The Supreme Privy Council appears after the death of Peter the Great. The entry into the legal power of Catherine the Great necessitated its actual organization to clarify a certain area of ​​affairs, since the new empress did not have a clear idea of ​​​​how to continue the policy of the Russian government.

At first, it consisted of only six people, but just a month later, replenishment arrived in the person of Catherine's son-in-law, the Duke of Holstein. It should be noted that all the people who were part of the council were close associates of the previous ruler, who proved themselves during his reign from the best side. However, later the composition of the organ began to change: Menshikov ousted Count Tolstoy, but he himself was exiled under Peter the Second, Holstein stopped attending meetings, and Count Apraksin also died earlier. As a result, only three people remained from among the first advisers. At the same time, later the composition changed even more dramatically and more and more often the princely families of Dolgoruky and Golitsyn prevail in solving state affairs.

The Russian government was in fact subordinate to the Senate, whose name changed from "Governing" to "High". However, soon the power of the Senate was so reduced that it accepted orders not only from the Council, but also from the Synod. And its members swore allegiance not only to the Empress, but also to the members of the Supreme Council. At the same time, any resolution without the signature of the Council and the Empress was considered illegal, and the execution of such orders was prosecuted. According to her last will, Catherine equated the Council with the power of the sovereign, but this order could only exist until Peter the Second.

By the time of Anna Ioannovna's accession to the Russian throne, half of the members of the Council were Dolgoruky, and the two Golitsyn brothers were their like-minded people, forming a strong coalition.

Earlier, Dmitry Golitsyn drew up the so-called "Conditions" that actually limited the power of the new empress. But the plans of the Council were opposed by Osterman and Golovkin, as well as the nobility, headed by Prince Cherkassky. As a result, Anna Ioannovna publicly destroyed (teared) the “Conditions”, after which she issued her official decree on the abolition of the Supreme Privy Council, thus returning absolute exclusive power to the hands of the Russian monarchs.

The abolition of the Supreme Privy Council and the creation of the Cabinet of Ministers by Anna Ioannovna (1730 - 1740)

With the death of Peter II, the Supreme Privy Council decided to offer the imperial crown to 37-year-old Anna Ioannovna, the daughter of Peter I's elder brother Ivan Alekseevich, the widow of the Duke of Courland Friedrich Wilhelm.

At that time, half of the 8 members of the Council were the Dolgorukovs (princes Vasily Lukich, Ivan Alekseevich, Vasily Vladimirovich and Alexei Grigorievich), who were supported by the Golitsyn brothers (Dmitry and Mikhail Mikhailovich).

In order to retain all the power in its hands, the Supreme Privy Council worked out, proposed by Prince Golitsyn, the conditions (“conditions”) of an invitation to the throne of Anna Ivanovna, which limited the power possibilities of the new empress.

Golitsyn formulated a program for the political reorganization of Russia, its transition from an autocratic form of government to an oligarchic one. For Russia, this was a step forward along the path of civilizational development.

According to the developed conditions, Anna Ioannovna did not have the right to independently: “1) not to start a war, 2) not to conclude peace, 3) not to burden subjects with new taxes, 4) not to favor higher ranks of the colonel and “do not assign anyone to noble deeds”, and guards and other troops to be under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Privy Council, 5) do not take away life, property and honor from the gentry without a trial, 6) do not favor estates and villages, 7) neither Russians nor foreigners to the court ranks "without the advice of the Supreme Privy Council produce" and 8) not to use state revenues for expenditure ... ". This required the consent of the Supreme Privy Council. In addition, according to the conditions, the guards and the army were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Privy Council, and the country's budget - under its control.

