Peter III - biography, information, personal life. How the favorite recaptured her husband Peter III from Catherine the Great The fate of the favorite of Peter 3 Elizabeth Vorontsova

Favorite of Peter III Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova

After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna in December 1761, Duke Karl-Peter-Ulrich of Holstein-Gottorp, grandson of Peter I and great-nephew of Charles XII, son of Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter I, and Karl-Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, ascended the throne.

Called to Russia by Elizaveta Petrovna in 1742, he converted to Orthodoxy with the name Pyotr Feodorovich, and therefore on the All-Russian throne was called Peter III Feodorovich (1728–1762). Elizaveta Petrovna married him to the princess of Anhalt-Zerbst - Sophia-Frederick-Augusta, after the adoption of Orthodoxy, she received the name Catherine Alekseevna and later became Empress Catherine I. Peter and Catherine were second cousins, and Peter perceived her more as a sister than like a spouse. He was in love with Countess Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova and, having ascended the throne, made her his official mistress.

Elizaveta Romanovna (1739–1792) belonged to the princely, county and noble family of the Vorontsovs, known since the middle of the 17th century. The rise of the family began in the 18th century, in 1741, during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, who bestowed grace on the head of the Vorontsov family, Illarion Gavrilovich, for the help in reaching the throne, provided by his son Mikhail Illarionovich (1714–1767). State Councilor Illarion Gavrilovich received from the Empress on the day of her coronation an increase in rank - the rank of real state councilor (II class of the Table of Ranks), the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky and rich estates.

His son, Mikhail Illarionovich, from 1728, that is, from the age of 14, served at the small court of Tsarina Elizabeth Petrovna as a page, then as a chamber page, then as a chamber junker, and in 1741 took an active part in the erection of his mistress to the All-Russian throne. Thus began the career rise of a prominent statesman and diplomat Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov, holder of all the highest Russian and foreign orders. In March 1744, Mikhail Vorontsov, at the request of Elizabeth Petrovna, was elevated to the dignity of a count of the Roman Empire. In the same year he was appointed a member of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs and vice-chancellor, and in 1758 he was appointed state chancellor and senator and headed the foreign affairs department of the Russian Empire. The constant career growth of Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov is explained, in addition to his personal merits, also by the fact that he was married to Anna Karlovna Skavronskaya, a cousin of Elizabeth Petrovna, a lady of state, and then a chamberlain of the Highest Court, awarded the Order of St. Catherine of the 1st degree, therefore , to the cavalier lady of the Grand Cross.

Count Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov was Elizaveta Romanovna's uncle. His brothers Roman Illarionovich (1707–1783), Elizabeth's father, and Ivan Illarionovich used the closeness of Mikhail and his wife to Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and also received favors from her. So, his brothers Roman and Ivan, for whom he fussed, in January 1760, at the request of Elizabeth Petrovna, were elevated by Emperor Franz I to the dignity of a count of the Roman Empire with descending offspring, and the Empress granted Roman Illarionovich also to senators.

Catherine II, who came to power in 1762, appointed Roman Vorontsov governor of the Vladimir, Penza and Tambov provinces, which, thanks to bribes and extortions, was a source of enormous wealth for him, so it was not by chance that he received the nickname “Roman is a big pocket”.

Elizaveta Vorontsova had two sisters: the eldest Maria Romanovna, after her marriage Countess Buturlina, and the younger Ekaterina Romanovna, in the marriage of Dashkova. Elizabeth and Maria were brought up at a small, grand-ducal court: Elizaveta Petrovna appointed them ladies-in-waiting to the Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna (Catherine II), and the youngest, Catherine, was taken in by her uncle Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov.

The uncle of the Vorontsov sisters, State Chancellor Mikhail Illarionovich, adopted Catherine into his family and raised her together with his only daughter, later Countess Stroganova. Catherine was very fond of reading and received a very good education. And the other two sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, served as ladies-in-waiting, lived in the grand ducal palace, but did not receive such education and upbringing as Catherine. Maria and Elizaveta Romanovna, who became countesses in 1760, rarely saw their younger sister Catherine. However, they retained the sisters' family affection for each other until the end of their lives. Living in the palace in an atmosphere of favoritism, free love affairs of the Grand Duchess, the Grand Duke and their courtiers, they were brought up in this spirit, almost without receiving any education. Especially Elizabeth, very clumsy and lazy, slow mind, was not inclined to master the sciences.

Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna later recalled that the maid of honor Elizaveta Vorontsova was “a very ugly child with olive skin”, “broad-skinned”, “fat and awkward”, “with some kind of flabby face”. It is not surprising that the whole court was shocked when it turned out that Grand Duke Pyotr Feodorovich was captivated by this “broad-haired” maid of honor and calls his love, like an old commoner woman, “Romanovna”.

Elizaveta Petrovna laughed at this passion of the Grand Duke and ironically endowed "Romanovna" with the nickname "Madame Pompadour".

Catherine II in her "Notes" noted that Pyotr Feodorovich's taste was very strange: he loved all kinds of deformities, and therefore the choice of a mistress-favorite was in full accordance with his taste. And his taste corresponded to his inner content of a big child who loves to play soldiers, arrange performances in his chambers, using his servants as actors. Romanovna was also a big clumsy child, careless, artless, good-natured and not demanding awards and gifts. She was the only one at court who understood the children's whims and games of the Grand Duke and supported them, playing with him with pleasure. Peter III was afraid of his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna, her intelligence, education and seriousness. This fear was especially evident at the time when he almost meekly signed his renunciation and in his letter to her humbly asked to be allowed to live freely. And with Romanovna he was comfortable. She accepted him the way he was. He saw that there was not a single lady at court who would accept him with all his shortcomings so sincerely as the kind maid of honor Vorontsova.

