The results of the palace coups 1725 1762 table. The era of palace coups briefly. Assessment of the era of palace coups

He died on January 28, 1725, without appointing a successor to the throne. A long struggle of various noble groups for power began.

In 1725 A.D. Menshikov - a representative of the new tribal nobility - enthroned the widow of Peter the 1st - Catherine the 1st. To strengthen her power in 1726, the Empress established the Supreme Privy Council. It included associates of Peter the 1st: A.D. Menshikov, Count P.A. Tolstoy, F.M. Apraksin, M.M. Golitsyn. From 1726 to 1730, the council, limiting the power of the senate, actually decided all state affairs.

Supported by the guards, with the help of France and Sweden, she arrested and imprisoned the baby emperor, exiled I. Minich, A.I. Osterman and other foreigners who claimed power. During her reign, there was a return to the Petrine orders and their strengthening.

Elizabeth pursued a policy of strengthening the rights and privileges of the nobility. The landowners were given the right to sell peasants as recruits. Customs fees have been abolished.

The aggressive policy of Prussia forced Russia to conclude an alliance with Austria, France and Sweden. The 100,000th Russian army was sent to the territory of Austria against Prussia.

In the summer of 1757, Russian troops, having entered Prussia, inflicted a crushing defeat on the Prussians near the village of Gross-Egersdorf. In 1758 Koenigsberg was taken. In the same year, the main battle took place with the main forces of King Frederick II near Zorndorf. The Russian army under the command of General P.S. Saltykov, with the support of the allied Austrian troops, as a result of a bloody battle, practically destroyed the Prussian army. The capture of Berlin in 1760 brought Prussia to the brink of disaster. She was saved from this by the death of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, which occurred on December 25, 1761.

After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, her nephew Peter 3rd (1761-1762) ascended the throne, who ended the war and returned all previously conquered lands to the Prussian king Frederick 2nd. He made peace with Prussia and entered into a military alliance with Frederick II. Peter III did not understand the beliefs and customs of the Russian Orthodox Church and neglected them. The Prussian policy caused dissatisfaction with his reign and led to the growth of the popularity of his wife, Sophia Frederick Augusta of Zerbst. Unlike her husband, she, being a German, converted to Orthodoxy, observed fasts, and attended divine services. According to Orthodox traditions, she became.

On June 29, 1762, with the help of the guardsmen of the Izmailovsky and Semenovsky regiments, Catherine seized power. Peter the 3rd signed the act of renunciation, after which he died at the hands of security officers.

The most important and interesting stage in the history of Russia was the period from 1725 to 1762. During this time, six monarchs have changed, each of which was backed by certain political forces. very aptly called it that - the era of palace coups. The table presented in the article will help to better understand the course of events. The change of power, as a rule, took place through intrigues, betrayals, and murders.

It all started with the unexpected death of Peter I. He left behind the "Charter of Succession" (1722), according to which a large number of people could claim power.

The end of this troubled era is considered the coming to power of Catherine II. Many historians consider her reign to be the era of enlightened absolutism.

Prerequisites for palace coups

The main reason for all the previous events was the contradictions between the many noble groups regarding the succession to the throne. They were united only in the fact that a temporary stop should be made in the implementation of reforms. Each of them saw such a respite in his own way. Also, all groups of nobles equally zealously rushed to power. Therefore, the era of palace coups, the table of which is given below, was limited only to the change of the top.

We have already mentioned the decision of Peter I regarding the succession to the throne. He broke the traditional mechanism by which power was transferred from the monarch to the senior male representative.

Peter I did not want to see his son after him on the throne because he was an opponent of reforms. Therefore, he decided that the monarch himself would be able to name the applicant. However, he died, leaving on paper the phrase "Give it all ...".

The masses were alienated from politics, the nobles could not share the throne - the state was overwhelmed by the struggle for power. Thus began the era of palace coups. The scheme, the table will allow you to better trace the blood ties of all contenders for the throne.

Coup of 1725 (Ekaterina Alekseevna)

At this time, two opposing groups formed. The first consisted of A. Osterman and A. Menshikov. They sought to transfer power to the widow of Peter Alekseevna.

The second group, which included the Duke of Holstein, wanted to enthrone Peter II (son of Alexei and grandson of Peter I).

