Creating a ‘Public’ in St Petersburg, 1703-1761 Paul Keenan School of Slavonic and East European Studies, UCL Ph.D. History 1 UMI Number: U592953 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U592953 Published by ProQuest LLC 2013. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Abstract The thesis deals with the creation of a ‘public’ in St Petersburg during the first half of the eighteenth century. The term ‘public’ has generated a considerable historiography dealing with its implications for the field of eighteenth-century studies, which are discussed in the introduction along with the contemporary definitions of the word. In eighteenth-century Russia, the term ‘public’ usually carried the meaning of ‘audience’, typically in reference to the theatre and other spectacles. The definition of this and other similar terms provides an important framework through which to analyse the various elements of this phenomenon. This analysis has centred on the city of St Petersburg in this period for several reasons. Firstly, it was the seat of both the Russian government and the Court around a decade after its foundation and Peter I ensured its rapid population. Secondly, as a ‘new’ city, it was a space that could be consciously planned and shaped, which had an impact on both the everyday life of its population and the events which took place within the city. Thirdly, this period saw a considerable development in the socio-cultural life of the elite, effectively laying the foundations for the achievements of Catherine II’s reign. Each of the chapters of the thesis focuses on a different element within the process of creating a ‘public’, such as the means by which people could be informed or policed by the State, the various ‘public’ spaces in which they could interact, and the behaviour and appearance thought appropriate for a person in ‘public’. The intention is to show that, through the activities of institutions like the Court and the Academy of Sciences, State legislation and developments in personal education, it is possible to see the emergence of a multi-layered ‘public’ within St Petersburg society. However, access to and interaction within such ‘public’ spaces was mediated by a number of factors such as literacy, social standing, and wealth. 2 Table of Contents Abstract 2 Acknowledgements 5 Abbreviations used in Footnotes and Bibliography 6 Introduction 7 Theories of the Public 9 Definitions of Public and Private 22 Eighteenth-Century Russian Society 26 Composition of a ‘Public’ in Russia 34 Chapter One - Locating the Public 39 Moscow and St Petersburg 40 Creating St Petersburg: A ‘Regular’ City? 44 Populating St Petersburg 49 Influences on St Petersburg’s Space 52 - Nature and its Uses 52 - A New Social Environment 56 - Festive and Religious Activities 59 - Academic Pursuits 62 The Image of St Petersburg 67 Chapter Two - Controlling the Public 70 Police Administration and Social Discipline 70 Police in St Petersburg 74 Drinking 78 Gambling 86 Chapter Three - Organising the Public: The Court and its Activities 93 The Court as Institution 95 Public Celebrations 100 - The Calendar and Regular Celebrations 100 - Coronations 104 -Weddings 105 -Funerals 116 -Fireworks 119 3 Reporting Court Events 122 Chapter Four - Social Spaces and the Public 129 Theatre Audiences 13 0 Musical Entertainments 139 Masquerades 143 The Imperial Gardens and the Question of Accessibility 157 Everyday Social Life of the Elite 164 Popular Entertainments 168 Chapter Five - Forming and Informing the Public: The Public Self 174 Education 175 The Reading Public 187 Conduct Literature 194 Dance 202 Clothing and Accessories 208 Conclusion 223 Bibliography 226 Appendix One - Key to Maps 251 Map 1 - St Petersburg, 1725 252 Map 2 - St Petersburg, 1753 253 4 Acknowledgements This thesis would simply not have been possible without the involvement of a large number of individuals and academic institutions. The Arts and Humanities Research Council were responsible for providing the funding, without which this project would have taken a very different path. In the United Kingdom, I am indebted to the staff of the School of Slavonic and East European Studies library and the British Library for their help. During my research leave in Russia, I worked in a variety of archives and libraries. I found their staff generally helpful and efficient, and the materials that they provided access have been crucial to my research. These institutions were: RGADA, RGIA, RGVIA, the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences in St Petersburg, the National Library of Russia, the State Public Library, the State Public Historical Library, the Academy of Sciences Library, and the State Theatrical Library. Most Ph.D. students would consider themselves lucky to have one good supervisor, whereas I have had the privilege to work with