Who was the Russian emperor after Catherine 2. Who ruled in Russia after Catherine II? The last Russian emperor was shot in the basement

The wife of Peter III, who became empress after her husband's dethronement. As a German princess who converted to Orthodoxy, having no kinship with the Romanov dynasty, nor any rights to the Russian throne, she nevertheless held the reins of government in her hands for more than 30 years. And this time in Russia is usually called the “golden age”.

Catherine conducted her policy in three main directions:

Expansion of the territory of the state, strengthening its authority in the world;

Liberalization of methods of governing the country;

Administrative reforms involving the involvement of nobles in the management of local authorities.

During her reign, the country was divided into 50 provinces. The principle of division was a certain number of inhabitants.

The reign of this empress was the heyday of the nobility. The provinces were completely under the rule of their nobles. At the same time, the nobleman was exempted from taxes, corporal punishment. Only a court of equals could deprive him of his title, property or life.

In the foreign policy arena, the main directions of Russia were:

Strengthening its influence in the Commonwealth. Catherine carefully monitored that only Russian henchmen sat on the Polish throne;

Relations with Turkey. In this direction, the struggle was for Russia's access to the Black Sea. As a result, two long military campaigns were carried out, ending in the victory of the Russian troops;

Fight against revolutionary France. Despite the fact that Catherine was a fan of the French enlighteners, she gradually became disillusioned with their ideas and methods, and she perceived the revolution in this country rather hostilely. To fight France, it was decided to join forces with Prussia, England and Austria. However, death prevented Catherine from fulfilling her plan.

Such illustrious names as G. Potemkin, A. Suvorov, F. Ushakov, P. Rumyantsev are closely connected with the name of Catherine the Great and the conquests of her period.

The ruler paid much attention to the development of education, the main goal of which she saw not just raising the level of education, but educating a new generation of people, true citizens of her state.

It was she who became the founder of women's school education in Russia, establishing institutions for the "education of noble maidens."

However, with all her desire for liberalism, Catherine zealously pursued dissent and severely punished those who disagreed with her. public policy. So, A. Radishchev was sentenced to death, and then “pardoned” by exile to Siberia for his famous “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”, the writer and publisher N. Novikov was persecuted, some foreign publications were banned, etc. .

In the Catherine era, culture and science actively developed. A thorough study of Russia, its history, geography, ethnography, etc. was carried out. Thanks to the high imperial support, the Academy of Sciences gave the world such people as I. Kulibin, I. Polzunov. The names of D. Fonvizin, G. Derzhavin and others became known in the literature. The empress herself made a valuable contribution to literature by writing memoirs.

Art also developed during this period: painting, sculpture, architecture.

Along with achievements in many areas of life, the reign of Catherine the Great was also marked by one of the most famous and major uprisings in Russia - the Pugachevsky. The reason for this uprising, led by the Cossack E. Pugachev, was the further enslavement of the peasants. Posing as Peter III, who miraculously managed to escape death, Emelyan Pugachev managed to unite the workers, peasants, representatives of national minorities, and the Cossacks. The uprising turned into a real bloody war. Pugachev's army, growing as it advanced, won victories one after another, taking advantage of the fact that most of the Russian troops were absent from the country (there were Russian-Turkish war). The months-long struggle ended with the betrayal of Pugachev by his own associates. After he was handed over to government troops, Catherine ordered his public execution on Bolotnaya Square.

After the death of the leader, the uprising was crushed, and all those responsible were severely punished.

In addition, in many parts of the country, popular unrest broke out from time to time, but they did not have such a scale.

Thus, the "golden age" was significantly overshadowed, especially in relation to the ordinary population of Russia.

Almost half of Catherine's reign was occupied by wars and riots. Bribery and theft flourished.

However, with all this, during the period of her reign, the population of Russia almost doubled, the territory of the state expanded significantly, the army strengthened and the fleet increased (instead of 21 half-decayed battleships, by the end of her reign it was 67 well-equipped ships and 40 frigates). The number of factories and factories increased to 2,000 (instead of 500), and the state income grew 4 times.

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 by the 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 led by 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 Fedor 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
- another church reform was carried out, the Holy Synod was established, 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 public 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 Peacekeeper(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
Son of Emperor 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.

The great emperors of Russia were the alpha and omega, as well as the prosperity of their people. As God is the ruler of the universe, so they were the rulers of their lands. And they had a lot to do with it. The very first representative of this title was Peter the Great. And, probably, not in vain the story Russian Empire It starts with this great personality.

Future Great Emperor

Peter was born in Moscow in 1672, on the ninth of June. This was the fourteenth child of Alexei Mikhailovich and his second wife, Natalya Kirillovna Naryshkina. After the death of the king, Peter inherited a country that was quite undeveloped compared to the culturally prosperous European countries. While the Renaissance and Reformation swept through Europe, Russia rejected Westernization and remained isolated from modernization.