A. Menshikov had a clear predominance, who managed to gain the support of the guards and put Catherine I on the throne. However, she did not have the ability to govern the state, so in 1726 the Great Privy Council was created. He became the highest government body.

The actual ruler was A. Menshikov. He subjugated the Council and enjoyed the unlimited confidence of the Empress. He was also one of the leading figures when the rulers of the era of palace coups changed (the table explains everything).

Accession of Peter II in 1727

The reign lasted just over two years. After her death, the question of succession again hung over the state.

This time the "Holstein group" was headed by Anna Petrovna. She initiated a conspiracy against A. Menshikov and A. Osterman, which ended unsuccessfully. The young Peter was recognized as sovereign. A. Osterman became his mentor and educator. However, he failed to exert the necessary influence on the monarch, although he was still enough to prepare and carry out the overthrow of A. Menshikov in 1727.

The reign of Anna Ioannovna since 1730

He stayed on the throne for three years and died suddenly. And again the main question becomes the following: "Who will take the throne?". Thus continued the era of palace coups. The table of events is shown below.

Dolgoruky appear on the arena of events, who attempt the accession of Catherine Dolgoruky. She was the bride of Peter II.

The attempt failed, and the Golitsyns nominated their candidate. She became Anna Ioannovna. She was crowned only after the signing of the Conditions with the Supreme Privy Council, which had not yet lost its influence.

Conditions limited the power of the monarch. Soon the empress tears up the documents she signed and returns the autocracy. She decides the issue of succession to the throne in advance. Unable to have children of her own, she declared her niece's child to be the future heir. He will be known as Peter III.

However, by 1740, a son, John, was born to Elizabeth Petrovna and a representative of the Welf family, who became the monarch immediately after the death of Anna Ioannovna in two months. Biron is recognized as its regent.

1740 and Minich's coup

The reign of the regent lasted two weeks. The coup was organized by Field Marshal Munnich. He was supported by the guard, who arrested Biron and appointed the baby's mother as regent.

The woman was not able to govern the state, and Minich took everything into his own hands. He was subsequently replaced by A. Osterman. He also dismissed the field marshal. The era of palace coups (table below) united these rulers.

The accession of Elizabeth Petrovna from 1741

On November 25, 1741, another coup took place. It passed quickly and bloodlessly, the power was in the hands of Elizabeth Petrovna, daughter of Peter I. She raised the guard behind her with a short speech and proclaimed herself empress. Count Vorontsov helped her in this.

The young ex-emperor and his mother were imprisoned in the fortress. Minich, Osterman, Levenvolde were sentenced to death, but it was replaced with exile in Siberia.

rules for over 20 years.

The coming to power of Peter III

Elizaveta Petrovna saw her father's relative as the successor. So she brought her nephew from Holstein. He was given the name Peter III, he converted to Orthodoxy. The Empress was not happy with the character of the future heir. In an effort to rectify the situation, she assigned teachers to him, but this did not help.

To continue the family, Elizaveta Petrovna married him to the German princess Sophia, who would become Catherine the Great. They had two children - son Pavel and daughter Anna.

Before her death, Elizabeth will be advised to appoint Paul as her heir. However, she did not dare to do so. After her death, the throne passed to her nephew. His policy was very unpopular both among the people and among the nobles. At the same time, after the death of Elizabeth Petrovna, he was in no hurry to be crowned. This was the reason for the coup on the part of his wife Catherine, over whom the threat had long hung (this was often stated by the emperor). It officially ended the era of the palace coup (the table contains additional information about the children's nickname of the empress).

June 28, 1762. The reign of Catherine II

Having become the wife of Peter Fedorovich, Catherine began to study the Russian language and traditions. She quickly absorbed new information. This helped her distract herself after two unsuccessful pregnancies and the fact that her long-awaited son Pavel was taken away from her immediately after birth. She saw him only after 40 days. Elizabeth was involved in his upbringing. She dreamed of becoming an empress. She had such an opportunity, since Pyotr Fedorovich did not pass the coronation. Elizabeth took advantage of the support of the guards and overthrew her husband. Most likely, he was killed, although the official version was called death from colic.

Her reign lasted 34 years. She refused to become regent for her son and gave him the throne only after her death. Her reign is attributed to the era of enlightened absolutism. More briefly, everything was presented by the table "Palace coups".

