Peter III (1728-1762)

Russian Emperor Peter III (Peter Fedorovich, nee Karl Peter Ulrich Holstein Gottorp) was born on February 21 (10 old style) in the city of Kiel in the Duchy of Holstein (now - the territory of Germany). His father is the Duke of Holstein Gottorp Karl Friedrich, nephew of the Swedish King Charles XII, mother - Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter I. Thus, Peter III was the grandson of two sovereigns and could, under certain conditions, be a contender for both the Russian and Swedish thrones. In 1741, after the death of the Queen of Sweden, Ulrika Eleanor , he was chosen to succeed her husband Frederick, who received the Swedish throne. In 1742, Peter was brought to Russia and declared by his aunt Empress Elizabeth Petrovna heir to the Russian throne.
Peter III became the first representative of the Holstein-Gottorp (Oldenburg) branch of the Romanovs on the Russian throne, which ruled until 1917.The future emperor was baptized according to the Orthodox tradition under the name of Peter Fedorovich and bestowed upon him the title of Blessed Grand Duke, and in 1745 he was married to the Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst , the future Empress Catherine II. Peter's relationship with his wife did not work out from the very beginning. He spent all his free time doing military exercises and maneuvers. During the years spent in Russia, Peter never made an attempt to get to know this country, its people and history better. Elizaveta Petrovna did not allow him to participate in solving political issues and the only position in which he could prove himself was the position of director of the gentry corps. In December 1761, Peter III ascended the throne. The beginning of his reign was marked by numerous favors to the nobility. Count Burchard Munnich, former regent Duke of Courland Ernst Biron and many others returned from exile. In the field of foreign policy, one of his first steps was the conclusion of peace (April 24, 1762), and then a military alliance with Prussia, which eliminated all Russia's successes in Seven Years' War. His main goal was the war with Denmark for the Duchy of Schleswig, which had previously belonged to his ancestors on his father's side. The inconsistent and contradictory domestic and foreign policy pursued by Peter, as well as the personal enmity of many high-ranking statesmen and military leaders towards the emperor, became the basis for preparing a palace coup. The most active role in the conspiracy against the emperor was played by the officers of the guard, among whom were the famous brothers Gregory, Alexei and Fyodor Orlov. On July 9 (June 28, O.S.), 1762, Ekaterina Alekseevna arrived from Peterhof to Petersburg, where she was proclaimed empress. Soon the Guard, the Senate and the Synod swore allegiance to her. Upon learning of this, Peter first moved to Kronstadt, and then arrived in Oranienbaum, where he signed his abdication. Accompanied by a guard of guards led by Alexei Orlov, the former emperor was taken to Ropsha. 17 (6 O.S.) July 1762. the emperor died in Ropsha under unclear circumstances. The official version was death from illness, but many contemporaries and researchers insist on violent causes of his death. The mysterious death of Pyotr Fedorovich triggered a number of movements of impostors posing as the saved emperor, the most famous of which was Emelyan Pugachev.