Tsarevich Alexei: Traitor or unfortunate son of a despotic father, betrayed by his mistress?

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

On June 27, 1718 in St. Petersburg, as usual, solemnly and pompously, the ninth anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Poltava was celebrated. And the most incredible thing was that in the evening, literally on the eve of the celebration, the life of the son of Peter I, Tsarevich Alexei, whose name and circumstances of death are still surrounded by a mass of speculation and rumors, tragically ended …

From childhood, the prince was deprived of parental warmth. His mother, Evdokia Lopukhina, was sent by Peter to a monastery in Suzdal, where she was tonsured as a nun. His lawful wife, by that time already unloved, the tsar without regret exchanged for his mistress Anna Moms, a German woman. Peter categorically forbade his son to communicate with his mother, and he himself had almost no time to see his son.

But initially, Peter treated his son normally. He tried to involve him in state affairs, gave responsible assignments, took him with him on military campaigns. Peter also showed concern for the education of his son. The teacher of Alexei Huissen noted that the prince "". He mastered several languages, studied theology, was interested in history, philology, mathematics. But he was completely indifferent to military campaigns and battles, which greatly upset his father.

Soon Peter decided to marry his son to a foreigner and he himself chose a bride for him - Princess Charlotte, who is a relative of the Austrian emperor.

Alexei did not dare to go against the will of his father, and in 1711 their wedding took place. Of course, it was a marriage of convenience, and it did not bring happiness to the newlyweds.

Charlotte, having moved to Russia, was never able to settle down here, behaving very alienated towards both her husband and the entire court. - the prince complained.

Soon, Alexei acquired a mistress - the serf girl Efrosinya Fedorova became her. He really loved her, and very much.

Despite the fact that the relationship between Alexei and Charlotte did not work out, the princess fulfilled her main mission - she first gave birth to a daughter, and a year later, a son. But 10 days after giving birth, at the age of 21, Charlotte died.

By that time, Peter, evaluating his son as the successor to the throne, finally became disillusioned with him, observing his complete indifference to state affairs, and especially to military affairs.

On the day when Charlotte was buried, a letter from his father was handed over to Alexei. Peter wrote to his son: "", thereby threatening to deprive him of his right to the throne.

And literally a few days after the funeral, the new wife of the tsar, Catherine (Martha Skavronskaya), was also relieved of the burden, this time giving birth to a son, who was named Peter.

After the birth of "Shishechka" (as the family affectionately called the son of Peter and Catherine), Peter's requirements for his eldest son became even more stringent. He made a firm decision to make his newborn son heir to the throne, and from Alexei he began to demand the abdication of the throne and tonsure as a monk. Alexey gave his consent to tonsure.

But Peter was afraid that after his death no one would reckon with the act of abdication of the tsarevich and that Alexei would legally inherit the throne as the eldest son. Having left on military affairs in Copenhagen, he sent a letter to Alexei who remained in St. Petersburg, in which he asked him to urgently notify him whether he had cut his hair, and if he had done it, in which monastery. If not, then he demanded urgently, within a week, to come to him in Copenhagen. Apparently, all the same, Alexei was not eager to either get a haircut or renounce the throne. His father's letter put him in a hopeless position, and in despair Alexei decided to go on the run. Having said that he was leaving to visit his father in Copenhagen, he left in an unknown direction for Europe with his beloved Euphrosyne, with whom he dreamed of getting married.

Realizing the danger the escaped son poses, Peter sends two reliable people to Europe - diplomat Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy and secret agent Alexander Ivanovich Rumyantsev. They have to find the prince and by all means persuade him to return.

Soon Rumyantsev finds out where the prince is hiding. After that, Pyotr Tolstoy uses his diplomatic talent. Having convinced the Austrian authorities, who had granted refuge to the fugitive tsarevich, not to interfere in the personal relations of the Russian tsar with his son, having bribed everyone he could, he began negotiations with Alexei. Threats and the promise of a father's forgiveness are also used. And yet, by deceit, Peter's envoys managed to achieve the seemingly impossible - the prince agreed to return to his father, whom he both feared and hated. His only condition was that he should be allowed to marry Euphrosinia and be allowed to live with her in the village. Of course, he was promised this.

Having met with his father in Moscow, Alexei signs his abdication in favor of his young brother and asks his father to forgive him. ", - said Peter, -". Without giving the prince to recover, they transferred him to the chamber of the Peter and Paul Fortress and began to organize the trial.

Peter, not believing that his son was organizing a conspiracy against him, believed that the troublemakers who joined him were to blame. During the process, about 60 people were arrested, many of them were tortured and executed. It seemed that the case of "Tsarevich Alexei" was nearing completion. Alexei was released and sent to St. Petersburg.

But soon Efrosinya was brought to the Peter and Paul Fortress for interrogation. And although no torture was applied to her, she gave such incriminating testimony against the prince, after which the case had to be reopened. It was her betrayal that decided the fate of the prince.

“There’s a great turmoil, for some will stand for Alexei, and others for Petrusha the lump, and the stepmother is too stupid to cope with the turmoil …”

Alexei was arrested again, this time during interrogations he was tortured.

What happened, why did Efrosinya behave so meanly towards the prince, who loved her madly? Perhaps she was forced to do this, threatening, if she refused, to kill her son, who had recently been born to them with Alexei. Or she has become a victim of deception. She was promised that after the trial the prince would be sentenced to exile, and they would all go there together.

There is another version, very sad. Efrosinya had long been recruited by Count Tolstoy and was his secret agent. And she was promised a generous reward if successful. And, indeed, after the trial, Euphrosyne received a considerable reward, and she was also granted freedom.

The court sentenced Alexei to death. However, it was not necessary to carry out the sentence - the prince died. He was only 28 years old. What caused the death remains unknown. According to the official version, which was announced, the prince died of an apoplectic stroke, possibly unable to withstand the torture or sentence. However, it can also be assumed that Alexei was secretly killed at the order of the tsar in order to save Peter I from the shameful stigma of the murderer of his own son. But what actually happened remained unknown.

Continuing the theme of the Petrine era, we decided to recall 10 great failures of Peter I - the great reformer who pulled Russia out of the protracted Middle Ages.