Ekaterina I Alekseevna
Skavronskaya Marta Samuilovna
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As follows from documents, encyclopedias and monographs, the full name of Catherine the First before the adoption of Orthodoxy was Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya. Do you, dear reader, know many Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians and Belarusians whose name is Samuil? I'm sure none. And in the history of these countries there were no such things. But Jews were often called Samuels. Just like Khaimami and Abramami. Well, the name Martha itself (in the Hebrew original Martha in Hebrew מרתה, translated meaning “mistress”, “mistress”) is a name mentioned in the Gospels: Jesus stayed in the house of the sisters Mary and Martha, and therefore the name Martha (letter “f” in German it moved to “t”, but in Russian it remained) included in the calendar. But in this case, the question arises: why was Martha renamed when she was “rebaptized” into Orthodoxy from Lutheranism?
Ekaterina I Alekseevna
Skavronskaya Marta Samuilovna
They would have left behind the queen the beautiful Russian name Martha, given at birth, and that would have been the end of it. Moreover, the phrase “Empress Martha the First” would undoubtedly delight the Russian ear and would be beneficial to the “Tsar Antichrist”! Answer: that’s why the first and patronymic names were replaced because the Russian Empress did not renounce her father Samuil! Remembering her parents perfectly (contrary to the fiction included in textbooks that the wife of Peter the Great did not remember either her mother or her father). Not just remembered, but honored and respected! Well, Empress Marfa Samuilovna Romanova would indeed sound annoying. Not for Peter - that’s why Peter was Great, because he could turn everything around if he wanted. Annoying for the educated and uneducated classes of Russia. Including modern ones: not for Peter the Great - for us.
Peter I the Great
The change of the patronymic name of the First Russian Empress from Samuilovna to Alekseevna was the first precedent in Russian history for assigning a new patronymic name. Contradictory not only to Russian tradition, but also to the fundamental principles of Christianity. In the era of localism, the tsar could grant anything he wanted with the exception of patronymics - and, therefore, changing the pedigree. Even God cannot change the past! And then suddenly, for the first time in the Russian State, in violation of all Russian traditions, the patronymic name is being replaced. And not just anyone, but the Empress! Moreover, with the blessing of the Church (obedient, of course, to the Sovereign). This is not some small violation that is corrected by repentance and for which penance is imposed - this is a violation of one of the Founding Principles! Why was this done (and then, according to precedent, this is how it went)? There can be only one answer: so that the patronymic “Samuilovna” disappears. If the church had not done this, it would have been even “worse.” The patronymic “Samuilovna” too clearly revealed the Jewish roots of the Tsar’s wife. And in any case, it raised a very unpleasant question. Which would have to be answered over and over again. Including our glorious time with you.
Ekaterina I Alekseevna
Skavronskaya Marta Samuilovna
Before the coronation of the new Empress, by order of the Emperor, a commission headed by Repnin was created to study her origins. And lo and behold! Despite lengthy “efforts,” it was not possible to establish not only who the parents of the crowned queen were, but even what country the queen was from. And this despite the fact that the Empress was not at all weak-minded, as it irrefutably follows from the fact that she “does not remember where she was from.” And here – it’s as if my memory has been lost! And mind!! Either she is from Livonia, or vice versa from Estonia. Later, another, completely different hypothesis about the origin of Catherine the First appeared. Namely: that Marta Skavronskaya came from Belarus and her father worked in the house of Kazimir Sapieha in Minsk (a family whose members were also chancellors in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth), and from there he moved to Livonia.
Peter I the Great
And the Tsarina of the Russian State herself - in health, memory and a clear mind - does not remember where she came from. Such is the amnesia of an otherwise absolutely healthy woman when answering the most basic question: in which country was she born? He honors the name of his father, Samuel, remembers and does not renounce his father until death, and where they lived, down to the country, has been completely forgotten. And that means at the same time - what is her native language. Well, she’s just not an empress, but some kind of crazy person. I completely forgot what happened to her before she was 12 years old. This is such a strange “disease” for an otherwise absolutely healthy woman. After all, Martha was sent to Pastor Gluck’s house not as a baby, but as a twelve-year-old girl. Isn’t it madness - not of the First Empress of Russia, but of those who compiled her biography, adjusted to fit History?! Wasn’t the Commission created to study the origins of the Empress not with the goal of finding out the truth, but with the goal of hiding the truth (as has happened more than once in the history of Russia)?? The answer is obvious: well, of course, that’s why the Government Commission was created, to hide the truth!
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Peter I the Great
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Marfa Skavronskaya grew up in the house of Pastor Gluck, from which she was first taken in by her husband, then by Sheremetyev. So why not ask the pastor himself, his wife, for whom Martha worked in Marienburg and in whose house she grew up, and the pastor’s children, who spoke Russian and only lived in Moscow? Reading the textbooks, you might think that Pastor Gluck disappeared somewhere without a trace. But this is a lie. Pastor Gluck, having fallen under the sack of Marienburg after the capture of the fortress by Russian troops (about which Field Marshal Sheremetyev proudly reports to Peter: “I sent in all directions to capture and burn, there was nothing left, everything was devastated and burned, and your military sovereign’s people took it in full male and female and kill several thousand, also work horses, and cattle with 20,000 or more... and what they could not lift was pricked and chopped") survived, like his pupil Martha, among those “not chopped”, but taken “in full male and female and robber several thousand, also work horses, and livestock from 20,000 or more,” but in a slightly different way. Not by moving higher and higher from Sheremetyev to Menshikov, but from Menshikov to the Sovereign, but by earning respect for himself as an educator. Having been transported to Russia as a prisoner, the pastor founded Russia's first gymnasium in Moscow. Becoming a “chick of Petrov’s nest”, who made a huge contribution to the education of Russians. Well, what, one wonders, was the commission doing if it interrogated anyone except the household members of the house in Moscow in which Marfa Samuilovna was brought up, and the Empress herself?
