Biography of Empress Elizabeth I Petrovna. Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna: biography, years of reign, foreign and domestic policy, achievements and interesting facts

"L'unique affaire de la vie est le plaisir"
("The only thing in life is pleasure")
Henri Bayle (Stendhal)

"My sufferings are too light compared to my sins."
empress Elizaveta Petrovna
(one day before death)

"I will look for him"
Leo Tolstoy ("Father Sergius")

The study of literature about Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and her era causes a feeling of dissatisfaction: the vast majority of materials are devoted to people from her inner circle, their intrigues and greed, favorites, wars waged by her army, diplomacy, issues of economic development and culture of Russia during the years of her reign.

The image of the daughter of Peter the Great herself remains, as it were, somewhat obscured, it is hardly visible through the muslin of time, the personality of this, in my opinion, unusual empress is presented either in a ballroom setting or through the keyhole of her bedroom.

It is no coincidence that almost everything related to the medical aspects of the life of Elizabeth Petrovna remained between the lines of books and articles telling about her, behind the scenes of the theater, called the kingdom of Elizabeth Petrovna.

While working on this essay, I literally waded through the literary jungle, collecting bit by bit everything that could be related to her physical condition, life and nutrition, affections and hobbies, intimate life, influencing with a plus or minus sign on the strength of the human body. Of course, I was interested in the conclusions and diagnoses of her personal doctors, everything that we, doctors, collectively call the anamnesis of a person’s life and illness. But these data, with rare exceptions, I could not find ...

INSTEAD OF FOREWORD

On December 29, 1709, in the village of Kolomenskoye near Moscow, the youngest daughter of Peter the Great, named Elizabeth, was born.

It was on this day, having won a great victory over Charles XII during the Battle of Poltava, that Peter I entered Moscow in order to celebrate a joyful event with his characteristic temperament and breadth. Having learned about the birth of his daughter, he said: "Let's postpone the celebration of victory and hasten to congratulate my daughter on her ascension into the world!"

Elizaveta Petrovna, like her older sister Anna, was an illegitimate child (their parents got married only in 1712), and this circumstance seriously affected her later. female destiny, and her rights to the throne.

The father loved his daughters very much, and called Elizabeth “Lizetka” and “the fourth sweetheart”, but for obvious reasons, he devoted very little personal time to them.

The beloved child grew up far from the royal court, in the villages of Izmailovo, Preobrazhenskoye, Pokrovskoye, near Moscow, or in Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda.

The upbringing of the future empress, moreover, in a deeply religious atmosphere, was carried out by his sister, Princess Natalya Alekseevna, and the family of A. D. Menshikov. And this religiosity laid down in childhood was inalienable and important part her essence throughout her life, which did not prevent her, however, from living greedily and passionately, as long as her strength allowed ...

Like most children growing up in an atmosphere of love, Elizabeth was a restless and active child and teenager. Her main pastimes were horseback riding, rowing, and dancing. The historian V. O. Klyuchevsky wrote: “Growing up, Elizabeth seemed like a young lady who had been brought up in a girl’s. wedding guests.

Peter and Catherine understood the need for their children to study, but this study was one-sided, which was associated with their future, which their parents drew for themselves. Elizabeth spoke fluent French, and according to some evidence, German, easily read Italian texts, wrote poetry, and sang beautifully. She was also taught dance, music, dressing, and not without success.

At the same time, the princess was constantly surrounded by a French retinue, which is not accidental. Peter wanted to marry his beautiful daughter to the French King Louis XV or to someone from the House of Bourbon, but Versailles was embarrassed by the origin of Elizabeth's mother (Marta Skavronskaya came from a family of Lithuanian peasants, and her ascension to the Russian throne is similar to a fairy tale from "A Thousand and One Nights "). Among the suitors of the youngest daughter of Peter were Karl August, Prince-Bishop of Lubsky, Prince George of England, Karl of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Infante Don Manuel of Portugal, Count Mauritius of Saxony, Infante Don Carlos of Spain, Duke Ferdinand of Courland, Duke Ernst Ludwig of Brunswick and many more, even the Persian Shah Nadir. But every time something interfered, and Elizabeth was left without a high-born husband, subsequently linking herself in a morganatic marriage with the handsome Alexei Rozum, the son of a simple Ukrainian Cossack from the village of Lemeshi, a singer of the court choir ...

In the year of her father's death, Elizabeth turned 16 years old. The time of carefree life, which lasted during the reign of his mother, Empress Catherine I, and then his nephew, Emperor Peter II, who dreamed of marrying his lovely aunt (he was, however, six years younger than her), ended under the imperious and cruel Empress Anna Ioannovna .

The testament of 1727 of Catherine I provided for the rights of Elizabeth and her offspring to the throne after Peter II (grandson of Peter I, son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich) and Anna Petrovna. In February 1728, the 20-year-old Duchess Anna of Holstein died of "puerperal fever", giving birth to the future Russian Emperor Peter III. In February 1730, 14-year-old Peter II died of smallpox. It seems that the turn of Elizabeth has come to become the mistress of her father's inheritance.

But, immediately after the death of the young emperor, the Supreme Privy Council, in whose hands real power was concentrated under Peter II, consisting of Chancellor Golovkin, four representatives of the Dolgoruky family and two Golitsyns, after conferring, chose the youngest daughter of Tsar John Alekseevich, his brother and the nominal co-ruler of Peter I, the widow Duchess of Courland, thirty-seven-year-old Anna Ioannovna, who had lived in Courland for 20 years, had no favorites and parties in Russia, and this suited everyone. Anna seemed to the members of the Privy Council obedient and manageable, in which she soon, however, successfully managed to convince them.

Elizabeth was denied the throne on the grounds that she was born before her parents entered into an official marriage. Most likely, she did not suit the power-hungry nobles with her unpredictability, love of freedom and low birth (on the part of her mother).

Anna Ioannovna was well aware that her ascension to the Russian throne, bypassing Elizabeth, was illegal, that in the person of the princess, she finds a dangerous rival. Even the inner circle of Peter II stubbornly sought the tonsure of Elizabeth as a nun, encountering the resistance of the young monarch. The empress, who had barely ascended the throne, did not want to begin her reign with such an unseemly act. But she considered it impossible to leave Elizabeth unattended.

On the site of the ancient Russian village of Spassky, already under Peter I, the so-called Smolny Yard was founded, where resin was produced and stored for the needs of the Admiralty. Directly on the site of the future Smolny Cathedral stood a small palace, or Smolny House, as it was called in the 18th century. Here, during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, under the vigilant supervision of Duke Biron, almost in confinement, Princess Elizabeth lived. “No one seemed to interfere with her freedom, but everyone understood that in fact she was under house arrest. There is a legend that Biron, dressed in the dress of a simple German artisan, followed Elizabeth” (Naum Sindalovsky).

During the entire 10-year reign of Anna Ioannovna, the princess lived away from all court and political affairs, constrained in some way in her livelihood, in her choice of acquaintances. Elizabeth had her own "young" court with its modest festivities, singing and theater, masquerades and other amusements. But the thought of the threat and such a life ("under the cap") did not leave her. She, this threat, increased even more when, after the death of Anna Ioannovna (1740), at her will, the Russian throne passed to the two-month-old Ivan Antonovich (son of Anna Leopoldovna, Duchess of Brunswick, daughter of Catherine Ioannovna, sister of the late Empress). It was Anna Leopoldovna, who removed Biron, regent under the infant Ivan Antonovich, and "under Empress Anna who saved Elizabeth from the monastery" (V. O. Klyuchevsky), became the real ruler of Russia.

“All the years of forced waiting in the wings, Elizabeth spent in full confidence in her inalienable and indisputable rights to the Russian throne ... and in the support that the people and the guard would give her. She knew that a legend lived in people that, dying, Peter held in his hands an ancient family icon of the Romanov dynasty, the image of the Sign Mother of God and blessed her, his daughter, with it. Since then, the princess especially honored this icon, and, they say, on the night of the coup d'état she prayed in front of her "(Naum Sindalovsky).

And Elizabeth herself and her inner circle understood that it was necessary to take a decisive step towards power; otherwise, she cannot escape the monastic apostle. At eight o'clock in the morning on January 24, 1741, she put on the St. Andrew's ribbon and declared herself a colonel of three guards regiments. According to one of the legends, with a small group of conspirators (with the "life company"), Elizabeth appeared in the Preobrazhensky Regiment, quartered near the Anichkov Bridge, and enlisted his support. The palace coup itself took place on the night of November 25 (December 6, NS) 1741, as a result of which the infant emperor was overthrown from the throne and his regent mother Anna Leopoldovna was removed from power. " The most legitimate hereinafter it is highlighted by me - V.P.) of all the successors and successors of Peter I, [she was] raised to the throne by rebellious guards bayonets "(V. O. Klyuchevsky).

On a frosty November night in 1741, bonfires were lit on the streets of St. Petersburg, the people rejoiced: the youngest daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth, ascended the Russian throne.

Her thirty-two birthday was just over a month away.

MY LIGHT, MIRROR, SAY...

Elizaveta Petrovna grew very beautiful child. Seeing her and her sister in 1717 dressed in Spanish costumes (Elizabeth is eight years old) on the occasion of meeting Peter, who was returning from abroad, the French ambassador noticed that the youngest daughter of the sovereign seemed unusually beautiful in this outfit.

The Spanish envoy Duke de Liria in 1728 wrote about the 18-year-old princess: “Princess Elizabeth is such a beauty that I have rarely seen. She has an amazing complexion, beautiful eyes, an excellent neck and an incomparable figure. She is tall, extremely lively, dances well and rides without the slightest fear. She is not devoid of intelligence, graceful and very coquettish."

Most of the memoirs and documentary evidence agreed that Elizaveta Petrovna was unusually attractive. And she was well aware of this, and all her life she tried to preserve her beauty, making incredible efforts for this, sparing neither personal time (always to the detriment of her public duties), nor the means that she had as an empress. It was her fixed idea.

"Alive and cheerful, but never taking her eyes off herself, while large and slender, with a beautiful round and ever-blooming face, she liked to impress..." ( V. O. Klyuchevsky) Those who believed that Elizabeth Petrovna had "a lot of vanity, she generally wanted to shine in everything and serve as an object of surprise" were right.

Over the years, however, her beauty began to fade, and she spent whole hours in front of the mirror. There is one aspect in connection with this in the context of her health that I cannot ignore. This is just about the empress's passionate desire to preserve her bodily attractiveness. To this end, she used both traditional Russian and European cosmetics (the term first appeared in everyday life only in 1867, but I will allow myself to use it in this case).

In Rus', raspberry, cherry and beetroot juice was used as blush and lipstick. Eyes and eyebrows were lined with soot. In order to whiten the face, milk, sour cream, honey, egg yolk, animal fat, cucumber juice or parsley decoction were used.

Whether Elizaveta Petrovna used these means is unknown. I do not rule out, given her upbringing, that she used it. But I also dare to suggest that, in an effort to stay in line with contemporary trends, the Empress also used fashionable European, especially French, cosmetics. It is no coincidence that magazines were ordered for her from Paris, in which articles were offered on various aspects of the life of high society.

Starting in the 16th century, until the middle of the 18th century, pale skin and red lips came into fashion, which supposedly created a very attractive contrast. From the middle of the 18th century, French fashionistas began to use red rouge and lipstick to give a "healthy" blush to their faces (pallor, thus, was retired). A pale complexion (a sign of an aristocratic lifestyle) was achieved with the help of expensive powder, which could cause severe damage to the skin and loss of teeth due to the presence of white lead. A more dangerous one has also been used. arsenic powder. Later, sparing rice and wheat flour began to be used for the production of powder. Almost all cosmetics during the years of Elizabeth's life were created by local pharmacists, and contained toxic substances - mercury and nitric acid.

Even modern cosmetology claims that the constant use of cosmetics leads to the fact that annually enters the female body up to three kg included in it chemical substances. Getting into the blood through the skin, they have a negative effect on organs and systems at the cell level, contributing to the development of various diseases from accelerated skin aging to oncology. At the same time, a single substance in itself can be safe, but when a number of different agents are layered on the face, the conditionally safe components contained in them, when mixed, can harm health and provoke irreversible processes in the body. We are talking about known to doctors the phenomenon of synergy - the phenomenon of mutual enhancement of efficiency or side effects cosmetics.

With this I will limit my excursion into the history and problems of cosmetology, because, in my opinion, the information given is quite enough to conclude that Elizaveta Petrovna really sacrificed her health in the name of beauty.

