Pavel 1 nickname. Whose son was Paul I really

Pavel I (Pavel Petrovich; September 20 [October 1], Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna, St. Petersburg - March 12, Mikhailovsky Castle, St. Petersburg) - Emperor of All Russia from November 6 (17), Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Admiral General, son of Peter III Fedorovich and Catherine II Alekseevna.

Image in history

In the Russian Empire, the assassination of Paul I was first published in 1905 in the memoirs of General Bennigsen. This caused shock in the society. The country was amazed that Emperor Paul I was killed in his own palace, and the killers were not punished.

Under Alexander I and Nicholas I, the study of the history of the reign of Pavel Petrovich was not encouraged and was banned; it was forbidden to mention it in the press. Emperor Alexander I personally destroyed materials about the murder of his father. The official cause of the death of Paul I was declared apoplexy.

“We don’t even have a brief, factual review of the Pavlovsk period of Russian history: in this case, the anecdote pushed history aside,” wrote the historian S.V. Shumigorsky.

Childhood, education and upbringing

The future Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich, and then the All-Russian Emperor Paul I, was born on September 20 (October 1), 1754 in St. Petersburg, in the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna. Subsequently, this palace was destroyed, and the Mikhailovsky Castle was built in its place, in which Pavel was killed on March 12 (24), 1801.

On September 27, 1754, in the ninth year of her marriage, Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna had her first child. The birth was attended by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich (Paul's father) and the Shuvalov brothers. On this occasion, Empress Elizabeth issued a manifesto. The birth of Pavel Petrovich caused general joy in Russia, because he continued the dynasty, which was threatened with suppression and a dynastic crisis. The birth of Paul was reflected in many odes written by poets of that time.

The Empress baptized the baby and ordered him to be named Pavel. Ekaterina Alekseevna and Pyotr Fedorovich were completely removed from raising their son.

Because of the political struggle, Paul was essentially deprived of the love of those close to him. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna ordered to surround him with a whole staff of nannies and the best, in her opinion, teachers.

The first teacher was the diplomat F. D. Bekhteev, who was obsessed with the spirit of all kinds of charters, clear orders, military discipline, comparable to drill. He began to print a small newspaper in which he told about all, even the most insignificant deeds of Paul. Because of this, Pavel hated routine work all his life.

In 1760, Elizaveta Petrovna appointed a new head of education for the young prince, prescribing the main parameters of education in her instruction. They became, at her choice, Count Nikita Ivanovich Panin. He was a forty-two-year-old man who occupied a very prominent position at court. Possessing extensive knowledge, before that he had been a diplomat in Denmark and Sweden for several years, where his worldview was formed. Having very close contacts with the Freemasons, he adopted the ideas of the Enlightenment and even became a supporter of a constitutional monarchy, modeled on Sweden. His brother, General Pyotr Ivanovich, was a great local master of the Masonic order in Russia.

Nikita Ivanovich Panin approached the problem thoroughly. He outlined a very wide range of topics and subjects in which, in his opinion, the crown prince should have understood. . It is possible that, in accordance with his recommendations, a number of "subject teachers" were appointed.

Among them are the Law of God (Metropolitan Platon), natural history (S. A. Poroshin), dancing (Grange), music (J. Millico), etc. Peter III, nor under Catherine II.

The atmosphere of Pavel Petrovich's upbringing was significantly influenced by his environment. Among the guests who visited the prince, one could see a number of educated people of that time, for example, G. Teplov. On the contrary, communication with peers was rather limited. Before contacts with Pavel, only children of the best families (Kurakins, Stroganovs) were allowed, the sphere of contacts, mainly - a rehearsal of masquerade exits.

He was taught history, geography, arithmetic, the Law of God, astronomy, foreign languages(French, German, Latin, Italian), Russian, drawing, fencing, dancing. Interestingly, there was nothing related to military affairs in the training program. But this did not stop Paul from getting carried away with them. He was introduced to the works of the enlighteners: Voltaire, Diderot, Montesquieu. Pavel had a good ability to study. He had a developed imagination, was restless, impatient, loved books. He read a lot. In addition to historical literature, he read Sumarokov, Lomonosov, Derzhavin, Racine, Corneille, Moliere, Cervantes, Voltaire and Rousseau. He spoke Latin, French and German, loved mathematics, dancing, military exercises. In general, the education of the Tsarevich was the best that could be obtained at that time. The confessor and mentor of the Tsarevich was a preacher and theologian, archimandrite, and later Metropolitan Platon (Levshin) of Moscow.

One of Paul's junior mentors, Semyon Andreevich Poroshin, kept a diary (1764-1765), which later became a valuable historical source on the history of the court and for studying the personality of the Tsarevich.

Already in his youth, Paul began to be occupied with the idea of ​​chivalry, the idea of ​​honor and glory. On February 23, 1765, Poroshin wrote: “I read to His Highness Vertotov the story of the Order of the Knights of Malta. He deigned, then, to amuse himself and, having tied the admiral's flag to his cavalry, present himself as a gentleman of Malta.

All the time, the aggravated relationship between Paul and his mother led to the fact that Catherine II gave her son the Gatchina estate in 1783 (that is, she “removed” him from the capital). Here Pavel introduced customs that were sharply different from those in St. Petersburg.

It is customary to characterize the Gatchina troops negatively, as rude martinets, learned only to march and walk. But the documents show otherwise. The surviving plans for exercises refute this replicated stereotype. From 1793 to 1796, during the exercises, the Gatchina troops under the command of the Tsarevich worked out: methods of salvo fire and bayonet fighting. The interaction of various branches of the armed forces was practiced when forcing water barriers, conducting an offensive and retreat, and repelling an enemy amphibious assault during its landing on the shore. Troop movements were carried out at night. Great importance assigned to artillery operations. For the Gatchina artillery in 1795 - 1796, specially separate exercises were carried out. The experience gained formed the basis of military transformations and reforms. Despite the small number, by 1796 the Gatchina troops were one of the most disciplined and trained units of the Russian army. N.V. came from the Gatchina troops. Repnin, A.A. Bekleshov. Companions of Paul were S.M. Vorontsov, N.I. Saltykov, G.R. Derzhavin, M.M. Speransky.

The traditional stage, usually completing education in Russia in the 18th century, was a trip abroad. A similar voyage was undertaken in 1782 by the then young Tsarevich together with his second wife. Travel "incognito", that is, unofficial, without proper receptions and ritual meetings, under the names of the Count and Countess of the North (du Nord).

Relations with Catherine II

Immediately after his birth, Paul was moved away from his mother. Catherine could see him very rarely and only with the permission of the empress. When Paul was eight years old, his mother, Catherine, relying on the guards, carried out a coup, during which Paul's father, Emperor Peter III, died under unclear circumstances. Paul was to take the throne. Upon accession to the throne of Catherine, they swore allegiance to Pavel Petrovich as the legitimate heir. Empress Catherine II, during the coronation, solemnly promised that the time of her reign would be limited to the period necessary for the enthronement of a legitimate heir. But the closer this date became, the less was the desire to keep this word. However, Catherine was not going to give up the fullness of her power and share it, neither in 1762, nor later, when Paul matured. It turned out that the son turns into a rival, on whom all those dissatisfied with her and her rule will place their hopes.

The name of Pavel Petrovich was used by rebels and dissatisfied with Catherine's rule. Emelyan Pugachev often mentioned his name. There were also Holstein banners in the ranks of the rebels. Pugachev said that after the victory over the government of Catherine "he does not want to reign and is busy only in favor of Pavel Petrovich." He had a portrait of Paul. The impostor often referred to this portrait when pronouncing toasts. In 1771, the rebellious exiles in Kamchatka, led by Beniovsky, swore allegiance to Paul as emperor. During the plague riot in Moscow, the name of Tsarevich Pavel was also mentioned. There is evidence that Catherine, after the coup and accession to the throne, gave a written commitment to transfer the crown to Paul upon reaching the age of majority, subsequently destroyed by her. Paul was brought up as heir to the throne, but the older he got, the further he was kept from public affairs. The enlightened empress and her son became complete strangers to each other. Mother and son looked at the same things in different ways.

