Supremes

Supreme Privy Council- the highest advisory state institution in Russia in 1726-30 (7-8 people). Created by Catherine I as an advisory body, it actually resolved the most important state issues.

Literature

The “Collection of the Imperial Russian Historical Society” published drawings, journals and minutes of meetings of the Supreme Council (see this “Collection” for 1987, 88 and 89).

Reign of Peter II
Years
People
Concepts

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From the very moment of the establishment of the Supreme Privy Council, foreigners foresaw the possibility of attempting to change the form of government. This is what happened after the death of Peter II, who died on the night of January 18-19, 1730. Ignoring... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Efron

Members of the Supreme Privy Council (See Supreme Privy Council) in Russia (1726 30) ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Members of the Supreme Privy Council in Russia (1726 30) ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

supreme leaders- top ovniki, ov, units. h. nickname, a (source) ... Russian spelling dictionary

HIGH HIGHERS- members of the Supreme Privy Council in Russia (1726-1730) ... Power. Policy. Public service. Dictionary

Supremes- source name member The Supreme Privy Council, the highest ruling body of Russia in 1726 30. The first composition of the council included A. D. Menshikov, P. A. Tolstoy, F. M. Apraksin, G. I. Golovkin, A. I. Osterman, D. M. Golitsyn and Catherine I’s son-in-law, Duke of Holstein... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary

The highest state institution of Russia in 1726 30 (7 8 people). Created by Empress Catherine I as an advisory body, it actually resolved the most important state issues. Dissolved by Empress Anna Ivanovna. * * * SUPREME PRIVATE COUNCIL... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

History of Russia ... Wikipedia

Stanislav Germanovich Desyatskov (born October 6, 1936, Petrozavodsk) Russian writer, historian. Member of the Russian Writers' Union. Author of historical novels and stories about the era of Peter the Great. Doctor of Historical Sciences (1983). Works as a professor... ... Wikipedia

History of Russia Ancient Slavs, Rus (until the 9th century) ... Wikipedia

Books

• Supreme leaders and nobility. , Milyukov P.N. , The book is a reprint of 1905. Despite the fact that serious work has been done to restore the original quality of the publication, some pages may... Category: Library Science Publisher: Book on Demand, Manufacturer:

To the question: Tell me. Did the period of Anna Ioannovna’s reign go down in history as the “rule of temporary workers” or as the “rule of the supreme leaders”? given by the author Flush the best answer is supreme leaders of course! (it's a shame not to know)

Answer from Natalie Malyugina[master]
temporary rule. There are a lot of foreigners in government. posts that do not care about the future of Mother Russia. This time is also called the Bironovshchina. In his lectures on Russian history, S. Platonov assesses the ten-year period of Anna Ioannovna’s reign as follows: “The reign of Anna (Anna Leopoldovna. - B.B.) is a sad era of Russian life in the 18th century, the time of temporary workers alien to Russia.” (19) "Under Anna, the Germans occupied first place in the court sphere; at the head of the current administration was a German (Osterman); in the boards, the presidents were Germans; at the head of the army were the Germans (Minich and Lasso). Of these, the main force belonged to Biron. He was a completely insignificant and immoral person by nature "Being Anna's favorite and taking advantage of her trust, Biron interfered in all matters of government, but had no state views, no program of activities and not the slightest acquaintance with Russian life and the people. This did not prevent him from despising Russians and consciously persecuting all-Russian things." “When the murmur arose, Biron, in order to maintain his own safety, resorted to a system of denunciations, which developed to a terrifying degree. The secret office of the Preobrazhensky order of the Peter the Great era was inundated with political denunciations and deeds. No one could consider themselves safe from “words and deeds” (the exclamation that began , usually, the procedure of denunciation and investigation). Petty everyday enmity, a sense of revenge, low greed, could lead any person to investigation, prison and torture. Terror hung over society."

