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The reign of Catherine I. General characteristics and main events.

Every self-respecting scientist will say that the role of chance in history is minimal. However, it is worth recognizing that it was thanks to the occasion that Catherine the First was able not only to approach the royal throne, but also to occupy it. Even despite the short two-year reign, this woman entered Russian history as the first empress of Russia.

Early years before accession to the throne. Marta Skavronskaya.

Marta Skavronskaya (real name and surname of Catherine), the future empress and chosen one of Peter the Great, was born on April 15, 1684. Modern researchers of the life of the Empress and historians do not reliably know the exact place of her birth, but most of them assume that Latvia was her homeland. Opponents of this theory argue that, judging by the name of the girl, she was originally from Poland. Her childhood was not easy.

Catherine herself later said that her parents died from the plague, after which she ended up in the house of pastor Gluck (also, there are many versions of how the girl got into his family). For the first time she married when she was barely seventeen years old, and Martha's husband was a Swedish soldier who soon died in the war, leaving her a widow.

In 1702, during the rapid offensive of Russian troops on the city of Marienburg, Marta was captured. Later, in the same city, Emperor Peter the Great meets her, and then takes her away as a court lady for Princess Natalia. In the same period, Marta was baptized, as a result of which she received the name Ekaterina Alekseevna. It is worth noting that, apparently, the king himself was present during this ceremony. Attentive, cheerful and educated, Catherine has since spent a lot of time with the emperor, who, after a couple of months, can no longer imagine himself without her company. Unlike his first wife, this girl fully supports his ideas and praises the European path of development of the state, which was outlined by Peter. Moreover, Catherine accompanies the emperor in his Prussian campaigns, after which the couple decides to legalize their relationship.

The wedding of Peter I and Ekaterina Alekseevna

In 1712, Peter the Great and Ekaterina Alekseevna got married. It is worth noting that at that time they already had children in common (Elizabeth and Anna), in addition to whom the empress gave birth to the ruler nine more children, most of whom died in early childhood. In the same historical period, Peter insists on the coronation of Catherine as the ruling queen.

Death of Peter I. Accession to the throne of Catherine I.

In 1725, Peter the Great went to bed with an unknown illness from which he soon died, without presenting his successor. As usually happens, immediately after the death of the king, the struggle for the throne began. However, Catherine came out the winner, having actually arranged the first palace coup in the history of the Russian Empire.

Thus, apart from Princess Olga, who only "replaced" her son, Catherine the First became the first woman to become the head of Russia. Although, as modern historians assure us, she only fulfilled everything that the Supreme Privy Council dictated to her, which at that time was led by the main ally of the emperor Menshikov.

Domestic policy of Catherine I

Since the empress was not strong in matters of government and did not strive for this, most often, she was engaged in her own affairs. Contemporaries of the queen note that she could not live a day without attending assemblies and balls, where she did nothing but make small talk, avoiding issues that concerned politics in general and the Russian Empire in particular.

The long wars waged by Emperor Peter practically depleted the country's economy. In addition, the people were dissatisfied with the rise in the price of bread, which occurred due to lean years. In order to stop social unrest and avoid riots, Catherine was forced to reduce the poll tax.

However, not everything in the domestic politics of Russia during the reign of Catherine the Great was so sad. It is worth noting that at that time the Academy of Sciences was opened, and Bereng's first expedition to Kamchatka was equipped. In addition, the number of bureaucratic institutions was reduced, which only duplicated the functions of each other. Catherine allowed the nobles to build manufactories and sell their goods, and the state monopoly was abolished for merchants and customs duties were reduced.

Foreign policy of Catherine I

The foreign policy of the first empress of the Russian Empire was for the most part aimed at expanding the borders of the state. Under Catherine, Russia ceded the Shirvan region, and attempts were also made to recapture the Persian lands in the Caucasus.

Despite such aggressive plans of the queen, the Russian state was able to enlist the support of some Western countries. For example, friendly relations were built with Austria, Prussia, Spain, with which Russia later entered the Vienna Union.

In early 1727, Empress Catherine the First died.

Table: main events of the reign of Empress Catherine I

Events of the reign of Catherine I

The first Russian Empress Catherine I (1684-1727) ascended the throne on January 28 (February 8), 1725 as a result of a guards rebellion. From this date in the history of Russia began, and the Russian XVIII century is usually called the "women's century."

Biography of Catherine I briefly

The origin of Catherine I is still a controversial issue, but the most common version is the version of her origin from the Lithuanian peasants Skavronsky.

One way or another, after a successful assault in 1702 by Russian troops on the Swedish city of Marienburg, Field Marshal B.P. liked the strong and black-eyed Marta. Sheremetev, and then Prince A.D. drew attention to her. Menshikov.

