Imperial Family Research Articles

Особенности правоприменительной практики законодательных актов в первой половине XIX века на примере Департамента уделов

Introduction. The article is devoted to the consideration of the revealed peculiarities in the law enforcement practice of the legislation of the first half of the XIXth century on the example of the highest state institution – the Department of Estates, which ensured the allowance of the members of the imperial family. In the history of the Department under consideration the contradictory nature of monarchist power was revealed. The emperor, being the supreme legislator, was faced with a difficult dilemma: how to keep a balance between national and personal interests. While managing his own economy, he adjusted the state law enforcement practice to the interests of the Department, clarifying it with his resolutions. Methods. The main research methods were structural-functional and hermeneutic ones. They made it possible not only to work with the text and its meanings, but also to understand the peculiarities that distinguished the Department of Estates in the state system of higher institutions of the Russian Empire of the first half of the XIXth century. Results. The author concluded that the peculiarities of the law enforcement activity of the Department of Estates were primarily determined by the specificity of its tasks. Law enforcement activity was blurred by the interests of the members of the imperial family and general state tasks. The absence of some managerial decisions in normative legal acts and their fixation only in the form of resolutions to documents created unclearness (ambiguity). It caused contradictions in law enforcement activities and complicated the interaction of the Department of Estates with other state institutions of the Russian Empire.

Kyai Abd. Rachman Bin Sopa Hamid: Jejak Keluarga Kesultanan Palembang Darussalam Di Tulung Selapan Ogan Komering Ilir

This research is the result of historical research with the title " Kyai Abd. Rachman Bin Sopa Hamid: Palembang Darussalam Sultanate Family in Tulung Selapan Ogan Komering ". This research was conducted to determine the journey and role of Kyai Abd. Rachman Bin Sopa Hamid in Tulung Selapan through the historical evidence left behind. In this research, Levinson's Role Theory is used. Through this theory, the traces, role and position of Kyai Abd can be analyzed. Rachman Bin Sopa Hamid in the Tulung Selapan village community, Ogan Komering Ilir Regency during the Palembang Darussalam Sultanate era until its current influence on the local community. Apart from that, the research method used is descriptive qualitative. From the results of his research, it is known that the fall of the Palembang sultanate into Dutch hands was marked by the capture of Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II and his family who were then exiled to Ternate (North Maluku). At the same time, several imperial families and other Mujahid figures also fled to other areas, including Kyai Abdurachman bin Sopa Hamid, who at the time also fled to the Ogan Komering Ilir area, precisely in Tulung Selapan, until he died. The whereabouts of Kyai Abd. Rachman Bin Sopa Hamid in Tulung Selapan is marked by the presence of several relics in the form of a collection of swords and tenongs as well as the existence of Kyai Abd's food. Rachman Bin Sopa Hamid. During his escape in Tulung Selapan, Kyai Abdurachman bin Sopa Hamid then preached and broadcast the Islamic religion through education to the local community so that he was also known as a cleric and played a major role in politics such as leading the local community in facing the Dutch colonialists who came to Tulung Selapan to this day

Pavel Petrovich Shibanov as a Supplier of Books for the Libraries of the Imperial Family (Late 19th — Early 20th Century)

On the basis of letters from the collection No. 342 of the Manuscripts Department of the Russian State Library (RSL) the co-operation of the famous Russian antiquarian book dealer of the late 19th — early 20th century P.P. Shibanov with the members of the House of Romanov in the field of formation of their personal libraries is studied. The study was carried out with the aim of obtaining reliable information about the editions offered to complete the personal libraries of the Imperial House. On the basis of previously unexplored sources the assortment of P.P. Shibanov’s booksellers, presented for purchase to the members of the Imperial Family, is revealed. The letters from the Shibanov collection of the RSL were received by the bookseller from high-ranking officials of the courts of the grand dukes and grand duchesses, and in some cases directly from members of the dynasty. The material gives an idea of the spheres of intellectual predilections of the Romanovs, of their interest in rare and ancient editions, among which were books of the 17th—18th centuries. The prices for books indicated in the letters are of no small importance. Among the information about the booksellers’ assortment offered to the Romanovs we should mention the books that for one reason or another did not interest the members of the dynasty during the preliminary acquaintance and were returned to the bookseller.In the course of the research, the drafts of P.P. Shibanov’s letters to the Moscow Governor-General, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich, were revealed, and the exchange of telegrams with the Pushkin enthusiast, Prince Oleg Konstantinovich of Imperial Blood, was analyzed.Most of the letters were received from the court offices of the Grand Dukes Nikolai Mikhailovich (a famous historian), Konstantin Konstantinovich and Pyotr Nikolayevich (through the court office of the latter the sending of books to his wife, Grand Duchess Militsa Nikolaevna, for familiarization was discussed).The letters we have identified cover mainly the late 1890s — early 1900s; the latest are a telegram from Prince Oleg Konstantinovich of Imperial Blood, received by P.P. Shibanov in 1913, and a letter from the court office of Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich in 1915.The studied letters reveal the book assortment offered by P.P. Shibanov to the members of the Imperial Family and the book preferences of the Romanovs, but do not indicate whether these books were purchased by them.

