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.