Catherine did not love her son. She did not prevent the spread of rumors, and spread some herself: about the imbalance and cruelty of Paul; that it was not Peter III who was his father at all, but Count Saltykov; that he was not her son at all, that, on the orders of Elizabeth, another child was placed on her. The Tsarevich was an unwanted son, born for the sake of politics and state interests, who did not look much like his mother in appearance and in his views, preferences. Catherine could not help being annoyed by this. She called Paul's troops in Gatchina "father's army." In addition to Pavel, Catherine also had an illegitimate son from Grigory Orlov, known under the name of Alexei Bobrinsky. She had a completely different attitude towards him, the reigning mother forgave him revels, debts and all kinds of misdeeds. By the age of Paul, a mutual dislike arose between mother and son. Catherine deliberately did nothing to mark her son's coming of age. The final break came between Paul and Catherine in May 1783. For the first time, the mother invited her son to discuss foreign policy issues - the Polish issue and the annexation of Crimea. Most likely, at the same time, a frank exchange of views took place, which revealed the complete opposite of views. Paul himself could not grant positions, awards, ranks. People who enjoyed the favor of Paul fell into disfavor and disgrace at court. Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov was not afraid of disgrace and maintained good relations with Pavel Petrovich. The Tsarevich was a nominal figure, not possessing any power and influence. Each of the temporary workers, the reigning mother, considered it his duty to insult and humiliate the heir.

Empress Catherine wanted to deprive Paul of the throne and transfer the throne to her beloved grandson Alexander. Although Alexander made it clear to his father that he was against these plans, Paul feared that his mother would do so. This can be confirmed by the early marriage of Alexander, after which, according to tradition, the monarch was considered an adult. From a letter from Catherine on August 14, 1792 to her correspondent, the French Baron Grimm: “First, my Alexander marries, and there, over time, he will be crowned with all sorts of ceremonies, celebrations and folk festivals.” There were rumors at court that the publication of a manifesto about the removal of Paul and the proclamation of Alexander's heir. According to rumors, this event was to take place on November 24 or January 1, 1797. In that manifesto, there should have also been an indication of the arrest of Pavel and his imprisonment in Lode Castle (now the territory of Estonia). But on November 6, Catherine died. Ekaterina’s small testament can serve as confirmation of this version: “I give my vivliofika with all the manuscripts and what is written by my hand to my grandson Alexander Pavlovich, my various stones and bless him with my mind and heart.”

Domestic politics

Emperor Paul I ascended the throne on November 6, 1796 at the age of 42. During his reign, about 2251 legislative acts were issued. Compare: Emperor Peter I published 3296 documents, Catherine II - 5948 documents. In addition to legislative documents, Paul I issued 5,614 registered decrees and issued 14,207 orders for the army.

On April 5, 1797, on the first day of Easter, the coronation of the new emperor took place. This was the first joint coronation of an emperor and an empress in the history of the Russian Empire. On the day of the coronation, Paul I publicly read the adopted new law about succession. Regency rules were established for the first time.

The manifesto on the three-day corvee forbade the landlords to send corvee on Sundays, holidays, and more than three days a week.

The grain service, which was ruinous for the peasants, was canceled and the arrears of the stuffy tax were forgiven. The preferential sale of salt began (until the middle of the 19th century, in fact, salt was the national currency). They began to sell bread from state stocks in order to bring down high prices. This measure led to a noticeable drop in the price of bread. It was forbidden to sell yard people and peasants without land, to separate families during the sale. In the provinces, the governors were ordered to observe the attitude of the landowners towards the peasants. In the case of ill-treatment of serfs, the governors were ordered to report this to the emperor. By a decree of September 19, 1797, the duty to keep horses for the army and give food was abolished for peasants, instead they began to take "15 kopecks per soul, an allowance for the capitation salary." In the same year, a decree was issued ordering the serfs, under pain of punishment, to obey their landowners. The decree of October 21, 1797 confirmed the right of state-owned peasants to enroll in the merchant class and philistinism.

The future Alexander I characterized last years his grandmother's reign - "a mess, a mess, a robbery." In a letter to Count Kochubey, dated March 10, 1796, he expressed his opinion on the situation in the country: “An incredible disorder reigns in our affairs, they are robbed from all sides; all parts are badly governed, order seems to be banished from everywhere, and the empire seeks only to expand its limits. “Crimes have never been as brazen as they are now,” Rostopchin wrote to Count S. R. Vorontsov, “Impunity and insolence have reached the extreme limit. Three days ago, a certain Kovalinsky, who was the secretary of the military commission and was driven out by the empress for embezzlement and bribery, is now appointed governor in Ryazan, because he has a brother, just as scoundrel as he is, who is friends with Gribovsky, head of the office of Platon Zubov. One Ribas steals more than 500 thousand rubles a year.”

In 1796, the governorship was abolished.

In 1800, Paul I banned the import of foreign books and the sending of young men abroad for education. The result of these decrees was that among the nobles began to leave the fashion for foreign. The upper circles of society French began to gradually switch to Russian. Pavel changed the functions of the Senate, some collegiums abolished by Catherine II were restored. The emperor believed that it was necessary to transform them into ministries and appoint ministers - to replace collective responsibility with personal responsibility. According to Paul's plan, it was supposed to create seven ministries: finance, justice, commerce, foreign affairs, military, maritime and state treasury. This reform, conceived by him, was completed already in the reign of Alexander I.

Paul I can be considered the founder of service dog breeding in Russia - cynology. He ordered the expedition state economy by decree of August 12, 1797, to purchase in Spain merino sheep and dogs of the Spanish breed for the protection of livestock: “To write out from Spain a special breed of dogs used there in sheep farms because they are credited with a special ability to keep the herd in the collection and protect against predatory animals , what breed can be bred in Tavria.

In 1798, the Russian Emperor Paul I signed a decree on the creation of a department of water communications.

On December 4, 1796, the State Treasury was established. On the same day, a decree was signed - "On the establishment of the position of the State Treasurer." Approved in September 1800 by the “Decree on the Commerce Collegium”, the merchants were given the right to choose 13 of its 23 members from their midst. Alexander I, five days after coming to power, canceled the decision.

On March 12, 1798, Pavel issued a decree allowing the construction of Old Believer churches in all dioceses of the Russian state. In 1800, the regulation on the churches of the same faith was finally approved. Since then, the Old Believers have especially honored the memory of Paul I.

On March 18, 1797, the Manifesto on freedom of religion in Poland was issued for Catholics and Orthodox.

On January 2, 1797, Pavel repealed the article of the Charter of Letters, which prohibited the use of corporal punishment against the nobility. Corporal punishment was introduced for murder, robbery, drunkenness, debauchery, and official violations. In 1798, Paul I forbade nobles who had served as officers for less than a year to ask for their resignation. By decree of December 18, 1797, the nobles were obliged to pay a tax of 1,640 thousand rubles for the maintenance of local governments in the provinces. In 1799 the amount of the tax was increased. By decree, in 1799, the nobles began to pay a tax of 20 rubles "from the soul." By decree of May 4, 1797, the emperor forbade the nobles to submit collective petitions. By decree of November 15, 1797, the Emperor forbade the participation in elections of nobles dismissed from service for misconduct. The number of voters was reduced, and the governors were given the right to interfere in elections. In 1799, provincial noble assemblies were abolished. On August 23, 1800, the right of noble societies to elect assessors to the judiciary was abolished. Nobles evading civil and military service, Paul I ordered to be brought to trial. The emperor sharply limited the transition from military to civilian service. Paul limited noble deputations and the ability to file complaints. This was possible only with the permission of the governor.

After the ongoing changes in the state, it became clear to everyone: reforms are underway in the country. This could not suit everyone. Opposition begins to appear and discontent is brewing. Dissatisfied people and the Masonic environment begin to discredit the image of the emperor. Posing as loyal people, using all sorts of benefits, they try to denigrate the ruler. Very thoughtfully and at the same time brazenly created the image of the emperor "Paul the tyrant, despot and madman." The emperor's decrees were distorted and discredited as much as possible. Any document, if desired, can be distorted beyond recognition, and its author can be made an abnormal and mentally unhealthy person [ style!] .

Prince Lopukhin writes in his memoirs: “There were malevolent people around the Emperor who took advantage of his irritability, and recently even aroused it in order to make the Sovereign hated for their own purposes.”

In memoirs and history books, dozens and thousands of those exiled to Siberia during the Pavlovian time are often mentioned. In fact, the number of those exiled does not exceed ten people in the documents. These people were exiled for military and criminal offenses: bribes, theft on an especially large scale, and others. For example, during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, over ten years, as a result of denunciations, more than twenty thousand people were exiled to Siberia, five thousand went missing, and more than thirty thousand were convicted.

