Marta, the daughter of a Lithuanian peasant, belonged to the Roman Catholic Church. (Starting with Anna Mons, Peter gave preference to foreign women, who were less stiff and shy in dealing with men.) Her mother, a widow, moved to Livonia, where she soon died. The fate of the orphan was taken care of by her aunt, who handed her over to the service of Pastor Dauth. Martha converted to Lutheranism. She soon went to see Superintendent Gluck. At the age of seventeen, Marta became engaged to the Swedish dragoon Raabe, who had left for the war on the eve of the wedding. During the capture of Marienburg, General Bour, then Sheremetev, flared with love for her, and, finally, the favorite of Peter I Menshikov took possession of her.

In 1705, Peter, while visiting his favorite Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, saw a girl who, with her appearance, but with even more brisk movements and witty answers to the tsar's questions, drew his attention to herself. When asked who she was, Menshikov replied that this was one of the Marienburg captives, and when Peter demanded details, he said that when Marienburg was captured by Russian troops on August 24, 1702, Gluck was among the prisoners, with whom this girl was in the service.

The twenty-three-year-old beauty in the same 1705 was transported from Menshikov's house to Pyotr Alekseevich in the palace.

Martha converted to Orthodoxy, she was named Ekaterina Vasilevskaya. On December 28, 1706, the sovereign's new relationship was consolidated with the birth of his daughter.

The position of the Mecklenburg captive was consolidated in the circle of persons close to Peter, while the people and soldiers expressed dissatisfaction with the tsar's connection with the unknown beauty. "Inconvenient" rumors rolled across Moscow.

"She and Prince Menshikov twisted his majesty with their roots," said the old soldiers.

"Katerinushka" really seemed to "circle" Peter. In the midst of his struggle with Karl, believing his life in danger, the sovereign did not forget her and appointed him to give her and his daughter 3,000 rubles - a significant amount at that time, especially for thrifty Peter.

Love was expressed not only in the parcels of citrus fruits and bottles with Hungarian - it showed itself in the constant cares of the sovereign about his beloved woman: forgetting the first-born son and his upbringing, decisively blotting out from his memory the images of the ill-fated first wife and the first metress of Anna Mons, Peter kept the apple of his eye the second and happier favorite.

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A stern despot, a man with an iron character, who looked calmly at the torture of his own son, Peter was unrecognizable in his relationship with Katerina: he sent letter after letter to her, one more tender than the other, and each full of love and precautionary care, the historian Semevsky notes.

Peter missed her. “I miss you a lot,” he wrote to her from Vilna; but because "there is no one to sew and wash ..." "For God's sake, come as soon as possible," the sovereign invited the "mother" to Petersburg on the day of his own arrival. the fact that I don't hear, I don't see you ... "" I would like to see you, and you, tea, much more for the fact that I was twenty-seven years old, and you were not at forty-two ... "

Invitations to come "as soon as possible, so that it would not be boring," regrets about parting, wishes for good health and a quick meeting were full of almost every cidul of the forty-two-year-old tsar.

How did "Katerinushka" support such a passion in Petra that she brought an active sovereign with her into the family life?

With her there was fun; she, by the way, and cleverly could amuse her husband. Most of all, he was captivated by the passion of Catherine. At first he loved her as a simple favorite, which he likes, without which it is boring, but which he would not have bothered to leave, as he had left numerous and little-known "metress"; but, over time, he fell in love with her as a woman, finely accustomed to his character, deftly applied to his habits.

Deprived of not only all education, but even illiterate, she was so able to show before her husband grief for his grief, joy for his joy and, in general, interest in his needs and concerns, that Peter constantly found that his wife was smart, and not without pleasure. shared with her various political news, reflections on current and future incidents.

This illiterate and uneducated woman, however, knew from the very beginning what she wanted. It was she who, after the death of her husband, was on the throne.

With all this, Catherine was a faithful performer of her husband's desires and a pleaser of his passions and habits,

In 1712, Peter, who did not dare to violate the custom of his ancestors for a long time, openly declared Catherine his second, God-given wife. The daughters born of her, Anna and Elizabeth, were recognized as princesses. And in May 1724 he crowned her.

Passionate Martha often turned out to be a weak slave to her feelings that overwhelmed her. In addition to Peter, she bestowed warm affection on her benefactor Menshikov. Did the sovereign know that in the last twenty years of his life he danced to the tune of this couple, these "dignitaries"? Probably not.

