Societatea de curte rusă: de la Petru I la Ecaterina II

Virgiliu BÎRLĂDEANU

Abstract:

In the lapse of a century, from Peter I “the emperor and autocrat of all Russia” (1682-1725) to Catherine II the Great (1762-1796), the ascension of the Russian Imperial Court was achieved mainly in conformity with the “patterns” of the Versailles community. In fact, at the beginning of this century, Peter triggered a wide-ranging project of Europeanization of Russia, often achieved by means of coercion. Within this project, the Russian Imperial Court and the new capital became a scene for the processus de civilization (Norbert Elias), and which, gradually, became a fast-working mechanism brought to perfection in the time of Catherine II. The processes did not follow a straight line given the fact that they were built on older structures, changes occurring in multiple directions, resulting in substantial transformations in the structure and main subdivisions, in the everyday ordinances and the forms of court ceremonial, eventually synthesizing the court atmosphere, which was only the first and most visible experience of the multiplication and diffusion of European models in the Russian Empire during the 18^th century.

Keywords: court society, Peter I, the Russian Empire

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