French diplomat J.-L. Favier, who observed her in last years, wrote that the aging empress "still retains a passion for outfits and every day becomes more demanding and whimsical about them. A woman has never reconciled more difficultly with the loss of youth and beauty. Often, after spending a lot of time on the toilet, she begins to get angry at the mirror , orders to take off his head and other headdresses again, cancels the upcoming spectacle or dinner and locks himself up, refusing to see anyone.

Already from childhood, Elizaveta Petrovna was a terrible fashionista; she did not try to moderate this passion for dresses, although she "lived and reigned in gilded poverty" ( V. O. Klyuchevsky). During a fire in Moscow in 1753, four thousand of her dresses burned down in the palace, and after her death, Peter III discovered in the Summer Palace of his royal aunt a wardrobe with fifteen thousand dresses, "some worn once, some not worn at all, two chests of silk stockings "(V. O. Klyuchevsky), several thousand pairs of shoes and more than a hundred uncut pieces of rich French fabrics. And this is in the presence of "heaps of unpaid bills" and the refusal from time to time of "French haberdashery stores ... to release newfangled goods to the palace on credit" (V. O. Klyuchevsky). Kazimir Valishevsky points out that the development of textile manufactories in the era of the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna was associated precisely with the indomitable love of the Empress for outfits.

Elizaveta Petrovna's passion to remain forever beautiful, to shine in society, has been inextricably linked since her youth with an insatiable desire for entertainment. She danced wonderfully , constantly inventing new figures for dancing, which testified to an undoubted choreographic gift.

"Having ascended the throne, she wanted to fulfill her girlish dreams; performances, pleasure trips, courts, balls, masquerades stretched in an endless string, striking with dazzling brilliance and luxury to the point of nausea" (V. O. Klyuchevsky). Life at court turned into an eternal holiday: entertainment succeeded each other in a dizzying whirlwind.

The courtyard of Elizabeth Petrovna delighted the guests with its wealth and splendor. At the same time, "... the living rooms, where the palace inhabitants left the lush halls, struck with crampedness, squalor of the situation, sloppiness: the doors did not close, the windows blew; water flowed along the wall sheathing, the rooms were extremely damp" (V. O. Klyuchevsky ). I will suggest that the Empress's bedroom was no better. It is no coincidence that in the literature there are brief references to its "fever".

If in the first two or three years Elizaveta Petrovna paid some attention to solving state issues, then later she entrusted this to her ministers and senators, and often documents of great national importance waited for her signature for several months.

In her memoirs, Catherine II wrote: “The Empress was extremely fond of outfits and almost never wore the same dress twice. ... play and toilet filled the day".

Modern medicine shows that the risk of developing diseases of the cardiovascular system increases significantly with the appearance of excess weight, which is only 10% higher than the norm! With each extra kilogram, the possibility of developing heart and vascular diseases increases by 3%. Ailments characteristic of the elderly, in obese people appear 7 years earlier.

Excess weight is the second factor after smoking that contributes to the appearance of a cancerous tumor, increases the risk of respiratory diseases, especially bronchial asthma.

ABOUT THIS, OR LET THEY SPEAK

Barely entering the time of puberty, Elizaveta Petrovna began to show an increased interest in opposite sex. Below are excerpts from many works dedicated to her life and reign.

"Once, even in her youth, she wept bitterly because she liked four knights at once and she didn't know which one to choose."

"Waiting for the suitors, Elizabeth had fun, indulged in love pleasures and bided her time."

Mardefeld, the ambassador of the Prussian king Frederick II, informed his patron: "... she several times daily sacrifices on the altar of Amur's mother.

Apart from many fleeting hobbies, her lovers were chamberlain Alexander Buturlin, chief of the court Semyon Naryshkin, ensign Alexei Shubin, Pyotr Shuvalov, Alexei Razumovsky (I repeat, a morganatic marriage was concluded with him), Roman and Mikhail Vorontsov, Karl Sievers, chamber-page Pimen Lyalin, cadet Nikita Beketov, coachman Voychinsky, grenadier Mikhail Ivinsky, Valentin P. Musin-Pushkin, cornet of the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment Nikita Panin, Ivan Iv. Shuvalov. Not all names have been preserved in history.

From a letter of the French king Louis XV to his ambassador in St. Petersburg, Baron Breteuil (1761): “I learned that the last seizure that was with the empress raised fears about her life, and although no information about her state of health is publicly reported, but her temperament, her idle and depressing life and her refusal to seek medical help support these fears.

A genealogist and publicist who hated the house of the Romanovs, Prince Pyotr Vladimirovich Dolgorukov wrote a hundred years later that on December 25, 1761 at four in the afternoon " exhausted by debauchery and drunkenness, Elizabeth died at the age of fifty-three.

"Elizabeth was distinguished by her cheerful disposition, unusual love of life and freedom in personal conduct. It is also known that in the world severely condemned her "pleasure meetings in suburban residences". However, urban folklore treated her behavior more than condescendingly "(Naum Sindalovsky).

We will also treat Elizabeth Petrovna's choice of her attachments "more than condescendingly." Her personal life was under the electron microscope of history only because she was at the top of the pyramid, called the "Russian Empire". But, since the purpose of this work was to study the causes of the death of the Empress, I could not help touching on the topic of her sexual life, since both the lack and excess of the latter are a factor that plays an important role for human health.

Female hypersexuality

In sexology, there is the concept of "nymphomania", the origin of which is associated with ancient Greek myths. The ancient Greeks believed that nymphs lived in the forests and lured men to them to satisfy their love fantasies.

Undoubtedly, these myths were based on practical observations about the existence of women with increased sexual activity. Hypersexual women are called nymphomaniacs. Their prevalence in the population: about one in 2500 women.

At the heart of female hypersexuality is the production of an excess amount of female sex hormones (estrogens, progesterone) by the corresponding endocrine organs. Estrogens give a woman attractiveness, sex appeal, progesterone - determine the strength of attraction to the opposite sex.

There are congenital and acquired hypersexuality. In the first case, they speak of congenital constitutional hypersexuality.

Causes of acquired hypersexuality: early onset of sexual activity; wearing tight corsets (17-18 centuries; active blood flow to the pelvic area causes constant sexual arousal); the presence of neurological foci located in the diencephalic region of the brain; some endocrine syndromes accompanied by hormonal disorders; climax.

Women who are hypersexual are generally not interested in high education, family, motherhood. Marriage is just a convention for them. They are characterized by frequent change of partners during the day, avoidance of strong ties. They are capable of multiple orgasms and parallel relationships with multiple lovers. It is impossible for a man with average data to withstand such violent sexual activity. It is no coincidence that young people of very different social origins most often find themselves in the bed of sex hunters.

Excessive production of female sex hormones is one of the reasons for the development of a number of painful conditions: depression, fainting, fatigue, overweight, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, dysfunctions of the liver and thyroid gland, and skin. With age, as compensation mechanisms are depleted, these side effects increased production of female sex hormones begin to assert themselves with increasing severity, contributing to the acceleration of the aging process.

At a distance of two hundred and fifty years, it is difficult to decide what kind of hypersexuality, congenital or acquired, the Empress is talking about. And in general, is it possible to talk about the presence of hypersexuality in Elizaveta Petrovna?

I am inclined to believe, nevertheless, that she has just such a sexual status. A number of facts from her life testify in favor of this. Some of them can be considered as predisposing to the development of hypersexuality, and some - as manifestations of the latter: surrounding her with young years the French retinue, which brought into the consciousness of the princesses the mores of the French royal court of the first half of the 18th century with its licentiousness and permissiveness; early onset of sexual activity; features of the cut of women's outfits of that era (wearing tight corsets and bodices - see above); Elizaveta Petrovna's lack of great interest in creating a family and having children; frequent change of sexual partners with a preference for young and strong men, regardless of their social status; the desire for repeated sexual intercourse during the day, a tendency to fainting and fullness.

FATHER'S INHERITANCE OR LIFE WITH INPUT

Alexander Ivanovich Weidemeier: "The health of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna began to noticeably weaken, especially since 1756. fainting and convulsions(hereinafter, the author's style of presentation is preserved with minimal editing - V.P.). In early September 1758, on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin, while in Tsarskoye Selo, Elizaveta Petrovna listened to the liturgy in the parish church. Already at the very beginning of the service, she felt ill and went out into the air. After taking a few steps, I fell unconscious in convulsions on the grass. After bloodletting and various medicines, she was brought to her senses, but when she opened her eyes, she did not recognize anyone for two hours. In the next few days, she could not speak freely (tongue bite - V.P.) ... From the beginning of 1761, every month she had epileptic seizures, after which in the next three or four days her condition was close to lethargic, she could not speak.

Kazimir Valishevsky writes in detail about the September attack, and not only about him: “In November 1758, the faint repeated ... By February 1759, Elizabeth Petrovna began to show signs spiritual and mental decline against the background of the growing deterioration of her health ... Since 1760 learned to absorb strong liquors in huge quantities".

Throughout 1761, until her death, she spent in bed, rarely getting up. In March of this year, she suffered from severe bronchopneumonia, which threatened her with pulmonary edema. But this time everything worked out. Increased bleeding from the area of ​​trophic ulcers.

In general, the state of Elizabeth's health inspired both doctors and those closest to her with great concern ...

And here comes the date mentioned by many authors: November 17th. What happened on this day?

In a lengthy Message from the Court entitled "A brief description of the illness and death of Her Majesty Empress Elisaveta Petrovna, eternal glory worthy of memory", published in the "Addendum" to the capital's newspaper "St. Petersburg Vedomosti" dated December 28, 1761, it was indicated that " mid November the Empress opened " catarrhal fever"But the effect of the drugs used by the doctors of the august patient soon gave reason to believe that the danger had passed."

From the official Notice of Death: "According to the untried fate of the Almighty Lord, Her Imperial Majesty, Most Serene Great Sovereign Empress Elisaveta Petrovna, Autocrat of All Russia, 25th this month at half past four in the afternoon, after a cruel illness, to the indescribable sadness of the Imperial family and the entire state, passing the life of his 52 years and eight days, and his worthy possession of 20 years and one month, from this temporal life to eternal bliss departed ... "(St.

From the memoirs of Catherine II: "Empress Elisaveta Petrovna died on Christmas Day, December 25, 1761, at three o'clock in the afternoon; I remained with her body ...

The next day in the morning (December 26 - V.P.) ... I went to Mass, then bowed to the body. [In the same day] the body of the late Empress was dissected.

IN January 25th ( February 5 a.d. With. - V.P.) 1762 they carried the body of the Empress in a coffin lying with all sorts of splendor and proper honors from the palace across the river to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in the fortress. The Emperor himself, followed by me, followed by Skavronsky, followed by the Naryshkins, then all by rank walked behind the coffin from the palace itself to the church.

Give rest, O Lord, to the soul of Thy servant, Empress Elizabeth...

Gravestone over the burial place of the Empress
Elizabeth Petrovna in the Peter and Paul Cathedral
Petersburg

CAUSES OF THE DEATH OF THE EMPRESS

I approached the most difficult for me, I will not hide, section of the essay: what kind of illness, specifically, was the cause of the death of Elizaveta Petrovna?

Actually, the main cause of death is clear: increased bleeding of the mucous membranes of the nose and stomach (vomiting blood), lung tissue (hemoptysis), trophic ulcers of the legs. It was not possible to cope with the increasing recurrence of bleeding. The Empress died from an irreparable loss of blood. But "blood loss" is a symptom, not a clinical diagnosis.

Before continuing, I want to make a reservation: the scarcity and inconsistency of the clinical data given above not only complicate the diagnosis, but also make it look like fortune telling on coffee grounds. But it turns out that the images and patterns of coffee grounds can say something to a connoisseur. This gives me the moral right to my analysis.

To begin with, firstly, we are talking about bleeding from several organs (nasal, skin, gastric, pulmonary), and secondly, about the gradual increase in symptoms of increased bleeding (first nosebleeds are mentioned, then from the area of ​​trophic ulcers of the legs , then hemoptysis and next - gastric bleeding).

Thus, the systemic nature of bleeding draws attention. This is essential, because it allows you to reach the group of precisely those diseases that are manifested by the development of bleeding from different organs. I will list these diseases in alphabetical order:

1. Hemorrhagic diathesis
2. Leukemia
3. Poisoning
4. Syphilis
5. Tuberculosis

I'll start with tuberculosis. N. Sorotokina writes: “Somehow, the medical doctor Kanonidi discovered that the Empress was spitting blood. Already in ancient Babylon they knew about this disease (about its pulmonary form). There is no doubt that the doctors who supervised Elizaveta Petrovna were guided in his diagnosis, and therefore, one can trust their conclusion. In addition, with tuberculosis of the digestive tract, we are talking about damage to the peripheral sections of the intestine. In our case, there was gastric bleeding. This, in turn, also gives grounds to reject the diagnosis of "tuberculosis" ...

