Domestic and foreign policy of the rulers of the XVIII century. The era of palace coups Palace coups in the 18th century causes

The era of palace coups is the period from 1725 to 1762, when several rulers changed in Russia after the death of Peter I as a result of state conspiracies and the actions of the guard, headed either by the aristocracy or by Peter's closest associates. Ekaterina I, Peter II, Anna Ioannovna, Anna Leopoldovna with her son Ivan Antonovich VI, Elizabeth Petrovna, and, finally, Peter III came to power in succession. They ruled with varying degrees of awareness, involvement in the state process and unequally in time. In this lesson, you will learn about all these events in more detail.

In the case of a palace coup, there are no qualitative changes in the political, socio-economic, or cultural structure of the state.

Causes of palace coups

Expansion of powers of the state apparatus
Greater financial, political and cultural independence for nobles
Creation of the guard
Decree of Peter I on the succession to the throne
Absence of a legitimate heir to Peter I

Died in 1725 Russian emperor PeterIGreat. Before the imperial entourage, the question arose of who would ascend the throne. It turned out that Peter's inner circle was divided into two parts. One part is the aristocracy: Golitsyn, Dolgoruky, etc.; the other part are those people who came to power thanks to their skills and knowledge from the very bottom: HELL. Menshikov (Fig. 2), P.A. Tolstoy (Fig. 3), A.I. Osterman (Fig. 4) and other nobles and people from abroad. The aristocracy supported the grandson of PeterI, the son of the murdered Tsarevich Alexei - Peter. The natives of the "Petrov's nest" wanted to see the wife of Peter the Great - Catherine - on the Russian throne.

Rice. 2. A.D. Menshikov - the main favorite of Catherine I ()

Rice. 3. P.A. Tolstoy - favorite of Catherine I ()

Rice. 4. A.I. Osterman - favorite of Catherine I ()

When the Governing Senate was discussing who to put on the throne Russian Empire, Menshikov asked the guards for her opinion, and she replied that she wanted to see Catherine the ruler of RussiaI(Fig. 5). Thus, the guard decided the fate of the throne, and from 1725 to 1727. Catherine ruled the Russian EmpireI. On the one hand, Catherine was a wonderful person, a wise wife. But, on the other hand, during her reign, she did not show herself as an empress in any way. An important event was that she, together with Peter I, opened the Academy of Sciences; she herself created the Supreme Privy Council. The actual ruler of the country under Catherine I was her favorite A.D. Menshikov, who headed the Supreme Privy Council.

Rice. 5. Catherine I - Russian Empress ()

In 1727 CatherineI died. The opinions of the highest aristocracy, guards, "chicks of Peter's nest" agreed that the next ruler was to be Peter II(Fig. 6), who became the emperor of the Russian Empire at the age of less than 12 years. HELL. Menshikov decided that it was he who could control the teenager. At first, Peter II was under the actual influence of Menshikov. He planned to marry Peter to his daughter M.A. Menshikova and thus intermarry with the royal power.

Rice. 6. Peter II - Russian emperor ()

But at the peak of his fame, Alexander Danilovich fell ill, and power passed from his hands to the old tribal aristocracy. The Golitsyns and Dolgorukis quickly persuaded Peter II not to study, but to lead a wild life. After Menshikov recovered and tried to influence Peter, he was sent into exile in Siberia, in the city of Berezov. PeterIIuntil 1730 remained under the control of the aristocratic nobility. They tried to marry him for the second time to E.A. Dolgoruky. But some time before the wedding, Peter II fell ill and died very quickly.

After Peter's deathIIThe Supreme Privy Council met for a meeting to decide to whom to give power. There were no direct heirs to the throne, but Peter the Great had two daughters - Elizabeth and Anna, but they were not considered as heirs. Then the Supreme Privy Council remembered that the brother of Peter I, Ivan, had three daughters, one of whom, Anna Ioannovna, lived in Courland and was a widow.

The Supreme Privy Council decided to elect Anna Ioannovna (Fig. 7) the Empress of Russia, having previously drawn up “conditions” for her that limited her power. First she signed these conditions in order to get out of Courland and get a place as empress in Russia. But when the empress arrived in Russia, she saw that the guards and broad circles of the nobility were opposed to the country being ruled by the "supreme leaders", she, with all the highest entourage, tore the conditions, thereby showing that she was refusing the restrictions imposed on her by the Supreme Privy Council. Thus, she ruled, like previous emperors, autocratically.

Rice. 7. Anna Ioannovna - Russian Empress ()

Anna Ioannovna ruled the Russian Empire from 1730 to 1740. She dealt with the Supreme Privy Council and abolished it. Golitsyn and Dolgoruky were repressed. Characteristic for the time of Anna's reign was the so-called "Bironism" - the dominance of the Germans in public administration (after the favorite of the Empress E.I. Biron (Fig. 8), who was her co-ruler). They occupied all the main government posts: B.K. Minich (Fig. 9) was at the head of the army, A.I. Osterman was at the head of the Cabinet of Ministers. The Empress was very fond of having fun with her German favorites. For all these entertainments, large taxes were collected from the Russian population.

Rice. 8. E.I. Biron - the main favorite of Anna Ioannovna ()

Rice. 9. B.K. Munnich - favorite of Anna Ioannovna ()

During the reign of Anna Ioannovna in Russia, such transformations were made as:

The introduction of fashion for balls
Completion of the construction of Peterhof
Introduction European style life

A.P. Volynsky tried to somehow limit the dominance of the Germans in Russia, but he could not. For him, it ended in death.

Anna Ioannovna left the Russian throne to her niece Anna Leopoldovna(Fig. 10). But Anna Leopoldovna at the end of Anna Ioannovna's life did not please her, so power passed to Anna Leopoldovna's son, the recently born Ivan Antonovich VI (Fig. 11). Ivan VI became regent E.I. Biron.

