The direction of Anna Ioannovna's domestic and foreign policy. Foreign and domestic policy of Anna Ioannovna

For Russian weapons, 1709 was a full year glorious victories. Near Poltava, Peter the Great defeated the army of the Swedish king Charles the Twelfth - Russian troops successfully knocked them out of the Baltic territory. In order to strengthen his influence on the conquered lands, he decided to marry one of his many relatives to Duke of Courland Friedrich Wilhelm.

The Emperor turned to his brother’s widow, Praskovya Fedorovna, for advice: which of her daughters did she want to marry off to the prince? And since she really didn’t like the foreign groom, she chose her unloved seventeen-year-old daughter Anna. This was the future Empress Anna Ioannovna.

Childhood and adolescence of the future empress

Anna was born on January 28, 1693 in Moscow, in the family of Peter the Great's older brother. She spent her childhood in Izmailovo with her mother and her sisters. As contemporaries noted, Anna Ioannovna was a withdrawn, silent and uncommunicative child. WITH early years she was taught literacy, German and French. She learned to read and write, but the princess never mastered dancing and social manners.

Anna's wedding was celebrated on October 31, 1710 in the unfinished St. Petersburg Menshikov Palace. At first next year Anna Ioannovna and the Duke of Courland left for the capital Mitava. But on the way, Wilhelm unexpectedly died. So the princess became a widow a couple of months after the wedding.

Years before Anna's reign

Peter the Great ordered Anna to remain as ruler in Courland. Realizing that his not very smart relative would not be able to serve the interests of Russia in this duchy, he sent Pyotr Bestuzhev-Ryumin with her. In 1726, when Bestuzhev-Ryumin was recalled from Courland, Ernst Johann Biron, a nobleman who had dropped out of Königsberg University, appeared at Anna’s court.

After the death of Peter the Great, a completely unheard-of thing happened in the Russian Empire - a woman ascended the throne! Widow of Peter I, Empress Catherine. She ruled for almost two years. Shortly before her death, the Privy Council decided to choose Peter the Great's grandson, Peter Alekseevich, as emperor. He ascended the throne at the age of eleven, but died of smallpox at fourteen.

Conditions, or Execution of Secret Society Members

Supreme privy council decided to call Anna to the throne, while limiting her autocratic power. They drew up the “Conditions”, which formulated the conditions under which Anna Ioannovna was invited to take the throne. In accordance with this paper, without the permission of the Privy Council, she could not declare war on anyone, enter into peace agreements, command an army or guard, raise or introduce taxes, and so on.

On January 25, 1730, representatives of the secret society brought the “Conditions” to Metawa, and the duchess, agreeing to all the restrictions, signed them. Soon the new Empress Anna Ioannovna arrived in Moscow. There, representatives of the capital's nobility submitted a petition to her asking her not to accept the rules, but to rule autocratically. And the empress listened to them. She publicly tore up the document and dispersed the Supreme Privy Council. Its members were exiled and executed, and Anna was crowned in the Assumption Cathedral.

Anna Ioannovna: years of reign and the influence of her favorite favorite on politics

During the reign of Anna Ioannovna, a cabinet of ministers was created, in which main role played by one of the Vice-Chancellor Andrei Osterman. The empress's favorite did not interfere in politics. Although Anna Ioannovna reigned alone, the years of her reign are known in Russian historiography as the Bironovschina.

In January 1732 imperial court moved to St. Petersburg. Anna is here for a long time Having lived in Europe, I felt more comfortable than in Moscow. Foreign policy during the reign of Anna Ioannovna was a continuation of the policy of Peter the Great: Russia was fighting for the Polish inheritance and entered into a war with Turkey, during which Russian troops lost one hundred thousand people.

Merits of the Empress to the Russian State

What else did Anna Ioannovna do for Russia? The years of her reign were marked by the development of new territories. The state conquered the steppe between the Bug and the Dniester, but without the right to keep ships on the Black Sea. The great one begins to work Northern expedition, Siberia and the Northern coast are being explored Arctic Ocean and Kamchatka.

By decree of the Empress, one of the most grandiose construction projects in the history of the Russian Empire - the construction of a colossal system of fortifications along the southern and southeastern borders European Russia. This large-scale construction, which began during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, can be called the first cultural and social project Russian Empire in the Volga region. On eastern borders The Orenburg expedition operates in the European part of the empire, for which the government of Anna Ioannovna set numerous tasks.

