Instruction: Fashioning an Audience

Abstract

The introduction of social gatherings in the houses of prominent nobles, and the other developments which this entailed, such as new forms of interaction (most notably dancing) and the conspicuous inclusion of women in social events for the first time in Russia, placed the Russian elite in unfamiliar territory. This social disorientation was compounded by the enforced changes in everyday clothing and personal grooming for the urban population, which altered the process of personal interaction, not only between men and women, but also between different social groups. As a result of these changes, the Russian elite had to adapt to the requirements of the new social situation and this chapter examines some of the key elements in this process. Education was central to many of Peter I’s plans for the Russian nobility, particularly in relation to their envisaged role as a service elite. Although Peter’s main educational interests were practical, stressing skills that were of interest to him personally and were considered ‘useful’ for the state, social skills were an important part of noble education in order to promote Russian interests in the diplomatic and commercial spheres. This approach further developed under his successors, with the establishment of specialist academies like the Cadet Corps which, although intended to provide a mainly military education for young noblemen, provided instruction in dancing and other skills useful in a social setting.