Coat of arms of the Russian Empire
By God's hastening mercy, We, ..., Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauride Chersonis, Tsar of Georgia, Sovereign of Pskov, and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volyn, Podolsk and Finland; Prince of Estland, Livonia, Courland and Semigal, Samogit, Bialystok, Korel, Tver, Yugorsk, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novagorod of the Nizovsky lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udora, Obdorsky, Kondiysky, Vitebsk, Mstislavsky, and all Northern countries Sovereign; and Sovereign of Iversk, Kartalinsky and Kabardinsky lands and regions of Armenia; Circassian and Mountain Princes and other Hereditary Sovereign and Possessor; Sovereign of Turkestan; Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstin, Stormarn, Ditmarsen and Oldenburg, and so on, and so on, and so on.
The All-Russian Emperor and Autocrat is named primarily by the names of the four capital cities, starting with Moscow, the first-throne capital of the Russian Kingdom, where royal power was established and where our Monarchs are married and anointed to the kingdom to this day. Moskovsky is followed by the name Kievsky. City of St. Vladimir, the cradle of the faith of Christ in Rus' and the see of the All-Russian Metropolitan, Kyiv was for a long time the capital city, called the mother of Russian cities, and its prince was the Grand Duke and the head of all other Russian princes. Vlapdimir-on-Klyazma, from the time of Grand Duke Andrei Bogolyubsky, took the place of Kyiv and was the capital of Rus' until Ivan Kalita, who, having become the Grand Duke of Vladimir and All Rus', transferred the great reign to his former inheritance of Moscow, where he followed him to live and Metropolitan of All Rus'.
The fourth name of the All-Russian Autocrat is Novgorod. Novgorod was the capital of the first Russian prince Rurik before Oleg transferred his reign to Kyiv. After Grand Duke Yaroslav granted him rights, Novgorod gradually began to strengthen, spread its possessions and govern itself as a separate state under the name of Velikago Novgorod. Grand Duke Ivan the Third was called Novgorodsky in relations with foreign states.
Then our Sovereign is called by the royal titles of the five kingdoms that became part of the Russian state: Tsar of Kazan, and Tsar of Astrakhan - from the time of Grozny, Tsar of Poland - from the time of Alexander the First, Tsar of Siberia - from the time of the same Tsar of Grozny, Tsar of Chersonis Tauride - from the time of the conquest of Crimea by Catherine II and the Tsar of Georgia - from the time of Emperor Alexander II.
Then the All-Russian Autocrat is called the Sovereign of Pskov. Pskov was a special state depending on Novagorod, which it was called younger brother. Ivan the Third, who conquered Novgorod, called himself Novgorod and at the same time Pskov, and his son, Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich, in 1510, finally took Pskov into the Moscow state.
This is followed by five grand ducal titles. Of these, the first Smolensk was accepted by Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich, who took Smolensk from the Polish-Lithuanian state in 1514. This city was under Lithuanian rule for 110 years.
The title of Grand Duke of Lithuania recalls the State of Lithuania, which occupied most Western Rus', where Gediminas, Olgerd, Jagiello and others reigned. The main city of the principality was the city of Vilna. The inhabitants are mostly Belarusians, and then Litvins and Latvians. Since 1386, Lithuania united with Poland and under Catherine II was annexed to Russian Empire together with Volyn and Podolia in (1793). The titles of Volyn and Podolsk were the titles of the Grand Duke of Lithuania and the King of Poland, but more ancient times The Volyn land was the inheritance of the descendants of Saint Vladimir. Cities: Vladimir-Volynsky, Turov, Lutsk had special princes and their own special bishops.
The title of the Great Prince of Finland has joined other titles of our Sovereigns since the time of Emperor Alexander the First, when the whole country Finland was annexed, after the war with the Swedes, to Russia under the name of the Grand Duchy of Finland (in 1808). Grand ducal titles are followed by princely ones. The sovereign is called the Prince of Estonia (where main city Revel) since the time of Peter the Great. Tsar Ivan the Terrible called himself Livland, but then this title was abandoned until Peter the Great annexed it again, taking the city of Riga. In 1721, Sweden ceded the Principality of Livonia to eternal possession Russian emperors and the king of Sweden announced that he would not be named Prince of Livonia. In Livonia there is the city of Dorpat - the ancient Yuriev, founded by the great prince of Kyiv Yaroslav the Wise, in St. baptism by George or Yuri.
Courland was a separate state, but depended on Poland and in 1795 became part of the Russian Empire by the verdict of its Sejm. East End its (two districts) were called Semigallia and the Dukes of Courland were called Semigalsky.
The name Samogitsky indicates the power of the Sovereign over Samogitia, the country of the Lithuanian Zhmudi tribe, which was included in the current provinces of Kovno and Augustow. Bialystok: the city of Bialystok, in the present-day Grodno province, remained behind Poland longer than other Western Russian cities. Under Alexander I, it was annexed to Russia and made regional city. These last four titles were included in the Imperial title after the partition of Poland, under Catherine II.
From the Western regions, the names of the royal title take us to the north. Peter the Great, who conquered Korela from the Swedes, was also called Prince of Korelsky. Korela contained parts of present-day Finland, St. Petersburg, Olonets and Arkhangelsk provinces.
Grand Duke Ivan began to be called the Prince of Tver III Vasilievich, when he annexed the Tver reign, which remained independent longer than others, to Moscow.
The same Grand Duke called himself Yugra after his governors brought the entire Yugra land under his citizenship and imposed tribute on the inhabitants. This land was inhabited by the Vogulichs and Ostyaks, who had their own princes; it was very extensive and is now part of the provinces of Perm and Tobolsk (in Siberia). Grand Duke Ivan the Third was called Perm, Vyatka and Bulgaria. Extensive Perm region, inhabited by the Zyryans, was enlightened by the Christian faith from St. Stefan, during the time of Dmitry Donskago. The Novgorodians subjugated this country and, together with Novgorod, it passed to Moscow. Vyatka region, since ancient times inhabited by the people of the Chud tribe, after the Novgorod natives formed settlements in it, it became a special independent Russian region and was subordinated separately from Novgorod by Grand Duke Ivan the Third.
