Editing Elizabeth of Russia

{{Short description|Empress of Russia from 1741 to 1762}}
{{For|women with similar names|Empress Elisabeth (disambiguation)|Elizabeth of Russia (disambiguation)}}
{{Family name hatnote|Petrovna|[[House of Romanov|Romanova]]|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Elizabeth
| image        = Elizabeth of Russia by V.Eriksen.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by [[Vigilius Eriksen]], 1757
| alt          = Portrait of Empress Elizabeth in her {{age|format=ordinal|1709|1757}} year
| succession   = [[Emperor of Russia|Empress of Russia]]
| reign        = 6 December 1741{{snd}}5 January 1762
| coronation   = 6 May 1742
| cor-type     = russia
| predecessor  = [[Ivan VI]]
| successor    = [[Peter III of Russia|Peter III]]
| full name    = Elizaveta Petrovna Romanova<br>{{langx|ru|Елизаве́та Петро́вна Романова}} 
| house        = [[House of Romanov|Romanov]]
| father       = [[Peter the Great|Peter I of Russia]]
| mother       = [[Catherine I of Russia]]
| spouse       = {{marriage| [[Alexei Razumovsky]]}} (possible)
| birth_name   = Grand Duchess Elizaveta Petrovna
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1709|12|29|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Kolomenskoye]], [[Moscow]], [[Tsardom of Russia]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1762|1|5|1709|12|29|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Winter Palace]], [[Saint Petersburg]], [[Russian Empire]]
| burial_date  = 3 February 1762 (O.S.)
| burial_place = [[Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg|Peter and Paul Cathedral]]
| religion     = [[Russian Orthodox]]
| signature    = Elizabeth of Russia signature.svg
}}

[[File:FR Carskie Siolo, palac, in, 2013.08.10, fot. I. Nowicka (3) corr.jpg|thumb|280 px|The ceremonial attire of Elizabeth, [[Catherine Palace]], [[Tsarskoye Selo]]; fot. Ivonna Nowicka]]

'''Elizabeth''' or '''Elizaveta Petrovna''' ({{langx|ru|Елизаве́та Петро́вна}}; {{OldStyleDate|29 December|1709|18 December}}{{snd}}{{OldStyleDate|5 January|1762|25 December}}) was [[Empress of Russia]] from 1741 until her death in 1762. She remains one of the most popular [[List of Russian rulers|Russian monarchs]] because of her decision not to execute a single person during her reign, her numerous [[construction]] projects, and her strong opposition to [[Prussia]]n policies.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p= 105}} She was the last person on the [[agnatic]] line of the Romanovs as [[Peter III of Russia|her nephew]] ascended, thus creating the house of Holstein-Gottorp-Romanov.

The second-eldest daughter of Tsar [[Peter the Great]] ({{reign | 1682 | 1725}}), Elizabeth lived through the confused successions of her father's descendants following her half-brother [[Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia|Alexei]]'s death in 1718. The throne first passed to her mother [[Catherine I of Russia]] ({{reign | 1725 | 1727}}), then to her nephew [[Peter II of Russia|Peter II]], who died in 1730 and was succeeded by Elizabeth's first cousin [[Anna of Russia|Anna]] ({{reign | 1730 | 1740}}). After the brief rule of Anna's infant great-nephew, [[Ivan VI of Russia|Ivan VI]], Elizabeth seized the throne with the military's support and declared her own nephew, the future [[Peter III of Russia|Peter III]], her heir.

During her reign Elizabeth continued the policies of her father and brought about a remarkable [[Russian Enlightenment|Age of Enlightenment in Russia]]. Her domestic policies allowed the nobles to gain dominance in local government while shortening their terms of service to the state. She encouraged [[Mikhail Lomonosov]]'s foundation of the [[University of Moscow]], the highest-ranking Russian educational institution. Her court became one of the most splendid in all Europe, especially regarding [[architecture]]: she modernised Russia's [[road]]s, encouraged [[Ivan Shuvalov]]'s foundation of the [[Imperial Academy of Arts]], and financed grandiose Baroque projects of her favourite architect, [[Bartolomeo Rastrelli]], particularly in [[Peterhof Palace]]. The [[Winter Palace]] and the [[Smolny Cathedral]] in Saint Petersburg are among the chief monuments of her reign.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p= 105}}

Elizabeth led the [[Russian Empire]] during the two major European conflicts of her time: the [[War of Austrian Succession]] (1740–1748) and the [[Seven Years' War]] (1756–1763). She and diplomat [[Aleksey Bestuzhev-Ryumin]] solved the first event by forming an alliance with Austria and France, but indirectly caused the second. Russian troops enjoyed several victories against Prussia and [[Raid on Berlin|briefly occupied Berlin]], but when [[Frederick the Great]] was finally considering surrender in January 1762, [[Miracle of the House of Brandenburg|the Russian Empress died]]. She was the last [[agnatic]] member of the [[House of Romanov]] to reign over the Russian Empire.