Illness and death of the empress

While guns thundered on the borders of the empire and soldiers and nobles died for the glory of the empress, the capital lived in luxury and entertainment. Anna's weakness was hunting. In the rooms of the Peterhof Palace there were always loaded guns, from which the Empress fired at flying birds. She loved to surround herself with court jesters.

But Anna Ioannovna knew how to not only shoot and have fun; her years of reign were associated with very serious state affairs. The empress ruled for ten years, and all these years Russia built, fought and expanded its borders. On October 5, 1740, at dinner, the empress lost consciousness and, after being ill for twelve days, died.

Reign: 1730-1740

From the biography

Anna Ioannovna was the niece of Peter 1, the daughter of his half-brother Ivan 5.
She was invited to the throne from Mitava, where she had lived before, having by that time become the widow of the Duke of Courland, having lived in Courland for 19 years.
Dumb, lazy, poorly educated, she had a cruel and capricious character
She was invited to the throne by the “higher-ups” on the initiative of D. Golitsyn and V. Dolgorukov, trying to limit her power.
Signed " Conditions", the purpose of which is to limit the power of the emperor in favor of the Supreme Secret Council. Conditions of the “Conditions”: the empress could not pass laws, declare war, make peace, introduce new taxes, promote to ranks higher than colonel, grant estates, get married, or appoint an heir to the throne. However, with the support of the guard and the nobility (A. Osterman, P. Yaguzhinsky, etc.), Anna Ioannovna tore up the “Conditions”, again the power of the emperor became unlimited.
The reign of Anna Ioannovna was called the “Bironovschina”, after the name of her favorite, Biron. The essence Bironovism: dominance of foreigners in higher authorities authorities - Germans: A. Osterman - head of government, F. Minich-Field Marshal army, E. Biron is the favorite and de facto ruler of the country; embezzlement, rampant government, loose morals, disrespect for Russian traditions

Anna Ioannovna was little involved in politics; mostly her associates did it for her. But she loved to relax and have fun. The expenses for her entertainment were enormous. She also loved luxury.
She loved to surround herself with jesters and clowns, often this role was played by prominent nobles - princes M. Golitsyn and N. Volkonsky, Count A. Apraksin
She arranged the wedding of her 50-year-old jester Golitsyn and the ugly Kalmyk woman Buzheninova (she received her surname in honor of the Empress’s favorite dish). For this purpose, a real Ice House was built, where the newlyweds froze.
Before her death, she declared Ivan 6 (the son of her niece, Anna Leopoldovna) as her heir during the regency of Biron.

Historical portrait of Anna Ioannovna

Activities

1.Domestic policy

Activities	results
System improvement government controlled and strengthening the power of the emperor.	1730 - the “Conditions” were torn apart, which meant a return to an unlimited monarchy. 1731 - replacement of the Supreme Privy Council with the Cabinet of Ministers (A. Osterman, G. Golovkin, A. Cherkassky) Reclaiming the role of the Senate Restoration by Secret office-investigation for those who oppose her rule. Police have been created in the provinces.
Carrying out a pro-noble policy	1731 - abolition of the decree on single inheritance. Reduction of the service of nobles to 25 years. 1731 - all lands of landowners became hereditary property.
Further enslavement of peasants	It was allowed for entrepreneurs to buy peasants without land1736 - permanently attaching workers and their families to factories. Landowners received the right to choose their own punishment for their serfs
Carrying out military reform	Creation of the Horse and Izmailovsky regiments, a significant part of them were foreigners. 1732 - The Land Noble Cadet Corps was opened to train nobles.
Further development of the country's economy.	Significant increase in exportsIncrease in metallurgical products -1730-beginning of iron and copper development on the Yenisei. 1731 - a new preferential customs tariff was adopted, which contributed to the development of trade. 1735-1738 - construction of new ironworks in the Urals.
Further development of culture	The construction of the ensemble of the Moscow Kremlin continued. The activities of V. Tatishchev, the first Russian historiographer. This is the heyday of V. Trediakovsky’s poetry 1738 - ballet school founded 1733-1743 - second Kamchatka expedition V. Bering.

2. Foreign policy

RESULTS OF ACTIVITY

Anna Ioannovna strengthened unlimited power monarch.
During the reign of Anna Ioannovna, significant positive changes did not happen in the country. The dominance of foreigners and their desire to gain personal benefit did not lead to noticeable economic growth, although there were some successes in trade and industry.
The implementation of a pro-noble policy increased the importance of the nobles in the country; the empress relied on their support in her activities.
The situation of the peasants further deteriorated.
There were positive trends in foreign policy (strengthening trade relations with Western countries, improving relations with Poland, acquiring a number of fortresses in the south). However, it was not possible to achieve access to the Black Sea.
In general, the reign of Anna Ioannovna went down in history as a dark decade, Bironovism, with the dominance of foreigners, embezzlement, disrespect for the country and people ruled by this empress.

