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Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia
Russian Tsarevich (1690–1718) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich of Russia (Russian: Алексей Петрович; 28 February 1690 – 26 June 1718) was the eldest son of Tsar Peter I and his first wife, Eudoxia Lopukhina.
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Despite being heir apparent, Alexei frequently clashed with his father, undermining Peter’s efforts to groom him as successor and continue his Westernizing reforms. This conflict culminated in his brief defection to Austria, deeply offending the Russian monarchy and leading to punishments against him and his conservative followers. He was arrested upon his return and died under interrogation. Many historians believe that his death was a result of torture. Alexei's death left his infant half-brother, Peter Petrovich, son of Peter the Great and his second wife, Catherine, assuming the title of Tsarevich as the new heir to the Russian throne.[1]
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Early life and education
Alexei Petrovich was born to Tsar Peter I of Russia and his first wife, Eudoxia Lopukhina. During Alexei’s childhood, his father was preoccupied with state affairs and his mistresses, so Alexei was largely raised by his mother. This likely contributed to Alexei’s resentment toward his father, as Tsarina Eudoxia had an unhappy and estranged relationship with Peter. As his father's treatment worsened, Alexei's disdain for him also deepened.
However, in 1698, Peter divorced Eudoxia and had her confined to a convent in Suzdal, thus assuming control over his son's upbringing.[2] Alexei, who had been educated by his tutor Vyazemsky from the ages of six to nine, was placed under the care of educated foreigners selected by his father, who taught him history, geography, mathematics, and French.[3]
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Military career
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As part of his education, in 1703 Alexei was attached to the army as a private in an artillery regiment, which was then on campaign in the Great Northern War with Sweden.[4] Alexei was present at the capture of Narva in 1704. Alexei developed an interest in archaeology and ecclesiology.
The Tsar expected his son and heir to be preparing himself, at all times, for the immense responsibility he would have to assume. No effort was to be spared in preparing the boy for service to the state, both in continuing Peter's westernizing reforms and safeguarding his hard-fought gains. Thus, aforementioned personal antipathies aside, the expectations Peter placed on Alexei created a conflicted relationship between father and son. Yet while Peter was the one giving the orders, he rarely attended personally to his son or offer him guidance as he matured from boyhood to adulthood. Besides his tutors, the Tsarevich was left in the hands of boyar officers in the military and members of the Orthodox clergy. It has been argued that conservative elements within the military and clergy may have reinforced Alexei's skepticism toward his father's reforms.[3]
In 1708, Peter sent Alexei to Smolensk to collect supplies and recruits, and after that to Moscow to fortify it against Charles XII of Sweden during the Swedish invasion of Russia. At the end of 1709, Alexei went to Dresden for one year, where he completed lessons in French, German, mathematics and fortifications.
After concluding his education, Alexei was urged by his father to meet and consider marriage to Princess Charlotte of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, whose family was connected by marriage to many of the great families of Europe. Her sister, Elisabeth Christine was married to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, ruler of the Habsburg monarchy.[3] After having met Princess Charlotte, Alexei was reluctant to marry her and could have refused. However, following the prompt satisfaction of both families, the marriage was agreed upon and took place in
Torgau on October 25, 1711.
Almost immediately after the wedding, Alexei was hurried away by his father to Toruń to superintend the provisioning of the Russian troops in Poland. For the next twelve months Alexei was kept constantly in transit. His wife joined him in Toruń in December, but in April 1712 a peremptory ukase ordered him off to the army in Pomerania, and in the autumn of the same year he was forced to accompany his father on a tour of inspection through Finland.[3]
The marriage is widely considered to have been unhappy. Contemporary accounts described Alexei as frequently intoxicated and often critical of his wife, proclaiming that she was "pock-marked" and "too thin". After only a year of marriage, Alexei insisted on maintaining separate apartments and refused to acknowledge her in public. Some historians speculate that the disapproval of Alexei's conservative supporters towards his foreign, non-Orthodox bride, more so than her appearance, was what ultimately caused Alexei to have contempt for Charlotte. Another influence was Alexander Kikin, a high-placed official who had fallen out with the Tsar and had been deprived of his estates.
Alexei and Charlotte had two children:
- Natalia Alexeievna Romanova (21 July 1714 – 3 December 1728)
- Peter Alexeyevich Romanov (23 October 1715 – 30 January 1730)
After the birth of Natalia in 1714, Alexei brought his long-time Finnish serf mistress Afrosinya[5] to live with him in the palace. The child died in Moscow at the age of 14 due to complications with tuberculosis.[6]
Their son, Peter Alexeyevich ascended the throne as Emperor Peter II in 1727. However in 1730, he died of smallpox, resulting in the extinction of the direct male-line of the House of Romanov.
