The war of two coalitions for hegemony in Europe, as well as for colonial possessions in North America and India. In one of the coalitions included England and Prussia, to another - France, Austria and Russia . Between England and France, there was a struggle for colonies in North America. Here, the clashes began in 1754, and in 1756 England declared the war of France. In January 1756, the Anglo-Prussian Union was concluded. In response, the main rival of Prussia Austria was repeated with his long-standing enemy France. The Austrians hoped to regain their silesia, while Prussians were going to conquer saxony. Sweden was joined by the Austro-French Defense Union, which considered Stettotin and other territories lost during the Northern War in Prussia. At the end of the year, Russia joined the Anglo-French coalition, which hoped to win East Prussia to later convey it to Poland in exchange for Kurland and Zemgalia. Prussia was also supported by Hannover and several small North-German states.

The Prussian King of Friedrich II Great had a well-trained 150-thousand army, at that time - the best in Europe. In August 1756, he with a troop of 95 thousand people invaded Saxony and inflicted a number of defeats by the Austrian troops who came to the rescue of the Saxon Kurfurest. On October 15, the 20,000th Saxon Army capitulated under the Pier, and her soldiers joined the ranks of Prussian troops. After that, the 50,000 Austrian army left Saxony.

In the spring of 1757, Friedrich invaded Bohemia with a troop of 121.5 thousand people. At this time, the Russian army has not yet started the invasion of Eastern Prussia, and France was going to act against Magdeburg and Hannover. On May 6, under Prague, 64 thousand Prussians broke 61 thousand Austrians. Both sides of this battle lost 31.5 thousand killed and wounded, and the Austrian army also lost 60 guns. As a result, 50 thousand Austrians were blocked in the Prague of the 60-thousand Army of Friedrich. For the Deblockada of the capital of the Czech Republic, the Austrians collected Kolin 54-thousand army of General Dauna with 60 guns. She moved to Prague. Friedrich put 33,000 people with 28 heavy guns against the Austrian troops.

On June 17, 1757, Prussaki began to bypass from the north the right flank of the Austrian position from Colin, but Dowan remarked this maneuver in a timely manner and turned his strength to the north. When the next day, Prussians attacked, inflicting the main blow against the enemy right flank, she was met with strong fire. The Prussian infantry of General Gulsen managed to take the village of Krogegra, but the tactically important oak grove behind it remained in the hands of the Austrians. Down moved his reserve here. In the end, the main forces of the Prussian army, focused on the left flank, could not withstand the rapid fire by the enemy artillery, shot the card, and ran. The Austrian troops of the left flame passed into the attack. Cavalry Dowena several kilometers pursued a broken enemy. The remnants of the Friedrich army retreated to Niburg.

The victory of the Down was the consequence of the Austrian's semi-second advantage in people and twofold - in artillery. Prussians lost 14 thousand killed, injured and prisoners and almost all artillery, and the Austrians - 8 thousand Chegogeek. Frederick was forced to remove the siege of Prague and retreat to the Prussian border.

The strategic position of Prussia seemed critical. Against the Army of Friedrich, the forces of the Allies are the number of up to 300 thousand people-eyelids. The Prussian king decided to first smash the French army, strengthened by the troops of the Allied Austria of the Principles, and then again invade Silesia.

The 45-thousand allied army occupied the position of Mühelna. Friedrich, who had only 24 thousand soldiers, a pretended retreat to the village of Rossbach lured his enemy from the fortifications. The French expected to cut off the Prussians from the recharge through the River Zale and defeat.

On the morning of November 5, 1757, the Allies performed three columns to bypass the left flank of the enemy. This maneuver covered a 8-thousand squad that tied a shootout with Prussian avant-garde. Friedrich solved the idea of \u200b\u200bthe opponent and in half the third in the afternoon ordered to reveal from the camp and imitate the departure for Merzeburg. Soyuchnic tried to intercept the Ways of Cupid by sending their cavalry bypassing the Hill of Janus. However, she was suddenly attacked and broken by Prussian cavalry under the command of General Zeidlitz.

