State criminal or victim of intrigue: why Peter I condemned his son to death. Mirror image: Pyotr Alekseevich and Alexey Petrovich

When it comes to the emperor's children Peter the Great, as a rule, they remember the eldest son Tsarevich Alexei, and also a daughter Elizaveta Petrovna who became empress.

In fact, in two marriages, Peter I had more than 10 children. Why did he not have obvious heirs at the time of the emperor’s death, and what was the fate of the offspring of the most famous Russian reformer?

Tsarevich Alexey Petrovich. reproduction

Alexei

Firstborn of Peter and his first wife Evdokia Lopukhina, named Alexey, was born on February 18 (28 according to the new style) 1690 in the village of Preobrazhenskoye.

The first years of his life, Alexey Petrovich was in the care of his grandmother, the queen Natalia Kirillovna. The father, immersed in state affairs, paid practically no attention to raising his son.

After the death of Natalya Kirillovna and the imprisonment of his mother, Evdokia Lopukhina, in a monastery, Peter handed over his son to be raised by his sister, Natalya Alekseevna.

Peter I, who nevertheless became concerned with the education of the heir to the throne, could not find worthy teachers for him.

Alexey Petrovich spent most of his time away from his father, surrounded by people who were not distinguished by high moral principles. Peter's attempts to involve his son in state affairs turned out to be failures.

In 1711, Peter arranged the marriage of his son with the princess Charlotte of Wolfenbüttel, who gave birth to Alexey’s daughter Natalia and son Petra. Shortly after the birth of her son, she died.

The gap between Peter and Alexei by that time had become almost insurmountable. And after the emperor’s second wife gave birth to his son, named Peter, the emperor began to seek from the first-born his renunciation of rights to the throne. Alexei decided to flee and left the country in 1716.

The situation was extremely unpleasant for Peter I - the heir could well be used in political games against him. Russian diplomats were ordered to return the prince to his homeland at any cost.

At the end of 1717, Alexei agreed to return to Russia and in February 1718 solemnly renounced his rights to the throne.

Despite this, the Secret Chancellery began an investigation, suspecting Alexei of treason. As a result of the investigation, the prince was put on trial and sentenced to death as a traitor. He died in the Peter and Paul Fortress on June 26 (July 7), 1718, according to the official version, from a stroke.

Peter I published an official notice, which said that, having heard the death sentence, the prince was horrified, demanded his father, asked him for forgiveness and died in a Christian way, in complete repentance for his deeds.

Alexander and Pavel

Alexander, the second child of Peter and Evdokia Lopukhina, like his older brother, was born in the village of Preobrazhenskoye on October 3 (13), 1691.

The boy lived only seven months and died in Moscow on May 14 (May 24), 1692. The prince was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. The inscription on his tombstone reads: “In the summer of 7200 of the month of May, from the 13th day at the fifth hour of the night in the second quarter from Friday to Saturday, in memory of the holy martyr Isidore, who on the island of Chios reposed the servant of God of the Blessed and Pious Great Sovereign Tsar and Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich, all "The Autocrat of Great, Lesser and White Russia, and the Blessed and Pious Empress Queen and Grand Duchess Evdokia Feodorovna, son, the Most Blessed Sovereign Tsarevich and Grand Duke Alexander Petrovich, of all Great, Lesser and White Russia, and was buried in this place of the same month on the 14th day" .

The existence of another son of Peter and Evdokia Lopukhina, Pavel, is completely questioned by historians. The boy was born in 1693, but died almost immediately.

Catherine

In 1703, she became the mistress of Emperor Peter I Marta Skavronskaya, which the king in the first years of the relationship called in letters Katerina Vasilevskaya.

Even before marriage, Peter's mistress was pregnant several times by him. The first two children were boys who died shortly after birth.

On December 28, 1706 (January 8, 1707) in Moscow, Marta Skavronskaya gave birth to a daughter named Ekaterina. The girl lived for one year and seven months and died on July 27, 1708 (August 8, 1709).

Like her two younger sisters, Catherine was born out of wedlock, but was later officially recognized by her father and posthumously recognized as a Grand Duchess.

She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Anna

Anna Petrovna was born on January 27 (February 7), 1708. The girl, being an illegitimate child, received the same family name “Anna”, like her legal cousin, the daughter of Ivan V Anna Ioannovna.

Anna became the first of Peter's daughters and the first of Martha Skavronskaya's children to survive infancy.

In 1711, the father, having not yet entered into a legal marriage with Anna’s mother, officially proclaimed her and her sister Elizabeth princesses.

A large plot of land in St. Petersburg was transferred to Anna's ownership. Subsequently, the Annenhof country estate was built for Anna near Ekateringhof.

According to the marriage contract, Anna Petrovna retained the Orthodox religion and could raise daughters born in marriage in Orthodoxy, while sons had to be raised in the faith of their father. Anna and her husband refused the opportunity to claim the Russian crown, but the agreement had a secret article, according to which Peter reserved the right to proclaim the son from their marriage as heir.

The father did not see his daughter's wedding - Peter died two months after signing the marriage contract, and the marriage was concluded on May 21 (June 1), 1725.

Anna and her husband were very influential figures in St. Petersburg during the short reign of her mother, formerly Maria Skavronskaya, who ascended the throne as Catherine I.

Anna Petrovna died in the spring of 1728. According to some sources, the cause was the consequences of childbirth; according to another, Anna caught a bad cold at the celebrations in honor of the birth of her son.

Before her death, Anna expressed a desire to be buried in St. Petersburg, in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, next to her father’s grave, which was fulfilled in November 1728.

Elizabeth

The third daughter of Peter I and his second wife was born on December 18 (29), 1709, during the celebrations of the victory over Charles XII. In 1711, together with his older sister Anna, Elizabeth was officially proclaimed princess.

Her father made big plans for Elizabeth, intending to become related to the French kings, but proposals for such a marriage were rejected.

After the death of Emperor Peter II in 1730, the throne passed to Elizabeth's cousin, Anna Ioannovna. For ten years of her cousin's reign, Elizabeth was in disgrace and under constant surveillance.

Peter's daughter occupied the throne for twenty years, until her death. Unable to enter into an official marriage, and, accordingly, give birth to legitimate heirs to the throne, Elizaveta Petrovna returned her nephew, Duke Karl-Peter Ulrich of Holstein, from abroad. Upon arrival in Russia, he was renamed in the Russian manner to Peter Fedorovich, and the words “grandson of Peter the Great” were included in the official title.

