From the biography:

Shuvalov, Pyotr Andreevich (1827 - 1889), count, was the St. Petersburg chief police chief, director of the department of general affairs of the Ministry of the Interior, manager of the III department of His Imperial Majesty's own chancellery, governor-general of the Ostsee region and from 1866 to 1874. the chief of the gendarmes; then he was ambassador in London, took part in the peaceful resolution of the complications that arose between Russia and England over the San Stefano Treaty, and was one of Russia's representatives at the Berlin Congress. By his convictions, he belonged to a strictly conservative party and was not sympathetic to the great reforms of the 1860s. Shuvalov's influence on internal politics such importance was attached that he was called "vice-emperor" and "Peter IV" ... From 1879 he did not hold any post. He died in St. Petersburg on March 10, 1889 at the age of 62.

"Overstretched Russia,

Peter got up in a sudden thunderstorm

nicknamed the fourth

Arakcheev is the second"

F.I. Tyutchev.

The year 1866 is considered to be a turning point in the domestic policy of Russia in the post-reform twenty years, the reformist tendencies are weakening, but the reactionary-protective one is intensifying. The fracture coincided with Karakozov's unsuccessful attempt on Al.II. And this situation led to the leader III branch P.A. Shuvalov, who tried to introduce legislative representation in the country. Shuvalov understood the need for bourgeois reforms, but coming from a rich and well-born local nobility, who stood close to the throne, and being a zealous defender of his class, he stood for such transformations that would preserve the leading position of the nobility as an estate in the new conditions. He was a supporter of the European path of development of Russia, an admirer of the English political system, namely, a limited constitutional monarchy with a bicameral parliament. This did not in the least prevent him from swearing allegiance to the principle of autocratic power when necessary. “An ardent admirer of the English order, an Angloman from head to toe”, Al.II about him: “cosmopolitan”, “Westernizer”, “constitutionalist”. Suvorin about him and his entourage: 1866-1874, as a group "drawing its ideals from European history, predominantly English" and striving to create a "Russian lordship". Shuvalov's constitutional views were very stable. Even on the eve of the abolition of serfdom in 1860, the fact that the peasants should receive land within the boundaries of their former use is, in his opinion, the basis for demanding political compensation by the nobility. Namely: - so that the local zemstvo self-government is transferred into the hands of the nobility, as the only European-educated class in the state. -to sovereignty shared its highest administrative, especially legislative functions with representatives of the highest nobility of the empire, from which, therefore, the highest legislative institution should be formed. Shuvalov was relentlessly pursued by the idea of ​​some kind of aristocratic constitution for Russia, for granting political rights to the nobility, of course, not to everyone, but to its highest strata! And he was not even averse to preparing an aristocratic constitution. And even at the end of his political career, he did not renounce his constitutional beliefs. Approving, subsequently, the activities of Loris-Melikov, he declared that he was a supporter of more decisive steps towards representative government. But after the manifesto of Al. III, about the inviolability of autocracy, he understood that his hopes were crumbling, he was sure of imminent constitutional changes. In the meantime, given the impossibility of introducing a bicameral parliament, try to take a possible step towards it by creating the beginnings of a central representation. The introduction of representative institutions was important, first of all, as a measure of strengthening the role of the nobility in the political life of the country. The foundations of his program were formulated by him in April 1866, in a note considered by the Gagarin commission. With the thesis of the need to strengthen government power. Here, the next thing was that it was necessary to energetically support and restore the nobility and land ownership, since without these elements, conservative and healthy, a properly organized society cannot exist. However, the first time of his activity, Shuvalov paid more attention to strengthening government power, and only from the beginning of the 70s began to implement his plan for the economic and political support of the nobility. Shuvalov's arrival in the III department and at the same time to the leadership internal politics coincided with an attempt to create a "conservative party" by the aristocratic part of the Russian nobility, an unsuccessful attempt, but strengthening the conservative grouping in the government. The program of this “conservative party” in society and government was very vague, with the exception of its main point: ensuring, in the new circumstances, the leading role of the nobility in all areas of economic, social and political life. It should be noted that Shuvalov's conservatism was the conservatism of the bourgeois era, when the direction of movement - along the capitalist path - had already been determined, and it could be a matter of preserving only some remnants of the former system. He stood for the conservative version of the bourgeois reforms. This is well characterized by his following statement in December 1873: “A small program has formed in my head, which I will express in a nutshell: all-estate, but not non-estate - a friendly combination of estates in the form of a common state benefit, but by no means their absorption into one impersonal the mass of the people. In the Ostsee region, the peasant is just as free as in the empire, but the landowner retained guardianship over the church, over the school, over the parish. These orders do not lead to evil, and I see no reason why we should not recognize them from there. Since Shuvalov was not prepared for a leading role in pursuing domestic policy, a specific political program did not take shape immediately, but only in the early 1970s. he defined a range of conservative measures in various areas inner life countries. Among them was a plan for political reform, a goal, the creation of representative institutions and the expansion of the political rights of the offended, as he believed, by the reform of 1861. nobility. The famous commission for the study of agriculture in Russia was supposed to prepare the introduction of a noble constitution from above. Shuvalov decided to prepare a practical basis for such a project, to create conditions for the convening of representatives would be inevitable, since the questions raised and in need of solution were of immediate concern to them. So, his next program is the expansion of the rights of the nobility and the Zemstvo, the latter in the field of solving economic problems, the closest of which is the problem of the community. 10 years have passed since the reform, and “it is high time to arrange a more European order of land tenure, in which agricultural culture and a rational economy would be conceivable”, i.e. recognized the destruction of communal land tenure as the key to solving the agrarian question. In September 1871, Shuvalov traveled around Russia with the emperor, saw repeated complaints about the harm caused to the economy of peasants by communal use, land ownership and obstacles to leaving the community, set peasant reform. Therefore, Shuvalov originally planned to convene representatives of the zemstvos to discuss one "major" issue. The chief of the gendarmes had serious reasons to count on the implementation of his program, including political reform. By this time, his influence on the emperor, and on the state. The management was great. "No one governor general Petersburg, he did not dare to introduce himself to the sovereign, without first visiting Shuvalov and not listening to his views and instructions. Shuvalov's decision to carry out political reforms was influenced by two circumstances: his views as a representative of the nobility and his position as head of the political police. And he had enough reason to worry about the internal peace of the country. To look for ways for Russia to prevent the aggravation of internal contradictions, to alleviate the situation through reforms in the name of preserving the monarchy and the privileged position of the nobility. Shuvalov's intention was also a reflection of the mood of those circles of the local nobility, bureaucracy and intelligentsia, who were frightened by the revolutionary events in France and the "revolutionary ferment" among the youth in their own country, and therefore were looking for means of class appeasement. For many of them, England of that time seemed an example of calmness and stability, a role model. To carry out the plan of political reforms, the chief of gendarmes needed an assistant. The scales tipped in the direction of Valuev "brilliant ... in collective meetings", "he was too necessary to carry out various kinds of" delicate "state affairs as a person", and also shared Shuvalov's ideas. The fact that Valuev's appointment was the work of Shuvalov is beyond doubt. As evidenced by the rapid signing of an extensive, all-subject report on the agricultural commission. And handed over to the emperor. The Committee of Ministers approved this plan on the grounds proposed by Valuev. And the hard work began. The result of the commission's work was the clarification of the "morbid state of the country" and increases the responsibilities of the government to take measures to "heal" these ailments. Shuvalov did not have an exact plan, which is understandable in such a complex matter - it was much more realistic to put the question in the most general form and find out only the views of the committee members. The chief of gendarmes proposed to involve representatives of the zemstvos in legislative advisory activities to develop a wide range of agricultural-related problems posed by the Valuev Commission. So, the first seed of the idea of ​​representation, thrown by Shuvalov on November 27, 1873, fell on not very favorable soil. The constitutional plans of the chief of gendarmes were also seen. Then there was a period of suspension of its activities, caused by the need to restructure plans. Although he managed to get through the Council of Ministers the case for the transfer public schools under the control of the leaders of the nobility. And he hinted that this was a sign of "confidence" in the nobility for a future more significant role! Bearing in mind the involvement of noble deputies in the discussion of agrarian problems, which led them all ... to delight! .. (which was an integral part of his program to strengthen the conservative forces of the country). The key to Shuvalov's liberalism is that they want to gather in St. Petersburg not representatives of the Zemstvo, but representatives of the nobility ..! (from the diary of an opponent - Milyutin.), He also opposed and led. book. Konstantin Nikolaevich. The meetings lasted for hours and days .... "no one expresses his direct cherished thought", where the accusation of an attempt on power and the rights of the autocrat could cost a career ...., many opposed the proposal of the chief of gendarmes by inviting "experts", i.e. in fact, they defended the old order of discussing bills (they saw this as a "constitution"). So, in the interpretation of Valuev, it was supposed to go further on the formation of commissions, consisting mainly of representatives of the zemstvo and the nobility, but also including government officials in a small number. When appointing representatives (the right of appointment belonged to the emperor), it was necessary to take into account the specifics of the problem under consideration, its territorial scope. Each of the provinces could be represented by only one figure. The commission was a legislative advisory board, a new intermediate instance of the Russian legislative process. With these similarities, the resolution of the Committee of Ministers approved only a miserable part of the Valuev project of 1863. But if Valuev was, as it were, satisfied with this resolution, then for Shuvalov it meant an almost complete collapse of his plans, inflicting, moreover, a heavy blow to his pride. Such is the history of yet another attempt at political reform, coming from government circles, which was supposed to enable the expression of the opinions of the estates - first of all, and mainly, the nobility - in a central representative institution, which has an advisory value. Here, by the way, the question arises about the reasons for Shuvalov's resignation. Consideration, on the initiative of the chief of gendarmes, of the issue of political reform, which, in the form proposed by him, could be considered by the emperor as a step towards limiting autocracy, and an unexpected resignation in July 1874. The Almighty seemed to be a temporary worker chronologically very close. Is there a possible connection between these events? Shuvalov's constitutional plans, as one of the reasons for his resignation, do not contradict, but, on the contrary, completely fit into the framework of these assumptions of his contemporaries. Shuvalov's plan for political reform could well have been used by opponents in order to turn Al. II against him, and the position taken by the majority of ministers of no sympathy (albeit often external) for this attempt was to strengthen the tsar's opinion that the solution to this more than once pop-up issue , can be pulled. The initiator of the attempt, unpleasant to the emperor, to limit his absolute power under these conditions clearly should have been isolated in order to extinguish such sentiments in government circles. The emperor allegedly asked Shuvalov: "Do you prefer London?" Shuvalov answered in the affirmative, and the conversation was over. No questions from Shuvalov and clarifications from the emperor were required. Apparently, the short question of the emperor fully explained to Shuvalov the reason for his resignation. In this case, the words of Alexander II could only mean a statement of Shuvalov's "corpus delicti" - his sympathy for the English parliamentary model, and the answer of the chief of gendarmes - an open recognition of his views and recent intentions. And yet, the meeting of the commission began on January 17, 1875. Having learned about this, Shuvalov (who apparently considered the commission his brainchild, which cost him his career) hastened to write a letter to Valuev, who, having escaped the “royal wrath” due to his resourcefulness, was now reaping the fruits of their joint efforts. On January 31, 1875, the new Russian ambassador in London wrote to the chairman of the new “representative” institution: “Dear Pyotr Alexandrovich, newspapers and private letters informed me of the opening of a new commission under your chairmanship. It brought me back to my recent past and vividly reminded me of all our conversations last winter and all the preparatory meetings in which we took part. I believe in the future of such commissions and I feel the need to wish you success in the field where you have just taken the first step, and to tell you how glad I am to know that the matter is finally in your hands. Interest in this commission was due to the pitiful piece of external "parliamentarism" given to it. The activity of this commission on the hiring of workers and servants is one of the examples of those tricks with which the autocracy held its positions for a long time, periodically creating the appearance of its readiness to make political concessions, to grant society - in exchange for its trustworthiness - some supposedly "constitutional " rights. Despite the fact that the Committee of Ministers in 1873-1874. put forward a number of agrarian problems requiring immediate resolution, including the problem of communal land tenure, there was no crime in their development. And only in the early 1980s, when the internal political crisis sharply aggravated in the country, the government returned to some of them, because it saw a way to strengthen its position in solving agrarian problems. Then, when discussing the draft law on the provision of redemption payments, they again resorted to the same method of attracting representatives of the nobility and zemstvos to the commission. As for P.A. Shuvalov and his attempts to carry out political reform, then M.T. was his direct successor in this field. Loris-Melikov, who repeated it in many ways.