In the meantime, under the cover of a strong fire, 18 artillery batteries perched Prussian infantry. The infantry allies was forced to line up in a combat order under the enemy nuclei. Soon she was threatened by the flank strike of Zeidlitz squadron, trembled and climbed. The French and their allies lost 7 thousand killed, injured and prisoners and all artillery - 67 guns and traffic. Prussian losses were insignificant - only 540 killed and wounded. This affected both the qualitative superiority of Prussian cavalry and artillery, and the errors of the Union Command. The French commander-in-chief started a complex maneuver, as a result of which most of the army was in the hiking columns and was deprived of the opportunity to participate in the battle. Friedrich got the opportunity to beat the enemy in parts.

In the meantime, Prussian troops in Silesia suffered defeat. The king rushed to help with 21 thousand infantry, 11 thousand cavalry and 167 guns. The Austrians are located at the village of Leuten on the banks of the River Weinsitis. They had 59 thousand infantry, 15 thousand cavalry and 300 guns. On the morning of December 5, 1757, Prussian cavalry dropped the Austrian avant-garde, having deprived the enemy of the opportunity to observe the Army of Friedrich. Therefore, the attack of the main forces of Prussakov turned out to be for the Austrian commander-in-chief of the duke of Karl Lotaring a complete surprise.

Friedrich's main blow, as always, caused on his right flank, but the actions of the avant-garde attracted the attention of the enemy to the opposite wing. When Karl understood the true intentions and began to rebuild his army, the combat order of the Austrians was violated. This took advantage of Prussians for the flanking strike. Prussian cavalry broke the Austrian cavalry of the right flank and turned it into flight. Then Zeidlitz attacked and the Austrian infantry previously pushed by Leituen Prussian infantry. Only darkness saved the remnants of the Austrian army from complete destruction. The Austrians lost 6.5 thousand people killed and wounded and 21.5 thousand prisoners, as well as all artillery and traffic. Prussian losses did not exceed 6 thousand people. Silesia was again under Prussian control.

At this time, active fighting began russian troops. In the summer of 1757, the 65-thousand Russian Army under the command of General Field Marshal Apraksina S.F. Moved to Lithuania, going to master East Prussia. In August, Russian troops approached Königsberg.

On August 19, a 22-thousand squad of Prussian General Levald attacked Russian troops at the village of Gross-Jersdorf, without having no idea about the true number of enemy, almost three times overlooking it or its location. Instead of the left flank, Levald was in front of the center of the Russian position. Rearrangement of Prussian Forces during the battle only aggravated the situation. The left flank of Levald turned out to be overthrowing that it could not be compensated by the success of the left-handed Prussian troops who captured the enemy battery, but did not have the opportunity to develop success. Prussian losses were 5 thousand killed and wounded and 29 guns, 5.5 thousand people reached the loss of Russians. Russian troops did not pursue the retreating opponent, and the strong value of the fight in Gross-Jersdorf did not have.

Suddenly Apraksin ordered to retreat, motivating this lack of supply and the separation of the army from its bases. Feldmarshal was accused of treason and betrayed the court. The only success was the seizure of Memel by a 9-thousand Russian landing. This port was turned during the war in the main base of the Russian fleet.

Instead of APRAKSINA, General Anhaff Willim Willimovich Farmor was appointed commander-in-chief forces of Russian troops. An Englishman in origin, he was born in Moscow. He was a good administrator, but an indecisive man and a bad commander. Soldiers and officers, taking Fermore for the Germans, expressed discontent with his appointment to the position of commander-in-chief. Russian people were unusual to observe that with the commander-in-chief instead of the Orthodox priest there was a Protestan Capellan. Upon arrival in the troops, Farmor first brought together his headquarters of all Germans, and then they were a lot of them in the Russian army, "and led them to the tent, where a prayer was held with strangely for Orthodox chants in an unfamiliar language.

The conference put before the Farmor at the end of 1757 - the beginning of 1758 the task of mastering all the Eastern Prussia and bringing its population to the oath to Russia's loyalty. This task of Russian troops was solved successfully. In the crackling frost, tightening in the snowy snowdrifts, the compounds under the command of PA were actively operating. Rumyantsev and P.S. Saltykov.

