Emperor Peter the Great. Gangrene, syphilis, or influenza

On January 28, 1725, the greatest Russian reformer, Emperor Peter I, passed away in St. Petersburg. He died at the age of 53, of which he spent 42 years and seven months and three days on the Russian throne. After the death of the sovereign, his body was embalmed, and the plaster mask was removed from his face. Peter I was buried in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The famous historian T.N. Granovsky described his impression of the portrait of Peter I, which was painted from the dead, immediately after the death of the Russian emperor:

“The upper part of the divinely beautiful face is imprinted with majestic calmness; the thought is no more, but its expression remains. I have never seen such beauty. But life still does not seem to have frozen in the lower part of the face. Mouths are clenched with anger and grief; they seem to tremble. The whole evening I looked at this image of a man who gave us the right to history and almost alone declared our historical vocation.

288 years have passed since the death of Peter I, but historians, medical scientists, writers and journalists are still trying to investigate the circumstances of the death of Peter I. All hypotheses are viable - none is 100% provable now. We bring to the attention of the visitors of the NizhGMA website some hypotheses, versions and conjectures.

Candidate of Medical Sciences, historian B.A. Nakhapetov:

“... Being present in the severe frost on January 6, 1725 at the Baptism ceremony, PeterI caught a cold ... On January 16, deterioration set in, a “strong chill” appeared, the king went to bed. According to the historian E.F. Shmurlo "death knocked on the royal doors."

The life physician Blumentrost, who was treating the emperor, turned for advice to the then famous European doctors Hermann Burgaav in Leiden and Ernst Stahl in Berlin; in addition, he gathered all the doctors who were in St. Petersburg for a consultation. But nothing helped. There was an acute urinary retention. Attack followed attack. PeterI experienced terrible pain...

By January 22, the fever subsided, but the patient was disturbed by general bodily weakness, a sharp headache. On January 23, an "operation" (possibly a puncture or a high section of the bladder) took place, as a result of which about two pounds of purulent urine was extracted. The pain during attacks these days was so strong that the cries of the emperor were heard not only in the palace, but throughout the district.

The "attacks" mentioned by contemporaries were most likely episodes of acute urination disorders due to stricture (narrowing) of the urethra. Blumentrost and Bidloo did not leave the patient's bedside.

On January 25, during catheterization of the bladder, about a liter of purulent, fetid urine was extracted. Exhausted by the painful procedure, the emperor fell asleep for a short while, but soon "fell faint" with him. The next day, a new attack of fever began, accompanied by convulsions, during which the patient lost consciousness. January 26, emboldened, PeterI, asked for food, but during the meal he suddenly had a convulsive attack, he lost consciousness for more than two hours, after which the emperor lost the ability to speak and control his right limbs.

... At autopsy, they found "hardening in the neck of the bladder and Antonov fire" (inflammation)".

Candidate of Medical Sciences G.Absava:

“... Based on fragmentary and not always reliable information about the clinical picture of Peter's illness, it seems difficult to establish an accurate diagnosis. The version officially adopted to this day is “death from water constipation”, “Urine constipation”; apparently, this refers to acute renal failure and uremia (intoxication with nitrogenous products of protein metabolism, the so-called "slags" that accumulate in the blood). What caused it? Cystitis (inflammation of the bladder), pyelonephritis (inflammation of the kidneys and renal pelvis), urolithiasis? Or maybe prostate cancer? Doubts are also added by the haste with which the body of the emperor, without an autopsy, was put up for farewell to the people the next morning.

All this information is summarized by the leading specialist in the history of the Petrine period, Professor N.G. Pavlenko. At the same time, the historian considered it necessary to supplement his work with another hypothesis: “According to the version of Yulian Semenov, Peter, being completely healthy, suddenly fell ill and died after a heavy meal, which caused convulsions and loss of consciousness. Although the author does not directly write that the king was poisoned, this conclusion follows from the text. The proposed version, as well as the description of Peter's illness, is not reflected in currently known sources.

N.G. Pavlenko is a researcher known for his careful attitude to documents. And the fact that he does not immediately reject Y. Semenov's hypothesis speaks volumes...

... Memoirists and historians constantly mention Peter's weak physique and health, abuse of strong drinks, frequent illnesses and regular treatment with mineral reins (which they see as a manifestation of the morbidity of his nature). At the same time, almost everywhere you can find hints of some kind of "bad kidney disease", which is allegedly the result of an attempt to poison him by Tsarina Sophia. With such a “bouquet”, is it worth being surprised at the early death of the king, who, moreover, constantly exhausted himself with unbearable physical and mental stress? It turns out it's worth it.

Yes, Tsar Peter Alekseevich cannot be called an athlete. With a huge growth (2m 04cm), he was narrow-chested and narrow-shouldered - his surviving caftans, taking into account the two-century shrinkage, correspond to the modern 50th size. The size of his shoes is no more than 41, i.e. the king was indeed a man of asthenic (weak) constitution. But consider the ease with which he wielded a heavy carpenter's ax and blacksmith's sledgehammer, his amazing endurance in travel and campaigns, notice how quickly he recovered from serious illnesses. Isn’t the opinion about Peter’s sickness and weakness exaggerated? .. "

Doctor of Historical Sciences, writer N.M. Moleva:

«… Until now, the circumstances of the death of Peter are shrouded in mystery.I. On the one hand, it would seem that everything is clear: there are testimonies of contemporaries, the works of historians, testifying to the chronic illness of the king. But when you start to study archival documents (“Small Court Calendar”), in which all everyday episodes of Peter’s life were recorded literally by the hour, the state of his health gives rise to a feeling of dissatisfaction with the official version. And if a political picture is superimposed on this, then the version of the violent death of PeterI takes on more and more clear contours.

Peter died without leaving an heir to the throne. Ekaterina came to power thanks to the efforts of A. MenshikovI. She especially never claimed the throne: for her happiness, a palace, tasty food, and a soft bed would be enough for her. But behind her stood Menshikov, whose life literally hung in the balance. Accused of embezzlement, he was waiting for the inevitable punishment, which, apparently, should be severe. Peter could not forgive his former favorite of the sins, and first of all, his role in the case of William Mons, brother of Anna Mons. A brilliant officer, a very handsome young man, he becomes the manager of the queen's estates and, taking advantage of her location, not only arranges a fortune for himself ...

This connection between Catherine and the courtier is strongly patronized by Menshikov. Peter, having learned from the thrown note about the betrayal of his wife, was furious. Mons was executed, and Catherine in the last months of Peter's life was not even allowed into his office. By personal order of the tsar, the case of Menshikov's abuses, which had been dragging on for several years, was urgently completed.

A. Menshikov took risks in both options - both during the recovery of the emperor, and with the coming to power of the party of Tsarevich Peter Alekseevich. In both cases, a trial, exile, and possibly execution awaited him.

And for dinner, Peter is given to try a new variety of sweets sent to the king as a gift. Literally a few hours later, Peter felt unwell, he began to vomit, developed pronounced cyanosis of the nails, numbness in his hands, and a burning sensation in his stomach.

By the way, two years later, also after sweets, Catherine had exactly the same attack.I, after which she died. But it was precisely at that time that Alexander Danilych Menshikov simply did not need her, she began to interfere with his political game ...

Another detail: in front of the entrance to the bedroom, where the sick Peter lay, the altar of the mobile church was installed. Neither women nor people of other faiths, except for the Orthodox, could enter behind the altar. Thus, the access of persons to Peter was extremely limited, both for his daughters and for foreign doctors. All this cannot but give birth thought about a conspiracy that existed in the closest circle of the king.

Well-known Russian forensic expert, full member of the ARSII. G.R.Derzhavina, Honored Doctor of Russia, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Yu.A.Molin puts forward his version of the diagnosis of Peter I's illness. He believes that the "PeterI suffered from urethral stricture complicated by purulent cystitis, ascending infection with the development of severe pyelonephritis (inflammation of the renal pelvis and kidney tissue), and at the final stage of the disease - uremia (flooding of the body with toxic metabolic products) and urosepsis". Yu.A. Molin also expresses the opinion that “A few hours before his death, Peter suffered an acute cerebrovascular accident with hemorrhage in the left hemisphere of the brain as a result of an increase in blood pressure, often observed in neglected, untreated cases of nephritis.”

Sources: B.A. Nakhapetov "Secrets of the Doctors of the Romanov House". – M.: Veche, 2005; N.I. Gusokov "Peter I and medicine". - M., 1994; Historical newspaper. - 2007. - July; Medical newspaper. - 1989. - February 15. - No. 111; Military Medical Journal. - 1990. - No. 12; Yu.A. Molin "Secrets of the death of the great." - St. Petersburg, 1997; Nikolai Kofirin's blog; ricoior.org/history; files .mail .ru / SECPRT .

The material was prepared by E.A. Chizhova

History is full of various secrets and mysteries. Even yesterday's news is sometimes overgrown with rumors and speculation, to say nothing of the events that took place several centuries ago.

