Contemporaries of palace coups. The era of palace coups

The death of Emperor Peter I in 1725 led to a long crisis of power. According to the figurative expression of V. O. Klyuchevsky, this period of our history was called "palace coups". For "37 years from the death of Peter I to the accession of Catherine II (1725-1762), the throne was occupied by six reigning persons who received the throne as a result of complex palace intrigues or coups.

Causes of palace coups:

1. moving away from the national political tradition, according to which the throne passed only to the direct heirs of the king, Peter himself prepared a “crisis of power” (by not implementing the Decree of 1722 on the succession to the throne, without appointing himself an heir);

2. after the death of Peter, a large number of direct and indirect heirs claimed the Russian throne;

3. the existing corporate interests of the nobility and noble nobility manifested themselves in their entirety.

Palace coups that they were not state coups, that is, they did not pursue the goal of radical changes in political power and state structure

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

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

2. The most important consequence of the palace coups was the strengthening of the economic and political positions of the nobility.

3. The guard was the driving force behind the coups.

Catherine's reign I (1725-1727). The guards took the side of Catherine.

In 1726, under Catherine I, the Supreme Privy Council was established, which, according to the historian S.F. Platonov, replaced the Petrine Senate. The Supreme Privy Council included A.D. Menshikov, F.M. Apraksin, G.I. Golovkin, D.M. Golitsyn, A.I. Osterman and P.A. Tolstoy. The Council was not an oligarchic body limiting the autocracy. It remained a bureaucratic, albeit highly influential, institution in the system of absolutism, placed under the control of the empress.

During this period, the following happened:

Reduction of bureaucratic structures;

Revision of the customs tariff;

Changing the location of the army and its content;

Liquidation of the system of self-government;

Restoring the significance of the county as the main territorial-administrative unit;

Changing the taxation system, reducing the poll tax.

On the whole, the activities of Catherine I and her "supreme leaders" were characterized by the rejection of the broad reform program of Peter I, and the decline in the role of the Senate. Trade and industry, having lost the financial and administrative support of the state in the post-Petrine era, were placed in unfavorable conditions. The beginning of the revision of the results of Peter's reforms.

Peter II (1727-1730). Shortly before her death in 1727, Catherine I signed a will that determined the sequence of succession to the throne. The closest heir was determined by Peter II.

The throne was occupied by 12-year-old Peter II under the regency of the Supreme Privy Council.

The Supreme Privy Council under Peter II underwent significant changes. In it, all the affairs were managed by the four princes Dolgoruky and two Golitsyns, as well as A. I. Osterman. Dolgoruky came to the fore. Peter II died on his wedding day (to Ivan Dolgoruky's sister Ekaterina). The Romanov dynasty ended in the male line. The issue of the emperor was to be decided by the Supreme Privy Council.

The short stay in power of the young Peter II did not introduce significant changes in the state and public life of Russian society. The transfer of the royal court from St. Petersburg to Moscow at the end of 1727, the abolition of the Chief Magistrate in 1728.

Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740). After long consultations, the leaders chose the senior line of the dynasty associated with the brother of Peter I - Ivan V.

D. M. Golitsyn and V. L. Dolgoruky developed the so-called conditions - the conditions under which Anna Ioannovna could accept the Russian crown from the hands of the leaders:

Do not issue new laws;

Do not start wars with anyone and do not conclude peace;

Loyal subjects should not be burdened with any taxes;

Do not dispose of the treasury income;

Noble ranks above the colonel's rank are not favored;

Do not take away the belly, estate and honor from the nobility;

Estates and villages do not favor.

Already two weeks after her arrival in Moscow, Anna broke the conditions in front of the leaders and announced "her perception of autocracy." The Supreme Privy Council in 1731 was replaced by a Cabinet of three ministers headed by A. I. Osterman. Four years later, Anna Ioannovna equated the signatures of three cabinet ministers with one of her own.