two. Roger Bartlett was the main driving force behind the first two years of my research and Lindsey Hughes was responsible for ensuring that it reached a successful conclusion. In both cases, their continued support and advice has been invaluable. On an individual basis, I would also like to thank Wendy Rosslyn, Gary Marker, Janet Hartley, Simon Dixon and Richard Butterwick, all of whom have offered useful comments on part or all of the thesis. The Study Group on Eighteenth Century Russia provided the opportunity to present some of my early conclusions in a friendly and constructive atmosphere, for which I am very grateful. Whilst in Russia, my research work was made considerably more productive thanks to Ol’ga Kosheleva, Aleksandr Kamenskii, Evgenii Anisimov and Boris Morozov, whose advice on the material and topic I was working on was very welcome in an unfamiliar setting. During my time as a Ph.D. student, I have had the good fortune to enjoy the company of very capable peers, namely Derek Brower, Emma Minns, Antonia Napp and Mark Sutcliffe. The opportunity to talk through common experiences and problems with such friends was greatly appreciated. Chris Butler and Mike Ward kindly gave their time and advice on the more technical aspects of producing this thesis. Finally, and most importantly from a personal point of view, I would like to thank my parents and brothers, my fiancee, Roisin, and her daughter Naoimh for their love and understanding during the last four years. This thesis is dedicated to all of you. 5 Abbreviations used in Footnotes and Bibliography Printed Sources ChOIDR Chteniia v Imperatorskom Obshchestve Istorii i Drevnostei Rossiiskikh pri Moskovskom universitete (Moscow: Universitetskaia Tip., 1846-1918), 258 vols. KFZh Zhurnal Kamer-fur ’erskii, 1726-1771 goda, ed. by B. M. Fedorov (St Petersburg: [private], 1853-55), 40 pts. PoZh Pokhodnye i putevye zhurnaly imperatora Petra 1-go, 1695-1726, ed. by A. Th. Bychkov (St Petersburg: [private], 1853-55), 32 pts. PrZh Pridvornye zhurnaly... 1741-42, 1743-48, ed. by Ivan A Cherkasov (St Petersburg: Obshchii arkhiv Ministerstva imp. Dvora, 1883 & 1913). PSZ Polnoe sobranie zakonov rossiiskoi imperii... 1649-1825 (St Petersburg: Senatskaia Tip., 1830), 40 vols. SIRIO Sbornik Imperatorskogo Rossiiskogo Istoricheskogo Obshchestva (St Petersburg: Tip. Imp. Akademii Nauk, 1867-1926), 148 vols. SK Svodnyi katalog katalog russkoi knigi grazhdanskoi pechati XVIII veka, 1725-1800, ed. by I. P. Kondakov et al. (Moscow: Izd. gos. Biblioteki SSSR, 1962-67), 5 vols. StPb Ved. Sanktpeterburgskie Vedomosti ZhDA Zhurnaly dezhurnykh general-ad ’ ’iuntantov: tsarstvovanie imperatritsy Elizavety Petrovny, comp, by Leonid V. Evdokimov (St Petersburg: Tip. Obshchestvennaia pol’za, 1897). Archives RGADA Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi arkhiv drevnikh aktov RGIA Rossiiskii gosudarstvennyi istoricheskii arkhiv StPb IRI RAN Sanktpeterburgskii filial Instituta Rossiiskoi Istorii Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk Archival references f. fond op. opis’ d. delo kn. kniga 1. or 11. list(y) 6 Introduction ... HO HbIHe BHflHM H CaMOrO Ero BeJIHHeCTBO HeMeil,KHM H3bIKOM rjiarojiiomaro h HecKOJibKo TbiCHHeft noflaHHbix Ero P occhhckoto H apo^a, M y x e c x ah aceHcxa nojiy, HCKycHbix pa3Hbix EBponeacKHX »3biKOB,hko x e JIaTHHCKoro, T penecKoro, <I>paHU,y3CKoro, HeMenjcoro, HTajiflHCKoro, ArjiHHCKoro, h TajiaHCKoro, h Taxoro npn to m o Gxo ^ chhh hto HenocTbmHO MoryT paBHHTHca co BceMH apyrHMH EBponencKHMH Hapo^y.1 ... but now we see even His Majesty speaking in the German language and several thousand of His subjects of the Russian nation, male and female, skilled in various European languages, such as Latin, Greek, French, German, Italian, English and Dutch, and with such manners that they are not ashamed to compare themselve with all other European peoples.2 This quotation is taken from Petr P. Shafirov’s justification of Russia’s role in the Great Northern War against Sweden, which was first published in 1717 and subsequently reprinted several times over the next five years, with a total print-run of 20,000 by 1723.3 Given the large number of copies, this was a work clearly intended for widespread dissemination, also reflected by the fact that it was translated into both German and English during this period. Although the majority of these remained unsold, evidence suggests that around 4000 copies were distributed by the mid eighteenth century, with inscriptions in surviving examples indicating that they were owned not only by military officers and officials, but also merchants.4 Leaving aside the significance of the Razsuzhdenie as the first work of international law produced in Russia,5 the above passage was an important statement about the changes within Russian society, and in particular the elite, under Peter I.