Clannishness, nepotism - this is what helped those who managed to come close to power to hold out at the imperial court in Russia. Such a person immediately sought to surround himself with relatives. So the Shuvalov clan ousted the Razumovsky family from the throne in the early 1850s.

Camera-page Ivan Shuvalov (1727-1797)

Ivan Ivanovich was born into a poor noble family in Moscow. Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov never wore the title "Count" - neither at birth, nor later, when he was an all-powerful nobleman. He received a good education at home, knew four languages, read a lot, was interested in the arts and grew up to be a handsome and humble young man.

The cousins ​​who were at the court of Elizaveta Petrovna, at the age of 14, took the ignoramus to Petersburg and assigned him to the chamber-page. At this age, he was small in stature and spent all his free time reading books, but he was not fond of dancing and young girls. But four years later, he had already stretched out under two meters in height and became a handsome young man. At the wedding of his sister to Prince Golitsin, Ivan was noticed by Empress Elizabeth.

In 1749 he gave him his first title. Ivan Shuvalov became a chamber junker, that is, a room boy. And the brothers did their best so that he was left alone with the forty-year-old empress.

Ober-chamberlain

Soon Ivan Ivanovich received a new title - chief chamberlain. To most of the courtiers, the empress's new hobby seemed to be a short-term whim. But the smart, handsome, not greedy for money and not arrogant Ivan Ivanovich remained in favor with Elizabeth Petrovna until her death in 1761.

His personal qualities, especially his lack of inclination to money-grubbing, were very rare at that time. This amazed everyone, including the suspicious empress, who was accustomed to being asked for ranks, lands, peasants and money from her. The aging Empress Elizabeth did not cherish a soul in her chosen one, and he, despite the fact that her character had noticeably deteriorated with age, treated her with constant affection.

Activities of Ivan Shuvalov

One should not think that, having found himself in the right place at the right hour, Ivan Ivanovich then only enjoyed life and pleased the empress, who was suitable for him as a mother. Young and handsome, fashionably and expensively dressed, with excellent manners, he led a life not only of a dandy. I. Shuvalov showed an unusual love for the arts: for arts, literature, theater.

So, intending to create the Academy of Arts, in 1755 he took F.S. Rokotov and gave him the opportunity to start studying at his home until the Academy opened. And in 1761 he saw the future sculptor I. Shubin in the stoker of the palace. Ivan Ivanovich supported in his time the creator of the first Russian theater F. Volkov, as well as A. Sumarokov, a playwright and poet.

Together with M. Lomonosov, he drew up a project and opened Moscow University on his mother's name day - on Tatyana's day, in 1755. He supported this project for a long time.

I. Shuvalov selected teachers and students, and from his books he laid the foundation for the university library and achieved the appearance of a printing house at the university, in which not only scientific literature was printed, but also Moskovskie vedomosti.

The Academy of Arts is completely his brainchild. He gathered teachers abroad, looked for gifted students, donated a collection of his paintings to the Academy. His political projects, still insufficiently studied, proposed increasing the number of senators and improving their activities, streamlining the bureaucracy, and in the army he believed that it was necessary to give priority to Russians, not foreigners.

Much of what Shuvalov proposed was ahead of his time and was realized only under Catherine II and Paul I. In 1757, he presented a draft decree, according to which II Shuvalov was awarded the title of count, the post of senator and ten thousand serfs. Ivan Ivanovich refused the title. Later, Ivan Shuvalov did not accept the honorary title of "Count" from Ekaterina Alekseevna either. He did not want such a title.

Count Shuvalov's palace

Although Ivan Ivanovich did not bear the title of count, his palace was a truly grandiose structure that occupied an entire quarter. It was and is still (albeit rebuilt) on Italianskaya Street not far from his patroness.

The palace was built for five years in the style It was designed by the architect S.I. Chevakinsky. Inside the palace, the historical decoration of the lobby with low columns with capitals has been preserved. All interior the palace is richly decorated with stucco. But these are mostly later restructuring.

Today, it houses the Museum of Hygiene, and the building itself is protected by the state, since it is our historical and cultural heritage.

The death of Elizabeth Petrovna

After the death of his patroness, Ivan Ivanovich lived for thirty-five years. Without hesitation, he swore allegiance to the new empress in 1762, but retired from the court. Not that it was disgraced, but still his position there changed.

Lieutenant General Shuvalov went abroad. He was treated kindly at the court of Marie Antoinette, entered the narrow circle of her entourage and the so-called Lilac League. It determined the policy of France, and, except for Ivan Ivanovich, a refined, educated man with a broad outlook, there were never any foreigners in it.

When Catherine II found out about this, she was simply shocked. Now, realizing that a Russian nobleman devoted to the throne, who has authority in Europe, is abroad, the Empress gave him a number of diplomatic assignments. He performed them with brilliance and received the rank of a valid privy councilor.

In 1776 I. Shuvalov returned to Russia. He was given a pension of ten thousand rubles, and then he received the title of chief chamberlain. This, incidentally, was the highest rank of the court - the second after the empress. But on the whole I. Shuvalov - a wealthy nobleman, a darling of fate, now led a private life. He again organized in his house and received at his dinner poets G. Derzhavin and I. Dmitriev, admiral and philologist A. Shishkov, translator Homer E. Kostrov. He knew how to enjoy life, while giving pleasure to his friends.

I. Shuvalov all his long life, and he lived for 70 years, was accompanied not by envy, but by the glory of an intelligent, kind, honest person. The life of his cousins ​​was not like that.

Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov (1711-1762)

Pyotr Ivanovich was a native of small local nobles. His father, the commandant of Vyborg, managed to attach his son as a page at the court of Peter the Great. When the emperor died, he participated in the coronation. During his service as a page, he learned all the requirements of the court and, thanks to this, was able to continue his court career.

When the daughter of the Great Peter, together with her husband, left for Kiel, the chamber-page P. Shuvalov went there with them. There he gained new life experience.

Having given birth to a son, the future Emperor Peter III, Anna Petrovna died, and P. Shuvalov returned to Russia, accompanying the ship with the body of the crown princess, in 1728. During these years he met Mavra Yegorovna Sheveleva, whom he later married. She was a close friend of the crown princess Elizabeth Petrovna and later helped in many ways to the career of an ambitious courtier.

Near the throne

After returning from abroad, Shuvalov served faithfully as a chamber-junker to Princess Elizabeth.