The main directions of domestic policy:

The abolition of the Supreme Privy Council and the return to the Senate of its former significance;

The return of the Petrovsky system of deployment of regiments in the provinces and the responsibility of the landowners for the payments of their peasants;

Continuation of the punitive policy towards the Old Believers;

Creation of a new body - the Cabinet of Ministers (1731);

Resumption of the activities of the Secret Chancellery;

The establishment of the Corps of Cadets (1732), after which the children of the nobility received officer ranks;

Cancellation of the indefinite service of the nobles (1736). In addition, one of the sons of a noble family was released from service to manage the estate.

During the reign of Anna Ioannovna, the autocracy was strengthened, the duties of the nobles were reduced, and their rights over the peasants were expanded.

Ivan VI Antonovich. After the death of Anna Ioannovna in 1740, according to her will, the Russian throne was inherited by her great-grandson, Ivan Antonovich. Anna's favorite E.I. Biron was appointed regent until he came of age, who was arrested by the guards on the orders of Field Marshal B.K. Minich less than a month later. His mother, Anna Leopoldovna, was proclaimed regent for the royal child.

Elizaveta Petrovna (1741-1761). Another coup d'état was carried out with the direct participation of the guardsmen of the Preobrazhensky Regiment.

The reign of Elizabeth was marked by the flourishing of favoritism. On the one hand, it was an indicator of the dependence of the nobility on royal generosity, and on the other hand, it was a kind of, albeit rather timid, attempt to adapt the state to the needs of the nobility.

During the reign of Elizabeth, certain transformations were carried out:

1. there was a significant expansion of noble benefits, the socio-economic and legal position of the Russian nobility was strengthened;

2. an attempt was made to restore some of the orders and state institutions created by Peter I. To this end, the Cabinet of Ministers was abolished, the functions of the Senate were significantly expanded, the Berg and Manufacture Colleges, the chief and city magistrates were restored;

3. eliminated many foreigners from the spheres of public administration and the education system;

4. a new supreme body was created - the Conference at the Imperial Court (1756) to resolve important state issues, which largely duplicated the functions of the Senate;

5. The Empress also tried to develop new legislation;

6. there was a tightening of religious policy.

On the whole, the reign of Elizabeth did not become the "second edition" of Peter's policy. Elizabeth's policy was distinguished by caution, and in some aspects - and unusual gentleness. By refusing to sanction the death penalty, it was in fact the first in Europe to abolish the death penalty.

Peter III (December 25, 1761 - June 28, 1762). After the death of Elizabeth Petrovna in 1761, 33-year-old Peter III became Emperor of Russia.

Peter III announced to Frederick II of Russia's intention to make peace with Prussia separately, without the allies of France and Austria (1762). Russia returned to Prussia all the lands occupied during the Seven Years' War, refused indemnification to compensate for the losses incurred, and concluded an alliance with the former enemy. In addition, Peter began to prepare for an absolutely unnecessary Russian war with Denmark. In society, this was perceived as a betrayal of Russian national interests.

During the six-month reign of Peter III, 192 decrees were adopted.

The secularization of church lands in favor of the state was announced, which strengthened the state treasury (the decree was finally implemented by Catherine II in 1764);

He stopped the persecution of the Old Believers and wanted to equalize the rights of all religions.

Liquidation of the Secret Chancellery and return from exile and people convicted under Elizabeth Petrovna;

Trade monopolies that hampered the development of entrepreneurship were abolished;

Freedom of foreign trade was proclaimed, etc.

Politically wise and economically expedient, these internal transformations did not add to the emperor's popularity. His denial of everything Russian as "archaic", the break with traditions, the redrawing of many orders according to the Western model, offended the national feelings of the Russian people. The fall of Emperor Peter III was a foregone conclusion, and it happened as a result of a palace coup on June 28, 1762. Peter was forced to abdicate, and a few days later he was killed.