Under the term "Hemorrhagic diathesis" understand a large group of diseases, which are based on disorders of blood coagulation of various nature. Their feature is the tendency of patients to increased bleeding, including from the nose and gastrointestinal tract. The best known of these are hemophilia, platelet diseases and those associated with instability of the vascular wall. To exclude "Hemorrhagic diathesis" from the list of presumptive diagnoses proposed above gives reason missing in the history of life and illness of Elizabeth Petrovna, the following factors: the onset of diseases in childhood; trauma preceding exacerbation with damage to the integrity of the skin and mucous membranes; the appearance on the skin and mucous membranes of hemorrhages of various sizes (from pinpoint to bruises big size) and etc. Pulmonary bleeding in hemorrhagic diathesis has not been described.

Naum Sindalovsky: "It was not without assumptions of the most incredible nature. They said that the empress was poisoned German spies on the orders of the Prussian king, put by the victorious Russian troops during the Seven Years' War in a hopeless situation.

My comparisons of the clinical picture of the empress’s illness (see above) with that of poisoning with strong acids and caustic alkalis, arsenic compounds, cyanides (hydrocyanic acid), turpentine, ergot, sublimate, made it possible to completely exclude this hypothesis due to the acute and rapid development of the disease with a fatal outcome in case of poisoning. From historical literature, from scientific tomes on alchemy, it is known that mankind has accumulated vast experience in creating compositions from toxic substances that lead to death. gradually. Above, I have already mentioned the danger to the body of the long-term use of cosmetics, which are actually poisonous. But in the case of Elizaveta Petrovna, a sharp deterioration in her condition from beginning to end lasted for about six weeks, which does not fit into both versions (acute and chronic poisoning).

In addition, rare military clashes during the Seven Years' War between the troops of Russia and Prussia, the diplomatic resourcefulness of Frederick II, disagreements between members of the anti-Prussian coalition (Austria, Russia, France), as well as their lack of interest in the complete destruction of Prussia - all this testifies to the absence of a motive Friedrich to start a difficult operation with the poisoning of Elizaveta Petrovna. Friedrich was well aware of what was happening in the palace of the Russian Empress, the state of her health, the situation in the Russian army, and who decides military issues in it. Of course, the version of "poisoning" should be attributed to the field of folklore.

The deterioration of Elizaveta Petrovna's health, expressed in refusal to eat, a sharp decline in strength, a decrease or complete cessation of physical activity, combined with severe nose and stomach bleeding, suggests that she acute leukemia. This was evidenced by the rather rapid negative dynamics of the disease, as well as repeated indications by the attending physicians of the "inflamed state of the body" of their patient (see above). I will note for non-medical readers that the onset of acute leukemia is usually characterized by high body temperature and chills, which are considered signs of "inflammation".

Hemorrhagic, that is, characterized by bleeding, a form of leukemia, namely, this condition could be attributed to such, proceeds very quickly and usually ends in death with phenomena of heavy bleeding. But there is one "but" that allows us to refuse this diagnosis: the absence of pulmonary bleeding in acute leukemia, hemoptysis ...

And finally syphilis. There are many hypotheses about the source of the spread of syphilis in Europe. . One of the earliest of them calls France, the beloved country of Elizabeth Petrovna, the ancestral home of this disease. German expression " die Franzosen haben"(to have the French) meant" to suffer from syphilis ". Hence the name of syphilis: "French disease" or "Gallic disease". From Western Europe, this name (along with the disease itself) came to the Slavic peoples ...

Since there was no "sex" in the Soviet Union, then syphilis, by definition, should not have been. The author of this essay, a graduate of the Leningrad Pediatric Medical Institute, remembers one curious episode from his university years, which could well pass for a joke. Classes within the framework of the topic "Venereal Diseases" were held in one of the relevant departments of a specialized hospital. On the first day of the cycle, the teacher, introducing us to the clinic, led us to boxing: "Here, a woman, a fleet manager at her place of work, is being treated for syphilis, and eight drivers from the same fleet are in the next room." In my first year of independent work as a doctor, I diagnosed this disease in a young man, and later worked in a hospital department where infants with congenital syphilis were hospitalized. Conscious Soviet man syphilis was something alien, dirty, immoral, capitalistic.

We are talking about a chronic systemic infectious disease, transmitted, in most cases, sexually, from which neither the inhabitants of the huts, nor the inhabitants of the palaces, nor those who lived in a feudal, nor in a socialist society, are immune.

Summing up all the information at my disposal about the health of Elizaveta Petrovna, I am forced to come to the conclusion that she suffered from "French disease" from a young age. Clinically, everything that had to be observed by the doctors who supervised it for many years fits into the picture of the late stage of syphilis, which is characterized by involvement in the pathological process of the central nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive systems, and the musculoskeletal system. I will list the symptoms characteristic of the defeat of one or another system that took place in Elizaveta Petrovna.

- central nervous system: dizziness, speech disorder, nausea and vomiting.
- The cardiovascular system: general weakness, swelling of the lower extremities, shortness of breath.
- Respiratory system: cough with sputum, shortness of breath, hemoptysis.
- Digestive system: vomiting with blood.
- Musculoskeletal system: difficulties in movement, which bedridden her in the last two years of her life.

Syphilis, which, by the way, is also characterized by convulsive seizures, proceeded against the background of hereditary epilepsy, obesity, and a generally unhealthy lifestyle, which aggravated the course of the underlying disease and contributed to its progression.

I want to make a reservation: I expressed my opinion here, which is not the truth in the final instance. Undoubtedly, other hypotheses can be expressed regarding the main nosology that brought the Russian Empress to the grave ...

She sincerely tried to continue the reforms of her father, and, if desired, you can find a lot of evidence for this. And, at the same time, she lived with passions, remaining the way nature created her with all the advantages and disadvantages. As the historian V. O. Klyuchevsky noted: Poems [it seems - again along the bottom, along the ice / sliding on the slimy stones / the water recedes behind the wood, behind the ridge / look back - it’s impossible, impossible ...]

“Looking at the affairs of Petrova,
To the hail, to the fleet and to the shelves
And it's good for your shackles,
The power of someone else's hand is strong,
Russia sighed earnestly
And every hour she cried out with her heart
To you, your Defender:
Deliver, cast down our burden,
Raise up to us the Petrovo Tribe,
Comfort, comfort your people,

Cover the Fatherly laws,
Regiments of nasty otzheni
And the sanctity of Your Crown
Strangers touch the taboo;
Turn away taxes from the church:
Monarchs are waiting for you,
Porphyry, Scepter and Throne;
The Almighty will go before You
And with your strong hand
It will protect everyone from terrible evils.

IRONIC POEMS by A.K. TOLSTOY

"Merry queen
Elizabeth was:
Sing and have fun
There is just no order."

RUSSIA IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 18TH CENTURY

“In ... a vast space in the 40-50s of the XVIII century. only 19 million people of both sexes lived. They were extremely unevenly distributed throughout the country. If the population of the Central Industrial Region, which covered only Moscow and the provinces adjacent to it, numbered at least 4.7 million people, then the population of Siberia and the North was no more than 1 million people.

No less curious social structure population of Russia at that time. No more than 600 thousand people lived in cities, or less than 4% of the total population. The peasant population was divided into two main groups: the possessing peasants (landlords, palaces, monasteries) and the state, whose overlord was the state. In the total mass taken into account in the second revision (census) of 1744-1747. the peasant population (7.8 million male souls) of the landlord peasants was 4.3 million souls, or 50.5%. In general, the serf population accounted for 70% of the peasant and 63.2% of the total population. Such a significant predominance of serfs quite convincingly testifies to the nature of the Russian economy in the middle of the 18th century.

The Petrine era of reforms contributed to the intensive industrial development of the country. In the first half of the XVIII century. outstanding achievements were made in the iron and steel industry. Back in 1700, Russia smelted 5 times less iron than England, which was advanced at that time (respectively, 2.5 thousand tons and 12 thousand tons). But already in 1740, the output of pig iron in Russia reached 25 thousand tons, and she left England far behind, which smelted 17.3 thousand tons. Later on, this gap continued to increase, and in 1780 Russia already smelted 110 thousand tons. tons of pig iron, and England - only 40 thousand tons. And only at the end of the 18th century. the industrial revolution that began in England put an end to the economic power of Russia, built on manufacturing production and semi-serf labor organization.

In the second quarter of the XVIII century. there is no need to talk about the crisis of the Russian economy. In just 15 years (from 1725 to 1740) the output of cast iron and iron in the country more than doubled (from 1.2 million to 2.6 million poods). In those years, other industries, as well as trade, developed. During the Elizabethan period, heavy industry received further development. Thus, the smelting of pig iron from 25 thousand tons in 1740 increased to 33 thousand tons in 1750 and by 1760 amounted to 60 thousand tons. According to experts, the 50s were for metallurgical industry truly record-breaking throughout the 18th century.

Anisimov E.V. Russia in the middleXVIIIcentury. M., 1986

ANGER AND MERCY

On November 25, 1741, a new coup took place. At night, guards soldiers, led by their daughter Elizabeth, dressed in a cuirass, burst into the bedroom of the ruling Brunswick family. The little emperor and his parents were arrested. The soldier who was carrying Ivan VI dropped him on the stairs. The overthrown family was first intended to be sent abroad. Then they considered it too dangerous. The captives were sent to Kholmogory, to the north. The brothers and sisters of Ivan VI were born there. Anna Leopoldovna and Anton of Brunswick died in exile. Their children, who were even banned from being taught to read and write, eked out a miserable existence. Ivan VI was kept separately from the age of four - in the Shlisselburg fortress. In 1764, he was killed by guards during an attempt to free him by the adventurer Mirovich.

During the overthrow of the Brunswick family, Minich and Osterman were arrested. They were sent into exile in Siberia. But Elizabeth remembered the "merits" of Biron. In 1730-1740. The Duke of Courland did not allow Empress Anna Ioannovna to imprison Elizabeth in a monastery. (Biron hoped to marry his son to Elizabeth.) Elizabeth allowed Biron to return from Siberia and live in Yaroslav.

The company of the Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment that carried out the coup was named label company. Non-noble soldiers received hereditary nobility from it. All life-companies were granted estates. In the future, the Life Company did not play a prominent role in the Elizabethan reign.

The Life Company and other participants in the coup received 18,000 peasants and about 90,000 rubles. But in general, from 1741 to 1761, 800 thousand souls of both sexes were given to the nobles.

PRIVILEGED ESTATE

The nobles were not only freely released into retirement after 25 years of service, but they were not particularly monitored for whether they came to the service at a certain age. Under Elizabeth, the custom spread to record the nobles in the regiments as minors - from 3-4 years old, while the children, of course, lived in the homes of their parents, but the ranks and length of service were already on. When the young nobles really began to serve, they were already in officer ranks and they did not have long to serve before the expiration of the 25-year term.

The officer service in the guards regiments did not have the former strictness and was a pleasant and prestigious entertainment, which, however, required a lot of money.

In order to raise the income of the nobility, Elizabeth in 1754 declared distillation (vodka production) a monopoly of the nobles. This meant that only the nobles could now produce such a lucrative commodity. Merchants who had distilleries were ordered to break them down or sell them to the nobles within six months.

The state-owned factories of the Urals also began to be transferred to the nobles. In 1754, the Noble Bank was organized, which gave the nobles a loan at a low interest rate (6% against the traditional 30% for that time).

In 1746, Elizabeth issued a decree forbidding anyone other than nobles to buy serfs with or without land. Even the personal nobles who had served themselves out were forbidden to have serfs. In 1754, the General land surveying began. Non-nobles (including rich merchants) were generally forbidden to have estates with serfs. In 6 months they had to sell their estates. As a result, the "gentry" acquired an additional 50 million acres of land.

In the same 1754, internal customs were abolished in Russia, from which everyone who was engaged in trade, especially merchants, benefited.

In 1760, the landowners received the right to exile their peasants under the age of 45 to Siberia. Each exile was counted as a recruit, so the nobles widely used their right, exiling objectionable, poor or sick peasants and keeping the best workers. From 1760 to 1765 more than 20,000 serfs were exiled to the Tobolsk and Yenisei provinces.

Serfdom intensified. Serfs were almost not considered human beings: Elizabeth even excluded them from the oath taken by her subjects.

