Russian Czar. Born Pyotr Alekseyvich Romanov the son of Princess Charlotte von Braucshwieg-Wolfenbuttel and Alexei Petrovich Romanov in Moscow, grandson of Peter the Great. When he was three, his father was accused of treason by the Czar, and died while imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. After the 1725 death of Peter the Great, his widow, Ekaterina Skavronska (Catherine I) took the throne in her own right and largely ignored her husband's namesake. He was finally named heir in her will, which appointed the Supreme Privy Council to act as regent. He ascended to the throne at the age of eleven, and although apparently clever, showed no interest in learning his role as sovereign and spent his time in hedonistic pursuits. The entirety of the boy's reign was marked by corruption and a jockeying for position among the members of the council in hopes of gaining influence over the boy. In 1727, the Czar was betrothed to sixteen-year-old Maria Menshikova, daughter of the head of the Supreme Privy Council. When the Czar then fell under the influence of Ivan Dolgorukov, Menshikov was forced to resign, his estates were confiscated, and he and his entire family, including the betrothed whose engagement was dissolved, were exiled to Siberia. The Czar returned the capital to Moscow from Saint Petersburg, as his preferred activity, hunting, was better catered to there. He was then betrothed to Ekaterina Dolgorukova and wedding plans commenced. In late December 1729, he fell ill and his condition deteriorated badly by January; doctors diagnosed smallpox. He succumbed to the illness on what would have been his wedding day. He died without issue, ending the direct male line of the Romanov dynasty.
Russian Czar. Born Pyotr Alekseyvich Romanov the son of Princess Charlotte von Braucshwieg-Wolfenbuttel and Alexei Petrovich Romanov in Moscow, grandson of Peter the Great. When he was three, his father was accused of treason by the Czar, and died while imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress. After the 1725 death of Peter the Great, his widow, Ekaterina Skavronska (Catherine I) took the throne in her own right and largely ignored her husband's namesake. He was finally named heir in her will, which appointed the Supreme Privy Council to act as regent. He ascended to the throne at the age of eleven, and although apparently clever, showed no interest in learning his role as sovereign and spent his time in hedonistic pursuits. The entirety of the boy's reign was marked by corruption and a jockeying for position among the members of the council in hopes of gaining influence over the boy. In 1727, the Czar was betrothed to sixteen-year-old Maria Menshikova, daughter of the head of the Supreme Privy Council. When the Czar then fell under the influence of Ivan Dolgorukov, Menshikov was forced to resign, his estates were confiscated, and he and his entire family, including the betrothed whose engagement was dissolved, were exiled to Siberia. The Czar returned the capital to Moscow from Saint Petersburg, as his preferred activity, hunting, was better catered to there. He was then betrothed to Ekaterina Dolgorukova and wedding plans commenced. In late December 1729, he fell ill and his condition deteriorated badly by January; doctors diagnosed smallpox. He succumbed to the illness on what would have been his wedding day. He died without issue, ending the direct male line of the Romanov dynasty.
Bio by: Iola
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