Socio-economic development. A distinctive feature of the social development of Russia was a significant expansion of the privileges of the nobility, the receipt of which was facilitated by the relative instability of state power.

Similar information.

Palace coups

Palace coup- this is the seizure of political power in Russia in the 18th century, which is caused by the lack of clear rules for the succession to the throne, accompanied by a struggle between court factions and carried out, as a rule, with the assistance of guards regiments.

There is no single scientific definition of a palace coup, and there are no clear time limits for this phenomenon. So, V. O. Klyuchevsky (the author of the term) dates the era of palace coups from to years. However, today there is another point of view - -1801. (The fact is that V. O. Klyuchevsky could not, in a public lecture given in the mid-80s of the XIX century, mention the coup on March 1, 1801 - this was strictly forbidden).

Portrait of Field Marshal B. Kh. Munnich

Ernst Johann Biron

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

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

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).

The patriotic feelings of Elizabeth's supporters were caused not so much by the rejection of foreigners as by their own interests.

The ease with which Minich eliminated Biron also influenced the determination of Elizabeth's supporters. In addition, the guardsmen felt themselves to be a special force, so to speak, a "hegemon". Munnich himself at one time told them so: "Whoever you want to be a sovereign, he can be."

Young Princess of Anhalt-Zerbst 1740

In addition, there are inexorable facts that indicate that Elizabeth collaborated with French and Swedish agents of influence - Chétardie and Nolken.

The night of the coup entered not only the history books, but also 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.

The victory of Elizabeth brought to power a new generation of courtiers and prominent politicians - the Shuvalov family, M. I. Vorontsov, the Razumovsky brothers, and exalted A. P. Bestuzhev - Ryumin.

Of course, after the overthrow of Minich, Osterman, Levenwolde, as well as the Braunschweig family, German influence at the Russian court practically disappeared.

However, having established herself on the throne, Elizabeth declared her heir to the 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

Peter and Catherine: joint portrait

Catherine the Great in her youth.

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 granting 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.

Peter led Russia out of the war, which was depleting 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), but by the time the war was withdrawn, almost all of Prussia had been captured .

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 Elizaveta Vorontsova).

Alexey Orlov

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 Semenovites. 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 his states 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 sent to sleep."

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 - the guard. 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 the 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 policy. 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.

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Some historians believe that the era of palace coups does not end with the advent of Catherine II. They name other dates - 1725-1801, relating to the administration of the state of Alexander I.

Rice. 3. Catherine the Great

The era of palace coups led to the fact that noble privileges expanded significantly.

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, it led to the era of palace coups, which lasted 37 years. This period includes the activities of six monarchs.

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In the Russian Empire, the change of power took place mainly through palace coups carried out by noble groups with the assistance of guards regiments. In Russian historiography, this period is called the era of palace coups.

The beginning of the era is considered to be February 8 (January 28, old style) 1725, when Emperor Peter I died without leaving an heir and not having time to implement his decree of 1722, according to which the tsar had the right to appoint himself a successor. Among the contenders for the throne were the grandson of Peter I - the young tsarevich Peter Alekseevich, the wife of the late tsar Ekaterina Alekseevna and their daughters - princesses Anna and Elizabeth. It is believed that at first Peter I was going to leave the throne to Anna, but then he changed his mind and for the first time in Russian history crowned his wife Catherine. However, shortly before the death of the king, the relationship of the spouses deteriorated sharply. Each of the applicants had their supporters. On the day of the death of the emperor, Alexander Menshikov, who supported Catherine, having set up the guards regiments accordingly, lined them up under the windows of the palace - in this way he achieved the proclamation of the queen as an autocratic empress. The way the issue was resolved anticipated subsequent events.

In 1727, during the reign of the grandson of Peter the Great, Peter II, Menshikov himself became a victim of a coup, by that time he had concentrated all power in his hands and completely controlled the young tsar. Menshikov's unexpected illness was taken advantage of by his political opponents, the princes Dolgoruky and Andrey Osterman, who managed to gain influence over the tsar and obtain a decree, first on the resignation, and then on Menshikov's exile to Siberia.