Elizabeth all the time emphasized that she was the daughter of Peter I and would rule like him. But the queen did not possess the genius of her father, so the similarity of these manifestations was only external. Elizabeth restored the system of central government institutions that was under Peter I. The Cabinet of Ministers was abolished, but at the end of the reign of Elizabeth, when the empress began to get sick often, a body arose that, in fact, repeats it and stands above the Senate and collegiums - the Conference at the Imperial Court . The conference included the presidents of the military and diplomatic departments and persons appointed by the empress.

EMPRESS ELIZABETH

“The nineteen-year reign of this empress gave the whole of Europe the opportunity to get acquainted with her character. They are accustomed to seeing in her an empress full of kindness and humanity, magnanimous, liberal and generous, but frivolous, carefree, disgusted with business, loving above all pleasure and entertainment, faithful rather to her tastes and habits than to passions and friendship, extremely trusting and always under someone else's influence.

All this is still true to a certain extent, but the years and disordered health, having made gradual changes in her body, were also reflected in her moral state. Thus, for example, love for pleasures and noisy festivities gave way in her to a disposition to silence and even solitude, but not to work. To this latter, Empress Elisaveta Petrovna feels more disgust than ever. For her, any reminder of business is hateful, and those close to her often happen to wait half a year for a convenient minute to persuade her to sign a decree or a letter.

IN. KLYUCHEVSKY ABOUT ELIZAVETA PETROVNA

Her reign was not without glory, not even without benefit.<…>Peaceful and carefree, she was forced to fight for almost half of her reign, defeated the first strategist of that time, Frederick the Great, took Berlin, laid the abyss of soldiers on the fields of Zorndorf and Kunersdorf; but since the reign of Princess Sophia, life in Rus' has never been so easy, and not a single reign before 1762 left such a pleasant memory. With two great coalition wars that exhausted Western Europe, it seemed that Elizabeth, with her 300,000-strong army, could become the arbiter of European destinies; the map of Europe lay before her at her disposal, but she looked at it so rarely that for the rest of her life she was sure of the possibility of traveling to England by land; and she also founded the first real university in Russia - Moscow. Lazy and capricious, frightened of any serious thought, abhorred by any business occupation, Elizabeth could not enter into the complex international relations of the then Europe and understand the diplomatic intricacies of her chancellor Bestuzhev-Ryumin. But in her inner chambers, she created for herself a special political environment of hangers-on and storytellers, gossips, headed by an intimate solidarity cabinet, where the prime minister was Mavra Yegorovna Shuvalova, the wife of the inventor and projector known to us, and the members were Anna Karlovna Vorontsova, nee Skavronskaya, a relative of the Empress, and some just Elizaveta Ivanovna, who was called the Minister of Foreign Affairs. “All cases were submitted to the empress through her,” a contemporary notes.<…>For all that, in her, not like in her Courland predecessor, somewhere deep under a thick crust of prejudices, bad habits and spoiled tastes, there still lived a man who sometimes broke through, then in a vow before seizing the throne no one would be executed by death and in fulfilling this vow decree of May 17, 1744, which actually abolished the death penalty in Russia, then in the refusal to approve the ferocious criminal part of the Code, drawn up in the Commission of 1754 and already approved by the Senate, with exquisite types of the death penalty, then in preventing the obscene petitions of the Synod about the need to abandon this empress of vow, then, finally, in the ability to cry from an unjust decision, torn out by the intrigues of the same Synod. Elizabeth was a smart and kind, but disorderly and capricious Russian lady of the 18th century, who, according to Russian custom, was scolded by many during her lifetime and, according to Russian custom, everyone mourned after her death.

COURT LIFE 30-50 18th century

Elizabeth's court was buried in luxury and exquisite nightly entertainment (the queen was afraid to sleep at night, because she was afraid of conspiracies carried out in Russia usually at night). The customs of Elizabeth's court differed little from European court life. Pleasant music played at the balls, performed by excellent orchestras, Elizaveta Petrovna shone with beauty and dresses. At the court, masquerade balls were regularly held, and in the first ten years, so-called "metamorphoses", when the ladies dressed up in men's suits, and men - in women's. Elizaveta Petrovna herself set the tone and was a trendsetter. Her wardrobe included 15 thousand dresses. The queen did not wear any of them twice. Nevertheless, V.O. Klyuchevsky noted: Having ascended the throne, she wanted to fulfill her girlish dreams into a magical reality; performances, pleasure trips, courts, balls, masquerades stretched out in an endless string, striking with dazzling brilliance and luxury to the point of nausea. Sometimes the whole courtyard turned into a theatrical foyer: day after day they talked only about the French comedy, about the Italian comic opera and its landlord Locatelli, about intermezza, etc. But the living rooms, where the palace inhabitants left the lush halls, were struck by crampedness, squalor conditions, slovenliness: the doors did not close, the windows blew; water ran over the wall-boards, the rooms were extremely damp; Grand Duchess Ekaterina had huge cracks in her bedroom in the oven; near this bedroom, 17 servants crowded in a small chamber; the furniture was so meager that mirrors, beds, tables and chairs were transported as needed from palace to palace, even from St. Petersburg to Moscow, broken, beaten and placed in this form in temporary places. Elizabeth lived and reigned in gilded poverty; she left behind in her wardrobe too 15,000 dresses, two chests of silk stockings, a bunch of unpaid bills and the unfinished huge Winter Palace, which had already absorbed more than 10 million rubles from our money from 1755 to 1761. Shortly before her death, she really wanted to live in this palace; but in vain she tried in vain to have the builder Rastrelli hasten to finish at least her own living rooms. French haberdashery shops sometimes refused to release newfangled goods to the palace on credit..

An integral feature of the Russian autocracy in the 1725-1750s. became favoritism. The rulers changed, but everyone had favorites who had great power and influence in the state, even if they did not hold high government posts. These favorites, "nobles in case," cost the treasury a lot of money. They were constantly showered with a golden rain of gifts, thousands, and even tens of thousands of serfs were given. Under Elizabeth Petrovna, Alexey Razumovsky and Ivan Shuvalov enjoyed a special location. Relatives and people close to the favorites also possessed colossal weight.

ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MOSCOW UNIVERSITY AND TWO GYMNASIUMS

WITH THE APPENDIX OF THE HIGHEST APPROVED PROJECT ON THIS SUBJECT

1755, January 12

When immortal glory in Bose resting, our dearest parent and sovereign Peter the Great, the great emperor and renovator of his fatherland, immersed in the depths of ignorance and weakened in strength, Russia led to the knowledge of true prosperity for the human race, that works believed, not only Russia feels, but most of the world is a witness to it; and although during the life of only a highly glorious monarch, our father and sovereign, we did not reach perfection in his all-useful enterprise, but we have the Almighty favor, since our accession to the All-Russian throne, we have hourly care and work, both for the fulfillment of all his glorious enterprises, so and about the production of everything that can only serve for the benefit and well-being of the entire fatherland, which indeed, in many matters, all loyal subjects of our motherly mercies are now using and will continue to be used by descendants, which times and actions prove every day. Following this, from our true patriots and knowing enough that our only desire and will is to produce the people's well-being for the glory of the fatherland, exercising in that, to our perfect pleasure, we applied our diligence and labor for the benefit of the whole people; but as all good comes from an enlightened mind, and, on the contrary, evil is rooted out, therefore, it is necessary to strive to make all useful knowledge grow in our vast empire in the way of decent sciences; which, imitating for the glory of the common fatherland, our Senate, and recognizing it as very useful for the general well-being of the people, most submissively reported to us that our real chamberlain and gentleman Shuvalov filed a report with the Senate, with the application of the project and staff on the establishment in Moscow of one university and two gymnasiums, he imagined the following: how science is everywhere necessary and useful, and how enlightened peoples are exalted and glorified over people living in the darkness of ignorance in this way, in which is the visible evidence of our age from God bestowed, to the well-being of our empire, the parent of our sovereign, Emperor Peter the Great, proves that divine his enterprise had fulfillment through the sciences, his immortal glory left him in eternal times, reason surpassing deeds, in only short time change of manners and customs and ignorance, long time approved, the building of cities and fortresses, the establishment of an army, the establishment of a fleet, the correction of uninhabited lands, the establishment of waterways, all for the benefit of the common human life, and that, finally, all the bliss of human life, in which the countless fruits of every good are presented to the senses; and that our vast empire established here by our dearest parent, Sovereign Peter the Great, the St. Petersburg Academy, which we, among the many well-being of our subjects with mercies of a considerable amount against the former, for the greatest benefit and for the reproduction and encouragement of sciences and arts, mercifully granted, although it with foreign glory and produces its fruits with the benefit of the local, but cannot be content with one academic corps, in such a reasoning that, beyond the distance, many nobles and raznochintsy have obstacles to arriving in St. , in addition to the Academy, in the Land and Naval Cadet Corps, in Engineering and Artillery, they have an open path, but for teaching the higher sciences to desiring nobles, or those who are not recorded in the above-mentioned places for any reason, and for general training for raznochintsy, our mentioned real chamberlain and cavalier Shuvalov, on the establishment of the above-announced in Mo a university square for nobles and raznochintsy, following the example of European universities, where people of all ranks freely use science, and two gymnasiums, one for nobles, the other for raznochintsy, except for serfs ...

THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE RUSSIAN THEATER

We now ordered the establishment of a Russian theater for the performance of tragedies and comedies, for which the Golovninsky stone house, on Vasilevsky Island, near the Cadet House, should be given.

And for this, it was ordered to recruit actors and actresses: actors from the students of Yaroslavl and singers in Cadet Corps, which, moreover, will be needed, and in addition to them, actors from other non-serving people, as well as actresses, a decent number.

For the maintenance of this theater, according to the force of our decree, from now on, a sum of money of 5,000 rubles should be determined per year, which should always be released from the State Office at the beginning of the year after the signing of our decree. To supervise the house, Alexei Dyakonov is appointed from the Life Company's spearmen; Determine in this house, where the theater is established, a decent guard.

The directorate of that Russian theater is entrusted from us to foreman Alexander Sumarokov, who is determined from the same amount in addition to his foreman's salary of 1000 rubles ... the yard is given a register.

Elizaveta Petrovna (1709-1661 / 1662) - Russian Empress. Daughter of Peter the Great. In 1741 the guard elevated her to the throne. Under her rule, Russia achieved significant success in foreign policy, in the development of the economy and culture.

Why did the daughter of Catherine and Peter, Elizaveta Petrovna, receive the imperial crown?

In the "Cathedral Code of 1649" - the code of laws of the Russian state, which was the main law in Russia until the first half of XIX c., it is said: “And if the one who took that bastard with a concubine marries that concubine, he will not be entitled to that bastard as legitimate children, and his estates and patrimonies will not be given to him his bastard because he took that bastard with his concubine unlawfully until marriage.

What an opportunity happened in the Russian state at the beginning of the first half of the 18th century! Peter the Great gave birth to "bastards" (according to Golitsyn), "bastards" (according to the basic law of the country). Yes, openly, fearing no one - neglecting all fellow citizens, laws and customs. Neither people, nor customs, nor laws could cope with his love for the former laundress Catherine. Rootless, and even illegitimate (there is such an opinion of historians).

As a result of what law was the daughter of Catherine and Peter, Elizaveta Petrovna, born and received the imperial crown? Her birth was a direct result of the lawless passion of one of the greatest rulers of Russia. And she sat on the throne as a result of a coup d'état. Neither one nor the other is written in any law. Perhaps this happened because her father, Peter I, destroyed the pyramid of power created by the first Romanovs together with the boyars and the clergy, and created the basis ... of a new pyramid. Emperor - that sounds menacing! Too much power. Too many responsibilities. Too much wealth to obey any laws, customs and mores; to put himself on an equal footing with his subjects - even the most highly placed.

Man, a creation of God, cannot be born illegally, and Peter I apparently proceeded from this postulate when he rejoiced at the birth of children from a former laundress.

Readers may find it superfluous to be fascinated with the topic of illegitimate children. But the fate of the beautiful Elizaveta Petrovna, whom contemporaries and many historians, not without reason, consider the happiest woman of her century, says that this circumstance played a fatal role in her life. Precisely fatal! This means that only people who were captivated by her beauty, her enchanting nature, gaiety, recklessness and courage and did not discern even a shadow of suffering in her appearance could call Elizabeth Petrovna a happy chosen one of fate.

