In the last post about the ghosts of Mikhailovsky Castle, I began a story about the tragedy of Emperor Paul I. The stories about the circumstances of Paul’s death immediately turned out to be contradictory. The killers tried to cover their tracks. The overthrow of Paul was witnessed by the German journalist August Kotzebue, who in his notes tried to restore the chronology of the fateful night. A foreigner sympathizes with the deceased emperor.
The room in the Mikhailovsky Castle where Paul I was killed. The interior has changed.
Paul's contemporaries said that the emperor had a presentiment of his death:
S. M. Golitsyn in his memoirs described the last evening of the emperor and his gloomy forebodings: “Dinner, as usual, ended at half past nine. It was customary for everyone to go into another room and say goodbye to the sovereign, who was already in bed at 10 o’clock. That evening he also went into another room, but did not say goodbye to anyone and only said: “What happens, cannot be avoided.” This is what Emperor Paul had a premonition.”
According to an unknown eyewitness: “After dinner, the emperor looked at himself in the mirror, which had a flaw and made his faces crooked. He laughed at this and said to me: “Look how funny the mirror is; I see myself in it with my neck on the side.” This was an hour and a half before his death.” The conspirators first stunned Pavel with a blow from a snuff box, and then strangled him with a belt.
In daylight the presence of a ghost is not felt.
Matvey Muravyov-Apostol, the son of the conspirator Ivan Muravyov-Apostol and the brother of the famous Decembrist, spoke about the emperor’s premonition. Before his death, Pavel said goodbye to Mikhail Kutuzov, who would become famous for his victory over Napoleon: “On March 11, Paul I spent the entire day approaching the palace mirrors and found his face reflected in them with a twisted mouth. The courtiers concluded from this repeated remark that the head of the palaces, Prince Yusupov, had fallen out of favor. On the same evening, Pavel had a long conversation with M.I. Kutuzov. Finally, the conversation between them turned to death. “To go to the next world is not to sew knapsacks,” were the farewell words of Paul I to Kutuzov...”
Guard “...Agapeev said that that night Paul I prayed for a long time on his knees in front of the icon before entering the bedroom.”- story by M.I. Muravyov-Apostol, trained by his pupil A.P. Sozonovich.
The main conspirators against Paul I were the Zubov family. Platon Zubov was the last favorite of Catherine the Great, after whose death he fell out of favor with her heir. Paul removed most of his mother's close associates. They said that Catherine wanted to pass the throne not to Paul, but to his son Alexander, who was her favorite grandson.
Platon Zubov, a favorite of Catherine the Great, lost his privileges during the reign of Paul.
Nikolai Zubov, Suvorov's son-in-law, helped his brother take revenge
Platon Zubov was supported by his brother Nikolai Zubov, the son-in-law of the late Suvorov, and his sister Olga Zherebtsova. The adventurer Zherebtsova, thanks to her connection with the English Lord Whitworth, spread information about Pavel's madness throughout Europe. "The Emperor is literally out of his mind"- read the dispatch to London.
Adventurer and spy Olga Zherebtsova, sister of the Zubov brothers
Other organizers were Vice-Chancellor Nikita Panin, who was expelled from St. Petersburg on the eve of the fateful events, and Governor-General of St. Petersburg Peter Palen.
They were joined by General Leonty Benigsen, diplomat Ivan Muravyov-Apostol, Prince Yashvil and Colonel Mansurov, these names are mentioned in the historical chronicles of the fateful night of March 11. Thirteen conspirators entered the emperor's bedroom, the total number of rebels was about 300 people.
Ivan Muravyov-Apostol with his daughter, father of the famous Decembrist. A family of hereditary conspirators.
Historians argue about Alexander I's involvement in the death of his father. Most likely, he supported the conspirators and wanted to receive the crown, but did not plan to become a parricide.
General Bennigsen claimed that they did not intend to kill the emperor
Conspirator Bennigsen wrote: “It was decided to take possession of the emperor’s person and take him to a place where he could be under proper supervision and where he would be deprived of the opportunity to do evil.”
Emperor Paul did not have the opportunity to leave the palace on the night of the conspiracy; the conspirators placed their soldiers in the corridors.
A. B. Lobanov-Rostovsky wrote about the preparation of the conspiracy: “Officers who were part of the conspiracy were stationed in the corridors, at the doors, at the staircases for observation. So, I know that D.V. Arsenyev, who was then in the Preobrazhensky Regiment... stood in the corridor with a pistol. Risking their heads, the conspirators, in all likelihood, decided not to allow the sovereign to either escape or raise alarms. (...) If Paul had the opportunity to escape from his rooms (...) then his life would inevitably be in great danger at every step, since the conspirators took possession of this half of the castle.”
Stairs leading to Paul's room
In the center is the door through which the conspirators entered
The chronicle of the events of the murder told by the conspirators is contradictory in places. Everyone tried to present themselves in a noble image. Descriptions of Paul's behavior when meeting the rebels vary. According to one version, he immediately agreed to abdicate the throne, according to another, he resisted the conspirators, due to which he was killed in a brawl.
An interesting chronicle of events was described by the German writer and journalist August Kotzebue, who learned about the tragedy the next morning from eyewitnesses. Pavel highly appreciated Kotzebue's work. As a sign of his favor, he gave the writer an estate in Livonia (Estonia) and generously paid for his literary works.
August Kotzebue became an observer of the events of the fateful night. After Paul's death, he left Russia. In his homeland, Kotzebue was especially popular as a political journalist. He was killed by a revolutionary student. The murder of Kotzebue became the most notorious crime in Germany in the first half of the 19th century.
Kotzebue tries to be impartial, describing the chronicle of events, noting all the contradictions in the testimony of eyewitnesses.
According to one version, as Kotzebue writes, Paul himself opened the door to his bedroom for the conspirators:
“Meanwhile, the conspirators approached the emperor’s bedroom. It was a large room, which had only one entrance and exit; the other door, which led to the state rooms of the empress, and through which, in the opinion of many, he could escape, was, as I myself did in I was convinced a few days before the incident that it was tightly locked, because it remained unused. The door through which they entered Pavel’s room was double; inside it, to the right and to the left, there were other small doors, behind which there were: on the right side there was a small space without. the exit in which the banners, or, as some say, the swords of the arrested officers were placed; and on the left side there was a secret staircase (escalier derobe), along which one could go to the rooms of Princess Gagarina and from there to the church. , or would still have had the opportunity to get out through it, then, of course, we can assume that he would have been saved.
But in order to keep the secret staircase at his disposal, he had to not open the outer door. Meanwhile, the noise in the hall had already woken him up; several times he asked: who is there? Finally he jumped out of bed and, hearing the voice of his adjutant, he himself opened the door to his killers."
The conspirators demanded that the emperor abdicate the throne in favor of his son Alexander.
“According to other stories, the door was opened by one of the hussars sleeping in front of the bedroom inside the double door; Having entered the bedroom, the conspirators did not find Pavel in bed at first; Benngsen found him behind the screens.
Of course, no one would be surprised if at that moment, as many claimed, the sovereign was struck by an apoplectic stroke. And, indeed, he could barely speak the language, but he gathered his courage and said very clearly: “Non, non! Je ne souscrirai point!” (no, no, I disagree) He was unarmed; his sword lay on a stool by the bed. It was easy for him to get her, but what would protection be of any use in front of this crowd? The hidden staircase could have saved him more quickly, but he remembered it too late.
In vain he tried to instill fear in the conspirators, so that he could then hide from them through a small staircase. Nikolai Zubov grabbed him and pushed him hard, saying to others: “Pourquoi vous amusez-vous a parler a cet effrene” (Why is it fun for you to be nice to this madman?). - Argamakov, on the other hand, hit him in the temple with the handle of a pistol. The unfortunate man staggered and fell. Bennigsen said that while this was happening, he, Bennigsen, turned away to listen to the noise coming from the hall.
In his fall, Paul wanted to hold on to the bars that adorned the desk that stood nearby and were carved from ivory by the empress herself. Small vases (also made of ivory) were attached to the lattice. Some of them broke off, and the next day I saw their fragments with regret.
The act of renunciation, or rather, a manifesto on behalf of Paul, was drawn up, as Bennigsen said, by Troshchinsky at dinner the same evening before at Talyzin’s.
