The Order of St. Anne was founded in 1735 by the Duke Karl Friedrich of German descent. In 1725, he married the daughter of Emperor Peter the Great, Anna. Initially, the order was supposed to be a dynastic reward, but later on its status changed significantly.
The Duchess Anna did not live long in a happy marriage and died in 1728 almost immediately after the difficult birth of the future successor to the throne. After the death of his beloved wife, Karl Friedrich decided to perpetuate her memory by transmitting the image of the Duchess with the image on the order to the next generation of heirs to the throne. During the life of the duke, 15 German citizens received this order.
Since that time, the rulers of Russia did not stay long in power, leaving the throne for reasons beyond their control.
Heir to Elizabeth II
The future heir to the Russian and Holstein thrones was named Karl-Peter-Ulrich. He inherited the throne after Elizabeth II, who did not have her own children, decided to elevate her nephew to the throne by official decree, after which the boy was transferred from the Holstein principality to Russia.
State status of the order
Since the Order of St. Anne was a dynastic award, having moved to Russia, Peter III, who became the Grandmaster of this order by inheritance from his father, took the highest award of the Principality of Holstein with him. After he officially ascended the throne in 1742, it was decided to elevate the order to the rank of state award in Russia.
New heir to the throne
The history of the Russian Empire directly to this day is filled with tragic events, the most significant of which was the incident that left an indelible mark on modern history. It happened in 1762, when the reign of Paul III, which lasted about 6 months, tragically ended. This happened as a result of a conspiracy to remove him from the throne, which was arranged by his own wife. After his death, pre-revolutionary Russia received a new heir to the throne - Paul I, born in 1754.
The reign of Catherine II
Since at the time of the death of the current emperor, Paul I was still too small to rule the throne, the whole burden of government fell on the shoulders of his mother, who was directly guilty of the death of his father. The history of the Russian Empire received at this time a significant impetus to development under the leadership of Catherine II. Without a doubt, the most famous empress of the time outside of Russia.
The secret meaning of the reward
Despite the fact that the awards of the Russian Empire were distinguished by a special grace, Paul I experienced tremulous feelings precisely in relation to the Order of St. Anne. It was explained quite simply. At one of the Moscow receptions, organized in 1762, the first beauty of that time, Anna Petrovna, the daughter of a local senator P.V., was presented to Paul I Lopukhina.
The emperor liked her so much that he insisted on moving her whole family to St. Petersburg. The father of the beauty received from the emperor the princely title and family motto. Since that time, the Hebrew translation of the name Anna - "grace" - became the pride of the entire princely family of the Lopukhins.
It is from this moment that the main history of the order in pre-revolutionary Russia begins. According to the official documents of the imperial family, preserved to this day. Catherine II considered the reverent attitude of her son to the order as a fun children's game, but from the time the future emperor met with Anna Petrovna at the reception, he began to carry a secret meaning. Now the order of St. Anne meant for him as much as for the founder of the order, Karl Friedrich.
Copies of the order that received state status
According to the preserved correspondence between Empress Catherine II and the educator of Paul I, a special imperial decree was created, according to which Paul I had the legal right to award on his behalf this order to any nobleman who was distinguished by special valor.
But this was clearly not enough for the rebellious emperor, and he secretly decided from a formidable mother who did not consider the Order of St. Anne to be a worthy reward, to create many small copies in order to informally award them to their subjects. It was necessary to wear them on the hilt of the sword so that, if necessary, it could easily be hidden from prying eyes, and in the event of an armed collision, cover from hand punch.
Denial of the Principality of Germany
In 1773, Catherine II completely renounced all the rights, privileges and titles that Holstein throne provided for her and her heirs. Since that time, the order of the 1st degree is no longer awarded to the heirs of the imperial dynasty, but since Paul I remained the official Grand Master of the order, he retained the official right to award them of his own free will.