According to numerous testimonies, in the last years of his life, Peter I developed serious health problems, in particular, signs of urolithiasis began to appear. When studying the emperor's letters to his wife, one can conclude that 5-6 years before his death, he practically never parted with medicines. To restore his health, the emperor repeatedly took treatment at Russian and foreign resorts, famous for their mineral waters. In the summer of 1724, he twice (in June and August) underwent a course of water treatment in the Moscow region and the Olonets province. During this period, the emperor's illness began to take on an inflammatory character. Things got to the point that the operator V. Gorn had to insert a catheter. The treatment helped, by the autumn of 1724 Peter I began to feel somewhat better. The state of health even allowed him to go by sea to Shlisselburg and Lakhta. But here the emperor caught a bad cold. This happened in November, when he spent a long time waist-deep in icy water - rescuing sailors from a boat that ran aground off the coast of Lakhta. Since that time, the health of the emperor was completely shaken. But, despite this, almost until the end of his days, Peter I led a rich life. He was engaged in state activities, most actively participated in the life of the city. It is known, for example, that in October 1724, Peter I was one of those who put out the fire that broke out on Vasilyevsky Island. In early November, the emperor personally attended the wedding of a German baker. In addition, the emperor attended various social events. His eldest daughter Anna was betrothed to the Duke of Holstein in November 1724. On this occasion, festivities were held in the palace for two weeks, some of them were visited by Peter I. On December 18, the fifteenth birthday of Elizabeth, the future Empress of Russia, was celebrated, and just two days later the emperor attended the election of a new “prince-pope” (a comic position established by Peter I). The beginning of 1725 was no less eventful. Peter attended one wedding, and also visited the assemblies of P. Tolstoy and K. Kreutz.

By mid-January, the emperor felt so bad that he ordered a camp church to be placed in the chambers adjacent to his bedroom. The attacks were so painful that the cries of the patient were carried throughout the palace. Prayer services were held in churches, on January 27 an amnesty was announced for all prisoners sentenced to death or hard labor (the only exceptions were murderers and persons convicted of repeated robbery). Despite the efforts of the court physicians, Peter was getting worse. On January 26, he had an attack, as a result of which Peter I lost his speech and the right half of his body was taken away. Early in the morning of January 28, 1724, the first emperor of Russia died.

According to Jacob Shtelin (a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences), on February 2, 1724, the court physician Paulson and operator Gorn performed an autopsy. Unfortunately, no documents recording the results of this medical study have survived to this day. After the emperor's death, his archive was kept in the cellars of the Winter Palace. Only decades later, already under the reign of Catherine II, an attempt was made to sort out the documents. As a result, it turned out that many papers died due to the effects of water that penetrated into the basement during seasonal floods. But in some works you can read that the autopsy did not confirm urolithiasis as the cause of the death of the emperor. In particular, Shtelin writes: “At the autopsy of the imperial body, they found hardening in the neck of the bladder and Antonov fire (i.e. gangrene) in parts near the bladder, and it was so swollen and hardened that it was difficult to cut it with an anatomical knife.”

Some researchers put forward a version of poisoning. But when you study all the known facts, it does not seem consistent.

A few years before his death, namely in 1722, Peter I issued a decree according to which the eldest in the male line does not necessarily become the heir to the throne. From now on, the emperor himself could appoint his successor. But it was Peter I who could not use this right. The disease developed so rapidly, the attacks were so severe and painful, that the emperor could not leave behind any instructions about who he sees as his successor. As you know, the dying man managed to draw only two words "Give it all." This is what led to the fact that in the following decades, kings were enthroned not by law, but by force. Sudden deaths and the lack of wills of subsequent rulers gave rise to a whole series of palace coups. And only 75 years after the death of Peter I, the law on succession to the throne he had published was canceled.

What Peter I died of is not the only question related to this significant figure. Some modern researchers, relying on known facts, suggest that he was replaced by another person during the so-called "great embassy" (1697-1698). This once again confirms that history is full of secrets that you really want to unravel.

The first Russian emperor is credited with an extremely active sex life and, as a result, death from venereal diseases.

On January 28, 1725, the first Russian emperor, Peter I, died in the Winter Palace. The 53-year-old ruler did not leave a single official heir, and there are many legends around the causes of the emperor's death - from flu complications to venereal diseases. Why did Peter, known for his turbulent personal life, have no heirs and what versions of his death exist.

"Screamed, then wheezed"

The king screamed in pain for several days, and then wheezed, exhausted - such stories about the last days of Peter were passed from mouth to mouth in the 18th century.

The most common version of the death of Peter I belongs to the memoirist Yakov Shtelin. According to it, Peter, returning from a trip to Shlisselburg to the Ladoga Canal and Staraya Russa, on November 5 found a stranded boat with soldiers, sailors, women and children near Lahti, and began to save them. The emperor himself stood waist-deep in icy water for several hours, as a result of which he caught a cold. After that, the emperor did not begin to be treated, but only started the situation with constant trips in cold weather and a complete lack of concern for his own health.

The legend has become widespread in modern Russia also because it found the support of the historian Sergei Solovyov.

True, it is refuted by entries in the travel journal of Peter I himself, as well as entries in the diary of the chamber junker Friedrich Berchholtz. So, the emperor returned to St. Petersburg a week earlier than these events. In November, the tsar was present at divine services, weddings and name days.

After dinner, the emperor safely returned to St. Petersburg, but the day before, on his way back from Dubki, he was in great danger on the water during a raging strong storm, and one of his ships was lost, so that only two people managed to escape from it by swimming, - such is the entry in Berchholtz's diary dated November 2. Peter himself was not harmed.

Syphilis

Peter the Great" stated: "On September 8, 1724, the diagnosis of the disease was finally revealed: it was sand in the urine, complicated by the return of a poorly healed venereal disease."

The famous Soviet historian Mikhail Pokrovsky clung to this version and ruled out kidney disease, leaving only syphilis. "Peter died, as is known, from the consequences of syphilis, which he most likely received in Holland and was poorly cured by the then doctors," he wrote.

Assumptions of this kind are based on the reports of the French ambassador Jacques de Campredon.

The king is still suffering from urinary retention. True, because of this illness he does not lie, but it still prevents him from doing business. They assure that this disease is insignificant, but the persons closest to his royal majesty and with whom I maintain constant relations are afraid of its consequences, he noted.

Later, the Italian doctor Azarini, who was summoned by Peter, confirmed that the king really had a long-standing venereal disease, which was not completely cured. After the death of the first Russian emperor, Campredon reported that "an old and poorly cured syphilis served as the source of the disease."

Note that only one diplomat out of all those accredited at the Russian court reported about such a diagnosis to Peter. It is unlikely that the rest would have missed such juicy information.

Gangrene

In general, the version is considered an anecdote that Shtelin spread. However, Peter's detractors discussed this joke as a real fact.

In the month of December, his condition had already become so dangerous and the burning in the inner parts of the bubble so noticeable that from day to day they were afraid of Antonov's fire. On January 28, 1725, he emitted his heroic spirit. At the autopsy of the imperial body, they found completely Antonov fire (gangrene) in parts near the bubble and it was so swollen and hardened that it was difficult to cut it with an anatomical knife, he wrote in "Genuine anecdotes from the life of Peter the Great, heard from noble persons in Moscow and St. Petersburg."

kidney disease

The writer Feofan Prokopovich claims that Peter died as a result of kidney disease, which resulted in obstruction of urine.

So, according to the writer, the emperor felt unwell at the end of 1723, and in February 1724 he went to the waters for treatment. In the summer, the ruler went to the Ugodsky factories, where he received mineral water.

After that, he returned to the capital, the doctors observed a temporary improvement, which was replaced by exacerbations.

It became difficult to defecate, a terrible pain began, a patient and generous husband in other cases (Peter. - Note. ed.) could not restrain himself from screaming, - wrote Prokopovich.

It is possible that he set out the version of the death of the king, which was supposed to be disseminated in society. However, there is another confirmation of it in the Tsar's Travel Journal. Who exactly left the record is not known for certain.

28th. At 6 o'clock in the morning, in the 1st quarter, His Imperial Majesty Peter the Great reposed from this world from illness, constipation of urine, she says.

The author of The History of Medicine in Russia, Wilhelm Richter, also suggested that death was due to "inflammation of the bladder, which turned into gangrene, and from retention of urine." In 1970, doctors at the Dermatovenerological Institute in Moscow concluded that Peter suffered from a malignant disease of the prostate or bladder, or from urolithiasis.

I am the emperor! I do what I want

After the death of Peter, the question arose: who is the king now? Indeed, in a fit of anger and fear, fearing that the opponent of his undertakings would put on the crown, the first Russian emperor turned the procedure of succession to the throne upside down.

If earlier the throne passed from the king to the eldest son, then by decree of 1722 the emperor personally appointed the heir. He could change his mind if the successor did not live up to expectations. After accusing his eldest son of treason and (according to legend) his own execution in 1718, Peter I himself asked himself the question: to whom, in fact, should the throne be transferred?

Not a single son born in a legal marriage remained alive. Illegitimate children of Peter could not claim the throne. Historian Kazimir Valishevsky does not rule out that the first Russian emperor is the father of a dozen illegitimate children. Allegedly, only Avdotya Chernysheva (before her marriage, Rzhevskaya) gave birth to three sons and four daughters from him. Maria Stroganova is also suspected that her three sons are not from her husband at all. However, there is no evidence for this: officially, Peter had no bastards left. In addition, even if they were, all the same, illegitimate children did not have any rights to the throne.

