On Rising to Power, Part 2
Last we talked, I just got married to Peter III. Now, let’s figure out how I got to be sole Empress of Russia.Â
When Empress Elizabeth died on December 25, 1761, Peter was proclaimed Emperor Peter III, and I was empress. We moved to the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. Within a few short months of being on the throne, Peter had managed to alienate many members within the government, the military and the church. His eccentricities and his support for Frederick II shattered all the alliances I had so carefully built.Â
The truth is very few liked Peter as an emperor. He was abrasive, eccentric and ill-mannered. He was determined to make sure I was removed. Just weeks before the coup, he publicly humiliated me, by calling me a fool at the dinner table! He threatened me with death, both political and physical. I was told by my advisors that he planned on arresting me and throwing me in a convent for the rest of my life, disinheriting my son Paul, and marrying his fat, ugly mistress. Prince Georg talked him out of acting upon this, but the threat was already there: he would remove me by prison or by poison.Â
The future of the Russian empire was at stake. I was a much better fit for the crown anyway. And so I took my destiny into my own hands. I already had widespread support from people like Ekaterina Dashkova, Grigorii Orlov, my lover at the time, and his four brothers, and Nikita Panin who supervised my son’s education. All that was left was to find the right time to strike.Â
Luckily, Peter made the mistake of taking a holiday with his Holstein-born courtiers and relatives to Oranienbaum, leaving me in Saint Petersburg.Â
On June 28, 1762 I was up at dawn. I was awakened in my tiny palace of Mon Plaisir, built for Peter the Great in his favourite summer residence of Peterhof, some twenty nine kilometres from the new capital. Aleksei Orlov came to me informing me that Captain Passek had been arrested and we needed to move quickly if I wanted to ever ascend to the throne. I followed Orlov to his coach waiting outside and sat tensely and the vehicle hurled away to Saint Petersburg.
We stopped five kilometres outside of Saint Petersburg. Grigorii Orlov had met us and I was ushered into a smaller coach. We travelled to the suburban quarters of the Izmailovskii Guards who repudiated Peter III and swore their allegiances to me. Hurrahs punctured the quiet morning air and many lined up to kiss my hand or the hem of my dress. Several were assisting Father Aleksei, the regiment’s priest, as he held up the cross and administered the new oath of allegiance.Â
This was meant to be a peaceful, bloodless revolution. Swift and safe. The first half had gone off without a hitchÂ
Toward eight o’clock an excited crowd formed around us, as the carriage moved through the town towards the Semenovskii Guards. The news preceded us, however, and large crowds of Semenovtsy rushed out to greet us. The multiplying crowd diverted us onto Nevskii Prospect, the capital’s central avenue. We were then joined by some of Preobrazhensty, guards from Peter III’s favourite Guards regiment.Â
Slowly, we moved towards the Church of Our Lady of Kazan. Joined by the Orlov brothers, Count Razumovskii, Prince Volkonskii, Count Bruce, Count Stroganov, and numerous guard officers, I entered the church. The priests greeted us with icons and prayers for my long life. The church bells rang as we continued our march to the Winter Palace.Â
On the squares before and beside the palace, regiments of regular troops stood guard and quickly swore oats of allegiance read by Veniamin, the archbishop of Saint Petersburg. The same oat was administered to everyone inside the palace, including many high court, military and ecclesiastical officials. My son was also rushed to the Winter Palace by Nikita Panin. That morning my manifesto announced my assumption of the throne. It was justified by claims that Orthodoxy had been endangered, Russia’s military glory sullied and enslaved by the alliance with Prussia, and the Empire’s institutions “completely undermined”. Â
The rest of the day was spent consolidating our coup. Troops had been assigned to guard every approach to the capital, Prince Georg was arrested and later confined to his house, which the soldiers ruthlessly looted. I left the palace in favour of the old wooden one where Elizabeth died. The question remained, however, what should I do about Peter and his supporters?Â
Naturally, Peter would attempt to garner support, and of particular worry was Kronstadt, as it was an island-fortress that lay within sight of Oranienbaum. There were naval units, infantry and munition there which he could use to mount an assault on Saint Petersburg. We were unsure if word had reached Kronstadt. In order to ensure my reign was secure, we sent Admiral Talyzin empowering him to do whatever he thought appropriate. On the other hand. we also ordered Rear-Admiral Miloslavskii to administer the oath of allegiance to the naval units in the Gulf of Finland and guard against any seaborne assault. And so it was decided that Peter would be taken to the fortress prison of SchlĂĽsselburg, forty kilometres upstream from the capital.Â
It seemed though, that Peter had not yet decided on any countermeasures. This reassured me that the capital was in safe hands. Hence, with my reign assured, I accompanied the military on an offensive in Peterhof. I suppose this would have been quite unique for the time. Peter was surely surprised to see me at the helm, a colonel, saver on hand on my white steed. Princess Dashkova also accompanied me in battle in a Guards uniform. It was quite a sight to see.Â
Our army reached Peterhof by ten a.m. on June 29. In the meantime, the Orlovs had easily occupied both Peterhof and Oranienbaum with bloodshed or much resistance. Peter sent me a letter begging for forgiveness, renouncing the throne and requesting permission to leave for Holstein. General Izmailov hand-delivered the message and even offered to deliver Peter himself once he signed a formal abdication. The document was drafted, Peter signed it immediately and got in the carriage to Peterhof. Peter stepped out of the carriage, surrendered his sword and his ribbon of St. Andrew. He was also forced to surrender his uniform. Peter’s abdication completed the formal processes of the coup.Â
Unfortunately, on July 6 Peter died at Ropsha. I received the news that very evening that he died of hemorrhoidal colic. His body was placed at the Alexander Nevski Monastery where people could pay their respects.Truth be told, I’m still not sure if that was truly what he died from or if he had tried to escape and was killed in the effort. Some say that the Orlov brothers had a hand in his death. I believe I will never know the truth, but likely it was not of natural causes. Â
