History. Empresses of Russia
For almost 400 years of the existence of this title, it was worn by completely different people - from adventurers and liberals to tyrants and conservatives.
Rurikovichi
Over the years, Russia (from Rurik to Putin) has changed its political system many times. At first, the rulers had a princely title. When, after a period of political fragmentation, a new Russian state was formed around Moscow, the owners of the Kremlin thought about accepting the royal title.
This was done under Ivan the Terrible (1547-1584). This one decided to marry the kingdom. And this decision was not accidental. So the Moscow monarch emphasized that he was the successor. It was they who bestowed Orthodoxy on Russia. In the 16th century, Byzantium no longer existed (it fell under the onslaught of the Ottomans), so Ivan the Terrible rightly believed that his act would have serious symbolic significance.
Historical figures such as this king big influence for the development of the entire country. In addition to the fact that Ivan the Terrible changed his title, he also captured the Kazan and Astrakhan khanates, starting Russian expansion to the East.
Ivan's son Fedor (1584-1598) was distinguished weak character and health. Nevertheless, under him the state continued to develop. The patriarchate was established. Rulers have always paid much attention to the issue of succession to the throne. This time he stood up especially sharply. Fedor had no children. When he died, the Rurik dynasty on the Moscow throne came to an end.
Time of Troubles
After Fyodor's death, Boris Godunov (1598-1605), his brother-in-law, came to power. He did not belong to the royal family, and many considered him a usurper. With him because of natural disasters there was a huge famine. The tsars and presidents of Russia have always tried to keep calm in the provinces. Due to the tense situation, Godunov failed to do this. Several peasant uprisings took place in the country.
In addition, the adventurer Grishka Otrepiev called himself one of the sons of Ivan the Terrible and began a military campaign against Moscow. He really managed to capture the capital and become king. Boris Godunov did not live up to this moment - he died from health complications. His son Fyodor II was captured by the associates of False Dmitry and killed.
The impostor ruled for only a year, after which he was overthrown during the Moscow uprising, which was inspired by disgruntled Russian boyars who did not like that False Dmitry surrounded himself with Catholic Poles. decided to transfer the crown to Vasily Shuisky (1606-1610). IN Troubled times Russia's rulers changed frequently.
The princes, tsars and presidents of Russia had to carefully guard their power. Shuisky did not hold her back and was overthrown by the Polish interventionists.
First Romanovs
When in 1613 Moscow was liberated from foreign invaders, the question arose of who should be made sovereign. This text presents all the tsars of Russia in order (with portraits). Now it's time to tell about the ascension to the throne of the Romanov dynasty.
The first sovereign of this kind - Michael (1613-1645) - was just a young man when he was put to rule a vast country. His main goal was the struggle with Poland for the lands occupied by it during the Time of Troubles.
These were the biographies of the rulers and the dates of the reign until the middle of the 17th century. After Michael, his son Alexei (1645-1676) ruled. He annexed left-bank Ukraine and Kyiv to Russia. So, after several centuries of fragmentation and Lithuanian rule, the fraternal peoples finally began to live in one country.
Alexei had many sons. The eldest of them, Fedor III (1676-1682), died at a young age. After him came the simultaneous reign of two children - Ivan and Peter.
Peter the Great
Ivan Alekseevich was unable to govern the country. Therefore, in 1689, the sole reign of Peter the Great began. He completely rebuilt the country in a European manner. Russia - from Rurik to Putin (in chronological order consider all the rulers) - knows few examples of such an epoch so full of changes.
A new army and navy appeared. To do this, Peter started a war against Sweden. The Northern War lasted 21 years. During it, the Swedish army was defeated, and the kingdom agreed to cede its southern Baltic lands. In this region, in 1703, St. Petersburg was founded - the new capital of Russia. Peter's success made him think about changing his title. In 1721 he became emperor. However, this change did not abolish the royal title - in everyday speech, monarchs continued to be called kings.
The era of palace coups
Peter's death was followed by a long period of unstable power. The monarchs replaced each other with enviable regularity, which was facilitated. As a rule, the guards or certain courtiers were at the head of these changes. During this era, Catherine I (1725-1727), Peter II (1727-1730), Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740), Ivan VI (1740-1741), Elizabeth Petrovna (1741-1761) and Peter III (1761-1762) ruled ).
The last of them was of German origin. Under the predecessor of Peter III, Elizabeth, Russia waged a victorious war against Prussia. The new monarch renounced all conquests, returned Berlin to the king and concluded a peace treaty. With this act, he signed his own death warrant. The guards organized another palace coup, after which Peter's wife Catherine II was on the throne.
Catherine II and Paul I
Catherine II (1762-1796) had a deep state mind. On the throne, she began to pursue a policy of enlightened absolutism. The Empress organized the work of the famous statutory commission, the purpose of which was to prepare a comprehensive project of reforms in Russia. She also wrote the Order. This document contained many considerations about the transformations needed for the country. The reforms were curtailed when, in the 1770s, the Volga region broke out peasant uprising under the leadership of Pugachev.