Answer from Say goodbye to Christ[newbie]
Accession of Anna IoannovnaA kind of “party” of opponents to the plans of the leaders and, in general, to any state reforms began to form since the end of January. The most prominent representatives of these parties were, first of all, Anna’s relatives: her uncle V.F. Saltykov and cousin, Major of the Preobrazhensky Regiment S.A. Saltykov. Anna was also supported by Field Marshal Prince. I. Yu. Trubetskoy, Chamberlain R. Levenwolde, in addition, are figures who owe their positions entirely to Peter’s reforms: Prosecutor General Yaguzhinsky, Vice-Chancellor Osterman and Archbishop Feofan Prokopovich. Along with Prokopovich, the ideologically noble opposition to the power of the supreme leaders was led by Tatishchev and Kantemir. This opposition defended, first of all, the progressive social reforms carried out by Peter I. I note that Feofan Prokopovich’s position was different from everyone else. After all, he was one of the few people who understood the political theory and ideas of his time. Among the various forms of monarchical rule, he considered the hereditary monarchy the most suitable for Russia, while the heir does not necessarily have to be a blood relative, but the person who, in the opinion of the ruling monarch, can best continue his work. At the same time, it is possible that Feofan could participate in the development and discussion of a new political system. But he and the above-mentioned opponents of the supreme leaders (except Osterman) were removed from power by the Supreme Privy Council and were not going to put up with this. Thus, Anna had the support of her, primarily autocratic, power in the opposition. Now everything depended on her decisive actions. And these actions followed. Already on February 23, Anna declared herself captain of the cavalry guards and colonel of the Preobrazhensky regiment, which, undoubtedly, was a formal act of autocracy. According to contemporaries, such a move on Anna’s part was accepted by the two regiments “with the greatest joy and pleasure” 28. Consequently, another force joined the supporters of autocracy - the guard. In addition, on February 24, the Empress refused repeated invitations from the leaders to approve the “drafted form of government,” and the members of the Council decided to recognize Anna as autocrat. But recognition as an autocrat only by the Supreme Privy Council, that is, by only eight persons, was not enough for her. The next day, February 25, the so-called “revolution” of 1730 took place. In the literature, this event is described as a coup carried out by the guards, dissatisfied with the nobles’ discussion of a “compromise” form of government. During this rebellion, the nobles petitioned the empress to accept an autocratic form of government. Anna (possibly Saltykov) 29 tore the document with conditions into two parts - autocracy was completely restored.

After the enthronement of his wife Catherine I after the death of Peter I, power was concentrated in the hands of Prince A.D. Menshikov. The latter tried in every possible way to reduce the role of the Senate, and on the other hand, was forced to reach an agreement with the other “chicks of Petrov’s nest.”

By decree of Catherine I of February 8, 1726, the Supreme Privy Council was established, which actually assumed the functions of the Senate, which, according to Peter I, exercised the supreme leadership of the country during his absence. Members of the Council were formally supposed to give the Empress “secret advice on political and other important State affairs.” The Senate, which was now called not the Governing, but the High, as well as the collegiums, were placed in a subordinate position to the Council, in which all the main levers of power in the empire were now concentrated. All decrees were sealed not only with the signature of the Empress, but also with the members of the Council.

Menshikov got Catherine I to add a clause to her will before her death that during Peter II’s minority, the Council would receive the same power as the reigning monarch (in fact, a collective regency was established), while the Council was prohibited from making any changes in the order of succession to the throne. .

In the field of domestic policy, the Council’s activities were focused primarily on solving financial, economic and social problems associated with the crisis in which Russia was in the last years of the reign of Peter I. The Council considered it a consequence of Peter’s reforms, and therefore intended to correct them in a more traditional way for Russia (for example, the country's capital was returned to Moscow). In current practice, the Council tried to streamline the system of accounting and control over public finances, as well as reduce costs and find additional ways to replenish the state budget, including reducing spending on the army, reducing the officer corps, etc. At the same time, the number established by Peter was eliminated, and the number of officials was reduced. At the same time, to attract foreign merchants, a number of restrictions on trade were lifted, incl. the protective customs tariff of 1724 was revised.

Composition of the Council

The Empress assumed the chairmanship of the Council, and the following were appointed as its members:

Field Marshal His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov,

Admiral General Count Fedor Matveevich Apraksin,

State Chancellor Count Gavriil Ivanovich Golovkin,

Actual Privy Councilor Count Pyotr Andreevich Tolstoy,

Acting Privy Councilor Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn

Vice-Chancellor Baron Andrei Ivanovich Osterman.

The composition of the Council changed: in March 1726, Duke Karl Friedrich of Holstein-Gottorp, married to the daughter of the Empress, Princess Anna Petrovna, was added to its composition.

The most serious changes in the composition of the Council occurred in connection with the death of Catherine I. Due to disagreements regarding her heir, Count Tolstoy was sentenced to death in May 1727 (with the replacement of exile), and after the accession to the throne of Peter II, the Duke of Holstein Gottorpsky withdrew from participation in the Council.

In 1727, Princes Alexey Grigorievich and Vasily Lukich Dolgorukov, who enjoyed the support of Peter II, were introduced into the Council, along with Field Marshal General and President of the Military Collegium, Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Golitsyn; in 1828, Field Marshal General Prince Vasily Vladimirovich Dolgorukov. Thanks to the intrigues of the Dolgorukovs and Osterman, Menshikov was sent into exile on September 7, 1727, and Peter II announced that all instructions from now on would come only from him. In November 1828, Count Apraksin died.

