Eunuchs at the helm of power in China

Place of the Taijiang at the Imperial Court

The son of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, Chengzu moved his capital from Nanjing to Beijing, and many remarkable architectural structures were created during his reign. New boundaries of the city were defined, the city walls were rebuilt, the construction of the famous imperial palace of Gugun began, the Temple of Heaven was built, and the construction of the ensemble of Minsk burials began. The tomb of Chengzu himself was the first of 13 tombs of the Ming emperors near Beijing.

In the center of the Chinese capital was the Purple or Forbidden City, now the Gugong Museum, the residence of the Chinese emperors, where most of the eunuchs served.

The entire palace ensemble has the shape of a rectangle, the northern and southern sides of which are 760 meters long, and the western and eastern sides are 960 meters long, the total area is 72.9 hectares (for comparison, the Moscow Kremlin occupies only 28 hectares), on which there are 9999 large and small premises with a total area of ​​150 thousand square meters. m. Gugong is still considered one of the largest imperial palaces in the world. Its territory was not called the Forbidden City for nothing; only the elite could get here. For more than five hundred years, the Forbidden City served as the residence of 24 Chinese emperors (the Ming and Qing dynasties). Outside the fortress wall, the palace is surrounded by a deep moat filled with water; intricate towers rise at the corners, built entirely of wood (9 beams and 18 pillars), according to the traditional canons of ancient Chinese architecture; and in the space enclosed by the wall, majestic palace pavilions, as well as deep courtyards hidden from prying eyes, were arranged in strict order. All buildings are covered with golden or green glazed tiles, and the walls are painted in dark red. Very beautiful are the wide front staircases made of marble, richly decorated with carved ornaments; along the balustrades are white marble columns, also decorated with intricate bas-reliefs.

The entrance to the Forbidden City is the front gate of Tiananmen (Gate of Heavenly Peace). Previously, they were called the Gates of the State (Guomen). In the case of the emperor's campaign in front of the Tiananmen gate, sacrifices were arranged with a prayer service for a victorious return. And when a new emperor ascended the throne, the highest decrees were invariably announced from the rostrum of Tiananmen. Moreover, the ceremony of familiarizing the people with the decrees of the Son of Heaven was quite complicated. First, all imperial decrees, written on golden silk, descended from the upper platform of the gate in the beak of a wooden phoenix and fell into the hands of the highest officials of the Chamber of Ceremonies, copied in many copies on yellow imperial paper, and only then were sent out and announced throughout the Celestial Empire. On December 15, 1911, the last imperial decree was lowered from the Tiananmen gate - on the abdication of the minor Pu Yi.

It is known that men, except for the Son of Heaven and eunuchs, were forbidden to stay overnight within the walls of the imperial palace (therefore called the Forbidden City), which turned into a kind of "women's world".

“In the past, in the Forbidden City, every day at a certain hour, everyone - from princes and dignitaries to servants - had to leave the palace,” the last emperor Pu Yi recalled. a real man."

Acting as guards, the eunuchs were at the same time servants, spies, and panders. Some of them, having become confidants of the rulers and high dignitaries of the state, influenced the political life of the country. The emperor made them with his "ears, fangs and teeth."

“Every day, as soon as dusk enveloped the Forbidden City and the last visitor was hiding behind the gates, the silence was broken only by the commands coming from the Qianqingong Palace: “Lower the bolts! Lock the locks! Be careful with flashlights! And along with the last phrase, in all corners of the Forbidden City, the monotonous voices of the eunuchs on duty were heard, passing the command along the chain. This ceremony was introduced by the Kangxi Emperor in order to maintain the vigilance of the eunuchs (during the Ming era, the night guard in the Forbidden City was forced to carry the eunuchs who were at fault. - V. U.). She filled the Forbidden City with some kind of mystery,” Pu Yi recalled about the years of his life in the imperial palace in Beijing.

Eunuchs, "by mistake, did not lock the gates of the Imperial City when they should be locked", according to the "Laws of the Great Ming Dynasty", they were sent as soldiers to the army on the borders of the Celestial Empire.

When visiting the imperial palace, everyone had the impression that eunuchs were everywhere there. They washed floors, walked around with flyswatters, waited on the emperor and his family, sang, played in the theater, cooked and served food.

This is how the imperial meal went.