Military reform

In the last decades of the reign of Catherine II, a period of decline began in the army. In the troops, especially in the guards, abuses flourished, a shortage of personnel, theft, bribes, a drop in the level of discipline, and the training of troops was at a low level. Only in the regiments of Suvorov and Rumyantsev was discipline and order preserved.

In his book “The Russian army in the year of the death of Catherine II. Composition and structure of the Russian army, "a French emigrant in the Russian service, General Count Longeron, writes that the guard is" a shame and a scourge of the Russian army. According to him, things are worse only in the cavalry: “Russian cavalrymen can hardly stay in the saddle; these are only peasants riding horseback, not cavalrymen, and how can they become them when they ride only 5 or 6 times throughout the year”, “Russian cavalrymen never practice saber techniques and barely know how to wield a saber”, “ old and exhausted horses have neither legs nor teeth”, “in Russia it is enough to be a cavalry officer not to be able to ride. I knew only four regimental commanders who knew how to ride horses.

Emperor Paul I tried to ban the army from politics. To do this, he sought to stop the activities of political circles in the troops among the officers.

“The image of our officer life after the accession to the throne of Emperor Paul completely changed,” recalled Count E.F. Komarovsky; - under the empress, we only thought about going to society, theaters, walking in tailcoats, and now from morning to evening in the regimental yard; and taught us all how to recruit."

Paul I signed a decree of November 29, 1796 on the adoption of new military regulations: “Military Regulations on Field and Infantry Service”, “Military Regulations on Field Cavalry Service” and “Rules on Cavalry Service”.

Emperor Paul I introduced criminal and personal liability of officers for the life and health of soldiers. Officers could be punished and receive serious punishment. Forbade officers and generals to stay on vacation for more than 30 days a year. Officers were forbidden to make debts. In case of non-payment of the debt, the regiment commander had to deduct the required amount from the salary. If the salary was not enough, then the officer was put under arrest until the debt was paid, and the salary was transferred to creditors. For the lower ranks, the emperor introduced a vacation of 28 calendar days a year. He forbade taking soldiers to work on estates and engaging in other work not related to military service. Soldiers were allowed to complain about the abuses of commanders.

Under Peter I, the accommodation of troops was the duty of the townspeople, who allocated premises in their homes for this purpose. Barracks were built only in the new capital - St. Petersburg. Paul decided to put an end to this. The first barracks in 1797 was the Catherine Palace in Moscow, converted for this purpose. At the direction of the emperor, the construction of barracks for troops was carried out in the country. Pavel ordered to build them at the expense of the local nobility and townspeople.

The famous "Pavlovsky" watch parade has survived to this day, only under a different name - guard guards. The drill step, introduced by Paul, also exists in the current army under the name printed for the guard of honor.

In 1797, by decree of Paul I, the Pioneer Regiment was formed - the first major military engineering unit in the Russian army. Emperor Paul I, shortly after his accession to the throne, took up the problem of the lack of good and accurate maps in Russia. He issues a decree dated November 13, 1796 on the transfer of maps of the General Staff to General G.G. Kuleshov and about the creation of His Imperial Majesty's Drawing Room, which on August 8, 1797 was transformed into His Majesty's Own Card Depot. Pavel I is the founder of the courier service in Russia. This is a military communications unit. The courier corps was created by decree of the emperor on December 17, 1797. Emperor Paul I changed the concept of the regimental banner in the army. Since 1797, Pavel ordered that regimental colors be issued only to dragoon and cuirassier regiments. Since the time of Peter I, regimental banners and standards have been classified as personal property. Pavel Petrovich transferred them to the category of regimental shrines.

He established the solemn ceremony of consecrating the standards and banners in the army, the procedure for presenting shrines to the regiments, and taking the oath under the regimental banners. When pronouncing the words of the oath, the warrior held on to the banner with one hand, and raised the other up.

Under Peter I, a regular army appears in Russia and recruitment of recruits for a soldier from each peasant household begins. The soldier's service was for life. Recruits were stigmatized. Dismissed from the service only already completely unsuitable for it. Emperor Paul I limited the service life of soldiers to 25 years. He introduced a pension for those dismissed from service for health reasons or more than 25 years of service with the maintenance of such soldiers in mobile garrison or disabled companies. The emperor ordered to bury the dead and dead soldiers with military honors. Paul established the concept of "blameless service." With "immaculate service" for a period of 20 years, the lower ranks were forever exempted from corporal punishment. In 1799, Paul I introduced the silver medal "For Bravery", which was awarded to the lower ranks. For the first time in Europe, the awarding of soldiers with signs of the Order of St. Anna for twenty years of impeccable service. In 1800 it was replaced by the badge of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. In 1797, Paul, by his decree, established a holiday for all holders of Russian orders.

Prior to this, orders or awards for soldiers simply did not exist, and not only in Russia, but also in Europe. The second after Paul in the history of Europe, decorations for soldiers were introduced in France by Napoleon. Under Paul, the punishments of the soldiers were mitigated. They were punished less severely than under Catherine II or in subsequent reigns. Punishment was strictly determined by the charter in force. For ill-treatment of the lower ranks and soldiers, officers were subjected to severe penalties.

Emperor Paul I introduced criminal and personal liability of officers for the life and health of soldiers. Officers could be reprimanded and severely punished. Forbade officers and generals to come on vacation for more than 30 days a year. Officers were forbidden to make debts. In case of non-payment of the debt, the regiment commander had to deduct the required amount from the salary. If the salary was not enough, then the officer was put under arrest until the debt was paid, and the salary was transferred to creditors. For the lower ranks, the emperor introduced a vacation of 28 calendar days a year. He forbade taking soldiers to work on estates and engaging in other work not related to military service. Soldiers were allowed to complain about the abuses of commanders.

In the military regulations adopted by the troops of the Russian Empire in 1796, for the first time, clear practical instructions were given for the training of recruits: “Officers and non-commissioned officers should always notice soldiers who made mistakes under arms or in positions, and those after a parade or exercise, or when they will change from the guard, teach; and if a soldier knows exactly what is due, but he made a mistake, he should be punished. Pavel Petrovich was not alone in his views on the need for corporal punishment in the army. This view was shared by many before and after Paul. Suvorov in his book "The Science of Victory" wrote on this issue: "Whoever does not protect the soldier - sticks, who does not save himself - that sticks too."

In the winter season, the emperor introduced guard sheepskin coats and felt boots for sentries, in the guardhouse there should be as many pairs of boots as necessary so that each shift of sentries puts on dry boots. This rule of guard duty has survived to this day.

There is a widespread legend about the Horse Guards regiment sent in full force to Siberia. In fact. After conducting military exercises with the wording for "their reckless actions during the maneuvers," the regiment commander and six colonels were arrested. The regiment was sent to Tsarskoye Selo. According to eyewitnesses, during the trial, Pavel Petrovich uttered the word Siberia several times. So there was gossip about the sent regiment to Siberia, which began to be taken seriously.

Military uniforms introduced under Paul I are often criticized. This uniform was not invented and developed by Grigory Potemkin. In Austria, in anticipation of a war with the Ottoman Empire, Emperor Joseph II, co-ruler of Maria Theresa, decides to replace the uniform with a more suitable one for the upcoming military operations in the Balkans. Wigs and braids were not removed from military uniforms. This outfit is very similar to the "Potemkin" uniform, the same jacket, trousers, short boots. Russia at that time was also going to fight with Turkey.

For the first time, warm winter clothes were introduced to the new "Pavlovsk" uniform: special warm vests and, for the first time in the military Russian history- overcoat. Prior to that, since the time of Peter I, the only warm thing in the army was an epancha - a raincoat made of simple matter. The soldiers had to themselves out own funds buy yourself winter clothes and wear them only with the permission of your superiors. The overcoat saved the lives of thousands of soldiers. According to a medical examination in 1760, “rheumatic” diseases and respiratory diseases were the most common in the Russian army. Why did the officers react so negatively to the innovations? It's not about convenience here. It was a protest against the orders introduced by Paul. With the introduction of a new form, a change in the order in the army, the nobles understood that the end of Catherine's liberties was coming.

The emperor revised and changed the Naval Charter of Peter the Great. The Pavlovsk charter of the fleet has not changed much to this day. Pavel Petrovich paid great attention to the organization, technical support and supply of the fleet.

