The coronation took place on April 28 in the Cathedral of the Assumption Church with the greatest "pomp". In the church, "opposite the altar" they built a "picturesque work" throne under a canopy "from crimson (red) velvet with a braid and gold fringe, with cords with gold masif tassels." Under the canopy "set for Her Imperial Majesty armchairs of ancient Persian work, decorated with precious stones. The path "from the apartments of Her Imperial Majesty to the red porch" and the Assumption, Archangel and Annunciation Cathedrals were covered with red cloth.

Empress Anna Ioannovna. Chromolithograph.
Illustration of the book "The Russian Royal House of the Romanovs".
Friedenburg edition, 1853.

All this magnificent celebration was organized, thought out to the smallest detail and played out as a public theatrical performance, which all those present watched according to their class position: foreign and Russian ministers, " Russian generals and civil ranks of the same ranks" were located in special places - "near the western wall of the Cathedral Church, behind the throne, two galleries were built in the form of a theater with railings, upholstered in red cloth." The Novgorod bishop Feofan Prokopovich laid a crown on Anna Ioannovna and then delivered a congratulatory speech. During the procession of the newly crowned Empress from the Assumption Cathedral, Field Marshal Count Bruce followed her, “who threw gold and silver tokens at the people on both sides of the path; bags with those tokens, sewn from crimson velvet and lined with gold cords and made with gilded forged eagles, were carried by state councilors Aleksey Zybin and Count Platon Musin-Pushkin. And they also sent Novosiltsev and Baskakov “on horseback” “for throwing more tokens to the people” around Moscow.

Then a meal was held in the Faceted Chamber - this "hall of the size and beauty of the best is in the Moscow residence." Here, too, everything was remarkable for its extraordinary spectacle. For the empress, a table and chairs were set up on a raised platform, and a canopy hung over it, as in the church. In the ward, “a great theater was set up at the door, all with crimson velvet upholstered with gold braid, on which was imperial music.” By this time, an excellent orchestra already existed at the court, mainly from Western European musicians, numbering about thirty people. It included a bandmaster, an accompanist, several composers, and some of them "served" in Russia from the very beginning. early XVIII century.

Anna Ioannovna, Empress and
autocrat of all Russia
coronation dress with
scepter and mace
German engraver
Wortman Christian-Albert

Russian empress
Anna Ioannovna, daughter of the Tsar
Ivan V Alekseevich, niece
Emperor Peter I the Great
Louis Caravaque painter
Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

As in the festivities organized by Peter I, “on the square in front of the Palace of the Facets, on prepared lockers for the people, two fried bulls stuffed with birds of different kinds were placed, and on the sides of those bulls, red and white wine was poured from two made fountains, which, at the end of Her Majesty the table was given to the people for free use. However, Anna Ioannovna not only did not mix with the crowd, like Peter, but did not even go down to it, but looked in a majestic distance from the window, from where she “deigned to throw gold and silver tokens at the people.”

The celebration “continued through the next seven days with all sorts of joyful amusements very gloriously; and throughout the night all over Moscow there were fiery illuminations in houses, ”and many very knowledgeable noted that they were“ so magnificent that they had never seen before. Particularly unusual illuminations were staged in the German Quarter. Some foreign envoys were generous with the construction of the Triumphal Gates and arches, "in which, during the procession of Her Majesty, they played the trumpets, and those ministers themselves, standing in front of their apartments, bowed to Her Majesty and repaired congratulations." All of Moscow went to look at the arch of the Spanish envoy, built in the "Doric style" with twelve columns and four statues depicting Strength, Mercy, Glory and Religion. “All this was made of strong wood, painted like marble, lit by seven thousand lights and had a height of up to thirty arshins.”

On all days of the holidays, the Empress Empress, accompanied by many, either “amused herself in the resting chambers” in the Kremlin, then “deigned to go for a walk to her summer house, called Golovinsky”, then walked “through the German settlement”. On May 3, a new entertainment was shown to the “triumphant” coronation: in the Kremlin “on the square from the Red Porch to the bell tower of Ivan the Great, a rope was stretched, even to a large bell, whose height from the ground is perpendicular to fourteen and a half sazhens, and a Persian walked along it; and, being pleased with his dancing and other amusements, he went down. This performance was repeated the next day - May 4, and there were already two Persians: Kul Murza and his son Novurzaley Shima Amet Kula Murza. At the sixth hour of the same day, Anna Ioannovna "deigned with her high surname and noble persons to go to the golden chamber, where music was prepared" and those present danced before the imperial eyes until the eighth hour. Fireworks took place in the evening.

Thus passed the first week of festivities; they, in fact, stretched out for two whole years. This happened because immediately after the death of Peter II, mourning was declared for a year: three months - “deep mourning”, when it was still necessary to even cover carriages with black, and in houses to upholster one or two “chambers” with mourning cloth; the next three months - "not so deep mourning" and the next six - "chamber mourning." During the year, despite the fact that the coronation was celebrated, not all "fun" was permissible. In particular, masquerades and comedies were not arranged.

All this turned out to be possible after Anna Ioannovna celebrated the anniversary of her accession to the throne in January 1731, and the entertainment rolled in with a new wave, more precisely, a flurry. The main event was the "great mascarad". They had been preparing for it since the end of 1730, and in order to give the balls a more European gloss, back in August, Vilim Eggins was accepted into the service of the "English nation dance master": he taught "to dance the maid of honor, chambers of pages and pages", but especially chamber pages - "four days a week, and four hours each day."