All the tsars and presidents of Russia (in chronological order, we listed all the royal persons) took care that the country looked worthy on the foreign arena. She was no exception. She led several successful military campaigns against Turkey. As a result, Crimea and other important Black Sea regions were annexed to Russia. At the end of Catherine's reign, three partitions of Poland took place. So the Russian Empire received important acquisitions in the west.
After death great empress her son Pavel I (1796-1801) came to power. This quarrelsome man was not liked by many in the St. Petersburg elite.
First half of the 19th century
In 1801 there was another and the last palace coup. A group of conspirators dealt with Pavel. His son Alexander I (1801-1825) was on the throne. His reign was Patriotic War and Napoleon's invasion. The rulers of the Russian state have not faced such a serious enemy intervention for two centuries. Despite the capture of Moscow, Bonaparte was defeated. Alexander became the most popular and famous monarch Old World. He was also called "the liberator of Europe".
Inside his country, Alexander in his youth tried to implement liberal reforms. Historical figures often change their policies as they age. So Alexander soon abandoned his ideas. He died in Taganrog in 1825 under mysterious circumstances.
At the beginning of the reign of his brother Nicholas I (1825-1855) there was an uprising of the Decembrists. Because of this, conservative orders triumphed in the country for thirty years.
Second half of the 19th century
Here are all the tsars of Russia in order, with portraits. Further, we will talk about the main reformer of the national statehood - Alexander II (1855-1881). He became the initiator of the manifesto on the liberation of the peasants. The destruction of serfdom allowed the development of the Russian market and capitalism. The country began the economic growth. The reforms also affected the judiciary, local self-government, administrative and conscription systems. The monarch tried to raise the country to its feet and learn the lessons that the lost started under Nicholas I presented him.
But Alexander's reforms were not enough for the radicals. Terrorists attempted several times on his life. In 1881 they were successful. Alexander II died from a bomb explosion. The news came as a shock to the whole world.
Because of what happened, the son of the deceased monarch, Alexander III (1881-1894), forever became a tough reactionary and conservative. But he is best known as a peacemaker. During his reign, Russia did not conduct a single war.
The last king
Alexander III died in 1894. Power passed into the hands of Nicholas II (1894-1917) - his son and the last Russian monarch. By that time, the old world order with the absolute power of kings and kings had already outlived itself. Russia - from Rurik to Putin - knew a lot of upheavals, but it was under Nicholas that there were more than ever many of them.
In 1904-1905. the country experienced a humiliating war with Japan. It was followed by the first revolution. Although the unrest was suppressed, the king had to make concessions public opinion. He agreed to establish a constitutional monarchy and a parliament.
The tsars and presidents of Russia at all times faced a certain opposition within the state. Now people could elect deputies who expressed these sentiments.
In 1914 the First World War. No one then suspected that it would end with the fall of several empires at once, including the Russian one. In 1917, the February Revolution broke out, and the last tsar had to abdicate. Nicholas II, together with his family, was shot by the Bolsheviks in the basement of the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg.
Romanovs.
There are two main versions of the origin of the Romanov family. According to one they come from Prussia, according to the other from Novgorod. Under Ivan IV (the Terrible), the family was close to the royal throne and had a certain political influence. The surname Romanov was first adopted by Patriarch Filaret (Fyodor Nikitich).
Tsars and emperors of the Romanov dynasty.
Mikhail Fedorovich (1596-1645).
Years of government - 1613-1645.
The son of Patriarch Philaret and Xenia Ivanovna Shestova (after the tonsure, nun Martha). On February 21, 1613, sixteen-year-old Mikhail Romanov was elected tsar. Zemsky Sobor, and on July 11 of the same year he was married to the kingdom. Was married twice. He had three daughters and a son - the heir to the throne Alexei Mikhailovich.
The reign of Mikhail Fedorovich was marked by rapid construction in major cities, the development of Siberia and the development of technological progress.
Alexei Mikhailovich (Quiet) (1629-1676)
Years of government - 1645-1676
The reign of Alexei Mikhailovich was noted:
- church reform (in other words, a split in the church)
- peasant war under the leadership of Stepan Razin
- reunification of Russia and Ukraine
- a number of riots: "Salt", "Copper"
Was married twice. His first wife, Maria Miloslavskaya, bore him 13 children, including the future tsars Fedor and Ivan, and Princess Sophia. Second wife Natalya Naryshkina - 3 children, including the future Emperor Peter I.
Before his death, Alexei Mikhailovich blessed his son from his first marriage, Fedor, to the kingdom.
Fedor III (Fyodor Alekseevich) (1661-1682)
Years of government - 1676-1682
Under Feodor III, a census was conducted and the cutting off of hands for theft was abolished. Orphanages began to be built. The Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy was established, with admission to study in it for representatives of all classes.
Was married twice. There were no children. He did not appoint heirs before his death.