Rice. 10. Anna Leopoldovna - mother of Ivan VI ()

Rice. 11. Ivan VI - young Russian emperor ()

Further, events developed rapidly - in one year there were three palace coups. Almost immediately after the death of Anna Ioannovna, the once omnipotent Biron was overthrown by Osterman's coup, which briefly seized the supreme state power in Russia. But soon Osterman was overthrown from the throne by Minich, who brought Anna Leopoldovna to power, who did not care about government. She, like Anna Ioannovna, relied on the Germans in governing the country. Meanwhile, behind her grew new conspiracy.

As a result, Anna Leopoldovna and Ivan VI ruled Russia only from 1740 to 1741.

Elizaveta Petrovna ( rice. 12), the daughter of Peter the Great, was involved in a conspiracy, and with the participation of foreigners, against Anna Leopoldovna and Ivan VI. Relying on the guardsmen, having their powerful support, Elizaveta Petrovna easily carried out a coup d'état and overthrew Anna Leopoldovna And IvanaVI.

Elizabeth I reigned from 1741 to 1761 She loved balls and entertainment. Her favorite favorites were A.G. Razumovsky (Fig. 13) and I.I. Shuvalov (Fig. 14). Under Elizabeth, there were wars, victories, attempts at some reforms, and at the same time, in the last years of her life, the empress, who was often ill, could not meet with diplomats, ministers and other government officials for months. Elizaveta Petrovna got rid of the “Bironism” and expelled all the Germans from the top of the government, opened the way there again for the Russian nobility, which made her a heroine in their eyes.

In 1761 Elizaveta Petrovna died, and her nephew, the son of Anna, the second daughter of Peter the Great, Peter III (Fig. 15) ascended the Russian throne, since the empress had no legitimate husband and children. This emperor ruled the country for less than six months. Contradictory, but most often negative reviews have been preserved about Peter III. In Russia, he was considered not a patriot, since he relied on the Germans, a stupid person. After all, in early childhood, Peter was brought up as a pretender to the throne of Sweden, not the Russian Empire.

Rice. 15. Peter III - Russian emperor ()

In June 1762, Peter III was overthrown by his own wife, the future Empress Catherine II. With her, a new era of Russian history began.

Bibliography

Alkhazashvili D.M. The struggle for the legacy of Peter the Great. - M.: Gardariki, 2002.
Anisimov E.V. Russia in the middle of the eighteenth century. (Struggle for the legacy of Peter I). - M., 1986.
Zagladin N.V., Simonia N.A. The history of Russia and the world from ancient times to late XIX century. Textbook for grade 10. - M.: TID "Russian Word - RS", 2008.
Danilov A.A., Kosulina L.G., Brandt M.Yu. Russia and the world. Antiquity. Middle Ages. New time. Grade 10. - M.: Education, 2007.
Pavlenko N.I. Chicks of Petrov's nest. - M., 1994.
Pavlenko N.I. Passion at the throne. - M., 1996.

Allstatepravo.ru ().
Encyclopaedia-russia.ru ().
Grandars.ru ().

Homework

List the causes of palace coups.
Describe the course of palace coups and its political aspect.
What were the results of palace coups for Russia?

Essay on the history of Russia

"The era of palace coups in XVIII century"

2010

1. Introduction

2.1 Causes of palace coups

2.2. The era of palace coups

3.Conclusion

4. List of references

Introduction

The culprit of the instability of the supreme power in the 18th century in Russia was precisely Peter I, who in 1722 issued the “Charter on the Legacy of the Throne.” This legal act secured the autocrat’s right to appoint any successor to himself at his discretion.

Thus, the circle of possible contenders for the throne expanded.

After the death of Peter I, the struggle for the Russian throne between the pretenders, who expressed the interests of various groups of the nobility, intensified. The replacement of the throne was most often carried out with the help of palace coups, in which the noble guards participated. They were carried out relatively easily, because they did not aim to radically change the policy of the state. Everyone who came to the supreme power in Russia, invariably, in one way or another, contributed to strengthening the positions of the nobility by expanding its class privileges and strengthening power over the serfs. Not without reason, therefore, the era of palace coups in Russia is called the time of the formation of the noble empire.

Causes of palace coups

Ironically, Peter I was unable to use his own decree on succession to the throne due to his sudden death. In the autumn of 1724, the tsar caught a cold while helping to rescue soldiers from a shipwrecked boat on the seashore near St. Petersburg. In January, when his position became hopeless, Peter began to draw up a will on the eve of his death, January 27, and did not have time to carry out his plans. From what he wrote, only the words remained: “give everything ...”

Among his heirs are:

grandson Peter, son of the executed Tsarevich Alexei;

second wife Ekaterina Alekseevna

a captive from Livonia, who bore the name of Marta Skavronskaya,

pupil of Pastor Gluck, with whom Peter met in 1704, married in 1712 and whom he crowned with the imperial crown in 1724. They had two sons, Peter and Pavel, who died in infancy, and two daughters: Anna, who was married to Duke of Holstein, and Elizabeth, who remained unmarried and childless.

In addition to this dynastic line, there was another - the descendants of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, the half-brother of Peter I, who had two daughters - Anna and Catherine. Peter married the first in 1711 to the Duke of Courland, the second to the Duke of Mecklenburg.

When analyzing the era of palace coups, it is important to pay attention to the following points.

Firstly, the initiators of the coups were various palace groups that sought to elevate their protege to the throne.

The main reason that formed the basis of the palace coups was the contradictions between various noble groups in relation to the Peter's heritage. It would be a simplification to consider that the split occurred along the lines of acceptance and rejection of reforms. Both the so-called “new nobility”, which came to the fore in the years of Peter the Great due to their service zeal, and the aristocratic party tried to soften the course of reforms, hoping in one form or another to give a respite to society, and first of all, to themselves. But each of these groups defended its narrow class interests and privileges, which created a fertile ground for internal political struggle.

Secondly, the most important consequence of the coups was the strengthening of the economic and political positions of the nobility.