For almost a month, a masquerade tornado drove and circled around Moscow, along with the February snow whirlwinds, the entire Russian court and those close to it. All participants in the masquerade were divided into "4 classes" (groups); each of them had one type of costume on a given day: for example, at first in the “first class”, where the empress herself was with her court staff, everyone put on a “Persian dress”; the "second class" included foreign ministers - they appeared "in Swiss"; and the other two - "were in Venetian attire." The next time, the “masquerade dress changed” and the imperial court appeared “in a gishpan dress”, foreign ministers - “removed in the likeness of Parliamentary members”, “local ministers” (ranked as 3rd class) - “in Venetian gentry”, “generals - in Turkish dress. One might think that the newly-appeared empress, not yet accustomed to the position of the autocrat in which she unexpectedly found herself, as if she tried to play with the sovereign scepter, like a magic wand, forcing everyone around her to appear in one guise, then in another, and thereby realized the true possibilities of her exclusive position as a monarch. (By this time, she had already destroyed the “conditions” that limited her autocracy.) Chinese ambassadors were present at one of the masquerades. They were asked: "Does this kind of amusement seem strange to you?" They answered that they did not, for "everything here is a masquerade." But the most surprising thing for them is “to see a woman on the throne!”.

One of key points at royal courts, coronation was considered at all times. The person preparing to enter the throne was to appear in all her splendor and grandeur. This review presents the luxurious coronation dresses of Russian empresses.

The first Russian empress to ascend the throne and rule independently was Catherine I. Her coronation took place on May 7, 1724. Since the second wife of Peter I was not of noble birth, the emperor wished to crown her, taking care of the future of his daughters (they received the title of crown prince only if both parents were crowned).

coronation dress Catherine I Made of red silk, decorated with silver embroidery. The dress was ordered in Berlin. Not a ready-made outfit was brought to Russia, but a “cartridge”, that is, fastened with only a few seams. The tailors were afraid not to guess the size of the Empress. As a result, the dress turned out to be too wide, and three days before the coronation, Russian seamstresses hastily adjusted it to the figure of Catherine. As a result, folds formed on the back of the skirt, and the pockets shifted.

One of the foreign ambassadors described the empress' dress as "a magnificent crimson robe embroidered with silver thread." The skirt was made so long that a shoe with a crimson ribbon peeked out when walking.

Anna Ivanovna

Coronation Anna Ioannovna took place two months after her arrival in Russia from Courland on April 28, 1730. The dress was made from Lyon brocade in Russia, but by a German tailor. If you compare the photo and the portrait, then the different finishes of the dress immediately catches your eye. Most likely this is due to the fact that the outfit was changed several times in accordance with the trends of the then fashion.

Elizaveta Petrovna

coronation dress Elizabeth Petrovna sewn from Russian fabric. The Empress also ordered all the courtiers to appear at the coronation in outfits made by domestic tailors. Elizabeth Petrovna's dress was made of silver brocade (eye). The width of the dress is fully consistent with the then rococo fashion. At that time, ladies could not even sit down in such dresses, so many of them, wanting to relax, lay down directly on the floor in their dresses (of course, not in the presence of the empress). Elizaveta Petrovna herself never went out in the same outfit twice. After her death, 15 thousand dresses remained.

Catherine II

Coronation Catherine II(born Sophia Augusta Frederick of Anhalt-Zerbst) took place in 1762. The dress of the empress was made of silver brocade, decorated with double-headed eagles. The outfit of Catherine the Great is the only one on which lace has been preserved. The waist of the Empress, unlike her predecessors, was narrow - only 62 cm.
Each empress was not only a trendsetter, but also clearly regulated court etiquette. Sometimes that modern laymen would call such behavior absurd.

Placed under the cross, it weighs one hundred grams. In the manufacture of the crown, techniques such as casting, chasing, carving and gilding were used. Crown height 31.3 cm.

Story

The meeting of the coronation commission on March 12 of the year decided to create two new crowns for Empress Anna Ioannovna: the Large Imperial (for coronation), and the Small (for other ceremonies). Their images can be seen in the coronation album, published in the same year. . In the tenth of March, soldiers are sent to the Moscow settlements to collect "for the cause of the crown of Her Imperial Majesty, goldsmiths of silversmiths and chasers." Diamond maker Ivan Shmit, goldsmith Samson Larionov (he also created the first Russian imperial crown of Catherine I), Nikita Milyukov and Kalina Afanasiev, silversmith Pyotr Semenov, goldsmith Luka Fedorov and bookbinders Ivan Matfeev and Vadim participated in the work on these crowns. Alekseev.