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

Anna Ivanovna, knowing about the political crisis in the administration of the Russian Empire, signed the terms of the reign proposed to her. At the same time, Russia was not ready for such major changes, which was revealed even at the stage of preparing the wedding of Peter II, when masses of nobles gathered in the capital. It was the nobility that began to continuously present to the Supreme Privy Council their projects for solving the political crisis of power in the country. Initially, it proposed to expand the composition of the Supreme Privy Council, elevate the role of the Senate, give society the opportunity to independently choose the country's leading institutions and leaders, limit the term

The meaning of these projects was frank dissatisfaction with the activities of the council, the requirement to ensure the participation of the nobility in government, to expand its rights, to strengthen the autocracy.

On February 25, 1730, at a solemn meeting in the presence of the Senate and members of the Supreme Privy Council, a deputation of the nobles turned to Anna Ivanovna with a petition - a request to discuss the drafts of a new form of government. The nobles asked the empress to convene a noble assembly as a legislative body. The leaders were forced to submit.

On the same day, Anna Ivanovna was submitted a new petition for the adoption of the title of autocrat. Anna Ivanovna publicly destroyed the conditions she had signed earlier. Thus began the reign of Empress Anna Ivanovna (1730-1740). In the decision of Anna Ioannovna to rule autocratically, the Empress was supported by the guards - the Preobrazhensky Regiment and the cavalry guards. Later, Anna Ioannovna surrounded herself with devoted and close people.

The first decision of the empress was the abolition on March 4, 1730 of the Supreme Privy Council and the creation of a cabinet of ministers, which was under the control of Anna Ioannovna's favorite - E.I. Biron. It included: Chancellor G.I. Golovkin, Vice-Chancellor A.I. Osterman and Privy Councilor, Prince A.M. Cherkassky. After the death of G.I. Golovkin, his place was successively taken by P.I. Yaguzhinsky, A.P. Volynsky and A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin.

Replacing the Senate, the Synod and collegiums, the Cabinet reserved the last word in matters of national importance (in the form of a probing resolution). From the mid 1730s. three signatures of cabinet ministers were recognized as equivalent signatures of the empress.

The arbitrariness of the Cabinet of Ministers was covered by the favorite of the Empress, Chief Chamberlain E. Biron.

Nobles received significant indulgences from the government. In 1730, the points of the decree on single inheritance of 1714 were canceled, which established the principle of inheritance of the estate by one son and limited the right to dispose of landed property.

In 1731, the Land Gentry Corps of Cadets was established, after which the offspring of the nobility got the opportunity to serve in officer ranks. In 1736, the terms of military service of the nobles were reduced to 25 years.

However, affairs in the state caused condemnation even among those who were close to the throne. The President of the Military Collegium, Field Marshal B.Kh. Minich, who was close to the cabinet ministers, was forced to admit that the cabinet and the entire form of government under Anna Ioannovna were imperfect and even harmful to the state.

Arrears grew. Due to the constant budget deficit, the government was forced to pay salaries to civil officials for some years in Siberian and Chinese goods of poor quality. Colossal sums were spent on the upkeep of the yard. The temporary workers emptied the treasury with impunity.

Subjected to exorbitant taxes, the peasants lost the right to swear allegiance to the emperor, and were deprived of the right to engage in commercial activities. The apogee of Anna Ioannovna's policy towards the Russian peasantry was the decree of 1736, which allowed the landowners to trade in serfs, as well as to engage in lynching of the guilty. Discontent swept through all sections of society.

A reflection of this phenomenon was the "case" of A.P. Volynsky. Having started serving as a soldier of a dragoon regiment at the beginning of the reign of Peter I, Volynsky quickly advanced in ranks and positions and in 1738 was appointed to the Cabinet of Ministers. In the circle of trusted persons, rallied around Volynsky, the policy of Anna Ioannovna and her entourage was condemned, and plans for reforms were discussed.

The “General Project for the Correction of Internal State Affairs” drawn up by the conspirators proposed to clear the state apparatus of foreigners and give way to representatives of the Russian nobility, restore the leading role of the Senate among government agencies, improve the legal system in the country by codifying laws, and establish a university and academies in order to spread education. for the clergy. In many ways, the proposals of Volynsky and his "confidants" were progressive for their time.

