Peter III of Russia: Biography, Facts and Career

Peter III Fyodorovich (Russian: Пётр III Фёдорович, romanized: Pyotr III Fyodorovich, born Charles Peter Ulrich of Schleswig-Holstein-Gottorp; 21 February 1728 – 17 July 1762) was Emperor of Russia from 5 January 1762 until 9 July of the same year, when his wife, Catherine II "the Great", overthrew him in a palace coup d'état. He implemented many notable reforms during his reign, though he is criticised for undoing Russian gains in the Seven Years' War by forming an alliance with Prussia. Peter was the son of Duke Charles Frederick of Holstein-Gottorp, and Grand Duchess Anna Petrovna of Russia, who died of puerperal fever after childbirth. After succeeding to the throne of Holstein-Gottorp following his father’s death, Peter was made heir presumptive to both the Russian and Swedish thrones in 1742. Due to his conversion to Russian Orthodoxy, he was disqualified from becoming King of Sweden. Peter married his paternal second cousin, Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst, who took the Orthodox name of Catherine Alexeievna, in 1745. They had one child who survived to adulthood, Paul Petrovich. Peter succeeded his maternal aunt as Emperor of Russia in 1762. After a 186-day reign, Peter III was overthrown by his wife, and soon died under unclear circumstances. The official cause proposed by Catherine's new government was that he died due to hemorrhoids. This explanation was met with skepticism, both in Russia and abroad, with notable critics such as Voltaire and d'Alembert expressing doubt about the plausibility of death from such a condition. After Peter III's death, many impostors thrived, pretending to be him, the most famous of whom were Yemelyan Pugachev and the "Montenegerin Tsar Peter III" (Stephan the Little).

Quick facts about Peter III of Russia

• Full name: Peter III of Russia
• Born: 1728-02-21
• Nationality: Russian Empire
• Known as: Royal
• Wikidata ID: Q151789

Profile compiled from public Wikipedia and Wikidata data. Details can change over time.