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Notes

1. Crownings and coronations in the Moscow Kremlin. Part 2. XVIII-XIX centuries. - M., 2013. - S. 190.
2. Bykova Yu. I. On the question of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in faces - 2013. To the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (1613-2013). Proceedings of the State Hermitage. T. LXX. - St. Petersburg, 2013. - S. 105.
3. Bykova Yu. I. On the question of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in faces - 2013. To the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (1613-2013). Proceedings of the State Hermitage. T. LXX. - St. Petersburg, 2013. - S. 102–114.
4. Troinitsky S. N. Crown Jewels // Diamond Fund. - M., 1925. Issue. 2. - S. 11.
5. Bykova Yu. I.. On the question of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in faces - 2013. To the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (1613-2013). Proceedings of the State Hermitage. T. LXX. - St. Petersburg, 2013. - S. 102–114; Bykova Yu. I.. On the question of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // The Moscow Kremlin in the state life of Russia. Abstracts of reports. Anniversary Scientific Conference Moscow Kremlin Museums, October 31 - November 01, 2013. - M., 2013. - S. 17–19.
6. Bykova Yu. I. On the question of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in faces - 2013. Collection of articles. State. Hermitage. - St. Petersburg, 2013. - S. 107.
7. Description of the coronation of Her Majesty the Empress and Autocrat of All Russia Anna Ioannovna solemnly sent in the reigning city of Moscow on April 28, 1730. - M., 1730.
8. Kuznetsova L.K. About the “Vodoksha lala” under the cross of the Great Crown of Anna Ioannovna // Examination and attribution of works visual arts. Materials 2001. - M., 2003. - S. 175–182; Kuznetsova L.K. Petersburg jewelers. The eighteenth century, diamond ... - St. Petersburg, 2009. - P. 93.
9. Jerzy Gutkowski.. Radio Poland (October 9, 2012).

Sources

1. Troinitsky S. N. Coronation Jewels // Diamond Fund. M., 1925. Issue. 2.
2. Description of the coronation of Her Majesty the Empress and Autocrat of All Russia Anna Ioannovna solemnly sent in the reigning city of Moscow on April 28, 1730. M., 1730.
3. Kuznetsova L.K. On the “Vodoksha lala” under the cross of the Great Crown of Anna Ioannovna // Examination and attribution of works of fine arts. Materials 2001. M., 2003. S. 175–182.
4. Kuznetsova L.K. Petersburg jewelers. Eighteenth century, diamond ... St. Petersburg, 2009.
5. Bykova Yu. I. On the issue of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // Peter's time in faces - 2013. To the 400th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty (1613-2013). Proceedings of the State Hermitage. T. LXX. - St. Petersburg, 2013. - S. 102–114.
6. Bykova Yu. I. On the issue of the authorship of the coronation regalia of Empress Anna Ioannovna // The Moscow Kremlin in the state life of Russia. Abstracts of reports. Anniversary scientific conference Moscow Kremlin Museums, October 31 - November 01, 2013. M., 2013. S. 17–19.
7. Crownings and coronations in the Moscow Kremlin. Part 2. XVIII-XIX centuries. M., 2013.

An excerpt characterizing the Crown of Anna Ioannovna

Berg had been the bridegroom for more than a month and only a week remained before the wedding, and the count had not yet decided with himself the question of dowry and did not talk about it with his wife. The count either wanted to separate Vera from the Ryazan estate, then he wanted to sell the forest, then he wanted to borrow money against a bill. A few days before the wedding, Berg entered the count's office early in the morning and, with a pleasant smile, respectfully asked the future father-in-law to tell him what would be given for Countess Vera. The count was so embarrassed at this long-anticipated question that he said without thinking the first thing that came into his head.
- I love that I took care, I love you, you will be satisfied ...
And he patted Berg on the shoulder and stood up, wanting to end the conversation. But Berg, smiling pleasantly, explained that if he did not know correctly what would be given for Vera, and did not receive in advance at least a part of what was assigned to her, then he would be forced to refuse.
“Because judge, Count, if I now allowed myself to marry, without having certain means to support my wife, I would act vilely ...
The conversation ended with the count, wishing to be generous and not be subjected to new requests, said that he was issuing a bill of 80 thousand. Berg smiled meekly, kissed the count on the shoulder and said that he was very grateful, but now he could not get settled in his new life without receiving 30 thousand in clean money. “At least 20 thousand, Count,” he added; - And then the bill was only 60 thousand.
- Yes, yes, good, - the count spoke quickly, - just excuse me, my friend, I will give 20 thousand, and the bill is also for 80 thousand ladies. So, kiss me.