‘If Only That Pitiless Blade Had Pierced My Own Heart and Eyes’: Mughal Royal Women’s Grief as a Form of Political Rhetoric

Royal Mughal women have been acknowledged as powerful historical figures in the early modern Persianate world. This article provides a more concrete understanding of the extent and nuances of their power by carrying out a close reading of Mughal princess Gulbadan Begum’s the Humayunnamah, specifically her recollection of the different ways in which royal Mughal women from the sixteenth century used grief as a form of political rhetoric to undergird and even contest power within the imperial family. The Humayunnamah emerges as a pivotal text inviting a re-evaluation of the early Mughal empire as an integrated matriarchy, while also advocating for a deeper exploration of the history of emotions in the early modern Persianate context, particularly from a female-centred perspective.

Самобытные (неутвержденные) дворянские гербы М.И. Платова на гравированных портретах

For the first time, engraved coat of arms portraits of the cavalry general, military Ataman of the Don Army, Count M.I. Platov, are studied, their origin and role in visualizing the image of the Don Ataman among the highest generals and dignitaries, the population of the Russian Empire, the royal and imperial families of Europe are considered. The article analyzes the noble coats of arms of M.I. Platov, their construction and forms, accompaniment, content, heraldic and non-heraldic symbols. It is proved that the coats of arms depicted on the engraved portraits are not approved, independent, and spiritually go back to the Don coat of arms tradition of the second half of the 18th century. There is a close relationship with the processes of formation of the South Russian nobility, on the one hand, and the imperfection of the regulatory framework and its enforcement to Don elders and officials, on the other. The ideological dependence of the coat of arms symbols on the military service activities of the Don Cossacks and M.I. Platov is traced. The reasons, conditions, and time of writing engraved portraits are clarified, judgments are made about the initiators of their writing. Based on the historical and subject method of attribution of a military portrait, the content and accompaniment of the engraved portraits of M.I. Platov are considered, the connection of images with real events and facts of the biography of the Don chieftain is shown. A description of the personalities of the coat of arms portraits is proposed, the main identification markers are noted - in the uniform, faleristics, military fittings, artistic accompaniment, their role in revealing the image of M.I. Platov is emphasized. The influence of the content of the armorial portraits and original coats of arms on the Highly approved coat of arms of M.I. Platov on the dignity of the count of the Russian Empire is noted. At the same time, it is emphasized that not a single original coat of arms became the prototype of the count's coat of arms of the Don Ataman. They are independent armorial and artistic works.

The Theodosian Family, Bishop Leo I of Rome, and their competition for piety through their correspondence

This article investigates the entreaties sent to the Eastern Roman emperor Theodosius II and his elder sister Pulcheria by their Western imperial family members Valentinian III, Galla Placidia and Licinia Eudoxia on behalf of Bishop Leo I of Rome on 22 February 450, and Theodosius’ replies. Instead of focusing on the outcome of this diplomatic correspondence, it analyzes the rhetoric of each letter and compares the arguments used with Bishop Leo’s own letters on this matter to the Eastern imperial court. It is argued that Theodosius and his family could come to contrasting conclusions despite their shared cultural framework of decision-making because they all claimed to act in accordance with Bishop Leo’s wishes. Moreover, this article contends that the entreaties of Valentinian, Galla Placidia and Licinia Eudoxia, albeit prompted and inspired by Leo’s affectionate plea, should also be read as testimonies to their individual interests. Whereas Valentinian and Galla Placidia sought to enhance the status of the city of Rome, Licinia Eudoxia tried to reinforce her personal influence over her father. In an appendix, finally, this article offers the first full English translation of the seven letters under discussion. Thus, it offers new insights in the processes of political decision-making around the Church councils of the mid-fifth century, and discloses an understudied yet unique case of imperial family correspondence.