Elizabeth died in St. Petersburg on December 25, 1761 (January 5, 1762) at the age of 52, and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Natalya (senior) and Margarita

On March 3 (14), 1713, in St. Petersburg, Peter I and his second wife had a daughter, who was named Natalia. The girl became the first legitimate child of the emperor and his new wife.

Named after her grandmother, the mother of Peter the Great, Natalya lived for 2 years and 2 months. She died on May 27 (June 7), 1715 and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

On September 3 (14), 1714, Tsarina Catherine gave birth to another daughter, who was named Margarita. The girl lived for 10 months and 24 days and died on July 27 (August 7), 1715, that is, exactly two months after her sister. Margarita was also buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Tsarevich Peter Petrovich in the image of Cupid in a portrait by Louis Caravaque Photo: reproduction

Peter

On October 29 (November 9), 1715, the son of Peter the Great was born, who, like his father, was named Peter. The Tsar made big plans in connection with the birth of his son - he was supposed to succeed his older brother Alexei as heir to the throne.

But the boy was in poor health; by the age of three he did not begin to walk or speak. The worst fears of doctors and parents came true - at the age of three and a half years, on April 25 (May 6), 1719, Pyotr Petrovich died.

For Peter the Great, this death was a heavy blow. The hope for a son who would continue the business was completely destroyed.

Paul

Unlike Pavel, who was allegedly born to Evdokia Lopukhina, the fact of the birth of a son with that name by the second wife of Peter I was confirmed.

The boy was born on January 2 (13), 1717 in Wesel, Germany, during Peter the Great’s foreign trip. The king was in Amsterdam at that time and did not find his son alive. Pavel Petrovich died after living only one day. However, he received the title of Grand Duke and was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg, becoming the first male of the Romanov family to be buried there.

Natalya (junior)

On August 20 (31), 1718, during peace negotiations with Sweden, the queen gave birth to Peter the Great another daughter, who was destined to become his last child.

The baby was named Natalya, despite the fact that just three years earlier, the royal couple’s daughter with the same name died.

Alas, this girl was not destined to become an adult. In January 1725, her father, Peter I, died without leaving a will. A fierce struggle for power broke out among the tsar's associates. Under these conditions, few people paid attention to the child. Natasha fell ill with measles and died on March 4 (15), 1725.

By that time, Peter I had not yet been buried, and the coffins of father and daughter were exhibited together in the same room. Natalya Petrovna was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral next to her brothers and sisters.

Faces of history

Peter I interrogates Tsarevich Alexei in Peterhof. N. N. Ge, 1871

Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich was born on February 18, 1690 in the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow in the family of Tsar Peter I and Tsarina Evdokia Fedorovna, née Lopukhina. Alexei spent his early childhood in the company of his mother and grandmother, Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, and after September 1698, when Evdokia was imprisoned in the Suzdal monastery, Alexei was taken in by his aunt, Tsarevna Natalya Alekseevna. The boy was distinguished by his curiosity and ability to study foreign languages; he was calm in character and prone to contemplation. He early began to fear his father, whose energy, temper and penchant for transformation rather repulsed than attracted Alexei.

Foreigners were involved in the education of the prince - first the German Neugebauer, then Baron Huyssen. At the same time, Peter tried to introduce his son to military affairs and periodically took him with him to the front of the Northern War.

But in 1705, Huyssen transferred to the diplomatic service, and the 15-year-old prince, in essence, was left to his own devices. His confessor, Father Yakov, began to have a great influence on him. On his advice, in 1707 the prince visited his mother in the Suzdal monastery, which angered Peter. The father began to burden his son with various assignments related to the army - for example, Alexey visited Smolensk, Moscow, Vyazma, Kyiv, Voronezh, and Sumy with inspections.

At the end of 1709, the tsar sent his son to Dresden, under the pretext of further study of science, but in fact wanting to arrange his marriage with a German princess. Sophia-Charlotte of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel was chosen as a candidate, and although Alexey did not have any special sympathy for her, he did not contradict his father’s will. In October 1711, in Torgau, in the presence of Peter I, Alexei married Sophia. As one might expect, this marriage was not happy. In 1714, Alexei and Sofia had a daughter, Natalia, and on October 12, 1715, a son, Peter. Ten days later, Sofia died from the effects of childbirth.

By this time, the king was already very dissatisfied with his son. He was irritated by both Alexei’s addiction to wine and his communication with people who constituted hidden opposition to Peter and his policies. The tsar’s particular rage was caused by the behavior of the heir before the exam, which Alexei had to pass after returning from abroad in 1713. The prince was so afraid of this test that he decided to shoot himself in the left hand and thus save himself from the need to make drawings. The shot was unsuccessful; his hand was only singed by gunpowder. Peter became so angry that he severely beat his son and forbade him to appear in the palace.

Eventually the Tsar threatened to deprive Alexei of his inheritance rights if he did not change his behavior. In response, Alexei himself renounced the throne not only for himself, but also for his newborn son. “As soon as I see myself,” he wrote, “I am inconvenient and inappropriate for this matter, I am also very devoid of memory (without which nothing can be done) and with all my mental and physical strength (from various illnesses) I have weakened and become indecent for the rule of so many people, where I require a person not as rotten as me. For the sake of the legacy (God bless you with many years of health!) Russian after you (even if I didn’t have a brother, but now, thank God, I have a brother, to whom God bless him) I don’t claim and will not claim in the future.” Peter I was dissatisfied with this answer and once again called on his son to either change his behavior or become a monk. The Tsarevich consulted with his closest friends and, having heard from them a meaningful phrase that “the hood will not be nailed to the head,” agreed to take monastic vows. However, the tsar, who was leaving abroad, gave Alexei another six months to think about it.

It was then that the prince hatched a plan to flee abroad. The Tsarevich's closest assistant was the former close associate of Peter I, Alexey Vasilyevich Kikin. In September 1716, Peter sent his son a letter ordering him to immediately arrive in Copenhagen to take part in military operations against Sweden, and Alexei decided to use this pretext to escape without interference. On September 26, 1716, together with his mistress Efrosinya Fedorova, her brother and three servants, the prince left St. Petersburg for Libau (now Liepaja, Latvia), from where he went through Danzig to Vienna. This choice was not accidental - Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI, whose residence was in Vienna, was married to the sister of Alexei’s late wife. In Vienna, the prince came to the Austrian vice-chancellor Count Schönborn and asked for asylum. As a token of gratitude for their hospitality, Alexey proposed the following plan to the Austrians: he, Alexey, would wait in Austria for the death of Peter, and then, with the help of the Austrians, take the Russian throne, after which he would disband the army and navy, move the capital from St. Petersburg to Moscow and refuse to pursue an offensive foreign policy .