Ivan V (Ivan Alekseevich) (1666-1696)
Years of government - 1682-1696
He took over the reign after the death of his brother Fedor by the right of seniority.
He was very painful and incapable of governing the country. The boyars and the patriarch decided to depose Ivan V and declare the underage Peter Alekseevich (future Peter I) the king. Relatives from both heirs fought desperately for power. The result was a bloody Streltsy rebellion. As a result, it was decided to crown both of them, which happened on June 25, 1682. Ivan V was a nominal tsar and never engaged in public affairs. In reality, the country was ruled first by Princess Sophia, and then by Peter I.
He was married to Praskovya Saltykova. They had five daughters, including the future Empress Anna Ioannovna.
Princess Sofya (Sofya Alekseevna) (1657-1704)
Years of government - 1682-1689
Under Sophia, the persecution of the Old Believers was intensified. Her favorite Prince Golits undertook two unsuccessful campaigns against the Crimea. As a result of the coup in 1689, Peter I came to power. Sophia was forcibly tonsured a nun and died in the Novodevichy Convent.
Peter I (Peter Alekseevich) (1672-1725)
Years of government - 1682-1725
He was the first to take the title of emperor. When there were many global changes in the state:
- the capital was moved to the newly built city of St. Petersburg.
- the Russian navy was founded
- carried out a lot of successful military campaigns, including the defeat of the Swedes near Poltava
- carried out another church reform, established Holy Synod, the institution of the patriarch was abolished, the church was deprived of its own funds
- the Senate was established
The emperor was married twice. The first wife is Evdokia Lopukhina. The second is Marta Skavronskaya.
Three children of Peter survived to adulthood: Tsarevich Alesya and daughters Elizabeth and Anna.
Tsarevich Alexei was considered the heir, but was accused of high treason and died under torture. According to one version, he was tortured to death by his own father.
Catherine I (Marta Skavronskaya) (1684-1727)
Years of government - 1725-1727
After the death of her crowned husband, she took his throne. The most significant event of her reign was the opening Russian Academy Sciences.
Peter II (Peter Alekseevich) (1715-1730)
Years of government - 1727-1730
Grandson of Peter I, son of Tsarevich Alexei.
He ascended the throne quite young and was not involved in state affairs. He was passionate about hunting.
Anna Ioannovna (1693-1740)
Years of government - 1730-1740
Daughter of Tsar Ivan V, niece of Peter I.
Since there were no heirs after Peter II, the members of the Privy Council decided the issue with the throne. They chose Anna Ioannovna, forcing her to sign a document limiting royal power. Subsequently, she tore the document, and the members of the Privy Council were either executed or sent into exile.
Anna Ioannovna declared the son of her niece Anna Leopoldovna, Ivan Antonovich, her heir.
Ivan VI (Ivan Antonovich) (1740-1764)
Years of government - 1740-1741
Great-grandson of Tsar Ivan V, nephew of Anna Ioannovna.
First, under the young emperor, the favorite of Anna Ioannovna Biron was regent, then his mother Anna Leopoldovna. After the accession to the throne of Elizabeth Petrovna, the emperor and his family spent the rest of their days in captivity.
Elizaveta Petrovna (1709-1761)
Years of government - 1741-1761
Daughter of Peter I and Catherine I. The last ruler of the state, who is a direct descendant of the Romanovs. She ascended the throne as a result of a coup d'état. All her life she patronized the arts and science.
She declared her nephew Peter to be her heir.
Peter III (1728-1762)
Years of government - 1761-1762
Grandson of Peter I, his son eldest daughter Anna and the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl Friedrich.
During his short reign, he managed to sign a decree on equality of religions and the Manifesto of the Liberty of the Nobility. He was killed by a group of conspirators.
He was married to Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica (future Empress Catherine II). He had a son, Pavel, who would later take the Russian throne.
Catherine II (née Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica) (1729-1796)
Years of government - 1762-1796
She became empress after the coup d'état and the assassination of Peter III.
The reign of Catherine is called the golden age. Russia conducted a lot of successful military campaigns and gained new territories. Science and art developed.
Pavel I (1754-1801)
Years of government - 1796-1801
Son of Peter III and Catherine II.
He was married to the princess of Hesse-Darmstadt, at baptism Natalya Alekseevna. They had ten children. Two of whom later became emperors.
Killed by conspirators.
Alexander I (Alexander Pavlovich) (1777-1825)
Reign 1801-1825
Son of Emperor Paul I.
After the coup and the murder of his father, he ascended the throne.
Defeated Napoleon.
He had no heirs.
A legend is connected with him that he did not die in 1825, but became a wandering monk and ended his days in one of the monasteries.
Nicholas I (Nikolai Pavlovich) (1796-1855)
Years of government - 1825-1855
Son of Emperor Paul I, brother of Emperor Alexander I
Under him, the Decembrist Uprising took place.
He was married to the Prussian princess Friederika Louise Charlotte Wilhelmina. The couple had 7 children.