(1789-04-24 ) (44 years old)

Youth

The only son and heir of Field Marshal Pyotr Ivanovich Shuvalov and Mavrushka Shepeleva, a close friend of the daughters of Peter the Great.

In 1750, the Frenchman Le Roa was taken as a tutor to the six-year-old A. Shuvalov, who left the Academy of Sciences for this and devoted himself entirely to raising his pupils, the two Shuvalov brothers. With them he traveled to Paris and Geneva and had a tremendous influence on their development. Le Roa himself, the man in the highest degree educated, was not alien to literature and compiled, among other things, the collection "Poesies diverse" (1757), dedicated to Count Andrei. His pupil, meanwhile, being in the care of his talented mentor, at the same time excelled in his career, quickly rising in the service. From the earliest years, recorded according to the custom of that time in military service, in 1748 he was promoted to sergeant of the horse guards, and on May 26, 1751 to cornets.

In the short reign of Emperor Peter III, he behaved very correctly and retained the disposition of both the sovereign himself and the Empress Catherine Alekseevna; he was in the company that surrounded the young sovereign, and in a small circle of people who gathered at the disgraced empress. This explains that after the palace coup of 1761, unlike the Shuvalovs of the older generation, the young gallomaniac did not fall out of favor and was still well received in the most intimate court circle.

The new reign for the official career of the count was also very favorable. On December 8, 1763, together with Neplyuev, Prince Shakhovsky and Count Minikh, A.P. Shuvalov was appointed a member of a special commission that had just been established that day to consider the commerce of the Russian state. It is not known what kind of activity he showed in this commission, but only in the next 1764 Shuvalov again went abroad through The Hague to Paris.

During his second trip to Europe, he met Voltaire and visited him at Ferney. From the reception given to him here, Shuvalov was delighted, and Voltaire, in a letter to Count A. R. Vorontsov, spoke flatteringly about his guest and his poem on French, written about the death of Lomonosov. This poem, with a preface, was published in 1765, and in the same year his "Epitre de m-r le comte de Schouvalov a m-r de Votaire" appeared in the Journal Encyclopedique. Since that time, the count began a correspondence with Voltaire, and he often sent him his poetic experiments. In addition to Voltaire, A.P. Shuvalov met another famous person- Swiss Laharpe.

In 1766, A.P. Shuvalov returned to Russia and at an audience, which he immediately received from the Empress, told everything that interested her, mainly about his acquaintance with Voltaire. In the eyes of the empress, A.P. Shuvalov rose greatly after she learned about the favorable and cordial reception given to him in Ferney. In 1767, he accompanied the empress in a large society that surrounded her on a journey along the Volga. He corrected the French style in the letters of the empress to foreign correspondents, blotted out Germanisms from them, helped her in compiling the Antidote, supervised the publication of translations of the works of Montesquieu and the encyclopedists.

Count Shuvalov was [for Catherine II] a laundress for French linen, at least one of the laundresses. Among other things, he corrected the grammatical letters of the empress to Voltaire. Even when he was absent, for example, in Paris, he received a draft from the empress, cleared the mistakes, rewrote the corrected ones and sent them to Petersburg, where Catherine, in turn, rewrote the letter and thus sent it to Ferney in the third edition.

public service

Returning then to Moscow, A.P. Shuvalov, on behalf of the empress, took part in the meetings of the Legislative Commission, having received an order to supervise the compilation of her daily notes, or journals. He also developed a plan for the solemn meetings with which this important legislative assembly opened its activities. The Empress was satisfied with Shuvalov's work and on December 18, 1767 personally visited him in Moscow in his own house on Myasnitskaya.

The count immediately informed Voltaire about his new activities, and the latter, in a letter dated February 12, 1768, welcomed his work for the benefit of the fatherland. The war with the Turks, which began soon after, upset the meetings of the commission and distracted a lot of deputies to the theater of military operations. At this time, by order of the Empress, a commission was established with an annual subsidy of 5,000 rubles, whose duties were to reward authors of the best translations into Russian of outstanding foreign works from these amounts; A.P. Shuvalov was among its three persons.

In the same 1768, he was appointed director of two newly opened banknote banks in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and set about organizing them with ardor. He developed and implemented a project to merge these banks into one bank - Noble loan. Elected a member of the Free Economic Society, Shuvalov acted as its president in May 1772.

Already in the early 1770s. was a regular visitor to the "English" St. Petersburg Masonic Lodge "Perfect Concord". Then he was the master of the chair of the St. Petersburg lodge "Silentness" (Modesty). In Freemasonry, he bore the order name - Don Carlos.

last years of life

After an unsuccessful mission to Sweden in 1775, Shuvalov lost the favor of the empress and spent the years from 1776 to 1781 on vacation abroad. Living in Paris, together with his energetic wife, he indulged in the pleasures of secular life and maintained lively ties with the luminaries of French literature. He gained a reputation as a freethinker-Voltairian, who "does not believe in the deity of Jesus Christ", and sees in Christianity "an excellent course of morality, drawn up to curb the vices of the people." Although he posed as a philosopher, all his actions were guided by the desire to always be well placed at the St. Petersburg court.