The Bulgarian or Bulgar kingdom was located on the Volga even before the beginning of Rus' (other Bulgarians founded a state on the Danube, in Slavic land. These Bulgarians gave their name to the Slavs, among whom they founded the state). The Volga Bulgars were Asians, like the Cumans, Tatars and other similar peoples; they accepted the Muslim faith. The Bulgars invaded Russian lands and were at enmity with Russia even before the invasion of the Tatars, by whom they were conquered. In the fourteenth century, the Novogorodians plundered the Bulgarian cities. The kingdom of Kazan later arose in the neighborhood of Bulgaria. The capital of Bulgaria, the city of Bulgar, was taken by the governor of the Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich Temnago, but even after that there were khans there for some time. Bulgaria, together with Kazan, became part of the Russian state under Ivan the Terrible, but his grandfather, Ivan III, remembering the capture of Bulgar by his father’s governor, took the title of Prince of Bulgaria.
Since the time of Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich, the name Sovereign and Grand Duke Novagorod of the Nizovsky land, or Nizhny Novgorod, has been added.
Nizhny Novgorod, founded by one of the great princes of Vladimir with the aim of protecting Russian possessions from the Mordovians and Bulgars, in 1350 became the capital of the princes of Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod, who also called themselves grand princes. This title was accepted by the Grand Duke of All Rus', along with the title of Grand Duke of Chernigov and Ryazan. Chernigov, one of the oldest Russian cities, was the first princely appanage after Kyiv and then fell under the rule of Lithuania and the Poles. In 1479, Grand Duke Ivan Vasilyevich took Severnaya Zemlya and Chernigov from the Lithuanians. Ryazan princes were called great, remembering their origin from the eldest son of Yaroslav the Mudrago, Prince of Chernigov Svyatoslav. Ryazan remained independent longer than other principalities; the sister of Grand Duke Ivan Tretyago was married to the Grand Duke of Ryazan, who bequeathed his inheritance to the sovereign of Moscow and All Rus'. Our sovereign has been called Polotsk since the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, but Peter the Great did not accept this title, since this city remained with Poland. Annexed to Russia, like all of Belarus, in 1772. Polotsk was a special principality even before St. Vladimir, who conquered it and then gave it as an inheritance to his son, born of the Polotsk princess Rogneda. Nowadays it is located in the Vitebsk province.
The following six names are found in the title of Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich and his son, Tsar Ivan the Terrible. Rostovsky points to ancient city Rostov the Great, where Christianity flourished shortly after Kyiv. Cities arose and flourished in Rostov land: Suzdal and the capital Vladimir on Klyazma.
The Rostov, Yaroslavl and finally Belozersky princes were descendants of the great princes of Vladimir, like those of Moscow. The Belozersky region (in the north of the present Novgorod province) was independent of the ancient Velikago Novagorod; His princes became famous for their feat in the Battle of Kulikovo. The title Udorsky transports our thoughts to a distant place in the country surrounding the city of Mezen - on the river of the same name into which the Udor River flows. Obdorsky means the ruler of the region of the foundations of the Siberian Ob River, in the present Tobolsk province, where is the city of Berezov and where were the Obdorsk towns, which were subordinate to Moscow much earlier than the Siberian kingdom.
Kondiisky means the area of the Konda River, which flows into the Irtysh, in the Tobolsk province. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich called himself Vitebsk and Mstislavsky during accounts with Poland and according to the legitimate desire of the Russian Tsar to own White Russia. But Peter the Great was not titled like that. With the annexation of Belarus, Catherine was called Grand Duchess Vitebsk and Mstislav. Mstislavl, now a district city of the Mogilev province, was the capital of the Principality of Mstislavl, and Catherine gave special meaning acquisition of this city, since it is located on this side of the Dnieper and from ancient times was the appanage city of one of the sons of Prince Smolensk, a descendant of Saint Vladimir.
After this, the Sovereign is called the ruler of the entire Northern country. In the north of Kyiv, large spaces from west to east received the names of the Severskaya or Northern countries. Nowadays it is part of the provinces of Chernigov (Novgorod-Seversky), Oryol, Kursk, Voronezh province and behind it the steppes along the Don, where now is the Land of the Don Army.
Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich began to be called the Sovereign of the Iveron land, the Georgian kings and the Kabardian land, the Circassian and Mountain princes. All these names indicate the dependence of the Caucasus and Transcaucasia on Russia.
Subsequently, the Kartala land (Mingrelia) was added under Catherine II and the Armenian Region - under Nicholas I.
Emperor Alexander Nikolaevich added the title of Tsar of Georgia to the rest of the royal titles.
The now reigning Sovereign has annexed the title of Sovereign of Turkestan, which indicates our spatially great acquisitions in Central Asia, between the Caspian and Aral seas, where many peoples accepted Russian citizenship and where there are now eight regions, seven of which make up two general governorates: Turkestan and Steppe, and the eighth region (Trans-Caspian) is classified as the Caucasus in terms of governance.
In addition to these significant names, the Russian Emperor bears the title of Heir to Norway. This title belonged to the Dukes of Schleswig-Holstin. The Duke of Schleswig-Holstin with the titles of Stormarn, Ditmarsen and Oldenburg was Emperor Peter the Third, the only son of the Duke of these names and, through his mother, the grandson of Peter the Great.
Published according to the text of the publication: Desk book for the people. Edited by I.P. Khrushchov. In four departments. Through labor and means Publishing Society at standing committee folk readings. St. Petersburg. Printing house of A. Katansky and Co. (Nevsky pr., no. 132). 1891.
Coat of arms image: Small armorial of Adam Cromer.