The new charter, for the better, differed from the "Peter's". But its main difference was a clear regulation of service and life on the ship. In the "Peter's" charter, almost every article contains a measure of punishment for its violation. Punishments are rarely mentioned in the "Pavlovian" charter. It was a humane charter. It no longer provided for the position and duties of the executioner on the ship. Pavel Petrovich canceled the keeling - this is when the offender was tied to a rope and dragged on it under water from one side of the ship to the other. The charter introduced new positions in the fleet - a historiographer, a professor of astronomy and navigation, a drawing master.

Foreign policy

Since 1796, Fyodor Maksimovich Briskorn was the Privy Councilor and State Secretary of Emperor Paul I. In 1798, Russia entered into an anti-French coalition with Great Britain, Austria, Turkey, and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. At the insistence of the allies, the experienced A.V. Suvorov was appointed commander-in-chief of the Russian troops, as the best commander in Europe. Austrian troops were also transferred to his jurisdiction. Under the leadership of Suvorov, Northern Italy was liberated from French rule. In September 1799, the Russian army made the famous crossing of the Alps by Suvorov. However, already in October of the same year, Russia broke off the alliance with Austria due to the failure of the Austrians to fulfill their allied obligations, and Russian troops were withdrawn from Europe.

England herself hardly took part in the war. She lent money at interest to the warring states and actually profited from this war. In 1799, First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte dispersed the revolutionary parliament (the Directorate, the Council of Five Hundred) and seized power. Emperor Paul I understands that the fight against the revolution is over. Napoleon finished with her. Bonaparte cracks down on the Jacobins and allows French emigrants to return to the country. Pavel Petrovich sought to end the war. In his opinion, it has ceased its meaning. England did not benefit from ending the war in Europe. Having seized power, Napoleon began to look for allies in foreign policy and seek rapprochement with Russia.

Moreover, the idea of ​​a plan to create a coalition of combined fleets: France, Russia, Denmark and Sweden, the implementation of which could deal a mortal blow to the British, appeared. Prussia, Holland, Italy and Spain join the coalition. Until recently, lonely France now found itself at the head of a powerful allied coalition.

An alliance agreement is concluded on December 4-6, 1800 between Russia, Prussia, Sweden and Denmark. In fact, this meant a declaration of war on England. The British government orders its fleet to seize ships belonging to countries of a hostile coalition. In response to these actions, Denmark occupies Hamburg, and Prussia - Hanover. The allied coalition concludes an export ban agreement. Many European ports become closed to the British Empire. The lack of bread could lead to famine and crisis in England.

The reason for the formation of a powerful coalition against England was dominance in the seas british navy, which led to the concentration of world trade in the hands of the British and put other maritime powers at a disadvantage.

When Russia shifted its foreign policy towards a rapprochement with France, British Ambassador Charles Whitward understood the change in attitude towards him. In the early years of Paul's reign, he praised the emperor and his policies. However, on the eve of his expulsion, in his report dated March 6, 1800, he wrote: “The Emperor literally went crazy ... Since he ascended the throne, his mental disorder began to gradually intensify ...”. The emperor became aware of this. The British ambassador was asked to leave the Russian capital and the borders of the state. Whitward was the first to spread rumors about Pavel Petrovich's insanity.

After the British managed to capture Malta in September 1800, Paul I set about creating an anti-English coalition, which was to include Denmark, Sweden and Prussia. Shortly before the assassination, he, together with Napoleon, began to prepare a military campaign against India in order to "disturb" the English possessions. At the same time, he sent the Don army to Central Asia - 22,500 people, whose task was to conquer Khiva and Bukhara. The campaign was hastily canceled immediately after the death of Paul by decree of Emperor Alexander I.

Order of Malta

After Malta surrendered to the French without a fight in the summer of 1798, the Order of Malta was left without a Grand Master and without a seat. For help, the knights of the order turned to the Russian emperor and Defender of the Order since 1797, Paul I.

On December 16, 1798, Paul I was elected Grand Master of the Order of Malta, in connection with which the words “... and Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem". In Russia, the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem was established. The Russian Order of St. John of Jerusalem and the Order of Malta were partly integrated. The image of the Maltese cross appeared on the Russian coat of arms.

On October 12, 1799, the knights of the order arrived in Gatchina, who presented their Grand Master, the Russian Emperor, with three ancient relics of the Hospitallers - a particle of the wood of the Cross of the Lord, the Philermo Icon of the Mother of God and the right hand of St. John the Baptist. Later in the autumn of the same year, the shrines were transferred from the Priory Palace to St. Petersburg, where they were placed in the court church of the Savior Not Made by Hands in the Winter Palace. In memory of this event, in 1800, the Governing Synod established a holiday on October 12 (25) in honor of “the transfer from Malta to Gatchina of a part of the tree of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, the Philermo Icon of the Mother of God and the right hand of St. John the Baptist.”

Pavel signs a decree accepting the island of Malta under the protection of Russia. In the Calendar of the Academy of Sciences, at the direction of the emperor, the island of Malta should be designated as a "province of the Russian Empire." Paul I wanted to make the title of grandmaster hereditary, and to annex Malta to Russia. On the island, the emperor wanted to create a military base and a fleet to ensure the interests of the Russian Empire in the Mediterranean Sea and in southern Europe.

After the assassination of Paul, Alexander I, who ascended the throne, renounced the title of grandmaster. In 1801, at the direction of Alexander I, the Maltese cross was removed from the coat of arms. In 1810, a decree was signed to stop awarding the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. Malta became a British colony in 1813 after the victory of the British fleet under the command of Admiral Nelson over the French in Egypt at the Nile. Gained independence on September 21, 1964 and became a republic, but remained a country within the British Commonwealth.

Conspiracy and death

Contrary to the prevailing view, in the era of Paul I there was not one, but several conspiracies against the emperor. After the coronation of Emperor Paul I in Smolensk, a secret organization, the Canal Shop, appeared. The purpose of the persons included in it was the murder of Paul. The plot was exposed. Participants were exiled into exile or hard labor. Pavel ordered the destruction of the materials on the investigation of the conspiracy.

During the reign of Paul there were three cases of alarm in the troops. This happened twice during the emperor's stay in Pavlovsk. Once in the Winter Palace. Rumors spread among the soldiers about a conspiracy against the emperor. They stop listening to the officers, even wound two and break into the palace.

Another conspiracy forms in 1800. The meetings of the conspirators were held in the house of Olga Zherebtsova, Zubova's sister. Among the conspirators were English ambassador and lover Zherebtsova Whitward, governor and head of the secret police Palen, Kochubey, Ribbas, General Bennigsen, Uvarov and others. Palen decided to win Alexander over to his side. The income and well-being of a large part of the Russian nobility depended on the trade in timber, flax, and grain with Britain. Russia supplied England with cheap raw materials, and in return received cheap English goods that hindered the development of its own processing industry.

Pavel I was killed by officers in his own bedroom on the night of March 12, 1801 in the Mikhailovsky Castle. A. V. Argamakov, Vice-Chancellor N. P. Panin, commander of the Izyum Light Horse Regiment L. L. Bennigsen, P. A. Zubov (Ekaterina’s favorite), Governor-General of St. Petersburg P. A. Palen, commanders of the Guards regiments: Semenovsky - N.I. Depreradovich, Kavalergardsky - F.P. Uvarov, Preobrazhensky - P.A. Talyzin, and according to some sources - the adjutant wing of the emperor, Count Pavel Vasilyevich Golenishchev-Kutuzov, who immediately after the coup was appointed commander of the Kavalergardsky shelf. The British ambassador also supported the dissatisfied. P.A. became the soul and organizer of the conspiracy. Palen - Governor-General of St. Petersburg. The archives of Panin, Zubovs, Uvarov - the leaders of the conspiracy, were bought out royal family and destroyed. There are many inaccuracies and ambiguities in the surviving information. The exact number of conspirators is unknown. In the surviving information, this figure fluctuates around 150 people.

A family

Gerhardt von Kugelgen. Portrait of Paul I with his family. 1800. Pavlovsk State Museum-Reserve Depicted from left to right: Alexander I, Grand Duke Konstantin, Nikolai Pavlovich, Maria Feodorovna, Ekaterina Pavlovna, Maria Pavlovna, Anna Pavlovna, Pavel I, Mikhail Pavlovich, Alexandra Pavlovna and Elena Pavlovna.

Pavel I was married twice:

• 1st wife: (since October 10, 1773, St. Petersburg) Natalya Alekseevna(1755-1776), born Princess Augusta-Wilhelmina-Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt, daughter of Ludwig IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt. Died in childbirth with a baby.