Natasha was 16 years old, and it was 1809, the same year until which, four years ago, she counted on her fingers with Boris after she kissed him. Since then, she has never seen Boris. In front of Sonya and with her mother, when the conversation turned to Boris, she spoke quite freely, as if it were a settled matter, that everything that had happened before was childish, about which it was not worth even talking about, and which had long been forgotten. But in the most secret depths of her soul, the question of whether the commitment to Boris was a joke or an important, binding promise tormented her.
Ever since Boris left Moscow for the army in 1805, he had not seen the Rostovs. Several times he visited Moscow, passing not far from Otradnoye, but he never visited the Rostovs.
It sometimes occurred to Natasha that he did not want to see her, and her guesses were confirmed by the sad tone in which the elders used to say about him:
“In this century, old friends are not remembered,” the countess said after the mention of Boris.
Anna Mikhailovna, in recent times visiting the Rostovs less often, she also behaved in a particularly dignified manner, and each time spoke enthusiastically and gratefully about the merits of her son and about brilliant career on which he was. When the Rostovs arrived in St. Petersburg, Boris came to visit them.
He rode towards them not without emotion. The memory of Natasha was the most poetic memory of Boris. But at the same time he rode firm intention make it clear to her and her relatives that the childish relationship between him and Natasha cannot be an obligation either for her or for him. He had a brilliant position in society, thanks to intimacy with Countess Bezukhova, a brilliant position in the service, thanks to the patronage of an important person, whose trust he fully enjoyed, and he had nascent plans for marrying one of the richest brides in St. Petersburg, which could very easily come true. . When Boris entered the Rostovs' living room, Natasha was in her room. Upon learning of his arrival, she flushed almost ran into the living room, beaming with more than an affectionate smile.
Boris remembered that Natasha in a short dress, with black eyes shining from under her curls and with a desperate, childish laugh, whom he knew 4 years ago, and therefore, when a completely different Natasha entered, he was embarrassed, and his face expressed enthusiastic surprise. This expression on his face delighted Natasha.
“What, do you recognize your little friend as a minx?” said the Countess. Boris kissed Natasha's hand and said that he was surprised at the change that had taken place in her.
- How you have improved!
“Sure!” answered Natasha's laughing eyes.
- Is your father old? she asked. Natasha sat down and, without entering into a conversation between Boris and the countess, silently examined her children's fiancé to the smallest detail. He felt the weight of that stubborn, affectionate look on himself, and from time to time glanced at her.
Uniform, spurs, tie, Boris's hairstyle, all this was the most fashionable and comme il faut [quite decently]. Natasha noticed this now. He was sitting a little sideways in an armchair beside the countess, adjusting right hand the cleanest, drenched glove on his left, he spoke with a special, refined pursing of his lips about the amusements of the highest Petersburg society and with meek mockery recalled the old Moscow times and Moscow acquaintances. Not accidentally, as Natasha felt it, he mentioned, naming the highest aristocracy, about the ball of the envoy, which he was at, about invitations to NN and to SS.
Natasha sat all the time in silence, looking at him from under her brows. This look more and more disturbed and embarrassed Boris. He often looked back at Natasha and interrupted his stories. He sat for no more than 10 minutes and stood up, bowing. All the same curious, defiant and somewhat mocking eyes looked at him. After his first visit, Boris told himself that Natasha was just as attractive to him as before, but that he should not give in to this feeling, because marrying her - a girl with almost no fortune - would be the death of his career, and resuming the old relationship without the purpose of marriage would be an ignoble act. Boris decided on his own to avoid meeting Natasha, but, despite this decision, he arrived a few days later and began to travel often and spend whole days with the Rostovs. It seemed to him that he needed to explain himself to Natasha, to tell her that everything old should be forgotten, that, despite everything ... she cannot be his wife, that he has no fortune, and she will never be given for him. But he did not succeed in everything and it was embarrassing to start this explanation. Every day he became more and more confused. Natasha, according to the remark of her mother and Sonya, seemed to be in love with Boris in the old way. She sang his favorite songs to him, showed him her album, forced him to write in it, did not allow him to remember the old, letting him know how wonderful the new was; and every day he left in a fog, without saying what he intended to say, not knowing himself what he was doing and why he came, and how it would end. Boris stopped visiting Helen, received daily reproachful notes from her, and yet spent whole days with the Rostovs.

One evening, when the old countess, sighing and groaning, in a night cap and blouse, without overhead letters, and with one poor tuft of hair protruding from under a white calico cap, was laying prostrations of the evening prayer on the rug, her door creaked, and in shoes on her bare feet, also in a blouse and hairpins, Natasha ran in. The Countess looked back and frowned. She was finishing her last prayer: “Will this coffin be my bed?” Her prayer mood was destroyed. Natasha, red and animated, seeing her mother at prayer, suddenly stopped in her run, sat down and involuntarily stuck out her tongue, threatening herself. Noticing that her mother was continuing her prayer, she ran on tiptoe to the bed, quickly sliding one small foot against the other, kicked off her shoes and jumped onto that bed, for which the countess was afraid that he would not be her coffin. This bed was high, feather-bed, with five ever-decreasing pillows. Natasha jumped up, drowned in a feather bed, rolled over to the wall and began to fiddle under the covers, laying down, bending her knees to her chin, kicking her legs and laughing a little audibly, now covering her head, then looking at her mother. The countess finished her prayer and with a stern face went up to the bed; but, seeing that Natasha was covered with her head, she smiled her kind, weak smile.

Anna Ioannovna (01/28/1693 - 10/17/1740) - Russian Empress (Romanov dynasty), daughter of Ivan V, niece of Peter I. Reign years: 1730-1740, the period was called "Bironovshchina".

Childhood

Anna was born in the Moscow Kremlin, her father was Tsar John V, and her mother was Tsaritsa Praskovya Feodorovna. After the death of the tsar in 1696, the widow with three daughters: Ekaterina, Anna and Praskovya, moved to the Izmailovo estate near Moscow. Two eldest daughters - Maria and Theodosia - died in infancy.

The family had an impressive staff of courtiers. Life in Izmailovo was calm and far from innovation. The residence consisted of two dozen ponds, numerous orchards, vineyards, greenhouses with overseas flowers. Little princesses were taught mathematics, geography, German and French, dancing. Praskovya Fedorovna cherished only her eldest daughter, relations with Anna did not work out.