Peter I the Great
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And here's another thing that's suspicious. To find out the origins of Marfa Samuilovna, her relatives were brought to St. Petersburg, who were immediately awarded count titles. However, immediately after being presented to the Sovereign, both (Karl and Friedrich), by order of the Repnin commission, were expelled from the capital to remote parts of the vast country, because about the origin of the Empress, I quote “lying” end of quote. And why did they lie? Why were their lies about the origin of the Empress classified? And why, as soon as they conferred titles and presented palaces, these Counts were immediately exiled to somewhere far away? They're not Decembrists! The answer is obvious: because they knew the secrets of the Empress’s origin, which were not subject to disclosure. Well, what secrets could not be disclosed if the official version “lowers” the Empress so low that, it would seem, there is nowhere lower? The answer is clear: because the truth about the origin of the Empress was even more unacceptable than the washerwoman and the orphan!
Ekaterina I Alekseevna
Skavronskaya Marta Samuilovna
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In fact, the commission to investigate the origins of the empress knew and found out everything. And the fact that the Empress’s mother’s sisters were married to the Veselovskys, who belonged to an influential Jewish family, one of whose members, Abram Veselovsky, rose to the rank of adjutant of Peter and was with the Tsar during the Battle of Poltava (Belozozerskaya N.A. Origin of Catherine the First, Historical Bulletin. No. 1. 1902; V. Anokhin Empress Martha. 2009). Since the queen's sisters were Jewish, Martha-Catherine's mother was undoubtedly also a Jew. And also - by birth - she herself, but how could it be otherwise?!. And who was the mother - who was the father of the Empress. And the fact that, secretly from the Emperor, the whole of Petersburg was giggling at Catherine’s Jewish relatives. From mouth to mouth in the “newborn capital” it was conveyed how the Empress’s brother Karl Samuilovich was introduced to the Tsar and Empress in the house of General-in-Chief and Chief Marshal Dmitry Andreevich Shepelev. The Empress almost burned with shame. And Peter, for whom business and professional qualities were more important than origin and religion, said: “There is no need to blush, I recognize him as my brother-in-law, and if he turns out to be of any use, I will make him a man.”
Peter I the Great
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The story of Marfa Skavronskaya, real and not fictional, is truly amazing. Moreover, at every single point of her existence, it was as if an Angel had spread a wing over her. A girl from a Jewish family, whose parents either died from an epidemic, or the family was caught in a pogrom (if she lived in Minsk or Ukraine easily - and the Cossacks came to Poland with pogromists: remember Taras Bulba), her relatives brought her to Marienburg, where she was sent to the house of Pastor Gluck, the most enlightened man in the city. And she accepted Lutheranism. At the age of seventeen, the girl was married to a dragoon named Johann Kruse. Who, the very next day after the First Wedding Night (with such a woman!!) went with his regiment to the war with the Russians and died (every episode of life is a frame for a film). After the capture of Marienburg, during which Russian troops burned, killed and robbed, and the inhabitants were lined up to be captured or put to death, the officer who decided the fate of everyone drew attention to the beauty. Like SS officers two and a half centuries later in the same areas: with the only difference that not only Jews were lined up, but people of all faiths. After which the beauty, incapacitated and doomed to death or slavery, goes to Sheremetyev, then to Menshikov, and from him to the Tsar.
Ekaterina I Alekseevna
Skavronskaya Marta Samuilovna
The girl was not only incredibly charming and sexy. She had the gift of healing, and during Petra’s epileptic seizures, she could calm and heal the sovereign with her touch: a rare gift! During numerous hikes - neither in a tent, nor by the fire, nor at full gallop - she never left her beloved Petenka and did not lag behind him in anything. Becoming a soldier's favorite and a field wife. And after the death of her husband, she was elected by the Empress as the most faithful Companion and Companion to Peter’s Cause. Why is this extraordinary woman, the favorite of soldiers, guards and ordinary people, not favored by the history of the Russian State? For what else, except for Jewish origin!
Peter I the Great
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Ekaterina I Alekseevna
Skavronskaya Marta Samuilovna
Well, now let’s turn to the portraits of Empress Catherine the First.
Messrs. Prokhanov and Mokashov, nationalists and people without national preferences: take a look at this face. In these eyes. On these lips. In this nose (in official portraits, straightened as soon as possible - and still). Who does the Russian Empress look like: a Baltic woman (as the conclusions of the commission to determine her origin teach)? To the polka? To Belarusian? Or Jewish?
Ekaterina I Alekseevna
Skavronskaya Marta Samuilovna
Have you seen Baltic, Polish or Belarusian women with such shapes? With such magnificent breasts? With such a nose, eyes and hair? And among Jewish women, it couldn’t be more typical. And this despite the fact that in official portraits the face and body of the person depicted are changed so that it
a) looked as August as possible
And
b) corresponded to the subjects’ ideas about the monarch.
Ekaterina I Alekseevna
Skavronskaya Marta Samuilovna
Do you know who the portraits of Marfa Samuilovna Romanova resemble most?