The closest male relative who could lay claim to the throne is the grandson of Peter I (the son of his executed son). However, this idea categorically did not like the emperor.

Still a woman

His wife Ekaterina and two daughters, Anna and Elizabeth, remained. The attitude towards the first in the state was more than controversial: firstly, a foreigner, and secondly, a former laundress: well, what kind of empress is she? Peter treated his daughters with trepidation, but he did not imagine them with a crown on his head.

According to historians, he nevertheless made the choice in favor of his wife. Catherine had the title of empress as the wife of the ruler of the Russian state, but this seemed not enough to the tsar. He decided to make her a crowned special "regardless of her husband." In 1723, a corresponding manifesto was issued, and on May 7, 1724 (according to the old style), the coronation took place. A solemn dinner was arranged in the Faceted Chamber, where foreign ambassadors used to be received. We got the most expensive furniture, dishes, which is possible. The streets of Moscow were decorated with triumphal arches; fireworks of such a scale had never been seen in Russia before. Especially for the coronation for the Empress, they even brought a carriage from Paris. A crown weighing 1.8 kg, adorned with pearls and precious stones, a feast for all of Moscow...

It is possible that this is just a legend, but Peter's last order was allegedly "Give everything back ..." and with his eyes he was looking for Catherine.

Illness and death of Peter 1

Peter 1 (born May 30 (June 9), 1672 - death January 28 (February 8), 1725) - the first Russian emperor, from. He died in the Winter Palace, he was 52 years old. There were many legends about the death of Peter 1.

On the eve of death

1725, January 27 - the imperial palace in St. Petersburg was surrounded by increased security. The first Russian emperor Peter 1 was dying in terrible agony. Over the past 10 days, convulsions were replaced by deep fainting and delirium, and in those minutes when the sovereign regained consciousness, he screamed terribly from unbearable pain.

During the last week, in moments of short-term relief, the emperor took communion three times. According to his order, all arrested debtors were released from prisons and their debts were covered from royal sums. All churches, including those of other faiths, served prayers for him. No relief came...

Possible causes of death of Peter 1

The turbulent life of the emperor made itself felt. By the age of 50, he had a bouquet of ailments. More than other diseases pestered him with uremia. In the last year of his life, the sovereign, on the advice of doctors, went to mineral waters for treatment, however, even during treatment, from time to time he was engaged in heavy physical labor. So, in June 1724, at the Ugodsky factories of the Mellers, he forged several strips of iron with his own hands, in August he was on the descent of a frigate, and then went on a long and tiring journey along the route: Shlisselburg - Olonetsk - Novgorod - Staraya Russa - Ladoga Canal.

Catherine's betrayal

There is a version that the sovereign was poisoned by people from his inner circle. So they could react to the loss of royal favor. A few months before Peter's death, the relationship between the tsar and his wife Catherine finally went wrong.

Returning home from a trip, the king, according to one of the common versions, received evidence of adultery between his wife Catherine and 30-year-old Willy Mons, brother of the emperor's former favorite. Mons was accused of bribery and embezzlement and, according to the verdict of the court, he was beheaded. As soon as Catherine hinted at a pardon, the sovereign in anger broke a finely crafted mirror in an expensive frame. “This is the most beautiful decoration of my palace. I want it and I will destroy it!” The wife realized that her husband's angry words contained a hint of her own fate, but restrainedly asked: "Does this make your palace better?" The emperor nevertheless subjected Catherine to a severe test - he took her to look at the severed head of Mons ...

Catherine well understood that the best thing she now had to count on was a dull old age in a monastery. Unless... Unless the husband dies suddenly without writing a will. Then she, as an empress crowned in 1724, can take the throne according to the law.

Treasurer Menshikov

The well-known embezzler, the Most Serene Prince, was under investigation for more than 10 years. The Control Commission was able to discover that he had stolen more than a million state rubles, so that, as the Prussian envoy Axel von Mardefeld noted in his notes: “The prince ... from fear and in anticipation of the outcome of the case, completely haggard and even fell ill.” And then, as if on purpose, in November 1724 new financial machinations of the prince surfaced - the supply of food to the army at inflated prices. In themselves, they were relatively modest (in comparison with previous years), but Menshikov transferred this profit to a bank in Amsterdam. “Yeah, I thought of running away abroad!” - decided the sovereign.

The fate of the son of the court groom Alexander Danilovich Menshikov ...

A special investigation was set up, which was entrusted to one of the tsar's most trusted persons, Fiscal General Alexei Myakinin. Moreover, quite inappropriately, it became known about the papers of Mons, with whom the Most Serene Prince was in correspondence, seeking the intercession of Catherine. In the letters, Menshikov assured the German "of eternal friendship and devotion," which infuriated Peter. As a result, Peter excommunicated Menshikov from himself: he forbade him to appear in the palace, deprived him of the presidency in the Military Collegium. In fact, he was under house arrest in his palace.

People who were close to him, accused of even much less significant fraud, had already been severely punished. “Most likely,” according to Nikolai Pavlenko, Doctor of Historical Sciences, “Menshikov could have shared the fate of all the embezzlers, especially since his main intercessor, Catherine, lost influence on the sovereign because of her adultery.” So Prince Menshikov became an unwitting ally of Ekaterina Alekseevna - the speedy death of the emperor was a salvation for him too.

Kidney disease. Cold

1721 - in Astrakhan, during a campaign in Persia, the king first had attacks of urinary retention. 1723, winter - these attacks intensified. The court physicians had a very difficult job with the royal patient, since he could not follow the strict diet prescribed to him for a long time. The pain became more and more frequent.

1724, summer and autumn - the emperor felt very bad and, willy-nilly, did not part with medicines, but there was not much help from them. In the summer of 1724, the disease took on an inflammatory character. Treated sovereign Lavrenty Blumentrost and gof-surgeon Paulson. 1724, September - the king began to recover and gave hope for recovery.

1724, November - participating in the rescue of soldiers and sailors drowning in the Gulf of Finland from a boat that ran aground near Lakhta, he caught a bad cold.

1725, January 6 - being in a severe frost at the Baptism ceremony, he caught a cold even stronger and on January 16 he became hopeless. January 16 brought deterioration, a "strong chill" appeared, the emperor went to bed. As the historian E.F. Shmurlo, "death knocked on the royal doors."

There was an acute urinary retention. Attacks followed one after another. The king was in terrible pain. But some doctors did not lose hope for salvation and made attempts to instill it in others. Thus, a doctor from Italy, Azzariti, who practiced in St. Petersburg, assured the courtiers that the disease was completely curable and the tsar would soon be able to take up public affairs again. Indeed, the night of January 20-21 was calm, the fever was gone, and "the cleansings became more regular."

At first, Anna was Lefort's mistress, until she exchanged her favorite for Peter 1 ...

By January 22, the fever subsided, but the patient suffered from general bodily weakness, a sharp headache. On January 23, an "operation" (maybe a puncture or a high section of the bladder) was performed, as a result of which about 2 pounds of purulent urine was extracted. The pain during attacks these days was so strong that the cries of the king were heard not only in the palace, but throughout the district, then the pain became so strong that the patient only groaned muffledly, biting the pillow. The "attacks" mentioned by contemporaries may have been episodes of acute urination disorders due to stricture (narrowing) of the urethra.

On January 25, during catheterization of the bladder, about a liter of purulent, fetid urine was extracted. Exhausted by the painful procedure, the patient fell asleep for a short while, but soon "fainted" with him. The next day, a new attack of fever began, accompanied by convulsions, during which the sovereign lost consciousness. On January 26, having cheered up, the tsar asked for food, but during the meal he suddenly had a convulsive attack, he lost consciousness for more than two hours, after which Peter 1 lost the ability to speak and control his right limbs.

Syphilis

One of the versions of the death of Peter 1 is described by Kazimir Valishevsky. The historian in the book "Peter the Great" states: "On September 8, 1724, the diagnosis of the disease was finally revealed: it was sand in the urine, complicated by the return of a poorly healed venereal disease."

The Soviet historian M. Pokrovsky seized on this version and ruled out kidney disease, leaving only syphilis. “Peter died, as is known, from the effects of syphilis, which he apparently received in Holland and was poorly cured by the then doctors,” he wrote.

Later, Dr. Azzariti, whom Peter summoned, confirmed that the sovereign actually had a long-standing venereal disease, which was not completely cured.

After the death of Peter 1, Campredon reported that "an old and poorly cured syphilis served as the source of the disease."

It should be noted that only one diplomat out of all those accredited to the Russian court reported such a diagnosis to the tsar. It is unlikely that the rest would have missed such juicy information.

Death

His body remained unburied for 40 days. And all this time, Catherine, proclaimed empress, wept twice a day over her husband's body.

Medical opinion. Our days

Commented by Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor L.L. Khundanov.

- Of course, it is quite difficult to make a diagnosis after several centuries ...

And yet, taking into account the testimonies of contemporaries, written sources, one can try to reconstruct the history of the illness of Peter the Great. Perhaps the fact that the sovereign suffered from urethral stricture should be considered proven. It is known that the king, who liked to show off his knowledge in medicine, found it possible to apply them to himself. The silver catheters with which he independently bougieurized the urethra have survived ...

