There were many periods when foreigners controlled the main state affairs. Most often they were representatives of the German lands. It is with one of the Germans that the term "Bironism" is associated. This concept is negative. Although not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance.
Characteristics of the concept
Bironovshchina is the reactionary regime of the first half of the eighteenth century in Russia. In the decade when Empress Anna Ioannovna reigned.
Character traits:
- the dominance of foreigners - basically, Russia was filled with Germans who occupied important positions in the civil service;
- exploitation of the people - such an attitude was characteristic of most of the rulers of the country;
- persecution of the dissatisfied - distinguished by cruelty, denunciations were encouraged;
- depletion of the state treasury - this was facilitated by the inability to govern the state, excessive luxury at court, embezzlement by favorites.
The word "Bironism" was coined by Field Marshal Munnich. He was the favorite of Peter the Great. Being a German, Munnich hated the favorite of Anna Ioannovna. As soon as he had such an opportunity, he dealt with him. But about this in order.
The coming to power of Anna Ioannovna
Bironovshchina is a term that is associated with the period of the reign of Anna Ioannovna. Her coming to power was a complete surprise both for her and for the courtiers. The former Duchess of Courland did not play a special role in the court struggle.
She ascended the throne through the February coup of 1730. Anna Ioannovna became empress without signing any documents that would limit her power. She received all the power of the Russian autocrat.
Anna Ioannovna was not prepared for the role that she got. She did not have the necessary skills and knowledge, and indeed had no desire to learn. At the time of her accession, she was thirty-seven years old. According to contemporaries, she did not have a pleasant appearance, had a large physique.
In her youth, she was given in marriage to the Duke of Courland, who soon died. For security reasons, Peter the Great did not look for a groom for Anna. So she remained in foreign lands for eighteen years. Despite her status as a widow, she was not alone. She had prominent favorites at various times. One of them was Biron.
Biron
Bironovshchina is a term associated with the period when Biron was the favorite of Anna Ioannovna. In fact, in the history of Russia there were four Birons, who at one time played a role in the history of the state. The favorite was Ernst Johann. He had two brothers who also served in Russia.
The older brother's name was Carl. He is known for his escape from Swedish captivity, he later became the governor-general of Moscow. The second brother's name was Gustav. He distinguished himself during the capture of Ishmael.
The favorite of the Empress had a son. His name was Peter. Biron sought to marry him to who was to become the heir to the throne. These attempts were unsuccessful.
He came from a small estate nobility. He began serving under Anna Ioannovna in 1718. He was married to the lady-in-waiting of the Duchess. In his marriage, he had three children. Some researchers suggest that some of Biron's children were born to the Empress. But there is no evidence for this.
Biron had a great influence on the empress. Before her death, she appointed him regent. He was supposed to rule the state while he was a minor. The appointment took place in the presence of many witnesses, while the empress was of sound mind. It was made in oral and written forms. But this did not save Ernst Johann from problems. He was accused of seizing the regency and eliminated.
Who was the main figure in the court?
Although Bironism in Russia is associated with the activities of Biron, many historians agree that Heinrich Osterman was involved in the main internal and external state affairs.
He was born in the family of a pastor in Westphalia, was educated at the University of Jena. The duel changed his life. He was forced to flee to Amsterdam and then to Russia. Once in a foreign country, he quickly learned Russian. Three years later, in 1707, Osterman became a translator and gained confidence from Peter the Great. He was his adviser. The ruler appreciated Osterman, granting him many lands.
He was one of the associates of Peter the Great, and after his death he became the de facto leader of Russia's foreign policy. Since 1730 he received the dignity of a count.
State activity favorites
The policy of the state during the Bironovshchina (the period of the reign of Anna Ioannovna):
- a cabinet of ministers was established - the whole initiative belonged to Osterman;
- conclusion of trade agreements with Holland, England;
- the conclusion of the Belgrade peace, which ended the war with the Turks;
- reform of the fleet - the creation of the Arkhangelsk shipyard.
Such actions can hardly be called those that undermine the state. The persecution of Osterman and Biron began after the death of Anna Ioannovna. They were accused of handing out government seats to foreigners and persecuting Russians.
Both favorites were sentenced to death, which was changed to exile on the day of its execution.