System Russian titles, like many other innovations, took shape under Peter I. The title “prince” - chief, ruler, ruler of a region or principality - was once the only one in Russia. E.P. Karnovich in his book “Patrimonial nicknames and titles in Russia” “Karnovich E.P. Family nicknames and titles in Russia and the merger of foreigners with Russians. - St. Petersburg, 1886." considers this word to be purely Slavic in origin, although it is usually assumed Scandinavian origin: "prince" is derived from the Swedish "konung". The same is said in the “Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language” by V.I. Dahl, but the Finnish scientist M. Ryasanan believes that the title “prince” is Chinese origin, as well as the title of his closest assistant - tiun ( Chinese equivalent- tudun). The borrowing of this title seems somewhat incomprehensible, because in China the tudun was the “keeper of water”, and in Rus', as is known, irrigated agriculture in X-XII centuries did not have.
E.P. Karnovich claims that the title "prince" has long existed among Slavic tribes who had no relations with the Normans and Varangians. But if in other countries it lost its meaning, in Rus' it remained longer, and for many centuries it was worn by Russian rulers - appanage princes and great (senior) princes. There were many Grand Dukes in Rus' - Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver and Yaroslavl, but with the subordination of these principalities to Moscow, only the “Grand Dukes of Moscow” remained. However, they also subsequently added a new title to their already seemingly modest title - the title of “tsar” (sovereign, monarch, supreme ruler of a people, land or state), retaining for themselves the title of “Grand Duke”.
The candidate puts forward an interesting version philological sciences E.I. Kucherenko about the Middle Eastern origin of this title. The Assyrians and Babylonians called their rulers “kings,” only they pronounced this word as “sharr” or “sar.” Sometimes this title was included in given name king Thus, the Akkadian ruler Sargon I, who seized power, and did not receive it according to the law of succession, called himself “Sharrukin” (true king). The word “sar”, as a component, is also present in the names of such kings as Nabopolassar, Salpanassar and Tiglath-pileser.
After being accepted by Grand Duke Ivan IV royal title Tsar's sons began to bear the titles of "princes" and "grand dukes", and daughters - the titles of "princesses" and "grand duchesses". “Tsar” in Russia was supplemented by the title “autocrat,” which historically meant the independence of the tsarist power from the Golden Horde.
The family of the Romanov boyars, from whom the new Russian Tsar came, was not princely, but it had long been close to the Rurik family and was even akin to it. Andrei Ivanovich, the first ancestor of the Romanovs, left for Russia from Prussia back in early XIV century under Ivan Kalita and immediately became close to the Grand Duke. His son Fyodor and grandson Ivan (under the name Koshkins) are already considered the main advisers of Grand Duke Vasily I. From Zakhar, the son of Ivan, this family began to bear the surname Zakharyins, and from Yuri (son of Zakhar) - the Zakharyins-Yuryevs. And finally, Yuri’s son, Roman, became the founder of the Romanov family. It was from this family that Ivan the Terrible chose his wife Avdotya Romanovna, the daughter of Roman Yuryevich.
In 1721, Peter I took the title of "emperor". IN Western Europe this title usually belonged to the ruler of a powerful monarchy, and its receipt was sanctioned by the authority of the Pope. By the beginning of the 18th century, the head of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation was called emperor. With the introduction of the title of emperor in Russia, the title “prince” remained with the tsar’s sons, and daughters began to be called not “princesses”, but “crown princesses”. Subsequently, Emperor Paul I abolished these titles, and granted the titles of “Grand Dukes” and “Grand Duchesses” along with “Imperial Highness” to all his descendants up to the fifth generation.
A special class category included noble titles - the most serene princes, princes, and count and baronial dignities introduced by Peter I. Historically, each title signified a degree of feudal independence. Only the monarch could bestow a family title, and it was passed on to descendants only by male line. When a woman got married, she joined her husband’s family name and became a princess, baroness or countess. When their daughter got married, she lost her title, since it was impossible to transfer it to her husband.
Before October revolution In Russia there were only three noble titles: prince, count and baron. Although there were no honorary titles awarded in Ancient Rus', there were many princes. They belonged to the descendants of the Grand Duke Rurik (“Cornet Obolensky” belonged to the Rurikovichs), the descendants of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas (the “Lieutenant Golitsyn” belonged to the Gediminovichs) and foreigners, mainly Mordovians and Tatars.
The importance of many princely families fell due to the fragmentation or general decline of their ancestral domains. Even Ivan III strengthened his power over the possessions of the princes, weakened their personal authority as advisers to the sovereign, and limited the right of the princes to dispose of their estates. However, even all this was not enough to destroy the appanage orders, and then Ivan III resorted to a decisive means - he deprived many princes of their hereditary possessions.
But despite the suppression of many appanage princely families by 1700, the princely clans descended from them numbered 47. So, for example, the Gagarin clan had 27 representatives at that time, and the Volkonsky clan had 30. In the descendants of Gediminas, by 1700 in Russia there were four princely families: Kurakins, Golitsyns, Trubetskoys and Khovanskys. Princely families of Tatar, Mordovian and Georgian origin in total Princely families of Russian origin were 10 times larger in number. This happened because in XVI-XVII centuries To spread Christianity among the Tatars and Mordovians, the Russian tsars ordered the Tatar Murzas and Mordovian “punks” to write with a princely name if they accepted the Christian faith. Subsequently, the Tatar princely families (Igoberdyevs, Shaisupovs, etc.) acquired great wealth and nobility. Among them were the princes Urusov (descendants of the Nogai prince Edigei - one of the leaders of Tamerlane), Cherkasy (considered the descendants of the Egyptian Sultan Inal and the rulers of Kabarda) and Yusupov (they were of the same family as the Urusovs, and owed their rise to the favor of the powerful Biron).
Before Peter I, the granting of princely or any other honorary titles did not occur, with the exception of only the title of an “eminent” person. It was granted by Ivan the Terrible to one of the Stroganovs, who was engaged in healing. Subsequently, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich granted the title “eminent people” to the entire Stroganov family, but this was not a noble title and did not introduce noble dignity. True, in the Siberian chronicles there is a story that Ermak Timofeevich, the first conqueror of Siberia, was allegedly granted the title of Siberian prince by Ivan the Terrible, but this raises doubts among historians.