Then everyone rushed at him. Yashvil and Mansurov threw a scarf around his neck and began to choke him. With a very natural movement, Pavel immediately put his hand between his neck and the scarf; he held her so tightly that it was impossible to tear her away. Then some monster took him by the most sensitive parts of his body and squeezed them. The pain forced him to move his hand there, and the scarf was tightened. Following this, Count Palen entered. Many claimed that he listened at the door.”
Kotzebue clarifies that the stories about how Paul begged the conspirators for mercy are fiction:
“Subsequently many fables were spread. They claimed that Pavel, on his knees, begged for his life to be spared and received an answer from Zubov: “For four years you showed no mercy to anyone; now don’t expect any mercy for yourself”; as if he swore to make the people happy, forgive the conspirators, reign with meekness, etc.”
The German chronicler confidently states that the emperor behaved with dignity:
“It is certain, however, that until his last breath he retained all his dignity. One of the most terrible moments for him was, without a doubt, the one in which he heard soldiers in the courtyard shouting too early: “Hurray!” and one of the conspirators rushed into the room with the words: “Depechez-vous, il ll" pas un moment a perdre!” (Hurry up, there is not a minute to waste).
Death itself did not reconcile these rude monsters with him. Many officers rushed to inflict some insult on his corpse, until finally Prince Zubov said to them with indignation: “Gentlemen, we came here to rid the fatherland, and not to give free rein to such base revenge.”
“As to how long the emperor’s torment lasted, the testimony is contradictory: some say an hour, some say half an hour; others even claim that everything was a matter of one minute.”
Ceremonial portrait of Paul. The emperor's costume is complemented by a wide belt. Presumably, Pavel was strangled with such a belt.
So in Kotzebue’s notes there is no mention of the blow with a snuff box that stunned Paul. The Emperor, when he was strangled, was conscious and resisted.
The snuff box is mentioned in Fonvizin’s notes, the blow was struck by Nikolai Zubov, Pavel resisted the conspirators: “...Several threats that escaped from the unfortunate Pavel summoned Nikolai Zubov, who was of athletic strength. He held a golden snuffbox in his hand and struck Pavel in the temple with a swing, this was the signal by which Prince Yashvil, Tatarinov, Gordonov and Skaryatin furiously rushed at him, tore the sword out of his hands: a desperate struggle began with him. Paul was strong and strong; they knocked him to the floor, trampled him, broke his head with a sword hilt, and finally crushed him with Skaryatin’s scarf. At the beginning of this vile, disgusting scene, Bennigsen went into the bedroom room, on the walls of which pictures were hung, and, with a candle in his hand, calmly examined them. Amazing composure!
Zubov's snuff box
The Prussian historian Bernhardi, from the words of the same Bennigsen, wrote: “Paul tried to pave the way for escape. “Arrested!” What do you mean, arrested!” he shouted. He was restrained by force, and especially unceremoniously by Prince Yashvil and Major Tatarinov. Bennigsen exclaimed twice: “Do not resist, sir, this is about your life!” The unfortunate man tried to break through and kept repeating his words... A hot hand-to-hand fight took place, the screen overturned. One officer shouted: “We should have put an end to you four years ago.”
Hearing a noise in the hallway, many wanted to run, but Bennigsen jumped to the door and in a loud voice threatened to stab anyone who tried to escape. “Now it’s too late to retreat,” he said. Pavel decided to call for help in a loud voice. There was no doubt how this hand-to-hand fight with the king would end. Bennigsen ordered the young, intoxicated Prince Yashvil to guard the sovereign, and he himself ran out into the hallway to give orders about the placement of the sentries...”
Muravyov-Apostol explains why they had to deal with the emperor. According to the conspirators, the deposed monarch could gather his supporters around himself, which would lead to civil war and unrest:
“One of the conspirators hastened to notify Bennigsen of this [renunciation], who remained in the adjacent room and, with a candlestick in his hand, was looking at the paintings hanging on the walls. Hearing about Paul’s renunciation, Bennigsen took off his scarf and gave it to an accomplice, saying: “We are not children, so as not to understand the disastrous consequences that our night visit to Paul will have, disastrous for Russia and for us. How can we be sure that Paul will not follow the example of Anna Ioannovna?” With this the death sentence was decided. After listing all the evils inflicted on Russia, Count Zubov hit Pavel in the temple with a golden snuffbox, and strangled him with a Bennigsen scarf made of silver thread.”
Count Palen, who informed Alexander about the death of his father
August Kotzebue writes how Count Palen went to the heir Alexander to tell him the news of his father’s death. The journalist speculates whether the prince knew about the conspiracy:
“...Then he went for the new emperor. When he entered the hallway, Alexander, already dressed, came out to meet him from his bedroom: he was very pale and trembling. These details were conveyed by the servant, who was sleeping in the hallway and only woke up at that moment. From this they concluded that the Grand Duke knew about everything. It seemed that it could not have been otherwise: for if the Grand Duke had been in the dark about what was happening, how did it happen that he was completely dressed without being woken up?
For clarification of this important circumstance, I turned to Count Palen himself and received from him the following satisfactory answer.
When the conspirators had already gone to Paul, Count Palen decided that in such cases every minute was precious, and that it was necessary to show the new emperor to the troops immediately after the end of the enterprise! Familiar with all the entrances and exits of the palace, he went to the chamberlains of the Grand Duchess, who were sleeping behind the Grand Duke's bedroom, woke them up and ordered them to also wake up the Grand Duke and his wife, but to tell them only that something important was happening, and that they We should get up and get dressed quickly. And so it was done. This explains why Alexander could go out dressed into the hallway when the count entered through an ordinary door, and why, on the other hand, the servants had to assume that he had not gone to bed at all.
Alexander had a terrible moment ahead of him. The count hastily led him to the troops and
exclaimed: “Guys, the Emperor has died; here is your new emperor! Only then did Alexander learn about the death of his father: he almost fainted, and they had to support him. With difficulty he returned to his rooms. “Then only,” he told his sister, “I came to my senses again!”
Young Alexander I
Reliable people claim that even earlier, after repeated vain attempts to obtain his consent to the coup, Count Palen, with all the authority of a strong and experienced man, began to convince him and finally announced to him that, without a doubt, it was his will whether to agree or not, but that things could no longer remain in this situation, to which Alexander, in despair, allegedly replied: “Spare only his life.”
All the evidence positively agrees that he knew nothing about the execution of the conspiracy and did not want his father to die.”
According to the recollections of eyewitnesses, Pavel's wife, Maria Feodorovna, having learned about the death of her husband, showed her character by declaring a claim to the crown, but the conspirators locked her in the room.
Velyaminov-Zernov wrote: “ Suddenly Empress Maria Feodorovna bursts on the door and shouts: “Let me in, let me in!” One of the Zubovs said: “Get that woman out over there.” Evsei Gordanov, a strong man, grabbed her in his arms and brought her back to her bedroom like a burden.” She then tries to break through to the balcony and address the troops, but is stopped by Palen. Maria Feodorovna’s last attempt is to go to her husband’s body through other rooms through the location of Poltoratsky, who does not allow her to go to the body for a long time, but finally receives permission from Bennigsen, who, however, told the empress “Madam, do not play a comedy.”
“Empress Maria Feodorovna, hearing the noise, hurried to her husband, to the door of the restroom. But the sentries, fulfilling this order, crossed their guns in front of her. The Empress felt ill. They rolled her a chair and gave her a glass of water. She extended her hand to him. Perekrestov hurried to grab the glass from the tray, drank half of it and, putting it back, said: “Now drink, mother queen, if you must die, I will die with you.” In 1814, upon returning from Paris, Perekrestov, having served an extra summer, retired. Maria Feodorovna remembered him, and Perekrestov was appointed a chamberlain at her court,” according to the story of Muravyov-Apostol.
Emperor's widow in mourning dress
August Kotzebue describes the experiences of a widow who suspected her son of murder:
“At first she, too, had a painful suspicion for the mother that her son knew about everything, and therefore her first meeting with the emperor gave rise to the most touching scene. "Sasha!" she cried as soon as she saw him: “Are you really an accomplice!” - He threw himself on his knees in front of her and said with noble fervor: “Mother! it is just as true that I hope to appear before the judgment of God, I am not guilty of anything!” - "Can you swear?" she asked. He immediately raised his hand and swore. Grand Duke Constantine did the same. Then she brought her younger children to the new emperor and said: “Now you are their father.” She made the children kneel before him and wanted to do the same herself. He warned her, raised the children, sobbing; sobbing, he swore to be their father, hung on his mother’s neck and did not want to tear himself away from her. Count Saltykov came to call him; he wanted to go, and again threw himself into the arms of his mother.