Enthronement of Anna Ioanovna

After the death of Emperor Peter II in January 1730, a crisis of succession to the throne arose in Russia, where power was completely controlled by the “sovereigns.” Seven members of the Council took part in resolving issues of succession to the throne, as well as the favorite of Peter II, Prince Ivan Alekseevich Dolgorukov (son of Council member Alexei Grigorievich).

On January 18 (29), meetings of the Council began to determine the heir. The candidacy of the eldest daughter of Tsar John Alekseevich Catherine, who was married to the Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. A compromise candidate was her younger sister Anna Ioanovna, the Dowager Duchess of Courland, who did not have strong support at court, or even in Courland. By 8 o'clock in the morning on January 19 (30), the decision was made, only Prince A.G. Dolgorukov opposed her election. Simultaneously with the proposal, Duchess Anna was elected, Prince D.M. Golitsyn proposed limiting her power to a number of conditions written down in the “Condition”. In accordance with them, the empress, upon ascending the throne, had to undertake to preserve the Supreme Privy Council, which consisted of 8 people, and in the future without its consent: not to start a war; do not make peace; do not introduce new taxes; not to appoint to ranks (court, civil and military) older than the colonel, but to transfer the guard and army under the control of the Council; do not favor estates and estates. In addition, the Council had to approve all sentences depriving nobles of life, property or dignity, and also received complete control over government revenues and expenditures. Later Prince D.M. Golitsyn wrote a draft constitution, according to which the rule of the highest aristocracy was established in Russia with limited power of the monarch, which provided for the creation, incl. representative institutions. This plan, however, was not approved by the Council; without reaching agreement, the “higher-ups” decided to submit the issue to the consideration of the nobility gathered in Moscow (the future Legislative Commission). Various groups came up with their own projects (all implied restrictions on the monarchy), but none of them were supported by the Council.

Prince V.V. spoke out against the “Conditions”. Dolgorukov, Baron A.I. Osterman and Count G.I. Golovkin. However, their opinion was not taken into account and Prince V.L. Dolgorukov with “Conditions” left for Mitava on January 20 (31) to visit Duchess Anna. On January 28 (February 8), Anna Ioanovna signed the “Conditions”, after which she left for Moscow.

She arrived in the capital on February 15 (26), where she took the oath of office and troops in the Assumption Cathedral. swore allegiance to the empress. The struggle between the groups moved into a new stage: the “supreme” tried to achieve official confirmation (“Conditions” were only a preliminary document, an “agreement of intent”), and the group opposing them (A. I. Osterman, P. I. Yaguzhinsky, etc. ), who enjoyed the support of the ordinary nobility, advocated a return to an autocratic monarchy.

On February 25 (March 7), a large group of nobles submitted a petition to Anna Ioannovna with a request to reconsider - together with the nobility - the future structure of the country. Anna Ioanovna signed the petition, after which, after a 4-hour meeting, the nobility submitted a new one, in which they advocated the restoration of autocracy. The “Supreme”, who did not expect such a turn of events, were forced to agree, and Anna Ioanovna publicly tore up the “Conditions” and her letter, in which she had previously agreed to their acceptance.

Liquidation of the Council

By the manifesto of March 4 (15), 1730, the Council was abolished, and the Senate was restored to its former rights. Representatives of the Dolgorukov family, as those who most actively participated in the conspiracy, were arrested: I.A. and A.G. The Dolgorukovs were sent into exile, V.L. Dolgorukov was executed. The remaining members of the Council were not formally injured, Prince V.V. Dolgorukov was arrested only in 1731, Prince D.M. Golitsyn - in 1736; Prince M.M. Golitsyn died in December 1730. G.I. Golovkin and A.I. Osterman not only retained their posts, but began to enjoy the favor of the new empress.

The conditions (conditions) of Anna Ioannovna are the requirements of the Supreme Commanders for the approval of Anna as Empress of the Russian Empire. This was the first attempt to limit autocracy, but the limitation was not by law, but by the will of several clans. This “venture,” as it was called at court, failed. Today there are many rumors and legends regarding conditioning, so today I want to dwell on this issue in more detail.

Background of the issue

The conditions for Anna Ioannovna were signed by the so-called Supreme Leaders. These are members of the Supreme Privy Council who actually led the country after the death of Peter 1. These were the “chicks of Petrov’s nest” who tried in every possible way to retain power.