In Vienna they became interested in this plan, but they did not risk openly providing shelter to the fugitive - quarreling with Russia was not part of Charles VI’s plans. Therefore, Alexei, under the guise of the criminal Kokhanovsky, was sent to the Tyrolean castle of Ehrenberg. From there, through secret channels, he sent several letters to Russia addressed to influential representatives of the clergy, in which he condemned his father’s policies and promised to return the country to the old path.

Meanwhile, a search for the fugitive began in Russia. Peter I ordered the Russian resident in Vienna, Veselovsky, to find the prince at all costs, and he soon found out that Alexei’s location was Erenberg. At the same time, the Russian Tsar entered into correspondence with Charles VI, demanding that Alexei be returned to Russia “for fatherly correction.” The Emperor evasively replied that he knew nothing about Alexei, but apparently decided not to further contact the dangerous fugitive, because they decided to send Alexei from Austria to the fortress of St. Elmo near Naples. However, Russian agents “located” the fugitive prince there too. In September 1717, a small Russian delegation led by Count P. A. Tolstoy came to Naples and began to persuade Alexei to surrender. But he was adamant and did not want to return to Russia. Then they had to resort to a military trick - the Russians bribed the secretary of the Neapolitan Viceroy, and he “confidentially” told Alexei that the Austrians were not going to protect him, they were planning to separate him from his mistress, and that Peter I himself was already going to Naples. Hearing about this, Alexey fell into a panic and began to look for contacts with the Swedes. But they reassured him - they promised that he would be allowed to marry his mistress and lead a private life in Russia. Peter's letter dated November 17, in which the Tsar promised complete forgiveness, finally convinced Alexei that everything was in order. On January 31, 1718, the prince arrived in Moscow, and on February 3, he met with his father. In the presence of senators, Alexei repented of what he had done, and Peter confirmed his decision to forgive him, setting only two conditions: renunciation of rights to the throne and the surrender of all accomplices who helped the prince escape. On the same day, Alexei in the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin renounced his rights to the throne in favor of his three-year-old son Peter.

On February 4, interrogations of Alexei began. In the “interrogation sheets,” he told in detail everything about his accomplices, essentially placing all the blame on them, and when they were executed, he decided that the worst was over. With a light heart, Alexey began to prepare for his wedding with Efrosinia Fedorova. But she, returning to Russia separately from the prince due to childbirth, was immediately arrested and during interrogation she told so much about her lover that she actually signed his death warrant. Now it became clear to Peter that his son not only fell under the influence of his environment, but also played an active role in the conspiracy. In a confrontation with Fedorova, Alexey initially denied it, but then confirmed her testimony. On June 13, 1718, Peter I withdrew from the investigation, asking the clergy to give him advice on how to deal with his traitorous son, and ordering the Senate to pass a fair sentence on him. The Supreme Court of 127 people decided that “the prince hid his rebellious intentions against his father and his sovereign, and the intentional search from long ago, and the search for the throne of the father and under his belly, through various insidious inventions and falsehoods, and hope for the mob and desire father and sovereign of his imminent death." On June 25, under the protection of four guards non-commissioned officers, the prince was taken from the Peter and Paul Fortress to the Senate, where he heard the death sentence.

Further events are still shrouded in secrecy. According to the official version, on June 26, 1718 at 6 p.m., Alexey Petrovich suddenly died at the age of 28 from a “stroke” (cerebral hemorrhage). But modern researchers suggest that the true cause of Alexei’s death was torture. It is also possible that he was killed on the orders of Peter I. The prince was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the presence of his father. The son of Alexei Petrovich ascended the throne of the Russian Empire in 1727 under the name of Peter II and ruled for three years. During his reign, Alexei was officially rehabilitated.

Like many historical figures with a complex and unusual fate, the figure of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich has long been a “tidbit” for historical novelists, playwrights, fans of “conspiracy theories,” and more recently, film directors. There are many interpretations of Alexei’s life - from unconditional condemnation of “a complete nonentity and a traitor” to equally unconditional sympathy for the subtle and educated young man, mercilessly trampled by his own father. But no matter how subsequent generations treated him, there is no doubt that Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich was one of the most mysterious and dramatic figures in Russian history.

Vyacheslav Bondarenko, Ekaterina Chestnova

Is Peter I to blame for the death of his son Alexei Petrovich?

ALEXEY PETROVICH (1690-1718) - prince, eldest son of Tsar Peter I. Alexey was Peter’s son from his first marriage with E. Lopukhina and was brought up in an environment hostile to Peter. Peter wanted to make his son the successor of his work - the radical reform of Russia, but Alexei avoided this in every possible way. The clergy and boyars surrounding Alexei turned him against his father. Peter threatened to deprive Alexei of his inheritance and imprison him in a monastery. In 1716, Alexei, fearing his father’s wrath, fled abroad - first to Vienna, then to Naples. With threats and promises, Peter returned his son to Russia and forced him to abdicate the throne. However, Alexey did this with joy.

“Father,” he wrote to his wife Efrosinya, “took me to eat with him and acts mercifully towards me! God grant that this will continue in the future, and that I may wait for you in joy. Thank God that we were excommunicated from the inheritance, until then we will be left in peace with you. God grant that I live happily with you in the village, since you and I wanted nothing more than to live in Rozhdestvenka; you yourself know that I don’t want anything, just to live with you until death.”

In exchange for his renunciation and admission of guilt, Peter gave his son his word not to punish him. But the renunciation did not help, and Alexei’s desire to get away from the political storms did not come true. Peter ordered an investigation into his son's case. Alexey innocently told about everything he knew and planned. Many people from Alexei’s entourage were tortured and executed. The prince did not escape torture either. On June 14, 1718, he was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and on June 19, torture began. The first time they gave him 25 lashes and asked whether everything he had shown earlier was true. On June 22, new testimony was taken from Alexei, in which he admitted to a plan to overthrow the power of Peter, to raise an uprising throughout the country, since the people, in his opinion, stood for the old beliefs and customs, against his father’s reforms. True, some historians believe that some of the testimony could have been falsified by the interrogators to please the king. In addition, as contemporaries testify, Alexey was already suffering from a mental disorder at that time. The Frenchman de Lavie, for example, believed that “his brain is not in order,” which is proved by “all his actions.” In his testimony, the prince agreed to the point that the Austrian Emperor Charles VI allegedly promised him armed assistance in the fight for the Russian crown.