Hypothermia, alcohol, of course, could cause an exacerbation of the chronic process. I do not want to give an assessment of the actions of the doctors who treated the king, but it seems that not all possible means, even at that time, were used. With many days of urinary retention, catheterization was performed only once. Perhaps we should have thought about cystotomy, an operation widely practiced by eighteenth-century surgeons. Although it is quite possible to assume that the emperor could have opposed this operation, and the doctors could not or were afraid to convince him.

To decide in our days the question of the possible poisoning of Peter 1, without having any results of analyzes, examinations, is a very frivolous matter. Although some of the symptoms during the course of the disease do not quite fit into the clinic of ascending pyelonephritis, urosepsis. More A.S. Pushkin in his "History of Peter" writes about convulsions, paralysis of the left hand, loss of speech. "Burning in the abdomen" can also be considered as a sign of poisoning with some kind of poison. Such symptoms, if desired, can be placed in the clinic of arsenic poisoning. But it should immediately be noted that at the beginning of the 18th century, arsenic and mercury preparations were widely used in the treatment of many ailments, and an overdose could easily occur in a patient with kidney damage, causing a clinic similar to poisoning.

Peter and Catherine left Astrakhan for Moscow at the end of November 1722. Even before they left, it began to snow. The Volga below Tsaritsyn was iced over, and Peter could not set off on the journey in the galleys. Finding a sleigh suitable for the royal cortege was not an easy task, and as a result, the journey took a whole month.

Returning to Moscow, Peter plunged into the pre-Christmas festive atmosphere. The carnival processions during Holy Week surpassed the festivities of the previous year in scope. The Saxon envoy described these celebrations in this way.

Here is a description of our carnival, which ended only yesterday after eight days of festivities: it consisted of a sleigh ride, among the sixty that deserved to be seen. The view was all the more beautiful because it represented a small naval squadron strolling through the streets, for the carriages depicted various types of sea vessels, starting with the frigate in which the king rode, and ending with a small boat. The thread began with a chariot in which Bacchus rode, representing him completely both in dress and appearance, for three days before our trip they took care to bring him into a decent condition. He was followed by His Majesty's jester named Vitashi, dressed as a bear and driven by six cubs, then followed by another sleigh pulled by four pigs, then a Circassian riding ten dogs.

Next came the adjutants of the prince-pope, otherwise the patriarch, including six, people of extremely respectable years, riding in the clothes of cardinals, on bridled and saddled bulls. They were followed in a large chariot by a patriarch in papal garb, lavishly lavishing blessings. He sat on the throne, surrounded by the elect, and in front of Silenus, who accompanied him, sitting on his barrel. The Prince Caesar, the personification of the Tsar of Moscow, followed them with a royal crown, accompanied by two cubs, then they rode in a chariot in the form of a shell, the great Neptune with a trident in his hands and two tritons who served him as pages. Then appeared His Majesty's large double-deck frigate of thirty-two cannons (eight of which were bronze and the rest wooden), three masts with all the gear, flags and sails. The whole ship was about thirty feet long. It was necessary to marvel at the beauty and size of this frigate. His Majesty was dressed as a sailor, representing the captain of a ship. Only six horses pulled this huge machine. Then followed a snake about a hundred feet long with a huge tail, loaded with various people. The tail was made up of twenty-four small sledges, tied one to the other, which writhed. Further on, a huge gilded barge was seen, where Her Majesty the Empress was, dressed as a peasant woman with the whole court and horsemen dressed as Africans. This barge was very beautiful and all decorated with mirrors. Then followed the troupe of Prince Menshikov, dressed with the entire retinue of abbots, accompanied by the barge of Princess Menshikov with a troupe of Spaniards. Then followed a military frigate, where there was an admiral dressed as a Hamburg burgomaster, then the duke's boat rode with a crowd of twenty Holstein peasants and musicians. Then followed the boat of foreign ministers in blue dominoes with all their servants on horseback in the same attire, accompanied by the chariot of the Moldavian ruler, dressed as a Turk under his canopy.

Before leaving Moscow for St. Petersburg, in early March 1723, Peter invited his friends to admire another amazing spectacle - the burning of a wooden palace in Preobrazhensky, the very one where he once hatched secret plans for war against Sweden. The emperor himself placed vessels with multi-colored flammable chemicals on the shelves and closets, and then set fire to the house with a torch. The building immediately burst into flames. The fire was accompanied by many small explosions and colorful flashes. For some time, until the building collapsed, its solid log frame stood out in a clear silhouette against the background of colored flashes. And when only the blackened, smoking ruins remained of the house, Peter turned to the Duke of Holstein, the nephew of Charles XII, and said: “This is the image of war: brilliant deeds followed by destruction!” my empire!

In the warm months, Peter spent most of his time in Peterhof. On the advice of his doctor, he drank mineral water and engaged in a variety of physical exercises - mowed the grass and took walks with a satchel on his back. Being on the water still remained his greatest pleasure, and the Prussian ambassador reported that even ministers sometimes could not approach the sovereign. "The Emperor is so engrossed in his villas and sailing in the bay," the diplomat wrote, "that no one has the heart to disturb him."

In June 1723, the entire court, including Tsarina Praskovya, who suffered from severe gout, moved with Peter to Revel. There, by order of the emperor, an exquisite pink palace was erected for Catherine, and a modest three-room house was built nearby for him *.

* The palace in Yekaterineptal near Revel was built by the architect Niccolo Miketgi in 1718-1723.

Catherine's Palace was surrounded by a spacious park, decorated with ponds, fountains and statues, however, going for a walk along its wide alleys, the emperor noted with bewilderment that he was walking alone. Peter soon found out the reason for this - a sentry was standing at the main gate, who was ordered not to let anyone into the park. Peter immediately canceled this order, declaring that he would never set up such a large and expensive garden just for himself and his wife. The next day, drummers walked around the city and informed the residents that the palace park was now open to everyone.

In July, Peter sailed with the fleet to the Baltic, where maneuvers were carried out. In August he returned to Kronstadt. There, a ceremony was held to honor the small boat, which Peter once found rotting in Izmailovo and on which, in the company of Carsten Brant, he took his first sailing lessons on the Yauza. Named "Grandfather of the Russian Navy", the boat was delivered to Kronstadt. There the emperor boarded a small boat, over which the sovereign's standard was flying. Peter steered, and four admirals sat at the oars. The small boat sailed between twenty-two battleships and two hundred galleys lined up in two rows. At a signal given by the monarch, cannon volleys burst from all ships. The fairway was covered with smoke, and only the tops of the masts of the largest ships were visible above the thick curtain. This was followed by a feast that lasted ten hours in a row, and Peter announced that "the idler is the one who does not get drunk that day." The ladies were not released, and the young princesses Anna and Elizaveta carried glasses of Hungarian wine around the guests. The Duchess of Mecklenburg got tipsy, and the other noble guests pretty much went over too much: from drunken tears, hugs and kisses, they imperceptibly moved on to quarrels and skirmishes - not only verbal. Even Peter, who by this time began to drink much less than in his youth, drained a lot of glasses.

In autumn, another masquerade marked the second anniversary of the Peace of Nystadt. Peter dressed up as a Catholic cardinal, then as a Lutheran pastor, borrowing his vestments from a real pastor, then, finally, as an army drummer, and he beat the drum like a real man. For Tsarina Praskovya, this was the last celebration - she died soon after.

In order to restore his body after all these bacchanalia, Peter had to go to the waters - now he drank the “iron waters” recently discovered in Olonets. The emperor often visited Olonets even in winter, when it was possible to ride on Lake Ladoga in a sleigh. Sometimes Catherine accompanied him. Peter argued that Russian mineral waters are better than any German ones, but not everyone agreed with him. Some were worried that the sovereign drank water saturated with metal salts, which could harm rather than help his health. It was also disturbing that Peter did not want to follow the doctor's orders: in the morning he would drink up to twenty-one glasses of mineral water. During his treatment, he was not allowed to eat raw fruits, cucumbers, salted lemons, and Limburg cheese. And yet, despite the ban, Peter once, having drunk healing water, ate a plate of figs and several pounds of cherries. Treatment with water was a monotonous procedure, and in order to dispel boredom, Peter worked every day in a lathe, turning knick-knacks from wood or bone. When the emperor felt strong enough, he went to the forges located nearby, where he beat with pleasure with a hammer.