In 1703, the fateful meeting of the future empress with Peter I took place. In 1708, Marta was baptized into Orthodoxy under the name, by this time becoming not only the mother of Peter I's children, but also his faithful friend.

In 1712, Catherine became the wife of Peter I, and in 1724 - Empress. For many years, Catherine accompanied her husband on military campaigns and peaceful affairs, consulted with her, she skillfully coped with his outbursts of anger, but the last months of their life together were overshadowed by the suspicions of Peter I of cheating on his wife with chamberlain Mons.

The emperor reconciled with Catherine before his death, but did not appoint his successor. Even earlier, in 1722, Peter I introduced a new one, replacing inheritance in the direct male line with the personal appointment of the ruling monarch.

Peter I did not have time to do this. A struggle unfolded around the throne, the winner of which was Catherine I and her associates, primarily A.D. Menshikov. It was he who was the actual ruler of Russia under Catherine I.

The main activities of Catherine I

Domestic policy:

• the creation in 1726 of the Supreme Privy Council - a new body of state power;
• declining role of the Senate;
• reduction of the tax;
• opening of the Academy of Sciences.

Foreign policy:

• conclusion of an alliance with Austria;
• deterioration of relations with England and Denmark.

The reign of Catherine I was short-lived - on May 6 (May 17), 1727, the empress died, transferring power

Ekaterina Alekseevna Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya
Coronation:
Predecessor:
Successor:
Birth:
Buried:	Peter and Paul Cathedral, St. Petersburg
Dynasty:	Romanovs (by marriage)
	According to the most common version, Samuil Skavronsky
	Assume (Anna-) Dorothea Gan
	1) Johann Kruse (or Rabe) 2) Peter I
	Anna Petrovna Elizaveta Petrovna Pyotr Petrovich Natalya Petrovna the rest died in infancy
Monogram:

early years

Origin question

1702-1725 years

Mistress of Peter I

Wife of Peter I

Rise to power

Governing body. 1725-1727 years

Foreign policy

End of reign

Question of succession

Will

Catherine I (Marta Skavronskaya, ; 1684-1727) - the Russian Empress from 1721 as the wife of the reigning emperor, from 1725 as the ruling empress; second wife of Peter I the Great, mother of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna.

According to the most common version, the real name of Catherine is Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya, later baptized by Peter I under a new name Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova. She was born in the family of a Baltic (Latvian) peasant, originally from the vicinity of Kegums, captured by Russian troops, became the mistress of Peter I, then his wife and the ruling Empress of Russia. In her honor, Peter I established the Order of St. Catherine (in 1713) and named the city of Yekaterinburg in the Urals (in 1723). The name of Catherine I is also the Catherine Palace in Tsarskoye Selo (built under her daughter Elizabeth).

early years

Information about the youth of Catherine I is contained mainly in historical anecdotes and is not sufficiently reliable.

The most common version is this. She was born on the territory of modern Latvia, in the historical region of Vidzeme, which was part of Swedish Livonia at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries.

Martha's parents died of the plague in 1684, and her uncle gave the girl to the house of the Lutheran pastor Ernst Gluck, famous for his translation of the Bible into Latvian (after the capture of Marienburg by Russian troops, Gluck, as a learned man, was taken to the Russian service, founded the first gymnasium in Moscow, taught languages ​​and wrote poetry in Russian). Martha was used in the house as a servant, she was not taught literacy.

According to the version set out in the dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, Marta's mother, having become a widow, gave her daughter to serve in the family of pastor Gluck, where she was allegedly taught to read and write and needlework.

According to another version, until the age of 12, Katerina lived with her aunt Anna-Maria Veselovskaya before she ended up in the Gluck family.

At the age of 17, Martha was married to a Swedish dragoon named Johann Cruse, just before the Russian advance on Marienburg. A day or two after the wedding, the trumpeter Johann left for the war with his regiment and, according to the widespread version, went missing.

Origin question

The search for Catherine's roots in the Baltics, carried out after the death of Peter I, showed that Catherine had two sisters - Anna and Christina, and two brothers - Karl and Friedrich. Catherine moved their families to St. Petersburg in 1726 (Karl Skavronsky moved even earlier, see Skavronsky). According to A. I. Repnin, who led the search, Khristina Skavronskaya and her husband “ lie", both of them" people are stupid and drunk", Repnin offered to send them" somewhere else, so that there are no big lies from them". Catherine awarded Karl and Friedrich in January 1727 the dignity of a count, without calling them her brothers. In the will of Catherine I, the Skavronskys are vaguely named " close relatives of her own surname". Under Elizabeth Petrovna, Catherine's daughter, immediately after her accession to the throne in 1741, the children of Christina (Gendrikova) and the children of Anna (Efimovskaya) were also elevated to count dignity. Later, the official version was that Anna, Christina, Karl and Friedrich were Catherine's brothers and sisters, children of Samuil Skavronsky.

