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CRITICISM OF THE VERSION ABOUT THE REPLACEMENT OF THE RUSSIAN TSAR PETER THE GREAT WITH HIS DOUBLE

Nowadays, on the world network called the Internet, many materials on past history have appeared that challenge the established point of view and offer new versions of certain events. Since history is a human affair, it could not be compiled without the influence of certain groups of people in power and defending their interests and benefits. That is why it is not surprising that many facts of the past were presented exaggeratedly and distortedly, or even completely invented. HOWEVER, THE GENERAL OUTLOOK STILL STILL CLOSE TO REALITY.

Only the Lord God knows what really happened. Participants in some historical event know this partly. History is happening before our eyes, and sometimes we cannot understand what is happening, why, in whose favor and by whom it is moving. For example, the story of the rise of Joseph the Beautiful in ancient Egypt was conveyed to us by God through the prophet Moses. There is no such story in the Egyptian chronicles and everything is written completely differently. Why? Because the Egyptians did not want to look bad in the eyes of other peoples and states. And what nation or government or church or group of people wants to look bad? That is why history has always been cleaned up and corrected by those interested in it. That is why those who believe in God and the Bible have one story, and those who don’t have another story, different from the biblical one. Most often, it is not the events themselves that are distorted, but their interpretation and motivation. Ultimately, everything is based on the faith and trust of some people (who did not live then and did not participate in the events described in historical books) to other persons, those who recorded these events and their explanation, as their participant or as a listener from the first persons of these events. The reliability of the recording of events depends on the honesty of the persons who conveyed these events to the chronicler. In addition to the testimony of eyewitnesses and participants, additional historical sources are various documents, letters, memoirs, notes of various persons, coins, postage stamps, heraldry, weapons, household items, equipment, scientific works, architectural ensembles, temples, cathedrals, palaces, chambers and others works of architecture, works of art, monuments, chronicles of wars, post-war treaties, later - photographs, audio and video recordings, newsreels and much more.

One of the modern historical myths is the version that Tsar Peter the Great, during his stay in Europe with the Great Embassy, ​​was kidnapped and another person similar to him was installed in his place. The very idea of ​​this version and its technical implementation are valid. Something like this really could have happened, but it didn’t. All the versions of “evidence” offered by the authors are very strained and can only be meaningful for those people who really want to believe in this version. For a thoughtful and impartial look, a number of reasonable objections and questions arise.

So, for now, let’s take on faith this version of the replacement of Tsar Peter the Great with his double and, based on this fact, we will pose a number of questions:

1. Who ordered this action and who needed it and why?
2. What is the motive for this crime?
3. Tsar Peter was not alone in the Great Embassy. There were many people with him who knew him well. If there was a replacement of the king, then how did these people not notice this replacement? Or if they noticed, then why were they silent and this secret waited until the 21st century?
4. In addition to the persons of the Great Embassy, ​​Tsar Peter was also known to other persons in Russia. Why, when he (his double) returned to Russia, did they not raise this issue? Is this really such a commonplace and unimportant matter that it can simply be ignored? For example, Old Believers went into schism and to the stake for smaller reasons. The version that False Peter allegedly managed to neutralize the entire former entourage of Tsar Peter the Great is incredible! A change in the same person, and a dramatic one at that, is a very real thing. This has happened and happens often. But every change in a person’s behavior cannot be explained by his replacement with a double.
5. According to the version, False Peter was a foreigner (i.e., not Russian). Then it is not clear how he could instantly and unnoticed by those around him enter into the atmosphere of Tsar Peter? After all, for him this is a foreign country, a foreign people, a foreign culture, foreign customs, etc. How did he navigate the Kremlin and Moscow, and even more so in the affairs of the Russian state? How could he, unnoticed by those around him, use Peter’s objects without giving himself away? How could people not notice the change in speech style, accent and other features of the double’s speech?
6. How could all the changes visible to others be kept in the strictest confidence? Let’s say people from Tsar Peter’s entourage were afraid of the death penalty and therefore remained silent. But someone could have let it slip before death, during confession, or after moving to another country. It is very difficult to keep such a secret without “leakage” and publicity. Moreover, False Peter was alone, in a strange environment, and had to constantly be afraid of exposure. He could have been blackmailed. He could be manipulated by those who found out that it was not Peter. But nothing like that happened.
7. Regarding the conduct of wars, Peter the Great was never an outstanding commander. The courage he showed in Azov is the ardor of youth, and not a manifestation of the genius of a commander. According to the version, the real Tsar Peter allegedly opposed the double and impostor together with the Swedish King Charles 12. If this were true, it is not clear why the main incentive and motive of this war - the imposture of False Peter and the authenticity of the true Tsar Peter - were not loudly voiced throughout Russia , all of Europe and the whole world? After all, even the true impostors to the Russian throne - False Dmitry, Razin, Pugachev - used this motive! And how could the Russian Tsar achieve his restoration to the throne with the help of foreign troops, through the murders and bloodshed of his subjects? This is complete absurdity!
8. What Peter the Great began to do after returning from Europe could only be done by a true Russian Tsar, for no impostor would have been allowed to do this. The impostor would be secretly poisoned or stabbed to death in his sleep, and in the morning his imposture would be discovered!
8. It is known that Tsar Peter, despite his great stature, had small feet for a man of his height (38). This is known from his shoes, descriptions and the wax figure of Tsar Peter. It is impossible to fake this for another person, just as it is impossible to hide the size of a leg, especially its rare disproportionate combination with height.
10. In addition to secular persons, Tsar Peter was well known by representatives of the clergy of the Russian Church. They could not help but notice the substitution of the king or remain silent about it. For example, I know each of my spiritual children and would immediately notice their replacement even with a very similar person. Spirit, peculiarities of speech and behavior, and much more that cannot be described, cannot be faked. Moreover, according to the version, the Orthodox Tsar stopped visiting churches, worship services, fasting, etc.
11. If simple believers or priests were silent out of fear, then God’s saints would not remain silent! According to the version, it turns out that there were no saints in Russia at that time, or that the Lord God did not reveal anything to them about the replacement of their king, or that they were afraid for their lives and therefore were hypocrites? Let this not happen! Saint Mitrophan of Voronezh denounced Tsar Peter for the pagan statues on the royal palace in St. Petersburg and even prepared to be executed for this. But the king called him, talked to him and sent him home. The Venerable Seraphim of Sarov spoke of Tsar Peter as a Great Sovereign, but even with this greatness of the Tsar, God refused him to transfer the relics of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky to St. Petersburg.

The tomb was made of silver, but there were no relics in it. According to the version, it turns out that all the Russian saints were deceived and prayed not for the real Tsar Peter, but for a foreign impostor and enemy of Russia. We, faithful to Christ, cannot allow such a situation! The holy saints of God could not help but know about the substitution (if it really happened) and, all the more, treacherously remain silent about it!

This version paints a terrible picture of the state of the Russian people and the Russian kingdom. What kind of kingdom is this and what kind of people are these if under them some foreigner could freely seize power and the royal throne by deception, and fool them all throughout his life, and after his death too! But since someone decided to promote this version to the masses of people, they felt the need to compose the story of the “true Tsar Peter the Great.” Here is an attempt to return the Russian throne by war with Russia on the side of Sweden, and facts that coincide with the facts from the feature film “The Iron Mask,” and other unproven inventions. And finally, just look at the results of the reign of the king with the names Peter the Great and Peter the Great. If, according to the version, the Russian throne was indeed seized by a foreign agent by deception, then he should have pursued a policy that would destroy the country and weaken its state and military power. We find exactly the opposite of this! Let’s say the church and faith somehow suffered due to Peter’s reforms, but that state itself was transformed and became modern, with a strong army and navy. Why did the foreign agent and his puppet masters need this? After all, under False Dmitry, who reigned in Moscow through the intrigues of the Poles, Russia came to disaster and its demise in one year! And here science has advanced, and the education system has improved, and production has improved, and Russia has access to the seas, and the power has grown stronger, and it has won victories over foreign troops, and a new capital has been built, St. Petersburg, which still stands and amazes with its architecture. . Why is all this for foreign agents, masons and conspirators who only wanted the collapse of Russia? It was after Peter that the enemies of Russia came to their senses and began to weave conspiracies and commit murders of the tsars - Paul, Alexander II, Nicholas II, and also contributed to the acceleration of the death of Tsar Alexander III! And at the same time, economically and politically, Russia was developing and growing stronger all the time, which was scary for its enemies and ill-wishers. And what does serfdom and vodka have to do with it? Yes, they were bad things in Russia. But serfdom was still abolished and abolished, and they fought against drunkenness. But Grand Duke Vladimir of Kiev wrote about the love of drinking in Rus'. Peter did not bring drunkenness, but the trade in alcohol, which was economically beneficial to his court and power. And vodka was invented by Lomonosov, not Tsar Peter. But the passion for drinking alcohol is a sinful passion inspired by demons, not people. People can only tempt her and give her a reason.

Summing up, we can confidently say that we do not have any serious grounds or evidence to accept this version. Everything is built on assumptions and assumptions using tailored comparisons of different qualities of the same person. There have been and still are doubles in history. They were and are used by the powers that be, but not enough to give them their power. The strong always insure themselves and keep their counterparts in such a way that none of us would want to be in their place. No matter how anyone liked Tsar Peter the Great, no matter what mistakes he made, it was he and he made them too.

Why did they start circulating this supposedly “patriotic” version? In fact, this version does not resolve issues of history, does not truly explain past events and does not restore the gaps of history, but brings harm to the Russian people and the Russian world in general. By allowing such a substitution, the Russian people are placed in a very humiliating and unfavorable position. Solid ground is being knocked out from under them, albeit a combed, but still true story, and in its place they are presented with shifting sand of conjectures and fortune-telling assumptions, and even deliberately false inventions. This brings confusion into a person’s soul (and all confusion, according to the teachings of the Fathers of the Church of Christ, comes from demons), temptation, disbelief in anyone, despondency and despair. Hence the unsteadiness of views and the complex of constant fear of being deceived, skepticism, mistrust, chaos and loss. And who needs it? To the enemies of salvation!

Peter I, who received the nickname Peter the Great for his services to Russia, is not just a significant figure in Russian history, but a key one. Peter 1 created the Russian Empire, therefore he turned out to be the last Tsar of All Rus' and, accordingly, the first All-Russian Emperor. The son of the Tsar, the godson of the Tsar, the brother of the Tsar - Peter himself was proclaimed the head of the country, and at that time the boy was barely 10 years old. Initially, he had a formal co-ruler Ivan V, but from the age of 17 he already ruled independently, and in 1721 Peter I became emperor.

Tsar Peter the Great | Haiku Deck

For Russia, the years of the reign of Peter I were a time of large-scale reforms. He significantly expanded the territory of the state, built the beautiful city of St. Petersburg, incredibly boosted the economy by founding a whole network of metallurgical and glass factories, and also reducing imports of foreign goods to a minimum. In addition, Peter the Great was the first of the Russian rulers to adopt their best ideas from Western countries. But since all the reforms of Peter the Great were achieved through violence against the population and the eradication of all dissent, the personality of Peter the Great still evokes diametrically opposed assessments among historians.

Childhood and youth of Peter I

The biography of Peter I initially implied his future reign, since he was born into the family of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov and his wife Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. It is noteworthy that Peter the Great turned out to be the 14th child of his father, but the first-born for his mother. It is also worth noting that the name Peter was completely unconventional for both dynasties of his ancestors, so historians still cannot figure out where he got this name from.

Childhood of Peter the Great | Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

The boy was only four years old when the Tsar Father died. His elder brother and godfather Fyodor III Alekseevich ascended the throne, took guardianship of his brother and ordered him to be given the best possible education. However, Peter the Great had big problems with this. He was always very inquisitive, but just at that moment the Orthodox Church started a war against foreign influence, and all Latin teachers were removed from the court. Therefore, the prince was taught by Russian clerks, who themselves did not have deep knowledge, and Russian-language books of the proper level did not yet exist. As a result, Peter the Great had a meager vocabulary and wrote with errors until the end of his life.

Childhood of Peter the Great | View Map

Tsar Feodor III reigned for only six years and died due to poor health at a young age. According to tradition, the throne was supposed to be taken by another son of Tsar Alexei, Ivan, but he was very sickly, so the Naryshkin family actually organized a palace coup and declared Peter I the heir. It was beneficial for them, since the boy was a descendant of their family, but the Naryshkins did not take into account that the Miloslavsky family will rebel due to infringement of the interests of Tsarevich Ivan. The famous Streletsky revolt of 1682 took place, the result of which was the recognition of two tsars at the same time - Ivan and Peter. The Kremlin Armory still preserves a double throne for the brother tsars.

Childhood and youth of Peter the Great | Russian Museum

Young Peter I's favorite game was practicing with his troops. Moreover, the prince’s soldiers were not toys at all. His peers dressed in uniform and marched through the streets of the city, and Peter the Great himself “served” as a drummer in his regiment. Later, he even got his own artillery, also real. The amusing army of Peter I was called the Preobrazhensky regiment, to which the Semenovsky regiment was later added, and, in addition to them, the tsar organized an amusing fleet.

Tsar Peter I

When the young tsar was still a minor, behind him stood his older sister, Princess Sophia, and later his mother Natalya Kirillovna and her relatives the Naryshkins. In 1689, brother-co-ruler Ivan V finally gave Peter all power, although he nominally remained co-tsar until he died suddenly at the age of 30. After the death of his mother, Tsar Peter the Great freed himself from the burdensome guardianship of the Naryshkin princes, and it was from then on that we can talk about Peter the Great as an independent ruler.

Tsar Peter the Great | Cultural studies

He continued military operations in Crimea against the Ottoman Empire, carried out a series of Azov campaigns, which resulted in the capture of the Azov fortress. To strengthen the southern borders, the tsar built the port of Taganrog, but Russia still did not have a full-fledged fleet, so it did not achieve final victory. Large-scale construction of ships and training of young nobles abroad in shipbuilding begins. And the tsar himself studied the art of building a fleet, even working as a carpenter on the construction of the ship “Peter and Paul”.

Emperor Peter the Great | Bookaholic

While Peter the Great was preparing to reform the country and personally studied the technical and economic progress of leading European states, a conspiracy was hatched against him, led by the tsar’s first wife. Having suppressed the Streltsy revolt, Peter the Great decided to redirect military operations. He concludes a peace agreement with the Ottoman Empire and begins a war with Sweden. His troops captured the fortresses of Noteburg and Nyenschanz at the mouth of the Neva, where the Tsar decided to found the city of St. Petersburg, and placed the base of the Russian fleet on the nearby island of Kronstadt.

Wars of Peter the Great

The above conquests made it possible to open access to the Baltic Sea, which later received the symbolic name “Window to Europe.” Later, the territories of the Eastern Baltic were annexed to Russia, and in 1709, during the legendary Battle of Poltava, the Swedes were completely defeated. Moreover, it is important to note: Peter the Great, unlike many kings, did not sit in fortresses, but personally led his troops on the battlefield. In the Battle of Poltava, Peter I was even shot through his hat, meaning he really risked his own life.