Her grief was unspeakable for a long time. She thought she saw blood everywhere; She asked everyone who entered: was he faithful to her? She certainly wanted to know all the killers of her husband; she herself asked the wounded chamber hussar about them, whom she showered with good deeds; but the blow he received so stunned him that he could not name any of the conspirators by name.”
Portrait of Emperor Paul with his sons and the Hungarian prince.
Sablukov describes the conversation between mother and son near the body of the murdered Pavel:
“Alexander Pavlovich, who now for the first time saw his father’s disfigured face, painted and greased, was amazed and stood in mute stupor. Then the empress mother turned to her son with an expression of deep grief and with an air of complete dignity said: “Now I congratulate you - you are an emperor.” At these words, Alexander fell unconscious like a sheaf.”
The traveler and expert on crowd psychology Kotzebue describes the popular rejoicing at the news “of the death of the tyrant”:
“The blinded mob indulged in the most unbridled joy. People who were complete strangers to each other hugged in the streets and congratulated each other. Greengrocers, selling their goods door to door, congratulated “on the change,” just as they usually congratulate on major holidays. Postal owners on the Moscow road sent couriers for free. But many asked with fear: “Is he really dead?” Someone even demanded to be told whether the body had already been embalmed; Only when he was assured of this did he take a deep breath and say: “Thank God.”
Even people who had no reason to complain about Paul and received only good deeds from him were in the same mood...
...In the evening a small company gathered with me. We stood in a circle in the middle of the room and chatted. Meanwhile, it became almost completely dark. I accidentally turned to the window and saw with horror that the city was illuminated. There were no orders for illumination, but it was more brilliant than usual on major holidays. The Winter Palace alone stood as a dark mass in front of me and presented a majestic contrast. Sadness has taken possession of us all.”
Mikhailovsky Castle at dusk in summer
Then, as usual, the crowd begins to remember the deceased sovereign as a benefactor, which Kotzebue also mentions:
“We cannot, however, remain silent that this first intoxication soon passed. The people began to come to their senses. He remembered the quick and swift justice that Emperor Paul showed him; he began to fear the arrogance of the nobles, which was about to awaken again, and almost everyone said: Paul was our father. At the first parade, when the soldiers gathered in the exertzirhaus, the officers walked among them, congratulating them, and said: “Rejoice, brothers, the tyrant is dead.” - Then they answered: “For us he was not a tyrant, but a father.”
This mood was greatly facilitated by the fact that the officers of the new emperor’s regiment boasted, presented their participation in the coup as a great merit, and thereby irritated the officers of other regiments. Not everything was as it should have been; but there was no fear of an explosion of displeasure..."
The victors quickly spread rumors about the overthrown tyranny; Kotzebue notes that people began talking about the instruments of torture that Paul allegedly installed at the fortress:
“They said that Grand Duke Constantine himself went to the fortress, saw with horror all the instruments of torture and ordered them to be burned. This is not true. Art. owls Sutgof, on duty, was in the fortress and found only rods in it; The rooms of the secret expedition seemed to him, however, decent and with sufficient air; the so-called “cachots” alone aroused his horror.”
Kotzebue's notes mention the habit of Emperor Alexander I of walking unguarded along the embankment:
“Alexander walked every day along the embankment, accompanied only by a footman; everyone crowded towards him, everyone breathed freely. In Millionnaya he once found a soldier who was fighting with a footman. - “Will you separate?” he shouted to them: “the police will see you and take both of you under arrest.” - They asked him whether pickets should be placed in the palace, as under his father. - "For what?" he replied: “I don’t want to torture people in vain. You yourself know better what this precaution served my father.”
Oval boudoir next to Pavel's room
Kotzebue described the body of the murdered Emperor from the words of his physician, Grivet:
“There were many signs of violence on the body. A wide stripe around the neck, a strong smudge on the temple (from a blow... caused by a blow from a pistol), a red spot on the side, but not a single wound from a sharp weapon, two red scars on both thighs; there are significant injuries on his knees and far around them, which prove that he was forced to kneel to make it easier to strangle. In addition, the whole body was generally covered with small smudges; they probably came from blows inflicted after death.”
“When the emperor lay in the coffin, his triangular hat was pulled down over his forehead so as to hide, as far as possible, his left eye and his bruised temple,” eyewitnesses noted.
On the walls there are memorial plaques with the names of the deceased graduates of the Engineering School, which was located in the Mikhailovsky Castle after the death of Paul.
N.I. Grech wrote how the farewell ceremony with Pavel took place: “ As soon as you entered the door, they pointed to another with an exhortation: if you please, come through. I went to the Mikhailovsky Castle ten times out of nothing to do and could only see the soles of the emperor’s boots and the brim of his wide hat pulled down over his forehead.”
“The official version of Pavel’s death was apoplexy (stroke). Therefore, there was a joke that he died from an apoplectic blow to the temple with a snuff box.”
The ghost of Paul persistently reminded his descendants of himself.
“In 1852, a monument to Paul I was unveiled in Gatchina. During the solemn ceremony, Emperor Nicholas I burst into tears: “the covers were removed, but the rope remained around the neck of the statue and the sovereign son, seeing this, began to cry. Everyone was amazed by this accident."(Notes of participants and contemporaries, Publishing house A.S. Suvorin, 1908.)
Paul's grandson, Alexander II, ordered the establishment of the Peter and Paul Church in the room of his murdered ancestor, where he came to pray every year on March 11. The altar of the church was located on the site of Paul's bed.
Through the Summer Garden from the window of the Mikhailovsky Castle I saw the Cathedral of the Savior on Spilled Blood, built on the site of the death of Alexander II. As Anna Akhmatova wrote:
Between the tombs of a grandson and grandfather
The tousled garden got lost.
Emerging from the prison delirium,
The lanterns burn funerally.
Kotzebue mentions that the legend about the ghost of the murdered emperor arose immediately: “superstition already announced a ghost that appeared in the Mikhailovsky Castle and loudly demanded vengeance.”
“...the ghost of the emperor killed by the conspirators could not leave the place of his death. The ghost of the Tsar began to be seen by a platoon of soldiers from the capital’s garrison, transporting military property, new inhabitants of the palace - the school’s breeding corporal Lyamin, and passers-by who noticed a luminous figure in the windows.”
The deceased emperor left his descendants with legends and speculation about his tragic figure. He did not rule for long and did not have time to carry out his plans.
“For me there are no parties or interests other than the interests of the state, and with my character it’s hard for me to see that things are going wrong and that the reason for this is negligence and personal views. I would rather be hated for a just cause than loved for a wrong cause.”- said Pavel.
Quotes from Kotzebue's memoirs are taken from the publication (spelling preserved):
Kotzebue A.F.F. background. Notes of August Kotzebue. Unpublished essay by August Kotzebue about Emperor Paul I / Trans., note. A.B. Lobanov-Rostovsky // Regicide of March 11, 1801. Notes from participants and contemporaries. - Ed. 2nd. - St. Petersburg: A.S. Suvorin, 1908.
On the night of March 11 (23 New Style) to March 12 (24), 1801, Russian Emperor Paul I was killed as a result of a conspiracy.
Unpopular leader
Pavel Petrovich Romanov, known as Emperor Paul I, ascended the throne in 1796 after the death of his mother, Catherine the Great. The new emperor, who had an extremely negative attitude towards both his mother and her entourage, saw his goal as implementing a state reorganization that would not leave any memories of the previous era. The extremely harsh methods of Paul I, the repression to which even the highest-ranking government officials, including members of the imperial family, were subjected, led to the fact that the position of the emperor himself became precarious.
He managed to turn almost the entire Russian elite against himself, including the guard officers who were the driving force behind all the palace coups of the 18th century.
In the summer of 1799, a group of conspirators began to form, hatching plans to remove the emperor from power and enthrone Paul’s eldest son, Alexandra.
The conspiracy was led by Vice-Chancellor Nikita Panin, Governor General of St. Petersburg Peter Palen, Catherine the Great's last favorite Platon Zubov together with brothers Nikolai and Valerian. The total number of persons involved in the conspiracy by the beginning of March 1801 ranged from 180 to 300 people.