However, since the end of the 19th century, a number of historians have questioned this relationship. The fact is pointed out that Peter I called Catherine not Skavronskaya, but Veselevskaya or Vasilevskaya, and in 1710, after the capture of Riga, in a letter to the same Repnin, he called completely different names to “my Katerina’s relatives” - “Yagan-Ionus Vasilevsky, Anna Dorothea , also their children. Therefore, other versions of the origin of Catherine were proposed, according to which she is a cousin, and not a sister of the Skavronskys who appeared in 1726.

In connection with Catherine I, another surname is called - Rabe. According to some sources, Rabe (and not Kruse) is the surname of her first husband, a dragoon (this version got into fiction, for example, A. N. Tolstoy's novel "Peter the Great"), according to others, this is her maiden name, and someone Johann Rabe was her father.

1702-1725 years

Mistress of Peter I

On August 25, 1702, during the Great Northern War, the army of the Russian Field Marshal Sheremetev, fighting against the Swedes in Livonia, took the Swedish fortress of Marienburg (now Aluksne, Latvia). Sheremetev, taking advantage of the departure of the main Swedish army to Poland, subjected the region to merciless ruin. As he himself reported to Tsar Peter I at the end of 1702:

In Marienburg, Sheremetev captured 400 inhabitants. When pastor Gluck, accompanied by his servants, came to intercede about the fate of the inhabitants, Sheremetev noticed the maid Martha Kruse and took her by force as his mistress. After a short time, around August 1703, Prince Menshikov, a friend and ally of Peter I, became its owner. This is how the Frenchman Franz Villebois, who has been in the Russian service in the navy since 1698 and married to the daughter of pastor Gluck, tells. The story of Villebois is confirmed by another source, notes of 1724 from the archive of the Duke of Oldenburg. According to these notes, Sheremetev sent pastor Gluck and all the inhabitants of the Marienburg fortress to Moscow, while Marta left himself. Menshikov, having taken Martha from the elderly field marshal a few months later, had a strong quarrel with Sheremetev.

The Scot Peter Henry Bruce in his "Memoirs" sets out the story (according to others) in a more favorable light for Catherine I. Marta was taken by the colonel of the dragoon regiment Baur (later became a general):

“[Baur] immediately ordered her to be placed in his house, which entrusted her to the cares, giving her the right to dispose of all the servants, and she soon fell in love with the new steward for her manner of household. The General later often said that his house was never as well maintained as in the days of her stay there. Prince Menshikov, who was his patron, once saw her at the general, also noting something extraordinary in her appearance and manners. Asking who she was and whether she knew how to cook, he heard in response the story just told, to which the general added a few words about her worthy position in his house. The prince said that it was in such a woman that he really needed now, for he himself was now served very poorly. To this, the general replied that he owed too much to the prince so as not to immediately fulfill what he only thought of - and immediately calling Catherine, he said that in front of her was Prince Menshikov, who needed just such a servant as she, and that the prince will do everything possible to become, like himself, her friend, adding that he respects her too much to prevent her from receiving her share of honor and a good fate.

In the autumn of 1703, on one of his regular visits to Menshikov in St. Petersburg, Peter I met Martha and soon made her his mistress, calling her in letters Katerina Vasilevskaya (perhaps by the name of her aunt). Franz Villebois relates their first meeting as follows:

“This is how things were when the tsar, traveling by post from St. Petersburg, which was then called Nyenschanz, or Noteburg, to Livonia, in order to travel further, stopped at his favorite Menshikov, where he noticed Catherine among the servants who served at the table. He asked where it came from and how he acquired it. And, speaking softly in his ear with this favorite, who answered him only with a nod of his head, he looked at Catherine for a long time and, teasing her, said that she was smart, and ended his joking speech by telling her, when she went to bed, to take light a candle in his room. It was an order, spoken in a playful tone, but not subject to any objections. Menshikov took it for granted, and the beauty, devoted to her master, spent the night in the king's room ... The next day the king left in the morning to continue his journey. He returned to his favorite what he lent him. The satisfaction of the king, which he received from his nightly conversation with Catherine, cannot be judged by the generosity that he showed. She limited herself to only one ducat, which is equal in value to half of one louis d'or (10 francs), which he thrust into her hand in a military way at parting.

In 1704, Katerina gives birth to her first child, named Peter, the next year, Paul (both died soon after).

In 1705, Peter sent Katerina to the village of Preobrazhenskoye near Moscow, to the house of his sister Tsarevna Natalya Alekseevna, where Katerina Vasilevskaya learned Russian literacy, and, in addition, became friends with the Menshikov family.

When Katerina was baptized into Orthodoxy (1707 or 1708), she changed her name to Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova, since Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich was her godfather, and Peter I himself used the surname Mikhailov if he wanted to remain incognito.