The alienation of the masses from politics and their passivity served as fertile ground for palace intrigues and coups.

Thirdly, the guards were the driving force behind the coups. Indeed, it was the guards who, during the period under review, decided the question of who should be on the throne.

At that time, the guards began to play an active role in the political life of the country, which Peter brought up as a privileged "support" of the autocracy, which, moreover, assumed the right to control the conformity of the personality and policy of the monarch to the legacy that her "beloved emperor" left.

In general, it would be most correct to assess the time of palace coups as a period of development of the noble empire from the formations of Peter the Great to a new major modernization of the country under Catherine 2. In the second quarter - the middle of the 18th century, there were no major reforms the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna is estimated as a period of counter-reforms).

The era of palace coups

Coup in favor of Ekaterina Alekseevna

The accession of Catherine 1 (1725-1727) led to a sharp strengthening of the position of Menshikov, who became the de facto ruler of the country. Attempts to somewhat curb his lust for power and greed with the help of the Supreme Privy Council (VTS) created under the Empress, to which the first three colleges, as well as the Senate, were subordinate, did not lead to anything. Moreover, the temporary worker decided to strengthen his position by marrying his daughter to Peter's young grandson.

In May 1727, Catherine I died and, according to her will, 12-year-old Peter II (1727-1730) became emperor under the regency of the military-technical cooperation. Menshikov's influence at court increased, and he even received the coveted rank of generalissimo.

But, pushing away old allies and not acquiring new ones among the noble nobility, he soon lost influence on the young emperor and in September 1727 was arrested and exiled with his whole family to Berezovo, where he soon died.

A significant role in discrediting the personality of Menshikov in the eyes of the young emperor was played by the Dolgoruky, as well as a member of the military-technical cooperation, the tutor of the tsar, nominated for this position by Menshikov himself - A.I. Osterman is a clever diplomat who, depending on the alignment of forces and the political situation, was able to change his views, allies and patrons.

The overthrow of Menshikov was, in essence, an actual palace coup, because the composition of the military-technical cooperation has changed. In which aristocratic families began to prevail (Dolgoruky and Golitsyn), and A.I. began to play a key role. Osterman; the regency of the MTC was put an end to, Peter II declared himself a full-fledged ruler, who was surrounded by new favorites; a course was outlined aimed at revising the reforms of Peter I.

Soon the court left St. Petersburg and moved to Moscow, which attracted the emperor by the presence of richer hunting grounds. The sister of the tsar's favorite, Ekaterina Dolgorukaya, was betrothed to Peter II, but while preparing for the wedding, he died of smallpox. And again the question arose about the heir to the throne, because with the death of Peter II, the male line of the Romanovs was cut short, and he did not have time to appoint a successor.

In the conditions of a political crisis and timelessness, the military-technical cooperation, which by that time consisted of 8 people (5 seats belonged to the Dolgoruky and Golitsyn), decided to invite the niece of Peter I, the Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna, to the throne. It was also extremely important that she had no supporters and no connections in Russia. As a result, this made it possible, beckoning with an invitation to the brilliant St. Petersburg throne, to impose their own conditions and get her consent to limit the power of the monarch.

Anna Ioannovna and her "conditions"

After the death of Peter II, the question of succession to the throne arose again. Dolgoruky's attempt to enthrone the former tsar's bride, Catherine Dolgoruky, was unsuccessful. The Golitsyn family, traditionally competing with the Dolgoruky, nominated Anna of Kurlyandskaya, the niece of Peter I, as the heir. Anna Ioannovna received the crown at the cost of signing the Conditions, limiting her power in favor of the Supreme Privy Council. In Russia, instead of an absolute monarchy, a limited monarchy was established.

However, the majority of aristocrats (and representatives of other segments of the population) did not like this idea of \u200b\u200bthe "supreme leaders". They considered the Conditions an attempt to establish a regime in Russia in which all power would belong to two families - Golitsyn and Dolgoruky. After Anna Ioannovna publicly tore up the Conditions, the Dolgoruky clan was subjected to repression. ". She liquidated the military-technical cooperation, creating instead the Cabinet of Ministers headed by Osterman.

Gradually, Anna went to meet the most urgent requirements of the Russian nobility: their service life was limited to 25 years; that part of the Decree on Uniform Succession, which limited the right of the nobles to dispose of the estate when it was inherited, was canceled; easier to get an officer's rank. An accurate description of the personality of the new empress was given by V.O. Klyuchevsky: “Tall and obese, with a face more masculine than feminine, callous by nature and even more calloused by early widowhood ... among court adventures in Courland, where she was pushed around like a Russian-Prussian-Polish toy, she, having already 37 years , brought to Moscow an evil and poorly educated mind with a fierce thirst for belated pleasures and gross entertainment.

The reign of Anna Ioannovna was a time of fierce struggle around the throne. Her all-powerful favorite Biron, Field Marshal B. Kh. Minich, the same Osterman and the new face of court politics, Artemy Petrovich Volynsky, took part in the struggle.

As a result, Volynsky was executed on charges of treason and an attempted palace coup against Anna.

Already in 1730, Anna Ioannovna took care of the issue of an heir. Since she did not have her own children, she placed all her hopes on her niece, Elizabeth Christina of Mecklenburg. Having received the name of Anna Leopoldovna at baptism, she was declared the successor. Rather, the future child of Anna Leopoldovna was declared the heir.

By decree of December 17, 1731, the autocrat restored Peter's "Heritage Charter" of 1722 into force. And then the population of Russia took an oath of allegiance to the unborn son of the royal niece.

In 1732, Prince Anton Ulrich of Braunschweig Bevern Blackenburg of Lüneburg arrived in Russia, the offspring of one of the most ancient royal families in Europe - the Welfs. He came to Russia under the guise of entering the Russian service, but his main mission was to become the husband of Anna Leopoldovna. In 1739, his engagement and marriage to Anna Leopoldovna took place, and in 1740 the long-awaited heir was born.

