Terrible Tsarinas

St. Petersburg in the time of Peter the Great.

The Neva Embankment, the Admiralty, and the Academy of Sciences.

Bibliothèque nationale de France, Prints Division. Photo B.N.

View of the Isaakievsky Bridge and St. Isaac’s Cathedral, the Winter Palace,

and the Hermitage, in St. Petersburg.

Photo Giraudon.

The Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, 1843.

Russian School, Sodovnikov.

Preserved in Peterhof Library. Photo Josse.

The grand palace and the park at Tsarskoye Selo.

Engraving by Damane-Demartrais.

Catherine I (1682-1727), wife of Peter I (The Great).

Empress of Russia (1725-1727).

Empress Anna Ivanovna on her coronation day (1730).

After an engraving printed in Moscow.

Portrait of Elizabeth Petrovna,

Empress of Russia (1741-1762),

daughter of Peter the Great.

Copper engraving, 1761, by Georg

Friedrich Schmidt (1696-1772),

after a 1758 painting by Louis

Toque (1696-1772).

Elizabeth 1st (1709-1762) on the

anniversary of her coronation

day.

The soldiers swear their fidelity to

her. Russian School (1883).

St. Petersburg, The Hermitage Mu-

seum. Photo Josse.

Elizabeth Petrovna, Empress of Russia (1741-1761).

“Tsarina Elizabeth Petrovna, Portrait on horseback, with a Moor.”

Painted in 1743 by Georg Christoph Grooth (1716-1749). Detail.

Painted on canvas, 85 x 68.3 cm.

Moscow, Tretyakov Gallery.

Catherine II the Great (1729-

1796) in her coronation gown.

By Stefano Torelli (1712-1784),

Italian School.

St. Petersburg, The Hermitage

Museum. Photo Josse.

Catherine II the Great. Empress of

Russia (1729-1796).

“The Coronation of Catherine II.”

Painted in 1777 by Stefano Torelli.

Oil on canvas. Moscow. AKG Photo.

VII

ELIZABETH’S TRIUMPH

Coups d’état having become a political tradition in Russia,

Elizabeth felt morally and historically obliged to follow the proto-

col that usually applied in such extreme moments: solemnly pro-

claiming one’s rights to the throne, arresting one’s opponents en

masse, and showering rewards upon one’s supporters. She must

not have slept more than two hours that agitated night — but in

moments of euphoria, the thrill of success is more reinvigorating

than a simple nap could ever be. She was up at the break of day,

beautifully dressed and beautifully coifed, smiling as if she had

just enjoyed a refreshing sleep. Twenty courtiers were already

squeezing themselves into her antechamber, seeking to be the first

to pay homage to the new ruler. In a glance she discerned which

of them were genuinely delighted by her victory and which were

merely prostrating themselves before her in the hope of avoiding

the punishment that they deserved. Deferring the pleasure of act-

ing upon that judgment, she showed a pleasant face to all and,

waving them aside, stepped out onto the balcony.

Below stood the regiments who had come to swear their al-

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legiance to her. The soldiers, in parade formation, howled with

joy — without breaking ranks. Their eyes shone as savagely as

their bayonets. To Elizabeth, the cheers shattering the icy early

morning air were an eloquent declaration of love to the “little

mother.” Behind this rampart of gray uniforms, the people of St.

Petersburg crowded together, as impatient as the army to express

its surprise and its approval. Facing this unanimous joy, it was

very tempting for a sensitive woman to forgive those who had

misplaced their loyalties. But Elizabeth stiffened her resolve

against an indulgence that she might come to regret later on. She

knew, through atavism if not through personal experience, that

authority precludes charity. With a cold-minded wisdom, she

chose to savor her happiness without giving up her resentment.

To avoid any confusion, she dispatched Prince Nikita

Trubetskoy to bring the various embassies the official news of Her

Majesty Elizabeth I’s accession to the throne; most of the foreign

ministers had already been apprised of this event. No doubt the

most pleased was His Excellency Jacques-Joachim Trotti de La

Chétardie, who had made this cause his personal mission. Eliza-

beth’s triumph was to some extent his triumph, and he hoped to

be suitably rewarded both by the principal interested party and

by the French government.

He went by barouche to the Winter Palace to greet the new

tsarina; along the way, the grenadiers who had taken part in the

heroic tumult of the day before, and who were still wandering

about in the streets, recognized him as he went by and gave him a

formal escort, calling him batiushka frantsuz (“our French papa”)

and “Guardian of Peter the Great’s daughter.” La Chétardie was

moved to tears by this touching warmth. Seeing that the Russians

had more heart than the French, and not wishing to let them

down, he invited all these brave military men to come and drink to

the health of France and Russia on the embassy grounds. How-

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Elizabeth’s Triumph

ever, when he related this little anecdote to his minister, Amelot

de Chailloux, the latter reproached him sharply: “These compli-

ments from the grenadiers, which you unfortunately could not