In January 1710, Peter staged a triumphal procession to Moscow on the occasion of the Poltava victory, thousands of Swedish prisoners were held at the parade, among whom, according to the story of Franz Villebois, was Johann Kruse. Johann confessed about his wife, who gave birth one after another to the Russian Tsar, and was immediately exiled to a remote corner of Siberia, where he died in 1721. According to Franz Villebois, the existence of a living legal husband of Catherine during the years of the birth of Anna (1708) and Elizabeth (1709) was later used by opposing factions in disputes over the right to the throne after the death of Catherine I. According to notes from the Duchy of Oldenburg, the Swedish dragoon Kruse died in 1705, however one must bear in mind the interest of the German dukes in the legitimacy of the birth of the daughters of Peter, Anna and Elizabeth, who were looking for suitors among the German specific rulers.

Wife of Peter I

Even before her legal marriage to Peter, Katerina gave birth to daughters Anna and Elizabeth. Katerina alone could cope with the tsar in his fits of anger, knew how to calm Peter's attacks of convulsive headache with kindness and patient attention. According to Bassevich's memoirs:

In the spring of 1711, Peter, having become attached to a charming and light-tempered former maid, ordered Catherine to be considered his wife and took her on the Prut campaign, which was unfortunate for the Russian army. The Danish envoy Just Yul, according to the words of the princesses (nieces of Peter I), wrote down this story in this way:

“In the evening, shortly before his departure, the tsar called them, his sister Natalya Alekseevna, to one house in Preobrazhenskaya Sloboda. There he took his hand and placed before them his mistress Ekaterina Alekseevna. For the future, the tsar said, they should consider her his lawful wife and Russian tsarina. Since now, due to the urgent need to go to the army, he cannot marry her, he takes her with him in order to do this on occasion in more free time. At the same time, the king made it clear that if he died before he had time to marry, then after his death they would have to look at her as his lawful wife. After that, they all congratulated (Ekaterina Alekseevna) and kissed her hand.

In Moldova in July 1711, 190,000 Turks and Crimean Tatars pressed the 38,000th Russian army to the river, completely surrounding it with numerous cavalry. Ekaterina went on a long trip, being 7 months pregnant. According to a well-known legend, she took off all her jewelry in order to bribe the Turkish commander. Peter I was able to conclude the Prut Peace and, having sacrificed the Russian conquests in the south, to withdraw the army from the encirclement. The Danish envoy Just Yul, who was with the Russian army after she left the encirclement, does not report such an act of Catherine, but says that the queen (as everyone now called Catherine) handed out her jewelry to the officers for safekeeping and then collected them. Brigadier Moreau de Brazet's notes also do not mention the bribery of the vizier with Catherine's jewels, although the author (the Brigadier Moro de Brazet) knew from the words of Turkish pashas about the exact amount of state sums aimed at bribes to the Turks.

The official wedding of Peter I with Ekaterina Alekseevna took place on February 19, 1712 in the church of St. Isaac of Dalmatsky in St. Petersburg. In 1713, in honor of the worthy behavior of his wife during the unsuccessful Prut campaign, Peter I established the Order of St. Catherine and personally laid the signs of the order on his wife on November 24, 1714. Initially, it was called the Order of Liberation and was intended only for Catherine. Peter I recalled the merits of Catherine during the Prut campaign in his manifesto on the coronation of his wife dated November 15, 1723:

In personal letters, the tsar showed an unusual tenderness for his wife: “ Katerinushka, my friend, hello! I hear that you are bored, but I am not bored either ...» Ekaterina Alekseevna gave birth to her husband 11 children, but almost all of them died in childhood, except for Anna and Elizabeth. Elizabeth later became empress (ruled in 1741-1762), and Anna's direct descendants ruled Russia after the death of Elizabeth, from 1762 to 1917. One of the sons who died in childhood, Peter Petrovich, after the abdication of Alexei Petrovich (Peter's eldest son from Evdokia Lopukhina) from February 1718 until his death in 1719, he was the official heir to the Russian throne.

Foreigners, who followed the Russian court with attention, note the tsar's affection for his wife. Bassevich writes about their relationship in 1721:

In the autumn of 1724, Peter I suspected the empress of adultery with her chamberlain Mons, who was executed for another reason. He stopped talking to her, she was denied access to him. Only once, at the request of his daughter Elizabeth, Peter agreed to dine with Catherine, who had been his inseparable friend for 20 years. Only at death did Peter reconcile with his wife. In January 1725, Catherine spent all her time at the bedside of the dying sovereign, he died in her arms.

