MENZIKOFF SELLING HIS CAKES PETER AMONG THE SHIPPING PETER TURNING EXECUTIONER MAP OF THE RUSSIAN AND SWEDISH FRONTIER STRATAGEMS OF THE SWEDES SITUATION OF ST. PETERSBURG FLIGHT OF THE KING OF SWEDEN THE EMPRESS CATHARINE THE CZAR'S VISIT TO ALEXIS IN PRISON PETER THE GREAT. CHAPTER I. THE PRINCESS SOPHIA. 1676-1684 Parentage of Peter--His father's double marriage--Death of his father--The princesses--Their places of seclusion--Theodore and John--Sophia uneasy in the convent--Her request--Her probable motives--Her success--Increase of her influence--Jealousies--Parties formed--The imperial guards--Their character and influence--Dangers--Sophia and the soldiers--Sophia's continued success--Death of Theodore--Peter proclaimed--Plots formed by Sophia--Revolution--Means of exciting the people--Poisoning--Effect of the stories that were circulating--Peter and his mother--The Monastery of the Trinity--Natalia's flight--Narrow escape of Peter--Commotion in the city--Sophia is unsuccessful--Couvansky's schemes--Sophia's attempt to appease the soldiers--No effect produced--Couvansky's views--His plan of a marriage for his son--Indignation of Sophia--A stratagem--Couvansky falls into the snare--Excitement produced by his death--Galitzin--Measures adopted by him--They are successful The circumstances under which Peter the Great came to the throne form a very remarkable--indeed, in some respects, quite a romantic story. The name of his father, who reigned as Emperor of Russia from 1645 to 1676, was Alexis Michaelowitz. In the course of his life, this Emperor Alexis was twice married. By his first wife he had two sons, whose names were Theodore and John,[1] and four daughters. The names of the daughters were Sophia, Catharine, Mary, and Sediassa. By his second wife he had two children--a son and a daughter. The name of the son was Peter, and that of the daughter was Natalia Alexowna. Of all these children, those with whom we have most to do are the two oldest sons, Theodore and John, and the oldest daughter, Sophia, by the first wife; and Peter, the oldest son by the second wife, the hero of this history. The name of the second wife, Peter's mother, was Natalia.