Until recently, the biography of Emperor Peter III and the period of his reign, albeit a short one, were assessed by historians extremely negatively. However, against the background of the newly discovered facts from his life, the attitude towards him both as a person, as a person, and as a ruler was revised.
Each of the reigning or ruling persons had a certain influence on the development of Russia, and Emperor Peter III is no exception, despite the fact that he had only six months in power. No matter how historians treated him, he was an interesting person, a kind, but educated person, sincerely wished happiness and prosperity for his country, but not all of his efforts were recognized and appreciated by his contemporaries.
Childhood and adolescence of Emperor Peter III
Peter III is the first representative of the dynasty that bore the official name "Imperial court of the Romanovs", whose biography was short, but full of events. His parents were the Russian princess Anna Petrovna and Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp. The boy was born in February 1728, in the port city of Kiel, Germany. The mother of the future emperor died shortly after his birth, and his father, or rather, the tutors hired by him, took up his upbringing.
Peter III received an excellent education, but the main method of both study and upbringing was the "whip", which could not but affect the boy's psyche. He felt the true love of his loved ones when he got to his father's uncle Friedrich. It was there that he got acquainted not only with the humanities and languages, but also with the basics of military affairs, and literally fell ill with "battles".
Pyotr Fedorovich, as his aunt Elizaveta called him upon arrival in Russia, got acquainted with Russian history, language and customs already at a mature age - about 14 years old. During this period of his life, he was proclaimed heir to the Russian throne and transported to the motherland of Anna Petrovna's mother.
The reign of Emperor Peter III and his death
In 1745, Pyotr Fedorovich was married, practically by force, against his will. From that moment on, his preparation for the throne began, which he opposed in every possible way, since the terms of the agreement with his aunt were repugnant to him. He did not succeed as a husband, he did not need a child, a family, his wife and her sincere love were disgusting. But Peter III became emperor with great pleasure, and even managed to make some changes during his 6 months of ruling Russia:
- abolished the Secret Office,
- initiated the process of seizing land from the church,
- created the State Bank and began issuing the first Russian banknotes,
- freed the Old Believers from persecution,
- made the nobility a privileged class.
It was these reforms, which were absolutely opposite to the policy of Empress Elizabeth, and led to a riot, after which Peter III was sent into exile, and then simply killed by supporters of the newly-made Empress Catherine, his lawful wife.
Many modern historians who analyze the activities of Emperor Peter III believe that the reforms initiated by him would eventually lead to the rapid development of Russian industry, art and economy, but radical changes frightened the ruling "handful" and led to the overthrow and death of Peter Fedorovich.