Descendants of Peter I from Catherine I

	Year of birth	Year of death	Note
Anna Petrovna			In 1725 she married the German Duke Karl-Friedrich; left for Kiel, where she gave birth to a son, Karl Peter Ulrich (later Russian Emperor Peter III).
Elizaveta Petrovna			Russian empress since 1741.
Natalia Petrovna
Margarita Petrovna
Petr Petrovich			He was considered the official heir to the crown from 1718 until his death.
Pavel Petrovich
Natalia Petrovna

Rise to power

By a manifesto of November 15, 1723, Peter announced the future coronation of Catherine as a token of her special merits.

On May 7 (18), 1724, Peter crowned Catherine the empress in Moscow's Assumption Cathedral. This was the second coronation in Russia of a female sovereign's wife (after the coronation of Marina Mnishek by False Dmitry I in 1605).

By his law of February 5, 1722, Peter canceled the previous order of succession to the throne by a direct descendant in the male line, replacing it with the personal appointment of the reigning sovereign. Any person worthy, in the opinion of the sovereign, to head the state could become a successor according to the Decree of 1722. Peter died in the early morning of January 28 (February 8), 1725, without having time to name a successor and leaving no sons. In the absence of a strictly defined order of succession to the throne, the throne of Russia was left to chance, and the subsequent time went down in history as the era of palace coups.

The popular majority was in favor of the only male representative of the dynasty - Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich, the grandson of Peter I from his eldest son Alexei, who died during interrogations. For Pyotr Alekseevich there was a well-born nobility, who considered him the only legitimate heir, born from a marriage worthy of royal blood. Count Tolstoy, Prosecutor General Yaguzhinsky, Chancellor Count Golovkin and Menshikov, at the head of the service nobility, could not hope to retain the power received from Peter I under Peter Alekseevich; on the other hand, the coronation of the empress could be interpreted as Peter's indirect reference to the heiress. When Catherine saw that there was no longer any hope for her husband's recovery, she instructed Menshikov and Tolstoy to act in favor of their rights. The guard was devoted to adoration to the dying emperor; she transferred this attachment to Catherine.

Officers of the Guards from the Preobrazhensky Regiment came to the meeting of the Senate, knocking down the door to the room. They frankly declared that they would smash the heads of the old boyars if they went against their mother Catherine. Suddenly, a drum beat sounded from the square: it turned out that both guards regiments were lined up in front of the palace under arms. Prince Field Marshal Repnin, President of the Military Collegium, angrily asked: Who dared to bring shelves here without my knowledge? Am I not a field marshal?"Buturlin, the commander of the Semenovsky regiment, replied to Repnin that he called the regiments at the behest of the empress, to whom all subjects are obliged to obey," not excluding you he added impressively.

Thanks to the support of the guards regiments, it was possible to convince all the opponents of Catherine to give her their vote. The Senate “unanimously” elevated her to the throne, calling her “ Most Gracious, Most Powerful Grand Empress Ekaterina Alekseevna, Autocrat of All Russia”and in justification announcing the will of the late sovereign interpreted by the Senate. The people were very surprised by the accession for the first time in Russian history to the throne of a woman, but there was no unrest.

On January 28 (February 8), 1725, Catherine I ascended the throne of the Russian Empire thanks to the support of the guards and nobles who rose under Peter. In Russia, the era of the reign of empresses began, when, until the end of the 18th century, only women ruled, with the exception of a few years.

Governing body. 1725-1727 years

The actual power in the reign of Catherine was concentrated by Prince and Field Marshal Menshikov, as well as the Supreme Privy Council. Catherine was completely satisfied with the role of the first mistress of Tsarskoye Selo, relying on her advisers in matters of state administration. She was only interested in the affairs of the fleet - Peter's love for the sea also touched her.

The nobles wanted to rule with a woman, and now they really achieved their goal.

From the "History of Russia" S.M. Solovyov:

Under Peter, she did not shine with her own light, but with a light borrowed from the great man of whom she was a companion; she had the ability to keep herself at a certain height, to show attention and sympathy for the movement that took place around her; she was initiated into all the secrets, the secrets of the personal relationships of the people around her. Her position, her fear for the future, kept her mental and moral powers in constant and intense tension. But the climbing plant reached its height only thanks to that giant of the forests around which it twisted; the giant is slain - and the weak plant is spread on the ground. Catherine retained a knowledge of faces and relationships between them, retained the habit of wading between these relationships; but she had neither due attention to matters, especially internal ones, and their details, nor the ability to initiate and direct.

On the initiative of Count P. A. Tolstoy, in February 1726, a new body of state power, the Supreme Privy Council, was created, where a narrow circle of chief dignitaries could govern the Russian Empire under the formal chairmanship of a semi-literate empress. The Council included Field Marshal Prince Menshikov, Admiral General Count Apraksin, Chancellor Count Golovkin, Count Tolstoy, Prince Golitsyn, and Vice Chancellor Baron Osterman. Of the six members of the new institution, only Prince D. M. Golitsyn was a descendant of noble nobles. In April, the young prince I. A. Dolgoruky was admitted to the Supreme Privy Council.

