Catherine the Great and the Charter to the Nobility of 1785

The Romanov Dynasty: Rise, Power, and Bloody End — Fexingo History · Jun 18, 2026 · 7m · transcript

In 1785, Catherine the Great issued the Charter to the Nobility, a landmark legal document that defined the rights and privileges of the Russian aristocracy for over a century. This episode explores the political context behind the Charter, balancing Catherine's need for noble support against her Enlightenment ideals. We discuss the key provisions, such as exemption from corporal punishment and mandatory service, and how the Charter cemented the nobility's power while excluding other classes. We also touch on Catherine's simultaneous Charter to the Towns, which sought to create…