Peter the Great is the first emperor of Russia, who became famous thanks to his numerous reforms and attempts to make a great power out of his state. He created a strong fleet, reorganized the army according to Western standards. Under him, new administrative and territorial divisions of the country were introduced, he initiated a number of changes that affected all spheres of Russian life.

Radical changes and general development

The first emperor of Russia paid special attention to the development of science. He hired several foreign experts to train his people on all sorts of technological advances. He focused on the development of trade and industry, modernized the Russian alphabet, introduced the Julian calendar, and the first Russian newspaper was created under him.

Peter Alekseevich was a far-sighted and skillful diplomat who abolished archaic forms of government and created the Governing Senate. It was the highest authority state power, which regulated all branches of the administration, as well as decisions and innovative achievements in Russian foreign policy.

New territorial holdings

Under the reign of Peter the Great, the state acquired numerous territories such as Estonia, Latvia and Finland. After the battles with Turkey, he gained access to the Black Sea. And in one thousand seven hundred and twelfth year, Peter Alekseevich moved the capital to a new city on the Neva - Petersburg, founded by him and which soon became a "window to Europe."

In accordance with the rules and changes of Peter the Great, Russia became a great European power. And in 1721, he proclaimed it an empire, respectively, Peter Alekseevich himself was given the title of Emperor of All Russia, the Great Father of the Fatherland.

Peter was married twice and had eleven children, many of whom died in infancy. The eldest son from his first marriage, Alexei, was convicted and secretly executed in 1718. Peter Alekseevich died on February 8, 1725 without nominating an heir.

Another Peter Alekseevich

Naturally, not only the emperors of Russia ruled, the chronology also indicates the presence of four empresses. One of them was Catherine the Great. She sat on the throne after Peter the Great. And then the grandson of Peter the Great came to power. He was born on the twelfth of October 1715. His mother died ten days after his birth. And three years later, his father followed after his mother.

In 1727, Menshikov urged Catherine the Great to sign a will in favor of Peter. And when the empress died, Peter II continued the list of emperors of Russia.

Menshikov settled the boy in his house and began to control all his actions. Little Peter was lively, smart, skillful and very much like his great-grandfather. Despite this similarity, he, unlike Peter the Great, did not want to study.

Being too young, Peter II could not manage the empire and almost did not participate in the activities of the Privy Council. This quickly led to disruption state system, as officials were afraid of Peter's unmotivated actions and did not want to take responsibility for any important decisions.

On the thirtieth of November, one thousand seven hundred and twenty-ninth, Peter II was engaged to the eighteen-year-old beauty Ekaterina Alekseevna Dolgorukova. But the very next year, on January 6, he caught a cold during a military review and fell ill with smallpox. Died January 19, 1730.

After death, a woman sits on the throne again - Anna Ioannovna. And the subsequent emperors of Russia - the chronology shows the ten-year term of her reign - are waiting for their place in the history of the state.

Baby emperor or struggle for power

Ivan the Sixth was born in St. Petersburg on the twelfth of August 1740. He was the son of Prince Anton of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Anna Leopoldovna. Twelve days before her death, the empress declared the two-month-old Ivan her heir. And Ernst Johann Biron was to serve as regent for the boy until he reached the age of seventeen.

But Ivan's mother overthrew Biron in 1740 and declared herself regent. And a year later, she herself was overthrown by Elizaveta Petrovna, who was supported by the grenadiers and officers of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. The daughter of Peter the Great, Anna, with her whole family and the baby, was arrested by the emperor and imprisoned in a fortress near Riga. Then Emperor Ivan the Sixth was transferred to Kholmogory. There, the bishop's empty house was converted into a prison. There the boy lived for the next twelve years, seeing no one but his jailer.

The mysterious prisoner or the death of another emperor

Many representatives had a difficult fate royal family who were to take their place on the throne. And, perhaps, this was one of the reasons why some emperors of Russia (the chronology indicates their names) voluntarily renounced power in favor of one of their relatives.

But what happened next with the grown-up Ivan the Sixth? Rumors about his imprisonment in Kholmogory are spreading more and more, and the reigning one transfers him to where he was placed in solitary confinement. The identity of the prisoner was kept in deep secrecy. Even the jailers did not know who they were guarding. Ivan was kept in terrible conditions. Candles were his only source of light.

The guards reported that the young man's mental abilities were impaired, Ivan lost his memory and had no idea who he was. His stuttering was so strong that it became almost impossible to understand what the prisoner was talking about, nevertheless, Ivan the Sixth remembered his real name.