The ending was short.

On June 24, Alexei was tortured again, and on the same day the supreme court, consisting of the generals, senators and the Holy Synod (120 people in total), sentenced the prince to death. True, some of the judges from the clergy actually evaded an explicit decision on death - they cited extracts from the Bible of two kinds: both about the execution of a son who disobeyed his father, and about the forgiveness of the prodigal son. The solution to this question: what to do with your son? — they left it to their father, Peter I. The civilians spoke out directly: execute.

But even after this decision, Alexei was not left alone. The next day, Grigory Skornyakov-Pisarev, sent by the Tsar, came to him for interrogation: what did the extracts from the Roman scientist and historian Varro, found in the Tsarevich’s papers, mean? The Tsarevich said that he made these extracts for his own use, “to see that before it was not the way it is done now,” but he did not intend to show them to the people.

But that wasn't the end of the matter. On June 26, at 8 o’clock in the morning, Peter himself and nine of his entourage arrived at the fortress to visit the prince. Alexei was tortured again, trying to find out some more details. The prince was tortured for 3 hours, then they left. And in the afternoon, at 6 o’clock, as recorded in the books of the office of the garrison of the Peter and Paul Fortress, Alexey Petrovich died. Peter I published an official notice, which said that, having heard the death sentence, the prince was horrified, demanded his father, asked him for forgiveness and died in a Christian way - in complete repentance for his deeds.

Opinions differ about the true cause of Alexei's death. Some historians believe that he died from the unrest he experienced, others come to the conclusion that the prince was strangled on the direct orders of Peter in order to avoid public execution. The historian N. Kostomarov mentions a letter compiled, as it says, by Alexander Rumyantsev, which spoke of how Rumyantsev, Tolstoy and Buturlin, by order of the Tsar, suffocated the Tsarevich with pillows (however, the historian doubts the authenticity of the letter).

The next day, June 27, was the anniversary of the Battle of Poltava, and Peter organized a celebration - he feasted heartily and had fun. However, really, why should he be discouraged - after all, Peter was not a pioneer here. Not to mention ancient examples, not so long ago another Russian Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, killed his son with his own hands.

Alexei was buried on June 30. Peter I attended the funeral with his wife, the prince’s stepmother. There was no mourning.

Continuation of the conflict

The young children of Alexei Petrovich were not the only addition to the royal family. The ruler himself, following his unloved son, acquired another child. The child was named Pyotr Petrovich (his mother was the future Catherine I). So suddenly Alexey ceased to be the only heir of his father (he now had a second son and grandson). The situation put him in an ambiguous position.

In addition, such a character as Alexey Petrovich clearly did not fit into the life of the new St. Petersburg. Photos of his portraits show a man a little sick and indecisive. He continued to carry out state orders from his powerful father, although he did so with obvious reluctance, which again and again angered the autocrat.

While still studying in Germany, Alexey asked his Moscow friends to send him a new confessor, to whom he could openly confess about everything that was bothering the young man. The prince was a deeply religious man, but at the same time he was very afraid of his father's spies. However, the new confessor Yakov Ignatiev really was not one of Peter’s henchmen. One day Alexey told him in his hearts that he was waiting for his father to die. Ignatiev replied that many of the heir’s Moscow friends wanted the same thing. So, quite unexpectedly, Alexey found supporters and took the path that led him to death.

Difficult decision

In 1715, Peter sent his son a letter in which he faced a choice - either Alexey reforms (that is, begins to engage in the army and accepts his father’s policies), or goes to a monastery. The heir found himself at a dead end. He did not like many of Peter's undertakings, including his endless military campaigns and dramatic changes in life in the country. This sentiment was shared by many aristocrats (mainly from Moscow). There was indeed aversion to hasty reforms among the elite, but no one dared to openly protest, since participation in any opposition could end in disgrace or execution.

The autocrat, delivering an ultimatum to his son, gave him time to think about his decision. The biography of Alexei Petrovich has many similar ambiguous episodes, but this situation became fateful. After consulting with those close to him (primarily with the head of the St. Petersburg Admiralty, Alexander Kikin), he decided to flee Russia.

Escape

In 1716, a delegation headed by Alexei Petrovich set off from St. Petersburg to Copenhagen. Peter's son was supposed to see his father in Denmark. However, while in Polish Gdansk, the prince suddenly changed his route and actually fled to Vienna. There Alexey began to negotiate for political asylum. The Austrians sent him to secluded Naples.

The fugitive's plan was to wait for the death of the then ill Russian Tsar, and after that to return to his native country to the throne, if necessary, then with a foreign army. Alexey spoke about this later during the investigation. However, these words cannot be taken with confidence as the truth, since the necessary testimony was simply beaten out of the arrested person. According to the testimony of the Austrians, the prince was hysterical. Therefore, it is more likely to say that he went to Europe out of despair and fear for his future.

In Austria

Peter quickly learned where his son had fled. People loyal to the Tsar immediately went to Austria. Experienced diplomat Pyotr Tolstoy was appointed head of the important mission. He reported to the Austrian Emperor Charles VI that the very fact of Alexei's presence on Habsburg land was a slap in the face of Russia. The fugitive chose Vienna because of his family ties to this monarch through his short marriage.

Perhaps Charles VI in other circumstances would have protected the exile, but at that time Austria was at war with the Ottoman Empire and was preparing for a conflict with Spain. The emperor did not at all want to get such a powerful enemy as Peter I under such conditions. In addition, Alexey himself made a mistake. He acted panicky and clearly lacked self-confidence. As a result, the Austrian authorities made concessions. Peter Tolstoy received the right to see the fugitive.

Negotiation

Peter Tolstoy, having met Alexei, began to use all possible methods and tricks to return him to his homeland. Kind-hearted assurances were used that his father would forgive him and allow him to live freely on his own estate.

The envoy did not forget about clever hints. He convinced the prince that Charles VI, not wanting to spoil relations with Peter, would not shelter him in any case, and then Alexei would definitely end up in Russia as a criminal. In the end, the prince agreed to return to his native country.

Court

On February 3, 1718, Peter and Alexei met in the Moscow Kremlin. The heir cried and begged for forgiveness. The king pretended that he would not be angry if his son renounced the throne and inheritance (which he did).

After this the trial began. First, the fugitive betrayed all his supporters, who “talked” him into a rash act. Arrests and legal executions followed. Peter wanted to see his first wife Evdokia Lopukhina and the opposition clergy at the head of the conspiracy. However, the investigation found that a much larger number of people were dissatisfied with the king.