When Peter in 1708 decided to move all members of the royal family to the capital, Anna, with her mother and sisters, arrived in St. Petersburg, where the tsar gave a solemn reception. However, they soon returned to Moscow because of the threat from the Swedish army. The family finally moved to St. Petersburg only after the Battle of Poltava, in the capital a palace was built especially for them.

Marriage

During Northern war Peter needed to take care of strengthening the influence of his country in the international arena. The Duchy of Courland, to which Russian possessions crept up, was weakened, and after the appearance of the Russian army in Courland, Peter decided to marry a representative of the Russian royal family to the young duke. Tsarina Praskovya Feodorovna chose Anna from her daughters.

Despite the fact that in the surviving letter Anna joyfully explains her love to the groom, there is a version that the girl opposed this marriage. The people even formed a song about poor Anna, who is given to a foreign land. The marriage was short-lived. After the wedding, which took place at the end of 1710 in St. Petersburg, on the way to Courland, Duke Friedrich-Wilhelm died in January 1711 from excessive alcohol libations. The day before, the young husband competed with the king in the art of drinking. Anna returned to her mother.

Duchess of Courland

In 1712, at the behest of Peter, she nevertheless went to Courland, where, according to the marriage contract, she had to live and be adequately provided for. However, upon arrival in Mitava, the young widow and the diplomat P. Bestuzhev-Ryumin who accompanied her found complete ruin, the castle was completely plundered. Anna was forced to independently restore the entire environment in order to make it habitable.

Later, rumors reached Russia about the connection of the duchess with her assistant Bestuzhev. Praskovya Fyodorovna was angry and demanded that he be recalled from Courland. The tsarina's brother V. Saltykov set off to sort out the situation, who could not find a compromise with Bestuzhev and only aggravated the already strained relationship between Anna and her mother.

Then the young duchess was supported and protected by Tsarina Catherine, Peter's wife.

In 1726, Anna received a marriage proposal from the son of the Polish king, Count Moritz, who decided to become the owner of the ducal title. Ambitious and charming Moritz came to her liking, and she agreed. Having also won the Courland nobility to his side, he was going to become a duke. This behavior of the count caused alarm on the part of Russia. Prince A. Menshikov was sent to Courland, who also had a duchy in his plans. Frustrated Anna tried to win the support of the empress, but nothing came of it. Moritz was expelled from Courland, but Menshikov did not achieve the throne either.

Biron - Courland nobleman of low origin, who became regent Russian Empire

This situation worsened the position of the dowager duchess, the angry nobility reduced the already modest expenses for the maintenance of her court. In 1727, Bestuzhev-Ryumin was called from Courland to Russia thanks to the efforts of Prince Menshikov, upset by the failure. Anna was very attached to the assistant, in desperation she wrote more than twenty letters with unsuccessful pleas to leave him.

Soon Ernst Biron appears in her life - a nobleman who serves in the Duchess's office. He completely replaced Bestuzhev. Rumor has it that his youngest son Karl, born in 1928, was Anna's child, but there is no exact information on this issue. It is only known that the duchess was very attached to Karl Ernst, brought with her to Russia, and until the age of ten the boy slept in her bedroom.

Coronation of Anna Ioannovna, Assumption Cathedral

Russian empress

In January 1730, Peter II died, who was going to marry Princess Dolgoruky, but did not have time. Relatives of the princess forged the will of the emperor, deciding to elevate her to the throne. But the Supreme Privy Council, which met after the death of Peter, did not believe such a will and approved Anna as Empress. At the same time, the members of the Council wrote the Conditions, which significantly limited the possibilities of the future empress in their favor. Anna signed the documents, but by the time she arrived in Moscow, there was a rumor in society about the undertaking of the Supreme Council. Anna had enough supporters, including the imperial guard.

At the end of February, Prince Cherkassky submitted a petition to the Empress with the signatures of the nobles, who asked to revise the Conditions. In addition, Prince Trubetskoy came with a petition for the restoration of autocracy, and the guards insured the palace and the empress from unrest. As a result, Anna was proclaimed an autocratic empress. However, the position of Anna Ioannovna remained uncertain. She still did not have a strong political support, various noble groups fought for influence over the empress for two years.

Anna Ioannovna breaks the Conditions (I. Charlemagne)

The empress herself made few political decisions. Anna's closest adviser was Vice Chancellor Osterman. Later they were called to the imperial court Biron, Levenvolde, Minich. The Russian aristocracy was unhappy with the "German" influence and wanted to remove Osterman. After a two-year confrontation, the "German Party" prevailed, but internal disagreements prevented it from becoming a single political force. Minich and Levenwolde were sent to Poland, and the favorite of the Empress Biron began to promote representatives of his own entourage to the court.

The program of Anna Ioannovna's government included previously unrealized projects and the solution of pressing problems: reforming the army, restoring the power of the Senate, finalizing the Code, reviewing the staff of officials, and reforming the fleet. The Supreme Privy Council was dissolved. In 1730, the Office of Secret Investigations was created, with the aim of preventing conspiracies and coups. As a result of the active work of this body, more than 20 thousand people were sent into exile in Siberia, about a thousand were executed. Grandees who posed a threat to the authorities were also subjected to cruel executions: the princes Dolgoruky, the Cabinet Minister Volynsky.

