Succession to the Throne After Peter the Great: Who Ruled Russia from 1725 to 1762
The first Russian emperor, Peter the Great, carried out a vast number of reforms, laying a new foundation for statehood that, in modified form, still exists in our country today. Among other things, on February 5 (16), 1722, then Emperor Peter I signed the "Charter of Succession to the Throne." This document abolished the ancient custom of passing the throne to direct descendants in the male line and provided for the appointment of the heir at the monarch's discretion.
However, Peter I made no arrangements regarding his successor until his death. It is believed that such documents were destroyed by the emperor's inner circle. After the Tsar's death, the Dowager Empress Catherine I confirmed Peter II as her heir.
After his coronation, he was betrothed to Maria, the daughter of His Serene Highness Prince Menshikov. Peter I's daughters, Anna and Elizabeth, were declared regents for the young emperor. But the succession arrangements proved treacherous. It was the decree of 1722 that laid the foundation for the palace coups that occurred one after another in the 18th century. The chaos in imperial power lasted until the accession of Catherine II.
Between the death of Peter I and the accession of Catherine II, six rulers reigned on the Russian throne, and along with them, their favorites emerged and disappeared from the political arena. Few of them were able to maintain their position of power after each palace coup. The guard created by Peter the Great often played a decisive role in the rise of the next autocrat.
Behind each candidate for the throne stood a group of influential dignitaries with their own agendas. With the death of Peter I, the thread that bound his entourage together disappeared. The ruling elite splintered into a multitude of what would now be called parties, each pursuing purely personal interests. In this situation, the pretender to the throne often became the spokesman for the mercantile aspirations and aspirations of a small group of supporters, helping them satisfy their personal interests rather than address state issues.
The era of palace coups became an important page in stories Russia. However, despite some political instability, it should not be viewed as a period of decline for the Russian state. Peter the Great laid such strong foundations for the country that political squabbles and power struggles among various factions could not destroy them.
The video lecture explains who actually ruled this vast country from 1725 (the year of Peter the Great's death) to 1762, when Catherine II ascended the throne, also as a result of a palace coup against her husband, Peter III, with the guards playing a decisive role.
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