exhibition in the Moscow Kremlin Museums
in the Russian Empire
in the Russian Empire
Coups d'Etat
Coups d'Etat
and
and
The Legacy of Peter the Great
The Legacy of Peter the Great
Exhibition catalogue
The catalogue is on sale in the exhibition hall of the Assumption Belfry, in the museum shops in the Alexander Garden and in front of the Patriarch’s Palace, in the Armoury Chamber.
Fourteen Russian museums, archives and libraries participated in the exhibition project. More than 250 unique exhibits and rare archival documents are displayed in two halls — the One-Pillar Chamber of the Patriarch’s Palace and the exhibition hall of the Assumption Belfry. Some items are directly connected with the most colourful pages of the history of palace coups.
The exhibition covers the period from 1725, when Empress Catherine I ascended the throne after the death of her husband, to March 1801, when Emperor Paul I was assassinated in the Mikhailovsky Palace. This period is often referred to as the era of the 'court storms', because for three quarters of a century, power in the Russian Empire was constantly being pulled down, and none of the legitimate heirs managed to remain on the throne. The longest reign in the 18th century was that of Empress Catherine II, who had the fewest rights to the Russian throne.
The reasons for Coups d’Etat were, on the one hand, that the highest echelons of the empire and the court aristocracy felt entitled to disregard the last wishes of dying monarchs and to intrigue against the legitimate heirs to the throne. On the other hand, in the post-Petrine period, the officers and soldiers of the Life Guards became a force capable of removing from the throne anyone whose policies they considered contrary to the interests of the fatherland. Representatives of foreign powers were often involved in the preparation of conspiracies, hoping that the change of ruler would bring about changes in Russia’s foreign policy, such as the French ambassador Marquis de La Shetardie and the British envoy C. Whitworth, whose intercepted secret correspondence is revealed to the public for the first time.
In the last years of Peter the Great’s life, Russia was facing a dynastic crisis: after the death of all his sons, the emperor had no direct male descendants. The exhibition presents an authentic document — a decree issued by Peter the Great in 1722, according to which the monarch could appoint his own successor. In 1725, however, the tsar died suddenly without leaving a will, and a struggle broke out among the "nestlings of Peter’s nest" for influence over the pretenders to the Russian throne.
The exhibition covers the period from 1725, when Empress Catherine I ascended the throne after the death of her husband, to March 1801, when Emperor Paul I was assassinated in the Mikhailovsky Palace. This period is often referred to as the era of the 'court storms', because for three quarters of a century, power in the Russian Empire was constantly being pulled down, and none of the legitimate heirs managed to remain on the throne. The longest reign in the 18th century was that of Empress Catherine II, who had the fewest rights to the Russian throne.
The Moscow Kremlin Museums present a new grandiose project related to the heirs of Peter the Great and those involved in the palace coups.
About exhibition
About exhibition
The final section of the exhibition is devoted to the last coup d’etat in the history of the Russian Empire. On the night of 11th to 12th March 1801, Paul I was killed in his bedchamber in the Mikhailovsky castle. The exposition shows one of the most important documents manifested on the day of his enthronement — the Act on Succession to the Throne, which introduced a strict order of throne devolution inside the imperial family by male primogeniture. The new decree did not save the emperor at the hands of the plotters but provided for the succession of power in Russia until the revolutionary events in 1917.
The seventh section tells about the palace coup that resulted in Catherine II’s ascension to the throne. Being the wife of Peter III, the German princess had not a drop of the Russian blood, but she had strong ambitions, intellect, will and talent of a ruler. State propaganda made her rising to power in the eyes of the subjects a synonym for the salvation of the Orthodox Church and Fatherland from the pro-German-minded Peter III. At the same time, the empress was declared a true successor of Peter the Great, who would continue his life work.
The sixth section tells about the personality of Emperor Peter III — grandson of Peter the Great, son of his elder daughter Anna and her spouse Duke of Holstein. After rising to power, Elizabeth Petrovna took him to Russia and announced the heir to the throne. However, Peter III neither understood nor loved Russia. He was much more interested in the small German duchy than in the destiny of the great power. This fact turned eminent representatives of court nobility and Guard officers against him.
One section of the exhibition is devoted to the coup d’etat which led Elizabeth Petrovna to the Russian throne. She created a special lifeguard unit out of the Grenadiers of the Preobrazhensky regiment who brought her to power. Сalled a Leib Company, it was headed by the empress herself. The exhibition presents unique objects including weapons, officer’s badge and Grenadier’s hat that belonged to the empress, the uniform set of Leib Company.
