Brief description of Elizabeth Petrovna. Russian Empress Elizaveta Petrovna: biography, years of reign, foreign and domestic policy, achievements and interesting facts
From 1741 to 1761, the Russian Empire was ruled by Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. She was the daughter of Peter the Great and his wife Catherine I. Historians are still debating the role of Elizabeth in the history of the Russian state. Our article will talk about the politics and personal life of the famous ruler.
Childhood and adolescence
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna was born even before the marriage between her parents. They named the girl by a name that the Romanov dynasty had never used before. Elizabeth is a Hebrew name that translates as “one who honors God.” Peter the Great especially loved this name. Oddly enough, that was the name of his dog earlier.
Historians have established the exact years of life of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The ruler was born on December 18, 1709 in the Moscow suburb of Kolomenskoye, and died on December 25, 1761 in St. Petersburg. The autocrat lived for about 52 years.
In 1709, Peter the Great won the Battle of Poltava. At the same time, news came about the birth of his child. “Let’s put off the celebration and hasten to congratulate my daughter on her coming into this world!” - exclaimed the king. Pyotr Alekseevich Romanov and his wife Ekaterina got married only two years after the birth of their daughter - in 1711.
The future empress spent her childhood in beauty and luxury. Even in her early years, Elizaveta Petrovna had excellent taste in clothes, and was also distinguished by her extraordinary flexibility and ease of movement. Contemporaries noted that the girl could have been a beauty if not for her crooked nose and bright red hair.
Young Lisa did not receive a proper education. Her only Jewish teacher taught the girl French and calligraphy. The rest of the disciplines passed by the future empress. Elizaveta Petrovna didn’t even know that Great Britain was an island. Biographers claimed that the girl was eccentric, strange and extremely disorganized. She was nervous about trifles and swore at the courtiers. At the same time, Elizabeth was incredibly hospitable and kind to her friends.
Rise to power
In 1727, Catherine I drew up a will, according to which her daughter Elizabeth received rights to the throne after the reign of Peter II and Anna Petrovna. In 1730, the reigning Emperor Peter Petrovich died, and everyone forgot about his mother’s will. Instead of Elizabeth, the niece of Peter the Great, Anna Ioannovna, took the throne. She ruled for 10 years - from 1730 to 1740. All this time, Peter's daughter was in disgrace. She rarely visited the palace, paid for the education of her cousins on her own and wore, as historians say, extremely nasty dresses.
During the reign of Empress Anna, major opposition arose. There were many dissatisfied with the current ruler, and most of them pinned their hopes on Peter’s daughter. In 1740, Anna Ioannovna died, and her place was taken by Anna Leopoldovna, the great-niece of Peter I. The infant Ivan VI became the official ruler. Taking advantage of the moment, Elizabeth raised the Preobrazhensky Regiment behind her.
Continuation of father's policies
From 1721 to 1741, the Russian Empire was under the patronage of rather strange, sometimes even odious, personalities. Catherine I, the wife of Peter the Great, was an uneducated woman. Throughout her reign, Alexander Menshikov was at the helm. This continued under Peter II, a young and sickly emperor.
In 1730, Anna Ioannovna came to power (pictured below).
She was a brave woman, but not capable of normal rule. Her entire biography was marked by rather strange, sometimes terrible events. Anna's behavior did not correspond to her status. She easily dealt with hated ministers, loved to organize sudden celebrations and did not particularly care about her people. Anna Leopoldovna, who came to power, did not have time to prove herself at all. She was only a regent for Tsarevich John VI, who was still an infant in 1740. The country was then flooded with German ministers.
Realizing all the horrors of the existing situation in the empire, Elizabeth decided to act directly. She seized power and declared several times that she would act like her father. The ruler, I must say, did not lie.
When studying the biography of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, it becomes clear how much the daughter of the famous ruler absorbed her father’s traits. In the very first years, the autocrat restored the Senate, the Chief Magistrate and a number of important collegiums. The Cabinet of Ministers, approved by Anna Ioannovna, was liquidated.