The reign of Anna Ioannovna is connected with the concept of "Bironism". As Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin once noted, Biron was not lucky in that he was a German. That is why they decided to hang all the sins of that time on him. But if you study the activities of the rulers of that era, it becomes clear that at that time no one thought about the people. Each new ruler sought to benefit for himself and stay on the throne as long as possible.
The modern meaning of the concept
The term "Bironism" today means the dominance of foreigners in the public and political life of the state. It is used with a negative connotation.
Associations with the term:
- theft;
- espionage;
- looting of the treasury;
- repression;
- crazy holidays.
In folklore, no mention of Bironism has been preserved. This is due to the fact that Biron's activities concerned the life of nobles, officials, guards soldiers. Palace coups had little to do with the lives of ordinary people.
"Bironovshchina"
The era of Anna is often called "Bironism", arguing that foreigners led by Biron seized key posts in Russia, and that Anna's rule was distinguished by exceptional cruelty.
Empress Anna Ioannovna
Anna came to the throne at the age of 37.
The Empress was brought up in the old Moscow spirit. However, after the dramatic events of 1730, Anna seemed dangerous to Moscow.
Empress Anna Ioannovna
Anna was an uneducated, limited, petty person.
She was more interested in gossip about the life of the courtiers than in affairs of state.
Anna and Biron
Anna's favorite in Mitau was a Courland nobleman E.I. Biron .
After Anna's accession, he came to Russia, where in 1737 he received the title of Duke of Courland.
According to a number of historians, Anna gave birth to the youngest son Biron.
Guard Update
After the events of 1730, Anna Ioannovna did not trust the old guard regiments.
In 1731, she created a new guards regiment - Izmailovsky.
In the guards regiments, along with the nobles, they began to recruit recruits from the peasants, hoping in this way to deprive the guards of a political role.
Cabinet of Ministers
Anna created Cabinet of Ministers , which replaced the dissolved Supreme Privy Council.
It included A.M. Cherkassky (chancellor), P.I. Yaguzhinsky and A.I. Osterman.
After the death of Yaguzhinsky in 1736, he was replaced by A.P. Volynsky.
Cabinet of Ministers
Anna equated the signatures of the three cabinet ministers with her own, which allowed her not to bother herself with state affairs.
The leading role in the Cabinet was not played by the apathetic and lack of initiative Chancellor Prince A.M. Cherkassky, and the energetic and quirky Vice-Chancellor A.I. Osterman.
However, Osterman had to reckon with Biron, who kept a close eye on the Vice Chancellor not gaining too much power.
It was to counteract Osterman that Biron brought Volynsky into the Cabinet.
Foreigners in Russia under Anna
Foreigners in the Russian army and navy
Foreigners in Russia under Anna
There were many Germans in Anna's entourage, but almost all of them began serving in Russia under Peter I.
In addition, among them there were many immigrants from the Ostsee region (Baltic states), i.e. subjects of the Russian Empire.
Foreigners did not constitute a single "party", on the contrary, they fought with each other, entering into alliances with Russian nobles.
Numerous Germans came from different German states, often hostile to each other, and realized themselves not as “Germans”, but as Westphalians, Württembergers, Oldenburgers, Courlanders ...
secret office
The most terrible person of the Annenskaya era, the main executioner-whip fighter was not a German, but a Russian nobleman A.I. Ushakov, who headed the body of political investigation - secret office .
This was, perhaps, the only department in whose affairs Anna constantly delved into personally.
In the secret office, they tortured opponents of the regime and simply those who, through negligence, blurted out something unflattering about the Empress or Biron, or didn't inform about the "blameful" words heard.
Dolgoruky case
Anna Ioannovna never forgot her enemies and never forgave her.
In 1730 A.G. Dolgoruky and his children were exiled to Berezov and settled in the same house where Menshikov was serving his exile, V.L. Dolgoruky - to the Solovki. Field Marshal V.V. Dolgoruky was thrown into prison in 1733.
D.M. Golitsyn was imprisoned in 1737 (he died in the casemate 4 months later).
Relatives of D.M. Golitsyn were disgraced and exiled.
Dolgoruky case
In 1738 the investigation against the Dolgorukis was resumed.
A.G. Dolgoruky died in 1734. The main defendant was his son Ivan.