Alexander gives the go-ahead
According to some reports, the conspirators were planning a plot for the so-called “Ides of March” when he was killed Dictator of Rome Julius Caesar. However, the plans were adjusted due to the fact that information about the preparation of the conspiracy became known to Paul I.
On March 9, the emperor summoned Palen and asked what he knew about the conspiracy. The Governor-General of St. Petersburg replied that he himself was a member of it, preparing to arrest the conspirators red-handed. Palen managed to calm the emperor, gaining some time to implement his plan.
Paul, suspecting those closest to him, ordered his own wife, as well as his eldest sons, to be kept under house arrest in the Mikhailovsky Castle. Alexandra And Constantine.
Immediately after the conversation with the emperor, Palen met with Alexander and informed him that Paul had signed a decree to bring members of the imperial family to trial. The head of the conspirators asks the heir to the throne to give the go-ahead to carry out the plan. After some hesitation, Alexander agrees, insisting that his father should not be harmed. Palen assures that no one is planning physical influence on Paul I.
Last oath
11 (March 23, new style), 4:00. The Emperor (as usual) wakes up early. After the morning toilet, he begins state affairs.
5:00 – 9:00. Paul I works in his office. Palen makes the traditional report to the emperor on international affairs.
9:00. The emperor, together with the heir to the throne, goes to “inspect the troops.”
10:00. Pavel is present at the parade ground. At the same time, Palen, who left the palace after the report, gathers the guard officers at his apartment, where he expresses to them the sovereign’s particular displeasure with their service and the threat to exile everyone. Those gathered “left with sorrowful faces and despondency in their hearts.”
11:00. The Emperor strolls on horseback with his pet valet Ivan Kutaisov.
13:00. Paul I dines at Mikhailovsky Castle with his entourage. At the same time, Palen sends out invitations to his dinner. Only those involved in the conspiracy are invited to the event.
15:00 – 17:00. The emperor swears in family members, with the exception of minors, “not to enter into any connection with the conspirators.” After the oath, Paul I is in excellent spirits and allows Alexander and Constantine to have dinner with him.
"Which have not be avoided"
21:00. The Emperor is having dinner at the Mikhailovsky Castle. Alexander and Konstantin and their wives are invited to dinner, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna; wife of the main conspirator, State Dame Palen and her daughter maid of honor Palen, Maid of Honor Protasova, maid of honor Kutuzova 2nd, State Lady of Rennes,State Lady Countess Lieven; Kutuzov, Stroganov, Naryshkin, Chief Chamberlain Count Sheremetev, equestrian Mukhanov, Senator Prince Yusupov.
21:30. Dinner is over. Before leaving, Pavel talks with Mikhail Kutuzov. Looking at himself in the mirror, the monarch remarks: “Look how funny the mirror is; I see myself in it with my neck on the side.” Leaving for his room, the emperor says: “What happens, cannot be avoided.”
22:00. Lunch at Platon Zubov's. The conspirators discuss their plan of action for the last time.
22:15. Paul I sends pages with letters and visits some posts in the Mikhailovsky Castle. After this, he closes the outer door. Who was at the door post at that moment sentry Agapeev later he would report that the emperor was praying at the icon in the hallway.
22:30. Life physician Grivet gives the emperor a lemon-mint tincture.
“To eat scrambled eggs, you must first break the eggs”
22:00 − 22:30. Alerted, the 3rd battalion of the Semenovsky regiment, led by the heir to the throne Alexander, is sent to the Mikhailovsky Castle to replace the Preobrazhensky battalion, which occupied guard duty in the castle. This change is made under the pretext that the next day, March 12, Paul I will be early to watch the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Semenovtsy occupy all posts in the castle, except for the internal infantry guard, located near the hall, called the restroom, adjacent to the bedroom of Paul I.
22:00 – 23:00. Dinner at Palen's. Both the leaders of the conspiracy and ordinary participants from among the guards officers are present. The dinner is attended by 40–60 people, most of whom are intoxicated. Platon Zubov informs the rank-and-file participants in the coup that the emperor will be deposed that night. At the same time, he points out that Alexander gave permission for this, and Catherine the Great from the very beginning wanted to transfer the throne to her grandson. There is indecision among the conspirators when it comes to what to do with Paul after being removed from power. Palen remarks: “I remind you, gentlemen, that in order to eat scrambled eggs, you must first break the eggs.” It was tentatively decided to imprison the deposed emperor in Shlisselburg.
22:30 – 23:30. Paul I spends an hour in his room favorites of Anna Gagarina, going down the secret staircase to her. After this he returns to his bedroom.
"We've gone too far"
23:10 – 23:20. Having received a signal about the movement of the regiments, Palen suggests that the officers divide into two groups. The first is headed by Palen himself, the second by Platon Zubov and commander of the Izyum Light Horse Regiment Leonty Bennigsen. Both groups advance to Mikhailovsky Castle. The Zubov-Bennigsen column goes through Sadovaya to the Nativity Gate of the Mikhailovsky Castle. Another, led by Palen, through Nevsky Prospekt and the main entrance under the Resurrection Gate.
12 (March 24, new style), 0:00. The conspirators enter Mikhailovsky Castle. Sentinels at several posts try to raise the alarm, but high-ranking officers from among the participants in the conspiracy calm them down.
0:15 – 0:30. The conspirators approach the emperor's chambers. Platon Zubov hits sentry Agapeev on the back of the head with a saber. Then it is neutralized in the same way hussar Kirillov, who was on duty behind the first door of the imperial chambers. Both Agapeev and Kirillov will ultimately survive.
0:30. The Zubov-Bennigsen group ends up in the chambers of Paul I. The emperor's lackeys make a noise, which puts Platon Zubov into a state of panic. He makes an attempt to leave the palace, but Bennigsen stops him: “How? You yourself brought us here and now you want to retreat? This is impossible, we have come too far to listen to your advice, which is leading us to destruction. The die has been cast, we must act. Forward".
Murder with extreme cruelty
0:30 – 0:45. The conspirators enter the emperor's bedroom. Pavel, hearing the noise, hides behind the fireplace screen. Platon Zubov, not finding the monarch, says in confusion in French: “The bird has flown away.” Bennigsen, keeping his cool, walked up to the bed, touched it with his hand and said: “The nest is warm - the bird is not far.” A minute later, the conspirators discover Pavel.
0:45 – 1:45. Paul is required to sign a document abdicating the throne. The emperor is very frightened, but refuses to sign anything. He mistakes one of the young officers taking part in the conspiracy for the son of Constantine and exclaims: “And Your Highness is here?” A skirmish arises between Pavel and Platon Zubov, in which the emperor strikes one of the leaders of the conspiracy. Bennigsen shouts: “Don’t resist, sir, this is about your life!” At this moment, one of the most active conspirators becomes Colonel Vladimir Yashvil, head of the Horse Guards Artillery. “Enough to talk! Now he will sign everything you want, and tomorrow our heads will fly on the scaffold,” he shouts. Platon Zubov holds a massive golden snuffbox in his hand, with which he stabs the emperor in the left temple. Pavel falls to the floor, after which more than ten people attack him. They kick the person lying down and jump on his stomach. Then officer of the Izmailovsky regiment Skaryatin tightens an officer's scarf around Pavel's neck, which, according to various versions, belonged to either Skaryatin or the emperor himself. The monarch is being strangled. A few minutes later he no longer shows any signs of life.
"Apoplexy"
1:45. Alexander is informed of the death of the emperor. He states: “I don’t feel myself or what I’m doing—I can’t get my thoughts together; I need to leave this palace. Go to your mother and invite her to come to the Winter Palace as soon as possible.”
2:00. Alexander and Konstantin leave Mikhailovsky Castle.
2:00 – 5:00. Paul's wife Empress Maria Feodorovna Having learned about the death of her husband, he makes an attempt to seize the initiative and declares his rights to the throne. The conspirators isolate her, and by morning she agrees to recognize the transfer of power to her eldest son and go to the Winter Palace.
2:30 – 6:00. Urgently called physician Villiers it was ordered to put the corpse of Paul I in order so that it would not show signs of violent death. Despite all his efforts, Villiers cannot completely hide the bruises on the dead man’s face. In the coffin, the emperor's face will eventually be covered with a massive hat.