Martha's heart was extremely loving, and she scattered the gifts of this treasure on all sides, not paying attention to any rank and origin. Not being faithful to Peter, she herself forgave his love interests.

Beauties appeared at her court, appealing to Peter. Wishing to please the ruler and her "master", Catherine warmly received her rivals, more or less dangerous, especially at first. Among them is General Avdotya Ivanovna Chernysheva, whom Peter called "Avdotya Boy-Baba", Princess Marya Yuryevna Cherkasskaya, famous for her amazing beauty, Golovkina, Izmailova ... This list can be supplemented with the names of Anna Kramer, Maria Matveyeva, Princess Kantemir ... according to Vilboa, his erratic behavior had a detrimental effect on Peter's health. The most dangerous rival was the chambermaid Hamilton. When Peter's passion for his wife was replaced by a feeling of deep affection, Catherine began to favor her new courtier Willim Mons, the elder brother of Anna Mons. Soon she became so attached to him that attentive courtiers began to curry favor with the favorite and show him signs of attention. Peter learned about Catherine's relationship with Mons only in 1724. After receiving the denunciation and conducting an investigation, Peter was enraged. Soon Mons was charged with bribery, and on November 16, 1724, at Trinity Square, at ten o'clock in the morning, William Mons was beheaded. Ekaterina was very cheerful that day. In the evening, on the day of the execution of her favorite, Peter drove the queen in a carriage past the pillar on which Mons's head was planted. The Empress, lowering her eyes, said: "How sad that the courtiers have so many depravity." Peter died two and a half months later. Catherine, without strict tutelage, indulged in revelry all night long with her chosen ones, changing every night: Levenvold, Devier, Count Sapega ... Her reign lasted only sixteen months, however, Menshikov and other temporary workers were the real rulers.

Catherine I Romanova (1684-1727) - Empress who ruled The Russian empire after the death of Peter I in 1725-1727. From 1721 she was the wife of the reigning emperor. In 1723 she was crowned empress in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. In the entire history of the Russian state, this was the second coronation of the sovereign's wife. The first took place in 1606, and the crown was placed on the head of Marina Mnishek, the wife of False Dmitry I.

Portrait of Catherine
(artist Jean-Marc Nattier, 1717)

The origin of Catherine

There is much that is unclear about the origin of the reigning person. Her name was Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya (married to Kruse). She is believed to have been born into a peasant family. By nationality, she was either Latvian, or Lithuanian, or Estonian. At 6 months of age, she was left an orphan, as her parents died of the plague. She was brought up in the house of the Lutheran priest Ernst Gluck. Served as a servant.

At the age of 17, the girl married the Swedish dragoon Johann Kruse. She lived with her husband in Marienburg. 2 days after the wedding, the husband left for the war with the active army, and the wife never saw her betrothed again.

At the end of August 1702, the Marienburg fortress was taken by Russian troops under the command of Field Marshal Sheremetyev. The city was plundered, and many residents were arrested. Marta was also among those arrested. Soon Sheremetyev noticed her and made her his mistress. In the summer of 1703, the favorite of the sovereign, His Serene Highness Prince A. Menshikov, saw her. He took the woman to him and also made him a mistress.

In the fall of 1703, Martha was seen by Peter I. He took her from his favorite and made her his mistress. Apparently there was something special in this young woman, since high-ranking men were so drawn to her.

The king began to call her Katerina. In 1704, she gave birth to her first-born lover, who was named Peter. In total, she gave birth to 8 children: 6 girls and 2 boys. Of these, 6 died in childhood. Daughter Anna died at the age of 20, but managed to give birth to a son, who later became emperor Peter III... Daughter Elizabeth became the Russian Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

In 1707, Katerina was baptized and converted to Orthodoxy. She changed her name, and they began to call her Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova. She received her patronymic from her godfather Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich, and the tsar invented her surname.

In 1710, a solemn parade was held in Moscow to mark the victory in the Battle of Poltava. At this parade, Swedish prisoners marched in front of the Muscovites. Among them was Martha's husband Johann Kruse. He saw his lawful wife near the Russian tsar and began to tell everyone about it. He was immediately exiled to a remote Siberian village, where Kruse died in 1721.