Catherine gave birth to Peter I's daughter Elizabeth Petrovna

December 18, 1709 Peter I drove with the army and Swedish prisoners to the Mother See. The Russian army won a brilliant victory near Poltava, which was a wonderful end to the most difficult stage of the Northern War. For 9 years, the Russian army has completely reborn. From whipping boys under the “first Narva”, it turned into the strongest army in Europe, led by excellent domestic officers and generals, whose names were pronounced with respect and fear by European military leaders.

Great celebrations awaited Moscow. But Peter I found out that Catherine had given birth to his daughter, and postponed the festivities, arranging a rich feast in Kolomenskoye, where the family lived. The girl was born healthy and alive. The king was not stingy with his joys, he drank and ate a lot, Peter treated many, even the Swedish captives.

Elizabeth was amazingly good. She, along with Anna Petrovna, was taught dancing, languages, and etiquette. Elizabeth easily mastered the French language, and her father rejoiced, dreaming of marrying her to the young Louis XV. Often the princesses were given walks: in summer - on boats along the Neva, in winter - in a sleigh. The girls delighted people. Their wings fluttered behind their backs, the way girls were dressed until they came of age.

The search for Elizabeth Petrovna husband

Time flew by quickly. In 1722 Elizabeth was declared an adult, the wings of her easy childhood were cut off. Even earlier, during the Northern War, Peter I declared to the French through his "chief diplomat" Prince Kurakin about his desire to marry his daughter to the King of France. Diplomats dodged the answer, citing the complexity of the international situation. The Northern War ended in 1721. With the peace of Nishtad, the Russian monarch tried to continue negotiations with the French, but the king had already found a bride in Spain. Peter the Great offered to look for Elizaveta Petrovna for a husband of a lower rank, for example, the Duke of Chartres (son of the Duke of Orleans) or the Burgundian Duke of Conde ... And this idea failed. The emperor dealt with the problem of Elizabeth's marriage until his death. Some people believe that if he had lived longer, the Russian-French wedding would have taken place. Hardly!

Peter I died in 1725. Catherine I came to the throne. With the help of AD Menshikov, she continued the work of Peter the Great. It is difficult to imagine the state of the French king, whose entrusted people, the son of the groom Alexander Menshikov, who distinguished himself under Peter I, offers as a bride the daughter of the laundress Martha, of very dubious origin, who happened to be on the throne! The pedigrees of the Bourbons, a famous French family, go back to the 9th-10th centuries. And then some washerwomen, grooms, illegitimate children ... Come, gentlemen! Yes, not a single self-respecting reigning European family would agree to intermarry with Elizabeth the Beauty!

True, Peter managed to marry Anna to the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, but it should be remembered that Germany after the Thirty Years' War was a patchwork quilt, and Anna Petrovna's husband owned a small, although not poor and well-located duchy. Only in fragmented Germany, Peter I could find a groom for Anna. But Catherine I true friend Menshikov could not do this either. Elizaveta Petrovna could not consider herself happy, and the outward gloss and brilliant celebrations at which she appeared cheerful, beautiful and happy speak only of a huge inner strength this woman who understood that they would not find a good groom for her, and they would not let her marry an inferior one.

In May 1727 Catherine I died. According to her will, Elizabeth was to marry Bishop Lyubsky, but in June 1727. Bishop Lyubsky died in St. Petersburg. Another matchmaking (Moritz, Prince of Saxony) did not take place. Some scientists believe that Elizabeth was to blame for this, who refused the prince, who, by the way, was also not all right with his birth. The next to ask for the beauty's hand was the Duke of Courland Ferdinand - so old that the Russian princess refused the offer.

Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna on a horse with a black boy. Hood. G. Groot. 1743

By that time, Peter II became attached to Elizabeth Petrovna (his aunt). Whether they could have a family is not easy to say, but high-ranking courtiers continued to look for a husband for Elizabeth Petrovna. We will not list all its applicants and tell all the stories associated with this important state affair. Many books have been written about this. And this is not the main thing in the fate of the daughter of Peter the Great - the Empress of All Russia.

How Princess Elizaveta Petrovna lived in the Russian outback

In the last year of the life of Peter II, Elizabeth lived in the village of Pokrovsky. She often gathered rural girls, they sang songs, led round dances, and the princess with maids of honor circled in round dances along with peasant women. And in winter sleds and skates, and in summer hunting - Elizaveta Petrovna loved to hunt for hares! And something very ancient, even pre-Rurik, was in this simplification, in this earthiness. The princess lived for a long time in Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda, where winter and summer palaces and a church were built for her in the name of the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth.

In the vicinity of Alexandrovskaya Sloboda, the princess “was engaged in falconry and went to the suburban village of Kurganikha, where there was a large forest; there they persecuted wolves for her fun ”(N.I. Kostomarov). And there were round dances, and girlish songs, and girlish sadness. “At some residents, she perceived children from St. fonts, and were such that to please her, they changed their generic nicknames. People to a ripe old age recalled how Tsarevna Elizaveta Petrovna lived in the Russian outback.

Some historians are trying to present a Russian who lived in the depths of the Great Russian land as a kind of lazy, drunk ... But this is not so. It is enough to recall Russian folklore, fairy tales, epics, customs, Russian laws, to be convinced of the moral neatness of the Russian village at all times and under all rulers.

We do not talk about deviations as a painful state of the soul, mind, heart and body. Diseases are the business of doctors. We talk about healthy people. If Elizaveta Petrovna behaved in Pokrovsky, Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda and the suburban village of Kurganikha in the same way as she later behaved in palaces and capital cities, then the people's memory would have preserved a completely different image of the daughter of the Great Transformer. And it is unlikely that she would have been expected on the throne! And the people were waiting for her.

Everyone liked Elizaveta Petrovna

Immediately after the death of Peter II, the court physician Lestok, a native of Hanover, advised Elizabeth to claim her rights to the throne. She did not do this, she gave way to Anna Ivanovna. The move of a major statesman who calculated events 10 years ahead? Or the cowardice of a lazy girl, afraid of the struggle for power? The logic of further events suggests that Elizaveta Petrovna, at that moment responsible for her and the state, seemed to have taken everything into account, foreseen. She continued to behave like a carefree beauty, although offended by fate, but still of a royal family.

Summer Palace of Elizabeth Petrovna from the side of the Summer Garden. Unknown thin 1750s-1760s

In 1730, when among the Russian nobility, and even common people, there were many people who had suffered from the cool deeds of the Great Transformer, when the country's economy was going through better times and not everyone wanted to live by Peter's standards, even one phrase of Elizabeth "I want to the throne!" would have ruined her as a politician. And then it would ruin it completely!

Elizabeth refused to fight, for several years during the reign of Anna Ivanovna she lived in a village near Moscow. Then the Empress ordered her to move to St. Petersburg, where Elizabeth was forced to lead a secular life and take part in balls, masquerades and celebrations. Foreign guests (for example, the Chinese ambassador and the wife of the English ambassador, Lady Rondo) called her the first Russian beauty. Everyone was struck by the natural naturalness of Elizabeth, a little frightened by her rudeness, and her excellent knowledge of the French language did her credit. Everyone liked Elizaveta Petrovna. For a politician, even if not very well educated and poorly versed in the art of public administration, the main thing is to please everyone during the election campaign. What Elizaveta Petrovna achieved.

Elizaveta Petrovna and Alyosha Rozum

Attentive foreign recipients of messages from Russia, as well as domestic interested persons, could still in the 1730s. to understand that they could not find such a husband who could turn Peter's daughter into a doll dutifully fulfilling his political will. Moreover, Elizaveta Petrovna was a woman capable of falling in love deeply, with inspiration and responsibility. The princess had such feelings for one person - the former shepherd of a farm located near the city of Glukhov, which is located between Chernigov and Kiev. The shepherd's name was Alyosha Rozum. In 1731 he was noticed by Colonel Vishnevsky returning from Hungary to St. Petersburg. He was carrying Hungarian wines for Anna Ivanovna and stopped at a farm. In the evening, a fire was lit, and the village youth gathered. Round dances were started, wonderful Ukrainian songs were sung. The colonel was struck by the voice of the shepherd Alyosha Rozum, and he realized that Anna Ivanovna, who held the singing chapel, would like the shepherd, and brought Alexei Rozum to St. Petersburg.

The singing skills of the shepherd from Ukraine really impressed the empress, and he became a chorister at court. A prominent, handsome and strong man, he could not go unnoticed. The first to draw attention to him was Anastasia Mikhailovna Naryshkina, the future lady of state of Catherine II.

Once Elizaveta Petrovna accidentally saw A. M. Naryshkina, returning from Alyosha Rozum. The face of the young woman expressed so much happiness that Princess Elizaveta Petrovna, having asked her everything about the former shepherd, quickly tied Alyosha Rozum to her. It happened in 1731.

Count L. G. Razumovsky, Chief Jägermeister and Field Marshal General

For the next 10 years, Elizaveta Petrovna behaved impeccably as a politician who found herself in a difficult and dangerous situation, when one careless movement could lead her to the dungeons and even to the chopping block. Elizaveta Petrovna did not stick her head out, did not give enemies and rivals a reason to accuse her of striving to sit on the throne. Can her behavior as a woman be called irreproachable? Passionate, Elizaveta Petrovna did not even try to drive her passion into a rigid framework, but the princess treated Alexei Grigoryevich Razumovsky with a feeling that cannot be called anything other than love.

Former shepherd Alexei Grigorievich Razumovsky, and now an influential courtier and in new role remained himself: modest, intelligent, unenvious and independent. He did not participate in the intrigues of the court, took care of his relatives and countrymen, did not have enemies among the nobility.

November 1741. Elizaveta Petrovna carried out a coup d'etat and sat on the Russian throne. The time of E. I. Biron, regent under the infant emperor Ivan VI, is over. Russia did not need regents, Russia needed a woman on the throne. Why again a woman? Just because she was the daughter of the Great Peter, whom Russians began to remember more and more often, tired of the dominance of the Germans, who occupied key positions in the state for 10 years? Yes, and therefore. But one of the main reasons for the successful bloodless coup d'état carried out by Elizaveta Petrovna was that she was a woman. We are forced to repeat: at this stage of history, Russia needed a slightly democratized monarchy, and women on the throne were the bearers and guardians of this idea.

It is no coincidence that all men in the period from 1725 to 1796. they easily flew off the throne, somehow died very quickly and in general were sluggish fighters for the throne. There is very little chance in such important matters. This is also evidenced by the fate of Karl-Peter-Ulrich, the grandson of Peter I, which will be discussed further.

After the coronation, Elizaveta Petrovna secretly married Count A. Razumovsky in a small church in the village of Perovo near Moscow, called the mother of her lawful spouse and his relatives, and treated them kindly. It was a gesture of kindness. And at the same time - a magnificent political move, which only a kind female soul, and which the country really needed at the moment when Russia, having corrected its movement along the roads of history in 17 years after the years of Peter the Great, prepared itself in economic and military terms for a new breakthrough.

Alyosha Rozum's mother, an ordinary Little Russian village woman, quickly got along with Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. This purely female understanding did not change even after the daughter of Peter the Great found out about her infertility. (It was this fact that caused the call to St. Petersburg of Karl-Peter-Ulrich, the son of Anna Petrovna.) However, Elizabeth Petrovna’s love for Alexei Razumovsky eventually disappeared. First Ivan Shuvalov, then Nikita Beketov, then again Shuvalov were favorites of the Empress. Slightly democratized monarchy! Every worthy man had the opportunity to fall in love with the empress, rise with her and say his word in the history of the state. Ivan Shuvalov, for example, became famous as one of the organizers of the Academy of Arts of Moscow University. Elizaveta Petrovna signed a decree on the creation of a university in the Mother See on the name day of Tatyana Semyonovna Shuvalova, the mother of her favorite.

About Elizabeth Petrovna, as a statesman, we can briefly say the following: she did not interfere with the men's work, and they did it well. P. I. Shuvalov from the beginning of the 1750s. actually managed domestic politics. The major statesmen of Russia at that time were Chancellor A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Chief Prosecutor Ya.P. Shakhovskoy, the Vorontsov brothers, and others. In 1760 they received, for example, the right to exile peasants to Siberia.

M. V. Lomonosov

During the reign of Elizabeth, M. V. Lomonosov (1711-1765) lived and worked - the first Russian natural scientist of world importance, poet, artist, historian, champion of national education, the development of Russian science, culture and economy.

In 1711 in the village of Denisovka, Kholmogory district, Arkhangelsk province, son Mikhail was born into a wealthy family of Vasily Lomonosov. The mother of the future poet and scientist died early. The father was married twice more. The second stepmother, "evil and envious", did not like Misha and rejoiced when he and his father went to the sea to fish.

