Elizabeth of Russia
Elizabeth was born at Kolomenskoye, near Moscow, Russia, on the 18th of December 1709. Her parents were Peter the Great and Catherine, a former maid who had become his second wife. No documentary record exists of their secret marriage, which likely occurred between the 23rd of October and the 1st of December 1707 at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Saint Petersburg. Their official union took place later, on the 9th of February 1712, legitimizing Elizabeth and her older sister Anna as Tsarevnas.
Peter the Great adored his daughter, yet he neglected her education. He did not anticipate that a woman might inherit the Russian throne, so he left her upbringing to Catherine. Despite this lack of formal schooling from her father, Elizabeth became fluent in Italian, German, and French. She excelled in mathematics, arts, languages, and sports under a French governess. Her physical activity mirrored her father's love for horseriding, hunting, sledging, skating, and gardening.
Contemporary observers noted her striking appearance. The British ambassador described Grand Duchess Elizabeth as fair with light brown hair and large sprightly blue eyes. He wrote that she was inclinable to be fat but very genteel and danced better than anyone he ever saw. This vivacious beauty made her a favorite among courtiers, though it also drew resentment from rivals like Empress Anna.
Elizabeth faced repeated failures in diplomatic marriage arrangements during her youth. In 1724, Peter betrothed her to Charles Augustus of Holstein-Gottorp, a prince from a tiny north German principality. Her fiancé died on the 31st of May 1727 before their wedding could take place. Just two weeks prior, her mother had died on the 17th of May 1727, leaving Elizabeth orphaned at seventeen.
With no prospects for a royal match, Elizabeth turned to commoners for companionship. She first took Alexander Shubin, a sergeant in the Semyonovsky Life Guards Regiment, as her lover. When Empress Anna discovered this affair, she banished Shubin to Siberia. Elizabeth then found solace in coachmen and footmen until she met Alexei Razumovsky.
Razumovsky was a Ukrainian Cossack brought to Saint Petersburg to sing for a church choir. Elizabeth purchased him from his nobleman owner for her own choir. Their relationship spanned decades, from her obscurity to the height of her power. He never showed interest in state affairs, yet they were devoted to each other. Some historians believe they married in secret. The Holy Roman Emperor made him a count in 1742, and Elizabeth elevated him to prince and field marshal by 1756.
On the night of the 25th of November 1741, Elizabeth seized power with the help of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment. She arrived at the regimental headquarters wearing a warrior's metal breastplate over her dress and grasping a silver cross. She challenged the soldiers: "Whom do you want to serve: me, your natural sovereign, or those who have stolen my inheritance?"
The regiment marched to the Winter Palace and arrested the infant Emperor Ivan VI, his parents, and their lieutenant-colonel Count Burkhard Christoph von Munnich. This coup succeeded without bloodshed, marking a dramatic shift in Russian history. Elizabeth had vowed that if she became Empress, she would not sign a single death sentence.
Despite this promise, cruelty persisted within her regime. She imprisoned Ivan VI and his mother in Shlisselburg Fortress for fear of future coups. Elizabeth ordered that any escape attempt by the adult Ivan be met with elimination. When such an attempt occurred years later under Catherine the Great, Ivan was killed and secretly buried within the fortress. The conspirators involved in plots against her faced severe punishments, including flogging and execution.
Elizabeth crowned herself Empress in the Dormition Cathedral on the 25th of April 1742. At age thirty-three, she found herself leading a great empire during one of its most critical periods. Her proclamation stated that preceding reigns had led Russia to ruin and promised deliverance from foreign oppression.
She encouraged Mikhail Lomonosov's foundation of the University of Moscow, the highest-ranking Russian educational institution. Elizabeth made education freely available to all social classes except serfs. She also helped finance the establishment of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. These initiatives laid groundwork for future intellectual development in Russia.
Social welfare programs expanded significantly during her reign. Parishes became common, providing shelter, food, clothes, and care for orphans, elderly people, and disabled peasants. These were financed through a special tax. Elizabeth outlawed capital punishment, making her regime unique among European monarchies of the time. Historian Robert Nisbet Bain called this one of her chief glories.
Elizabeth oversaw grandiose Baroque construction projects funded by heavy taxation. One of many projects came from Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli: the reconstruction of Peterhof Palace between 1745 and 1755. Her most famous creations included the Smolny Convent and the Winter Palace, though she died before its completion.
The Winter Palace contained 1,500 rooms, 1,786 doors, and 1,945 windows. Bureaucratic offices and living quarters were arranged in two enfilades from the top of the Jordan Staircase. Work continued throughout the year, even during winter's severest months. Eight hundred fifty-nine thousand five hundred fifty-five rubles had been allocated to the project, raised by taxes on state-owned taverns.
To fund extra costs, taxes increased on salt and alcohol. Elizabeth's extravagance benefited infrastructure as well. Numerous roads across Russia were modernized at her orders to facilitate global trade. The court became one of the most splendid in Europe, with nobles wearing cloth of gold and consuming rare foods and drinks.
Elizabeth led the Russian Empire during the Seven Years' War from 1756 to 1763. She sided against Prussia over a personal dislike of Frederick the Great. On the 17th of May 1757, the Imperial Russian Army advanced against Königsberg with eighty-five thousand troops.
Russian victories placed Prussia in serious danger. From 1759 to 1761, Elizabeth remained the constraining political force holding together anti-Prussian alliances. In 1760, a Russian flying column briefly occupied Berlin. Frederick the Great wrote in early 1762 that he was at the end of his resources and facing utter ruin.
On the 5th of January 1762, the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg occurred: the death of the Russian Empress saved Frederick from defeat. He had been considering surrender when news arrived of her passing. Her successor immediately reversed foreign policy, ending the war on terms favorable to Prussia. This unexpected turn preserved the Hohenzollern dynasty but left Russia without its primary strategic objective.
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Common questions
When and where was Elizabeth of Russia born?
Elizabeth of Russia was born at Kolomenskoye, near Moscow, Russia, on the 18th of December 1709. Her parents were Peter the Great and Catherine, a former maid who had become his second wife.
How did Elizabeth of Russia seize power in November 1741?
On the night of the 25th of November 1741, Elizabeth of Russia seized power with the help of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment. She arrived at the regimental headquarters wearing a warrior's metal breastplate over her dress and grasping a silver cross to challenge the soldiers.
What happened to Ivan VI during the reign of Elizabeth of Russia?
Elizabeth of Russia imprisoned Ivan VI and his mother in Shlisselburg Fortress for fear of future coups. When an escape attempt occurred years later under Catherine the Great, Ivan was killed and secretly buried within the fortress.
Which educational institutions did Elizabeth of Russia establish or support?
Elizabeth of Russia encouraged Mikhail Lomonosov's foundation of the University of Moscow and helped finance the establishment of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. She made education freely available to all social classes except serfs.
Why did Elizabeth of Russia side against Prussia during the Seven Years' War?
Elizabeth of Russia led the Russian Empire during the Seven Years' War from 1756 to 1763 and sided against Prussia over a personal dislike of Frederick the Great. Her death on the 5th of January 1762 saved Frederick from defeat and allowed his successor to reverse foreign policy.