Alexander II the Liberator (Alexander Nikolaevich) (1818-1881)
Years of government - 1855-1881
Son of Emperor Nicholas I.
He abolished serfdom in Russia.
Was married twice. First time on Mary, Princess of Hesse. The second marriage was considered morganatic and was concluded with Princess Catherine Dolgoruky.
The emperor died at the hands of terrorists.
Alexander III the Peacemaker (Alexander Alexandrovich) (1845-1894)
Years of government - 1881-1894
Son of Emperor Alexander II.
Under him, Russia was very stable, rapid economic growth began.
He married the Danish princess Dagmar. The marriage produced 4 sons and 2 daughters.
Nicholas II (Nikolai Alexandrovich) (1868-1918)
Years of government - 1894-1917
emperor's son Alexander III.
The last Russian emperor.
The time of his reign was quite difficult, marked by riots, revolutions, unsuccessful wars and a fading economy.
He was greatly influenced by his wife Alexandra Feodorovna (nee Princess Alice of Hesse). The couple had 4 daughters and a son Alex.
In 1917 the Emperor abdicated.
In 1918, together with his entire family, he was shot by the Bolsheviks.
Assigned to Russian Orthodox Church to the Face of the Saints.
EKATERINA I. 1684-1727 First Empress Russian Empire. Marta Skavronskaya from the family of a Livonian peasant. When baptized into Orthodoxy, she was named Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova. Since 1721 Empress, second wife of Emperor Peter I, since 1725 - as the ruling empress. She gave birth to two daughters, Elizabeth and Anna, the son of Peter, who died in infancy.
ANNA IOANNOVNA, 1693-1740 The second Empress of the Russian Empire since 1730. The second daughter of Tsar Ivan Y, brother and co-ruler of Peter I, the widow of the Duke of Courland. During her reign, power in the country belonged to Chancellor Osterman and her favorite Ernst Biron. She bequeathed the throne to her nephew Ivan Antonovich, the grandson of her sister Catherine. Portrait by Louis Caravacca
Anna Leopoldovna, 1718-1746 The regent-ruler with her young son Ivan YI (1740-1764) Anna Leopoldovna is the daughter of the deceased Ekaterina Ivanovna, the eldest daughter of Tsar Ivan Y, who, at one time, was married to Leopold, Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. On the night of November 25, 1741. was overthrown as a result of a palace coup and imprisoned with her son in the Shlisselburg fortress, where she died. Portrait by Louis Caravacca.
ELIZAVETA PETROVNA. 1709-1761 Third Empress of the Russian Empire, reigned from 1742 to 1761. She came to power as a result of a palace coup, raising the Guards Company and the Preobrazhensky Regiment with the call "Guys, you know whose daughter I am !! Serve me, as they served my father, Emperor Peter!" She was smart, kind, but frivolous and wayward, a real Russian lady. She abolished the death penalty. She was in a church, but secret marriage with Razumovsky Alexei Grigorievich. Called from Holstein nephew Karl Peter Ulrich, grandson of Peter 1, son of Anna Petrovna, sister of Elizabeth. Portrait by Georg Groot.
Vigilius Eriksen. Portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna
The Empress declared her nephew the heir to the throne, baptized her, making him the Grand Duke Peter Fedorovich, forcing him to study the Russian language and the Orthodox catechism. Unfortunately, the Grand Duke was an absolute ignoramus and amazed everyone with his ignorance. Elizaveta Petrovna married him to Princess Sophia Frederica of Angelt-Tserbtskaya, who converted to Orthodoxy and received the name - Ekaterina Alekseevna.
Grand Duke Pyotr Fedorovich and Princess Ekaterina Alekseevna. Artist Georg Groot.
CATHERINE II THE GREAT, 1729-1796 The fourth Empress of the Russian Empire, the wife of Peter III, came to power as a result of a military coup, overthrowing her husband, who was soon killed. In July 1762 in the Kazan Cathedral was proclaimed autocratic empress. The period of her reign was considered golden, she continued the undertakings of Peter the Great, Russia received access to the Black Sea and increased the lands of the empire. She gave birth to a son, the future Emperor Paul. Under her, favoritism flourished in Russia, she was loving, the number of official favorites reached 23. Portrait by I.P. Argunov.
Portrait of Empress Catherine II. Artist F.S. Rokotov, 1763
Maria Feodorovna, 1759-1828 The fifth Empress, the wife of the Emperor of the Russian Empire Paul 1, was crowned in 1797, before her marriage - Princess Dorothea of Württemberg. She gave birth to 10 children, two of whom, Alexander 1 and Nicholas 1, were emperors of Russia. Artist Vigée Lebrun.
Empress Maria Feodorovna, from 1801 Dowager Empress, mother of Emperor Alexander 1.