Ekaterina Dashkova, despite the fact that her sister Elizabeth occupied the position of the official favorite of the Grand Duke, gave strong preference to Ekaterina Alekseevna in the matter of confrontation between the heir and the Grand Duchess. Therefore, Dashkova refused all invitations of Peter III under any pretexts. Pyotr Feodorovich was dissatisfied with this circumstance, and “my sister,” recalls Ekaterina Romanovna, “notified me that the sovereign was angry at my refusals and did not want to believe in the sincerity of their pretexts.”

“Once,” recalls Ekaterina Dashkova in her Notes, “taking me aside, he surprised me with his remark, quite worthy of his simple head and simple heart‹…>“My child,” he said, “it wouldn’t hurt you to remember that it is much safer to drink bread and salt with honest fools like your sister and me than with those great wise men who will squeeze the juice out of an orange and throw the peels at their feet ".

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna died on December 25, 1761, on the very day of the Nativity of Christ, and her nephew Emperor Peter III Feodorovich took her place on the All-Russian throne. Upon his accession, he granted Elizaveta Romanovna the title of chamber-maid of honor, ordered her to take rooms in the palace next to his chambers, and, following the example of the French kings, declared her his official favorite. On June 9, 1762, Romanovna, the favorite of the Emperor, was awarded the Order of St. Catherine of the 1st degree and became a cavalry lady of the Grand Cross. In connection with this event, Prince N.I. Repnin came to Dashkova at night. Subsequently, Dashkova described this episode as follows: “He seemed extremely agitated and exclaimed without further circumlocution:“ Well, my dear cousin, everything is lost - our plan is ruined! Your sister Elizabeth has received the Order of St. Catherine, and I have been appointed minister-adjutant, or minister-lackey, to the Prussian king.”

This circumstance, which served as a prelude to the overthrow of the empress, struck me greatly; the order of St. Catherine complained only to princesses of royal blood.

Peter III shared his plans with many, including Princess Dashkova and foreign envoys, about his intention to imprison the empress in a monastery and marry the chamber-maid of honor Countess Vorontsova. Vorontsova herself, lazy, good-natured and serene, did not take any action, so Catherine II had no reason to consider her an enemy and even be angry with her.

Princess Dashkova later wrote: “Here I cannot fail to do justice to my sister Elizabeth, who knew well the difference in our characters and did not demand from me that servile attention to herself, to which she was entitled by her position from the rest of the court crowd.”

Just a few days after Countess Vorontsova illegally received the Order of St. Catherine, on June 28, 1762, during a palace coup led by Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna, Peter III signed the abdication, was deposed, and the next day, June 29, was arrested. It was said that his Romanovna threw herself at the feet of Alexei Orlov with a request not to separate them, but to let the unlucky emperor go, promising that they would leave and would never annoy anyone. But her request was not respected: Peter III, who was under arrest, was taken to the Ropsha estate, near Peterhof, and Elizaveta Romanovna was temporarily sent to her father's St. Petersburg house. Dashkova considered it necessary to visit her sister and calm her down. When she drove up to her father's house, she saw that the house was cordoned off by soldiers from all sides and the stupid officer Kakovinsky was in command of them. Dashkova released some of the soldiers, and made a suggestion to Kakovinsky. She wrote about the condition of her father and sister in the Notes as follows: “Father received me without any murmuring or displeasure. He complained about the circumstance that I mentioned, and was dissatisfied with the fact that his daughter Elizabeth was with him under the same roof. On the first occasion, I reassured him by explaining that Kakovinsky's misunderstanding was the cause of his embarrassment, and that by the evening there would not be a single soldier in his house. As for the second circumstance, I begged him to think about the critical situation of my sister, for whom his house became the only honest refuge, as it had once been her natural shelter. “Soon, however,” I added, “she will not need your patronage, and then, if there is mutual goodwill, we can part quite decently.”

The main purpose of visiting her father's house for Dashkova was to meet her sister Elizabeth. About this meeting and about the future fate of Elizabeth Romanovna, she writes as follows: “When I entered my sister’s room, she began to mourn the disasters of that day and her own misfortune. Regarding personal troubles, I advised her to console herself. Assuring her of my complete readiness to serve her, I at the same time remarked: the empress is so kind and noble that she will help her without any participation on my part. In this regard, my confidence was completely justified.

Having become Empress, Catherine II dismissed Elizaveta Vorontsova from the court, deprived her of the court title of chamber maid of honor, declared it illegal to award her the Order of St. Catherine, and with it the right to wear a portrait of the Empress on a blue moire bow attached to her dress. But at the same time, Catherine II tried to strengthen the financial position of Elizabeth Romanovna, even wanting to buy her a house in Moscow. In this regard, she ordered Count Roman Illarionovich Vorontsov, Elizabeth's father, to identify her daughter, allocating part of her estate to her, "so that she no longer had to deal with anyone and lived in silence, not giving people many reasons to talk about herself."

