Peter III of Russia

Peter III of Russia | Biography, Reign, Facts & Death

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Peter III of Russia (Born on February 21, 1728 – Died on July 17, 1762) was the Emperor of Russia from January to July 1762. Peter III was a very unpopular emperor in Russia for his pro- Prussian policies. After a six-month reign, he was dethroned and assassinated by his German wife, Catherine the Great, who ascended the throne.

Although not popular in the country, he did a lot of reform work in his 6-month reign. Religious freedom was proclaimed and compulsory education was supported. He tried to modernize the Russian army. He disbanded the militant group, which had won the hatred of the population with its harsh policies, and forbade landowners from killing their slaves without a court order.

His successor, Empress Catherine II, continued some of these decisions but revoked some of them. It is still debated whether Peter III was a powerful tsar overthrown by members of the army and nobles trying to seize political power or a mad and powerless man who accidentally ascended the Russian throne.

At the same time, there is no doubt that his successor, Catherine the Great, overshadowed her husband’s kingdom.

peter iii of russia cause of death
Peter III (Emperor of Russia)

Facts About Peter III of Russia

  • Born: 21 February 1728, Kiel, Germany
  • Also Known As: Charles Peter Ulrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp
  • Height: Approx 6ft (182 cm)
  • Reign: 5 January 1762 – 9 July 1762
  • Predecessor: Elizabeth
  • Successor: Catherine II
  • Spouse: Catherine the Great (m. 1745–1762)
  • Children: Paul I of Russia, Anna Petrovna
  • House: Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov
  • Father: Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp
  • Mother: Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia
  • Religion: Russian Orthodoxy
  • Issue: Paul I of Russia
  • Death: 17 July 1762, Ropsha, Russia
  • Cause of Death: Maybe Severe Intestinal Infection (But still unknown)
  • Burial: Peter and Paul Cathedral

Early Life of Peter III of Russia

Peter III was born in Kiel, in the duchy of Holstein-Gottorp. Son of Duke Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp (1700 – 1739), (nephew of Charles XII of Sweden), and the Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia (1708 – 1728), (daughter of Emperor Peter the Great of Russia and his second wife, Catherine I of Russia).

His mother died after a few months of his birth. In 1739, Peter’s father also died and he became Duke of Holstein-Gottorp with the name of Charles Peter Ulrich at the age of 11. During the rest of his childhood and early years, he lived in the custody of his uncle, Adolf Frederick Holstein, King of Sweden.

This period at the Swedish court marked him deeply because his uncle provided him with a strict education and punishment. Therefore, He was considered the heir to both Sweden and Russia thrones.

Heir to The Throne

Since his aunt, Empress Elisabeth, had no children of her own, Peter named her heir to the throne on November 18, 1742. He converted to the Russian Orthodox faith, took the name Peter Fyodorovich and became Grand Duke. Previously, on November 4, 1742, parts of the Swedish estates had elected him to the Swedish throne, which Peter refused.

On December 25, 1761, Empress Elisabeth died and Peter ascended the imperial throne of Russia. His allegedly improper behavior during the days of mourning annoyed his wife Catherine II and, according to her later statements, large parts of the court and the Russian people.

When the new emperor took office, he issued an amnesty for political prisoners.

Emperor of Russia

Empress Elisabeth died on December 25, 1761 (January 5, 1762, in the Gregorian calendar ) as its armies besieged Berlin and, for the first time, Russia established itself as a major European power. Frederick II of Prussia, completely defeated, dreams of suicide and Prussia expects to be divided between the victors.

Peter III was an admirer of Frederick II and as soon as he became emperor, he put an end to this victorious war: all the conquered territories were evacuated and returned without compensation to the King of Prussia, to the annoyance of the Russian army. On May 5, a peace treaty was signed. Peter then promises to join Frederick in his war against Austria.

In a few months, Peter was hated by all those who could be favorable to him at the Russian court. A first ukase obliges the army to dress in Prussian uniforms. A second obliges the popes to cut their beards and to dress like Protestant pastors. Icons are removed from churches and the property of the Orthodox clergy is confiscated.

The last ukase satisfies part of the nobility because it puts an end to the perpetual military service of this class in force since Peter the Great. From now on, the nobles are no longer obliged to serve the state, except in times of war. The following emperors will not dare to abrogate this last ukase.

Peter III Death

The palace coup against Peter III of Russia was planned by his wife, Catherine the Great, and the head of the palace’s military regiment, Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov. On the night of July 8, a palace coup took place with the help of two military regiments under the strict control of the emperor. The captured emperor was immediately sent to Ropsha, where he died mysteriously.

The official cause of death was declared a severe intestinal infection. Funeral of August 3 in St. Petersburg to the Alexander Nevsky monastery where he was buried. After the death of Peter III, a group of people who believed that the emperor was not dead and was arrested by the empress rose up under the leadership of four people who described themselves as emperor Peter.

The most famous of these is 1774 the place in the peasant revolt leads to the Yemelyan Pugachev was. The rebels were captured and executed in Moscow after the revolt, which was severely suppressed by Empress Catherine II.

By order of his son Paul I, Empress Catherine The Great was succeeded the Russian throne, his father’s body was exhumed in December 1796 and transported to the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, where other Russian emperors were buried.

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