Peter Ivanovich took an active part in the coup of 1741, elevating Elizaveta Petrovna to the throne, and in gratitude he received the high court rank of chamberlain. Growing fast and his military career... At first, he is only a second lieutenant of the guards and a major general, but already the next year he becomes a lieutenant, and soon an adjutant general.

The growth of his career is simply impetuous, since Elizaveta Petrovna does not forget, among the pleasures of the smart assistant, who helped her get the throne. Peter Ivanovich receives the Order of St. Anna and St. Alexander Nevsky and becomes a senator. And so, in 1746, Count Shuvalov appears before us. By this time, he was already married to the "nosy", as they said at the time, the maid of honor Mavra Yegorovna Shepeleva, who, like his older brother Alexander, who had been at the court for ten years, helped him to rapidly move up the career ladder.

Way up

Initially, all his actions in the army are ceremonial. He, along with his platoon, participates in the coronation ceremony of the Empress in Moscow. Then his platoon performs at parades, but Count Shuvalov quickly mastered at court and no less quickly received the highest military rank - Field Marshal. He, one might say, rushes at a gallop into the economic and political life of both capitals, as well as the entire empire.

Count P. Shuvalov's proposals

Already in 1745, Count Shuvalov developed a project on the collection of the poll tax and the fight against arrears. The Empress saw in him a man who can revive the former greatness of the state. She listens attentively to his proposals to replace direct taxes with indirect ones, to recruitment fees for the army, to collect salt, to mint copper money (they started minting twice from a pound of copper, and then four times more money, which brought large profits to the treasury). But the empress is more carried away by the whirlwind of entertainment, so power is gradually concentrated in the hands of the greedy and greedy for money Pyotr Ivanovich.

In 1753, at his suggestion, internal customs duties were canceled, and in 1755, with his active participation, a new Customs Charter was adopted.

Army changes

Already in 1751, when P. Shuvalov became general-in-chief, he received an almost undivided command of the division. He shows remarkable zeal, moving and promoting cadres, training them, arming the division and taking care of its uniforms. This will come in handy later, when the seven-year war with Prussia begins in 1756.

Count Shuvalov threw all his forces into the preparation of artillery and a reserve corps, which consisted of thirty thousand people. This business is familiar to him, and he successfully manages reserves with new artillery, new firearms and uniforms.

At this time, he was appointed General Feldzheichmeister, which means command of the artillery and engineering corps. Count Shuvalov launches activities to train gunners and submits to the Senate a project to create a new howitzer.

Without going into technical details, it should be noted that although it was adopted, it was unsuccessful. But the next weapon, called "Unicorn", was an achievement. This howitzer was invented by artillerymen M. Danilov and S. Martynov, and it was used to accompany infantry in battle almost a hundred years after its invention. The name is associated with the desire to flatter the count, on whose coat of arms this fantastic beast was depicted.

Coat of arms of Count Pyotr Shuvalov

The figure of the unicorn is included in the coat of arms of Count Shuvalov three times. Firstly, he is depicted on the shield itself, secondly, he holds the shield and, thirdly, is on the left above the helmet with the count's crown. And three pomegranates remind of the accession to the throne of Elizabeth Petrovna. The inscription also speaks about it.

At the end of the reign of Elizabeth I

Count Shuvalov under Elizaveta Petrovna actually becomes the head of the Russian government. Anything the count suggests is discussed in the Senate. However, he did not differ in disinterestedness, unlike his cousin. Often, his activities were beneficial to him and damage to the treasury.

He was exclusively entitled to trade in timber, bacon and blubber. Fishing for seals and fish in the White and Caspian Seas was also his monopoly. Count Shuvalov took part in tobacco farms, he had the best ironworks. And the wife, being the lady of state Elizaveta Petrovna, is said to have given the seekers ranks and awards for money.

After the death of Elizaveta Petrovna, despite the favorable attitude of Peter III towards him, the count began to fall ill and died in 1762. His best and strongest character traits were the ability to organize a business and bring everything to the end. This is how the powerful, ambitious Count Shuvalov lived his life. His biography demonstrates that he was an outstanding person, but the thieving, arrogant and fabulously rich count still did not use the love of his contemporaries.

Heir to Count Peter Ivanovich

One might assume that the count left a significant fortune after his death. After all, money just flowed to him like a river. However, this turned out not to be the case. The count was a very wasteful man.

His heir, his son Andrei Petrovich, was left with only 92 thousand rubles in debts. But in Catherine's era, Andrei Petrovich did not get lost, but became a senator, a real privy councilor, bank manager and a writer. He continued the dynasty of the Shuvalov counts, who already lived in the 19th century.

Elder brother Shuvalov

Alexander Ivanovich (1710-1771), together with his younger brother, arrived at the court of Peter I and also began serving as a page. But, numbered in the court of the crown princess Elizabeth, he was in charge of her yard economy. At that time, it was a high position.

After the palace coup, in which both brothers took an active part, Alexander Ivanovich began to grow. To begin with, since 1742, he only slightly touches on the affairs of the Secret Chancellery, but he has not been abandoned by the favors of the Empress.

He is then promoted to lieutenant general, a little later - to adjutant general. And since 1746, Count Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov appears before us, replacing the sick head of the Secret Chancellery and then heading it all his life.

During the reign of Elizabeth I and Peter III until 1762, he was feared and disliked. And he preferred to engage in commercial matters that could help make a fortune. Elizaveta Petrovna did not forget her faithful assistant and in 1753 honored him with the highest award of the Russian Empire - the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

Later Shuvalov will become both a senator and a field marshal general. After the accession of Catherine, he was sent to his estate near Moscow. By the way, of the three brothers, this was the most uninteresting person, one might say, colorless.

Family life

Count Alexander Ivanovich was married to Ekaterina Ivanovna Kasturina. This family was greedy and tight-fisted, sparing money even for clothes that befitted their position. In their marriage, a daughter, Catherine, was born, who was married to Count G.I. Golovkin.

Under Alexander I, she became a lady of state. There are suggestions that A.S. Pushkin was born in her Moscow house. She was fond of theater, and her serf dancers became the backbone of the Bolshoi ballet troupe. Her sons were childless, and her daughter did not marry. So this branch of the Shuvalovs did not have offspring.

Using the example of the Shuvalov clan, one can imagine how different were the people who had the same roots.

Shuvalovs- Russian noble and count family, whose history can be traced back to the 16th century.
The origin of the Shuvalov surname is not famous for the antiquity of the family: it emerged from the "minor nobility" in the transformational era of Peter the Great, and then was lifted up to the top of honors, riches and all kinds of distinctions by one of palace coups, which are so rich in the St. Petersburg period of Russian history.

