🎠 || Peter 3.

It's 1745, Russia. The Emperor on the throne is Elizabeth Petrovna! Peter III is the heir. Also, Elizabeth Petrovna is Peter's aunt, not his mother! Peter's parents had already died, during Peter's childhood.

Good qualities::
Liveliness, charm, and the ability to please. Contemporaries emphasized her liveliness, grace, and ability to attract people. She was beautiful, danced well, and spoke several languages. *

• Piety. Despite her outward frivolity, Elizabeth was deeply religious. She regularly made walking pilgrimages (to the Savvino-Storozhevsky, New Jerusalem, and Trinity-Sergius Monasteries) and strictly observed the fasts. There were many "wanderers and pilgrims" at court; she conversed with the blessed and "elders. "*
• Compassionate. There is a famous episode: upon learning of the earthquake in Lisbon, she shed tears and ordered a large sum to be allocated for the restoration of the city, although diplomatic relations with Portugal did not exist at the time. *
• Good-naturedness and indulgence. In general, she was not cruel: she did not organize mass repressions, and strove for more humane approaches to governance. *

Bad qualities::

• Inconstancy and abrupt mood swings. Elizabeth was easily carried away, and her enthusiasm quickly gave way to indifference or even irritation. *
• Outbursts of anger. When someone violated her orders or caused personal prejudice, she could show lack of restraint. For example, at a ball, she could react rudely to a person’s inappropriate dress or behavior. There is a well-known case of Natalia Lopukhina, whose dissatisfaction with the empress led to a major political case.

Height. Elizabeth was very tall—about 180 centimeters. Hair. Its color has been described variously: sometimes as light chestnut, sometimes as slightly reddish. Eyes. Expressive, gray-blue. Face. People noted her beautiful, snow-white complexion, the perfect shape of her mouth, and healthy teeth. Figure. Despite her tendency to be plump, contemporaries emphasized her elegance and grace.

What was noted in a positive light:
A thirst for activity and tirelessness. After ascending the throne, Peter immediately took an active part in affairs: he established a clear schedule, personally heard reports, and worked in the Senate and colleges. *

• Wit. A contemporary, Jacob Staehlin, wrote that the emperor was quite witty, especially in debates. *
• Kindness. In general, Peter's contemporaries did not consider him an evil person; he often behaved ingenuously. *
• Trustfulness. This trait also often appears in assessments. *

But here's what drew criticism:

• A tendency to lie and have absurd fantasies. The historian V. O. Klyuchevsky drew attention to this. *
• Timidity. Peter grew up nervous and impressionable, yet fearful of cannon fire—a fear that persisted throughout his life. Staehlin noted that the emperor spoke of no fear of death, but in reality he feared any danger and often sought to escape it rather than overcome it. *
• Addiction to wine. According to some reports, he developed a taste for wine already in childhood. *
• Inconsistency and "shakiness." His actions sometimes lacked unity of thought and a clear direction. This was especially evident in politics: on the one hand, active reforms (the Manifesto on the freedom of the nobility, the abolition of the Secret Chancellery), on the other, abrupt, unpopular steps (peace with Prussia, the introduction of Prussian order in the army, rumors of a Protestant-style church reform). *
• Duality of origin. The feeling of duality (German on his father's side, Russian on his mother's) gave rise to an unstable, contradictory self-awareness in Peter, which also affected his actions.
  Peter also surprisingly loves painting and music and can play the violin.

Height and build. Peter was quite tall (around 170 cm), but disproportionate: narrow shoulders, long legs, and a noticeable belly, sometimes described as "goosebumps. "Face. He was often described as elongated, with a straight nose, a high, clear forehead, and a cleft chin. His mouth was also described as rather large ("frog-like"), and his chin as weak. His facial expression was also a subject of debate: some noted a welcoming demeanor and a calm smile, while others detected a hidden sadness in his eyes or, conversely, an expression of vanity. Hair and accessories. In portraits, Peter is usually depicted wearing a powdered wig. A love of military style is evident in the clothing: a cuirass is often visible under the waistcoat, and orders are also present—for example, a blue St. Andrew's ribbon over the shoulder and the Order of St. Anne on a red ribbon with a yellow border.