Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia

Alexei Petrovich
Tsarevich of Russia
Portrait of Alexei by Johann Gottfried Tannauer, c. 1712-16, Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg
Born	(28 February [O.S. 18 February] 1690 Moscow, Russia
Died	7 July [O.S. 26 June] 1718) (aged 28) Petropavlovskaya fortress, St. Petersburg, Russia
Spouse	Charlotte Christine of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Issue	Grand Duchess Natalia Alexeievna Peter II
House	Romanov
Father	Peter I of Russia
Mother	Eudoxia Lopukhina

Alexei Petrovich Romanov (Russian: Алексе́й Петро́вич) (28 February [O.S. 18 February] 1690 – 7 July [O.S. 26 June] 1718) was a Russian Tsarevich. He was born in Moscow, the son of Tsar Peter I and the Tsar's first wife, Eudoxia Lopukhina.

The young Alexei was brought up by his mother, who fostered an atmosphere of disdain towards Peter the Great, Alexei's father. Alexei's relations with his father suffered from the hatred between his father and his mother, as it was very difficult for him to feel affection for his mother's worst persecutor. From the ages of 6 to 9, Alexei was educated by his tutor Vyazemsky, but after the removal of his mother by Peter the Great to the Suzdal Intercession Convent, Alexei was confined to the care of educated foreigners, who taught him history, geography, mathematics and French.

In 1703, Alexei was ordered to follow the army to the field as a private in a bombardier regiment. In 1704, he was present at the capture of Narva. At this period, the preceptors of the Tsarevich had the highest opinion of his ability. Alexei had strong leanings towards archaeology and ecclesiology. However, Peter had wished his son and heir to dedicate himself to the service of new Russia, and demanded from him unceasing labour in order to maintain Russia's new wealth and power. Painful relations between father and son, quite apart from the prior personal antipathies, were therefore inevitable. It was an additional misfortune for Alexei that his father should have been too busy to attend to him just as he was growing up from boyhood to manhood. He was left in the hands of reactionary boyars and priests, who encouraged him to hate his father and wish for the death of the Tsar.