Elizabeth of Russia Facts & Worksheets

• On the night of 25 November 1741 (O.S.), Elizabeth made her move. She went to the headquarters of the Preobrazhensky Life Guards Regiment, wearing a metal breastplate over her dress and holding a silver cross. She gave a short speech, asking the soldiers: “Whom do you want to serve: me, your natural sovereign, or those who have stolen my inheritance?” The soldiers, loyal to her father and moved by her words, supported her.
• The regiment marched with her to the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg. There, they arrested the regent Anna Leopoldovna, the baby emperor Ivan VI, and others in the court, including Count von Munnich, one of the top military leaders. The coup was bold and quick and no one was killed during the takeover.
• Elizabeth was crowned Empress of Russia in 1742. She promised not to sign any death sentences and she kept it during her whole reign. However, this did not mean her rule was always gentle.
• Although at first she thought of letting young Ivan VI and his mother go, Elizabeth changed her mind. She had them locked away in a fortress at Shlisselburg, afraid that they might be used to start a rebellion in the future. She even gave secret orders that if Ivan ever tried to escape, he was to be killed. Many years later, when such an attempt happened, Catherine the Great (who followed Elizabeth) carried out that order. Ivan was killed and quietly buried.
• Another serious threat came in the form of a plot against her. Countess Natalia Lopukhina, whose son Ivan Lopukhin had spoken badly about Elizabeth in a tavern, was accused of plotting to bring Ivan VI back as tsar. Ivan was arrested, and both he and his mother were tortured for information. All those involved were sentenced to death. 
• Elizabeth, keeping her promise not to allow executions, changed the punishment. The women had their tongues cut out and were publicly whipped, while the men were broken on the wheel, a brutal form of execution where a person’s arms and legs were smashed with a heavy wheel or iron bar, then their broken body was tied to the wheel and left to die slowly.

Elizabeth of Russia's Reign as Empress

• At 33 years old, with little political experience, Elizabeth took control of a vast empire. In her proclamation, she declared that the previous reigns had brought Russia to ruin. Under her rule, Russia was freed from the dominance of foreign advisors, many of whom were exiled. She worked to undo some of the reforms of her father, Peter the Great, that had limited the church's power, bringing it back into a stronger position.

Key domestic policies

Elizabeth made several important changes during her reign to improve Russia and set the stage for future growth. Her policies focused on education, helping the poor, keeping peace in the country, and building new buildings.

• Educational Reforms
  • Although Elizabeth didn’t have much formal education when she was young, she understood the importance of learning. She worked to expand education, but it was mostly available to the nobility and the townspeople.
  • One of her biggest achievements was helping to set up the University of Moscow in 1755, with the famous Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov helping in its creation. This was Russia’s first university and helped bring higher education to the country. 
  • Elizabeth also supported the arts, including setting up the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. While education for peasants was still limited, these changes helped prepare Russia for the future.

• Social Welfare
  • Elizabeth also worked to help the poor. One of her key reforms was setting up local parishes that provided care for orphans, the elderly, and people with disabilities. These parishes gave food, clothes, and shelter and were funded by a special tax. This helped the peasant population, who often lived in difficult conditions. While Elizabeth’s reforms didn’t solve all the problems in Russian society, they were an important step in helping those in need.

• Internal Peace and Justice
  • Elizabeth was known for her wise diplomacy and wanted to keep peace within the country. She worked to stop the fighting and conflicts that had troubled previous rulers. Her reign ended much of the internal struggle that had happened under Empress Anna and others.
  • Elizabeth also banned capital punishment, which meant that death sentences were no longer given out. This was part of her effort to maintain peace in the court and make Russia more stable during her time in power.

• Architectural and Infrastructure Projects
  • Elizabeth loved architecture and worked on many famous buildings in Russia. She helped rebuild Peterhof Palace and was especially involved in designing the Winter Palace and Smolny Convent. The Winter Palace, her most famous project, had over 1,500 rooms and became a symbol of Russia’s strength. The Smolny Convent was another important building from her reign.
  • Elizabeth pushed to finish these buildings quickly, even in the cold winters. Although these projects cost a lot of money, including higher taxes on salt and alcohol, they helped improve the country’s infrastructure. Her reign also saw improvements to Russia’s road system, making travel and trade easier.
• Foreign policy
  • Elizabeth’s foreign policy was focused on strengthening Russia and increasing its influence in Europe. She used diplomacy, military action, and alliances to protect Russia’s interests and to push back against other powerful nations.
    • Early Actions and the Treaty of Åbo
      • After becoming Empress, Elizabeth quickly turned her attention to Russia’s relations with Sweden. Sweden had been a rival of Russia for a long time.
      • In 1743, negotiations between Russia and Sweden led to the Treaty of Åbo. Under this agreement, Sweden gave up southern Finland, which Russia took control of. This was an important gain for Russia as it set the Kymmene River as the new boundary between the two nations and gave Russia control of key fortresses.

• • • Bestuzhev and Diplomatic Strategy
      • Elizabeth appointed Aleksey Bestuzhev-Ryumin as her foreign minister. He was a skilled diplomat and helped form alliances with Austria and Great Britain, both of which were important partners against Russia’s enemies, especially Prussia. 
      • Elizabeth disliked Frederick the Great of Prussia, so she worked to weaken his power. Bestuzhev’s diplomatic work helped Russia become a key player in European politics, particularly during the War of the Austrian Succession, when Russia sided with Austria and Britain against Prussia. 
      • Even though Bestuzhev had enemies in the Russian court, Elizabeth continued to support him because she trusted his ability to handle foreign affairs. However, in 1758, Bestuzhev was removed from his position mainly due to political rivalries at the Russian court. Even though he was dismissed, his policies had already helped make Russia stronger in Europe.
    • The Seven Years' War
      • The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was one of the most important events in Elizabeth’s reign. She chose to join forces with Austria and France against Prussia, led by Frederick the Great. Russia’s involvement in the war began with the signing of the Second Treaty of Versailles in 1756, which created an alliance between Russia, Austria, and France.
      • Throughout the war, Russia had several military successes. One of the key victories was defeating the Prussian forces at the Battle of Kunersdorf in 1759, which nearly defeated Frederick the Great. However, political problems in Russia made it hard to manage the war. Despite this, Elizabeth stayed focused on weakening Frederick’s power and securing Russia’s position in Europe.
      • By 1761, Russia had captured parts of Prussia, including Berlin. But just as Russia seemed to be on the verge of defeating Prussia, Elizabeth passed away in January 1762, which allowed Frederick the Great to negotiate peace and avoid total defeat. This turn of events was called the Miracle of the House of Brandenburg.
    • Siberia and Indigenous Peoples
      • In addition to her work in Europe, Elizabeth also had to deal with Russia’s expanding empire in Siberia. In 1742, she ordered a military expedition to conquer the Chukchi and Koryaks, two groups living in the far east of Russia.
      • However, the expedition failed, and the commander was killed in 1747. The Chukchi proved to be a tough opponent, so Elizabeth decided to stop the military approach and instead agreed to a peace settlement with them in 1750.

Death and Succession

• In the late 1750s, Elizabeth’s health started to decline. As her condition worsened, she became more aware that her time was running out. She didn’t want to face the reality of death, so she forbade anyone from saying the word “death” around her. However, on 24 December 1761 (O.S.), she suffered a stroke, making it clear that she was dying.