The deposed emperor was dangerous for the German princess who had seized the Russian throne, and she ordered that he be guarded very carefully, and in the event of an attempt to free the prisoner, kill him. And shortly after that, on the night of July 4-5, 1764, Lieutenant of the Smolensk Infantry Regiment Vasily Mirovich, at the head of the rebellious soldiers, tried to save Ivan, and the prisoner was immediately executed. So the list of emperors of Russia was replenished with one more name. The unfortunate Ivan the Sixth, who was never able to take his rightful place.

Grandson of two emperors of Russia and Sweden

All the emperors of Russia, who, in order of succession or by way, occupied the throne, are one way or another indicated in the historical archives. And one cannot fail to mention here Peter the Third, who ruled Russia for only six months. He was born on the twenty-first of February in one thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight in northern Germany. This was the only son of Anna Petrovna and Karl Friedrich. Grandson of two emperors - Peter the Great and Charles the Twelfth.

The boy showed interest in art, loved military parades and dreamed that he would someday become a world famous warrior. At the age of fourteen he was brought to Russia to live with his aunt, the reigning Elizabeth. On August 21, 1745, Peter married the Princess of Anhalt-Zerbskaya, who took the name Catherine. The political marriage orchestrated by Aunt Petra was a disaster from the start.

Emperor who hated the Russian state and its people

Catherine was a woman of amazing intellect, while Peter remained a child in the body of an adult man. They had one son - Pavel, the future emperor, and daughter Anna, who dies in childhood. All the emperors of Russia, occupying the throne in order and ruling the state, basically tried to bring the country maximum benefit. But Peter the Third was an exception. He hated Russia. Didn't care about Russian people, and could not stand the Orthodox Churches.

After Peter the Third took his place on the throne, he canceled the foreign policy of his aunt, led Russia out of the Seven Years' War, and this step was considered by his contemporaries as a betrayal of the Russian victims of the war. But at the same time, experts who are interested in the history of the emperors of Russia suggest that perhaps this decision of Peter III was part of a pragmatic plan of influence Russian state to the west.

Reforms or services to the state

However, during his reign, Peter III organized a number of internal reforms that seem very democratic today. Proclaimed freedom of religion, abolished the secret police, banned the killing of serfs by their owners. He also created the first state bank.

The reign of many emperors in Russia ended in tragic death. It also happened to Peter the Third. There are many assumptions about his death, but in fact he became a victim of a conspiracy by his own wife Catherine, who dreamed of getting rid of him in order to take the throne. On June 28, 1762, Peter was arrested and soon killed.

Tyrannical rule of Paul

Some names of the emperors of Russia cannot be mentioned with special gratitude or pride. So, for example, Paul the First, who ruled the country for five tyrannical years before he was killed. He was born in Petersburg in 1754. His parents are the future Emperor Peter the Third and Catherine the Second. His mother did not consider him as a future ruler and sent him to live in an estate in Gatchina. And in the place of the future emperor, Catherine prepared his son Alexander.

But after the death of the empress, Paul seized the throne, and his first decree was to establish the right of birthright to the throne, and not the choice of a successor by the emperor himself. Believing that Russia needed an absolute monarchy, he began to reduce the power and privileges of the nobility. To prevent the ideals of the French Revolution from spreading in the country, he outlaws foreign books and travel outside the state.

The numerous changes in Paul's domestic and foreign policy, combined with his despotic attitude and fits of rage, caused rumors to spread about his mental imbalance. And on March 23, 1801, Paul the Third was killed. And his son Alexander came to the throne.

Pupil of grandmother Ekaterina

Alexander was born in St. Petersburg on the twelfth of December 1777. He was brought up by Catherine the Great, who did not love her son Paul at all and did not think that he was capable of ruling the country. She saw her grandson as the future emperor. He was well versed in European culture, history and politics and was brought up in the free-thinking spirit of the court of the empress.

But the hatred between Paul and Catherine made him play two different roles. Under his grandmother, he adhered to the principles of human rights and civil liberty, enjoyed opera and philosophy. And next to his father was strict military discipline and endless training. Soon, Alexander turned into a natural chameleon, became secretive and easily changed his views in accordance with the circumstances.

In 1801, at the age of twenty-three, Alexander was crowned. The handsome and charming emperor was extremely popular. True to the ideals of his liberal school, he embarked on a series of social reforms. Torture was banned new law allowed the peasants to redeem themselves from serfdom. Administrative, financial and educational changes followed.

The triumph of the great monarch

During the reign of the emperors of Russia there were many different wars and battles. But one of the most important, even called the Patriotic War, was the war with Napoleon. For Alexander, this was a divine mission, something more than just a war between two countries. It was a battle between good and evil. And when Alexander, after the victory, entered Paris at the head of his troops, he turned into one of the most powerful monarchs. It was the triumph of his reign.

AT last years reign, the emperor becomes especially obsessed with God and Christianity. And when he died on November 19, 1825, many rumors began to circulate that the king secretly abdicated and became a monk. What kind of emperors of Russia were in fact and what kind of thoughts visited their great minds, even history does not know.