In 1783, Count Shuvalov was elected to the St. Petersburg provincial marshals of the nobility and received the capital's trellis manufactory under his control. In addition to these duties, he participated in the discussion of proposals for sending bank notes by mail, then in the commission on the construction of harbors, shops and quarantine in Kronstadt, and, finally, in the commission on eliminating the lack of bread and its high cost for St. Petersburg. On February 15, 1783, A.P. Shuvalov was invited to the commission to discuss proposals for increasing state revenues.

By this time, the cooling of the empress towards Shuvalov, caused by the intrigues of new favorites, who were hostile to Potemkin, whose supporter was Shuvalov, belongs. This circumstance, however, did not prevent him from being assigned responsible assignments, as, for example, in 1787 and 1788, when he was appointed to the commission for arranging a foreign loan, which was concluded on rather favorable terms for Russia. He died in St. Petersburg on April 24, 1789 and was buried in the Lazarevskaya Church of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

Literary activity

The literary experiments of A.P. Shuvalov did not reveal a great talent in him. “Very nice French verses,” of which the message to Ninon de Lanclos was attributed to the pen of Voltaire himself, were intended especially for his friends and were always printed abroad. He was indispensable in the field of Catherine's scholarship as the soul of the court society, out of boredom engaged in the translation of Marmontel's Belisarius, but to the French, despite his secular talents, he seemed "the most boring and unbearable person."

In the eyes of Catherine's courtiers, Shuvalov managed, not without success, to imitate French bel esprit pre-revolutionary era. In addition to poetic correspondence with Voltaire and La Harpe, Count Shuvalov maintained acquaintance with Duval, Marmontel, Leveque, Helvetius and others. As for the luminaries of Russian literature, he was on good terms with Lomonosov, Derzhavin, Novikov, Fonvizin; he did not get along with Sumarokov, and he was always hostile to him. But A. P. Shuvalov loved Lomonosov very much and translated his message on the benefits of glass into French.

In the "Old Notebook" Prince P. A. Vyazemsky defended literary activity Shuvalov from accusations of slavish imitation of the French as "still an expression of Russian mental activity, so to speak, a barometric indication of the temperature of contemporary society":

We now look down on these toys of the old children of the old days; but toys are different for toys, and if a toy has an imprint of thought and art, then it should be kept in a museum, as they store the smallest utensils and knick-knacks raked out from under the Pompeian ruins. These trinkets are used to judge the historical and social situation of that time.

100 great aristocrats Lubchenkov Yury Nikolaevich

PETER ANDREEVICH SHUVALOV (1827-1889) Count, statesman, diplomat.

PETER ANDREEVICH SHUVALOV

Count, statesman, diplomat.

The noble family of the Shuvalovs can be traced through the category books and other documents from the second half of the 16th century. It starts from the landowner of the Kostroma district Dmitry Shuvalov. His grandson, Andrei Semenovich, became a governor in 1616, and another relative, Danilo, was a Moscow archery centurion and was subsequently granted a boyar. The family was distinguished neither by noble origin, nor by outstanding military or statesmen, nor by wealth until the 18th century, when the Shuvalov family became known throughout Russia.

During the reign of Peter the Great, Ivan Maksimovich Shuvalov was appointed commandant of the city of Vyborg. He was engaged in the compilation of maps of sea and river banks, and in the years Northern war determined the border between Russia and Sweden, which actively contributed to the conclusion of the Nystadt peace. By the end of his life, Ivan Maksimovich served as governor of Arkhangelsk.

His sons, Alexander and Peter, through the efforts of their father, were among the young nobles in the retinue of Tsarina Elizabeth Petrovna and were her most devoted supporters. Their active participation in the palace coup of 1741 contributed to the rapid career of the brothers. Becoming empress, in September 1746 she raised Peter Shuvalov to the dignity of a count. Peter Ivanovich married the closest friend of the Empress Mavra Yegorovna Shepeleva, which further strengthened his position at court. His brother, Alexander Ivanovich, also becoming a count, reached the rank of Field Marshal and for many years stood at the head of the Secret Chancellery, that is, he held a position that awed his contemporaries. Like no one else, he fit this position. This later allowed Catherine II to say that he "brought terror and fear to all of Russia."