To Elina Avraamovna Bystritskaya. Her face turned out to be the most Russian of Russians, because director Gerasimov chose her, the beauty of the beauties of cinema and theater, to play Aksinya in the film adaptation of “Quiet Don”. The most Russian of all Sholokhov’s heroines! The symbol of the Russian woman and the embodiment of the Cossack ideal (as textbooks wrote about the heroine of the Nobel Prize-winning novel) was embodied in a Jewish woman!
Still from the movie “Quiet Don”
Peter I the Great
Jewish beauties, it turns out, can be symbols of Russian beauty!! The entire Soviet Union fell in love with the Russian images created by the Jewish woman Elina Avraamovna. Just as Peter the Great fell in love with the enchanting beauty and cavalry empress Martha. Possessed, among other virtues, the gift of touch to ease the suffering of a sovereign suffering from convulsions of epilepsy. A Jewish woman who, despite monstrous pressure, refused to betray her father’s memory and not mention his name Samuel as her patronymic. And this is not something out of the ordinary. In a multinational state and a civilized society, this is completely normal. And the message that the queen is Jewish should sound about as neutral as the queen playing the piano, or that the king married a German woman.
Bystritskaya Elina Avraamovna
People's Artist of the USSR
People's Artist of Georgia
People's Artist of Azerbaijan
People's Artist of Kazakhstan
Ekaterina I Alekseevna
Skavronskaya Marta Samuilovna
Let's summarize what has been said.
The first Russian Empress Catherine the First was Jewish.
Ekaterina I Alekseevna
Skavronskaya Marta Samuilovna
Peter I the Great
Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov and Marfa Samuilovna Skavronskaya, half Russian and half Jewish, was Jewish by halakhah, having a Jewish mother.
Empress Elizabeth
And since Martha Samuilovna Skavronskaya is the foremother of all Russian tsars descendants of Peter the Great, in each of them there is as much Russian blood as Jewish. In Paul the First, the great-grandson of Peter the Great and “Ekaterina” Samuilovna, there is one eighth each (and the German is not 7/8, as is believed, but ¾, remaining from the Russian and Jewish “eighths”). Paul's grandson Alexander II has 1/32 Russian and 1/32 Jewish blood. In the grandson of Alexander II, Nicholas II, there is 1/128 Russian and the same 1/128 Jewish. SINCE THE WIVES OF ALL THE AUGUSTIC DESCENDANTS OF PETER THE GREAT WERE GERMAN, THE EMPERORS OF THE RUSSIAN STATE ELIZABETH, PAUL, THE FIRST AND SECOND NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDERS THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD WERE EQUALLY OF RUSSIAN AND JEWISH GENES .
The full text of the article THE FIRST EMPRESS OF RUSSIA WAS A JEW is posted on the NewConcepts website.
Founders and creators of NewConcepts Society: Sergey Kapitsa, Edward Kapuschik, Yuri Magarshak, Alexey Sisakyan.
early years
Information about the early life of Catherine I is contained mainly in historical anecdotes and is not sufficiently reliable. Her place of birth and nationality have not yet been precisely determined.
According to one version, she was born on the territory of modern Latvia, in the historical region of Vidzeme, which was part of Swedish Livonia at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, in the family of a Latvian or Lithuanian peasant originally from the outskirts of Kegums. According to another version, the future empress was born in Dorpat (now Tartu, Estonia) into a family of Estonian peasants.
In connection with Catherine I, another surname is called - Rabe. According to some sources, Rabe (and not Kruse) is the surname of her first husband, a dragoon (this version found its way into fiction, for example, the novel by A. N. Tolstoy “Peter the Great”), according to others, this is her maiden name, and someone Johann Rabe was her father.
Currently, a hypothesis has emerged about its Belarusian origin. Allegedly, Catherine's father, Samuil Skavronsky, was in the service of Kazimir Jan Sapieha, lived in Minsk and fled to Livonia. There he settled near Marienburg.
-1725
Mistress of Peter I
In Marienburg, Sheremetev captured 400 inhabitants. When Pastor Gluck, accompanied by his servants, came to intercede about the fate of the residents, Sheremetev noticed the maid Martha Kruse and forcibly took her as his mistress. After a short time, around August 1703, Prince Menshikov, a friend and ally of Peter I, became its owner. So says the Frenchman Franz Villebois, who was in Russian service in the navy since 1698 and married to the daughter of Pastor Gluck. Villebois's story is confirmed by another source, notes from 1724 from the archives of the Duke of Oldenburg. Based on these notes, Sheremetev sent Pastor Gluck and all the inhabitants of the Marienburg fortress to Moscow, but kept Marta for himself. Menshikov, having taken Marta from the elderly field marshal a few months later, had a strong falling out with Sheremetev.
The Scotsman Peter Henry Bruce in his Memoirs presents the story (according to others) in a more favorable light for Catherine I. Martha was taken by Dragoon Colonel Baur (who later became a general):
“[Baur] immediately ordered her to be placed in his house, which entrusted her to her care, giving her the right to dispose of all the servants, and she soon fell in love with the new manager for her manner of housekeeping. The general later often said that his house was never as tidy as during the days of her stay there. Prince Menshikov, who was his patron, once saw her at the general’s, also noting something extraordinary in her appearance and manners. Having asked who she was and whether she knew how to cook, he heard in response the story he had just told, to which the general added a few words about her worthy position in his house. The prince said that this is the kind of woman he really needs now, because he himself is now being served very poorly. To this the general replied that he owed too much to the prince not to immediately fulfill what he had just thought about - and immediately calling Catherine, he said that before her was Prince Menshikov, who needed just such a maid like her, and that the prince will do everything within his power to become, like himself, her friend, adding that he respects her too much not to give her the opportunity to receive her share of honor and good fate.”