Childhood and reign of Nicholas

Nicholas the First was the ninth child of Paul the First and Maria Feodorovna. He was born on the twenty-fifth of June alone, 1796. As a child, he was rude and mischievous. He received his education first from a Scottish nanny, and then from General Gustav Lambsdorff. Not having a broad and inquisitive mind, Nikolai did not like to study. The young prince perked up only when the lessons came to an end and he was allowed to put on military uniform and participate in war games.

Nicholas was not brought up as a future emperor and already at the beginning of his reign, he was faced with an event that shocked him. This is the Decembrist uprising. Five leaders were executed and about one hundred and twenty were exiled to Siberia. Understanding the need for reforms, the king nevertheless feared that the changes would shake the foundations of the empire, which he was obliged to pass on to his descendants. There were other obstacles to reform - these are the closest relatives of the emperor, whose views had a huge impact on his actions.

The slogans of Nicholas were Orthodoxy, autocracy and nationality. His reign marked the rise of absolute monarchy in Russia. He died on February 18, 1855 from pneumonia. And, finally, the last emperors of Russia. The chronology marks their reign years. These were Alexander II and Alexander III, as well as Nicholas II. This is where the history of Russian emperors ends.

The reign of the son of Nicholas

Alexander II, the eldest son of Nicholas I, was born on April 17, 1818. He received an excellent education. He knew several languages, learned the art of war, finance and diplomacy. FROM early age traveled a lot.

After becoming emperor, Alexander issued a law on the emancipation of the peasants. The serfs now received more decent life. And since they became free citizens, it was necessary to reform the entire local system management. During the reign of Alexander was reformed judicial system all social classes became equal before the law. The pressure on censorship was eased and people began to have more freedom of speech.

Despite numerous reforms to improve the lives of the Russian people, Alexander II became a target for the revolutionaries. A member of a terrorist group killed the emperor in 1881.

The personification of the Russian bear

Alexander the Third was born on the twenty-sixth of February alone, 1845. A strong, formidable, desperate patriot, he became the embodiment of the legendary Russian bear. Came to power at a critical moment for the empire. One half of society was dissatisfied with the slow pace of reforms, the second was afraid of change. The economy has not yet recovered from the war with Turkey. The widespread terror unleashed by the revolutionaries led to the formation of a counter-revolutionary group of monarchists.

The emperor did not like foreigners and pursued a policy of Russification. This led to outbreaks of Russian nationalism and Jewish pogroms. He firmly adhered to the principle of "Russia for the Russians" and strengthened the power of the administration. Alexander Alexandrovich Romanov died of nephritis in 1894. And the last emperor of Russia, Nicholas II, came to power.

The tragic end of the imperial family

Interesting fact! Royal titles are made up of three different structural formations. The title of Emperor of Russia also has its own forms, one of which is full. And such a title of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II consisted of one hundred and thirteen words.

Nicholas II was born in 1868. In 1894, Nicholas becomes emperor. Despite his deep education, he felt that he was not ready for the responsibility that was imposed on him. And many contemporaries note that he looked confused and confused.

For most of his reign, he followed his father's policies. He was stubborn and very slow to recognize the need for change due to the events of 1901. Despite the fact that his powers became limited, the last emperor of Russia tried to act as if he were still an autocrat. Nicholas wanted to go back to the past and restore the power of his ancestors.

After the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, the position of the imperial family became very difficult, and a year later, early in the morning of July 17, Nicholas II, his wife and children were shot. Thus ended the reign of emperors in Russia, and another starting point began in the history of the country.

On April 24, 1605, the very next day after the death of Tsar Boris Godunov, Moscow proclaimed his 16-year-old son Fyodor, a talented and educated young man who was comprehensively prepared for the throne, to reign. But that time was troubled - False Dmitry I was moving to Moscow, who weaved intrigues in order to seize the throne and was able to lure Prince Mstislavsky and many of those who had recently supported the Godunovs to his side. The ambassadors who arrived in Moscow, on behalf of the impostor at Execution Ground, read a message in which False Dmitry I called the Godunovs usurpers, himself - Tsarevich Dmitry Ivanovich, who allegedly managed to escape, promised all sorts of favors and benefits and urged to swear allegiance to himself. Popular unrest began, the crowd shouting "Down with the Godunovs!" rushed to the Kremlin.

Konstantin Makovsky

With the connivance of the government of the boyars, Fyodor Godunov, his mother and sister Xenia were placed in custody, and False Dmitry I ascended the Russian throne. On June 20, 1605, Fyodor II Borisovich Godunov and his mother were strangled. That was the order of the new king. The people were told that they themselves had taken the poison.

