In 1725, after the death of Peter I, the era of palace coups began in Russia, which lasted until the reign of Catherine II in 1762. For 37 years, 6 rulers succeeded each other on the Russian throne, four of whom came to power as a result of coups. Of course, all this could not but influence the course of Russian history.
Instruction manual
1
Oddly enough, Peter I became the culprit of the instability of state power in Russia in the 18th century. In 1722 he issued a “Decree on succession to the throne”, which stated that the ruling sovereign made the decision on the heir to the throne. However, Peter himself did not have time to leave a will.
2
The first coup was organized by the closest associate of Peter the Great Alexander Danilovich Menshikov. Thanks to him, the widow of Peter Catherine I ascended the throne. An illiterate Latvian peasant who, by coincidence, became the Russian Empress, was completely unable to rule the country. The de facto ruler was the smart and enterprising Menshikov.
3
However, the reign of Catherine I was short-lived. After her death, the emperor was declared the grandson of Peter the Great - Peter II. Menshikov decided to strengthen his power by seizing his daughter Maria as the young emperor. However, representatives of ancient aristocratic families - Dolgoruky and Golitsyn - managed to influence Peter II and achieve disgrace and exile Menshikov. Their triumph was short-lived - in 1730 the emperor caught a cold and died.
4
The new ruler of Russia was the niece of Peter I Anna Ioannovna. The Golitsyn family elevated her to the throne, hoping that they could rule on her behalf. Anna Ioannovna was forced to sign "Condition", which severely limited her power in favor of the Supreme Privy Council. But, having arrived in Moscow, the newly-empress Empress first torn "Condition". The period of Bironovism, terrible for Russia, has begun. The actual ruler was the favorite of Anna Ioannovna - the Duke of Biron. At the court, embezzlement and bribery flourished. The empress wanted only luxury; the huge sum, at that time, of 3 million gold rubles, was spent on the maintenance of her court.
5
Anna Ioannovna died in October 1740. The infant child Ivan VI, the son of her niece Anna Leopoldovna, was proclaimed emperor. For about a year, Anna Leopoldovna was regent under the infant emperor. However, Count Osterman, who brought Russia a lot of good, actually ruled on her behalf. In particular, treaties were concluded with England and the Netherlands, which contributed to the development of international trade, the devastating war with Turkey ended.
6
Osterman knew about the impending new coup and warned Anna Leopoldovna about this, but the frivolous regent did not attach any importance to this. As a result, in November 1741, Elizaveta Petrovna came to power, enthroned by the faithful in memory of Peter the Great by the guardsmen of the Preobrazhensky regiment. Foreign influence at the court is over. The reforms undertaken by Elizabeth were converted for the benefit of the Russian nobility, but their flip side was the increased exploitation of serfs.
7
After the death of the empress in 1761, the throne was inherited by her nephew Peter III. A passionate admirer of all German, the newly-emperor immediately made a separate peace with Prussia, returning to it all the territories conquered by the Russian army. This led to a new coup, as a result of which the wife of Peter III, Catherine II, ascended the throne. Her reign became a time of stabilization of Russian statehood and completed the era of palace coups.
