The man who virtually
ruled Russia for about two years and amassed power and fortune that stood
second only to the Tsar. Explore the life of Alexander Menshikov.
Among the men who served
under Tsar Peter the Great, Alexander Menshikov was one the most powerful,
wealthy, influential but also the most notorious in the Russian Empire. He began
from a humble background who went against the stringent social stratification
of Russian society to become at par with the traditional aristocracy in money
and in power. But his rise to power eventually caused his bitter downfall.
Early Life and Background
Alexander Danilovich
Menshikov, had an obscure early life. Born on November 16, 1673, Menshikov grew
up as part of what in Russian society called the free townsmen or commoners.
His father was a falconer for Tsar Alexis. Much of his background had been
covered by mystery, myths, and gossips. Some said that Menshikov at the age of
12 worked as an apprentice to a baker and sold bread and prieogi in the streets
of Moscow. One of his customers was Franz Lefort who was impressed by the boy’s
charismatic appeal in selling his products. His connection with Lefort
eventually led to his introduction to one of Lefort’s friends, the young Tsar
Peter Romanov. Another story put Menshikov as a worker in the stables in the
Kremlin before being recruited to be Tsar Peter’s servant. Menshikov himself,
however, spread a story that he had been an offspring of the previous ruling
Rurik Dynasty but his family became impoverished due to his descendant’s
captivity in the previous wars. But Menshikov’s claim lacked the evidence in
order to be convincing. Whatever his background, Menshikov started as a poor
boy in Moscow.
Menshikov had no formal
education and was limited only to basic reading and writing. Nevertheless, he
became practical, witty and clever, growing up in the avenues and roads of
Moscow. Eventually, these skills of him got the attention of the Tsar.
Companion and Friend of Peter the Great
Menshikov took part as a
member of Peter the Great’s toy regiments. Peter the Great had lived in the
suburbs of Preobrazenskoe since his enthronement as a young boy in 1681. In
Preobrazenskoe, Peter became fascinated with military affairs and decided to
form his own regiment – which later became known as the Preobrazensky Regiment.
In 1686, Menshikov became part of this regiment. Peter did not developed an
elitist mindset. He did not believed that rank should be based on aristocratic
birthright but on merit, ability, and skills. Hence, with this nature of Peter,
Menshikov had a chance of promotion and living a better life by staying in the
graces of Tsar by performing well.
Menshikov became a close
companion of Tsar Peter. In 1695, he fought alongside Peter in the capture of
the Turkish held port city of Azov. He also accompanied the Tsar in his Grand
Embassy to Europe from 1697 to 1698.
In the personal level,
the two shared a lot of things. They both had passion for drinking when
Menshikov also took part in Peter’s Jolly Company. Peter was also the godfather
of Menshikov’s children. In addition, Peter also made Menshikov in charge of
his son Alexei’s education in 1705. Menshikov, like Peter, also acted brutal,
domineering and controlling over the Tsarevitch. As a result, Alexei also
feared Menshikov the same way he feared his father.
The two men also shared
their love for women. Menshikov, in 1700, met a Lithuanian peasant woman named
Marta Skavbronska. They had a relation for a short time, before he introduced
Marta to Tsar Peter. Peter fell in love with Marta, and she converted to
Russian Orthodoxy and took the name Catherine Alexeyevna. Catherine and
Menshikov became close allies in the Russian court due to the fact that they
both knew each other personally and they both were outsiders to the court
filled with ancient old aristocrats.
Menshikov the Commander and Official
 |
| Boris Sheremtyev, a fellow commander of Menshikov |
For his actions, he
earned military promotions, positions and titles. He was promoted to the rank
of Field Marshall. Besides his rise in military rank, he also became the head
of the newly established College of War in 1717.
His prestige skyrocketed
when he earned new titles such as Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke of
Izhora, Knight of the Order of St. Andrew and Knight of St. Alexander Nevsky.
Other than titles and position, he received land as reward not just from Peter
but also from King Augustus of Poland. He received villages, factories, and
mines both in Russia and Poland.
Menshikov also served as
an official of the Russian Empire. He proved to be able and reliable. In 1703,
he became the first governor of St. Petersburg, supervising and overseeing the
construction of the new capital city from scratch. He also managed state
affairs during Peter’s absence, carrying out the reforms and policies of the
Tsar.