“The time for eating was not determined, everything depended on the decision of the emperor himself,” Pu Yi recalled. “I had only to say: “Bring food,” as the junior eunuch immediately informed the senior eunuch in the Yangxindian chamber about this. He, in turn, passed the order to the eunuch, who was standing outside the doors of the chamber. And already this eunuch hurried with my order to the eunuch at the imperial kitchen in Xichangjie. Immediately, a procession emerged from it, similar to that which happens at weddings. Several dozen neatly dressed eunuchs were carrying seven tables of various sizes, dozens of red lacquered boxes with golden dragons painted on them. The procession was rapidly heading towards the Yangxindian Chamber. The eunuchs passed the brought food to the young eunuchs in white armlets, who arranged the food in the eastern hall. Usually two tables were laid with the main courses; the third table, with a Chinese samovar, was set up in winter. In addition, there were three tables with muffins, rice and cereals. Salted vegetables were served on a separate table. The dishes were made of yellow porcelain, painted with dragons, and with the inscription: "Ten thousand years." In winter, silver dishes were used, which were placed in porcelain cups with hot water. On each saucer or in each cup lay a silver plate, with the help of which it was checked whether the food was poisoned. For the same purpose, before serving any dish, it was first tasted by a eunuch. This was called the "sample of food." Then the dishes were placed on the tables, and the younger eunuch, before I sat down at the table, proclaimed: “Remove the covers!” Four or five junior eunuchs immediately removed the silver lids that covered the dishes, put them in large boxes and carried them away. It was my turn to "take the food."

The functions of the eunuchs included the protection of the emperor and his palace, so they were always present during ceremonies and trips, visits to the palace by foreign guests, guarded the entrances and property in the Forbidden City, stored military ammunition, weapons and ammunition.

The duties of the personal protection of the emperor and the secret investigation used to lie in two palace services - Jinyiwei and Dongguan(or Dongxingguan).

Jinyiwei (a kind of guards or security troops), created in the Ming era, performed both of these functions. It was, firstly, a military unit that guarded the yard. Secondly, at the disposal of this body was a network of secret police, investigating authorities and even a special prison. As reported in the sources, "senior and junior officers daily collected information about secret writings, tricks and slander." In addition, the duties of this service included ensuring that "imperial instructions were widely distributed throughout the country," that is, the strict execution of all orders of the court.

Dongguan was established in 1420. Its prototype was the Dongchang Investigation Department, which existed from February 1410. Dongguan, engaged in surveillance, arrest, investigation and imprisonment of officials suspected of disloyalty, was located near the imperial palace, north of the Donganmen gate. The head of the secret service became one of the most influential figures in the hierarchy of court eunuchs and even received the right to personal protection. The motives behind the creation of the detective department were the distrust of the imperial court in the dignitaries of the civil administration, the fear of discontent in the army, and the anxiety of the central government about the execution of its orders in the field.

Unlike Jinyiwei, which consisted of military ranks, Dongguan was formed from palace eunuchs. According to some historians, Dongguan was no less powerful than Jinyiwei, and both of these bodies cooperated, mutually complementing each other, which is why the people considered them to be a single organism, giving them a common name - Guan-wei.

Both secret departments had no direct analogues in the system of non-palace administration. Although the system of palace guards existed before, eunuchs also played an important role there.

For example, the Tang eunuch Gao Lishi, who was called the "dragon eunuch", was put by Emperor Xuanzong at the head of an elite corps of the palace guards. The emperor instructed the "dragon eunuch" to launch a punitive campaign against hundreds of Buddhist monks and nuns, who aroused his wrath. At that time, Buddhism flourished in the court of the Son of Heaven, and the emperor fully relied on the predictions and advice of Buddhists. But in 695, the Mingtang temple burned to the ground, and the emperor took this as a sign of Heaven's displeasure. He believed that the monks should have helped him avoid such troubles; now, having won the approval of the Confucians, who during this period were temporarily out of favor, Xuanzong ordered Gao Lishi to torture and behead all representatives of the affected Buddhist community.

The "Dragon Eunuch" began by ordering the castration of the monks, and then boiling their genitals and feeding them to the nuns. Then, according to historical chronicles, the breasts of fat nuns were cut off and boiled to feed them to those of the monks who survived the castration. They were then subjected to torture known as "clear eyes" (bags of quicklime were placed over their eyes), "finger crushing" (sticks were inserted between the fingers and then tightly tied with a cord), and "hot water snake" (naked bodies were wrapped around metal tubes in the form of snakes, and then boiling water was poured into the wide-open mouths of these "metal snakes"). At the end of the operation to combat the Buddhists, Gao Lishi ordered the surviving defendants to be driven into a narrow gorge, where they were unleashed, after which the horse guards of the palace guards were ordered to trample them to death with horses.