Coat of arms of the family of counts Shuvalov

The surviving row records and acts show that in the second half of the 16th century, there was a landowner in the Kostroma district Dmitry Shuvalov... And from him, at least five generations of this surname stretches until the days of Peter I, and the original representatives of this family constantly appear among the noble landowners of the Kostroma region. Like all nobles, they often appear in the service of the royal: so, one of them - Andrey Semenovich we meet under the walls of Smolensk, he was a voivode (1616), another - Mikhail Ivanovich- in battles with Crimean robbers;

1.Michael's older brother - Maxim- killed in one of these battles, namely: in the unfortunate campaign for the Russians in 1687.

One of Andrey's relatives, Danilo, was a Moscow streltsy centurion (1636) and was subsequently granted a boyar (1669). All these, however, were ordinary service people, the mass of whom constituted the stronghold and strength of the then Russia.

1.1. But in the person of one of Maxim's sons, Ivan Maksimovich, the Shuvalovs are beginning to gradually emerge from obscurity. This Ivan Maksimovich the Elder(died 1736), the great-grandson of Andrei Semenovich, was under Peter the Great a colonel and commandant in Vyborg, and under Peter II he was a major general and had an Alexander ribbon, was engaged in drawing up a map of sea and river banks, determined the border between Russia and Sweden, and contributed to the conclusion of the Nystadt peace. He died as a governor in Arkhangelsk.

It is to his father, Ivan Maksimovich, that his two sons, the elder Alexander and the younger Peter, owe the beginning of a military-court career. IN last years the reign of Peter the Great I.M. Shuvalov, then still the commandant of Vyborg, had the opportunity to appoint his sons as pages to the Imperial Court. It was no secret that the education of the pages of that time was the service itself, participation in dinners and assemblies, "peace, courtyard, travel, trips and balls," but not serious study.

Alexander and Peter were among the young nobles at the court of Tsarevna Elizabeth Petrovna, and on the decisive night for her on November 25, 1741, they appeared among the most zealous and devoted supporters of her. Having achieved her goal, having ascended the throne, the daughter of Peter the Great showered favors on her partisans with her most generous hand; by the way, on September 5, 1746, both Shuvalovs were elevated to the dignity of the counts of the Russian Empire. At the same time, Alexander Ivanovich, during the reign of Elizabeth, attains the rank of field marshal general and for many years has been the head of a terrible secret chancery, and his brother Peter, a man of his most capable and with extensive information, serves as a field marshal general, president of the military collegium, and finally, field marshal ...

The sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of these two Shuvalovs constantly appear at the highest levels of the service hierarchy, and many of them are among the closest to the court. So, Count Andrei Petrovich was born. 1744, 1789 with the rank of actual privy councilor and knight of St. Andrew and St. Vladimir 1st degree; his sons Peter and Paul were adjutants general: the first of the emperor Paul, the second of Alexander I. Then, in the last reign, the representatives of the family were: the president of the court office, chief marshal and cavalier of St. Andrew the First-Called Count Andrei Petrovich, married to Princess Thekla Ignatievna Zubova, nee Valentinovich; his son - the chief chief of the III branch of His Majesty's own Chancellery, adjutant general, lieutenant general Count Pyotr Andreevich; Chief of Staff of the St. Petersburg Military District, His Majesty's retinue, Major General Count Pavel Andreevich, married to Princess Beloselskaya-Belozerskaya; Member of the Council of the Minister of the Interior Secrets. council. Pyotr Grigorievich Shuvalov (55 years old in 1882), married to Princess M.S.Gagarina; Counts: Andrei Pavlovich (b. 1816, married to Count Sophia Mikh. Vorontsova) and Peter Pavlovich Shuvalov, b. 1819 g.

1.2. His brother Ivan Maksimovich the Younger(died 1741), served as captain of the guard and was seriously wounded during the assault on Ochakov.

The loudest and most well-deserved fame in the newest national history his son enjoys - Ivan Ivanovich- Founder and curator of the Moscow University, in 1797.

The family of nobles and counts Shuvalovs was recorded in the VI and V parts of the genealogical books of the provinces of Simbirsk, St. Petersburg, Kostroma and Yaroslavl.

In the modern history of Russia, the surname "Shuvalov" is also widely represented. However, for the most part, its carriers do not belong to a noble family, but come from the bourgeoisie and / or former serfs of their famous namesakes. In 2009, on the initiative of Sergei Evgenievich Shuvalov, the ALL-RUSSIAN COMMUNITY OF THE KIND OF SHUVALOV was founded

1.1.1. Graph Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov(1710 - 1771) - confidant of Elizabeth Petrovna and especially Peter III, chamberlain, head of the Office of Secret Investigation Affairs, Field Marshal, Senator, member of the St. Petersburg Conference. The brother of Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov and the cousin of Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, the favorite of Elizabeth Petrovna.

Thanks to the efforts of Ivan Maksimovich's father, the Vyborg commandant, he was numbered in the court of Tsarevna Elizabeth, where he played an important role until 1741, in charge of the household economy. He took an active part in the coup of 1741.

With the accession of Elizabeth, he immediately took an influential position, showered, like his brother, with royal favors, awards and signs of goodwill: in 1741 he was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky, in 1744 he became Lieutenant General, from 1746 - Adjutant General of the Empress, in the same year, like brother Pyotr Ivanovich, was elevated to the count's dignity. The influence of the Shuvalovs increases even more since 1749, when Alexander Ivanovich's cousin, Ivan Ivanovich, becomes Elizabeth's favorite. On December 18 (29), 1753, he received the highest award of the Empire - the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called.

Since 1742 he takes part in the affairs of the Secret Chancellery, in 1746 he replaces the famous Ushakov as its head. Supervises the maintenance of the Braunschweig surname in exile, leads the investigation of the Lestock case, and later the investigation of the Apraksin and Bestuzhev case.

In 1754 he was appointed a knight marshal at the court of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, the future Peter III. The Shuvalovs attach particular importance to this, since they expect that such a rapprochement with the heir to the throne will allow them to strengthen their position at court. However, the future has shown that, having made a bet on Peter III, they were deeply mistaken.

The last years of the Elizabethan reign and the short reign of Peter III became the pinnacle of power for the Shuvalov party: in 1758 A.I. Shuvalov became a senator, on December 28 (old style), 1761 - Field Marshal.

