176 1 In 65438+February, Queen Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter the Great of Russia, died and Peter III succeeded to the throne. Peter III is the grandson of Peter the Great, and his father is a little duke of Germany. Because Queen Elizabeth had no children, he chose Peter Jr. as the Crown Prince. However, little Peter is a man of average talent and simple mind. After he/kloc-returned to Russia at the age of 0/4, he didn't learn Russian for nearly 20 years, looked down on Russians, and even publicly said that Russia was a disgusting country. Immediately after he ascended the throne, he overthrew a series of policies formulated by Queen Elizabeth, promulgated many decrees that ran counter to the interests of Russian nobles, and lost their support. He hastily concluded a peace treaty with German emperor Friedrich, and returned the benefits gained by the seven-year war when Queen Elizabeth was in power to Germany, which was even more unpopular and lost the support of the army. He also threatened to enforce German military discipline in the army and even put on German military uniforms, so that all soldiers thought it was a deliberate insult to them. Then he began to attack the church, ordered the confiscation of its property, and lost its support. Later, he planned to abolish his queen Catherine.

Catherine also comes from the family of a little German duke. When she was a teenager, she traveled with her mother to many European cities and visited the courts of many German princes. The infighting in court left a deep mark on Catherine's young mind. From the time she was elected as the wife of Crown Prince Peter at the age of 15 to the death of Queen Elizabeth, she had to live a miserable and lonely life in the palace for a long time at 18. In order to overcome loneliness, she had to study hard. It is in this special environment that she becomes alert, strong and far-sighted.

When Peter III became a czar, she naturally became a queen and her son Paul became a crown prince.

But she did not agree with Peter III's retrogressive policy, and Peter III was not satisfied with her being queen. Peter III insulted Catherine many times in public, letting the upper class in Russia know that he was dissatisfied with the Queen.

1762 In June, he ordered Catherine to be placed under house arrest, but it was not implemented at the suggestion of his uncle. But Catherine still heard the news. She finally realized that she was facing the last moment of life and death. She is at odds with Peter III. Either she replaces Peter III or Peter III gets rid of her. At that time, people thought that a cruel man like Peter III would probably kill his wife.

Fortunately, Catherine made a group of friends in her long court life.

Once they knew the real situation of Catherine, they began to seriously brew a palace coup, preparing to abolish the unpopular Peter III and support Catherine as the new queen.

At this point, Peter III was completely in the dark. 1762, 12 In June, he left Petersburg for Oraninburg for the summer. After a few days' rest, he planned to attack Denmark, Russia's former ally. However, due to an epidemic, a large number of sailors fell down, and the Russian fleet concentrated in Kranstadt fortress was temporarily unable to set sail. Peter III issued an imperial edict ordering the patient to recover in the shortest time. He holds a banquet in Oraninburg every day, eating, drinking and having fun. His close adviser had warned him that it was very dangerous for the tsar to leave those opponents alone in Petersburg. Peter III doesn't care. The only measure he took was to order Queen Catherine to leave Petersburg and move to Peterhoff near Oranning Castle. Catherine's friends thought it was a conspiracy and advised her not to go. But Catherine saw no reason why she shouldn't go now, so she left her son in the care of her friend Count Parney and went to Peterhoff by herself.

On June 19, Queen yekaterina arrived in Peterhoff, 30 Russian miles away from Petersburg, but she didn't live in the palace, but in a remote villa by the sea. Here, it is more convenient for her to contact her friends and avoid the killer sent by Peter III. Peter III decreed that he would come to Peterhoff on June 29th to celebrate St Peter's Day and St Paul's Day, and asked Catherine to prepare for him. Catherine and her friends have a hunch that Peter III will probably take this opportunity to announce the cancellation of Catherine's status as queen, and even really throw the queen into prison as he has repeatedly threatened.

Catherine's supporters nervously studied the countermeasures. But the situation is not good for them, because their strength in the army is very weak, and they only win the support of some junior officers, while the attitude of a large number of upper-level figures is not clear. These people may not be satisfied with Peter III's policies, but they will not risk their lives against the czar on the stage. It can be said that the time for a palace coup is not yet ripe.