His effectiveness as a
government official, however, had a darker side. Although he earned a
reputation as a good administrator, he also earned the notoriety of being
corrupt. In fact in 1714, he became a subject of a corruption investigation
that led to his short fall from grace to Peter. He grabbed properties by using
government projects as reasons. Besides lands, he also used projects as another
way to embezzle huge sums of money allowing him to amass huge fortune. For
instance, in 1718, he became once again a subject of another corruption case
where Menshikov stole about 1.5 million rubles from a budget meant for supplies
for the military. His corruption allowed him to build a palace in Oranienbaum
in the outskirts of St. Petersburg. The Palace placed in magnificence, splendor
and size second only to Peter’s. All in all, he owned 90,000 serfs, six towns,
and numerous villages, in addition to millions of rubles. Peter knew about Menshikov’s
corruption, but he did not punish him severely or even kick out from the
government because he trusted him very well and Menshikov showed his loyalty
and dedication to his service to the Tsar.
 |
| Catherine I |
Menshikov, Virtual Ruler of Russia
Menshikov further rose
to power after the demise of Peter the Great. In 1725, Peter left Russia
without naming his heir. Menshikov maneuvered around the court in order to
install the widow of Peter the Great, Catherine Alexsayevna, as the new Tsarina
and Empress of Russia. He and Catherine had been allies for more than a decade.
Especially, when Catherine owed her position to Menshikov. Catherine, who had a
background of a Lithuanian peasant girl, had no idea of governing such a new
powerful and large empire.
In 1726, Catherine
instituted the Supreme Privy Council to handle state affairs in her behalf. It was
composed of seven members namely, Gaviil Golovkin, the diplomat Peter Tolstoi,
Count Dmitry Golitsyn, Baron Andrei Osterman, Admiral Feodor Apraksin,
Catherine’s son-in-law Charles Frederick Duke of Holstein, and off course,
Alexander Menshikov. Menshikov dominated the council and effectively became the
virtual ruler of Russia. His rise to power led, however, to the further disgust
of some of the old nobles of Russia.
Menshikov had many
rivals, especially from the ancient aristocratic families of Russia. Menshikov
came from a very humble background, and his rise to great wealth, power,
prestige, and influence became the subject of irritation of many in the
nobility. These nobles included the families Golitsyns and Dolgurukys. These
families in particular had played important roles in Russian history. The
Golitsyns (Galitzines) produced several high ranking officials for Russia. The
Dolgorukys (Dolgurukovs) founded Moscow and also gave the Tsardom some
Tsaritsas and high ranking officials as well. The nobles did not accept that a
man who once sold bread and pierogis in streets of Moscow or a stable outshined
them. Some of the stories of Menshikovs corruption might even had been
exaggerated by the nobles in order to discredit him. Nevertheless, under
Catherine I, the old nobles had not yet stood in a strong position to remove
Menshikov from power. But they had their chance once the Empress suddenly
passed away.
Fall of Menshikov
In 1727, Catherine I
held her last breathe after living extravagantly and excessively. Menshikov
managed to control the succession once more by convincing Catherine to sign a
will before her death to designate the young teenager Tsarevich Peter
Alexeyevich, grandson of Peter the Great, as successor. Menshikov planned to
cement his family’s connection to the Romanovs by announcing the marriage of
his daughter Maria Menshikova to the new young Tsar. For months, Peter lived in
Menshikov’s palace while Menshikov once again ruled strongly in the Tsar’s
behalf.
In the middle of 1727,
however, Menshikov suddenly fell gravely ill. For days and months he was
inactive in the government. Meanwhile, Peter II fell to the influence of the
old noble families, especially the Dolgurukovs. They convinced the Tsar to move
out of Menshikov’s palace.
The Dolgorukovs,
Golitsyns, and in an alliance with Baron Andrew Ostermann deposed Menshikov
from the Privy Council. They launched a commission to investigate Menshikov’s
corruption. The conclusion of the investigation had been predetermined and the
commission found Menshikov guilty. As Menshikov returned in September 1727, he
was arrested for corruption and he loss all his positions, titles, and
properties. Finally, he was exiled to Berezov, Siberia. There, he lived for two
more years as a broken, disgraced and impoverished man, dying on November 23,
1729.
Summing Up
Menshikov had been one
of the product of the Peterine age. He became the product of Peter’s
meritocracy. He rose up from a street seller to one of the most powerful men in
Russia. Although lacking in education, it did not deter him to become an
effective administrator. The negative side of this however, he used his
position to enrich himself, driven by his excitement for wealth, which he did
not enjoy at his youth. Eventually, his rise to power caused the envy and anger
of traditional families, who then sought his demise. Ultimately, the quick pace
of his rise equaled the speed of his demise.
Explore also:
Bibliography:
Websites:
Encyclopædia Britannica
Online, s. v. "Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov", accessed October 10,
2015, http://www.britannica.com/biography/Aleksandr-Danilovich-Menshikov.
Hughes, Lindsey.
"Menshikov, Alexander Danilovich." Encyclopedia of Russian History.
2004. Encyclopedia.com. (October 11, 2015). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404100817.html.
Ogorodnev, Igor.
"Prominent Russians: Aleksandr Menshikov." RT Russiapedia. Accessed
October 11, 2015. http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/politics-and-society/aleksandr-menshikov/.
Books:
Cracraft, James. The
Revolution of Peter the Great. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University
Press, 2006.
Moss, Walter. A
History of Russia Volume I: To 1917. London: Anthem Press, 2005.
No comments:
Post a Comment