Fedor II Borisovich Godunov was killed (10) June 20, 1605 by order of False Dmitry I. He and his mother were strangled, and the people were told that they had poisoned themselves with poison. Only Princess Xenia was spared. According to legend, she was first given as a concubine to False Dmitry, and then exiled to a monastery.

Also, on the orders of False Dmitry, the bodies of Fedor and his mother were buried without honors in the Varsonofevsky Monastery. The coffin with the body of Boris Godunov was also transported there from the Archangel Cathedral. However, under Shuisky, the remains of the Godunov family were solemnly reburied in a special tomb of the Trinity-Sergius Monastery.

False Dmitry I - the first impostor tsar

False Dmitry I is considered by historians to be an adventurer who pretended to be Tsarevich Dmitry, the surviving son of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible. He became the first impostor who managed to take the Russian throne. False Dmitry did not stop at anything in his desire to become king: he gave out promises to the people and even staged his “confession” by Maria Naga, the mother of Tsarevich Dmitry.

But very little time had passed during the reign of False Dmitry I, and the Moscow boyars were very surprised that the Russian tsar did not observe Russian rituals and customs, but imitated the Polish monarch: he renamed the boyar duma the Senate, made a number of changes to the palace ceremonial and devastated the treasury with entertainment, spending on maintenance of the Polish guards and for presents for the Polish king.

In Moscow, a dual situation developed - on the one hand, the tsar was loved, and on the other hand, they were very dissatisfied with him. At the head of the dissatisfied were Vasily Golitsyn, Vasily Shuisky, Mikhail Tatishchev, Prince Kurakin, as well as the Kolomna and Kazan metropolitans. The archers and the murderer of Tsar Fyodor Godunov Sherefedinov were supposed to kill the tsar. But the assassination attempt, planned for January 8, 1606, failed, and the crowd torn to pieces by the crowd.

Engravings from the portraits of F. Snyadetsky. Early 17th century

A more favorable situation for the assassination attempt developed in the spring, when False Dmitry I announced his wedding to the Polish Marina Mnishek. On May 8, 1606, the wedding took place, and Mnishek was crowned queen. The festivities dragged on for several days, and the Poles (about 2 thousand people) who arrived at the wedding, in a drunken stupor, robbed passers-by, broke into the houses of Muscovites, and raped women. False Dmitry I retired for the duration of the wedding. This is what the conspirators used.

On May 14, 1606, Vasily Shuisky and his associates decided to act. The Kremlin changed security, opened prisons and issued weapons to everyone. On May 17, 1606, an armed crowd entered Red Square. False Dmitry tried to escape by flight and jumped out of the window of the chambers directly onto the pavement, where he was seized by archers and hacked to death. The body was dragged to Red Square, its clothes were torn off, a pipe was stuck in the impostor tsar's mouth, and a mask was put on his chest. Muscovites sneered at the body for 2 days, after which they buried it behind the Serpukhov Gates in the old cemetery. But this was not the end of the matter. There were rumors that "miracles work" over the grave. They dug up the body, burned it, mixed the ashes with gunpowder and fired it from a cannon towards Poland.

Ivan VI Antonovich - the emperor who did not see his subjects

Young Emperor Ivan VI

Ivan VI Antonovich is the son of Anna Leopoldovna, niece of the childless Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna and Duke Anton Ulrich of Brunswick, great-grandson of Ivan V. He was proclaimed emperor in 1740 at the age of two months, and Duke of Courland E.I. Biron was declared regent. But a year later - on December 6, 1741 - a coup d'état took place, and the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth Petrovna, ascended the Russian throne.

At first, Elizabeth thought to send the "Brunswick family" abroad, but was afraid that they might be dangerous. The deposed emperor with his mother and father were transported to Dinamunde, a suburb of Riga, and then north to Kholmogory. The boy lived in the same house with his parents, but in complete isolation from them, behind a blank wall under the supervision of Major Miller. In 1756 he was transferred "alone" to the Shlisselburg Fortress, where he was called a "famous prisoner" and kept in complete isolation from people. He couldn't even see the guards. The situation of the prisoner did not improve either under Peter III or under Catherine II

During the time of imprisonment, several attempts were made to free the deposed emperor, the last of which turned out to be his death. On July 16, 1764, officer V.Ya. Mirovich, who was on guard in the Shlisselburg fortress, was able to win over part of the garrison to his side. He called for the release of Ivan and the overthrow of Catherine II. But when the rebels tried to free the prisoner Ivan VI, they stabbed two watchmen who were with him without a break. It is believed that Ivan Antonovich was buried in the Shlisselburg fortress, but in fact he became the only Russian emperor whose burial place is not exactly known.

Peter III - emperor, deposed by his wife

joint portrait by G.K.Groot

Peter III Fedorovich - German Prince Karl Peter Ulrich, son of Anna Petrovna and Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp, grandson of Peter I - ascended the Russian throne in 1761. He was not crowned, he ruled for only 187 days, but he managed to make peace with Prussia, thus crossing out the results of the victories of Russian troops in the Seven Years' War.