During the Seven Years' War, Elizabeth created a special body above the Senate. It was called the Conference at the Highest Court. Military and diplomatic representatives, summoned directly by the Empress, took part in the work of the body. The Secret Chancellery, an organ of investigation and court, was developed.
Economic policy
Analysis short biography Empress Elizabeth Petrovna cannot be carried out without taking into account the ongoing reforms. It is known that in 1744 a decree was passed prohibiting fast driving around the city. Fines began to be levied for foul language in in public places. All these little things clearly illustrate how Elizabeth “restored order” after the revelry organized by the previous rulers.
In the 40s of the 18th century, the second population census was carried out. Such a smart step allowed the empress to analyze the state of society in the country and understand exactly in which directions she should move.
A significant role in the 50-60s. The 18th century was played by the head of the executive branch Pyotr Shuvalov (pictured above). During the reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, he carried out a number of serious reforms in the customs sphere. A decree was signed abolishing internal border fees. As a result, there is a significant revival of interregional trade relations. At the same time, the first Russian banks appeared: Kupechesky, Medny and Dvoryansky. They issued loans and controlled the state of the country's economy.
Social politics
Like previous rulers, Elizaveta Petrovna continued the line of expanding noble rights. In 1746, a significant event occurred: long years defining condition Russian state: The nobles received the right to own peasants and land. After 14 years, the landowners were able to send peasants to Siberia to settle.
Peasants, unlike nobles, had their rights limited. They couldn't lead anymore monetary transactions without the permission of their owners. In 1755, factory workers were assigned as permanent workers at Ural industrial enterprises.
The biggest event was the complete abolition of the death penalty. There is a known case when the landowner Natalya Lopukhina was wanted to be thrown on the wheel for publicly humiliating Elizaveta Petrovna. The Russian Empress, however, had mercy and replaced death penalty to exile in Siberia. At the same time, Lopukhina was beaten with a whip and lost her tongue.
State of affairs in the regions
Liberalization during the years of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna did not manifest itself in everything. The practice of corporal punishment became widespread in the army and among peasants. A commander or landowner could severely beat his subordinates without fear of consequences. Formally, it was forbidden to kill peasants, but there were a great many cases of beating to death throughout the country. It was extremely rare that landowners could be punished for causing harm to their peasants. This is due to the fact that the nobles were the only effective local managers. They kept order, recruited and handled taxation.
During the life of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, feminism began to flourish. The role of women in society has noticeably increased. Increasingly, landowners began to get involved in the management of estates. It was under Elizabeth that one of the most creepy stories during the entire existence of serfdom. Russian landowner Daria Saltykova tortured and brutally killed her own peasants for six years. Due to corruption and ineffective work of law enforcement agencies, the incident became known only at the time when the sadist killed about 80 people.
Local authorities were frankly weak. There was a shortage of personnel in the regions and finances in the treasury. This led to crises in some provinces and even a rise in crime. Often the authorities themselves acted in concert with the villains.
Elizaveta Petrovna’s domestic policy cannot be called weak. On the one hand, she was strikingly different from the chaotic movement that marked the reign of previous empresses. On the other hand, Elizabeth was in no way equal to her father. Peter's reign was progressive, but under his daughter stability was established. Large political reforms, shocking liberal steps and, in general, the growth of the authority of the authorities interspersed with stagnation on the ground, restrictions on the rights of the main mass of the people and the rise of absolutism. But under Elizabeth there was something absolutely beautiful, perhaps covering all the shortcomings of the era. This is culture.
Russian Enlightenment
The arrival of the Enlightenment in Russia is directly related to the reign of Elizabeth. The beginning was made in 1744 - then a decree was issued to expand the network primary schools. The first gymnasiums opened in Kazan and Moscow. Military educational institutions were reorganized in a number of cities of the empire. Finally, in 1755 the famous Moscow University was founded. The initiative was proposed by the empress's favorite, Peter Shuvalov's brother Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov (pictured below on the right).
Two years later, the first Academy of Arts in Russia appeared.
Widespread support was provided to representatives Russian culture and science. Largely thanks to the empress, Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov became famous. Thanks to the research of Dmitry Ivanovich Vinogradov, the country's first Porcelain factory, specializing in the creation of porcelain products, appeared in St. Petersburg.