• 2nd wife: (since October 7, 1776, St. Petersburg) Maria Fedorovna(1759-1828), born Princess Sophia Dorothea of ​​Württemberg, daughter of Frederick II Eugene, Duke of Württemberg. Paul I and Maria Feodorovna had 10 children:
  • Alexander Pavlovich(1777-1825) - Tsarevich, and then Emperor of All Russia from March 11, 1801.
  • Konstantin Pavlovich(1779-1831) - Tsesarevich (since 1799) and Grand Duke, Polish governor in Warsaw.
  • Alexandra Pavlovna(1783-1801) - Hungarian palatine
  • Elena Pavlovna(1784-1803) - Duchess of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (1799-1803)
  • Maria Pavlovna(1786-1859) - Grand Duchess of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach
  • Ekaterina Pavlovna(1788-1819) - 2nd Queen Consort of Württemberg
  • Olga Pavlovna(1792-1795) - died at the age of 2
  • Anna Pavlovna(1795-1865) - Queen consort of the Netherlands
  • Nikolai Pavlovich(1796-1855) - Emperor of All Russia since December 14, 1825
  • Mikhail Pavlovich(1798-1849) - military man, founder of the first Artillery School in Russia.

Illegitimate children:

• Veliky, Semyon Afanasyevich(1772-1794) - from Sofia Stepanovna Ushakova (1746-1803).
• Inzov, Ivan Nikitich(according to one of the versions).
• Marfa Pavlovna Musina-Yurieva(1801-1803) - from, presumably, Lyubov Bagarat.

Military ranks and titles

Colonel of the Life Cuirassier Regiment (July 4, 1762) (Russian Imperial Guard) Admiral General (December 20, 1762) (Russian Imperial Navy)

Awards

Russian:

• (03.10.1754)
• (03.10.1754)
• Order of St. Anne 1st class (03.10.1754)
• Order of St. Vladimir 1st class (10/23/1782)

foreign:

• Polish Order of the White Eagle
• Prussian Order of the Black Eagle
• Swedish Order of the Seraphim
• Sicilian Order of Saint Ferdinand 1st class
• Sicilian Order of Saint Januarius (1849)
• Neapolitan Constantinian Order of Saint George
• French Order of the Holy Spirit
• French Order of Our Lady of Carmel
• French Order of Saint Lazarus

Paul I in art

Literature

• Alexandre Dumas - "Fencing teacher". / Per. from fr. ed. O. V. Moiseenko. - True, 1984
• Dmitry Sergeevich Merezhkovsky - "Paul I" ("Drama for reading", the first part of the trilogy "The Kingdom of the Beast"), which tells about the conspiracy and murder of the emperor, where Paul himself appears as a despot and tyrant, and his killers are guardians for the good of Russia.

Cinema

• "Suvorov"(1940) - film by Vsevolod Pudovkin with Apollon Yachnitsky as Pavel.
• "Ships storm the bastions"(1953) - Pavel Pavlenko
• "Katharina und ihre wilden Hengste"(1983) - Werner Singh
• "Assa"(1987) - a film by Sergei Solovyov with Dmitry Dolinin as Pavel.
• "Emperor's Steps"(1990) - Alexander Filippenko.
• "Countess Sheremeteva"(1994) - Yuri Verkun.
• "Poor, poor Paul"(2003) - Viktor Sukhorukov.
• "Adjutants of Love"(2005) - Vanguard Leontiev.
• "Favorite"(2005) - Vadim Skvirsky.
• "Maltese cross "(2007) - Nikolai Leshchukov.
• "Alternative history" (2011)

Monuments to Paul I

Monument to Paul I in the courtyard Mikhailovsky Castle

At least six monuments were erected to Emperor Paul I on the territory of the Russian Empire:

• Vyborg. In the early 1800s, in Mon Repos Park, its then owner, Baron Ludwig Nicolai, in gratitude to Paul I, placed a high granite column with an explanatory inscription in Latin. The monument has been successfully preserved.
• Gatchina. On the parade ground in front of the Great Gatchina Palace I. Vitali, which is a bronze statue of the Emperor on a granite pedestal. It was opened on August 1, 1851. The monument has been safely preserved.
• Gruzino, Novgorod region. on the territory of his estate, A. A. Arakcheev installed a cast-iron bust of Paul I on a cast-iron pedestal. To date, the monument has not been preserved.
• Mitava. In 1797, near the road to his estate Sorgenfrei, the landowner von Driesen erected a low stone obelisk in memory of Paul I, with an inscription on German. The fate of the monument after 1915 is unknown.
• Pavlovsk. On the parade ground in front of the Pavlovsk Palace there is a monument to Paul I by I. Vitali, which is a cast-iron statue of the Emperor on a brick pedestal lined with zinc sheets. Opened June 29, 1872. The monument has been successfully preserved.
• Spaso-Vifanovsky Monastery. In memory of the visit to the monastery in 1797 by Emperor Paul I and his wife, Empress Maria Feodorovna, an obelisk of white marble was erected on its territory, decorated with a marble plaque with an explanatory inscription. The obelisk was installed in an open gazebo, supported by six columns, near the chambers of Metropolitan Platon. In the years Soviet power and the monument and monastery were destroyed.
• St. Petersburg. In the courtyard of the Mikhailovsky Castle in 2003, a monument to Paul I was erected by sculptor V. E. Gorevoy, architect V. P. Nalivaiko. Opened May 27, 2003.

see also

Notes

Literature

• Aleksandrenko V. Emperor Paul I and the British. (Extract from Whitworth's reports) // Russian antiquity, 1898. - T. 96. - No. 10. - S. 93-106.
• Bashomon L. Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich in France in 1782. Notes of Bashomon [Excerpts] // Russian Antiquity, 1882. - T. 35. - No. 11. - P. 321-334.
• Boshnyak K.K. The stories of the old page about the time of Paul I, recorded by the son of the page / Recorded by A. K. Boshnyak // Russian antiquity, 1882. - T. 33. - No. 1. - P. 212-216.
• The time of Paul and his death. Notes of contemporaries and participants in the event of March 11, 1801/ Comp. G. Balitsky. 2 - Part 1, 2 - M .: Russian story, Education, 1908. - 315 p.
• Geiking K.-G. background. Emperor Paul and his time. Notes of a Courland nobleman. 1796-1801 / Transl. I. O. // Russian antiquity, 1887. - T. 56. - No. 11. - S. 365-394. ,

Perhaps, in the life of no monarch there were so many sensations, the mere talk of which would have plunged both contemporaries and descendants into awe. And his very birth is a sensation ...

But it seemed that all the initial data are absolutely clear: Emperor Pavel Petrovich is the heir to the imperial couple of Peter III and Catherine II. Paul's parents are quite legitimate monarchs. Father, Peter III, although he was discharged by his aunt, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna from distant Holstein, had the most direct relation to the Russian throne. He was the son of Prince Holstein-Gottorp and Tsesarevna Anna Petrovna, and therefore the grandson of Peter the Great himself. Elizaveta Petrovna, being childless, declared the son of her beloved sister Annushka the legitimate heir, although she realized that her nephew was not strong in mind. But the active aunt took her own measures - she found a smart bride - Sophia-Frederick-August, Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst, who took the name Ekaterina Alekseevna in Russia. And whatever the doubts about the birth of the bride, but the wedding took place, which means that the first-born of this couple automatically became the legitimate heir to the throne.

So why did the whole court whisper that the baby Pavel Petrovich, who was born to Catherine, was an illegitimate person for the throne?

Everyone knows that the personal life of the young spouses Peter Fedorovich and Ekaterina Alekseevna did not work out. We can say that she did not exist at all: Peter was not interested in the charms of the young wife, but in military maneuvers. In addition, a beautiful and intelligent little wife frightened the illiterate Peter, he clearly preferred completely stupid ugly women. In a word, until the beginning of 1752, poor Catherine remained an involuntary virgin. This state of affairs led the Empress Elizabeth at first into bewilderment, then into a rage. A dynasty was necessary for the stability of the throne, and the narrow-minded Petrusha was not going to give Elizabeth a grandson. And then the wise ruler took her own measures - "an intrigue to create an heir."

