15 Russia in 1725-1801.
The era of palace coups
After the death of Peter I, an era of palace coups began in Russia, when power passed from one noble group to another, without changing the nature of autocracy. The dispute about the ruler of Russia was often decided by the guards regiments, on which it largely depended who would occupy the throne.
Peter I died without appointing a successor. This issue was to be decided by the Senate, the Synod and the generals. Noble boyars, faithful to the traditional custom of succession to the throne, wanted to see the son of Tsarevich Alexei, the infant Peter, on the throne. The new aristocracy, which had come to the fore under Peter I, wanted to proclaim Catherine, the widow of Peter I, as Empress. The choice of the guards turned out to be decisive. The Senate was forced to proclaim Catherine the empress.
Catherine I (1725-1727), who ascended the Russian throne, was a poorly educated woman, unable to manage a vast empire. Even after becoming Empress, she did not want to learn to read and write. Nevertheless, she was popular in the army with many supporters of Peter's reforms. The actual ruler under Catherine I was an associate of Peter I A. D. Menshikov. He showed himself as a talented, but greedy and unscrupulous statesman.
Catherine I could not and did not want to regularly engage in state affairs. That is why in February 1726 a new supreme government authority was formed - the Supreme Privy Council. Formally, it had only an advisory character, but in fact it decided all the most important state affairs.
The Supreme Privy Council refused some of the transformations of Peter I. Under the pretext of cutting costs for the state apparatus, the Chief Magistrate was liquidated. City and provincial magistrates and town halls began to be headed by governors. Judicial and administrative power in the provinces was transferred to the governors, and in the provinces and districts - to the governors. The poll tax was reduced. The customs tariff of 1724 was partially revised and duties on a number of imported goods were reduced.
After the death of Catherine I in 1727, according to her will, Peter II, the 11-year-old grandson of Peter I, ascended the throne. He ruled in 1727-1730. In an effort to strengthen his influence in the state, Menshikov tried to marry Tsarevich Peter to his 15-year-old daughter Maria. In May 1727, the engagement was announced. As the emperor's father-in-law, Menshikov expected to remain the de facto ruler of the country.
For influence on the young emperor, a struggle broke out between Menshikov and the princes Dolgoruky. The Supreme Privy Council, which continued to hold power under Peter II, in September 1727 decided to arrest Menshikov. He was accused of high treason and embezzlement of the treasury. In fact, it was another palace coup. Deprived of ranks, titles and orders, Menshikov was exiled with his entire family to Siberia, to the Berezov fortress, where he died in 1729.
The composition of the Supreme Privy Council was changed and turned into a government body, the decisive word in which belonged to the old noble nobility. The Council now had 8 members, including four princes Dolgoruky and two princes Golitsyn. Peter II practically did not take part in the affairs of government. In January 1728 the imperial court moved from St. Petersburg to Moscow. Some colleges were also transferred there. The construction of the navy was stopped.
The princes Dolgoruky tried to consolidate their influence on Peter II by marrying him to Catherine, the 17-year-old daughter of A. G. Dolgoruky. However, on January 18, 1730, at the age of 15, a few days before his wedding, Peter II died suddenly. He didn't leave a will. With his death, the direct male line of the Romanov family came to an end. The question of the heir to the throne was to be decided by the members of the Supreme Privy Council.
After long consultations, without the participation of members of other higher institutions, the “supreme leaders” came to the conclusion that the most acceptable candidate for the throne for them was Anna Ivanovna, the middle daughter of Ivan V, the half-brother of Peter I. Before ascending the throne, she had to sign a special document - "conditions" (conditions).
According to the “conditions”, she could not, without the consent of the Supreme Privy Council, start and end wars, introduce new taxes, appoint military posts above the colonel, deprive the nobles of their property and give them land. The command of the guard passed to the Supreme Privy Council. The new empress had to take upon herself the obligation not to marry and not to appoint an heir without the permission of the "supreme leaders". In case of violation of the "conditions" Anna Ivanovna was deprived of the Russian crown.
After some deliberation, Anna Ivanovna agreed to everything that was demanded of her, and signed the "conditions". The announced conditions of her accession to the throne caused discontent among many nobles. The guard also did not support the "supreme leaders".