The brothers turned out to be good entrepreneurs, and very soon became owners of factories and trading companies, and having a huge influence on state affairs, they did not forget about their own benefit, creating favorable conditions for their commercial activities.

The highest position during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna was occupied by Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, a cousin of Peter and Alexander. A smart and handsome, well-bred youth who knew foreign languages, since 1749 he began to play an important role at court, being the favorite of the empress. Ivan Shuvalov did not hold official posts at court, but he knew how to influence the internal and especially foreign policy. In the future, he receives the rank of Adjutant General and becomes a member of the Conference - the State Council under the Empress, who replaced her during a serious illness. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov "always acted disinterestedly, gently and evenly and good-naturedly with everyone." Therefore, it is not surprising that many preferred to turn to him in difficult situations and through him to submit petitions addressed to the empress. Using the patronage of Elizabeth, he did a lot for the benefit of education and became the first curator of Moscow University, having achieved autonomy for him from secular and church authorities. Shuvalov paid much attention to art. Under him, in 1757, the Academy of Arts was opened, of which he was president until 1763. After the death of the Empress, Ivan Ivanovich lived for a long time in Western Europe. In Italy, he bought and sent works of art for the Academy, ordered copies of sculptures.

With the accession of Catherine II, the Shuvalovs lost influence at court. Peter Ivanovich died a few months before the palace coup of 1762, which, perhaps, saved him from royal disgrace - Catherine hated Peter and Alexander Shuvalovs, believing that they aggravate relations between her and her husband, Peter III, and negatively influence him. Alexander managed to beg forgiveness from the new empress, he was dismissed and even awarded. Ivan Ivanovich did not enjoy Catherine's love, but he did not become her enemy either. Abroad, he more than once successfully fulfilled her instructions and requests, using his connections, and after returning to the capital, he began to visit the court. He did not hold any posts, he could not influence anything, but he was an excellent conversationalist for Catherine.

But not all Shuvalovs were out of favor with Catherine the Great. Representatives of the next generation were able to take advantage of the achievements of their ancestors and, combined with a diplomatic mind, won the favor of the new empress, making a rather successful career. The son of Peter Ivanovich, Andrei, was in a close circle as Peter III, and Catherine, and with her accession, he further strengthened his position at court. He became a member of the Commission on Commerce, often visited France, where he became close friends with Voltaire, which earned the attention and favor of Catherine, worked in the Legislative Commission, became a senator, and until the death of the Empress carried out her special assignments.

His son, Pavel Andreevich, devoted himself to military affairs. A brave and courageous warrior, he was a participant in the Suvorov campaigns and became a general at the age of 25. The disease did not give him the opportunity to prove himself in 1812, but he took part in the foreign campaigns of the Russian army. His merits are evidenced by the fact that he became the representative of the Russian side in the Allied mission to remove Napoleon from France, providing him with complete security under the terms of the peace treaty signed at Fontainebleau. The activity of Count Pavel Andreevich was repeatedly marked by the highest Russian orders.

In the 19th century, representatives of the Shuvalov family occupied high government posts and were well known at court.

There were three emperors on the Russian throne who bore the name Peter. But one of the Shuvalovs was awarded the nickname "Peter IV" by his contemporaries.

Over Russia prostrate

Got up in a sudden storm

Peter, nicknamed the Fourth,

Arakcheev is the second, -

such lines were dedicated to Adjutant General Pyotr Andreevich Shuvalov by the poet F.I. Tyutchev. Count Shuvalov evoked completely opposite feelings, opinions and assessments of his activities among his contemporaries. Some considered him the leader of the "Party of Order", a gifted statesman, a subtle politician, others - the head of the "All-Russian garbage dump", an arrogant temporary worker, an incompetent diplomat, a vengeful, ambitious and scandalous personality. Such an abundance of characteristics, perhaps, corresponds to the number of posts that Count Shuvalov held throughout his life. Pyotr Andreevich Shuvalov was born on June 27, 1827 in St. Petersburg, in the family of the Chief Marshal of the Court Andrei Petrovich Shuvalov, a man experienced in the intrigues of the court, who knows well the alignment and all the intricacies of the political life of the court elite. The mother of Pyotr Andreevich was Fekla Ignatievna Valentinovich - a woman of an humble family, but distinguished by her beauty and passionate desire to achieve a position in society. This was her second marriage, and the first husband of Fekla Ignatievna was the last favorite of Catherine II, Platon Zubov. Peter, the eldest child in the family, was educated in Corps of Pages, which he graduated in 1845 with a work in the rank of cornet. The career of a young officer began in the Life Guards Cavalry Regiment.