The first time of her reign, Catherine II still did not quite trust Elizabeth Vorontsova, not relying on her decent behavior, fearing gossip from the courtiers, talking about the murder of Peter III. So, before the coronation, she wrote to Yelagin: “Perfilich, did you tell any of Lizaveta’s relatives so that she doesn’t swing into the palace, otherwise, I’m afraid, she’ll fly to the general temptation tomorrow.”

Dashkova wrote: “Although the Empress considered the absence of Elizaveta Vorontsova necessary during the coronation, she constantly sent messengers to her with the assurance of her patronage. The sister soon retired to her father's village near Moscow; when, after the coronation, the court left Moscow, she moved here and lived here until her marriage to Polyansky. Countess Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova married in 1765 Colonel and then State Councilor Alexander Ivanovich Polyansky. They lived in St. Petersburg, but Elizaveta Romanovna never appeared at court again. However, Catherine II continued to patronize her. According to Dashkova, when Elizabeth's eldest son was born, the Empress became his godmother. The Empress addressed with favors not only personally to Elizabeth Romanovna. When Anna Polyanskaya, daughter of Elizabeth, graduated from the Smolny Institute in 1781, then, according to one version, Elizaveta Vorontsova-Polyanskaya turned to Catherine II with a letter asking her to give her daughter Anna a code, that is, the position of a maid of honor at court. Dashkova presented another version: “A few years later, her daughter, at my request, was appointed a maid of honor.”

The Vorontsov family: sister Ekaterina Dashkova and both brothers of Elizabeth Romanovna - Semyon and Alexander Romanovich - did not turn away from the unfortunate favorite of Emperor Peter III Feodorovich, they all loved her and helped her. Was she the true favorite of Emperor Peter III? Declared the official favorite at the Russian imperial court, Elizaveta Vorontsova, due to her character, low education and bad manners, did not receive any assignments of a state nature and did not take any part either in the appointment to government posts, or in the championship at the court, did not pursue any of the courtiers did no harm to anyone. On the contrary, in difficult days for Empress Catherine Alekseevna, she softened the attitude of Peter Feodorovich towards her, and Catherine sometimes resorted to her intercession.

Elizaveta Romanovna Polyanskaya (Vorontsova) died on February 2, 1792 at the age of fifty-three, leaving good memories of herself in her family.

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Countess Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova(by husband Polyanskaya, 1739-1792) - favorite of Peter III, maid of honor; daughter of General-in-Chief Count R. I. Vorontsov; sister of the famous princess E. R. Dashkova, chancellor A. R. Vorontsov and diplomat S. R. Vorontsov.

Biography

Count's second daughter Roman Illarionovich Vorontsov from marriage to Marfa Ivanovna Surmina. After the death of her mother in 1745, together with her sister and brother, she was brought up in the house of her uncle, Vice-Chancellor M. I. Vorontsov. In November 1749, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna was appointed to the maid of honor, in the court staff of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna, who found her:

However, the opinion of Ekaterina Alekseevna, who did not like Peter III and people close to him, can hardly be fully trusted.

Favorite

A clear preference shown by Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich a few years later "thick and clumsy", "with a flabby face", "broad-skinned" maid of honor Vorontsova, whom he simply called "Romanovna", caused general astonishment. Many believed that the Grand Duke "expressed a very deplorable taste". According to the French envoy J. L. Favier:

The passion of the Grand Duke, which amused Elizaveta Petrovna, who nicknamed Vorontsova "Madam Pompadour", with his accession to the throne, crossed all boundaries. Immediately upon accession, Peter III granted his “Lizka” to the chamber-maid of honor, assigned her rooms next to his own in the Winter Palace, and on June 9, 1762, solemnly laid Catherine’s ribbon on her.

In the memoirs of contemporaries of those years, Elizaveta Vorontsova constantly appears as "official favorite" emperor and a participant in his entertainment, according to Bolotov, the emperor " spent almost all the time with her» . Peter III "did not hide before anyone exorbitant love for her." Vorontsova received from the emperor 5,000 imperials (to pay off debts) and jewelry worth more than 50,000 rubles. Foreign ambassadors in St. Petersburg reported on the emperor's intention to imprison his wife in a monastery and marry the maid of honor Vorontsova, who behaved "arrogantly" towards the empress.

In 1776, according to the testimony of the French diplomat Corberon, the Empress gave Polyanskaya 45,000 rubles to pay off her debts, kindly reproaching Elizabeth that she had not resorted to her help before, but refused her sister Dashkova 200 souls, although it was she who was the last owes her crown.

Elizaveta Vorontsova's letters to her brother, Count S. R. Vorontsov, are not much inferior to the French style of her sister, Princess Dashkova, and are full of details about secular and court events. Both her brothers, Counts Semyon and Alexander Vorontsov, loved her very much and gave her great preference over Princess Dashkova, who, not without reason, was reproached for her unfriendly attitude towards her sister, who was very afraid of her not only during her favor, but also after her disgrace.

Elizaveta Romanovna died on February 2, 1792 and was buried at the Lazarevsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Children

She had children from her marriage to Polyansky:

Anna Aleksandrovna(1766-1845), in 1782 she was granted a maid of honor, for this her mother sent a letter to the empress with a request for a cipher for her daughter. Participated in a choir of singers at a celebration given by Prince Potemkin in the Taurida Palace. She was married to Baron Wilhelm d'Ogger (d'Hogger), the Dutch ambassador in St. Petersburg, who, having married Polyanskaya, remained to live in Russia.
Alexander Alexandrovich(1774-1818), his successor was Catherine II; Privy Councilor, Real Chamberlain, Senator since 1817.