Enormous finances were allocated for the improvement of the royal residences. The court architect Rastrelli built the Winter Palace - the main residence of all subsequent monarchs. The architecture in Peterhof, Strelna, Tsarskoye and Ekaterininsky Selo underwent thorough modernization. Rastrelli's style received the name Elizabethan Baroque in culture.
In 1756, Elizabeth signed a decree on the transportation of Fyodor Volkov’s troupe from Yaroslavl to the capital. The provincial actor created, in fact, the first real theater in the country. It became known as “imperial”.
The photo below shows a ceremonial idealized portrait of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna by Charles van Loo.
Seven Years' War
From 1756 to 1763 there was a war for the colonies between France and England. Two coalitions took part in the clash: France with Spain, Sweden, Saxony, Russia and Austria, as well as England with Prussia and Portugal. In 1756, Russia declares war on Prussia. The Prussian Emperor Frederick II defeats the troops of Austria and France, and then heads to Russia. Russian commanders-in-chief Apraksin and Rumyantsev lead their troops straight into the enemy country. In the Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf, the Prussian army loses 8 thousand people. Apraksin did not dare to pursue, which greatly angered Elizabeth.
In 1758 Russian army headed by General Fermor. At first, his actions were successful: in captured Koenigsberg, the local population even swore allegiance to the empress. But later a battle took place near the village of Zornsdorf. It was bloody and did not bring victory to either side. Fermor was forced to leave command.
The army of Frederick II was destroyed only in 1759. Then 60 thousandth Russian army fought a general battle near Kunersdorf. In 1760, Berlin was captured, but not for long. Some of the lands captured during the Seven Years' War were returned after the death of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. The reason for this is simple: Peter III, who came to power, was not particularly smart, and was also an obsessive fan of Prussian culture. The enemy perceived the death of the Russian Empress as a real miracle.
Russo-Swedish War
An analysis of the short biography of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna provides fairly accurate information about the ongoing foreign policy. In just 20 years of rule, two major wars occurred: with Prussia (Seven Years) and with Sweden. Russo-Swedish War began immediately with Elizabeth's accession to the throne.
In 1740, the Prussian king Frederick II decided to seize Silesia, a territory belonging to Austria. So that Elizaveta Petrovna does not interfere in the conflict, French diplomacy, in alliance with Prussia, decides to divert Russia’s attention from European affairs. It pits Russia against Sweden.
The Russian troops were commanded by General Lassi. He defeated the Swedes on Finnish territory, where he later settled. The Treaty of Abo in 1743 ended the war. Russia agreed to limit its territorial claims, but only if the Swedish throne was taken by Prince Frederick of Holstein, cousin of the Russian heir Peter III.
One of the articles of the peace treaty confirmed the Peace of Nystad of 1721, concluded by Peter the Great. The parties agreed to live in eternal peace, and the Kymenegorsk province and part of the shores of the Gulf of Finland went to Russia.
Personal life
The ruler died on December 25, 1761. The cause of death of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna has not yet been established. According to her contemporaries, the 52-year-old queen suddenly began bleeding in the throat. In the last years of her life, Peter’s daughter was sick a lot. The torment was caused by an unhealthy lifestyle, namely endless nightly celebrations, junk food and unwillingness to listen to doctors.
Before her death, Empress Elizaveta Petrovna was angry a lot, fell into depression, hid from people and canceled masquerades. It is likely that the autocrat suspected that her death was approaching. For a long time she thought about transferring power, but never made a proper will.
Empress Elizabeth Petrovna had no children. There were rumors that the riotous ruler gave birth to a son from Alexei Razumovsky, as well as a daughter from Ivan Shuvalov (pictured above). However, there is no documentary evidence of this information.
The husband of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna was also unknown to anyone. Foreigners said that allegedly, in her youth, Elizabeth entered into a church marriage with Razumovsky, the first lover and favorite of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna (see portrait below). Again, there is no evidence of this, and there was no point in a secret marriage at that time.