6:00 – 10:00. In St. Petersburg, the death of Emperor Paul I and the accession of Alexander I was officially announced. The official version says that Paul died of apoplexy (in modern terminology, a stroke).
Pavel Petrovich Romanov, known as Emperor Paul I, ascended the throne in 1796 after the death of his mother, Catherine the Great. The new emperor, who had an extremely negative attitude towards both his mother and her entourage, saw his goal as implementing a state reorganization that would not leave any memories of the previous era. The extremely harsh methods of Paul I, the repression to which even the highest-ranking government officials, including members of the imperial family, were subjected, led to the fact that the position of the emperor himself became precarious.
He managed to turn almost the entire Russian elite against himself, including the guard officers who were the driving force behind all the palace coups of the 18th century.
In the summer of 1799, a group of conspirators began to form, hatching plans to remove the emperor from power and enthrone Paul’s eldest son, Alexandra.
The conspiracy was led by Vice-Chancellor Nikita Panin, Governor General of St. Petersburg Peter Palen, Catherine the Great's last favorite Platon Zubov together with brothers Nikolai and Valerian. The total number of persons involved in the conspiracy by the beginning of March 1801 ranged from 180 to 300 people.
Portrait of Nikita Petrovich Panin. Artist Jean Louis Veil. Source: Public Domain
Alexander gives the go-ahead
According to some reports, the conspirators were planning a plot for the so-called “Ides of March” when he was killed Dictator of Rome Julius Caesar. However, the plans were adjusted due to the fact that information about the preparation of the conspiracy became known to Paul I.
On March 9, the emperor summoned Palen and asked what he knew about the conspiracy. The Governor-General of St. Petersburg replied that he himself was a member of it, preparing to arrest the conspirators red-handed. Palen managed to calm the emperor, gaining some time to implement his plan.
Paul, suspecting those closest to him, ordered his own wife, as well as his eldest sons, to be kept under house arrest in the Mikhailovsky Castle. Alexandra And Constantine.
Immediately after the conversation with the emperor, Palen met with Alexander and informed him that Paul had signed a decree to bring members of the imperial family to trial. The head of the conspirators asks the heir to the throne to give the go-ahead to carry out the plan. After some hesitation, Alexander agrees, insisting that his father should not be harmed. Palen assures that no one is planning physical influence on Paul I.
Last oath
11 (March 23, new style), 4:00. The Emperor (as usual) wakes up early. After the morning toilet, he begins state affairs.
5:00 - 9:00. Paul I works in his office. Palen makes the traditional report to the emperor on international affairs.
9:00. The emperor, together with the heir to the throne, goes to “inspect the troops.”
10:00. Pavel is present at the parade ground. At the same time, Palen, who left the palace after the report, gathers the guard officers at his apartment, where he expresses to them the sovereign’s particular displeasure with their service and the threat to exile everyone. Those gathered “left with sorrowful faces and despondency in their hearts.”
11:00. The Emperor strolls on horseback with his pet valet Ivan Kutaisov.
13:00. Paul I dines at Mikhailovsky Castle with his entourage. At the same time, Palen sends out invitations to his dinner. Only those involved in the conspiracy are invited to the event.
15:00 - 17:00. The emperor swears in family members, with the exception of minors, “not to enter into any connection with the conspirators.” After the oath, Paul I is in excellent spirits and allows Alexander and Constantine to have dinner with him.
"Which have not be avoided"
21:00. The Emperor is having dinner at the Mikhailovsky Castle. Alexander and Konstantin and their wives are invited to dinner, Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna; wife of the main conspirator, State Dame Palen and her daughter maid of honor Palen, Maid of Honor Protasova, maid of honor Kutuzova 2nd, State Lady of Rennes,State Lady Countess Lieven; Kutuzov, Stroganov, Naryshkin, Chief Chamberlain Count Sheremetev, equestrian Mukhanov, Senator Prince Yusupov.
21:30. Dinner is over. Before leaving, Pavel talks with Mikhail Kutuzov. Looking at himself in the mirror, the monarch remarks: “Look how funny the mirror is; I see myself in it with my neck on the side.” Leaving for his room, the emperor says: “What happens, cannot be avoided.”
22:00. Lunch at Platon Zubov's. The conspirators discuss their plan of action for the last time.
22:15. Paul I sends pages with letters and visits some posts in the Mikhailovsky Castle. After this, he closes the outer door. Who was at the door post at that moment sentry Agapeev later he would report that the emperor was praying at the icon in the hallway.
22:30. Life physician Grivet gives the emperor a lemon-mint tincture.
Mikhailovsky Castle. Parade under Emperor Paul I. Source: Public Domain
“To eat scrambled eggs, you must first break the eggs.”
22:00 − 22:30. Alerted, the 3rd battalion of the Semenovsky regiment, led by the heir to the throne Alexander, is sent to the Mikhailovsky Castle to replace the Preobrazhensky battalion, which occupied guard duty in the castle. This change is made under the pretext that the next day, March 12, Paul I will be early to watch the Preobrazhensky Regiment. Semenovtsy occupy all posts in the castle, except for the internal infantry guard, located near the hall, called the restroom, adjacent to the bedroom of Paul I.
22:00 - 23:00. Dinner at Palen's. Both the leaders of the conspiracy and ordinary participants from among the guards officers are present. The dinner is attended by 40-60 people, most of whom are intoxicated. Platon Zubov informs the rank-and-file participants in the coup that the emperor will be deposed that night. At the same time, he points out that Alexander gave permission for this, and Catherine the Great from the very beginning wanted to transfer the throne to her grandson. There is indecision among the conspirators when it comes to what to do with Paul after being removed from power. Palen remarks: “I remind you, gentlemen, that in order to eat scrambled eggs, you must first break the eggs.” It was tentatively decided to imprison the deposed emperor in Shlisselburg.
Portrait of Pyotr Alekseevich Palen. Unknown artist. Source: Public Domain
22:30 - 23:30. Paul I spends an hour in his room favorites of Anna Gagarina, going down the secret staircase to her. After this he returns to his bedroom.
"We've gone too far"
23:10 - 23:20. Having received a signal about the movement of the regiments, Palen suggests that the officers divide into two groups. The first is headed by Palen himself, the second by Platon Zubov and commander of the Izyum Light Horse Regiment Leonty Bennigsen. Both groups advance to Mikhailovsky Castle. The Zubov-Bennigsen column goes through Sadovaya to the Nativity Gate of the Mikhailovsky Castle. Another, led by Palen, through Nevsky Prospekt and the main entrance under the Resurrection Gate.
12 (March 24, new style), 0:00. The conspirators enter Mikhailovsky Castle. Sentinels at several posts try to raise the alarm, but high-ranking officers from among the participants in the conspiracy calm them down.
0:15 - 0:30. The conspirators approach the emperor's chambers. Platon Zubov hits sentry Agapeev on the back of the head with a saber. Then it is neutralized in the same way hussar Kirillov, who was on duty behind the first door of the imperial chambers. Both Agapeev and Kirillov will ultimately survive.
0:30. The Zubov-Bennigsen group ends up in the chambers of Paul I. The emperor's lackeys make a noise, which puts Platon Zubov into a state of panic. He makes an attempt to leave the palace, but Bennigsen stops him: “How? You yourself brought us here and now you want to retreat? This is impossible, we have come too far to listen to your advice, which is leading us to destruction. The die has been cast, we must act. Forward".
Murder with extreme cruelty
0:30 - 0:45. The conspirators enter the emperor's bedroom. Pavel, hearing the noise, hides behind the fireplace screen. Platon Zubov, not finding the monarch, says in confusion in French: “The bird has flown away.” Bennigsen, keeping his cool, walked up to the bed, felt it with his hand and said: “The nest is warm - the bird is not far.” A minute later, the conspirators discover Pavel.
The assassination of Emperor Paul I, engraving from a French historical book, 1880s.
PAUL I
(1754-1801) - Russian Emperor
"The ability to live well and die well is one and the same science."
Epicurus
Paul was afraid of being poisoned all his life, especially when he was still heir to the throne. Not trusting domestic culinary specialists, he ordered the cook from good old England. However, this and other precautions did not help. The conspiracy of the noble elite, which received the tacit approval of the heir to the throne, Grand Duke Alexander, led to the death of the emperor.
