The Moscow Kremlin Museums present a new grandiose project related to the heirs of Peter the Great and those involved in the palace coups.

The exhibition covers the period from 1725, when Empress Catherine I ascended the throne after the death of her husband, to March 1801, when Emperor Paul I was assassinated in the Mikhailovsky Palace. This period is often referred to as the era of the 'court storms', because for three quarters of a century, power in the Russian Empire was constantly being pulled down, and none of the legitimate heirs managed to remain on the throne. The longest reign in the 18th century was that of Empress Catherine II, who had the fewest rights to the Russian throne.

In the last years of Peter the Great's life, Russia was facing a dynastic crisis: after the death of all his sons, the emperor had no direct male descendants. The exhibition presents an authentic document - a decree issued by Peter the Great in 1722, according to which the monarch could appoint his own successor. In 1725, however, the tsar died suddenly without leaving a will, and a struggle broke out among the "nestlings of Peter's nest" for influence over the pretenders to the Russian throne.

The reasons for Coups d'Etat were, on the one hand, that the highest echelons of the empire and the court aristocracy felt entitled to disregard the last wishes of dying monarchs and to intrigue against the legitimate heirs to the throne. On the other hand, in the post-Petrine period, the officers and soldiers of the Life Guards became a force capable of removing from the throne anyone whose policies they considered contrary to the interests of the fatherland. Representatives of foreign powers were often involved in the preparation of conspiracies, hoping that the change of ruler would bring about changes in Russia's foreign policy, such as the French ambassador Marquis de La Shetardie and the British envoy C. Whitworth, whose intercepted secret correspondence is revealed to the public for the first time.

It was not until the end of the 18th century that Emperor Paul I succeeded in establishing a strict order of succession to the throne. The Act on the Succession to the Throne issued by him in 1797, which is also on show, established the principle of succession between members of the Imperial family in the male line by the right of primogeniture, that is from father to eldest son and his descendants. This law was observed in the Russian Empire for more than a hundred years, until the Revolution of 1917, but even it could not protect Paul I himself from the conspirators.

Fourteen Russian museums, archives and libraries participated in the exhibition project. More than 250 unique exhibits and rare archival documents, including the authentic Testament of Empress Catherine I, violated by the Supreme Privy Council, and the famous "Condiсio" torn by Empress Anna Ioannovna, recalling the first failed attempt to limit autocracy in Russia, are displayed in two halls - the One-Pillar Chamber of the Patriarch’s Palace and the exhibition hall of the Assumption Belfry. Regalia - the crowns of Empresses Catherine I and Anna Ioannovna - and royal robes, including the coronation suit and guard uniform of Emperor Peter II and the uniform dress of Empress Catherine II, occupy a special place in the exhibition.

Some items are directly connected with the most colourful pages of the history of palace coups. For example, the exhibition includes a grenadier's cap worn by Empress Elisabeth Petrovna on the anniversary of her accession to the throne, a colonel's badge with a golden sword that belonged to her, and an officer's uniform with St Andrew ribbon, in which Grand Princess Ekaterina Alexeyevna, the future Empress Catherine II, was attired on the day of the coup. Of particular commemorative value are the items from the personal wardrobe of Emperor Paul I, which he wore the day before his tragic death. The Guards played an important role in the political struggles of the 18th century: visitors will see the uniforms, ammunition and weapons of the Guards regiments, including rare early examples, such as the ceremonial uniforms of the Leib Company, the Guards company that escorted Empress Elizaveta Petrovna to the throne, and the equipment of the soldiers and officers of Emperor Peter III's Holstein troops.

Much attention is paid to the main participants in the court conspiracies: the audience will get acquainted with the portraits and personal belongings of Prince A.D. Menshikov and the Dolgorukov princes; Count A.I. Osterman, Count S.A. Saltykov and Field Marshal B. von Minich, who supported the preservation of the autocratic system by Empress Anna Ioannona; the associates of Peter the Great's daughter – Count P.I. Shuvalov, Count A.G. Razumovsky and the court physician Count I. Lestok; the closest companions of Empress Catherine II - Count N.I. Panin, Princess E.R. Dashkova and the brothers A.G. and G.G. Orlov. The final part of the exposition tells about the participants of the last palace coup in the history of the Russian Empire, which resulted in the assassination of Emperor Paul I: Baron L.L. Bennigsen and Count P.A. Palen, His Serene Highness P.A. Zubov, his brother Count V.A. Zubov and their sister O.A. Zherebtsova.

The exhibition is open every day except Thursday from 10:00 to 17:00.

Entrance fee to the exhibition – 500 RUB.
Free for under 7-year-olds.
Free for the ICOM members.

Tickets are available:

• online on the museum's website (only full-price tickets)
• in the museums' ticket office in Alexander Garden on the day of the visit.
• at touch-sensitive terminals at the museum's ticket office and the Kremlin territory on the day of your visit (only full-price tickets).
  
  

EXHIBITION HALLS