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The era of Anna Ioannovna in painting

Empress Anna Ioannovna of Russia was born on January twenty-eighth, 1693 into the family of Ivan the Fifth Alekseevich and Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova. Peter the Great, who was her uncle, raised little Anna until she was seventeen. Already in the fall of 1710, Peter married her to Friedrich Wilhelm, Duke of Courland. However, her husband soon died and Anna was forced to stay in Courland herself at the instruction of Peter.

After the death of Peter the Second in 1730, Anna was invited to rule the Russian state. At the same time, the Privy Council, which invited her, rather severely limited her powers, which, of course, affected the early foreign and domestic policies of the empress. By signing the Conditions, she transferred actual power to the Privy Council. But in the same year in February, Empress Anna Ioannovna tore up the Conditions. Having secured the support of the nobility and the guard, she was proclaimed an autocratic ruler throughout the state.

The empress's domestic policy begins with the abolition of the Privy Council and its subsequent replacement by the Cabinet of Ministers. Wanting to completely protect herself from conspiracies, Anna also establishes Secret Chancery or the Office of Secret Investigations, which is gaining strength every day.

In foreign policy, Anna Ioannovna fully adhered to the policies of her uncle Peter the Great, thanks to which Russia was able to significantly strengthen its own position on the world stage. In addition, she conducted successful military campaigns. But there were some major mistakes. For example, the conclusion of the Belgrade Peace.

During the reign of this empress, postal communication between major cities was significantly improved. settlements, and the provinces acquired their own police. The education situation has also improved. One of the most important actions characterizing Anna's foreign and domestic policy was the strengthening of the power of the army and Russian fleet, started by Peter the Great.

With all of the above, historians note that the empress was involved in very little management, entrusting the most important state issues to her advisers, most of whom were of German origin. The most famous of them was Biron, who interfered in many important state affairs for his own benefit.

Contemporaries also note that the empress spent a huge fortune on maintaining the court and entertaining herself.

Introduction
End of the reign
Conclusion
Bibliography

Introduction

Amnna Ioamnnovna (Amnna Ivamnovna; January 28 (February 7) 1693 - October 17 (28), 1740) - Russian empress from the Romanov dynasty.

Second daughter of Tsar Ivan V (brother and co-ruler of Tsar Peter I) and Tsarina Praskovya Fedorovna. In 1710 she was married to the Duke of Courland, Friedrich Wilhelm; Having become a widow 2.5 months after the wedding, she remained in Courland.

Judging by the surviving correspondence, Anna Ioannovna was a classic type of landowner lady. As E.V. very accurately noted. Anisimov: “The general tone, the style of life of Anna’s court... most of all resembles the style of life of a Russian landowner of the 18th century with her simple concerns, and entertainment, gossip and proceedings of courtyard quarrels.” She loved to be aware of all the gossip, personal life subjects, gathered around her many jesters and talkers who amused her. From the surviving letters of Anna Ioannovna, the empress’s superstition and her great penchant for gossip are striking. Anna especially loved to act as a matchmaker, bringing together couples of people according to her own understanding. Anna had some masculinity, V.O. Klyuchevsky described her like this: “Tall and corpulent with a face more masculine than feminine.” The roughness of her appearance, excessive plumpness, and lack of grace were noted by many of Anna’s contemporaries.

Anna loved horses, borrowing this tendency from her favorite Biron. She liked hunting and often practiced shooting from the windows of her palace. Newspapers of that time reported on the empress's hunting exploits, and in order to avoid a shortage of animals, subjects were forbidden to hunt any game within a hundred miles from the capital.

Anna Ioannovna's reign was marked by huge expenses for entertainment events, the costs of holding balls and maintaining the courtyard were tens of times higher than the costs of maintaining the army and navy, during her reign an ice town with elephants at the entrance appeared for the first time, from whose trunks burning oil flowed like a fountain, later during the the clownish wedding of her court jester Prince M.A. Golitsyna with A.I. Buzheninova, newlyweds wedding night spent in an ice house.

