The Golden Age of the Nobility - the name of the reign of Catherine II

Catherine the Great rules of the Russian Empire for 34 years. During her reign, the territory and population of the country increased substantially. In foreign policy, serious progress has been made. Russia gained more weight and influence in international affairs, including in relation to European states. But the most striking feature of this era was the expansion of the rights of the nobility to unimaginable limits. In history, it is difficult to find a similar example of an elite with such unlimited privileges. The reign of Catherine 2 is called the golden age of the nobility.

Accession to the throne

The path to the Russian crown was very thorny for the future empress. Catherine came to power as a result of the palace coup in difficult and intricate circumstances. Her husband Peter III was not very capable of governing the state and served as a hindrance to the throne. After his enigmatic death, Catherine concentrated power in her hands. But, in terms of subjects, she was a foreign princess, involved in the murder of her husband. The Empress's position seemed shaky and unreliable. The main support and protection for her served as a coup organized by the court guard. The need to receive support from the army elite determined Catherine's policy in relation to the entire nobility.

Enlightened monarchy

The Empress read Voltaire's works and was familiar with European liberal ideas. She believed that reasonable laws, effective law enforcement agencies and concern for the education of subjects could lead the state to prosperity and prosperity. The idea of enlightened monarchy presupposed the preservation of the class system, the main force of which are the nobles. In addition, the absolute authority of the autocrat was not questioned.

Fascinated by the principles of the French Enlightenment, Catherine realized how far from them the reality of the Russian Empire. With all the desire to smooth social contradictions in society, she was compelled to act for the sake of the estate, on which her power depended. That is why the golden age of the nobility came during the reign of Catherine. The Palace Guard was a huge political force, sometimes deciding who to sit on the throne.

Change in the position of the nobility

The fundamental principle of relations between the monarch and the nobility was to carry out military service in exchange for the possession of estates. The duties of a representative of the noble class before the sovereign were similar in nature to the dependence of the serf peasant on the feudal lord. Until the time of Peter the Great inclusive, the service began at the age of 15 and was practically lifelong. The nobleman had no right to choose between military and civilian careers.

Gradually, these ancient principles were destroyed. The process of their abolition reached its apogee when the reign of Catherine II came. The golden age of the nobility laid the foundation for the existence of the first completely free and independent layer of society in Russia.

Change after the death of Peter the Great

Step by step the legislation was amended, making the position of the feudal estate more convenient and profitable. The nobles were allowed to temporarily leave their duties to the state and return to their estates in order to personally manage economic affairs. One of the sons in every noble family received the right not to enter the service and completely devote himself to solving issues related to the estate. The age at which representatives of the feudal estate began to fulfill their duty to the monarch was increased from 15 to 20 years. The nobles were given a choice between army and civil service. It was confirmed the exclusive right of the noble estate to own land and serfs. There was an opportunity to receive resignation after 25 years of service.

Manifesto of Peter III

Far-sighted Catherine sought to enlist the support of the nobility even before her accession to the throne. She could largely manipulate the reigning spouse, and under his influence he signed a manifesto that abolished mandatory public service for members of the feudal estate. Catherine confirmed the main points of this document a few months after her coronation. The golden age of the nobility called the era that came from the time of the proclamation of liberties that had no analogues in the past. But the dependence of the feudal estate on the generosity and mercy of the autocrat remained strong.

Economic situation

The Empress officially declared that there was no need to force the nobility to perform duties to the state. In her opinion, patriotism and devotion to the monarch, inherent in the representatives of this class, guaranteed their voluntary admission to the service. This statement did not fully correspond to reality. The real reason was that often the estates yielded small incomes and did not provide their owners with a decent standard of living. For many nobles, public office was the only alternative.

Stratification

It is worth noting that the Empress helped enrich the narrow circle of her trusted persons and favorites. For example, the organizers of the palace coup, which opened the way to the Russian throne, received ranks, large amounts of money and land. Thanks to the monarchy generosity, some approximate ones became owners of fantastic conditions. The golden age of the nobility is called the reign of Catherine the Great, but not all representatives of this estate received economic benefits in this era. Some of them did not have serfs at all. The manifesto on liberties did not affect their financial situation.

Serf peasants

The golden age of the Russian nobility had its opposite side. The well-being of the feudal estate was based on the free labor of serfs. The expansion of the privileges of the nobles was accompanied by a restriction of the rights of forced subsistence farmers. The only court for the serfs was their landowner. He had the power to sentence him to exile to Siberia or even to life imprisonment for hard labor. To file complaints against the landowner was forbidden under penalty of a whip. The situation of serfs differed little from classical slavery, although the legislation did not openly admit this.

Humanistic ideals and reality

Catherine the Great considered such a system of organizing the society inhuman. She repeatedly thought about the possible ways of limiting serfdom. However, these plans directly contradicted the interests of the elite. The economic source of the golden age of the nobility was serfdom. The Empress's good intentions ran into a harsh reality, and she had to abandon humanistic designs. Support for the aristocracy was for Catherine the highest priority, and the years of her rule became the heyday of serfdom.

Granted certificate of liberties of the nobility

In 1785, a document was published that confirmed all the privileges obtained and expanded them. First of all, the liberation of the noble class from the compulsory civil service and its exclusive right to own land and peasants was secured. In addition, the noble title from that time was inherited, and it could be lost only by the decision of the Senate for the commission of a serious crime. To the list of privileges was added the exemption from the poll tax. Only noblemen of ancestry could judge a nobleman. It was forbidden to apply corporal punishment to representatives of the noble class and to confiscate their estates. They had the right to handle requests and complaints directly to the sovereign. The nobles were allowed to travel abroad and even enter the service of foreign monarchs.

Representatives in the administration

It is worth emphasizing the introduction of local government. In the golden age of the Russian nobility practically all representatives of power in the districts and cities were elected or appointed from this class. Aristocracy in Russia finally turned into a closed corporation, isolated from the rest of the population.

Export of food

The golden age of the nobility coincided with the widespread rise in prices for grain and bread. Russia's participation in the European market system was mainly in the supply of food. Export of bread has become extremely profitable. This circumstance stimulated the landowners to increase the acreage and to increase the exploitation of the labor of serfs in order to obtain additional income. The economic situation contributed to the continuation of the golden age of the nobility.

End of an era

After the death of Catherine the Great, Pavel entered the throne, with whom she had a difficult relationship because of the murder of his father Peter III. He made attempts to limit liberties and privileges granted to the nobility. The golden age of the nobility was not yet over, but its peak was already behind. In an effort to make this estate the main support of the autocracy Catherine endowed him with enormous rights and turned into a serious political force.