He was considered a gray mouse among the brilliant brothers. He had a chance to surpass them, but one woman did not allow his dreams to come true.
The gallant age in Russia was marked by a series of palace coups. Bold nobles chose their camp and at one moment either flew up to heaven, or were cast down into the abyss of exile and oblivion. Among political adventurers of that time, Count Alexander Shuvalov also shone. He did not enjoy the special sympathy of any of the monarchs, but, relying on his intuition and courage, he paved his way to power.
Childhood
The Shuvalov family was famous since the time of Ivan the Terrible. In troubled times, one of the ancestors of our hero became a governor, his descendants also made a career in the army. When a son was born in the family of the commandant of the Vyborg fortress Ivan Maksimovich in 1710, everyone was sure that he would become a general. The father wished his heir Sashenka a better fate, because he saw him at the court of the emperor.
Fortress in the city of Vyborg, where Alexander Shuvalov’s father served as commandant
The old servant managed to attach Alexander and his younger brother Peter in pages to Peter the Great himself. Soon the emperor was gone, and teenagers became witnesses of the struggle for the throne. The youth of the boys fell during the reign of Anna Ivanovna. In St. Petersburg hosted Biron - the favorite of the ruler. The empress did not favor the old Russian aristocracy, but she did not oppress. She sent the younger Shuvalovs to the retinue of the daughter of Peter Elizabeth. Teenagers managed to admire the intricacies of intrigue and were ready to test their strength in this type of creativity.
Senior in the family
Sasha got married early - the parent wanted to see an adult son who could guide his brother on the true path. In order not to become hostages of a strong aristocratic family, it was decided to take a wife for Shuvalov from impoverished nobles. The best contender for this role was Ekaterina Ivanovna Kastyurina. She could compare with her husband only by the nobility of her name and the antiquity of the family.
A few years after the wedding, Catherine gave birth to a daughter, whom her parents will find a profitable party. Having no good education and secular manners, Countess Shuvalova relied on her faithful in everything. Contemporaries described her as a greedy and primitive person, infinitely devoted to her husband and his interests.
Crown for Elizabeth
In 1741, the Shuvalovs supported the crown princess and took an active part in the coup that brought her to power. Alexander at that time was a junk chamber and was in charge of the economy of the future queen. For the service rendered, he was immediately granted the rank of second lieutenant of the Life Campaign company of the Preobrazhensky regiment and from now on was a chamberlain under Elizabeth Petrovna.
Preobrazhentsi proclaim Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. Artist Eugene Lansere
The personal life of Peter Shuvalov was not a secret for his brother. He was a ladies man, the Empress herself was his lover. Favorite acted like her legal husband. Alexander urged the younger brother to be more modest, however, he rarely heard sensible advice. Even the relatives were dissatisfied with the behavior of this upstart and, guessing that there was no government on him, they sent powerful cousins Ivan Ivanovich to the court, who quickly solved all the problems: seduced Peter's daughter and expelled the impudent temporary worker from the capital. From Alexander, he tried to stay away.
Grey Cardinal
Elizaveta Petrovna appreciated the contribution of Alexander Shuvalov to the success of her adventure, entrusting him with the Secret Chancellery. The courtier did not disappoint - the first thing he put in prison was John Antonovich, the baby whom they tried to put on the throne instead of Elizabeth. The next victim was to become the famous schemer Alexei Bestuzhev-Ryumin. The old fox was able to avoid a long sentence and escaped with a short exile.
Count Alexander Ivanovich Shuvalov. Unknown artist
Such work did not cause respect, relatives considered this episode in Alexander’s biography a gloomy spot, but this did not affect him in any way. The nobleman was convinced that he defended the interests of the state. The justice-loving heiress of Peter the Great was impressed by the style of behavior of Alexander Shuvalov.
Femme fatale
Elizaveta Petrovna noticed that her nephew, the future Peter III, was a depraved young man. To control his behavior, Alexander Shuvalov was introduced into the suite of the prince. In 1754, he was appointed marshal of the court at the court of Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich and soon won his trust. When Sofia Augusta Frederic of Anhalt-Zerbst arrived in St. Petersburg, the empress asked the head of the Secret Chancellery to pay maximum attention to this person.
Emperor Peter III and Catherine II. Artist Georg Christoph Grot
The adorable German woman aroused hatred among Alexander Shuvalov. Having adopted Orthodoxy under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna, she presented her adversary with an original idea - why not shear it as a nun? Since ancient times, Russian tsars acted with objectionable wives. Elizabeth forbade this to be done.
