5. Estonia during the period of early Russian rule (1710–1850)

Question 1

• Population

Answer 1

War casualties
The plague of 1709–1711
Earlier: the great famine of 1695–97
Less than 200 000 people survived on Estonian territory

Question 2

government

Answer 2

• Self-rule of (1) towns, (2) nobilities (Ritterschaften): the Baltic Landesstaat. During the first decades of Russian supremacy – the widest ever autonomy of the Baltic German estates
  The supreme decision-making body in each Baltic province, with a broad mandate to decide on ‘everything that relates to the rights, inter es6, and institutions of the corporation [of the nobility] or the welfare of the whole land’,32 continued to be the diet (Landtag) of the Ritterschaft as developed under Swedish rule. In Estland, the diet consisted exclu sively of the matriculated nobles, while in Livland, non-matriculated manor owners and two representatives of the city of Riga also partici pated, but could only vote on matters of taxation. The diet elected its chairman, the marshal of the nobility (Landmarschall in Livland and Ritterschaftshauptmann in Estland) who served a three-year period until the convening of the next session of the diet. His most important func tion was to represent the corporation’s interests at the imperial court in St Petersburg.” The executive organ was the Council ol the diet (Landratskollegium), consisting of twelve land councillots (Landrcite) elected for life by their peers. The administrative head of Estland and Livland was a governor, appointed by the emperor, who more often than not, was a Baltic German nobleman himself. Estland was characterised by Reinhard Wittram as ‘the purest land of nobles on earth
• Confirmation of the extensive privileges of the local estates: Lutheranism, German language for official matters, administration, court system. The late Swedish reduction/reclaim of lands reversed
  Numerous Baltic Germans in the military and diplomatic service, as well as central administration, of the Russian Empire

Question 3

• The Russian monarch Catherine II. (1762–1796)

Answer 3

born 1729 as Princess Sophie Auguste Friederike von Anhalt-Zerbst, in Stettin [Szczecin], Prussia
Reform of provincial governance, effective in Est- and Livland 1783–1796
 In 1783 she introduced an array of administrative and judicial reforms, aligning the practice of the Baltic provinces closer to that of Russia and diminishing the exclusivity of the institutions of the Rlrterschaften (e.g. giving non-matriculated nobles full voting rights in the Lancltage) and city councils. The internal customs border with Russia was abolished, the Russian poll tax was introduced and, most worryingly for the Ritterschaften, the executive organ of the Landtage was eliminated while the post of Governor-General for the Baltic provinces was introduced in Riga reversed by her son Paul I (ruled 1796,1801).

Question 4

change

Answer 4

• Courland (Kurland) incorporated into the Russian Empire in 1795 (Third Partition of Poland) Since 1795 three Baltic provinces of the Russian Empire
• The Moravian Brethren (the Herrnhuter movement), since the late 1730s
  The idea of fraternity between all people and estates
  Among the peasant population: Understanding the essence of Christianity Growth of literacy
  Experience of self-organization
• The ideas of Enlightenment
  Garlieb Merkel (1769–1850) Baltic German publicist and writer, radical critic of serfdom
• Alexander I (1801–1825)
   Alexander I (ruled 1801-25), was well disposed towards certain Enlightenment ideals
  The reopening of Tartu University, 1802 Kaiserliche Universität zu Dorpat (The Imperial University of Tartu)
• Famous Baltic germans (where thrieving under Russia):
  Karl Ernst von BAER Fr. Georg Wilhelm STRUVE Moritz Hermann JACOBI embryology astronomy physics
• The Grand Duchy of Finland in the Russian Empire, 1809
• Peasant emancipation
  Abolition of serfdom
  in province Estland 1816
  in province Livland 1819
  Peasant self-government on local community level (district councils, district courts)

Question 5

Take home

Answer 5

 The tsarist era was the longest period of peace for the Baltic provinces during modern times