Peter's erratic actions in the domestic political arena deprived him of the support of Russian society, and many perceived his policy as a betrayal of national Russian interests. As a result, on June 28, 1762, a coup took place, and Catherine II was proclaimed empress. Peter III was sent to Ropsha (30 miles from St. Petersburg), where the deposed emperor died under unclear circumstances

According to the official version, Peter III died either from a stroke or from hemorrhoids. But there is another version - Peter III was killed by the guards in the ensuing fight, and 2 days before the officially announced death. Initially, the body of Peter III was buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, and in 1796 Paul I ordered the body to be transferred to the Peter and Paul Cathedral

Paul I was strangled with a scarf

Portrait of Paul I
Artist S.S. Schukin

Pavel Petrovich Romanov (born September 20, old style, October 1, new style, 1754 in St. Petersburg; died March 12, old style, March 24, new style, 1801 in the same place) - Russian emperor (1796 - 1801), who ruled under the name Paul I Son of Catherine II and Peter III, father of Emperors Alexander I and Nicholas I. Crowned on April 5 (according to the new style - April 16), 1797. He died at the hands of assassins during the coup that brought his son Alexander Pavlovich to power

The first governmental act of great importance in the reign of Paul was the act of succession to the throne, promulgated at his coronation on April 5 (April 16, according to a new style), 1797. The order of succession was determined by the "Institution of the Imperial Family". Instead of the former, established by Peter the Great in 1722, the procedure for the arbitrary appointment of the heir to the throne by the reigning person, an unchanged procedure was established for the transfer of the throne in a direct descending line from father to eldest son, "so that the state would not be without an heir, so that the heir would always be appointed by the law itself, so that there was not the slightest doubt as to who should inherit." Paul I restored the pre-Petrine order of succession to the throne. This order was in effect until 1917.

Paul's foreign policy was also partly dictated by his mother's spirit of controversy, partly by Paul's notions of honor and nobility. It is known that Paul offered a solution to the disagreement between European countries through duels between sovereigns, as in the days of medieval chivalry.

Catherine, shortly before her death, was going to support the anti-French coalition (Prussia, Austria, England) with bayonets. Pavel announced that Russia would continue to adhere to a policy of non-intervention in European affairs, formally remaining a member of the coalition. Pavel ended the war started by Catherine in Persia and canceled the new recruitment, declaring that Russia needed peace and rest.

But Paul did not manage to sustain this policy to the end. In 1798, Napoleon's success in Europe forced Paul to join the coalition formed in 1799, which consisted of England, Austria, Turkey and Naples. On December 10 (according to the new style), 1798, Paul I assumed the duties of the Master of the Order of Malta and thereby challenged the French, who captured and plundered Malta. The Russian fleet acted against the French in the Mediterranean Sea (the forces of the allied Russian-Turkish fleet under the command of Fyodor Ushakov took the fortress on the island of Corfu) and landed troops in Italy to help the Neapolitan king Ferdinand VI. The brilliant actions of the Russian troops under the command of A. V. Suvorov in Italy did not bear tangible results due to the fact that the Austrian allies did not accept the Suvorov plan, which provided for the capture of Paris and the change of the French government. Instead, the Russian army headed for Switzerland, where it suffered huge losses while crossing the Alps.

When the British captured Malta in 1800 and occupied it (as it turned out for 170 years), Master Order of Malta Emperor Paul I took this as an insult (in his opinion, the liberated island should have been transferred to Russia) and forbade merchant ships from England to enter Russian ports.

Paul's claims to Malta caused the first ever aggravation of relations between Russia and Spain. After the defeat of the Jerusalem kingdom of the crusaders in the territory modern states Syria, Palestine and Israel, the crown of Jerusalem formally passed to the Spanish king. Since Paul, accepting the title of master, remained Orthodox, King Charles IV of Spain did not recognize the new master. The exchange of ultimatums was followed by a mutual declaration of war. Fortunately, due to the remoteness, the opponents never got to each other, and there were no casualties in this war. The matter was resolved (after Paul's death) by an 1801 treaty of peace and friendship.

Outraged by the actions of the allies, Paul left the coalition. In 1800, Russia made peace with France and began to prepare for war with its former allies. Emperor Paul concluded an alliance with Prussia against Austria and an alliance with Prussia, Sweden and Denmark against England. Preparations for military operations against England were especially active: the Don Cossack army had already set out on a campaign to Orenburg in order to capture the most valuable British colony - India. But the death of Paul stopped this campaign.

Many historians attribute the death of Paul I to the fact that he dared to encroach on the world hegemony of Great Britain. On the night of March 11, 1801, conspirators broke into the imperial chambers and demanded the abdication of Paul I from the throne.

