The state doctrine of internal security of Russia in the 17th – first third of the 18th centuries

The aim of the study is to reconstruct the state doctrine of internal security in Russia in the second half of the 17th — first third of the 18th centuries. The core of the internal security system during this period is defined by the concept of blagochiniye. The author traces the evolution of the concept of security and the relationship between the transformation of state institutions and changes in the content of this concept. The relevance of the study stems from the need to comprehend the cultural and historical roots and values of the Russian people associated with the concepts of security and the state. The methodological foundation of the work is the institutional approach; the historical‑genetic and formal‑legal methods were employed to achieve the research objectives. Prior to the 19th century, the key term describing the maintenance of public order was blagochiniye, as the concept of security had not yet been used in regulatory acts. This term was adopted into regulatory practice from church usage and was already recorded in the mid‑17th century. During the reign of Peter I, a synthesis of Western European and domestic traditions in the understanding of security took place. Under the influence of rationalism and the Enlightenment, new institutions were created, including the police. Initially, the Russian police differed in scope from their Western European counterparts: their tasks were broader and included not only the protection of order, but also monitoring societal loyalty, as well as sanitary and economic functions. In the regulatory acts of the first half of the 18th century, the term blagochiniye gradually gave way to the term police, which became a comprehensive analogue of the concept of «security». The author concludes that security was primarily interpreted as the protection of state and treasury interests, rather than the rights of society and citizens. The formation of the internal security system was driven by the need to maintain autocratic order and prevent threats that could disrupt the established social structure. The theoretical and practical significance of the study lies in clarifying the semantics and functional meaning of the term blagochiniye. The research also identifies elements of Western European borrowings and indigenous civilizational foundations in the development of Russia’s security system.