As a result, the role of the Senate declined sharply, although it was renamed the "High Senate". The leaders jointly decided all important matters, and Catherine only signed the papers they sent. The Supreme Council liquidated the local authorities created by Peter and restored the power of the governor.

The long wars waged by Russia affected the country's finances. Due to crop failures, the price of bread rose, and discontent grew in the country. To prevent uprisings, the poll tax was reduced (from 74 to 70 kopecks).

The activities of the Catherine's government were limited mainly to petty issues, while embezzlement, arbitrariness and abuse flourished. There was no talk of any reforms and transformations; there was a struggle for power within the Council.

Despite this, the common people loved the empress because she sympathized with the unfortunate and willingly helped them. Soldiers, sailors and artisans were constantly crowding in her front rooms: some were looking for help, others asked the queen to be their godfather. She refused no one and usually gave each of her godsons a few chervonets.

During the reign of Catherine I, the Academy of Sciences was opened, the expedition of V. Bering was organized, the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky was established.

Foreign policy

During the 2 years of the reign of Catherine I, Russia did not wage major wars, only in the Caucasus a separate corps operated under the command of Prince Dolgorukov, trying to recapture the Persian territories, while Persia was in a state of unrest, and Turkey unsuccessfully fought the Persian rebels. In Europe, the case was limited to diplomatic activity in defending the interests of the Duke of Holstein (husband of Anna Petrovna, daughter of Catherine I) against Denmark.

Russia waged war with the Turks in Dagestan and Georgia. Catherine's plan to return Schleswig taken by the Danes to the Duke of Holstein led to military operations against Russia from Denmark and England. In relation to Poland, Russia tried to pursue a peaceful policy.

End of reign

Catherine I ruled for a short time. Balls, festivities, feasts and revels, which followed a continuous series, undermined her health, and on April 10, 1727, the empress fell ill. The cough, previously weak, began to intensify, a fever was discovered, the patient began to weaken day by day, signs of damage to the lung appeared. Therefore, the government had to urgently resolve the issue of succession to the throne.

Question of succession

Catherine was easily enthroned due to the infancy of Peter Alekseevich, however, in Russian society there were strong sentiments in favor of the grown-up Peter, the direct heir to the Romanov dynasty in the male line. The empress, alarmed by anonymous letters sent against the decree of Peter I of 1722 (by which the reigning sovereign had the right to appoint any successor for himself), turned to her advisers for help.

Vice-Chancellor Osterman proposed, in order to reconcile the interests of the noble and new serving nobility, to marry Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich to Princess Elizabeth Petrovna, Catherine's daughter. Their close relationship served as an obstacle, Elizabeth was Peter's own aunt. In order to avoid a possible divorce in the future, Osterman proposed to determine the order of succession to the throne more strictly when entering into a marriage.

Catherine, wanting to appoint her daughter Elizabeth (according to other sources - Anna) as her heir, did not dare to accept Osterman's project and continued to insist on her right to appoint her successor, hoping that the issue would be resolved over time. Meanwhile, the main supporter of Ekaterina Menshikov, having assessed the prospect of Peter becoming the Russian emperor, went over to the camp of his adherents. Moreover, Menshikov managed to get Catherine's consent to the marriage of Maria, Menshikov's daughter, with Peter Alekseevich.

The party led by Tolstoy, which most of all contributed to the enthronement of Catherine, could hope that Catherine would live for a long time and circumstances might change in their favor. Osterman threatened people with uprisings for Peter as the only legitimate heir; they could answer him that the army was on the side of Catherine, that it would also be on the side of her daughters. Catherine, for her part, tried to win the affection of the troops with her attention.

Menshikov managed to take advantage of the illness of Catherine, who signed on May 6, 1727, a few hours before her death, an accusatory decree against Menshikov's enemies, and on the same day Count Tolstoy and other high-ranking enemies of Menshikov were sent into exile.

Will

When the empress fell dangerously ill, members of the highest government institutions gathered in the palace to decide on a successor: the Supreme Privy Council, the Senate and the Synod. Guards officers were also invited. The Supreme Council resolutely insisted on the appointment of the infant grandson of Peter I, Peter Alekseevich, as the heir. Before his death, Bassevich hastily compiled a will, signed by Elizabeth instead of the infirm mother empress. According to the will, the throne was inherited by the grandson of Peter I, Peter Alekseevich.

Subsequent articles dealt with the guardianship of a minor emperor; determined the power of the Supreme Council, the order of succession to the throne in the event of the death of Peter Alekseevich. According to the will, in the event of Peter's childless death, Anna Petrovna and her descendants became his successor, then her younger sister Elizaveta Petrovna and her descendants, and only then Peter II's sister Natalya Alekseevna. At the same time, those applicants for the throne who were not of the Orthodox faith or who already reigned abroad were excluded from the order of succession. It was to the will of Catherine I that 14 years later Elizaveta Petrovna referred in the manifesto, setting out her rights to the throne after the palace coup of 1741.