The system of torture in China has developed since ancient times, worked out and complicated over the centuries and became famous for sophisticated torture. The basis of the torture system was the principle of matching the punishment to the crime. In addition to the methods of immediate physical impact (thieves caught at the scene of the crime were cut off their hands, fugitives hiding from the authorities were cut off with a sword by the hamstrings), torture was supposed to make the victim realize the viciousness of his actions and publicly declare it. Public humiliation was an important part of the overall punishment; it is known how the Chinese were afraid of "losing face", which in itself caused considerable suffering to the victims. An example that clearly illustrates the thoughtfulness of torture, which was supposed to make the offender suffer both physically and mentally, is the wearing of a kanga (a neck block, a type of collar made of two boards with semicircular cutouts for the neck; these boards are fastened together with bolts or chains. The length of the boards is from 60 to 80 cm, and the thickness is approximately two fingers). The period of wearing kangi lasted from one to three months. “In itself, this punishment would not have been so terrible, despite the heaviness of the kanga, which weighed from fifteen to twenty kilograms,” wrote Hesse, “if the criminal had not been doomed to wear this block, not taking it off day or night; in kang a person cannot lie down, and he is forced to sleep standing or sitting; he is unable to put his hands to his mouth, and if he does not die of hunger, it is only thanks to the compassion of friends and passers-by who feed him. On pieces of paper stuck on kangs, the name of the criminal, the type of his offense and the terms of punishment are indicated. Kangas were worn on embezzlers, avid gamblers, insolvent debtors and other delinquents; most often men were subjected to such punishment, but it happened that it was also applied to women. Such criminals were not imprisoned, they were allowed to return to normal life, or they were ordered to stand in a crowded place for so many hours a day.

The eunuchs carried out torture with truly diabolical energy and sophistication. This was especially true of flogging and beating with batogs, which were usually carried out with a large gathering of people. A person could be subjected to public execution only by the verdict of a judicial official, however, palace eunuchs, as well as jailers and petty officials, often staged such public spectacles in the marketplaces at their own discretion, without fear of punishment for exceeding their powers.

Quite widely practiced in China were tortures such as pinching hands and feet in a vise, or when the accused was forced to kneel on iron chains or broken glass mixed with salt.

It is known that from ancient times in the Middle Kingdom there were several traditional types of death penalty, and the role of executioners, as a rule, was performed by eunuchs. The longest, cruelest and most sophisticated was "cutting into small pieces." It began at the top of the head, then followed by eyebrows, cheeks, neck, arms and chest, and the incisions were made in such a way that strips of flesh hanging down remained on the body of the victim. When the convict was on the verge of losing consciousness, the executioner plunged the sword into his stomach, and then, grabbing his hair, cut off his head. This method of execution was recommended for women "guilty of defiling their bodies with adultery." The least cruel execution was a simple beheading with a two-handed sword, which, however, was considered very shameful, since it meant committing the body to the ground without a head (which was usually left for everyone to see) or with the head separated from the body. In this case, the victim could not count on the usual funeral ceremony and, of course, on reunion with his glorious ancestors, because then "the body would not reach that light in the form in which it appeared on this one" (remember how eunuchs on this for the same reason they kept their “jewel”). The least shameful form of public execution was strangulation. The condemned was tied to the vertical post of the cross and the rope was passed through the hole in the crosshair. A noose was made from the rope, with which the throat of the victim was intercepted; then the executioner, standing behind the cross, pulled the rope down by the ends. The next type of execution, which was considered a manifestation of favor to the victim and even showing her honor, consisted in the fact that the condemned received a silk cord from the Son of Heaven, which meant the command to become his own executioner.

One of the easiest punishments used for many misdemeanors was beating with sticks. One day Emperor Wuzong (1506-1521) intended to make a pleasure trip to South China. 107 courtiers tried to convince him not to go, he was unhappy with this and sentenced them to five days of kneeling in front of the South Gate of the palace, and then to 30 blows with a cane. Those who remained unconvinced after that received another 40-50 blows. In total, 146 people were punished by “court batogs”, 11 of them died.

Shizong (1522-1566), who was a specific prince before his accession to the throne, wished that his father during his lifetime be given the same honors as the ancestors of the emperors. Those who dissuaded him from this, he ordered to be punished with "court batogs"; 19 of them died.

In using the detective service, Emperor Chengzu followed the rich traditions accumulated during the time of Zhu Yuanzhang. The strengthening of the role of eunuchs in the court during the reign of Chengzu, some researchers, not without reason, associate with the support that the eunuchs provided to the new emperor during the war of 1399-1402. One of the characteristic features of the reign of Chengzu was that it was under this emperor that the widespread use of palace eunuchs in the “non-palace” service, so noticeable throughout the subsequent history of the Ming dynasty, began. They gained wide access to many important areas of domestic and foreign policy. Eunuchs began to receive posts of military governors in various provinces of the country, they were used as special commissioners of the court in carrying out assignments in the field, etc., etc.