Artist A.Roslin
Elizaveta Alekseevna, 1779-1825 The sixth empress, the wife of Emperor Alexander 1, before her marriage, Princess Louise Maria Augusta of Baden, married the heir to the throne at the age of 14, Alexander was 16 years old. She had two daughters who died in infancy. Family life the royal family did not work out, Alexander took a mistress - Maria Naryshkina, the empress was considered a "straw widow", it is known about her two novels with Adam Czartorysky and Alexei Okhotnikov.
After mysterious death Alexandra 1, died suddenly in Belevo, accompanying her husband's coffin. But she is identified with the recluse Vera the Silencer, who died in 1861 in the Novgorod Monastery. There is an opinion that Alexander 1 did not die, but accepted the schema - the elder Fyodor Kuzmich died in 1863. In Tomsk. Portrait of the Empress by Jean Laurent Monnier, 1807
Alexandra Fedorovna, 1798-1860 The seventh empress, wife of Emperor Nicholas 1, was crowned together with her husband in 1825, reigned until 1855, then the dowager empress. Before marriage, Princess Charlotte of Prussia, daughter of Friedrich Wilhelm S. Fragile, irresponsible and graceful creature. Nicholas 1 had a passionate and despotic adoration for her. She immediately came to the yard,
Emperor Alexander 1 loved to open balls with her, she loved dancing until you drop. Young Pushkin was captivated by her and she paid him great affection. "The genius of pure beauty" - V.A. Zhukovsky said about her, and A.S. Pushkin repeated this phrase in a different context. One of the beautiful and noble women of the first half of the 19th century was a creative person, painted portraits, poems, had many admirers, encrypted their names under the name of flowers, thus collecting a whole herbarium. Each of her moving or leaving for vacation was equal in terms of costs for Russia to crop failure, river flooding ... She gave birth to 9 children, her son is Emperor Alexander II. 1) Portrait In a Red Dress by Christina Robertson. 2) Portrait of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. Artist Carl Reichel
Artist F.Winterhalter
Maria Alexandrovna, 1824-1880 The eighth empress, wife of Emperor Alexander II, reigned from 1855 to 1880. Traveling through Europe in 1838. the heir to the throne fell in love with 14-year-old Mary of Hesse and married her in 1841, although he knew about the secret of her origin. The princess was the illegitimate daughter of Wilhelmina of Baden and her chamberlain, Baron de Grancy, but Mary was recognized as a "father" by the Grand Duke Ludwig II of Hesse and entered into the dynastic list. It was an extremely sincere soul, deeply religious and devoted her life to charity, cared for women's education opened women's gymnasiums. She took part in the fate of the teacher Ushinsky At court, she was disliked because of her strictness. She gave birth to 8 children, her son, the future emperor Alexander Sh., was ill with tuberculosis and died in 1880. At the end of her life, she suffered because of the pranks of her husband, who started a second family with Princess Ekaterina Dolgoruky. E. Dolgorukaya, together with children from Alexander II, lived in the same Winter Palace.
Maria Alexandrovna, Empress. Artist Christina Robertson, 1850
In honor of the Empress were named: Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg and the Mariinsky Palace in Kyiv
Artist V. Makovsky
Maria Fedorovna, 1848-1928 Ninth Empress, wife of Emperor Alexander III, reign 1883-1894 after the death of her husband in 1894 - the Dowager Empress. The daughter of the Danish king Christian 9, was the bride of Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, after his death in 1865. married his brother Alexander, bore him six children. She was affable and cheerful, the marriage was successful, throughout their life together the couple retained sincere affection. She was against the marriage of her son Nicholas with the princess of Hesse. She did not like EVERYTHING about her new daughter-in-law, including the furniture that she chose for Winter Palace. Maria Feodorovna saw how strong the influence of her daughter-in-law on the weak-willed Nikolai was and how destructively it affected the authorities.
Artist K. Makovsky
Since 1915, Maria Feodorovna moved to Kyiv, her residence is the royal Mariinsky Palace. She learned about her son's abdication from the throne in Kyiv, left for the Crimea, from there in 1919 she was taken to Great Britain on an English military ship. Then she moved to Denmark, where she lived until her death in 1928. Until the end of her life, she did not want to believe in the death of her sons, grandchildren and those loved ones who died at the hands of the Red Terror. September 26, 2006 the ashes of Maria Feodorovna were transported to Russia and buried with honors in the tomb of Russian tsars.
"It is all God's grace that the future is hidden from us and we do not know in advance about the terrible trials and misfortunes that fate has in store for us," she wrote in her diary.
Artist I.T.Galkin
Alexandra Feodorovna, 1872-1918 Tenth Empress, wife of the last Emperor of the Russian Empire Nicholas II, reign 1894-1917. Daughter of the Grand Duke Louis IV of Hesse and Duchess Alice, daughter of Queen Victoria of England. They met and became interested in each other at the wedding of her sister with Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. The parents of the heir were against marriage, but then gave in. The wedding took place less than a week after the funeral of Alexander III, the honeymoon was held in the atmosphere of requiems and mourning visits. The most deliberate dramatization could not have invented a more suitable prologue for the historical tragedy of the last Russian Tsar. Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire, Count WitteS.Yu. wrote "he married a pretty woman, a woman who was not quite normal, who took him into her arms, which was not difficult with his lack of will .... the empress, by her behavior, aggravated Nike's shortcomings and her abnormalities began to be reflected in the abnormality of some of the actions of her august spouse." Nicholas II abdicated in 1917, on the night of July 17, 1818. the royal family was shot in Yekaterinburg.