Peter the Great at the Battle of Poltava | X-digest

After the defeat of the Swedes near Poltava, King Charles XII took refuge under the protection of the Turks in the city of Bendery, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire, and today is located in Moldova. With the help of the Crimean Tatars and Zaporozhye Cossacks, he began to escalate the situation on the southern border of Russia. By seeking the expulsion of Charles, Peter the Great, on the contrary, forced the Ottoman Sultan to restart the Russian-Turkish war. Rus' found itself in a situation where it was necessary to wage a war on three fronts. On the border with Moldova, the tsar was surrounded and agreed to sign peace with the Turks, giving them back the Azov fortress and access to the Sea of ​​Azov.

Fragment of Ivan Aivazovsky's painting "Peter I at Krasnaya Gorka" | Russian Museum

In addition to the Russian-Turkish and northern wars, Peter the Great escalated the situation in the east. Thanks to his expeditions, the cities of Omsk, Ust-Kamenogorsk and Semipalatinsk were founded, and later Kamchatka joined Russia. The Tsar wanted to carry out campaigns in North America and India, but failed to bring these ideas to life. But he carried out the so-called Caspian campaign against Persia, during which he conquered Baku, Rasht, Astrabad, Derbent, as well as other Iranian and Caucasian fortresses. But after the death of Peter the Great, most of these territories were lost, since the new government considered the region not promising, and maintaining a garrison in those conditions was too expensive.

Reforms of Peter I

Due to the fact that the territory of Russia expanded significantly, Peter managed to reorganize the country from a kingdom into an empire, and starting in 1721, Peter I became emperor. Of the numerous reforms of Peter I, transformations in the army clearly stood out, which allowed him to achieve great military victories. But no less important were such innovations as the transfer of the church under the authority of the emperor, as well as the development of industry and trade. Emperor Peter the Great was well aware of the need for education and the fight against an outdated way of life. On the one hand, his tax on wearing a beard was perceived as tyranny, but at the same time, there appeared a direct dependence of the promotion of nobles on the level of their education.

Peter the Great cuts off the beards of the boyars | VistaNews

Under Peter, the first Russian newspaper was founded and many translations of foreign books appeared. Artillery, engineering, medical, naval and mining schools were opened, as well as the country's first gymnasium. Moreover, now not only the children of nobles, but also the offspring of soldiers could attend secondary schools. He really wanted to create a compulsory primary school for everyone, but did not have time to implement this plan. It is important to note that the reforms of Peter the Great affected not only economics and politics. He financed the education of talented artists, introduced the new Julian calendar, and tried to change the position of women by prohibiting forced marriage. He also raised the dignity of his subjects, obliging them not to kneel even before the tsar and to use full names, and not call themselves “Senka” or “Ivashka” as before.

Monument "Tsar Carpenter" in St. Petersburg | Russian Museum

In general, the reforms of Peter the Great changed the value system of the nobles, which can be considered a huge plus, but at the same time the gap between the nobility and the people increased many times and was no longer limited only to finances and titles. The main disadvantage of the royal reforms is the violent method of their implementation. In fact, this was a struggle between despotism and uneducated people, and Peter hoped to use the whip to instill consciousness in the people. Indicative in this regard is the construction of St. Petersburg, which was carried out in difficult conditions. Many artisans ran away from hard labor, and the tsar ordered their entire family to be imprisoned until the fugitives returned to confess.

TVNZ

Since not everyone liked the methods of governing the state under Peter the Great, the tsar founded the political investigation and judicial body Preobrazhensky Prikaz, which later grew into the notorious Secret Chancellery. The most unpopular decrees in this context were the ban on keeping records in a room closed from outsiders, as well as the ban on non-reporting. Violation of both of these decrees was punishable by death. In this way, Peter the Great fought against conspiracies and palace coups.

Personal life of Peter I

In his youth, Tsar Peter I loved to visit the German Settlement, where he not only became interested in foreign life, for example, learned to dance, smoke and communicate in a Western manner, but also fell in love with a German girl, Anna Mons. His mother was very alarmed by such a relationship, so when Peter reached his 17th birthday, she insisted on his wedding to Evdokia Lopukhina. However, they did not have a normal family life: soon after the wedding, Peter the Great left his wife and visited her only to prevent rumors of a certain kind.

Evdokia Lopukhina, first wife of Peter the Great | Sunday afternoon

Tsar Peter I and his wife had three sons: Alexei, Alexander and Pavel, but the latter two died in infancy. The eldest son of Peter the Great was supposed to become his heir, but since Evdokia in 1698 unsuccessfully tried to overthrow her husband from the throne in order to transfer the crown to her son and was imprisoned in a monastery, Alexei was forced to flee abroad. He never approved of his father's reforms, considered him a tyrant and planned to overthrow his parent. However, in 1717 the young man was arrested and detained in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and the following summer he was sentenced to death. The matter did not come to execution, since Alexei soon died in prison under unclear circumstances.

A few years after the divorce from his first wife, Peter the Great took 19-year-old Marta Skavronskaya as his mistress, whom Russian troops captured as booty of war. She gave birth to eleven children from the king, half of them even before the legal wedding. The wedding took place in February 1712 after the woman converted to Orthodoxy, thanks to which she became Ekaterina Alekseevna, later known as Empress Catherine I. Among the children of Peter and Catherine are the future Empress Elizabeth I and Anna, the mother, the rest died in childhood. It is interesting that the second wife of Peter the Great was the only person in his life who knew how to calm his violent character even in moments of rage and fits of anger.

Maria Cantemir, favorite of Peter the Great | Wikipedia

Despite the fact that his wife accompanied the emperor on all campaigns, he was able to become infatuated with young Maria Cantemir, the daughter of the former Moldavian ruler, Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich. Maria remained Peter the Great's favorite until the end of his life. Separately, it is worth mentioning the height of Peter I. Even for our contemporaries, a more than two-meter man seems very tall. But during the time of Peter I, his 203 centimeters seemed completely incredible. Judging by the chronicles of eyewitnesses, when the Tsar and Emperor Peter the Great walked through the crowd, his head rose above the sea of ​​people.

Compared to his older brothers, born by a different mother from their common father, Peter the Great seemed quite healthy. But in fact, he was tormented by severe headaches almost all his life, and in the last years of his reign, Peter the Great suffered from kidney stones. The attacks intensified even more after the emperor, together with ordinary soldiers, pulled out the stranded boat, but he tried not to pay attention to the illness.

Engraving "Death of Peter the Great" | ArtPolitInfo

At the end of January 1725, the ruler could no longer endure the pain and fell ill in his Winter Palace. After the emperor had no strength left to scream, he only moaned, and everyone around him realized that Peter the Great was dying. Peter the Great accepted his death in terrible agony. Doctors named pneumonia as the official cause of his death, but later doctors had strong doubts about this verdict. An autopsy was performed, which showed a terrible inflammation of the bladder, which had already developed into gangrene. Peter the Great was buried in the cathedral at the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, and his wife, Empress Catherine I, became the heir to the throne.

During the Great Embassy of the Russian Tsar Peter to Western countries, the real Tsar Peter was imprisoned in the Bastille as an “Iron Mask,” and the freemason Anatoly, under the name of the false Tsar-Emperor “Peter the Great,” began to commit outrages in Russia, which he declared an empire in the Western manner.

Rice. 1. False Peter the First and my reading of the inscriptions on his portrait

I borrowed the portrait from a video film where the Announcer says: “ But in another of his engravings, as in all subsequent portraits of other artists, we see a completely different person, unlike his relatives. It would seem absurd!

But the strangeness doesn’t end there either. In engravings and portraits of 1698, this man looks more like a 20-year-old youth. However, in Dutch and German portraits of 1697, the same person looks more like 30 years old.

How could this happen?»

I begin an epigraphic analysis of this portrait. A hint as to where to look for certain inscriptions is provided by the two previous portraits. First I read the inscription on the brooch attached to the headdress, which says: MIM YAR RURIK. In other words, this is another priest of Yar Rurik, although there is no signature of KHARAON. It may very well be that the absence of this highest spiritual title means that this priest did not recognize the spiritual priority of Rurik, although formally he was his priest. In this case, he was very suitable for the role of Peter's double.

Then I read the inscriptions on the fur collar on the left, above the white frame: TEMPLE OF MARY YAR. I consider this inscription as a continuation of the previous one. And inside the fragment, surrounded by a white frame, I read the words in reverse color: MOSCOW MARY 865 YAR (YEAR). Moscow Mary meant Veliky Novgorod; however, already the first Romanov introduced real Christianity, and Patriarch Nikon under Alexei Mikhailovich eliminated all remnants of Russian Vedism from Muscovy. Consequently, Russian Vedists partly go to the Russian hinterland, partly move into the Russian diaspora in neighboring states. And the year 865 of Yar is 1721 AD , this is more than 70 years after Nikon’s reforms. By this time, the places of priests were no longer occupied by children, but by grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the priests removed by Nikon, and grandchildren and great-grandchildren often no longer speak the speech of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers. But perhaps the year of the final design of this engraving, which was begun in 1698, is shown. But even in this case, the young man depicted is 6-8 years younger than Peter.

And on the very bottom fragment, under the frame on the fur collar on the left, I read the word MASK. Then I read the inscription on the fur collar on the right: the top of the collar, diagonally, contains the inscription ANATOLY FROM Rus' MARY, and the line below - 35 ARKONA YARA. But the 35th Arkona Yara is the same as Moscow Mary, this is Veliky Novgorod. In other words, one of the ancestors of this Anatoly in the middle of the 17th century could actually have been a priest in this city, whereas after Nikon’s reforms he ended up somewhere in the Russian diaspora. It is possible that in Catholic Poland, which very diligently followed all the decrees of the Pope.

Rice. 2. Portrait of Peter by an unknown artist of the late 18th century

So, we now know that the young man with bulging eyes was not Peter at all, but Anatoly; in other words, the replacement of the king was documented.

We see that this portrait was painted in Veliky Novgorod. But apart from the name of False Peter, this portrait did not bring any details, and, in addition, the artist was not even named, so this portrait was not entirely acceptable as an evidentiary document, which forced me to look for other canvases. And soon the desired portrait was found: “ Peter the Great, Emperor of All Russia, portrait of an unknown late artist18th century". Below I will show why the artist turned out to be unknown.

Epigraphic analysis of the second portrait of False Peter.

I chose this particular image of Peter, because on his silk baldric I read the word YARA at the bottom, deciding that the portrait belonged to the brush of the artist of their temple, Yara. And I was not mistaken. The letters were inscribed both in individual parts of the face and in the folds of clothing.

Rice. 3. My reading of the inscriptions on the portrait of Peter in Fig. 2

It is clear that if I suspected the presence of Russian inscriptions on the blue silk ribbon, then I started reading from there. True, since in direct color these letters are not visible in very contrasting, I switch to reverse color. And here you can see the inscription in very large letters: TEMPLE YAR, and on the collar there is an inscription MASK. This confirmed my preliminary reading. In modern reading this means: IMAGE FROM THE TEMPLE OF YAR .

And then I moved on to reading the inscriptions on parts of the face. First - on the right side of the face, on the left at the viewer's point of view. On the lower strands of hair (I rotated this fragment 90 degrees to the right, clockwise). Here I read the words: MASK OF THE TEMPLE OF RURIK. In other words, IMAGE FROM THE TEMPLE OF RURIK .

On the hair above the forehead you can read the words: MIM OF THE TEMPLE OF RURIK. Finally, on the right from the viewer's point of view, on the left side of the face, one can read MASK OF ANATOLIUS FROM RURIK JAR JUTLAND. Firstly, it is confirmed that False Peter’s name was Anatoly, and, secondly, it turned out that he did not come from Holland, as many researchers assumed, but from neighboring Denmark. However, moving from one country to another at the end of the 17th century apparently did not pose a big problem.

Next, I move on to reading the inscription on the mustache. Here you can read the words: RIMA MIM. In other words, Danish by birth and Dutch by language, he was an agent of Roman influence. For the umpteenth time, the final center of action against Rus'-Russia is Rome!

But is it possible to verify this statement? - I look at the armor on the right hand, as well as the background behind the hand. However, for ease of reading, I rotate this fragment to the right by 90 degrees (clockwise). And here on the background in the form of fur you can read the words: MASK OF THE TEMPLE OF ROME And RIMA MIM Rus' ROME. In other words, that before us is really an image not of the Emperor of Rus', but of a priest of Rome! And on the armor the arms can be read on every two plates: RIMA MIM. RIMA MIM.

Finally, on the fur collar next to the left hand you can read the words: RURIK RIMA MIM.

Thus, it becomes clear that the temples of Rurik existed back in the 18th century, and their priests, when creating portraits of deceased people (usually the priests of the Temple of Mary did this), usually wrote their titles, as well as names. This is exactly what we saw in this portrait. However, in a Christian country (where Christianity has been the official religion for more than a century), it was unsafe to advertise the existence of Vedic temples, which is why the artist of this portrait remained unknown.

Rice. 4. Rurik’s death mask and my reading of the inscriptions

Death mask of Peter.

Then I decided to look at foreign sites on the Internet. In the article, I read the “Great Embassy” section with interest. In particular, it said: “ His Grand Embassy, ​​numbering 250 participants, left Moscow in March 1697. Peter became the first king to travel outside his kingdom. The official purpose of the embassy was to give new breath to the coalition against the Ottoman Empire. However, Peter made no secret of the fact that he went to “observe and learn,” as well as to select foreign specialists for his new Russia. In the then Swedish city of Riga, the king was allowed to inspect the fortress, but to his greatest surprise, he was not allowed to take measurements. In Courland (the current region of the coast of Lithuania and Latvia), Peter met with the Dutch ruler, Frederick Casimir. The prince tried to convince Peter to join his coalition against Sweden. In Königsberg, Peter visited the Friedrichsburg fortress. He took part in attending artillery courses, and graduated from them with a diploma certifying that “Pyotr Mikhailov gained proficiency as a bombardier and skills in the use of firearms».

The following describes Peter's visit to Levenguk with his microscope and Witsen, who compiled a book describing northern and eastern Tartaria. But most of all I was interested in the description of his secret meeting: “ On September 11, 1697, Peter had a secret meeting with King William of EnglandIII. Nothing is known about their negotiations, except that they lasted two hours and ended in an amicable parting. At that time, the English navy was considered the fastest in the world. King William assured that Peter should visit the English naval shipyards, where he would learn to understand the design of ships, carry out measurements and calculations, and learn to use instruments and instruments. As soon as he arrived in England, he attempted to sail on the Thames» .

One gets the impression that it was in England that the best conditions existed for replacing Peter with Anatoly.

The same article published the death mask of Peter the Great. The caption underneath it reads: "DeathmaskofPeter. After 1725, St. Petersburg, from the original by Bartolomeo Rastrelli, after 1725, Bronze-tinted plaster. Case 34.5 x 29 x 33 cm. State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg." This death mask has On my forehead I read the inscription in the form of a strand of hair: MIMA RUSI ROME MASK. She confirms that this image does not belong to the Russian Emperor Peter the Great, but to the Roman priest Anatoly.

Rice. 5. Miniature by an unknown artist and my reading of the inscriptions

Miniature by an unknown artist.

I found it at the address with the signature: “Peter the Great (1672 - 1725) of Russia. Enamel miniature portrait by an unknown artist, late 1790s. #Russian #history #Romanov ", Fig. 5.