On January 22, 1758, the Russian army occupied Königsberg, and after this and all Eastern Prussia. In these operations, Farmor did not even show the signs of the colonical talent. Almost all operational and tactical plans have been developed and performed by the Rumyantsev and Saltykov independently, and Farmor often interfered with them with their ill-conceived orders.

Upon joining the Russian troops in Königsberg, the burgomaster of the city, the members of the magistrate and other officials in the swords and in the uniforms solemnly came to meet. Thunder Litavr and fraction of the drums Russian shelves entered the city with loose banners. Residents with curiosity looked at the Russian troops. Farmore entered the main shelves in Königsberg. He was given the keys to the capital of Prussia, as well as from Pillau's fortress, defended Königsberg from the sea. The troops were located on vacation until the morning, burned fires for heating, and the music thundered all night, fireworks flew lights into the sky.

The next day, in all churches of Prussia, thanks to Russians were held. A single-eyed Prussian eagle was universally replaced by a two-headed Russian eagle. January 24, 1758 (for the birthday of the Prussian King, you can easily present his condition) The entire population of Prussia brought the oath of Russia - his new homeland! In history, such a fact is given: putting his hand on the Bible, brutal and the Great German philosopher Immanuel Kant, which was perhaps the most bright episode in his boring life.

The German historian Archengolts, the feast of Friedrich II, wrote about this time: "Never before the independent kingdom was not conquered as easily as Prussia. But never winners, in the ecstasy of their success, did not be so modest as Russian. "

At first glance, these events may seem incredible, some historical paradox: how was it possible? After all, we are talking about the citadel of Prussian Junker, where the ideas of domination over the world came from, from where the German Kaisers took a personnel to implement their grip-looking plans.

But there is no paradox in this if we take into account the fact that the Russian army did not capture and did not occupy Prussia, but attached This ancient Slavic land to Slavic Russia, to the Slavic land. Prussians understood that the Russians will not leave here, they will remain on this Slavic land, once captured The German principality of Brandenburg. The war, which Frederich II led, devastated Prussia, took people for canary meat, horses for cavalry, food and fodder. The Russians, who entered into the limits of Prussia, did not touch the property of local citizens, treated the population of busy areas humanely and friendly, even helped the poor than they could.

Prussia has become a Russian governance general. It would seem that for Russia the war could be considered complete. But the Russian army continued to fulfill his "duties" in front of the Austrian allies.

From the battles of 1758, it was necessary to note the battle at the Tsorndorf on August 14, 1758, when Friedrich his maneuver forced our army to fight the inverted front. The fierce of the battle completely corresponded to the title of the town where it passed. Tsorendorf (ZORNDORF) in German means "angry, fierce village." The bloody battle was not over the operational victory of any of the parties. The result was heavy for both sides. Both army simply crashed one of the other. Russian losses - about half of the whole army, Prussians - more than a third. In morally, the cores was a Russian victory and a cruel blow for Friedrich. If earlier he was disregarded about Russian troops and their fighting, then after Tsordorf, his opinion has changed. Prussian king gave proper perseverance of Russian regiments from Tsoreforf, stating after the battle: "Russians can be killed all to one, but you can not get to retreat." http://federacia.ru/encyclopaedia/war/seven/ Resistance of Russian king Friedrich II put as an example with his own troops.

Farmore in the battle at the Tsorndorf showed himself ... He did not show himself at any way, and in the literal sense of the word. Two hours, Russian troops kept the destructive fire of Prussian artillery. Losses were big, but the Russian building stood indestructible, preparing for a decisive fight. And here, Willim Fermor left the bet and, together with his retire, rode in an unknown direction. In the midst of the battle russian army remained without commander. The case is unique in the history of world wars! Russian officers and soldiers against the king were a battle at the Cormoraf, based on the situation and showing resourcefulness and intelligence. More than half of Russian soldiers lay dead, but the battlefield remains for Russians.

By night, when the battle stopped, it is not known where the feror appeared from. Where he was during the battle - there is no answer to this question in historical science. Huge losses and the absence for the Russian army of a particular tactical result - this is the regular result of the battle of the Tsorndorf spent without the commander.