Under torture, Ivan told about the manufacture of a fake will of Peter II.
On charges of conspiracy to seize the throne, I.A. Dolgoruky was wheeled,
his uncle S.G. and I.G. Dolgoruky, as well as V.L. Dolgoruky beheaded,
sisters, incl. "ruined bride" Catherine, tonsured as a nun.
Volynsky case
The court struggle for power also underlay another major process - the so-called. Volynsky case.
A.P. Volynsky, having become the Cabinet Minister, began to intrigue against Osterman.
However, soon, having imagined himself omnipotent, he behaved independently in relation to Biron.
Volynsky case
It was established that Volynsky spoke disrespectfully of the Empress.
An investigation began against Volynsky and his entourage.
A sketch was found in Volynsky's papers "General project on the amendment of internal state affairs", according to which it was supposed to limit the power of the monarch in favor of the Senate, composed of representatives of the "ancient families", and to create a "lower government" from representatives of the gentry.
Volynsky case
Volynsky was accused of plotting to seize the throne.
Together with him, his "confidants" were tried: the architect P. Eropkin, the president of the College of Commerce P. Musin-Pushkin, the secretary of the Cabinet I. Eichler and others.
Bironovshchina
Thus, both major political cases of the era of Anna Ioannovna, which culminated in cruel sentences and death penalties, were caused not by the confrontation between Russians and Germans, but by court intrigues that were not related to the national origin of their participants.
The era of Anna Ioannovna was actually cruel, but only in comparison with the later times of Elizabeth Petrovna and Catherine II, but far inferior in cruelty to the times of Peter I.
When and why was the myth about the cruelty of "Bironism" and foreign dominance created?
Testament of Anna Ioannovna
Anna Ioannovna had no direct heirs.
Her closest relative was her niece, Anna Leopoldovna, who grew up in Russia.
Ivan Antonovich
Anna Ioannovna died on October 17, 1740, at the age of 47.
Her great-nephew, the son of Anna Leopoldovna Ivan VI Antonovich, was only 4 months old.
According to Anna's will, Biron was appointed regent, bypassing the parents of the infant emperor.
Coup of 1740
Biron failed to retain his hard-won power.
The temporary worker was hated by both the guard and most of the dignitaries; he had no support.
November 9, 1740 Field Marshal B.Kh. Minich arrested Biron and proclaimed Anna Leopoldovna regent. Biron, stripped of his titles, was exiled to Pelym.
But the field marshal, who became the first minister, received his resignation on March 3, 1741, because. Anna Leopoldovna was afraid of his lust for power.
Regency of Anna Leopoldovna
Anna Leopoldovna was benevolent and romantic, but withdrawn, unsociable and capricious.
Inexperienced in public affairs, she did not like to appear in public, limiting her social circle to her family and a few friends.
The popularity of the ruler and her husband, Prince and Generalissimo Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick, among the nobility and in the guard was extremely low.
The guardsmen increasingly remembered the daughter of Peter the Great - Princess Elizabeth.
Tsesarevna Elizaveta Petrovna
What attracted the sympathy of the guards Tsesarevna Elizaveta, who was alien to politics and was interested only in outfits and entertainment?
In the name of his father, Peter the Great.
A series of insignificant rulers awakened a longing for the formidable emperor, whose cruelties were somewhat forgotten in 15 years, and his merits began to seem even more majestic.
They hoped for Elizabeth, "daughter of Petrova", as a restorer of the glory and greatness of Russia.
Palace coup of 1741
The support of Elizabeth was the guards soldiers, who, despite their different origins, felt themselves to be members of a single corporation, a privileged military caste. It was in the "lower classes" of the guard that the desire to see the "rightful heiress" on the throne was especially strong.
308 guardsmen participated in the coup arranged by Elizabeth.
Among them were only 54 nobles and not a single officer.
Palace coup of 1741
The coming to power of Elizabeth was also desired by the diplomats of France and Sweden.
They were ready to help Elizabeth, who had no means, with money.
In exchange for support, France sought to achieve Russia's abandonment of the pro-Austrian foreign policy pursued by both Biron and Anna Leopoldovna, Sweden counted on territorial concessions in the Baltic states.
Could Elizabeth agree to such claims?