==Early life==
===Childhood and teenage years===
[[File:Elizabeth of Russia in youth (1720s, Russian museum).jpg|thumb|Young Elizabeth in the 1720s, painted by [[Ivan Nikitich Nikitin]].]]
Elizabeth was born at [[Kolomenskoye]], near [[Moscow]], [[Russia]], on 18 December 1709 ([[Julian calendar|O.S.]]). Her parents were [[Peter the Great]], [[Tsar]] of Russia and [[Catherine I of Russia|Catherine]].{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=104}} Catherine was the daughter of Samuel Skowroński, a subject of [[Grand Duchy of Lithuania]]. Although no documentary record exists, her parents were said to have married secretly at the [[Old Trinity Cathedral|Cathedral of the Holy Trinity]] in [[Saint Petersburg]] at some point between 23 October and 1 December 1707.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=46}} Their official marriage was at [[Saint Isaac's Cathedral]] in Saint Petersburg on 9 February 1712. On this day, the two children previously born to the couple ([[Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia|Anna]] and Elizabeth) were legitimised by their father{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=46}} and given the title of [[Tsarevna]] ("[[princess]]") on 6 March 1711.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=104}} Of the twelve children born to Peter and Catherine (five sons and seven daughters), only the sisters survived to adulthood.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=50}} They had one older surviving sibling, crown prince [[Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia|Alexei Petrovich]], who was Peter's son by his first wife, noblewoman [[Eudoxia Lopukhina]].{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

As a child, Elizabeth was the favourite of her father, whom she resembled both physically and temperamentally.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=23}} Even though he adored his daughter, Peter did not devote time or attention to her education; having both a son and grandson from his first marriage to a noblewoman, he did not anticipate that a daughter born to his former maid might one day inherit the Russian throne, which had until that point never been occupied by a woman; as such, it was left to Catherine to raise the girls, a task met with considerable difficulty due to her own lack of education. Despite this, Elizabeth was still considered to be a bright girl, if not brilliant,{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=283}} and had a French governess who gave lessons of [[mathematics]], arts, languages, and sports. She grew interested in [[architecture]], became fluent in [[Italian language|Italian]], [[German language|German]], and [[French language|French]], and became an excellent dancer and rider.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=104}} Like her father, she was physically active and loved [[horseriding]], [[hunting]], [[Sledding|sledging]], [[Ice skating|skating]], and [[gardening]].{{sfn|Cowles|1971|p=66}}

From her earliest years, Elizabeth was recognised as a vivacious young woman, and was regarded as the leading beauty of the [[Russian Empire]].{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=104}} The wife of the British ambassador described Grand Duchess Elizabeth as "fair, with light brown hair, large sprightly blue eyes, fine teeth and a pretty mouth. She is inclinable to be fat, but is very genteel and dances better than anyone I ever saw. She speaks German, French and Italian, is extremely gay, and talks to everyone..."{{sfn|Cowles|1971|pp=66–67}}

===Marriage plans===
[[File:Alexei Grigorievich Razumovskiy.PNG|thumb|190px|Elizabeth probably secretly married [[Alexei Razumovsky]], a Ukrainian-born chorister]]
With much of his fame resting on his effective efforts to modernise Russia, Tsar Peter desired to see his children married into the royal houses of Europe, something which his immediate predecessors had consciously tended to avoid. Peter's son Aleksei Petrovich, born of his first marriage to a Russian noblewoman, had no problem securing a bride from the ancient house of [[Brunswick-Lüneburg]]. However, the Tsar experienced difficulties in arranging similar marriages for the daughters born of his second wife. When Peter offered either of his daughters in marriage to the future [[Louis XV]], the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbon]]s of [[Kingdom of France|France]] snubbed him due to the girls' post-facto legitimisation, and her mother, a Polish commoner.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=50}}

In 1724, Peter betrothed his daughters to two young princes, first cousins to each other, who hailed from the tiny north German principality of [[Holstein-Gottorp]] and whose family was undergoing a period of political and economic turmoil. Anna Petrovna (aged 16) was to marry [[Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp]], who was then living in exile in Russia as Peter's guest after having failed in his attempt to succeed [[Charles XII of Sweden|his maternal uncle]] as King of Sweden and whose patrimony was at that time under Danish occupation.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 50}} Despite all this, the prince was of impeccable birth and well-connected to many royal houses; it was a respectable and politically useful alliance.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 58}} In the same year, Elizabeth was betrothed to marry Charles Frederick's first cousin, Charles Augustus of Holstein-Gottorp,{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 58}} the eldest son of [[Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin|Christian Augustus, Prince of Eutin]]. Anna Petrovna's wedding took place in 1725 as planned, even though her father had died ({{OldStyleDate |8 February | 1725 | 28 January}}) a few weeks before the nuptials. In Elizabeth's case, however, her fiancé died on 31 May 1727, before her wedding could be celebrated. This came as a double blow to Elizabeth, because her mother (who had ascended to the throne as Catherine I) had died just two weeks previously, on 17 May 1727.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

[[File:SerovElizabethDepartingOnAHunt.jpg|thumb|left|''Peter II and Princess Elizabeth Petrovna Riding to Hound'' by [[Valentin Serov]]]]

By the end of May 1727, 17-year-old Elizabeth had lost her fiancé and both of her parents. Furthermore, her half-nephew [[Peter II of Russia|Peter II]] had ascended the throne. Her marriage prospects continued to fail to improve three years later, when her nephew died and was succeeded on the throne by Elizabeth's first cousin [[Anna of Russia|Anna]], daughter of [[Ivan V of Russia|Ivan V]]. There was little love lost between the cousins and no prospect of either any Russian nobleman or any foreign prince seeking Elizabeth's hand in marriage. Nor could she marry a commoner because it would cost her royal status, property rights and claim to the throne.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 59}} The fact that Elizabeth was something of a beauty did not improve marriage prospects, but instead earned her resentment. When the Empress Anna asked the Chinese minister in Saint Petersburg to identify the most beautiful woman at her court, he pointed to Elizabeth, much to Anna's displeasure.{{sfn|Cowles|1971|p=67}}