After the battle, Friedrich retreated to Saxony, where the autumn of the same (1758) was defeated from the Austrians due to the fact that the best of his soldiers and officers were elected at the Tsorndorf. Farmor after an unsuccessful attempt to master the strongly fortified Kolberg dave the army for winter apartments in the lower flow of the Vistula. http://www.ridempire.ru/voyny-rossiyskoy-imperii/semiletnyaya-voyna-1756-1763.html.

In 1759, Fermore changed the Feldmarshal General Count Saltykov P.S. By that time, the allies put 440 thousand people against Prussia, who Friedrich could oppose only 220 thousand. On June 26, the Russian army spoke out of Poznan to Oder River. July 23 in Frankfurt-on-Oder, she connected with Austrian troops. On July 31, Friedrich with the 48th-thousandth army took the position of the village of Kunersdorf, expecting to meet the United AssCreak-Russian forces, significantly superior to his troops in numbers.

The Saltykov Army consisted of 41 thousand people, and the Austrian army of General Dauna - 18.5 thousand people. On August 1, Friedrich attacked the left flank of the union troops. Prussians managed to capture an important height here and put a battery there, which brought fire to the center of Russian troops. Prussian troops sweating the center and the right flank of the Russians. However, Saltykov managed to create a new front and go to the overall counteroffensive. After a 7-hour battle, the Prussian army retreated for Oder. Immediately after the battle, Friedrich had only 3 thousand soldiers at hand, since others scattered through the surrounding villages, and they had to collect under the banner for several days.

Kunersdorf is the largest battle of the seven-year war and one of the brightest wins of Russian weapons in the XVIII century. She put forward Saltykov in a number of outstanding Russian commander. In this battle, he used the traditional Russian military tactics - the transition from defense to the offensive. Thus, Alexander Nevsky won on the Church of the Lake, Dmitry Donskoy - on the Kulikov Field, Peter the Great - under Poltavaya, minih - with the stands. For the victory at Cunesdorf Saltykov received rank Field Marshal. Participants in the battle are awarded a special medal with the inscription "Winner over Prussians."

Campaign 1760.

As Prussia weaken and the approach of the end of the war, contradictions in the village of the Allies were acted and approaching the end of the war. Each of them sought its goals that did not coincide with the intentions of his partners. So, France did not want to complete the defeat of Prussia and wanted to preserve it in opposition to Austria. That, in turn, sought the maximum weakening of Prussian power, but sought to make it the hands of Russians. On the other hand, Austria and France were united that it is impossible to enhance Russia, and persistently protested against the accession to Eastern Prussia. Russians who generally fulfilled their tasks in the war, Austria is now used to use Silesia to conquer her. When discussing the plan for 1760, Saltykov offered to move hostilities in Pomerania (terrain on the Baltic coast). According to the commander, this region remained not ruined the war and there it was easy to get food. In Pomerania, the Russian army could interact with the Baltic Fleet and receive the reinforcement by the sea, which strengthened its position in the region. In addition, the occupation of the Russian Baltic coast of Prussia sharply reduced its trading ties and strengthened the economic difficulties of Friedrich. However, the Austrian leadership managed to convince Empress Elizavet Petrovna to transfer the Russian army to Silesia for joint actions. As a result, Russian troops were fragmented. Minor forces were sent to Pomerania, at the siege of Kolberg (now the Polish city of Kolobrzeg), and the main to Silesia. The campaign in Silesia was characterized by the inconsistency of the actions of the allies and the unwillingness of Saltykov ruining their soldiers for the protection of interests of Austria. At the end of August, Saltykov got seriously ill, and the command soon passed to Field Marshal by Alexander Buturlin. The only bright episode in this campaign was the capture of General Zakhar Chernyshev (23 thousand people) of Berlin, the Unique Episode.