S. Shchukin. "Portrait of Paul I".
On the emperor's belt is an officer's scarf "of silver thread with three narrow black and orange stripes and black and orange tassel centers." It was with such a scarf that he was strangled - either his own or Skaryatin’s
On the last day of his life, March 11, 1801, Paul called his sons, Alexander and Constantine, to him and ordered them to be sworn in (although they had already done this upon his ascension to the throne). After this procedure, the emperor was in a good mood and allowed his sons to dine with him. When dinner was over and everyone got up from the table, Pavel suddenly said: “What happens, cannot be avoided.” And he went to his sleeping quarters.
Meanwhile, the conspirators were already acting. The Mikhailovsky Palace, where the emperor was located, was guarded that night by troops loyal to Alexander. For some reason, Pavel himself removed the loyal Horse Guards guard, led by Colonel Sablukov, from his doors. Even the regimental adjutant of Paul I took part in the conspiracy, and he led a group of conspirators into the palace. Among them were persons who held the highest positions in the state - Count Palen, Prince Zubov, his brother Count Zubov, Prince Volkonsky, Count Bennigsen and General Uvarov. At first, they allegedly intended to limit themselves to the arrest of Paul in order to force him to abdicate the throne in favor of his eldest son.
On the way to the emperor's apartment, one of the officers came across a footman and hit him on the head with a cane. The footman raised a cry. Paul, hearing the noise made by the conspirators, tried to escape through the doors that led to the empress’s chambers, but they were locked. Then he rushed to the window and hid behind the curtain. The conspirators, not finding the emperor in bed, were momentarily at a loss. It seemed to them that the conspiracy had been discovered and that it was a trap. But Count Palen, the most cold-blooded of them, approached the bed and, touching the sheets with his hand, exclaimed: “The nest is still warm, the bird cannot be far away.” The conspirators searched the room and found the emperor in hiding. Pavel stood defenseless in a nightgown in front of the conspirators, in whose hands swords sparkled. Someone present said:
Sir, you have ceased to reign. Emperor - Alexander. By order of the emperor, we will arrest you.
Pavel turned to Zubov and said to him: “What are you doing, Platon Alexandrovich?” At this time, an officer entered the room and whispered in Zubov’s ear that his presence was needed below, where the guards were feared. Zubov left, but more conspirators entered instead.
“You are under arrest, Your Majesty,” someone repeated.
Arrested, what does it mean - arrested? - the emperor asked in some kind of daze.
One of the officers answered him with hatred:
Four years ago you should have been finished!
To this Paul responded:
What I've done?
Platon Zubov replied that his despotism had become so difficult for the nation that they came to demand his abdication from the throne.
Memoirists differ in their descriptions of further events. One writes that the emperor “entered into an argument with Zubov, which lasted about half an hour and which, in the end, took on a stormy character. At this time, those of the conspirators who drank too much champagne began to express impatience, while the emperor, in his turn, spoke louder and began to gesticulate strongly.
At this time, the master of the horse, Count Nikolai Zubov, a man of enormous simplicity and extraordinary strength, being completely drunk, hit Pavel on the hand and said: “Why are you shouting like that!”
Illustration by I. Sayko for the novel by K. S. Badigin “The Keys to the Enchanted Castle.” Scene of the assassination of Emperor Paul by conspirators.)
At this insult, the emperor indignantly pushed away Zubov’s left hand, to which the latter, clutching a massive golden snuffbox in his fist, struck with his right hand a blow to the emperor’s left temple, as a result of which he fell senseless to the floor. At the same moment, Zubov’s French valet jumped up with his feet on the emperor’s stomach, and Skaryatin, an officer of the Izmailovsky regiment, took off the emperor’s scarf hanging over the bed and strangled him with it. (Other eyewitnesses say that Pavel tried to free himself, and Bennigsen repeated to him twice: “Remain calm, your Majesty, this is about your life!” However, after a little time, Bennigsen himself took off the scarf and handed it to Prince Yashvil. Lieutenant Colonel Yashvil, whom Pavel Once, during a parade, he hit him with a stick, threw a scarf around the emperor’s neck and began to choke him.)
Based on another version, Zubov, being very drunk, allegedly put his fingers into the snuff box that Pavel was holding in his hands. Then the emperor was the first to hit Zubov and thus started the quarrel himself. Zubov allegedly snatched the snuffbox from the emperor’s hands and knocked him off his feet with a strong blow. But this is hardly plausible, considering that Pavel jumped straight out of bed and wanted to hide. Be that as it may, there is no doubt that the snuff box played a certain role in this event."
The Assassination of Emperor Paul I, engraving from a French historical book, 1880s
Another memoirist describes the death scene as follows: the blow with the snuffbox was “the signal by which Prince Yashvil, Tatarinov, Gardanov and Skaryatin furiously rushed at him [the emperor], tore the sword out of his hands; a desperate struggle began with him, Pavel was strong and strong; they knocked him to the floor, beat him, trampled him, broke his head with a sword hilt and finally crushed him with Skaryatin’s scarf.”
The rest of the night, physician Vilie treated Pavel’s mutilated corpse so that the next morning it could be shown to the troops as proof of his natural death. But, despite all the efforts and careful makeup, blue and black spots were visible on the emperor’s face. As he lay in the coffin, his three-cornered hat was pulled down over his forehead so as to hide, as far as possible, his left eye and his bruised temple.
Conspiracy participants
The total number of people involved in the conspiracy, according to various estimates, ranges from 180 to 300 people.
Yashvil
Borozdin
Marin
Olga Zherebtsova
Valerian Zubov
Bennigsen
Depreradovich
Nikolay Zubov
Peter Palen
Nikita Panin
Golenishchev-Kutuzov
Platon Zubov
Uvarov
de Ribas
Tuchkov Pavel Alekseevich
Portrait of K. M. Poltoratsky from the workshop of George Dow. 1822-1825
Sokolov Petr Fedorovich. Portrait Portrait of I.M. Muravyov-Apostol. until 1826
Preceding circumstances
The conspiracy took clear shape by the end of 1800.
On February 24, thanks to the intrigue, Fyodor Rostopchin fell into disgrace with Paul, thus, the main rival of Palen, who at that time actually controlled the sovereign, was removed, and nothing else prevented the latter from giving the go-ahead to the final stage of the conspiracy.
March 3, 1801 Alexander Ribopierre fights a duel with Prince B. Svyatopolk-Chetvertinsky, the emperor thought it was because of his favorite Anna Gagarina. Paul sent the mother and sisters of the offender into exile, confiscated their property, forbade the post office to accept their letters, arrested the heir for a day (who did not submit a report on the duel to his father in time), punished Palen, and imprisoned Ribopierre himself in a fortress. Palen uses this episode, which aroused public sympathy, as one of the reasons.
Anna Lopukhina (Gagarin) - the emperor's favorite
Probably, the conspirators wanted to time the denouement to coincide with March 15 - the “Ides of March”, which brought the death of the tyrant Caesar, but external events accelerated the decision, since the king, by the evening or night of March 8, came to the conclusion that “they wanted to repeat the year 1762.”
Perhaps the denunciation to the tsar was written by V.P. Meshchersky, the former chief of the St. Petersburg regiment stationed in Smolensk, perhaps by Prosecutor General P.Kh. Obolyaninov. Geiking writes, apparently relying on Palen: “No matter how hard they tried to hide all the threads of the conspiracy, Prosecutor General Obolyaninov, apparently, still suspected something. He indirectly notified the sovereign, who spoke about this with his favorite Kutaisov; but the latter assured that this was just an insidious denunciation launched by someone to curry favor.”
Palen later said that on March 9, the emperor summoned him to his place and asked about the conspiracy, Palen admitted to participating in it, framing the matter in such a way that he made this decision in order to become a “fifth column” and find out everything for the well-being of the sovereign. Contemporary Tol writes: “If Palen’s scene with the king is not a direct fable, then it is a legend, which Palen used to laugh at during his life.
Something really happened, but it sounded completely different when Count Palen himself told it in his circle: the emperor once told him at a morning audience famous words (“They say that there is a conspiracy against me and you are one of the conspirators”); Palen, embarrassed and frightened, at first did not find anything better than to linger in his bow for a few moments in order to collect his thoughts and so that the king could not read anything in his eyes. Only after he realized with a quick effort to return his face to its normal expression did he dare to straighten up.
However, in a hurry, he did not find a better answer than the following (pronounced with his eyes still downcast): “How can this happen when we have a Secret Expedition?” “That’s true,” answered the emperor, suddenly completely calmed down, and left this dangerous object behind.”
