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Collegiums creation decree issued
On December 11 (22), 1717 was issued the tsar’s decree “On collegiums and the time of their opening” that initiated the reform of central governing bodies. Collegiums were headed by presidents and vice presidents. The decree stated: “All the presidents should start to create its Collegiums and offices, but not to start functioning until 1719, and from the following year to start governing their Collegiums. And if a new way of management is not mastered yet, then manage in the old manner during 1719 and from 1720 – in a new one”.
Collegiums replaced Prikazy that existed in Muskovy and Russia in 16-17th centuries and in comparison with them had more strict segregation of duties. At first there were established the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, Collegium of Financial Inspection and Control, Collegium of Justice, Collegiums of Commerce and of War, of Estates, of States Expenses, of the Navy, of Manufacturing.
The Collegium of Foreign Affairs that replaced the Embassy Prikaz was in charge of “various embassy and foreign affairs”, of relations and negotiations with foreign ambassadors, coordinated the diplomatic agents’ activity, carried out a diplomatic correspondence. The Collegium characteristic was that it “was not in charge of any cases for a trial”.
The Collegium of States Expenses supervised all kinds of taxes (customs, public houses, etc.), oversaw tillage, collected information on market and prices, controlled salt mines and monetary business.
The Collegium of Justice carried out legal functions regarding criminal cases, civil and fiscal cases, headed the branching juridical network which consisted of provincial lower and municipal courts and the courts for the lower classes. It was also the court of first instance for cases in dispute.
The Collegium of Financial Inspection and Control was ordered to exercise control over the state means usage by central and local authorities “in order to establish the correct income and expenditure and the revision of all financial cases”.
The Collegium of War was entrusted with the administration of “all military businesses”: the recruitment for the regular army, the Cossacks management, organization of hospitals, provisions for the army. The Collegium of War structure included the war justice which contained regimental and general’s courts.
The Collegium of Navy was in charge of “the fleet including all the sea military employees, sea departments and offices”. It included the Naval and Navy offices, as well as Uniform, Academic, Channel offices and Civil shipyard.
The Collegium of Commerce assisted to the development of all trade sectors especially the foreign one. The Collegium carried out the custom supervision, composed the custom regulations and rates, oversaw the correctness of weights and measures, constructed and equipped merchant ships, functioned as a court.
The Collegium of Estates controlled the state expenses, provided the state personnel (emperor’s personnel, personnel for all the Collegiums, provinces). It had its own provincial bodies – local Treasuries.
Berg Collegium was united with Manufacture Collegium up to 1722 “due to the likeness of their functions and duties”. Berg Collegium was in charge of metallurgic industry, management of mints, purchase of gold and silver abroad, juridical functions within its competence. Manufacture Collegium treated the issues of the entire industrial sector excluding the mining, and it managed the manufactures in Moscow province, central and North-Eastern parts of Volga region and Siberia.
The number and competence of the Collegiums repeatedly changed during the 18th century. At first there were nine Collegiums, then the number increased up to twelve. Among the Collegiums Chairmen were such eminent figures of Peter’s reign as A.D. Menshikov, G.I. Golovkin, F.M. Apraksin, Ya. F. Dolgorukiy, etc.
In 1802 the Collegiums were replaced with Ministries and a part of the building they occupied was given to the General Pedagogical University which was transformed into the St.-Petersburg University in 1819.
Lit.: Анисимов Е. В. Государственные преобразования и самодержавие Петра Великого в первой четверти XVIII века. СПб., 1997; Исаев И. А. История государства и права России. М., 2006; Пескова Г. Н., Турилова С. Л. Коллегия иностранных дел в XVIII в. // Дипломатический вестник. 2001. № 2.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Берендтс Э. Н. Барон А. Х. ф. Люберас и его записка об устройстве коллегий в России. СПб., 1891;