Taking Berlin (1760). On September 22, an equestrian Russian squad under the command of General Totleben approached Berlin. In the city was, according to the testimony of prisoners, only three infantry battalion and several squadrons of the cavalry. After a short-term artillery preparation, Tobleba on the night of September 23, stormed the capital of Prussia. At midnight, the Russians broke into the Gallic gates, but were repulsed. The Prussian corps led by Prince Württemberg (14 thousand people) approached Berlin. But at the same time, Chernyshev's housing arrived at Tahleben. By September 27, the 13-thousand Austrian Corps approached the Russian. Then Prince Württemberg with his troops left the city. At 3 am on September 28, the Russian arrived from the city of Parliamentaries with a report on agreement on the capitulation. Having stayed in the capital of Prussia for four days, Chernyshev destroyed the Mint, Arsenal, won the royal treasury and took the Contribration of 1.5 million talers from the city authorities. But soon the Russians left the city at the news of the approach to him by the Prussian army headed by the King Friedrich II. According to Saltykov, the remaining of Berlin occurred due to the inactivity of the Austrian commander-in-chief of Down, which gave the opportunity to Prussian king "beat us as much as I am pleased." The capture of Berlin had for Russians rather financially than military significance. The symbolic side of this operation was equally important. It was the first in the history of the capture of Berlin by Russian troops. Interestingly, in April 1945, the Soviet soldiers received a symbolic gift - copies of keys from Berlin, presented by the Germans to the Germans in 1760.

"Approx. RusFact. .RU: "... When Friedrich found out that Berlin, at his lesson, the Russians received only minor destruction, he said:" Thanks to the Russians, they saved Berlin from the horrors that the Austrians threatened with my capital. "These words are fixed in the history of witnesses. But At the same time, Friedrich gave one of his approximate writers to compose a detailed memoir about what "villains were made by Russian barbarians in Berlin." The task was completed, and the evil lies began to walk throughout Europe. But there were people, the real Germans who wrote The truth. It is known, for example, the opinion on the presence of Russian troops in Berlin, which expressed the great German scientist Leonard Euler equally relative to Russia, and to the King of Prussia. He wrote one of his friends: "We had a visit here, which in other circumstances would be extremely pleasant. However, I always wished that if the Berlin had ever been destined to be busy foreign troops, then let it be Russian ... "

Voltaire in letters to Russian friends admired nobility, durability and discipline of Russian troops. He wrote: "Your troops in Berlin produce a more favorable impression than all the metastasio operas."

... The keys to Berlin were transferred to eternal storage in St. Petersburg, where they are located and today in the Kazan Cathedral. After 180, after these events, the ideological heir to Friedrich II and his admirator Adolf Hitler tried to master Petersburg and pick up the keys from his capital, but this task turned out to be a relative Furyra not on the teeth ... "http: //znaniya-sila.narod. RU / SOLARSIS / Zemlya / Earth_19_05_2.htm)

Campaign 1761

In 1761, the allies were again failed to achieve concerted actions. This allowed Friedrich, successfully maneuvering, once again avoid defeat. The main Russian forces continued to be inffectively to act with the Austrians in Silesia. But the main success fell to the share of Russian units in Pomerania. With this success was the capture of Kolberg.

Taking Kolberg. (1761). The first attempts of the Russians take Kolberg (1758 and 1760) ended in failure. In September 1761, the third attempt was made. This time, the 22-thousandth body of General Peter Rumyantsev - Hero Gross-Jersdorf and Kunesdorf was moved to Kolberg. In August 1761, Rumyantsev, applying a new tactics of a loose system for those times, broke on the approaches to the fortress of the Prussian army under the command of Prince Württemberg (12 thousand people). In this battle and later, Russian land forces supported the Baltic Fleet under the command of Vice Admiral Polyansky. On September 3, the Rumyantsev corpus began to siege. She lasted four months and was accompanied by actions not only against the fortress, but against the Prussian troops who threatened precipitated from the rear. The Military Council expressed three times for the removal of the siege, and only the adamant will of Rumyantsev made it possible to bring the case to a successful end. On December 5, 1761, the garrison of the fortress (4 thousand people), seeing that the Russians do not go and are going to continue the siege in winter, capitulated. Taking Kolberg allowed Russian troops to master the Baltic coast of Prussia.

The battles for Kolberg made an important contribution to the development of Russian and world military art. It was found to be the beginning of a new military tactic of loose building. It was under the walls of Kolberg that the famous Russian light infantry was born - Henser, the experience of which was then used by other European armies. Under Colberg, Rumyantsev first applied battalon columns in combination with a loose system. This experience effectively used Suvorov. This method of combat appeared in the West only during the wars of the Great French Revolution.