Peter's two eldest daughters were already approaching marriageable age (in 1722, Anna was fourteen years old, and Elizabeth was thirteen), and like any reasonable monarch, he strove to conclude such marriage unions that would benefit his state. Since his visit to France, he had hoped to marry off one of his daughters (presumably Elizabeth) to the young King Louis XV. Having become related to the House of Bourbons, Peter would not only raise the prestige of Russia, but would also acquire a valuable ally in Europe, capable of serving as a counterbalance to the hostile England. If it had not been possible to arrange a marriage with the king himself, Peter counted on the worst possible outcome of marrying Elizabeth to one of the princes of the French royal house in order to subsequently raise the young couple to the Polish throne. Immediately after the signing of the Treaty of Nystadt and the adoption of the imperial title, Peter proposed this plan to Paris. The French envoy in St. Petersburg Campredon enthusiastically supported this idea. “It is desirable,” he wrote, “to arrange the marriage of the king’s daughter, a very sweet and very pretty person, with one of the French princes, who could easily, and with the power of the king, even probably, could be made the Polish king”

The regent of France, Duke Philippe of Orleans, Peter's plan seemed tempting. Poland could indeed be a useful ally behind Austrian lines. If the emperor is ready to use his influence to put the French prince on the Polish throne, then perhaps it really would not hurt to intermarry with him. True, Philip had some doubts. The origin of Catherine was dark, the story of their wedding with Peter was also surrounded by mystery - all this called into question the legality of the birth of Elizabeth. But the regent overcame his hesitation and even proposed a candidate, the most suitable, in his opinion, for the role of the groom, and therefore the Polish king. Philip's choice fell on his own son, the young Duke of Chatres. When, returning to Persia, Peter learned that France was proposing the candidacy of Shatre, he broke into a smile and said to Campredon: "I know him and appreciate him highly."

However, unfortunately for the contracting parties, there was a serious obstacle to these plans, which it was not in their power to remove. The Polish throne was occupied by the sick fifty-three-year-old Augustus of Saxony. Although at that time he was no longer a friend or ally of Peter, the emperor had no intention of depriving him of the throne by force. Peter offered to marry Shatra with his daughter without delay, and then calmly wait for the death of Augustus and the liberation of the Polish throne. The French, on the contrary, preferred to wait until the prince was elected the Polish king, and only then marry, but this did not suit Peter at all.

“And what if Augustus lives another fifteen years,” the emperor asked. Campredon assured him that this could not be. “In order to bring this event closer,” he urged, “the king of Poland only needs to get a new, frisky, cheerful mistress” *.

* In fact, Augustus lived another ten years and died in 1733 at the age of sixty-three.

In the end, Campredon agreed with Peter's arguments and tried to persuade his government to do the same. He wrote to Paris, praising the virtues of Elizabeth: “Princess Elizabeth is a sweet person in her own right. She can even be called a beauty in view of her slender figure, her complexion, eyes and hands. The faults, if any, can only be in her upbringing and manners. I was assured that she was very intelligent. Therefore, if there is any defect in the above attitude, it can be corrected by appointing to the princess, "if the matter is done, some knowledgeable and skillful person."

And yet the case was upset because of the machinations of the old enemy of Peter George I of England. The Regent of France and his first minister, the Abbé Dubois, made friendship with England the basis of a new foreign policy. Former enemies became close to such an extent that Dubois sent to England, which did not have its own diplomatic representative in Russia, the originals of Campredon's dispatches coming from St. Petersburg, and King George returned them to Paris with his own notes in the margins. George I did not want the strengthening of Russia, Dubois supported him and for some time even left Campredon's messages unanswered. When he nevertheless deigned to answer, he said that, in connection with the objections that had arisen in England, the matter should be postponed and nothing should be done until further instructions were received. The instructions never came. Both the regent and Dubois died before the end of 1723, and Louis XV was declared of age and became the sovereign king of France. The Duke of Shatrsky eventually married a German princess, and Peter's daughter, Elizabeth, was never destined to enter into a legal marriage (although, according to some reports, she secretly married her favorite, the handsome Alexei Razumovsky, who rose from the common people and received the title of count). Instead of becoming the queen of Poland, she stayed at home in Russia, which she ruled for twenty-one years.

But Peter's plans for his eldest daughter, Princess Anna, soon bore fruit. For several years, the cunning Hertz had nurtured the idea of ​​marrying Anna to his young master, Duke Karl Friedrich. Hertz shared this thought with Peter, and he seized it with joy. In subsequent years, fortune smiled at the young duke, then turned away from him. The duke was a nephew, and the only one, of the childless Charles XII, who brought the young man closer to himself. In Sweden, many believed that it was Karl Friedrich, and not his aunt Ulrika Eleonora and her husband Friedrich of Hesse, who would get the Swedish crown. In 1721, Karl Friedrich came secretly to Russia, hoping to enlist the support of the tsar in his claims to the Swedish throne, and, if possible, to seal the alliance with Peter by marrying one of his daughters. The arrival of the duke in Russia played into the hands of Peter. Ulrika Eleonora and Friedrich regarded the young man's stay in St. Petersburg as a hidden threat, and this prompted them to reconcile with Russia as soon as possible. One of the articles of the Treaty of Nystadt in 1721 contained a promise from Russia not to support the duke's claims to the Swedish throne. Despite the disappointment that befell him, Karl Friedrich remained in Russia. He became Catherine's favorite, took part in all court entertainments, and his small court became the center of attraction for those Swedish officers who, having married Russians, according to Swedish laws, "could return to their homeland with their wives. Gathering at the duke, these restless souls became more and more accustomed to pouring vodka into melancholy, and soon there was a danger that the duke, the only nephew of Charles, who fought side by side with his illustrious uncle, would turn into an idle hanger-on at the Russian court.

However, Karl Friedrich did not give up hope of getting the hand of Princess Anna, tall, dark-haired and attractive, like her mother, a girl who was also smart, cheerful, well-bred and, appearing in society in a magnificent dress, with hair tied up in European fashion and adorned with pearls, made an indelible impression on foreign ambassadors. The chances of Karl Friedrich increased significantly when the Swedish-Russian defensive alliance was signed in 1724. The duke received the title of royal highness, and the Swedish government undertook to pay him a pension. In addition, Russia and Sweden agreed to put joint pressure on Denmark in order to convince her to return the lands seized from him to the Duke of Golyitinsky. The duke's position thus improved, and in 1724 he received, not without pleasure, a message from Ostermann, in which he was asked to prepare a marriage contract *. It was assumed that, having become engaged to Anna, the duke would receive the post of governor-general of Riga.

* In reality, everything was somewhat more complicated: Peter hesitated until the very end, and the story of V. Mons and the role played by Catherine, who was appointed Peter's successor on the throne, prompted him to take decisive action. Giving his daughter in marriage, the tsar hoped to wait for his grandson, whom he intended to make heir to the Russian throne.

The betrothal was celebrated magnificently and ceremoniously. The night before, the duke's personal orchestra performed a serenade in honor of the empress under the windows of the Winter Palace. The next day, after a service at the Trinity Cathedral and a dinner with the imperial family, the duke was betrothed to Anna. Peter personally put on the young wedding rings and exclaimed: “Vivat!” - after which everyone went to the wedding feast, followed by a ball and fireworks. At the ball, Peter felt unwell and refused to dance, but Catherine succumbed to the persuasion of Karl Friedrich and walked with her fiancé in a polonaise.

After the wedding, however, Anna lived only four years and died at the age of twenty. Fate decreed that it was she and her husband who continued the line of Peter on the Russian throne. The young people left for Golyptein, where in Kiel, shortly before her death, Anna gave birth to a son, who was named Karl Peter Ulrich. In 1741, when the boy was thirteen years old, his aunt Elizabeth became empress. The empress was not married and had no heirs, and therefore summoned her nephew to Russia and, having baptized him into Orthodoxy, named him Peter Fedorovich. In 1762, he ascended the throne and became Emperor Peter III, and six months later was deposed and then killed by supporters of his wife, a German princess. This energetic person seized the throne, was crowned by Empress Catherine II and went down in history as Catherine the Great .. The son, grandson, and then more distant descendants of Peter III and Catherine II occupied the Russian throne until 1917. All of them traced their pedigree from Tsarina Anna and Karl Friedrich of Holstein - from the daughter of Peter the Great and the nephew of Charles XII.

The persistence with which Peter sought to marry his daughters to foreign princes indicates that he did not see any of them as his successor on the Russian throne. Indeed, so far no woman has sat on this throne. But after Tsarevich Pyotr Petrovich died in 1719, only one male heir remained in the Romanovs' house - Pyotr Alekseevich, the son of Tsarevich Alexei. Many in Russia believed that he was the rightful heir. Peter understood perfectly well that the adherents of antiquity see their only hope in the young Grand Duke. And he decided to deprive them of this hope.

But if not Peter Alekseevich, then who will inherit the throne? The longer Peter thought about this problem, the more often he turned his thoughts to the closest person - Catherine. Over the years, the passion that Peter once felt for this simple, healthy, young woman gave way to calm love and trust. Catherine possessed colossal energy and a remarkable ability to adapt to any circumstances: she loved luxury, but she could also be unpretentious, without losing good spirits in the most severe conditions. She inseparably accompanied Peter, even when she was pregnant, and her husband said more than once that she had more vitality than he did. They rejoiced together, watching their daughters blossom, and saddened together, losing numerous babies. They found pleasure in each other's company and were sad when they had to be separated. “Thank God, everything is fun here,” wrote Peter from Reval in 1719, “only when you come to the country yard, but you are not there, it is very boring.” “And what do you write that it’s boring to walk alone, even though the garden is good,” he wrote another time, “I believe it, because the same news is behind me: I only pray to God that this summer will be the last in separation, and henceforth to be together.”

