Paul I and the posthumous coronation of Peter III

Paul I revered his father, Peter III, whose death remained surrounded by competing explanations. He idealized Peter and made that filial devotion part of imperial ceremony. After Catherine died, Paul had Peter's buried body exhumed, placed the imperial crown on the remains, and arranged a new burial. The episode conveys the intensity of Paul's reverence for a father he had turned into a political and personal ideal. It also provides context for the ruler who later assembled the Second League.