Peace with Prussia (1762). Taking Kolberg was the last victory of the Russian army in a seven-year war. The message about the surrender of the fortress found the Empress Elizabeth Petrovna on the mortal app. The new Russian emperor Petr III concluded a separate world with Prussia, then the Union and returned to her all its territories, which the Russian army took possession of time. This saved Prussia from an imbreakable defeat. Moreover, in 1762, Friedrich managed with the help of the Chernyshev Corps, who was temporarily operating now in the Prussian Army, oust the Austrians from Silesia. Although Peter III was overthrown in June 1762, Catherine II and the Union Treaty terminated, the war was not resumed. The number of those killed in the Russian army in a seven-year-old war was 120 thousand people. Of these, about 80% accounted for the dead from diseases, including the smallpox epidemic. Exceeding sanitary losses over combat was typically characteristic of other countries participating in the war. It should be noted that the termination of the war with Prussia was not only the result of Peter III sentiment. It had more serious foundations. Russia has achieved its main goal - the weakening of the Prussian state. However, his complete wreck was unlikely to be part of the plans of Russian diplomacy, since it strengthened primarily Austria - the main competitor of Russia in the future section of the European Ottoman Empire. Yes, and the war herself has long been threatened by the financial catastrophe of the Russian economy. Another question is that the "knight" gesture of Peter III in relation to Friedrich II did not allow Russia to fully use the fruits of his victories.

Results of war. The fierce struggle was also on other theaters of the hostilities of the seven-year war: in the colonies and the sea. According to the provincial world of 1763, Prussia fursed Silesia with Austria and Saxony. At the Paris Peace Agreement, 1763 passed to the UK from France Canada, Vost. Louisiana, most French possessions in India. The main result of the seven-year war is the victory of the United Kingdom over France in the struggle for the colonial and commercial championship.

For Russia, the consequences of the seven-year war were much more valuable for its results. She significantly multiplied combat experience, military art and the authority of the Russian army in Europe, first seriously-shaped steppe wandering mini. In the battles of this campaign there was a generation of outstanding commander (Rumyantsev, Suvorov) and soldiers who have achieved bright victories in the "Century Catherine". It can be said that most Ekaterinin success in foreign policy was prepared by the victories of Russian weapons in a seven-year war. In particular, Prussia suffered huge losses in this war and could not actively impede Russian politics in the West in the second half of the XVIII century. In addition, under the influence of the impressions brought from the fields of Europe, in Russian society, after a seven-year war, ideas about agricultural innovations, agricultural rationalization are emerging. There is also interest in foreign culture, in particular, to literature and art. All these sentiments have been developed in the following reign.

Secrets of the houses of Romanov Balyazin Voldemar Nikolaevich

Seven-year-old war of Russia with Prussia in 1757-1760

After January 11, 1757, Russia joined the Versailles Union Agreement, concluded on May 1, 1756 between Austria and France against England and Prussia, Sweden, Saxony and some small states of Germany stuck at the expense of Russia.

The war, started in 1754 in the colonial possessions of England and France in Canada, only in 1756 passed to Europe, when on May 28, the Prussian King of Friedrich II invaded the army of 95 thousand people in Saxony. Friedrich broke in two battles Saxon and the Austrian troops allied to them and took Silesia and part of Bohemia.

It should be noted that the foreign policy of Russia in the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna was distinguished almost all the time in peace and restraint. Inherited war with Sweden, she was completed in the summer of 1743 by the signing of an Aboskogo peace treaty, and until 1757 Russia did not fought.

As for the seven-year war with Prussia, Russia's participation in it turned out to be an accident, the focus-related intrigues of internationally adventurers, as mentioned when it came to the furniture Madame Pompadour and the tobacco trading of the Svuvalov brothers.

But now, after the victories of Friedrich II in Saxony and Silesia, Russia could not stay aside. It was obliged to this by the rashly signed union contracts with France and Austria and the real threat to its possessions in the Baltic States, since Eastern Prussia was a border area adjacent to new Russian provinces.

In May 1757, the seventieth thousand Russian army, who was commanded by Field Marshal Stepan Fedorovich Apraksin, one of the best Russian commander of that time, moved to the shores of the border with the Prussia of the Neman River.