Anna Ioannovna herself was not very interested in state affairs, leaving the management of affairs to her favorite Biron and the main leaders: Chancellor Golovkin, Prince Cherkassky, for foreign affairs Osterman and for military affairs Field Marshal Minich.

russian empress reign politics

Accession to the throne of Anna Ioannovna

Anna Ioannovna became empress unexpectedly for everyone. In January 1730, fourteen-year-old Emperor Peter II fell ill and died suddenly. With his death, the male line of the Romanov dynasty ended. They decided to take advantage of this circumstance as an opportunity to change the existing way of government. Part of the supreme leaders, led by Prince D.M. Golitsyn, attempted an oligarchic coup in the interests of narrow circle aristocratic families, represented by princes Dolgoruky and Golitsyn, who occupied almost all the seats in the Supreme Council.

The Duchess of Courland, Anna Ioanovna, was recognized as the most suitable candidate for a monarch with limited rights.

"The death of the last of male line The Romanovs took everyone by surprise and therefore many, not knowing who to settle on, wanted to quickly place on the throne a person who could not remain on it for long, but would give time to think and prepare. For these reasons, Anna's candidacy was readily accepted." To consolidate the limitation of the empress's power, the leaders drew up the so-called conditions - clauses that regulated Anna's power.

These clauses obliged the future empress to make all her decisions only with the consent of the Supreme Privy Council, namely: declaration of war, conclusion of peace, imposition of taxes on the population, promotion to ranks higher than colonel, and the guard and the army in general were placed under the supreme command of the Supreme Privy Council; deprivation of the nobility of life, estates and honor in court, distribution of estates and villages as grants, promotion of both Russians and foreigners to court ranks, use of state revenues for expenses.

In addition, Anna was obliged not to marry, not to appoint an heir either for herself or for herself, and to maintain the Supreme Privy Council consisting of its permanent 8 people. If the points were not fulfilled, the empress was deprived of her crown.

Conditions were sent to Mitava where Anna Ioannovna lived. The choice of the leaders came as a complete surprise to her.

Anna Ioannovna, the second daughter of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich, brother and co-ruler of Peter the Great, and Praskovya Fedorovna Saltykova, for the political reasons of Peter I, who sought to strengthen his position in the Baltic states, was married in her youth to the Duke of Courland, Frederick William. However, just a few months after her marriage, Anna became a widow. Because of state interests Uncle, she was forced to stay and live in a foreign country, experiencing an unfriendly attitude on the part of the Courland nobles, who were afraid of the strengthening of Russian influence in Mitau. On the other hand, Anna was completely dependent on Peter I, who saw in his niece only a conductor of his will and was not at all interested in her feelings, opinions, or the real situation in Courland.

An idea of the duchess’s living conditions in Mitau and her character traits is shown by letters preserved in the archives. Their content presents Anna Ioannovna as a practical woman, ready to endure humiliation in the name of achieving a goal, intelligent enough to navigate the intricacies of court life in St. Petersburg and use the situation to her advantage. An unexpected passion for luxury made her life difficult and burdened with debt. But she always knew well who she could turn to with a request, for whom a letter with New Year's greetings, and who was in disgrace and maintaining connections with him threatens disaster. “Her letters are striking in her ability to play nice, to humiliately beg, to use all the levers of influence on the person from whom she expects help.”

Widow's life, the poverty of material opportunities with a tendency to waste, the need to meekly obey someone else's will to the detriment of personal interests - all this did not encourage the formation of a benevolent attitude towards others, cordiality, compassion and other virtues. And already for royal crown Anna Ioannovna went to Moscow with a gloomy, callous character.

Having signed the “conditions,” Anna arrived in Moscow in February 1730. In the clash between supporters and opponents of limiting imperial power, Anna managed to find a very advantageous position, which allowed her to rely on supporters of the autocracy and then, with the help of the guard, carry out a palace coup, marked by the public and solemn destruction of the “standards”. From this day on, the autocratic rule of Anna Ioannovna began.

Domestic policy of Anna Ioannovna

After the coronation, Anna first lived in the Kremlin, in a fairly comfortable room in the ancient Amusement Palace. With the onset of summer, she moved to Izmailovo, and at that time in the Kremlin, next to the Arsenal, the Italian architect Rastrelli built a new wooden palace, called Annenhof. The Empress settled there in October 1730. But soon she liked the Golovinsky house with Petrovsky Park, where she sometimes held celebrations, so much that she ordered Rastrelli to build another, wooden Annenhof next door, which was ready by the summer of next year and where she even spent the winter before moving to St. Petersburg in 1732 . Later she never returned to Moscow. In St. Petersburg, Anna settled in the house of Count Apraksin, donated by the admiral to Peter II. She greatly expanded it and turned it into a palace called New Winter Palace, and the Old was given to the court staff.