After the death of Peter II in 1730, the Supreme Privy Council appointed Anna Ioannovna, the niece of Peter I, as empress, who ruled for 10 years.

In October 1740, Anna Ioannovna died, leaving the Russian imperial throne to her great-nephew, two-month-old baby John Antonovich, under the regency of the Duke of Courland Ernst Biron.

Unpopular and unsupported by any section of society, the duke behaved arrogantly, defiantly, and soon quarreled with the parents of the infant emperor.

On the night of 20 (9 old style) November 1740, Field Marshal Burchard Christoph Munnich broke into the Summer Palace with 80 guards and, almost without resistance, arrested Biron. Anna Leopoldovna, the great-niece of Peter I, was declared the ruler of Russia, and his father, Prince Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, received the title of Generalissimo and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian army. Munnich, who hoped to become a generalissimo, resigned.

Anna Leopoldovna was completely incapable of governing the state. The inhabitants of the capital turned their aspirations to Elizabeth - the daughter of Catherine I and Peter I, whose reign was remembered as a time of military victories, order and discipline. The abundance of foreigners at court was also one of the factors that irritated both the guards and the inhabitants of St. Petersburg.

People from Anna Leopoldovna's entourage saw Elizabeth as a threat and demanded that the dangerous rival be removed from St. Petersburg by marrying her off or sending her to a monastery. Such a danger and her own environment pushed Elizabeth to conspiracy. The crown prince's doctor, Johann Lestok, brought her together with the French ambassador, Marquis Jacques Chétardie, who, if Elizabeth came to power, expected Russia to abandon the alliance with Austria and rapprochement with France. Changes in Russian foreign policy were also sought by the Swedish ambassador Nolken, who hoped to achieve a revision of the terms of the Treaty of Nystadt in 1721, which secured Russia's possessions in the Baltic states.

On the night of December 6 (November 25, old style), 1741, Elizaveta Petrovna led a company of grenadiers from the Preobrazhensky Regiment to storm the Winter Palace. The soldiers blocked all entrances and exits, arrested Anna Leopoldovna and her family, and proclaimed the princess the empress.

The Empress took care of the successor in advance, already at the very beginning of her reign, declaring her nephew Peter Fedorovich to them.

On January 5, 1762 (December 25, 1761 according to the old style), Elizaveta Petrovna died, Peter Fedorovich became Emperor Peter III. Almost from the first days of his reign, a conspiracy began to mature around the new king, headed by his wife Catherine, the nee princess of Anhalt-Zerbst, who came from an impoverished German princely family.

The couple never got along, but now Peter openly showed disdain for his wife and son, appeared everywhere in the company of his favorite Elizaveta Vorontsova. Catherine understood that she was threatened with prison or expulsion abroad. Active participants in the coup were the Orlov brothers, popular among the guards, Nikita Panin, the tutor of Grand Duke Pavel, and his niece, Princess Ekaterina Dashkova, Hetman of Ukraine Kirill Razumovsky.

On the night of July 7 (June 28, old style), 1762, Alexei Orlov brought Catherine from Peterhof to the barracks of the Izmailovsky regiment in St. Petersburg, where the guards took the oath to the new autocrat. By nine in the morning, Catherine, accompanied by soldiers, arrived at the Kazan Cathedral, where the Semenovsky, Preobrazhensky and Horse Guards regiments soon approached. Her son Pavel Petrovich was also brought here. In the presence of nobles, Catherine was solemnly proclaimed empress, and Pavel heir. From the cathedral she went to the Winter Palace, where the members of the Senate and the Synod took the oath.