In Moscow, where Anna Ivanovna arrived for the coronation, she met with a group of nobles who were ready to oppose the Supreme Privy Council. Convinced of the support of not only these nobles, but also the guards, on February 25, 1730, Anna Ivanovna renounced her promises to the "supreme leaders" and declared herself an autocratic empress. The attempt of the aristocracy to limit autocratic power failed.
In March 1730, the Supreme Privy Council was abolished, and its most active members were executed or sent into exile. The dominant position at the court was occupied by the favorite of the Empress E. I. Biron. Without occupying official government posts, Biron enjoyed the boundless trust of Anna Ivanovna. He actually directed the entire domestic and foreign policy of Russia. A. I. Osterman helped him determine the government course, and Field Marshal B. K. Minich helped him decide all military affairs.
Anna Ivanovna was forced to expand the rights and privileges of the nobility. On March 17, 1731, she canceled the Decree on single inheritance, introduced by Peter I in 1714. From now on, all nobles were given complete freedom in inheriting estates. Beginning in 1731, cadet corps were created, which allowed the nobles to become officers, bypassing the hard military service. In March 1731, the Secret Chancellery was recreated - an organ of political investigation and court. The chancery was equated with the collegium and removed from the control of the Senate. In total, during the reign of Anna Ivanovna, about 10 thousand people were arrested for political reasons.
In October 1740 Anna Ivanovna died. She appointed Ivan Antonovich, the recently born son of her niece Anna Leopoldovna, as her successor on the Russian throne. Ivan VI was the great-grandson of Tsar Ivan V. Biron was appointed regent for the infant emperor until the age of 18. He received the right to manage all state affairs - both internal and external.
Biron's regency lasted only 3 weeks. In November 1740, another palace coup took place, led by Field Marshal B.K. Minich. Biron was arrested and exiled to Siberia. Anna Leopoldovna became regent for her young son Ivan VI. Proclaimed the ruler, she actually played no role in the government of the state. The government was headed first by Munnich and then by Osterman.
The reign of Anna Leopoldovna was short-lived. On the night of November 25, 1741, another palace coup was carried out. Elizaveta Petrovna, daughter of Peter I, was proclaimed empress.
The reign of Elizabeth Petrovna was marked by a return to the Petrine order. Russian dignitaries again found themselves in the highest posts in the state. In December 1741, it was announced that the full power of the Senate, which it had in Peter's time, was returning to the Senate. The Senate remained the supreme body for legislation and public administration.
There was a further expansion of the rights and privileges of the nobility. The collection of taxes from the peasants was transferred into the hands of the landowners, who were assigned the monopoly right to own serfs and land. They also received the right to exile peasants to Siberia, counting them instead of recruits. In 1754, the Noble Bank was established, which provided loans to the nobles on very favorable terms. In the same year, internal customs duties were abolished, which opened up wide opportunities for trade in agricultural and industrial goods.
In 1756-1763. Europe was in the Seven Years' War. It involved two coalitions. One of them included Great Britain, Portugal, Prussia and some German states, the second - France, Spain, Austria, Sweden, Saxony, Russia and most of the German states.
On August 19, 1757, the Russian army under the command of General S. F. Apraksin defeated the Prussian army in the battle of Gross-Jegersdorf. However, Apraksin, instead of taking advantage of this victory, ordered a retreat from East Prussia to Lithuania. Soon the Russian army launched a new offensive. On August 1, 1759, in the general battle of Kunersdorf, Russian troops almost completely destroyed the army of the Prussian Emperor Frederick II. In September 1760, Russian troops occupied Berlin for a while. By 1761, the defeat of Prussia became obvious.
On December 25, 1761, Empress Elizabeth Petrovna died, and this saved Frederick II from complete collapse.
Elizaveta Petrovna had no children, so in November 1742 she declared the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Peter Ulrich, the son of her older sister Anna Petrovna, the heir to the Russian throne. At the age of 2 months, he lost his mother, and at the age of 10, his father.
Karl Peter Ulrich arrived in Russia as a 14-year-old boy in 1742. In Orthodoxy, he took the name of Peter Fedorovich. Having become the Russian emperor, Peter III was mainly engaged in entertainment. He left the administration of the state to the court nobility, who carried out a number of important reforms.