Elizabeth's response to the lack of marriage prospects was to take Alexander Shubin, a sergeant in the [[Semyonovsky Life Guards Regiment]], as her lover. When Empress Anna found out about this, she banished him to [[Siberia]]. After consoling herself, Elizabeth turned to coachmen and footmen for her sexual pleasure.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 59}} She eventually found a long-term companion in [[Alexei Razumovsky]], a kind-hearted [[Ukrainians|Ukrainian]] [[Cossack]] with a good [[Bass (voice type)|bass voice]]. Razumovsky had been brought from his village to Saint Petersburg by a nobleman to sing for a church choir, but the Grand Duchess purchased the talented serf from the nobleman for her own choir. A simple-minded man, Razumovsky never showed interest in affairs of state during all the years of his relationship with Elizabeth, which spanned from the days of her obscurity to the height of her power. As the couple was devoted to each other, there is reason to believe{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} that they might even have married in a secret ceremony. In 1742, the [[Holy Roman Emperor]] made Razumovsky a [[count]] of the [[Holy Roman Empire]]. In 1756, Elizabeth made him a [[prince]] and [[field marshal]].{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p= 59}}

==Imperial coup==
[[File:Elizabeth at Preobrazhensky quarter by Lansere.jpg|thumb|The [[Preobrazhensky Regiment]] soldiers proclaim Elizabeth as Empress of Russia.]]

While [[Aleksandr Danilovich Menshikov]] remained in power (until September 1727), the government of Elizabeth's adolescent nephew Peter II (reigned 1727–1730) treated her with liberality and distinction. However, the [[House of Dolgorukov|Dolgorukov]]s, an ancient [[boyar]] family, deeply resented Menshikov. With Peter II's attachment to Prince Ivan Dolgorukov and two of their family members on the Supreme State Council, they had the leverage for a successful {{lang|fr|coup}}. Menshikov was arrested, stripped of all his honours and properties, and exiled to northern Siberia, where he died in November 1729.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=52}} The Dolgorukovs hated the memory of Peter the Great and practically banished his daughter from Court.{{sfn|Bain|1911|pp=283–284}}

During the reign of her cousin Anna (1730–1740), Elizabeth was gathering support in the background. Being the daughter of Peter the Great, she enjoyed much support from the Russian Guards regiments. She often visited the elite Guards regiments, marking special events with the officers and acting as godmother to their children. After the death of Empress Anna, the regency of [[Anna Leopoldovna]] for the infant [[Ivan VI of Russia|Ivan VI]] was marked by high taxes and economic problems.{{Sfn|Antonov|2006|p=105}} The French ambassador in Saint Petersburg, the [[Jacques-Joachim Trotti, marquis de La Chétardie|Marquis de La Chétardie]] was deeply involved in planning a coup to depose the regent, whose foreign policy was opposed to the interests of France, and bribed numerous officers in the Imperial Guard to support Elizabeth's coup.{{sfn|Cowles|1971|pp=67–68}} The French adventurer [[Jean Armand de Lestocq]] helped her actions according to the advice of the marquis de La Chétardie and the Swedish ambassador, who were particularly interested in toppling the regime of Anna Leopoldovna.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=105}}

On the night of 25 November 1741 (O.S.), Elizabeth seized power with the help of the [[Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment]]. Arriving at the regimental headquarters wearing a warrior's metal breastplate over her dress and grasping a silver cross, she challenged them: "Whom do you want to serve: me, your natural sovereign, or those who have stolen my inheritance?" Won over, the regiment marched to the [[Winter Palace]] and arrested [[Ivan VI of Russia|the infant Emperor]], his parents, and their own lieutenant-colonel, Count [[Burkhard Christoph von Munnich]]. It was a daring coup and, amazingly, succeeded without bloodshed. Elizabeth had vowed that if she became Empress, she would not sign a single death sentence, an extraordinary promise at the time but one that she kept throughout her life.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=105}}

Despite Elizabeth's promise, there was still cruelty in her regime. Although she initially thought of allowing the young tsar and his mother to leave Russia, she imprisoned them later in a [[Shlisselburg Fortress]], worried that they would stir up trouble for her in other parts of Europe.{{sfn|Sebag Montefiore|2016|p=268}} Fearing a coup on Ivan's favour, Elizabeth set about destroying all papers, coins or anything else depicting or mentioning Ivan. She had issued an order that if any attempt were made for the adult Ivan to escape, he was to be eliminated. [[Catherine the Great]] upheld the order, and when an attempt was made, he was killed and secretly buried within the fortress.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=103}}

Another case was Countess [[Natalia Lopukhina]]. The circumstances of Elizabeth's birth would later be used by her political opponents to challenge her right to the throne on grounds of illegitimacy. When Countess Lopukhina's son, Ivan Lopukhin, complained of Elizabeth in a tavern, he implicated his mother, himself and others in a plot to reinstate Ivan VI as tsar. Ivan Lopukhin was overheard and tortured for information.  All the conspirators were sentenced to death.{{sfn|Sebag Montefiore|2016|p=269}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=The New Cambridge Modern History: Volume 7, The Old Regime, 1713–1763|last=Lindsay|first=J. O.|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=1957|isbn=9781139055833|pages=332}}</ref> The female conspirators had their sentences commuted to having their tongues removed and being publicly flogged. The men were [[Breaking wheel|broken on the wheel]].{{sfn|Sebag Montefiore|2016|loc=Act II Scene 3}}

==Reign==
[[File:Coronation-Procession Elisabeth by Ivan Sokolow.JPG|thumb|Coronation procession of Empress Elizabeth, Moscow 1742]]
Elizabeth crowned herself Empress in the [[Dormition Cathedral, Moscow|Dormition Cathedral]] on 25 April 1742 (O.S.), which would become standard for all emperors of Russia until 1896. At the age of thirty-three, with relatively little political experience, she found herself at the head of a great empire at one of the most critical periods of its existence. Her proclamation explained that the preceding reigns had led Russia to ruin: "The Russian people have been groaning under the enemies of the [[Christianity|Christian]] faith, but she has delivered them from the degrading foreign oppression."