Peter 1 destroyed the old Imperial Courtyard, but did not create a new one. Neither Catherine 1 nor Peter II had their own court in the literal sense of the word, with its complex organization and decorative pomp common in Western countries. With the exception of a few chamberlain positions, everything had to be created anew, and Anna set about it. She appointed many court officials and established receptions in certain days; she gave balls and set up a theater like French king. For the festivities on the occasion of her coronation, Augustus II sent her several Italian actors from Dresden, and she realized that she needed to have a permanent Italian troupe. She discharged her in 1735, and twice a week “interludes” alternated with ballet. They were attended by students of the cadet corps, who studied under the guidance of French teacher Lande dances. Then the Italian opera appeared with 70 singers and female singers, under the direction of the French composer Araglia. Since the empress did not understand Italian, Tredyakovsky translated the text for her, and the empress watched the performance with a book in her hands. But even this help did not make her interested in the theater. Her head, like her upbringing, was little suited to artistic forms entertainment. At that time, a troupe of German comedians, performing crude farces, enjoyed much greater success at court.

But be that as it may, the emerging Russian society (in the European sense of the word) continued to develop. Fashion appeared under Anna. It was officially forbidden to come to court twice in the same dress. The Spartan simplicity of previous reigns gave way to ruinous luxury. Spending three thousand a year on a dress, the man looked miserable, and Madame Biron’s dress was valued at five hundred thousand rubles. The table also adopted a hitherto unseen sophistication. The usual rough drunken revelry under Peter I, when everyone indiscriminately, including ladies, had to get drunk on vodka, is now a thing of the past. The Empress did not like people to get drunk in her presence. Scenes of drunkenness at court became relatively rare. Along with the delicacies, French wines - champagne and Burgundy - were served on the table. The houses gradually became larger and were furnished with English furniture. Luxurious carriages and gilded carriages with velvet upholstery began to appear more often.

State affairs under Anna remained in decline, although they acquired some order compared to previous times. Immediately upon her accession to the throne, she abolished the Supreme Privy Council and restored the Senate. The Senate soon begins to divide into departments and loses its dominant role. Old organs appear again only under new names. In 1730, the Office of Secret Investigation Cases was established, replacing the Preobrazhensky Order, which was destroyed under Peter II. IN short term it gained extraordinary strength and soon became one of the most important institutions and a kind of symbol of the era. Anna was constantly afraid of conspiracies that threatened her reign. Therefore, the abuses of this department were enormous even by Russian standards. Espionage became the most encouraged government service. An ambiguous word or a misunderstood gesture was often enough to end up in a dungeon, or even disappear without a trace. All those exiled to Siberia under Anna were considered to be over 20 thousand people; Of these, more than 5 thousand were of whom no trace could be found, since they were often exiled without any recording in the proper place and with a change in the names of the exiles, without even informing the Secret Chancellery. Up to 1,000 people were counted as executed, not including those who died during the investigation and those executed secretly. And there were quite a few of them too. In total, more than 30 thousand people were subjected to various types of repression.

In 1731, the Cabinet of Ministers was established, which had previously functioned as the personal secretariat of the Empress. The Cabinet of Ministers included Osterman, Count G.I. Golovkin and Prince A.M. Cherkassky; after Golovkin’s death he was successively replaced by P.I. Yaguzhinsky, A.P. Volynsky and A.P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin. In fact, the Cabinet was the direct successor to the Supreme Privy Council. “The establishment of the Cabinet was something new in Russia and was not to everyone’s taste, especially since Osterman was considered a double-minded person, and Cherkassky very lazy; then they said that “in this office Cherkassky was the body, and Osterman the soul, not too honest.” During the first year of her reign, Anna tried to carefully attend Cabinet meetings, but then she completely lost interest in business and was here only twice in 1732. Gradually, the Cabinet acquired new functions, including the right to issue laws and decrees, which made it very similar to The Supreme Council.