The title of His Serene Highness Prince was very rare: A.D. was the first to receive it in Russia. Menshikov in 1707, the last - A.M. Gorchakov in 1871.
After Peter I, the Russian tsars for 90 years did not grant the princely title to anyone, because by that time the Rurik family had already become so impoverished that no one was flattered to receive this title. Even less did anyone want to become like the many Tatar and Georgian princes. In order to raise princely dignity in Russia, it was necessary to show the brilliance of the power and nobility of this title, which happened during the reign of Catherine II.
Under her, the princes appeared in such a situation that later Emperor Paul I could with good reason consider the award of the princely rank an extraordinary reward, especially with the title of “lordship.” Under Paul I, the first such award was granted on April 5, 1797 to Vice-Chancellor Count A.A. Bezborodko, then the emperor granted princes to Prosecutor General P.V. Lopukhin and Field Marshal Count A.V. Suvorov (with the title of Prince of Italy). The highest degree of princely title was the title "Grand Duke", which belonged only to members of the imperial family.
At the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, a new noble title- count. At first, the meaning of this title was not very clear to the Russian people, and the persons receiving it did not even know how to write correctly in their signatures; they replaced the letter “fert” with the letter “fita”. However, this title soon became very honorable, as prominent nobles, noble dignitaries and people close to the sovereign began to wear it.
Since the time of Peter I, count titles appeared in Russia, different in their grant: counts of the Russian Empire and counts of the Holy Roman Empire, and then foreigners began to appear who entered into Russian citizenship with such a title or received it later from various influential persons. Field Marshal F.A. became the first count in Russia. Golovin is an admiral general, boyar and president of the Ambassadorial Prikaz. After him, this title was awarded to A.D. Menshikov and G.I. Golovkin, but all of them were not “Russian” counts, since these titles were granted to them by emperors of other states. The first one Russian count became Field Marshal B.P. Sheremetev, who received this title from Peter I in 1706 for the pacification Streltsy riot in Astrakhan.
In 1709, Peter I granted this title to Chancellor G.I. Golovkin, who had it since 1706 from Emperor Joseph I. In 1710, the tsar was especially generous in distributing count titles. He granted them to boyar I.A. Musin-Pushkin, Admiral General V.M. Apraksin and boyar P.M. Apraksin, as well as his former teacher Nikita Zotov - with the extension of this title to his descendants.
Catherine II granted relatively few titles of counts of the Russian Empire. However, during her long reign, several Russian subjects, of low rank or without any rank at all, received the dignity of count from foreign sovereigns. Emperor Paul I, unlike his mother, was unusually generous in distributing the title of count. 6 days after his accession, he granted it to Major General A.G. Bobrinsky, and on the day of his coronation he granted three Vorontsovs, A.A., “counts of the Russian Empire”. Bezborodko, State Councilor I.V. Zavadovsky and some others, who were already counts of the Holy Roman Empire.
Quite a few noble families in Russia had several family titles. For example, A.V. After the defeat of the Turks at Focsani and Rymnik in 1789, Suvorov received the title of Count of Rymnik, and from the Austrian Emperor - the title of Count of the Holy Roman Empire. Ten years later, after several victories over French army, Emperor Paul I granted A.V. Suvorov received the title of Prince of Italy and ordered the erection of a monument to him in St. Petersburg. Field Marshal General I.F. Paskevich, one of four full holders of the Order of St. George, received first the title of Count of Erivan, and then Prince of Warsaw.
The most honorable medieval Europe there was the title of baron, where “baron” meant not only the highest government officials, but generally all feudal rulers, even if they had other titles (ducal, princely, margrave, etc.). During crusades this title was brought to the East and there also acquired great honor, since it preserved the memory of the leaders of the crusaders who took Jerusalem from the Muslims. Over time, in Western Europe, the baronial title gradually began not only to lose its former meaning, but even to come into disdain.
Barons only by title, not by land holdings, became especially numerous when the former German rulers arrogated to themselves the right to distribute this title.
In Russia, the word “baron” was translated as “free master,” but before the reign of Peter I there were no “Russian” barons at all. In 1710, this title was first granted to the sub-chancellor P.P. Shafirov, 11 years later - Privy Councilor A.I. Osterman for the conclusion Peace of Nystadt, and in 1722, the three Stroganov brothers, who until that time bore the title of “eminent people,” were granted baronship. In many cases, the grant of barony also meant the grant of nobility.
Along with aristocratic titles, Peter I also borrowed external signs of noble dignity from Europe - coats of arms and diplomas for nobility. In 1722, he established the position of master of arms, who ordered to issue diplomas of nobility and coats of arms to all nobles who rose to the rank of chief officer. Interest in heraldry in Russia began to grow so quickly that many willfully invented coats of arms for themselves, and some even appropriated the coats of arms of crowned sovereigns and noble families.
According to the “Table of Ranks”, when addressing persons who had certain ranks, persons of equal rank or inferior had to use the following titles: “Your Excellency” (to persons in the ranks of I and II classes), “Your Excellency” (to ranks of the III and IV classes), etc. In addition, in Russia there were titles used when addressing members of the imperial family and persons of noble origin:
"Yours Imperial Majesty» - to the Emperor, Empress and Empress Dowager;
"Your Imperial Highness"- to the great princes (children and grandchildren of the emperor), and in 1797-1886 to the great-grandsons and great-great-grandchildren of the emperor;
"Your Highness"- to the princes of imperial blood;
"Your Mightiness"- to the youngest children of the great-grandsons of the emperor and their male descendants, as well as to the most serene princes by grant;
"Your Excellency"- when addressing princes, counts, dukes and barons.