In February 1762, a Manifesto was issued on the abolition of the Secret Chancellery. At the same time, torture was abolished in the investigation of crimes. Shortly before this, a Manifesto was adopted on the granting of liberties and freedom to the entire Russian nobility. The manifesto abolished the obligatory service for the nobles - both military and civil. They were free to travel abroad, to be employed in the service of other sovereigns. Corporal punishment for nobles was abolished. The manifesto turned the nobility from a service class into a privileged class. In March 1762, a Decree was issued on the secularization of monastic and church lands.
An admirer of the Prussian emperor, Peter III immediately ceased hostilities and returned to the defeated Prussia all its territories occupied by Russian troops. On April 24, 1762, Russia concluded an alliance treaty with Prussia. Thus, Peter III nullified all Russia's victories in the Seven Years' War and actually saved Prussia from capitulation.
The officers and guards were very dissatisfied with the results of the war with Prussia. Peter III announced that he was going to withdraw the guards from St. Petersburg and send them to fight with Denmark. Russia did not need this war, but it corresponded to the interests of Schleswig-Holstein, the birthplace of Peter III. To all this, Peter III's obvious disrespect for all Russian rituals and customs, his drunkenness, and various obscene antics were added. Opponents of the emperor took advantage of the general discontent. They were headed by the wife of Peter III Ekaterina Alekseevna.
On June 28, 1762, a palace coup took place, as a result of which Catherine II was proclaimed the Russian Empress. The next day, Peter III signed the abdication. Soon the deposed emperor was killed by a group of officers led by A. G. Orlov.
Many expected that Catherine II would declare herself regent under the young heir Paul, the son of Peter III, and hand over the reign to him upon reaching the age of 18. This didn't happen. Thus, Catherine II made a double seizure of power. She took it from her husband and did not give it to her son.
Test on the topic "Palace coups"
1. The beginning of the era of palace coups is connected
a) with the beginning of the reign of Catherine II
b) with the accession to the throne of Elizabeth Petrovna
c) with the beginning of the reign of Peter I
d) with the death of Peter I
2. The era of palace coups in Russia lasted
a) 35 years old
b) 36 years old
c) 37 years old
d) 38 years old
3. Key positions in the Supreme Privy Council had
a) A.D. Menshikov
b) D.M. Golitsyn
c) B.K. Minikh
d) A.I. Osterman
4. The main reason for the frequency and ease of palace coups was
a) the existence of a legal order of succession to the throne
b) strengthening the role of the guard in public affairs
c) no power struggle
d) reducing the role of nobles in public affairs
5. The reign of the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth Petrovna, continued
a) 5 years
b) 10 years
at the age of 15
d) 20 years old
6. A decree on the right of the monarch to appoint himself a successor from among all his relatives was issued to the board
a) Catherine I
b) Petra I
c) Elizabeth Petrovna
d) Catherine II
7. Conditions had a purpose
a) strengthen the power of absolutism
b) strengthen the positions of the guards at court
c) strengthen the position of the nobility
d) limit the absolute power of the Russian monarch
8. The weakening of the ruling dynasty during the period of palace coups led to
a) intensifying the struggle for power between court factions
b) to the absence of various, including foreign contenders for the throne
c) to strengthen the traditional system of succession to the throne
d) to strengthen the influence of the boyar opposition on the tsar
9. The era of palace coups was completed with the accession
a) Catherine I
b) Elizabeth Petrovna
c) Catherine II
d) Paul I
10. Establish a correspondence between the ruler of Russia and the time of his reign
11. Match the term and definition
Definition | |
A) regent B) absolutism B) "supervisors" D) guard D) empire E) favorite G) condition | 1) a privileged military detachment, "faithful servants of the sovereign", not associated with administrative institutions, who came from among the service nobility and foreigners close to the throne 2) a powerful military power that unites different peoples and territories into a single state 3) an act, sometimes considered as a document of constitutional content, proposed for signing by Empress Anna Ioannovna upon her accession to the throne by members of the Supreme Privy Council 4) a form of government in which absolute sovereignty is vested in the monarch 5) courtier, enjoying the special favor of the monarch, receiving various privileges from him and influencing domestic and foreign policy 6) a temporary ruler during infancy, illness, absence of a monarch. 7) members of the Supreme Privy Council in Russia |
For each position of the first column, select the corresponding position of the second and write it down in the table with the selected numbers under the corresponding letters.