Coronation of Paul the First
The coronation of Paul I fell on November 12, 1797. On this day, he officially ascends the throne, and pre-revolutionary Russia receives in its history a new emperor, one of the first decrees of which is the erection of the Order of St. Anna in the rank of state awards and dividing it into 3 main degrees. Now, copies of the order, which were made in the youth of the emperor, received legal status and belonged to the 3rd degree.
Initially, it was assumed that the rulers of Russia would award this order only to officers. The appearance of the order depended directly on the degree to which it belonged. Its dimensions, depending on the degree, ranged from 3.5 cm to 5.2 cm.
1. Order of St. Anne of 1 degree - inlaid with diamonds. This type of order was to be worn on a wide red ribbon with yellow stripes running along the edges. They awarded him simultaneously with a silver star. Moreover, the star had to be thrown over the right shoulder, and the order through the left. Against a gold background was an eight-pointed star, in the center of which a red cross was placed. The motto of the order Amantibus Justitiam Pietatem Fidem was deduced in Latin letters on its circumference, therefore, from the translation we can conclude that they were awarded to faithful and pious people.
The red color of the cross was achieved by coating with enamel surrounded by a thin gold border. In the center of the cross was the image of the Duchess Anna on a full-length white rosette. It was also surrounded by a golden border. On the reverse side of the order was the duchess's monogram, made using blue enamel. Above the facial image of Anna soared two angels holding the imperial crown in their hands.
In 1829, diamond inserts remained only at the awards awarded to foreign citizens, and since 1874 the image of the imperial crown on orders of the first degrees was canceled.
2. Order of St. Anne of the 2nd degree - inlaid with rock crystal. It was necessary to wear around the neck, fastening to a narrow ribbon. Mostly awarded to persons who did not accept the Christian faith, and merchants. However, in this order, the image of Anna was replaced by a two-headed eagle. The reverse of the order, made in azure, shows the abbreviation of the motto of the AIPF order, the purpose of which was to remind the awarded that the countess was the daughter of Peter I. The silver star was not supposed to be.
3. Order of St. Anne 3 degrees - the most common option. Wear relied on the hilt of the sword. It was a small circle, inside of which was an enamel cross in a ring of the same material, both of which were made in bright red.
13 years after the official recognition as a state award, the rules of wearing were changed. Now it was necessary to pin it to the bow, the color of which was to immediately indicate, belonged to the awarded military or civilian. According to the decree of 1847, the Order of the 3rd degree decided to award officials who had served at least 12 years in one position not lower than 13th grade. Since that time, the order actually began to rely on as a reward for service.
4. Order of St. Anne 4 degrees - was established by the son of Paul I - Emperor Alexander I. This degree was awarded only to military officers. The order was supposed to be carried on weapons that are used in the form of troops where the awarded person serves.
Among the subjects of the Russian Emperor Alexander I, the Order of the 4th degree was named “Cranberry”. The thing is that its size did not exceed 2.5 cm and was exactly the same color as this berry. If the officer, who had previously been awarded the Order of 4 degrees, was awarded a higher award, they were supposed to wear at the same time.
The name of the order of the 4th degree was changed exactly 1 year after the rule of wearing the order of the 3rd degree was changed. Now it was supposed to add the mandatory prefix "For courage."
Award History
Beginning in 1857, the emperor issued a decree in which military officers were to be awarded not only an order where the image of the Duchess of Anna was replaced by two crossed swords, but also a bright red bow, thanks to which the people's insight was once again confirmed, because now, anyone whom they saw with a similar award, they called for their eyes the Cavalier of the Order of the Cranberry.
The “Cranberry” order was awarded until the 1917 revolution , when all the awards of the tsarist empire were officially canceled by the new government.
The order in which precious stones were decorated with orders of the 1st and 2nd degree has been substantially changed, although this innovation did not affect the awarded foreign nationals.
Order modernization
At the end of the XIX century, the order of delivery of the Order of the 3rd degree also changed. Already since 1847, in order to be nominated for an award, it was required to serve in the army or as an official for at least 8 years. In addition, the appearance of the Order of the 3rd degree has also changed. Since 1855, 2 crossed swords were added to it.