In 1981 All members royal family were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad. In August 2000 - by the Russian Orthodox Church. The remains of the family of the last Russian tsar are buried in the family tomb of the tsars, in St. Petersburg.
The transformation of fragmented, weakened by the Tatar-Mongol invasion, feudal Russia into a centralized strong state is a complex and lengthy process.
One of the main signs of this process is the strengthening of power. The reign gradually faded into the past. The management of vast territories could only be effective under the sole rule of a strong monarch.
Russian tsarism, with all its shortcomings, lasted almost 400 years. At the same time, the change of dynasty occurred only once, and even then as a result of events that became a turning point in Russian history. Of great interest are the two Russian monarchs who became the first tsars from each dynasty.
The first emperor of Russia, was.
Consider the life of the last tsar and the first emperor of Russia, the Torah Peter I. He completely overthrew the old customs and brought Russia to new level development in various industries. Thanks to his successful innovative ideas, competent approach in the leadership of the country, he was called the Great.
Personality of a great man
Outwardly, Peter I (06/09/1672 - 02/08/1725) was handsome, stood out tall, the right physique, large penetrating black eyes, beautiful eyebrows.
FROM early years was fond of mastering various crafts such as carpentry, turning, blacksmithing and others. He had the ability to learn foreign languages.
Princess Sofya Alekseevna was also the daughter of Marie Miloslavskaya. After the proclamation of sixteen-year-old Ivan and ten-year-old Peter by the boyars as kings, in May 1682 the Streltsy rebellion took place.
Sagittarius suffered disgrace from the state and were dissatisfied with the living conditions and service. The Streltsy troops at that time were a huge force, and from childhood he remembered how the mass of soldiers smashed the Naryshkins.
Sophia was smart, ambitious, and also owned English language and knew Latin. In addition, she was not bad-looking and wrote poetry. Legally, the queen could not get to the throne, but her excessive ambition constantly "gnawed from the inside."
Sophia managed to stop the Khovanshchina - the Streltsy rebellion. Sagittarius attracted the Apologist Nikita from to the uprising, trying to give the performance a religious character.
However, Sofya Alekseevna invited Nikita to the Garnovitaya Chamber to talk with him personally, away from the people. Further, the queen fought the "schismatics" according to the law, relying on 12 articles. Thousands of people were accused of the Old Believers and executed in public.
Tsar Fyodor Ivanovich is known as Theodore the Blessed. One of the kings of all and Moscow princes. His reign fell from March 1584 until his death in 1598.
Fedor, the son of the Fourth and Anastasia Romanova, became the last of the Rurikovichs. In honor of the birth of Fedor, he ordered the construction of a temple in. The church still exists today and bears the name of Theodore Stratilates.
In 1581, the heir to the throne, John, died tragically: this is how Theodore the Blessed became tsar. A twenty-year-old youth was completely unfit for kingship. The father himself spoke of him as if he had been born, more "for the cell than for power."
characterize Fedor as a person of weak mind and health. The tsar did not actually take part in governing the state, but relied on the opinion of the nobles and brother-in-law. He then ruled the kingdom through the mouth of Theodore the Blessed. It was Godunov who became the tsar's successor after his death.
In Russia there is a very sad period of history - we are talking about a period of time called "". This era "gave" many tragic destinies.
Particularly tragic, against the background of the unfinished lives of historical characters, are the fates of the children of the emperors - Peter II, and Ivan VI Antonovich. It is the latter that will be discussed.
The empress had no children, she had to think about the heir to the Russian throne. Anna chose for a long time, her choice fell on the unborn child of her niece.
In August 1740, Anna Leopoldovna and her husband Anton Ulrich had their first child, named John. Soon he was destined to become the Russian emperor.
In mid-autumn, Empress Anna Ioannovna dies and Ioann Antonovich becomes her heir. The baby came to the throne on October 28, 1740, and Biron was proclaimed regent under him.
Biron was already pretty tired of everyone with his anti-Russian orders, and his regency, with his parents still alive, looked strange. Soon Biron was arrested, and Anna Leopoldovna was proclaimed regent for Ivan Antonovich.
Anna Leopoldovna was unfit to govern the country, and at the end of 1741 another palace coup took place.
Relying on the guards, the daughter became the new Russian empress, from - Elizaveta Petrovna. Fortunately, the coup took place without bloodshed.
Catherine II was born on April 21, 1729, before the adoption of Orthodoxy, she had the name of Sophia-August-Frederick. By the will of fate, in 1745 Sophia converted to Orthodoxy and was baptized under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna.