12. Match the event with the date
For each position of the first column, select the corresponding position of the second and write it down in the table with the selected numbers under the corresponding letters.
13. Arrange in chronological order the time of events
A) the reign of Catherine II
B) the reign of Peter III
C) the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna
D) the reign of Peter II
E) the reign of Catherine I
E) the death of Peter I
G) the reign of Anna Ioannovna
H) reign of Ivan VI Antonovich
14. Name the provisions that were not contained in the conditions presented to Anna Ioannovna
1) don't get married
2) do not start wars and do not make peace
3) the possibility of introducing new taxes
4) the ability to grant estates and villages with serfs
5) assign military ranks only up to colonel
6) transfer command of the guards and troops to the Supreme Privy Council
7) do not encroach on the life, estates and honor of the nobles
8) the right to appoint an heir
Answer: _________________
15. Name the historical figures who were not members of the Supreme Privy Council
1) A.D. Menshikov
2) G.G. Orlov
3) F.M. Apraksin
4) G.I.Golovkin
5) R.I. Vorontsov
6) G.A. Potemkin
7) P.A. Tolstoy
8) M.M.Golitsyn
9) G.A. Spiridov
10) A.I. Osterman
Answer: _________________
ANSWERS:
1. g
2. in
3. a
4. b
5. g
6 b
7. g
8. a
9. in
14. 3,4,8
Topic training
"RUSSIA in the era of palace coups"
1. Working with chronology
Fill the table.
An attempt to introduce "conditions" | ||
Seven Years' War | ||
The reign of Anna Ioannovna | ||
Reign of Catherine I | ||
Reign of Peter II | ||
Reign of Peter III | ||
The era of palace coups |
2. Work with personalities
3. Working with the scheme
Fill in the pedigree table "Russian tsars and emperors of the second halfXVII - first halfXVIII centuries. Underline with a solid line the names of those who occupied the Russian throne, with a dotted line - those who were regent under the minor rulers.
dear aunt "... To her parents she could only send letters drawn up in the Collegium of Foreign Affairs ... A real, reliable ally in the fight against boredom [she] met in the book."
G. “[He] has not reached the age when the personality of a person is completely determined, and history is hardly entitled to pronounce any sentence about him ... Death befell him at a time when he was in the power of the Dolgorukovs; probably, if he had remained alive, then the Dolgorukovs, through the intrigues of some favorites of happiness, would have suffered the fate of Menshikov.
D. “He got himself a special Holstein guard from any international rabble, but not from his Russian subjects: they were mostly sergeants and corporals of the Prussian army ... Considering the army of Frederick II as a model, [he] tried to learn the manners and habits of the Prussian soldier."
E. “Russia has come to her senses. Russian people again appeared at the highest places of government, and when a foreigner was appointed to a secondary place, [the empress] asked: is there no Russian? A foreigner can be appointed only when there is no capable Russian.”
F. “No matter how hard we try to reduce the disasters of this time in some particular features, it will forever remain the darkest time in our history of the 18th century, because it was not about private disasters, not about material deprivation: the people's spirit suffered, a betrayal of the basic, vital rule of the great reformer, the darkest side of the new life was felt, the yoke from the West was felt, heavier than the former yoke from the East - the Tatar yoke.
verification control
Work structure
classicism
Part B
The answer to the task in part B can be word, phrase, a combination of letters or letters and numbers.
B1. Arrange the events of the Seven Years' War in chronological order. Write the letters of the events in the correct order, NOT making gaps and NOT putting commas. For example: A B C D. __________________
A) the battle near the village of Kunersdorf
B) the entry of Russian troops into Berlin
C) the battle near the village of Zorndorf
D) battle near the village of Gross-Egersdorf
B2. Establish a correspondence between historical figures and the facts of their biography. Write your answer in the left column (first the number, then the letter corresponding to it, for example 1A, 2B, 3C, 4G)
B3. Read an extract from a historical essay and name name the person in question.