Already in August, the first major victory was obsessed - with the village of Gross-Jersdorf, Russian troops defeated the Corps of Prussian Feldmarshal Levald.

However, instead of going to close from here, the capital of Eastern Prussia Koenigsberg, Apraksin gave the order to return to the Baltic States, explaining this disadvantage of food, large losses and diseases in the troops. This maneuver gave rise to rumors about his treason in St. Petersburg and led to the fact that the new commander-in-chief was appointed to his place - the British British, General-Annef, Graf Vilim Vilimovich Farmor, successfully commanded troops in wars with Sweden, Turkey and the last War - with Prussia.

Apraksina was prescribed to go to Narva and wait for further orders. However, orders did not follow, and instead, the "Great State Inquisitor" granted in Narva, the head of the secret office of A. I. Shuvalov. It should be borne in mind that Apraksin was another Chancellor Bestuzhev, and Shuvalov - Yary his enemies. The "Great Inquisitor", having arrived in Narva, immediately learned the laid interrogation with a strict interrogation with the main correspondence with Catherine and Bestuzhev.

Shuvalov had to prove that Catherine and Bestuzhev inclined Apraksin to treason in order to make it possible to ease the position of the Prussian king. Abrasing Apraksina, Shuvalov arrested him and transported four hands to a tract, not far from St. Petersburg.

Apraksin denied any evil intent in his retreat for Neman and argued that "no promises did not make any comments in favor of the Prussian king from him."

Nevertheless, he was accused of state treason, and everyone, suspected of a criminal connection with him, were arrested and brought to interrogations to the secret office.

February 14, 1758, unexpectedly for everyone, Chancellor Bestuzhev was arrested. He was first arrested and only then began to look for: what would you blame? It was difficult to make it, because Bestuzhev was an honest person and a patriot, and then he was attributed to "the crime in insulting Majesty and for the fact that he, Bestuzhev, tried to sow a discord between the imperial majesty and their imperial high spirits."

The case was completed that Bestuzheva was sent from St. Petersburg to one of his villages, but during the investigation of suspicion fell on Catherine, Jewelera Bernardi, the former Favorite Elizabeth Petrovna, Lieutenant Bettov, Teachers of Ekaterina Adodorov. All these people were associated with Catherine, Bestuzhev and English envoy Williams. Of these, all of them are Catherine, as a great princess, and understandable, as a foreign ambassador, could feel relatively calm if there were no secret intimate relationships and purely secret relationships with the Bestuzhev Chancellor, which was easy to regard as an anti-government conspiracy. The fact is that Bestuzhev compiled a plan for which Elizaveta Petrovna catches, Peter Fedorovich will become the emperor on right, and Catherine will be a co-guarantee. Bestuzhev provided a special status, which elected his power, not less than that of Menshikov under Catherine I. Bestuzhev claimed the chairmanship of the three most important colleges - foreign, military and admiralty. In addition, he wanted to have the title of lieutenant colonel in all four Life Guards shelves - Preobrazhensky, Semenovsky, Izmailovsky and Konnon. Bestuzhev outlined his considerations in the form of manifesta and sent him Catherine.

Fortunately for himself, and for Catherine, Bestuzhev managed to burn the manifesto and all drafts and thus deprived of investigators of the most serious evidence in state treason. Moreover, through one of his loyal servants - Vasily Grigorievich Schucurin (remember the name of this person, soon, dear reader, you will again meet him in circumstances more than extraordinary), Catherine learned that the papers were burned and there was nothing to fear.

Nevertheless, the suspicion remained, and Elizabeth Petrovna's efforts to the Svuvalov brothers, Peter and Alexander, was notified of the Alliance Bestuzhev - Catherine. The impulsive and unbalanced Empress decided to at least externally, to shoot her displeasure Catherine and stopped accepting it, which resulted in cooling to it and a significant part of the "Big Court".

