An Overlooked Chapter in Russian History

The period between the death of Peter the Great in 1725 and the ascension of Catherine the Great in 1762 represents one of Russia’s most fascinating yet understudied historical eras. Often dismissed as merely a transitional phase between two great reigns, these 37 years witnessed profound social transformations, dramatic power struggles, and significant cultural developments that would shape Russia’s future. While some historians have characterized this as an era of superficiality and decay, others recognize it as a time of genuine political evolution and Westernization – the truth, as often happens in history, lies somewhere between these perspectives.

The Throne in Flux: Russia’s Musical Chairs of Power

The succession crisis following Peter the Great’s death set the tone for decades of instability. With no clear heir designated, Russia would see six different rulers in this period – three women, a twelve-year-old boy, an infant, and the mentally unstable Peter III. This remarkable sequence of rulers reflected both the lack of adult male Romanov heirs and the growing influence of court factions and the guards regiments who repeatedly determined Russia’s sovereign.

The first succession established a pattern that would repeat throughout the era. Peter’s widow Catherine I (1725-1727) took power with support from “new men” like Alexander Menshikov, while the old nobility backed Peter’s grandson, Peter II. The guards regiments’ decisive intervention in favor of Catherine marked the beginning of their political role. When Catherine died just two years later, the teenage Peter II (1727-1730) briefly ruled before dying of smallpox at 14, ending the male Romanov line.

The Experiment with Constitutional Monarchy

The most extraordinary political development came in 1730 when the Supreme Privy Council offered the throne to Anna Ivanovna (1730-1740) on condition she accept severe limitations to her power – effectively creating Russia’s first constitutional monarchy. These conditions, which would have transferred real authority to the aristocratic council, represented a radical departure from Peter the Great’s autocratic model. However, Anna soon tore up these restrictions with support from the guards and lesser nobility who resented the council’s oligarchic ambitions.

Anna’s reign became notorious for the influence of her German favorites, particularly Ernst Johann Biron, whose name became synonymous with police terror (Bironovshchina). Thousands were executed or exiled during this period, though modern historians note that some positive developments occurred in foreign policy and social legislation despite the regime’s repressive nature.

The Elizabethan Interlude

The coup that brought Peter’s daughter Elizabeth (1741-1762) to power ended German dominance and ushered in a more distinctly Russian era. Elizabeth consciously styled herself as continuing her father’s legacy, restoring the Senate’s authority and making government more efficient. Her reign saw cultural flowering with the founding of Moscow University (1755) and military successes in the Seven Years’ War, including the brief occupation of Berlin (1760).

Elizabeth’s court cultivated an image of the monarch as bringing “happiness” to her people – a marked contrast to Peter the Great’s stern persona. This new political ideology, influenced by European Enlightenment ideas, represented a significant shift in Russian political culture even if governance realities didn’t always match the rhetoric.

The Brief and Disastrous Reign of Peter III

Elizabeth’s successor Peter III (1762) lasted only six months before being overthrown by his wife Catherine. His admiration for Prussia led him to abruptly withdraw Russia from the Seven Years’ War just as victory seemed certain, sacrificing Russian interests to benefit his hero Frederick the Great. His attempts to Lutheranize the Russian Orthodox Church and threats to disband the guards regiments made him universally unpopular, paving the way for Catherine’s coup.

The Nobility Ascendant: Social Transformations

While political instability dominated the period, profound social changes were underway. The nobility steadily increased its privileges, culminating in 1762 with Peter III’s manifesto freeing nobles from compulsory state service – a landmark in Russian social history that created Europe’s only service-free nobility. This privilege wasn’t extended to serfs, whose condition worsened dramatically as landlords gained nearly absolute power over them. Historians debate whether this created the foundations for Russia’s distinctive noble culture or simply entrenched inequality.

Russia on the European Stage

In foreign policy, Russia maintained its position as a European power despite domestic turmoil. The “chessboard diplomacy” principle – allying with neighbors’ neighbors – guided relations, with Austria remaining Russia’s most consistent ally against France, Prussia, and the Ottoman Empire. Russia participated in five major wars during this period, including the War of Polish Succession (1733-1735) and the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), proving its military capabilities even if political instability sometimes undermined diplomatic gains.

Legacy of the Forgotten Era

This tumultuous period, often overshadowed by the reigns of Peter and Catherine, laid crucial foundations for Russia’s future. The nobility’s emancipation from service obligations created the social basis for Russia’s golden age of aristocratic culture. The guards regiments’ political role established a pattern of palace revolutions that would continue into the 19th century. The Westernization process, though less dramatic than under Peter, penetrated deeper into Russian society. When Catherine took power in 1762, she inherited a Russia that had been fundamentally transformed during these decades – not through the will of any single great ruler, but through the complex interplay of social forces, institutional developments, and competing visions of Russia’s future.

The era’s true significance lies in this transitional nature – it was a time when Russia’s new identity as a European power was tested and refined, when autocracy was briefly challenged then reaffirmed, and when the social structures that would define imperial Russia until 1861 took shape. Far from being merely an interlude between great reigns, these decades represent a crucial chapter in Russia’s long journey toward modernity.