Upon examination, it can be argued that the largest number of inscriptions are in the background. I enhanced the miniature itself by contrast. To the left and above the head of the portrait I read the captions: RIMA RURIK YAR MARY TEMPLE AND ROME MIM AND ARKONA 30. In other words, it is now being clarified in which particular temple of Mary Rome the miniature was made: in the capital of the state of Rome, in the city a little to the west CAIRA .

To the left of my head, at hair level, I read the words in the background: MARY RUSI TEMPLE OF VAGRIA. Perhaps this is the address of the customer for the miniature. Finally, I read the writing on the character's face, on his left cheek (where the wart on the left side of the nose is missing), and here you can read the words below the shadow of the cheek: RIMA MIM ANATOLY RIMA YARA STOLITSY. So, the name Anatoly is once again confirmed, now written in rather large letters.

Rice. 6. A fragment of a picture from the Encyclopedia Britannica and my reading of the inscriptions

Picture of Peter from the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Here I read the inscriptions on the fragment, where there is a bust portrait, fig. 6, although the full picture is much broader, Fig. 7. However, I singled out exactly the fragment and the size that suited me perfectly for epigraphic analysis.

The first inscription that I began to read was an image of a mustache. On them you can read the words: TEMPLE OF ROME MIMA, and then - continuation on the upper lip: RURIK, and then on the red part of the lip: MASK OF THE TEMPLE OF MARA, and then on the lower lip: ANATOLIA ROME ARKONA 30. In other words, here we see confirmation of the previous inscriptions: again the name of Anatoly, and again its connection to the temple of Mary Rurik in the city near Cairo.

Then I read the inscription on the collar: 30 ARKONA YAR. And then I move on to look at the fragment to the left of Peter’s face, which I outlined with a black frame. Here I read the words: 30 ARKONA YAR, which has already been read. But then come new and surprising words: ANATOLIA MARY TEMPLE IN ANKARA ROME. What is surprising is not so much the existence of a special temple dedicated to Anatoly, but the location of such a temple in the capital of Turkey, Ankara. I have not yet read such words anywhere. Moreover, the word ANATOLY can be understood not only as a person’s proper name, but also as the name of a locality in Turkey.

For now, I consider it sufficient to consider the inscriptions on the portraits. And then I am interested in the details of the substitution of the Russian Tsar, which can be found in printed works on the Internet.

Rice. 7. Picture from Encyclopedia Britannica online

Wikipedia's opinion on the substitution of Peter the Great.

In the article “Double of Peter I,” Wikipedia, in particular, states: “ According to one version, the replacement of Peter I was organized by certain influential forces in Europe during the Tsar’s trip to the Grand Embassy. It is alleged that of the Russian people who accompanied the Tsar on a diplomatic trip to Europe, only Alexander Menshikov returned - the rest are believed to have been killed. The purpose of this crime was to place a protege at the head of Russia, who pursued a policy beneficial to the organizers of the substitution and those who stood behind them. One of the possible goals of this substitution is considered to be the weakening of Russia».

Note that the history of the conspiracy to replace the Tsar of Rus' in this presentation is conveyed only from the side of facts, and, moreover, very vaguely. As if the Great Embassy itself had only the goal of creating a coalition against the Ottoman Empire, and not the goal of replacing the real Romanov with his double.

« It is alleged that Peter I, according to the memoirs of his contemporaries, changed dramatically after returning from the Great Embassy. Portraits of the king before and after his return from Europe are given as evidence of the substitution. It is stated that in the portrait of Peter before his trip to Europe he had a long face, curly hair and a large wart under his left eye. In portraits of the king after his return from Europe, he had a round face, straight hair and no wart under his left eye. When Peter I returned from the Great Embassy, ​​he was 28 years old, and in his portraits after his return he looked about 40 years old. It is believed that before the trip the king was of heavy build and above average height, but still not a two-meter giant. The king who returned was thin, had very narrow shoulders, and his height, which was absolutely established, was 2 meters 4 centimeters. Such tall people were very rare at that time».

We see that the authors of these Wikipedia lines do not at all share the provisions that they present to the reader, although these provisions are facts. How can you not notice such dramatic changes in appearance? Thus, Wikipedia tries to present obvious points with some speculation, something like this: “ it is stated that two times two equals four" The fact that the person who arrived from the embassy was different can be seen by comparing any of the portraits in Fig. 1-7 with a portrait of the departed king, fig. 8.

Rice. 8. Portrait of the departed Tsar Peter the Great and my reading of the inscriptions

To the dissimilarity of facial features can be added the dissimilarity of implicit inscriptions on these two types of portraits. The real Peter is signed as “Peter Alekseevich”, the False Peter in all five portraits is signed as Anatoly. Although both were mimes (priests) of the temple of Rurik in Rome.

I will continue quoting Wikipedia: “ According to conspiracy theorists, soon after the double’s arrival in Russia, rumors began to spread among the Streltsy that the tsar was not real. Peter's sister Sophia, realizing that an impostor had come instead of her brother, led the Streltsy riot, which was brutally suppressed, and Sophia was imprisoned in a monastery».

Note that in this case, the motive for the uprising of the Streltsy and Sophia turns out to be extremely serious, while the motive for the struggle between Sophia and her brother for the throne in a country where only men have reigned until now (the usual motive of academic historiography) seems very far-fetched.

« It is alleged that Peter loved his wife Evdokia Lopukhina very much, and often corresponded with her when he was away. After the Tsar returned from Europe, on his orders, Lopukhina was forcibly sent to the Suzdal monastery, even against the will of the clergy (it is alleged that Peter did not even see her and did not explain the reasons for Lopukhina’s imprisonment in the monastery).

It is believed that after his return, Peter did not recognize his relatives and subsequently did not meet with them or his inner circle. In 1698, shortly after Peter’s return from Europe, his associates Lefort and Gordon died suddenly. According to conspiracy theorists, it was on their initiative that Peter went to Europe».

It is unclear why Wikipedia calls this concept a conspiracy theory. According to a conspiracy of the nobility, Paul the First was killed, the conspirators threw a bomb at the feet of Alexander the Second, the USA, England and Germany contributed to the elimination of Nicholas the Second. In other words, the West has repeatedly intervened in the fate of Russian sovereigns.

« Proponents of the conspiracy theory claim that the returning king was sick with tropical fever in a chronic form, while it can only be contracted in southern waters, and even then only after being in the jungle. The route of the Great Embassy passed along the northern sea route. The surviving documents of the Grand Embassy do not mention that the constable Pyotr Mikhailov (under this name the tsar went with the embassy) fell ill with a fever, while for the people accompanying him it was no secret who Mikhailov really was. After returning from the Grand Embassy, ​​Peter I, during naval battles, demonstrated extensive experience in boarding combat, which has specific features that can only be mastered through experience. Boarding combat skills require direct participation in many boarding battles. Before his trip to Europe, Peter I did not take part in naval battles, since during his childhood and youth Russia did not have access to the seas, with the exception of the White Sea, which Peter I did not visit often - mainly as an honorary passenger».

It follows from this that Anatoly was a naval officer who took part in the naval battles of the southern seas and suffered from tropical fever.

« It is alleged that the returning Tsar spoke Russian poorly, that he did not learn to write Russian correctly until the end of his life, and that he “hated everything Russian.” Conspiracy theorists believe that before his trip to Europe, the tsar was distinguished by his piety, and when he returned, he stopped fasting and attending church, mocked the clergy, began persecuting Old Believers and began to close monasteries. It is believed that in two years Peter forgot all the sciences and subjects that the educated Moscow nobility possessed, and at the same time acquired skills of a simple craftsman. According to conspiracy theorists, there is a striking change in Peter’s character and psyche after his return».

Again, there are clear changes not only in appearance, but also in Peter’s language and habits. In other words, Anatoly did not belong not only to the royal class, but even to the noble class, being a typical representative of the third class. In addition, there is no mention of the fact that Anatoly spoke fluent Dutch, which many researchers note. In other words, he came from somewhere in the Dutch-Danish region.

« It is alleged that the tsar, having returned from Europe, did not know about the location of the richest library of Ivan the Terrible, although the secret of the location of this library was passed from tsar to tsar. Thus, Princess Sophia allegedly knew where the library was located and visited it, and Peter, who came from Europe, repeatedly made attempts to find the library and even organized excavations».

Again, a specific fact is presented by Wikipedia as some “statements”.

« His behavior and actions are cited as evidence of Peter’s substitution (in particular, the fact that previously the tsar, who preferred traditionally Russian clothes, after returning from Europe no longer wore them, including royal clothes with a crown - conspiracy theorists explain the latter fact by the fact that the impostor was taller than Peter and had narrower shoulders, and the king’s things did not fit him in size), as well as the reforms he carried out. It is argued that these reforms have brought much more harm to Russia than good. Peter’s tightening of serfdom, the persecution of Old Believers, and the fact that under Peter I in Russia there were many foreigners in the service and in various positions are used as evidence. Before his trip to Europe, Peter I set as his goal to expand the territory of Russia, including moving south towards the Black and Mediterranean Seas. One of the main goals of the Grand Embassy was to achieve an alliance of European powers against Turkey. While the returning king began the struggle to take possession of the Baltic coast. The war waged by the Tsar with Sweden, according to supporters of the conspiracy theory, was needed by Western states, who wanted to crush the growing power of Sweden with the hands of Russia. It is alleged that Peter I pursued a foreign policy in the interests of Poland, Saxony and Denmark, which could not resist the Swedish king Charles XII».

It is clear that the raids of the Crimean khans on Moscow were a constant threat to Russia, and the rulers of the Ottoman Empire stood behind the Crimean khans. Therefore, the fight with Turkey was a more important strategic task for Russia than the fight on the Baltic coast. And Wikipedia’s mention of Denmark is consistent with the inscription on one of the portraits that Anatoly was from Jutland.

« As evidence, the case of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich is also cited, who in 1716 fled abroad, where he planned to wait on the territory of the Holy Roman Empire for the death of Peter (who was seriously ill during this period) and then, relying on the help of the Austrians, to become the Russian Tsar. According to supporters of the version of the replacement of the tsar, Alexei Petrovich fled to Europe because he sought to free his real father, imprisoned in the Bastille. According to Gleb Nosovsky, the impostor’s agents told Alexei that after his return he would be able to take the throne himself, since loyal troops were waiting for him in Russia, ready to support his rise to power. Returning Alexey Petrovich, according to conspiracy theorists, was killed on the orders of the impostor».

And this version turns out to be more serious compared to the academic version, where the son opposes his father for ideological reasons, and the father, without putting his son under house arrest, immediately applies capital punishment. All this in the academic version looks unconvincing.

Version by Gleb Nosovsky.

Wikipedia also presents the version of the new chronologists. " According to Gleb Nosovsky, initially he heard many times about the version of Peter’s substitution, but never believed it. At one time, Fomenko and Nosovsky studied an exact copy of the throne of Ivan the Terrible. In those days, the zodiac signs of the current rulers were placed on the thrones. By examining the signs placed on the throne of Ivan the Terrible, Nosovsky and Fomenko found that the actual date of his birth differs from the official version by four years.

The authors of the “New Chronology” compiled a table of the names of Russian tsars and their birthdays, and thanks to this table they found out that the official birthday of Peter I (May 30) does not coincide with the day of his angel, which is a noticeable contradiction in comparison with all the names of Russian tsars. After all, names in Rus' during baptism were given exclusively according to the calendar, and the name given to Peter violated the established centuries-old tradition, which in itself does not fit into the framework and laws of that time. Based on the table, Nosovsky and Fomenko found out that the real name, which falls on the official date of birth of Peter I, was “Isaky.” This explains the name of the main cathedral of Tsarist Russia, St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Nosovsky believes that the Russian historian Pavel Milyukov also shared the opinion that the tsar was a forgery in an article in the encyclopedia of Brockhausa and Evfron Milyukov, according to Nosovsky, without directly stating, repeatedly hinted that Peter I was an impostor. The replacement of the tsar by an impostor was carried out, according to Nosovsky, by a certain group of Germans, and together with the double, a group of foreigners came to Russia. According to Nosovsky, among Peter’s contemporaries there were very widespread rumors about the replacement of the tsar, and almost all the archers claimed that the tsar was a fake. Nosovsky believes that May 30 was actually the birthday not of Peter, but of the impostor who replaced him, on whose orders St. Isaac's Cathedral, named after him, was built».

The name “Anatoly” we discovered does not contradict this version, because the name “Anatoly” was a monastic name, and not given at birth. - As we see, the “new chronologists” have added another touch to the portrait of the impostor.

Historiography of Peter.

It would seem that it would be easier to look at the biographies of Peter the Great, preferably during his lifetime, and explain the contradictions that interest us.

However, this is where disappointment awaits us. Here's what you can read in the work: " There were persistent rumors among the people about Peter's non-Russian origin. He was called the Antichrist, the German foundling. The difference between Tsar Alexei and his son was so striking that suspicions about Peter’s non-Russian origin arose among many historians. Moreover, the official version of Peter’s origin was too unconvincing. She left and leaves more questions than answers. Many researchers have tried to lift the veil of strange reticence about the Peter the Great phenomenon. However, all these attempts immediately fell under the strictest taboo of the ruling house of the Romanovs. The phenomenon of Peter remained unsolved».

So, the people unequivocally asserted that Peter had been replaced. Doubts arose not only among the people, but even among historians. And then we read with surprise: “ Incomprehensibly, until the mid-19th century, not a single work with a complete historiography of Peter the Great was published. The first who decided to publish a complete scientific and historical biography of Peter was the wonderful Russian historian Nikolai Gerasimovich Ustryalov, already mentioned by us. In the Introduction to his work "History of the reign of Peter the Great" he sets out in detail why until now (mid-19th century) there is no scientific work on the history of Peter the Great" This is how this detective story began.

According to Ustryalov, back in 1711, Peter became eager to obtain the history of his reign and entrusted this honorable mission to the translator of the Ambassadorial Order Venedikt Schiling. The latter was provided with all the necessary materials and archives, but... the work was never published, not a single sheet of the manuscript has survived. What follows is even more mysterious: “The Russian Tsar had every right to be proud of his exploits and wish to pass on to posterity the memory of his deeds in a true, unadorned form. They decided to carry out his ideaFeofan Prokopovich , Bishop of Pskov, and teacher of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich,Baron Huysen . Official materials were communicated to both, as can be seen from Feofan’s work, and as even more evidenced by the Emperor’s own handwritten note of 1714, preserved in his cabinet files: “Give all the journals to Giesen.”(1). It would seem that now the History of Peter I will finally be published. But it was not there: “A skilled preacher, a learned theologian, Theophan was not a historian at all... That is why, when describing battles, he fell into inevitable mistakes; Moreover, he worked with obvious haste, in haste, making omissions that he wanted to fill in later.”. As we see, Peter’s choice was unsuccessful: Theophan was not a historian and did not understand anything. Huysen's work also turned out to be unsatisfactory and was not published: “Baron Huysen, having in his hands authentic journals of campaigns and travels, limited himself to extracts from them until 1715, without any connection, entangling many trifles and extraneous matters into historical events.”.