When addressing clergy in Russia, the following titles were used:
"Your Eminence"- to metropolitans and archbishops;
"Your Eminence"- to the bishops;
"Your Reverence"- to archimandrites and abbots of monasteries, archpriests and priests;
"Your Reverence"- to protodeacons and deacons.
But after February Revolution By order of the Petrograd Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, the mandatory salutation outside of duty, standing "at the front" and addressing officers using the titles "Your Honor", "Your Excellency", etc. were abolished. Instead, the addresses "Mr. General", "Mr. Lieutenant" were introduced " etc.
In November 1917, the Council of People's Commissars approved a decree on the abolition of estates and civil ranks. Within a month, the Senate and State Council were abolished, and with them the titles of senators and members State Council. The decree of December 16 “On the equalization of rights of all military personnel” abolished all ranks, all imperial and royal orders, prohibited the use of private titles with the address “master” and destroyed all other class differences between citizens of Russia.
EMPERORS
Emperor (from Latin imperator - ruler) is the title of the monarch, head of state (empire).
There were emperors in Russia from 1721 to 1917. The title All-Russian Emperor (Emperor All-Russian) was adopted for the first time after the victory in the Northern War by Peter I the Great on October 22, 1721 at the request of the Senate “as usual from the Roman Senate for the noble deeds of emperors, such titles were publicly presented to them as a gift and on statutes for memory in eternal birth is signed.” The last Emperor Nicholas II was overthrown during the February Revolution of 1917.
The Emperor had supreme autocratic power(since 1906 - the legislative branch together with State Duma and the State Council), he was officially titled “His Imperial Majesty” (in abbreviated form - “Sovereign” or “E.I.V.”).
Article 1 of the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire indicated that “The All-Russian Emperor is an autocratic and unlimited Monarch. God himself commands to obey his supreme authority not only out of fear, but also out of conscience.” The terms “autocratic” and “unlimited”, coinciding in their meaning, indicate that all functions state power on legal formation, expedient activities within the law (administrative-executive) and the administration of justice are carried out undividedly and without the mandatory participation of other institutions by the head of state, who delegates the implementation of some of them to certain bodies acting on his behalf and with his authority (Article 81).
Russia under the emperors was a rule of law state with a monarchical-unlimited form of government.
Full title of the emperor at the beginning of the 20th century. was like this (Article 37 of the Basic Laws of the Russian Empire):
By God's hastening mercy, We, ΝΝ, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauride Chersonis, Tsar of Georgia; Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Lithuania, Volyn, Podolsk and Finland; Prince of Estland, Livonia, Courland and Semigal, Samogit, Bialystok, Korel, Tver, Yugorsk, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novagorod of the Nizovsky lands, Chernigov, Ryazan, Polotsk, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udora, Obdorsky, Kondiysky, Vitebsk, Mstislavsky and all northern countries Sovereign; and Sovereign of Iversk, Kartalinsky and Kasardinsky lands and regions of Armenia; Cherkasy and Mountain Princes and other Hereditary Sovereign and Possessor; Sovereign of Turkestan; Heir to Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstin, Stormarn, Ditmarsen and Oldenburg, and so on, and so on, and so on.
In some cases determined by law, an abbreviated form of title was used: “By God's hastening grace, We, ΝΝ, Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauride Chersonis, Tsar of Georgia, Grand Duke of Finland and so on, and so on, and so on.”
After Peter the Great accepted the title of Emperor, October 22 (November 2), 1721 and the recognition of his title by other countries, Russian state became known as the Russian Empire (Russian Empire).
On February 5 (16), 1722, Peter the Great issued a Decree on succession to the throne, in which he canceled ancient custom transfer of the throne to direct descendants in the male line, but allowed, at the will of the monarch, the appointment of any worthy person as heir.
On April 5 (16), 1797, Paul I established new order inheritance. From this time on, the order of succession Russian throne based on the principle of primogeniture, i.e. with the accession to the throne by descendants of their ascendants in the event of death or abdication of the latter by the time of the opening of the succession. In the absence of direct heirs, the throne should pass to the lateral ones. Within each line (straight or lateral), males are preferred over females, and males lateral lines are drafted before women. Accession to the throne for someone called should be limited to confession Orthodox faith. The reigning emperor (and heir) comes of age at the age of sixteen; until this age (as well as in other cases of incapacity), his power is exercised by the ruler, who can be (if there is no person specially appointed by the previously reigning emperor), the surviving father or mother of the emperor , and in their absence - the closest adult heir.
All the emperors who ruled Russia belonged to the same imperial family - the House of Romanov, the first representative of which became monarch in 1613. Since 1761, the descendants of the daughter of Peter I Anna and the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp Karl-Friedrich, who descended from the family in the male line, reigned Holstein-Gottorp (a branch of the Oldenburg dynasty), and in the genealogy these representatives of the House of Romanov, starting with Peter III, are called Romanov-Holstein-Gottorp.
By right of birth and by the scope of his powers, the emperor was the supreme leader of a great world power, the first official in the state. All laws were issued on behalf of the emperor and he was appointed to positions.
All government ministers, governors and other senior officials. It was the emperor who determined the most important areas of government activity, including issues of war and peace, and had almost no control over public finances.
The organic nature of the Russian autocracy is inextricably linked with historical conditions the development and fate of the Russian Empire, the peculiarities of the Russian national mentality. The supreme power had support in the minds and souls of the Russian people. The monarchical idea was popular and accepted by society.
In terms of their objective role, all the emperors of Russia were major political figures, whose activities reflected both public interests and contradictions, as well as their personal qualities.
Intelligence and education, political preferences, moral principles, life principles and the peculiarities of the psychological makeup of the monarch’s character largely determined the direction and nature of the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian state and, ultimately, were of great importance for the fate of the entire country.
In 1917, with the abdication of Nicholas II for himself and his son Tsarevich Alexei, the imperial title and the empire itself were abolished.