The Romanovs on Contemporary American TV

Abstract This article analyzes the Netflix six-part docudrama The Last Czars as well as the Amazon Prime anthology drama The Romanoffs for its representations of Russian imperial history and its heritage. Using an intersectional lens, it utilizes a close watching of the TV shows to identify a nostalgia for Russia's imperial legacy as core element of both series. Embedding the findings within popular culture, the analysis further shows that the nostalgic depiction of the last Russian imperial family and the mourning of their loss has a century-long history within American media. Comparing these depictions further to recent commemorations of the last Romanovs through the exhibitions Russia My History points to the Western complicity in Russian imperialist and colonial ideology through the recent shows in liberal American media.

元ㆍ安南 간 육상 교통 루트와 驛站

The primary transportation routes of the Yuan Dynasty, known as the postal routes, were developed to facilitate the movement of troops and military supplies. Later, these routes became important for official business and trade between Yuan and neighboring countries. Although land transportation routes connecting the central plains of China with Annam began to be established during the Tang Dynasty, they were not actively used until the Yuan Dynasty. The transportation routes between Yuan and Annam were straightened to shorten the travel time by eliminating detours and to enhance the stability and continuity of the routes by constructing postal stations every 60 li. The primary land transportation routes between the two countries were (1) Chongqing-Mengzi-Thang Long and (2) Chongqing-Yongzhou-Thang Long. The first route, departing from Chongqing in Yunnan Province, went directly through steep mountains to reach Mengzi, and then followed the Hong River into Annam. This was the route used by envoys from both countries before the Southern Song conquest; however, it was time-consuming due to the mountainous terrain. The second route was developed after Yuan took control of Yongzhou, becoming the fastest transportation route between the two countries and mainly used for envoys and trade. This route was established by Toghon, featuring a dense network of postal stations every 60 li within Annam, which intimidated the king of Annam. Since the establishment of these postal stations in 1284, Annamese envoys traveled along this route to Dadu every one to two years to deliver tributes, as well as to transport goods for the Yuan court. Annam’s tributes were used to supply luxuries for the imperial family, while gifts from Yuan were used as ceremonial items to enhance the authority of the king of Annam. During this period, Yongping, a postal station at the entrance to Annam, flourished as a hub for private trade.

Награды малых стран Европы в государственно-правовом статусе российской правящей династии в XIX — начале ХХ в.

The article is devoted to the role of awards from small European countries in the state and legal status of the Russian imperial family in the XIX — early XX century. In addition, attention is paid to the history of the imperial family and the relations of the Russian Empire with Western European countries.

재당 고구려 유이민 출신 환관 연구

In this paper, I tried a new reading and interpretation of the Saseonui-il epitaph which has only been partially reviewed. Based on the studies, the thesis was developed after clarifying an eunuch diagonal line was a descendant of Goguryeo. First, the actual name of the Saseonui-il cemetery could not be seen, but some letters were not only newly read but also translated and annotated through various photo materials and rubbed copies. This indicates that Saseonui-il became a eunuch at a young age, and had a special relationship with several emperors while serving eight emperors. He was not a person who exercised power close to the like eunuch Wang Su-jing, an active at the same time, but he revealed that Saseonui-il must have enjoyed a position comparable to that. He also had a wife even an eunuch, and he had five sons and four daughters. All the sons were close to the political power, and four adopted daughters were married when he lived. He also lived a prosperous life and died at 65, providing a permanent resting place near Jangan. Second, when Saseonui-il died, his five sons asked Wang Sik, a scholar of the day and a secretary-general, to write the inscription, and left the writing to his mother-in-law, a prince of the time. Considering that they praised the inscription of the eunuch Saseonui-il and wrote the handwriting, it was confirmed that the influence of the sons of Saseonui-il was not small. Third, his contribution to the study of Goguryeo's refugee history significantly contributed to the study of the history of Goguryeo's refugees, as it shows the type of life of Goguryeo's refugees who moved to Tang. It must be a valuable resource for studying the history of migrants, especially as it informs the descendants of Goguryeo's refugees who were active in the imperial family even during the late Tang period. Finally, it was possible to examine in detail the life and political activities of eunuchs in the late Tang Dynasty through the name of the Saseonui-il cemetery. As a result, this study is expected to be of little help not only in Korea but also in the study of Chinese history. It is why we paid attention to the work of eunuchs, who were active in the late Tang Dynasty, along with Go Yeon-bok, a Goguryeo refugee and eunuchs who were active in the Tang Dynasty.