“This is how things stood when the tsar, traveling by mail from St. Petersburg, which was then called Nyenschanz, or Noteburg, to Livonia to go further, stopped at his favorite Menshikov, where he noticed Catherine among the servants who served at the table. He asked where it came from and how he acquired it. And, having spoken quietly in the ear with this favorite, who answered him only with a nod of his head, he looked at Catherine for a long time and, teasing her, said that she was smart, and ended his humorous speech by telling her, when she went to bed, to carry a candle to his room. It was an order spoken in a joking tone, but brooking no objection. Menshikov took this for granted, and the beauty, devoted to her master, spent the night in the king's room... The next day the king left in the morning to continue his journey. He returned to his favorite what he had lent him. The satisfaction the king received from his night conversation with Catherine cannot be judged by the generosity he showed. She limited herself to only one ducat, which is equal in value to half of one louis d’or (10 francs), which he put into her hand in a military manner when parting.”
“The sound of Katerina’s voice calmed Peter; then she sat him down and took him, caressing him, by the head, which she lightly scratched. This had a magical effect on him; he fell asleep within a few minutes. So as not to disturb his sleep, she held his head on her chest, sitting motionless for two or three hours. After that, he woke up completely fresh and cheerful.”
In his personal letters, the tsar showed unusual tenderness for his wife: “ Katerinushka, my friend, hello! I hear that you are bored, and I am not bored either...". Ekaterina Alekseevna bore her husband 11 children, but almost all of them died in childhood, except for Anna and Elizaveta. Elizabeth later became empress (ruled in -), and Anna's direct descendants ruled Russia after Elizabeth's death, from to. One of the sons who died in childhood, Pyotr Petrovich, after the abdication of Alexei Petrovich (Peter's eldest son from Evdokia Lopukhina), was considered from February 1718 until his death in 1719 the official heir to the Russian throne.
Peter I and Catherine I ride along the Neva
Foreigners who closely followed the Russian court noted the tsar’s affection for his wife. Bassevich writes about their relationship in 1721:
“He loved seeing her everywhere. There was no military review, ship launch, ceremony or holiday at which she would not appear... Catherine, confident in the heart of her husband, laughed at his frequent love affairs, like Livia at the intrigues of Augustus; But then, when he told her about them, he always ended with the words: “Nothing can compare with you.”
Descendants of Peter I from Catherine I
| Children | Year of birth | Year of death | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Petrovna | February 7 | May 15 | She married the German Duke Karl-Friedrich; went to Kiel, where she gave birth to a son, Karl Peter Ulrich (later Russian Emperor Peter III). |
| Elizabeth Petrovna |
December 29th |
5 January |
Russian Empress s. |
| Natalia Petrovna |
March 14th |
May 27 |
|
| Margarita Petrovna |
September 14 |
June 7 |
|
| Peter Petrovich |
November 19 |
April 19 |
He was considered the official heir to the crown until his death. |
| Paul Petrovich |
13th of January |
January 14 |
|
| Natalia Petrovna |
August 31 |
March 15th |
Rise to power
The popular majority was for the only male representative of the dynasty - Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich, the grandson of Peter I from his eldest son Alexei, who died during interrogations. Peter Alekseevich was supported by well-born nobility (Dolgoruky, Golitsyn), who considered him the only legitimate heir, born from a marriage worthy of royal blood. Count Tolstoy, Prosecutor General Yaguzhinsky, Chancellor Count Golovkin and Menshikov, at the head of the serving nobility, could not hope to preserve the power received from Peter I under Peter Alekseevich; on the other hand, the coronation of the empress could be interpreted as Peter's indirect indication of the heiress. When Catherine saw that there was no longer hope for her husband’s recovery, she instructed Menshikov and Tolstoy to act in favor of their rights. The guard was devoted to the point of adoration for the dying emperor; She transferred this affection to Catherine as well.
Guard officers from the Preobrazhensky Regiment appeared at the Senate meeting, knocking down the door to the room. They openly declared that they would break the heads of the old boyars if they went against their mother Catherine. Suddenly a drumbeat was heard from the square: it turned out that both guards regiments were lined up under arms in front of the palace. Prince Field Marshal Repnin, president of the military college, angrily asked: “ Who dared to bring shelves here without my knowledge? Am I not a field marshal?“Buturlin, commander of the Semenovsky regiment, answered Repnin that he called up the regiments by the will of the empress, whom all subjects are obliged to obey,” not excluding you“he added impressively.
Thanks to the support of the guards regiments, it was possible to convince all of Catherine’s opponents to give her their vote. The Senate “unanimously” elevated her to the throne, calling her “ the Most Serene, Most Sovereign Great Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna, Autocrat of the All-Russian” and in justification, announcing the will of the late sovereign interpreted by the Senate. The people were very surprised by the accession of a woman to the throne for the first time in Russian history, but there was no unrest.
Under Peter, she shone not with her own light, but borrowed from the great man whose companion she was; she had the ability to hold herself at a certain height, to show attention and sympathy for the movement taking place around her; she was privy to all the secrets, the secrets of the personal relationships of the people around her. Her position and fear for the future kept her mental and moral strength in constant and strong tension. But the climbing plant reached its height only thanks to the giant of the forests around which it twined; the giant was slain - and the weak plant spread out on the ground. Catherine retained knowledge of persons and relationships between them, retained the habit of making her way between these relationships; but she did not have the proper attention to matters, especially internal ones, and their details, nor the ability to initiate and direct.