In a word, neither this biography nor the subsequent ones took place. And the author comes to the following conclusion: “ Strict censorship of all historical research continued into the 19th century. So the work of N.G. himself Ustryalov, which is the first scientific historiography of Peter I, was subjected to severe censorship. From the 10-volume edition, only individual excerpts from 4 volumes have survived! The last time this fundamental study about Peter I (1, 2, 3 volumes, part of the 4th volume, 6 volumes) was published in a stripped-down version only in 1863! Today it is virtually lost and is preserved only in antique collections. The same fate befell the work of I.I. Golikov’s “Acts of Peter the Great,” which has not been republished since the century before last! Notes from the associate and personal turner of Peter I A.K. Nartov’s “Reliable narratives and speeches of Peter the Great” were first opened and published only in 1819. At the same time, with a meager circulation in the little-known magazine “Son of the Fatherland”. But even that edition underwent unprecedented editing, when out of 162 stories only 74 were published. This work was never reprinted; the original was irretrievably lost» .

The entire book by Alexander Kas is called “The Collapse of the Empire of the Russian Tsars” (1675-1700), which implies the establishment of an empire of non-Russian tsars. And in Chapter IX, entitled “How the royal dynasty was slaughtered under Peter,” he describes the position of Stepan Razin’s troops 12 miles near Moscow. And he describes many other interesting, but practically unknown events. However, he does not provide any more information about False Peter.

Other opinions.

Again, I will continue to quote the already mentioned Wikipedia article: “It is alleged that Peter’s double was an experienced sailor who participated in many naval battles and sailed a lot in the southern seas. It is sometimes claimed that he was a sea pirate. Sergei Sall believes that the impostor was a high-ranking Dutch Freemason and a relative of the King of Holland and Great Britain, William of Orange. It is most often mentioned that the real name of the double was Isaac (according to one version, his name was Isaac Andre). According to Baida, the double was from either Sweden or Denmark, and by religion he was most likely a Lutheran.

Baida claims that the real Peter was imprisoned in the Bastille, and that he was the famous prisoner who went down in history under the name Iron Mask. According to Baida, this prisoner was recorded under the name Marchiel, which can be interpreted as “Mikhailov” (under this name Peter went to the Grand Embassy). It is stated that Iron Mask was tall, carried himself with dignity, and was treated fairly well. In 1703, Peter, according to Baida, was killed in the Bastille. Nosovsky claims that the real Peter was kidnapped and most likely killed.

It is sometimes claimed that the real Peter was actually deceived into going to Europe so that some foreign forces could force him to subsequently pursue the policies they wanted. Without agreeing to this, Peter was kidnapped or killed, and a double was put in his place.

In one version of the version, the real Peter was captured by the Jesuits and imprisoned in

MORE SEE:

"How Tsar Peter I was replaced" -
"Investigation into the kidnapping and substitution of Tsar Peter I and the nomination of an impostor to the royal throne" -

We will begin our search for an answer to this question by summing up some preliminary results of Peter the Great’s journey through Western Europe, taking into account our version of the “substitution”.

The first thing that was confirmed was the fact that the “real” Peter the Great arrived in Saxony, Holland and England.
Many people who personally saw and communicated with him in Moscow, Voronezh and other cities of Muscovy recognized him, and he also recognized them. They had a long and friendly relationship.
In this regard, if there was an intention to “replace” Peter the Great with a “double,” then those interested in such a “replacement” had only the time from Peter’s return from England until his arrival in Moscow.
Do we know that Peter the Great came from Holland to Venice, but didn’t get there and turned to Vienna to see Emperor Leopold I?
This is one of the most foggy and unclear periods of time in the entire history of Peter the Great's travels.
The question also remains open: Well, if there was no need to go to Venice since it had already signed a peace treaty with the Turks, then what about a visit to the Pope? After all, a mandatory meeting was planned, or not?
But, alas, neither Russian sources nor the so-called Western European ones give us an answer to this question either:

" Was Peter the Great in Rome?" It seems that this meeting did take place!
How else can one explain the subsequent abolition of the position of Patriarch in the Russian Orthodox Church and its resubordination personally to the Russian tsars of the Romanov dynasty? And why would the Pope send his personal representative, Feofan Prokopovich, to Moscow?
Who appeared in Moscow for a reason, but under Peter the Great almost took the “place of the “Russian patriarch”!
Well, if not the “Patriarch”, then the “spiritual father”, or at least, as I now write in the media, “personal representative – “for press relations” - Feofan Prokopovich under Peter the Great occupied this place firmly and for a long time.

Around May 1698, the Great Moscow Embassy headed by Peter the Great. Arrived in Vienna.
Here we are forced to pause before considering the issue of “replacing” Peter with his “double” and briefly consider the very issue of the appearance of “doubles” in European history.

Were there such precedents, and how did it all end?

The answer will surprise the reader inexperienced in politics. From time immemorial, there has been a belief that the appearance of people absolutely similar to each other is the work of the devil, who, in spite of God, creates an exact copy of His creation. It is known that the great villains and tyrants of all times and peoples tried to find their double in order to avert heavenly punishment for their sins. What about Peter the Great, that in his time and right up to our days, the rulers of empires had and continue to have doubles with them in the hope of deflecting the blow of the organizers of possible assassinations on them.

Let's take three small examples!

Napoleon I
Under Napoleon Bonaparte, an order was given to search for his doubles throughout Europe. As a result, four Frenchmen were found. Subsequently, their fates developed differently.

A misfortune soon befell one, and he became a cripple, worthless for anything. The second one turned out to be weak-minded.The third secretly accompanied the emperor for a long time and even stayed with him during his exile on the island of Elba. There he was killed under mysterious circumstances shortly before the Battle of Waterloo.

The fate of the fourth double of Emperor François Eugene Robo remains a mystery. After the defeat at Waterloo, on June 18, 1815, Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena. And François Robot returned to his peasant house in the village of Baleycourt.The official history states that Napoleon lived on a tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean until his death in 1821. However, a number of mysterious events indicate that the ex-emperor could have fled from St. Helena, leaving a double in his place!
In 1818, something very unusual happened in the village of Baleikur: a luxurious carriage drove up to Robo’s house and stood there for at least two hours.
The owner of the house later told his neighbors that the man who came to him first wanted to buy hares from him, then for a long time he tried to persuade him to hunt together, but he allegedly did not agree. However, soon after this, François Robo disappeared from the village along with his sister.
Later, the authorities came to their senses and began to look for the former double of the emperor. In the end, they found only his sister, who lived in the city of Tours, and in luxury that came from nowhere.
She stated that the money was given to her by her brother, who went on a long trip, but she did not know where exactly. Subsequently, François Robo never showed up anywhere else.
After Robo disappeared, a certain Revar, a Frenchman, appeared in the Italian city of Verona, who, together with his partner, opened a small store there. The behavior of the visiting Frenchman was very strange: he rarely showed up in his shop, and never went outside at all. At the same time, all the neighbors noticed that he was very similar to Napoleon, and gave him the nickname Emperor.

Around the same time, the famous captive on the island of St. Helena suddenly became very forgetful, lost his memory, confusing the obvious facts of his former life in his stories.
And his handwriting suddenly changed a lot, and he himself became very clumsy. The French authorities attributed this to the influence of not very comfortable conditions of confinement on a lonely island.
And on May 5, 1821, Napoleon died. And two years after this, the shop owner Revar, who looked like an emperor, unexpectedly abandoned everything and left Verona forever. Two weeks later, in the Vienna suburb of Schönbrunn, a man was killed, who supposedly managed to say before his death that he was in a hurry to the castle, where Napoleon’s son was dying of scarlet fever.
When authorities examined the body of the murdered man, the police immediately cordoned off the castle. For what? There were no explanations. And at the same time, Napoleon's wife demanded that the murdered man be buried on the castle grounds.

The mysterious stranger was subsequently buried where the graves of Napoleon Bonaparte's wife and son appeared.
Thirty years later, the Italian Petrucci, who was a business partner of the mysterious Napoleon double, who ran a store in Verona, admitted that he was paid one hundred thousand gold crowns.

Marshal Ney
Napoleonic Marshal Ney, “the bravest of the brave,” as Napoleon himself called him. His fate is mysterious.
When Napoleon was finally defeated and exiled to the island of St. Helena, on the orders of Louis XVIII, Marshal Ney was shot at the wall of the Luxembourg Gardens.
If you believe historical documents, this happened on the morning of December 7, 1815.

Four years later, on the other side of the Atlantic, in North Carolina, a man appeared who called himself Peter Stuart Ney.
At that time there were many Frenchmen in America, former Bonapartists who emigrated after the Bourbon restoration.
They enthusiastically greeted this man as Marshal Ney.
When Colonel J. Lechmanovsky, a Polish officer who served for many years in Napoleon's army, accidentally met him on the street, he rushed to hug his former commander with tears.

For twenty-seven years, until his death, Peter Ney taught without revealing his secret to anyone.
The famous forensic expert David N. Carvalho, whose conclusion played such an important role in the “Dreyfus case,” became interested in Ney’s personality. After conducting a thorough examination of the letters of Marshal Ney and the surviving notes of school teacher Peter Ney, he established the complete identity of the handwritings. The marshal's letters to the emperor and entries in the school journal were written with one hand!

Here's a story from our time.
Beginning in 1933, A. Hitler began training “doubles”. These “doubles”, very similar to Hitler in appearance, learned to imitate his manner of behavior and speech, in order to replace Hitler himself at various public ceremonies. On September 29, 1938, Hitler was allegedly poisoned.
Since then, his place has been taken by one of the “doubles”, a certain Maximilian Bauer.

As we see, the practice of replacing one or another statesman with his “double” has a centuries-old practice.

Having dealt with the background of the issue, we can now move on to Peter the Great. The floor is given to Academician N. Levashov:
So, “in the surviving papers of the Grand Embassy, ​​it is not mentioned that the constable Pyotr Mikhailov (young Peter went with the embassy under this name) fell ill with a fever, but for the embassy officials it was no secret who “Mikhailov” actually was.” .
And a person returns from a trip, sick with a chronic fever, with traces of long-term use of mercury drugs, which were then used to treat tropical fever.

For reference, It should be noted that the Great Embassy traveled along the northern sea route, while tropical fever can be “earned” in southern waters, and even then only after being in the jungle.
In addition, after returning from the Great Embassy, ​​Peter The first, during naval battles, demonstrated extensive experience in boarding combat, which has specific features that can only be mastered through experience.

And we know that the real Peter the Great was exclusively engaged in mastering the construction of ships and drinking with the Dutch and English!
But boarding combat skills require personal participation in many boarding battles.
All this together gives us the suspicion that the man who returned with the Great Embassy was an experienced sailor who participated in many naval battles and sailed a lot in the southern seas.
Before his trip to Europe, Peter the Great had never been to the seas, with the exception of the White Sea, which simply cannot be called tropical. And Peter the Great did not visit it often, and then only as an honorary passenger.
And if we add to this the fact that his beloved wife (Queen Eudokia), whom he missed and often corresponded with when he was away, upon returning from the Grand Embassy, ​​without even seeing her, without explanation, he sent to a nunnery . The above facts are worth thinking about!

But let's continue. There are also alarming facts! Upon returning from the Great Embassy, ​​almost simultaneously, P. Gordon, who was the “mentor” of young Peter, and his “friend” Lefort, “suddenly” died.
But it was precisely at their suggestion that young Peter had the desire to travel incognito with the Great Embassy.

We can continue to list the differences between the person who went to the Grand Embassy and the one who returned from it.Next, the author will quote the facts that academician N. Levashov collected in his book. For the honor of these discoveries belongs to him!

“Many facts speak in favor of the substitution of Peter the Great during this trip. Most likely, the substitution occurred due to the fact that the real Peter turned out to be far from being as accommodating as the owners of P. Gordon and Lefort wanted him to be.
In such a scenario, no one will envy the fate of the real Peter.
One way or another, the real Peter the Great, or “double,” accomplished all his “Great Deeds” only after his return from the Great Embassy.

Let's refresh our memory of these "great things":

1. Introduction, immediately after the arrival, of the Christian calendar from the summer of 7208 from S.M.Z.H. or from 1700 A.D. Raised as an Orthodox sovereign, he knew very well about the Christian calendar, but, nevertheless, did not even think about chronology reform. Even in the very word “chronology” there are ancient Russian traditions of counting – summer... from the Creation of the World in the Star Temple.
Thus, the multi-thousand-year history of the Russian people disappears, as if by magic, and conditions arise for the fabrication, somewhat later, of a modern version of this history by the “great Russian historiographers”... Bayer, Miller and Schlozer. After several generations, few people remembered what and how it was before Peter the Great.

2. The introduction of serfdom, actually slavery, for one’s own people,

3. Peter's "reforms" and wars also had a negative economic effect. The population fell from 18 to 16 million people between 1700 and 1725. The introduction of serfdom, with its slave labor, set the economy far back.
While almost all countries of Western Europe were freeing themselves from the remnants of slavery, realizing that without this they were doomed, in Muscovy their protege introduces slavery, this can only mean the following:

a) He is a useless statesman and political figure who should not be allowed within a shot of running the state.
b) Peter the Great is a mentally and mentally retarded person, who, moreover, should not be allowed to the helm of the state.
c) Peter the Great was recruited or zombied by anti-Russian forces during his trip with the Grand Embassy. Recruitment is doubtful, due to the fact that the recruiters could not offer him anything that he would not already have, being an absolute monarch.
d) Peter the Great was lured into the Grand Embassy by cunning by his false friends and, in one of the countries visited by the embassy, ​​he was replaced by an outwardly similar person who was not even a double.

Numerous differences between the person who left with the Great Embassy and the one who returned from it and the analysis of actions after his return make this assumption very probable and, in principle, the only logical one.

4. Petrine church reforms were directed both against Orthodox Christianity and against the Magi-guardians of Slavic-Aryan Vedism who went underground.
Peter the Great ordered the removal of old books from all monasteries, cities and villages for “making copies”, and no one saw the books brought to the capital after that, just as no one saw the copies “made” of these books. It is also curious that failure to comply with this order was punishable by deprivation of life. It's a strange concern for books, isn't it?

5. The expulsion of Cossack hordes (troops) from the borders of Muscovy forced Peter 1 to begin forming an army according to the Western European model.
For this purpose, Peter The first attracted military personnel from European countries, providing them with enormous benefits and privileges in relation to Russian officers. Foreigners despised everything Russian and mocked the Russian men, driven into the army by the monarch's will. The dominance of foreigners in the army, in the civil service, in the education system and upbringing of the younger generation led to the emergence of confrontation between the aristocracy and the people. Refusal to use Cossack troops because of their support for old traditions was a big strategic mistake. It was the principle of Cossack lavas that the Bolsheviks used when creating their cavalry armies, which played a decisive role in the civil war of 1918-1924.

6. The defeat of the Swedish army led to the weakening of Sweden and the loss of its influence on European countries, which led to their strengthening due to the victories of Russian troops. The territorial gains were incommensurate with the losses suffered by the country - two million people.
At that time, the entire population of Europe did not exceed twenty million. It was with Peter I that the genocide of the Russian people and the Slavs as a whole began.
It was from Perth I that the lives of Russians became a bargaining chip in the dirty political games of Western European politicians.