Thus, the threat from possible applicants - Elizabeth Petrovna and Karl Peter Ulrich of Holstein (the future Peter III) was eliminated. Anna Ioannovna dies in 1740. In Russia, despite the fact that an heir has been proclaimed - John VI (some authors call him John III), another palace coup is brewing ... Biron is proclaimed regent.

Biron's regency - Minich's coup

The short period of the regency of Ernst-Johann Biron in historical works is covered and evaluated quite unambiguously. The regency of Biron, which became possible with the active support of the same Munnich, Osterman, Cherkassky, lasted no more than three weeks. This speaks solely of the inability of E. I. Biron to independently manage the state, of his inability (or rather, unwillingness) to consolidate with those who could be useful to him.

Even having received the right to regency, Biron continues to fight Minich. This time is also characterized by the confrontation between the regent and Anna Leopoldovna. In addition, Biron finally restores against himself and the wife of the princess - Anton Ulrich.

Dissatisfaction with the regent was ripening in the country. On November 8, 1740, another palace coup took place, only Field Marshal B. Kh. Minich was the “soul” of the conspiracy. By the way, it is believed that the first "classic" palace coup was carried out by Field Marshal B. Kh. Minich. The extremely ambitious Minich counted on one of the first places in the state, but he did not receive any new posts or the expected title of generalissimo from the regent. Adjutant G. Kh. Manstein describes in detail the arrest of Biron and his family in his Notes on Russia. In other words, the Germans made a coup against the Germans. In addition to the Germans, of course, Russian supporters of the regent also suffered. For example, A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin - later a well-known politician of the Elizabethan reign.

The Manifesto was also published on behalf of the baby emperor, from which it followed that the former regent violated the legal rights of him, the emperor, his parents and, in general, had the audacity to do all sorts of "... nasty things to repair." Thus, the palace coup received an official justification! Historians have always unequivocally assessed this coup. Here is how S. M. Solovyov writes: “Russia was presented to an immoral and mediocre foreigner as the price of a shameful connection! It was unbearable."

"Patriotic" coup by Elizabeth Petrovna

On November 25, 1741, another (and not the last in the 18th century) palace coup took place, and it was initiated by Elizabeth Petrovna, the youngest daughter of Peter I.

A lot has been written about this coup, and almost all historical (and even more so, fiction) literature interprets this event as a “triumph of the Russian spirit”, as the end of foreign domination, as the only possible and even completely legal act.

V. O. Klyuchevsky calls Elizabeth as follows: "The most legitimate of all the successors and successors of Peter I." The name of Tsarina Elizabeth was called at each change of rulers since 1725, but each time the crown went to someone else. Elizabeth has always been very calm about advice and calls to act for the sake of accession to the throne. I must say that in 1741, "Petrov's daughter" succumbed to the persuasion of her entourage only under the influence of fear of an unknown future.

In public opinion, by the will of political circumstances, Elizabeth earned a reputation as the head of a certain “Russian” party that opposed the dominance of foreigners at the courts of Anna Ioannovna and Anna Leopoldovna. In this respect, Elizabeth of 1741 was the exact opposite of Elizabeth of 1725.

After the death of Peter, it was his daughters who, along with Catherine, were considered the main patrons of foreigners. Elizabeth in alliance with Anna Petrovna were symbols of Holstein influence on the Russian court. (Moreover, at that moment, Elizabeth was considered the bride of the Lübeck prince-bishop Karl-August, who later died of a transient illness).

It should be noted that Elizabeth was not some kind of special Russian patriot, she simply became the center of gravity of that court group, which at the moment was removed from power. The patriotic feelings of Elizabeth's supporters were caused not so much by the rejection of foreigners as by their own interests.

In addition, there are inexorable facts indicating that Elizabeth collaborated with French and Swedish agents of influence - Chétardie and Nolken, and that it was foreign courts that played an important role in the anti-government (essentially) adventure of the princess.

The night of the coup was included not only in the history books, but also in the legends. The phrase with which the princess led the guards to storm is known: “Do you know whose daughter I am?” This was quite enough - the authority of Peter was too great in all sectors of society.

Elizabeth's victory brought to power a new generation of courtiers and prominent politicians - the Shuvalov family, M. I. Vorontsov.

Of course, German influence at the Russian court practically disappeared.

However, having established herself on the throne, Elizabeth declared her heir to Holstein-Gottorp Prince Karl-Peter-Ulrich, the son of Anna Petrovna, whose wife Sophia-Augusta-Frederick Anhalt-Zerbstskaya (Fike) some time later became. The young princess has learned well the lessons that the Russian history of coups has taught her - she will successfully bring them to life.

186 days of Peter III

The coup of June 28, 1762 (July 9, according to a new style) in Russian and Soviet historical literature has always been interpreted unequivocally - smart, decisive, patriotic Catherine overthrows her insignificant spouse (marginal and traitor to Russian interests).

V. O. Klyuchevsky spoke of this event in the following way: “To the indignant national feeling was mixed in her (Ekaterina) a self-satisfied consciousness that she creates and gives the Fatherland her own government, although illegal, but which will understand and observe its interests better than the legal one.”

... Catherine already in 1756 was planning her future seizure of power. During the severe and prolonged illness of Elizaveta Petrovna, Grand Duchess she made it clear to her "English comrade" H. Williams that she had to wait only for the death of the empress. (England at that moment was very profitable change of political course in Russia).

However, Elizabeth died only in 1761 and her rightful heir Peter III ascended the throne.

During his short reign, Peter brought to life a number of measures that were supposed to strengthen his position and make his figure popular among the people. So, he abolished the Secret Investigative Office and gave the nobles the opportunity to choose between service and a carefree life on his estate. ("Manifesto on the granting of freedom and liberties to the Russian nobility").