Palace coup of 1741
The ruler became aware of the suspicious meetings of the princess with foreign diplomats. Although Elizabeth managed to convince her niece of her innocence, she could not hesitate.
Palace coup of 1741
The company overcame the Palace Square on the run.
Elizabeth, who did not keep up with the soldiers, was carried into the palace on their shoulders by the grenadiers.
According to legend, Elizabeth woke the ruler with the words "it's time to get up, sister!"
The arrest of Anna Leopoldovna, Anton-Ulrich and Ivan VI passed without resistance.
The 20-year reign of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna began.
Palace coup of 1741
What were the features of the palace coup of 1741?
1. During the coup of 1741, the lawfully reigning emperor was overthrown for the first time
2. The coup of 1741 was carried out by the guardsmen without the participation of the guards officers.
3. Unlike other coups, the coup of 1741 had a certain ideological form: the winners explained their actions by the desire to restore the rights of "Petrov's daughter", to revive the greatness of Russia achieved under Peter I and to rid Russia of the domination of foreigners.
The origins of the Biron myth
In order to look like a Russian patriot and savior of the Fatherland, Elizaveta Petrovna had to compromise the previous reign as a time of cruel foreign dominance.
This is how the myth of "Bironism" arose.
At the same time, the organizers of Elizabeth's accession to the throne were such "patriots" of Russia as the Saxons H.-J. Schwartz and Yu. Gryunshtein and her French doctor A. Lestok.
The origins of the Biron myth
Why did the myth of Bironism turn out to be so stable that it survived more than two centuries?
The myth about the cruel foreign temporary workers who plundered Russia both in the 19th and 20th centuries. often used by the authorities and conservative forces to whip up anti-Western sentiments in society.
Illustration sources
Slide number 2. http://www.liveinternet.ru/users/3439390/post127468847/ ; http://shkolazhizni.ru/archive/0/n-23459/ ; http://tavrida.in.ua/history/?section=shanc ; http://www.peoples.ru/state/statesmen/osterman/osterman_372663249_tonnel.shtml ; http://www.emc.komi.com/03/19/010.htm
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Bironovshchina in Russia
On January 25, 1730, after the death of Peter II, the ruling clique of Russia, led by princes Dolgorukov and Golitsin, placed Anna Ioannovna, the niece of Peter I, on the Russian throne, hoping that the passivity of the new empress would allow the Supreme Privy Council to run the country. The calculation, however, turned out to be wrong. Within a few weeks, the Empress, with the support of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, carried out a coup and freed herself from the "Mitavian conditions" imposed on her, aimed at limiting the power of the autocracy in favor of the highest aristocracy.
“She had a terrible look, she had a disgusting face, she was so great that when she walks among the gentlemen, she is head taller and extremely fat” - such a portrait of the Empress was given to her by her contemporary Natalya Dolgorukaya.
The main concern of the empress was to surprise the world with her splendor and splendor. Palaces were built. Balls, performances and receptions were held daily. Foreign wine, cards and gambling were in vogue. This merry masquerade lasted for ten years. Not only a masquerade, but also Bironism is one of the darkest and most difficult eras in Russian history.
Then the main oligarch in the Russian Empire was the favorite of the Empress Anna, the Courland German Ernst Johann Biron - both a secretary, and a chamberlain, and ... an unofficial spouse.
In 1732, Anna's court moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Biron, who by that time had already become a count, was riding next to the carriage of the empress. As in Moscow, in St. Petersburg, Biron's apartments were located next to the rooms of the Empress. Anna spent most of the day with the Biron family.
Biron, who is believed to have determined the fate of Russia for a long time, has become a symbol of German dominance in Russian historiography. It was during his time, as the historian Klyuchevsky writes,"The Germans poured into Russia, like rubbish from a holey bag, stuck around the courtyard, settled on the throne, huddled in the most profitable places in government". Biron was accused of all the troubles of the country.
Anna's affection for Biron, of course, did not go unnoticed. The Spanish ambassador, without much diplomacy, described the situation as follows: "Count Biron served Her Majesty faithfully for many years, while at the same time fulfilling the duties of a spouse," being married to the court lady Duchess Benigne Gottlieb von Trotta-Truiden.
However, there is no direct evidence of Biron's intimate role in the life of Anna Ioannovna.