Mikhail learned to read early, from his mother, the daughter of a deacon. Later, he met Pomors-Old Believers, who supported the inquisitive young man's craving for reading. Michael got hold of the Psalter, grammar and arithmetic textbooks, studied them on his own and yearned, feeling in himself a huge, unrelenting desire to learn the secrets of the universe.

It was not easy for a twenty-year-old man to escape from Pomorie to Moscow. Some researchers believe that the father knew about the departure of his son and let him go for a short time, and one local peasant "even vouched for the payment of taxes for him."

Mikhail Lomonosov reached Moscow, came to the fish market, spent the first night in an abandoned sleigh, covered with some rubbish. In the morning I went to the Spassky Schools, that is, to the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy, and knocked on the door.

The son of a priest, - the traveler answered the phrase memorized on the advice of good people.

According to Peter's decrees, the children of priests were admitted to the Spassky Schools unconditionally. Mikhail's mother belonged to a clergy, he himself served for some time as a psalmist in a rural church, knew the Church Slavonic language well, and was a deeply religious person. They believed him.

He received 3 kopecks a day. He spent half a kopeck on bread, the same amount on kvass, and bought books with the rest of the money. Mikhail studied enthusiastically. His mind and thirst for knowledge were quickly noticed. A diligent student, but an impudent and intractable person, Mikhailo Lomonosov frightened all teachers with his power.

As soon as the opportunity arose, they got rid of him, sending him to Kyiv, which was considered the center of scholarship. Michael was tight in there. His independent nature frightened teachers here too. Lomonosov was again sent to Moscow, where he continued his studies, thinking about taking the holy orders.

Studying at Spassky Schools gave him a lot. He studied Latin, got acquainted with modern science and felt that in Russia he would hardly be able to realize himself as a scientist and as a person endowed not only with an outstanding mind, but also with a craving for discoveries. It seemed that there was only one way out - to become a clergyman and live out his life in peace. And suddenly in 1735. Petersburg, an order arrived in Moscow to send 12 students to the city on the Neva for the gymnasium. Mikhail Lomonosov was among the lucky ones. And in next year with two of the best students, he went to Germany, where he studied mathematics, physics, chemistry, philosophy, metallurgy for 5 years. Here he formed as a naturalist, from here in 1739. sent a letter to St. Petersburg with the ode "On the Capture of Khotin." And they started talking about Lomonosov as a great poet.

June 1741. Mikhail Vasilievich returned to his homeland, and his energetic, almost 20-year activity began - scientific, literary, social, state (he was not an official, but his deeds went beyond science, literature, pedagogy, education). In 1742 M. V. Lomonosov was appointed an adjunct assistant in chemistry at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, then - in physics. Realizing that without a modern laboratory it is impossible to engage in research and teaching activities, for 6 years he knocked on the thresholds of classrooms, argued, asked, demanded, and finally, with the support of the German mathematician L. Euler, he created a scientific laboratory. A little earlier, in 1745, M.V. Lomonosov began to petition for permission to give lectures to Russian students in their native language. Then the struggle began to increase the enrollment of students from the gymnasium, for translations of scientific works into Russian ...

In 1748 the Historical Department and the Historical Collection were created at the Academy of Sciences. And a fundamental dispute between M. V. Lomonosov and the famous historian G. Miller and foreign scientists - supporters of the "Norman theory" began, who "deliberately belittled the role of the Russian people in their research and conclusions." They did not believe that Russian youth could become the core of national science and its support, they did not actively engage in education and training of young scientists. Foreign experts have undoubtedly done a lot for Russian science, played an important role in the development of vast territories, which could give them a sense of superiority over the "Russian ignoramuses." And some foreigners have developed this feeling very strongly. M. V. Lomonosov won a difficult fight with G. Miller!

In 1749 At the solemn meeting of the Academy of Sciences, Mikhail Vasilievich delivered "A word of praise to Empress Elizaveta Petrovna." He was an excellent poet and orator. Elizaveta Petrovna was sincerely respected and appreciated for the fact that she pursued her father's policy. "The Word of Commendation..." was a great success. M. V. Lomonosov was noticed at court, he became close to the favorite of Elizabeth I. I. Shuvalov, who more than once provided assistance to the Russian scientist. In the 40s. Lomonosov completed a long-term series of experiments and found the secret of Prussian blue and Venetian varnish, compiling a Russian dictionary on this topic. In 1752 he composed an ode to Elizaveta Petrovna's departure to Moscow. The Empress granted the poet a large sum. With the support of Shuvalov, the scientist opened a mosaic factory, turned into a businessman, and obtained permission to conduct experiments on electricity. This matter was complicated, especially after the death of Professor G. Richman, struck by lightning.

What kind of electricity? Who needs this fun? In Russia, there are already many things to do. Yes many. But Lomonosov understood that electricity is the future of mankind, that Russia should take the forefront in science, and that money invested in science is also the future. He won here too! Experiments on electricity continued, the family of G. Richman was given a pension.

With the support of I. I. Shuvalov, he created the initial project of the Moscow University, which opened in 1755.

Front and back sides of the commemorative anniversary medal in honor of M.V. Lomonosov. Knocked out in 1865. In Nizhniy Novgorod

In 1756 the next stage of the confrontation between Lomonosov and Miller began. The Russian genius stubbornly defended the idea of ​​giving the lower classes the right to study in gymnasiums and at the university. And after 3 years he already arranges a gymnasium, draws up a charter for it and for the university. Politicians and scientists lamented: "Why are there so many scientists for Russia?" In 1757 Petersburg, Lomonosov's "Russian Grammar" was published, and in Moscow - the first volume of his Collected Works. Since 1758, Mikhail Vasilievich headed the Geographical Department of the Academy of Sciences. In 1763 Lomonosov wrote "A brief description of various travels in the northern seas ...", compiled the "Polar Map". The following year, the Great Northern Expedition was equipped (we will talk about it in more detail in the next chapter). In 1765 Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov died. It is difficult to overestimate his services to Russia. Lomonosov was the greatest personality in Russian history, a personality on the level of Peter the Great. His discoveries and works advanced physics and chemistry, astronomy and geography, geology and technology, history and philology. With the breadth of scientific research and interests, he surpassed many scientists of the planet.

Lomonosov successfully combined the qualities of an armchair scientist and natural scientist, whose main means of knowledge is experience, as well as a bold practitioner who instantly uses the achievements of science in industry. The scientific patriotism of M. V. Lomonosov and his confidence that Russia should have its own science, its own scientists (and from various classes) is not only a civic position, but also a deeply scientific approach to the problem. He understood that a country developing the Eurasian expanses would not be independent and independent without a powerful scientific and engineering corps; that hereditary nobility will not be able to provide the country with scientific personnel (and is unlikely to want to engage in such titanic work); that inexhaustible founts of talents are hidden among the Russian people.

And thanks to the efforts of such people as M. V. Lomonosov, the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna went down in history as a time of development of science and education.

Results of the Seven Years' War

In foreign policy, the daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth Petrovna, followed the line of her father. The results of the Seven Years' War could be considered the apotheosis of its activities, if they were summed up! The Seven Years' War began in 1756 when Frederick II of Prussia attacked Saxony. He won several important victories, in 1757. almost took Prague. In that war, Prussia was supported by strong England. They were opposed by Austria, France, Saxony, Sweden and Russia.

December 1757. under Leuthen (Lower Saxony), Frederick II, having built the Prussian army with an “oblique front”, completely defeated the Austrians, who outnumbered the enemy by one and a half times.

By that time, the Russian army had already declared itself, having entered the business as early as May 1757, in August, in a battle near the village of Gross-Egersdorf, it won an excellent victory over the Prussian troops under the command of Field Marshal P.F. Apraksin. General P. A. Rumyantsev distinguished himself here, suddenly counterattacking the left flank of the enemy.

Portrait of the commander P. A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky (1725-1796). Unknown thin 1770s

In January 1758 The Russians took Koenigsberg. In August 1758 under Zorndorf took place major battle- the Russians survived, Frederick II did not dare to repeat the attack in the morning. In 1759 near the village of Paltsig, the Russian army, led by P.S. Saltykov, entered into battle with the Prussian army of General Wedel and defeated it.

Frederick II, dreaming of revenge, made a swift march to Kunersdorf, but lost the battle and almost got captured. Developing success, the Russian army in 1760. took Berlin. Nobody expected this! In Europe they were alarmed. Russia, which, according to the idea of ​​the Allies, was supposed to play the role of a purveyor of "cannon fodder", suddenly took Berlin! But the Austrian allies did not support the victors, the Russians were forced to leave Berlin and go to Frankfurt to join the main forces. And what role did the All-Russian Empress play in this situation? None. To put it mildly, she missed the moment, not demanding satisfaction for the country. Then it was worse for both Russia and Elizabeth. In 1761 P. A. Rumyantsev, in defiance of everything, even the order of Commander-in-Chief Buturlin, after a superbly planned and conducted operation, took the strategically important city-fortress of Kolberg. 13,000 prisoners, 33,000 cores, 20 banners - rich trophies! Prussia, together with King Frederick II the Great, was brought to its knees.

Elizabeth Petrovna demanded the abdication of Frederick II from the throne as the main condition for the negotiations, but the day before the negotiations, December 25, 1761. the empress has died. Peter III, an admirer of Frederick II, entered the Russian throne, which saved the Prussian king. Peter III led Russia out of the war, the country did not receive a penny for its victories. A new page in Russian history has begun.

All of it is so whole and sweet to us, now already degenerated,
glorious type of Russian character, that everyone who cherishes national testaments,
can't help but love her and admire her.

N. Wrangel

Elizabeth I Petrovna - born December 18 (29), 1709 - died December 25, 1761 (January 5, 1762) - Russian Empress from the Romanov dynasty, the youngest daughter of Peter I and Catherine I.

Personal life of the Empress

There is no doubt that born on the day when the Russian army solemnly entered the capital to the sounds of music and with banners unfurled after the victory in the Battle of Poltava, she was the happiest of the women of the empire. Her father was, who loved his daughters very much, calling her "Lizetka" and "the fourth sweetie." She, according to her father, received a good upbringing, knew many languages ​​and was intended by Peter, like all princesses, to strengthen dynastic ties with European courts.

Peter wanted to marry his beautiful daughter to King Louis XV of France or to someone from the Bourbon house, but the prim Versailles was embarrassed by the origin of a commoner mother. Until the very accession to the throne of Elizabeth, her name flashed in many European marriage combinations, among her suitors were Karl August, Prince-Bishop of Lubsky, Prince George of England, Karl of Brandenburg-Bayreuth, Infante Don Manuel of Portugal, Count Mauritius of Saxony, Infante Don Carlos of Spain , Duke Ferdinand of Courland, Duke Ernst Ludwig of Brunswick and many more, and even the Persian Shah Nadir.

In anticipation of the suitors, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna had fun, indulged in love pleasures while waiting in the wings. Under Anna Ioannovna, she had her own court, which was very different in age - they were all young people, Elizabeth was 21 years old, Shuvalov was 20 years old, Razumovsky was 21 years old, Vorontsov was 16 years old - and in the vigor of festivities, masquerades, hunts and amusements. She was fond of singing and theater.

There is a historical version that Elizabeth was still in a secret church marriage with her favorite Alexei Razumovsky, but no documents confirming this union have survived to this day.

In the 1750s, the Empress acquired a new favorite. They became a friend of Mikhail Lomonosov, Ivan Shuvalov, who was a very well-read and educated person. It is possible that it was under his influence that the empress was engaged in the cultural development of the country.

The Spanish envoy Duke de Liria in 1728 wrote about the 18-year-old princess: “Princess Elizabeth is such a beauty that I have rarely seen. She has an amazing complexion, beautiful eyes, an excellent neck and an incomparable camp. She is tall, extremely lively, dances well and rides without the slightest fear. She is not devoid of intelligence, graceful and very flirtatious.

And here is the testimony of a woman, at the same time quite biased and observant. Elizabeth is already 34 years old. The future saw her for the first time: “Truly, it was impossible then to see for the first time and not be amazed at her beauty and majestic posture. She was a woman of high stature, although very plump, but did not lose any of this and did not experience the slightest constraint in all her movements; the head was also very beautiful ... She danced to perfection and was distinguished by special grace in everything she did, equally in male and female attire. I would like to watch everything without taking my eyes off her, and only with regret they could be torn away from her, since there was no object that could compare with her.

But her disposition was not as perfect as her appearance was perfect for that time.