Portrait of A. D. Menshikov
Foreign policy
During the 2 years of Catherine I's reign, Russia did not wage major wars, only a separate corps operated in the Caucasus under the command of Prince Dolgorukov, trying to recapture Persian territories while Persia was in a state of turmoil, and Turkey unsuccessfully fought the Persian rebels. In Europe, Russia was diplomatically active in defending the interests of the Duke of Holstein (husband of Anna Petrovna, daughter of Catherine I) against Denmark. Russia's preparation of an expedition to return Schleswig, which had been taken by the Danes, to the Duke of Holstein led to a military demonstration in the Baltic by Denmark and England.
Another direction of Russian policy under Catherine was to ensure guarantees of the Nystadt Peace and the creation of an anti-Turkish bloc. In 1726, the government of Catherine I concluded the Treaty of Vienna with the government of Charles VI, which became the basis of the Russian-Austrian military-political alliance in the second quarter of the 18th century.
End of reign
Catherine I did not rule for long. Balls, celebrations, feasts and revelries, which followed in a continuous series, undermined her health, and on April 10 the Empress fell ill. The cough, previously weak, began to intensify, a fever developed, the patient began to weaken day by day, and signs of lung damage appeared. The queen died from complications of a lung abscess. According to another unlikely version, death occurred from a severe attack of rheumatism.
The government had to urgently resolve the issue of succession to the throne.
Question of succession to the throne
Catherine I. Portrait of an unknown artist.
Catherine was easily elevated to the throne due to the early childhood of Peter Alekseevich, however, in Russian society there were strong sentiments in favor of the maturing Peter, the direct heir to the Romanov dynasty in the male line. The Empress, alarmed by anonymous letters directed against the decree of Peter I of 1722 (according to which the reigning sovereign had the right to appoint any successor), turned to her advisers for help.
Subsequent articles related to the guardianship of the minor emperor; determined the power of the Supreme Council, the order of succession to the throne in the event of the death of Peter Alekseevich. According to the will, in the event of Peter’s childless death, Anna Petrovna and her descendants (“descendants”) became his successor, then her younger sister Elizaveta Petrovna and her descendants, and only then Peter II’s sister Natalya Alekseevna. At the same time, those contenders for the throne who were not of the Orthodox faith or who had already reigned abroad were excluded from the order of succession. It was the will of Catherine I that 14 years later Elizaveta Petrovna referred to in a manifesto outlining her rights to the throne after the palace coup.
The 11th article of the will amazed those present. It commanded all nobles to promote the betrothal of Pyotr Alekseevich to one of the daughters of Prince Menshikov, and then, upon reaching adulthood, to promote their marriage. Literally: “In the same way, our crown princesses and the government administration are trying to arrange a marriage between his love [Grand Duke Peter] and one princess of Prince Menshikov.”
Such an article clearly indicated the person who participated in the drawing up of the will, however, for Russian society, Pyotr Alekseevich’s right to the throne - the main article of the will - was indisputable, and no unrest arose.
The biography, especially in her younger years, of Martha (Martha) Skavronskaya, the future Empress Catherine I, is confused by history or deliberately hidden. Modern historians use in their research various versions and assumptions, based on rumors and anecdotes of the early 18th century and having a pronounced influence of Western European historiography. Let's summarize what is considered an empress and find out how many years Catherine I ruled independently.
The Road to the Imperial Crown
Uncertainty in the fate of the future empress begins from the moment of birth. Historians are considering about 10 versions. The most common of them:
- Born into the family of a Swedish quartermaster. His possible surname is Rabe.
- Born into the family of a Baltic peasant Samuil Skavronsky. Sometimes it is indicated that the father was a serf.
- She was born into the family of a former servant of the Minsk governor Vladislav Sapieha, Litvin Semyon Skavron. Semyon fled to Estland, where he rented a farmstead. The Skavronskys were formed from the Skavron surname after Catherine I awarded her relatives the title of count in 1727.
- The illegitimate daughter of the Livonian knight von Alvendahl, who made Martha's mother his mistress.
Catholic baptism, simple origin and date of birth - April 5, 1684 are considered indisputable.
At the age of 3 or 4, Martha lost her parents and lived with her aunt until she was 12 years old before entering the service of Superintendent (Pastor) Gluck in Marienburg. At the same time, Martha was considered the pastor’s pupil. She accepted the Lutheran faith, but was not taught to read and write.
There is a version that Martha was given to Pastor Gluck by his widowed mother, Dorothea Hahn.
Growing up, Martha began to be popular with men, giving birth to a daughter from one of them, who lived for several months. The behavior of the pupil did not suit the pastor, and he found her a groom - dragoon trumpeter of the Swedish army I. Kruse (according to another version, Rabe). Whether the wedding took place or not is not known for certain. It is known that the groom disappeared after the storming and plunder of Marienburg by Russian troops in 1702 (if, of course, he existed at all).
Marta Skavronskaya became a trophy of one of the Russian soldiers, was sold to a non-commissioned officer, and then fell into the service of Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev. According to another version, Marta, together with Gluck, came to ask for mercy for the residents of Marienburg, where she attracted the attention of Sheremetev.
Martha was taken from Sheremetev by Alexander Menshikov, the all-powerful favorite of Peter I. In another version, General or Colonel Bauer appears instead of Sheremetev. Peter I, in turn, recaptured Marta from Menshikov in 1703 and made her his permanent passion.
In 1705, Peter transferred Marta from Menshikov’s house to Preobrazhenskoye to serve Princess Natalya. In the same year, Martha changed her Protestant faith to Orthodox. After baptism, Martha becomes Ekaterina Alekseevna Vasilevskaya (according to another version, her last name is Mikhailova). The reason for the change in Martha’s patronymic was her old patronymic – Samuilovna, and not because Tsarevich Alexei became godfather. By this time (in 1704 and 1705), Martha had two sons from Peter - they have no official confirmation, they died in 1707.