Biron, of course, had a huge influence on the empress, however, it was not unlimited. Biron managed to maintain his influence on the empress not with the help of aggressiveness, but thanks to his exceptional ability to adapt. Once Biron asked the court jester: "What do the Russians think of me?" "You, Your Grace," replied the jester, "some consider you a god, others consider you Satan, but no one considers you a man."
Involuntarily, historical parallels come to mind. If under Empress Anna there was a dominance of the Germans, then under the "tsar" Boris Yeltsin, who ruled Russia in the form of the Russian Federation for almost a decade, like Anna Ioannovna, the dominance of another alien, but strongly God-chosen people was established since 1991. The role of Biron was played by the unsinkable Anatoly Chubais. Biron was less fortunate then. Although he lived for 82 years, he spent 21 years in exile during the change of reign.
Biron had a very low opinion of the Russians and did not hide this; but at the same time he tried not to irritate the Russians with disrespect for their rites. Having become regent after the death of Empress Anna by virtue of her will (in October 1740), Biron sought popularity among Russian society and began to conscientiously engage in business.
Biron and his signature (engraving by L. A. Seryakov)
How simple coups are made in RussiaEverything was changed by the old Field Marshal Count Christopher Munnich, who arrested on the night of November 9 (20), 1740, the Duke of Courland, along with his wife, in the interests of the mother of Emperor John Antonovich, Anna Leopoldovna.
Munnich entered the chambers and approached the bed in the middle - the Birons' spouses were lying on the bed. They were sleeping so soundly that they did not hear the steps of the field marshal. He approached them and shouted "Wake up!" Byron woke up and angrily said “What? What do you need? How dare you?" But when he saw the soldiers entering the room, he understood everything, screamed in fear and crawled under the bed. They dragged him out, put a handkerchief in his mouth, put him in a sleigh standing at the threshold of the palace and took him to the guardhouse. That's all there is to it!
Being the all-powerful ruler of Russia with a diploma for the title of Count of the Holy Roman Empire, Duke Biron became a nobody in one second. O tempora, o mores! Oh times. oh manners! Do not renounce the bag and the prison, the true truth. That's what fate-villain does with a man.
The main accusations against Biron were the following: “seizure” of the regency, “neglect” about the health of the late empress, the desire to remove the royal family from Russia in order to seize the throne and oppress the Russians. On April 18 (29), 1741, a manifesto "on the wines of the former Duke of Courland" was published. He was sentenced to death by quartering, but the manifesto was pardoned, and the execution was replaced by his eternal exile in Pelym, three thousand miles from St. Petersburg. He fell into a gloomy mood of spirit and began to prepare for death.
Reference. Christopher Antonovich Minich (Count Burchard Christoph von Munnich) went down in Russian history as an outstanding military and economic figure, an invincible field marshal who smashed the hordes of Crimean Tatars and Ottomans. Minich was a German by origin, but as Empress Catherine II rightly said: "Not being the son of Russia, he was one of her fathers." When Minich presented Peter with a drawing of a new fortification of Kronstadt, the pleased tsar said: “Thanks to Dolgorukov, he delivered me a skilled engineer and general.” Peter and Minich became comrades-in-arms. He zealously served Russia, did a great job of qualitatively strengthening the Russian army, economy, rear, and public administration system. He dispelled the myth about the invincibility of the Turkish army, which arose after the unsuccessful Prut campaign of Peter the Great. It was Field Marshal Munnich who laid the foundation for a series of brilliant victories for the Russian army over the Ottomans.
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When, as a result of another palace coup, the daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth, to whom Biron had provided some services in the past, came to the throne, she remembered the exile and transferred him to live in Yaroslavl, but did not dare to provide complete freedom. The fallen temporary worker wrote a note for the empress, in which he justified himself in the accusations raised against him, including the seizure of the regency. Subsequently, Catherine II, who usurped the throne also as a result of a palace coup, found this note to be trustworthy.
The legitimate emperor Peter III summoned Biron to St. Petersburg, returned orders and insignia to him, but did not return the Duchy of Courland, which he predicted to his uncle, Duke George of Holstein.
Catherine II restored the former temporary worker to the Courland ducal throne, and Biron pledged to let Russian troops through Courland, not to enter into any relations with the enemies of Russia, to show tolerance to the Orthodox and to allow the construction of an Orthodox church. These conditions caused the greatest displeasure of the Courland nobility.