It should not be forgotten that at the same time, the eunuchs continued to be the main attendants in the Forbidden City, in charge of the treasury, ceremonial and regalia, state seals, palace warehouses, kitchens and supplies, etc.

It was in the Ming era that the institution of eunuch bodyguards was created, which actually replaced the palace guards. The guardsmen, who used to guard the palace and the emperor with his family, were generally withdrawn from the palace in those years, or put under the command of eunuchs. The officers of the guard, on the orders of the eunuchs, made arrests and detained officials suspected of disloyalty.

Based on Chinese sources, the American sinologist C. O. Hacker explained the passion of emperors for eunuchs:

1. Eunuchs were not burdened with personal affairs, since they could not have heirs;

2. The eunuchs were not proteges of the nobility and were entirely dependent on the will of the emperor;

3. By virtue of their position, they were little bound by generally accepted moral and ethical restrictions;

4. Depending on the will of the emperor, they could not resist him;

5. Unlike other dignitaries, eunuchs had access to the emperor at any time and therefore were best suited for urgent matters and mediation assignments.

The eunuchs had such a great influence on the future Sons of Heaven also because this or that emperor, while still in infancy, was taken from his mother and brought up by eunuchs. The eunuchs taught him to walk, speak, perform certain ceremonies, they fed him, took care of his toilet and education, knew all the weaknesses of the future emperor, his character, views and thoughts, and finally, the eunuchs often corrupted the future emperor. Eunuchs could also influence the emperor through his wife, concubines, etc.

Women's ranks and positions at the imperial court

As is known, female court ranks were introduced by Peter I in the “Table of Ranks” on January 24, 1722. From that time on, a hierarchy of female court ranks gradually began to take shape at the imperial court, such as chief chamberlain, hoffreylin, state lady and maid of honor. All of them are indicated not in the main part of the "Table of Ranks", but in one of the explanatory paragraphs to it. The eldest in the hierarchy was the title of Ober-Hofmeisterina - "has a rank above all the ladies." Then came the real ladies of state, their rank was “behind the wives of real privy councilors” (II class). Actual chambermaids were equal to the rank of the wives of the presidents of the colleges (IV class). And finally, gofdams, who were equated in rank with the wives of brigadiers (V class), gof maids, who were equated in rank with the wives of colonels (VI class), and chamber maids. However, in practice already in the second quarter of the XVIII century. a somewhat supplemented and modified nomenclature of ladies' court ranks was used: chief chamberlain, chamberlain, state lady, chamber maid of honor and maid of honor. Finally, the hierarchy of female court ranks took on a stable character under Paul I.

The competition for filling vacant positions with salaries was very fierce, so there was a secret queue for the proposed vacancies. In total, there were five levels of full-time women's posts at the imperial court.

Firstly, the position of Chief Chamberlain, which was the pinnacle of a female aristocratic career at court. Usually this title was given to court ladies who held the same positions, who were in charge of the court women's staff and the office of empresses or grand duchesses.

Secondly, the position of chamberlain, introduced into the court hierarchy of ranks from 1748. As a rule, chamberlains went out after several years of work in the rank of lady of state. This title was considered very honorable, besides, it meant the daily solution of many current problems in the female half of the imperial residences. So, one of the duties was to introduce the ladies who came to the audience to the Empress. As a rule, for the acquisition of this title, not only belonging to the cream of the Russian aristocracy was important, but also many years of closeness to the monarchs, work at the imperial court. For example, the chamberlain Countess Yulia Fedorovna Baranova was not only a friend of Nicholas I's childhood games, but also a long-term educator of his children and grandchildren. And the mother of the Decembrist Volkonsky, after the suppression of the uprising on December 14, 1825, not only retained her position as chamberlain, but also continued to impeccably fulfill her court duties 352 .

The practice of appointments to the posts of Chief Chamberlain and Chamberlain ceased during the reign of Alexander III. It should be noted that the emperor was extremely sparing in giving any court positions. Therefore, since the 1880s. no one received the titles of chief chamberlain and chamberlain, the corresponding positions were filled by persons from among the state ladies, and ladies who did not have court titles at all served at the courts of the grand duchesses.

Thirdly, the position of the state ladies, who constituted the second largest group of court ladies. As a rule, this title was given to the spouses of major civil, military and court officials. Most of them belonged to noble families, and many were cavalry ladies, that is, they had the ladies' order of St. Catherine. When appointed to the position of a lady of state, as a rule, she complained about wearing a portrait of the empress with a crown adorned with diamonds on her chest.