Until the middle of the XIX century, each person nominated for the award received in addition certain benefits for the order. So, in addition to any degree of the order, the noble title was also supposed, however, due to the high prevalence of the awarded, this rule was changed, leaving the title of the patrimonial nobility only for people awarded the 1st degree order. The rest received the sole noble title that did not pass to the heirs.
In the event that the merchants or persons who did not accept Christianity received awards, they became honorary citizens of the Russian Empire without receiving a noble title.
The most famous persons awarded the order:
- Lieutenant General Vasily Suvorov - awarded by Elizaveta Petrovna.
- Generalissimo Alexander Vasilievich Suvorov - received the Holstein Order of St. Anne.
- Kutuzov, received the Order of St. Anne as her first award in 1789.
Merit Award
Insignia of St. Anne, or Anninsky Medal, was established in 1796 by Paul 1 and was a gilded medal, in the center of which was a red cross. She was awarded the military, whose length of service exceeded 20 years.
In addition to the award, a monetary reward was also supposed, the amount of which directly depended on the merits and status awarded and could reach 100 rubles.
The order of 3 or 4 degrees without a bow and cash incentives was awarded to non-commissioned officers, whose service was more than 10 years.
Awards of the Russian Empire
- Order of St. Andrew the First-Called - established by Peter I in 1698. They were awarded for their courage and loyalty to the homeland and the emperor. According to legend, Peter the Great, who returned from a trip to England, wanted to have an order in Russia like what he saw.
- Order of Liberation - established by Peter the Great in 1713. During the life of Peter I, only his wife Ekaterina Alekseevna received this order from the hands of the emperor . The memorable event took place on November 24, 1714.
Subsequently, he was awarded the wives of prominent Russian figures for useful social activities. It was originally conceived as a reward for the worthy behavior of the imperial wife during the unsuccessful Prussian campaign in 1711.
According to legend, after the Russian troops were surrounded by Turks, Catherine donated her jewelry to bribe the Turkish commander, thanks to which the troops managed to achieve peace and return to their homeland. Eyewitnesses to this event did not confirm the transfer of jewelry as a bribe, however, the worthy behavior of the pregnant empress was noted by all the military. The order had 2 degrees, characterized by different precious stones. The first degree was inlaid with diamonds, and the second with rock crystal.
- Order of Alexander Nevsky - established by Catherine I in 1725. Designed to reward medium-level government officials. For the first time, this order was awarded on the wedding day of Peter I on Catherine I. The award received 18 people.
- Military Order of St. George - established by Catherine II in 1769. Awarded to soldiers who showed special courage in the course of hostilities. He had four degrees of difference.
- Order of Prince Vladimir - established by Catherine II in 1782. Awarded employees of middle ranks and officers. The number of people awarded was not limited to anything. It was produced in four different degrees.
- Order of St. Anne and the Maltese Cross - established by Paul I and his son Alexander I, who supplemented the order of St. Anne 4 degrees in 1797. Awarded military and civilians, equally distinguished themselves in front of the emperor. The Order of the Maltese Cross appeared when Napoleon, who had captured Egypt and directly Malta, proposed to Emperor Paul I to take the dignity of the Grand Master of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.
- The Order of the White Eagle, the Order of St. Stanislav and the Order of Virtuity Military are established by Nicholas I in 1831. These orders became part of the Russian orders after Poland became part of Russia. I was handed over to Polish soldiers for the courage shown in battle. Moreover, the award of these orders could be made only within five years from the date of the end of hostilities.
- Order of Princess Olga - established by Nicholas II in 1913. Awarded women for performing public service. Either the emperor himself or a person who had a special imperial letter in his hands could award this order.
At the end of this article, I would like to once again emphasize the invaluable contribution of the ruling dynasty of pre-revolutionary Russia to the creation of a modern state, the entire history of the formation of which up to the 1917 revolution can be traced to the orders received by the most outstanding personalities of that time.