Elizabeth is an exact copy of her father, Peter the Great. Confident, brave and tough, she was at the same time flighty, frivolous and overly emotional. Despite the contradictory nature of her policies, Elizabeth was able to give new life political system empires.
Elizaveta Petrovna is a Russian empress who became the last representative of the royal Romanov dynasty in the female line. She went down in Russian history as a cheerful ruler, as she had a pronounced passion for luxurious balls and various high-society entertainments. The years of her reign were not marked by special pronounced achievements, but she skillfully led her court and maneuvered among political groups, which allowed her to remain firmly on the throne for two decades. However, Elizabeth I played important role in the development of the country’s culture and economy, and also managed to lead the Russian army to several confident victories in serious wars.
Elizaveta Petrovna was born on December 29, 1709 in the village of Kolomeskoye near Moscow. She became the illegitimate daughter of Tsar Peter I and Martha Skavronskaya (Catherine I), so she received the title of princess only two years after her birth, when her parents entered into an official church marriage. In 1721, after the ascension of Peter I to the imperial throne, Elizabeth and her sister Anna received the titles of princesses, which made them the legal heirs to the royal throne.
Young Elizabeth was the most beloved daughter of Emperor Peter, but she rarely saw her father. Her upbringing was mainly carried out by Tsarevna Natalya Alekseevna (her paternal aunt) and the family of Alexander Menshikov, who was an associate of Pyotr Alekseevich. But they did not particularly burden the future empress with her studies - she was thoroughly engaged only in studying French and developing beautiful handwriting. She also gained a superficial knowledge of others foreign languages, geography and history, but they did not interest the princess, so she devoted all her time to taking care of her beauty and choosing outfits.
Elizaveta Petrovna was known as the first beauty at court, she was fluent in dancing, and was distinguished by her extraordinary resourcefulness and ingenuity. Such qualities made her the “main center” of diplomatic projects - Peter the Great made plans to marry his daughter to Louis XV and the Duke of Orleans, but the French Bourbons responded with a polite refusal. After this, the portraits of the crown princess were sent to minor German princes, but Karl-August of Holstein, who showed interest in Elizabeth, died upon arrival in St. Petersburg without reaching the altar.
After the death of Peter the Great and Ekaterina Alekseevna, concerns regarding Elizabeth’s marriage completely ceased. Then the princess devoted herself entirely to entertainment, hobbies and amusements at court, but upon ascending to the throne of her cousin Anna Ioannovna was deprived of her brilliant position and exiled to Alexandrovskaya Sloboda. But society saw in Elizaveta Petrovna the true heir of Peter the Great, so she began to develop power ambitions, and she began to prepare to fulfill her “right” to reign, which according to the law was illegitimate, since she was a premarital child of Peter I.
Ascension to the throne
Elizaveta Petrovna received the title of Empress as a result of the most “bloodless” coup d’etat of 1741. It happened without a preliminary conspiracy, since the empress did not particularly strive for power and did not show herself to be a strong political figure. At the time of the coup itself, she did not have any program, but was embraced by the idea of her own accession, which was supported by ordinary citizens and guards who expressed dissatisfaction with the dominance of foreigners at court, the disgrace of the Russian nobility, the tightening of serfdom and tax legislation.
On the night of November 24-25, 1741, Elizaveta Petrovna, with the support of her trustee and Privy Councilor Johann Lestok arrived at the Preobrazhensky barracks and raised a grenadier company. The soldiers unquestioningly agreed to help her overthrow the current government and, consisting of 308 people, headed to the Winter Palace, where the princess proclaimed herself empress, usurping the current government: the infant emperor John Antonovich and all his relatives from the Brunswick family were arrested and imprisoned in the Solovetsky Monastery.
Considering the circumstances of Elizabeth I's ascension to the throne, the first manifesto she signed was a document according to which she is the only legal heir to the throne after the death of Peter II. After this, she proclaimed her political course aimed at returning the legacy of Peter the Great. During the same period, she hastened to reward all her associates who helped her ascend the throne: the company of grenadiers of the Preobrazhensky Regiment was renamed into a life company, and all the soldiers who did not have noble roots were elevated to the nobility and promoted to rank. Also, all of them were awarded lands that were confiscated from foreign landowners.
The coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna took place in April 1742. It was held with special pomp and style. It was then that the 32-year-old empress revealed her love for colorful shows and masquerades. During the ceremonial events, a mass amnesty was declared, and people on the streets sang welcoming odes to the new ruler, who managed to expel the German rulers and became in their eyes the winner of the “foreign elements.”
Governing body
Having put on the crown and made sure of the support and approval of society for the changes that had taken place, Elizabeth I immediately signed her second manifesto after the coronation. In it, the Empress, in a rather rude form, presented evidence of the illegality of Ivan VI’s rights to the throne and brought charges against the German temporary workers and their Russian friends. As a result, the favorites of the former empress Levenvold, Minikh, Osterman, Golovkin and Mengden were sentenced to death, but after that the ruler decided to commute their punishment and exiled them to Siberia, thereby deciding to prove her own tolerance to Europe.
From the first days on the throne, Elizabeth I began to praise the “acts of Peter the Great” - she restored the Senate, the Chief Magistrate, the Provisions Collegium, the Manufactory and Berg Collegiums. She placed at the head of these departments those representatives of the public who were in disgrace with the previous government or were ordinary guards officers before the coup. Thus, at the helm of the new government of the country were Pyotr Shuvalov, Mikhail Vorontsov, Alexey Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Alexey Cherkassky, Nikita Trubetskoy, with whom at first Elizaveta Petrovna conducted state affairs hand in hand.
Elizaveta Petrovna carried out serious humanization public life, softened a number of paternal decrees providing for harsh punishment for bribery and embezzlement, and abolished the death penalty for the first time in 100 years. In addition, the Empress devoted Special attention cultural development - it is her coming to power that historians associate with the beginning of the Enlightenment, since a reorganization was carried out in Russia educational institutions, the network of primary schools was expanded, the first gymnasiums were opened, Moscow University and the Academy of Arts were founded.
Having taken her first steps in ruling the country, the empress completely devoted herself to court life, intrigue and amusements. Management of the empire passed into the hands of its favorites Alexei Razumovsky and Pyotr Shuvalov. There is a version that Razumovsky was the secret husband of Elizaveta Petrovna, but at the same time he was a very modest person who tried to stay away from big politics. Therefore, Shuvalov practically ruled the country independently in the 1750s.
Still, the achievements of Elizabeth I and the results of her reign cannot be called zero for the country. Thanks to her reforms, carried out at the initiative of the favorites, in Russian Empire Internal customs were abolished, which accelerated development foreign trade and entrepreneurship. She also strengthened the privileges of the nobles, whose children were enrolled in state regiments from birth, and by the time they served in the army they were already officers. At the same time, the empress gave the landowners the right to decide the “fate” of the peasants - they were allowed to sell people at retail and exile them to Siberia. This caused more than 60 peasant uprisings throughout the country, which the empress suppressed very cruelly.
During her reign, Elizaveta Petrovna created new banks in the country and actively developed manufacturing production, which slowly but surely increased economic growth in Russia. She also pursued a powerful foreign policy - the empress had two victories in large-scale wars (Russian-Swedish and Seven Years' Wars), which restored the country's undermined authority in Europe.
Personal life
Elizaveta Petrovna’s personal life has not worked out since her youth. After the failed attempts of Peter the Great to “successfully” marry off his daughter, the princess refused official marriage, preferring a wild life and amusements. There is a historical version that the empress was still in a secret church marriage with her favorite Alexei Razumovsky, but no documents confirming this union have been preserved.
In the 1750s, the ruler found herself a new favorite. He became Mikhail Lomonosov’s friend Ivan Shuvalov, who was very well read and educated person. It is possible that it was under his influence that Elizaveta Petrovna was engaged in the cultural development of the country. After the death of the ruler, he fell into disgrace with the new government, so during his reign he was forced to hide abroad.
After the death of the Empress, there were a lot of rumors at court about Elizabeth’s secret children. Society believed that the empress had an illegitimate son from Razumovsky and a daughter from Shuvalov. This “revived” a lot of impostors who considered themselves royal children, the most famous of whom was Princess Tarakanova, who called herself Elizaveta of Vladimir.