Another visible evidence of the high status of the state ladies was that during the baptism of the imperial children, it was they who carried the royal babies on special pillows. Under Catherine I, there were four ladies of state, under Elizabeth - 18, under Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Nicholas I) - 38, under Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Nicholas II in 1898) - 17. In total for the imperial period, that is, for 200 years, the title of lady of state has been granted to more than 170 women. At the same time, the same names are often found in the list: 18 state ladies were representatives of the family of the princes Golitsyn, 11 - Naryshkins, 8 - Dolgorukovs, 6 - Trubetskoys, etc. In some cases, this high court rank complained to the mothers of major dignitaries, persons who occupied an exceptional position at court.

It should be emphasized that not all "portrait" ladies of state received a salary according to their rank. Most of them were on vacation and appeared at court only on solemn occasions. It should also be borne in mind that only married or widowed ladies could receive the titles of chief chamberlain, chamberlain and ladies of state 353 .

Fourthly, the position of chamber maid of honor, a senior rank for girls, which appeared in the court hierarchy from 1730. The first four listed positions during the 18th century. had only 82 faces, in 1881 - 14, and in 1914 - 18. It is noteworthy that in the court staff of 1796, chambers-maids of honor were not provided. In the legal provisions of the court department, they are again mentioned only in 1834. As a rule, the girls who sat in the maid of honor, who did not marry, but at the same time, as a rule, the most trusted and experienced, were engaged in servicing the various personal needs of the empresses. Their number was not constant, but usually did not exceed four people.

Another option for obtaining a full-time position as chamber maid of honor was the practice of "accompanying brides." The German bride who came to Russia brought with her a very limited staff of women who were especially trusted persons, who literally lived to death "with their girls" - empresses. The daughter of Nicholas I mentioned that “Mom was especially killed by the death of her chamberlain Klugel; the latter was given to her along with a dowry from Berlin; in our house it was generally a tradition to honor the old servants, but to her Mom? treated with particular cordiality.

Since they were expelled from the ladies-in-waiting only by marriage or by petition, some of the unmarried ladies-in-waiting reached a very advanced age by palace standards. So, the lady-in-waiting of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, Countess Antonina Dmitrievna Bludova, was granted the chamber maid of honor at the age of 50, Ekaterina Petrovna Valueva - at 52, Alexandra Gavrilovna Divova - at 54, Princess Varvara Mikhailovna Volkonskaya - at 60, Anna Alekseevna Okulova - at 62 years old, and Ekaterina Petrovna Ermolova - at 70 years old. The age and merits of some of the ladies-in-waiting made it possible to equate them with ladies of state.

Fifthly, the position of the maid of honor, the junior court rank for girls. This court rank began to be used from 1744, from the time of Elizabeth Petrovna. The ladies-in-waiting were the most numerous category of female palace servants. So, in 1881, out of 203 ladies who had court titles, 189 were ladies-in-waiting. At the beginning of the reign of Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna had 190 maids of honor 355, and by 1914 their number had grown to 261. About a third of them belonged to titled surnames: Golitsyns, Gagarins, Shcherbatovs, Trubetskoys, Obolenskys, Dolgorukovs, Volkonskys , Baryatinsky, Khilkov and others, and about half were the daughters of persons who had court ranks and titles.

The title of maid of honor was the most common in the court world, as it “attached” and gave a “start” in life to many recognized beauties. As a rule, very young girls became ladies-in-waiting. In the XVIII century. there are frequent references to 11-12-year-old girls taken to the court "for the merits" of their fathers. In the 19th century an unspoken age limit was set, focused on 15–18 years, that is, the age when girls came out of closed educational institutions “into life”. However, even in the middle of the XIX century. there are known cases of awarding the title of maid of honor to young girls.

If the ladies-in-waiting did not marry, then they gradually turned into old maids, among whom were very outstanding personalities - for example, the famous memoirists Anna Tyutcheva and Antonina Bludova.

Over the weekend in the St. Petersburg Hermitage I had the good fortune to see two wonderful and large costume exhibitions: "At the Court of Russian Emperors" and "Servants of the Supreme Court
Livery costume of the late 19th – early 20th century in the collection of the State Hermitage.
If you have such an opportunity - do not miss it!

As they write on the Hermitage website: “The impression of the brilliance and splendor of the Russian Court, which so often amazed contemporaries, was largely achieved thanks to the rich and exquisite attire of monarchs and courtiers. That is why the basis of the exhibition is clothes and accessories belonging to members of the imperial family and representatives of the Russian aristocracy.