On Easter 1752, the confidante of young Catherine, the maid of honor Choglokova introduced her patroness to two young handsome men of the best blood - Sergei Saltykov and Lev Naryshkin. Both began to violently court Catherine, but she chose Saltykov. However, she did not dare to do anything except timid smiles - she was afraid of the wrath of Empress Elizabeth. But one evening, young Catherine heard a completely tactless, in her opinion, proposal. The sly Choglokova told the girl that adultery, of course, is a condemned thing, but there are “positions of a higher order for which an exception should be made.” In a word, Catherine was invited to immediately begin "creating an heir", albeit not with a legitimate husband. The poor girl only gasped: “What will Mother Empress say about me?” Choglokova smiled tenderly and whispered: “She will say that you have done her will!”

This is how Catherine's rapprochement with Sergei Saltykov happened - in the interests of "high state considerations." But the child did not come easily. Twice Catherine lost her child - the first time due to shaking in the carriage, when Elizabeth dragged her daughter-in-law with her on a trip. The second time - after stormy dances at the ball, in which it was impossible not to participate, because Elizabeth loved dancing to the point of falling and demanded that everyone follow her example. After these sad events, Saltykov became colder towards Catherine. Maybe he was tired of participating in "higher-order fun", maybe he wanted to take a walk to his heart's content, but here he had to "be faithful" to Catherine, who was not experienced in lovemaking. But perhaps something unforeseen also happened: the legal husband Pyotr Fedorovich suddenly woke up and, having slapped his lover in the face, wished to “know” his own wife.

True, he was always drunk, but Catherine did not drive him away. She, of course, understood that Empress Elizabeth dreams of any grandson, but she herself, wise beyond her years, longed to have an heir from her lawful husband.

How events developed further is covered in darkness. Some memoirists believe that the long-awaited baby Pavel, born on September 20, 1754, is the son of Saltykov, while others, including Catherine herself in her own Notes, argue that Pavel is really the son of her husband Peter. The surviving text of the report of the trusted chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin to Empress Elizabeth speaks in favor of the first version, where there are also the following lines: even to achieve perfect fulfillment and concealment for all eternity of mystery would be harmful. With respect for these considerations, kindly, most merciful empress, order Chamberlain Saltykov to be Your Majesty's ambassador in Stockholm to the King of Sweden. In a word, back in those days, “friends” who had done their job and became objectionable were sent to honorable exile. However, in favor of the second version (Pavel is the legitimate son of Pyotr Fedorovich), an absolutely indisputable thing speaks - the son looked like his father, and as time passed, the similarity only intensified.

Based on this, the lines of the chancellor can be read in a different way. Saltykov was removed from the court not only so that he would not talk too much about the connection with Catherine, but mainly because the “creation of an heir” happened in the most moral way - the husband and wife solved their problems themselves. That is why, as the chancellor put it, "the presence of [Saltykov] ... now not only is not necessary here, but even ... it would be harmful."

In a word, the heir was born, the intrigue went to the sand. But the riddle was not resolved, and therefore new conjectures arose. The most amazing version was published by the writer Herzen during his "London sitting" back in 1861. According to her, the third child, whom Catherine conceived from Saltykov, was born dead. And then Elizabeth, desperate to get a grandson-heir (after all, this is the third “female incapacity” for young Catherine!), Ordered to urgently replace the baby. A living child was found nearby - in the village of Kotly near Oranienbaum in a Chukhon family (that was the name of the Finns, who lived in large numbers around St. Petersburg). A living boy was brought to Elizabeth, and Catherine, who did not yet know about the dead child, was thrown into a cold corridor without care, they were not even allowed to drink water. Perhaps, as the article says, “the empty and evil Empress Elizabeth” wanted the woman in labor to die. But Catherine's strong body survived, and she began to recover. Then Elizabeth went to a new trick: so that her mother would not understand that this was not her baby, the Empress did not even let Catherine even look at her son for more than a month.

At first glance - a version worthy of an adventure novel. But, oddly enough, she found very worthy witnesses. Near the village of Kotly was the estate of Karl Tizenhausen. At the time of what happened, he was a young man, but he perfectly remembered that in one night the entire village of Kotly was wiped off the face of the earth, and all its inhabitants were loaded onto carts by the military and taken to Kamchatka. Karl Tizenhausen subsequently told his son, Vasily Karlovich, about this terrible incident. Well, the word was worth the trust, because Vasily Tizenhausen was a brave colonel in the Russian army, later a member of the Southern Society. In 1826, together with other Decembrists, he was convicted and exiled to Siberia. It was there that the colonel wrote his memoirs, calling the truth about the heirs of the Romanovs "worse than any lie."

In the early 1820s, another event occurred that confirmed the incredible "Chukhon legend". From distant Kamchatka, a certain Athanasius appeared in St. Petersburg, announcing that he was the brother of Paul I, who had died by that time, and, accordingly, the uncle of the reigning Emperor Alexander I. The old man, who was talking about the old man, was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. But…

A member of the State Council, Dmitry Lanskoy, told his nephew, Prince Alexander Odoevsky, that a certain old man, who was unusually similar to the late Paul I, was secretly brought to Emperor Alexander Pavlovich at night. Alexander talks to him for a long time and often sighs.

Well, if Alexander really was the son of a "Chukhonian child", there was something to sigh about. But maybe the wise Alexander sighed because he was convinced again and again: Russia is an extraordinary country. Other states are ready to consider any famous person as a “person of royal blood”, and in our country they are happy to humiliate even the legitimate king to the “Chukhonian”. But Alexander once asked his grandmother, Catherine the Great, who his father was, and she silently placed two miniatures in front of her grandson - the husband of Peter III and the son of Paul I. The resemblance was complete.

Pavel Petrovich, Grand Duke, Emperor Paul I (1754-1801) was born on September 20, 1754 in the Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The only son of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, then Emperor Peter III, married to Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna, then Empress Catherine II. From birth, he was taken away from his mother and brought up under the guidance of his great-aunt Elizaveta Petrovna. In 1761, upon the accession to the throne of Father Peter III, he was declared heir to the throne and crown prince. From 1760 to 1773, the tutor of the Grand Duke was Count N.I. Panin. In 1762, S.A. Poroshin, former adjutant wing of Peter III. Poroshin left diaries, where he not only described the daily activities of the Tsarevich, but also his character and behavior. A major role in shaping the moral character and worldview of the Tsarevich was played by his spiritual mentor, hieromonk of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra Platon, later a metropolitan. Pavel Petrovich received a versatile home education.

Having ascended the throne, Catherine II in 1762 appointed her son a colonel of the Cuirassier regiment named after him and an admiral general, but to business government controlled son was not allowed. In 1763, the Empress gave her son Stone Island. This is the first residence of the Grand Duke.

On September 29, 1773, Pavel Petrovich married Grand Duchess Natalia Alekseevna (nee Princess Wilhelmina of Hesse-Darmstadt), who died in childbirth in April 1776.

On September 26, 1776, he entered into a second marriage with Grand Duchess Maria Feodorovna (nee Princess Sophia Dorothea of ​​Württemberg). Had 10 children: Alexander (1777-1825), Konstantin (1779-1831), Alexandra (1783-1801), Elena (1784-1803), Maria (1786-1859), Catherine (1788-1819), Olga (1792- 1795), Anna (1795-1865), Nicholas (1796-1855), Mikhail (1798-1849).

In 1777, on the occasion of the birth of the first-born son Alexander, he received Pavlovsk as a gift from the mother-empress, and in 1783, after the birth of the first daughter Alexandra, Gatchina. In 1781-1782. Together with his wife Maria Fedorovna, he made a great trip around Europe under the name of Count Severny. Many different works of art were brought from the trip, which were included in the artistic decoration of the Pavlovsk and Gatchina palaces. In 1787 he took part in the Russian-Swedish campaign. Before leaving, he left a number of documents to Maria Feodorovna, among which was the Testament, as well as the draft of the future law on succession to the throne, which was approved after the coronation of Paul I.

On November 7, 1796, he ascended the throne after the death of Catherine II, was crowned in Moscow on April 5, 1797. At the same time, a decree on succession to the throne was promulgated, which strengthened the dynasty, legalizing the transfer of the throne from father to son, the regulation on the Imperial family, the Establishment on Russian orders and the Manifesto on a three-day corvee. The new emperor freed all those held "on a secret expedition", granted a general amnesty to all the ranks who were under trial and investigation. Novikov was released from the Shlisselburg fortress, Radishchev was returned from Siberian exile, and T. Kosciuszko was released. One of the first state-political steps of the new emperor was the transfer of the remains of his father Peter III from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra to the Peter and Paul Fortress with the coronation ceremony of the deceased, which caused a mixed reaction among contemporaries.