Movie incarnations

2014 Ekaterina (TV series) Anastasia Korolkova
- Great - Olga Medynich.

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Notes

Literature

// Russian biographical dictionary: in 25 volumes. - St. Petersburg. -M., 1896-1918.
Palmer Elena. Peter III. Der Prinz von Holstein. - Sutton, Germany, 2005. - ISBN 3-89702-788-7.

Favorites, lovers and lovers of the Romanovs

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1796-1917

An excerpt characterizing Vorontsova, Elizaveta Romanovna

He knew very well that it was Napoleon himself, and the presence of Napoleon could not embarrass him more than the presence of Rostov or the sergeant with rods, because he had nothing that neither the sergeant nor Napoleon could deprive him of.
He lied everything that was interpreted between the batmen. Much of this was true. But when Napoleon asked him what the Russians think, whether they will defeat Bonaparte or not, Lavrushka narrowed his eyes and thought.
He saw subtle cunning here, as people like Lavrushka always see cunning in everything, he frowned and was silent.
“It means: if you are in battle,” he said thoughtfully, “and in speed, that’s right.” Well, if three days pass after that same date, then, then, this very battle will go into delay.
Napoleon was translated as follows: “Si la bataille est donnee avant trois jours, les Francais la gagneraient, mais que si elle serait donnee plus tard, Dieu seul sait ce qui en arrivrait”, [“If the battle takes place before three days, then the French will win him, but if after three days, then God knows what will happen. ”] Lelorgne d "Ideville conveyed smiling. Napoleon did not smile, although he apparently was in the most cheerful mood, and ordered to repeat these words to himself.
Lavrushka noticed this and, to cheer him up, he said, pretending not to know who he was.
“We know that you have Bonaparte, he beat everyone in the world, well, another article about us ...” he said, not knowing himself how and why boastful patriotism slipped through his words in the end. The interpreter relayed these words to Napoleon without ending, and Bonaparte smiled. “Le jeune Cosaque fit sourire son puissant interlocuteur,” [The young Cossack made his powerful interlocutor smile.] says Thiers. After walking a few steps in silence, Napoleon turned to Berthier and said that he wanted to experience the effect that sur cet enfant du Don [on this child of the Don] would have the news that the person to whom this enfant du Don was speaking was the emperor himself. , the same emperor who wrote the immortally victorious name on the pyramids.
The message has been passed on.
Lavrushka (realizing that this was done to puzzle him, and that Napoleon thought he would be frightened), in order to please the new masters, immediately pretended to be astonished, stunned, bulged his eyes and made the same face that he was accustomed to when they led him flog. “A peine l" interprete de Napoleon, says Thiers, - avait il parle, que le Cosaque, saisi d "une sorte d" ebahissement, no profera plus une parole et marcha les yeux constamment attaches sur ce conquerant, dont le nom avait penetre jusqu "a lui, a travers les steppes de l" Orient. Toute sa loquacite s "etait subitement arretee, pour faire place a un sentiment d" admiration naive et silencieuse. Napoleon, apres l "avoir recompense, lui fit donner la liberte , comme a un oiseau qu"on rend aux champs qui l"ont vu naitre". [As soon as Napoleon's interpreter said this to the Cossack, the Cossack, seized by some kind of stupefaction, did not utter a single word more and continued to ride, not taking his eyes off the conqueror, whose name had reached him through the eastern steppes. All his talkativeness suddenly stopped and was replaced by a naive and silent feeling of delight. Napoleon, having rewarded the Cossack, ordered to give him freedom, like a bird that is returned to its native fields.]
Napoleon rode on, dreaming of that Moscou that so occupied his imagination, a l "oiseau qu" on rendit aux champs qui l "on vu naitre [a bird returned to its native fields] galloped to outposts, thinking ahead of everything that was not there and what he would tell his people. He did not want to tell the same thing that really happened to him, precisely because it seemed to him unworthy of a story. He went to the Cossacks, asked where the regiment that was in Platov’s detachment was, and by the evening found his master Nikolai Rostov, who was stationed in Yankovo and had just mounted on horseback in order to take a walk with Ilyin through the surrounding villages.He gave another horse to Lavrushka and took him with him.

