Famous official and reformer Mikhail Speransky (life: 1772-1839) is known as the author of several programs to change the legislation of Russia at the beginning of the 19th century. He survived the peak and decline of his career, not all of his ideas were implemented, but it is his name that is synonymous with the liberal direction in which our state could develop under Alexander I and Nicholas I.
Childhood
The future major statesman Mikhail Speransky was born on January 1, 1772 in the Vladimir province. He was of humble origin - his father worked in the church, and his mother was the daughter of a deacon. It was the parents who most of all influenced the character and interests of the child. He learned to read and write quickly and read a lot. Misha was greatly influenced by his grandfather, who went to church a lot, and also introduced his grandson to such important books as The Book of Hours and The Apostle.
Even after his rise, Mikhail Speransky did not forget about his origin. As secretary of state, he himself cleaned his chambers and was generally distinguished by modesty in his life and habits.
Mikhail began his systematic education in 1780 within the walls of the Vladimir Diocesan Seminary. Exactly therethanks to his outstanding abilities, the boy was first recorded under the name of Speransky, which was a tracing-paper from the Latin adjective, translated as "hopeful." The father of the child was Vasiliev. Mikhail Speransky immediately stood out from the general mass of students with his ingenuity, desire to learn, love of reading, as well as a modest but firm character. The seminary allowed him to learn Latin and Ancient Greek.
Moving to Petersburg
Mikhail could have stayed in Vladimir and started a church career. He even became a cell attendant at the local abbot. But already in 1788, as one of the brightest and most talented students, Speransky got the opportunity to go to St. Petersburg and continue his studies at the Alexander Nevsky Seminary. This institution was under the direct control of the Synod. New programs were developed here and the best teachers taught.
In the new place, Speransky Mikhail Mikhailovich studied not only theology, but also secular disciplines, including higher mathematics, physics, philosophy and French, which at that time was international. Strict discipline reigned in the seminary, thanks to which the students developed the skills of many hours of intensive mental work. After Speransky learned to read in French, he became interested in the works of the scientists of this country. Access to the best and latest books has made the young seminarian one of the most educated people in the country.
In 1792, Speransky Mikhail Mikhailovich graduated from his studies. He stayed at the seminary, where he spent several yearsteacher of mathematics, philosophy and eloquence. In his free time, he was fond of fiction, and also wrote poetry. Some of them were published in St. Petersburg magazines. All the activities of the seminary teacher betrayed in him a versatile person with the broadest outlook.
Beginning of civil service
In 1795, the young Speransky, on the recommendation of Metropolitan Gabriel, was hired by Alexander Kurakin. He was a prominent metropolitan official and diplomat. With the accession to the throne of Paul I, he was appointed prosecutor general. Kurakin needed a secretary who could handle a large amount of work. Speransky Mikhail Mikhailovich was such a person. In short, he preferred a secular career to a career within the Church. At the same time, the seminary did not want to part with a talented teacher. The Metropolitan invited him to take monastic vows, after which Speransky could count on the title of bishop. However, he refused and in 1797 received the rank of titular adviser in the office of the prosecutor general.
Very quickly the official ascended the career ladder. In just a couple of years, he became a state councilor. The biography of Speransky Mikhail Mikhailovich is a story of rapid elevation in the service due to his unique capacity for work and talent. These qualities allowed him not to fawn before his superiors, which became the reason for his unquestioning authority in the future. Indeed, Speransky worked primarily for the benefit of the state, and only then thought about his own interests.
Rise of the Reformer
In 1801, Alexander I became the new emperor of Russia. He was radically different from his despotic father Paul, who was known for his military manners and conservative views. The new monarch was a liberal and wanted to carry out in his country all the reforms that were necessary for the normal development of the state. In general, they consisted in expanding the freedoms of the population.
Mikhail Speransky had the same views. The biography of this figure is extremely curious: he met Alexander I when he was still the heir to the throne, and the official was engaged in the arrangement of St. Petersburg, being a state adviser. Young people immediately found a common language, and the future tsar did not forget the figure of a bright native of the Vladimir province. With accession to the throne, Alexander I appointed Speransky as Secretary of State under Dmitry Troshchinsky. This man was a senator and one of the new emperor's confidants.
Soon the activities of Mikhail Speransky attracted the attention of the members of the Private Committee. These were the statesmen closest to Alexander, united in one circle to work out decisions on urgent reforms. Speransky became an assistant to the famous Viktor Kochubey.
In the Private Committee
Already in 1802, thanks to the Unspoken Committee, Alexander I established ministries. They replaced the outdated and inefficient collegiums of the Petrine era. Kochubey became the first Minister of the Interior, and Speransky became his Secretary of State. He was an ideal clerical worker: he worked withpapers for tens of hours a day. Soon Mikhail Mikhailovich began to write his own notes to the highest officials, in which he set out his thoughts on the projects of various reforms.
Here it would not be superfluous to mention once again that Speransky's views were formed by reading French thinkers of the 18th century: Voltaire, etc. The liberal ideas of the secretary of state found a response from the authorities. He was soon appointed head of the reform drafting department.
It was under the leadership of Mikhail Mikhailovich that the main provisions of the famous "Decree on free cultivators" were formulated. This was the first timid step of the Russian government towards the abolition of serfdom. According to the decree, the nobles could now release the peasants along with the land. Despite the fact that this initiative found very little response from the privileged class, Alexander was pleased with the work done. He instructed to start developing a plan for fundamental reforms in the country. Speransky Mikhail Mikhailovich was placed at the head of this process. A brief biography of this statesman is amazing: he, having no connections, was able to get to the top of the political Olympus of Russia only thanks to his own abilities and hard work.