Evening dress V. V. Karakhan
France Paris
1911–1912
Fashion House "Doucet"

The costumes brought to the attention of specialists and the general public concentrated international and national elements, reflecting, as in a mirror, the orientation of the tastes of Russian society either to Germany, or to France or England. The exhibition presents ceremonial and everyday costumes, sets for visits and riding, costumes for children and masquerade, morning and walking, evening and ball dresses. Uniforms of various branches of the military demonstrate a special fashion - military. Each monarch, at his own discretion, introduced changes into the military uniform regarding the cut and decorative elements, so that Russian emperors can be safely called "military fashion designers."

Officer uniform of the Life Guards of the Preobrazhensky Regiment, the uniform belonged to Emperor Nicholas I
Russia
Uniform: 1829–1855;
epaulettes for generals: 2nd quarter - mid-19th century;
knickers: 1855–1859;
boots: 19th century;
tie-down spurs: 19th century

In the context of the exhibition, such topics as the favorite pastimes and entertainments of the Russian aristocracy were reflected: theater, music, games (charades, chess, cards), "royal hunting". Particularly interesting are exhibits with a rich memorial history - things from the everyday life of representatives of the reigning dynasty and family heirlooms of nobles who were close to the throne. The best examples from large costume complexes - the wardrobes of Emperor Peter I and Empress Maria Feodorovna, the wife of Alexander III, the "uniform" dresses of Empress Catherine II and fancy dresses of the famous "historical balls" in the Winter, Mikhailovsky and Yusupov Palaces demonstrate not only the highest manifestations of the fashion trends of their time, but also social orders, due to the personal tastes of crowned persons and their immediate environment.

The exhibition is designed to reflect the richness of the spiritual, artistic and social life of the Russian court society, the change in tastes, styles, fashion and habits during the 18th - early 20th centuries". http://testmain.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/what-s -on/temp_exh/exh/2014/at+the+court+of+the+russian+emperors/?lng=ru
Photos from this site, I can’t even believe that the Hermitage has finally posted such magnificent photos on the net! By the way, in the museum itself, if you do not pay 200 rubles for shooting, they will categorically not allow you to shoot even on a phone or tablet.

Boots belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna
1880s

Ball gown of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna
Austria Vienna
1900–1901
Workshop “G. & E. Spitzer"

Fan, belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna
Around 1867
Austria

The dress belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna
Ch. Worth Fashion House
1890s
France Paris

Business dress, belonged to Empress Maria Feodorovna
1886-1887
Russia (?)

A very beautiful part of the exhibition is devoted specifically to the ceremonial court dress; there are several costumes from the famous ball of 1903.

The exhibition runs until 21.09.2014
Pay attention to where: the Nicholas Hall, the Anteroom, the Eastern Gallery of the Winter Palace, the Armorial and Concert Halls. Halls are not consecutive! There is no catalog possibly will be in September.

And a video that was made especially for this exhibition

Servants of the Highest Court. Livery costume of the late 19th - early 20th century in the collection of the State Hermitage.

Again, information from the Hermitage website: “From the time of Catherine the Great, for a century and a half, the glory of one of the most brilliant in Europe has firmly established itself in the Russian Imperial Court. Livery attendants have made a significant contribution to this image.

The staff of ministers at the Russian court had a pronounced tendency to increase in the 18th - 1st half of the 19th century. And only starting from the reign of Alexander II, the number of ministers was steadily declining, which was associated both with the general reformist course of the government and the financial capabilities of the treasury, and with technical progress.

Until the middle of the 19th century, the staff serving the Court was replenished from the persons of the “court class”, which appeared thanks to Empress Catherine II and had special rights and advantages, the main of which was exemption from personal taxes and duties, including recruitment. Alexander III ordered to accept people for free employment at the Court, Nicholas II finally canceled the privileges of court servants and their children.

Starting from the age of 16, in principle, every citizen of the Russian Empire of the Christian faith, whose reliability was certified by the palace police, could enter the service at the Court. Traditionally, the vast majority of court servants were men. Preference for admission to the service was given to the children of courtiers and persons who had served in the guards or army units. "Women's" positions were available in the staff of the room servants of the empresses, at the palace telegraph, telephone, in the court laundry, in the palace kitchens. Some positions, such as, for example, head waiter or "Arab of the Highest Court", could be occupied by citizens of foreign states, for whom special rules for recruitment were approved. The main duty of the servants of the Court should be considered the duty to best provide for the everyday needs of the imperial family and its high-ranking guests and take care of the palace property.
All courtiers were required to wear a uniform. The term "livery" comes from the French livery and is translated as "clothing for the retinue issued by the state and the nobility." The court livery in the European sense appeared in Russia under Peter I, and finally took shape during the reign of Catherine II. Already after her death, in 1796, the main colors of the livery (green, red, gold) were confirmed and a description of the clothes for the main court servants was established. A full-scale reform of military, civilian uniforms and livery costume was carried out under Emperor Alexander II. Carefully designed livery clothing was approved in 1857 and did not undergo significant changes until 1917.