Princess Mary was not in Moscow and out of danger, as Prince Andrei thought.
After the return of Alpatych from Smolensk, the old prince, as it were, suddenly came to his senses from a dream. He ordered to gather militia from the villages, arm them and wrote a letter to the commander-in-chief, in which he informed him of his intention to remain in the Bald Mountains to the last extreme, to defend himself, leaving it at his discretion to take or not to take measures to protect the Bald Mountains, in which he would be taken one of the oldest Russian generals was captured or killed, and announced to his family that he was staying in Lysy Gory.
But, remaining himself in the Bald Mountains, the prince ordered the dispatch of the princess and Desal with the little prince to Bogucharovo and from there to Moscow. Princess Marya, frightened by her father's feverish, sleepless activity, which replaced his former omission, could not make up her mind to leave him alone, and for the first time in her life allowed herself to disobey him. She refused to go, and a terrible thunderstorm of the prince's anger fell upon her. He reminded her of everything in which he had been unfair to her. Trying to accuse her, he told her that she had tormented him, that she had quarreled with him, that she had nasty suspicions against him, that she had made it her life's task to poison his life, and drove her out of his office, telling her that if she he won't leave, he doesn't care. He said that he did not want to know about her existence, but he warned her in advance that she should not dare to catch his eye. The fact that, contrary to Princess Mary's fears, he did not order her to be taken away by force, but only did not order her to show herself, pleased Princess Mary. She knew that this proved that in the very secret of his soul he was glad that she stayed at home and did not leave.
The next day after Nikolushka's departure, the old prince put on his full uniform in the morning and got ready to go to the commander-in-chief. The wheelchair has already been served. Princess Marya saw how he, in uniform and all the orders, left the house and went into the garden to review the armed peasants and the yard. Princess Mary saw at the window, listening to his voice, which was heard from the garden. Suddenly, several people ran out of the alley with frightened faces.
Princess Mary ran out onto the porch, onto the flower path and into the alley. A large crowd of militiamen and courtyards was advancing towards her, and in the middle of this crowd several people were dragging a little old man in a uniform and medals by the arms. Princess Mary ran up to him and, in the play of small circles of falling light, through the shadow of the linden alley, could not give herself an account of what a change had taken place in his face. One thing that she saw was that the former stern and resolute expression of his face was replaced by an expression of timidity and submissiveness. When he saw his daughter, he moved his helpless lips and wheezed. It was impossible to understand what he wanted. They picked him up, carried him into the office and laid him on the sofa, which he had been so afraid of lately.
The doctor brought in bled the same night and announced that the prince had a stroke on the right side.
It became more and more dangerous to stay in the Bald Mountains, and the next day after the prince's blow, they were taken to Bogucharovo. The doctor went with them.
When they arrived in Bogucharovo, Desalle and the little prince had already left for Moscow.
Still in the same position, no worse and no better, paralyzed, the old prince lay for three weeks in Bogucharovo in a new house built by Prince Andrei. The old prince was unconscious; he lay like a mutilated corpse. He kept mumbling something, twitching his eyebrows and lips, and it was impossible to know whether he understood or not what surrounded him. One thing could be known for sure - this is that he suffered and felt the need to express something more. But what it was, no one could understand; was it some whim of a sick and half-mad man, did it relate to the general course of affairs, or did it relate to family circumstances?

favorite of Peter III.

Countess Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova (by husband Polyanskaya, 1739-1792) - favorite of Peter III, maid of honor; daughter of General-in-Chief Count R. I. Vorontsov; sister of the famous princess E. R. Dashkova, chancellor A. R. Vorontsov and diplomat S. R. Vorontsov.

Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova

Portrait by Antropov, 1762

The second daughter of Count Roman Illarionovich Vorontsov from his marriage to Marfa Ivanovna Surmina. After the death of her mother in 1745, together with her sister and brother, she was brought up in the house of her uncle, Vice-Chancellor M. I. Vorontsov.

Father - Roman Illarionovich Vorontsov (1717 - 1783), younger brother of Chancellor M.I. Vorontsov. From 1755 lieutenant general; from 1760 count of the Holy Roman Empire; general-anshef (1761); senator; Viceroy of Vladimir, Penza and Tambov.

Serdyukov Grigory

Mother - Marfa Ivanovna Vorontsova, nee Surmina (1718-1745)

Sister - Maria Romanovna Vorontsova (1738-1765), wife of P.A. Buturlina

Jean de Samsois.

Brother - Count Alexander Romanovich Vorontsov (1741-1805) - State Chancellor

Copy from a portrait by D.G. Levitsky

Sister - Princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova

Unknown artist

Brother - Count Vorontsov Semyon Romanovich

Uncle - Count Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov

Antropov Alexey Petrovich

In November 1749, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna appointed her as a lady-in-waiting, in the court staff of Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna, who found her:

“... A very ugly, extremely unclean child with an olive skin color, and after suffering smallpox, she became even uglier, because her features were completely disfigured and her whole face was covered not with pockmarks, but with scars.”

However, the opinion of Ekaterina Alekseevna, who did not like Peter III and people close to him, can hardly be fully trusted.

Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna with her husband Peter III Fedorovich

A. R. Lischevskaya

Favorite

A clear preference shown by Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich a few years later "thick and clumsy", "flabby-faced", "broad-skinned" maid of honor Vorontsova, whom he simply called "Romanovna' caused general astonishment. Many believed that the Grand Duke "expressed a very deplorable taste". According to the French envoy J. L. Favier:

“Vorontsova's ugliness was inexpressible and was not atoned for either by a good build or white skin. She was not devoid of mind and, on occasion, could take advantage of her position if even the slightest opportunity presented itself.

"Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna"

Virgilius Eriksen

The passion of the Grand Duke, which amused Elizaveta Petrovna, who nicknamed Vorontsova "Madam Pompadour", with his accession to the throne, crossed all boundaries. Immediately upon accession, Peter III granted his "Lizku" in the chamber-maids of honor, he took her rooms in the Winter Palace next to his own, and on June 9, 1762, he solemnly laid Catherine's ribbon on her.

Countess Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova

In the memoirs of contemporaries of those years, Elizaveta Vorontsova constantly appears as "official favorite" emperor and a participant in his entertainment, according to Bolotov, the emperor “spent almost all the time with her”. Peter III “did not hide before anyone exorbitant love for her”. Vorontsova received from the emperor 5,000 imperials (to pay off debts) and jewelry worth more than 50,000 rubles. Foreign ambassadors in St. Petersburg announced the emperor's intention to imprison his wife in a monastery and marry the maid of honor Vorontsova, who behaves towards the empress "arrogant".