At this time, another accident happened in Petersburg. On June 27th, Captain Pasek, who supported the Queen, got drunk, said something to attack the czar and was arrested on the spot. This incident made Catherine's friends more nervous. They were worried that Captain Pasek could not stand the torture and would tell the secret of the palace coup. The situation has reached a critical moment, and they can't hesitate any longer, so they have to put all their eggs in one basket. That night, a junior officer named Ferdeau came to the home of Earl Razumovski, president of the Academy of Sciences, in the dead of night. Count Razumovski is a loyal supporter of Catherine. After he found out the situation, he immediately woke up Taubert, the director of the printing factory of the Academy of Sciences, and asked him to start printing the declaration of deposing Peter III and supporting Catherine II's accession to the throne. Taubert was so scared that he just looked at the two men and wondered if they were crazy, because up to now, no one supported the Queen! But the count didn't listen to his argument and said to him sternly, you already know too much! If you still want to keep a clear head, then act quickly! ? Taubert gave in and had to print the document he wanted to print.

At this time, go and inform Queen Catherine's officer that Alexei is on his way.

At dawn on June 28th, Alexei arrived in Peterhoff in a splendid carriage. The villa garden seems to be still condensed in the milky light of summer night, and the figures of several guards wander like ghosts in the morning fog. Alexei got out of the car not far away, avoided the guards, tiptoed through a bush, got into the side door of the villa and woke up the queen's maid. After a while, the maid woke Queen Catherine, who was sleeping soundly, and said that Alexei had something urgent to play. Leaf catalina immediately awake, she had no time to change clothes, sitting on the bed, wearing casual clothes met with Alexei who killed people without blinking an eye.

Alexei said straight away, you should get up and announce that everything is ready for you to be queen. ?

Catherine didn't hesitate for a second. She has an animal-like sense of smell and instinctively knows when to retreat and when to pounce. With the help of the maid, she put on her clothes in a hurry and even forgot to dress up, so she followed Alexei quietly to the carriage and quickly got in. The carriage immediately rushed to the avenue leading to Petersburg. Alexei, sitting next to the driver, looked back from time to time to see if anyone was following them. Queen Catherine was sitting in the carriage at this moment, running away in the morning fog, in the turbulence of the carriage galloping, in the fresh air of the wilderness, and in the shouts of the driver urging the horse? All this merged into a kind of happiness and excitement in her heart. Suddenly, the queen laughed, because she found that the maid was wearing only one shoe, and she was wearing a lace nightcap! On the way, they happened to meet Catherine's French dressmaker Michelle, who once designed clothes for the Queen. Alexei let him get on the bus and briefly combed the queen in the carriage. However, the horses began to breathe, because they had run 30 leagues when they arrived, and one of them actually slipped. Alexei gnashed her teeth with anxiety. Because of carelessness, he didn't consider changing horses. He is really worried that these horses will collapse, and the queen will not arrive in Petersburg in time, which will make the whole plan fail! Fortunately, at this moment, they met a farmer driving an empty car. Alexei stopped the farmer and replaced the horse that the farmer had just boarded with a tired horse. The carriage galloped again. A few miles from Petersburg, Prince Balyatinkis greeted Queen Catherine in an open carriage. The queen immediately transferred to the prince's carriage and went to ismailov's barracks. Artillery quartermaster Grigoli went to the barracks to announce the arrival of the Queen.

The barracks are full of drums and music. Queen Catherine was still a little nervous when she walked to the neat soldier line. Her fate depends on the attitude of these soldiers! However, when she saw grigori, she was completely relieved. Grigori stood majestically in the stirrup and raised his saber to meet her. He knows his brothers very well, so he generously promised them that he would get enough vodka after success! So the soldiers welcomed Queen Catherine with great joy. They opened their mouths and shouted slogans:? Long live Catherine! ? Priests in the army also raised crosses to show that they also supported the soldiers' actions. The officers crowded around the unfortunate queen. They knelt on the ground, kissed the hem of the queen's clothes and vowed to defend the queen with their bravery. Count Razumovski tried to calm the boiling crowd, but the cheers were louder than before. Finally, the count had to declare that Her Majesty Queen yekaterina was the only and absolute Russian queen amid the cheers of the soldiers, and swore allegiance to her in the name of all the soldiers.

The officers and men of Ismailovsky Barracks followed the Queen, formed a mighty team, and advanced to the Minovski Barracks. The priest in robes waved the cross and walked in front to clear the way. A large crowd of emotional officers surrounded the queen's carriage. The cheerful soldiers ran and shouted slogans:? Hooray! Yekaterina! We will defend her to the death! ? The people of the two barracks joined together, and the increasing flow of people flocked to other barracks, and more and more soldiers joined the coup. Only one regiment of officers tried to force the soldiers to be loyal to Tsar Peter III, but when Catherine arrived, the soldiers arrested their officers and knelt before the Queen.