During the coup that brought Catherine to power, he tries to agitate the guardsmen to remain loyal to Peter, but, convinced of the complete futility of his attempts, rushes to the Empress's feet, asking her for pardon. Having approved the petition, Catherine gives the personally hated Shuvalov two thousand serfs and dismisses him from all posts (1763, according to other sources, 1762). He spent the last years of his life with his family in the Kositsy estate of the Vereisky district of the Moscow province, and was buried in the Church of the Transfiguration built by him.

Alexander was the most pale figure of the Shuvalov party, according to his contemporaries, he had neither the charisma nor the talents of his brothers, without whose approval he did not dare to take a step. In the St. Petersburg conference, a deliberative body under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, he played an inconspicuous role, being a conductor of other people's ideas. Catherine II, who could not tolerate Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov, portrays him as a stupid, indecisive, cruel, petty, mean, boring and vulgar man:

Alexander Shuvalov, not by himself, but by the position he held, was a threat to the entire court, city and the entire Empire; he was the chief of the inquisitorial court, which was then called the Secret Chancellery. His occupation, it was said, caused him a kind of convulsive movement, which was done on the entire right side of his face, from the eye to the chin, whenever he was agitated by joy, anger, fear or dread.

From marriage with Ekaterina Ivanovna Kasturina(1718-1790) had an only daughter

1.1.1.1. Ekaterina(1733-1821), married in 1750 to the count Gavriil Ivanovich Golovkin(d. 1787), grandson and main heir of the Peter the Great Chancellor. Countess Ekaterina Aleksandrovna Golovkina was a lady of state; there is a version that it was in her Moscow house that A.S. Pushkin was born. Her serf ballet actors formed the core of the Bolshoi Ballet Company. Married had four sons, all childless, and an unmarried daughter Elizabeth (1752—1820).

Alexander Ivanovich (1710-1771) was at the court of Tsarevna Elizabeth, he helped her ascend to the throne, therefore, after the coup, awards fell on him like a cornucopia. 1741 - Alexander Shuvalov was a real chamberlain, second lieutenant of the life company with the rank of major general, a year later two orders adorned his chest - St. Anna and St. Alexander Nevsky. In 1744 Shuvalov was already a lieutenant of the Life Company with the rank of Lieutenant General, in 1746 - Count of the Roman Empire. Then he became adjutant general, then general-in-chief, and in 1753 he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called, the highest order of the empire.

Fabulous career! He was never the empress's lover, he was not on the battlefield, and nevertheless, during the 12 years of Elizabeth's reign, he reached the first ranks in Russia. At the same time, he did not possess any outstanding talents and inclinations, he was "a man without signs." The thing is that, in addition to the formal command of the army division, Alexander Shuvalov headed the terrible Secret Chancellery. I cannot miss the opportunity to talk about this organ in more detail. It is interesting, after all, what this "terrible and terrible" office was like in the time of Elizabeth.

I put these words in quotation marks, in no way ironic, the rack is always a rack, and if there are only two executioners in positions in the entire capital, then this person under the whip would no less painful if there were a whole regiment of executioners, but when I found out that in this guard of statehood, in this bogey of the people - the Secret Chancellery - only eleven people served, then I opened my mouth with amazement. I grew up during the "triumph of humanism, in the most freedom-loving and just country", that is, under Stalin, so that the land does not rest in peace, I know what the Lubyanka is (and after all, every city had its own Lubyanka!), And here there are eleven people in a small house, which was located in the Peter and Paul Fortress!

In order for the reader not to accuse me of plagiarism, or, worse, of lying, I will say right away that this knowledge was gleaned by me from reference books and memoirs, but mainly from the work of Vasily Ivanovich Veretennikov, published in Kharkov in 1911.

So, the first Secret Chancellery was founded by Peter the Great at the very beginning of his reign and was called the Preobrazhensky Prikaz after the village of Preobrazhensky. The first guardians of the detective case filed a lawsuit against the scoundrels who acted "against the first two points." The first point - atrocities against the person of the sovereign, the second - against the state itself, that is, they staged a riot.

"Word and deed" is a cry invented by the guardsmen. Anyone could shout out "word and deed", pointing a finger at a criminal - true or invented. The investigative machine immediately went into action. In my time, they thundered with such concepts as "enemy of the people", and if we consider that Stalin's investigators were never wrong, then the Preobrazhensky order was fair in its own way. If the guilt of the person taken on the denunciation was not proven, then the denouncer himself was subjected to "interrogation with partiality," that is, torture. The Preobrazhensky order was abolished by Peter II in 1729, honor and praise to the boy-tsar! But strong power came in the person of Anna Ioannovna, and the detective office again started working like a well-oiled mechanism. This happened in 1731; it was now called the "Office of Secret Investigative Affairs". An inconspicuous one-story mansion, eight windows along the facade; casemates and office premises were also in charge of the chancellery. Andrei Ivanovich Ushakov, well-known throughout St. Petersburg, was in charge of this farm.

Ushakov began his career under Peter I as a secret fiscal, worked honestly, then became a senator, and then headed the aforementioned chancellery. At the time of Anna Ioannovna (the heyday of detective affairs) thirteen people worked in Tainaya. In fact, the secretary-registrar (deputy of Ushakov) supervised all the affairs, followed by the recorder, registrar and actuary, then secretaries, clerks, sub-clerks and copyists. Separately, there was a military outfit of ten people. The number of informants is unknown, but I think that there were, as always, a lot of them. For especially important matters, special commissions were established to help the Secret Chancellery. This was the case during the trial of Biron, Osterman, Minich and others, during the "Babi conspiracy", etc. If necessary, the Secret Chancellery sent its agents to other cities. In Moscow, there was a permanent branch of Tainoy.

Ushakov worked in the search field for sixteen years. The townsfolk were afraid of him in panic, they frightened children with his name: a terrible old man! And so it was: he began to head the Secret Chancellery at about sixty years old. Bantysh-Kamensky wrote about him: "Managing the Secret Chancellery, he performed the most severe tortures, but in society he was distinguished by a charming manner and had a special gift to ferret out the way of thinking of the interlocutor." This is all true. Ushakov was not a sadist, his excessive cruelty was not caused by hatred of criminals. He just did his job honestly, he was conscientious and dispassionate. The most disgusting kind of campaigner!

Age is age, Ushakov was thinking about a replacement. His successor was Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov, not immediately, of course, at first he entered the case, studied at interrogations and near the rear, and then took the oath and "entered into possession." Shuvalov took the oath in Ushakov's home church, as if the case of replacing the head of the Secret Chancellery was a family matter. It happened in 1746, Alexander Shuvalov was thirty-six years old.

