See also:

• COUNT (Lat. comes, gen. comitis, Fr. comte, Ital. conte, Span. conde)

COUNT MIKHAIL MIKHAILOVICH See also:

• COUNT MIKHAIL MIKHAILOVICH SPERANSKI (1772-1839)

SPERANSKI (1772-1839)  , See also:

• RUSSIAN

Russian statesman, the son of a See also:

• VILLAGE

village See also:

• PRIEST (Ger. Priester, Fr. pretre)

priest, spent his See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early days at the ecclesiastical See also:

• SEMINARY (Lat. seminarium, from semen, seed)

seminary in St See also:

• PETERSBURG

Petersburg, where he See also:

• ROSE
• ROSE (Rosa)
• ROSE, GEORGE (1744-1818)
• ROSE, HUGH JAMES (1795—1838)
• ROSE, WILLIAM STEWART (1775-1843)

rose to be See also:

• PROFESSOR (the Latin noun formed from the verb profiteri, to declare publicly, to acknowledge, profess)

professor of See also:

• MATHEMATICS (Gr. /saBnµar1Kil, Sc. vOcvn or E7rlQTt'µn; from p iN.La, "learning" or "science ")

mathematics and physics . His brilliant intellectual qualities attracted the See also:

• ATTENTION (from Lat. ad-tendo, await, expect; the condition of being " stretched " or " tense ")

attention of the See also:

• GOVERNMENT
• GOVERNMENT (0. Fr. governement, mod. gouvernement, O. Fr. governer, mod. gouverner, from Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, guide, rule; cf. Gr. xv(3epvav)

government, and he became secretary to See also:

• PRINCE
• PRINCE (Lat. princeps, from primus capio, " I am the first to take "; Ital. principe, Fr. prince)

Prince See also:

• KURAKIN, BORIS IVANOVICH, PRINCE (1676–r727)

Kurakin . He soon became known as the most competent of the imperial officials . The most important phase of his career opened in 18o6, when the See also:

• EMPEROR (Fr. empereur, from the Lat. imperator)

emperor See also:

• ALEXANDER
• ALEXANDER (1461-1506)
• ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OF BATTENBERG) (1857-1893)
• ALEXANDER (ALEXANDER OsxENOVici) (1876-1903)
• ALEXANDER, ARCHIBALD (1772—1851)
• ALEXANDER, FRANCIS (1800—1881)
• ALEXANDER, GEORGE (1858— )
• ALEXANDER, JOHN WHITE (1856- )
• ALEXANDER, JOSEPH ADDISON (18o9—186o)
• ALEXANDER, SIR JAMES EDWARD (1803—1885)
• ALEXANDER, WILLIAM (1824— )
• ALEXANDER, WILLIAM LINDSAY (1808—1884)

Alexander I. took him with him to the See also:

• CONFERENCE

conference of See also:

• ERFURT

Erfurt and put him into See also:

• DIRECT

direct communication with See also:

• NAPOLEON

Napoleon, who described him as " the only clear See also:

• HEAD (in 0. Eng. heafad; the word is common to Teutonic languages; cf. Dutch hoofd, Ger. Haupt, generally taken to be in origin connected with Lat. caput, Gr. KerbOvi7)
• HEAD, SIR EDMUND WALKER, BART
• HEAD, SIR FRANCIS BOND, BART

head in See also:

• RUSSIA
• RUSSIA (Rossiya)

Russia " and at the instance of Alexander had many conversations with him on the question of Russian administrative reform . The result of these interviews was a See also:

• SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of projects of reform, including a constitutional See also:

• SYSTEM

system based on a series of See also:

• DUMAS, ALEXANDRE
• DUMAS, ALEXANDRE [" DUMAS FILS"] (1824-1895)
• DUMAS, GUILLAUME MATHIEU, COUNT (1753-1837)
• DUMAS, JEAN BAPTISTE ANDRE (1800-1884)

dumas, the cantonal See also:

• ASSEMBLY, UNLAWFUL

assembly (voles') electing the duma of the See also:

• DISTRICT

district, the dumas of the districts electing that of the See also:

• PROVINCE
• PROVINCE (Lat. provincia; perhaps a contraction of providentia)

province or government, and these electing the Duma of the See also:

• EMPIRE

empire . As mediating See also:

• POWER [WILLIAM GRATTAN] TYRONE (1797-1841)

power between the autocrat and the Duma there was to be a nominated See also:

• COUNCIL (Lat. concilium, from cum, together, and the root cal, to call)

council of See also:

• STATE
• STATE, GREAT OFFICERS OF

state . This See also:

• PLAN
• PLAN (from Lat. planes, flat)

plan, worked out by See also:

• SPERANSKI, COUNT MIKHAIL MIKHAILOVICH (1772-1839)

Speranski in 'Soo, was for the most See also:

• PART

part stillborn, only the council of the empire coming into existence in See also:

• JANUARY

January 181o; but it none the less, to quote M . Chesle,l dominated the constitutional See also:

• HISTORY

history of Russia in the 19th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century and the early years of the 20th . The Duma of the empire created in 1905 bears the name suggested by Speranski, and the institution of See also:

• LOCAL

local self-government (the zemstvos) in 1864 was one of the reforms proposed by him . Speranski's labours also See also:

• BORE

bore See also:

• FRUIT (through the French from the Lat. fructus; frui, to enjoy)

fruit in the constitutions granted by Alexander to See also:

• FINLAND (Finnish, Suomi or Suomenmaa)

Finland and See also:

• POLAND (Polish Polska, Ger. Polen), (see POLAND, RUSSIAN, below)
• POLAND, RUSSIAN

Poland . From 1809 to 1812 Speranski was all-powerful in Russia, so far as any See also:

• MINISTER (Lat. minister, servant)

minister of a See also:

• SOVEREIGN

sovereign so suspicious and so unstable as Alexander could be so described . He replaced the earlier favourites, members of the " unofficial See also:

• COMMITTEE (from commute, an Anglo-Fr. past participle of commettre, Lat. committere, to entrust; the modern Fr. equivalent comite is derived from the Eng.)

committee," in the See also:

• TSAR, or CZAR

tsar's confidence, becoming practically See also:

• SOLE (Solea)

sole minister, all questions being laid by him alone before the emperor and usually settled at once by the two between them .

Even the once all-powerful See also:

• WAR
• WAR (O. Eng. werre, Fr. guerre, of Teutonic origin; cf. O.H.G. werran, to confound)

war-minister Arakcheyev was thrust into the background . Speranski used his immense See also:

• INFLUENCE (Late Lat. influentia, from influere, to flow in)

influence for no See also:

• PERSONAL

personal ends . He was an idealist; but in this very fact See also:

• LAY

lay the seeds of his failure . Alexander was also an idealist, but his ideals were See also:

• APT

apt to centre in himsgIf; his dislike and distrust of talents that overshadowed his own were disarmed for a while by the singular See also:

• CHARM (through the Fr. from the Lat. carmen, a song)

charm of Speranski's See also:

• PERSONALITY (from Lat. persona, originally an actor's mask, from personare,1 to sound through)

personality, but sooner or later he,. was See also:

• BOUND, or BOUNDARY (from O. Fr. bonde, Med. Lat. bodena or butina, a frontier line)

bound to discover that he himself was regarded. as but hemost potent See also:

• INSTRUMENT (Lat. instrumentum, from insincere, to build up, furnish, arrange, prepare)

instrument for the attainment of that ideal end, a regenerated Russia, which was his minister's sole preoccupation . In 1810 and the first See also:

• HALF

half of 1811 Speranski was still in high favour, and was the confidant of the emperor in that See also:

• SECRET (Lat. secretum, hidden, concealed)

secret See also:

• DIPLOMACY (Fr. diplomatic)

diplomacy which preceded the See also:

• BREACH (Mid. Eng. breche, derived from the common Teutonic root brec, which appears in " break," Ger. brechen, &c.)

breach of Russia with Napoleon.2 He had, however, committed one serious See also:

• MISTAKE (i.e. take amiss)

mistake . An ardent freemason himself, he conceived in 1809 the See also:

• IDEA (Gr. Ibia, connected with i&eiv, to see; cf. Lat. species from specere, to look at)

idea of reorganizing the See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order in Russia, with the See also:

• SPECIAL

special See also:

• OBJECT

object of using it to educate and elevate the Orthodox See also:

• CLERGY (M.E. clergie, O. Fr. clergie, from Low Lat. form clericia [Skean, by assimilation with O. Fr. clergie, Fr. clerge,from Low Lat. clericatus)
• CLERGY, BENEFIT OF

clergy . The emperor agreed to the first steps being taken, namely the suppression of the existing lodges; but he was naturally suspicious of secret See also:

• SOCIETIES, LEARNED

societies, even when ostensibly admitted to their secrets, and Speranski's abortive plan only resulted in adding the clergy to the number of his enemies . 1 Le See also:

• PARLEMENT (see PARLIAMENT)

Parlement russe (See also:

• PARIS
• PARIS (also called ALEXANDROS)
• PARIS, ALEXIS PAULIN (1800-x881)
• PARIS, BRUNO PAULIN GASTON (1839-1903)
• PARIS, FRANCOIS DE (169o-1727)
• PARIS, LOUIS PHILIPPE ALBERT
• PARIS, TREATIES OF (1814-1815)

Paris, 191o), p . 21 Schiemann, Gesch . Russlands, i . 77 . On the See also:

• EVE

eve of tht struggle with Napoleon, Alexander, conscious of his unpopularity, conceived the idea of making Speranski his scape-See also:

• GOAT (a common Teut. word; O. Eng. gat, Goth. gaits, Mod. Ger. Geiss, cognate with Lat. haedus, a kid)

goat, and so conciliating that Old Russian sentiment which would be the strongest support of the autocratic tsar against revolutionary See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France .