In February 1712, Peter and Catherine were married. After that, they began to be considered legitimate husband and wife. They lived well, as the wife knew how to adapt to the hot-tempered and uncontrollable character of the sovereign. But in 1724 there was an embarrassment. The Empress was suspected of treason. Chamberlain Mons became her lover. She was executed, however, they found another reason for this.

The emperor then estranged himself from his wife. He reconciled with his wife only when he was dying. The forgiven wife sat all the time near the bed of the dying sovereign, and he died, practically, in her arms.

The reign of Catherine I Romanova (1725-1727)

The sovereign died without naming the name of a successor. Two groups were immediately formed. One advocated the enthronement of the grandson of the late Tsar Peter Alekseevich, the son of the executed Tsarevich Alexei, and the other group rallied around Catherine.

The Empress was supported by A. Menshikov, other associates of Peter and the guard. It was the guards regiments that came to the Senate, where the fate of the succession to the throne was decided. The noble boyars had no choice but to recognize the power of the wife of the deceased emperor over themselves.

So, with the support of the guards bayonets, behind which A. Menshikov stood, Catherine I Romanova ascended the Russian throne. But she reigned formally. The real power was possessed by Supreme Privy Council led by Field Marshal A. Menshikov. It began to function in February 1726.

In addition to the field marshal, the council included Counts Apraksin, Golovkin, Tolstoy, Prince Golitsyn, Baron Osterman. Of all the members, only Golitsyn belonged to the noble nobles. This authority also included the son-in-law of the Empress, Duke of Holstein Karl-Friedrich.

Portrait of A. Menshikov (unknown artist)

In this state of affairs, the role of the Senate fell. All important matters were decided in the Supreme Council, and the empress only signed the papers. She devoted almost all of her time to balls, festivities, fireworks, which followed in a continuous sequence at her court.

Meanwhile, in the country due to a poor harvest, the prices for bread have jumped. Discontent began to ripen among the people. The activities of the new rulers were limited to only minor issues. At the same time, embezzlement, corruption, abuse, arbitrariness flourished. No serious steps were taken to improve the situation in the country.

The only positive thing they did was to open the Academy of Sciences and organize V. Bering's expedition. In foreign policy the Vienna Treaty of Alliance was concluded with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI in 1726. He laid the foundation for the Russian-Austrian military-political alliance.

Death of the empress

The reign of Catherine I Romanova lasted only 2 years. The woman had a weak health, and riotous life weakened him even more. In early April 1727, the empress fell seriously ill. She began to suffer from coughing and fever. The woman grew weaker every day and died on May 6, 1727 at the age of 43. It is assumed that she died of abscess pneumonia.

According to legend, a few days before her death, the empress had a dream that she was flying away to the cloud on which Peter is standing. And on earth, a hostile crowd surrounds her daughters Anna and Elizabeth. But their mother can no longer help them.

So the reign of another representative of the Romanov dynasty ended. But this ruler did not show herself in any way. She only managed to achieve great personal success, but it did not bring any benefit to society..

Alexey Starikov

April 5/15, 1684 In Livonia, Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya was born in a peasant family - the second wife of Peter the Great, the future Russian Empress Catherine I Alekseevna.

Marta Skavronskaya in her youth lived in the house of Pastor Gluck in Marienburg, where she worked as a laundress and a cook at the same time. In 1702after the capture of Marienburg by Russian troops, the future Russian empress became a war trophy and ended up in the wagon train of Peter's associate I Count B.P. Sheremetyev, and then at the princeA. D. Menshikova... In 1703 Peter Itook Martha away from the prince and placed her in the village of Preobrazhenskoye among the court maidens of Princess Natalia. Here she converted to Orthodoxy and was named Ekaterina Alekseevna, since her godfather was her son Peter I Tsarevich Alexei... Catherine was distinguished by a cheerful, even, affectionate character, she easily adapted to Peter's whims, put up with his outbursts of unreasonable anger, knew how to help during epileptic seizures and easily shared with him the difficulties of a camp life. She never took a direct part in solving political issues, but had a certain influence on the tsar, often speaking to him as the intercessor A. D. Menshikov.

In 1710 Peter I presented to his future wife Ekaterina Alekseevna Sarskaya myza (later Tsarskoe Selo), located 25 km from St. Petersburg.