Y. Pantyukhin "Prince Alexander Nevsky"
But first, let’s deal with the concept of “nobility” itself. “What is nobility? – wrote A.S. Pushkin. “The hereditary class of the people is the highest, that is, awarded with great advantages regarding property and private freedom.”
The emergence of the nobility in Russia
The word "nobleman" literally means "a person from the princely court", or "courtier".
In Russia, the nobility arose in the 12th century. as the lowest part of the military service class, which made up the court of a prince or a major boyar.
The Code of Laws of the Russian Empire states that belonging to the nobility “ is a consequence flowing from the quality and virtue of the men in command in ancient times, who distinguished themselves by merit, by which, turning the service itself into merit, they acquired a noble name for their offspring. Noble means all those who were born from noble ancestors, or were granted this dignity by monarchs.”
Rise of the nobility
Since the 14th century nobles began to receive land for their diligent service. This is how the class of landowners - landowners - emerged. Later they were allowed to buy land.
The Code of Law of 1497 limited the right of peasants to move and thereby strengthened the position of the nobles.
In February 1549, the first Zemsky Sobor. Ivan IV (the Terrible) gave a speech there. The Tsar set a course towards building a centralized monarchy (autocracy) based on the nobility, which meant a struggle with the old (boyar) aristocracy. He accused the boyars of abuse of power and called on everyone to joint activities to strengthen the unity of the Russian state.
G. Sedov “Ivan the Terrible and Malyuta Skuratov”
In 1550 chosen thousand Moscow nobles (1071 people) were placed within 60-70 km around Moscow.
In the middle of the 16th century. was annexed Khanate of Kazan, and the patrimonial people were evicted from the oprichnina area, which was declared the property of the tsar. The vacated lands were distributed to the nobles under the condition of service.
In the 80s of the 16th century. were introduced reserved summers(the period during which in some regions of the Russian state peasants were prohibited from going out on the autumn St. George’s Day, provided for in the Code of Laws of 1497. Reserved summers began to be introduced by the government of Ivan IV (the Terrible) in 1581.
The “Cathedral Code” of 1649 secured the right of nobles to eternal ownership and unlimited investigation runaway peasants.
But Peter I began a decisive struggle against the old boyar aristocracy, making the nobles his support. In 1722 he introduced Table of ranks.
Monument to Peter I in Voronezh
The table of ranks replaced the principle of birth with the principle of personal service. The table of ranks influenced the official routine and the historical destinies of the noble class.
Personal length of service became the only regulator of service; “fatherly honor”, the breed has lost all meaning in this regard. Under Peter I, the rank of the lower XIV class in military service gave the right to hereditary nobility. Civil service in the rank up to VIII class gave only personal nobility, and the right to hereditary nobility began with the rank of VIII class. “For this reason, we do not allow anyone of any rank,” wrote Peter, “until they show us and the fatherland any services.”
The table of ranks was subject to numerous changes, but in general it existed until 1917.
After Peter I, the nobles received one privilege after another. Catherine II actually freed the nobles from compulsory service while maintaining serfdom for the peasants, which created a real gap between the nobles and the people. The pressure of the nobles on the peasantry and their embitterment became one of the reasons for Pugachev's uprising.
The apogee of the power of the Russian nobility was the receipt of “noble liberties” - a charter from Catherine II, which freed nobles from compulsory service. But this began the decline of the nobility, which gradually turned into a “leisure class,” and the slow ruin of the lower nobility. And after the peasant reform of 1861, the economic position of the nobility weakened even more.
By the beginning of the 20th century. the hereditary nobility, “the first support of the throne” and “one of the most reliable tools of the government,” is gradually losing its economic and administrative dominance.
Noble titles
In Muscovite Rus' there was only one aristocratic title - “prince”. It came from the word “to reign” and meant that his ancestors had once ruled some part of Russia. Not only Russians had this title; foreigners who converted to Orthodoxy were also allowed to become princes.
Foreign titles in Russia appeared under Peter I: “baron” and “count”. There is the following explanation for this: in the territories annexed by Peter there were already people with such titles, and these titles were also borne by foreigners whom Peter attracted to Russia. But the title “count” was initially burdened with the words “Holy Roman Empire”, i.e. this title was conferred upon petition Russian monarch German Emperor. In January 1776, Catherine II petitioned the “Roman Emperor” Grigory Orlov “ give the Roman Empire princely dignity, for which he greatly obliged himself».
Golovin (1701) and Menshikov (1702) become the first counts of the Holy Roman Empire in Russia, and under Catherine II, four of her favorites received the titles of princes of the Holy Roman Empire: Orlov, Potemkin, Bezborodko and Zubov. But the assignment of such titles ceased in 1796.
Title "Count"
Earl's heraldic crown
Graph(German) Graf) – a royal official in Early Middle Ages in Western Europe. The title arose in the 4th century. in the Roman Empire and was originally assigned to high dignitaries.
During feudal fragmentation graph– feudal lord of a county, then becomes a title of the highest nobility. Woman - countess. As a title, it still formally continues to be preserved in most European countries with monarchical form board.
Sheremetyev became the first Russian count in 1706.
Boris Petrovich Sheremetyev (1652-1719)
Russian commander of the time Northern War, diplomat, one of the first Russian field marshals.
Born into the old boyar family of the Sheremetyevs.
In 1681 he commanded troops against the Tatars. He proved himself in the military and diplomatic fields. In 1686 he participated in the conclusion of “ Eternal peace"with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, and then was sent to Warsaw to ratify the concluded peace.
Protected Russia from Crimean raids. In 1695 he took part in the first Azov campaign of Peter I.
In 1697-1699. visited Poland, Austria, Italy, the island of Malta, carrying out diplomatic assignments of Peter I. During the Northern War of 1700-1721. showed himself to be careful and talented commander, who earned the trust of Peter I. In 1701, he inflicted a defeat on the Swedes, from which they “remained ignorant and would not recover for a long time,” for which he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called and granted the rank of Field Marshal. Subsequently he won several victories over the Swedes.