Jesters at the Court of the Empress (W. Jacobi, 1872)

Perhaps more than affairs of state, Anna loved entertainment, beautiful outfits. She was constantly surrounded by jesters, and the expenses for balls, entertainment events and maintenance of the court were enormous. Anna's appearance was pleasant: dark-haired with blue eyes and a large figure. Behavior corresponded to the situation, dignity and solemnity were demonstrated in actions. Contemporaries characterize her as generous, power-hungry and wayward. The Empress died in 1740 from gout, having bequeathed the throne to the grandson of her sister Catherine Ioann Antonovich, whose mother, Anna Leopoldovna, she treated like her own daughter. Biron was appointed regent.

Coronation dresses. Most of this article is devoted to the Russian empresses. Well, not exactly to them, but to their magnificent dresses made of precious fabrics, embroidered with silver threads and decorated with lace. Stop! Here, the lace on the coronation dresses has not been preserved, or almost not preserved. In any case, these beautiful vestments are much more beautiful and interesting than the current examples of "Haute couture", not to mention the "Casual".

Coronation dresses in the State Armory of the Kremlin

Imperial vestments are stored in the Armory, because originally it was a workshop where precious items of the sovereign's household were made and stored.

Coronation celebrations have always taken place in Moscow, which is why the tradition was born here to transfer the coronation robes of emperors to the collection of the Armory.
In total, there are five such collections in the world, the Moscow collection is not the largest among them. The most representative selection of imperial costumes is presented in Sweden. There are similar meetings in London, in the Tower of London. In Vienna, in the Hofburg Palace, you can see the coronation costumes of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire. Another collection exists in Denmark.

The Armory has 17 costumes, 10 of them are for ladies. The uniqueness of the Moscow collection lies in the fact that it is quite complete and allows you to trace the change of traditions and fashion.
The exhibition, in addition to coronation dresses, presents the wardrobe of Peter II, one wedding dress and two masquerade costumes. In addition, many clothes of Russian emperors are stored in the funds of the Armory.

Coronation of Catherine I. Coronation dresses

The first coronation of an empress in the history of Russia took place in May 1724. It was from this date that the tradition was born to transfer ceremonial vestments to the Armory. Peter decided to crown his second wife, Catherine I. He himself was not crowned as emperor. Undoubtedly, preparations were made ahead of time for the coronation ceremony. Peter, traveling around Europe, observed and studied the traditions of the coronation of European monarchs.
Especially for this event, in November 1723, Peter issued the highest manifesto on the coronation of his wife.

Marta Skavronskaya

The future Russian Empress Marta Skavronskaya was born in 1684. In 1708 she converted to Orthodoxy with the name Catherine, and in 1712 she became the wife of Peter. Despite her low origin, she took a fairly strong position at court due to her intelligence, tact and cheerful disposition. The coronation was necessary for many reasons. Thus, the prestige of the Russian court increased, because in Europe the ignoble origin of the wife of the Russian Tsar was not a secret. Peter thought about the future of his daughters Elizabeth and Anna. To give daughters the title of princess, both parents must be emperors.

The form for the imperial crown was chosen similarly to those with which European sovereigns were crowned. Two hemispheres mean church authority, they are similar to the miter of church hierarchs. The raised band between the two hemispheres means secular power, which rises above the spiritual and governs the state.

Coronation dress I. (Coronation in 1724). coronation dresses

The dress for the Empress was ordered in Berlin. Berlin at that time was the European center of embroidery. The dress was embroidered with silver thread using various techniques.
They brought to Russia not a finished dress, but a “cartridge”. "Cartridge" is a pattern of clothes, fastened with seams in only a few places. Usually men's clothes were brought in the form of "cartridges". Apparently, in Berlin they were very afraid not to guess the size of the suit, so they decided to play it safe and not fasten the clothes with seams so that they could fit it to the figure.


Catherine's dress was brought three days before the coronation and completed in a hurry. Indeed, German dressmakers greatly exaggerated the size of the Russian Empress, the skirt was too wide. The Russian court seamstresses were in such a hurry that the fold behind the skirt was done very carelessly. As a result, the pockets were so displaced that they could not be used. And the pockets in the ladies' closet were very necessary and functional.
Roba - this is how a foreign envoy at the Russian court called the empress' outfit. “She was wearing a magnificent crimson robe embroidered with silver thread,” he wrote in a report.

The whole costume consists of several parts - the bodice, skirt and train are separate parts of the costume. The folds along the bottom of the bodice are called "piccadils" - they were invented by tailors in order to hide the connection of the skirt and bodice. The bodice is stiff, all quilted with whalebone. The waist circumference of the Empress is 97 cm.

Parts of an 18th century woman's dress

The myth that a corset could double the waist is not true. In fact, the maximum that you can pull yourself up to is 5-6 cm. Girls were taught to wear corsets from childhood. It was very difficult to breathe in them, hard corsets squeezed my lungs and did not allow me to breathe deeply. Due to the stagnation of air in the lungs (actually due to corsets), ladies often got sick and died from tuberculosis.

The tablet is a front, triangular plate - an overlay on the bodice. It was made separately, at that time this detail was very fashionable.
The lace trim on the dress has not been preserved. Lace trimmed the neckline and short sleeves. They were so expensive that they were most likely torn off to be reused in other toilets, because the coronation dress was worn only once in a lifetime.
The lower part of the dress is called "pannier" - in French, literally "basket". The shape of the skirt was kept with the help of numerous petticoats that have not survived to this day. The current shape of the skirt is the result of the work of restorers.