On the same day, Peter III arrived with his retinue from Oranienbaum to Peterhof, where he learned about the coup d'état that had taken place. In the evening he went to Kronstadt, hoping to rely on the military forces of the fortress. But Admiral Ivan Talyzin, sent by Catherine, did not allow Peter to land on the shore under the threat of opening fire. Having completely lost his presence of mind, the deposed emperor decided to return to Oranienbaum and enter into negotiations with the empress. When his proposal to share power was left unanswered by Catherine, Peter III signed the abdication. He was sent to a country palace in Ropsha, the Holstein troops loyal to him were disarmed. On July 17 (6 according to the old style) the former Emperor Peter III died suddenly and, apparently, violently.

After the death of Peter I (1725) and before the coming to power of Catherine II (1762-1796), six monarchs and many political forces behind them were replaced on the Russian throne.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

After his death in 1725, the reigning The house broke up into two lines - imperial and royal.

According to the figurative expression of V.O. Klyuchevsky, the period from the death of Peter I to the accession of Catherine II was called the “epoch of palace coups”: during this time, six monarchs occupied the Russian throne, receiving it as a result of complex palace intrigues or coups with the direct participation of the guard (a privileged part of the army created by Peter I) .

In 1722, Peter I abolished the order of succession to the throne by will or conciliar appointment, replacing it with a personal appointment. But he did not have time to appoint a successor. After his death, representatives of the clan nobility (Golitsyn, Dolgoruky), who recognized Prince Peter as the heir, clashed with the bureaucratic authorities, who staked on Catherine I, and won this fight with the help of the guards regiments. Since that time, the noble guards regiments have become the main weapon of struggle between rival factions. All persons who came to the throne through a palace coup could not do without relying on the guards.

Under these conditions, there could be no question of continuing major reforms. AD Menshikov became the de facto ruler of the country. To help the empress in governing the country, the Supreme Privy Council was created - the highest state body, the composition of which reflected the compromise that had taken place between rival political forces. It included A. D. Menshikov, F. M. Apraksin, G. I. Golovkin, P. A. Tolstoy, A. I. Osterman, D. M. Golitsyn and Holstein Duke Karl Friedrich, the husband of Peter’s eldest daughter. Most turned out to be from the inner circle of Peter I.

After the death of Catherine I in 1727, according to her will, the grandson of Peter I, Peter II, was proclaimed emperor, and the functions of regent were transferred to the Supreme Privy Council, in fact, to A.D. Menshikov.

Menshikov's policy caused discontent even among his recent allies. In September 1727 he was arrested and exiled to distant Berezov, where he soon died. Having achieved the predominant influence in the Supreme Privy Council, the aristocratic group seeks to revise the transformations and, if possible, restore the order that existed in Russia before they were carried out.

In January 1730, the young emperor caught a cold during another hunt and died suddenly. During the discussion of possible candidates for the throne, the choice fell on the Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna, the daughter of Peter I's brother, Ivan Alekseevich. In deep secrecy, the conditions were drawn up, i.e. conditions for Anna Ioannovna's accession to the throne. Prince Golitsyn suggested: “We ought to relieve ourselves ... in order to add willpower. We should send items to Her Majesty.”

Conditions limited the autocracy, but not in the interests of the entire nobility, but in favor of its aristocratic elite of eight people, who sat in the Supreme Privy Council. According to the conditions, the right to conclude peace, establish new taxes, promote promotion, command the army, choose a successor to the sovereign, and much more passed into the hands of the Supreme Privy Council. As S.M. Solovyov: "All guarantees for eight, but against eight for the rest - where are the guarantees?"

These plans did not find support either among the nobles or the guards. Taking advantage of this, Anna Ioannovna proclaimed herself an autocratic empress, abolished the Supreme Privy Council, and sent its most active members to Siberia.

In the reign of Anna Ioannovna, the influence of foreigners reached unprecedented proportions. The tone at court was set by the favorite of the Empress, the Duke of Courland Biron, who enjoyed her boundless confidence. He occupied a dominant position in the court. During the years of the Bironovshchina, foreigners were promoted to lucrative positions, which caused protest from the Russian nobility.