All affairs under Anna were run by three main Germans - Biron, Osterman and Minich, who were constantly at odds with each other. Anna Ioanovna’s favorite E.I. acquired special power. Biron, therefore, the time of her reign was called “Bironovism”, which personified political terror, embezzlement, debauchery, disrespect for Russian traditions, and entered a dark page in Russian history. Decisive role Foreigners began to play a role in governing the country - mainly Baltic nobles and Germans. By apt expression historian V.O. Klyuchevsky - “the Germans poured into Russia like rubbish from a holey bag. They surrounded the courtyard, inhabited the throne, and climbed into all the profitable places in the administration.” The army was led by Field Marshal B.K. Minikh, it was under his leadership that the military reform, Izmailovsky and Konny were formed guards regiments; Collegium of Foreign Affairs - A.I. Osterman, Academy of Sciences - I.D. Schumacher. Political investigation is reaching a wide scope. In 1731, the activities of the Secret Chancellery, headed by A.I., were restored. Ushakov. In 1740, the trial of the cabinet minister A.P. took place. Volynsky, who made disapproving statements about both the Germans and the Empress and sought to limit the influence of foreigners on the domestic and foreign policy of Russia, as a result of which he was sentenced to death.

Besides them, there were many other smaller Germans who seized all the profitable places and positions and pushed the Russian aristocracy out of control. German dominance was so sensitive that it became, as it were, a second symbol of the era. All this caused strong displeasure among the Russian nobility and especially among its advanced part, which was then the guard. But while Anna was alive, indignation did not break out. However, it appeared immediately after she was gone.

During the reign of Anna, the line of subordinating the church to the state and transforming the clergy into a specific type of bureaucracy obedient to the autocracy was continued. Thus, on April 15, 1738, the College of Economy was removed from the department of the Synod and transferred to the Senate. Along with it, the Dvortsovy and Kazenny orders that existed under the Synod were also transferred there. In essence, the Synod became a bureaucratic institution that could only be supported by salaries from the general state treasury. Previously, the Russian Church prohibited foreigners from building their churches in Russia. But Anna allows the construction of temples of other faiths. Thus, the only obstacle to contacts between Russians and foreigners was removed. "Foreigners of other Christian faiths were given the freedom to build their own churches and worship in them."

Anna Ioanovna's government continued its pro-noble policy. In 1731 the decree on single inheritance was canceled. Since 1736, the service life of nobles was limited to 25 years. In 1736, factory workers and members of their families were permanently attached to the factories. Thus, civilian labor was finally supplanted by serf labor.

Anna in 1731 began to actively distribute land to Russian and foreign nobles. Foreigners liked this measure, and they began to strive to receive these lands from the empress. During the reign of Anna Ioannovna, the right to dispose of estates was returned to the nobility, which allowed them to divide their estates among all children. From now on, all estates were recognized as the full property of their owners. The collection of poll taxes from serfs was transferred to their owners. The landowner was now obliged to monitor the behavior of his serfs. Although these measures increasingly elevated the nobles above other people, the foreign nobles did not like the privileges given to the Russian nobles, since these measures increasingly shortened the distance between foreigners and Russians.

Some positive changes have taken place in the field of education: the Land Gentry was established cadet corps for nobles, a school for training officials was created under the Senate, and a seminary for 35 young men was opened at the Academy of Sciences. The organization of postal services dates back to this time, as well as the introduction of police units to maintain order in large cities. A lot of manufactories appeared: leather, metalworking and processing of wool and other types of fabric. Care for the breeding of horse breeding plants was a peculiar feature of Anna Ivanovna's reign, under the influence of her favorite Biron. In 1731, the stable office or stable order was established. And until her death, Anna Ivanovna showed great concern for the success of horse breeding in Russia. “In order to supply the Russian cavalry with suitable horses, she ordered a great many of the best foreign horses to be registered and to establish many horse factories.”

But there were a lot of negative aspects to Anna’s reign. State expenditures on holidays and luxury were so increased that arrears increased several times. But foreigners did not care about these expenses, they were only surprised by this luxury.

During Anna's reign, the Russian nobility, its most noble families, such as the Dolgorukys, Golitsyns and Volynskys, fell into disgrace. They were exiled along with all their families and some were executed. These people were not so angry with the empress as with her favorite Biron. “If she weren’t so angry with us, but her favorite, who was constantly with her, he tried to exterminate our family so that he would not exist in the world.”

Thus, foreigners supported Anna's policy, seeing in it a continuation of Peter's policy. Just like Peter, Anna continued to give privileges to foreigners. Anna herself carried out all events under the influence and control of foreigners, mainly Biron. But it would be unfair to attribute solely to Biron’s influence all the persecutions, exiles, tortures and painful executions that took place during her reign: they were also determined by Anna’s personal qualities.