The 11th article of the will amazed those present. It ordered all the nobles to contribute to the betrothal of Peter Alekseevich with one of the daughters of Prince Menshikov, and then, upon reaching adulthood, to promote their marriage. Literally: “Our princesses and the government of the administration also have to try to arrange a marriage between his love [Grand Duke Peter] and one princess of Prince Menshikov.”

Such an article clearly testified to the person who participated in the preparation of the will, however, for Russian society, the right of Peter Alekseevich to the throne - the main article of the will - was indisputable, and there were no unrest.

Later, Empress Anna Ioannovna ordered Chancellor Golovkin to burn the spiritual Catherine I. He did, nevertheless keeping a copy of the will.

Catherine I Alekseevna - Empress of All Russia. Path to the throne

After the death of Peter I, who did not have time to name his heir, the struggle for power unfolded between two groups: the old and the new aristocracy. The old aristocracy wanted to see on the throne the grandson of Peter I - Peter II, the ten-year-old son of Tsarevich Alexei. The new aristocracy (former associates of Peter I, who advanced under him to the heights of power) unanimously supported the wife of Peter I - Catherine. However, the dispute was decided by the imperial guard, which from now on will become a participant and decisive force in all subsequent palace coups. She supported Catherine I (1725-1727).

Domestic policy of Catherine I

The new empress had no experience in governing a vast country. In fact, the all-powerful A.D. ruled on her behalf during these years. Menshikov, who enjoys unlimited influence on the Empress.

But even after the accession of Catherine 1, the struggle for power continued. She walked all of her short reign. In order to eliminate the intensity of the struggle, Menshikov was forced to compromise with the old aristocracy, which resulted in a new government body - the Supreme Privy Council (1726), which had the highest legislative rights, to which the Senate and all colleges were subordinate. Its members were mainly representatives of the new aristocracy. However, even from the “old” aristocracy, D.M. Golitsyn. Headed the Privy Council Menshikov.

The short reign of Catherine I was marked by the following deeds:

The Academy of Sciences was officially opened (1725) and the first expedition of V. Bering to Kamchatka was sent.

The Chief Magistrate was liquidated, the number of bureaucratic institutions was reduced.

The poll tax has decreased somewhat.

In the interests of the development of noble entrepreneurship, the Empress allowed the nobles to sell goods in cities, ports and markets, as well as to start manufactories for the processing of "home goods".

In the interests of the merchants, the state monopoly was abolished and customs duties on certain types of goods were reduced.

In general, the policy of Catherine I was pro-noble.

Dying, under the pressure of A.D. Menshikov, Catherine I ordered to make Peter II her heir.

Peter II

Peter II (1715-1730) - Russian emperor (1727-1730), grandson of Peter I, son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich. In fact, during his reign, power was in the hands of the Supreme Privy Council, headed by A.D. Menshikov. By this time, the ambitious A.D. Menshikov came up with the idea of ​​intermarrying with Peter II, marrying his daughter Maria to him in order to continue to remain the de facto ruler of Russia. Originally A.D. Menshikov succeeded. He retained his position at court, completely subjugated the young king, achieved his betrothal to his daughter, disposed of in the Supreme Privy Council, even assigning himself the title of Generalissimo.

However, the "prosperity" of A.D. Menshikov under the new young emperor did not last long. His fatal mistake, historians believe, was the transfer to Osterman of the daily direct guardianship of Peter II. As a result of the deceit and intrigues of Osterman and Dolgoruky, the all-powerful A.D. Menshikov was arrested in September 1727, removed from all posts and sent to Siberian exile in the city of Berezovsk along with his family.

The fall of Menshikov meant, in fact, a palace coup.

The reign and death of Peter II

Twelve-year-old Emperor Peter II soon declared himself a full-fledged ruler. This ended the regency of the Supreme Council.

At court, Alexei Dolgoruky, a narrow-minded intriguer, gained great influence, who came to the fore thanks to a reckless son who spent time with Tsar Peter II in drinking parties, rude entertainment and hunting (out of 21 months of his reign, Peter II spent 8 months hunting). Dolgoruky, like Menshikov, tried to consolidate their influence on the king by marrying him to the daughter of Alexei Dolgorukov Catherine.

Changes in the country were suspended. The outward manifestation of this was the move of the court to Moscow, underlining the disregard for St. Petersburg, the fleet and Peter's institutions in general.

In January 1730, on the day of his marriage to Catherine Dolgoruky, Peter II died unexpectedly.

Anna Ioannovna

After the death of Peter I, the Supreme Privy Council was convened to decide who would continue to rule Russia.