Russia had been under the domination of [[Germans|German]] advisers, so Elizabeth exiled the most unpopular of them, including [[Andrey Osterman]] and [[Burkhard Christoph von Münnich]].{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=106}} She passed down several pieces of legislation that undid much of the work her father had done to limit the power of the church.{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=149}}

With all her shortcomings (documents often waited months for her signature),{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=107}} Elizabeth had inherited her father's genius for government. Her usually keen judgement and her diplomatic tact again and again recalled Peter the Great. What sometimes appeared as irresolution and procrastination was most often a wise suspension of judgement under exceptionally difficult circumstances. From the Russian point of view, her greatness as a stateswoman consisted of her steady appreciation of national interests and her determination to promote them against all obstacles.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

{{center|<gallery>
File:Carle Vanloo, Portrait de l’impératrice Élisabeth Petrovna (1760).jpg|The Elizabeth portrait by [[Charles-André van Loo]] in [[Peterhof Palace]]
File:Portrait of Empress Elizaveta Petrovna by Ivan Vishnyakov.jpg|The Elizabeth portrait by [[Ivan Vishnyakov]] in [[Tretyakov Gallery]]
File:Elizabeth of Russia (Rostov museum).jpeg|The Elizabeth portrait in [[:Ru:Ростовский областной музей изобразительных искусств|Rostov museum]]
</gallery>}}

===Educational reforms===
[[File:Elizabeth of Russia visiting Lomonosov's mosaic workshop by A.V.Makovskiy (priv.coll.).jpg|thumb|Elizabeth visits Russian scientist [[Mikhail Lomonosov]].]]
Despite the substantial changes made by Peter the Great, he had not exercised a really formative influence on the intellectual attitudes of the ruling classes as a whole. Although Elizabeth lacked the early education necessary to flourish as an intellectual (once finding the reading of secular literature to be "injurious to health"),{{sfn|Bain|1899|p=137}} she was clever enough to know its benefits and made considerable groundwork for her eventual successor, Catherine the Great.{{sfn|Hoetzsch|1966|p=83}} She made education freely available to all social classes (except for serfs), encouraged establishment of the first [[University of Moscow|university in Russia founded in Moscow]] by [[Mikhail Lomonosov]], and helped to finance the establishment of the [[Imperial Academy of Fine Arts]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Russian Academy of Arts – History |url=https://en.rah.ru/academy/history/ |access-date=13 November 2022}}</ref>

===Social welfare===
It was during Elizabeth’s reign that parishes became common.  These were places that provided (as noted by one study) “shelter, food, clothes and care for orphans, elderly people and people with disabilities belonging to peasant families.” These were financed through a special tax.<ref>[https://www.social-protection.org/gimi/ShowRessource.action;jsessionid=wDfAGRuff8Z26ttpQQv9JgnhSvGtxmrJ5ezTLxpbtnaMkiYH2RWT!2012212631?id=55579 Historical development of social protection in Russia, by Artiom Sici, Loveleen De, 2019, P.2]</ref>

===Internal peace===
[[File:Imperial Monogram of Empress Elizabeth I of Russia.svg|thumb|100px|Imperial monogram, often present in peace treaties.]]
A gifted diplomat, Elizabeth hated bloodshed and conflict and went to great lengths to alter the Russian system of punishment, even outlawing [[capital punishment]].{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=150}} According to historian [[Robert Nisbet Bain]], it was one of her "chief glories that, so far as she was able, she put a stop to that mischievous contention of rival ambitions at Court, which had disgraced the reigns of Peter II, Anna and Ivan VI and enabled foreign powers to freely interfere in the domestic affairs of Russia."{{sfn|Bain|1899|p=142}}

===Construction projects===
[[File:Winter Palace Panorama 2.jpg|thumb|right|Built by her court architect [[Bartolomeo Rastrelli]], the Winter Palace is Elizabeth's most famous monument and the residence of her successors.]]
[[File:1 Rouble à l'effigie d'Élisabeth Ire de Russie.jpg|thumb|Coin of Elizabeth of Russia, whose beneficial but numerous buildings required heavy taxation.]]

Elizabeth enjoyed and excelled in architecture, overseeing and financing many construction projects during her reign. One of the many projects from the Italian architect [[Bartolomeo Rastrelli]] was the reconstruction of [[Peterhof Palace]], adding several wings between 1745 and 1755. Her most famous creations were the [[Smolny Convent]] and the Winter Palace, though she died before its completion. The Palace is said to contain 1,500 rooms, 1,786 doors, and 1,945 windows, including bureaucratic offices and the Imperial Family's living quarters arranged in two enfilades, from the top of the Jordan Staircase. Regarding the Smolny Convent, historian Robert Nisbet Bain stated that "No other Russian sovereign ever erected so many churches."{{sfn|Bain|1899|p=138}}

The expedited completion of buildings became a matter of importance to the Empress and work continued throughout the year, even in winter's severest months. 859,555 [[Russian ruble|ruble]]s had been allocated to the project, a sum raised by a [[tax]] on [[state property|state-owned]] taverns, but work temporarily ceased due to lack of resources. Ultimately, taxes were increased on salt and alcohol to completely fund the extra costs. However, Elizabeth's incredible extravagance ended up greatly benefiting the country's [[infrastructure]]. Needing goods shipped from all over the world, numerous [[road]]s in all Russia were modernised at her orders.{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=148}}