In 1705-1706 Sheremetyev suppressed the mutiny of the archers in Astrakhan, for which I was first in Russia awarded the title of count.
IN last years he expressed a desire to become a monk of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, but the tsar did not allow this, just as he did not allow Sheremetyev’s will to be buried in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra: Peter I ordered Sheremetev to be buried in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, forcing even a dead associate to serve the state.
At the end of the 19th century. There were over 300 count families in Russia. Count's title V Soviet Russia was liquidated by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of November 11, 1917.
Title "baron"
English baronial crown
Baron(from Late Lat. baro with the original meaning “man, man”). In medieval feudal Western Europe, a major ruling nobleman and feudal lord, later simply an honorary title of nobility. Woman - Baroness. The title of baron in England continues to this day and is located in hierarchical system below the title of Viscount. In Germany, this title was lower than the count's.
In the Russian Empire, the title of baron was introduced by Peter I, and P. P. Shafirov was the first to receive it in 1710. Then A. I. Osterman (1721), A. G., N. G. and S. G. Stroganov (1722), A.-E. Stambken (1726). The families of the barons were divided into Russian, Baltic and foreign.
Pyotr Pavlovich Shafirov (1669-1739)
Diplomat of Peter's time, vice-chancellor. Knight of the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (1719). In 1701-1722 in fact, he was in charge of the Russian postal service. In 1723 he was sentenced to death penalty on charges of abuse, but after the death of Peter he was able to return to diplomatic activity.
He came from a family of Polish Jews who settled in Smolensk and converted to Orthodoxy. He began serving as a translator in 1691 in the same embassy department where his father served. Accompanying Peter the Great during his travels and campaigns, he took part in concluding an agreement with Polish king Augustus II (1701) and with the ambassadors of the Sedmigrad prince Rakoczi. In 1709 he became a privy councilor and promoted to vice-chancellor. In 1711 he concluded the Prut Peace Treaty with the Turks and he himself, together with Count M. B. Sheremetev, remained hostage with them. He concluded agreements with Denmark, Prussia, and France to maintain peace in Europe.
In 1723, Shafirov quarreled with powerful prince A.D. Menshikov and Chief Prosecutor Skornyakov-Pisarev, convicting them of embezzlement. In response, he himself was accused of embezzlement and sentenced to death, which Peter I replaced with exile to Siberia, but on the way there he allowed him to stop “to live” in Nizhny Novgorod"under strong guard."
Empress Catherine I, upon her accession to the throne, returned Shafirov from exile, returned his baronial title, awarded him the rank of actual state councilor, made him president of the commerce board and commissioned the compilation of the history of Peter the Great.
Barons enjoyed the right to appeal "your honor"(like untitled nobles) or "Mr. Baron".
At the end of the 19th century. in Russia there were about 240 baronial families (including extinct ones), mainly representatives of the Baltic (Baltic) nobility. The title was abolished by the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of November 11, 1917.
Baron P.N. Wrangel
Title "prince"
Prince- head of a feudal monarchical state or a separate political education(appanage prince) in the 9th-16th centuries. among the Slavs and some other peoples; representative of the feudal aristocracy. Later became the highest noble title, equivalent to a prince or duke in Western and Southern Europe, V Central Europe(former Holy Roman Empire), this title is called Fürst, and in the North - konung.
In Russia Grand Duke(or princess) – a noble title of members royal family. Princess also called the prince's wife, prince(among the Slavs) - the son of a prince, princess- daughter of a prince.
Y. Pantyukhin “Prince Alexander Nevsky” (“For the Russian Land!”)
Princely power, at first most often elective, gradually becomes hereditary (Rurikovich in Rus', Gediminovich and Jagiellon in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Piasts in Poland, etc.). With education centralized state appanage princes gradually became part of the grand ducal (from 1547 - royal) court in the Moscow principality. In Russia until the 18th century. the title of prince was only generic. From the beginning of the 18th century. The title of prince also began to be granted by the tsar to the highest dignitaries for special merits (the first prince granted was A.D. Menshikov).
Russian princes
Before Peter I, there were 47 princely families in Russia, some of which traced their origins to Rurik. Princely titles were divided into "His Excellency" And "his lordship", which was considered higher.
Until 1797, no new princely families appeared, with the exception of Menshikov, who was granted the title of Prince of Izhora in 1707.
Under Paul I, awards with this title began, and the annexation of Georgia literally “blew up” Russian nobility– 86 clans recognized the princely title.
By the end of the 19th century. in the Russian Empire there were 250 princely families, 40 of which traced their origins to Rurik or Gediminas. 56% of the princely families in the empire were Georgian.
In addition, there were about 30 Tatar, Kalmyk and Mordovian princes; the status of these princes was considered lower than that of barons.
Did you know?
Portrait of A.V. Suvorov. Unknown artist XIX century
Did you know that Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov, national hero Russia, the great Russian commander, who did not suffer a single defeat in his military career(more than 60 battles), one of the founders of Russian military art, had several titles at the same time: prince Italian (1799), graph Rymniksky (1789), graph Holy Roman Empire, Generalissimo of the Russian Land and naval forces, Field Marshal of the Austrian and Sardinian troops, grandee of the Kingdom of Sardinia and prince of the royal blood (with the title "cousin of the king"), knight of all Russian orders of its time, awarded to men, as well as many foreign military orders.
EMPEROR (Latin - imperator, from impero - to command), one of the monarchical titles (along with king, king); title of the head of the empire. Originally in Ancient Rome the word imperium denoted the supreme power (military, judicial, administrative), which was possessed by the highest magistrates - consuls, praetors, dictators, etc. From the beginning of the 1st century AD, the time of Augustus and his successors, the title of emperor acquired a monarchical character in the Roman Empire. With the introduction of the tetrarchy (four powers) under Diocletian, the two emperors (Augustus) were given co-rulers with the title of Caesar. With the fall of the Western Roman Empire (476), the title of emperor was preserved in the East - in Byzantium; in the West it was restored by Charlemagne I (800) and then by the German king Otto I the Great (from 962 Holy Roman Emperor). Later, this title was adopted by the monarchs of some other states (for example, Austrian Emperor- since 1804). IN European literature the term "emperor" is applied to monarchs of a number of not European countries(for example, China - by 1911, Japan, Ethiopia - by 1975).