In the field of domestic policy, Paul I carried out serious reforms of the army and navy, which affected all aspects of the armed forces - organization, management, weapons, uniforms, supplies. The most serious and useful transformations took place in artillery and ship building. Paul I got an almost ruined state treasury, so the financial reform was very important, it was necessary to increase the ruble exchange rate and reduce the deficit. Government bodies, judiciary, education, and civil law have been reformed. To develop the domestic economy and increase its share in the domestic market, colleges were restored, then transformed into ministries, and new manufactories were built. All spheres were struck by corruption and the lack of executive discipline of officials. Of a progressive nature was the reduction of corvee for serfs to three days and the right of peasants to file complaints against their landlords. However, the legislation was hampered by the bureaucratic delays of officials. Restoring order and discipline required strict regulation, which even invaded private life. In order to maintain calm in Russia and prevent the ideas of the French Revolution from penetrating, bans were imposed on French literature and periodicals, as well as on French goods and even on fashion.

In the field of cultural policy, much has been done to develop the theater, especially with the appointment of A.L. Naryshkin. For the Academy of Arts in 1796, they were acquired through the mediation of Prince N.B. Yusupov copies of antiques, and under his leadership, by the end of 1798, the artists of the Academy: I. Akimov, M. Voinov, F. Gordeev, M. Kozlovsky G. Ugryumov executed a catalog of paintings, drawings and prints stored in the Hermitage and other imperial palaces . Quite intensive civil construction was going on in St. Petersburg: the buildings of the Medico-Surgical Academy and the Mint (architect A. Porto), the Maltese Chapel at the Corps of Pages, one of the latest creations of D. Quarenghi, the Barracks and the arena of the Cavalry Guards Regiment, the first work in St. Petersburg by architect L. Ruska, as well as the Court Choir and the Public Library. The architect F. Demertsov erected two churches - Znamenskaya and St. Sergius of Radonezh, destroyed during the Soviet period. By 1800, the construction of the Kazan Cathedral began, which was preceded by a competition, in which the first place was given to the young architect A. Voronikhin. Of greatest interest is the architectural ensemble of the Mikhailovsky Castle, in front of which, at the request of Paul I, a statue of Peter the Great by K. Rastrelli is installed, and in 1801 - a monument to Suvorov on the Field of Mars, ordered by the emperor to the sculptor M. Kozlovsky.

A number of transformations and innovations also affected the sphere of education, both secular and spiritual. Being a very devout man, Paul paid great attention to church enlightenment. In 1797, the St. Petersburg and Kazan seminaries were transformed into Theological Academies, 8 new seminaries were opened in Russia, and in the dioceses, by special decree, Russian primary schools for the preparation of psalmists. Much attention was also paid to the military and naval educational institutions. One of the most important events in the field of education was the opening of the Protestant Dorpat University.

In the field of foreign policy, three facts are particularly noteworthy. In 1798, Paul I supported the Order of Malta, defeated by the French troops, and was proclaimed for this, first the protector (protector) of the order, and then the Chief Master of the Order. Priorities of the Order of Malta appeared in Russia, and its symbols entered the Russian coat of arms. In 1799, Russia joined the anti-French coalition together with Austria, and the Russian army, led by A.V. Suvorov won brilliant victories in the Italian and Swiss campaigns. Convinced of the betrayal of Austria, Paul I abruptly changes his political course and moves closer to Napoleon Bonaparte, agreeing to a joint campaign in India in order to weaken England. This was one of the reasons for the death of the emperor. The museum has a large collection of museum items related to the personality of Paul I. In the front halls and living rooms of the palace there are decorations purchased or ordered by the emperor, and also received as a gift. There is a huge iconographic material in miniatures, graphic and pictorial works, in particular, portraits by J. Voile, D. Levitsky, V. Borovikovsky, G. Kugelchen, S. Tonchi, etc. There are also personal and memorial things of the emperor: notebooks, books, stationery, costumes.

Literature: Bokhanov A.N. Pavel I. M.: Veche, 2010. (Great historical figures); Brikner A.G. History of Paul I. M.: Ast, Astrel, 2004; Valishevsky K. Son great Catherine. Emperor Paul I. His life, reign and death. Reprint. M.: IKPA, 1990; Zakharov V.A. Emperor Paul I and the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. St. Petersburg: Aleteyya, 2007; Zubov V.P. Pavel I. St. Petersburg: Aletheya, 2007; Emperor Pavel I. Album-catalog of the exhibition at the Central Exhibition Hall "Manezh" (Compiled by Koval L.V., Larina E.N., Litvin T.A.) St. Petersburg, 2004; Kobeko D. Tsarevich Pavel Petrovich (1754-1796). St. Petersburg: Liga Plus, 2001; Muruzi P. Pavel I. M.: Veche, 2005 (translated from French); Obolensky G.L. Emperor Paul I. M.: Russian word, 2001; Peskov A.M. Pavel I. M .: Young Guard, 2003; Rossomahin A.A., Khrustalev D.G. Challenge of Emperor Paul, or the First Myth of the 19th Century. St. Petersburg: European University, 2011; Russian Hamlet. (Compiled by A. Skorobogatov) M .: Sergei Dubov Fund, 2004. (History of Russia and the Romanov dynasty in the memoirs of contemporaries of the 17th-20th centuries); Skorobogatov A.V. Tsesarevich Pavel Petrovich. Political discourse and social practice. M., 2005; Schilder N.K. Emperor Pavel I. M .: World of Books, 2007. (Great Dynasties of Russia. Romanovs); Shumigorsky E.S. Emperor Paul I: life and reign. St. Petersburg, 1907; Eidelman N.Ya. Edge of Ages. Political struggle in Russia. Late XVIII- the beginning of the XIX century. St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg Committee of the Union of Writers of the RSFSR, 1992; Yurkevich E.I. Military Petersburg of the era of Paul I. M .: Tsentrpoligraf, 2007.

During her lifetime, Catherine actually removed Paul from power, their relationship was very cool. In 1794, she tried to deprive him of the right to inherit the throne and transfer power to her grandson. However, the empress could not fulfill this intention.

Having become emperor, Paul changed the order that existed at the court of Catherine. His policy in all areas was extremely inconsistent. He restored the abolished collegiums, changed the administrative division of Russia, reducing the number of provinces, and returned the former forms of administration of the provinces of Russia. Pavel deprived the nobility of privileges, limited the effect of letters of commendation, and constrained local self-government. In 1797, he established the norm of peasant labor (three days of corvée a week), this was the first restriction of landlord power. However, during the four years of his reign, he distributed to the landowners more than 600 thousand peasants belonging to the state.

In his activities, Paul the 1st allowed extremes and pursued an inappropriate policy. He banned the words "club", "council", "fatherland", "citizen". Banned the waltz, some details of clothing. He granted amnesty to politically motivated prisoners arrested under Catherine the 2nd, but at the same time continued to fight against revolutionary manifestations in society. In 1797-1799. he established the most severe censorship, banning 639 publications. On July 5, 1800, many printing houses were sealed for censorship. Paul interfered in the affairs of religion, trying to introduce elements of Catholicism into Orthodoxy.

The emperor repealed the law prohibiting the purchase of peasants to work in enterprises. Without any justification, he restored the collegiate system, abolished by Catherine the 2nd.

Among the innovations introduced by the emperor, the creation of the Medico-Surgical Academy, the Russian-American Company, and the school for military orphans stand out positively.

The emperor attached great importance to regulations in military relations. The drill in the army acquired unprecedented proportions, which caused discontent among the guards and among the senior officers.

In 1798, an anti-French coalition was created, which included England, Austria, Turkey and Russia. The Black Sea squadron under the command of F.F. was sent to the Mediterranean Sea. Ushakov. The Russian fleet liberated the Ionian Islands and southern Italy from French occupation. In February 1799, a major battle took place for the island of Corfu, where a three thousandth French garrison was defeated. Russian troops entered Naples and Rome.

In 1799, Russia began the land phase of the war. At the insistence of the allies, the command of the troops was entrusted. For a month and a half of hostilities, Russian troops managed to oust the French from Northern Italy. Fearing the growth of Russian influence in Italy, Austria achieved the transfer of Suvorov's troops to Switzerland. August 31, 1799 to assist the troops of General A.M. Rimsky-Korsakov Suvorov made a heroic transition from Northern Italy through the Alps to Switzerland. Russian troops in the battles near Saint Gotthard and the Devil's Bridge defeated the enemy. But help came too late, and Rimsky-Korsakov's troops were defeated.