After the death of Peter 2 while hunting, it was necessary to elect a new monarch. On the night of January 18-19, the Supreme Leaders gathered and it was decided:

1. The Romanov dynasty in the male line ended.
2. Elizaveta Petrovna cannot be taken as empress as she is illegitimate.
3. Anna Ioannovna (daughter of Ivan 5) will be the empress.

Why did the Verkhovnikovs choose Anna? There are several reasons for this: firstly, Anna had no children, which means there was no one to transfer the throne to; secondly, she was not in Russia for a long time, which means she did not know much, and it was easier to control her. But it was decided to draw up conditions for her, or as it was fashionable to say in the 18th century, Conditions.

Supremes

The members of the Supreme Privy Council, which after 1725 actually ruled the country, were called Supreme Leaders. In 1730, at the time of drawing up the Conditions, the members of the Privy Council were: Dolgoruky - 4 people, Golitsyn - 2 people, Golovkin and Osterman.

For the Supreme Leaders, the election of the emperor was a matter of survival. They sought by any means to install a “convenient” candidate who would completely obey them.

Anna Ioannovna’s condition implied the following restrictions for her:

• Don't get married.
• Do not appoint a successor for yourself.
• Save the Supreme Privy Council.
• Do not declare war and do not make peace.
• Do not introduce new taxes.
• Do not be in charge of the army and transfer the guard to complete subordination to the Supreme Leaders.
• Not to manage the treasury and be completely satisfied with the financial content that the military-technical cooperation will determine for it.
• Do not deprive nobles of life, honor and estates.

When signing the Conditions, Anna Ioannovna had to add that if one of the conditions was violated, she would be deprived of the imperial crown. The result was a project of limited autocracy. But this autocracy was limited not by the constitution or laws, but by agreements. The limitation of the emperor's power was to occur in favor of the aristocratic privy council. Today, some “historians” talk about some kind of constitutional beginning of the Verkhovniki. It's all a lie. The “venture,” as Prokopovich called it, had nothing to do with the constitution, but was aimed only protection of the interests of the aristocracy, and not all, but only several clans. Anna Ioannovna accepted her condition and came to rule Russia.

Opponents

The leaders were convinced that they were acting secretly, but the “venture” became known in wide circles and most of the population, including the elite, were extremely against the introduction of any conditions limiting the power of the monarch. The main opponents of the standards were:

• Supporters of the idea of ​​limitless autocracy. Representatives Osterman and Prokopovich. They were convinced that autocracy should not be limited by anyone or anything. Therefore, if Anna is an empress, then she must rule herself.
• Anna's relatives in Russia. These are people who were previously pushed out of power. They believed that the new ruler would return them to their previous positions at court. That's exactly what happened.
• Foreigners. There have been a great many of them in Russia since the time of Peter the Great. Most of them greeted the Duchess of Courland.
• Small and middle nobility. These people realized that all power would be with the Supreme Leaders, and the rest of the nobility would not even receive a share of power. As a result, the guard, consisting mainly of nobles, sided with Anna!

In general, it became clear that the Supreme Privy Council makes the rulers of the country, and the emperor remains a nominal figure. As a result, the fight against the Supreme Leaders was carried out under the slogans “ better one tyrant than a group of tyrants».

After Anna’s arrival in Russia, the guard approached her with a demand to destroy the conditions and become a full-fledged ruler. On February 25, 1730, Anna Ioannovna broke the Conditions, becoming the autocrat of the Russian Empire. After Anna Ioannovna’s condition was destroyed, her main task was to deal with the Supreme Privy Council. As a result, the Dolgorukys were arrested and sent into exile, and the military-technical cooperation was liquidated. In its place, the Cabinet of Ministers was created.

Until the moment of acceptance of the conditions, when the Council had not yet confirmed Anna as empress, the Dolgorukys had a majority and prayed to elect their own emperor. The candidacy of Catherine Dolgoruky was discussed, but a split occurred within the family, and Catherine was not chosen as empress. As a result, Anna Ioannovna dealt with the Privy Council, and the Dolgoruky family ceased to exist.

Historical reference

Creation of the Council

The decree on the establishment of the Supreme Privy Council was issued in February 1726. Field Marshal General His Serene Highness Prince Menshikov, Admiral General Count Apraksin, State Chancellor Count Golovkin, Count Tolstoy, Prince Dimitry Golitsyn and Baron Osterman were appointed as its members. A month later, the empress's son-in-law, the Duke of Holstein, was included in the number of members of the Supreme Privy Council, on whose zeal, as the empress officially declared, we can fully rely.