Summarized information

The coming to power of Catherine ended the era of the palace coup. The table does not consider the emperors who ruled after it, although Paul also left the throne due to a conspiracy.

In order to better understand everything that is happening, one should consider the events and the people who are associated with them through generalizing information on the topic “The era of palace coups” (briefly).

The table of palace coups clearly describes the main events of that time.

The results of the era of palace coups

Palace coups were reduced only to the struggle for power. They did not bring changes in the political and social sphere. The nobles divided the right to power among themselves, as a result of which six rulers were replaced in 37 years.

Socio-economic stabilization was associated with Elizabeth I and Catherine II. They were also able to achieve certain successes in the foreign policy of the state.

(January 28, 1725) began a long and cruel struggle of noble groups for power and the enthronement of their protege. Menshikov had the greatest influence at that time. It was he who in 1725 enthroned Catherine 1 (the widow of Peter 1). She, in order to strengthen her power and her position, established the Supreme Privy Council. It included many faithful associates of Peter (Apraksin, Tolstoy, Glytsin, and, of course, Menshikov). Until 1730, all important state affairs were decided by the secret council.

The Empress named her heir in the will of Peter 2, the grandson of Peter the Great, who at that time was 12 years old. The sympathies of the young emperor managed to win the Golitsins. And, in the end, Menshikov and his entire family were exiled. The Supreme Privy Council included representatives of two more noble families - the Golitsins and Dolgorukis. The power of the Privy Council was further strengthened. In fact, it was he who ruled the country.

Peter 2 died early - from smallpox. And in 1730 Anna Ioannovna ascended the throne. Initially, she agreed to the demand of the Supreme Privy Council to limit her power and signed the relevant papers. But, after accession to the throne, the “conditions” were broken, and the Supreme Privy Council was dissolved. Its members were persecuted. The German Biron ruled the country at that time - the favorite of the Empress. The next decade was marked by the plundering of the country's treasury and the dominance of foreigners. Anna Ioannovna declared her sister's three-month-old grandson heir to the throne. Biron became regent under him. Soon the regency passed to the baby's mother, Anna Leopoldovna. But, she did not manage to stay in power for a long time. On the night of November 24-25, 1741, Elizaveta Petrovna (1741 - 1761), with the support of the guards, carried out a coup d'état. The legitimate emperor was exiled to Siberia, as well as influential foreigners (Minnich, Osterman). At the age of 23, John was killed while trying to free himself. The country for some time returned to the orders of Peter 1. Customs duties were abolished, and the rights of the nobility were increased. The landowners were given the right to sell their peasants as recruits.

In 1756 the Seven Years' War began. Russia, in alliance with Austria, Sweden and France, opposed Prussia. The 100,000-strong Russian army entered the war and was able to inflict a crushing defeat on the enemy. In 1758, Koenigsberg was taken, in the main battle near Zorndorf, the army of Friedrich 2 was actually destroyed. But, Prussia was saved by the death of Elizabeth Petrovna on December 25, 1761.

Peter 3 (her nephew) sincerely admired Frederick and, having returned all the conquered lands to Prussia, he made peace and a military alliance with him. This, coupled with a disregard for Orthodox traditions and customs, led to dissatisfaction with his rule from all walks of life. On the contrary, his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna (Sofia Frederica Augusta) became more and more popular. Supported by the guardsmen of the Semenovsky and Izmailovsky regiments, she seized power and forced her husband to sign a renunciation. Shortly thereafter, Peter 3 was killed. Thus ended the era of palace coups, briefly described in this article. The country entered the golden age of Catherine's reign.

Happy time of day everyone! Today I decided to create a new useful material for preparing for the exam in history. He designed such a historical phenomenon as the Palace coups in the form of a table. As soon as I sat down to work, I realized that the table was turning... the table was turning into an infocard. It turned out well, but it's not for me to judge, but for you. Link to it at the end of the post. In the meantime, let me remind you of the important points on this topic.

Preconditions for the Palace Coups

• Peter the Great rotted his son Alexei in prison. This left himself without direct male heirs.
• Peter left a decree according to which the monarch himself can appoint a successor to himself.