Anna Ivanovna's reign was marked by the rise of Russian industry, primarily metallurgy, which came out on top in the world in the production of cast iron. From the second half of the 1730s, a gradual transfer of state-owned enterprises into private hands began, which was enshrined in the Berg Regulations (1739), which stimulated private entrepreneurship.

End of the reign

Back in 1732, Anna Ivanovna publicly announced that the inheritance of the throne after her should go to the male offspring of her niece, the daughter of the empress’s elder sister, Ekaterina Ivanovna, Duchess of Mecklenburg. The latter's husband, Karl Leopold, at one time acquired a reputation as a tyrant, was driven out by his Mecklenburg subjects, driven out of patience, and condemned by the Imperial Diet. Being dependent on her uncle, Tsar Peter I, Princess Ekaterina Ivanovna, at his will, married the Duke of Mecklenburg, but soon did not get along with him. In 1719, she left him for Russia along with her young daughter Elisaveta-Ekaterina-Christina. This daughter, forced to spend her childhood in Russia, was accepted into the fold in 1733 Orthodox Church and was named Anna Leopoldovna. Having lost her mother, the princess remained in the care of her aunt, Empress Anna Ivanovna, who loved her like her own daughter until the princess, having reached adulthood, began to show traits in her character that her aunt did not quite like. But since the empress had no other close relatives, and in the event of her death, the throne could go to Tsarevna Elisabeth Petrovna, whom Anna Ivanovna did not tolerate, the empress was in a hurry to find a groom for her niece in order to deliver the inheritance of the throne to her offspring and her family. The German Empire contained a rich supply of princes and princesses for marriage ties in Russia. In July 1739, Anna Leopoldovna was married to the Duke of Brunswick Anton-Ulrich, and in August 1740 the couple had a son, John Antonovich.

The Empress died unexpectedly. Her ten-year reign was crowned by two high-profile events - the wedding of her jester in ice palace and the execution of Volynsky. October 5 (16), 1740, Anna Ioannovna sat down to dine with Biron. Suddenly she felt sick and fell unconscious. The disease was considered dangerous. Meetings began among senior dignitaries. The issue of succession to the throne was resolved long ago; the empress named her two-month-old child, Ivan Antonovich, as her successor. It remained to be decided who would be regent until he came of age, and Biron was able to gather votes in his favor.

On October 16 (27), the sick empress had a seizure, foreshadowing imminent death. Anna Ioannovna ordered Osterman and Biron to be called. In their presence, she signed both papers - on the inheritance after her of Ivan Antonovich and on the regency of Biron.

At 9 o'clock in the evening on October 17 (28), 1740, Anna Ioannovna died at the 48th year of her life. Doctors declared the cause of death to be gout combined with stone disease. She was buried in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Conclusion

The reign of Anna Ioannovna continues in Russian history a kind of “era of favorites,” when the state was ruled on behalf of empresses - women by their favorites. Anna's accession to the throne was legal, but her reign can be called a time of profound changes in the consciousness of the Russian nobility. This is a time of rationalization of the court behavior of the nobles in the struggle to increase their chances of power. The nobility was placed in the most difficult conditions: either they were among the winners and received power, or they ended their lives on the chopping block. This taught the Russian nobility to adapt, calculate and control words and deeds. In this regard, the interest of the nobles in knowledge of foreign languages and new fashion items increased sharply.

But at the same time, it should be noted that the external modernization of the nobility was absolutely not connected with the deep internal changes. Thus, in 1730, the bulk of the nobles did not support the desire of the more revolutionary-minded part to turn Russia into parliamentary monarchy, seeing in absolute monarchy reliable protection against popular uprisings and a source of new privileges, as well as simply being afraid to take over control of the state. It should also be noted that this hope was justified, and Anna, albeit partially, supported the mood of the nobility with all sorts of benefits.

The reasons for the failure of the Supreme Privy Council project are:

1) the confrontation between a narrow group of nobles who advocated limiting autocracy and the broad mass of nobles for whom autocracy was the guarantor of their stable existence;

2) fear of the establishment of a narrow aristocratic dictatorship in the person of the Supreme Privy Council;

3) the desire to create broad representation in the highest government institutions and complete satisfaction of social class needs;

4) the vigorous activity of A.I. Osterman and F. Prokopovich, who pitted two groups of nobles against each other;

5) the inability of the leaders to find mutual language with a lot of nobles.

