Endre Sashalmi

University of Pécs

Moving Beyond the Conventional Interpretation: The ‘Detailed’ Accession Manifesto of Catherine II (1762) as an Egodocument

If egodocuments are “writings in which the ‘I’, the writer, is continuously present in the text as the writing and describing subject” (as it is given on the website of the Centre for the Study of Egodocuments and History), it seems plausible to extend the label to genres beyond memoirs, travel documents, autobiographies, etc.

I contend that 18th-century accession manifestoes of Russian rulers would fit easily into the above definition, especially manifestoes of those female rulers who came to the throne through a coup d’état. The second, so-called ‘detailed’ accession manifesto of Catherine II (1762) is a highly relevant example as it presents her version of the events, giving at the same time her justification of seizing power with various arguments, using a very emotional style in which the gender aspect is prominent. Of course, instead of the ‘I’, we have the ‘We’, the pluralis maiestatis, as this style was required by the nature of the document.

The manifesto, which is called one of the most enigmatic sources of the 18th-century Russian political thought, has so far, generally, received little attention in historiography. Although the authorship of the document is debated – namely, whether it was written by Catherine in co-authorship, or it was exclusively her own product – the most important issue is that the version as we know it was approved by her. Moreover, it was published not only in Russia, but also translated into major European languages and published abroad in newspapers, which also brings forth the dimension of media coverage.

Last but not least, it is important to note that the manner of seizing power, as presented by the manifesto, found a visual expression, too, in Catherine’s equestrian portrait, which was duplicated and even sent abroad to princely courts. Therefore, Catherine’s manifesto offers an interesting insight into the relations between written and visual egodocuments produced about one and the same event. My paper intends to highlight this aspect, too.