Once, when Peter was once again on a long absence, Catherine prepared a surprise that pleased her husband a lot. Knowing how much he loves new buildings, she secretly built a country house about fifteen miles southwest of Petersburg. A two-story stone mansion, surrounded by gardens and parks, stood on a hilltop, and behind it, to the very capital on the banks of the Neva, a wide plain stretched. When Peter returned, Catherine told him that she had found a pre-. a flattering, secluded place where she would not mind "putting Your Majesty a country house, if you weren't too lazy to go and look at it." Peter immediately promised to take a look at this place and "if it really is such, put the house as she wishes." The next morning a large company set off. Peter ordered to take with him a wagon with a canopy, so that there was a place to eat on the road. Having reached the foot of the hill, the cortege began to climb the linden alley leading to the top, at the end of which Peter suddenly saw a house. So, being at a loss, he approached the threshold, and only at the door Catherine said to him: “This is a country house that I built for my sovereign.” Delighted, Peter gently hugged his wife and replied: “I see that you wanted to show me that there are beautiful places not only on the water near St. Petersburg.” Catherine led her husband around the house and finally invited her into the spacious living room, where an excellent table had already been laid. Peter praised her architectural taste, and Catherine in response offered a toast in honor of the owner of the new house. Peter was even more surprised and delighted by the fact that as soon as Catherine raised the cup to her lips, a salute from eleven cannons, hidden in the garden behind the trees, burst out under the windows. At night, Peter confessed to his wife that he could not remember a happier day.

* This story is nothing more than a legend, and refers to another palace, Yekateringof.

Over time, this estate became known as Tsarskoye Selo. Empress Elizabeth ordered Rastrelli to build a huge palace on the site of a memorable country house. This majestic building, named Catherine's Palace in honor of Elizabeth's mother, Empress Catherine I, has survived to this day.

Peter's respect and gratitude for Catherine increased thanks to her participation in the Prut and Persian campaigns. These feelings were confirmed by the public crowning of Catherine with the imperial crown and the establishment of the Order of St. Catherine in her honor. Having no heir and thinking about the future, the sovereign decided to go further. In February 1722, before going on the Persian campaign, he took a decisive step - he issued the "Charter of Succession to the Throne". It declared invalid the long-standing, centuries-honored order, according to which the throne of the Grand Dukes of Moscow passed from father to son, and proclaimed that from now on, every ruling sovereign has the indisputable right to appoint a successor at his own discretion, "so that our children and descendants do not fall into the anger of Absalom." According to the new decree, all of Russia had to take an oath that it would not deviate from the will of the monarch and recognize the heir to whomever he wants to give her.

Although the February decree of 1722 was truly revolutionary, it served only as a prelude to even more stunning news - Peter announced that he intended to officially crown Catherine as Empress of All Russia. The manifesto of November 15, 1723 stated that since our dearest sovereign and empress Catherine was a great helper, and not only in this, but also in many military actions, postponing the inability of a woman, by her will, she was present with us, and helped as much as possible ... for the sake of autocracy given to us from God, for such spouses found the work she would be crowned. It was announced that the ceremony would take place in Moscow this winter.

By issuing this manifesto, Peter stepped on shaky ground. By birth, Catherine was a simple Livonian peasant woman and ended up in Russia as a prisoner. Is she really destined to sit on the throne of Russian tsars and crown herself with a crown? Although in the manifesto on the coronation of Catherine she was not directly proclaimed heir, on the night before the coronation, Peter, in the house of an English merchant, in the presence of several senators and prominent church hierarchs, announced that he would crown his wife so that she would gain the right to rule the state. He waited for objections: they did not follow *.

* This alleged episode, on the day Catherine I was proclaimed autocratic empress, was “remembered” by one of her supporters, Feofan Prokopovich.

The coronation ceremony was planned to be decorated with pomp and brilliance. Peter, always stingy in spending on himself, this time ordered not to spare money. The coronation robe of the Empress was ordered in Paris, and the St. Petersburg jeweler received an order for the manufacture of a new imperial crown, which surpassed in splendor the crown worn hitherto by Russian monarchs. The coronation was to take place not in the city of Petrov, the new capital, but in the capital city of Moscow, in the Kremlin, in accordance with age-old customs. Six months in advance, the President of the Holy Synod Stefan Yavorsky and the indefatigable Pyotr Tolstoy were sent to Moscow in order to prepare everything necessary for the solemn ceremony. The coronation was to be attended by senators, members of the Synod and all Russian nobility.

Due to illness, Peter was forced to stay - in early March 1724 he went to Olonets to the waters to improve his health. By March 22, there was a noticeable improvement, and he and Ekaterina left for Moscow together. At dawn on May 7, a signal gun fired from the Kremlin wall. Under the walls of the Kremlin, 10,000 foot guards and a squadron of cavalry guards marched in a ceremonial march. This spectacle was sullenly looked at by Moscow merchants, from whom Tolstoy requisitioned the best horses on this occasion. At 10 o'clock the bells of all Moscow churches rang out and a volley from all the city guns rang out. On the Red Porch, accompanied by the highest dignitaries of the state, Peter and Catherine appeared. The Empress was dressed in a purple dress embroidered with gold, the train of which was carried by five court ladies. In honor of such an event, Peter put on a sky-blue caftan embroidered with silver and red silk stockings. The royal couple looked at the crowded Cathedral Square from the very place where forty-two years ago ten-year-old Peter and his mother looked at the raging archers and the forest of sparkling reeds. Then the sovereign and the empress descended from the Red Porch, marched through the Cathedral Square and entered the Assumption Cathedral. In the center of the temple, a platform was erected, on which two thrones inlaid with precious stones were installed for Peter and Catherine, under velvet canopies embroidered with gold.

At the door of the temple, the imperial couple was met by Yavorsky, Prokopovich and other bishops in sacred vestments. Yavorsky gave the king and queen to venerate the cross, after which he led them to the thrones. Worship began. Peter and Catherine silently sat side by side. Finally, a solemn moment came: the sovereign rose, and Yavorsky presented him with a new imperial crown. Taking her in his hands, the monarch turned to the audience and loudly proclaimed: “We crown our beloved wife,” and he himself placed the crown on his wife’s head. After that, he handed her the power, but it is noteworthy that the scepter, a symbol of power, remained in his hand. The crown was covered with 2564 diamonds, pearls and other precious stones. He crowned her with a diamond cross, beneath which was a ruby ​​the size of a pigeon's egg.

When Peter laid the crown on Catherine's head, she could not restrain her feelings and tears streamed down her cheeks. Kneeling before her husband, she tried to kiss his hand, but he did not give it, and when she tried to fall at his feet, Peter raised the now crowned empress. Again, a solemn prayer service sounded, and after it the bells rang and the cannons rattled.

After the prayer service, Peter returned to the palace to rest, and Catherine, with a crown on her head, marched at the head of the procession from the Assumption Cathedral to the Archangel Cathedral, in order, according to custom, to pray in the tomb of the Moscow tsars. An imperial mantle, made in France, fell from her shoulders. Decorated with hundreds of golden double-headed eagles, it was so heavy that, although the ladies-in-waiting supported it, the empress had to stop several times to take a breath.

Menshikov followed the empress and threw handfuls of silver and gold into the crowd. At the foot of the Red Porch, Catherine was met by the Duke of Holstein and led her to the Faceted Chamber, where a magnificent table was prepared. At the feast, Menshikov handed out medals to the guests: on one side of each of them was a paired portrait of the emperor and empress, and on the other, an image of Peter crowning his wife with a crown, and the inscription: "Crowned in Moscow in 1724." Feast and festivities continued in the city for more than one day. Two huge bulls stuffed with poultry and game were roasted on Red Square, and nearby two fountains beat - one with red wine - and the other with white.

So, the coronation took place, but Peter did not explain either Catherine's new powers or his intentions regarding the future fate of the throne. However, as a sign that Catherine now possesses some of the attributes of royal power, Peter allowed her to bestow on her own behalf the title of count to Peter Tolstoy. This title was worn by all his descendants, including the great writer - Leo Tolstoy. Also, in the name of the Empress, Yaguzhinsky was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, and Prince Vasily Dolgoruky, who fell into disfavor and was sent into exile because of his involvement in the case of Tsarevich Alexei, received permission to return to court. However, Catherine's real power, even in such cases, remained very, very limited: no matter how she asked to forgive and return Shafirov from exile, everything was in vain. What really were Peter's intentions? Nobody knew this. Perhaps the emperor, even on his deathbed, did not make a final decision. However, there was no doubt that he wanted to guarantee the future of Catherine, if not as an autocratic empress, then, in any case, as a regent for one of her daughters. Peter understood that the Russian throne should not be welcomed as a reward for loyalty and self-denying love. From the crown bearer, remarkable energy, wisdom and political experience were required. Nature endowed Catherine with somewhat different qualities. But, nevertheless, she accepted the anointing, and this allowed the French envoy Campredon to conclude that Peter "wanted to be accepted as a ruler and empress after the death of her husband."