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Flight
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Immediately after his return from Finland, Alexei was again dispatched by his father to Staraya Russa and Lake Ladoga to oversee the building of new ships. This was to be the last commission entrusted to him, since Peter had not been satisfied with his son's performance and his lack of enthusiasm. One incident involved Alexei injuring his own hand after pressure from his father to demonstrate his skills. Following this incident, Peter appears to have taken far less interest in him.
Nevertheless, Peter made one last effort to reclaim control over his son. On October 22, 1715 (O.S.), Charlotte died after giving birth to a son, the grand-duke Peter, future Emperor Peter II. On the day of the funeral, Peter sent Alexei a stern letter, urging him to again take interest in the affairs of the state. Peter threatened to cut him off if he did not acquiesce to his plans. Alexei wrote a despairing reply to his father, offering to renounce the succession in favor of his infant son Peter. To this, the Tsar said he would agree on the condition that Alexei remove himself as a dynastic threat and become a monk.[3]
As Alexei considered his options, on August 26, 1716 Peter wrote from abroad, urging him, if he desired to remain Tsarevich, to join him and the army without delay. Rather than face this ordeal, Alexei fled to Vienna and placed himself under the protection of his brother-in-law, the emperor Charles VI. For his own safety, Charles sent Alexei first to the Tirolean fortress of Ehrenberg (near Reutte), and finally to the castle of Sant'Elmo in Naples. He was accompanied throughout his journey by Afrosinya. That Charles sincerely sympathized with Alexei, and suspected Peter of harbouring murderous designs on his son, is suggested from his confidential letter to George I of Great Britain, whom he consulted on this delicate affair.
Peter saw his son fleeing as a grave insult. Indeed, the flight of the Tsarevich to a foreign power was a reproach and a scandal in itself. Peter endeavoured to have Alexei recovered and brought back to Russia at all costs. This difficult task was accomplished by Count Peter Tolstoi, the most subtle and unscrupulous of Peter's servants.[3]
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Return
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Alexei would only consent to return if his father swore that upon return, he would not be punished and would be allowed to live quietly on his estates and marry Afrosinya. On January 31, 1718, the Tsarevich reached Moscow. Peter had already determined to institute an inquisition in order to understand the reasons for Alexei's flight. On February 18, a confession was extorted from Alexei under torture which implicated most of his acquaintances, and he then publicly renounced the succession to the throne in favor of the infant Peter Alexeyevich, his half-brother.[3]
The reprisals against the Tsarevich's alleged co-conspirators were swift, unyielding, and harsh. The former Tsarina Eudoxia was dragged from her monastery and publicly tried for alleged adultery. The acquaintances of Alexei were impaled, broken on the wheel, or otherwise tortured to death. Alexei's servants were beheaded or had their tongues cut out.[7] This not only cut off Tsarevich from any potential allies, but also served to sanction the persecution of the conservative faction, which had long opposed Peter's policies.[3]
In April 1718, fresh confessions were extorted from and in regard to Alexei. This included the words of Afrosinya, who had turned state's evidence, testifying against the Tsarevich. Alexei is reported to have told her:
I shall bring back the old people and choose myself new ones according to my will; when I become sovereign, I shall live in Moscow and leave Saint Petersburg simply as any other town; I won't launch any ships; I shall maintain troops only for defence, and won't make war on anyone; I shall be content with the old domains. In winter I shall live in Moscow, and in summer in Yaroslavl.
Despite this and similar pieces of hearsay, there was no direct evidence incriminating Alexei or his allies, or corroborating the existence of a conspiracy against the Tsar. The worst that could be brought against him was that he had wished his father's death, a desire upon which, by any accounts, he made no effort to follow through. But for Peter, his son was now a confessed and dangerous traitor, whose life was forfeit. However, his father had sworn to pardon him and let him live in peace if he returned to Russia. The whole matter was submitted to a grand council of prelates, senators, ministers and other dignitaries on June 13, 1718 (O.S.).[8] The clergy, for their part, declared that Tsarevich Alexei:
"...had placed his Confidence in those who loved the ancient Customs, and that he had become acquainted with them by the Discourses they held, wherein they had constantly praised the ancient Manners, and spoke with Distaste of the Novelties his Father had introduced."
Yet as they declared this to be a civil rather than an ecclesiastical matter, the clergy left the decision to the Tsar.
At noon on June 24 (O.S.), the temporal dignitaries – the 126 members of both the Senate and magistrates that comprised the court – declared Alexei guilty and sentenced him to death. Peter ordered further interrogations, possibly to uncover broader dissent or involvement.
On June 19, (O.S.), the weak and battered Tsarevich was subjected to twenty-five strokes with the knout, and then, on June 24 (O.S.), to fifteen more. On June 26 (O.S.), Alexei died in the Peter and Paul fortress in Saint Petersburg, two days after the senate had condemned him to death for conspiring rebellion against his father by provoking a popular revolt and the armed intervention of his sister-in-law's husband, Emperor Charles VI.[9]
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