Upon returning from the Prut campaign to Petersburg in February 1712Peter got married to Catherine, and their daughters Anna and Elizabeth received the official status of crown princess. In 1714in memory of the Prut campaign, the tsar establishedOrder of St. Catherine, with which he awarded his wife on her name day. May 1724The city of Peter crowned Catherine as Empress in the Moscow Dormition Cathedral.

After Peter's death I in 1725 G., through the efforts of Menshikov and relying on the guards and the Petersburg garrison, Ekaterina I was enthroned. In February 1726under the empress was createdSupreme Privy Council , which included the princes A. D. Menshikov and D. M. Golitsyn, Counts F.M. Apraksin, G. I. Golovkin, P. A. Tolstoy, as well as Baron G. I. F. Osterman. The council was created as an advisory body, but in fact it ruled the country and decided the most important state issues.

During the reign of Catherine I was opened Imperial Academy of Sciences , the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky was established , as well as an alliance with Austria. Shortly before her death, Catherine, at the insistence of Menshikov, signed a will, according to which the throne was to go to the young grandson of Peter I to the Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich, the future Russian emperor Peter II.

May 6/17, 1727 43-year-old Empress Catherine I Alekseevna died and was buried in the tomb Russian emperors in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Lit .: Anisimov E. B. Women in power in XVIII century as a problem // Bulletin of history, literature, art. Department of Historical and Philological Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences. M., 2005.S. 328-335; From the Oldenburg Grand Ducal Archives// Russian archive. 1904. No. one; Pavlenko N.I. Catherine I ... M., 2009; Tsarina Ekaterina Alekseevna, wife of Peter the Great in 1707-1713biennium // Russian antiquity. 1880 T. 28. No. 8. S. 753-756; Solovyov S. M. Works. Book. 9.T. 18.M., 1998. Ch. 4. The reign of Empress Catherine I Alekseevna; The same [Electronic resource]. Url: http: // militera. lib. ru / common / solovyev1 / 18_04. html; Shornikova I. N. Star clock of the empresses: Catherine I , Anna Ioannovna, Elizabeth and Ekaterina II. Ryazan, 1995.

See also in the Presidential Library:

Alekseev A.S. Legend about the oligarchic tendencies of the Supreme Privy Council during the reign of Catherine I. M., 1896 ;

Arseniev K. I. The reign of Catherine I. St. Petersburg, 1856 ;

Georgy Mikhailovich. Coins. Issue 9: Coins of the reigns of Empress Catherine I and Emperor Peter II. SPb., 1904 ;

An ode and idyll to his imperial majesty, the most brilliant, most powerful, great empress Ekaterina Alekseevna, the autocrat of all Russia, and so on. and so on. and so on. with the most merciful and joyful of her imperial majesty, visiting the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra. [M.],. With.;

Description of the coronation of E.V. imp. Ekaterina Aleksievna, solemnly sent to the reigning city of Moscow on May 7, 1724: printed in St. Petersburg under the Senate, 1724. September 5th day. And in Moscow, against the same General, on the 30th day, 1725. [M.],. , 1-76, 78-81 [= 80] p. ;

Description of the coronation of Her Majesty the Empress, Ekaterina Aleksievna, solemnly sent, in the reigning city of Moscow, May 7, 1724. SPb., 5 Sept. 1724., 25, p. ;

Inventory of documents and files stored in the Senate Archives. Dept. one; T. 2: The reigns of Catherine I, Peter II and Anna Ioannovna. Dept. 1: 1725-1733. SPb., 1910 ;

Tsarskoe Selo was founded // On this day. July 5, 1710 ;

Plans and drawings of the Ministry of the Imperial Court. Engravings “Crowning of Catherine I”. 1725 g. ;

1727 year. Blessed and eternally worthy of the memory of her imperial majesty, Ekaterina Aleksievna, the decrees on the death of her majesty. Similarly, the Manifesto on the acceptance of the Russian throne, the all-blessed sovereign, the great sovereign, Peter Alexievich Vtorago, the emperor and autocrat of all Russia, and the oath of faithful service to his majesty, and public decrees for the current year 1728. SPb., 1728., 58, p.