However, all these intentions were suppressed by Biron and Osterman, who did not want to put up with the Cabinet Minister. In 1740, Volynsky was arrested and executed, and other members of the seditious circle were also severely punished. In October 1740, Anna Ioannovna died.

According to the will, the great-nephew of Anna Ioannovna, the two-month-old baby Ivan Antonovich, was proclaimed emperor, and Duke E. Biron was proclaimed regent. On November 8, 1740, relying on a detachment of 80 guards, Field Marshal B.Kh. Minikh overthrew Biron. Anna Leopoldovna became the ruler.

Supreme Privy Council- the highest advisory state institution of Russia in 1726-1730 (7-8 people). Created by Catherine I as an advisory body, in fact, it resolved the most important state issues.

The accession to the throne of Catherine I after the death of Peter I caused the need for such an institution that could explain the state of affairs to the empress and direct the direction of the government, for which Catherine did not feel capable. Such an institution was the Supreme Privy Council.

The decree establishing the Council was issued in February 1726. Field Marshal General His Serene Highness Prince Menshikov, General Admiral Count Apraksin, State Chancellor Count Golovkin, Count Tolstoy, Prince Dimitri Golitsyn, and Baron Osterman were appointed members of the Council. A month later, the son-in-law of the Empress, the Duke of Holstein, was included in the number of members of the Supreme Privy Council, on whose zeal, as the Empress officially declared, "we can fully rely." Thus, the Supreme Privy Council was originally composed almost exclusively of the chicks of Petrov's nest; but already under Catherine I, one of them, Count Tolstoy, was ousted by Menshikov; under Peter II, Menshikov himself found himself in exile; Count Apraksin died; the duke of Holstein had long ceased to be in the council; of the original members of the Council, three remained - Golitsyn, Golovkin and Osterman.

Under the influence of the Dolgoruky, the composition of the Council changed: the predominance in it passed into the hands of the princely families of Dolgoruky and Golitsyn.

The Council was subordinated to the Senate and collegiums. The Senate, which began to be called "High" (and not "Governing"), was at first belittled to such an extent that it was decided to send decrees to it not only from the Council, but even from the Holy Synod, which was formerly equal to it. The Senate was deprived of the title of governing, and then they thought of taking this title away from the Synod as well. First, the Senate was titled "highly trusted", and then simply "high."

Under Menshikov, the Soviet tried to consolidate government power; ministers, as the members of the Council were called, and senators swore allegiance to the empress or to the regulations of the Supreme Privy Council. It was forbidden to execute decrees that were not signed by the Empress and the Council.

According to the will of Catherine I, during the childhood of Peter II, the Council was given power equal to that of the sovereign; only in the question of the order of succession the Council could not make changes. But the last clause of the testament of Catherine I was left without attention by the leaders when Anna Ioannovna was elected to the throne.

In 1730, after the death of Peter II, half of the 8 members of the Council were Dolgoruky (princes Vasily Lukich, Ivan Alekseevich, Vasily Vladimirovich and Alexei Grigorievich), who were supported by the Golitsyn brothers (Dmitry and Mikhail Mikhailovich). Dmitry Golitsyn drafted a constitution.

However, most of the Russian nobility, as well as members of the Supreme Privy Council Osterman and Golovkin, opposed the Dolgoruky plans. Upon arrival in Moscow on February 15 (26), 1730, Anna Ioannovna received from the nobility, headed by Prince Cherkassky, in which they asked her "to accept autocracy such as your laudable ancestors had." Relying on the support of the guards, as well as the middle and petty nobility, Anna publicly tore up the text of the conditions and refused to comply with them; By the Manifesto of March 4 (15), 1730, the Supreme Privy Council was abolished.

The fate of its members was different: Mikhail Golitsyn was dismissed and died almost immediately, his brother and three of the four Dolgoruky were executed during the reign of Anna Ioannovna. Only Vasily Vladimirovich Dolgoruky survived the repressions, returned from exile under Elizaveta Petrovna and appointed head of the military collegium. Golovkin and Osterman during the reign of Anna Ioannovna occupied the most important government posts. Osterman in 1740-1741 briefly became the de facto ruler of the country, but after another palace coup, he was exiled to Berezov, where he died.