The origin and position of the parents at court was a guarantee of a quick successful career young officer. The following year, he becomes a lieutenant, then a staff captain, then a captain. Parents sought for him the position of adjutant wing, but their efforts were nullified by the mutual "hobby" of the son and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna. Her father, Emperor Nicholas I, was very disliked by young people who won the favor of his daughter. Having understood the situation, Pyotr Andreevich "moved away" from the princess, which caused her displeasure, but still did not receive the favor of the monarch.

Shuvalov met the Crimean War as the squadron commander of the Cavalry Regiment, guarding the southern coast of the Baltic Sea. In the summer of 1854, he became adjutant to the Minister of War, Prince Dolgorukov, and on his behalf visited various cities, where he supervised the dispatch of reserve military units to the front. It was also his duty to monitor the dispatch of transports with gunpowder to Sevastopol. Pyotr Andreevich himself also took part in the defense of this city, although not for long, but for bravery and courage he managed to earn an award - the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree with swords. In 1855, he finally became an aide-de-camp, and the next year he accompanied Count A.F. Orlov to Paris to conclude a peace treaty. Returning to Russia, Shuvalov is promoted to colonel.

1857 - the year of the beginning of the successful career of Count Shuvalov. He is appointed acting chief police chief of the capital and promoted to the rank of major general. By the end of the year, he is confirmed in his position and in this position makes a lot of efforts to strengthen the reputation of the Metropolitan Police. In this he was helped by his acquaintance with the experience of the Parisian police when Shuvalov was in France.

In 1860, Petr Andreevich became director of the Department of General Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. A man of conservative views, Shuvalov was an ardent opponent of reforms, but it was during the years of their implementation that he reached the highest government posts. In the year of the abolition of serfdom, he was appointed chief of staff of the Gendarmes Corps and manager of the III department. Probably, it was not the best position, but it gave power. The gendarme-police service in the minds of a Russian person has always evoked a feeling of alertness, fear and disgust, and the III department received the epithet of "state garbage pit". One of those who knew Shuvalov quite closely wrote that the count "according to family traditions prefers autocracy as the most advantageous form of government for the people for his own benefit, and is ready to serve anyone who will endow him with power. In this post, his most “loud” deeds were the elimination of student riots in the capital and the first political trial - the case of M.L. Mikhailov. Shuvalov never forgot to remind the sovereign that he owed his safety to the efforts of the Third Section.

Three more years, and we see Shuvalov in the post of governor-general of the Ostsee region (Lifland, Estonia, Courland) and commander of the Riga military district. Work here required not only experience, but also diplomatic skills, since any governor general of this region is faced with large quantity problems. Here are some of them: the final and lasting unification of the Ostsee region with Russia; readiness and action in the event of political clashes on the western border; prevention of unrest among the German population of the region and others. Shuvalov did not introduce any special innovations. He managed to maintain not only calmness in the region, but also to demonstrate special energy and activity. He accompanied all his orders with a mass of detailed instructions. He strictly suppressed any manifestation of separatism, did not allow the expansion of the rights of the local nobility, supported the activities Orthodox Church in the edge. The head of the regional administration tried to solve all specific cases gently, using the tactics of compromise, and the local residents were satisfied with the reasonableness of the governor's decisions. Of course, there were difficulties, but the main one was Shuvalov's fear of doing something that the monarch and the court might not like, since the count decided to extract the maximum political capital from this position for his further way up the stairs of power.

The energy of the governor-general was worthily appreciated by the emperor, and the political opponents of the count felt uneasy from the strengthening of his position.

The year 1866 is coming. Count Shuvalov celebrates his 39th birthday and reaches the zenith of "glory". After Dmitry Karakozov's unsuccessful assassination attempt on the emperor, Shuvalov is appointed to the post of chief of gendarmes and chief commander of the III department. His stay in this position was the time of his most powerful influence on domestic politics. For almost eight years he was the closest adviser to the emperor and was endowed with broad, almost dictatorial powers. The constant opponent of Count Shuvalov was the former Minister of War D.A. Milyutin wrote, explaining the reasons for this influence: “Everything is done under the exclusive influence of Count. Shuvalov, who frightened the sovereign with his daily reports about the terrible dangers to which both the state and the sovereign himself were allegedly exposed. Shuvalov's entire strength relies on this scarecrow. Under the pretext of preserving the personality of the sovereign and the monarchy, Count. Shuvalov intervenes in all matters, and all issues are resolved by his ear.