Death
The death of Elizaveta Petrovna occurred on January 5, 1762. At the age of 53, the empress died of throat bleeding. Historians note that since 1757, the ruler’s health began to deteriorate before her eyes: she was diagnosed with epilepsy, shortness of breath, frequent nosebleeds, swelling lower limbs. In this regard, she had to almost completely curtail her active court life, relegating lavish balls and receptions to the background.
Early in 1761, Elizabeth I suffered from severe bronchopneumonia, which left her bedridden. Last year Throughout her life, the empress was very ill, she constantly had attacks of cold fever. Before her death, Elizaveta Petrovna developed a persistent cough, which led to heavy bleeding from the throat. Unable to cope with the illness, the empress died in her chambers.
On February 5, 1762, the body of Empress Elizabeth was buried with full honors in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.
Elizabeth I's heir was her nephew Karl-Peter Ulrich of Holstein, who after his proclamation as emperor was renamed Peter III Fedorovich. Historians call this transition of power the most painless of all reigns in the 18th century.
Daughters Anna and Elizabeth (12/18/1709 - 12/25/1761), as those born out of wedlock, had little chance of ever taking the Russian throne. Moreover, Anna Petrovna, having married the Duke of Holstein, lost her rights to the crown. And Elizabeth, due to her age and frivolous nature, it seemed that all her life she would just walk around and break hearts. However, fate decreed otherwise...
Biography of Elizaveta Petrovna
It was difficult not to love her: cheerful, cheerful, inquisitive, spontaneous - she invariably attracted the sympathy of almost everyone from her immediate circle. At the same time, she partly inherited her father's temper. Elizabeth led a hectic social life, was considered an enviable bride, but was in no hurry to get married. There is an assumption that the very young Emperor Peter II was in love with his aunt, and she reciprocated his feelings. One way or another, after the death of the young ruler from smallpox and excessive libations, Elizabeth was removed from the court, since Anna Ioannovna, who reigned, saw her as a dangerous political rival. Premonitions did not deceive the empress. Taking advantage of the situation, knowing about the attitude towards her in the guard, Elizabeth led palace coup and overthrew Anna Leopoldovna with the infant emperor John. Elizabeth reigned for twenty years. Her personal life has not undergone major changes. Her cordial confidant for a long time there was A.G. Razumovsky, with whom she, if you believe the fabrications of some pseudo-historians, even secretly got married. In more later years the favorite was the intellectual I.I. Shuvalov, thinker and philanthropist. Elizabeth, like true woman, was little involved in government affairs, preferring fun and entertainment to them. It is not for nothing that the poet A.K. Tolstoy in one of his poems “walked” about her with the following stanza: “The cheerful queen / was Elizabeth: / She sings and has fun, / There is just no order.”
Domestic policy of Elizaveta Petrovna
Elizabeth was elevated to the pinnacle of power due to the fact that she was the beloved “daughter” (daughter) of Peter the Great himself. With all the strength of her soul and decrees, she tried to maintain such an idea of herself. The first Russian banks were established - Dvoryansky, Kupechesky and Medny. Thanks to the abolition of internal customs, trade revived. The taxation system has undergone major changes. The Senate was restored to its former rights. Civil service became an exclusively noble privilege. Through the efforts of M.V. Lomonosov, Moscow University was opened. Actually, the versatility of Lomonosov himself was revealed in full force precisely during the reign of Elizaveta Petrovna, who clearly favored the poet and scientist. The first Russian public theater arose. In Ukraine and Little Russia the hetmanate was restored. Elizabeth abolished the death penalty; not a single person was executed during her reign (with the possible exception of fugitives and serfs, but they belonged, as it were, to “subhumans”). Political and economic stability arrived, the institutions of state power were strengthened, and Peter’s reforms became irreversible.
