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Corrie Phillips

Mary Kay Mabe

Western Civilization II

20 October 2017

Rule of Russia

There were many Russian rulers throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth century in

Russia. The one that is widely known is the Romanov Dynasty. It lasted for about three hundred

years in Russia and was an era of greats and an era of not-so greats. In the mid-1700s a new rise

to power came to Russia. Her name was Elizabeth and she ruled from 1741 to 1761. She

accomplished many things for this country such as abolishing the Supreme Council, abolishing

the death penalty and opening some of Russia’s first universities.

In the mid-1700s, many people had hoped that Elizabeth would seek to the throne;

however, that was not easily the case. The Russian Supreme Council chose two-month old Ivan

IV as regent. The Russian government was crumbling and very weak so Elizabeth organized her

allies and staged a coup in November of 1741 and had the infant, his mother and their advisors

arrested. Shortly after, Elizabeth was crowned empress. The country’s national pride was short

and Elizabeth wanted to reinstate her father, Peter the Great’s rule. Only Russian citizens were

allowed to be the top advisory positions within the government which allowed there to be no

foreign influences. Elizabeth quickly abolished the Supreme Council and replaced it with the

Senate. Her goal was to restore the Senate to the same role created by her father. Elizabeth was

not that well educated to govern; however, she was a will of steel and had very strong patriotism

for her beloved country.

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The death penalty was used extensively in the Russian Empire. There were in fact sixty-

three crimes that were indictable for death and under Elizabeth’s father’s rule it had doubled.

Elizabeth had a completely different opinion over the death penalty and she wanted it abolished.

It was one thing she wanted to be different than her father’s rule. At first, the empress hesitated

for the fear that without the penalty, more crimes would erupt. Instead of completely abolishing

the death penalty she made a deal with the Senate. The report “On not abolishing the death

penalty for thieves, bandits, murderers, and counterfeiters” was approved. She ordered that every

death sentence must be ran through her for approval; however, she never approved any of them.

The criminals remained in prison until further order. This was a big accomplishment during

Elizabeth’s reign because she had the power to make a difference for her beliefs and she did. Not

everyone agreed with her on abolishing the death penalty, but it was still considered a

remarkable achievement.

Elizabeth was a major fan of the arts and encouraged the development of education and

arts. Elizabeth’s reign was marked not only by political advancements, but cultural ones as well.

On January 25th, 1755, she founded Russia’s first university in Moscow. Research in the

scientific fields of astronomy, geography, chemistry, and physics were encouraged as well as the

invention of the Russian mosaic technique by Mikhail Lomonosov. Work began on the

organization of the Imperial theatres as well when the Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg was

built. Elizabeth’s reign was more than just about creating peace for her country. She became

Russia’s premier leader and sponsor for the arts and educational studies. So many architectural

glories and designs were built during her time as empress.

Elizabeth accomplished many things for her country during the amount of time she

reigned. She restored the Senate, abolished the death penalty as well as create many educational
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achievements through her founding of Russia’s first university in Moscow. Her upbringing may

have been a little bit of a challenge for her with recruiting allies to gain her title, but with that

help she was able to give some back to Russia as empress. Elizabeth’s reign evoked power for

her country, but most importantly, it evoked success. She was able to restore some of her father’s

achievements as well as create some of her own. She had a dedicated mindset which made her

able to be the successful empress she was in Russia. Her reign was short-lived; however, her

triumphal achievements will live on forever.

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Works Cited

“Empress Elizabeth. Her Reign and Russia, 1741-1762.” Empress Elizabeth. Her Reign and

Russia, 1741-1762 | History Today, www.historytoday.com/david-kirby/empress-

elizabeth-her-reign-and-russia-1741-1762.

Maranzani, Barbara. “5 Romanovs You Should Know.” History.com, A&E Television Networks,

21 Feb. 2013, www.history.com/news/5-romanovs-you-should-know.

Spielvogel, Jackson J. “A Revolution in Politics: The Era of the French Revolution and

Napoleon.” Western Civilization A Brief History Volume II: Since 1500, ninth ed., 2015,

pp. 369-370.