(1726-1730); It was created by decree of Catherine I Alekseevna on February 8, 1726, formally as an advisory body to the Empress, in fact, it decided all the most important state affairs. During the accession of Empress Anna Ivanovna, the Supreme Privy Council tried to limit the autocracy in its favor, but was dissolved.

After the death of Emperor Peter I the Great (1725), his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna ascended the throne. She was not able to independently govern the state and created from among the most prominent associates of the late emperor the Supreme Privy Council, which was supposed to advise the empress what to do in this or that case. Gradually, the solution of all the most important domestic and foreign policy issues was included in the sphere of competence of the Supreme Privy Council. Collegiums were subordinated to him, and the role of the Senate was reduced, which was expressed, in particular, in the renaming from the “Governing Senate” to the “High Senate”.

Initially, the Supreme Privy Council consisted of A.D. Menshikov, P.A. Tolstoy, A.I. Osterman, F.M. Apraksina, G.I. Golovkina, D.M. Golitsyn and Duke Karl Friedrich Holstein-Gottorp (son-in-law of the Empress, husband of Tsarina Anna Petrovna). A struggle for influence unfolded between them, in which A.D. won. Menshikov. Ekaterina Alekseevna agreed to the marriage of the heir to Tsarevich Peter with Menshikov's daughter. In April 1727 A.D. Menshikov achieved the disgrace of P.A. Tolstoy, Duke Karl-Friedrich was sent home. However, after the accession to the throne of Peter II Alekseevich (May 1727), A.D. Menshikov and the Supreme Privy Council included A.G. and V.L. Dolgorukovs, and in 1730 after the death of F.M. Apraksina - M.M. Golitsyn and V.V. Dolgorukov.

The internal policy of the Supreme Privy Council was aimed mainly at solving the problems associated with the socio-economic crisis that the country was going through after the long Northern War and the reforms of Peter I, primarily in the financial sector. The members of the council ("supervisors") critically assessed the results of Peter's transformations, recognized the need to correct them in accordance with the real possibilities of the country. At the center of the activities of the Supreme Privy Council was the financial issue, which the leaders tried to solve in two directions: by streamlining the system of accounting and control of state revenues and expenditures and by saving money. The leaders discussed the issues of improving the systems of taxation and public administration created by Peter, reducing the army and navy, and other measures aimed at replenishing the state budget. The collection of the poll tax and recruits was shifted from the army to the civil authorities, military units were withdrawn from the countryside to the cities, some of the officers from the nobility were sent on long vacations without payment of monetary salaries. The capital of the state was again moved to Moscow.

In order to save money, the leaders liquidated a number of local institutions (court courts, offices of zemstvo commissars, waldmeister offices), and reduced the number of local employees. Some of the petty officials who did not have a class rank were deprived of their salaries, and they were asked to "feed from their work." Along with this, the positions of voivods were reinstated. The leaders tried to revive domestic and foreign trade, allowed previously prohibited trade through the port of Arkhangelsk, lifted restrictions on trade in a number of goods, canceled many restrictive duties, created favorable conditions for foreign merchants, revised the protectionist customs tariff of 1724. In 1726, an alliance treaty was concluded with Austria, which for several decades determined Russia's behavior in the international arena.