7. Peter the Great “opened a window” to Europe, ensured Russia’s access to the Gulf of Finland, after the return of the old Russian territories, as a result of the victory over the Swedes.
It would be correct to say that he “opened a window” to Muscovy for European countries. Before Peter the Great, the penetration of foreigners into the lands of Muscovy was very limited. Basically, embassy people, some merchants and a very small number of travelers received the right to cross the border.
Under Peter the Great, crowds of adventurers and adventurers poured into Muscovy, eager to fill their empty pockets with the riches of the Russian land. It is curious that all of them were provided with enormous benefits and advantages in relation to both the truly Russian aristocracy and the Russian merchants and business people.

8. To maintain his army, Peter I needed huge funds, most of which were immediately stolen, both by Russian rogues and by his beloved foreigners.
Moreover, most of them were stolen by foreigners, many of whom, in their homeland, were poor or came from impoverished noble families, or were second, third, etc., sons and could not hope for any inheritance. Some of them, having filled their pockets with unprecedented wealth, returned to their homeland, while others preferred to continue making money at the expense of the people who were strangers to them.

9. Peter I introduces many taxes to replenish the rapidly emptying treasury. It is he who brings vodka from Sweden and creates a state vodka monopoly.
Vodka was sold in state taverns, taverns and pits (horse changing stations).
Before the Romanovs, drunkenness was a vice in Rus', for which, even in the time of Ivan IV, people were imprisoned and subject to a heavy fine.
It was Peter the Great who began to promote drunkenness in Rus', launching a wide advertising campaign, promoting drunkenness at all levels of society, forcing people to drink by his own example.
The vodka monopoly brought fabulous profits to the treasury, which was necessary for his goals. The money paid by the treasury began to quickly return back, at minimal cost.
All the “great activities” of Perth the First, by the time of his death, had led Muscovy (which, under him, became known as the Russian Empire) to a deplorable economic state, comparable only to the Time of Troubles, in the creation of which the Romanovs and their relatives played a significant role.

The victories over Sweden brought enormous disasters to the Russian people, or more precisely, to the part of them groaning under the yoke of the Romanovs, a real yoke, and not the Mongol-Tatar yoke invented by them, which simply never existed.

Why and how did the replacement of Tsar Peter I take place, and then the reform of Russia at the turn of the 17th - 18th centuries?
You can approach this issue from different positions. At the highest level, one can see here the biblical and eschatological meaning and significance, as an approach to the end of the world - the apocalypse, because the Orthodox people considered “Peter the Great” to be the Antichrist.
One level lower is conspiracy theory - a conspiracy of secret societies to seize power in Russia, and then throughout the world.
And at the lowest level, it is betrayal and fear, vanity and deceit of those close to us, which together led to this crime.

Can be divided by questions: Why did this happen? How did this happen, and could it have been avoided?
In the conflict between Tsar Peter I and Princess Sophia, the boyars sided with Peter I only because Sophia (or rather, her entourage) was a consistent promoter of pro-Western reforms, and the tsar, both by upbringing and by conviction, was devoted to the old Orthodox traditions.
After all, his first teacher, approved by his godfather and Tsar Theodore and the Patriarch, was the Old Believer Nikita Zotov (Note: from 3 to 4 years old, the Scotsman Pavel Gavrilovich Mezenius was considered his teacher). But why did Peter I, being a deeply religious man of the old rite, begin to reform the state?
Russia needed military and economic reforms in order to correspond to the level of military science and technology, economics and nascent industrial production that Western European countries had achieved by this time, and confrontation with which in the future was inevitable.
But most of all, Tsar Peter I strove for the Black Sea, and his main dream was the liberation of Constantinople from the Turks.
The need for military reform was determined by the fact that the combat effectiveness of the Streltsy army, which had even partial economic self-sufficiency, was inferior even to the Turks.
For a future war with the Turks, it was necessary to fundamentally reform and create a professional army, consisting entirely of state support, and a navy, which Russia never had at all.

The first victories near Azov confirmed that the young tsar’s plan was correct.
The trouble with Peter I was that there were a lot of foreigners in Moscow.
This was a consequence of the fact that already from the 16th century, Moscow princes and tsars favored all kinds of adventurers, religious schismatics, reformers, Lutherans, Protestants who fell away from the Catholic Church and were expelled from their countries or were hiding due to crimes committed. Catholics were not allowed into Moscow, but for all its enemies and apostates, welcome, please. And it must be said that these were not ordinary people, but, as a rule, educated, enterprising and often unprincipled people.
They tried to convert ordinary Muscovites to their faith; there were many complaints, indignations and even beatings of foreigners about this. For this reason, they lived in a separate colony in a German settlement. But the kings, who needed, as they would now say, specialists, attracted them to military and sovereign service, and the nobility communicated with them and even became friends.
It must be said that in Rus', and then in Muscovy, there was always a significant layer of court nobility who bowed, as they would now say, to Western values. This was precisely the main reason for the Jewish heresy of 1470 - 1530, then the oprichnina, the invasion of the Poles and the Time of Troubles. This fifth column has been in Russia since very ancient times; one might say it appeared with the advent of the Varangians. It was thanks to the activity of this fifth column that all the regicides, palace coups and revolutions took place in Russia.

For Peter I, communication with foreigners opened up a world of natural and military sciences and maritime affairs unknown to Muscovy.
For example, Franz Timmermann, either a teacher or a merchant, as he stated, knew mathematics, artillery, and the rules for constructing fortifications well.
But Captain F. Lefort did not know military affairs at all, but he was cunning and courteous as a diplomat and amiable as a lackey. Who they really were can only be guessed at.
However, the main reason for Peter I’s decision to go to the Western rulers was not so much the desire to see another world and learn intelligence, but the desire to enter into an alliance with Christian states in the fight against the Ottoman Empire.
Someone from Peter I’s entourage managed to convince him of this; well-known literary sources claim that it was F. Lefort.

After the departure of Peter I, the fifth column began to prepare a coup d'etat in the interests of Princess Sophia.
This future coup was supposed to finally resolve the dispute between the two palace parties, the old traditions and church rites and the hostile pro-Western one; historians define them as the parties of the Naryshkins and Miloslavskys, according to the families of the second and first wives of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.
Already from the beginning of 1698, the archers stopped paying salaries, were forbidden to return to their families in Moscow, and began to be driven along with the cannons along the outskirts of Russia.
The conspirators, having aroused the indignation of the archers and spread the rumor that the Tsar had been replaced, wanted to enthrone Queen Sophia, a great admirer of Western values.
But the archers limited themselves to petitions and a small fight with their superiors. By the way, there were a lot of foreign officers in the Streltsy army.
They were the source of all incitements and conspiracies. The pseudo-rebellion of the Streltsy failed, when a former convict and sea pirate was brought to them from abroad as a gift from the underworld, whose name and origin are not yet possible to establish. The rumor, initially false, became a reality.
How the conspirators, representing completely different, even opposing forces, managed to coordinate their actions and unite, and among them were Venetian Jews, Jesuits, Polish-German Catholics, Protestants, Lutherans, court nobility and local degenerates, remains a mystery. Explaining this only with hatred of Russia and its people will probably not be enough.
While the pretender to the Russian throne was hiding in a German settlement, bloody reprisals were urgently organized against the would-be rebels. Innocently shed blood cemented and united the “brotherhood”, which now had only two paths - to the throne of the impostor or to the chopping block.
Already near the throne of the impostor, new showdowns began - who will rule the new liar, the Moscow nobility who gave him power, or the foreigners who brought the impostor tsar?
The first victims of these intrigues were the former associates of the young Tsar Peter I and the central figures of the conspiracy to replace him - P. Gordon and F. Lefort, who died suddenly in less than a year, according to the liar, and who, by the way, were related to each other.

It must be said that 1699 -1700 among the entourage of “Peter the Great” there was a very high sudden mortality rate, here are the most noticeable:

1. Boyarin Shein Alexey Semenovich (1662 - 1700), pacified the indignation of the archers in 1698.
2. Voznitsyn Prokofy Bogdanovich in the ambassadorial order from 1668, on behalf of Peter I in 1698, as his ambassador, negotiated with the Turks; upon returning from Turkey in 1699, despite urgent requests, he was not accepted by the tsar and soon missing.
3. Patriarch Adrian, 10th and last All-Russian Patriarch (born in 1636, † October 15, 1700).

The winner of the court squabbles was the impostor himself, who relied not on the local nobility, and not on foreigners, whom, by the way, he soon he pressed him quite tightly, and on the “new Russians”, a new palace and political elite, without clan or tribe, a typical representative of which was A. Menshikov.”

The same N. Levashov also compiled specific differences between the real Peter the Great and his “double”

Attitude to the Church and the clergy
The real Peter: Deeply religious, sings in the church on the choir, visits monasteries, respects the clergy, friendship with the Metropolitan of Arkhangelsk, during a visit to the Solovetsky Monastery he made a wooden cross with his own hands, in disputes and conversations he often quotes the Bible, which he knows almost by heart
Double: He mocks the clergy, does not observe fasts, does not attend church, has a Protestant view of the Church and Faith, abolishes the Patriarchate, establishes a secular synodal administration over the Church, and tries by special decree to legitimize the violation of the secret of confession for denunciation of penitents. Transfers the relics of Alexander Nevsky, but not because of his veneration, but in order to save St. Petersburg from flooding.
Begins brutal persecution of Old Believers, which further divided the people and generally weakened the Orthodox Church, closes monasteries, despite the presence of metal suitable for casting cannons, orders the removal of bells from churches

Attitude towards the army and leadership abilities
The real Peter: He spends his entire childhood in war games, developed military skills, including command and control, and distinguished himself during the capture of Azov.
He is highly educated, knows mathematics, astronomy and military engineering. Amazing his interlocutors with his knowledge, the Bishop of Canterbury admires the intelligence and knowledge of Tsar Peter
Double:“Lack of military skills, transfers control of troops to Menshikov or foreigners, when trying to command troops he always loses. Shows personal skills in boarding combat
He is striking in his ignorance and lack of education, speaks Russian poorly, he almost “forgot” the Russian language after returning from the Grand Embassy and never learned it until the end of his life, in his notes he writes Russian words in Latin letters.

Education
The real Peter the Great:He masters carpentry and shipbuilding, he himself made a memorial cross for the Archangel Cathedral on the occasion of salvation in the storm, he does not know turning.
Double:He loves turning, he sharpens very professionally, but does not know carpentry

Character and disposition
The real Peter the Great: Physically healthy. I do not smoke. He drinks wine, but not much. Facial tic when nervous. The cause of the tic, as historians explain, was fear experienced in childhood, during the Streltsy riot
Double:Sick of fever, there is reason (historian Pokrovsky) that “Peter the Great” was treated all his life with mercury drugs and died of syphilis. Facial tic when nervous. Smokes and drinks a lot

Personal life
The real Peter the Great: He loves and respects him very much, misses his wife, often corresponds with her when he is away
Double:He despises his wife, Queen Evdokia, for her piety, backwardness and conservatism, and from the very wedding she dreams of how to get rid of her. It’s a completely different matter with Catherine (approx. an illiterate commoner and former regimental girl), who understands him and is his closest assistant in all matters.Upon his return, he refuses to meet with his wife and sends him to a monastery without explanation.
Well, how could it be otherwise! If the double in bed would have been immediately exposed that “the king is not real”!

Appearance
The real Peter the Great:
Double:

The real Peter the Great:He prefers traditional Russian clothes, even wears Russian clothes abroad; he is indifferent to the European, everyday environment, preferring everything Russian.
Royal crown size 61 cm.
Royal plate with barms length 166.5.
Above average height, thick build, has short, bowl-length hair down to his neck, the great embassy began when Peter was 26 years old and returned at the age of 28, this can be seen from his lifetime portraits
Double:Tall, thin (jacket size 44), wears long hair to his shoulders. The age of the man in the portraits of Peter the Great in 1701 is about 40 years.
After returning from the Great Embassy, ​​he never wore royal clothes and a crown.
It is quite possible that they could not fit in size. And the crown simply could not stay on my head.
Prefers only Latin, Western clothes. He cannot live in Russian huts and even in royal palaces; European housing is urgently built: houses, and even palaces according to Western European traditions, with appropriate furniture and furnishings

The murder of Tsarevich Alexei, although in Orthodox traditions for disobedience, from the point of view of his father, he could only be sent to a monastery, as Tsarevich Alexei asked for this.

The first reform of the Russian language, which returned the style of letters to the ancient Aryan alphabetic symbols.
The transfer of the capital of Russia from Moscow to St. Petersburg to the very outskirts of the Russian Empire, while the traditions of all states were to place the capital in the center of the state. Perhaps St. Petersburg was conceived by him or his advisers as the capital of a future united Europe, in which Russia was to be a colony?
The organization of Masonic lodges (1700) even earlier than in Europe (1721), which practically seized power in Russian society to this day.

Well, the last and most incredible version about Peter the Great! I think that Dumas Father and son are resting. But, nevertheless, there is something in it!

Here is the information broken down:
Coincidence in time of the substitution of Tsar Peter I (August 1698) and the appearance of a prisoner in the “Iron Mask” in the Bastille in Paris (September 1698).
In the lists of Bastille prisoners, he was listed under the name Magchiel, which may be a distorted entry of Mikhailov, the name under which Tsar Peter traveled abroad. His appearance coincided with the appointment of a new commandant of the Bastille of Saint-Mars. He was tall, carried himself with dignity, and always wore a velvet mask on his face. The prisoner was treated respectfully and kept well.
He died in 1703. After his death, the room where he was kept was thoroughly searched, and all traces of his presence were destroyed.
Returning to the story of the substitution of Peter the Great, it must be said that in the matter of his “substitution” the truth can only be revealed by an independent international genetic examination of the remains.
In the course of which, by conducting a comparative analysis of particles from the bodies of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Tsarina Natalya Naryshkina, Peter the Great himself and his son Alexei.
Technically, its implementation is not difficult, but politically..., especially if the fact of the substitution of Peter the Great is proven, then it is the same as an atomic explosion under the entire modern Russian history!

From the very beginning of his reign, Peter gave preference to foreigners, for example, in his first campaign against Azov, he placed his drinking buddies, revelers Lefort and Gordon, at the head of the Russian army. And when he returned with an embassy from Europe, he took with him 800 foreigners, many of whom were not valuable specialists, but simply “natural” managers and adventurers, such as the Dutch Jew Acosta, who played a jester under Peter, the Portuguese Jew Divier or the Polish Jew Shafirov. Peter the Great publicly stated:

“It makes absolutely no difference to me whether a person is baptized or circumcised, so long as he knows his business and is distinguished by decency.”

However, he made one exception: having visited Holland, where there were many Jews, Peter began to be wary of them, for the historian Solovyov claimed that Peter the Great loved all nations except the Jews. This is confirmed by Peter’s own statement in 1702:

“I want... to see better peoples of the Mohammedan and pagan faith than the Jews. They are cheats and deceivers. I eradicate evil, and do not breed; There will be neither housing nor trade for them in Russia, no matter how hard they try, and no matter how they bribe those close to me.”

However, Peter appointed Divier (Devier) the first chief of police of St. Petersburg, governor and bestowed the title of count, and Shafirov - vice-chancellor and the title of baron, although then in 1723 he was sentenced to death for embezzlement, replaced by exile; however, then Divier also ended up in exile, but this was after the death of Peter.

