CHAPTER VII. DEATH OF PETER THE GREAT. HIS ESTABLISH- War with Persia. THAT conqueror and legislator, whose travels, enterprises, and success, surpass those of Char- of the czar lemagne, put an end to his career by an expedition into Persia. The sophy Hussein was attacked by rebels, who surprised the town of Shamachie, near the Caspian, where the Russians carried on a considerable trade. All the inhabitants were plundered and massacred; and Peter, not being able to procure satisfaction, carried the war into that country; not to aggrandize himself without deriving some real advantage, but to secure the empire of the Caspian, and to bring the commerce of Persia, and a part of India, into Russia. In 1722 he crossed Mount Caucasus, took Darbent, and returned in triumph to Moscow. The following year, the new sophy, on purpose to secure his protection against the usurper Mahmoud, the murderer of Hussein, ceded to him three provinces, His son Alexis was which formed a great part of the ancient kingdom of the Medes. These provinces have been abandoned since that time: an empire already too much extended must certainly suffer by being more enlarged. To complete Peter's happiness, an heir was wanting to whom he might leave the crown. detested. Alexis Petrowitz, whom he had by his first wife, died in a most tragical manner in the year 1718. We shall in this place take notice of some particulars which attended the catastrophe of that unfortunate prince, whose trial made so much noise. His mother bred him up in a blind superstition, which made him detest the innovations of his father; and some priests, who were equally superstitious, abused his confidence, in order to keep up his prejudices, to which were added the grossest debaucheries. He very soon occasioned the death of his wife, the princess of Brunswick, sister-in-law of the emperor Charles VI., who died of vexation. In one word, he seemed to be born to destroy all the great works of his father. Reprimands and advice The reprimands and threatenings of Peter were all to no purpose. In a letter to him, he of his father, said, Do not depend upon the title of being my only son; for if I do not spare my own life for the good of my country and the safety of my people, how can I spare you? I would rather transmit my dominions to a deserving stranger, than to a son who renders himself unworthy. In another letter, he said, Correct your faults, and render yourself worthy of the succession, or turn monk. The son replied, that he would turn monk. The czar gave him six months to consider, and set out with an intention of visiting France, where he still hoped to procure instruction. On his arrival at Copenhagen, he was inform- Flight ed that his son saw none but malecontents; he of Alexis. therefore ordered him to come and join him. Alexis pretended to obey, but fled for shelter to the court of Vienna in 1717. However, threatening commands, accompanied with promises of pardon, determined him to return to Russia. He arrived at Moscow in 1718, when Peter, who had got thither before him, caused him to be arrested and solemnly disinherited, when a child, lately born of Catharine, was declared his successor. Not satisfied with this act of severity, he insisted upon Alexis being juridi- 1718. cally examined, and commanded him, upon pain of death, to conceal nothing. He was even interrogated upon his thoughts and secret wishes. His confessor, whom he charged with not having disapproved of his wishing the death of his father, was put to the torture. Such proceedings foreboded dreadful resolutions. His trial in His confession. The last confession, which was signed by the young prince, bears, that he was a bigot from his earliest years; that he had frequented the society of priests and monks, drank with them, and received from them such impressions as made him detest his duty, and even the person of his father; that he wanted to succeed to the throne in any manner except that which he ought.' In the mean time, eight bishops, and some Decision others of the clergy, who were consulted on this business by the czar, declared, by a writing under their hands,' that the absolute power esta- the czar. blished in the empire of Russia is not control on the absolute power of Condemna: tion lable by subjects, but the whole authority is in the sovereign. After all, a hundred and forty-four judges of the young having likewise acknowledged that the decision prince. of an affair of this nature depended solely up His violent death. The czarina on the will of the sovereign, unanimously condemned the young prince to suffer death. An English writer says, that in the English parliament, out of an hundred and forty-four judges, not one would have pronounced the least punishment in such a case. This must be, because liberty and despotism see with quite different eyes. According to M. de Voltaire, the czar might cause his son to be put to death for disobedience without consulting any person; and the czarowitz had offended the whole nation, by endeavouring to plunge them again into that state of darkness from whence they had been freed by his father. Does not that very trial prove that they were still in darkness? Alexis, at reading his sentence, fell into convulsions, and died next day, after having begged pardon of the czar, who granted it by a public declaration. The injurious reports which were spread, especially against the czarina on the subject of the death of Alexis, are refuted by the famous writer from whom we have taken the particulars of this history. Peter and Catharine, the next year, 1719, lost that child for whom the throne was destined. It appears evident, that the czar intended in danger. that he should be succeeded by his wife, whom he caused to be crowned and consecrated in the year 1724; a ceremony unknown among the Russians, and calculated to make the same impression upon the minds of that people as it had formerly done among us. Catharine, however, could not procure a pardon for one of her ladies of the wardrobe, her favourite, who had been convicted of having received presents, which was strictly prohibited to all persons in office. The czar, provoked by her entreaties, carried his passion so far as to break a Venetian looking-glass. You see, said he, that it needed but a stroke of my hand to reduce that glass to the dust from whence it was taken. Catharine pacified him by the mildness of her reply: Well, then, you have broken that which was the greatest ornament of your palace; do you imagine it is the handsomer for what you have done? But all the favour she could obtain for the lady was, that, instead of eleven, she should receive only five strokes of the knout; a mode of scourging atrociously cruel. of the czar. Succeeded by Catharine. Peter died in 1724 at the age of fifty-three, Death without having named an heir. The crown might have descended to his daughter, Anne Petrowna, who was married to the duke of Holstein, whom he intended to restore, or to his grandson Peter, the son of the unfortunate Alexis; of whose death we have already given an account, and of his being previously disinherited. Prince Mentzikow, who was always a friend of the empress, prevented the opposite parties, by securing the treasures and the guards, and gaining some of the bishops. He speedily assembled the senators and general officers; and a prelate having declared, that the evening before Catharine's coronation, the czar had signified his intention that she should sueceed to the crown, she was that same day pro |