After the coronation, Catherine's influence increased, and it became even more desirable than before for anyone who sought favors from the court to enlist her support. And yet, not even a few weeks after her greatest triumph, Catherine found herself on the edge of the abyss and narrowly escaped death. One of her close associates was Willim Mons, a very attractive young man, the younger brother of Anna Mons, who was Peter's favorite a quarter of a century ago. Mons was a German by origin, but was born in Russia and was thus half Russian, half European. Invariably cheerful and gallant, Mons was also a quick-witted and ambitious man, never missing an opportunity to make a career. Thanks to the ability to choose patrons and diligence in the service, he rose to the rank of chamberlain and became Catherine's secretary and confidant. The Empress liked his company - according to a foreigner, Mons "was one of the most elegant and beautiful people I have ever seen." Villim's sister Matrena succeeded no less than her brother. She married the Baltic nobleman Theodor Balk, who had the rank of major general and served in Riga, while she herself was the maid of honor and the closest confidante of the empress.

Gradually, under the pretext of tireless concern for the interests of the empress, the brother and sister achieved that it became possible to gain access to the empress only with their assistance. Messages, petitions and petitions filed in the name of Catherine, with their help, got to her immediately, otherwise they might not get at all. And since everyone knew the influence of the empress on her husband, the mediation of Mons began to be valued "very highly. Ministers, diplomats, and even foreign princes and members of the reigning family - all used the services of an active and handsome German: with one hand they submitted a petition, with the other they held out an offering. None of the petitioners occupied either too high or too low a position in the eyes of Mons - he took bribes as from Tsarina Praskovya and her daughters, the Duke of Holstein Princes Menshikov and Repnin, Count Tolstoy, and from a simple peasant who took root in St. Petersburg and did not want to return to his native village after the expiration of the term. Mons set the "payment" for services depending on the importance of the request and the dignity of the petitioner. In addition to the funds obtained in this way, Mons and his sister received cash grants, land and serfs from the empress. Menshikov called op “brother.” Deciding that “Willim Mons” sounded too simple for such a significant person, the young courtier appropriated the name Mons de la Croa. And immediately everyone began to call him by his new name - everyone except Peter, who seemed to know nothing about this change, or about why this former Willim Mons had become such an important person.

But there was something else that, as the evil tongues said, Peter did not know about Willims Mons. First, in St. Petersburg, and then throughout Europe, rumors began to spread that the young chamberlain had become Catherine's lover. Terrible stories were told about how one moonlit night Peter found his wife with Mons in the garden, under circumstances compromising her. True, such rumors were not confirmed by anything. The story of the moonlit garden must be considered the purest fiction, if only because Peter first drew attention to the machinations of Mons in November, when all the Petersburg gardens were covered with deep snow. And, more importantly, such a connection does not agree well with the nature of Catherine. The empress was generous, kind-hearted and cheerful, but, which is also significant, she was not at all stupid. She knew Peter well. Even if her former love for her husband had cooled (which is unlikely, given her recent coronation), she undoubtedly understood that the connection with Mons would be impossible to keep secret, and she well imagined how dire the consequences could be if they came out. As for Mons himself, according to the established custom of daring and successful adventurers, he may have wanted to consolidate his success by encroaching on the marital rights of the emperor, but it is difficult to imagine that Catherine would do such a stupid thing.

It seems strange that Peter remained in the dark about Mons's abuses for so long. Gosu-. Ifif did not notice what was not a secret to anyone in St. Petersburg, and the reason should most likely be sought in the ailment that weighed on him. When the emperor nevertheless found out the truth, he committed a quick and cruel reprisal. Who exactly opened Peter's eyes remains unknown. Some believed that Yaguzhinsky, irritated by the claims of the presumptuous Mons, did this, others believed that one of the subordinates of the chamberlain himself was the scammer. Having received the warning, Peter immediately announced that from now on he forbids anyone to apply for pardon for criminals. The anxiety caused by this unexplained statement grew in society, while Peter waited. On the evening of November 8, he returned to the palace, showing no signs of anger, dined with the empress and daughters, and had an unremarkable conversation with Willim Mons. Then he said that he was tired, and asked Catherine what time it was. She looked at the Dresden clock presented to her by her husband and answered: "Nine hours", Peter nodded, said: "Well, it's time to disperse," and retired to his chambers. Everyone dispersed to their rooms. Mons returned to his home, undressed and just lit his pipe, when suddenly General Ushakov entered the room and announced to the chamberlain that he had been arrested on charges of bribery. Mons's papers were seized, the office was sealed, and he himself was put in chains and taken away.

The next day, Mons was brought before Peter. According to the official protocol of the interrogation, the chamberlain became so cowardly that he fainted. Having come to his senses, he admitted the correctness of all the charges against him - he confessed that he had taken bribes, embezzled income from the empress's estates, and also that his sister, Matryona, was involved in this extortion. He did not make any confessions regarding inappropriate relations with Catherine, and no one demanded them from him. During the interrogation, this topic was not touched upon, which can serve as an indirect confirmation of the groundlessness of the rumors spreading. The same was evidenced by Peter's lack of desire to conduct an investigation in private. On the contrary, he issued a proclamation commanding anyone who gave offerings to Mons or knew of such offerings to report it to the authorities. For two days, the city crier called out a decree on the streets of St. Petersburg, threatening terrible punishments for failure to report.

Mons was doomed - any of the charges brought against him would have been enough for a death sentence. However, Catherine did not immediately believe that death awaited her pet. She hoped to influence her husband and even sent a message to Matryona Balk, assuring her that she should not worry about her brother. Then she went to Peter - to ask for pardon from the handsome chamberlain. But the empress underestimated her master, forgetting about the vengeful fury that sometimes takes possession of him. The lord who executed Gagarin and Nesterov, humiliated Menshikov and Shafirov, and even more so had no intention of sparing Willim Mons. The condemned did not even receive a reprieve. On the night before the execution, Peter came to him in the casemate and said that although he was sorry to lose such a capable person, the crime should not go unpunished.

On November 16, Willim Mons and Matryona Balk were brought in a sleigh to the place of execution. Mons held himself with firmness, nodding and bowing to friends who stood among the crowd. Climbing to the scaffold, he calmly took off his fur hat, heard the death sentence and laid his head on the chopping block. Then it was his sister's turn. Matrena Balk received eleven blows with a whip (although they were not beaten too hard) and went to Siberian exile - Tobolsk. Her husband, General Bulk, was allowed, if he wished, to marry a second time.

It is not surprising that this drama aggravated the relationship between Peter and Catherine. Although her name was never even mentioned by Mons or his accusers, and no one dared to express suspicion of her involvement in bribery, many believed that in fact Catherine knew about the unsightly deeds of Mons and turned a blind eye to them. Peter himself apparently also believed that there was a share of her guilt in the crime of Mons. On the day of the execution of the ill-fated chamberlain, the emperor issued a decree addressed to all officials of the state. It announced that in connection with the abuses that took place at the court of the Empress, although without her knowledge, it was forbidden in advance for all ranks to accept her orders and orders for execution. At the same time, Catherine lost the right to control the funds allocated for the maintenance of her own court.

Catherine courageously endured the blow that fell upon her. On the day of Mons's execution, she invited a dance teacher to her place and practiced the minuet with her two older daughters. Knowing that any manifestation of interest in the fate of Mons could adversely affect her own, she did not allow herself to give vent to her feelings. However, according to eyewitnesses, Catherine did not easily and did not immediately go to reconciliation with Peter. “They hardly speak to each other, they don’t dine or sleep together,” a contemporary noted, a month after the execution. However, by mid-January, the tension between the spouses began to weaken. The same observer reported that “the queen fell on her knees before him and asked for forgiveness for her actions. Their conversation lasted about three hours. They read, had dinner together, and then parted, ”Whether this reconciliation was final is unknown. All the while the investigation into the case of Mons was going on, the emperor was unwell and he was getting worse and worse ...

After the conclusion of the Treaty of Nystadt and the coronation of Catherine, Peter was at the height of his power in the eyes of the whole world. However, those who lived in Russia, and especially those close to the court, could not fail to notice the disturbing signs. For two years in a row, the country was short of food, and although bread was bought abroad, it was still not enough. Again and again, accusations of bribery were brought against the highest dignitaries of the state. Shafirov was sentenced to death, and only by the grace of the sovereign got off with exile, and now Menshikov has lost the post of president of the Military Collegium. Not a single thing moved from its place until Peter himself took it on. (In Preobrazhensky, despite the winter cold, the servants did not bring firewood, and the fireplaces were flooded only after the personal order of the emperor.)

The affairs of the state fell into decay as Peter's physical and mental health deteriorated. Sometimes he worked with the same energy and enthusiasm. One of his last ideas was the construction of a new, large building to house the Academy of Sciences. He also thought about founding a university in the capital. However, more and more often Peter was in a bad mood and he was seized by apathy. At such moments, he lost interest in everything, but only sat and sighed sadly, postponing things until the last minute. When the emperor fell into depression, none of those close to him dared to speak to him, even if circumstances required the immediate intervention of the monarch. Describing the atmosphere prevailing at the Russian court, the Prussian envoy Mardefeld reported to his sovereign, King Friedrich Wilhelm: “No expressions will be strong enough to give Your Majesty a true idea of ​​​​the impermissible neglect and disorder in which all local affairs are decided, so that neither foreign ambassadors nor the Russian ministers themselves know where and when to turn. Whatever we ask the Russian ministers, in response they only sigh and confess in despair that in every business they encounter incredible difficulties. And all this is not fiction, but the purest truth, here only then something is considered important when they reach the very extreme.