And Stanislav-Augustus remained still a lover of the Grand Duchess, and there is a lot of grounds to believe that in March 1758, Catherine was pregnant once again and 9 December gave birth to a daughter called Anna. The girl was taken to the rest of Elizabeth Petrovna immediately after birth, and then everything happened, like four years ago, when her firstborn appeared - Paul: Balls and fireworks began in the city, and Ekaterina again left one. True, this time, her bed was close to her court ladies - Maria Alexandrovna Izmaylov, Anna Nikitichna Naryshkin, Natalia Alexandrovna Senjanina and the only man - Stanislav-August is understood.

Anna Naryshkina, the nee counseum of Rumyantsev, was married to Ober-Hofamarshal Alexander Naryshkin, and Izmailov and Senjavina were cornpieces of Narnish - Native sisters of Gof Marshal and trusted inaccisers of Catherine. In the "Notes", Catherine reports that this company has been going secretly that Naryshkina and understood spent on Shirma, as soon as the knock on the door was distributed, and in addition, Stanislav-August was held to the palace, calling himself a musician of the Grand Duke. The fact that Catherine was understood by the only man, after birth at the bed of Catherine, looks quite eloquent evidence confirming the version of his fatherhood.

In his "notes", Catherine leads a curious episode that happened shortly before the birth in September 1758: "Since I became severe on my pregnancy, I no longer appeared in society, considering that I was closer to childbirth than was actually . It was boring for the Grand Duke ... and therefore his imperial highness was angry with my pregnancy and attended to say Once upon himself, in the presence of Lion Naryshkin and some others: "God knows where my wife takes her pregnancy, I don't know my wife too, my Whether this is a child and whether I should take it to my account. "

And yet, when the girl was born, Peter Fedorovich was pleased. First, the child was called exactly the name of his deceased mother - the native sister of the Empress - Anna Petrovna. Secondly, Peter Fedorovich received as the father of a newborn, 60,000 rubles, which, of course, were more than necessary for him.

The girl lived very long and died on March 8, 1759. For some reason, she was buried not in the Petropavlovsky Cathedral, which since 1725 he became the tomb of the house of Romanov, and in the Church of the Annunciation of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. And this circumstance also did not escape the contemporaries, leaving them for the idea if Anna Petrovna was the legitimate royal daughter?

And the events behind the walls of the imperial palaces walked as their own guy. On January 11, 1758, the troops of Vilima Fermor took the capital of East Prussia - Königsberg.

Then, on August 14, the bloody and stubborn battle was followed by a core, in which the opponents lost only killed about thirty thousand people. Catherine wrote that more than a thousand Russian officers were killed in a combat under the coreforf. Many of those killed themselves quartered or lived in St. Petersburg, and therefore the report on the core rapidly caused sorrow and despondency in the city, but the war continued, and until she was visible to the end. Together with all worried and Catherine. I felt quite differently, and Peter Fedorovich behaved.

Only on August 6, 1758, without waiting for the court, S. F. Apraksin suddenly died. He died of a paralysis of the heart, but in St. Petersburg, rumors had spread about violent death - after all, he died in imprisonment. The supporters of this version even more convinced that Field Marshal buried without any honors, Hasp and secretly from all at the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Apraksin died from the paralysis of the heart, but why did the paralysis occurred, one could only guess. An indirect recognition of the innocence of apraksin was that all Bestuzhev attracted to the investigation - and it arose after Apraksin's arrest - were either lowered in positions or sent from St. Petersburg to their villages, but no one suffered criminal punishment.

Catherine was still in dismilies in the Empress, but after he asked to let her go to the Church, to her parents, so as not to experience the humiliation and insulting suspicion for her, Elizaveta Petrovna replaced the anger to mercy and restored her previous relationship with the daughter-in-law.

And on the theater of military operations, good luck was replaced by failures, and, as a result, the Commander-in-Chief was replaced: Feldmarshal was replaced in June 1759, Count Peter Semenovich Saltykov, and in September 1760, another Field Marshal appeared, Count Alexander Borisovich Buturlin. The favorite of the Empress flashed fleeting luck - without a fight took the Berlin, the small garrison of which was left of the city while approaching the Russian cavalry detachment.

However, after three days, Russians were also hastily, learning about the approach to the capital of Prussia superior forces Friedrich II. "Diversion" on Berlin did not change anything during the war. A military campaign was not decisive for its outcome, but the coming to power in England a new government, which was refused Prussia in further cash subsidies.