“Peter, who tried to push the ancient Russian tribal families further away from the royal throne, brought Divier closer to him. Peter forced Menshikov to marry his sister to Diviere. Leaving St. Petersburg, Catherine entrusted her daughter Natalya and the children of the executed Tsarevich Alexei, Peter and Natalya, to none other than... Diviere,” noted B. Bashilov in his study.

In total, about 8 thousand foreigners arrived in Russia under Peter. This number does not seem to be large, but considering that the foreigners did not go to plow the arable land, but to manage it, it turned out to be a lot. It’s like today - there seem to be few citizens of Jewish nationality, only 300 thousand, but we see at the top: among the oligarchs, journalists and ministers, there are almost only Jews.

Peter, without any common sense, fanatically worshiped everything Western and European - he forced those close to him to smoke, drink, and participate in collective revelry; welcomed Freemasonry, which was already fashionable in Europe - as the highest degree of European education - on February 10, 1699, Sheremetyev appeared at Lefort’s ball in a German dress and with a bright Maltese cross and other Masonic paraphernalia and received “exalted mercy” from Peter. Peter already knew what Masons were from his European voyage. In addition, the “Master of the Chair” was his favorite Lefort, and the “first overseer” was the same favorite - Gordon. The famous Vernadsky, who dealt not only with the Noosphere, in his master's work in 1916 claimed that Peter himself was accepted into the Order of the Templars in Holland, “into the Scottish degree of St. Andrey." Most likely, Peter was not a convinced Freemason, more “for brilliance and prestige,” although, judging by his attitude towards the people, he would have been no less talented Freemason than those who wielded the guillotine in France.

Peter decided to carry out radical reforms in Russia. What was the need for this?

After the death of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1676, the next Tsar of Russia became his son Fyodor Alekseevich, who ruled until his death in 1682, and who during the short period of his reign managed to carry out important effective reforms in the army, administration and tax sphere, tried to cut down the power powers of the Boyar Duma and the Patriarch. Above we observed Sophia's reforms. Before Peter the Great, as we saw earlier, Russia was developing quite successfully and steadily - numerous wars were successfully fought, lands were acquired not only in Siberia and the Far East, but also in the European part, culture and printing were successfully developing.

“It is not true that only Peter began to introduce the Russian people to culture. The assimilation of Western culture began long before Peter. Western learned architects worked in Russia long before Peter, and Boris Godunov began sending Russian youths abroad. But the assimilation of Western European culture proceeded naturally - in a normal way, without extremes... - our compatriot from Argentina Boris Bashilov argued in his study. Under Alexei Mikhailovich (father of Peter the Great), the first theater and the first newspaper already existed. The “Conciliar Code” was published in a circulation unprecedented in Western Europe - two thousand copies. The “Steppe Book” was published - a systematic history of the Moscow state, the “Royal Book” - an eleven-volume illustrated history of the world, “Azbukovnik” - a kind of encyclopedic dictionary, “The Ruler” - by Elder Erasmus-Yermolai, “Domostroy” by Sylvester... In the Moscow Archive of the Ministry of Justice before the February Revolution, hundreds of different kinds of works written in the 17th century were kept.”

A. Burovsky noted in his study:

“But it’s worth looking away from school textbooks and analyzing genuine historical sources - and we will find that in pre-Petrine Russia of the 17th century there was already everything that is attributed to Peter: from potatoes and tobacco to an excellent fleet and a completely modern army for that time.”

For some reason, Peter is credited with the creation of a regular Russian army, but this is not true, a lie - the regular army in Russia was created before the reign of Peter the Great in 1681.

Before Peter the Great, there were three problems in Russia: the enslavement of the peasants, as a result of which Russia was periodically shaken by powerful popular uprisings; (2) Alexei Romanov became too exalted and made a big dangerous gap between the people and the tsar, for this reason popular uprisings could greatly weaken Russia; (3) for the development of Russia, access to the seas was needed: the Baltic and Black, and, accordingly, a military and merchant fleet.

Peter the Great began his reforms, passionately wanting to imitate the West, and planned not only to build a new capital, “Northern Paradise,” in the swamps, to the envy of Europeans, but to dress the entire people in European clothes, to dress all layers of society. Before Peter, they were moderately interested in Western European culture - Godunov built Kokuy for foreign merchants and sent his children to study in European countries, Alexey Romanov taught his children foreign languages, Golitsyn knew Polish and dressed in Polish clothes, Sophia introduced the teaching of foreign languages.

In 1698, Peter issued a decree on changing national clothes to European ones. The forced imposition of Western culture took forms unprecedented in the history of mankind - special military services cut off beards and long tails right on the streets. The people began to actively resist. And so that the people could not resist, Peter issued a decree banning the wearing of pointed knives. In 1700, Peter repeated the decree - all residents of Moscow were ordered to change all their clothes to European ones within two days, and merchants were promised hard labor, whipping and confiscation of property for trading in Russian clothes.

Special armed detachments - guardians of Western fashion - grabbed passers-by, forced them to their knees and cut off the tails of their clothes at ground level. The requirement for men's clothing to narrow the waist was perceived by Russian peasants and boyars as something very shameful. Men's beards were shaved by force and in the most brutal manner. You could pay off shaving - merchants paid 100 rubles for the right to wear a beard, boyars - 60, other townspeople - 30. This was a lot of money at that time. An exception was made for priests - they were allowed to wear beards.

In Astrakhan, Peter's subordinates ordered soldiers to pull out beards by the roots, which was the reason for the Astrakhan uprising in 1705. In their petition to the king they complained:

“We stood for the Christian faith... In Kazan and in other cities, the Germans sent two and three people into the courtyards and inflicted oppression and curses on the local residents, their wives, and children,”

“And the colonels and the leading people, the Germans, swearing at Christianity, inflicted many hardships on them, innocently beat them in services, forced them to eat meat on fast days and inflicted all kinds of abuse on their wives and children,”

“They beat them on the cheeks and with sticks,” and Colonel Devin “beat the petitioners and mutilated them to death” (S. Platonov, “Lectures”).

It seems that Peter deliberately widely used the appointment of foreigners to high positions - the conductors of his “Western” domestic policy, because his own people could feel sorry for their own. Peter, with his “perestroika” in the Western style, brought the people into a frenzy and a nervous breakdown; the people fled not only to the Cossacks, but also to Turkey, realizing that nothing good awaited them there.

The famous historian Kostomarov, trying to somehow find an excuse for Peter, put forward the assumption that Peter did not love the real Russian people, but the ideal of the Russian people he had invented (pattern), which he wanted to create according to the European model. We can add to this - and therefore the real Russian people cut according to the European pattern like a butcher who imagines himself to be a tailor-cutter.

Despite such a casual attitude towards the status of the church, Peter with incomprehensible cruelty persecuted the Old Believers, who had long hidden in the forests. The Old Believers protested in their own way: 2,700 Old Believers burned themselves in the Paleostrovsky monastery, 1,920 people in the Pudozh churchyard.

It seems that while fighting against national clothing, national rituals, and Old Believers, Peter fought against everything national, against the primordially Russian, authentic, with the Russian soul. There is no other way to explain why Peter organized the collection of ancient chronicles from all over Russia and monasteries and destroyed them, like the entire Kazan archive. When in Russia the year 7208 was not “from the creation of the world,” as is usually written, for it is clear that the “world” in any sense was created much earlier, but from the end of the “Great War” of our ancestors with Chinese civilization, Peter decided to change the Old Russian a calendar that even the Baptist Vladimir and later the Christian Church did not dare to change. And on December 19, 7208, by his decree he introduced the European calendar - 1699. Peter also introduced the New Year in a European way - from the first of January, and before that it was from the 1st of September, with the beginning of the withering of Nature. By the way, our ancestors also calculated chronology from a more distant period - from the onset of the Ice Age, the “Great Cold,” according to which, for example, 2008 is the year 13016.

Thus, Peter the “Great” cut off more than five and a half thousand years of Russian history.

“The Russian educated classes, after and thanks to Peter’s reforms, culturally found themselves in a peculiar position of “not remembering kinship,” Prince Svyatopolk-Mirsky recorded reality in his book.

“Peter’s reform, like a sea sponge, erased ancestral memories. It seems that together with European clothes the Russian nobleman was born for the first time. Centuries have been forgotten…” wrote Klyuchevsky.

Peter the Great not only changed the calendar, but also celebrated the New Year in an original way. He celebrated the New Year of 1700 with riotous fun in the company of the “All-Joking and All-Drunken Cathedral” for two weeks. The residents of Moscow were in fear and horror, they had no time for New Year's fun, or rather, now the New Year's celebration performed by Peter and his company looked like this - a company of 100-200 people burst into the houses of residents, ate and drank everything and demanded more, then she cheerfully searched for hidden supplies, again ate and drank everything, and often cheerfully and jokingly raped her wife and daughters. During this revelry, according to R.K. Massey - Peter behaved “like an unbridled youth”, this is a soft form of the expression “unbridled stallion”.

“The inability to resist, the desire to take possession of literally every woman he could please, led to a logical result: more than 100 of Peter’s bastards are known. What’s characteristic is that he never helped them, explaining it very simply - they say, if they are worthy, they will make it themselves,” noted A. Burovsky.

Then the entire festive campaign of Peter's moral monsters grabbed the things and jewelry they liked, calling them Christmas gifts, the discovered money and noisily moved on, scaring passers-by with their recklessness and choosing the next victim house for a “joke” stay.

Peter’s satanic attitude was not only towards his native people, but, accordingly, also towards his native Nature, as, for example, above we observe the barbaric felling of oak groves in the Voronezh province. The historian Klyuchevsky also noted this fact: “a valuable log for the Baltic Fleet - some logs were valued at one hundred rubles at that time, whole mountains were lying along the shores and islands of Lake Ladoga...”. The scale of Peter's construction was enormous, and the scale of mismanagement was of the same size. Then Peter rushed to the other extreme and made the “extreme people” - on pain of death, by demonstratively placing gallows on the edge of the forests, he forbade the peasants from cutting down the forests for their needs. Now the peasants, without special permission and compensation, could not build a house, a barn, or a stove.

An admirer of Peter, the incorrigible Westerner A. Herzen, wrote about Peter the Great: “... took denationalization much further than the modern government in Poland does... The government, the landowner, the officer, the mayor, the manager (intendant), the foreigner did nothing but repeat – and this has been for at least six generations – the command of Peter the Great: stop being Russian and you will do a great service to humanity” (Herzen’s article “The New Phase of Russian Culture”).

This terrible direction of the blow of the cosmopolitan Peter the Great was explained by the famous Karamzin:

“Eradicating ancient skills, presenting them as funny, stupid, praising and introducing foreign ones, the Sovereign of Russia humiliated the Russians in their own hearts,” “Peter did not want to delve into the truth that the people’s spirit constitutes the moral power of the state, like the physical power, necessary for their firmness.” .

The bloody despot and monster had an interesting relationship with their loved ones. We observed earlier - Peter, for the sake of peace of mind of his mistress Anna Mons and himself, tonsured himself a nun and exiled his legal wife and queen to a distant monastery. And he showered the “Kokuysk queen” with gifts and established a state salary. Peter was delighted with his mistress and in January 1703 he gave “Monsikha” the Dudinsky volost in Kozelsky district - 295 households, and began to tell those around him that he would soon make her the rightful queen and marry her. But a month later, Peter made a most unpleasant, terrible discovery for himself...

Having recovered a little from the Narva defeat, Peter, discovering that the Swedish king Charles the Twelfth was stuck with his army in battles in the depths of Poland, sent B.P. on a reconnaissance campaign to the west, to Livonia, at the end of 1701. Sheremetyev (1652–1719). Unexpectedly for Peter, Sheremetyev successfully walked through Livonia: he defeated the Swedish barrage detachments, took several cities without a fight, robbed them, then burned them and returned with rich captured booty: valuables, livestock, horses, many prisoners, mostly civilians. And the inspired Peter began frequent military campaigns in the Baltic lands. In 1702, Russian troops besieged the important strategic fortress of Noteburg, located at the source of the Neva from Lake Ladoga. In February 1703, Peter arrived to personally lead the assault. The assault was a success - Peter gave the captured Noteburg another foreign name - Shlisselburg, which translated means “key city”. It seems that Peter did not yet have the idea of ​​​​building St. Petersburg, and he considered Shlisselburg as a supporting fortress - the key to the Baltic. During the magnificent celebrations in the fortress on the occasion of the victory, Peter received letters from the Saxon envoy Koenigsek, who participated in this campaign.

The letters turned out to be from Anna Mons, the beloved “Monse”, who, as it turned out, did not waste time in Peter’s absence, did not get bored - she had long been Koenigsek’s mistress, that is, she had long been teaching Peter, the Tsar, “horns”. The state of a normal, deceived man with a wounded pride is understandable, but one can only guess about Peter’s state at this moment... Moreover, in her letters, the “Kokui Queen” spoke about Peter, to put it mildly, impartially, complaining about his barbaric habits. At the same time, “Monsikha” sent letters “with hearts” to Peter...

Despite Anna’s Kokui upbringing by Lefort, the long-standing “love” prestigious relationship between her and the Tsar, despite numerous expensive gifts from Peter, Anna Mons did not want to connect her life with the monster; she did not want to endure his drunkenness, licentiousness, depravity, orgies, abnormality, she wanted to marry a normal, cultured person.

In addition, she was unpleasant when Peter casually fell into the bedroom of her best friend Elena Fademrekh. There are several versions: according to one, the “Monsikha” letters came to Peter by accident, according to another, the “kind” courier slipped them in “by mistake,” according to the third, during the victory feast, Koenigsek strangely accidentally drowned and ominous letters were found in his things. Most likely, one of the first versions is correct, and, knowing Peter’s character, we can say that having discovered the betrayal, Peter in a rage ordered the drowning of his competitor, and he himself watched with pleasure.

Judging by subsequent actions, Peter seemed to love Ankhen very much, for he did not tonsure her as a nun, did not imprison her in a monastery and did not cut off her head, as Hamilton did with Maria in a similar situation, although he had a close relationship with Maria for several months, but only limited her freedom with house arrest, and then watched for a long time and took revenge and crap.

Embittered Peter stopped communicating with Anna. But, when in 1706 Anna Mons wanted to marry the Prussian envoy to Russia, Baron Johann von Keyserling, the jealous and vindictive Peter, in order to prevent the marriage, accused Anna of divination. The investigation into this case lasted a whole year, during which 30 people from Anna’s entourage were arrested and severely tortured. Only through the persistent efforts of the diplomat-groom in 1707 was the investigation stopped, but Peter took away almost everything that was donated and confiscated it.

Keyserling probably loved Anna very much, for for several years he sought permission to marry Anna and, finally, having received it from Peter, married her in June 1711. And it seemed like a happy ending - for Anna, for both, but it was not so - as soon as Baron Keyserling moved away from home after the “honey period”, he died under mysterious circumstances. Most likely, Peter was still trying to take cruel revenge on Anna; It has long been noticed that people with a satanic mentality completely lack nobility. Anna died of consumption in 1714. Peter was not alone all this time and was quite happy with another beloved woman; this story is more tragic for Peter.

During the campaign in Livonia, Sheremetyev’s troops captured the city of Marienburg, where Marta Skavronskaya, born in 1684, worked as a cook and laundress in the family of Pastor Gluck. According to one version, her parents died of the plague, and her uncle, the Swedish quartermaster Johann Rabe, gave the orphan to the house of Pastor Gluck. The pastor baptized her and raised her. But when Martha gave birth to a child, the pastor hastened to marry her to the Swedish soldier Johann Kruse.