Speranski's own indiscretions gave the final impulse . He was surrounded with spies who reported, none too accurately, the minister's somewhat See also:

• SHARP, GRANVILLE (1735-1813)
• SHARP, JAMES (1618-1679)
• SHARP, JOHN (1645-1714)
• SHARP, RICHARD (1759-1835)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1749-1824)
• SHARP, WILLIAM (1856-1905)

sharp criticisms of the emperor's acts; he had even had the supreme presumption to advise Alexander not to take the See also:

• CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

chief command in the coming See also:

• CAMPAIGN

campaign . A number of persons in the entourage of the emperor, including the See also:

• GRAND

grand-duchess See also:

• CATHERINE
• CATHERINE, SAINT

Catherine, See also:

• KARAMZIN, NIKOLAI MIKHAILOVICH (1765-1826)

Karamzin, Rostopchin and the See also:

• SWEDISH

Swedish See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general See also:

• BARON
• BARON (1835-1895)
• BARON, MICHEL (1653—1729)

Baron . Armfield, intrigued to involve him in a See also:

• CHARGE
• CHARGE (through the Fr. from the Late Lat. carricare, to load in a carrus or wagon; cf. " cargo ")

charge of See also:

• TREASON (Fr. trahison, Lat. traditio)

treason) . Alexander did not See also:

• CREDIT (Lat. credere, to believe)

credit the charge, but he made Speranski responsible for the unpopularity incurred by himself in consequence of the hated reforms and the still more hated See also:

• FRENCH
• FRENCH, DANIEL CHESTER (1850– )
• FRENCH, NICHOLAS (1604-1678)

French policy, and on the 17th-29th of See also:

• MARCH
• MARCH (1) (from Fr. marcher, to walk; the earliest sense in French appears to be " to trample," and the origin has usually been found in the Lat. marcus, hammer; Low Lat. marcare, to hammer; hence to beat the road with the regular tread of a soldier: cf.
• MARCH, AUZIAS (c. "1395-1458)
• MARCH, EARLS OF
• MARCH, FRANCIS ANDREW (1825– )

March 1812 dismissed him from See also:

• OFFICE (from Lat. officium, " duty," " service," a shortened form of opifacium, from facere, " to do," and either the stem of opes, " wealth," " aid," or opus, " work ")

office . Reinstated in the public service in 1816, he was appointed See also:

• GOVERNOR (from the Fr. gouverneur, from gouverner, O. Fr. governer, Lat. gubernare, to steer a ship, to direct, guide)

governor-general of See also:

• SIBERIA

Siberia, for which he See also:

• DREW
• DREW, SAMUEL (1765-1833)

drew up a new See also:

• SCHEME (Lat. schema, Gr. oxfjya, figure, form, from the root axe, seen in exeiv, to have, hold, to be of such shape, form, &c.)

scheme of government, and in 1821 entered the council of state . Under See also:

• NICHOLAS
• NICHOLAS (1841– )
• NICHOLAS (or NICLAES), HENRY (or HENDRIK) (c. 1501-C. 158o)
• NICHOLAS, SIR EDWARD (1593-1669)
• NICHOLAS, ST

Nicholas I., he was engaged in the codification of the Russian See also:

• LAW
• LAW (0. Eng. lagu, M. Eng. lawe; from an old Teutonic root lag, " lie," what lies fixed or evenly; cf. Lat. lex, Fr. loi)
• LAW, JOHN (1671—1729)
• LAW, WILLIAM (1686-1761)

law (published in 1830 in 45 vols.), on which he also wrote some important commentaries . See the See also:

• BIOGRAPHY (from the Gr. (3ios, life, and yp&4 , writing)

biography (in Russian) by M . Korff (St Petersburg, 1861) . On his public See also:

• LIFE

life and constitutional reforms see Theodor Schiemann, Geschichte Russlands unter Kaiser Nikolaus I., Bd. i . Kaiser Alexander I. p . 75 seq .

(See also:

• BERLIN
• BERLIN, CONGRESS AND TREATY OF
• BERLIN, ISAIAH (1725–1799)

Berlin, 1904); See also:

• PIERRE

Pierre See also:

• CHASLES, VICTOR EUPHEMIEN PHILARETE (1798-1873)

Chasles, Le Parlement russe p . 19 seq . (Paris, 1910), and the See also:

• WORKS

works of V . Vagin (St Petersburg, 1872 and See also:

• MOSCOW (Russian Moskva)
• MOSCOW, (Russian Moskva)

Moscow, 1905) . See also:

• COUNT (Lat. comes, gen. comitis, Fr. comte, Ital. conte, Span. conde)

Count See also:

• NESSELRODE, KARL ROBERT, COUNT (178o-I862)

Nesselrode's letters to Speranski and many references are published in vol. iii. of the Lettres et pa piers du See also:

• COMTE, AUGUSTE [ISIDORE AUGUSTE MARIE FRANCOIS XAVIER] (1798-1857)

comte de Nesselrode .