Death

Not a single brief biography of Alexei Petrovich contains accurate information about the circumstances of his death. As a result of the investigation, which was conducted by the same Pyotr Tolstoy, the fugitive was sentenced to death. However, it never took place. Alexei died on June 26, 1718 in the Peter and Paul Fortress, where he was kept during his trial. It was officially announced that he had suffered a seizure. Perhaps the prince was killed on the secret order of Peter, or perhaps he died himself, unable to bear the torture he experienced during the investigation. For an all-powerful monarch, the execution of his own son would be too shameful an event. Therefore, there is reason to believe that he ordered the execution of Alexei in advance. One way or another, the descendants never learned the truth.

After the death of Alexei Petrovich, a classic point of view emerged about the reasons for the drama that happened. It lies in the fact that the heir came under the influence of the old conservative Moscow nobility and the clergy hostile to the tsar. However, knowing all the circumstances of the conflict, one cannot call the prince a traitor and at the same time not keep in mind the degree of guilt of Peter I himself in the tragedy.

Name Tsarevich Alexei, condemned to death by order of his father, Tsar Peter I, is surrounded by a lot of speculation and rumors. Scientists are still arguing whether he was actually the initiator of the preparations for the seizure of power in Russia, or whether he became an involuntary hostage of his entourage, dissatisfied with the policies of the monarch. There is also no clarity about how he died. The prince was born on February 18 (28 BC), 1690 in the village of Preobrazhenskoye. Peter I greeted the birth of his son with joy, although his relationship with his wife, Tsarina Evdokia Fedorovna, was no longer rosy by this time. Not much is known about the Tsarevich’s childhood years. His mother and grandmother, Tsarina Natalya Kirillovna, were involved in his upbringing. Peter himself had practically no time left for his son. In the first years of the Tsarevich’s life, his father was more interested in military fun in Preobrazhenskoye, then building a fleet, establishing a state and military campaigns to the south to recapture Azov. In 1698, the Tsarevich’s mother was tonsured a nun, and the boy was taken in by Peter’s sister, Princess Natalya. . But a year later, Peter decided to get serious about training and raising his son, entrusting Alexei to the care of the German Neugebauer. Apparently, the activities of the teacher, about whom Menshikov and Alexei’s associates complained to the Tsar, did not satisfy Peter. At the beginning of 1703, a new teacher was selected for the prince, Baron Huyssen. According to Huyssen, the prince was friendly, capable and diligent in his studies. At this time, Peter tried to bring his son closer to himself, taking him on trips to Arkhangelsk and on military campaigns to Nyenschanz and Narva. Apparently, there was still not enough sincerity in his relationship with his son Peter, and Alexei’s father’s military concerns did not find much response. In 1705, when the prince turned 15 years old, he was left without experienced mentors at all. His entourage included the Naryshkins, Kolychevs and clergy, many of whom openly expressed dissatisfaction with the tsar's policies. Foreigners also appeared next to the prince, but by no means from among Peter’s closest associates. It was during this period that Alexey, who was constantly reminded of the tragic fate of his mother and complained about the violation of the original Russian order, began to move more and more away from his father.

Peter, who saw in his son the successor of his work, tried to introduce him to the course of state tasks, began to give him various tasks, which did not find much response in Alexei’s soul. The tsar sought to decide the fate of his son, including his marriage, himself, without particularly considering the opinion of the heir to the throne. In 1710, Peter sent his son abroad. The main purpose of the trip was not to study science and prepare for government activities, but to get married. And this time the king did not take into account his son’s opinion, since the bride had already been chosen and the preliminary conditions of the marriage had been agreed upon. Having escaped from Russia, Alexey plunged headlong into the carefree life of the Polish court, fortunately he found a companion and mentor - a Polish prince. But Peter quickly put an end to this comfortable life, accelerating his son’s marriage to Princess Charlotte of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, which took place in October 1711. Tsar Alexei did not allow Alexei to be in the company of his young wife for a long time. From Wolfenbüttel he sent him first to Pomerania, where fighting was taking place, then new assignments followed, most of them related to the ongoing Northern War. Charlotte even had to go to Russia alone; at that time her husband was supervising the construction of ships on Ladoga. Naturally, Alexey perceived this attitude of his father painfully.

Alexei’s family life did not work out, although in 1714 his wife gave birth to a daughter, who was named Natalya in honor of her great-grandmother, and the next year a son, named Peter in honor of his grandfather. Shortly after the birth of her son, Charlotte died. The Crown Princess, this title was given to Charlotte by Peter upon her arrival in Russia, was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Children of Tsarevich Alexei Peter and Natalya in childhood, in the image of Apollo and Diana(artist Louis Caravaque, 1722)

After the birth of his son and the death of his wife, Alexei’s relationship with his father finally worsened. This is largely due to the fact that Tsarina Catherine, who by this time had become the legal wife of Peter I, gave birth to a son, to whom the tsar was inclined to transfer the throne, bypassing his eldest son. This is not least due to the fact that Peter did not see in his eldest son a person capable of continuing his work. Naturally, Catherine also played a certain role, as she wanted to see her son on the throne. Alexey did not dare to confront his father in Russia, and under the influence of his environment, which inclined him to take decisive action, he fled to Vienna in 1717, from where he was transported by the Austrians to Naples. Perhaps Peter would have forgiven his son for his unauthorized departure abroad and even possible negotiations for help to seize power in Russia after the death of the Tsar. It seems that Alexey did not intend to forcibly overthrow his father, but his hopes were not without foundation. Peter was seriously ill at this time, and one could quite count on military assistance from European monarchs.

Peter I interrogates Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich in Peterhof. 1871. Ge N.N.

Russian intelligence worked well in those days, and Peter soon became aware of his son’s whereabouts. The Tsar’s envoy was sent to Alexei, who gave him a letter from Peter, in which the rebellious Tsarevich was promised forgiveness for his guilt if he returned to Russia: “If you are afraid of me, then I encourage you and promise to God and his court that you will not be punished, but I will show you the best love if you listen to my will and return. If you don’t do this, then... as your sovereign, I declare you a traitor and will not leave all the ways for you, as a traitor and scolder of your father, to do it.”

Alexei refused to return, then Peter demonstrated that he does not throw words into the wind, and the promise not to abandon “all methods” is not an empty phrase. Through bribery and complex political intrigue, Alexei was forced to return to Russia. Peter deprived his son of the right to succession to the throne, but promised forgiveness if he admitted guilt and extradited all participants in the conspiracy: “Yesterday I received forgiveness in order to convey all the circumstances to my escape and other things like that; and if anything is hidden, you will be deprived of your life.”