And two months after their wedding, Russian troops entered Marienburg, or rather Russian ones, because after the Narva defeat Sheremetyevo had multinational troops.

“Sheremetyev crossed the Narova and went to visit Estonia in the same way as he visited Livlyandy last year. The guests were the same: Cossacks, Kalmyks, Tatars, Bashkirs, and they stayed as before... Sheremetyev entered Weschenberg unhindered, the city of Rakov (Rakvere), famous in ancient Russian history, and heaps of ashes remained in the place of the beautiful city. The same fate befell Weissenstein, Fellin, Ober-Pallen, Ruin; the devastation of Livonia was completed,” wrote R. Massey about two campaigns in the Baltic states in 1701 and 1702.

Marta Skawronska, judging by her surname, was Polish, because the root of the surname is translated only into Polish - “skawronek” is a lark, and in Polish the popular surname sounds like Skawronska. But Martha is a popular name among the Germans and Swedes, and the Poles did not take Swedish and German names. It seems that Martha’s nationality is revealed by the Old Testament name of her father - Samuel, and the wise Jew adapted to the historical situation - when Poland was before Riga, the surname was Polish, and with the arrival of the Swedes, Swedish names appeared for the children. And the surname of the quartermaster’s uncle Rabe is the same among the Germans and Swedes as in Ukraine or Russia - Rabinovich. I. N. Shornikova and V. P. Shornikov in their research claim that Rabe was Martha’s husband, but there is more information that it was Kruse.

Marta Skavronskaya turned out to be a military prey of the Cossacks and Bashkirs of Sheremetyev, then the 18-year-old brunette was noticed by Colonel Bauer and took her to the officers' tents, then Marta was noticed by Sheremetyev and taken to his headquarters apartments. The trophy beauty was so good and affectionate that Sheremetyev brought her with him to Moscow, where Menshikov noticed her, and Sheremetyev did not contradict or be greedy, and at a drinking party in Menshikov’s house on March 1, 1704, the owner boasted of his acquisition to Peter the Great. The Russian Tsar became interested and checked to see if his beloved friend had lied... The young trophy laundress could not do anything, she had no education, Pastor Gluck did not teach her to read and write, but during her adventures in captivity she learned to please men well, to be affectionate and cheerful, perhaps God gave her only this talent. But this is what Peter the Great valued most, this is what he called love. “Two pairs of boots” came together. Martha moved in with Peter.

Peter began to quickly heal his emotional wounds after Ankhen. Those around him noticed that Martha was not afraid of Peter in fits of anger, and only she was able to calm him down boldly and affectionately in this state and relieve nervous tension. Peter also liked Martha’s cheerful moral position - she observed his many hobbies, was not jealous, did not make trouble, but only joked and laughed at his frequent romantic adventures. And sometimes there was something to laugh at - once again, having once again “caught” the wife of some officer, Praskovya, who liked him, Peter contracted syphilis or some other unpleasant venereal infection from her - a disease, and the terribly evil one ordered her husband to flog his wife - “worthless Froska” (A.B.).

In connection with this story and the story with Martha, one can recall the statement of the wife of the famous philosopher Pythagoras, very respected in Greece for the wisdom of Fiano. When she was asked: “On what day is a woman cleansed after a man?”, Fiano answered: “After her husband, immediately, but never after a stranger.”

Peter felt comfortable with Martha; after another “victory” over someone’s wife, he complimented her: “nothing can compare with you.” So they began to live happily. Peter the Great secretly conspired for the laundress Marta Samuilovna in the Russian way - he called her Catherine. Under pain of death, others were forbidden to mention Catherine's origins and her real name. Martha-Catherine showed very good health - she easily gave birth to his children, there were 11 of them. Of these, she gave birth to two daughters before their wedding, that is, they were illegitimate.

In 1708, Martha was baptized for the third time, she converted to Orthodoxy, her godfather at the rebaptism was Peter’s son, Alexey, after which Martha began to be called Ekaterina Alekseevna.

And an unpleasant incident turned out - Peter married his spiritual granddaughter.

When, after the victory over the Swedes near Poltava in 1709, Peter went on the Prut campaign against Turkey in 1711, Catherine accompanied him on the campaign, and even commanded the soldiers, and when Peter was threatened with captivity on the banks of the Prut and the Swedish king already threatened to lead his prisoner on a rope, then Catherine participated in the most difficult negotiations with the Turks. The Turks did not bring the matter to captivity. And Peter returned to Russia safe and sound and also managed to grab the daughter of the Valamsky (Moldavian) Prince Cantemir, a famous poet, who had been taken prisoner during the campaign, whom Peter raped and decided to take her to Russia, and imprisoned her for reserve in the village of Chernaya Gryaz, then renamed to Tsarskoe Selo, but after that he “forgot” about the Moldavian beauty according to the principle “neither for himself nor for anyone,” and she died in captivity. Again, we can emphasize the cynical “mismanagement” characteristic of Peter - 27,285 people died in the Prut campaign, of which only 4,800 died in battles with Turkish troops, the remaining 22 thousand died because of Peter the Great - as a result of the disgusting organization of the military campaign: from hunger, cold and diseases.

After the tragic Prut campaign, Peter married Catherine in 1712, and Catherine officially became bigamous.

“Since 1702, any mention of Johann Cruz disappears. It disappears, however, only from Russian sources. The Swedes know very well where the legitimate husband of the Russian Empress went. Johann Kruse served the Swedish king for many more years, and in his old age in the garrisons on the Aland Islands... Johann did not start a family either and explained to the pastor that he already had a wife and he would not take sin on his soul... He outlived his legal wife, Martha- Catherine, but not much, having died in 1733. All of the above explains very well why in tsarist times it was believed that Johann Kruse had gone missing...

Martha Catherine was the legal wife of Johann Kruse. She remained so even when Peter officially married her in 1712. She just became a bigamist and, moreover, in the event of a trial, she was supposed to become the wife of Johann, as the king who married her 10 years earlier,” noted A. Burovsky in his study.

Now Martha Catherine became the legal wife of the Tsar, that is, the Russian Tsarina, and her children could lay claim to the Russian throne. From then on, Martha began to be jealous of Peter’s eldest son from Evdokia Lopukhina, Alexei, and his family.

A year earlier, Peter forcibly married Alexei on October 11, 1711 to a relative of the wife of Emperor Charles the Sixth, Sophia Charlotte-Christina of Brunswick-Wolfebüttel, because Peter the Great was building some intricate strategic plans. Charlotte came to Russia with her friends and stayed away from the Russians, constantly demanding money from Alexei; it was difficult to talk about love in this family.

The year 1715 turned out to be a turning point in Alexei’s relationship with his father, Peter. Since 1710, Peter the Great became permanently ill - all the accumulated diseases from his wild life, and primarily syphilis, developed greatly in him. Peter became even more irritable and fierce. Already in 1711, illnesses bothered him greatly, and at the beginning of the Prut campaign he was forced to urgently leave for treatment in Carlsbad on the waters. After his wedding with Catherine, Peter rushed about in search of effective treatment and saving his life - in 1712 he went to Russian Pomerania for treatment, then again to Carlsbad, then to Czech Teplice. But there were only temporary improvements, and in general the situation worsened.

In 1715, Peter's health completely deteriorated; Peter became so ill that he had already confessed and received communion, that is, he thought that he might die. And the question of a successor to power arose. And in this situation, all of Peter’s accumulated dissatisfaction with his son Alexei sharply escalated.

Alexey greatly irritated Peter with his dissimilarity, he was a balanced, educated person, knew many foreign languages, was not interested in war games, was normal, did not drink in such quantities and in such companies, did not organize “drunk cathedrals” and orgies, he did not have greedy power and cruelty, etc. – he was a stranger to Peter in spirit, he did not have that native Satanism in him. But Peter had no choice - there were no other sons, although Peter understood that, to put it mildly, Alexei was not delighted that Peter would never remove his mother from the throne and even imprison the innocent one in a monastery. In 1709, Peter even sent Alexei to Dresden to study at a fortification school, hoping to get him interested in military affairs, seeing that Alexei was undoubtedly an intelligent person. But Alexey never became different, he remained himself.

The second queen Martha-Catherine could not give birth to Peter a son - an heir, she gave birth to two daughters before her marriage and after that she diligently gave birth to Peter’s children every year, but they all turned out to be girls. Catherine jealously and anxiously looked towards Alexei’s family - if another heir would be born there. In 1714, a daughter was born into Alexei’s family, but the next year, in 1715, a son, Peter, the future Emperor Peter Petrovich, was born. The dynasty continued: Peter the Great - Alexey Petrovich - Peter Alekseevich. But fate once again smiled insidiously - in 1715, Martha Catherine finally gave birth to a son and named, of course, Peter. Now a washerwoman from Livonia with a Polish surname, a Swedish name and Jewish roots could compete to establish her own dynasty in Russia. A brutal unequal struggle began.

The tone of Peter the Great's attitude towards his eldest son changes sharply; Peter in 1715 sends a letter to Alexei, although both are in St. Petersburg, nearby:

“For this reason, it is impossible to remain like this if you think of being neither fish nor meat, but either change your character or unhypocritically honor yourself as an heir, or become a monk.”

It was indecent blackmail, intimidation, but most importantly - a demand for the impossible, and Peter understood this perfectly well, but he hated his own son, who was alien to him, and his beloved Martha actively pushed and incited him to do this. From that moment on, Peter began to spread rot and persecute his son Alexei. Peter once again demonstrated the absence of any nobility and all his dark baseness.

Alexei simply physically could not change his personality, and he did not want to become a monk at all - he had a family: a young beautiful wife, forced by his father, and two children. And Alexey renounced the throne in 1715. But Alexei's troubles were not over. At the beginning of 1716, Alexei's wife Charlotte-Christina died. By the beginning of 1716, Peter had recovered a little and went for treatment to Permont, and in 1717 he went to Amsterdam for water. During all these trips to Europe, he tried to combine business with business: he received treatment and conducted active diplomatic negotiations with European leaders in order to put together a bloc against Sweden and Turkey, but no one except Poland wanted to get involved with him.

But throughout this entire voyage and treatment, Peter sent Alexey numerous threatening letters - trying to force him to go to a monastery and become a monk, despite the fact that Alexey had abdicated the throne in favor of the son of Martha Catherine. In a letter dated January 19, 1716, Peter wrote: “If you don’t do this, then I will treat you like a villain.”

In September 1716, Peter repeated his demand even more harshly. Moreover, it is very strange - Peter did not make any specific claims to Alexey. Alexey understood that if he refused to become a monk, he would be in danger, and his children would be in big trouble.

But Alexey did not want to leave society and children; Moreover, during this period, “Cupid joked” - Alexei managed to fall in love with a captive peasant woman, a serf, the slave of his mentor N. Vyazemsky, Efrosinya Fedorovna. Alexey understood that his father would never allow him to marry his beloved. Until Peter returned to Russia, Alexey decided to flee the country, away from Peter, and went with Euphrosyne to Vienna.

Having learned about the flight of his son, Peter the Great was furious; it was perceived as a disgrace - the son ran away from his father-tsar, Peter’s pride was severely wounded, and dissatisfaction with his son reached extreme ferocity.

He immediately demanded that Austria hand over his son. But the authorities of this country treated Alexei humanely, did not want to shackle him and send him to Peter, but suggested that Peter resolve family troubles peacefully, through negotiations. Alexey went even further - to Naples, and from this city sent a letter to Russia to the Senate explaining his action. Peter's diplomats, Tolstoy and Rumyantsev, pursued Alexei throughout Europe to convey Peter's false promises.

And at this moment you should pay attention to an important point - about which dozens of books and textbooks lie vilely - about the betrayal of Alexei; Abroad, Alexey did not conduct any anti-state activities, did not organize any conspiracy: neither inside Russia nor outside its borders did he put together any foreign blocs against Russia and did not persuade European monarchs to go to war against Russia or remove Peter from the throne for the sake of his power - there is not a single one evidence, not a single fact. The only thing that can be recorded is that Alexei did not like Peter’s attitude towards his people, his internal cruel policies, and he expressed his criticism in conversations with foreigners. But approximately 99% of Russians were dissatisfied with Peter’s internal policies, almost all except a small handful of those close to him. And everything that modern authors have written and are writing against Alexei is a repetition, rehash of the completely unfounded accusations of Peter the Great himself.

After Peter almost died in 1715, the attitude towards the “sick elderly lion” of his “devoted” entourage changed, and events that were previously unthinkable became possible. Peter, despite his “love” for Martha-Catherine and his illnesses, tried not to forget his “bed register” - it was a kind of plan that cannot be called “a plan to win the hearts of the beauties he liked in the near future,” but something I don’t want to say something vulgar. And Peter took a liking to Catherine’s maid of honor, Maria Hamilton, who came from an ancient Scottish family. As many authors write, Peter, who was sick with many venereal diseases, “recognized in the young beauty talents that it was impossible not to look at with lust” - and began to quench his lusts. A few months later, Peter, for some reason, suddenly “fell out of love” with Maria, stopped paying attention to her, and most likely went further along the “bed register.” Maria was immediately “picked up” by Peter’s associates; after Peter, “having love” with the Tsar’s former favorite was very prestigious.

During Peter's long absence in 1716–1717. In Russia, chaos and various outrages have intensified. Money was stolen in monstrous amounts, and Queen Martha - Catherine the First, having decided that her status could not be stronger: Peter adores her, she still gave birth to an heir, and her main competitor abandoned the throne and went on the run - she decided not to torment her healthy body and allow himself freedom in pleasure, especially since Peter’s “love”, in the same understanding of “love” by Martha, began to weaken due to his illness.

“The number of Catherine’s fleeting hobbies was approaching two dozen. Of the future members of the Supreme Privy Council, only the pathologically cautious Osterman and Dmitry Golitsyn, who continued to look at the “mother queen” with arrogant disgust, did not take advantage of her favors...”, noted A. Burovsky in his research. Peter turned out to be “horned” for the second time, but he did not know about it yet.

When Peter returned to Russia in 1717, declared Martha Catherine queen and discovered that important state papers had disappeared from his office, the Tsar’s office, they began to look for spies. At this time, the old trusted orderly Ivan Orlov was on duty - they began to torture him with passion. Orlov swore and swore that he had sinned in many ways, but not in espionage. Among the sins he listed, it turned out that he had a long-standing affair with Maria Hamilton. It would be better for him not to say this for his own good. The maid of honor, under torture, admitted that she had cheated on the Tsar (!) and that she was forced to have several abortions and intrauterine poisonings, including from Peter. To betray the tsar is high treason, and a new investigation was opened. Peter decided to act in an original way - he went and told Catherine everything, hoping that she would destroy her ward in a rage, but she reacted calmly and said that she had known everything for a long time and forgives the maid of honor. Disappointed Peter had to take care of the girl’s fate himself. But at this time, Alexei was fraudulently persuaded to return to Russia, and Peter postponed the proceedings. Alexey believed Peter’s promises not to bring him and Euphrosyne any harm, Peter even promised to allow them to get married when they returned.