Stills from the film "The Great" in the role of Peter III Pavel Derevyanko, in the role of Elizabeth Vorontsova Olga Medynich

After the coup on June 29, 1762, Vorontsova was arrested together with Peter III in Oranienbaum, where her chambers are still preserved in the Grand Palace. Despite her requests on her knees before Panin to follow Peter to Holstein, the countess was sent to her father's village near Moscow, and she lost her chamber-maid of honor and the Order of St. Catherine. But immediately after that, Catherine II undertook to arrange the further fate of Vorontsova, thought about buying a house for her in Moscow and ordered Count R. I. Vorontsov to provide a daughter, “so that she no longer has to do with anyone and lives in silence, not giving people many reasons to talk about herself”.

Oranienbaum. The Grand Palace in the drawing by M.I. Makhaeva, 1755-1761

Marriage

On September 18, 1765, Elizaveta Vorontsova married Colonel Alexander Ivanovich Polyansky (1721-1818), then State Councilor. The wedding took place in the Konkovo estate of the Vorontsovs near Moscow. As time passed, the couple moved to St. Petersburg, where Vorontsova lived until her death. Without appearing at court, she was in the world and even saw a close friend of Catherine II, Countess A. S. Protasova.

Countess Anna Stepanovna Protasova, trusted maid of honor of Catherine II.

Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky

In 1776, according to the testimony of the French diplomat Corberon, the Empress gave Polyanskaya 45,000 rubles to pay off her debts, kindly reproaching Elizabeth that she had not resorted to her help before, but denied her sister Dashkova 200 souls, although it was she who was the last owes her crown.

Princess Ekaterina Romanovna Dashkova

Dmitry Grigorievich Levitsky

Elizaveta Romanovna died on February 2, 1792 and was buried at the Lazarevsky cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Countess Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova, by husband Polyanskaya

Children

She had children from her marriage to Polyansky:

Anna Alexandrovna (1766-1845), in 1782 she was granted a maid of honor, for this her mother wrote a letter to the empress with a request for a cipher for her daughter. Participated in the choir of singers at the celebration given by Prince Potemkin in the Tauride Palace. She was married to Baron Wilhelm d'Ogger (d'Hogger), the Dutch ambassador in St. Petersburg, who, having married Polyanskaya, remained to live in Russia.

She had a habit of repeating the last words of phrases and the last syllables of words, and they told about her that once, in a conversation about her husband with Emperor Alexander I, she expressed herself: "The baron - round - wins a lot when you get to know him better - naked." In addition, evil tongues added: "And Baroness d'Oger - hardly." While living in Italy in the 1830s, she practiced polishing marbles, maintained an elongated posture until old age and willingly attended public festivities. In marriage, she had a son and two daughters:

Alexander Alexandrovich (1774-1818), his successor was Catherine II; Privy Councilor, Real Chamberlain, Senator since 1817.

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorontsova

In the 18th century in the Russian Empire, the stability of the transfer of power from monarch to monarch was seriously disrupted. This period went down in history as the “epoch of palace coups”, when the fate of the Russian throne was decided not so much by the will of the monarch as by the support of influential dignitaries and guards.

In 1741, as a result of another coup, the empress became daughter of Peter the Great Elizaveta Petrovna. Despite the fact that at the time of her accession to the throne, Elizabeth was only 32 years old, the question arose of who would become the heir to the imperial crown.

Elizabeth had no legitimate children, and therefore, the heir had to be sought among other members of the Romanov family.

According to the "Decree on the Succession to the Throne", issued by Peter I in 1722, the emperor received the right to choose his successor himself. However, it was not enough just to name the name - it was necessary to create a solid ground for the heir to be recognized by both the highest dignitaries and the country as a whole.

Bad experience Boris Godunov and Vasily Shuisky He spoke about the fact that a monarch who does not have a solid support can lead the country to confusion and chaos. Similarly, the absence of an heir to the throne can lead to confusion and chaos.

To Russia, Carl!

Elizaveta Petrovna, in order to strengthen the stability of the state, decided to act quickly. She was chosen as her heir sister's son, Anna Petrovna, Karl Peter Ulrich.

Anna Petrovna was married to Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Friedrich and in February 1728 bore him a son. Karl Peter lost his mother just a few days after the birth - Anna Petrovna, who had not departed after a difficult birth, caught a cold during fireworks in honor of the birth of her son and died.

Who came as a great-nephew Swedish king Charles XII Karl Peter was originally seen as the heir to the Swedish throne. At the same time, no one was seriously involved in his upbringing. From the age of 7, the boy was taught marching, handling weapons and other military wisdom and traditions of the Prussian army. It was then that Karl Peter became a fan of Prussia, which subsequently had a detrimental effect on his future.

At the age of 11 Karl Peter lost his father. The boy's upbringing was taken up by his cousin, future king of Sweden Adolf Frederick. The caregivers assigned to educate the boy focused on cruel and humiliating punishments, which made Karl Peter nervous and fearful.

Pyotr Fedorovich when he was the Grand Duke. Portrait by G. H. Groot

The envoy of Elizabeth Petrovna, who arrived for Karl Peter, took him to Russia under a false name, secretly. Knowing the difficulties with the succession to the throne in St. Petersburg, the opponents of Russia could well prevent this in order to subsequently use Karl Peter in their intrigues.