The “Verkhovniki” decided that under these conditions, the daughters of Ivan V, the half-brother of Peter I, with whom they ruled together (Peter I and Ivan V) during the period of the two kingdoms (1682-1696), have the right to the throne. Of these, the most worthy to take the Russian throne, according to the leaders, was Anna. Anna Ioannovna, who left Russia long ago, according to the leaders, did not have her supporters here, on whom she could rely. In addition, they planned to limit her power.

Events of the government of Anna Ioannovna

The Supreme Privy Council was initially replaced by the restored Senate.

But a year later, the Senate was pushed into the background by Her Majesty's Cabinet, which was in the nature of an advisory and executive body under the Empress and had much in common with the Supreme Privy Council.

Anna Ioannovna was weary of state affairs. In 1735, in an effort to get rid of them, she issued a decree according to which the signatures of three Cabinet ministers were equated with her own.

The policy of Anna Ioannovna as a whole was pro-noble. The measures taken by her contributed to the consolidation of this estate:

in 1730 and 1731 Peter's decree on single inheritance was canceled, according to which the father's estate passed to only one son, and the rest had to serve;

in 1732, a corps of cadets was opened, after which the nobles immediately received officer ranks and began to serve not from privates, as under Peter I, but as officers.

in December 1736, a decree appeared, according to which the term of service of the nobles began not from 15 years, as under Peter I, but from 20, and was not indefinite, as under Peter I, but was limited to 25 years.

Before her death, the Empress chose Ivan Antonovich as her heir - the great-grandson of Tsar Ivan V (Alekseevich), the son of her niece Anna Leopoldovna. But since he was still a baby, Biron was appointed regent. The Empress died on October 17, 1740.

Ivan VI Antonovich, Russian Emperor

Nominal Russian emperor (October 17, 1740 - November 25, 1741). After the death of Anna Ioannovna, the struggle for power intensified. Biron, appointed regent for Ivan VI, was arrested on November 8, 1740 by Field Marshal Munnich during a coup d'état. However, Munnich himself was soon dismissed by Osterman. Under these conditions, the noble guard decided to restore Peter's heirs to the throne. On November 25, 1741, another guards coup was carried out, during which the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth Petrovna, the Young Emperor Ivan VI, came to power, his parents and many foreigners who held key positions in the state were arrested. The fate of Ivan VI Antonovich, who was deposed from the throne, was tragic. For many years he was a prisoner of the Shlisselburg fortress. Killed in 1764 during an attempted liberation.

Foreign policy of Catherine I

There was no deviation from the course of Peter the Great in international relations. As for Europe, Russia supported the claims of the Holstein Duke Karl Friedrich (son-in-law of the empress and father of Peter III) to Schleswig. This led to a deterioration in relations with Denmark and England. As a result, in 1726 Russia joined the Vienna Union (Austria, Prussia, Spain). Also, Russia gained exclusive influence in Courland and achieved concessions from Turkey and Persia in the Caucasus, and took possession of the Shirvan region.

During the 2 years of the reign of Catherine I, Russia did not wage major wars, only in the Caucasus there was a separate corps under the command of Prince Dolgorukov.

In Europe, Russia was diplomatically active in defending the interests of the Duke of Holstein (husband of Anna Petrovna, daughter of Catherine I) against Denmark. The preparation of an expedition by Russia to return Schleswig, taken by the Danes, to the Duke of Holstein led to a military demonstration in the Baltic by Denmark and England.

In 1726, the government of Catherine I concluded the Treaty of Vienna with the government of Charles VI, which became the basis of the Russian-Austrian military-political alliance in the second quarter of the 18th century.

Catherine died of a lung disease on May 6, 1727. Under pressure from A.D. Menshikov, the empress signed a will, according to which the Russian throne passed to the grandson of Peter the Great, Peter Alekseevich.

Conclusion on the reign of Catherine I:

In general, the policy of Catherine I was pro-noble. The new empress had no experience in governing a vast country. In fact, the all-powerful A.D. ruled on her behalf during these years. Menshikov, who enjoys unlimited influence on the Empress. The reign of Catherine I can be called a failure.

But it is worth noting that the short reign of Catherine I was marked by the following things:

• 1) The Academy of Sciences was officially opened (1725) and the first expedition of V. Bering was sent to Kamchatka.
• 2) The cavalier order of Alexander Nevsky was established in May 1725
• 3) A new body of state power was created - the Supreme Privy Council
• 4) The Chief Magistrate was liquidated, the number of bureaucratic institutions was reduced.
• 5) The poll tax has decreased somewhat.
• 6) In the interests of the development of noble entrepreneurship, the Empress allowed the nobles to sell goods in cities, ports and markets, as well as to start manufactories for the processing of "home goods".
• 7) In the interests of the merchants, the state monopoly was abolished and customs duties on certain types of goods were reduced.