The era of palace coups is the period of Russian history that came after the death of Peter I, when the transfer of power in the state was carried out in violation of the law.
The author of the term is historian V.O. Klyuchevsky. He believes that the era of palace coups began in 1725 with the death of Peter the Great, and ended in 1762 after the accession of Catherine II. However, there is a point of view that this troubled time returned in 1801 in connection with the assassination of Paul I. Some historians also find signs of this era in the Decembrist uprising.
The main reasons for the coups d'etat are the lack of clear rules of succession to the throne, the lack of legal political activity; unresolved contradictions between monarchical power, the ruling class and nobles.
Let us consider these reasons in more detail.
In 1722, Peter I published the "Charter of succession to the throne", on the basis of which, the throne could go to a wide range of people, and not just the direct heirs of the monarch. Some time before the king’s death, the first schism arose. The political group, led by Apraksin, insisted on the enthronement of the grandson of Peter I with the appointment as regent of the wife of the monarch, Ekaterina Alekseevna.
Another group, under the leadership of Prince Menshikov, was going to make Catherine an autocratic sovereign. As a result of cunning intrigues and the intervention of the army, Ekaterina Alekseevna was enthroned in 1725. After her death in 1727, the question of power arose again. The throne was transferred to Peter II as a result of a series of intrigues.
The reasons for the palace coups were not based on the desire of the applicants to change the existing state system or implement any reforms. A characteristic feature of the era was the battle for power, as they say, "in its purest form." All warring factions were aimed only at gaining power and personal benefits.
The reasons for the palace coups after 1727 were associated with the overthrow of Menshikov, who actually ruled the country for 3 years. Being an experienced and cunning diplomat, he still made an important mistake as a result of being blinded by the authorities. Having ruined relations with his allies, he quickly lost everything that he had been striving for so long. Actual power passes to Dolgoruky and Golitsyn. And again, the need arises to look for the heir to the throne, since Peter II dies of smallpox.
Further, the reasons for the palace coups were supplemented by the signing of Conditions, which limited the power of the niece of Peter, Anna Kurlandskaya (Anna Ioannovna), who ascended the throne. She signed this document, giving up a number of powers in favor of the Privy Council. The time of her reign, therefore, was associated with a fierce struggle for power.
After Anna Kurlandskaya publicly torn Condition, the Dolgoruky family was practically destroyed, and new faces entered the struggle for supremacy, including the favorite of the empress Biron, B.Kh. Minikh and A.P. Volynsky.
The reasons for the palace coups in Russia were associated not only with the political situation, but also with the personalities of people close to the monarch. In some cases, the ruler was only a nominal figure, but in reality the country was ruled by nobles.
Since the death of Peter I to 1762, five rulers were replaced in Russia. Most coups took place with the participation of the guard. Some scholars compare this period in the history of Russia with the late Roman Empire, when a change of power took place just as often, and the army participated in coups.
So, we examined the palace coups, the reasons for which were in the Charter on the succession to the throne left after the reign of Peter I, as well as in the struggle for power between the noble families belonging to the ruling elite.
Power for a long time did not linger in the same hands, the rulers in Russia succeeded each other very quickly. The end of the era came only with the reign of Catherine the Great, who was able to restore order in the state.