It was Bestuzhev's idea to combine in one person two positions - the head of the Secret Chancellery and the Grand Marshal of the young court: Alexander Ivanovich was supposed to watch the young spouses by rank, track every step of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich and Grand Duchess Ekaterina Alekseevna. Catherine hated him. Here is the characteristic she gives to Shuvalov in her Notes: “Alexander Shuvalov, not by himself, but by the position he held, was a threat to the entire court, the city and the entire Empire; he was the chief of the inquisitorial court, which was then called the Secret Chancellery. His occupation, it was said, caused him a kind of convulsive movement, which was done on the entire right side of his face, from the eye to the chin, whenever he was agitated by joy, anger, fear or dread. " Catherine also calls him an indecisive, petty, stingy, stupid, boring and vulgar person.

The wife of Alexander Ivanovich - Ekaterina Ivanovna Shuvalova (nee Kyusturin, an ignorant family) - was also on the staff of the young court. Small in stature, thin, shy woman, she, unlike many, was not at all afraid of her formidable husband. She had a strange habit - suddenly falling into deep thoughtfulness, freezing in place. This could have happened at a masquerade or on a walk. The Grand Duchess made fun of Yekaterina Ivanovna and nicknamed her "The Salt Pillar". In general, the lady was completely harmless. At court, again at the suggestion of Catherine, they gossiped that Madame Secret Chancery was too frugal, narrowed her petticoats, spending one piece less on them, saves lace on cuffs and dresses awfully.

The spouses were without charisma, to be sure. In his opinions, Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov was very dependent on his younger brother Peter Ivanovich. But, leading a terrible organ - the Secret Chancellery - he did not feel zealous zeal for work, was not the "first student", thanks to him for that. And a nervous tic on his face from the eye to the chin appeared, clearly informing the public that this man also has nerves. Under him, the Secret Chancellery seemed to "dry up". Extracts from cases, reports, the questionnaires themselves have become smaller in volume and sparse in content, inspiration has sunk into the sand. Elizabeth's oath "not to be executed by death" was not written into the law, but was strictly observed. Ushakov ordered to torture in the event that a clear picture of the crime was not drawn, and this was almost always the case. Shuvalov, on the other hand, refused to admit that he was at a dead end and it was time to remember the rack, he was looking for new witnesses, arranged confrontations, and re-read the questionnaires over and over again. For interrogation with partiality, a personal order from Shuvalov was required, and he gave it very reluctantly.

Naturally, there were very few cases involving such significant personalities as Lestok. Most often I had to deal with the sheer small fry. The main thing was to decide whether this business was “important” and whether it was worth it at all. For example, in the market, two traders fought over an unsold goose, and one of the traders wrote a denunciation. Here the clerk must decide whether this is an important matter or not. If you just fought, even to the point of blood, even with self-mutilation, this business is "unimportant", that is, not for the Secret Chancellery, but if one of the merchants "vomited speeches that reviled the empress or the Russian throne," then this is "our", we take it and start business. Duels prohibited in the state were also considered by the Secret Chancellery. The priest accused of magic was tried by the Synod, but if in his notebooks with potions and spells they found something "against the first two points," then the work was to be done by Shuvalov's department.

Catherine II tells about one of such cases in her "Notes". In search of the Empress's mantilla, lost somewhere, the Camefrau looked under the pillows in her bed. I didn’t find Mantilla, but under the mattress I found paper with hair wrapped around some roots. Elizabeth was terrified of witchcraft. Everyone was terribly frightened, began to discuss what had happened. They suspected that the beloved Empress Anna Domashevnaya, the wife of Elizabeth's valet, was in the "charm". The entire Shuvalov clan disliked this woman because the empress had too much confidence in her. The Secret Chancellery took over the investigation. The culprit herself, her husband, her valet, and two sons from her first marriage were arrested. The case was led by Alexander Shuvalov himself. After the arrest, the husband cut his throat with a razor, Anna Domashevnaya, after many interrogations, obeyed everything, only the reason for her action was different - she wanted to keep the empress's love for herself and therefore resorted to charms. Both Anna herself and her sons were exiled.

Shuvalov was assigned to watch over the young court, he often became an intermediary in the relationship between the Grand Duke and the Empress. In general, Pyotr Fedorovich supported them a good relationship, which cannot be said about Catherine. She sometimes allowed herself very bold antics, while she openly laughed at the head of the Secret Chancellery. So, once a large company gathered in her bedroom, among the guests of Catherine was her beloved Poniatovsky. Catherine was unwell and therefore received guests in bed. And suddenly, in the midst of the fun, the servant announces the arrival of Alexander Shuvalov. The head of the Secret Chancellery came to the Grand Duchess for an innocent reason - to discuss with her the fireworks at the upcoming holiday, but neither Catherine nor her guests could know this. The youth had nowhere to go, and they hid in the dressing room adjacent to the bedroom, and Catherine received an unexpected guest. The conversation with Shuvalov turned out to be a long one, Ekaterina perfectly played the role of a tired and sickly woman, and in the next room her guests "choked with laughter". Agree that in the described scene there is no horror in front of the head of the terrible chancellery. Catherine was not afraid of Shuvalov, did not love, despised - yes, but did not expect sophisticated cunning and cruelty from him.

Another extremely important task was also entrusted to Shuvalov - the protection of the Braunschweig family. He coped with it. Ivan Antonovich lived in Kholmogory, not suspecting that his mother had died, that his father, brothers and sisters were in the next house. In 1756, the Russian court received information that Manstein, who had once served in Russia and transferred to the service of Frederick II, was going to free Ivan with the help of the Old Believers. In the same year, the deposed emperor was taken from Kholmogory to the Shlisselburg fortress. Ivan Antonovich was 16 years old. An order from Shuvalov came from St. Petersburg: "The remaining prisoners should be kept as before, even stricter and with an increase in the guard, so as not to pretend to take the prisoner out, about which to firmly confirm to your team, who will know about the removal of the prisoner, so as not to tell anyone."

In Shlisselburg, Ivan Antonovich lived under a strong guard under the command of officer Ovtsin. The task of the guard: not only to prevent the prisoner from escaping, but to prevent him from seeing unwanted people. Shuvalov's order from 1757: “… so that the fortress, although the general has arrived, is not allowed; also added, although a field marshal and others like them, did not let anyone into the rooms, led his imperial majesty. Prince Pyotr Fyodorovich, valet Karnovich, should not be allowed into the fortress and announced to him that it was not ordered to let him in without a decree from the Secret Chancellery. The behavior of Ivan Antonovich was closely watched, and dispatches to Petersburg about a "famous person" were accurately written. In the reports, they deliberately wrote about him as a madman, but by secret order it was ordered to ask in more detail what the prisoner himself understood about himself. Ovtsin asked the arrested man: who is he? Ivan said that he great person, but one dastardly officer took it from him and changed his name. In another conversation, he referred to himself as a prince. It is also known that Ivan knew the letter and read the Bible.