In the period from 1803 to 1806. Speransky became the author of a large number of notes delivered to the emperor. In the papers, the secretary of state analyzed the then state of the judiciary and executive power. The main proposal of Mikhail Mikhailovich was to change the statebuilding. According to his notes, Russia was to become a constitutional monarchy, where the emperor was deprived of absolute power. These projects remained unrealized, but Alexander approved many of Speransky's theses. Thanks to his enormous work, this official also completely changed the language of clerical communication in government structures. He abandoned numerous archaisms of the 19th century, and his thoughts on paper, devoid of unnecessary things, were clear and as clear as possible.
Emperor's Assistant
In 1806, Alexander I made the former seminarian his chief assistant, "taking" him away from Kochubey. The emperor needed just such a person as Speransky Mikhail Mikhailovich. A brief biography of this civil servant cannot do without a description of his relationship with the monarch. Alexander valued Speransky primarily for his isolation from various aristocratic circles, each of which lobbied for its own interests. This time, Mikhail's humble origins played into his hands. He began to receive instructions personally from the king.
In this status, Speransky took up education in theological seminaries - a topic personally close to him. He became the author of the charter that regulated all the activities of these institutions. These rules successfully existed until 1917. Another important undertaking by Speransky as an auditor of Russian education was the drafting of a note in which he outlined the principles of the work of the future Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. This institution has taught the color of the nation for several generations - young men from the most venerable aristocratic families. HisAlexander Pushkin was also a graduate.
Diplomatic Service
At the same time, Alexander I was very busy with foreign policy. Going to Europe, he invariably took Speransky with him. So it was in 1807, when the Congress of Erfurt took place with Napoleon. It was then that Europe first learned who Mikhail Speransky was. A brief biography of this official necessarily mentions his skills as a polyglot. But before 1807 he had never been abroad.
Now, thanks to his knowledge of languages and his education, Speransky was able to pleasantly surprise all the foreign delegations that were present in Erfurt. Napoleon himself drew attention to Alexander's assistant and even allegedly jokingly asked the Russian emperor to change the talented secretary of state "for some kingdom." But abroad, Speransky was also noted for the practical benefits of his own stay in the delegation. He took part in the discussion and conclusion of peace between France and Russia. However, the political situation in Europe was shaky then, and these agreements were soon forgotten.
Zenith career
Speransky spent a lot of time working on drafting the requirements for entering the civil service. The knowledge of many officials did not correspond to the level of their position. The reason for this situation was the widespread practice of recruitment through family ties. Therefore, Speransky proposed to introduce exams for people wishing to become officials. Alexander agreed with this idea, and soon thesenorms became law.
With the accession of Finland to Russia, Speransky began to lead the reforms in the new province. There was no conservative nobility here, so it was in this country that Alexander was able to realize his most daring liberal ideas. In 1810 the Council of State was established. The post of state secretary also appeared, which was Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky. The activity of the reformer was not in vain. Now he has officially become the second person in the state.
Opala
Speransky's numerous reforms affected almost all spheres of the country's life. Somewhere the changes were radical, which was resisted by the inert part of society. The nobles did not like Mikhail Mikhailovich, because because of his activities, it was their interests that suffered in the first place. By 1812, a group of ministers and associates appeared at the court of the sovereign, who began to intrigue against Speransky. They spread false rumors about him, such as that he allegedly criticized the emperor. With the approach of the war, many detractors began to recall his connection with Napoleon in Erfurt.
In March 1812, Mikhail Speransky was dismissed from all his posts. He was ordered to leave the capital. In fact, he ended up in exile: first in Nizhny Novgorod, then in the Novgorod province. A few years later, he nevertheless achieved the removal of disgrace.
In 1816 he was appointed governor of Penza. Mikhail Speransky, in short, did not know this region well. However, thanks to theirorganizational skills, he was able to become the guarantor of order in the province. The local population fell in love with the former secretary of state.
After Penza, the official ended up in Irkutsk, where he worked as a Siberian governor from 1819 to 1821. Here the state of affairs was even more neglected than in Penza. Speransky took up the arrangement: he developed charters for the management of national minorities and the conduct of economic activities.
Back in St. Petersburg
In 1821 Mikhail Mikhailovich found himself in St. Petersburg for the first time in many years. He achieved a meeting with Alexander I. The emperor made it clear that the old days, when Speransky was the second person in the state, are over. Nevertheless, he was appointed head of the commission for the drafting of laws. This was precisely the position in which it was possible to most effectively apply all the experience that Mikhail Speransky had. The historical portrait of this man shows him as an outstanding reformer. So he went back to transforming.
First of all, the official finished the Siberian affairs. According to his notes, an administrative reform was carried out. Siberia was divided into Western and Eastern. In the last years of his reign, Alexander I devoted a lot of time to the arrangement of military settlements. Now Speransky, who, together with Alexei Arakcheev, headed the relevant commission, has also taken up the task.
Under Nicholas I
In 1825, Alexander I died. There was an unsuccessful performanceDecembrists. Speransky was entrusted with drawing up the Manifesto on the beginning of the reign of Nicholas I. The new ruler appreciated the merits of Speransky, despite the fact that he had his own political opinion. The famous official remained a liberal. The tsar was a conservative, and the revolt of the Decembrists turned him even more against the reforms.
In the Nikolaev years, the main work of Speransky was the compilation of a complete set of laws of the Russian Empire. The multi-volume edition brought together a huge number of decrees, the first of which appeared in the 17th century. In January 1839, thanks to his merits, Speransky received the title of count. However, already on February 11, he died at the age of 67.
His ebullient and productive activity became the engine of Russian reforms in the first years of the reign of Alexander I. At the zenith of his career, Speransky fell into undeserved disgrace, but later returned to his duties. He faithfully served the state, despite any hardships.