Cause

Peter the Great never appointed himself an heir, which created the question of power, which escalated right after his death.

Key Features

Favoritism. During the entire period of palace coups, the throne was occupied by people essentially unable to rule independently. Therefore, in reality, the power belonged to temporary workers, favorites.

Guard intervention. The guard became a political force, removing various rulers at will. The reason for this was that the nobility was beginning to realize that its position depended on the loyalty of the monarch.

Frequent change of rulers. All rulers in the era of palace coups are presented in a table-scheme. The rulers were replaced for a variety of reasons: due to illness, or from natural causes, or simply another, more efficient ruler was in time.

Appeal to the activities of Peter the Great. Each representative of the dynasty, who was on the throne, certainly declared that he would rule only in accordance with the "spirit" of Peter the Great. In reality, only Catherine the Second succeeded, which is why she was called the great one.

Chronological framework

According to the definition of the chronological framework of the Palace coups, there are several positions:

• 1725 - 1762 - starting from the death of Peter the Great and ending with the accession of Catherine II.
• 1725 - 1801 - since the reign of Paul the First also ended with a coup.

Many historians consider the Decembrist uprising on December 14, 1825 an attempt at another Palace coup.

Table

Once again I will say that the table itself turned out to be more in the form of an info card. To download drag her to you, like:

DOWNLOAD THE TABLE OF PALACE COUPLES=>>

Yes, guys, at the same time unsubscribe in the comments - is the info card useful or not, to do such in the future or not?

There are still in the years in the Great Patriotic War. Other info cards on history (on the First World War, on the Roman Empire, on the French Revolution, on the New Economic Policy, on War Communism, on Nicholas II, etc., etc.) are attached to the video course « »

Sincerely, Andrey Puchkov

The era of palace coups

The era of palace coups is considered the time from 1725 to 1862 - approximately 37 years. In 1725, Peter I died, without transferring the throne to anyone, after which a struggle for power began, which was marked by a number of palace coups.

The author of the term "palace coups" is the historian IN. Klyuchevsky. He designated another time period for this phenomenon in Russian history: 1725-1801, since in 1801 the last palace coup in the Russian Empire took place, ending with the death of Paul I and the accession of Alexander I Pavlovich.

To understand the reason for the series of palace coups of the 18th century, one should return to the era of Peter I, or rather, to 1722, when he issued the Decree on the succession to the throne. The decree abolished the custom of transferring the royal throne to direct descendants in the male line and provided for the appointment of an heir to the throne at the will of the monarch. Peter I issued a Decree on the succession to the throne due to the fact that his son, Tsarevich Alexei, was not a supporter of the reforms he was carrying out and grouped the opposition around him. After the death of Alexei in 1718, Peter I was not going to transfer power to his grandson Peter Alekseevich, fearing for the future of his reforms, but he himself did not have time to appoint a successor.

N. Ge "Peter I interrogates Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich in Peterhof"

After his death, his widow was proclaimed empress Catherine I, which relied on one of the court groups.

Catherine I occupied the Russian throne for a little more than two years, she left a will: she appointed Grand Duke Peter Alekseevich as her successor and outlined in detail the order of succession to the throne, and all copies of the Decree on succession to the throne under Peter II Alekseevich were confiscated.

But Peter II died, also without leaving a will and heir, and then the Supreme Privy Council (established in February 1726 with members: Field Marshal General His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, General Admiral Count Fyodor Matveyevich Apraksin, State Chancellor Count Gavriil Ivanovich Golovkin, Count Peter Andreevich Tolstoy, Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn, Baron Andrei Ivanovich Osterman, and then Duke Karl Friedrich Holstein - as we see, almost all of the "chicks of Petrov's nest") were elected empress Anna Ioannovna.

Before her death, she appointed her successor John Antonovich, also describing in detail the further line of inheritance.

Deposed John Elizaveta Petrovna relied in substantiating her rights to the throne on the will of Catherine I.

A few years later, her nephew Pyotr Fedorovich was appointed Elizabeth's heir ( Peter III), after the accession to the throne of which his son became the heir PaulI Petrovich.

But soon after that, as a result of a coup, power passed to the wife of Peter III Catherine II, referring to the "will of all subjects", while Paul remained the heir, although Catherine, according to a number of data, considered the option of depriving him of the right to inherit.