Married with the future emperor of Russia. The relationship between Peter and Catherine somehow did not work out right away. A wall of barriers arose between them because of the banal not understanding each other.
Despite the fact that the spouses did not have a particularly big difference in age, Pyotr Fedorovich was a real child, and Ekaterina Alekseevna wanted a more adult relationship from her husband.
Catherine was quite well educated. Since childhood, she studied various sciences, such as: history, geography, theology and foreign languages. Her level of development was very high, she danced and sang beautifully.
Arriving in, she immediately became imbued with the Russian spirit. Realizing that the emperor's wife must have certain qualities, she sat down at textbooks on Russian history and the Russian language.
There were incomprehensible characters in Russian history. One of these was Peter III, who, by the will of fate, was destined to become the Russian emperor.
Peter-Ulrich, was the son of Anna Petrovna, the eldest daughter, and the Duke of Holstein Cal - Friedrich. The heir to the Russian throne was born on February 21, 1728.
Anna Petrovna died three months after the birth of the boy, from consumption. At the age of 11, Peter-Ulrich will also lose his father.
The uncle of Peter Ulrich was the Swedish king Charles XII. Peter had rights both to the Russian and to the Swedish throne. From the age of 11, the future emperor lived in Sweden, where he was brought up in the spirit of Swedish patriotism and hatred of Russia.
Ulrich grew up as a nervous and sickly boy. It was related to more with his upbringing. His teachers often took humiliating and severe punishments in relation to the ward. The character of Peter-Ulrich was simple-minded, there was no particular malice in the boy.
In 1741, the aunt of Peter Ulrich, became the Empress of Russia. One of her first steps at the head of state was the proclamation of an heir. As a successor, the Empress named Peter Ulrich.
Why? She wanted to establish her paternal line on the throne. Yes, and her relationship with her sister, Peter's mother, Anna Petrovna, was very, very warm.
Admit it, which of us has not dreamed of being a representative of a noble and wealthy family? Here, they say, they have power, wealth. But power and wealth do not always bring happiness to a person.
In Russian history there are many examples of the unfortunate fate of monarchs, various officials, people.
Separately, in the list of these examples, one can single out the personality of Emperor Peter II, and we will talk about him.
Peter II was the grandson of Peter I, the son of Tsarevich Alexei and Princess Sophia Charlotte of Blankenburg, who received the name Natalia Alekseevna at baptism.
Pyotr Alekseevich was born on October 12, 1715. Natalya Alekseevna died ten days after giving birth. And three years later, his father, Tsarevich Alexei, died.
At the end of 1726, she began to get sick. This circumstance forced the Empress and the Russian public to think about the heir to the throne.
Several descendants claimed the Russian throne at once. These were his daughters - Elizabeth (future Empress), Anna and grandson Peter Alekseevich.
For the fact that little Peter sat on the Russian throne, representatives of the old boyar families spoke out.
In the biography of Catherine I there are some dark spots, information about some periods of her life is very scarce. It is known that before the adoption of Orthodoxy, Ekaterina Alekseevna was called Marta Samuilovna Skavronskaya.
She was born in April 1684. Martha was of Baltic origin, lost her parents early and was raised in the family of a Protestant pastor.
At the beginning of the 18th century, Russia participated in. Sweden was the enemy of the Russian state. In 1702, the army occupied the Marienburg fortress, which is located on the territory of modern Latvia.
During the military operation, about four hundred inhabitants of the fortress were captured. Among the prisoners was Martha. There are two versions of how Marta got into the environment.
The first says that Marta became the mistress of the commander of the Russian army, Sheremetyev. Later, Menshikov, who had more influence than the field marshal, took Marta for himself.
The second version looks like this: Marta was instructed to manage the servants in the house of Colonel Baur. Baur could not get enough of his manager, but Menshikov drew attention to her, and until the last decade of 1703 she worked in the house of His Serene Highness Prince Alexander Danilovich.
In Menshikov's house, Peter I paid attention to Marta.
Peter I solemnly entered Moscow, and immediately the monarch was informed that his daughter was born. As a result, it was not the military successes of the state that were celebrated, but the birth of the daughter of Peter I.
In March 1711, Elizabeth was recognized as the daughter of the august parents, and proclaimed a princess. Even in childhood, courtiers, as well as foreign ambassadors, noticed the amazing beauty of the daughter of the Russian monarch.
She danced well, had a lively mind, resourcefulness and quick wit. The young princess lived in Preobrazhensky and Izmailovsky villages, where she received her education.
Studied foreign languages, history, geography. She devoted a lot of time to hunting, horseback riding, rowing, and, like all girls, she was very concerned about her appearance.
Elizaveta Petrovna succeeded in riding horses, she felt very confident in the saddle, and could give odds to many cavalrymen.
EMPERORS
Emperor (from lat. imperator - sovereign) - the title of the monarch, head of state (empire).