Bride for a troubled teenager

Elizaveta Petrovna met her nephew with joy, but was struck by his thinness and sickly appearance. When it turned out that his training was purely formal, it was just right to grab his head.

The first months of Karl Peter were literally fattened and put in order. They began to train him almost anew, from the very beginning. In November 1742 he was baptized into Orthodoxy under the name Petr Fedorovich.

The nephew turned out to be completely different from what Elizaveta Petrovna expected to see him. However, she continued the line of strengthening the dynasty, deciding to marry the heir as soon as possible.

Considering the candidates for brides for Peter, Elizaveta Petrovna opted for Sophia Augusta Frederick, daughter of Christian Augustus of Anhalt-Zerbst, a representative of an ancient princely family.

father fike, as the girl was called at home, there was nothing but a high-profile title. Like her future husband, Fike grew up in Spartan conditions, even though both her parents were in perfect health. Home schooling was caused by a lack of funds, noble entertainment for the little princess replaced street games with boys, after which Fike went to darn her own stockings.

The news that the Russian Empress chose Sophia Augusta Frederica as a bride for the heir to the Russian throne shocked Fike's parents. The girl herself very quickly realized that she had a great chance to change her life.

In February 1744 Sophia Augusta Frederica and her mother arrived in St. Petersburg. Elizaveta Petrovna found the bride quite worthy.

Ignorant and smart

On June 28, 1744, Sophia Augusta Frederica converted from Lutheranism to Orthodoxy and received the name Ekaterina Alekseevna. On August 21, 1745, 17-year-old Pyotr Fedorovich and 16-year-old Ekaterina Alekseevna were married. The wedding celebrations were held on a grand scale and lasted 10 days.

It seemed that Elizabeth achieved what she wanted. However, the result was rather unexpected.

Despite the fact that the phrase “grandson of Peter the Great” was included in the official name of Pyotr Fedorovich, it was not possible to instill in the heir a love for the empire created by his grandfather.

All efforts by educators to fill the gaps in education have failed. The heir preferred to spend time in entertainment, playing soldiers, rather than in training sessions. He never learned to speak Russian well. His passion Prussian King Friedrich, which already did not add sympathy to him, became completely obscene with the beginning of the Seven Years' War, in which Prussia acted as an opponent of Russia.

Sometimes, annoyed, Peter threw phrases like: “They dragged me into this damned Russia.” And it also did not add to his supporters.

Catherine was the complete opposite of her husband. She studied Russian with such zeal that she almost died from pneumonia, earned while studying with the window wide open.

Having converted to Orthodoxy, she zealously observed church traditions, and the people soon started talking about the piety of the heir's wife.

Ekaterina was actively engaged in self-education, read books on history, philosophy, jurisprudence, essays Voltaire, Montesquieu, Tacitus, Bayle, a large number of other literature. The ranks of admirers of her mind grew as rapidly as the ranks of admirers of her beauty.

Fallback Empress Elizabeth

Elizabeth, of course, approved of such zeal, but did not consider Catherine as the future ruler of Russia. She was taken so that she would give birth to heirs for the Russian throne, and there were serious problems with this.

The marital relationship between Peter and Catherine did not go well at all. The difference in interests, the difference in temperaments, the difference in outlook on life alienated them from each other from the first day of marriage. It did not help that Elizabeth introduced to them as educators a married couple who had lived together for many years. In this case, the example was not contagious.

Elizaveta Petrovna hatched a new idea - if you failed to re-educate your nephew, then you need to properly educate your grandson, to whom power will then be transferred. But with the birth of a grandson, problems also arose.

Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna with a page. Source: Public Domain

Only on September 20, 1754, after nine years of marriage, Catherine gave birth to a son Paul. The Empress immediately took the newborn away, limiting the communication of parents with the child.

If Peter was not excited at all, then Catherine tried to see her son more often, which greatly annoyed the empress.

The plot that failed

After the birth of Paul, the cooling between Peter and Catherine only intensified. Pyotr Fedorovich made mistresses, Ekaterina - lovers, and both sides were aware of each other's adventures.

Pyotr Fedorovich, for all his shortcomings, was a rather simple-hearted man, unable to hide his thoughts and intentions. The fact that with accession to the throne he would get rid of his unloved wife, Peter began to talk a few years before the death of Elizabeth Petrovna. Catherine knew that in this case a prison awaits her, or a monastery that is no different from her. Therefore, she secretly begins to negotiate with those who, like herself, would not like to see Peter Fedorovich on the throne.

In 1757, during a serious illness of Elizabeth Petrovna Chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin prepared a coup with the aim of removing the heir immediately after the death of the empress, in which Catherine was also involved. However, Elizabeth recovered, the plot was revealed, and Bestuzhev-Ryumin fell into disgrace. Catherine herself was not touched, since Bestuzhev managed to destroy the letters compromising her.

In December 1761, a new aggravation of the disease led to the death of the Empress. Paul failed to implement plans to transfer power, since the boy was only 7 years old, and Pyotr Fedorovich became the new head of the Russian Empire under the name of Peter III.

Fatal world with an idol

The new emperor decided to start large-scale state reforms, many of which historians consider very progressive. The Secret Chancellery, which was an organ of political investigation, was liquidated, a decree on freedom of foreign trade was adopted, and the killing of peasants by landowners was prohibited. Peter III issued the "Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility", which abolished the compulsory military service for the nobles introduced by Peter I.