After the death of Elizabeth, Alexander Shuvalov was treated kindly by Peter III, he was already a field marshal, but his service to this sovereign was short-lived. In the coup of 1761, Shuvalov "did not understand", did not believe him, and therefore in the most stupid way he began to persuade the guard to remain loyal to Emperor Peter. However, he came to his senses in time and threw himself at the feet of the newly-made empress. Catherine was not a vindictive person. She forgave him, moreover, she gave him 2,000 serf souls for the service, but she did not want to see the hated person near her. At this, the service of Russia for Alexander Shuvalov ended, he was dismissed from all posts, the life of a private person began for him.

Valid. chamberlain, head of the secret police office, life-campaign lieutenant, field marshal general, senator, member of the conference. Genus. 1710, died in 1771. By origin and upbringing, he belonged to the kind of statesmen who were nominated by the Peter's reform. Thanks to the diligence of his father, Ivan Maksimovich the Elder, he was numbered in the court of the crown princess Elizabeth Petrovna. After the death of Peter the Great, this courtyard was at a distance from the big one, but, losing in brilliance, it was distinguished by cohesion and friendship between the persons who made it up. Until 1741, A.I. played a significant role in it and was considered one of the three people closest to Elizaveta Petrovna. In the rank of chamber-junker, he was in charge of some of the crown princess's economic affairs, for example, the stables. At the same time, he must have shown the talent of an investigator. Among other close associates of Elizaveta Petrovna, AI took an active part in the coup on November 25, 1741 and after that began to rapidly rise in ranks and positions. On December 24, 1741, together with Alexei Razumovsky, Mikhail Vorontsov and Pyotr Ivanovich Shuvalov, A.I. was promoted from chamber junkers to acting chamberlains and then appointed second lieutenant in the campaign. Having immediately reached an influential position, no longer in the driven court of the half-footed crown princess, but under the Imperial one, A.I., according to the conditions of that time, had to join any political party: his family and friendly ties put him in opposition to Bestuzhev. Supported his brother Peter, the younger, but more gifted and energetic, A.I. entered the party that bore the name of Shuvalovskaya among his contemporaries. On the day of the coronation of the empress, April 25, 1842, all participants in the coup on November 25, 1741 were showered with favors - A.I. was awarded the cavalry of the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky. As a connoisseur of horses, A.I. was entrusted with the management of a horse farm, formerly owned by the Duke of Courland and transferred in 1743 from Livonia to the Aleksandrovskaya Sloboda. However, this assignment was only one of the branches of many matters that A.I. concerned.His real importance at court was higher than those titles that he then and later wore: it especially intensified after his brother Peter Ivanovich entered into a marriage with his beloved Empress Mavra Shepeleva. A series of rapidly following increases show an increase in its value. On July 15, 1744, A.I. was granted the rank of lieutenant general and awarded the manors of Laudon and Luban. In 1745, the Highest ordered to give him a salary on a par with army lieutenant-generals. On November 25, 1745, with the appointment of Aleksey Razumovsky as the captain-lieutenant of the life campaign, AI was appointed to the vacant position of lieutenant. The importance of AI grew greatly. There were also responsibilities that could only be entrusted to a very reliable person - the case of the Braunschweig family in Russia. In addition, even in the humane reign of Elizabeth, the Secret Chancellery still continued to exist, so darkening the memory of previous reigns. AI had already spoken out on secret matters; in 1742 he arrested and imprisoned Prince Ludwig of Hesse-Hamburg. Already at the beginning of 1745, the name of A.I. is found in the case of Grunstein's Leib-Campanian. A.I. and the terrible Ushakov were investigators and found Grunstein not only dangerous, but also guilty. In 1746, A. I. became the head of the chancellery to replace Ushakov and investigated cases with the same persistence and the same methods as his predecessor, "leading", according to Emperor. Catherine II, "horror and fear throughout Russia." The government was especially concerned about the Braunschweig surname and the movements that could take place in Russia for her release or restoration to the throne. The Secret Office was obliged to monitor all this. On June 9, 1746, according to a personal decree, A.I. was granted the position of adjutant general to the empress. On September 5, 1746, a new favor followed Alexander and Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov with descending offspring: they were given the count's Russian Empire dignity, and on December 17, 1746, it was ordered to give them, in addition to the received, chamberlain's salary - 1500 p. in year. In 1748, a new proof of the great trust of Empress Elizabeth: A.I. is investigating the Lestock case. But ahead of the entire Shuvalov family, there was still a promotion and strengthening. In 1749, Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, a cousin of A.I., became the favorite, and this circumstance, lowering the importance of A.P. Bestuzhev, strengthened the Shuvalovs who were hostile to him. Since 1750, AI appears from time to time in the Senate as the adjutant general of the empress and transmits the highest orders to the Senate.

Since 1751, A. I. became one of the major owners of factories, following his brother Peter in this respect. By a decree on February 13, he was granted the Istitsky and Ugotsky iron plants in the Maloyaroslavets and Borovsky districts and at the same time the palace Vyshgorod volost in the Vereysky district. Its service significance is also growing. On September 10, 1751, A. I. was appointed to the army to the divisions in full-chief, with the proper staff for his rank, and the salary was raised accordingly. In April 1754, after the death of Choglokov and to replace him, A.I. Peter Feodorovich. The Shuvalov party gave this appointment great importance, as she hoped to win over the young court and harm the hated Chancellor Bestuzhev. The latter was completely unaware of the appointment of a new chamberlain. However, for A.I., his new position immediately turned out to be unpleasant. Monetary affairs c. book were in very poor condition, his Holstein courtiers intrigued against the Russian chamberlain and, finally, the character of V. book was very hot-tempered: he argued not only with his wife, but also with the empress and entrusted A.I. book Peter Feodorovich with his wife and son to leave Russia forever.