Foreign policy of Elizaveta Petrovna
During the entire twenty-year reign of Elizaveta Petrovna, Russia practically did not fight. Only at the beginning of the reign and at its end did armed conflicts take place with Sweden and Prussia, respectively. Chancellor A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin greatly contributed to the pacification of the warring parties. As for the Seven Years' War, the successes of the Russian troops in it were obvious. Our troops took Berlin and Prussia was close to complete collapse, if not for the death of the Empress and the rollback of what had already been achieved by the new ruler, Peter III.
Elizabeth very zealously ensured that she was considered the first beauty at court and throughout the state. Thus, the wardrobe discovered after her death consisted of as many as 15 thousand dresses. Needless to say, beauty is a terrible force!
Under Elizabeth, the career of the all-powerful A.I. Osterman, an experienced and crafty courtier who outlived several rulers and contributed to the fall of the seemingly all-powerful A.D. Menshikov, came to an end. Sentenced to quartering, he was, nevertheless, pardoned and merely exiled to Siberia for a settlement.
The period of the reign of “Peter’s daughter” has long been considered the “golden age” of the history of the Russian Empire. This is not true - the country at that time was faced with many problems, and Elizaveta Petrovna could not be considered a great monarch. But it is also indisputable that the “cheerful queen” has serious political achievements to her name.
Daughter of Peter the Great
Elizabeth was born in 1709, and in order to celebrate this fact, Peter 1 even postponed the celebrations on the occasion of the defeat of the Swedes in Ukraine ( Battle of Poltava and the events that followed). Formally, at birth the girl was a bastard, since Peter was not married. But the marriage took place 2 years later, and the birth of Elizabeth was legalized.
The girl received a court education, spoke excellent French, danced and rode beautifully, but she could not be called truly educated. She was pretty, but her dubious origins narrowed the circle of possible suitors. The French Bourbons diplomatically avoided Peter's proposals to become related. Another candidate for Elizabeth's hand died shortly before the wedding.
The dubious birth also became the formal reason for Elizaveta Petrovna’s removal from the throne after the death of her parents and nephew. Under Anna, she lived in a semi-disgraced position, amusing herself by hunting and horseback riding. Physical agility, free behavior and disadvantaged position aroused sympathy for her among many nobles who were dissatisfied with Anna Ioannovna, and especially among the officers of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. The princess was considered by them both as the daughter of the revered founder of the guards unit, and as almost a comrade in the service. Therefore, the Preobrazhensk residents willingly began main force coup d'etat on November 25 (December 6), 1741, which secured Elizabeth the Russian throne. Anna Leopoldovna, regent for her young son Ivan 6, was overthrown and a new stage began in the biography of Elizaveta Petrovna.
Great Expectations
Anna Ioannovna aroused persistent rejection in Russia, and everyone greeted Elizabeth’s accession with enthusiasm. The population believed that the daughter of the Great One would be a ruler of his caliber. Lomonosov reflected these expectations in an ode to the empress’s accession to the throne.
Elizabeth was unable to live up to these expectations. But still, her reign (1741-1761) was quite successful for Russia. Within the country, the development of new lands (Trans-Urals and Siberia) was actively underway, several banks were opened, internal duties were abolished and the country was generally reformed. tax system, the first attempts were made to establish a police service. In foreign policy The empress sought to make Russia a significant international player, participating equally in solving world problems. During her reign, the war with Sweden was won (1741-1743) and successfully fought fighting within the framework of the Seven Years' War (the zero result is no longer on the conscience of Elizabeth, but of her successor Peter III).
Elizabeth also encouraged the development of sciences and arts in Russia, under her the Moscow University was created, the discoveries of Bering and Lomonosov were made, the first gymnasiums appeared, and the imperial theater was created (on the basis of Volkov’s Yaroslavl troupe). In architecture, experts distinguish the Elizabethan Baroque style; thanks to the empress, such architectural masterpieces as the Winter Palace (Hermitage) and St. Andrew's Church in Kyiv appeared.
Merry Queen
According to contemporaries, Elizabeth had a generally good-natured character, although she was subject to fits of rudeness and even cruelty. She loved balls, masquerades, dancing and other entertainment. She led an extremely unhealthy lifestyle, drank and ate a lot and tastefully, and had no idea about her daily routine.