===Selection of an heir===
[[File:Donationsurkunde B. von Campenhausen.jpg|thumb|Elisabeth's donation to the Russian lieutenant general Balthasar Freiherr von [[Campenhausen]], 27 May 1756]]
As an unmarried and childless empress, it was imperative for Elizabeth to find a legitimate heir to secure the [[Romanov dynasty]]. She chose her nephew, [[Peter III of Russia|Peter of Holstein-Gottorp]].{{Sfn|Antonov|2006|p=103}} The young Peter had lost his mother, [[Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia|Elizabeth’s older sister]], shortly after he was born, and his father, [[Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp]], at the age of eleven. Elizabeth invited her young nephew to Saint Petersburg, where he was received into the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] and proclaimed the heir to the throne on 7 November 1742.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=110}} Keen to see the dynasty secured, Elizabeth immediately gave Peter the best Russian tutors and settled on [[Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst|Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst]] as a bride for her heir. Incidentally, Sophie's mother, [[Joanna Elisabeth of Holstein-Gottorp]], was a sister of Elizabeth's own fiancé, who had died before the wedding. On her conversion to the Russian Orthodox Church, Sophie was given the name Catherine in memory of Elizabeth's mother. The marriage took place on 21 August 1745. Nine years later a son, the future [[Paul I of Russia|Paul I]], was born on 20 September 1754.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=119}}

There is considerable speculation as to the actual paternity of Paul. It is suggested that he was not Peter's son at all but that his mother had engaged in an affair, to which Elizabeth had consented, with a young officer, [[Sergei Vasilievich Saltykov]], who would have been Paul's biological father.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=108}} Peter never gave any indication that he believed Paul to have been fathered by anyone but himself but took no interest in parenthood. Elizabeth most certainly took an active interest and acted as if she were his mother, instead of Catherine.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=111}} Shortly after Paul's birth the Empress ordered the midwife to take the baby and to follow her, and Catherine did not see her child for another month, for a short churching ceremony. Six months later, Elizabeth let Catherine see the child again. The child had, in effect, become a ward of the state and, in a larger sense, the property of the state.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=112}}

==Foreign policy==
[[File:Europe 1740 en.jpg|thumb|Map of European political borders in 1740]]Elizabeth abolished the cabinet council system that had been used under Anna, and reconstituted the [[Governing Senate|Senate]] as it had been under Peter the Great, with the chiefs of the departments of state (none of them German) attending. Her first task after this was to address the war with [[Sweden]]. On 23 January 1743, direct negotiations between the two powers were opened at [[Turku|Åbo]]. In the [[Treaty of Åbo]], on 7 August 1743 (O.S.), Sweden ceded to Russia all of southern [[Finland]] east of the [[Kymmene River]], which became the boundary between the two states. The treaty also gave Russia the fortresses of [[Villmanstrand]] and [[Hamina|Fredrikshamn]].{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=284}}

=== Bestuzhev ===
The concessions to Russia can be credited to the diplomatic ability of the new vice chancellor, [[Aleksey Bestuzhev-Ryumin]], who had Elizabeth's support.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=57}} She placed Bestuzhev at the head of foreign affairs immediately after her accession. He represented the anti-Franco-Prussian side of her council, and his objective was an alliance with England and [[Habsburg monarchy|Austria]]. At that time, it was probably advantageous to Russia. Both the Lopukhina affair and other attempts of [[Frederick the Great]] and Louis XV to get rid of Bestuzhev failed. Instead, they put the Russian court into the centre of a tangle of intrigue during the earlier years of Elizabeth's reign.{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=284}} Ultimately, the minister's strong support from the Empress prevailed.{{sfn|Coughlan|1974|p=57}}
[[Image:Elizabenois.jpg|thumb|''Promenade of Elizaveta Petrovna through the streets of Saint Petersburg'' (1903), watercolour by [[Alexandre Benois]]]]

Bestuzhev had many achievements. His effective diplomacy and 30,000 troops sent to the [[Rhine]] accelerated the peace negotiations, leading to the [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]] (18 October 1748). He extricated his country from the Swedish imbroglio and reconciled his imperial mistress with the courts of [[Vienna]] and London. He enabled Russia to assert herself effectually in [[Poland]], the [[Ottoman Empire]], Sweden and isolated the King of [[Prussia]] by forcing him into hostile alliances. All this would have been impossible without the steady support of Elizabeth who trusted him completely in spite of the Chancellor's many enemies, most of whom were her personal friends.{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=284}}

However, on 14 February 1758, Bestuzhev was removed from office. The future Catherine II recorded, "He was relieved of all his decorations and rank, without a soul being able to reveal for what crimes or transgressions the first gentleman of the Empire was so despoiled, and sent back to his house as a prisoner." No specific crime was ever pinned on Bestuzhev. Instead, it was inferred that he had attempted to sow discord between the Empress and her heir and his consort. Enemies of the pro-Austrian Bestuzhev were his rivals; the Shuvalov family, Vice-Chancellor [[Mikhail Illarionovich Vorontsov|Mikhail Vorontsov]], and the French ambassador.{{sfn|Rounding|2006|pp=118–119}}{{Clarify|reason=It's unclear what's the intended meaning of this sentence.|date=December 2022}}