V. K. Ekaterina was very unhappy with the new chamberlain. She writes about him: “Alexander Shuvalov, not by himself, but by the position he held, was a threat to the entire court, city and the whole Empire; he was the head of the Inquisitional Court, which was then called the Secret Chancellery. it is a kind of convulsive movement, which was done on the entire right side of his face, from eye to chin, whenever he was excited by joy, anger, fear or dread. " The Grand Duchess always saw him "with a feeling of involuntary disgust inspired by his personal qualities, his family and his position, which, of course, could not increase the pleasure of his company." Both AI and his wife, she calls "creatures so vulgar and so boring that she was always delighted when they were absent." According to Catherine, the Shuvalovs strove to finally embroil her with her husband and then take him into their own hands, and after the death of the empress to rule Russia under him as they did under Elizabeth. A.I. was only an instrument of this plan, since he did not dare to undertake even any trifle without consulting the brothers Peter and Ivan. However, in the characterization given by Catherine II, a biased dislike for A.I. shines through.Many of the facts she herself communicated prove that he often wanted to treat the Grand Duchess more cordially and gently than was attributed to him, but he could not always fulfill this ... A.I. was a man of parties, and as a chamberlain of the young court he had to conduct a well-known political system... It was a question of succession to the throne in Russia, and the Shuvalovs occupied a rather definite position in this matter: they strove to keep the throne for Peter S. celebrations of one or another of its political parties: Bestuzhevskaya or Shuvalovskaya. The mistake made by Bestuzhev in counting on England led to the triumph of the Shuvalovskaya party, and both parties had to agree to the formation of a council known as the Conference, which included all the most influential nobles, including A.I. back in 1753, but were irregular and with a variable composition. Since March 1756, they become regular and their composition is determined. The role of AI in the Conference was insignificant. He almost did not come up with independent proposals or reasoning, but more than once he was a conductor of other people's ideas. "So, Catherine II tried to convey through him the idea of ​​the need for Russia to keep East Prussia in the Seven Years' War in order to seize the shores of the Baltic Sea and to reward some of these lands of Poland, which suffered from the passage of our troops.Of course, even more often, A.I. supported brother Peter.Through A.I. to sign and persuaded him to give such on protocols that otherwise, according to the conditions of the time, could not be valid, for example, with the protocol on Russia's accession to the Versailles agreement and on the arrival of the French ambassador to Russia.

With the decline of the empress's powers and her withdrawal from affairs, the importance of the nobles who made up the government circle of Russia grew. Especially great was the importance of the Shuvalovs; their only dangerous enemy, AP Bestuzhev, noticeably weakened both from old age and from the unfavorable course that the war was taking. He still hoped only that after the death of Elizabeth, who had seemed very close since 1754, Catherine II, who was friendly to him, would come to the Russian throne, at least as regent under the minor Pavel Petrovich. In such a state of affairs, the Shuvalov party could have suffered a complete defeat. The plans of Bestuzhev and Catherine II, who was aware of them, were supported by the English envoy Williams and a small group of courtiers, but they met with opposition in the Shuvalov circle. In 1758, relations between the commander-in-chief Apraksin, Bestuzhev and V. K. Catherine. The investigation of Apraksin and Bestuzhev was entrusted to a commission of three persons: Field Marshal Trubetskoy, A. Buturlin and A. I. This was the highest moment of the triumph of the Shuvalov party. All who took a conscious part in the life of the country in Russia saw the real reason for the misadventures of the old great chancellor in the intrigues of the Shuvalovs. After 1758 they were all in the state and ruled it, almost without encountering opposition. A.I., even before February 20, 1758, together with Buturlin, received a responsible order to staff "the rest of the main army of incomplete battalions and squadrons, as well as regiments located in Reval and Finland." The Senate ordered to provide them with all possible support in a difficult matter. By September 1759, the troops were replenished with them and placed in winter quarters. On August 16, 1760 A.I. was appointed senator. The death of the empress and the accession to the throne of Peter III (December 25, 1761) did not weaken the great importance that the Shuvalovs had. On December 26, 1761, AI was ordered to be present in the Senate only in especially important cases, when the emperor will also be in the Senate. On December 28, A.I. was promoted to active general-field marshals and colonels of the Izmailovsky regiment. In April of the following year, 1762, the order that had burdened him for many years was removed from A.I. - to protect the Braunschweig surname and, in particular, John Antonovich. On June 9, 1762, the last mercy received by A.I. from Peter III followed: he and his wife were awarded 2000 souls of peasants from the palace estates of their choice, the Shuvalovs.

On June 28, 1762, Catherine II ascended the throne, so hostile to all the Shuvalovs, and especially to A.I. His role in coup d'état 1762 is not clear. Empress Catherine II in her notes says that Trubetskoy and A.I. arrived from Oranienbaum to St. kill her, the empress; but learning that the power was on her side, they rushed to the Empress's feet and asked for pardon, which was given to them.

With the accession to the throne of Catherine II, the importance of AI was reduced to zero. True, according to Solovyov's testimony, Catherine gave him generous mercy and when she retired in 1763 gave another 2,000 souls of peasants, but this was the last sign of attention that the statesman who graduated from his career received. There is no information about AI's later life: he was then only 52 years old; he lived for another 9 years and, of course, the reign did not change, AI could still play a prominent role in it. However, one can hardly expect him to show himself from any other, new side after his many years of service during the reign of Elizabeth and Peter, when he was given the full opportunity to show his talents and energy. By all accounts, he was a man without initiative, without the gift of creativity, indecisive, stupid and cruel. Catherine II ascribes to him, in addition to these features, petty pickiness, stinginess and lack of pride. He owes his life and service success to his closeness to Elizabeth during her removal from the throne and the participation he took in the coup on November 25, 1741. Then he was helped by his relationship with Peter Ivanovich and Mavra Yegorovna and, finally, the lucky star of Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov.

V. F-ko.

Soloviev. "History of Russia", Vol. V. - "Notes of Empress Catherine II". SPb., 1907 - Shcherbatov, Prince. M "On the Damage of Morals in Russia". Works T. II. SPb. 1898 - Vorontsov's Archive. According to the index. - Baranov P. "Inventory of the Highest decrees and orders kept in the St. Petersburg Senate Archive for the 18th century." T. Sh. SPb. 1878 - E. Schepkin "The Russian-Austrian Union during the Seven Years' War of 1746-1758." SPb. 1902. - Collections of the Imperial Russian Historical Society, Volumes VII, XVIII, XXVIII, XLII, XCI. - Longinov M. H. "The Eighteenth Century", Vol. Sh. (Some news about the first accomplices of Ekat. Vel.). - Miloradovich, count. "Materials for the history of the Corps of Pages 1711-1875". Kiev. 1876 ​​- Pypin A. "Russian Freemasonry. Novikova" ("Bulletin of Europe" 1868 T. III, No. 6 ")." Russian portraits of the XVIII and XIX centuries. ", Vol. III.

