PROTECTION OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY IN THE SECURITY SYSTEM OF ALEXANDER III
Authors:   Academy of the Federal Guard Service of the Russian Federation, GREBENKIN A.N. , LARIN A.A. ,   Central Russian Institute of Management, Branch of RANEPA
Published: December 2024

The aim of the study is to characterize the place of the Guard of His Imperial Majesty in the system of ensuring the safety of life and health of Emperor Alexander III and members of his family in 1881-1894. The authors focus on the problem of organizing the interaction of the Guard of His Imperial Majesty with representatives of the military and naval departments, police, the Ministry of Railways and other structures that participated in ensuring the safety of Emperor Alexander III. The work is based on a set of general, general scientific, general logical and special historical methods of scientific research. When analyzing regulatory legal acts, the formal-legal method was used. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the fact that for the first time in Russian historical science, the interaction of the royal guard and other structures is substantively characterized. Their joint activities made it possible to ensure the safety of life and health of Alexander III and members of his family in the context of continuing terrorist threats.
The methodology for considering the topic may include several key components and approaches. It is important to take into account the historical context, the specifics of the protection of sovereigns, as well as the influence of political, social and economic factors. The method of comparative analysis can help to identify similar characteristics of the methods of protection of Emperor Alexander III with other structures, both inside Russia and abroad. This comparison allows us to identify unique features and identify common trends. The work analyzes the factors that hindered the coordinated joint work of representatives of various departments for the protection of the royal family. The multi-level methodology will allow us to better understand the system of protection of His Imperial Majesty, but also its place in the broader political and social structure of Russia during the reign of Alexander III. Without an integrated approach, it is impossible to create a complete picture of how concern for the safety of the monarch influenced the development of the Russian state and society as a whole.
The authors come to a reasoned conclusion that the need to seek assistance from military and police structures was primarily due to the discrepancy between the forces and means at the disposal of the Chief of the Guard of His Imperial Majesty and the scale of the tasks he was solving. The article draws attention to the fact that one of the factors that made it possible to organize effective joint work of security, military and police structures were informal connections between their leaders. Due to these connections, bureaucratic procedures were reduced to a minimum. Joint work with officials of the Separate Corps of Gendarmes and Police took place without significant difficulties. All problems that complicated cooperation with the Navy Department regarding the protection of the Peterhof roadstead were eliminated by 1883. However, friction and even open conflicts arose in the process of interaction with military units. In a number of cases, officers arbitrarily interpreted the rules prescribed to them, and the lower ranks were poorly acquainted with them and, at the slightest doubt, prohibited passage or travel. It was also impossible to establish constructive cooperation with the railway department officials, who ignored the prohibitions and restrictions emanating from both the employees of the Guard of His Imperial Majesty and the troops. The article ends with the conclusion that every conflict situation that arose during the interaction of the officials of the Guard of His Imperial Majesty with representatives of other structures involved in ensuring the security of Alexander III and members of his family could have led to the death of the protected persons.