The article is devoted to the questions of compliance of the act of the Emperor Nicholas II dated the 2nd March 1917 about abdication and the act of the Grand duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich dated the 3rd March 1917 about refusal from the Throne to the norms of State law of the Russian Empire. The analysis of the theory and practice of rules of a succession in Russia since the time of Ivan IV to Nicholas II is presented. A particular attention is paid to the rules of succession established by Peter I and Paul I. A question of status of the Russian Emperor according to the Fundamental laws of the Russian Empire is partially investigated. A detailed analysis of the acts of Nicholas II and Mikhail regarding their compliance to the imperial legislation is given; an attempt to show a role of these documents in discredit of ideology of the Russian monarchy is done.

The article is devoted to the questions of compliance of the act of the Emperor Nicholas II dated the 2nd March 1917 about abdication and the act of the Grand duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich dated the 3rd March 1917 about refusal from the Throne to the norms of State law of the Russian Empire. The analysis of the theory and practice of rules of a succession in Russia since the time of Ivan IV to Nicholas II is presented. A particular attention is paid to the rules of succession established by Peter I and Paul I. A question of status of the Russian Emperor according to the Fundamental laws of the Russian Empire is partially investigated. A detailed analysis of the acts of Nicholas II and Mikhail regarding their compliance to the imperial legislation is given; an attempt to show a role of these documents in discredit of ideology of the Russian monarchy is done.