Embroidery on dresses. coronation dresses

The embroidery technique on the skirt is attached. Sketched on the fabric. This sketch was sheathed with threads and only embroidered on top with silver thread. The appliqué technique was also used - false embroidered crowns. They do not correspond to the shape of a real crown. Its form was kept in the strictest confidence, the craftswomen did not know what the crown would be and embroidered it in accordance with their imagination. The tablet is embroidered with the most difficult technique - on a substrate or a card.

Cotton wool or fabric was placed under the embroidery pattern, and embroidered with silver on top. This type of embroidery was done by men. The craft of an embroiderer was very much appreciated in Europe, it was prestigious and men did not disdain them.

The dress is not very long. The length of the skirt was made in such a way that, when walking, a leg in a shoe with a beautiful raspberry-colored ribbon tied around the ankle would be shown.

Coronation mantle of Russian empresses. coronation dresses

During the coronation, Catherine was wearing a mantle over the dress, but it has not been preserved. The collection of the Armory Chamber includes a late ermine mantle of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II.

The ends of the mantle were fastened with a diamond buckle. It's called a graph. A real detective story is connected with the agraph made for the coronation of Catherine I.

There were very few good jewelers at that time. One of them, named Rokentin, assumed that he would receive a coronation order from the king. Roquentin made an excellent graph. But the master himself liked the work so much that he did not want to part with it. He persuaded dashing people and staged an attack and theft, even asked to leave bruises and abrasions on his body. Agraf hid. Peter made an investigation and discovered the deception. At that time, Rokentin was not punished very severely: he was not executed, but simply exiled to Siberia.

Masquerade costume of Catherine I. Coronation dresses

In 1723, a public masquerade was held in Moscow in honor of the anniversary of the Treaty of Nystadt. He passed on Maslenitsa, lasted several days. Many courtiers dressed in Russian costumes, among the masks there were even characters from the Most Joking and Most Drunk Cathedral.

Catherine dressed in an Amazon costume. Accompanying Peter in many military companies, she undoubtedly had the right to do so. Her travesty from the point of view of the fashion of the XVIII century is a man's suit, even despite the skirt. The image was completed by a hat and a sword on the side. Camisoles, similar to the top of the attire, were worn by men throughout Europe. This fancy dress is made in Moscow. They say that it was altered from a tablecloth, because good fabrics were very expensive. The costume was decorated with an ostrich feather, which was borrowed from the Holstein ambassador, but not returned. Diplomatic correspondence has been preserved, in which the envoy insistently asks to return the pen to him.
In 1728 took place coronation of the 12-year-old emperor, who entered the history of Russia under the name of Peter II.

Coronation costume of Peter II . coronation dresses

His coronation costume was made of glazete, an expensive and heavy brocade fabric. This camisole is NOT presented in the main exhibition, it is in the funds. The young sovereign died in January 1730, before he even reached the age of 15. They suspect. that Peter II died of smallpox.
The Armory houses his entire wardrobe. The lad grew very quickly and grew out of his clothes, barely having time to put them on.

The showcase displays almost the entire wardrobe of a Russian nobleman of the first half of XVIII century. The most interesting men's dressing gown. It is called a dressing gown, it was sewn from patterned French silk.

Wardrobe of Emperor Peter II

At that time there was a special fashion to drink coffee in the morning in a dressing gown.
There are also ceremonial men's camisoles made for Peter II. France, where these outfits were sewn, formed the standard of men's fashion for the whole of Europe. The fashion for such camisoles lasted almost 100 years until late XVIII centuries. Men's camisoles were sewn from bright fabrics, their color even rivaled women's dresses.

Fan

In the 18th century, there was a special language of gestures and accessories. For example, with the help of a fan, one could explain himself without saying a word. There was a special sign language and noble maidens were taught it. By opening and closing the fan, it was possible to conduct a dialogue with the gentleman. An open fan with a mask in the collection of the Armory means: “The lady’s heart is busy”, the gentleman should only rely on friendly relations.

Moreover, all gestures must be very fast so that others do not notice what signs the lady gives to the gentleman.

Coronation of Anna Ioannovna

Coronation of Anna Ioannovna took place in April 1730, two months after her arrival in Russia from Courland. (A fragment of the fan can be seen in the picture below).

Coronation dress of Anna Ioannovna. coronation dresses

sewn in Russia from Lyon brocade. He was sewn by his tailor, whom Anna brought with her.
The tablet on her dress is not very prominent, this detail is starting to go out of fashion as well as embroidery. Initially, the dress was a very beautiful pink-terracotta color. But the dye turned out to be unstable and the dress faded over time. The train is unusual, triangular in shape. The lace trim on the neckline and sleeves has not been preserved.

Next to exhibited

Coronation dress of Elizabeth Petrovna. coronation dresses

This dress is the only thing reminiscent of the events of the winter of 1741, because the crown of Elizabeth Petrovna has not survived to this day. The dress was made in Russia from Russian brocade. Elizaveta Petrovna specifically decided to wear a dress made of domestic precious fabric in order to support Russian industrialists. The empress also ordered her court ladies to appear at the coronation in dresses made from domestic fabrics.