Catherine's team entered Petersburg. Citizens joined the soldiers from all directions to cheer for their new queen. Catherine's carriage trudged through the crowd to Kazan Cathedral. Three hours ago, she was still asleep, but at this moment, she has become a leader supported by countless people! She walked steadily towards the archbishop who was waiting for her. The archbishop completely regarded her as a czar. He sincerely wishes Catherine and her son, Crown Prince Paul.

After this brief ceremony, Catherine still took an open carriage and was escorted by an officer to the Winter Palace. Six regiments of infantry and the whole artillery unit lined up on Binjiang Avenue in front of the Winter Palace.

The priests sent crosses to the soldiers to show their approval for their actions. As soon as Catherine enters the room, she will meet the Crown Prince. Count Pani brought Paul at once. Paul just woke up, still wearing pajamas and cotton nightcap. Catherine walked to the window with her son in her arms. Soldiers and citizens recognized the Queen and the Crown Prince, and immediately burst into earth-shattering cheers. Eight-year-old Paul was frightened and hugged his mother tightly, but this thin child made her more sympathetic. Catherine ordered all the doors of the Winter Palace to be opened, allowing anyone to enter the Winter Palace at will and get close to their queen. The highest members of the Russian church, senators, senior officials, court dignitaries, ambassadors, citizens and businessmen all flocked to the Winter Palace to try to congratulate the Queen on her success. Catherine looked serene and smiled, and listened to people's heartfelt congratulations for hours. Outside the Winter Palace, the manifesto printed overnight told people that Catherine II would deny Peter III's perversion and return to Queen Elizabeth's policy. This statement was also welcomed by Russians.

In this jubilation, Catherine II did not forget to let her cronies control the gates of Petersburg, forbidding anyone from St. Petersburg to Oraninburg, lest the news of the coup spread to Peter III prematurely. Because, although Catherine has established herself in Petersburg, Peter III still has an army. He was going to lead the soldiers and fleet against Denmark, and he could also lead them to attack Petersburg. Under the storm of land and water forces, Petersburg may not last for two hours. Therefore, Catherine must get in touch with the navy and get their support before Peter III. She has sent Admiral Taris to Fort Cranstadt to win the naval fleet concentrated there.

On the afternoon of the coup, Peter III received no news. He left Oraninburg as planned for Peterhoff, where he planned to celebrate St. Peter's Day and St. Paul's Day the next day. They parked in front of the villa, only to find that the doors and windows of the villa were closed, giving people a threatening silence. Peter III sent people everywhere to look for him, but he didn't even see anyone. Then a praetorian guard officer came to report:? The queen has escaped in the early hours of the morning, and this place is empty. ? Peter III flew into a rage, pushed the officer away, ran into the room and shouted: yekaterina! Yekaterina! ? He doesn't seem to believe that she is gone. He dragged his thin legs from the glass greenhouse to the China Pavilion and from the living room to the concert hall. Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. He thought the queen must be hiding, so he swooped down and ran into parliament minister Vorinzov. Under the questioning of Peter III, Vorinzov said vaguely that he had just received a secret message. It is said that Catherine has proclaimed herself emperor in Petersburg!

Brake time, Peter III collapsed. He put his arms around Vorinzov's neck and stood motionless. After breathing for a while, he burst into tears. Vorinzov tried to cheer him up and said to him? Your majesty, be brave, be brave! As long as you say a word and take a look, the people will kneel before you! Your soldiers are at your disposal at any time. Let's March on Petersburg now! ? However, Peter III was afraid of this face-to-face conflict. He wants to find other solutions. He ran aimlessly around the villa and then fainted. After waking up, he drank a lot of wine from a mug, then dictated a list of people who should be arrested for treason and a declaration condemning Catherine, asking Vorinzov to go to Petersburg and order the rebellious soldiers to surrender in his name.

When Vorinzov was about to set out, Peter III changed his mind and ordered the troops staying in Oraninburg to be transferred. He would lead them to conquer yekaterina. However, after the troops arrived in Peterhoff, he added that they were not needed now! Finally, under the entreaties of several generals who followed him, he agreed to take a boat to Kranstadt fortress to win the support of the army there. In the afternoon 10, drunken Peter III was put on a sloop. In the morning 1, the sailboat sailed into the port of Cranstadt.

