Transformation of the Burial Ceremony of the Russian Court in First Half of the 18th Century

The beginning of the 18th century in Russia was a period of drastic changes in all areas of life. These include commonly known transformation in court ceremony of an imperial Russia such as new pompous coronations, diplomatic receptions, ball and etc. Naturally, funeral rites of members of the Imperial Court and the rulers of the country underwent changes as well. Imperial funeral ceremony reform reflected the main tendencies in social and political life in the country. The purpose of this study is to show in what way and for what aim the funeral ceremony at court was changed in the Russian Empire. The question of the beginnings of new imperial funeral ceremonial and its possible adoption from Western European Protestant tradition is thoroughly studied in the paper. To reconstruct the funeral ceremonial of the 18th century and to understand whether it was changed as compared with the one introduced by the Emperor Peter I archival record keeping documents of the “Sad Commissions” are studied for the first time.