===Seven Years' War===
[[File:Elizaveta with Black Servant by Grooth (1743, Hermitage).jpg|thumb|left|Elizabeth on horseback while being attended by a [[Page (servant)|page]].]]
The great event of Elizabeth's later years was the [[Seven Years' War]]. Elizabeth regarded the [[Convention of Westminster]] (16 January 1756) in which [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]] and [[Brandenburg-Prussia|Prussia]] agreed to unite their forces to oppose the entry of or the passage through Germany of troops of every foreign power, as utterly subversive of the previous conventions between Great Britain and Russia. Elizabeth sided against Prussia over a personal dislike of Frederick the Great.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=107}} She wanted him reduced within proper limits so that he might no longer be an alleged danger to the empire. Elizabeth acceded to the [[Treaty of Versailles (1757)|Second Treaty of Versailles]], thus entering into an alliance with [[Early Modern France|France]] and Austria against Prussia. On 17 May 1757, the [[Imperial Russian Army]], 85,000 strong, advanced against [[Königsberg]].{{sfn|Hoetzsch|1966|}}

The serious illness of the Empress, which began with a fainting-fit at [[Tsarskoe Selo]] (19 September 1757), the fall of Bestuzhev (21 February 1758) and the cabals and intrigues of the various foreign powers at Saint Petersburg, did not interfere with the progress of the war. The crushing defeat of [[Battle of Kunersdorf|Kunersdorf]] (12 August 1759){{sfn|Hoetzsch|1966|p=93}} at last brought Frederick to the verge of ruin. From that day, he despaired of success, but he was saved for the moment by the jealousies of the Russian and Austrian commanders, which ruined the military plans of the allies.{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=284}}

From the end of 1759 to the end of 1761, the eagerness of the Russian Empress was the one constraining political force that held together the heterogeneous, incessantly jarring elements of the anti-Prussian combination. From the Russian point of view, her greatness as a stateswoman consisted of her steady appreciation of Russian interests and her determination to promote them against all obstacles. She insisted throughout that the King of Prussia must be reduced to the rank of a [[Prince-Elector]].{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=284}}

[[File:Elizabeth of Russia by L.Tocque (18 c., Tretyakov gallery).jpg|thumb|right|By [[Louis Tocqué]]]]

Frederick himself was quite aware of his danger. "I'm at the end of my resources," he wrote at the beginning of 1760. "The continuance of this war means for me utter ruin. Things may drag on perhaps till July, but then a catastrophe must come." On 21 May 1760, a fresh convention was signed between Russia and Austria, a secret clause of which, never communicated to the court of [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]], guaranteed [[East Prussia]] to Russia as an indemnity for war expenses. The failure of the campaign of 1760, wielded by the inept [[Count Buturlin]], induced the court of Versailles on the evening of 22 January 1761 to present to the court of Saint Petersburg a dispatch to the effect that the king of France, by reason of the condition of his dominions, absolutely desired peace. The Russian empress's reply was delivered to the two ambassadors on 12 February. It was inspired by the most uncompromising hostility towards the king of Prussia. Elizabeth would not consent to any pacific overtures until the original object of the league had been accomplished.{{sfn|Bain|1911|p=284}}

Simultaneously, Elizabeth had conveyed to Louis XV a confidential letter in which she proposed the signature of a new treaty of alliance of a more comprehensive and explicit nature than the preceding treaties between the two powers without the knowledge of Austria. Elizabeth's object in the mysterious negotiation seems to have been to reconcile France and Great Britain, in return for which signal service France was to throw all her forces into the attack on Prussia. This project, which lacked neither ability nor audacity, foundered upon Louis XV's invincible jealousy of the growth of Russian influence in [[Eastern Europe]] and his fear of offending the [[Ottoman Porte|Porte]]. It was finally arranged by the allies that their envoys at [[Paris]] should fix the date for the assembling of a peace congress and that in the meantime, the war against Prussia should be vigorously prosecuted. In 1760 a Russian [[flying column]] briefly occupied [[Berlin]]. Russian victories placed Prussia in serious danger.{{sfn|Hoetzsch|1966|p=93}}

The campaign of 1761 was almost as abortive as the campaign of 1760. Frederick acted on the defensive with consummate skill, and the [[Siege of Kolberg (Seven Years' War)|capture of the Prussian fortress of Kolberg]] on Christmas Day 1761, by [[Pyotr Rumyantsev|Rumyantsev]], was the sole Russian success. Frederick, however, was now at the last gasp. On 6 January 1762, he wrote to [[Count Karl-Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein]], "We ought now to think of preserving for my nephew, by way of negotiation, whatever fragments of my territory we can save from the avidity of my enemies." A fortnight later, he wrote to Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, "The sky begins to clear. Courage, my dear fellow. I have received the news of a great event." The [[Miracle of the House of Brandenburg]] that snatched him from destruction was the death of the Russian empress, on 5 January 1762 ([[Gregorian calendar|N.S.]]).{{sfn|Hoetzsch|1966|p=93}}

===Siberia===
{{further|Indigenous peoples of Siberia|Russian conquest of Siberia}}
In 1742, the imperial government at Saint Petersburg ordered a Russian military expedition to conquer the [[Chukchi people|Chukchi]] and [[Koryaks]], but the expedition failed and its commander, Major [[Dmitry Pavlutsky]], was killed in 1747.<ref>{{citation| url = | title = A history of the peoples of Siberia: Russia's North Asian Colong 1581–1990 | first = James | last = Forsyth | page =146 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | year =1992 }}</ref> On 12 March 1747, a party of 500 Chukchi warriors raided the Russian stockade of [[Anadyrsk]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Empires Apart: A History of American and Russian Imperialism |last=Landers |first=Brian |year=2010 |publisher=Pegasus Books |location=New York, NY |isbn=9781605981062 |chapter=To the Little Bighorn and Anadyrsk}}</ref> By 1750, it had become clear the Chukchi would be difficult to conquer. The Empress then changed her tactical approach and established a formal peace with them.