Having ascended the throne, in 1797, on the day of his coronation, Paul I published the Manifesto on the succession to the throne, compiled by him and his wife Maria Feodorovna during the life of Catherine. According to this manifesto, which canceled Peter's decree, "the heir was determined by the law itself" - Paul's intention was to exclude in the future the situation of removal of legitimate heirs from the throne and the exclusion of arbitrariness.

But the new principles of succession to the throne for a long time were not perceived not only by the nobility, but even by members of the imperial family: after the assassination of Paul in 1801, his widow Maria Feodorovna, who drafted the Manifesto of Succession with him, cried out: “I want to reign!”. The manifesto of Alexander I on accession to the throne also contained the Petrine wording: “and his Imperial Majesty’s heir, who will be appointed”, despite the fact that, according to the law, Alexander’s heir was his brother Konstantin Pavlovich, who secretly renounced this right, which also contradicted the Manifesto of Paul I.

The Russian succession to the throne stabilized only after the accession to the throne of Nicholas I. Here is such a long preamble. And now in order. So, CatherineI, PeterII, Anna Ioannovna, Ioann Antonovich, Elizaveta Petrovna, PeterIII, CatherineII, PavelI…

CatherineI

Catherine I. Portrait of an unknown artist

PeterII Alekseevich

Emperor of All Russia, son of Tsarevich Alexei Petrovich and Princess Charlotte-Sophia of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, grandson of Peter I and Evdokia Lopukhina. He was born on October 12, 1715. He lost his mother at the age of 10, and his father fled to Vienna with the serf of his teacher N. Vyazemsky, Efrosinya Fedorovna. Peter I returned the recalcitrant son, forced him to renounce the right to the throne and sentenced him to death. There is a version that Alexei Petrovich was strangled in the Peter and Paul Fortress, without waiting for her execution.

Peter I did not care about his grandson, as he assumed in him, as in his son, an opponent of reforms, an adherent of the old Moscow way of life. Little Peter was taught not just “something and somehow”, but also anyone, so he practically did not receive education by the time he ascended the throne.

I. Wedekind "Portrait of Peter II"

But Menshikov had his own plans: he convinced Catherine I in her will to appoint Peter as heir, and after her death he ascended the throne. Menshikov betrothed him to his daughter Maria (Peter was only 12 years old), moved him to his house and in fact began to run the state himself, regardless of the opinion of the Supreme Privy Council. Baron A. Osterman, as well as Academician Goldbach and Archbishop F. Prokopovich, were appointed to train the young emperor. Osterman was a clever diplomat and a talented teacher, he captivated Peter with his witty lessons, but at the same time set him up against Menshikov (the struggle for power in a different version! Osterman “bet” on Dolgoruky: a foreigner in Russia, albeit crowned with the glory of a skilled diplomat, can manage its policy only in close alliance with the Russians). It all ended with the fact that Peter II removed Menshikov from power, taking advantage of his illness, deprived him of his ranks and fortune, and exiled him with his family, first to the Ryazan province, and then to Berezov, Tobolsk province.

So, the mighty Menshikov fell, but the struggle for power continued - now, as a result of intrigues, the princes Dolgoruky get the championship, who involve Peter in a wild life, revelry, and, having learned about his passion for hunting, take him away from the capital for many weeks.

On February 24, 1728, the coronation of Peter II takes place, but he is still far from state affairs. Dolgoruky betrothed him to Princess Ekaterina Dolgoruky, the wedding was scheduled for January 19, 1730, but he caught a cold, fell ill with smallpox and died on the morning of the proposed wedding, he was only 15 years old. So the Romanov family was cut off in the male line.

What can be said about the personality of Peter II? Let's listen to the historian N. Kostomarov: “Peter II did not reach the age when a person's personality is determined. Although contemporaries praised his abilities, natural mind and kind heart, but these were only hopes for a good future. His behavior did not give the right to expect from him in time a good ruler of the state. He not only disliked teaching and deeds, but hated both; nothing fascinated him in the state sphere; he was completely absorbed in fun, being all the time under someone's influence.

During his reign, the Supreme Privy Council was mainly in power.

Board results: decrees on streamlining the collection of poll tax from the population (1727); restoration of the hetman's power in Little Russia; promulgation of the Bill Charter; ratified a trade agreement with China.