He gave up power in favor of his son Peter. Soon Biron died, having lived a long life for that time. in which there were also take-offs to unprecedented heights. and the same falls - the roller coaster of life. He was buried in Mitau in the ducal crypt. His coffin was subsequently opened, and the body turned out to be surprisingly preserved. Even St. Andrew's mantle, in which he bequeathed to bury himself, has been completely preserved.
Alexander Pushkin made the following remark about Biron's time:“He (Biron) had the misfortune of being a German; all the horror of Anna's reign, which was in the spirit of his time and in the customs of the people, was dumped on him.
And Biron himself had only two passions. One, very noble, - to horses and riding ... The Duke convinced Her Majesty to make large expenses for the establishment of horse factories in Russia, where there was a shortage of horses. Breeding stallions for factories were delivered from Spain, England, Naples, Germany, Persia, Turkey and Arabia.
His second passion was the game. He could not spend a single day without cards and generally played a big game, finding his own benefits in this, which often put those whom he chose as his partners in a very difficult position. He was quite handsome in appearance, insinuating and very devoted to the Empress, whom he never left without leaving his wife beside her instead of himself. (Minikh B. Kh. Notes of Field Marshal Count Minich. - St. Petersburg: Type. Bezobrazov and comp., 1874. - S. 67-68.)
Used materials from Wikipedia and the Internet.The term "Bironism" is often used to refer to the ten-year reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna (1730-1740). This period is named after her favorite Ernst Johann Biron.
Ernst Johann Biron was born on November 23 (December 3), 1690 in Courland in the family of the Courland landowner Buren. He studied at the University of Koenigsberg, but did not graduate from it. In 1714 he came to St. Petersburg and tried to get a job at the court of Princess Stephanie-Charlotte, the wife of Tsarevich Alexei, but he was refused because of his low birth. There is evidence that in subsequent years he was both a caretaker and a teacher of children in noble houses, served in a wine cellar in Riga, and was engaged in shoemaking.
Biography of Empress Anna IoannovnaThe Russian Empress Anna Ioannovna was born in Moscow on February 8 (January 28 according to the old style), 1693. She was the middle daughter of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich and Praskovia Fedorovna (née Saltykova).In 1718, Biron received a position at the court of the Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna, niece of Peter I; was promoted to chamber junker. After the election of Anna Ioannovna to the Russian throne, he followed her to Russia. In 1730 he was appointed Chief Chamberlain, in the same year he received the title of Count of the Holy Roman Empire.
On July 13 (24), 1737, under pressure from Russia, he was elected Duke of Courland and from that time became known as "Ernest Johann Duke of Courland by the grace of God." Managed the duchy, remaining in St. Petersburg.
Before her death, Anna Ioannovna appointed Biron as regent for her young successor Ivan Antonovich, removing his parents, Anna Leopoldovna and Anton-Ulrich of Brunswick, from power.
Biron's personality was very unpopular. His name was associated with the dominance of foreigners at court, mainly Germans, the plundering of the country's wealth, and the cruel persecution of the discontented. In fact, the percentage of foreigners in the top leadership was not so great, in any case, not much more than before and after that.
During the three weeks of his reign, Biron, in particular, forgave those convicted in a number of cases, reduced the poll tax, and, in order to combat luxury, forbade wearing dresses made of material more expensive than 4 rubles per arshin.
On the night of November 9 (20), 1740, Biron was removed from his post as a result of a military coup carried out by Burchard Christopher Munnich and brought Anna Leopoldovna to power. Byron was put on trial.
The main accusations against him were the following: "seizure" of the regency, "neglect" about the health of the late empress, the desire to remove the royal family from Russia in order to seize the throne and oppress the Russians. On April 18, 1741, a manifesto "on the wines of the former Duke of Courland" was published.
He was sentenced on April 8 (19), 1741 to death, then replaced by eternal exile with confiscation of movable and immovable property and deprivation of all ranks and awards. Sent to Pelym (Tobolsk province).