The exact date and place of birth of Catherine 1 have not yet been determined by modern historians. Some scientists say that she was born in Swedish Livonia (now Latvia), while others are convinced that in Estonia. It is only known for certain that at birth the girl received the name Martha. Having reached the age of seventeen, Catherine 1 has to marry a Swede-dragoon named Johann Kruse. But already a day after the wedding, her husband dies in the war.

Catherine's acquaintance with her second husband, Peter I, takes place in the fall of 1703 in St. Petersburg. By the way, it was the emperor who "turned" Martha into Catherine, calling her that in his love letters. After a year, still remaining in the position of a mistress, the girl gives birth to her first child, a year later - another one. However, both children die while still babies. The next children - daughters Elizabeth and Anna Katerina gave to Peter in 1705, and also before legal marriage. Why was she so attractive to her future spouse? According to historians, only she could cope with his frequent fits of anger, remaining invariably affectionate and gentle. And only she could help him cope with attacks of convulsive headaches, which, as you know, tormented Peter 1 on a regular basis. Outwardly, it was a fairly plump black-haired woman with a cheerful and light disposition.

In the spring of 1711, even before the start of the Prussian campaign, Catherine I was officially proclaimed the legal wife of the emperor. Twelve years later, in 1723, her coronation was also announced. However, a year later, Peter 1 changes his attitude towards the former servant, and now his wife, suspecting her of infidelity with the chamberlain Mons. All relations between them were interrupted. It is possible to establish them only a year later, at a time when Peter 1 is already dying. All previous attempts at reconciliation have invariably ended in failure.

According to the wishes of the late spouse and thanks to the powerful support of the guards and nobles who rose to prominence under Peter, in 1725 Katerina manages to become a full-fledged Russian empress.

Speaking about the reign of Catherine 1 as an empress, it is worth saying that in matters of government, she completely relied on her advisers. True, her power was short-lived. In 1727, having undermined her health at numerous balls and feasts, she began to weaken day after day. Fever and lung damage - all of this was the cause of the death of the empress. According to another version, which, according to scientists and historians, is less likely, death occurred as a result of a severe attack of rheumatism.

Catherine 1 is the only Russian empress who has fallen from rags to riches. Marta Skavronskaya - that was actually the name of the empress, was born into a family of peasants, and she met her future husband, Peter 1, when she was Menshikov's servant.

After the sudden death of Peter the Great, having enlisted the support of the intriguer Menshikov, Catherine entered power. However, this is nothing more than a formality.

Taking advantage of the situation, a group of people dreaming of power created the Supreme Privy Council. It included several dignitaries, who began to run everything. The Empress, who was ignorant of state affairs, who presided there, played the most insignificant role. Soon, seeing the threat posed by Menshikov, Catherine included her son-in-law, the Duke of Holstein, on the council.
As one might expect, the Senate has ceased to play any role. A small group of people made all the important decisions, and Catherine the First only put her signature on the documents.
Long wars could not but affect the economic state of the country. Due to poor harvests, the price of a basic product - bread - jumped, and troubles began to grow. To prevent unrest, it was decided to lower the poll tax, which has collected large arrears.

But not all in domestic policy it was so sad. It was under Catherine 1 that the Academy of Sciences was opened and the first expedition to Kamchatka led by Bereng was equipped. The number of bureaucratic institutions has decreased, and, accordingly, the number of parasites. The empress allowed nobles to sell their goods everywhere and even build factories for processing raw materials. The merchants did not ignore it either. For them, she abolished the state monopoly and lowered customs duties on some goods. Despite the obvious lobbying of the interests of the well-to-do part of the population, the common people treated the Empress well and even went to her with their needs.

The foreign policy of Catherine 1 was mainly aimed at the future - the expansion of borders. So, for example, Russia managed to "get its hands on" the Shirvan region. In addition, there was a separate corps in the Caucasus headed by Prince Dolgorukov. The goal was to recapture the Persian territories. Despite such predatory aspirations, with some Western countries, for example Austria, the empress managed to establish a good relationship, which can not be said about Denmark and England. The reason for this is Catherine's support of the views of the Duke of Holstein on the territory of these countries. Of course, the empress can be understood: after all, the duke was her son-in-law. As a result, Russia, together with friendly countries: Austria, Spain, Prussia, entered the Vienna Union. In contrast to them, France, England, Denmark, Sweden, Holland formed the Hanoverian Union.