She was not officially married and had no children, but she kept her lovers openly, which is why in the minds of her descendants her reign is firmly associated with the phenomenon of favoritism. Yes, this is a fact, but the men of the Shuvalov, Razumovsky, Vorontsov families not only enriched themselves personally, but also did a lot for the country. Elizabeth's Chancellor A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin expressed himself most accurately on this matter: “I serve Russia, and then myself.”
There is a persistent legend about Elizabeth’s secret marriage with Alexei Razumovsky and the presence of several children from him. Of the “children of Elizabeth,” the most famous is Princess Tarakanova. But this is historical gossip.
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna died of throat bleeding of unknown origin on December 25, 1761 (January 5, 1762). Some modern scientists suspect old syphilis. But what's the difference? Elizabeth's policy will not change from this.
The time of Elizaveta Petrovna (1741-1761)
The era of Elizabeth Petrovna
General assessment of the era. Starting to study the very curious time of Elizaveta Petrovna, we will first of all establish a small historical information. The significance of Elizabeth's time has been and still is assessed differently. Elizabeth was very popular; but there were people, and very smart people, contemporaries of Elizabeth, who recalled her time and her practices with condemnation. Such are, for example, Catherine II and N.I. Panin; and in general, if you pick up old memoirs relating to this era, you will almost always find in them some mockery of the time of Elizabeth. Her activities were treated with a smile. And this view of the Elizabethan era was in great fashion; in this regard, Catherine II herself set the tone, to whom power passed shortly after Elizabeth’s death, and others echoed the enlightened empress. Thus, N.I. Panin wrote about the reign of Elizabeth: “This era deserves a special note: everything in it was sacrificed to the present time, to the desires of fitful people and to all sorts of extraneous small adventures in business.” Panin, obviously, did not remember well what happened before Elizabeth, because his description may also relate to the era of temporary workers, “epismatic people” of 1725–1741. If we want to believe Panin, then we must speak of the time of Elizabeth as a dark time and identical with previous times. Panin’s point of view has passed into ours. historical literature. In the work of S. V. Eshevsky (“Essay on the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna”) we find, for example, the following words: “From then (from Peter the Great) until Catherine the Great herself, Russian history comes down to the history of private individuals, brave or cunning temporary workers, and history the struggle of famous parties, court intrigues and tragic disasters" (Oc., II, 366). This assessment (unfair in general) of the reign of Elizabeth does not recognize any historical significance. According to Eshevsky, the time of Elizabeth is the same time of misunderstanding of the tasks of Russia and the reform of Peter, as was the era of the temporary workers and the German regime. “The meaning of the reform begins to be revealed again only under Catherine II,” he says (Works, II, 373). This is how things stood before S. M. Solovyov. Soloviev was well furnished with documents and became well acquainted with the archives of the Elizabethan era. The enormous material he studied, together with the Complete Collection of Laws, led him to a different conviction. Soloviev, if we look for the exact word, “loved” this era and wrote about it with sympathy. He firmly remembered that Russian society revered Elizabeth, that she was a very popular empress. He considered Elizabeth’s main merit to be the overthrow of the German regime, systematic patronage of everything national and humanity: with this direction of Elizabeth’s government, many useful details entered Russian life, calmed it down and allowed it to sort out matters; National “rules and habits” brought up under Elizabeth a whole series of new figures who made the glory of Catherine II. The time of Elizabeth prepared a lot for Catherine’s brilliant activities both inside and outside Russia. Thus, historical meaning Elizabeth's time is determined, according to Solovyov, by its preparatory role in relation to the next era, and Elizabeth's historical merit lies in the nationality of her direction ("Ist. Ross.", XXIV).
Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Portrait by V. Eriksen
There is no doubt that the latter point of view is more just than the views hostile to Elizabeth. Elizabeth's return to national policy both inside and outside Russia, due to the softness of her government’s receptions, she was a very popular empress in the eyes of her contemporaries and gave her reign a different historical meaning in comparison with dark time previous reigns. The peaceful inclinations of the government in foreign policy and the humane direction in domestic policy outlined the reign of Elizabeth with sympathetic features and influenced the morals of Russian society, preparing it for the activities of Catherine’s time.