Alexei Petrovich , Tsarevich of Russia Alexei Petrovich Romanov ( ) ( – ) , was a Russia n Tsarevich . He was born in Moscow , the son of Tsar Peter I and his first wife Eudoxia Lopukhina . Childhood . 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 . Military career . 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 . In 1708 Peter sent Alexei to Smolensk to collect provender and recruits , and after that to Moscow to fortify it against Charles XII of Sweden . At the end of 1709 , Alexei went to Dresden for one year . There , he finished lessons in French , German , mathematics and fortification . After his education , Alexei married , albeit greatly against his will Princess Charlotte of Brunswick - Wolfenbüttel , whose family was connected by marriage to many of the great families of Europe i . e . , Charlotte ' s sister Elizabeth was married to Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI , ruler of the Habsburg Monarchy . In theory , Alexei could have refused the marriage , and he had been encouraged by his father to at least meet his intended . " Why haven ' t you written to tell me what you thought about her ? " wrote Peter ( in a tone that can only be guessed ) in a letter dated 13 August 1710 . The marriage contract was signed in September . The wedding was celebrated at Torgau , the palace of the Queen of Poland , on 14 October 1711 . One of the terms of the marriage contract agreed to by Alexei was that while any forthcoming children were to be raised in the Orthodox faith , Charlotte herself was allowed to retain her Protestant faith ( an agreement that did not sit well at all with Alexei ' s followers ) . As for the marriage itself , it was a failure from the very start . Alexei pronounced his bride " pock - marked " and " too thin " . He insisted on separate apartments and ignored her in public . Three weeks later , the bridegroom was hurried away by his father to Toruń to superintend the provisioning of the Russian troops in Poland . For the next twelve months Alexei was kept constantly on the move . His wife joined him at Toruń in December , but in April 1712 a peremptory ukase ordered him off to the army in Pomerania , and in the autumn of the same year he was forced to accompany his father on a tour of inspection through Finland . He had two children with Charlotte : Peter Alexeyevich would succeed as Tsar Peter II in 1727 . With his death in 1730 , the direct male - line of the House of Romanov became extinct . After the birth of Natalia in 1714 , Alexei brought his long - time Finnish serf mistress Afrosinia to live in the palace . Some historians speculate that it was his conservative powerbase ' s disapproval of his foreign , non - Orthodox bride , more so than her appearance , that caused Alexei to spurn Charlotte . Another influence was Alexander Kikin , a high - placed official who had fallen out with the Tsar and had been deprived of his estates . Self - exile . Immediately on his return from Finland , Alexei was dispatched by his father to Staraya Russa and Lake Ladoga to see to the building of new ships . This was the last commission entrusted to him , since Peter had not been satisfied with his son ' s performance and his lack of enthusiasm . Nevertheless , Peter made one last effort to " reclaim " his son . On 11 October 1715 , Charlotte died , after giving birth to a son , the grand - duke Peter , future tsar Peter II . On the day of the funeral , Peter sent Alexei a stern letter , urging him to take interest in the affairs of the state . Peter threatened to cut him off if he did not acquiesce in his father ' s plans . Alexei wrote a pitiful reply to his father , offering to renounce the succession in favour of his infant son Peter . Peter would agree but on the condition that Alexei remove himself as a dynastic threat and become a monk . While Alexei was pondering his options , on 26 August 1716 Peter wrote to Alexei from abroad , urging him , if he desired to remain tsarevich , to join him and the army without delay . Rather than face this ordeal , Alexei fled to Vienna and placed himself under the protection of his brother - in - law , the emperor Charles VI , who sent him for safety first to the Tirol ean fortress of Ehrenberg ( near Reutte ) , and finally to the castle of Sant ' Elmo at Naples . He was accompanied throughout his journey by Afrosinia . That the emperor sincerely sympathized with Alexei , and suspected Peter of harbouring murderous designs against his son , is plain from his confidential letter to George I of Great Britain , whom he consulted on this delicate affair . Peter felt insulted : the flight of the tsarevich to a foreign potentate was a reproach and a scandal , and he had to be recovered and brought back to Russia at all costs . This difficult task was accomplished by Count Peter Tolstoi , the most subtle and unscrupulous of Peter ' s servants . The return . Alexei would only consent to return on his father solemnly swearing , that if he came back he should not be punished in the least , but cherished as a son and allowed to live quietly on his estates and marry Afrosinia . On 31 January 1718 , the tsarevich reached Moscow . Peter had already determined to institute a most searching inquisition in order to get at the bottom of the mystery of the flight . On 18 February a " confession " was extorted from Alexei which implicated most of his friends , and he then publicly renounced the succession to the throne in favour of the baby grand - duke Peter Petrovich . A horrible reign of terror ensued , in the course of which the ex - tsaritsa Eudoxia was dragged from her monastery and publicly tried for alleged adultery , while all who had in any way befriended Alexei were impaled or broken on the wheel while having their flesh torn with red - hot pincers or their bare backs or bare feet slowly roasted over burning coals , and were otherwise lingeringly done to death . All this was done to terrorize the reactionaries and isolate the tsarevich . In April 1718 fresh confessions were extorted from , and in regard to , Alexei . This included the words of Afrosinia , who had turned state ' s evidence . " I shall bring back the old people . . . " Alexei is reported to have told her , " . . . and choose myself new ones according to my will ; when I become sovereign I shall live in Moscow and leave Saint Petersburg simply as any other town ; I won ' t launch any ships ; I shall maintain troops only for defense , and won ' t make war on anyone ; I shall be content with the old domains . In winter I shall live in Moscow , and in summer in Iaroslav . " Despite this and other hearsay evidence , there were no facts to go upon . The worst that could be brought against him was that he had wished his father ' s death . In the eyes of Peter , his son was now a self - convicted and most dangerous traitor , whose life was forfeit . But there was no getting over the fact that his father had sworn to pardon him and let him live in peace if he returned to Russia . The whole matter was solemnly submitted to a grand council of prelate s , senator s , ministers and other dignitaries on 13 June 1718 . The clergy , for their part , declared the Tsarevich Alexei , " . . . had placed his Confidence in those who loved the ancient Customs , and that he had become acquainted with them by the Discourses they held , wherein they had constantly praised the ancient Manners , and spoke with Distaste of the Novelties his Father had introduced . " Declaring this to be a civil rather than an ecclesiastical matter , the clergy left the matter to the tsar ' s own decision . At noon on 24 June , the temporal dignitaries — the 126 members of both the Senate and magistrates that comprised the court — declared Alexei guilty and sentenced him to death . But the examination by torture continued , so desperate was Peter to uncover any possible collusion . On 19 June , the weak and ailing tsarevich received twenty - five strokes with the knout , and then , on the 24th , he was subject to fifteen more . On 26 June , Alexei died in the Petropavlovskaya fortress in Saint Petersburg , two days after the senate had condemned him to death for conspiring rebellion against his father , and for hoping for the cooperation of the common people and the armed intervention of his brother - in - law , the emperor .