==Court==
[[File:eliabeth lanceret.jpg|thumb|{{lang|ru-Latn|Elizaveta Petrovna}} ''in'' {{lang|ru-Latn|[[Tsarskoe Selo]]}} (1905), painting by [[Eugene Lanceray]], now in the [[Tretyakov Gallery]].]]
[[File:Elizabeth of Russia's departure.jpg|thumb|Departure of Elizabeth from [[Anichkov Palace]]]]
Elizabeth's court was one of the most splendid in all Europe.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=107}} As historian [[Mikhail Shcherbatov]] stated, the court was "arrayed in cloth of gold, her nobles satisfied with only the most luxurious garments, the most expensive foods, the rarest drinks, that largest number of servants and they applied this standard of lavishness to their dress as well".<ref name="j">"The Iron-Fisted Fashionista" Russian Life Nov.–Dec. 2009 by Lev Berdnikov, p. 54</ref> A great number of silver and gold objects were produced, the most the country had seen thus far in its history.{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=164}} It was common to order over a thousand bottles of French champagnes and wines to be served at one event and to serve [[pineapple]]s at all receptions, despite the difficulty of procuring the fruit in such quantities.{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=134}}

French plays quickly became the most popular and often were performed twice a week. In tandem, music became very important.{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=160}} Many attribute its popularity to Elizabeth's supposed husband, the "Emperor of the Night", Alexei Razumovsky, who reportedly relished music.{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=160}} Elizabeth spared no expense in importing leading musical talents from Germany, France, and Italy.{{sfn|Bain|1899|p=151}} She reportedly owned 15,000 dresses, several thousand pairs of shoes and a seemingly unlimited number of stockings.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=107}}

Attractive in her youth and vain as an adult, Elizabeth passed various decrees intended to make herself stand out: she issued an [[Sumptuary law|edict]] against anyone wearing the same hairstyle, dress, or accessory as the Empress. One woman accidentally wore the same item as the Empress and was lashed across the face for it.<ref name="k">'The Iron-Fisted Fashionista' Russian Life Nov.–Dec. 2009 by Lev Berdnikov, p. 59</ref> Another law required French fabric salesmen to sell to the Empress first, and those who disregarded that law were arrested.<ref name="k"/> One famous story exemplifying her vanity is that once Elizabeth got a bit of powder in her hair and was unable to remove it except by cutting a patch of her hair. She made all of the court ladies cut patches out of their hair too, which they did "with tears in their eyes".{{sfn|Sebag Montefiore|2001|p=24}} This aggressive vanity became a tenet of the court throughout her reign, particularly as she grew older. According to historian [[Tamara Talbot Rice]], "Later in life her outbursts of anger were directed either against people who were thought to have endangered Russia's security or against women whose beauty rivalled her own".{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=148}}

Despite her volatile and often violent reactions to others regarding her appearance, Elizabeth was ebullient in most other matters, particularly when it came to court entertainment. It was reported that she threw two balls a week; one would be a large event with an average of 800 guests in attendance, most of whom were the nation's leading merchants, members of the lower nobility and guards stationed in and around the city of the event. The other ball was a much smaller affair reserved for her closest friends and members of the highest echelons of nobility.{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=135}} The smaller gatherings began as masked balls, but evolved into the famous metamorphoses balls by 1744.{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=136}} At these metamorphoses balls, guests were expected to dress as the opposite sex, with Elizabeth often dressing up as Cossack or carpenter in honour of her father.{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=136}} Costumes not permitted at the event were those of pilgrims and harlequins, which she considered profane and indecent respectively.{{sfn|Bain|1899|p=154}} Most courtiers thoroughly disliked the balls, as most guests by decree looked ridiculous, but Elizabeth adored them; as Catherine the Great's advisor Potemkin posited, this was because she was "the only woman who looked truly fine and completely a man.... As she was tall and possessed a powerful body, male attire suited her".{{sfn|Sebag Montefiore|2001|p=26}} [[Kazimierz Waliszewski]] noted that Elizabeth had beautiful legs, and loved to wear male attire because of the tight trousers.<ref>Kazimierz Waliszewski "La Dernière Des Romanov, Élisabeth Ire, Impératrice De Russie, 1741–1762". Plon-Nourrit et cie, 1902</ref> Though the balls were by far her most personally beloved and lavish events, Elizabeth often threw children's birthday parties and wedding receptions for those affiliated with her Court, going so far as to provide [[Dowry|dowries]] for each of her ladies-in-waiting.{{sfn|Talbot Rice|1970|p=138}}

==Death==
In the late 1750s, Elizabeth's health started to decline. She suffered a series of [[dizzy spell]]s and refused to take the medication she had been prescribed. The Empress forbade the word "death" in her presence until she suffered a stroke on 24 December 1761 (O.S.).{{Sfn|Antonov|2006|p=109}} Knowing that she was dying, Elizabeth used her last remaining strength to make her confession, to recite with her confessor the prayer for the dying, and to say farewell to the few people who wished to be with her, including [[Peter III of Russia|Peter]] and [[Catherine the Great|Catherine]] and Counts [[Alexei Razumovsky|Alexei]] and [[Kirill Razumovsky]].{{sfn|Sebag Montefiore|2016|p=193}}

The Empress died the next day, [[Eastern Orthodox|Orthodox]] Christmas, 1761.{{sfn|Sebag Montefiore|2016|p=193}} For her [[lying in state]], she was dressed in a shimmering silver dress. It was said that she was beautiful in death as she had been in life. She was buried in the [[Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg|Peter and Paul Cathedral]] in Saint Petersburg on 3 February 1762 (O.S.) six weeks after her lying in state.{{sfn|Antonov|2006|p=109}}