It is believed, however, that the cause of the coup was precisely the extreme unpopularity of Peter III among the people. He was blamed for: disrespect for Russian shrines and the conclusion of a "shameful peace" with Prussia.

In fact, Peter led Russia out of the war, which was draining the country's human and economic resources, and in which Russia was fulfilling its allied duty to Austria (that is, there was no "Russian interest" in the Seven Years' War).

However, Peter made an unforgivable mistake by declaring his intention to move to recapture Schleswig from Denmark. The guards were especially worried, which, in fact, supported Catherine in the upcoming coup.

In addition, Peter was in no hurry to be crowned, and, in fact, he did not have time to comply with all the formalities that he was obliged to comply with as emperor. Frederick II in his letters persistently advised Peter to put on the crown as soon as possible, but the emperor did not heed the advice of his idol. Thus, in the eyes of the Russian people, he was like a "fake tsar."

As for Catherine, then, as the same Frederick II said: “She was a foreigner, on the eve of a divorce” and the coup was her only chance (Peter emphasized more than once that he was going to divorce his wife and marry Elizabeth Vorontsova).

The signal for the beginning of the coup was the arrest of an officer - the Transfiguration Passek. Alexei Orlov (brother of the favorite) brought Ekaterina to St. Petersburg early in the morning, where she turned to the soldiers of the Izmailovsky regiment, and then to the Semyonovites. This was followed by a prayer service in the Kazan Cathedral and the oath of the Senate and the Synod.

On the evening of June 28, a “campaign to Peterhof” was made, where Peter III was supposed to come to celebrate his name day and the name day of the heir Pavel. The emperor's indecisiveness and some kind of childish obedience did their job - no advice and actions of those close to him could bring Peter out of a state of fear and stupor.

He rather quickly abandoned the struggle for power and, in essence, for his life. The deposed autocrat was taken to Ropsha, where, according to most historians, he was killed by his jailers.

Frederick II commented on this event: "He allowed himself to be overthrown like a child who is sent to sleep."

Coup and coming to power of Catherine II

A new coup was carried out, like the previous ones, by the guards noble regiments; it was directed against the emperor, who declared very sharply his national sympathies and personal oddities of a childishly capricious nature.

The coup of 1762 put on the throne a woman not only smart and tactful, but also extremely talented, extremely educated, developed and active. The empress wanted law and order in government; acquaintance with affairs showed her that disorder prevails not only in the particulars of government, but also in laws; her predecessors continuously took care of bringing into a systematic code the entire mass of individual legal provisions that had accumulated since the Code of 1649, and could not cope with this matter.

The first years of Catherine's reign were a difficult time for her. She herself did not know the current state affairs and had no assistants: the main businessman of Elizabeth's time, P.I. Shuvalov, died; she had little confidence in the abilities of other old nobles.

One Count N.I. Panin enjoyed her confidence. Under Catherine, Panin became in charge of Russia's foreign affairs. Working hard, Catherine spent the first years of her reign in getting acquainted with Russia and the state of affairs, selecting advisers and strengthening her personal position in power.

grounds. She not only wanted to streamline the legislative material, but sought to create new legislative norms that would help establish order and legality in the state. She wanted to create new legislation, and not bring the old into a system. As early as 1765, Ekaterina diligently began to set forth legislative principles and worked without telling anyone about the content of her work. The articles prepared by Catherine were her famous Order in his

original edition. Catherine established her principles of the new Russian legislation on the basis of the philosophical and journalistic thinking of contemporary European literature. So, according to Catherine, ancient Russia lived with alien

morals that should have been remade in a European way, because Russia is a European country. Peter began this alteration by introducing European customs, and he succeeded. Now Catherine continues this work and introduces pan-European laws into Russian laws.

start. Precisely because they are European, they cannot be alien to Russia, although they may seem so because of their novelty. Catherine gave the Order to the officials, and they reduced everything that they considered unnecessary. In 1775, "Institutions for the administration of provinces" were published. Instead of the previous 20 provinces that existed in 1766, by 1795 fifty-one provinces had already appeared according to these "institutions about provinces". Previously, the provinces were divided into provinces, and the provinces into counties; now the provinces are divided directly into counties. Previously, regional division was carried out by chance, which is why it turned out that, for example, Moscow province had 2,230,000 inhabitants, and Arkhangelsk only 438,000, but meanwhile

the numerical staff of the administration was approximately the same in both provinces. Now, under the new administrative division, it was adopted as a rule that in each province there were from 300 to 400 thousand inhabitants, and in the district from 20 to 30

thousand. Catherine sought to increase the strength of the administration,

separate departments and involve them in management

earth elements. The legislation on the peasants of Catherine's time continued to further restrict peasant rights and strengthen the landowner's power over him. During the peasant unrest in 1765-1766, the landowners received the right

to exile their peasants not only to a settlement in Siberia (this has already happened before), but also to hard labor, "for insolence" to the landowner. The landowner at any time could give the peasant to the soldiers, without waiting for the recruitment time. Decree of 1767 to the peasants

It was forbidden to file any complaints against the landowners. During the reign of Catherine, the secularization of church lands, the development of legislation on estates, judicial reform, legislative consolidation of private property, measures to expand trade and entrepreneurship, and the introduction of paper money were carried out.

The historical significance of the Catherine's era is extremely great precisely because in this era the results of previous history were summed up, the historical processes that had developed earlier were completed. historical figure, regardless of her personal mistakes and weaknesses.

Conclusion

Palace coups did not entail changes in the political, and even more so the social system of society and boiled down to the struggle for power of various noble groups pursuing their own, most often selfish interests. At the same time, the specific policy of each of the monarchs had its own characteristics, sometimes important for the country. In general, socio-economic stabilization and foreign policy successes achieved during the reign of Elizabeth created the conditions for more accelerated development and new breakthroughs in foreign policy that would occur under Catherine II.

Bibliography

Minikh I.E.» Russia and the Russian Court in the First Half of the 18th Century

S.F. Platonov "Lectures on Russian history".