Ascension to the throne

The title of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna received as a result of the most "bloodless" coup d'état of 1741. It took place without a preliminary conspiracy, since Elizabeth did not particularly strive for power and did not show herself as a strong political figure. During the coup itself, she had no program, but she was seized by the idea of ​​her own accession, which was supported by ordinary citizens and guardsmen, who expressed dissatisfaction with the dominance of foreigners at court, the disgrace of the Russian nobility, the tightening of serfdom and tax legislation.

On the night of November 24-25, 1741, Elizabeth, with the support of her confidant and secret adviser Johann Lestok, arrived at the Preobrazhensky barracks and raised a grenadier company. The soldiers unquestioningly agreed to help her overthrow the current government and, consisting of 308 people, went to the Winter Palace, where the princess proclaimed herself empress, usurping the current power: the baby emperor John Antonovich and all his relatives from the Braunschweig family were arrested and imprisoned in the Solovetsky Monastery.

Given the circumstances of the ascension to the throne of Elizabeth I, the first manifesto she signed was a document according to which she is the only legitimate heir to the throne after the death of Peter II.

Elizabeth's reign

Having ascended the throne with the help of the guards, she ruled Russia for 20 years.

It was a significant 20th anniversary, like a breath of Peter the Great, at least it seemed so at first. Elizabeth was happy with her favorites, not only prominent men, but also skillful rulers, under her there was the largest construction of our most famous palaces, under her the architect Rastrelli created his wonderful works, she encouraged theater and music, her favorite Shuvalov founded Russian academy arts and the Russian University, under her, the genius of Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov was finally revealed, piits Sumarokov, Trediakovsky and Kheraskov composed the first Russian poems, a lot was with her.

For us, it is important to say that she was the Russian Empress, a woman of unusual, primordially Russian beauty, who managed to preserve her for many years.

Baron N. N. Wrangel, an art connoisseur, the author of a brilliant essay on “Peter’s daughter”, described her as follows: ““ Most Gracious Elisaphet ”, Most Merciful Empress,“ Venus ”, a woman with eyes full of sparrow juice”, a devout entertainer and a cheerful spoiler, lazy and careless, Russian in everything, the Empress reflects, like a mirror, the gingerbread beauty of the magnificent middle of the 18th century.

However, at the same time, the baron quite accurately defined her “weakness” in this “gallant” European century: “Empress Elizabeth was the last Russian Tsarina in the “pre-reform” meaning of the word and, like a belated wild flower, blossomed among imported greenhouse plants. All of her is so integral and sweet to us, now already degenerated, a glorious type of Russian character, that everyone who cherishes national precepts cannot help but love her and admire her.

The political role of Elizabeth Petrovna

Solovyov reported that in 1743 the Senate, "for unknown reasons, was forbidden to start cases on proposals, written or verbal, without a written instruction at the hand of the empress." A very rash order. I think over time this decree was canceled.

Elizabeth did not like to do business, to delve into their essence. At first, feeling her high role, she tried: she was sent reports and dispatches, she read them, made notes, gave orders. Although, she did not like to sit in the Senate and listen to the debate. In 1741 and 1742 she was in the Senate 7 times, in 1743 - 4 times, and then even less.

Gradually, all these political games bored her. She had her own opinion on everything, therefore, before signing this or that paper, she thought for a long time, and sometimes forgot about this paper. Over time, she realized that her active participation in government did not change anything, and allowed herself to be less active.

Documents were prepared by Bestuzhev, Vorontsov and other important ministers, she only had to put her signature, but she shied away from this in every possible way. Why? And like this ... She was accused of pathological laziness. Valishevsky, trying to understand the situation, wrote that she simply did not have time to work. She would be glad to take care of state affairs, but in the morning the toilet is no less than three hours, and there, you look, it’s already hunting, and then to church, how could it be without it, and in the evening a ball or a wedding of one of the relatives or close associates, and then, it seems, it was planned for us to go in the morning to Peterhof ... or to Gostilitsy ... or to Oranienbaum ...

Elizabeth was smart, and this evasion of state affairs was not only due to boredom that appears at the sight of business papers, and not from an immediate desire to throw herself into a whirlpool of entertainment. It is very possible that she did not like quick decisions, did not want to take risks - let the paper rest, and then we'll see. What if tomorrow it will be to the detriment of the state what she did today.

Catherine II wrote: “She (Elizabeth) had such a habit, when she had to sign something especially important, put such a paper, before signing, under the image of the shroud, which she especially revered; leaving it there for some time, she signed or did not sign it, depending on what her heart prompted.

Religion and the Empress

Elizabeth was a believer, not ostentatiously religious, like Catherine II, but truly. The 18th century was also infected with Voltairianism, but Elizabeth did not succumb to this influence. She constantly visited monasteries, fasted, observed all the holidays, stood for hours in front of the icons, consulted with the Lord and the saints on how to act in this or that situation. It is clear that she cared about the purity of Orthodoxy, and too much zeal in this matter in a multinational country sometimes leads to serious trouble.

The empress was very protective of the newly converted, but at the same time many mosques were destroyed, she actively fought with the Old Believers. Action always evokes opposition; among the old-timers, there are again cases of self-immolation. In addition, a large number of sects divorced, for example, whips, which were actively and often brutally fought.

Elizabeth's pilgrimage often turned into a farce, but she did not notice this. She had her own sincere and pure relationship with God. They go to the pilgrimage on foot, and the Trinity-Sergius Lavra is 80 versts from Moscow. You can’t cover such a distance in one day, you need to spend the night somewhere. Inns are not suitable, there is poverty, stench and insects, and therefore royal palaces are cut down a week, furniture was brought with them.

We did not have time to prepare wooden housing, we will pitch tents in an open field. During the hunting of Peter II, this custom became firmly established in the everyday life of the royal court. A whole staff goes on pilgrimage with the queen - there are ladies of state, and maids of honor, sometimes ministers with their wives, servants, cooks and others. Feasts in the field are wide, there are a lot of people, fun! Sometimes such trips took all summer. It is clear that in this whirlwind there is neither desire nor opportunity to engage in state affairs.

Savor

Everyone was well aware of her insane passion for dressing up and entertaining. It was she who to a large extent contributed to the fact that this passion developed among the nobility and among the courtiers.

Catherine wrote about the court of Elizabeth (with her innate German modesty and moderation, it was difficult for her to understand and accept this Russian senseless and wasteful order): twice a day; the empress herself was extremely fond of outfits and almost never wore the same dress twice, but changed them several times a day; it was with this example that everyone conformed: the game and the toilet filled the day.

During a fire in Moscow in 1753, 4,000 Elizabeth’s dresses burned down in the palace, and after her death, Peter III discovered a wardrobe with 15,000 dresses in the Summer Palace of Elizabeth, “some worn once, some not worn at all, 2 chests of silk stockings” , several thousand pairs of shoes and more than a hundred uncut pieces of "rich French fabrics."

No one dared to compete with Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, especially the ladies. They did not have the right to be the first to choose their outfits and jewelry. Everything in the empire had to exist for the beauty of the most beautiful of women. None of the merchants who arrived from overseas countries, and especially from France, had the right to sell goods until the empress herself selected the necessary fabrics and outfits.

She arranged formal showdowns with those who dared to disobey her order. In one of the letters to a subject of her cabinet, she writes: “I was informed that the French ship had come with various ladies’ attire, and embroidered hats for men and for ladies, flies, gold taffeta of various grades and all sorts of gold and silver haberdashery, then led the merchant to send here immediately…”

But the merchant, apparently, sold a part of what was selected by Elizabeth. Since she was notoriously stingy and hardly promised to give much, and then the angry empress writes another letter: “Call the merchant to you, why is he so deceiving that he said that all here are lapels and cragens, which I took away; and not only all of them, but there is not a single one that I saw, namely scarlet ones. There were more than 20 of them, and, moreover, they were the same on the dress, which I took everything away, and now I demand them, then order him to find them and not to conceal them to please anyone ... And if, tell him, he hides, by my word, then he is unhappy will, and who does not give. And I see on whom, they will accept an equal part with him.

The Empress even knows exactly who could buy the haberdashery: “But I command you to find everything and send it to me immediately, except for the Saxon envoy, and the rest must return everything. Namely, they were bought from the dandy, I hope, they were bought from Semyon Kirillovich’s wife and sister, from both Rumyantsevs: then you first tell the merchant to find him, and if they don’t give him back, then you yourself can send and take my decree.

Contemporaries noted the extraordinary taste of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna and the elegance of her outfits, combined with magnificent headdresses and jewelry. However, over time, the beauty of the Empress faded, and she spent whole hours at the mirror, putting on makeup and changing outfits and jewelry.

French diplomat J.-L. Favier, who observed the empress in recent years, writes that the aging empress “still retains a passion for outfits and every day becomes more demanding and whimsical in relation to them.
Never has a woman come to terms more difficultly with the loss of youth and beauty. Often, after spending a lot of time on the toilet, she begins to get angry at the mirror, orders to take off her head and other headdresses again, cancels the upcoming spectacles or dinner and locks herself up, where she refuses to see anyone.

He also describes the exit of Elizabeth: “In society, she appears only in a court costume made of rare and expensive fabric of the most delicate color, sometimes white with silver. Her head is always burdened with diamonds, and her hair is usually combed back and gathered at the top, where it is tied with a pink ribbon with long flying ends. She probably gives this headdress the meaning of a diadem, because she arrogates to herself the exclusive right to wear it. No woman in the empire has the right to comb her hair the way she does."

And in fact, the Frenchman's observations are accurate, because in the cameras-Fourier magazines of various years, the regulations and external features costume for all courtiers. 1748 - it was ordered that the ladies, going to the ball, "do not bend the back hair from the back of the head, and if when it is necessary to be in robes, then the ladies have the hair back from the back of the head to bend up."

The empress did not allow liberties in a suit for court ladies and gentlemen. In the imperial decree of 1752, it was necessary “... for ladies, white taffeta caftans, cuffs, edgings and skirts are green, with a thin braid on the side, an ordinary papelon on their heads, and green ribbons, hair smoothly pulled up; cavaliers have white caftans, camisoles, and the caftans have small cuffs, slit and green collars ... with a lace around the loops, and, moreover, those loops that have silver tassels are small.

All foreign envoys of the Russian court, without exception, were engaged in the purchase of various materials and haberdashery delights, and, of course, the ambassadors in France had to show special diligence in this. Elizaveta Petrovna asked the French envoy at court in detail about all the novelties in Paris, about all the new stores and shops, and then her chancellor instructed the ambassador in Paris, M.P. mod and good taste and send it all to Petersburg. The costs for this were unthinkable - 12,000 rubles. But besides that, many agents still owed money, since the empress did not always pay on time.

According to the memoirs of her daughter-in-law Catherine, Elizabeth “didn’t really like to appear at these balls in too elegant dresses,” she could force the Grand Duchess to change into a very successful outfit or forbid her to wear it again.

Once at a ball, the Empress called N.F. Naryshkina and in front of everyone she cut off a ribbon decoration that went very well with a woman’s hairstyle, another time she personally cut off half of the hair curled in front of her two ladies-in-waiting under the pretext that she did not like such a style of hairstyle, and the ladies-in-waiting themselves later assured that her majesty, along with her hair, tore off a little skin.

Her fantasies could amaze any visiting foreigner. The empress told how “one fine day the Empress had a fantasy to order all the ladies to shave their heads. All her ladies obeyed with weeping; Elizabeth sent them black, poorly combed wigs, which they were forced to wear until their hair grew back. Soon followed a decree on shaving the hair of all city ladies of high society. What was it like for all of St. Petersburg to look at this deplorable picture? Meanwhile, the reason for this was rather trivial - the empress herself unsuccessfully dyed her hair and was forced to cut her hair.

Her Majesty's passion was carnivals, masquerades and balls, about which special royal decrees also followed, and all those invited were obliged to come to them. Only nobles could attend the masquerades, often up to one and a half thousand people, at the entrance to the hall they were examined by the guards, removing masks and checking their faces. Masquerades were often arranged with disguise, where women were ordered to be in men's costumes, and men in women's, but "there is nothing more ugly and at the same time more amusing than a lot of men dressed so clumsily, and nothing more pitiful than the figures of women dressed men."

At the same time, the daughter-in-law, who was not favorable to her, noticed that “only the empress herself was quite good, to whom the men's dress went perfectly ...”. Everyone knew this, and Elizaveta Petrovna herself knew it, since the time of the revolution she loved to flaunt in her uniform.

It is clear that those who believed that the Empress had "a lot of vanity, she generally wanted to shine in everything and serve as an object of surprise" were right.