In 1800, Paul the 1st changes the course of foreign policy. He stops hostilities, withdraws troops to Russia and breaks the alliance with England and Austria. Having made peace with France, Paul the 1st enters into an alliance with Prussia against Austria, as well as with Prussia, Switzerland and Denmark against England. The aggravation of relations with England caused discontent among the nobility, since England was Russia's main partner in trade and the purchase of bread.

On the night of March 11-12, 1801, he interrupted plans for a war against England. Pavel 1 was killed as a result of this coup, organized by the highest guard officers, who did not forgive him for the oppression and the will taken from them.

He went down in history as the "Russian Don Quixote", an admirer of chivalry, the Prussian order and the politics of his father. Passions, which Paul I could not resist, led him step by step to a tragic end.

Parental love was unfamiliar to Paul I. Nevertheless, he idolized his father, who was completely indifferent to him. Only once did Peter express his paternal feelings - he attended Paul's lessons, during which he loudly said to the teachers, "I see this rascal knows the subjects better than you." And assigned him the rank of guard corporal. When the coup of 1762 broke out in the country, culminating in the death of the emperor, Paul was amazed. His beloved father, whose recognition he so wanted to achieve, was killed by his mother's lovers. Besides, young man explained that in the event of the death of Peter, the throne passed to him legally. Now, Catherine II stood at the head of the country, and she was supposed to become an adviser and regent to the young heir. So she stole the throne from him!
Paul was only seven years old. The murder of his father became a telling example for him, which raised suspicion in him. His biographers note that from now on he felt only unaccountable fear for his power-hungry mother. Later he did not trust his son Alexander either. As it turned out, not in vain.

Chivalry

The life of young Pavel proceeded without friends and parental love. Against the background of his loneliness, he developed a fantasy, he lived in her images. Historians note that as a child he was fond of novels about noble and brave knights, read Cervantes to the holes. The fusion of constant fear for life and chivalry determined the character of Emperor Paul I. He went down in history as the “Russian Hamlet” or “Russian Don Quixote”. He had highly developed concepts of honor, duty, dignity and generosity, a sense of justice was sharpened to the limit. Napoleon called Paul just that - "Russian Don Quixote"! The medieval chivalric consciousness of Paul, which he, like the Servanto hidalgo, formed on chivalric novels, did not correspond to the time in which he lived. Herzen spoke more simply: "Paul I was a disgusting and ridiculous spectacle of the crowned Don Quixote."

Wilhemina of Hesse-Darmstadt

In one of the conversations with his tutor Semyon Poroshin, in a conversation about marriage, young Pavel said: “As I get married, I will love my wife very much and I will be jealous. I really don't want to have a horn." Pavel really adored his first wife, but betrayal loved one could not be avoided. Paul's wife was Princess Wilhemina of Hesse-Darmstadt, by baptism - Natalia Alekseevna. Wilhemina and her relatives pulled out a lucky ticket - their family belonged to impoverished aristocrats, their daughters did not even have a dowry. Pavel himself fell in love with Wilhemina at first sight. In his diary, he wrote: "My choice has almost already settled on Princess Wilhemina, whom I like best of all, and all night I saw her in a dream." Catherine was pleased with her son's decision. If only they knew how it would all end.
Natalya Alekseevna was a beautiful and efficient nature. The unsociable and withdrawn Pavel came to life next to her. He married for love, which could not be said about Natalya, who simply had no choice. Pavel was ugly - his nose was a button, his features were wrong, he was short. A contemporary of Paul, Alexander Turgenev, wrote: “It is impossible to describe or depict the ugliness of Paul!” In the conditions of her position, Natalya Alekseevna soon found herself a favorite - the ladies' man Count Andrei Razumovsky, who, still unmarried, accompanied her from Darmstadt. Their love correspondence has been preserved. After the unexpected sudden death of Natalia as a result of childbirth, Catherine II showed Paul evidence of his wife's betrayal. After reading the letters, Pavel, who loved his wife so sincerely, found out that Natalya preferred Razumovsky to him "to last day throughout her life she never ceased to send tender notes and flowers to her friend. Pavel did not come to his wife's funeral. Contemporaries noted that it was from that moment that Paul “came into that state of mental disorder that accompanied him all his life.” From a gentle and sympathetic young man, he turned into a psychopath with an extremely unbalanced character.

Exercimeistership

Pavel's favorite occupation, which he inherited from his father, was military affairs, especially his uncontrollable passion for exercising - the little things of military service. Following the fate of Peter III, Paul determined his sad fate with his passion.
In the war, the young crown prince loved the aesthetic side - the beautiful harmony of the form, the impeccable performance of parades and military reviews. Such "men's spectacles" he arranged daily. The officers were severely punished if their soldiers, when passing in front of the sovereign, did not keep the formation well, marched “out of step”. Military training has become training for the sake of ceremonial. Following his mania, Pavel completely changed the uniforms of the soldiers, largely copying from the Prussian costume: short trousers, stockings and shoes, braids, powder. Suvorov, who preferred to live in the countryside rather than fit into a Prussian uniform, wrote: “There are no lousier Prussians: you won’t pass in the Schilthaus and near the booth without an infection, and their headdress with its stench will give you a swoon. We were clean of muck, and she is the first dokuku now a soldier. Shoes - pus to the feet.

Prussian order

The Prussian order corresponded exactly to Paul's pedantry. One of the researchers of that time writes: “In Prussia, everything went like magic: with mathematical precision, the king from his Sanssouci commanded both the state and the army, and all secondary performers were nothing more than subordinate persons.” Like Peter III, Paul became an ardent admirer of Frederick II, and considered the Russian order abnormal, and all “because of a woman on the throne”: “we conducted our affairs in a peculiar way, not only not following the general stream of imitation of the Prussians, but even with disdain looked at the apes of all of Europe."
Pavel's main domestic political failure was the desire for complete centralization in command and control, which violated the long-standing traditions of the Russian army and showed itself negatively during hostilities. The system of centralized subordination in the Gatchina troops did not work for the whole country. The destruction of the shifts, which were the headquarters under the senior commanders, the offices - all these innovations were dictated by the desire of the suspicious Pavel not to give anyone any rights. They disrupted the communication of commanding officials of all levels with the troops, hindered the work of the headquarters, and ultimately led to a complete breakdown in command and control of troops even in ordinary peacetime.

The Gatchina Palace, which was given to Pavel by his mother, in her attempts to alienate the legitimate thirty-year-old heir from the court, became a real joy for Paul I. Ironically, or according to Catherine’s plan, Paul’s house became former palace Count Orlov, who is prescribed the murder of Peter III and even the paternity of an heir. The Tsarevich created his own state there, based on his fantasies of chivalry, mixed with love for the Prussian order. Today, according to Gatchina, its architecture, decoration, one can reconstruct the character of Paul I - it was completely his brainchild, his Versailles, which he was preparing as his future imperial residence. Here he created the Gatchina troops as a silent protest against the military system under the reign of Catherine. Pavel's "fun squads" consisted mainly of Prussians, the Russians went there reluctantly - low salaries, uncomfortable uniforms, long and tedious exercises, heavy guard duty contributed to the fact that people from the impoverished nobility served in Gatchina only in case of emergency.
Gatchina was a special closed world, a counterbalance to St. Petersburg, where the heir was despised and considered Yurodiev. When the Pavlovsk courtyard was closed, new state transformations were born Russian empire started by Paul I and continued by his son Alexander.

Mikhailovsky Castle

In November 1796, Paul's dream finally came true, after the death of his mother, he received the crown, despite all attempts by Catherine to remove her son from the throne. Pavel decided to bring his old plan to life - to build his own residence in St. Petersburg, on the site where he was once born, in the Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna, which was subsequently destroyed. In a conversation with the maid of honor Protasova, Pavel said: “I was born in this place, and I want to die here.”
The Mikhailovsky Castle reflected all of Pavel's passion for medieval chivalry. The name itself - a castle, not a palace, as well as the dedication of the new residence to the Archangel Michael, the leader of the heavenly host - all this was a reference to knightly culture. Modern architects see the symbolism of the Order of Malta in the castle - it is not surprising, because in 1798 Pavel became the Grand Master, and many of his officers were Maltese cavaliers. Mikhailovsky Castle is similar to the famous Neunschwanstein of Ludwig of Bavaria, who was so fascinated by a medieval fairy tale that he built himself a real palace in the Alps from legends, in which, like Pavel in Mikhailovsky, he fell victim to a political upheaval.