“This man inside out, whose concepts of good and evil are confused, ascended the Russian throne. Here, too, he retained all the narrowness and pettiness of the thoughts and interests in which he was brought up and raised. His mind, narrow as Holstein, could in no way expand to the geographical measure of the boundless empire that he accidentally inherited. On the contrary, on the Russian throne [he] became even more of a Holsteiner than he was at home.”
_________________________
B4. Establish a correspondence between the figure of Russian history and the relationship he was with Peter I . Write your answer in the left column (first the number, then the letter corresponding to it, for example 1A, 2B, 3C, 4G)
B5. Read an extract from a historical essay and name name ruler.
“Alive and cheerful, but not taking her eyes off herself, at the same time large and slender, with a beautiful round and ever-blooming face, she loved to impress ... The most legitimate of all the successors and successors of Peter I, but raised to the throne by rebellious guards bayonets, she ... built palaces in twenty-four hours and in two days drove the then path from Moscow to St. Petersburg, regularly paying for each driven horse.
______________________
Read an extract from a historical source and briefly answer questions C1 - C3. The answers involve the use of information from the source, as well as the application of historical knowledge and skills.
“The empress came out into the hall; standing under the canopy, let the petitioners in and ordered them to read their petition ... Then she made a short speech in such force: that although very difficult treaties were given to her reign, however, believing, as she was reported, that these were required from all ranks and from the entire Russian people , for the love of her fatherland signed. But now it is known that she was deceived by lies and flattery, for the sake of these agreements ... destroys. And having said that, she immediately tore the aforementioned letter, delivered to her hand, and threw it on the ground.
C1. Determine the time of events and the main character.
C2. What letter is the document referring to?
C3. Why did the break of the concluded agreement have no consequences for the main character?
ANSWERS
training
1. Working with chronology
Fill the table.
Fill the table.
The entry of Russian troops into Berlin | ||
Manifesto on the freedom of the nobility | ||
Opening of Moscow University | ||
An attempt to introduce "conditions" | ||
Seven Years' War | ||
The reign of Anna Ioannovna | ||
Reign of Catherine I | ||
The reign of Elizabeth Petrovna | ||
Reign of John VI Antonovich | ||
Reign of Peter II | ||
Reign of Peter III | ||
The era of palace coups |
2. Work with personalities
Fill the table. (The right column indicates the minimum number of facts you need to know.)
Historical | Who is(s)? | What did you do? What happened to him? |
The actual ruler of Russia under Catherine I | 1. Under Peter II, he lost the struggle for power and was exiled, died in exile |
|
"Verkhovniki" | Members of the Supreme Privy Council, who decided in 1730 to invite Anna and limit autocracy | 1. Exiled and/or executed by Anna Ioannovna |
Temporary worker under Anna Ioannovna, whose name is associated with German dominance | ||
1. Won a victory near the village of Gross-Egersdorf |
||
Russian military leader during the Seven Years' War | 1. Won a victory near the village of Kunersdorf |
|
Russian scientist and poet | 1. The first Russian academician 2. Founder of Moscow University |
|
Favorite of Elizabeth Petrovna | 1. Contributed to the founding of Moscow University and the Academy of Arts |
3. Working with the scheme
1 - Alexey Mikhailovich; 2 - Maria Miloslavskaya; 3 - Natalia Naryshkina; 4 - Fedor Alekseevich; 5 – Sofia Alekseevna; 6 – IvanV; 7 – PeterI; 8 - Evdokia Lopukhina; nine - EkaterinaI; 10 - Ekaterina Ioannovna; eleven - Anna Ioannovna; 12 - Alexey; 13 - Anna; fourteen - Elizaveta Petrovna; 15 – Anna Leopoldovna; 16 – PeterII; 17 – PeterIII; 18 – EkaterinaII; 19 – IvanVI Antonovich.
4. Working with the map
5. Working with concepts
1. "Conditions" - agreements signed by Anna Ioannovna at the request of the "supreme leaders" as a condition for her invitation to the throne; torn apart by the empress.