Several types of uniforms were provided for ministers: everyday, Sunday, dress, mourning, weekend (that is, street clothes, for going outside the residence), travel and work.
Starting from the reign of Alexander III, the exclusive right to make a livery for the servants of the Court was held by the firm "I. P. Lidval”, from the workshops of which the livery costumes were deposited in the Livery storeroom of the Winter Palace, which occupied significant premises in the residence. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, more than 20,000 items of clothing, shoes and accessories were stored in the pantry.

The livery pantry was plundered during the October coup d'état of 1917 and later turned into the livery dress warehouse, from which clothes and accessories were transferred to educational institutions, clubs, folk theaters. Until 1934, the Warehouse was under the jurisdiction of the Historical and Household Department (IBO) at the Russian Museum, then the livery costumes were moved to the Museum of the Revolution, then to the Museum of Ethnography of the Peoples of the USSR. Only in 1941 (in fact, in 1946) the livery, among other exhibits, entered the newly created Department of the History of Russian Culture of the State Hermitage. Text and photo: http://testmain.hermitagemuseum.org/wps/portal/hermitage/what-s -on/temp_exh/exh/2014/servants+of+the+russian+imperial+court/?lng=ru

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Women's ranks and positions at the Imperial Court

As you know, courtiers women's ranks were introduced by Peter I in the “Table of Ranks” on January 24, 1722. From that time on, a hierarchy of female court ranks gradually began to take shape at the Imperial Court. These included chief chamberlains, chamberlains, ladies of state and ladies-in-waiting. All of them are indicated not in the main part of the "Table", but in one of the explanatory paragraphs to it. Then followed real state ladies. Their rank was "behind the wives of active privy councillors" (II class). Real camgirls had a rank equal to the rank of the wives of the presidents of the colleges (IV class). Finally called gof ladies(they were equal in rank to the wives of foremen - V class), gof girls(equal in rank to the wives of colonels - VI class) and camera girls. However, in practice already in the second quarter of the XVIII century. a slightly supplemented and modified nomenclature of ladies' court ranks was used: chief chamberlain, chamberlain, lady of state, chamber maid of honor and maid of honor. Finally, the hierarchy of female court ranks takes on a stable character under Paul I.

The competition for filling vacant positions with salaries was very fierce, so there was an unspoken "queue" for the alleged vacancies. In total at the Imperial court existed five levels of full-time women's positions.

First of all, position (rank) chief chamberlains. This rank was considered the pinnacle of a female aristocratic career at the Imperial Court, since the chief chamberlain was senior lady of the court. In Peter's "Table of Ranks" it was emphasized that the chief chamberlain has "a rank above all the ladies." Usually this rank received court ladies who occupied positions of the same name in charge of the female court staff and the Chancellery of Empresses or Grand Duchesses.

Secondly, position (rank) chamberlains. This rank has been introduced into the court hierarchy of ranks since 1748. As a rule, they went to the chamberlains after several years of work in the rank of state ladies. The title was considered very honorable. In addition to the “honor” of the chamberlain, “by position” she had to solve many current problems on the female half of the imperial residences every day. One of her duties was to introduce the ladies who came to the audience to the Empress. As a rule, in order to acquire this title, it was necessary not only to belong to the cream of the Russian aristocracy, but also many years of closeness with monarchs and work at the Imperial Court. For example, the Chamberlain Countess Yulia Fedorovna Baranova was not only a friend of Nicholas I's childhood games, but also a long-term educator of his children and grandchildren.

As an episode, we can mention that after the suppression of the uprising on December 14, 1825, the mother of the Decembrist Volkonsky not only retained her position as chamberlain, but also continued to impeccably fulfill her court duties 181 .

The practice of appointments to the positions of chief chamberlain and chamberlain ceases during the reign of Alexander III. It should be noted that the emperor was extremely sparing in giving any court positions. Therefore, since the 1880s. ranks (positions) of chief chamberlain and chamberlain no one got and the corresponding positions were performed by persons from among the state ladies, and at the courts of the grand duchesses, ladies who did not have court titles at all served.

Thirdly, position state ladies. The ladies of state constituted the second largest group of court ladies. As a rule, the title of lady of state was given to the spouses of major civil, military and court officials. Most of them belonged to noble families, and many of them were cavalry ladies, that is, they had the ladies' order of St. Catherine - portrait of the empress crowned with diamonds. The portrait of the empress with a crown in a diamond setting was the most noticeable attribute of the state ladies. When appointed to the position of a lady of state, as a rule, the order was bestowed to be worn on the chest.