However, they came too late.

The soldiers guarding the fortress found these sailboats and asked who they were. The soldier on the ship loudly replied:? The emperor is coming! ?

The officer in the fortress smiled and said, there is no emperor, go away! ?

The people in the car thought they didn't hear clearly and repeated it. The officers in the fortress told them that the naval fleet had sworn allegiance to the Queen, and if they didn't leave immediately, they might be sent home with shells. However, the generals on board are still unwilling to give up. They advised Peter III to get off the boat, saying that no one dared to shoot the emperor. Once he entered the fortress, those who defected would awaken and be loyal to the emperor again. However, Peter III was so scared that he broke into a cold sweat and his teeth trembled. He turned and got into the cabin and sobbed like a woman. The generals couldn't help crying when they saw the tsar's sad face, so they had to let the sailboat return to Oraninburg.

In the early morning of June 29th, Peter III returned to Oraninburg. The generals also suggested that he rush to the main Russian army preparing to crusade against Denmark and use this force against Catherine. But Peter III was tired of everything. He just wants to sleep. After getting rid of Rory's wordy general, he fell asleep in bed.

On the night of Peter III's trip to Cranstadt, Queen Catherine put on her men's uniform and walked out of the palace to review the troops supporting her. The soldiers have taken off the German military uniform that Peter III forced them to wear and put on the military uniform of Peter the Great again.

At night 10, Yeka waited for Queen Lena to review all the troops, and then set off with a large group of people in the bright moonlight. The officers and men hurried on the road, knowing neither where they were going nor where they were going, but everyone was in high spirits. As long as Queen Catherine is at the front of the line, that's enough! The soldiers sang old battle songs along the way and kept shouting the same slogan:? Long live our Catherine! ? Catherine, every time I hear so many people calling their names in unison, my heart will tremble with excitement.

At 3 o'clock in the morning, the Queen and her generals had a rest in a humble inn in Red Kabak village. Most of them were actually lying in the open air, and the queen only got a hard and narrow straw mat. But no one complained. Queen Catherine is most worried about Peter III's reaction at this time. What is he doing at the moment? Will he fight to the end? In that case, it will be a tough battle, and it is still unknown who will win or lose.

At this time, it was reported to the Queen that Peter III had sent a council minister, Vorinzov, to negotiate.

Catherine received a visitor. Vorinzov told the Queen that Peter III wanted to be in charge of state affairs with her.

Catherine immediately understood that Peter III dared not fight, he was afraid, and he was already giving in! She knows that in this struggle, victory will only belong to her. So she laughed.

Vorinzov saw that Catherine was a calm and confident emperor, and Peter III was just a fragile puppet. He didn't insist, and immediately knelt in front of Catherine and swore allegiance to her.

Before long, Peter III couldn't wait to send new messengers, but all these people, like Vorinzov, fell before the majestic queen.

At 6 o'clock in the morning, General tallis came to Hongkajik village with a big smile and reported the process of expelling Peter III by Kranstadt garrison at night. Leaf catalina be elated, but she still quietly, as if all this is in her expectation.

Now, she wants to win the final victory by herself. The queen mounted her steed and led the army to Peterhoff.

Peterhoff was surprisingly calm, because Peter III didn't want to fight, and had evacuated all his troops from the front. Catherine moved into that villa again. Here, she drafted a letter of abdication for Peter III and sent it to Oraninburg for Peter III to sign.

Peter III is actually under house arrest. He obediently signed the letter of abdication like a good boy and said? Give up ruling the Russian Empire forever? .

It's a miracle that Catherine's coup succeeded without firing a shot!

Then, people sent Peter III to Peterhoff. He offered to see the queen, but Catherine refused. The officers took away the medal he was wearing, took off his sword, put on his military uniform and put him in plain clothes. Peter III cried and was at the mercy of others. People announced the queen's order to him. From now on, he will be a major criminal and will be under house arrest for life. Peter III was terrified out of his wits and cried himself hoarse. He knelt in front of his son's mentor, kissed his hand and begged him to plead with the queen.

The tutor went to see the queen and came back to tell Peter III that the queen would study his request at an appropriate time.

Peter III was imprisoned in Lopsa Villa.

On June 30th, Catherine returned home in triumph. When she entered Petersburg, all the bells rang, salutes came and went, and cheers resounded through the sky. Catherine thus began her 34-year rule. ;