Peter the Great’s story was so full of personal dramas. It was so bizarre that it gave off an uncanny feeling of mystery. Who was Peter the Great? He was the son Aleksej Michailovic, Natalia Kirillovna Naryskina and was proclaimed the tsar when he turned ten years old. Only in 1696 did Peter become the sole ruler. He was the Russian emperor with the greatest stature and ability to establish a state comparable to the West. He was forced to exile after he rose to the throne in a country that was ravaged by revolutions and rebellions. He traveled throughout the west, eventually changing his identity and reappearing as a different person after a few decades. Pietro, who was attracted to politics since childhood, traveled through many western countries and eventually became interested in the systems of other countries. The country’s territorial expansion and modernization were the main focus of his reign of 29 years.
Peter the Great has often been credited with helping to bring Russia out of the medieval era and into the modern age. Peter’s reforms were met with significant resistance by the old order. However, the Tsar was ruthless and dealt with every opposition. Tragically his son and heir was Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich. Alexei Petrovich was a result of the 1689 marriage of Peter to Eudocia. Alexej was not raised in a loving and affectionate environment. His mother was in a convent when Alexej was born. Alexej also saw his father as a persecutor and so he grew to hate him. Peter’s lack of interest in his son is evident in his father’s inappropriate selections for his son’s teachers. Peter worked hard in education but he failed to take responsibility for his son’s education. He was encouraged by reactionary priests to conspire to destroy him and to make him a martyr. Alexej, despite being raised by his father, was well educated. He knew how to write and speak German, could draw, and was proficient in mathematics. Alexej’s upbringing and education had shaped him into a completely different personality to Peter. He was introverted and quiet, opposed to his father and loves to pray. Peter was the opposite. He was open-minded and had a great outlook on life. These two perspectives and characters were the key to the conflict between father and son. As it is not surprising, Peter did not include his son during his reforms. The collision between them was therefore inevitable.
We have as evidence a sequence letter that was written by them. It is dated the morning of Princess Charlotte’s murder and reads: ‘I will let you know if you want to correct me. Otherwise, I will seize the succession. Do not be scared of me. I will not put you in danger if I don’t save myself and my country’s lives. I would rather leave them to someone who is worthy of them than to my son who makes them less worthy. Pietro doesn’t want to be a father at Alexejs loss.
Alexej was deeply offended by this letter. When he learned of Peter and Catherine’s second child, he decided he would write his father renunciating the crown and threatened becoming a monk. He said, “May God be my witness,” and vowed that he would never claim succession. Alexej lied to his father and went to Copenhagen to meet his brother. Then he returned to Vienna to visit his brother-in laws. Efrosinia was his new lover. Peter began a massive investigation to find Alexej. He was able to bring him back from St. Petersburg in 1718. He was found in Naples, and stripped of his right to succession to throne. His lover was also transferred to St. Petersburg to stand trial. Alexej and his father are taken to the building. Alexej was questioned by his father in April 1718. These were the words of Afrosina his lover, who was forced by Alexis to confess that he had conspired and partnered with conservatives in order to dethrone him father.
Tsarevic aleksej stated during interrogation that he was happy to read foreign newspapers about the rebellion by Russian troops in Mecklenburg. He also claimed publicly that God did not do the will of his father. I was enthusiastic to meet many rebels. Later evidence proved that the statements made by the tsarevic were correct. Peter the Great was thus forced to confront a conspiracy that began in his home and ended with him son. Efrosinija Federorovna, Aleksej’s love, testified that Vienna supported the ascent of Tsarevic Aleksej to the Russian throne. Efrosinija Fedorovna’s evidence even shows that Tsarevic Aleksej requested help not less than the Swedes during the Northern Wars years, but who couldn’t agree on support. The dream came true and the tsarevic declared that when he is sovereign, he would live and work in Moscow, leaving St. Petersburg as a poor city. I will destroy the navy. I will not keep the navy, but the army will be my defense. His dream seemed utopian. The trial was a serious hearing for the tsarevic. The son was brave enough to speak out for the first time. Peter the Great was not able to see his son, but instead had to confront a dangerous and stubborn political traitor. Alexis was sentenced to death by the temporal dignitaries (the 126 members who made up the extraordinary court for justice) at noon on 24 Juni. To avoid any collusion with Peter, however, the torture victim was still carefully examined.
Alexis died in St. Petersburg’s Fortress at St. Peter and St. Paul on June 26, two days following his sentence by the Senate for conspiring against his father’s reign and his alliance with the people and Emperor Germany against Russia. It has been difficult to determine the exact cause of his death. The official version is not convincing. According to some reports, the tsarevic died after he had listened to the sentence for death for treason. The garrison book of the fortress Peter and Paul shows that Tsar Peter, the Great and nine dignitaries arrived at Fort Garrison because there was a torture chamber. However, it is obvious that torture was conducted on that day. The garrison book does not specify the subject. The anniversary of the Battle at Poltava was celebrated in Petersburg the day after, on the 27th June 1718. Peter the Great was also present at the solemn dinner-dance.
The archives do not record the fate of the Tsar’s heart. One thing is certain: the Tsarevicaleksej was buried privately and without ceremony in Cathedral of Peter and Paul, 30 June 1718. There was no indication that mourning had taken place in the city or the society. During this awful catastrophe, we can say with certainty that Peter was not grieving for his son but his nation.