Magazine "Motherland"

http://wale-life.ru/2010/01/05/jepokha-dvorcovykh-perevorotov.html

http://storytime.ru/

Attachment 1

Chronological table

Years of reign
1725 - 1762	the era of "palace coups"
1725 - 1727	the reign of Peter's wife, Catherine (the country is actually ruled by Menshikov)
1727 - 1730	on the throne, the grandson of Peter, Peter II Alekseevich (victory of the nobility, arrest and exile of Menshikov)
	Peter's niece, Anna Ioannovna, was invited to the throne
1730 - 1740	Anna Ioannovna rules, the actual power belongs to her favorite Biron. The dominance of foreigners and repression. After the death of Anna Ioannovna, the grandson of her sister, the infant Ivan Antonovich, ascended the throne.
	coup by the forces of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Epoch coups (3)Abstract >> History ... era palace coups from 1725 to 1762 1. Causes palace coups in Russia Responsible for the instability of the supreme power in XVIII century ... Epoch palace coups (7) Abstract >> History And aptly called " era palace coups". The reasons for this era coups and temporary workers, rooted, ... Anna - sad era Russian life XVIII century, the time of temporary workers, ... and before. In the middle XVIII in. the first symptoms of decomposition appear ...

Every frankly expressed thought, no matter how false, every clearly conveyed fantasy, no matter how absurd, cannot fail to find sympathy in some soul.
L.N. Tolstoy

The era of palace coups is a period in the history of Russia from 1725 to 1762. This name came into use at the suggestion of Professor V. Klyuchevsky, who used this term to designate an entire era, which accounted for 5 coups d'état. Today we will consider the palace coups in Russia from the point of view of Russian historiography, and we will also study this issue from various points of view, which is important for understanding the essence of events.

Causes and background

Let's start with the main one. Why did the era of palace coups in principle become possible? After all, before it there were more than 25 years of stability under the rule of Peter 1: the country developed, grew stronger, gained authority. Why, with his death, everything collapsed and chaos began? There are several reasons for this, but main reason palace coups was arranged by Peter himself. We are talking about the decree on the succession to the throne of 1722 (the monarch has the right to appoint any successor) and the murder of Tsarevich Alexei. As a result, there is no heir in the male line, the order of succession to the throne has been changed, and no will has been left. Chaos began. This was the premise of subsequent events.

These are the main reasons for the era of palace coups. To perceive them, you need to understand that for many years stability in Russia rested on the firm hand and will of Peter 1. He was the main one in the country. He stood above everyone. Simply put, the state was stronger than the elite. After Peter's death, it turned out that there was no successor, and the elite was already becoming stronger than the state. This always leads to coups and problems within the country. Moreover, subsequent events showed that the elite fought for their position and expanded their privileges with each new ruler. The nobility was finally approved by the elite of the Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility and the Letter of Complaint. In many respects, it was precisely because of this that in the future problems arose for such people as, say, Paul 1, who tried to return the dominant role of the state over the nobles.

The political forces that became the main ones in organizing the coups were the nobles and the guards. They were competently manipulated by various lobbying groups that promoted their ruler, because because of the new system of succession to the throne, anyone could sit on the throne. It is clear that the closest relatives of Peter were selected for this role, but in general, any of these relatives had the right to the throne. And behind each of them there were groups.

Guard and its role

The palace coups of the 18th century are actually revolutions, when armed people removed one ruler and put another in his place. Accordingly, a political force capable of doing this was needed. She became the guard, which was mainly recruited from the nobility. The role of the Guards in the change of supreme power in Russia in 1725-1762 cannot be overestimated. It was these people with weapons in their hands who "made fate."

The strengthening of the role of the guard is connected with the strengthening of the positions of the nobility. The guard, on the other hand, was mainly formed from the nobles, therefore it was the guards who took the most direct part in the coups, pursuing exclusively noble interests.

Domestic politics of the era

The domestic policy of Russia in the second quarter of the 18th century is characterized in two directions:

Strengthening the role of the nobility.
Strengthening fortresses.

The main direction of domestic policy in the era of palace coups was the strengthening of the nobility and its positions. The strengthening of serfdom for the elite was also important point but strengthening your rights is much more important. It was by the 60s - 70s of the 18th century that the dominance of the elite over the state was finally formed. And this had far-reaching consequences. As a result, the assassination of Paul 1 took place, who tried to return the leading role to the state, and the Patriotic War of 1812 began in many respects. After all, the violation of the continental blockade by Russia took place precisely under the slogans that the elite and the state were losing money.

The domestic policy of Russia during this period is very interesting, especially when compared with the events of the 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR. Below I will give the main events of the era of palace coups, as a result of which the nobility received more and more new privileges. You can compare them with how our current elite was formed. The expansion of the rights of the nobility in the second quarter of the 18th century took place with the following events:

The nobles began to distribute land and peasants (Peter 1 forbade this). Later there was a recognition of the monopoly right of the nobility to the peasants.
After 1731, all the estates of the nobles became their full personal property.
Created special guards regiments for the nobility.
Noblemen could be enlisted in the Guards regiments from birth. Conventionally, a young man comes to the guard at the age of 15, and he has already 15 years of service.
Limiting the term of service of nobles in the army to 25 years. The term was limited from all classes only to the nobles.
Most of the state factories were transferred into the hands of the nobility.
Distilling became the monopoly of the nobility.
Establishment of a noble bank.

The list could go on, but I think the point is clear. For 37 years, an elite was formed in Russia, whose interests were higher than the interests of the state. Therefore, this time is also often called turmoil.

Country governance

Palace coups are an era when the person sitting on the throne was only nominally the head of state. In reality, the country was ruled by the favorites and the groups they led. The favorites created the governing bodies of the country, which most often submitted only to them (on paper, to the emperor). Therefore, below is a detailed table that presents the governing bodies of Russia in the second quarter of the 18th century.

