Peter III Fyodorovich, formerly Karl Peter Ulrich, became the first representative of the Holstein-Gottorp dynasty on the Russian throne. He was the grandson of Peter I, the son of his daughter Anna and Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, as well as a grand-nephew of Charles XII, the grandson of his sister Hedwig-Sophia.

After six months of rule, Peter III was overthrown in a palace coup that brought his wife Catherine II to power. Shortly thereafter, he died. For a long time, historians assessed his personality and activities exclusively negatively, but later a more balanced view emerged, recognizing his contributions to the continuation of Peter I's domestic policies. During Catherine II's reign, many impostors claimed to be Peter III, the most famous being Emelyan Pugachev and Stepan the Little.

Peter III's future was predetermined even before his birth. The marriage contract drawn up by Peter I in 1724 stipulated that Anna Petrovna and Karl Friedrich would not claim the Russian throne, but the tsar reserved the right to appoint one of their children as his successor. However, Peter I did not anticipate that this would happen. Besides the Russian crown, Karl Peter could also claim the Swedish throne, being a nephew of Swedish King Charles XII.

Peter III's childhood cannot be called happy. His mother died shortly after his birth, having caught a cold during the celebration in his honor. His father, Karl Friedrich, paid little attention to his son, although he loved him in his own way. He was focused on the lost Prussian lands, occupied by Denmark, and unsuccessfully tried to reclaim them, lacking sufficient strength.

In 1732, the Russian and Austrian governments offered Karl Friedrich a ransom for the rightful possession of Schleswig, but he refused, pinning his hopes on his only son. From childhood, Karl Peter was instilled with the idea of military revenge, being raised in the Prussian military spirit.

At the age of 10, he was assigned the rank of second lieutenant, which greatly influenced his consciousness. Besides military drill, he was not taught anything else. His favorite pastime became watching parades, which were held almost daily. Closed windows that obstructed his view of the soldiers were the strictest punishment for him.

All the duke's courtiers were officers, so Karl Peter only heard conversations about service and military actions. He was trained in handling a rifle and marching, often being on duty with soldiers and courtiers. His passion for military themes was quite justified. He did not want to hear about other activities.

At 11, after his father's death, he was sent to be raised by his cousin, Bishop Adolf of Eutin, who appointed tutors O. F. Brummer and F. W. Bergholz. They lacked moral qualities and often punished Karl Peter harshly, caring little for his education. By the age of 13, he barely spoke French.

The teenager was fragile and weak but kind and naive. He loved music and painting, but remembering his father, he was fascinated by military themes, although he feared cannon fire until the end of his life. The future monarch sometimes lied, but these could have been childish fantasies. His early fondness for alcohol was also noted.

In 1741, Karl Peter's life changed. His aunt Elizabeth Petrovna ascended the Russian throne, ordering him to be brought to Russia as the only direct descendant of Peter I. In February 1742, he arrived in St. Petersburg and was met by many people, including Elizabeth Petrovna. However, they saw a pale and weak prince. Soon, a reception was held in his honor at the palace, and on February 21, they celebrated his 14th birthday.

The first meeting with her nephew left a heavy impression on Elizabeth Petrovna. He looked unhealthy and was ignorant. By her order, his education was taken over by academician Jacob Stelin, who later noted that Karl Peter was a capable but lazy student.

In the autumn of 1742, Karl Peter Ulrich converted to Orthodoxy and became Peter Fyodorovich, Grand Duke and heir to the throne. Elizabeth Petrovna taught him how to cross himself, and his rooms were decorated. The Empress allocated him 300,000 rubles.

Stelin recorded that his tutor Brummer was granted the title of Count of the Holy Roman Empire, and he managed the allocated funds, which ran out after two years. The Empress took on all of Peter III's expenses.

A Manifesto was issued regarding the baptism of Peter the Great's grandson, which was made public in the state. For a week, large festivities took place. The Manifesto stated that Peter III was the grandson of Peter the Great.

In 1743, Peter III, along with the court, went to Petersburg, where his education was taken seriously. He studied mathematics, geography, and the history of European states. At least twice a week, he was introduced to current state affairs, assisted by Chancellor Count Bestuzhev. However, his favorite activities remained those related to the army: fortification and artillery. A special cabinet was created for this, with models of fortifications made by three carpenters over three years.