Anna Ioannovna

L. Caravak "Portrait of Anna Ioannovna"

After the untimely death of Peter II, the issue of succession to the throne is again on the agenda. There was an attempt to enthrone the bride of Peter II, Catherine Dolgoruky, but she was unsuccessful. Then the Golitsyns, rivals of the Dolgoruky, put forward their own candidate - the niece of Peter I, Anna of Kurland. But Anna came to power by signing the terms. What is it - the "conditions" (conditions) of Anna Ioannovna?

This is an act that was drawn up by the members of the Supreme Privy Council and which Anna Ioannovna had to fulfill: not to marry, not to appoint an heir, not to have the right to declare war and make peace, introduce new taxes, reward and punish subordinate top officials. The main author of the conditions was Dmitry Golitsyn, but the document, drawn up immediately after the death of Peter II, was read out only on February 2, 1730, so the bulk of the nobility could only guess about its content and be content with rumors and assumptions. When the conditions were made public, there was a split among the nobility. On January 25, Anna signed the conditions proposed to her, but when she arrived in Moscow, she accepted a deputation of opposition nobles, concerned about the strengthening of the power of the Supreme Privy Council, and with the help of officers of the guards regiments, on February 28, 1730, she swore the nobility as a Russian autocrat, and also publicly refused from conditions. On March 4, she abolishes the Supreme Privy Council, and on April 28 she solemnly crowns herself and appoints her favorite E. Biron as chief chamberlain. The era of Bironovism begins.

A few words about the personality of Anna Ioannovna.

She was born on January 28, 1693, was the fourth daughter of Tsar Ivan V (brother and co-ruler of Peter I) and Tsarina Praskovya Feodorovna Saltykova, granddaughter of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. She was brought up in an extremely unfavorable environment: her father was a weak-minded person, and she did not get along with her mother from early childhood. Anna was haughty and not of a high mind. Her teachers could not even teach the girl to write correctly, but she achieved "bodily well-being." Peter I, guided by political interests, married his niece to the Duke of Courland Friedrich Wilhelm, the nephew of the Prussian king. Their marriage took place on October 31, 1710 in St. Petersburg, in the palace of Prince Menshikov, and after that the couple spent a long time in feasts in the capital of Russia. But, as soon as he left St. Petersburg for his possessions at the beginning of 1711, Friedrich-Wilhelm died on the way to Mitava - as they suspected, due to immoderate excesses. So, not having time to be a wife, Anna becomes a widow and moves to her mother in the village of Izmailovo near Moscow, and then to St. Petersburg. But in 1716, by order of Peter I, she left for permanent residence in Courland.

And now she is the All-Russian Empress. Her reign, according to the historian V. Klyuchevsky, “is one of the dark pages of our empire, and the darkest spot on it is the empress herself. Tall and obese, with a face more masculine than feminine, callous by nature and even more hardened during her early widowhood amid diplomatic intrigues and court adventures in Courland, she brought to Moscow an evil and poorly educated mind with a fierce thirst for belated pleasures and entertainment. Her courtyard was full of luxury and bad taste and was filled with crowds of jesters, tricksters, buffoons, storytellers ... Lazhechnikov tells about her "amusements" in the book "Ice House". She loved horseback riding and hunting, in Peterhof in her room there were always loaded guns ready for shooting from the window at flying birds, and in the Winter Palace they specially arranged an arena for her, where they drove wild animals, which she shot.

She was completely unprepared to govern the state, besides, she did not have the slightest desire to govern it. But she surrounded herself with foreigners completely dependent on her, who, according to V. Klyuchevsky, "fell into Russia, like cheese from a holey bag, stuck around the courtyard, sat down on the throne, climbed into all profitable places in management."

Portrait of E. Biron. Unknown artist

All affairs under Anna Ioannovna were run by her favorite E. Biron. The cabinet of ministers created by Osterman was subordinate to him. The army was commanded by Munnich and Lassi, and the yard was commanded by the bribe taker and passionate gambler Count Levenvold. In April 1731, a secret investigative office (torture chamber) began to work, supporting the authorities with denunciations and torture.

