In the era of Peter the Great, the Governing Senate appeared in Russia. Over the next two centuries, this state authority was reformatted many times according to the will of the next monarch.
Senate Appearance
The governing senate was created by Peter I as a “safety cushion” in case the emperor left the capital. The king was known for his active character - he was constantly on the move, because of which the state machine in his absence could stand idle for months. These were the visual costs of absolutism. Peter really was the only embodiment of state power in the vast empire.
The immediate governing senate (1711) included the closest associates and aides of the king, who had his long-term trust. Among them are Peter Golitsyn, Mikhail Dolgorukov, Grigory Volkonsky and other high-ranking nobles.
The creation of the Governing Senate under Peter 1 took place in an era when in Russia there was no clear separation of powers (judicial, executive and legislative). Therefore, the terms of reference of this body constantly changed depending on the situation and expediency.
In his first directive, Peter announced to the senators that they should pay special attention to the state of the treasury, trade and court. The important thing is that this institution was never opposed to the king. In this, the Russian Senate was the exact opposite of the organ of the same name in neighboring Poland or Sweden. There, such an institution represented the interests of the aristocracy, which could oppose the policy of its monarch.
Interaction with the provinces
From the very beginning of its existence, the Governing Senate worked a lot with the regions. Huge Russia has always needed an effective system of interaction between the provinces and the capital. Under the successors of Peter there was a complex network of orders. Due to large-scale reforms in all spheres of the country's life, they ceased to be effective.
It was Peter who created the provinces. Each such administrative entity received two commissioners. These officials worked directly with the Senate and expressed the interests of the province in St. Petersburg. Using the reform described above, the emperor expanded the scope of self-government in the provinces.
Fiscals and prosecutors
Of course, the creation of the Governing Senate could not do without the establishment of new posts related to its work. Together with the new body, fiscals appeared. These officials were royal overseers. They controlled the work of the institutions and ensured that all the instructions of the monarch were carried out exactly to the last remark.
The existence of fiscals led to abuse. A person who possessed such power could use his position for selfish ends. At first, there was not even a regulated punishment for false reporting. In connection with the ambiguous service of fiscals in the Russian language, this word received the second negative lexical meaning of the scammer and sneak.
Nevertheless, the creation of this post was a necessary measure. The chief fiscal (chief fiscal) could demand an explanation from any official in the Senate. Thanks to this state of affairs, every nobleman, regardless of the height of his position, knew that his own abuse of power could ruin him. Fiscals existed not only in St. Petersburg, but also in the provinces (provincial fiscals).
The creation of the Governing Senate very quickly showed that this state body could not work effectively due to internal strife between senators. Often they could not come to a common opinion, they switched to personalities in their disputes, etc. This interfered with the work of the whole apparatus. Then Peter in 1722 established the position of Attorney General, who became the main person in the Senate. It was a "bridge" between the sovereign and the capital institution.
In the era of palace coups
After the death of the autocrat, the functions of the Governing Senate were seriously curtailed for the first time. This happened due to the fact that the Supreme Privy Council was established , in which the aristocrats-favorites of Catherine I and Peter II met . He became an alternative to the Senate and gradually took over his authority.
Elizaveta Petrovna, after her accession to the throne, restored the old order. The Senate again became the main judicial institution of the empire; military and naval colleges were subordinate to it.
Reforms of Catherine II
So, what functions the Governing Senate performed, we figured out. It should be noted that Catherine II did not like this situation. The new empress decided to reform. The institution was divided into six departments, each of which was responsible for a specific area of the state’s life. This measure helped to more accurately outline the powers of the Senate.
The first department was engaged in internal political affairs, the second - judicial. The third - by provinces that had a special status (Estonia, Livonia, and Little Russia), the fourth - by military and naval issues. These institutions were located in St. Petersburg. The two remaining Moscow departments were in charge of the court and administrative affairs. These are the functions that were vested in the Governing Senate under Catherine II.
The empress also significantly increased the influence of the prosecutor general on the work of all departments. During the era of palace coups, this position lost its former importance. Catherine preferred to keep everything under control and, thus, restored Peter's rule of autocracy.
During the short reign of her son Paul, the Senate again lost most of its rights. The new emperor was extremely suspicious. He did not trust the nobles, who had at least some influence and tried to contribute to the decision-making process.
In the 19th century
The way he was at the very end of his existence (on the eve of the revolution), the Governing Senate was created during the reign of Alexander I. It was then that the political system of the empire stabilized. The palace coups ceased , and the inheritance of the imperial title ceased to be a lottery.
Alexander was probably the most democratically inclined Russian emperor. He got his hands on the state, working on outdated mechanisms that needed to be urgently changed. The new king understood that the creation of the Governing Senate (the year 1711) was dictated by good goals, but believed that over the years this body lost its significance and turned into a miserable imitation of itself.
Immediately after his appearance on the throne, Alexander I in 1801 issued a decree in which he invited officials working in this institution to give him their projects on the approaching reform. For several months, active work was underway to discuss the reformatting of the Senate. The discussion was attended by members of the Secret Committee - young aristocrats, friends and associates of Alexander in his liberal endeavors.
Working process
Senators were appointed personally by the emperor. They could become only officials of the first three classes (according to the Table of Ranks). Theoretically, the senator could combine his main position with some other. For example, this amendment was often used in the case of the military.
Direct decisions on a particular issue were made within the walls of a particular department. At the same time, general meetings were periodically convened, which were attended by all members of the Senate. The decree adopted by this state body could only be repealed by the emperor.
Functions
Let us recall in which year the Governing Senate was created. That's right, in 1711, and since then this institution of power has regularly participated in legislation. In the course of his reforms, Alexander I created for this purpose a special institution - the State Council. However, the Senate was still able to develop draft laws and propose them for higher consideration through the Minister of Justice, who since the 19th century also combined the old position of the Attorney General with the new one.
Then the ministries were created on the site of the colleges. At first, there was some confusion between the new executive bodies and the Senate. The authority of all departments was finally determined by the end of the reign of Alexander I.
One of the most important functions of the Senate was his work with the treasury. It was the departments that checked the budget, and also informed the supreme power of arrears and lack of money. In addition, the Senate was placed over ministries in the resolution of inter-agency disputes over property. This state body regulated domestic trade and appointed justices of the peace. Senators led the empire’s armorial force (even a special department was created for this).
The significance of the Senate and its abolition
Peter I needed a state institution that could replace him for the time of his absence in the capital. In this, the creation of the Governing Senate helped the emperor. The date of appearance of the post of prosecutor general (1722) is also considered the birthday of the prosecutor's office in modern Russia.
However, over time, the functions of the Senate have changed. The executive power of officials was small, but they remained an important layer between numerous colleges (and later ministries).
The Senate was of noticeable importance in judicial matters. Appeals flocked here from all over the country. Dissatisfied provincial prosecutors, as well as governors, wrote to the Senate. This order was established after the judicial reform of Alexander II in the 1860s.
When the Bolsheviks came to power in Russia, they banned the Senate from being one of their first laws. This was court decree No. 1, adopted on December 5, 1917.