Catherine was able to make sure that Peter, who had many connections with women, already in 1708, in surviving letters, showed longing for her and love. Gradually, “Katenka” begins to accompany the emperor on all his trips, becoming a familiar kind and understanding attribute. The courtiers begin to appreciate Catherine, especially for her ability to calm Peter in moments of anger and epileptic attacks. From 1709, Catherine's presence under Peter became permanent.
There is a version that after the Battle of Poltava, Martha’s ex-husband in 1710 participated in a procession of prisoners in Moscow and recognized his wife, after which he was exiled to Siberia, where he died in 1721. In fact, before the death of her first husband, Catherine was a bigamist, and her children were illegitimate. This definition applies to Anna (born 1708) and Catherine (born 1709), the future empress.
In 1711, the emperor's engagement to his favorite was announced. In the same year, during the Prut campaign, the surrounded Russian army was able to escape only thanks to the jewelry, which was partially collected from the officers, and the rest was donated by Catherine and personally taken to the Turkish vizier. The bribe-taker, by the way, was subsequently executed by the Sultan, thanks to the insistence of Charles XII, the eternal enemy of Peter I. In memory of this campaign, in 1714 Peter established the Order of St. Catherine, whose first gentleman was Ekaterina Alekseevna.
Interesting! Before the wedding of Peter and Catherine, an official investigation was carried out to study the heredity of the future empress. Most likely, the purpose of this investigation was to confuse Catherine’s biography, because the main conclusion of the commission was the conclusion that it was “impossible to determine the origin.” And you just had to turn to the former pastor Gluck, who lived peacefully in Moscow, opened the first gymnasium in Russia and became one of the “chicks of Petrov’s nest.”
On February 19, 1712, in the small chapel of Prince Menshikov, the almost secret wedding of Peter I (Admiral Peter Mikhailov) and his favorite Ekaterina Vasilevskaya (Mikhailova) took place. At the same time, the illegitimate daughters Anna and Elizabeth received the titles of princesses.
Life with my husband, full of adventures, continued. Catherine showed her unpretentiousness in everyday life - you need to sleep in a tent - she sleeps, you need to ride a horse - she gallops, she doesn’t particularly bow to bullets flying over her head. During the Persian campaign in 1722 - 1723, in order to not be visible from afar, the woman shaved her head and covered it with a grenadier cap. She did not get involved in government affairs, she only stood up for those with whom her husband was angry.
With all this, in the period from 1704 to 1723. She gave birth to 11 children, of whom only 2 daughters did not die in childhood, and remained a reliable keeper of home comfort.
Catherine's coronation took place on May 7, 1724, when Peter personally placed the imperial crown on her head.
Periodically seriously ill, Peter, due to the fact that there was no direct heir in the male line, was going to transfer power to Catherine after his death (at least that is the official version). However, a scandal broke out with the empress’s close chamberlain V. Mons, the brother of Peter’s former favorite Anna Mons. As a result of the investigation of an anonymous denunciation, the emperor became convinced of his beloved wife’s betrayal. Mons was accused of bribery and executed in mid-November 1724, and the emperor's trust in his wife was destroyed.
Peter stopped communicating with his wife, deprived her of funding, but did not accuse her of anything. External reconciliation took place in January 1725 on the initiative of Princess Elizabeth. However, the emperor's sincerity and trust in his wife were not restored.
Empress CatherineI
On January 28, 1725, the first Russian emperor dies without leaving a direct heir or a will. According to the law on succession to the throne, Catherine was in no way included in the list of contenders for the throne. But here, too, history played another joke on Catherine - it was she who became the ruler of a huge country under the name Catherine I. The grandson of Peter I, Peter Alekseevich, was appointed heir. The reason for Catherine’s rise was the support of her candidacy by the “chicks of Petrov’s nest,” who at that time were at the head of the guard, the Synod, the collegiums and sat in the Senate. The “chicks” led by A. Menshikov were not going to lose power and privileges, which could happen with the accession of the son of the executed Tsarevich Alexei and the possible rise to power of the “old”, “Moscow” aristocracy.
The condition for Catherine’s coming to power was her refusal to participate in state affairs, which were to be decided by the Supreme Privy Council headed by His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Menshikov, a commoner by birth like Martha Skavronskaya. The reason for this decision is the empress’s inability to perform state activities.
It is believed that Catherine’s “rule” consisted of mindlessly signing the papers that Menshikov brought her, for which she had to learn to write.
During her short reign, Catherine showed herself to be a person prone to constant festivities, drunkenness, carnivals and balls. Among other things, under the influence of a riotous lifestyle, promiscuity in relationships with men appeared. As a result of this lifestyle, a disease of the legs and lungs developed, which during March - May 1727 killed the empress. After herself, Catherine left a country with thriving embezzlement, a devastated treasury, and increased local abuses. The all-powerful Supreme Privy Council continued its rule under Peter II. The role of the Senate in governing the state has significantly decreased.
Among the positive events of the “reign” of Catherine I, it is necessary to note the opening of the Academy of Sciences and the organization of Vitus Bering’s expedition to Kamchatka, the approval of the Order of St. A. Nevsky.