«Парадная» сторона общественной жизни купечества Вологодской губернии во второй половине XIX века

Despite the fact that the history of the Russian merchants has been of great interest to researchers for more than two decades, there are still little studied aspects in this area, including the «ceremonial» side of the public life of representatives of the merchant class. This area of research activity seems very promising, as it can significantly complement the sociocultural portrait of the merchant class. The purpose of this paper is to recreate the picture of the participation of the merchants of the Vologda province in festive and solemn events as an important part of public life in the second half of the XIX century. Based on the «Vologda Provincial Gazette» for 1861-1899, using the methods of formalizing and systematizing historical data, such components of the «ceremonial» side of the public life of the local merchants as the celebration of important dates related to the Romanov House; accompanying members of the imperial family who visited the province; participation in official events organized by the Governor; Clubs membership were identified. The published materials indicate that the merchants took an active part in local celebrations dedicated to the events from the life of merchants, as well as provided significant financial support to the related various charitable initiatives. The most important events of the provincial authorities could not do without representatives of the merchant class. Besides, in the second half of the XIX century, the general urban leisure space for a wide range of people, including merchants, began to take shape. These aspects nevertheless allow us to outline the main facets of the «ceremonial» side of the public life of the merchants of the Vologda province in the second half of the XIX century and set directions for further research.

География оскорблений членов императорской семьи в Области войска Донского в начале XX века

Studies of political culture have a long tradition in Russian historiography. The main part of the articles is based on sources that were created in large cities. Often traditional research leaves out information about the political consciousness of the rural population. The source of insults to the royal person can give us information that concerns political images, rumors, symbols, primarily of the population that did not live in large centers. The insults to the royal authority in the Don Army Region in the period 1904-1914 were analyzed in this article. This region is interesting for its specificity both in its ethnosocial composition and in administrative and economic law. A database was created based on the cases. Using the data grouping method, social and territorial specifics were identified. A comparative analysis of the percentage of crimes against the imperial family and the total number of territory inhabitants was carried out. The main points of conflict between representatives of various social groups have been identified. The inclusion in the historical context allowed not only to focus on individual markers but also to identify links between individual socio-political characteristics.

Chinese Civilians Beyond the Palisade: an Inquiry on the Opening of Northern Manchuria to Han Commoners in the Yongzheng era

Abstract Even before the Qianlong ban of 1740 (fengjin zhengce 封禁政策), which officially and thoroughly prohibited Han civilians’ migration to Manchuria, the Qing rulers’ attitude toward the phenomenon was, most of the time, a negative one. Generally speaking, the court meant to preserve the territory to the imperial family themselves and the Manchu people. More specifically, as the policies addressing southern Manchuria (present day Liaoning province) changed over time, as the rulers’ wish to keep the place to their own people clashed with concerns about repopulation and land reclamation – for which Chinese settlers could be a resource, spontaneous settling in the northern part of the region (bianwai 邊外, “beyond the (Willow) Palisade”) was always formally forbidden. Such a difference was clearly reflected by the local administrative structures. The Chinese-fashioned system, zhouxianzhi 州縣制, was present in southern Manchuria since 1653, whereas it was established in Jilin only in Yongzheng era. Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong controlled or opposed the growth of the Chinese civil population in Manchuria. As a consequence, they kept unaltered or weakened the Chinese branch of the local government while making efforts to develop the local Eight Banners’ structures. Yongzheng’ policies were headed toward a different direction. Not only did the sovereign enlarge the civil administration in Liaoning; even more significantly, he ordered the foundation of three civil administrative centres in northern Manchuria – Yongji 永吉, Changning 長寧 and Taining 泰寧, which were in charge of the increasing civil population. Neither in China nor in western studies such policies have been attached the importance they are worth of. In addition, Qing sources such as Veritable Records, Gazetteers and the Collected Statutes provide very scarce information on such maneuver. By resorting to archival sources, both in Chinese and in Manchu, this work aims at researching into the rationales and the decision making process which lead to a brief but important interruption of the main trend of Qing rule of their motherland.