It is difficult to say what Peter would have done if his son had disclosed in detail all the circumstances of the escape. There is a high probability that Alexei would have been sent to a monastery in this case. But the prince tried to significantly reduce his guilt, blaming his associates for everything. This was a mistake on his part. It is now difficult to judge the impartiality of the investigation, but it proved that Alexei hid the negotiations on involving the Austrian army in seizing power and his intention to lead a possible rebellion of Russian troops. He confirmed all this, although, according to the investigation materials, torture was not used against him at that stage. By the way, the information that he negotiated military assistance with Sweden, with which Russia was at war, did not surface during the investigation. This became known much later.

But what was proven and confirmed by the prince himself was enough to condemn him to death as a traitor in accordance with the laws then in force in Russia. It was officially announced that Alexei died on June 26, 1718 from a stroke (heart attack) in the Peter and Paul Fortress, having completely repented of his deeds. However, there is documented information that after the verdict was passed, Alexey was tortured in an attempt to obtain additional information about those involved in the conspiracy. Perhaps the prince died, unable to withstand the torture. It is possible that he was secretly killed by his jailers on the instructions of the king. Tsarevich Alexei was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral, where his wife had rested several years earlier.

Fate turned out to be merciless towards the prince’s children. Natalia lived only 14 years and died in 1728. Alexei's son, Peter, on May 6 (17), 1727, ascended the throne after the death of Catherine I, becoming the All-Russian Emperor. In early childhood, Peter II did not enjoy the attention and care of his grandfather, who obviously saw in his grandson a potential bearer of the same anti-reformist principle that Tsarevich Alexei embodied. The successor of Peter I on the Throne, Empress Catherine I, understanding the need to take into account the legitimate interests of the last male representative of the House of Romanov, indicated him in her Will as her first-priority Heir. Emperor Peter II ascended the Throne on May 6/19, 1727. The “chicks of Petrov’s nest” - Archbishop Feofan (Prokopovich) and Baron A. Osterman - now took up the education of the young Sovereign. His Serene Highness Prince A. Menshikov, trying to strengthen his own position, wanted to arrange the wedding of the Emperor with his daughter Maria. On May 24/June 6, 1727, the engagement took place. But soon Peter II, dissatisfied with the constant guardianship of A. Menshikov, took advantage of the support of the clan of princes Dolgorukov and exiled the once powerful temporary worker along with his entire family to the city of Berezov. At the end of 1727, the Emperor's court moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow, where on February 24/March 8, 1728, the coronation took place in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. Taking advantage of the youth and inexperience of Peter II, the Dolgorukov princes distracted him from state affairs with all kinds of amusements, hunting and travel. Despite this, the Emperor began to show interest in politics. According to his contemporaries, he had a wonderful mind, was very kind-hearted in soul, and outwardly handsome and dignified. The Emperor actually partly justified the fears of Peter I the Great in the sense of his desire to restore some aspects of old Moscow life. But he in no way intended to eradicate the positive things that the Emperor-Transformer left behind. During the reign of Peter II, the repressive Preobrazhensky Order was eliminated, the collection of the poll tax was streamlined, Ukraine was given greater autonomy and even the power of the Hetman was restored, the Livonian nobility was allowed to gather at the Sejm. The Emperor was zealous about issues of church deanery and forbade the clergy to wear secular clothing. Peter II loved and revered his grandmother Tsarina Evdokia Feodorovna and allowed her to move from the Ladoga Monastery to the Moscow Novodevichy. The Dolgorukovs sought to marry the Emperor with Princess E. Dolgorukova, but this wedding was not destined to take place, this time due to a tragic accident. On the Feast of Epiphany 1730, during the Great Blessing of Water, Peter II caught a cold and, due to a weakened body, soon contracted smallpox. At first the disease was considered harmless, but suddenly it became severe. When it became clear that the Tsar was dying, the Dolgorukov princes made an attempt to seize power and proclaim his bride Heir to the Throne, but were not supported in this by other representatives of the aristocracy. Emperor Peter II died in Moscow, being unconscious and therefore leaving no instructions on further succession to the throne. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. With his death, the direct male branch of the House of Romanov died out. From now on, the throne could only pass through female lines.

Peter and Paul Fortress, the place of the famous ghost of Princess Tarakanova (see my post, who found herself a prisoner of these gloomy walls due to the betrayal of her loved one. It is a sad coincidence that another eminent prisoner of Peter and Paul Fortress, Tsarevich Alexei, son of Peter I, found himself in similar trouble at the beginning of the 18th century. Love also played a fatal role in the arrest and death of the prince: Alexei was betrayed by his favorite Afrosinya Fedorova (Efrosinya), a serf girl whom he was ready to marry.

Peter and Paul Fortress, where Tsarevich Alexei died. They say his sad ghost haunts there. Afrosinya's shadow is also doomed to wander there and look for the prince to ask for forgiveness... This is the only way they will find peace. Nobody knows how to help restless souls.

Tsarevich Alexei is often credited with all sorts of obscurantism, and the same qualities will be given to his companion. "A serf is a working girl." However, judging by her letters, Afrosinya belonged to that category of serfs who studied “together with the young ladies in various sciences” and became companions of their masters.

Afrosinya became the companion of Tsarevich Alexei and accompanied him everywhere in the costume of a page; the Tsarevich traveled with her throughout Europe. Chancellor Schönborn called the Tsarvich's companion "petite page" (little page), mentioning her miniature physique. In Italy, pageboy costumes were made from colored velvet fabric, which the ladies really liked, and every fashionista had such a men's outfit in her wardrobe. Quite in the style of the gallant century, but the romantic story of the prince ended tragically.
Tsar Peter was not sad about his son’s passion, since he himself “married a washerwoman,” as his fellow monarchs grumbled.

The favorite proved herself to be a “faithful friend” of the prince, and her sudden testimony against Alexei causes bewilderment among researchers. According to one version, she was intimidated - Afrosinya and Alexey had a young son at the party. Another version is sadder - Afrosinya was a secret agent of Count Tolstoy, who promised the girl a rich reward and long-awaited freedom for a successful mission. This is the basis for Afrosinya’s brilliant education and confident journey through Europe with Alexey. Tolstoy, as the head of the Secret Chancellery, prepared Afrosinya in advance.

Ceremonial portrait of the prince

In their correspondence, the prince and Afrosinya discuss opera, which fully indicates education.
“But I didn’t catch any opera or comedy, just one day I went on a gondola to church with Pyotr Ivanovich and Ivan Fedorovich to listen to music, I didn’t go anywhere else...”