Table: Rulers of the era of palace coups and their favorites

Ruler	Favorite (assistants, regents)	supreme governing body	Powers
Catherine 1 (1725-1727)	HELL. Menshikov	Supreme Privy Council (chicks of Petrov's nest)	The secret council rules the land
Peter 2 (1727-1730)	HELL. Menshikov, A.I. Osterman, I.A. Dolgorukov	The Supreme Privy Council (the aristocracy was strengthened in it: Dolgoruky, Golitsyn and others).	Mystery advice is removed to the second plan. Emperor has power.
Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740)	E.I. Biron	Cabinet of Ministers. Secret office "word and deed"
Ivan Antonovich (1740-1741)	E.I. Biron, A.I. Osterman, Anna Leopoldovna (regent)	Cabinet of Ministers	Signatures of members of the Cabinet of Ministers are equal to the signature of the emperor
Elizaveta Petrovna (1741-1761)	A.G. Razumovsky, I.I. Shuvalov	Senate, Secret Office	The powers of the Senate and Chief Magistrate have been expanded.
Peter 3 (1761-1762)	D.V. Volkov, A.I. Glebov, M.I. Vorontsov	Advice	The Council subjugated the Senate

A separate question of this topic is why the daughters of Peter 1 did not have preemptive rights in comparison with other heirs? Again, everything depends on the decree on succession to the throne, where each monarch himself appoints a successor: it can be a son, daughter, wife, a stranger, even a simple peasant. Anyone can claim the throne, so the daughters of the first Russian emperor were in the same position as everyone else.

Brief essence of government

Let us briefly consider the essence of the reign of the emperors who were in power in Russia during the period of palace coups:

Catherine 1 (wife of Peter 1). In 1725, Peter 2 was to become the ruler. The palace, where the decision was made, was besieged by the guardsmen of the Semenovsky and Preobrazhensky regiments by order of Menshikov. The first revolution happened. Catherine had nothing to do with state affairs.
Peter 2 (grandson of Peter 1). Already in 1727 he sent Menshikov into exile. The rise of the old nobility began. Dolgoruky's positions were strengthened to the maximum. Many parties began to form that actively advocated limiting the monarchy.
Anna Ioannovna (daughter of Ivan 5, brother of Peter 1). Came to the throne after the story of "conditions". The time of her reign was remembered for constant fun, carnivals, balls and the like. Suffice it to recall the ice palace.
Ivan Antonovich (grandson of Ivan 5). The real power was in the hands of Biron (the continuation of Bironism). Very soon a new conspiracy matured, and the guards came out for a change of ruler.
Elizaveta Petrovna (daughter of Peter 1). She had little interest in governing the country. Really rules through their favorites.
Peter 3 (grandson of Peter 1 in the female line). A frankly weak ruler who should not be in power. He got there only thanks to another conspiracy of the elite. Peter 3 kowtowed before Prussia. Therefore, Elizabeth did not appoint him as successor.

Consequences of the era

Palace coups were important for the 18th and 19th centuries of our history. In many ways, it was in those days that the social dynamite that exploded in 1917 was laid. If we talk in general about the consequences of the era of palace coups, then they generally boil down to the following:

A strong blow has been dealt to Russian identity.
Separation of church from state. In fact, the ideas of Orthodoxy at the state level were completely abandoned.
The all-estate state was destroyed, as a result of the formation of an elite - the nobility.
Economic undermining of the country. For the carnival era of upheavals in 37 years, the country paid off in the future for more than a century!

This time led to the massive dominance of Russia by foreigners, primarily Germans. The peak of this process fell on the reign of Anna Ioannovna. Many leading positions were held by the Germans and they acted not in the interests of Russia, but in their personal interests. As a result, these 37 years have been a terrible rampant corruption, embezzlement, bribery, anarchy and the power model of the state.

The death of Peter the Great marked the end of one era - the period of rebirth, transformations and reforms, and the beginning of another, which went down in history under the name "era of palace coups", which is studied in the History of Russia in the 7th grade. About what happened in this period of time - 1725-1762 - we are talking today.

Factors

Before speaking briefly about the era of palace coups in Russia, it is necessary to understand what the term “palace coup” means. This stable combination is understood as a forceful change of power in the state, which is carried out through a conspiracy by a group of courtiers and relies on the help of a privileged military force- Guards. As a result, the current monarch is overthrown and a new heir from the ruling dynasty, a protege of a group of conspirators, is enthroned. With the change of the sovereign, the composition of the ruling elite also changes. During the period of coup d'état in Russia - 37 years, six sovereigns have changed on the Russian throne. The reasons for this were the following events:

After Peter I, there were no direct heirs in the male line: son Alexei Petrovich died in prison, convicted of treason, and the youngest son Peter Petrovich died at an early age;
Adopted by Peter I in 1722, the "Charter on the succession to the throne": according to this document, the decision on the heir to the throne is made by the ruling monarch himself. Thus, various groups of supporters gathered around possible contenders for the throne - noble groups that were in confrontation;
Peter the Great did not have time to make a will and indicate the name of the heir.

Thus, according to the definition of the Russian historian V.O. Klyuchevsky, the beginning of the era of palace coups in Russia is considered to be the date of the death of Peter I - February 8 (January 28), 1725, and the end - 1762 - the year Catherine the Great came to power.

Rice. 1. Death of Peter the Great

Distinctive features

The palace coups of 1725-1762 had several common features:

Favoritism : around a possible contender for the throne, a group of persons was formed - favorites, whose goal was to be closer to power and have influence on the balance of power. In fact, the nobles close to the sovereign concentrated all power in their hands and completely controlled the sovereign (Menshikov, Biron, princes Dolgoruky);
Reliance on the Guards Regiment : Guards regiments appeared under Peter I. In northern war they became the main striking force of the Russian army, and then were used as the personal guard of the sovereign. In other words, their privileged position and proximity to the king played a decisive role in their "fate": their support was used as the main striking force in palace coups;
Frequent change of monarchs ;
Appeal to the legacy of Peter the Great : each new heir, claiming the throne, demonstrated the intention to strictly follow the course of Peter I in foreign and domestic politics. However, often what was promised went against the current affairs and deviations from his program were observed.