But immediately upon crossing the Russian border on February 3, 1718, Alexei was arrested, and an investigation began; Peter accused Alexei of treason. Everyone around Alexey was subjected to torture with addiction, to which Alexey was dragged and forced to watch the torment of his loved ones.

After which many people who “wrongly” influenced Alexei were executed: Kikin, Afanasyev, Dubrovsky, priest-confessor Yakov Ignatiev. During the investigation, they made an unpleasant discovery - there were too many dissatisfied with the tsar, but they did not execute everyone. Peter blamed Alexei’s free-thinking mainly on the “bearded men,” that is, priests, complaining that his father had one (i.e., Nikon), and he had thousands.

During this investigation, another trouble was revealed for Peter - naturally, they remembered Evdokia Fedorovna Lopukhina, who was in the monastery - “elder Elena”, and began to torture her entourage for involvement in the conspiracy, and discovered Evdokia Fedorovna’s love affair with Major Stepan Glebov. Peter thought that the first beauty of Russia, imprisoned in a distant monastery, had been in isolation for 20 years and should have died long ago from injustice, loneliness and melancholy. And Peter raised a cry about another state treason and began another investigation.

It turned out that in 1709, Major Stepan Bogdanovich Glebov was recruiting in the vicinity of the monastery and stopped by to look at the queen, who no longer lived in the monastery, but nearby in the village as a monk - “secretly a laywoman.” A beautiful love blossomed between them; Glebov began to visit Lopukhina, bringing her warm clothes and food. After Peter's wedding to Martha Catherine in 1712, the relationship between Lopukhina and Glebov became close. Although, moving all over Russia for work, Glebov did not often visit Evdokia, but judging by the surviving nine letters from Evdokia, they felt happy for the last 6 years, here is an excerpt from one letter:

“My bright one, my father, my soul, my joy, how can I be in the world without you! Oh, my dear friend, why are you so dear to me! I no longer love you more, by God! Oh, my darling, write to me, please me at least a little. Don't leave me for Christ's sake, for God's sake. Forgive me, forgive me, my soul, my friend!”

Peter “didn’t give a damn about Lopukhina for a long time”, he forgot about her existence, but this story hurt not so much his male pride as his sense of ownership, and he was very angry that it turned out that Lopukhina did not suffer much in the distance alone and even happy.

The entire entourage of Evdokia was subjected to torture, including her confessor Fyodor the Pustynny and Bishop of Rostov Dositheus, who was whipped, then his head was cut off, and his head was put on a stake in a public place. Peter would have a good reason to “go wild” and get a lot of black pleasure.

For six weeks in a row, “doctor” Peter tortured Major Glebov. They tortured her for so long because Stepan Bogdanovich held on very steadfastly and courageously and did not say anything against the honor of the rightful queen Evdokia Fedorovna. A certain Player reported to Peter: “Major Stepan Glebov, who was terribly tortured in Moscow with a whip, a hot iron, and burning coals, tied to a post for three days on a board with wooden nails, did not confess to anything.” At that time, the most notorious criminal, a traitor, was given a maximum of 15 blows with a whip, and Glebov was given 34, essentially leaving him skinless.

Peter was furious; the question of “breaking” the hero was fundamental for him. Peter himself, with his wild imagination, took part in the torture, but Major Glebov held out. Then Peter the Great came up with a torture-execution, which was not practiced in Russia at that time - he decided to impale him alive, and so that Glebov would suffer longer and more horribly - Peter calculated and built a special stake with a crossbar so that the stake would not quickly pierce through , and death was not quick.

During the execution on Red Square in Moscow on March 15, 1718, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, Glebov on a stake courageously endured terrible torment, and Peter, who was nearby, gloatingly enjoying his torment, begged Glebov to confess to the crime - if not to Peter, then before death - to God . Stepan Glebov answered the monster well: “You must be as foolish as the tyrant... Go, monster,” and spat in Peter’s face, adding: “Get out and let those whom you did not give the opportunity to live in peace die in peace.” The enraged tyrant was defeated by the strength of the martyr's spirit. Peter also tried to angrily mock the dying man - on his orders, jokingly, they put a hat on the martyr and threw on a sheepskin coat - so that he would not freeze and die prematurely and spoil the fun for the king.

For 18 hours, Glebov slowly died a painful death; Archimandrite Lopatinsky, priest Anofriy and Hieromonk Markel were “on duty” nearby, waiting for repentance, who wrote in the report: “he did not bring them any repentance.” On the second day, sensing the approach of death, Stepan Bogdanovich asked these three to receive communion before death, but all three turned out to be cowards, were afraid of Peter’s displeasure and refused the martyr, with this all of the above “clergy” committed a terrible sin.

Peter the Great was indignant at his powerlessness, he was defeated, his royal and personal pride was struck - Peter the Great was sure that he, Peter, was “the coolest,” powerful and omnipotent king. For three and a half years, defeated Peter tossed about with his indignation and wounded pride, perhaps he had painful nightmares of bloody dreams - and from the other world the invincible and courageous Major Stepan Glebov looked at him with a wise, contemptuous smile. And Peter could not stand it and decided to fight him again, to attack him together with the Holy Synod - on August 15, 1721, Peter the First ordered the Holy Synod to condemn Stepan Glebov and anathematize him to eternal damnation.

It seems that Peter was not even pleased with the final victory of the Russian army over the Swedes in the naval battle off the island of Grengam on July 27, 1720, and the end of the protracted Northern War, fixed in a treaty with Sweden in the same August 1721. It was more important, more important for him to defeat Major Glebov.

The Synod delayed implementing the Tsar's will. Then Peter decided to compensate for his internal defeat with the pleasure of pride - he ordered the Senate to give him titles, call him: Great, Emperor and Father of the Fatherland - everything that his imagination was capable of. And the Senate in October 1721, in a solemn atmosphere, carried out the will of Peter. After this, the “bearded men” did not contradict the will of the Great Emperor and Father of the Fatherland - on November 22, 1721, the Holy Synod met and the “spiritual hierarchs” obediently condemned the “evil criminal” and consigned him to eternal damnation.

Did it become easier for Peter after this? Unknown; in my opinion, it only sweetened the bitterness a little, especially since further defeats awaited him in the remaining few years of his life. Deprived of titles, the offended washerwoman-empress Martha Catherine the First, deprived of her titles, was indignant and, by order of Peter the Great, on December 23, 1721, the Senate gave her a New Year’s gift - presented her with the title of “Empress.”

Let's go back to 1718, after the execution of Stepan Glebov. Peter also gave a death verdict to his son Alexei. The court, headed by Menshikov, sentenced Alexei to death. Or rather, at the behest of Peter, the court sentenced Alexei to death.

And on June 26, 1718, as noted in the garrison book of the Peter and Paul Fortress, at 8 o’clock in the morning Peter arrived at the fortress to Alexei with 9 officials - to personally execute Alexei or to personally be present at his execution. How Alexei was killed turned out to be a mystery, and is still unknown; one can only guess what the sophisticated Peter could come up with for his son. The next day - June 27, this earthly Satan was having a blast with his “most drunken cathedral”, widely, wildly celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of Poltava.

By this time, the investigation into the case of Maria Hamilton had been going on for more than a year. Peter acted with her in an original, vindictive way: although she never gave birth and had abortions, they “sewed on” some abandoned newborn who was found dead, and this was the basis for Peter to execute his former mistress. Maria begged him publicly until the very last second. Peter himself brought the Scottish beauty to the executioner on March 14, 1719. After which the people witnessed the “famous scene” - Peter the Great raised the severed head of Maria Hamilton, gave a long lecture on anatomy to those around him, then the monster kissed the lips of the severed head and threw it into the mud.

Try to answer the question - was Peter the Great a man?

By order of the tsar, his subordinates washed the severed head, preserved it in alcohol and placed it in a glass vessel in the museum - in the Kunstkamera, where Peter often went to rest and admire its beauty - the monsters and severed heads.

For two years, Peter was not engaged in government affairs, but in investigations, torture, and executions.

“The country turned out to be virtually governed by no one; executive discipline was monstrous, theft of officials became the norm. Even the old employees, who started under Alexei Mikhailovich, were corrupted by the lawlessness organized by the tsar himself...

The Financial Collegium demanded reporting from the provinces, and in 1718 demands were sent throughout the country: to send statistics of income and expenses. Not a single province sent a single piece of paper; in 1719 they reminded... again silence,” noted A. Burovsky in his study.

But on a personal level, everything would be fine - all the “enemies” - the traitors - were executed, a complete “victory!” Brunswick-Lüneburg resident F.H. Weber, describing the New Year 1719 celebration in St. Petersburg, noted that “the king likened himself to Patriarch Noah, who still looked with indignation at the ancient Russian world...”. As we can see, Peter is already 47 years old and he never fell in love with Russia.

In 1719, a sad event occurred for Peter - the last son from Martha Catherine, Peter Petrovich, the planned heir, died of illness. Peter fell into apathy and melancholy, his illnesses intensified, and after much deliberation, Peter in 1722 changed the legislation on succession to the throne that had existed for centuries, introduced the right of the emperor to appoint an heir himself in order to prevent the grandson of Peter Alekseevich, the son of the executed Alexei, from coming to the throne, and to place him on the throne before her death, a thrice-baptized two-husband Jewish woman with a Russian-Swedish name and a Polish surname. At the same time, various kinds of adventurers got a chance to take the Russian throne - such as Menshikov, who could hope that after the death of Peter, his long-time concubine could transfer the throne to him, appoint him emperor, because it was thanks to him that this washerwoman became queen and empress.

During this period, Peter was told that in the south, Persia had actually collapsed due to internal strife, and it would not hurt to snatch something from it. And Peter moved a huge army against Persia, which easily, without much resistance, reached Baku. Further advance was stopped by the Ottoman army approaching to help Persia, as a result of which Peter was forced to sign a peace treaty in September 1723, beneficial for Russia - Persia ceded the Caucasus to Russia from Dagestan to Baku. But all material and human efforts, human sacrifices were in vain, because Russia, greatly weakened during the reign of Peter the Great, after his death did not risk fighting with Persia and, according to the Reshtek Treaty of 1732 and the Ganja Treaty of 1735, everything it had won peacefully returned to Persia back.

If in the Prut campaign about 5 thousand Russian soldiers and officers died in battle, and 22 thousand died through the fault of Peter as a result of his poor organization of the campaign - from cold and hunger, then I don’t know how many lives Peter the Great lost this time in the Persian campaign.

In 1723, Peter the Great was forced to impose a death sentence for embezzlement on his friend the Jew P. P. Shafirov (1669–1739), but at the last moment he relented and replaced the execution with exile.

52-year-old Peter was already feeling very bad and took care of the throne - in May 1724 he organized a grand coronation ceremony for his beloved Martha Catherine, after whom he had previously named a city in Siberia (Sverdlovsk) in 1723. But as already indicated above, from about 1717, Martha Catherine “went on a spree” and had many lovers, many knew about this, except for Peter, the courtiers jointly kept the secret. She did not stop her pleasures when she became queen, and empress, and crowned. A few months after the coronation, Peter accidentally suddenly discovered a terrible truth for himself - his beloved Martha Catherine, the empress had long been cheating on him with the chamberlain, cuckolded the emperor, betrayed him! Treason again! And with whom? - with Willim Mons, the brother of that Anna Mons, who also cuckolded the king. Peter was shocked.

“... There is also evidence that since 1724, Peter simply became impotent, and the “mother queen” finally went all out,” noted A. Burovsky in his study. In any case, Peter was definitely very ill, and after drinking a huge amount of alcohol he could have completely weakened, and 12 years younger than him, Martha-Catherine was fragrant with health, and 4 years younger than her, Willim was the court “Apollo” and “love” was understood in Peter's style.

The very sick Peter “the Great” was furious and indescribably furious, jumped, screamed, poked the walls and everything that came to hand with a hunting knife, almost maimed his daughters, and broke the door. This was the last person close to him, and he betrayed him. Menshikov had long ago greatly disappointed Peter with his greed and cunning and was already in great disgrace. Peter was devastated, disappointed with life, lost all meaning in life, completely alone. This was the natural end of the monster’s dirty life: he started with dirt, spent his whole life in dirt and blood, and ended his life with dirt and blood. He mocked lives, Life, and Life answered him in kind. Afraid of causing himself more pain and making more “discoveries,” Peter interrupted the investigation and cut off Mons’s head on November 16, 1724, planted the severed head on a pole on Trinity Square and ominously brought Martha Catherine to show the head of her lover, not realizing that it was his it's a shame.

Although he tried to hide and disguise his shame - the verdict said that Mons would be executed for bribes. Then Peter ordered his competitor’s head to be preserved in alcohol and placed in the Kunstkamera. Other infidelities did not become known to Peter, because his close associates, tied up in secret, were not “vitally” interested in this, and first of all, Menshikov’s closest friend, who, according to some historical researchers, had not broken contact with his mistress since 1703. The shocked Peter began to quickly wither away, drove his wife into separate rooms, then began to impose sanctions: he forbade the courtiers to accept orders and instructions from the empress, then imposed a “quaestor” on the issuance of money to her, and the empress had to borrow money from the courtiers; then Peter tore up his will on succession to the throne. And it is not known what lengths Peter would have reached in his rage, or rather, it is known, if not for his sudden death on January 28, 1725.

Whether it sounds paradoxical or natural, everyone benefited from the death of the tyrant. And many researchers are inclined to conclude that Peter’s death was hastened, “helped” - he was poisoned, and first of all, his beloved Martha-Ekaterina and his childhood “friend” Menshikov were interested in this. For if Peter had been able to finish his famous phrase, interrupted by death: “Give everything...”, then, most likely, it would have been a disaster for them, and so they, completely free, already without any fear of Peter, spent two years at the height of power in continuous drunkenness and orgies, when, as visiting foreigners wrote, at the Russian imperial court, day and night merged into one during this activity. A. Burovsky noted:

“Peter seemed to have deliberately done everything possible to ensure that there was literally nothing left after him. He killed a smart, good son who could have ruled after him; He elevated to the throne a woman who was mortally dangerous to himself and completely unsuitable for the role of empress. Finally, it was as if he had deliberately brought to power people who were completely incapable of standing at the helm of the state.”

Peter himself gathered his entire palace “team”, gave birth to them, and during his lifetime he united them, was the center of their attention and the “fastening cement”, but with the death of Peter this “cement” uniting together abruptly disappeared, freeing his subordinates, and they are free from it , sometimes being sober and of sound mind, they intrigued harshly among themselves, plotted against each other. The famous historian Klyuchevsky noted: “They began to fool around with Russia immediately after the death of the transformer, hated each other and began to trade in Russia as their prey.”

“In general, it must be said that the company of “chicks of Petrov’s nest” was not only stinking and bad, but also extremely unviable: both short-lived and leaving no offspring. As soon as Peter died, the members of this circle fought, betrayed each other and began to die one after another. And in their descendants these people were barren. If the reader thinks that I am a spiteful critic and slander wonderful people, let him name me anyone from the Menshikovs, Yaguzhinskys, Golovins, Buturlins. Name at least one famous statesman, famous for his deeds, scientist, writer, artist...”, noted A. Burovsky.

We have finished considering the history of the reign of Peter the Great, it remains to consider the damage and tragic consequences.

Taken from the book: Roman Klyuchnik “From Peter 1 to the catastrophe of 1917”