According to the words expressed by S.F. Platonov and N.I. Kostomarov, Anna Ioannovna was not ready to rule. She did not know how to govern the state. The Empress not only did not like the Russian people, she was afraid of them. During her reign, the country did not develop. A positive features of this time, which, despite everything, were rather the merit of the cabinet of ministers, commanders and people.

The country was actually ruled by the Germans, who flooded into Russia and occupied all government posts. Most strong influence Anna was influenced by her favorite, Ernest Biron, who was made Duke of Courland. It is not for nothing that the era of this reign was called “Bironovism.”

Signed by Anna Ioannovna on condition favorable confluence circumstances, provided they were supported by the nobility, could well have contributed to Russia’s transition to a parliamentary form of monarchy. But even in this case, such a metamorphosis would be only a temporary concession by the newly-minted empress. Anna's stubborn, tough and willful character would not withstand constant control from the Council. For the political system of the 18th century. characteristic feature was constant struggle for survival. era palace coups did not tolerate weakness and obedience on the part of those who had to prove their strength every day. 1730 clearly showed another natural trend - the strengthening of the guard troops, their active involvement in political events and the understanding that the law of power is force.

In general, the reign of the empress can be reflected in the statement of a person close to her, B.Kh. Minikha: “...the whole way of government under Anna Ioannovna was imperfect and even harmful to the state.”

Bibliography

1. Anisimov E.V. Russia in the “era of palace coups” [Text] /E.V. Anisimov/ - M.: St. Petersburg, 2008.

2. Anisimov E.V., Kamensky A.B. Russia in the 18th - first half of the 19th centuries. [Text] /E.V. Anisimov/ - M.: St. Petersburg, 2009

3. Vasilyeva L. Anna Ioannovna [Text] /L. Vasilyeva // Science and religion - 2000-№8, pp. 12-14

4. Kostomarov N.I. The reign of the House of Romanov: Russian history in the biographies of its main figures [Text] / N.I. Kostomarov/ - M.: STD Publishing House, 2007

5. Parfenov L. Russian Empire. Peter I. Anna Ioannovna. Elizaveta Petrovna [Text] /L. Parfenov/ - M. publishing house - EKSMO, 2013

6. Prokopovich F. The story of the election and accession to the throne of Empress Anna Ioannovna [Text] / F. Prokopovich/-Publishing book on demand, 2012

7. New Russian encyclopedia. Volume I. [Text] - M., 2004

Domestic policy of Anna Ioannovna

However, the main events that happened in political life countries during the reign of Anna Ionovna are worth listing. The first thing she did was abolish the Supreme Privy Council and create a cabinet of ministers.

The reign of the niece of Peter I became a real tragedy for ordinary peasants. She increased the tax burden on the peasant class; later the peasants lost the right to swear allegiance to the emperor, next step there was a ban on peasants engaging in any commercial activities.

The apogee of the unfair policy towards the Russian peasantry was the decree of 1736, which allowed landowners to trade in serfs, as well as engage in lynching of the guilty.

Domestic politics during her reign were brutal. The field of activity of the Secret Chancellery has expanded to immense borders. Any dissent in the Empire began to be severely punished. All sorts of social vices flourished at court. Drunkenness, informing, embezzlement...

Historians provide figures from the Russian budget. About 2 million were spent on maintaining the courtyard under Anna Ioannovna. rubles, and only 47 thousand for the activities of the Academy of Sciences. rubles

Foreign policy of Anna Ioannovna

Anna Ioannovna's foreign policy was much more successful than her domestic one. During her reign, Russian empire entered into a number of profitable trade relations with England, Spain, Persia, Sweden, and China.

She owes some success in foreign policy affairs, first of all, to Osterman, who developed the main foreign policy prerogatives of the Russian Empire.

Osterman concluded a military alliance with Austria, declared Russian interests in the Balkans and the Black Sea region, and actively fought for influence on Germany and Poland.

During the reign of Anna Ioannovna there was also a war with Turkey, which took place from 1735 to 1739. Russia had some success in this war, but the war became protracted and required a lot of costs.

The situation worsened when our careless allies, the Austrians, concluded a separate peace with Turkey, fearing the increase in Russian influence in the Balkans.

As a result, the shameful “Belgrade Peace” was concluded, in accordance with which the Russian Empire renounced its conquests in Crimea and Bulgaria, and Russia was also prohibited from having a fleet in the Black and Azov Seas.

Anna Ioannovna died in October 1740. The Russian Empress, the niece of the Great Peter I, was then 47 years old.