Shadow of Peter
The biographical portrait of Alexander Menshikov is very ambiguous. Some argue that this politician and the permanent leader of the king was a commoner, others consider him a little-known Belarusian nobleman. Most historians are inclined to believe that Alexander Danilovich was the son of a rootless groom who sold the boy to the cakeman. After a long stay in the house of his master, who highly appreciated and loved Alexashka, the child found himself in the service of the famous German Lefort. Presumably it was in the settlement that Alexander Danilovich received his upbringing, which helped him so much in the future. Menshikov lived an amazing life, having undergone many hardships, being in the service of countless gentlemen, he went to the first steps of government.The all-powerful prince met Peter Alekseevich on the bank of the river during the years of the tsar's youth. It was Menshikov who initiated the king's first visit to the German settlement, where the first meeting with Anna Mons took place. In the period of the young Tsar’s stormy and passionate love affair, Alexashka was a messenger and tied up lovers, bringing correspondence and organizing dates. It was during this period that Alexander Danilovich deserved the trust and respect of Peter I. The tsar’s marriage to the young Lopukhina, the reproaches of Natalia Naryshkina, and even the moral of the patriarch could not prevent the pimping. Not in the most positive way Menshikov sheds light on his participation in intrigues, but it would be senseless to deny such behavior. Alexander Danilovich successfully manipulated the tsar, which, by the way, did not prevent him from loving his royal friend. Among endless drunkenness and crazy entertainment, during which a considerable number of noble families suffered and countless noble maidens were disgraced, amazing devotion and mutual sympathy between the head of state and the rootless boy from the Moscow shopping area was formed. The night fights of the king, none of which were carried out without the agile Alexashki, terrified decent noblemen and boyar houses. Many types of amusements were cruel and perverted, caused by excessive alcoholic libations. As the king and his faithful servant grew older, the fun turned into a reform activity, which also could not do without human sacrifice. However, unlike Peter 1, Menshikov never liked to watch human suffering, he had a healthier psyche. Nevertheless, neither the king’s addiction to self-participation in torture and torture, nor Peter’s active, almost fanatical interest in the process of depriving a person of life, did not arouse disgust in him. So, for example, Alexashka, silently and obediently, suffered both violence against the archers, and the execution of Tsarevich Alexei, and the cruelest mockery of the disgraced Lopukhina Glebov, and other bloody sanctions of his friend. Menshikov took cruelty for granted and did not try to fight him, but according to the stories of his contemporaries he did not take a special initiative in this kind of activity. In defense of Peter, it should be mentioned that terrible and inhuman punishment was the norm of that time.
During the period of Sophia's power, it was Menshikov who saved the young sovereign from the conspiracy and helped him to take refuge in the Trinity-Sergius monastery. The friendship between Alexander Danilovich and Peter 1 was sincere, because even in the most difficult moments Menshikov remained loyal to his sovereign, calling him nothing less than “min hertz”, which in German means “my heart”.
Historians' data on Alexashka’s complete illiteracy raises reasonable doubts, since this even a clever commoner who did not have any education and traded baked goods with rabbit on the Moscow market, could become an important figure in the political arena and easily communicated with European ambassadors in several languages . The official explanation for this fact is the high appreciation of Menshikov's natural abilities, as well as his ability to flatter and please the king. However, such an explanation comes up against multiple contradictions.
First, Peter Alekseevich was a very mischievous child, disobedient, but educated, hardly an illiterate boy could interest him for a long time. Secondly, Alexander Danilovich managed to occupy the position of generalissimo and did an excellent job with his duties, which is impossible to do without training. Thirdly, Menshikov had considerable connections, and an illiterate person could not possess either eloquence or diplomatic skills. In addition, during the period of his service at the court, Alexander Danilovich made a tremendous fortune, although the facts of his theft were revealed by Peter quite seldom. It is possible to agree with historians that the meeting between Alexashka and Peter was accidental, but a successful career without adequate training and education is not explained only by natural flair and flattery. Attention should be paid to the notes of A.S. Pushkin, in which he argues that history about the trade in cakes, they invented envious boyars, but in reality Menshikov came from an unknown noble family. This statement is quite likely, since there is evidence that Alexander Danilovich during his state activity was interested in a certain noble estate in Belarus.
The official history, describing this great personality, is silent about some interesting facts of his biography. It should be noted that, besides the main vice of theft, Menshikov also possessed a voluptuousness, which ensured the hostility of a huge number of noble and worthy husbands. According to some information, Menshikov was even connected with Catherine, whom Pyotr Alekseevich so idolized. Interestingly, among the huge number of temptations and temptations associated with government activities and wealth, Alexander Danilovich was quite calm about alcohol. Drinking alcohol was never painful, which cannot be said about Peter.
Alexander Danilovich Menshikov - statesman and military leader, the first Russian generalissimo. Menshikov was among the closest associates of Peter I. In the hands of Alexander Danilovich was concentrated a huge power, which he often used for his own purposes. After the accession to the throne of Peter II, Menshikov was close to the regency, and on May 13 of the year 1727 was granted a generalissimo. Later, he was suspended from business, charged with treason and embezzlement of public funds, exiled to Birch, where he died.
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