The Supreme Privy Council, in which Alexander Danilovich Menshikov took the leading role, immediately subjugated the Senate and collegiums. The ruling Senate was humiliated to such an extent that decrees were sent there not only from the Council, but also from the Synod, which was previously equal to it. Then the title “governor” was taken away from the Senate, replacing it with “highly trusted”, and then simply “high”. Even under Menshikov, the Supreme Privy Council tried to strengthen government power for itself; ministers, as members of the Supreme Privy Council were called, and senators swore allegiance to the empress or to the regulations of the Supreme Privy Council. It was forbidden to execute decrees that were not signed by the Empress and the Council.

Strengthening power, Catherine's testament

According to the testament (testament) of Catherine I, the Supreme Privy Council during the minority of Peter II was granted power equal to the power of the sovereign, only in the matter of the order of succession to the throne, the Council could not make changes. But no one looked at the last point of the testament when the leaders, that is, members of the Supreme Privy Council, elected Anna Ioannovna to the throne.

Alexander Danilovich Menshikov

When created, the Supreme Privy Council included almost exclusively “chicks of Petrov’s nest,” but even under Catherine I, Count Tolstoy was ousted by Menshikov; then, under Peter II, Menshikov himself fell into disgrace and went into exile; Count Apraksin died; the Duke of Holstein has long ceased to be in the Council; Of the original members of the Supreme Privy Council, three remained - Golitsyn, Golovkin and Osterman. Under the influence of the Dolgorukys, the composition of the Supreme Privy Council changed: dominance passed into the hands of the princely families of the Dolgorukys and Golitsyns.

Conditions

In 1730, after the death of Peter II, half of the 8 members of the Council were the Dolgorukovs (princes Vasily Lukich, Ivan Alekseevich, Vasily Vladimirovich and Alexey Grigorievich), who were supported by the Golitsyn brothers (Dmitry and Mikhail Mikhailovich). Dmitry Golitsyn drew up a draft constitution. However, part of the Russian nobility, as well as Council members Osterman and Golovkin, opposed the Dolgorukovs’ plans. However, part of the Russian nobility, as well as Osterman and Golovkin, opposed the Dolgorukovs’ plans.

Prince Dmitry Mikhailovich Golitsyn

The rulers chose the Tsar's youngest daughter, Anna Ioannovna, as the next empress. She lived in Courland for 19 years and had no favorites or parties in Russia. This suited everyone. They also found it quite manageable. Taking advantage of the situation, the leaders decided to limit autocratic power by demanding that Anna sign certain conditions, the so-called “Conditions”. According to the “Conditions,” real power in Russia passed to the Supreme Privy Council, and the role of the monarch for the first time was reduced to representative functions.

Conditions

On January 28 (February 8), 1730, Anna signed the “Conditions”, according to which, without the Supreme Privy Council, she could not declare war or make peace, introduce new taxes and taxes, spend the treasury at her own discretion, promote to ranks higher than colonel, grant estates, without trial, deprive a nobleman of life and property, enter into marriage, and appoint an heir to the throne.

Portrait of Anna Ioannovna on silk,1732

The struggle between the two parties regarding the new government system continued. The leaders sought to convince Anna to confirm their new powers. Supporters of autocracy (A. I. Osterman, Feofan Prokopovich, P. I. Yaguzhinsky, A. D. Cantemir) and wide circles of the nobility wanted a revision of the “Conditions” signed in Mitau. The ferment arose primarily from dissatisfaction with the strengthening of a narrow group of Council members.

Anna Ioannovna tears up the Conditions. Abolition of the Council

On February 25 (March 7), 1730, a large group of nobility (according to various sources from 150 to 800), including many guards officers, came to the palace and submitted a petition to Anna Ioannovna. The petition expressed a request to the empress, together with the nobility, to reconsider a form of government that would be pleasing to all the people. Anna hesitated, but her sister Ekaterina Ioannovna decisively forced the Empress to sign the petition. Representatives of the nobility deliberated briefly and at 4 o'clock in the afternoon submitted a new petition, in which they asked the empress to accept full autocracy and destroy the points of the “Conditions”. When Anna asked the confused leaders for approval for the new conditions, they only nodded their heads in agreement. As a contemporary notes: “It was their luck that they did not move then; if they had shown even the slightest disapproval of the nobility’s verdict, the guards would have thrown them out the window.”

Anna Ioannovna breaks the Conditions

Relying on the support of the guard, as well as the middle and minor nobility, Anna publicly tore up the “Conditions” and her letter of acceptance. On March 1 (12), 1730, the people took the oath for the second time to Empress Anna Ioannovna on the terms of complete autocracy. By the Manifesto of March 4 (15), 1730, the Supreme Privy Council was abolished.