In January 1730, after the death of Peter II, the leaders invited the Dowager Duchess of Courland Anna Ivanovna to the Russian throne. At the same time, on the initiative of D. M. Golitsyn, it was decided to reform the political system of Russia by actually eliminating the autocracy and introducing a limited Swedish-style monarchy. To this end, the leaders suggested that the future empress sign special conditions - “conditions”, according to which she was deprived of the opportunity to independently make political decisions: make peace and declare war, appoint to government posts, change the taxation system. Real power passed to the Supreme Privy Council, whose composition was to be expanded by representatives of the highest officials, the generals and the aristocracy. The nobility as a whole supported the idea of ​​limiting the absolute power of the autocrat. However, the negotiations between the leaders and Anna Ivanovna were conducted in secret, which aroused suspicion among the mass of nobles of a conspiracy to usurp power in the hands of aristocratic families represented in the Supreme Privy Council (Golitsyn, Dolgoruky). The lack of unity among the supporters of the leaders allowed Anna Ivanovna, who arrived in Moscow, relying on the guards and part of the court officials, to carry out a coup: on February 25, 1730, the empress broke the “conditions”, and on March 4, the Supreme Privy Council was abolished. Later, most of the members of the Supreme Privy Council (with the exception of Osterman and Golovkin, who did not support the Golitsyns and Dolgorukovs) were subjected to repression.

The Supreme Privy Council was created after the death of Peter the Great. Catherine's accession to the throne made it necessary to organize it in order to clarify the state of affairs: the empress was not able to manage the activities of the Russian government.

Prerequisites

The establishment of the Supreme Privy Council, as many believed, was supposed to "calm the offended feelings" of the old nobility, removed from the management of unborn figures. At the same time, it was not the form that had to change, but the nature and essence of the supreme power, because, having retained its titles, it turned into a state institution.

Many historians express the opinion that the main flaw in the system of government created by the great Peter was the impossibility of combining the nature of executive power with the collegial principle, and therefore the Supreme Privy Council was founded.

It turned out that the emergence of this supreme advisory body was not so much the result of a confrontation of political interests, but rather a necessity associated with filling a gap in the inferior Petrine system at the level of top management. The results of the short activity of the Council were not very significant, since it had to act immediately after a tense and active era, when one reform succeeded another, and in all spheres of state life there was a strong excitement.

Reason for creation

The creation of the Supreme Privy Council was called upon to sort out the complex tasks of the Petrine reforms that remained unresolved. His activities clearly showed what exactly of Catherine's inheritance stood the test of time, and what should be reorganized. The Supreme Council most consistently adhered to the line chosen by Peter in the policy concerning industry, although on the whole the general trend of its activity can be described as reconciling the interests of the people with the interests of the army, refusing extensive military campaigns and not accepting any reforms in relation to the Russian army. At the same time, this institution responded in its activities to those needs and cases that required an immediate solution.

February 1726 was the date of establishment of this highest deliberative state institution. Its members were General Field Marshal Menshikov, State Chancellor Golovkin, General Apraksin, Count Tolstoy, Baron Osterman and Prince Golitsyn. A month later, the Duke of Holstein, Catherine's son-in-law, the most trusted person of the Empress, was included in its composition. From the very beginning, the members of this supreme body were exclusively the followers of Peter, but soon Menshikov, who was in exile under Peter the Second, supplanted Tolstoy. After some time, Apraksin died, and the Duke of Holstein stopped attending meetings altogether. Of the originally appointed members of the Supreme Privy Council, only three representatives remained in its ranks - Osterman, Golitsyn and Golovkin. The composition of this deliberative supreme body has changed a lot. Gradually, power passed into the hands of the powerful princely families - Golitsyn and Dolgoruky.

Activity

By order of the Empress, the Senate was also subordinated to the Privy Council, which at first was lowered to the point that they decided to send decrees from the Synod, which had previously equal rights with it. Under Menshikov, the newly created body tried to consolidate the power of the government for itself. The ministers, as its members were called, together with the senators swore allegiance to the empress. It was strictly forbidden to execute decrees that were not signed by the Empress and her brainchild, which was the Supreme Privy Council.

According to the testament of Catherine the Great, it was precisely this body that, during the childhood of Peter II, was given power equivalent to the power of the sovereign. However, the Privy Council did not have the right to make changes only in the order of succession to the throne.