The emperor tried to object, and, they say, even hit someone, in response, one of the rebels began to choke him with a scarf, and the other struck the emperor in the temple with a massive snuffbox. The people were told that Paul I had suffered an apoplexy. Tsarevich Alexander, who became Emperor Alexander I in one night, did not dare to touch the killers of his father, and Russian policy returned to the pro-English channel

On the same days in Paris, a bomb was thrown into Bonaparte's cortege. Napoleon was not injured, and commented on the incident as follows: "They missed me in Paris, but hit in St. Petersburg."

An interesting coincidence 212 years later, on the same day that the murder of the Russian autocrat happened, the disgraced oligarch Boris Berezovsky passed away

Alexander II - emperor, reformer and liberator

Emperor Alexander II, the eldest son of the imperial couple Nicholas I and Alexandra Feodorovna, remained in the history of Russia as a reformer and liberator. Several assassination attempts were made on Alexander II. In 1867, in Paris, the Polish emigrant Berezovsky tried to kill him, in 1879 in St. Petersburg - a certain Solovyov. But these attempts were unsuccessful, and in August 1879 the executive committee of the "Narodnaya Volya" decided to kill the emperor. After that, 2 more unsuccessful attempts occurred: in November 1879, an attempt was made to blow up the imperial train, and in February 1880, an explosion thundered in the Winter Palace. To combat the revolutionary movement and protect state order, they even created the Supreme Administrative Commission, but this could not prevent the violent death of the emperor.

On March 13, 1881, when the tsar was driving along the embankment of the Catherine Canal in St. Petersburg, Nikolai Rysakov threw a bomb right under the carriage in which the tsar was traveling. Several people died from a terrible explosion, but the emperor remained unharmed. Alexander II got out of the wrecked carriage, went up to the wounded, to the detainee, and began to inspect the site of the explosion. But at that moment, Ignaty Grinevitsky, a Narodnaya Volya terrorist, threw a bomb right at the feet of the emperor, mortally wounding him.

The explosion tore the emperor's stomach, tore off his legs and disfigured his face. Even in his mind, Alexander was able to whisper: "To the palace, I want to die there." He was carried into the Winter Palace and put to bed already unconscious. On the site where Alexander II was killed, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood was built with donations from the people.

Nicholas II - the last Russian emperor

Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, Nicholas II, - the last Russian emperor ascended the throne in 1894 after the death of his father, Emperor Alexander III. On March 15, 1917, at the insistence of the Provisional Committee of the State Duma, the Russian emperor signed the abdication of the throne both for himself and for his son Alexei and was placed under arrest with his family in the Alexander Palace of Tsarskoye Selo.

The Bolsheviks wanted to hold an open trial of the ex-emperor (Lenin was an adherent of this idea), and Trotsky was to act as the main accuser of Nicholas II. But information appeared that a "White Guard conspiracy" was organized to kidnap the tsar, and on April 6, 1918 royal family transported to Yekaterinburg and placed in the Ipatiev house

The execution of the royal family (the former Russian Emperor Nicholas II, his family and servants) was carried out in the basement of the Ipatiev house in Yekaterinburg on the night of July 16-17, 1918 in pursuance of the decision of the executive committee of the Ural Regional Council of Workers', Peasants' and Soldiers' Deputies, headed by the Bolsheviks


House of Ipatiev. 1928 The first two windows on the left and two windows from the end are the rooms of the king, queen and heir. The third window from the end is the room of the Grand Duchesses. Below it is the basement window where the Romanovs were shot.

The history of Russia is rich in various eras, each of which has left its mark on the life of the country. One of the most intense and controversial was the reign of Peter I the Great, which ended on January 25, 1725 due to the sudden death of the emperor.

Russia without a king? Who ruled after Peter 1

Three years before his death, the autocrat managed to issue a decree that changed the previously existing order of succession to the throne: now it was not the eldest son who became the heir, but one of the sons whom the father considered worthy to take such an honorable place. This decision was due to the fact that the son of the king, the potential heir to the throne, Tsarevich Alexei, was accused of preparing a conspiracy against his own father and, as a result, was sentenced to death. In 1718, the prince died within the walls of the Peter and Paul Fortress.

However, before his death, Peter I did not have time to appoint a new king, leaving the country, for the development of which he had put so much effort, without a ruler.

As a result, the next few years were marked by numerous goals for which the seizure of power was. Since no official heir was appointed, those wishing to sit on the throne tried to prove that it was they who deserved this right.

The very first coup carried out by the guardsmen of the wife of Peter I - by birth Marta Skavronskaya, popularly known as Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova (Catherine I) - brought to power the first woman in the history of Russia.

The enthronement of the future All-Russian Empress was led by an associate of the late tsar, Prince Alexander Danilovich Menshikov, who became the de facto ruler of the state.