Most of the “information” about Martha - Catherine that is used may be simple fiction, invented to denigrate the first Russian empress and, especially, her descendants. What was the real reason for such a dizzying “career” will not be possible to find out without an honest study of the archives. The answer to the question “How many years did Catherine I reign?” can be twofold. From a chronological point of view, she was an autocratic ruler for 27 months. On the other hand, according to the official version, she did not rule the country on her own for a single day.
The early years of the Empress are shrouded in many secrets; at present there is no absolutely reliable information about this period. The origin and exact country are also unknown; historians cannot give a truthful and accurate answer. One version says that she was born on April 5, 1684 in the Baltic region in the vicinity of the mountains, at that time these territories were under the command of the Swedes.
Another version says that her homeland was Estonia, then she was born in a local small town at the end of the seventeenth century, it also says that she was from the peasants. There is another version that her father was a certain Skavronsky, who served a local warrior and subsequently fled, settled there in the areas of Marienburg and started a family. It is worth noting that Katka was not called Russian, her roots were different. Therefore, upon receiving the throne, her name Martha Skavronskaya was changed to one already known in world literature.
Boyhood
At that time, the plague was sweeping the world, and her family also could not avoid this scourge. According to legend, when the princess was born, her parents died of illness. She only had one relative left, but he gave the baby to another family. Then in 1700 the Northern War began, where Russia was Sweden's enemy. In 1702, the Marienburg fortress was taken by the Russians, a girl with a certain Gluck was captured and they were sent to Moscow.
Martachka was placed in a strange family, and she was there as a servant; she was not taught to read and write. However, another version also says that the mother never died from the plague, but simply gave her daughter to the family of the same Gluck. It is already said here that she was not a servant, but studied spelling and other innovations as befits a secular dma. It is also said according to other sources that at the age of seventeen she was married to a Swede on the eve of the capture of the fortress; a few days later her husband went missing. From these data we can say that the future princess does not have one hundred percent information about her biography.
The story of Peter and Catherine
Peter, on one of his trips to Menshikov, met Martochka, then she became his loving woman. Then Menshikov himself lived in St. Petersburg, the emperor was traveling to Livonia at that time, but decided to stop by for a visit and stayed there. On the day of his arrival, he met his lady of his heart, then she served the guests at the table. Then the king asked everything about her, watched her and told her to bring and light a candle before going to bed. Then they spent the night together, then the king left and finally left his night lover one ducat.This is how the first meeting of the king and the princess took place; if it had not been for her, she would never have become the heir to the throne. After the victory in the Battle of Poltava in 1710, a triumphal procession was organized where the captured Swedes were paraded. Then Martha’s husband, nicknamed Kruse, was also led along this procession, after he said that the girl had been sent into exile, where he died in 1721.
A year after the first meeting with the Tsar, Catherine gave birth to a son, and a year later a second one, and they all died some time later. Peter called his bridegroom Vasilevskaya, and then ordered her to live with his sister Natasha, where she learned to read and write and became very friendly with the Menshikov family. Two years later, the future princess converted to Orthodoxy and after that was baptized, then became Alekseevna Mikhailova. The surname was given specifically so that Marta would remain hidden, and she received her middle name from the red one.
Lover and wife
Peter loved her very much; he considered her the only one in his life. Although the prince had many other mistresses, various fleeting meetings, he loved only her. The latter knew about it. The Tsar himself often suffered from severe headaches; the Empress was his only cure. When the king had an attack, his love sat down next to him and hugged him, then the king fell asleep within a minute.
With the onset of spring 1711, the tsar had to set off on a Prussian campaign, then he brought out all his friends and relatives and indicated that Catherine was considered his wife and queen. He also indicated that in the event of death, she should be considered the rightful queen. A year later the wedding took place and from that moment Catherine became the legal wife. Then she followed her husband everywhere, even during the construction of the shipyard. In total, the princess gave birth to ten children, but many died at a young age.
Ascension to the throne
The king was a great leader of new reforms; also regarding thrones, he also changed the entire system. In 1722, a very significant reform was launched, according to it, the heir to the throne becomes not the first son of the king, but the person appointed by the ruler himself, so any subject could lead the throne. A year later, namely on November 15, 1723, the coronation manifesto was published. It happened a year later on May 7th.
During his last year, Peter was very ill, and in the end he became completely ill. Then Catherine understood that something had to be done, the king was in a very bad way, so his death was near. She summoned Prince Menshikov and Tolstoy, gave them a decree, and she herself asked that it was necessary to win over those in power to her side, because the tsar did not have time to draw up a will. Already on January 28, 1725, Catherine was proclaimed empress and heir, most of the nobles and the guard helped her in this.
Board results
During the reign of the empress there was no autocracy; almost everything was decided by the privy council. However, much depended on the Senate, which bowed more to the empress; the latter subsequently renamed it the Great. The count also had a lot of power; he had a good relationship with the princess, especially since he took it into his house at one time. The future heiress herself was a simple ruling lady and practically did not conduct state affairs, she was not even interested in them. Everything was run by the council, as well as the great figures Tolstoy and Menshikov. However, she kept showing interest in some industry. Namely, to the fleet, because she inherited it from her husband. Then the council was disbanded, documents were determined and created by the privy council, she only needed to sign them.
During the years of the reformer's reign there were many wars, all this burden and costs fell on the common people, who were quite tired of dragging it all out. It was also a time of poor harvests, and product prices began to rise uncontrollably. With all this, a turbulent situation began to grow in the country. Catherine ordered taxes to be reduced from seventy 4 kopecks to seventy. Martha herself was not a reformer, so she did not prescribe anything or make innovations; she dealt only with small details beyond politics and government issues.