Дальневосточные награды в государственно-правовом статусе российской правящей династии

The article examines the place of awards of the countries of the Far East in the state-legal status of the Russian imperial family. In addition, attention is paid to the national history of the Far Eastern foreign policy.

On the Specificities of the Arion Mosaic in the Villa del Casale (Piazza Armerina): Contribution to the Study of Arion Representations in Ancient Art

The paper deals with the representation of Arion on the monumental floor mosaic in one of the most representative rooms of the Roman Villa del Casale in Sicily, dating from the beginning of the 4th century (fig. 1, 2). It is special in many respects. It is the most monumental and magnificent representation of Arion in ancient art. Arion is depicted in the central part of а complex mosaic consisting of many scenes, figures and motifs. He is sitting on a dolphin and playing music on his instrument. The dolphin motif in this scene is unique and not examined in the literature, leaving much room for research. To our knowledge, it is a unique example of a dolphin ridden by Arion, shown hunting its prey, which is certainly not a coincidence or a descriptive detail of the artist, but a reflection of his knowledge and the clear intention of the patrons of the mosaic. On the contrary, this detail subtly explains the meaning of the entire mosaic illustrating the story of Arion and the reasons for his appearance. It suggests that the owners of the villa either belonged to the highest Roman aristocracy of their time, or perhaps were even related to the imperial family. By examining the history of the specific dolphin motif it is shown that this detail bears the symbolism of victory, thus, corresponding to the meaning of the Arion mosaic and other mosaics in Villa del Casale.

DIARY OF GRAND DUCHESS XENIA ALEXANDROVNA IN THE WINTER OF 1917-1918

For the first time, the entire diary entries of Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna from November 23 / December 6, 1917 to February 27 / March 11, 1918, made by her under house arrest in the Crimea on the estates of Ai-Todor and Dulber, are published. Since 2017 these Documents have been stored in the State Archive of the Russian Federation. Xenia Alexandrovna's notes from this period contain details of the daily life of representatives of the former imperial family during the establishment of Soviet power on the Crimean Peninsula, describe their attitude to the events taking place around them, reveal previously unknown facts and clarify the tragic pages of the post-revolutionary history of the House of Romanov.

Спасение крымских Романовых: личный выбор матроса Задорожного

The article is dedicated to the personality of the Black Sea Fleet sailor Philip Zadorozhny. For five months in 1917–1918, he served as a head of the security team for members of the former royal family residing in Cri-mea during that time. These included the mother of Nicholas II, Maria Fedorovna, the sisters of the abdicated Tsar, Ksenia and Olga, and the Grand Dukes Nikolai Nikolaevich and Alexander Michailovich. Zadorozhny’s legendary role in saving the “Crimean Romanovs” from robberies and executions is well-documented, but until now there has been no detailed biographical information available about him. The author has discovered archival materials related to Zadorozhny, on the basis of which his participation in revolutionary events was reconstruct-ed. It was established that, in May 1917, sailor Zadorozhny was a member of the Black Sea Fleet delegation sent to the Baltic fleet and ground units of the Russian army to agitate for the continuation of the war until a victori-ous conclusion. Subsequently, Zadorozhny was twice elected as a delegate to the Sevastopol Soviet from the Socialist Revolutionary Party, and he served as a member of the commission for the protection of the fortress, fleet, and city. On November 30, 1917, Zadorozhny was sent to the southern coast of Crimea to lead the security team for the Romanov family. His close ties with the Alupka Soviet, among other things, helped him protect high-ranking prisoners from anarchist members of the Yalta Soviet. Through the personal initiative of sailor Za-dorozhny, part of the former imperial family concentrated in Crimea managed to escape and go into exile a year later.