Change in the form of government

From the first moment of the establishment of this organization, many abroad predicted the possibility of attempts to change the form of government in Russia. And they were right. When he died and it happened on the night of January 19, 1730, despite the will of Catherine, her descendants were removed from the throne. The pretext was the youth and frivolity of Elizabeth, the youngest heiress of Peter, and the infancy of their grandson, the son of Anna Petrovna. The question of the election of the Russian monarch was decided by the influential voice of Prince Golitsyn, who stated that attention should be paid to the senior line of the Petrine family, and therefore proposed the candidacy of Anna Ioannovna. The daughter of Ivan Alekseevich, who had been living in Courland for nineteen years, suited everyone, since she had no favorites in Russia. She seemed manageable and obedient, with no inclination to despotism. In addition, such a decision was due to Golitsyn's rejection of Peter's reforms. This narrowly individual tendency was joined by the long-standing plan of the “supreme leaders” to change the form of government, which, naturally, was easier to do under the rule of the childless Anna.

"Conditions"

Taking advantage of the situation, the "supervisors", having decided to limit the somewhat autocratic power, demanded that Anna sign certain conditions, the so-called "Conditions". According to them, it was the Supreme Privy Council that should have had real power, and the role of the sovereign was reduced to only representative functions. This form of government was new for Russia.

At the end of January 1730, the new empress signed the “Conditions” presented to her. From now on, without the approval of the Supreme Council, she could not start wars, conclude peace treaties, introduce new taxes or impose taxes. It was not in her competence to spend the treasury at her own discretion, promote to ranks higher than the rank of colonel, pay estates, deprive nobles of life or property without trial, and most importantly, appoint an heir to the throne.

The struggle for the revision of the "Conditions"

Anna Ioannovna, having entered the Mother See, went to the Assumption Cathedral, where the highest state officials and troops swore allegiance to the empress. The oath, new in form, was deprived of some of the former expressions that meant autocracy, and it did not mention the rights that were endowed with the Supreme Secret Organ. In the meantime, the struggle between the two parties - the "supreme leaders" and supporters of autocracy - intensified. P. Yaguzhinsky, Feofan Prokopovich and A. Osterman played an active role in the ranks of the latter. They were supported by broad layers of the nobility, who wanted to revise the "Conditions". Discontent was primarily due to the strengthening of a narrow circle of members of the Privy Council. In addition, in the conditions, most of the representatives of the gentry, as the nobility was called at that time, saw the intention to establish an oligarchy in Russia and the desire to assign two surnames - Dolgoruky and Golitsyn - the right to elect a monarch and change the form of government.

Cancellation of "Conditions"

In February 1730, a large group of representatives of the nobility, amounting, according to some sources, to eight hundred people, came to the palace to give Anna Ioannovna a petition. Among them were quite a lot of guards officers. In the petition, the empress expressed herself, together with the nobility, to once again revise the form of government in order to make it pleasing to the entire Russian people. Anna, by virtue of her character, hesitated somewhat, but her older sister - - forced her to sign the petition. In it, the nobles asked to accept full autocracy and destroy the points of the "Conditions".

Anna, on new terms, secured the approval of the confused "supreme leaders": they had no choice but to nod their heads in agreement. According to a contemporary, they had no other choice, because at the slightest opposition or disapproval, the guardsmen would pounce on them. Anna publicly tore up not only the "Conditions" with pleasure, but also her own letter about the acceptance of their points.

On March 1, 1730, on the terms of full-fledged autocracy, the people once again took the oath to the Empress. And just three days later, the Manifesto of March 4 abolished the Supreme Privy Council.

The fate of its former members was different. retired, and after a while he died. His brother, as well as three of the four Dolgorukovs, were executed during Anna's reign. The repression spared only one of them - Vasily Vladimirovich, who was acquitted, returned from exile and, moreover, appointed head of the military collegium.

Osterman during the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna was in the most important state post. Moreover, in 1740-1741 he briefly became the de facto ruler of the country, but as a result of another he was defeated and was exiled to Berezov.