In Russia, Tsar Peter I became the first emperor. He took the title of emperor and the titles “Great” and “Father of the Fatherland” on 10/22/11/1721 at the request of the Senate, on whose behalf G.F. Dolgorukov, G.I. addressed Peter I. Golovkin, A.D. Menshikov and others. At the same time, Russia, the first European state in modern times, was declared an empire. The title of Russian emperor was first recognized by Prussia, the Netherlands and Sweden (1722), then the Ottoman Empire (1739), Great Britain and the Holy Roman Empire (1742), France and Spain (1745), and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (1764).
The full imperial title, according to the decree of Peter I of November 11 (22), 1721, is “Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Siberia; Sovereign of Pskov and Grand Duke of Smolensk, Prince of Estland, Livonia, Karelian, Tver, Yugorsk, Perm, Vyatka, Bulgarian and others; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Novgorod, Nizovsky land, Chernigov, Ryazan, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Belozersky, Udorsky, Obdorsky, Kondiysky and all northern countries; Sovereign and Sovereign of the Iveron lands, Kartalin and Georgian Kings, and Kabardian lands, Cherkassy and Mountain princes, hereditary Sovereign and Possessor.” In the 18th - early 19th centuries, with the annexation of new territories to the Russian Empire, the title of emperor was subject to changes, and was also supplemented by a number of foreign titles that passed to the Russian emperor by right of inheritance. Approved by decree of Emperor Alexander I dated 6(18).6.1815 new edition imperial title: added “...Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Tauride Chersonesos; Grand Duke of Lithuania, Volyn, Podolsk, Finland; Prince of Courland and Semigalsky, Samogitsky, Bialystok; Sovereign and Grand Duke of Polotsk, Vitebsk, Mstislavsky; Heir of Norway, Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Stormand, Ditmarsen and Oldenburg, and so on, and so on, and so on.” Subsequently, the title of the emperor was subject to minor changes: in the text of the Treaty of Adrianople, signed on September 2(14), 1829, the words “and Armenian regions” were added to the title of the emperor after the words “...Kabardian lands”; in the edition approved by the decree of Emperor Alexander III dated November 3 (15), 1882, the title “Sovereign of Turkestan” was added (mentioned before the title “Heir of Norway”). The full title of emperor was used primarily in diplomatic documents. At the same time, the middle title was used - “Emperor and Autocrat of All-Russia, Moscow, Kiev, Vladimir, Novgorod; Tsar of Kazan, Tsar of Astrakhan, Tsar of Poland, Tsar of Siberia, Tsar of Tauride Chersonese, Tsar of Georgia, Grand Duke of Finland, and so on, and so on, and so on.” The short title “Emperor and Autocrat of All Russia, Tsar of Poland, Grand Duke of Finland, and so on, and so on, and so on” was often used. The full title of the emperor corresponded to a large state emblem and a large state seal, the middle title - a medium coat of arms and seal, and the short title - a small coat of arms and seal. It was customary to address the emperor as “Your Imperial Majesty” (sometimes the abbreviated form “Sovereign” was used).
After the emperor’s accession to the throne, the ceremony of his coronation took place, from 1797 - together with his wife, the empress [due to the brevity of their stay on the throne, Ivan VI Antonovich and Peter III were not crowned; the remains of the latter were crowned on November 25 (December 6), 1796].
By law, the emperor had supreme autocratic power, and his person was “sacred and inviolable.” The emperor alone (until 1906) issued laws. Managed the internal and foreign policy. Appointed civil officials and officers of the first 4 classes (up to commanders-in-chief; in 1915 Nicholas II, the only Russian emperor, assumed the duties of commander-in-chief), granted titles, orders, other insignia, and status rights. Carried out on behalf of the emperor judicial branch, he had the right to pardon, etc. However, the personal qualities of monarchs and specific features political situation in Russia in different periods determined the more or less significant influence of some higher government agencies or major dignitaries on the policies pursued by the emperor. Under Catherine I and Peter II Supreme privy council, formally the legislative body, in 1726-30 actually decided all foreign and domestic political, financial and military issues in the country. Under Empress Anna Ivanovna, wide political rights possessed by the Cabinet of Ministers 1731-41, since 1735 the signatures of 3 cabinet ministers were equal to the signature of the Empress. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, in their legislative activities, emperors, as a rule, were guided by the opinions of the majority of the legislative body - the State Council. Since 1906, in accordance with the Manifesto of October 17, 1905, as well as with the Basic State Laws of 1906, the emperor carried out legislative branch together with the State Duma and the reformed State Council.
The Russian Empire was ruled by emperors and empresses of the Romanov dynasty: Peter I (1721-25), Catherine I (1725-1727), Peter II (1727-30), Anna Ivanovna (1730-40), Ivan VI (1740-41), Elizaveta Petrovna (1741-61), Peter III (1761-62), Catherine II (1762-96), Paul I (1796-1801), Alexander I (1801-25), Nicholas I (1825-55), Alexander II (1855-81), Alexander III(1881-94), Nicholas II.
Source: Complete collection laws of the Russian Empire. Meeting 1st. St. Petersburg, 1830. T. 6. No. 3850. T. 33. No. 25875; Complete collection of laws of the Russian Empire. Meeting 2nd. St. Petersburg, 1830. T. 1. No. 13. T. 3. No. 1897. T. 4. No. 3128. St. Petersburg, 1858. T. 32. No. 31720; Code of laws of the Russian Empire. St. Petersburg, 1857. T. 1. Part 1; Complete collection of laws of the Russian Empire. Meeting 3rd. St. Petersburg, 1882. T. 2. No. 1159.