The title page of the Nakaz.

Nakaz or the Instruction of Catherine the Great (Russian: Наказ комиссии о составлении проекта нового уложения) was a statement of legal principles authored by Catherine II of Russia and permeated with the ideas of the French Enlightenment. It was compiled in order to serve as a guide for the All-Russian Legislative Commission, convened in 1767 with the purpose of replacing the mid-17th-century Muscovite code of laws by a modern law-book. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (896x600, 125 KB)[edit] Summary Nakaz, title page. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (896x600, 125 KB)[edit] Summary Nakaz, title page. ... Catherine II of Russia Catherine II of Russia, called the Great (Russian: Екатерина II Великая (Yekaterina II Velikaya), 2 May 1729 - 17 November [O.S. 6 November] 1796), born Sophie Augusta Frederike of Anhalt-Zerbst) — sometimes referred to as an epitome of the enlightened despot — reigned as Empress of Russia for more... The Age of Enlightenment refers to either the eighteenth century in European philosophy, or the longer period including the seventeenth century and the Age of Reason. ... 1767 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Sobornoye Ulozheniye was a legal code promulgated in 1649 by the Zemsky Sobor as a replacement for the Sudebnik of Ivan the Terrible. ...

The Instruction proclaimed the equality of all men before the law and disapproved of death penalty and torture, thus anticipating some of the issues raised by the later United States Constitution and the Polish Constitution. Although the ideas of absolutism were emphatically upheld, the stance towards serfdom is more blurry: the chapter about peasants was retouched a number of times, as Catherine's views on the subject evolved. The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. ... May 3rd Constitution (painting by Jan Matejko, 1891). ... The term absolutism can mean: A belief in absolute truth moral absolutism, the belief that there is some absolute standard of right and wrong political absolutism, a political system where one person holds absolute power, also called apolytarchy from Gr. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Catherine worked on the Instruction for two years. In 1766, she showed the manuscript to her closest advisors, Nikita Panin and Grigory Orlov, asking them to make changes as they thought necessary. In its final version, the Instruction consists of 22 chapters and 655 articles, which embrace various spheres of state, criminal, and civil law and procedure. More than 400 articles are copied verbatim from the works of Montesquieu, Beccaria, and other contemporary thinkers. Count Nikita Ivanovich Panin (Никита Иванович Панин) (September 18, 1718 - March 31, 1783) was an influential Russian statesman and political mentor to Catherine the Great for the first eighteen years of her reign. ... Count Grigory Orlov Orlov (Орлов) is the name of a Russian noble family which produced several distinguished statesmen, diplomatists and soldiers. ... Montesquieu can refer to: Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu Several communes of France: Montesquieu, in the Hérault département Montesquieu, in the Lot-et-Garonne département Montesquieu, in the Tarn-et-Garonne département This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... Cesare, Marquis of Beccaria (or the Marchese de Beccaria-Bonesana) (March 11, 1738 - November 28, 1794) was an Italian philosopher and politician. ...

In 1767, Catherine sent the German edition to Frederick II of Prussia and the French one to Voltaire. She wrote to one of her correspondents that "for the benefit of my Empire I pillaged President Montesquieu, without naming him in the text. I hope that if he had seen me at work, he would have forgiven this literary theft if only for the good of 20 million people which it may bring about. He loved the humanity too much to be offended; his book was my breviary". Frederick II of Prussia (German: ; January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) of Hohenzollern dynasty, ruled the Kingdom of Prussia from 1740 to 1786. ... Voltaire at 24 years of age by Nicolas de Largillière. ... Montesquieu can refer to: Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu Several communes of France: Montesquieu, in the Hérault département Montesquieu, in the Lot-et-Garonne département Montesquieu, in the Tarn-et-Garonne département This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages...

The extant manuscript of the Instruction was written by Catherine in French. There is also a Russian translation by herself. On 10 August 1767 the Russian and German editions were printed in Moscow. The Latin and French editions followed in 1770. It should be noted that in 1769 Duc de Choiseul had the Instruction officially prohibited in France as a "libertarian book". August 10 is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1767 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... Étienne-François, duc de Choiseul, French diplomat and statesman Étienne-François, duc de Choiseul (June 28, 1719 — May 8, 1785) was a French statesman. ...

The Instruction generated much discussion among Russian intellectuals and exerted considerable influence on the course of the Russian Enlightenment. It was in this document that the basic tenets of the French Enlightenment were articulated in Russian for the first time. Catherine's work had little practical value however: the Legislative Commission failed to outline the new code of laws and the Instruction never circulated in Russia outside Moscow and St. Petersburg. Mikeshins Monument to Catherine the Great in front of the Alexandrine Theatre in St. ...

Denis Diderot, who visited Russia in 1774, penned an extensive critique of the Nakaz — Observations sur le Nakaz — which opens with a famous contention: "There is no true sovereign except the nation; there can be no true legislator except the people". Portrait of Diderot by Louis-Michel van Loo, 1767 Denis Diderot (October 5, 1713 – July 31, 1784) was a French philosopher and writer. ...

External links and references

• (Russian) Full text
• (Russian) Catherine II and her Nakaz