The symbol of Anna Ioannovna's rule was the Secret Chancellery (the successor to the Preobrazhensky Order), which monitored the trustworthiness of Russian subjects and was literally inundated with political denunciations. No one could consider himself safe from "word and deed" (an exclamation that usually began the procedure of denunciation and investigation)
Shortly before her death, the empress appointed herself a successor - Ivan VI - the grandson of Catherine Ivanovna (daughter of Ivan V), and not his mother, but Biron, was appointed regent of the child. In the conditions of general dissatisfaction with Biron, Field Marshal Munnich easily managed to carry out another palace coup, which in November 1740 deprived Biron of the rights of regent. Ivan's mother was proclaimed regent

The coup could not satisfy the interests of broad circles of the Russian nobility, since it still retained the leading position in the state for the Germans. Taking advantage of the weakness of the government and her popularity, Elizabeth, the daughter of Peter I, dressed in a man's dress, appeared in the barracks of the Preobrazhensky Regiment with the words: "Guys, you know whose daughter I am, follow me. Do you swear to die for me?" the future empress asked and, having received an affirmative answer, she led them to the Winter Palace. So during the next coup, committed on November 25, 1741 in favor of the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth, representatives of the Brunswick family who were on the Russian throne were arrested. The participants in the coup received generous rewards, those of them who did not have a noble rank were elevated to the nobility.

Empress Elizaveta Petrovna reigned for twenty years from 1741 to 1761. The most legitimate of all the successors of Peter I, raised to the throne with the help of the guards, she, as V.O. Klyuchevsky, "inherited the energy of her father, built palaces in twenty-four hours and traveled from Moscow to St. Petersburg in two days, peaceful and carefree, she took Berlin and defeated the first strategist of that time, Frederick the Great ... her courtyard turned into a theater foyer - everyone was talking about the French comedy, the Italian opera, but the doors would not close, the windows were blowing, the water flowed along the walls - such “gilded poverty”.
The core of her policy was the expansion and strengthening of the rights and privileges of the nobility. The landowners now had the right to exile recalcitrant peasants to Siberia and dispose of not only land, but also the person and property of serfs. Under Elizabeth Petrovna, the Senate, the Chief Magistrate, and the Collegia were restored in their rights. In 1755 Moscow University was opened - the first in Russia.

An indicator of the increased influence of Russia on international life was its active participation in the all-European conflict of the second half of the 18th century. — in the Seven Years' War 1756-1763.

Russia entered the war in 1757. In the very first battle near the village of Gross-Egersdorf on August 19, 1757, Russian troops inflicted a serious defeat on the Prussian troops. At the beginning of 1758, Russian troops captured Koenigsberg. The population of East Prussia swore allegiance to the Empress of Russia - Elizabeth.

The culmination of the military campaign of 1760 was the capture of Berlin on September 28 by the Russian army under the command of Chernyshov. Frederick II was on the verge of death, but he was saved by a sharp turn in Russia's foreign policy, caused by the accession to the throne of Peter III, who immediately broke the military alliance with Austria, stopped military operations against Prussia, and even offered Frederick military assistance.

Peter III was on the Russian throne for a short time from 1761 to 1762. The nephew of Elizabeth Petrovna was unable to lead the state. A special censure of Russian society was caused by his admiration for Frederick II, the presence in many of his actions in the expression of his contemporaries of "shakiness and whim." The disorder of the state mechanism was obvious to everyone, which led to a new palace coup. His wife Catherine II, relying on the support of the Izmailovsky and Semenovsky Guards regiments, proclaimed herself Empress in June 1762. The Senate and the Synod swore allegiance to her. An attempt by Peter III to enter into negotiations did not lead to anything, and he was forced to personally sign the act of "spontaneous" oath abdication sent by Catherine.

Thus ended the era of "palace coups".