When Elizabeth came to the throne, the fallen temporary worker wrote a note for the empress, in which he justified the accusations brought against him, including the seizure of the regency. At the beginning of 1742, Biron was returned from exile and assigned to a settlement in Yaroslavl without the right to leave. In 1762, after the accession to the throne of Peter III, Biron was completely rehabilitated; he was summoned to St. Petersburg and returned all orders and titles (except for the title of the Duke of Courland). In the same year, Catherine II, with the consent of Poland, restored him to the throne of Courland, binding him with a promise to be faithful to the alliance with Russia and to allow the free practice of the Orthodox cult on the territory of the duchy. This agreement, as well as measures to protect the peasants and the Jewish community, caused discontent among the Courland nobility.
Clashes with chivalry forced Biron to give up power in favor of his son Peter (1769).
Biron died on December 17 (28), 1772 in Mitava (the former capital of the Duchy of Courland, now the Latvian city of Jelgava). Buried in the ducal crypt.
In the Russian tradition, Biron's name has become odious. He is portrayed as cruel, greedy, uneducated, contemptuous of everything Russian. This image is exaggerated and does not always correspond to historical facts. In addition, the question remains to what extent (for all his closeness to Anna Ioannovna) Ernst Johann Biron really determined the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian Empire.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources
In 1730, Anna Ioannovna came to Russia to take the royal throne. Ernst Johann Biron followed her from Courland. The reckless love of the queen for her favorite led to the fact that the time of her reign was called "Bironism", which meant the power of foreigners acting only in the name of their own interests.
In 1718, Biron entered the service of Bestuzhev-Ryumin, who at that time was the official Russian representative at the court of Anna Ioannovna in Courland. When the diplomat was returned to Petersburg, Biron directed all his charm to charm the widowed ruler. When it fell to Anna Ioannovna to become the Russian empress, she, after ascending the throne, immediately summoned Biron to her.Ernst Johann Biron became the first favorite in Russia, who went beyond the nighttime “temporary worker” and managed to concentrate real power in his hands, influencing the decisions of the queen. Already two years after his arrival in Russia, Biron, being in the rank of chief chamberlain, regularly received foreign ambassadors. In some cases, he said that he was acting on behalf of the empress, in other situations he emphasized his importance.
It is worth noting that neither the Russians nor the Germans liked Biron. For this man there were no restrictions if he wanted to achieve his goal. Moreover, more than 10,000 cases passed through the Secret Chancellery during the Bironovshchina period. But at the same time, the chief chamberlain never "chopped from the shoulder." He understood that it was necessary to be kind not only to friends, but also to opponents. In addition, for many influential figures of that time, Biron was the one who could get the royal signature for the “necessary” document, so his opinion had to be reckoned with.
Byron was a very smart man. He understood that in order to be able to manage state affairs, one must not forget about one's duties as a favorite: regularly appearing in the empress's bedroom, predicting her mood, invariably surprising with surprises, indulging whims. In gratitude, Anna Ioannovna not only allowed Biron to make important decisions on her behalf, but also generously showered him with "favors", which were calculated in monetary terms.
With the approach of the death of Anna Ioannovna, Biron decided to rise as high as possible. At his suggestion, Cabinet Minister Alexei Petrovich Bestuzhev-Ryumin drew up a "petition" in which he proposed to appoint Biron as regent for the infant emperor John III Antonovich. This meant that absolute power would then be concentrated in the hands of Biron. The petition was signed by all the most important statesmen, and two days before her death, Anna Ioannovna gave her consent to the regency of Biron.The newly minted regent enjoyed power for three weeks. He issued 100 decrees, signed as "Johann Regent and Duke", promised an amnesty for prisoners and a reduction in duties for peasants. But, as soon as a new contender for the throne (Anna Leopoldovna) appeared on the horizon, Field Marshal Minich carried out a palace coup.
It was decided to quarter Biron, but then the execution was changed to exile in Siberia with the confiscation of all his 120 estates. But fortune did not leave Biron. When the next ruler, Elizaveta Petrovna, ascended the throne, she allowed the failed regent to move from Siberia to Yaroslavl. Then Peter III returned Biron to the court, and Catherine II completely returned the Duchy of Courland to him.Biron became the first favorite in Russia, who got the opportunity to influence the country's politics. In France, favorites often interfered in state affairs. Louis XV went down in history as a monarch who allowed his mistresses to rule the country. This time is called