Conflict between the Heads of the Construction Chancellery (1722–1726) in the Context of the Formation of Peter the Great’s System of Public Administration

Abstract

This article studies the functioning of the Construction Chancellery (Chancellery of City Affairs), the most important urban planning institution in the Russian Empire in the early eighteenth century. The significance of this topic lies in the need to expand our understanding of the Construction Chancellery’s role within the ruling system of St Petersburg province. Additionally, it is crucial to examine the mechanisms through which the political elite fostered social ties during the process of state-building. In this article, the author presents and analyses the materials of the investigative process that took place in 1722–1726 between Captain I. S. Almazov and U. A. Senyavin, the director (chief commissar) of the Construction Chancellery, which has never been done previously either in Russian or international scholarship. The source material has been meticulously stored in the Senate Fund (No. 248) of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA, Moscow). This comprehensive collection provides insights into the intricate relationship between the two pivotal leaders of the urban planning department. Additionally, it sheds light on the major challenges encountered during the execution of Peter I’s ambitious construction projects, which significantly contributed to the state reform process. During the analysis of the materials from the judicial investigation process, which went through three instances over five years (the Admiralty Collegium prosecutor I. F. Kozlov, the Supreme Court, and the Senate), as well as the paperwork from the Construction Chancellery and personal funds of state officials, the author established that the conflict between I. S. Almazov and U. A. Senyavin was caused not so much by the latter’s incredible abuses as by the personal ambitions of the parties and the global problems of the system of government created by Peter I. Statesmen encountered numerous challenges, which proved to be beyond their individual capacities. The construction of a magnificent city and opulent royal palaces represented an immense undertaking for Peter’s administration and the nation’s population.

Key findings

• ▸The conflict between Almazov and Senyavin offers a unique perspective on internal dynamics within the Construction Chancellery that had been overlooked by previous scholarship.
• ▸Archival materials from the Senate Fund (No. 248) provide critical evidence regarding the mechanisms of social tie formation among the political elite during state-building.
• ▸The study reveals the intricate relationship between pivotal leaders of the urban planning department and their impact on the formation of St. Petersburg's administrative system.

Keywords

Identifiers

DOI

10.15826/izv2.2025.27.4.070

Journal

Izvestia of the Ural federal university. Series 2. Humanities and Arts

Year

2026