After the coronation, the dress could be viewed in the Faceted Chamber. During the time that the imperial robe was presented there, 37 thousand people watched it. People of all classes were allowed to view, except for the meanest, that is, serfs.

Skirt design. coronation dresses

The dress is made of brocade fabric called “eyelet”. By the beginning of the 40s, ladies' fashion had changed and the skirt became prohibitively wide. This is a manifestation of the Rococo style that prevailed at that time. The width of the fizhm corresponded to the court rank. The Empress personally made sure that none of the ladies of the court put on tanks wider than they were supposed to. Wearing such wide skirts was extremely uncomfortable. It was impossible to get into a carriage in them, and in the palaces the doorways had to be specially widened. It was impossible even to sit down in them, so the ladies simply lay down on the floor to rest, and a special maid of honor, standing at the door, guarded their peace. Corsets were made from different materials - metal, wicker. The most expensive corsets were made from whalebone.

They even came up with special levers that regulated the width of the skirt. If the ladies found out that the empress herself would be present at the ball, they could lower the fizma with a lever and reduce the width of the skirt.
Officially, Elizaveta Petrovna was not married and already in 1744 she invited her nephew, the son of Anna's sister, to the court. Soon the bride of the heir, Sophia Augusta Frederica of Anhalt-Zerbst, also arrived in St. Petersburg. In 1745 in winter palace their wedding took place.

Wedding dress of the future Empress Catherine II. coronation dresses

sewn from silver brocade. Silver darkens strongly over the years, and the new brocade looks very impressive, shimmering with reflections of candlelight, glare of sunlight. It seemed that such dresses were forged from silver, and not sewn with needles and threads. The dress was embroidered with silver thread. Embroidery stitches are placed under different angles and when moving, the dress shone like diamonds.

The wedding dress of Sophia Frederica Augusta of Anhalt-Zerbst is in very poor condition. Brocade is woven on a silk basis, with a silver weft. The silk threads broke in many places and the silver threads sagged.
Sovereign Pavel Petrovich transferred the dress to the collection of the Armory for an unknown reason, since it was originally stored in the capital. The dress was torn open, the restorers sewed it again.
In 1762, the coronation of Catherine II took place.

Coronation dress of Catherine II. coronation dresses

also presented in the Armory. It is distinguished by oval figs. In addition, this dress is the only one on which lace has been preserved. The dress is decorated with double-headed eagles, there are about 300 of them all over the field.

Apparently, in such a visible way, Catherine wanted to emphasize the legitimacy of her accession to the throne.

The empress was distinguished by a very thin waist for her 33 years old, with a circumference of only 62 cm. In this dress, the tailors used a new constructive detail - the so-called schnig. It is assumed that he was supposed to visually make the stomach flatter.

Coronations of the imperial couple. Male coronation suit. coronation dresses

After the death of Catherine II, for the first time in the history of the Russian Empire, the imperial couple, Emperor and Empress, Paul I and his wife were crowned. In this ceremony, much was borrowed from the ceremony of 1724. First, the crown was placed on the emperor, then, turning to the kneeling empress (just like Catherine I before Peter), Paul touched her with his crown and then placed the small imperial crown on the head of his wife. Unlike the large imperial crown, which was the property of the state, the small crown became the property of the empress. Her Majesty could dispose of the small crown at will, even remake it into other jewels.

C early XIX century, emperors began to be crowned in military uniform. It was either a guards general's uniform or the uniform of a general of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. In the funds of the Armory, 7 sets of coronation military uniforms have been preserved.

Coronation dress of Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas I. Coronation dresses

The dress is made in a transitional style from Empire to historicism.

There is a special ruffle at the bottom of the dress to make the bottom of the dress heavier and keep the shape of the bell. The dress is embroidered with colored glass plates to make it shine and shimmer.
In the middle of the century, they began to wear the so-called Frenchized sundress. It was the order of Emperor Nicholas I to court ladies to wear Russian dress.
Gloves were an indispensable addition to the costume. They were changed very often, each courtier had a lot of gloves. They did not serve long, quickly stretched, lost their shape. And the shape of the gloves was carefully monitored, they had to fit the hand like a second skin, so the expression “change like gloves” is quite appropriate. They sewed gloves made of elk skin or silk.

Coronation dress of Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Alexander II. coronation dresses

is the aforementioned Frenchized sundress. Stylistically, this dress can be attributed to the national revival or “Russian style”. They sewed it in Petersburg. For the first time, sleeves appeared on the coronation dress. The wide placket was not preserved, which was sewn in front of the dress and made it look like a sundress. The plank was adorned with diamonds, diamonds and other precious stones, so it was torn off. A kokoshnik, also adorned with diamonds, was attached to the costume.

Last coronation

G ornostae mantle, presented in the Armory, belonged to Alexandra Feodorovna, wife of Nicholas II. All 14 coronation robes have been preserved in the funds of the Kremlin museums. The mantle of Alexandra Feodorovna is made of 800 ermine skins, they were bought from Siberian merchants.

The last coronation took place in May 1896.. Emperor Nicholas II was crowned with his wife Alexandra Feodorovna. Nicholas was dressed in the uniform of a Colonel of the Preobrazhensky Regiment. He was not a general, which is why he was embarrassed to put on a general's uniform.