Another visible evidence of the high status of the state ladies is that during the baptism of the royal children, it was they who carried the royal babies on special pillows.

A. I. Bryullov. Gr. E.A. Vorontsov and Prince. EAT. Golitsyn. 1824–1825

Under Catherine I, there were four state ladies, under Elizabeth - 18, under Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Nicholas I) 38, under Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (wife of Nicholas II in 1898) 17 state ladies. In total, during the imperial period, that is, for 200 years, the title of lady of state was granted to more than 170 women. At the same time, the same names are often found in the list: 18 state ladies were representatives of the family of the princes Golitsyn, 11 - Naryshkins, 8 - princes Dolgorukov, 6 - princes Trubetskoy, etc. In some cases, this high court title complained to the mothers of large dignitaries, persons who occupied an exceptional position at the Court.

P.N. Orlov. Portrait of A.A. Oculoey. 1837

It should be emphasized that not all "portrait" ladies of state received a salary "according to their rank." Most of them were on vacation and appeared at the Court only on solemn occasions. It should also be borne in mind that only married or widowed ladies could receive the titles of chief chamberlain, chamberlain and ladies of state 182.

Fourth, position chambermaids. It was a senior court position for girls. The position (rank) appears in the court hierarchy since 1730. The first four ranks during the 18th century. had only 82 faces, in 1881 - 14, and in 1914 - 18. It is noteworthy that in the court staff of 1796, chambers-maids of honor were not provided. In the legal provisions of the Court Department, they are again mentioned only in 1834. As a rule, the girls who “stayed too long” in the maids of honor, who never married, became chamber maids of honor. But at the same time, as a rule, the most trusted and experienced ladies-in-waiting, who were engaged in servicing various personal needs empresses. Their number was not constant, but usually did not exceed 4 people.

In the court hierarchy, they were equated with ladies of state.

N.V. Obolenskaya

Another option for obtaining a full-time position as chamber maid of honor was the practice of "accompanying brides." The German bride who came to Russia brought with her a very limited staff of women who were especially trusted persons, who literally lived to death "with their girls" - the empresses. The daughter of Nicholas I mentions that “Mom was especially killed by the death of her chamberlain Klugel; the latter was given to her along with a dowry from Berlin; in our house it was generally a tradition to honor old servants, but Mama treated her especially cordially.

Since they were expelled from the ladies-in-waiting only because of marriage or at the request, some of the unmarried ladies-in-waiting reached a very advanced age, by palace standards. The maid of honor of Empress Maria Alexandrovna, Countess Antonina Dmitrievna Bludova, was granted the chamber maid of honor at the age of 50, Ekaterina Petrovna Valueva at 52, Alexandra Gavrilovna Divova at 54, Princess Varvara Mikhailovna Volkonskaya at 60, Anna Alekseevna Okulova at 62, and Ekaterina Petrovna Ermolova at the age of 70. The age and merits of some of the ladies-in-waiting made it possible to equate them with ladies of state.

Fifth, the junior court position (title) for girls was the title of maid of honor. This court rank has been used since the time of Elizabeth Petrovna - since 1744, the ladies-in-waiting were the most numerous category of female palace servants. In 1881, out of 203 ladies who had court titles, 189 were ladies-in-waiting. At the beginning of the reign of Nicholas II, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna had 190 ladies-in-waiting 184 . By 1914, their number increased to 261. About a third of them belonged to titled families: Golitsyns, Gagarins, Shcherbatovs, Trubetskoys, Obolenskys, Dolgorukovs, Volkonskys, Baryatinskys, Khilkovs and others, and about half were daughters of persons who had court ranks and ranks.

As a rule, very young girls became ladies-in-waiting. The title of maid of honor was the most common in the court world, as it “attached” and gave a “start” in life to many recognized beauties. In the XVIII century. some of the girls became ladies-in-waiting at a very young age. There are frequent references to 5-, 11-, 12-year-old ladies-in-waiting, taken to the Court "for the merits" of their fathers. In the 19th century established an unspoken age limit, focused on 15-18 years old, that is, the age when girls came out of closed educational institutions "into life". However, even in the middle of the XIX century. there are known cases of awarding the title of maid of honor to young girls.

If the maids of honor did not marry, then they gradually turned into old maids, while remaining maids of honor. Among these old maids-in-waiting were very outstanding personalities - such well-known memoirists as Anna Tyutcheva and Antonina Bludova.