His intention to carry out the secularization of church lands and equalize the rights of representatives of all religious denominations alerted Russian society. Opponents of Peter spread a rumor that the emperor was preparing to introduce Lutheranism in the country, which did not add to his popularity.

But the biggest mistake of Peter III was the conclusion of peace with his idol, King Frederick of Prussia. During the Seven Years' War, the Russian army utterly defeated the vaunted army of Frederick, forcing the latter to think about renunciation.

And at this very moment, when the final victory of Russia was already actually won, Peter not only makes peace, but without any conditions returns to Frederick all the territories he has lost. The Russian army, and especially the guard, was offended by this step of the emperor. In addition, his intention, together with Prussia, to start a war against yesterday's ally, Denmark, did not find understanding in Russia.

Portrait of Peter III by artist A.P. Antropov, 1762.

At that time, they said about him: “The sovereign has no other occupation than to run day and night in the company of Princess Elizabeth and his sister ...” He hated Menshikov, stopped obeying him, especially after Menshikov took money from Elizabeth and Natalia twice, given to them by Peter.

The princes Dolgorukov, whom Menshikov allowed as his support to the young emperor, took possession of the heart and soul of Peter II, especially Ivan Dolgorukov, and turned him against Menshikov. On September 8, 1727, by decision of the Supreme Privy Council, in which the Dolgorukovs played an important role, and by decree of Emperor Peter II, Generalissimo, His Serene Highness Prince AD Menshikov was arrested and exiled to his Ryazan estate Rannenbaum.

On October 15, 1727, Peter II turned 13 years old, and on November 30, 1727, Peter II was betrothed to Princess Ekaterina Alekseevna Dolgorukova. However, his only heartfelt attachment, besides his sister Natalia, was his aunt, Tsesarevna Elizaveta Petrovna.

Elizaveta Petrovna, perhaps, did not even suspect that she was a “favorite” (then, however, they did not know such a word), or, rather, a favorite. Osterman came up with the idea that it would be better to marry Elizaveta Petrovna to Peter. But the clergy could not allow the marriage of a nephew to an aunt, and Elizaveta Petrovna herself could not even imagine her marriage to a nephew-boy. She did not share his affection and did not want to be either his wife, let alone his "favorite". In the same 1727, she was visited by her first love in the person of Alexander Buturlin. Meetings with Peter became completely uninteresting for her, and she began to see him less and less, then their meetings completely stopped. And Pyotr, who was completely subordinate to the Dolgorukovs, spent almost all his time in the Dolgorukov estate of Gorenki near Moscow, where he joined in wine and non-childish pleasures in a special room near the billiard room.

When the time came for the coronation of Peter II and the court moved to Moscow, Elizaveta Petrovna settled in the village of Pokrovsky near Moscow, where, together with her ladies-in-waiting, she indulged in folk amusements: in winter - sleighing down the mountain, skating on a frozen pond, hunting hares in the field ; and in the summer she led round dances with the girls, hunted wolves, and was fond of falconry. In the village of Kurganikha, which belonged to her, Elizaveta cultivated a garden. Here, away from prying eyes, Alexander Buturlin often came, seriously carried away by her. The secret of their meetings lasted about two years. As soon as this became known to Peter II, he immediately ordered: to send Buturlin to Ukraine, to an army regiment.

The heart of Princess Elizabeth could not be free, and his ardor was transferred to the chief chamberlain of the court, Semyon Naryshkin. Their love flowed before the eyes of the courtiers of the Highest Court. Semyon Kirillovich Naryshkin (1710-1775) could conquer any woman's heart: he was a brilliant gentleman, dressed beautifully and was a dandy among other court men. He was educated abroad, knew several foreign languages, and his cultural preferences coincided with the tastes of Elizaveta Petrovna. So, she was very fond of the theater, and Semyon Naryshkin had his own theater on his estate, which he was very proud of. The relationship between Elizabeth and Naryshkin was so tender that the court already considered the matter well-coordinated and began to expect a wedding. Perhaps it would have been so, but again Peter II intervened. He sent Naryshkin abroad, according to one version - to travel, according to another - as an envoy to some European country.

It would seem that the paths of the emperor-lad and his aunt diverged: he was planning a wedding with Ekaterina Dolgorukova, and she had her own love preferences. But no, the jealousy of Peter II for the Tsarina Elizabeth continued until his death. Peter did not want to let any of the men near the princess, whom he was jealous of, as if she really was his favorite. Once, through his ambassador, the Prussian Elector of Brandenburg, Karl, wooed Elizaveta Petrovna. For Elizabeth, this was a good match, but Peter II, without even notifying the princess, refused the Brandenburger. In response to these acts of jealousy, Elizaveta Petrovna, having lost one lover, found another. And now her third lover has become a handsome man, a favorite of the entire Semenovsky regiment, grenadier Shubin.

Peter II died in Moscow at the age of 14 from smallpox on January 19, 1730 and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. From 1730 to 1741, the All-Russian throne was occupied by Empress Anna Ioannovna, then for several months Anna Leopoldovna was the ruler under the infant emperor John VI Antonovich. Having gone through the humiliation and oppression of these rulers, in 1741 Elizaveta Petrovna seized the Russian throne and reigned until 1761.

Favorite of Peter III Elizaveta Romanovna Vorontsova

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