The exhibition "The Legacy of Peter the Great and Coups d'Etat in the Russian Empire", which reveals the struggle for power between the aristocratic clans that began soon after Peter the Great's death, was opened on 15 November 2024 in the halls of the Patriarch's Palace and the Assumption Belfry.

The show tells the story of the palace revolutions, focusing on the fates of the participants and the masterminds behind them, among them outstanding political figures such as Prince Menshikov and Count Osterman.

The opening ceremony was attended by Elena Kharlamova, Director of the Department of Museums and Circus Art Support of the Russian Ministry of Culture, and Elena Gagarina, General Director of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.

The Russian Minister of Culture sent a message of welcome to the guests and to the organizers of the exhibition.

"The Moscow Kremlin is not only a depository of artefacts, but also a symbolic monument of Russian statehood – this is the special significance of the museum itself and its exhibition projects. Today, the halls of the Moscow Kremlin Museums present us the rarest artefacts connected with one of the most difficult and interesting periods of our history – the era of the dynastic crises and the struggle for the throne. Genuine documents, personal belongings of the rulers, regalia, and full-dress uniforms bear the impression of the personal fate of their owners and at the same time reveal the scale of the events that shock the Russian Empire in the 18th century," said the address read by Elena Kharlamova, director of the Department of Museums and Circus Art Support, during the opening ceremony.

The representative of the Government stressed the importance of the show, pointing out that the images of the historical figures presented here are familiar to many generations of people in Russia through various films and theatrical performances, and that the exhibition provides an opportunity to learn more about their role in the destiny of the homeland on the basis of original artefacts from the collection of the Kremlin Museums. She added that such projects reflect the unadulterated historical truth, which makes the exhibition particularly fascinating for the younger generation.

"We are launching a grandiose exhibition project dedicated to the legacy of Peter the Great in the 18th century. It was a period of court intrigue and conspiracy, when it was not enough to get the imperial crown in Russia - it was much harder to keep it.  The show is the first museum project devoted to a comprehensive understanding of the period of coups d'état in Russian history. We have paid attention both to the pretenders to the throne and to those who remained behind the scenes of events, but who nevertheless played a key role in the conspiracies. We have managed to assemble and present the unique historical pieces and archival documents directly related to the coups and the leading figures," Elena Gagarina highlighted.

The display brings together over two hundred and sixty items from fourteen of Russia's largest museums, archives and libraries in Moscow and Saint Petersburg.Guests will explore authentic artefacts from the period, including the famous historical documents such as the Statute on the Succession to the Throne of 1722, the Testament of Empress Catherine I of 1727, the Conditio of Empress Anna Ioannovna of 1730, the Cypher Table – the key to deciphering secret correspondence of 1744, and finally the Act on the Succession to the Throne, personally read and promulgated by Emperor Paul I on the day of his coronation, 5 April 1797.

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The exhibition will run from 15 November 2024 to 23 February 2025.