Small-Scale Opera Genres in Vienna before and after Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice: Adaptation and Polemics

The article is devoted to works pertaining to small opera genres (festa teatrale, azione teatrale, componimento drammatico) created in Vienna during the 1750s and the 1760s. As a rule, they were produced in honor of some significant event in the lives of the imperial family. Most of them were endowed with a festive character corresponding to the spirit of court festivity, an uncomplicated mythological or allegorical plot, relatively short duration and only three or four characters. The article examines genre-related indications of short operas, their varieties (the chamber and the scenically representative) and their indicative examples which has served as a foothold for the approbation of a mixed style, including the components of both the French (the choral and ballet scenes, the immense weight of the orchestral recitatives) and the Italian traditions (developed arias and secco recitatives). The conclusion is arrived at about the special position of Gluck’s azione teatrale Orfeo ed Euridice (1762) among a set of analogous genres. Gluck’s rejection of the genre of the monumental aria indicated his polemics with the poetics of both the opera seria and the festa teatrale. Despite the implementation in Orfeo of a considerable amount of festa teatrale compositional techniques, such a rejection is perceived as the greatest avant-garde reforming gesture of the 1760s.The author compares two operas with Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice. These are Florian Leopold Gassmann’s Amore and Psyche (1767) and Johann Adolf Hasse’s Piramo e Tisbe (1768), composed later. In the first case, we can talk about a direct influence, while in the second case, it is possible to observe in Marco Coltellini’s libretto of a set of allusions to Ranieri Calzabigi’s poetical text of Orfeo and at the same time the polemic qualities of Hasse’s positions in regard to Gluck’s score.

Противодействие распространению антиправительственных изданий на железных дорогах России в последней четверти XIX – начале XX в. По материалам жандармской железнодорожной полиции

The article is devoted to the reconstruction of the historical experience of countering the spread of revolutionary and anti-war literature within the steel highways of the Russian Empire in the last quarter of the 19th – early 20th centuries. Based on an analysis of the records of the gendarmerie railway police, two main directions of the gendarmes’ struggle with anti-government publications were identified - supervisory activities and obtaining information from secret informants. The importance of countering the spread of illegal publications on railways was determined by the concentration of passengers within their infrastructure. This struggle took on particular significance during the First World War, when the activity of agitators was aimed at instilling pacifist sentiments among the lower ranks and officers. Through the press, revolutionaries criticized the tsarist government and the decisions it made; discredited the imperial family and the ruling dynasties of countries allied with Russia. The Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs notified the railway gendarmerie police departments (GPUZD) about the admission of representatives of public organizations and publishing houses to railway stations. The legality of the activities of literature distributors was checked by gendarmerie officials. Often, agitators resorted to subterfuge, handing over revolutionary literature under covers that did not arouse suspicion. The supervision of the gendarmerie railway police also covered events held at mobile exhibition carriages and lecture carriages. The books and brochures given to their visitors were studied. The largest number of prohibited publications was identified during inspections of library bookcases located at railway stations. To discover hidden copies, it was allowed to send informants to librarians with a request to provide prohibited literature for reading. The provision of such a service by a librarian became the basis for a careful inspection of the institution entrusted to him. The interaction of railway gendarmes with informants was not limited to the supervision of libraries. Information was received from agents among the revolutionaries about cargoes of illegal literature transported by rail. The names of such cargo in the accompanying documentation were distorted by the senders. Cases of railway employees assisting in the transportation of revolutionary literature on trains were revealed. It was concluded that the gendarmerie implemented a wide range of measures aimed at suppressing the spread of harmful literature within the railway infrastructure entrusted to them. At the same time, the depth of the socio-political crisis in Russia, which ended with the destruction of the empire in 1917, did not allow the gendarmes to radically influence the spread of revolutionary agitation.

Saint Catherine’s Cathedral in Ekaterinburg and Disputes over the Common Good

Studying the project to rebuild Saint Catherine’s cathedral in Ekaterinburg, originally demolished in 1930, allows us to trace the development of relations between the Russian Orthodox Church, political power, elites and the general population of the Ural capital since the early 1990s. Three successive proposals for different building sites pitted part of the city’s population against local political authorities and the eparchy. The protest movement culminated in May 2019, after the authorities decided to build the cathedral in a public garden in the city centre. The demonstrations, reminiscent of other “liminal protest practices” in Russia, were not anti-clerical. Instead, both sides defended what they considered to be the “common good,” and Orthodox believers could be found on both sides. This study, based mainly on fieldwork conducted in September 2019, shows how a public garden became a theatre of controversy fuelled by the memory of the assassination of the imperial family and religious persecution. It describes the conflictualisation of spaces within the city as a result of political radicalisation.