By the end of the year, Peter III had a good knowledge of Russian history and exact sciences, spoke French, German, and Latin, but struggled with Russian and did not seek to improve his knowledge.

His overly familiar communication with foreigners was noted, which gave rise to rumors about his inadequacy. He had suffered from smallpox in childhood, which may have affected his development. Peter III's face was disfigured by the scars of the disease, but in the surviving portraits, artists embellished his appearance.

On December 25, 1761, Elizabeth Petrovna died, and Peter Fyodorovich became emperor. The procedure was quiet and calm. Peter refused coronation, planning to do so after the war with Denmark. The coronation was held posthumously in 1796 by Paul I.

Peter Fyodorovich ruled for only 186 days, during which he issued 192 laws and decrees. He had no clear program; he tried to imitate Peter the Great and planned to carry out a number of reforms. Already on January 17, 1762, he announced his plans to the Senate. The first innovation was almost complete freedom for the nobility: they could serve in the army at their discretion, and the 25-year mandatory service was abolished. However, in the event of war, all were obliged to return to duty.

Historians long assessed his activities negatively, based on the image formed by Catherine II's entourage. However, many facts are now viewed differently.

During his short reign, Peter III displayed contradictory character traits. Stelin wrote that "the sovereign is very active, tireless, kind, and trusting, extraordinarily witty. He enjoys engaging in state affairs. He personally took on the most important issues in the Senate, energetically and assertively."

Important matters included the abolition of the Secret Chancellery and the beginning of the seizure of church lands for the benefit of the state. He wanted to give people freedom of faith and weaken church control. He improved trade activities by creating a State Bank and approving the issuance of assignations. He signed an order for free foreign trade and careful treatment of forests.

Among other innovations were also controversial: he strengthened serfdom but increased punishment for landowners for killing serfs. He ceased the persecution of Old Believers and allowed the construction of factories in Siberia. His attempt to make the judicial system open did not find support, nor did the ban on the distribution of state land.

He introduced Prussian orders into the army, which caused discontent. It is believed that he wanted to reform the Russian Orthodox Church along Protestant lines. Peter Fyodorovich sought to make Russia freer and accomplished a lot in a short time.

The legislative acts of Peter III became the basis for Catherine II's rule, but many of his innovations were canceled. His reign is considered unproductive, possibly due to the annulment of his initiatives. The withdrawal of troops from Prussia exacerbated the negative attitude towards him, but it later became clear that the war brought no benefit to Russia.

At 17, Elizabeth Petrovna married Peter Fyodorovich to the German princess Sophia Frederica Augusta, known as Catherine II. The wedding was lavish, and the newlyweds received estates and palaces from Count Menshikov as a gift.

The relationship between the spouses did not work out. Catherine was irritated by her husband, who loved to play with toy soldiers. They often quarreled, and he could publicly insult her. Until 1750, there was no marital intimacy between them, but then Peter was circumcised due to phimosis. They had two children: Paul I and Anna, who died in infancy. Peter joked that he did not know where his wife got the children from. It is believed that Anna was born from Catherine's lover.

After the birth of their son, who was taken by the empress, the spouses lived separately. Peter had a mistress, Elizabeth Vorontsova, for whom he wanted to divorce, which prompted Catherine to stage a coup. She had many lovers, including Stanislaus Poniatowski, who is believed to be the father of her daughter, but Peter acknowledged her as his own.

After a quarrel in which he insulted his wife, his days were numbered. Peter was warned about the conspiracy, but he did not take it seriously and announced his intention to divorce. Catherine, with the Orlov brothers, decided on a coup. Peter abdicated the throne without making any attempts to rectify the situation.

Catherine ordered her husband to be arrested and placed in Ropsha. A week later, on July 17, 1762, he died. The official cause of death was "an attack of hemorrhoidal colic" caused by alcohol, but it is more likely that he was killed by Alexei Orlov, the brother of Catherine's favorite.

Rumors about the mysterious death of Peter III gave rise to impostors. More than 40 people claimed to be the "surviving tsar," including Emelyan Pugachev and Stepan the Little.