Board results: the position of the nobility was significantly facilitated - they were assigned the exclusive right to own peasants; military service lasted 25 years, and by a manifesto of 1736, one of the sons, at the request of his father, was allowed to stay at home to manage the household and train him in order to be fit for civil service.

In 1731, the law on single inheritance was repealed.

In 1732, the first cadet corps was opened to educate the nobility.

The subjugation of Poland continued: the Russian army under the command of Minich took Danzig, while losing more than 8 thousand of our soldiers.

In 1736-1740. there was a war with Turkey. The reason for it was the constant raids of the Crimean Tatars. As a result of the campaigns of Lassi, who took Azov in 1739, and Minikh, who captured Perekop and Ochakov in 1736, won a victory at Stauchany in 1739, after which Moldavia accepted Russian citizenship, the Belgrade peace was concluded. As a result of all these military operations, Russia lost about 100 thousand people, but still did not have the right to keep a navy in the Black Sea, and could only use Turkish ships for trade.

To keep the royal court in luxury, it was necessary to introduce raids, extortionate expeditions. Many representatives of ancient noble families were executed or sent into exile: Dolgorukovs, Golitsyns, Yusupovs and others. Chancellor A.P. Volynsky, together with like-minded people, in 1739 drew up a "Project for the Correction of State Affairs", which contained demands for the protection of the Russian nobility from the dominance of foreigners. According to Volynsky, the government in the Russian Empire should be monarchical with the broad participation of the nobility as the dominant class in the state. The next governmental instance after the monarch should be the senate (as it was under Peter the Great); then comes the lower government, from representatives of the lower and middle nobility. Estates: spiritual, urban and peasant - received, according to Volynsky's project, significant privileges and rights. All were required to be literate, and the clergy and nobility were required to have a broader education, the hotbeds of which were to serve as academies and universities. Many reforms were also proposed to improve justice, finance, trade, etc. For this they paid with execution. Moreover, Volynsky was sentenced to a very cruel execution: to put him alive on a stake, having previously cut out his tongue; to quarter his like-minded people and then cut off their heads; confiscate the estates and exile Volynsky's two daughters and son into eternal exile. But then the sentence was reduced: three were beheaded, and the rest were exiled.

Shortly before her death, Anna Ioannovna learned that her niece Anna Leopoldovna had a son, and declared the two-month-old baby Ivan Antonovich the heir to the throne, and before he came of age, she appointed E. Biron as regent, who at the same time received “power and authority to manage all state affairs as internal, as well as foreign ones.

IvanVI Antonovich: Biron's regency - Minich's coup

Ivan VI Antonovich and Anna Leopoldovna

Biron's regency lasted about three weeks. Having received the right to regency, Biron continues to fight with Munnich, and in addition, spoils relations with Anna Leopoldovna and her husband Anton Ulrich. On the night of November 7-8, 1740, another palace coup took place, organized by Munnich. Biron was arrested and sent into exile in the province of Tobolsk, and the regency passed to Anna Leopoldovna. She recognized herself as the ruler, but did not take an actual part in state affairs. According to contemporaries, "... she was not stupid, but she was disgusted with any serious occupation." Anna Leopoldovna constantly quarreled and did not speak to her husband for weeks, who, in her opinion, “had a good heart, but no mind.” And disagreements between spouses naturally created the conditions for court intrigues in the struggle for power. Taking advantage of the carelessness of Anna Leopoldovna and the dissatisfaction of Russian society with the continued German dominance, Elizaveta Petrovna enters the game. With the help of the guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment devoted to her, she arrested Anna Leopoldovna along with her family and decided to send them abroad. But the chamber-page A. Turchaninov made an attempt to make a counter-coup in favor of Ivan VI, and then Elizaveta Petrovna changed her mind: she arrested the entire family of Anna Leopoldovna and sent him to Ranenburg (near Ryazan). In 1744, they were taken to Kholmogory, and at the direction of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, Ivan VI was isolated from his family and, 12 years later, secretly transferred to Shlisselburg, where he was kept in solitary confinement under the name of a "famous prisoner."

In 1762, Peter III secretly examined the former emperor. He disguised himself as an officer and entered the casemates where the prince was kept. He saw “a rather tolerable dwelling, and sparsely furnished with the poorest furniture. The prince's clothes were also very poor. He was completely clueless and spoke incoherently. Either he claimed that he was Emperor John, then he assured that the emperor was no more in the world, and his spirit passed into him ... ".

