Constantine abandoned the kingdom

Video: They renounce in love, or Why Tsarevich Constantine abandoned the kingdom
Video: Who Would Be Tsar of Russia Today? | Romanov Family Tree - YouTube 2024, November
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Nominally, the son of Emperor Paul I, Constantine, remained heir to the Russian throne for several weeks, but in reality the crown prince did not rule the empire for a day and did not have power in reality. Although it was the power that attracted him least of all, which he repeatedly confirmed with his intentions to abdicate the throne. At the same time, the people decided that the Suvorov officer Konstantin Pavlovich was a victim of court intrigues and was forcibly deprived of the crown by the malicious Nicholas I. Thus, Konstantin Pavlovich's unwillingness to become the Russian emperor and shoulder responsibility for the vast country provoked an internal political crisis that turned into a Decembrist uprising in 1825.

Frivolous Tsarevich with hooligan antics

Konstantin Pavlovich looked like his father in everything, starting with his appearance
Konstantin Pavlovich looked like his father in everything, starting with his appearance

High-ranking grandmother Catherine the Great chose a name for her second grandson, cherishing grandiose plans to conquer the throne of Constantinople. At the same time, Constantine himself did not dream of a kingdom at all. Like his father, he was inspired by military fun and army campaigns. The carefree romance of a military soldier in his youth completely satisfied the Tsarevich, and his manners conflicted with the qualities that the Russian sovereign traditionally possessed. Pushkin, for example, saw in Konstantin Pavlovich an intelligent but violent person. But the closest relatives spoke more bluntly about the Tsarevich.

The grandmother was saddened by the atrocities in the behavior of her grandson, in conversations with those close to her, she more than once expressed concern that with such antics, Konstantin "would be beaten wherever there is." The elder brother Alexander also worried about the bully, complaining to the general educator that Konstantin was "self-willed, ardent, and his whims are often not consistent with reason."

According to the historian D. Merezhkovsky, the confidants called Konstantin Pavlovich "an oppressive whirlwind", but with the stronger, he showed shyness. Perhaps he himself objectively assessed his own qualities, therefore in every possible way he avoided the heavy burden - management.

Paradoxical assessments of Suvorov

Konstantin Pavlovich has established himself as a brave warrior
Konstantin Pavlovich has established himself as a brave warrior

At the age of 20, Constantine voluntarily enters the active army under the patronage of Alexander Suvorov, who began the glorious Italian campaign. The school of courage, I must say, is excellent. In the battles of Bassignano, because of the decisions of Konstantin Pavlovich, Russian units undertook a premature attack, and everything ends tragically. The Grand Duke himself barely escaped. Summoned to the carpet by Suvorov, he left the command tent in tears. But from that moment on, with a wave of a magic wand, he turns into an exemplary and promising officer. Usually avaricious of all praise, Suvorov spoke very worthy of Constantine in his letters. Moreover, Konstantin showed military valor and the inclinations of a leader not with bright victories, but with a way out of difficult situations.

In the most severe Swiss campaign, Constantine, according to the testimony of an authoritative commander, unswervingly walked in the vanguard, shoulder to shoulder with Peter Bagration. It happened that Constantine fed his soldiers for his own money. And his subordinates loved him. The Grand Duke proved himself to be a brave warrior at Austerlitz and in the battles with Napoleon. But he managed to quarrel so much with General Barclay de Tolly M. B., commander of the 1st Western Army, that the emperor could only recall him to Petersburg.

Life-saving trip to Poland

The second wife of the Tsarevich
The second wife of the Tsarevich

Grandmother insisted that at the age of 16, Constantine married the Coburg princess. But life with Julianna did not work out from the first days. The eccentric spouse often arranged drum marches in the conjugal chambers and did not care about his young wife at all. Juliana actually fled from the Tsarevich to Coburg under the guise of visiting a sick mother, but she never returned. They managed to file a divorce only years later. With his next candidate for wife, Konstantin met at the Warsaw ball, where he immediately singled out a blond, graceful lady from the crowd.

20-year-old Jeannette Grudzinskaya quickly managed to conquer Konstantin Pavlovich, and in 1820 they got married. Then the voluntary abdication of the heir to the throne was announced. After that, the long-term mistress of Konstantin Pavlovich, Josephine Friedrichs, was expelled from Poland, and the newlyweds healed peacefully and happily. The second wife surprisingly well influenced the failed emperor - he began to behave more restrained, more reasonable, more harmonious. In letters sent to the tutor Lagarpe, the prince wrote that only now and thanks to his wife he was enjoying the true tranquility of family everyday life.

Possible reasons for abdication

After the death of Alexander I, Constantine did not take responsibility for the empire
After the death of Alexander I, Constantine did not take responsibility for the empire

Renouncing the succession to the throne after the death of his older brother Alexander, Konstantin Pavlovich called a morganatic marriage with the Polish Countess Grudzinskaya as an official reason. It turned out that children, potentially born of a new wife, Jeanette Grudzinskaya, would be deprived of all rights to the Russian crown in accordance with the decree of 1820. There would be a paradox: having decided to accept the throne, the imperial children of Constantine could not subsequently become the heirs of the Russian crown.

Some historians see this step as only an attempt to absolve themselves of responsibility, which runs counter to the petty spirit of Constantine. Perhaps the Grand Duke was simply afraid that sooner or later he would be conspiratorially killed like his father. In addition, he could realistically assess his not the most outstanding abilities to manage a huge state. A free Warsaw life with a minimum of duties suited Konstantin Pavlovich quite well. All the crowns that were attributed to him by the imperial family from birth passed by. He was not destined to become neither Greek, nor Swedish, nor Polish, nor French sovereign. As, however, and the great Russian emperor.

The Grand Duke was listed as emperor for just over 3 weeks. It took so much time for the written renunciation of the Russian throne to reach St. Petersburg from the Polish Warsaw, which was confirmed a second time by the Tsarevich. The next Grand Duke, Nikolai Pavlovich, crowned under the name of Nicholas I, became the emperor in his place.

In general, it was very difficult for members of royal families to marry for love. So Alexander II did not marry the English queen whom he loved.

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