Peter III, Emperor of Russia
Emperor
Peter III (1728-1762), Russian Emperor since 1762. He was the grandson
of Peter the Great and son
of Peter's elder daughter Anna Petrovna
and Charles Frederick, Duke of Holstein Gottorp. He was proclaimed an heir-presumptive
to his aunt Empress Elizaveta Petrovna
in 1742. In 1745, he married Sophia Augusta von Anhalt-Zerbst, future Empress
Catherine II. Peter was a weak
and unstable man, a great admirer of Frederick
II the Great. After his succession to the Russian throne Peter III
withdrew Russia's forces from the Seven Years' War and restored East Prussia
to Frederick. These steps enraged the army and the aristocracy. In June
of 1762, Peter III was deposed by a group of nobles, led by Count Orlov,
the lover of Peter's III wife, Catherine. Catherine was proclaimed an Empress
and Peter III was killed by Catherine's supporters.
See: Aleksey Antropov. Portrait
of Emperor Peter III.
Georg Christoph Grooth. Portrait
of Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich (Later Emperor Peter III).
Fedor Rokotov. Portrait
of Great Duke Peter Fedorovich, Later Emperor Peter III.