The prince answers Afrosinya:
“Ride in a letig*, slowly, because in the Tyrolean mountains the road is rocky: you yourself know; and where you want, rest for as many days as you want.”

*letiga – carriage

Letter from Afrosinya

The favorite clearly reported to the prince about her expenses: “I am informing you about my purchases, which, while in Venice, I bought: 13 cubits of gold cloth, 167 ducats were given for this cloth, and a cross made of stones, earrings, a lavender ring, and 75 ducats were given for this headdress...”

Contrary to stereotypes, Tsarevich Alexei did not hate Europe, but he loved Italy and the Czech Republic and would not refuse to settle in these fertile lands away from his father’s turbulent politics. Alexey spoke and wrote fluent German.

Historian Pogodin notes “The Tsarevich was inquisitive: from his handwritten travel expenses book we see that in all the cities where he stopped, he bought almost first of all books and for significant sums. These books were not only of spiritual content, but also historical, literary, maps, portraits, I saw the sights everywhere.”

Contemporary Huysen wrote about the prince: “He has ambition, tempered by prudence, common sense, a great desire to distinguish himself and acquire everything that is considered necessary for the heir of a large state; He is of a compliant and quiet disposition and shows a desire to replenish with greater diligence what was missed in his upbringing.”

The prince had disagreements with his father for political reasons. Peter called Alexei to arms, and the prince was a supporter of peaceful life; he was more interested in the well-being of his own estates. Alexey was not ready for war and intrigue, but he should not be considered a stupid obscurantist either. Usually history is written by the winner, making the losers look bad. This happened later with Peter III and Paul I.

Researchers explain Alexey’s disagreements with his father:
“For 13 years (from 9 to 20 years of the prince’s life), the tsar saw his son no more than 5-7 times and almost always addressed him with a severe reprimand.”
“The caution, secrecy, and fear visible in Alexei’s letters testify not only to the cold, but even hostile relationship between the son and his father. In one letter, the prince calls it a prosperous time when his father leaves.”

Having listened to those close to him, Peter became worried that the prince might find allies in Europe and try to get the crown without waiting for his father’s natural death. Peter ordered Count Tolstoy to return his son to Russia.

Presumably, Tolstoy ordered his agent, Afrosinya, to influence the decision of Alexei, who agreed to carry out his father’s will.
“My gentlemen! I received your letter, and that my son, trusting my forgiveness, has actually already gone with you, which made me very happy. Why do you write that he wants to marry the one who is with him, and he will be allowed to do so when he comes to our region, even in Riga, or in his own cities, or in Courland at his niece’s house, but to marry in foreign lands , it will bring more shame. If he doubts that he will not be allowed, he can judge: when did I absolve him of such a great guilt, and why should I not allow him this small matter? I wrote about this in advance and reassured him about it, which I still confirm today. Also, to live wherever he wants, in his villages, in which you firmly reassure him with my word.”- wrote Peter I, giving Alexei’s consent to marry a serf.

Alexei abdicated the throne, wanting a quiet life on his estate:
“Father took me to eat with him and acts kindly towards me! God grant that this will continue in the same way, and that I may wait for you in joy. Thank God that we were excommunicated from the inheritance, so that we can remain in peace with you. God grant that we live happily with you in the village, since you and I wanted nothing more than to live in Rozhdestvenka; You yourself know that I don’t want anything other than to live with you until death.”- he wrote to Afrosinya.

To which Vasily Dolgoruky said: “What a fool! He believed that his father promised him to marry Afrosinya! Pity him, not marriage! Damn him: everyone is deceiving him on purpose!”

Dolgoruky paid for such chatter; the spies reported everything to Peter.

Princess Charlotte, Alexei's legal wife. Their marriage lasted 4 years. Dynastic ties without reciprocity brought suffering to both. Charlotte died at the age of 21. “I am nothing more than a poor victim of my family, who did not bring her the slightest benefit, and I am dying a slow death under the burden of grief.”- Charlotte wrote down.

“He took a certain idle and working girl and lived with her clearly lawlessly, leaving his lawful wife, who then soon passed away her life, albeit from illness, but not without the opinion that the contrition from his dishonest life with her was a lot of that helped"- Alexey was condemned.

Pyotr Alekseevich - son of Charlotte and Alexei (future Peter II)

Peter refused to believe in his son’s conspiracy; he suspected that it was all to blame for troublemakers like Kikin, an embezzler, and his comrades who wanted to fly higher (see my post. The traitors wanted to overthrow their tsar-benefactor, to overthrow him, so that they could then rule in the name of Alexei, removing him from affairs of state. The tsar also suspected his first wife Evdokia of the conspiracy, who did not accept his policies and was exiled to a monastery.

“If it weren’t for the nun (Peter’s first wife), the monk (Bishop Dosifei) and Kikin, Alexey would not have dared to commit such unheard-of evil. Oh, bearded men! The root of much evil is old women and priests; my father dealt with one bearded man (Patriarch Nikon), and I dealt with thousands.”- said Peter.

The testimony of Afrosinya, who was under arrest in the Peter and Paul Fortress, decided the fate of the prince:
“The prince wrote letters in Russian to the bishops and in German to Vienna, complaining about his father. The prince said that there was a riot in the Russian troops and that this made him very happy. I rejoiced every time I heard about the unrest in Russia. Having learned that the younger prince was sick, he thanked God for this mercy towards him, Alexei. He said that he would transfer all the “old” ones and elect the “new” ones of his own free will. That when he becomes a sovereign, he will live in Moscow, and will leave Petersburg as a simple city, will not keep ships at all, and will have an army only for defense, because he does not want war with anyone. He dreamed that maybe his father would die, then there would be great turmoil, because some would stand for Alexei, and others would stand for Petrusha the Bigwig, and his stepmother was too stupid to cope with the turmoil...”

Afrosinya during interrogation in prison (Ekaterina Kulakova, film "Tsarevich Alexey")

“But he, the prince, used to say: when he becomes a sovereign, then he will live in Moscow, and Piterburkh will leave a simple city; He will also leave the ships and will not keep them; and he would keep the troops only for defense, and did not want to have a war with anyone, but wanted to be content with the old possession, and intended to live the winter in Moscow and the summer in Yaroslavl; and when I heard about some visions or read in the chimes that it was quiet and calm in St. Petersburg, I used to say that the vision and silence were not without reason.”