Under Catherine II, his guards were instructed to persuade the prince to monasticism, but in case of danger, "kill the prisoner, and not give the living into the hands of anyone." Lieutenant V. Mirovich, who learned the secret of the secret prisoner, tried to free Ivan Antonovich and proclaim him emperor. But the guards followed the instructions. The body of Ivan VI was exhibited for a week in the Shlisselburg fortress "for news and worship of the people", and then buried in Tikhvin in the Bogoroditsky Monastery.

Anna Leopoldovna died in 1747 from childbed fever, and Catherine II allowed Anton Ulrich to leave for her homeland, since he did not pose a danger to her, not being a member of the Romanov family. But he refused the offer and stayed with the children in Kholmogory. But their fate is sad: Catherine II, after strengthening the dynasty with the birth of two grandchildren, allowed the children of Anna Leopoldovna to move to her aunt, the dowager queen of Denmark and Norway. But, as N. Eidelman writes, “ironically, they lived in their homeland - in prison, and then abroad - in freedom. But they yearned for that prison in their homeland, not knowing any language other than Russian.”

Empress Elizabeth Petrovna

S. van Loo "Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna"

PeterIII Fedorovich

A.K. Pfantzelt "Portrait of Peter III"

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CatherineII Alekseevna the Great

A. Antropov "Catherine II the Great"

Empress of All Russia. Before the adoption of Orthodoxy - Princess Sophia-Frederica-Augusta. She was born in Stettin, where her father, Christian-August, Duke of Anhalt-Zerbst-Bernburg, at that time served as a major general in the Prussian army. Her mother, Johanna Elisabeth, for some reason disliked the girl, so Sophia (Fike, as her family called her) lived in Hamburg with her grandmother from early childhood. She received a mediocre upbringing, tk. the family was in constant need, its teachers were random people. The girl did not stand out for any talents, except for a penchant for command and for boyish games. Fike was secretive and prudent from childhood. By a happy coincidence, during a trip to Russia in 1744, at the invitation of Elizabeth Petrovna, she became the bride of the future Russian Tsar Peter III Fedorovich.

Catherine already in 1756 was planning her future seizure of power. During a serious and prolonged illness of Elizabeth Petrovna, the Grand Duchess made it clear to her "English comrade" H. Williams that one should only wait for the death of the Empress. But Elizabeth Petrovna died only in 1761, and her legitimate heir, Peter III, husband of Catherine II, ascended the throne.

Teachers of the Russian language and the Law of God were assigned to the princess, she showed enviable perseverance in learning in order to prove her love for a foreign country and adapt to a new life. But the first years of her life in Russia were very difficult, besides, she experienced neglect from her husband and courtiers. But the desire to become a Russian empress outweighed the bitterness of trials. She adapted to the tastes of the Russian court, only one thing was missing - an heir. And that is exactly what was expected of her. After two unsuccessful pregnancies, she finally gave birth to a son, the future Emperor Paul I. But by order of Elizabeth Petrovna, he was immediately separated from his mother, showing for the first time only after 40 days. Elizaveta Petrovna herself raised her grandson, and Catherine took up self-education: she read a lot, and not only novels - her interests included historians and philosophers: Tacitus, Montesquieu, Voltaire, etc. Thanks to her diligence and perseverance, she was able to achieve respect for herself, with her not only well-known Russian politicians, but also foreign ambassadors began to be considered. In 1761, her husband, Peter III, ascended the throne, but he was unpopular in society, and then Catherine, with the help of the guardsmen of the Izmailovsky, Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments, overthrew her husband from the throne in 1762. She also stopped attempts to appoint her regent under her son Pavel , which N. Panin and E. Dashkova sought, and got rid of Ivan VI. Read more about the reign of Catherine II on our website:

Known as an enlightened queen, Catherine II was unable to achieve love and understanding from her own son. In 1794, despite the opposition of the courtiers, she decided to remove Paul from the throne in favor of her beloved grandson Alexander. But a sudden death in 1796 prevented her from achieving what she wanted.

Emperor of All Russia PavelI Petrovich

S. Schukin "Portrait of Emperor Paul I"