And only over time, the people closest to Peter began to gradually realize what was behind all this - Peter was seriously ill. He still had seizures, when the body of this powerful, but already weakening giant shuddered in convulsive convulsions. Only Catherine, laying his head on her knees, knew how to alleviate his suffering with caress. In recent years, a new painful ailment has been added to the old ailments, which Jeffreys reported in his report to London:

His Majesty seems to have felt weakness in his left arm for some time, due to a bloodletting done by an unskilled surgeon, who, bypassing a vein, injured an adjacent nerve. This forced the king to wear a fur glove on his left hand, since he often feels pain both in the hand and in the whole hand, and sometimes loses sensitivity in it.

Besides, the years were taking their toll. Although in 1724 Peter was only fifty-two, but the vigorous activity, eternal traveling and immoderate drinking, which he began to indulge in in his youth, seriously undermined his health. At fifty-two, the emperor was an old man.

And now, to all this, a new ailment was added, which was destined to bring him to the grave. For several years, Peter suffered from inflammation of the urinary canal, and in 1722, during the Persian campaign, perhaps due to the intense heat, the disease worsened. Doctors determined the presence of stones in the bladder and blockage of the urethra as a result of muscle spasm or infection. In the winter of 1722, the pains resumed.

At first, Peter did not tell anyone except his valet about this, and for some time continued his usual drinking, but the pain intensified and he had to turn to the doctors again. Following their advice, he began to take medicine and limited his drinking to kvass, only occasionally allowing himself a glass of vodka. On some days he suffered excruciatingly and almost could not do business, but then relief came, and the emperor returned to his usual work.

However, towards the end of the summer of 1724, the disease returned in a much more severe form. Unable to urinate, Peter experienced terrible agony. His personal physician, Blumentrost, invited an English specialist, Dr. Gorn, to consult. He inserted a catheter into the urethra, but the entrance to the bladder was clogged, and only after several attempts, along with blood and pus, did a little urine come out. This whole long painful procedure was done without any kind of anesthesia. Peter was lying on the table, clutching the arm of one and the other doctor, who were standing on opposite sides of the table. He tried very hard to lie still, but the pain was such that, squeezing his fingers, he almost broke the hands of the healers. With great difficulty, the doctors managed to remove a huge stone and the pain receded. In less than a week, urination practically improved, although Peter remained bedridden for a long time. Only at the beginning of September did he begin to get up and impatiently paced the room, waiting for the time when he could finally return to his usual way of life.

In early October, on a clear, fine day, Peter ordered to take his yacht to the Neva and put it under the windows so that you could admire it. A few days later, despite the fact that the doctors advised him not to get tired, the emperor went for a walk. First, he visited Peterhof, where he examined the fountains arranged in the park. Then, defying the even stronger protests of the doctors, he undertook a long inspection trip. It began from Shlisselburg, where the twenty-two-year anniversary of the capture of the fortress by Russian troops was celebrated. From there, the sovereign went to the Olonets ironworks, where he became so strong that he personally forged a strip weighing more than a hundred feet. After that, the emperor proceeded to the Ladoga Canal - to see how the work was progressing under the guidance of the German engineer Munnich.

The inspection took almost the whole of October. All the time Peter felt painful tremors and other symptoms of the disease, but he tried not to pay attention to them. On November 5, he returned to St. Petersburg, but almost immediately decided to sail on a yacht to Sestroretsk on the Gulf of Finland to inspect the iron and weapons industries. It was the usual weather for the beginning of a northern winter: gloomy skies, piercing winds and restless cold seas. Peter's yacht left the mouth of the Neva and approached the fishing village of Lakhta, when in the distance the tsar noticed a boat that had lost control due to the wind, on board of which there were two dozen soldiers. In front of Peter's eyes, the boat was carried out to the shallows, and the ship, burying its keel in the sand, began to sway under the blows of the waves, risking that it might turn over. The people on board panicked - apparently they did not know how to swim and did not know what to do. Peter sent a boat to help them, but the sailors were not able to remove the stuck boat from the shallows on their own, and the soldiers, paralyzed with fear, practically did not help them. Peter, who was looking impatiently at this picture, could not stand it and ordered him to be taken on a boat to a stuck boat. Due to strong seas, the boat did not manage to come close to the ship, and then the emperor unexpectedly jumped into the sea and, plunging waist-deep into icy water, moved to the shoal ford. His appearance gave spirit to desperate people. Obeying his instructions, they picked up the ropes thrown from the boat and, with the help of sailors who followed the example of Peter, pulled the boat from the shallows. The rescued soldiers, who did not get tired of thanking God and the sovereign, were sent ashore to dry and warm themselves in the huts of local fishermen.

Peter returned to the yacht, threw off his wet clothes and changed into a dry dress. The yacht landed at Lakhta, where the Emperor disembarked. Although he spent a long time in the cold water, at first it seemed that this did not affect him in any way. Extremely pleased that he managed to save people and save the ship, he decided to spend the night in Lakhta and fell asleep peacefully. However, at night he developed a fever, and then the pains resumed. Peter was forced to cancel his planned trip to Sestroretsk and returned to St. Petersburg, where he took to his bed. From that time on, the fatal illness did not leave him anymore *.

* The incident at Lakhta, according to modern research, is a legend that arose later.

True, for a while Peter felt better again. At Christmas, he felt so cheerful that he decided, according to tradition, to go around the houses of the St. Petersburg nobility, accompanied by singers and musicians. On New Year's Eve, the monarch admired the fireworks, and on Epiphany he went to the Blessing of the Waters, where he again caught a cold. On the same days, for the last time, he had a chance to take part in a meeting of the All-Drunken Council, which was dedicated to the election of a successor to the recently deceased "prince-pope" Buturlin. To elect a new "pope", a clownish conclave of "cardinals" was assembled under the leadership of Bacchus, who sat on a barrel. Peter personally locked the "cardinals" in a special chamber, forbidding them to leave until a new "pope" was elected. In order to help the assembly make the right choice, the "cardinals" were ordered to drink a ladle of vodka every quarter of an hour. The "meeting" lasted all night, and in the morning the members of the "conclave", barely on their feet, announced the name of the chosen one. It turned out to be an unremarkable official. On the same evening, the newly elected head of the Cathedral arranged a feast, at which the guests were treated to bear meat, ol' meat, fox and rat meat.

By mid-January, some cooling between Peter and Catherine, which arose because of the story with Mons, seemed to have come to naught. Together with his wife, the emperor attended the clownish wedding of one of his batmen. In the same month, he visited the assemblies at the homes of Peter Tolstoy and Admiral Kruys. However, on January 16, the illness resumed and forced the king to go to bed. Dr. Blumentrost convened a council, to which Horn was again invited. After soft probing, the doctors found that Peter had inflammation of the bladder and intestines, and so serious that there were reasons to suspect gangrene. Not knowing a remedy that could stop such a far-reaching process, Blumentrost and his colleagues urgently sent couriers to two European luminaries - Dr. Boerhaave from Leiden and Dr. Stahl from Berlin - with a description of the symptoms of the disease and a desperate plea for help.

Meanwhile, Peter, who was on bed rest, felt a little better. He returned to work and, having summoned Osterman and other ministers to bed, held a conference with them, which dragged on all night. On January 22, he talked with the Duke of Holstein and promised, as soon as he recovered, to go with Him to Riga. But the next day, the sovereign again became worse. He called a priest, confessed and took communion. Then Tolstoy, Apraksin and Golovkin were admitted to his box. In their presence, the emperor ordered the pardon and release of all convicted criminals, with the exception of murderers, and granted forgiveness to young nobles who shied away from service. Then he turned to the sobbing Apraksin and other dignitaries with a request, in the event of his death, not to offend the foreigners living in St. Petersburg. And finally, true to his custom to delve into all the little things, he signed two decrees: on the regulation of fishing and on the trade in glue.

All this time, Catherine did not leave her husband’s bed either day or night. At some point, she advised him to forgive Menshikov, who was still in disfavor, in order to reconcile with the Almighty and find peace of mind. Peter agreed, and the prince was admitted to the monarch, who forgave him now for the last time. On January 27, at two o'clock in the afternoon, apparently wanting to clarify the issue of succession to the throne, the emperor ordered a pen and paper to be brought to him. Having received what he required, he wrote “Give it all ...”, but then the pen fell out of his weakened hand. Peter could not write and sent for his daughter Anna, intending to dictate a will to her. However, when the princess appeared, he had already fallen into unconsciousness *.

* The story with the last words "Give it all ..." is also a legend. Most likely, Peter hoped to get better: he had had severe attacks of illness before, which were then replaced by relief.

The emperor no longer regained consciousness, only groaned. Catherine stood for hours at his head and urinated so that death would save him from torment, finally on January 28, 1725, at the moment when the empress uttered the words of the prayer “Lord, receive a righteous soul”, Peter the Great, at the fifty-fourth year of his life and forty-third year of his reign, passed away into eternity.