==Ancestry==
{{ahnentafel
|collapsed=yes
|align=center
|boxstyle_1=background-color: #fcc;
|boxstyle_2=background-color: #fb9;
|boxstyle_3=background-color: #ffc;
|boxstyle_4=background-color: #bfc;
|boxstyle_5=background-color: #9fe;
|1= 1. '''Elizabeth I of Russia'''
|2= 2. [[Peter I of Russia]]
|3= 3. [[Catherine I of Russia]]
|4= 4. [[Alexis I of Russia]]
|5= 5. [[Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina]]
|6= 6. Samuel Skowroński
|7= 7. Elisabeth Moritz
|8= 8. [[Michael I of Russia]]
|9= 9. [[Eudoxia Streshneva|Yevdokiya Lukyanovna Streshneva]]
|10= 10. [[Kirill Poluektovich Naryshkin]]
|11= 11. Anna Leontyevna Leontyeva
|12=
|13=
|14=
|15=
}}

==See also==
* [[Tsars of Russia family tree]]
* [[Bibliography of Russian history (1613–1917)]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Works cited===
{{Commons category|Elizabeth of Russia}}
{{NIE Poster|Elizabeth Petrovna}}
* {{cite book
 | last = Antonov
 | first = Boris
 | title = Russian Tsars
 | publisher = Ivan Fiorodov Art Publishers
 | year= 2006
 | location = Saint Petersburg
 | isbn= 5-93893-109-6
 }}
* {{cite book
 | last = Bain
 | first = Robert Nisbet
 | author-link = Robert Nisbet Bain
 | title = The Daughter of Peter the Great: A History of Russian Diplomacy and of the Russian Court Under the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, 1741–1762
 | url = https://archive.org/details/cu31924028458192
 | year = 1899
 | location = Westminster
 }}
* {{cite book
 | last = Cowles
 | first = Virginia
 | author-link = Virginia Cowles
 | title = The Romanovs
 | publisher = William Collins
 | year = 1971
 | location = London
 }}
* {{cite book
 | last = Coughlan
 | first = Robert
 | editor = Jay Gold
 | title = Elizabeth and Catherine: Empresses of All the Russias
 | publisher = Millington Ltd
 | year= 1974
 | location = London
 | isbn=0-86000-002-8
 }}
* {{cite book
 | first = Otto
 | last = Hoetzsch
 | author-link = Otto Hoetzsch
 | others = trans. Rhys Evans
 | title = The Evolution of Russia
 | publisher = Thames and Hudson
 | year= 1966
 | location = London
 }}
* {{cite book
| last = Longworth
| first = Philip
| title = Three Empresses: Catherine I, Anne and Elizabeth of Russia
| publisher= Constable
| year= 1972
| location = London
}}
* {{cite book
 | last = Rounding
 | first = Virginia
 | author-link = Virginia Rounding
 | title = Catherine the Great: Love, Sex and Power
 | publisher = Hutchinson
 | year= 2006
 | location = London
 | isbn= 0-09-179992-9
 }}
* {{cite book
| last= Sebag Montefiore
| first= Simon
| title= Prince of Princes: The Life of Potemkin
| publisher= Thomas Dunne Books
| location= New York
| year= 2001
| isbn= 9780312278151
| url-access= registration
| url= https://archive.org/details/princeofprincesl00mont
}}
* {{cite book
| last = Sebag Montefiore
| first = Simon
| title = The Romanovs: 1613–1918
| publisher= Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
| year= 2016
| isbn= 978-0307280510
}}
* {{cite book
 | last = Talbot Rice
 | first = Tamara
 | author-link = Tamara Talbot Rice
 | title = Elizabeth, Empress of Russia
 | url = https://archive.org/details/elizabethempress00rice
 | url-access = registration
 | publisher = Praeger
 | year= 1970
 | isbn= 978-0297001096
 }}
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Elizabeth Petrovna|volume=9|pages=283–285|first=Robert Nisbet|last=Bain|author-link=Robert Nisbet Bain}}

==External links==
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Elizabeth Petrovna |volume= VIII | page=145 |short=1 }}
* {{YouTube|l2PApB7zBY8|Romanovs. The fourth film. Anna Ioannovna; Elizabeth Petrovna}} – Historical reconstruction "The Romanovs". StarMedia. Babich-Design (Russia, 2013)

{{S-start}}
{{s-hou|[[House of Romanov]]|29 December|1709|5 January|1762|}}
{{S-reg}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ivan VI of Russia|Ivan VI]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Emperor of Russia|Empress of Russia]]|years= 6 December 1741{{snd}}5 January 1762}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Peter III of Russia|Peter III]]}}
{{S-end}}
{{Russian emperors}}
{{Tsarevna of Russia}}
{{Russian grand duchesses}}
{{portalbar|Biography|Russia|Monarchy}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elizabeth Of Russia}}
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[[Category:1762 deaths]]
[[Category:18th-century Russian monarchs]]
[[Category:18th-century women from the Russian Empire]]
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[[Category:House of Romanov]]
[[Category:Burials at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, Saint Petersburg]]
[[Category:18th-century women rulers]]
[[Category:Leaders who took power by coup]]
[[Category:People of the Silesian Wars]]
[[Category:Daughters of Russian emperors]]
[[Category:Daughters of empresses regnant]]
[[Category:Elizabeth of Russia| ]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)]]
[[Category:People from Moscow]]