(Polovtsov)

Shuvalov, Count Alexander Ivanovich

20th Field Marshal General.

Count Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov was born in the state of Peter the Great. His father, a poor nobleman, could not give the children a brilliant upbringing, but had the opportunity to place them in the pages to the Highest Court, where they drew attention to themselves with their beauty and dexterity. Subsequently, Shuvalov served as a chamber-junker under the crown princess Elisaveta Petrovna and assisted in her accession to the parental throne. The grateful Monarchy awarded him (1741) the titles of actual chamberlain and second lieutenant of the Life Company established by her from the Preobrazhenskaya company, the rank of major general, and the following year bestowed upon him the orders of St. Anna and St. Alexander Nevsky; later made a lieutenant of the Life Company, a lieutenant general (1744), a count of the Russian Empire (1746), an adjutant general and, finally, a general-in-chief, entrusting him, on December 18, 1753, with the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle Of the First-Called. Thus, Count Alexander Ivanovich, from the rank of chamber-junker, reached the first ranks within twelve years, together with his brother, and received, on top of that, significant villages in Livonia (1744).

Commanding an army division in the state of Elizabeth, Count Shuvalov ruled the terrible - according to Prince Shakhovsky - the Secret Chancellery. Emperor Peter III promoted him to the rank of field marshal general on December 28, 1761 and granted him two thousand peasants, with a choice wherever he wishes; Empress Catherine II dismissed him (1762), upon request, from service. He died in 1769.

Count Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov, proud, ambitious, led by his brother, Count Pyotr Ivanovich, intervening in all the affairs entrusted to him, enjoyed the special favor of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Through him, the Heir to the Throne made various requests to the Empress; shortly before her death, Shuvalov petitioned for permission for the Grand Duke to return to Holstein. [Cm. The reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, Op. G. Weidemeyer, part 2, p. 111.] He was forced to resign under Emperor Peter III the title of head of the Secret Chancellery, where incredible tortures were carried out in his time, and, being an enemy of the chancellor, Count Bestuzhev-Ryumin, he did not refuse in 1758 year from being present in the Investigative Commission, which deprived this state dignitary of ranks, insignia, was sentenced to death.

Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov headed the Secret Chancellery until the death of Empress Elizabeth and the temporary abolition of this body of political investigation under her successor Peter III in 1761.

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One of the most prominent statesmen of the Elizabethan kingdom, lieutenant general and chief court master of the court, he was a representative of the almost ruling clan of the Shuvalov princes of the main support of the throne of Elizabeth until her death. As the best disciple of the elder of the Russian secret investigation, Prince Ushakov, Shuvalov, under his command, took part in many "searches" for political affairs.

The prince was a rather colorful person, during interrogations he often frightened those under investigation not only with his indomitable cruelty, but also with an inborn tic of his facial muscles, which gave his face a particularly terrible expression and made the "Grand Inquisitor" of Russia, as his contemporaries called him, terribly stutter.

In the Secret Chancellery, Shuvalov was promoted during his active participation wanted in the case of the Lopukhin family, from which he knocked out confessions in a conspiracy against Elizabeth. In 1745, he was appointed deputy to the already old and sick Ushakov, and two years later Shuvalov would replace his deceased boss at the helm of the Russian political investigation.

He was part of the powerful clan of the Shuvalov princes, the main initiators of the 1741 coup in favor of Elizabeth, who gave this queen the most loyal nobles. Alexander's brother Peter Shuvalov was actually the head of government under Elizabeth, led after the disgrace of Bestuzhev-Ryumin foreign policy and was in charge of personnel matters at court. And the closest relative of the brothers, their cousin Ivan Shuvalov, being a close and intimate friend of the empress, played something like the role of head of administration under her, in modern terms.

It was he who nominated his relative to the head of the secret investigation, in this service Alexander Shuvalov in 1747-1761 rose to the rank of field marshal. Another example of the nepotism of noble families in the highest spheres of the state, which was customary for that era, which also affected the organization of political investigation in the empire. Representatives of the Shuvalov clan simultaneously occupied three key posts at the throne of Elizabeth: head of administration, head of government and the Foreign Ministry, head of state security. Later, under Catherine the Great, a similar ruling clan would be formed by the Orlovs, who would also be involved in issues of internal security and foreign intelligence in Catherine's empire.

In the last years of Elizabeth's reign, the Secret Chancellery, for the first time in Russian history, received another task from above - to track possible dynastic conspiracies in the immediate environment of the close relatives of the Russian monarch. Fearing the strengthening of the established party of the “young court” of her heir Peter and his wife Catherine, Elizabeth, two years before her death, personally instructs Alexander Shuvalov to establish secret surveillance over her nephew and his wife for their loyalty to the reigning empress. Officially, this delicate decree was not fixed on paper in any way, but Shuvalov carried it out.

One of his first steps in this direction was the identification of Yekaterina Saltykov's secret lover, whom the head of the Secret Chancellery personally expelled from the "young court" after oral suggestion. It was this mission of Shuvalov and his immense devotion to Elizabeth that became, after the death of the benefactress of the entire Shuvalov family, the reason for the disgrace of the “Grand Inquisitor of Russia” under Peter III, and also did not allow him to return to his previous duties in the search and under Catherine the Great who overthrew her husband from the throne.
Later, the Empress will be informed that her nephew and heir Pyotr Fedorovich, who adores Prussia and adores her charismatic king Frederick the Great, has already rallied a kind of pro-Russian circle around the “young court” that he is conducting secret negotiations with Berlin on a separate peace through the English ambassador to Russia Robert Keith. The Empress instructed these contacts of the heir to deal with the same Secret Chancellery. She did not notice treason in Peter's entourage, therefore Elizabeth's threat to deprive her nephew of the right to inherit the throne was never realized. And these secret connections of the "Prussian party" headed by Pyotr Fedorovich with Berlin did take place, as a century and a half later, the "German party" of the last Russian Empress Alexandra during the First World War will try to conclude a separate peace with the same Berlin in 1916. Having come to power, Peter III will do what Aenin's Bolsheviks did a century and a half later. will betray his former allies and conclude a one-sided peace with Prussia, akin to Lenin's Brest-Litovsk peace. The secret office itself did not record during these contacts of the heir with Prussia and even after direct instructions from the palace could not reveal them.