“Perhaps either my father will die, or there will be a rebellion: my father, I don’t know why, doesn’t love me, and wants to make my brother heir, he is still a baby, and my father hopes that his wife, and my stepmother, is smart ; and when, having done this, he dies, then there will be a woman’s kingdom. And there will be no good, but there will be confusion: some will stand for their brother, and others will stand for me... When I become king, I will transfer all the old ones, and recruit new ones for myself according to my own will..."

Alexey was arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, where, under pain of torture, he confirmed the testimony of his favorite. The youngest son of Peter I, to whom the Tsar wanted to bequeath the throne, recently died. The tragedy in the family made Peter especially suspicious of political treason.

Peter placed the fate of his son in the hands of the judges: “ I ask you, so that they truly carry out justice, which is worthy, without flattering me (from the French flatter - to flatter, to please.) and without fearing that if this matter is worthy of a light punishment, and when you inflict condemnation in such a way that I would be disgusted, in Therefore, do not be afraid at all: also do not reason that this judgment should be inflicted on you, as your sovereign, son; but regardless of face, do the truth and do not destroy your souls and mine, so that our consciences remain pure and the fatherland is comfortable.”

Judges - 127 people sentenced the prince to death, which was not carried out.
The Tsarevich died in the prison of the Peter and Paul Fortress on June 26 (July 7), 1718 at the age of 28. The exact circumstances of the death are unknown. For one reason, he was “in poor health,” for another, his own father ordered him to be killed, fearing a conspiracy; another version is that Count Tolstoy’s agents again tried to prevent the reconciliation of son and father.

According to historian Golikov: “The tears of this great parent (Peter) and his contrition prove that he had no intention of executing his son and that the investigation and trial carried out on him were used as a necessary means solely so that, by showing him the one to which he brought himself, to create in him a fear of continuing to follow the same erroneous paths.”

The French philosopher Voltaire wrote:
“People shrug their shoulders when they hear that the 23-year-old prince died of a stroke while reading a verdict that he should have hoped to have overturned.”(the philosopher was mistaken about Alexei’s age).

A.S. Pushkin believed that the prince was poisoned " 25 (June 1718) the ruling and sentence of the prince were read in the Senate... 26 the prince died poisoned.”

After the death of his son, Peter issued a decree: “Everyone knows how arrogant our son Alexei was by Absalom’s anger, and that it was not through his repentance that this intention, but by the grace of God, was stopped for our entire fatherland, and this grew out for nothing else, except from the old custom that the greatest son was given an inheritance, Moreover, at that time he was the only male of our surname, and for this reason he did not want to look at any fatherly punishment. ... Why did they decide to make this charter, so that it would always be in the will of the ruling sovereign, whoever he wants, to determine the inheritance, and to a certain one, seeing what obscenity, to repeal it, so that the children and descendants do not fall into such anger as is written , having this bridle on you. For this reason, we command that all our faithful subjects, spiritual and temporal, without exception, confirm this charter of ours before God and His Gospel on such a basis that anyone who is contrary to this, or interprets it in any other way, is considered a traitor, subject to the death penalty. and will be subject to a church oath. Peter".

After Alexei’s sad ending, Afrosinya was acquitted and received the long-awaited freedom “wherever she wants to go”:
“Give the girl Afrosinya to the commandant’s house, and let her live with him, and let her go with his people wherever she wants to go.”

Afrosinya also received a generous reward from the Secret Chancellery “To the girl Afrosinya, as a dowry, give her sovereign’s salary as an order of three thousand rubles from the money taken, blessed to the memory of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich.”
To compare the scale of the award, in Peter’s era the maintenance of an infantryman cost the treasury - 28 rubles. 40 kopecks per year, and one dragoon - 40 rubles. 17 kopecks
Not everyone received such a “salary” from Peter’s secret service.

The further fate of Afrosinya Fedorova is unknown. It is believed that she and her son went abroad. They said that she did not expect that her testimony would lead to the death of Tsarevich Alexei... She believed Count Tolstoy that Alexei would only face exile - and she and her son would go with him. Until the end of her life, Afrosinya was haunted by the shadow of a man for whom she was a “dear friend,” and whom she betrayed... Freedom and money became the traitor’s “silver coins.” The plot for a novel from the times of the gallant age.

The stories of the gallant age did not always have a happy ending, alas...

Song about Tsarevich Alexei

Don't croak, crows, but above the clear falcon,
Don't laugh, people, at the daring fellow,
Over the daring fellow and over Alexei Petrovich.
And the gusli, you gusli!
Don't win, Guselians, well done to annoy you!

When I, a fine fellow, had a good time,
My dear sir loved me, my mother cherished me, they want to execute Tsarevich Alexei
And now she refused, the royal birth has gone crazy,
That they rang the bell, the bell is sad:
At the white oak block the executioners were all frightened,
Everyone ran away in the Senate...

One Vanka Ignashenok the thief,
He, the barbarian, was not afraid, he was not afraid.
He stands on the heels of the deaf woman and the cart,
In the middle of nowhere, in a cart, a daring good fellow
Alexey Petrovich-light...
He sits without a cross and without a belt,
The head is tied with a scarf...

They brought the cart to the field on Kulikovo,
To the steppe and to Potashkina, to the white oak block.
Alexey Petrovich sends a petition
To my dear uncle, to Mikita Romanovich.
It didn’t happen to him at home, he wasn’t in the mansion,
He went into the soap bar and into the parsha
Yes, wash, and take a steam bath.

Petitioners come to their dear uncle
In the soapy warmth of the bathhouse.
He didn’t wash or take a steam bath,
He puts a broom on the silks
On an oak bench,
Puts down Kostroma soap
On the squinting window,
He takes the gold keys,
He goes to the white stone stable,
He has a good horse,
He saddles and saddles from Cherkassy,
And he galloped to the white oak block,
To my dear nephew Alexey and Petrovich,
He turned his nephew
From execution from hanging.

He comes to his white-stone chambers,
He started a party and a merry party.
And his dear father,
Peter, yes, the First,
There is sadness and sadness in the house,
The windows are hung with black velvet.
He calls and demands
Dear son-in-law and Mikita Romanovich:
“What, dear son-in-law, are you drinking in joy, tipsy,
And I’m feeling sad and sad:
My dear son Alexei and Petrovich is missing.”

Nikita Romanovich answers: “I’m drinking tipsy, out of joy, My dear one is visiting me.”
nephew Alexey and Petrovich...”
The Tsar-Sovereign was very happy about this,
He ordered his casement windows to be opened for light, for white people, and to be hung up.
scarlet velvet.