Being an infant, Ioann Antonovich, son of Anna Leopoldovna (niece of Anna Ioannovna), ruled for a very short period of time. Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, organised a coup d’etat and, after ascending the throne, tried to expunge any memory about the overthrown emperor, even his name was strictly prohibited. The exhibition unveils the rarest items and documents related to him.
After the death of Peter II, the members of the Supreme Privy Council invited the niece of Peter I, Anna, Duchy of Courland to take the crown on conditions of her limited power. The paper with these conditions that she was made to sign is known as the "Condicio". Having arrived in Russia, Anna Ioannovna, however, broke the agreement and tore the "Condicio", thus restoring the autocratic principle of thе rule. This unique document survived till our days and is exposed at the exhibition.
The Dolgorukov princes defeated other court clans in the struggle for influence over the underage Peter II, while Menshikov lost all his property and was sent fleeing into exile. The Dolgorukovs also planned to become related to the sovereign — by the dynastic marriage of Princess E.A. Dolgorukova and Peter II. However, the unexpected death of the 15-year-old emperor by smallpox destroyed these plans.
Under the reign of Catherine, His Highness Prince Menshikov reached the zenith of his power. He expected to preserve it even after the death of the empress, overthinking the plan to marry off his daughter Maria to young Peter Alexeevich, who was mentioned in Catherine’s testament as her successor.
Peter the Great crowned his spouse Catherine I in the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin in 1724. After his death, she managed to occupy the throne only with the support of A.D. Menshikov and officers of the Guard regiments. The opposing party wished to see the grandson of the late sovereign on the throne.
Much attention is paid to the main participants in the court conspiracies: the audience will get acquainted with the portraits and personal belongings of Prince A.D. Menshikov and the Dolgorukov princes; Count A.I. Osterman, Count S.A. Saltykov and Field Marshal B. von Minich, who supported the preservation of the autocratic system by Empress Anna Ioannona; the associates of Peter the Great’s daughter — Count P.I. Shuvalov, Count A.G. Razumovsky and the court physician Count I. Lestok; the closest companions of Empress Catherine II — Count N.I. Panin, Princess E.R. Dashkova and the brothers A.G. and G.G. Orlov. The final part of the exposition tells about the participants of the last palace coup in the history of the Russian Empire, which resulted in the assassination of Emperor Paul I: Baron L.L. Bennigsen and Count P.A. Palen, His Serene Highness P.A. Zubov, his brother Count V.A. Zubov and their sister O.A. Zherebtsova.
Of particular commemorative value are the items from the personal wardrobe of Emperor Paul I, which he wore the day before his tragic death. The Guards played an important role in the political struggles of the 18th century: visitors will see the uniforms, ammunition and weapons of the Guards regiments, including rare early examples, such as the ceremonial uniforms of the Leib Company, the Guards company that escorted Empress Elizaveta Petrovna to the throne, and the equipment of the soldiers and officers of Emperor Peter III’s Holstein troops.
Fourteen Russian museums, archives and libraries participated in the exhibition project. More than 250 unique exhibits and rare archival documents, including the authentic will of Empress Catherine I, violated by the Supreme Privy Council, and the famous "Condiсio" torn by Empress Anna Ioannovna, recalling the first failed attempt to limit autocracy in Russia, are displayed in two halls — the One-Pillar Chamber of the Patriarch’s Palace and the exhibition hall of the Assumption Belfry. Regalia — the crowns of Empresses Catherine I and Anna Ioannovna — and royal robes, including the coronation suit and guard uniform of Emperor Peter II and the uniform dress of Empress Catherine II, occupy a special place in the exhibition.
It was not until the end of the 18th century that Emperor Paul I succeeded in establishing a strict order of succession to the throne. The Act on the Succession to the Throne issued by him in 1797, which is also on show, established the principle of succession between members of the Imperial family in the male line by the right of primogeniture, that is from father to eldest son and his descendants. This law was observed in the Russian Empire for more than a hundred years, until the Revolution of 1917, but even it could not protect Paul I himself from the conspirators.
Some items are directly connected with the most colourful pages of the history of palace coups. For example, the exhibition includes a grenadier’s cap worn by Empress Elisabeth Petrovna on the anniversary of her accession to the throne, a colonel’s badge with a golden sword that belonged to her, and an officer’s uniform with St Andrew ribbon, in which Grand Princess Ekaterina Alexeyevna, the future Empress Catherine II, was attired on the day of the coup.