According to Czartoryski, Pavel announces to Palen that he knows about the conspiracy. “This is impossible, sir,” answered Palen quite calmly. “For in that case I, who know everything, would myself be among the conspirators.” “This answer and the good-natured smile of the Governor-General completely reassured Pavel.
Young Alexander in 1802
They point out that suspicions are aroused in Pavel against his wife, and he is afraid that she will do the same as his mother Catherine did with his father. Perhaps that is why the door to the empress's chambers was locked (boarded up). The tsar also fears poison and orders that “his food should be prepared by no other than a Swedish cook, who was placed in a small room near his own chambers.” In order to protect himself, Pavel also summons 2 disgraced generals Lindener and Arakcheev to the capital, but this only accelerated the execution of the conspiracy. Eidelman questions the veracity of this call, and asks whether the rumor about the imminent arrival of these warriors was another provocation by Palen.
After this dangerous conversation with the emperor, Palen secretly sees Alexander and allegedly shows him a decree condemning his mother, him and Constantine. Palen allegedly asks for the coup tomorrow, March 10; Alexander asks for the 11th, and Palen will tell many people about this request later, realizing that the heir will not be able to refute: “The Grand Duke forced me to postpone until the 11th day, when the third battalion of the Semenovsky regiment would be on duty, in which he was even more confident than in other others. I agreed to this with difficulty and was not without anxiety in the next two days.” On this day, the emperor finally agrees to a joint expedition with the French to India starting in the spring of 1801.
On March 10, he liberates Ribopierre from the fortress. On the same day, Archbishop Ambrose (Podobedov) was granted Metropolitan of St. Petersburg, and this fact immediately gives rise to a rumor that a new bishop is needed to dissolve the old royal marriage and enter into a new one. That evening the last concert is held in the Mikhailovsky Castle.
Prince Eugene of Württemberg testifies that “... the queen looked around in fear and seemed to want to understand what new, disastrous thoughts her husband was busy with. He only cast wild glances, and I wondered why he wouldn’t refuse the concert in such a mood. (...). After the concert, the sovereign, as usual, left, but his departure, expected longer than usual, was accompanied by behavior that became clear to me only after some time. When the side doors opened, he walked up to the empress, who was standing on the right, stopped in front of her, smiling mockingly, crossed his arms, incessantly puffing as usual, which he did, being in the highest degree of dislike, and then repeated the same threatening gestures in front of both grand dukes .
Finally, he approached Count Palen, whispered a few words in his ear with a gloomy expression, and then went to dinner. Everyone followed him silently, overcome with fear. (...) The Empress began to cry, and the whole family left deeply saddened.” One of the ladies-in-waiting whispers something in Diebitsch's ear; he is later told that the young lady spoke about possible ways to arrange for the prince to escape from the palace and hide him in a prepared shelter.
Others with knowledge of the conspiracy
Lord Whitworth
Troshchinsky
Semyon Romanovich Vorontsov
It is curious that the tsar died in the same place where he was born - the building of the Mikhailovsky Castle was erected on the site of the wooden Summer Palace of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, created by the architect Rastrelli, where on September 20, 1754, Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna gave birth to Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich.
Mikhailovsky Castle. Engraving from the early 19th century.
Mikhailovsky Castle, the place of Paul’s death, remained his cherished dream for many years. The general plan for creating the castle and the first sketches of its layout belonged to the emperor himself. Work on the project for the future residence began back in 1784, when he was the Grand Duke. During the design process, which lasted almost 12 years, he turned to various architectural examples he saw during his trip abroad in 1781-1782. The decree on the construction of the castle was issued in the first month of the reign of Paul I, November 28, 1796. For the sake of the implementation of this palace, many other construction projects were suspended, from which even building material was confiscated. By order of the emperor, construction was carried out day and night.
Benois Alexander Nikolaevich. Parade under Paul I. 1907
The concept of the castle (it was this word, unusual for Russian architecture, that Pavel used) corresponded to his knightly ideas, it also reflected his position as Master of the Order of Malta, and the walls of the castle, according to a widespread legend, were also painted because of the knightly act of the tsar - according to the color of the glove he raised favorites at the ball. In addition, Paul wanted to hide behind the strong walls of the castle, not intending to stay in the Winter Palace, where so many coups took place. It is known that the king was overwhelmed by many fears - for example, he was afraid of being poisoned.
On February 1, 1801, Pavel and his family moved to a new palace. The last concert in the General Dining Hall took place on March 10, 1801, where, in particular, Madame Chevalier performed (who once managed to touch the emperor’s heart by singing in a dress the color of the walls of St. Michael’s Castle). And on the night of March 11-12, 1801, 40 days after the much-anticipated move, Pavel was killed in his own bedroom. After the death of Paul, the royal family returned to the Winter Palace, the castle lost its significance as a ceremonial residence, came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Imperial Household and gradually fell into disrepair.
Stepan Semyonovich Shchukin.Portrait of Russian Emperor Paul I
The news of Alexander's death was possibly reported by Nikolai Zubov, or by K.M. Poltoratsky, Palen and Bennigsen. Then they wake up Konstantin. Alexander sends his wife Elizaveta Alekseevna to Empress Maria Feodorovna, and apparently repeating the recommendations of Palen and Bennigsen, says:
“I don’t feel either myself or what I’m doing - I can’t gather my thoughts; I need to leave this palace. Go to your mother and invite her to come to the Winter Palace as soon as possible.”
The news was reported to Empress Maria Feodorovna by Countess Charlotte Lieven. Memoirists write that she fainted, but quickly recovered. In addition, Maria Feodorovna declared, according to eyewitnesses, that she had been crowned and should now reign - German. Ich will regieren!. From one to five in the morning she refused to obey her son and the new emperor. She made three attempts to control the situation. Velyaminov-Zernov: “Suddenly Empress Maria Fedorovna bursts on the door and shouts: “Let me in, let me in!” One of the Zubovs said: “Pull out that woman over there.” Evsei Gordanov, a strong man, grabbed her in his arms and brought her back to her bedroom like a burden.” She then tries to break through to the balcony and address the troops, but is stopped by Palen. Maria Feodorovna’s last attempt is to go to her husband’s body through other rooms through the location of Poltoratsky, who does not allow her to go to the body for a long time, but finally receives permission from Benningsen, who, however, told the empress “Madam, do not play a comedy.” Elizaveta Alekseevna constantly accompanied her, which greatly irritated her mother-in-law.
Sablukov describes the empress’s next visit to her husband’s body, now together with her son:
“Alexander Pavlovich, who now for the first time saw his father’s disfigured face, painted and greased, was amazed and stood in mute stupor. Then the empress mother turned to her son with an expression of deep grief and with an air of complete dignity said: “Now I congratulate you - you are an emperor.” At these words, Alexander fell unconscious like a sheaf.”
Alexander and Konstantin in a carriage leave the Mikhailovsky Castle, full of drunken officers. Alexander calls his mother to come, but she refuses. Eidelman writes that the Empress Dowager, who wanted to gain power, wandered around the palace until Bennigsen managed to lock her up and isolate her. Only at six o'clock in the morning does she agree to go to Zimny.
Maria Fedorovna in a widow's outfit
The next morning, a manifesto written by D.P. Troshchinsky was published, in which the subjects were informed that Pavel had died of apoplexy.
When the emperor lay in the coffin, his triangular hat was pulled down over his forehead so as to hide, as far as possible, his left eye and his bruised temple.
N.I. Grech writes how he went to say goodbye to the body: “As soon as you entered the door, they pointed to another with an admonition: if you please, come through. I went to the Mikhailovsky Castle ten times out of nothing to do and could only see the soles of the emperor’s boots and the brim of his wide hat pulled down over his forehead.”
The funeral service and burial took place on March 23, Holy Saturday; committed by all members of the Holy Synod, headed by Metropolitan of St. Petersburg Ambrose (Podobedov)
Tombstone of Paul I and Maria Feodorovna in the Peter and Paul Cathedral
The official version of Paul's death was apoplexy (stroke).
Therefore, there was a joke that he died from an apoplectic blow to the temple with a snuff box.
Gold snuff boxes of the 18th century were very weighty objects. However, although the snuff box is the most common version, there are references to the hilt, the handle of a pistol, and just a fist.