2. "Verkhovniki" - members of the Supreme Privy Council.
3. Favorite - an approximate emperor (empress), who enjoys great personal trust of the head of state and has the opportunity to influence state affairs.
4. Secularization of the land - the transfer of church and monastery lands to the state.
6. Working with sources
A - Elizabeth, B - Anna Ioannovna; B - Catherine II; G - Peter II; D - Peter III; E - Elizabeth; F - Anna Ioannovna.
verification control
Part 1
Part 2
IN 2. 1G2A3D4V
IN 3. Peter III
AT 4. 1V2G3A4D
AT 5. Elizabeth
Part 3
Note. Only brief schemes of answers are given here, they can be more detailed. The number of points for each required element of the answer and the total points are indicated in brackets.
C1. 1730, Anna Ioannovna ( Total - 2.)
C2. Conditions. ( Total - 1.)
C3. The autocracy was supported by the nobility. ( Total - 1.)
About lecturer
Orlov Igor Borisovich — Doctor of History, Professor, Deputy Head of the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
Lecture plan
1. Causes of palace coups;
2. The special role of the guard;
3. The problem of favoritism;
4. The Supreme Council and the fate of "conditions";
5. Anna Ioannovna and "Bironism";
6. Board of Elizabeth Petrovna;
7. The struggle of the nobles for the abolition of compulsory service and the Decree on the liberty of the nobles;
8. The palace coup of 1762 and its consequences.
annotation
Within the framework of this lecture, the historical period of 1725-1762 is considered, which received in historiography at the suggestion of V.O. Klyuchevsky name "the era of palace coups". The reasons for the folding of the monarchical regime, "limited by regicide" were the lack of not only clear mechanisms for the transfer of power, but also a broad popular support for the regime. Precisely because of this, the adoption of political decisions by the government strongly depended on the position of the guards. In this regard, "the ten-day constitutional-aristocratic monarchy of the XVIII century." (Supreme Privy Council and "conditions") can be regarded as an opportunity to change autocratic rule with a variant of a constitutional monarchy. Further, this lecture discusses such elements of the political system of the period 1725-1762 as favoritism, the guards corporation, the “dominance” of foreigners, the Secret Chancellery, the presence of bodies standing above the Senate (Supreme Council, Cabinet of Ministers, Conference at the Highest Court). We observe how, during the period under review, the Russian nobility is gradually freed from compulsory service. Thus, a departure is made from the model of the noble bureaucracy conceived by Peter I in the direction of an all-class bureaucracy. In general, we can conclude that the European landmarks of the period of palace coups prepared the ground for the spread of the ideology of the Enlightenment in Russia. Moving along this path meant not only the fall of the role of the Church, but also the abolition of the traditional model of the Russian monarchy over time.
Questions on the topic of the lecture
1. Why did the 18th century become the “epoch of palace coups”?
2. What is the reason for the comparative ease of carrying out revolutions in Russia in the 18th century?
3. How to explain the fact of the wide co-option of foreigners in the state power structures of the Russian Empire of the XVIII century?
4. How to evaluate the "conditions" proposed by the "supervisors" to Anna Ioannovna: as an aristocratic reaction or an attempt to introduce constitutional government?
5. Was there continuity in relation to the era of Peter I in the era of palace coups?
Literature
1. Alkhazashvilli D.M. The struggle for the legacy of Peter the Great. M., 2002.
2. Anisimov E.V. Elizabeth Petrovna. M., 2002.
3. Anisimov E.V. Russia without Peter. SPb., 1994.
4. Gordin Ya.I."Between slavery and freedom". January 19-February 25, 1730 St. Petersburg, 1994.
5. Mylnikov A.S. Peter III: Narrative in documents and versions. M., 2002.
6. Pavlenko N.I."Chicks of Petrov's Nest". M., 1994.
7. Pavlenko N. Ekaterina I. M., 2004.
8. Petrukhintsev N.N. The reign of Anna Ioannovna: Formation of the internal political course and the fate of the army and navy. SPb., 2001.
9. Kamensky A.B. From Peter I to Paul I: Reforms in Russia in the 18th century. Holistic analysis experience. M., 1999.