Emperors in Russia were from 1721 to 1917. The title of Emperor of All Russia (Emperor of All Russia) was adopted for the first time after the victory in northern war On October 22, 1721, Peter I the Great, at the request of the Senate, “as usual from the Roman Senate, for the noble deeds of emperors, their titles were publicly presented to them as a gift and signed on statutes for memory in eternal birth.” The last Emperor Nicholas II was overthrown during February Revolution 1917.
The emperor had supreme autocratic power (since 1906 - legislative power, together with State Duma And State Council), officially he was titled "His Imperial Majesty" (in the abbreviated form - "Sovereign" or "E. I. V.").
Article 1 of the Fundamental Laws of the Russian Empire indicated that “The All-Russian Emperor is an autocratic and unlimited Monarch. To obey his supreme authority, not only out of fear, but also out of conscience, God himself commands. The terms "autocratic" and "unlimited", coinciding in their meaning, indicate that all the functions of state power in law formation, expedient activity within the law (administrative-executive) and the administration of justice are performed undividedly and without the obligatory participation of other institutions by the head of state, who transfers the implementation of some of them by certain bodies acting on his behalf and by his authority (Article 81).
Russia under the emperors was a legal state with a monarchical-unlimited form of government.
Full title of emperor at the beginning of the 20th century. was like this (Article 37 of the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire):
By God's hastening mercy, We, ΝΝ, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauric Chersonis, Tsar of Georgia; Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke Smolensk, Lithuanian, Volyn, Podolsky and Finnish; Prince of Estonia, Livonia, Courland and Semigalsky, Samogitsky, Belostoksky, Korelsky, Tversky, Yugorsky, Permsky, Vyatsky, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novgorod Nizovsky lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udorsky, Obdorsky, Kondia, Vitebsk, Mstislav and all northern countries Sovereign; and Sovereign of Iversky, Kartalinsky and Kasardinsky lands and regions of Armenia; Cherkasy and Mountain Princes and other Hereditary Sovereign and Possessor; Sovereign of Turkestan; Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormarn, Dithmarsen and Oldenburg and others, and others, and others.
In some cases, determined by law, an abbreviated form of title was used: “By God's hastening mercy, We, ΝΝ, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kyiv, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauric Chersonis, Tsar of Georgia, Grand Duke of Finland and others, and others, and others.
After the adoption by Peter the Great of the title of emperor, on October 22 (November 2), 1721, and the recognition of his title by other countries, Russian state became known as the Russian Empire (Russian Empire).
On February 5 (16), 1722, Peter the Great issued a decree on succession to the throne, in which he abolished the ancient custom of transferring the throne to direct male descendants, but allowed, at the will of the monarch, the appointment of any worthy person as heir.
On April 5 (16), 1797, Paul I established already new order inheritance. Since that time, the order of succession to the Russian throne is based on the principle of primogeniture, i.e. with the accession to the throne by the descendants of their ascendants in the event of the death or abdication of the latter by the time the inheritance is opened. In the absence of heirs in a straight line, the throne should pass to the side ones. Within each line (straight or lateral), males are preferred over females, and male sidelines are called before females. Accession to the throne for the called should be limited to confession Orthodox faith. The majority of the reigning emperor (and heir) comes at the age of sixteen, until this age (as well as in other cases of incapacity) his power is exercised by the ruler, who may be (if there is no person specially appointed by the reigning emperor), the surviving father or mother of the emperor , and in their absence - the closest adult heir.
All the emperors who ruled Russia belonged to the same imperial family - the House of Romanov, the first representative of which became the monarch in 1613. Since 1761, the descendants of the daughter of Peter I Anna and the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl-Friedrich reigned, who descended from the family in the male line Holstein-Gottorpov (a branch of the Oldenburg dynasty), and in the genealogy these representatives of the Romanov dynasty, starting from Peter III, are called the Romanovs-Holstein-Gottorp.
By birthright and in terms of the scope of his powers, the emperor was the supreme leader of a great world power, the first official in the state. On behalf of the emperor, all laws were issued, they were appointed to positions.
All government ministers, governors and other senior officials. It was the emperor who determined the most important areas of government activity, including issues of war and peace, and managed state finances almost uncontrollably.
The organic nature of the Russian autocracy is inextricably linked with the historical conditions of development and the fate of the Russian Empire, the peculiarities of the Russian folk mentality. The supreme power had support in the minds and souls of the Russian people. The monarchical idea was popular and accepted by society.
In their objective role, all the emperors of Russia were major political figures, whose activities reflected both public interests and contradictions, as well as their personal qualities.
Mind and education, political preferences, moral principles, life principles and features of the psychological make-up of the character of the monarch to a large extent determined the direction and nature of the internal and foreign policy states of Russia and, ultimately, were of great importance for the destinies of the whole country.
In 1917, with the abdication of Nicholas II for himself and his son Tsarevich Alexei, the imperial title and the empire itself were abolished.