Rice. 2. Portrait of Anna Ioannovna

Chronological table

The following chronological table presents all six Russian rulers whose reign is historically associated with the era of palace coups. The first line answers the question which of the rulers opened the gap in the political life of Russia in the 18th century - Catherine I. Other monarchs follow in chronological order. In addition, it is indicated with the help of which forces and court groups, each of them came to power.

What have we learned?

According to the new decree of Peter I on changes in the order of succession to the throne, the person entitled to inherit the royal throne in Russia was indicated in the current monarch. This document did not contribute to the establishment of order and stability in the state, but, on the contrary, led to the era of palace coups, which lasted 37 years. This period includes the activities of six monarchs.

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Palace coups- a period in the history of the Russian Empire in the 18th century, when the highest government was achieved through palace coups carried out with the help of the guards or courtiers. In the presence of absolutism, such a method of changing power remained one of the few ways in which society (the noble elite) influenced the supreme power in the state.

The origins of palace coups should be sought in the policy of Peter I. "Decree of Succession" (1722), he maximized the number of potential candidates for the throne. The current monarch had the right to leave anyone as heir. If he did not do this, the question of succession to the throne remained open.

In the political situation that developed in Russia in the 18th century, coups performed a regulatory function in the relationship between the key systems of absolutism - the autocracy, the ruling elite and the ruling nobility.

Brief chronology of events

After the death of Peter I, his wife reigns Catherine I(1725-1727). Created with her Supreme Privy Council (1726), who helped her in the administration of the country.

her heir Peter II(1727-1730), grandson of Peter I, moved the capital of Russia from St. Petersburg to Moscow.

The Supreme Privy Council, forcing the signing of "conditions" - conditions limiting the power of the monarch (1730), invited Anna Ioannovna(1730-1740), Duchess of Courland, daughter of Ivan V, to the Russian throne. The future empress first accepted them, and then rejected them. Her reign is known as "Bironism" (name of her favorite). Under her rule, the Supreme Privy Council was liquidated, the decree on single inheritance was canceled (1730), the Cabinet of Ministers was created (1731), the gentry corps was created (1731), the term of noble service was limited to 25 years (1736).

In 1740, the throne inherits five months nephew of Anna Ioannovna Ivan VI(1740-1741) (regents: Biron, Anna Leopoldovna). The Supreme Privy Council was restored. Biron reduced the size of the poll tax, introduced restrictions on luxury in court life, and issued a manifesto on strict observance of the laws.

In 1741, the daughter of Peter - Elizabeth I(1741-1761) makes another coup d'état. Eliminates the Supreme Privy Council, abolishes the Cabinet of Ministers (1741), restores the rights of the Senate, abolishes internal customs duties (1753), creates the State Loan Bank (1754), adopted a decree allowing landlords to exile peasants to settle in Siberia (1760).

From 1761-1762 nephew of Elizabeth I rules, Peter III. He issues a decree on the secularization of church lands - this is the process of converting Church property into state property (1761), liquidates the Secret Chancellery, issues a Manifesto on the Liberty of the Nobility (1762).

Main dates:

1725-1762 - era of palace coups
1725-1727 - CATHERINE I (second wife of Peter I), years of reign.
1727-1730 - PETER II (son of Tsarevich Alexei, grandson of Peter I), years of reign.
1730-1740 - ANNA Ioannovna (niece of Peter I, daughter of his brother co-ruler Ivan V)
1740-1741 - IVAN VI (second cousin great-grandson of Peter I). Regency of Biron, then Anna Leopoldovna.
1741-1761 - ELIZAVETA PETROVNA (daughter of Peter I), years of reign
1761-1762 - PETER III (grandson of Peter I and Charles XII, nephew of Elizabeth Petrovna).

*Ruler*	*Board dates*	*Participants of the coup*	*coup prop*	*Main events*
Catherine I (wife of the late Peter the Great)		The Supreme Privy Council, in which A.D. Menshikov	Guards regiments	Bypassing the main contenders: the grandson of Peter I - Peter Alekseevich and the princesses Anna and Elizabeth.
Peter II (grandson of Peter I from the eldest son Alexei Petrovich)		Supreme Privy Council, Princes Dolgoruky and Andrey Osterman	Guards regiments	Catherine I She named the name of Peter II as a successor with the condition of his further marriage to Menshikov's daughter. But Menshikov was deprived of all privileges and exiled to Berezov.
Anna Ioannovna (daughter of Peter I's older brother Ivan)		Andrei Osterman, Biron and close associates of the German nobles	Guards regiments	Bypassing the main contenders - the daughters of Peter the Great - Anna and Elizabeth.
John Antonovich under the regency of Biron (son of Anna Leopoldovna - great-niece of Peter I)		The Duke of Courland Biron, who was arrested a few weeks later. Anna Leopoldovna and her husband Anton Ulrich of Brunswick became regent under the young emperor)	German nobility	Bypassing Princess Elizabeth
Elizaveta Petrovna (daughter of Peter I)		Doctor of Princess Lestok	Preobrazhensky Guards	As a result of the coup, Anna Leopoldovna and her husband were arrested and imprisoned in a monastery.
Peter III (grandson of Peter I, son of Anna Petrovna and Karl Friedrich of Holstein)				Became sovereign after the death of Elizabeth Petrovna according to her will
Catherine II (wife of Peter III)		Guards brothers Orlov, P.N. Panin, Princess E. Dashkova, Kirill Razumovsky	Guards regiments: Semenovsky, Preobrazhensky and Horse Guards	As a result of the coup, Pyotr Fedorovich signed his abdication, was arrested and soon died of violent death.