Russia after Peter 1 is a special milestone in world history. The strict orderliness and discipline that partly characterized the reign of the emperor now lost their former strength.

who is she?

Martha Skavronskaya (real name of the Empress) was from a family of Baltic peasants. She was born on April 5, 1684. Having lost both parents early, the girl was brought up in the family of a Protestant pastor.

During the Northern War (between Sweden and Russia), in 1702, Martha, along with other residents, was captured by the Russian troops, and then in the service of Prince Menshikov. There are two versions of how this happened.

One version says that Marta became the mistress of Count Sheremetyev, the commander of the Russian army. She was seen by Prince Alexander Danilovich - the favorite of Peter the Great - and, using his authority, took the girl to his house.

According to another version, Martha became the manager's servant at Colonel Baur, where Menshikov laid eyes on her and took her to his house. And already here Peter I himself noticed her.

Rapprochement with Peter I

For 9 years, Martha was the mistress of the king. In 1704, she gave birth to his first child, the son of Peter, and then the second son, Pavel. However, both boys died.

The future empress was educated by the sister of Peter I, Natalya Alekseevna, who taught Marta to read and write. And in 1705, the girl was baptized into Orthodoxy under the name of Ekaterina Alekseevna Mikhailova. In 1708 and 1709, Catherine's daughters from Peter Alekseevich, Anna and Elizabeth (who later took the throne under the name

Finally, in 1712, a wedding with Peter I took place in the church of John of Dalmitsky - Catherine became a full member of the royal family. The year 1724 was marked by the solemn coronation of Martha Skavronskaya in the Assumption Cathedral in Moscow. She received the crown from the hands of the emperor himself.

Who and when ruled in Russia

After the death of Peter 1, Russia fully learned what a country is worth without an imperious ruler. Since Prince Menshikov won the favor of the tsar, and later helped Catherine I become the head of state, the correct answer to the question of who ruled after Peter 1 would be Prince Alexander Danilovich, who actively participated in the life of the country and made the most important decisions. However, the reign of the empress, despite such strong support, did not last long - until May 1727.

During the reign of Catherine I, an important role in the politics of Russia of that time was played by the one created even before the ascension to the throne of the empress. It included such noble and prominent people in the Russian Empire of that time as Prince Alexander Menshikov (who headed this body), Dmitry Golitsyn, Fyodor Apraksin, Pyotr Tolstoy.

At the beginning of the reign of Catherine I, taxes were reduced and many condemned to exile and imprisonment were pardoned. Such changes were caused by the fear of riots due to price increases, which invariably had to lead to discontent among the townsfolk.

In addition, the reforms carried out by Peter were canceled or modified:

the Senate began to play a less prominent role in the political life of the country;

governors replaced local authorities;

for the improvement of the troops, a special Commission was organized, consisting of flagships and generals.

Innovations of Catherine I. Domestic and foreign policy

For the one who ruled after Peter 1 ( we are talking about his wife), it was extremely difficult to surpass the reformer tsar in the versatility of politics. Of the innovations, it is worth noting the creation of the Academy of Sciences and the organization of an expedition led by the famous navigator Vitus Bering to Kamchatka.

In foreign policy in general, Catherine I adhered to the views of her husband: she supported the claims of the Holstein Duke Karl Friedrich (who was her son-in-law) to Schleswig. This led to an aggravation of relations with England and Denmark. The result of the confrontation was the accession of Russia to the Vienna Union (which included Spain, Prussia and Austria) in 1726.

Russia after Peter 1 gained significant influence in Courland. It was so great that Prince Menshikov planned to become the head of this duchy, however locals expressed dissatisfaction in this regard.

Thanks to the foreign policy of Catherine I and Alexander Danilovich (that's who ruled Russia after the death of Peter 1 in fact), the empire was able to take possession of the Shirvan region (having obtained concessions on this issue from Persia and Turkey). Also, thanks to Prince Raguzinsky, friendly relations with China.

The end of the reign of the empress

The power of Catherine I came to an end in May 1727, when the Empress died at the age of 44 from a lung disease. She was buried in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

Before her death, Catherine wanted to make her daughter Elizabeth empress, but once again she obeyed Menshikov and appointed her grandson, Peter II Alekseevich, who was 11 years old at the time of ascension to the throne, as the heir and tsar of Russia.

The regent was none other than Prince Alexander Danilovich (this fact once again proves who ruled after Peter 1 in Russia). Menshikov soon married the newly-made tsar to his daughter Maria, thus further strengthening his influence on court and state life.

However, the power of Prince Alexander Danilovich did not last long: after the death of the emperor, he was accused of a state conspiracy and died in exile.

Russia after Peter the Great is already a completely different state, where not reforms and transformations came to the fore, but the struggle for the throne and attempts to prove the superiority of some classes over others.