Death of the Empress

1762, January 5 - Empress Elizabeth Petrovna died. At the age of 53, the empress died of throat bleeding. In historical chronicles it is noted that since 1757 the health of the empress began to deteriorate before our eyes: she was diagnosed with epilepsy, shortness of breath, frequent nosebleeds, swelling of the lower extremities. She happened to almost completely reduce her active court life, pushing lush balls and receptions into the background.

Before her death, the empress developed a persistent cough, which led to severe bleeding from her throat. Unable to cope with the disease, the empress died in her chambers.

On February 5, 1762, the body of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna was buried with full honors in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Elizaveta Petrovna was born on December 18, 1709 in the village of Kolomenskoye. Russian Empress since November 25, 1741 from the dynasty Romanovs, daughter Peter I And Catherine I.

Biography
Elizabeth was born in the village Kolomenskoye December 18, 1709. Peter I was entering Moscow that day, and Swedish prisoners were being taken after him. The sovereign intended to celebrate the Poltava victory, but upon entering the capital he was informed of the birth of his daughter. " Let's postpone the celebration of victory and hasten to congratulate my daughter on her ascension into the world.", - he said. Peter found Catherine and the newborn daughter healthy, and to celebrate, he arranged a feast.
At the age of eight, Princess Elizabeth was already attracting attention with her beauty. In 1717, both daughters met Peter, who was returning from abroad, dressed in Spanish attire. Then the French ambassador noticed that the youngest daughter of the sovereign seemed beautiful in this outfit.
In 1718, assemblies were introduced, and both princesses appeared there in dresses of different colors, embroidered with gold and silver, in headdresses that shone with diamonds. Everyone also admired the art of Elizabeth in dancing. The French envoy Levi remarked that Elizabeth could have been called a perfect beauty if her hair had not been reddish.
Elizabeth's upbringing was not successful, especially since her mother was illiterate. The princess was taught in French, and her mother insisted that there were reasons for her to know French better than other subjects of study. The reason for this was the strong desire of her parents to marry Elizabeth to some person of French royal blood. But to all persistent proposals to intermarry with the French Bourbons, they answered with a polite but decisive refusal. Her training was not in vain - Elizabeth got acquainted with French novels, and this reading softened and exalted her. Perhaps that is why those rude morals that reigned at that time at the St. Petersburg court did not take root in her, and her own reign had much more European gallantry and refinement than all previous ones. All her time was filled with riding, hunting and caring for her beauty. Elizabeth had a lively, insightful, cheerful and insinuating mind and great abilities. In addition to Russian, she studied French, German, Finnish and Swedish. Disorderly, whimsical, having no fixed time for sleep or food, hating any serious occupation, extremely familiar and then angry over some trifle, scolding the courtiers with the most nasty words, but very kind and simply and widely hospitable.

Before taking the throne
After the marriage of her parents, Elizabeth bore the title of princess. Will Catherine I 1727 provided for the rights Elizabeth and her offspring to the throne after Peter II And Anna Petrovna. In the last year of the reign of Catherine I, there was a lot of talk at court about the possibility of marriage between an aunt and a nephew, who at that time had friendly relations. After the death of Peter II, Elizabeth, despite the will of Catherine I, was not considered as one of the contenders for the throne, which was transferred to her cousin Anna Ioannovna.

Accession to the throne
Taking advantage of the decline in authority and influence Anna Leopoldovna, on the night of November 25, 1741, 32-year-old Elizabeth Accompanied by Count D. D. Khodov, the life physician Lestok and her music teacher Schwartz, she raised the grenadier company of the Preobrazhensky Regiment behind her ... she went to the Preobrazhensky barracks and went to the grenadier company. The grenadiers were waiting for her:
- Do you know who I am? she asked the soldier, “Do you want to follow me?”
- How not to know you, mother princess? Yes, we will go into the fire and into the water for you, desired, - the soldiers answered in unison.
The Tsesarevna took the cross, knelt down and exclaimed: “I swear by this cross to die for you!” Do you swear to do the same for me in case of need?
- We swear, we swear! - the soldiers answered in chorus ... (from the novel by N. E. Heinze "The Romanovs. Elizaveta Petrovna.")
From the barracks we moved to the Winter Palace. Encountering no resistance, with the help of 308 guards, she proclaimed herself the new queen, ordering the young Ivan VI to be imprisoned in the fortress and the entire Braunschweig family (Anna Ioannovna's relatives and her followers) to be arrested.

Plans for marriage
From birth Elizabeth plans began to be made for her future marriage. In the spring of 1725, Catherine I had to give up her dream of intermarrying with the Bourbons, Catherine I decided to arrange a marriage for her daughter with the bastard son of Augustus II - Moritz of Saxony. But this marriage also failed. After that, Elizabeth had to agree to a marriage with the bishop of the diocese of Lubsk, Karl-August of Holstein, the younger brother of the ruling duke. But circumstances did not allow this marriage. In June 1727, the groom died in St. Petersburg, never reaching the altar. Elizabeth was deeply saddened by his death. To console her, the great statesman of the next reign, Osterman, chose another plan - to marry Elizabeth to Peter II, who had ascended the throne. But the opponents of this marriage were Menshikov and the church itself (which did not allow the marriage of an aunt with a nephew), it could have come true. Under the influence of Osterman, Peter fell in love with his beautiful aunt, and it depended on her to direct this very ardent feeling to the goal. Elizabeth in the life of Peter II was more important than he was in hers. Peter was still a child - he was in his thirteenth year, and in the eyes of a much more mature Elizabeth, he could hardly seem attractive. Elizabeth tore him away from serious studies and textbooks. Being a brave rider and a tireless hunter, she carried him with her on long rides and hunting. But she did not know her first love with him. In 1727, she became seriously interested in Alexander Buturlin, and meetings with the emperor became irregular after that, and soon their paths diverged.
After the court moved to Moscow for the coronation, Elizabeth settled in Pokrovsky. Buturlin was a frequent visitor here. Upon learning of this, Peter II sent him to Ukraine in 1729. The successor to the first favorite was Semyon Naryshkin, Obergofmeister of the court. The relationship between him and the princess was so sincere that in Moscow they even started talking about the possible marriage of Naryshkin with Elizabeth. But again Peter II intervened and sent the chamberlain to travel abroad. Until his death, the emperor jealously did not allow other men to approach his aunt. When the Prussian ambassador offered to arrange the marriage of Elizabeth with the Elector Karl of Brandenburg, Peter refused, without even consulting the princess. But Elizabeth was not very burdened by this guardianship. Her third lover was the handsome grenadier Shubin.

Reign
affairs of state Elizabeth almost did not study, entrusting them to her favorites - brothers Razumovsky, Shuvalov, Vorontsov, A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin. Elizabeth proclaimed a return to the Petrine reforms as the principles of domestic and foreign policy. The role of the Senate, the Berg and Manufacture College, and the Chief Magistrate was restored. The Senate received the right of legislative initiative.
During the Seven Years' War, a permanent conference arose, standing above the Senate - the Conference at the High Court. The conference was attended by the heads of the military and diplomatic departments, as well as persons specially invited by the Empress. The activities of the Secret Chancellery became invisible.
During the reign of Elizabeth, work was completed on a new Slavic translation of the Bible, which had begun under Peter I in 1712. " Elizabethan Bible”, published in 1751, and now, with minor changes, is used in the worship of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1741, the empress adopted a decree allowing Buddhist lamas to preach their teachings on the territory of the Russian Empire. The decree also exempted them from paying taxes.
On December 2, 1742, a decree was adopted on the expulsion of all citizens of the Jewish faith, with permission to remain only for those who want to convert to Orthodoxy.
In 1744-1747, the second census of the taxable population was carried out. In the late 1740s, the first Russian banks were founded - Noble (Loan), Merchant and Copper (State). In 1744, a decree was issued banning fast travel around the city, and fines began to be taken from those who swore in public.
In 1760, the landlords received the right to exile the peasants to Siberia, counting them instead of recruits. Peasants were forbidden to conduct monetary transactions without the permission of the landowner. The death penalty was abolished, and the mass practice of sophisticated torture was stopped. Under Elizabeth, military schools were reorganized.
In 1744, a decree was issued to expand the network of primary schools. The first gymnasiums were opened: in Moscow (1755) and Kazan (1758). In 1755 Moscow University was founded, and in 1760 the Academy of Arts.
August 30, 1756 - a decree was signed on the beginning of the creation of the structure of the Imperial Theaters of Russia. Outstanding cultural monuments have been created. In the last period of her reign, Elizabeth was less involved in matters of state administration. The internal policy of Elizabeth Petrovna was distinguished by stability and focus on the growth of the authority and power of state power. According to a number of signs, we can say that the course of Elizabeth Petrovna was the first step towards the policy of enlightened absolutism, which was then carried out under Catherine II.

Politics of Elizabeth Petrovna
Social politics Elizabeth Petrovna was aimed at expanding the rights and privileges of the nobility. Only the nobles were given the right to own land and peasants.
Foreign policy.
At the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth, Russia was at war with Sweden (1741-1743), which ended in a favorable peace for Russia. In this world, Sweden confirmed the results of the Northern War and ceded part of Finland to Russia. The main foreign policy event of the reign of Elizabeth was Russia's participation in the Seven Years' War (1756 - 1763). The war involved two coalitions of European powers: Prussia, England and Portugal against France, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Saxony and Russia. Prussia began to threaten Russia's interests in Poland and the Baltic states. In 1757 Russia enters the war. On August 19, 1757, near the village of Gross-Egersdorf, Russian troops under the command of S.F. Apraksin 2.102 defeated the Prussian troops. In 1758 Koenigsberg was taken. On July 23, 1759, Frederick's army was defeated near the village of Knersdorf. On September 29, 1760, a detachment of General Z. G. Chernyshev occupied Berlin, and in 1761 the Kolsberg Fortress was captured. In the battles of the Seven Years' War, the formation of talented Russian commanders P.A. Rumyantsev and A.V. Suvorov.
The eastern policy of Russia during the reign of Elizabeth was characterized by the annexation of Kazakh lands, which began with the voluntary entry of the Younger Kazakh Zhuz into Russia in 1731. In 1740-1743, the Middle Zhuz voluntarily entered Russia.

Queen's personal life
Elizabeth was in an ecclesiastical morganatic marriage to Alexey Razumovsky. According to historical sources 1770s - 1810s, she had at least two children: a son from Alexei Razumovsky and a daughter from Count Shuvalov. she also took under her personal guardianship two sons orphaned in 1743 and the daughter of the chamber junker Grigory Butakov: Peter, Alexei and Praskovya.
After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, many impostors appeared who called themselves her children from her marriage to Razumovsky. Among them, the most famous figure was the so-called Princess Tarakanova.
The reign of Elizabeth is a period of luxury and excess. At the court, masquerade balls were regularly held, and in the first ten years - and the so-called " metamorphosis”, when the ladies dressed up in men's suits, and the men in women's suits. The Empress' wardrobe included up to 15,000 dresses. Elizaveta Petrovna loved to have ladies especially trusted and close to her scratch her heels before going to bed.

death of the queen
In December 1761, Elizabeth died of throat bleeding due to an unspecified chronic disease. Ascended to the throne Peter III.

Interesting facts about Empress Elizabeth
- In the winter of 1747, the Empress issued a decree, referred to in history as " hairline setting”, commanding all the ladies of the court to cut their hair bald, and gave out to everyone“ black tousled wigs to wear until they grow their own. City ladies were allowed to keep their hair, but wear the same black wigs on top. The reason for the appearance of the order was that the empress could not remove the powder from her hair and decided to dye it black. However, this did not help and she had to cut her hair completely and wear a black wig.
- Elizaveta Petrovna had a snub nose, and it was painted by artists from its best side. And in profile, there are almost no portraits of Elizabeth, except for a random medallion on the bone by Rastrelli.
- December 22, 2009 in the Catherine Palace opened the exhibition " Vivat, Elizabeth", organized by the State Museum-Reserve "Tsarskoye Selo" together with the State Museum of Ceramics and " Manor Kuskovo XVIII century”and dedicated to the 300th anniversary of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. One of the most interesting exhibits of the exhibition was a paper sculpture depicting the ceremonial dress of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The sculpture was made specially for the exhibition by the order of the museum by the world-famous Belgian artist Isabelle de Borchgrave.
- After death Elizabeth Petrovna and accession Peter III for some time, coins with the imperial cypher of Empress Elizabeth continued to be minted at the Yekaterinburg Mint - later this fact was explained by the fact that news of the death of the Empress went to Yekaterinburg for too long. In the future, most of the coins of 1762 with the monogram of Elizabeth Petrovna were re-minted, but a small number of these coins have survived to this day.