In the middle of the 19th century, the king's bedroom, which became the place of his death, by order of his grandson Emperor Alexander II, was turned into a church in the name of the apostles Peter and Paul.
In 1852, a monument to Paul I was unveiled in Gatchina. During the solemn ceremony, Emperor Nicholas I burst into tears: “the covers were removed, but the rope remained around the neck of the statue and the sovereign’s son, seeing this, began to cry. Everyone was amazed by this accident.”
The regicide was not written about in the censored press until 1905. The papers of those involved in the conspiracy were confiscated by the state after their death.
At the same time, the emigrant and foreign press wrote on this topic.
Ghost of Paul
Another, more famous legend says that the ghost of the emperor killed by the conspirators was unable to leave the place of his death. The ghost of the Tsar began to be seen by a platoon of soldiers of the capital's garrison transporting military equipment, new inhabitants of the palace - the school's breeding corporal Lyamin, and passers-by who noticed a luminous figure in the windows.
Consequences
Alexander I ascended the throne, as a result of which the general atmosphere in the country immediately changed. However, the murder caused deep psychological trauma to Alexander himself, which may have caused him to turn to mysticism late in life. Fonvizin describes his reaction to the news of the murder: “When it was all over and he learned the terrible truth, his grief was inexpressible and reached the point of despair. The memory of this terrible night haunted him all his life and poisoned him with secret sadness.”
Maria Feodorovna moved to Pavlovsk, her relationship with her son deteriorated.
Paul's entourage suffered:
Kutaisov, Ivan Pavlovich - arrested
Madame Chevalier - expelled
The conspirators believed that under the new sovereign they would occupy prominent places in the state.
Czartoryski writes that “Alexander gradually removed... the leaders of the coup, not because he considered them dangerous, but because of the feeling of disgust and disgust that he experienced at the mere sight of them.” Palen was the first to be removed, which was facilitated by the behavior of Maria Feodorovna.
On the eve of Paul's death, Napoleon came close to concluding an alliance with Russia. The assassination of Paul I in March 1801 postponed this possibility for a long time - until the Peace of Tilsit in 1807. Relations with England, on the contrary, were renewed.
***
Ode "Liberty"
(fragment)
When on the gloomy Neva
The midnight star sparkles
And a carefree chapter
A restful sleep is burdensome,
The pensive singer looks
On menacingly sleeping in the midst of the fog
Desert monument to the tyrant,
A palace abandoned to oblivion -
And Klia hears a terrible voice
Behind these terrible walls,
Caligula's last hour
He sees vividly before his eyes,
He sees - in ribbons and stars,
Drunk with wine and anger,
Hidden killers are coming,
There is insolence on their faces, fear in their hearts.
The unfaithful sentry is silent,
The drawbridge is silently lowered,
The gates are open in the darkness of the night
The hired hand of betrayal...
A.S. Pushkin
The blood of Paul I was the last in the era of palace coups. The unfortunate emperor was despised by Catherine's Petersburg, and the participants in the conspiracy deliberately made him look crazy.
“I wish that you don’t get too attached to this world, because you won’t stay in it for long. Live as you should if you want to die in peace, and do not despise reproaches of conscience: this is the greatest torment for a great soul,” from a vision.
For being crowned
Pavel's mother prepared his son to succeed him. She raised him herself, and did not hide her intentions either from her grandson or from her entourage, so the court looked down on Pavel and with contempt.
It is interesting that even around Paul, someone tried to form a conspiracy against Catherine, the empress almost immediately found out about this, interrogated her son, and he gave her a list of people involved, which she, without reading, threw into the fire, since she knew everything from other sources . Catherine did not have just a few hours to publish a decree removing her son from the throne. She was still breathing when Pavel searched her desk and found a package in it. Secretary of State Bezborodko, who later became Pavel’s close associate, silently pointed to the fireplace.
The reason for such a depressing state of succession to the throne was the Decree of Peter the Great, which allowed the monarch not only to give preference to any family member over the first-born, but also to appoint as heir a person who was not at all related to the dynasty, for example, an adopted son. “The Russian throne is not inherited, not chosen, but occupied” (Domenico Caraccioli, Neapolitan diplomat). With this, he caused the so-called “era of palace coups”, the last victim of which was Paul I. As the Grand Duke, he developed an act of succession to the throne, which he personally promulgated, reading on April 5, 1797 at the coronation. The law abolished Peter's decree, introduced inheritance by law, “so that the state would not be without heirs, so that the heir would always be appointed by law itself, so that there would not be the slightest doubt about who should inherit, in order to preserve the right of childbirth in inheritance, without violating natural rights, and to avoid difficulties during the transition from generation to generation.” The decree also established semi-Salic primogeniture, an advantage in inheritance for male descendants, and prohibited the occupation of the Russian throne by a person not belonging to the Orthodox Church.
Thus, the coronation of Paul I itself became the cause of discontent and embitterment of Catherine’s powerful camarilla, which the new emperor was not going to allow close to him.
For anti-English policy
As soon as Paul ascended the throne, he immediately announced his withdrawal from the anti-French coalition, saying that Russia needed peace after decades of war. This, of course, greatly confused the plans of the British and Austrians. However, in 1799, when Emperor Franz asked Paul for help, he sent an army to help. The result of the famous campaign in Northern Italy and Switzerland was that at the most necessary moment the Austrians abandoned the Russians. At the same time, Russia took part in England’s campaign against the Batavian Republic (that was the name of the Netherlands during the Napoleonic occupation) and the French occupation forces. The English, under the command of the Duke of York, suffered complete defeat on land, but destroyed the entire Dutch fleet. At the same time, the British did not think about the Russian allies at all: they did not care at all about the exchange of Russian prisoners and even had the audacity to try to use the remnants of the Russian corps against the Irish rebels. The last straw in the ocean of Paul's anger towards the British was the occupation in September 1800 of the island of Malta, which had previously taken the Order of St. John of Jerusalem from the knights, after which, at the request of the knights, Paul became its grandmaster. The actions of the British prompted Paul to turn his attention to the new monarch of France. He entered into personal and diplomatic correspondence, and personal with the First Consul, considering him not a product of the revolution, but, de facto, an emperor. It was from this correspondence that the great project of the Indian Campaign was born.
The British ambassador in St. Petersburg, obviously, was personally involved at the initial stage in organizing the conspiracy against Paul I, but was expelled long before its execution. However, some historians believe that England still took part in the coup. “Coincidence” played a role: on December 24, 1800, an attempt was made on Napoleon’s life in Paris, and the French believed that these events were undoubtedly connected.
For politics in the army
Paul I, being an ardent admirer of everything Prussian, introduced an uncomfortable, old-fashioned uniform and drill. Strict, inconvenient, and most importantly, senseless borrowed orders caused irritation, reaching the point of hatred, of almost all the officers and nobility of St. Petersburg. He organized daily shift parades with the participation of all generals of the highest ranks, in which Pavel himself acted as a sergeant major. An officer who lost his footing could find himself demoted and deported to Siberia with immediate departure, unable to even take money and necessary things. The frequency of such cases is evidenced by the fact that officers began to take large sums of money with them in case of sudden exile.
The dissatisfaction in the guard with innovations was so great that it blocked all the worthy military undertakings of the emperor. Thus, he limited the service life of recruits, introduced overcoats into uniforms, and limited the punishment of soldiers. As a result, the only one truly loyal to Pavel was the Preobrazhensky regiment, which the conspirators managed to leave out of action on the night of the murder.
For madness
Pavel was, undoubtedly, based on modern psychiatry, a severe neurotic: a quick-tempered, arrogant person suffering from depression and panic attacks. This is easily explained by the events of childhood: the death of Anna’s sister, the murder of her father, rejection from her mother and many other events. All this later translated into an inability to evaluate interpersonal relationships. He did not know how to build games and choose reliable favorites.
For example, Paul could only judge people by indirect remarks or letters that were not addressed to him. It was this feature of Paul that the conspirators took advantage of, raising the Baltic nobleman Palen through the ranks. In addition, the emperor unconditionally trusted only his stupid barber Kudaisov, who was easily used by everyone.
This allowed the conspirators, primarily Palen, who controlled the post office and the St. Petersburg police, to manipulate Paul and public opinion against Paul, distorting his decrees, inciting him to make absurd decisions. As a result, by the end of events, all of St. Petersburg was convinced that the tsar had gone crazy, and if something was not done, the country would face a revolution.
