January 6, 1712
В St. Petersburg I was born Maria Menshikova. Maid of honor, daughter of Peter I's closest associate and favorite, Alexander Menshikov. The Emperor's "ruined bride" Peter II.
The Tsarevnas and the administration are charged with the duty of trying to bring about the marriage of the Grand Duke with Princess Menshikova.
(from the spiritual testament of Empress Catherine I)
Eldest daughter Alexandra Menshikova She was born when the Most Serene Prince was at the height of his fame, power, and might. She was given a good home education—the girl spoke several languages fluently, could sing skillfully, dance, and hold court. She was also a beauty.
Her father began making plans for a profitable marriage when Masha was nine. The first candidate was a 20-year-old Petro Sapieha - son of the Grand Hetman of Lithuania Yana Sapieha. The hetman himself approached Menshikov with the idea of marrying the children. The proposal was attractive—Sapega could assist Menshikov in his claim to the ducal crown of Courland.
In 1721, the handsome Sapieha Jr. arrived in St. Petersburg. At the suggestion of his future father-in-law, he settled into the magnificent Menshikov Palace—to get to know both his bride and the foreign life better. There was plenty of time to spare—they decided to wait until Masha's 15th birthday to marry.
Within five years, Pyotr Sapieha had taken a prominent place at court and, it was said, after the death of Peter I, he became one of the favorites. Catherine I
In March 1726 the archbishop Theophanes Prokopovich He betrothed Sapieha to Menshikova. The Empress granted the bride 100,000 rubles and several villages with land and peasants. The future father-in-law hosted a gala dinner. He promised his daughter a dowry of 700,000 gold pieces. Young Masha was happy—she was in love with her fiancé.
But six months passed, then a year, and the wedding was still postponed. Menshikov was afraid of making a mistake. And ultimately, he decided to marry his daughter to the heir to the Russian throne, Grand Duke Peter Alexeevich (grandson of Peter the Great).
Catherine I, who owed much to Menshikov, was not opposed. She even included a clause in her will to fully support Menshikova's marriage to the heir. She also helped Sapieha marry her niece, the Countess. Skavronskaya.
On May 17, 1727, the 43-year-old empress died. The 11-year-old Peter II became emperor. Two weeks later, in the presence of the entire court, he was betrothed to Maria Menshikova.
Князь Petr Dolgorukov He later wrote that the young emperor wept loudly when he was told of the marriage. The bride's dislike was mutual.
However, Masha held the title of "Imperial Highness" for only a few months. That summer, her father fell ill. A few weeks away from court were enough to cause the once-all-powerful Alexander Menshikov to fall into disgrace. On September 8, 1727, he was placed under house arrest, and three days later, stripped of his ranks and awards, he and his family were exiled to their estate. Ranenburg. The imperial wedding ring was taken away from Masha and an order was issued:
So that henceforth the betrothed bride, when performing the Divine service, is not mentioned and decrees from the Synod are sent to the entire state about this
In April 1728, the Menshikovs were exiled to Siberia. Berezov. Having buried his wife along the way, Menshikov and his daughters began a new life—first in the Berezovsky prison, then in a house built with the help of workers. He died in November 1729 of a stroke. A month and a half later, on her birthday, 18-year-old Masha also died—according to one version, of smallpox.
There's another version, a romantic one. They say a prince followed the exiles to Siberia under a false name. Fyodor Dolgoruky — a member of the Menshikov family who persecuted him, in love with Maria. They allegedly married secretly, and Maria died after giving birth prematurely to twins.
Be that as it may, Maria never learned that Peter II had ordered the return of the Menshikov children from exile. The Emperor himself outlived one of his would-be brides by only three weeks—the 14-year-old boy died of smallpox in late January 1730.