During this time, embezzlement and other arbitrariness at the state level began to develop. Although she did not understand anything about government affairs and had a poor education, the people simply adored her, because she came from them. She helped ordinary people a lot and gave alms. They invited her to holidays and dreamed that she would be godfather. She practically never refused and gave money to each godson. In total, she ruled for two years from 1725 to 1724. During this time, she opened an academy, organized a campaign to the Bering Strait and introduced the Order of Nevsky, who was made a Saint.
Sudden death
After the death of the Tsar, Catherine’s life went into full swing. She began to run around the hot spots, organized all kinds of balls, went to festivities and celebrated a lot. Due to endless partying, the ruler undermined her health and fell ill. She immediately developed a cough, then it began to get worse. And then it turned out that she had problems with one lung and it was damaged, then the doctors concluded that she had no more than a month to live.
On the evening of May 6, 1727, she died when she was 43 years old. However, before her death, she managed to draw up a will, but she did not have time to sign it, so her daughter vouched for her and signed it. According to the will, the throne passed to the son-in-law, who was the grandson of Peter the Great. During their lives, these people were a very successful and good couple; Martha always supported him and reassured her husband.
After the death of the princess, there were many rumors that she was a very active woman. She spent all her time drinking and celebrating, while others said that she simply wanted to forget the death of her loved one. However, the people loved her, and she endeared herself to many men, while remaining an empress. One thing can be said with certainty: this girl began the era of women’s rule in the Russian Empire.
The article talks about a brief biography of Catherine I - the Russian Empress, wife of Peter I.
Biography of Catherine I: early life and marriage with Peter I
Catherine I (née Marta Skavronskaya) was born in 1684 in Livonia. The origins of Catherine are quite dark; the details of her biography still remain unclear. Presumably the mother of the future empress was in the service of a Livonian nobleman, from whom she gave birth to Catherine. Subsequently she was raised by Pastor Gluck. Catherine received practically no education and until the end of her life she could only put her signature on documents. Her activities in her early years consisted of helping with housework and caring for children.
At the beginning of the Northern War, Catherine found herself in the Russian camp, where Peter I drew the attention of her. In 1705, she gave birth to two sons to the Russian autocrat, but for a long time she was in an uncertain position, living in St. Petersburg, but not being the official wife of Peter I. According to contemporaries, Catherine was quite a cunning woman; gradually she achieved her goal - the favor of the king. Judging by the letters of Peter I, he begins to feel sad in the absence of his beloved.
Since 1709, Catherine has been constantly with the tsar, even during military campaigns. And in 1712 a wedding takes place. Catherine surrounds herself with her own courtyard, independently receives and negotiates with foreign ambassadors and guests. Contemporaries note that despite her extraordinary intelligence and natural cunning, Catherine did not fit into the royal environment at all. She was immediately betrayed by her lack of education and lack of any upbringing. This did not bother Peter I at all and even entertained him, since he tried to surround himself with people not according to the principle of birth and origin, but according to personal qualities that were valuable from his point of view.
Catherine was valued by Peter for her unfeminine composure and courage. During military campaigns, she personally toured the ranks of Russian troops under enemy fire, approving them before the upcoming battle. In addition, the king suffered from frequent nervous attacks, during which no one dared to approach him. Only Catherine was able to calm Peter I and ease his unbearable headache.
Catherine did not engage in any intrigues and did not interfere in the state activities of Peter I, unlike many of the tsar’s closest associates. At the same time, it had a beneficial effect on the lifestyle of Peter I, keeping him from various crazy antics. The king realized the correctness of his wife's advice, and his respect and affection for her grew. Gradually, Catherine began to use her position for personal purposes. Standing up for the people who had fallen into royal disgrace and were facing punishment, Catherine persuaded her husband to have mercy and cancel his decision. The king often agreed, and the queen received considerable money from her charges. In this way she was able to accumulate huge capital.
Biography of Catherine I as Empress
In 1724, Catherine I was solemnly proclaimed empress, the first in Russian history. An illiterate woman has reached the pinnacle of her power. However, family life was far from perfect. Catherine I had a lover for a long time - V. Mons. In the autumn of the same year, Peter I learned about this from an anonymous denunciation and ordered the execution of his rival. Catherine was suspended from all government activities, and a state ban was imposed on her financial resources.
Peter did not resort to any punishment for his unfaithful wife, he simply stopped communicating with her. The daughter of the royal family, Elizabeth, was still able to achieve some reconciliation between the spouses. Soon Peter I died and Catherine's position became very precarious. The emperor wanted to make her heir, but after betrayal he tore up the will, so the empress did not have any legal rights to the throne. However, the most influential associates of Peter I took her side, opposing the party of the Tsar’s grandson, which advocated counter-reforms.
Catherine was helped by her cunning and determination. While still with her dying husband, she urgently held conversations with the most influential people and enlisted their support.
A few hours after the death of the emperor, all the highest representatives of society gathered in the palace. During the meeting, the candidacy of the emperor’s young grandson was put forward, but at that moment those present noticed that guards regiments were positioned in battle formation in front of the palace. Buturlin stated that they supported Empress Catherine I and was the first to go to take the oath. Finding themselves in a hopeless situation, the others obediently followed him. Catherine I ascended the Russian throne.
The reign of Catherine I was one of the most mediocre in Russian history. The Empress, being illiterate, preferred to place all management in the hands of Menshikov, limiting herself to her signature on documents. She could only receive various visitors, bestowing her grace on them. Court life was spent in endless entertainment and drunkenness.
The health of Catherine I noticeably deteriorated, and in 1727 she died. The reign of the first Russian empress was short-lived and not marked by any results.
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