Terrible Tsarinas

ings in her apartments. Perhaps Sophia, under her mother’s direc-

tion, could influence Peter and maybe even the tsarina, who was

visibly impressed with her, to get rid of Bestuzhev.

But Russia’s top diplomat was hardly sitting idly by while

these conspiracies were being spun. His personal spies had suc-

ceeded in intercepting and deciphering encrypted correspondence

from La Chétardie to various foreign ministries all over Europe.

With these incriminating documents in hand, he presented him-

self to Elizabeth to prove his case. He had a portfolio full of

damning letters, which Elizabeth read with horror: “Recognition

and attention from such a dissipated princess [the tsarina] mean

nothing.” “Her vanity, lack of seriousness, bad conduct, weakness

and obstinacy make any serious negotiation an impossibility.”

Elsewhere, La Chétardie criticized her excessive interest in cloth-

ing and frivolous pursuits, and stated that she was totally igno-

rant of the major issues of the day, which she found “annoying

rather than interesting.” In support of these calumnies, La Chétar-

die cited the opinion of Johanna, whom he portrayed, further-

more, as a spy in league with Frederick II.

Elizabeth was shocked by these revelations; she no longer

knew who were her friends — if, indeed, she had any. She had

< 166 >

An Autocrat at Work and Play

turned her back on Maria Theresa because of Ambassador Botta,

who had called her a diplomatic crook; would she now have to

part with Louis XV because of that scoundrel, La Chétardie? She

ought to throw him out of the country forthwith. But wouldn’t

that offend France, which had to be dealt with as a man more than

as a nation?

Before making such an unequivocal gesture, Elizabeth had

Johanna called in and, screaming with rage and indignation,

showed her the letters. Sophia’s mother was directly incrimi-

nated. The young princess from Anhalt-Zerbst, stunned to see her

dreams of grandeur flushed away so suddenly, expected to be

chased out of Russia forthwith. However, she was granted an un-

expected reprieve. Out of respect for her nephew’s innocent fian-

cée, Elizabeth consented to allow Johanna to stay on, at least until

the wedding. This charity did not cost the tsarina anything, and

she felt that it would turn to her own benefit in due course. She

was sorry for the young lady, who seemed to have a most unnatu-

ral mother; and she hoped, by this demonstration of generosity of

soul, to earn the girl’s gratitude and, perhaps, even her affection.

The deleterious climate of St. Petersburg suddenly felt intol-

erable to Her Majesty and, yielding to one of the mystical whims

that would strike her from time tot time, she decided to make an-

other pilgrimage to the Troitsky-St. Sergievsky Monastery. She

would take her nephew, Sophia, Johanna and Lestocq. Before

leaving town, she instructed Alexis Bestuzhev to deal with the

ignoble La Chétardie however he saw fit, saying that she ap-

proved, in advance, of whatever action he chose to take. Having

thus washed her hands of the entire sordid affair, she departed on

the road to God with an unburdened heart. As the pilgrimage got

under way, Elizabeth noted that, while Johanna, Sophia and

Lestocq were quite upset over the awkward business of La

Chétardie’s letters, Peter was completely unfazed. He seemed to

< 167 >

Terrible Tsarinas

be quite oblivious to the fact that this scandal involved his fiancée,

soon to be his wife, and that everything that involved her must

affect him as well.

At the monastery, the traveling party discussed the young

couple’s future, in religious and not very religious terms; mean-

while, in St. Petersburg, a party of officers and armed guards pre-

sented themselves at La Chétardie’s residence and informed him

that, in view of his defamations against Her Majesty, he had 24

hours in which to take his leave. Kicked out like a dishonest ser-

vant, the Marquis protested, argued, raged, and claimed that he

would lodge a complaint with his government; finally, he accepted

his fate and quickly packed up.

When he reached the first coach house along the way, an

emissary from the Empress caught up with him and demanded

that he give back the Order of St. Andrew, and the snuffbox with

her portrait enameled in miniature on the lid which he had re-

ceived some years before — while he was in good standing with

the court. He refused to part with these relics. At the next stage,

Bestuzhev conveyed to him, by another courier, a comminatory

sentence from Elizabeth: “The Marquis de La Chétardie is not

worthy of receiving personal commissions from Her Majesty.” At

this sudden fall from grace, La Chétardie thought he was losing

his mind. He asked Versailles to intervene in a matter that, in his

view, insulted France as much as it insulted him. This time, it was

Louis XV who set him in his place. As punishment for his mala-

droit initiatives, he should withdraw to his estate in Limousin,

and stay there until further notice.

As for Elizabeth and her fellow pilgrims, after paying a pious