Pyotr Andreevich recommended his supporters for the posts of ministers of internal affairs and justice, the same opponents of reforms as he himself was. He sought to penetrate into various spheres state activities, to rally around itself a "party" of like-minded people who adhere to a tough conservative course. And he succeeded.

The liberals did not get tired of criticizing the activities of Count Shuvalov. Much has been said about the policy of repression pursued by the Chief of the Gendarmes. But let's turn to statistics: over the last four years of Shuvalov's activity in this post, 10 political trials were held, and over the next four years - 46.

With the beginning of the 70s, Shuvalov's influence on the emperor began to noticeably decrease, and in 1874 he was dismissed. The reason for it was Shuvalov's "desire" to take some prominent diplomatic post. This was not said seriously, but the sovereign seized the moment and appointed the count as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to London. Shuvalov's choice of England was not accidental. Back in 1873, thanks to the efforts of the count, the very delicate problem of settling diplomatic difficulties in connection with the advance of Russia in Central Asia, and Peter Andreevich successfully proved himself in relations with the English court. The emperor probably hoped that in this post the count would be able to actively and fruitfully act in the interests of Russia. But in general, Shuvalov's diplomatic activity, according to contemporaries, was unsuccessful. It was said that he exaggerated the danger of an armed conflict with England and the possibility of a successful agreement with her, which contributed to the delay Russian-Turkish war 1877-1878. In March 1877, he signed the London Protocol of the Great Powers with demands on Turkey, and in 1879 Shuvalov actually led the Russian delegation to the Berlin Congress. The concessions made on it by Russian diplomacy were attributed to the unsuccessful actions of Shuvalov personally. The emperor praised the work of Pyotr Andreevich with the words "sad results", and the press awarded the count with very unflattering epithets. In fairness, we note that his colleagues in Congress and foreign diplomats assessed Shuvalov's activities in a completely different way. They unanimously noted the high professionalism, diplomatic abilities and efficiency of the count. But most Russian politicians did not understand that in this situation, concessions from Russian diplomacy were inevitable; Shuvalov, on the other hand, managed to defend and preserve what was possible to defend and preserve, showing courage, endurance and perseverance. In 1879 he left his post in London and returned to the capital. In the future, he did not hold any high positions.

Unfair criticism of compatriots forced the count in the summer of 1880 to write a note in which he explained his actions at the Berlin Congress. Its text is distinguished by laconicism, clarity of presentation, reasoning, conclusiveness, with documentary evidence.

In St. Petersburg, Petr Andreevich attends meetings of the State Council, participates in the work of the department of laws, but he refuses the post of chairman of the department offered to him. In 1884, he was appointed a member of the Special Commission to draft local government. By the end of the 1980s, his participation in meetings was becoming more and more symbolic. Shuvalov spends most of his time on his estate, where he often hunts.

The count died on March 22, 1889. The cause of death was an abscess in the ear, which led to blood poisoning and a quick death.

From the book Palace Secrets [with illustrations] author

From the book Moscow inhabitants author Vostryshev Mikhail Ivanovich

statesman and scientist. Count Yakov Velimovich Bruce (1670-1735) Ibrahim recognized ... the scientist Bruce, who was known among the people as the Russian Faust. A. S. Pushkin "Arap of Peter the Great" One of the most significant and mysterious personalities of the era of the reign of Emperor Peter I - Count Yakov

From the book Empress Elizaveta Petrovna. Her enemies and favorites author Sorotokina Nina Matveevna

Petr Ivanovich Shuvalov Encyclopedia writes about him - a significant statesman. Peter Ivanovich (1711-1762) was a very versatile person. If Bestuzhev's duty was foreign affairs, then we can consider Shuvalov the prime minister, although he did not have such

From the book Palace Secrets author Anisimov Evgeny Viktorovich

The father of the Russian unicorn and the market: Pyotr Shuvalov Loyal and unpretentious As everyone at the court of Elizabeth Petrovna loved the Razumovsky brothers, so everyone hated and feared the Shuvalov brothers: Peter the elder and Alexander the younger. They were among the oldest associates

From the book Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation: from Otto the Great to Charles V author Rapp Francis

Modern statesman? Friedrich was not, despite his insight. He traveled around the empire and took a sober view of the situation: the political realities were not the same in the four kingdoms he inherited. In the Teutonic kingdom, all princes occupied

author Lubchenkov Yury Nikolaevich

VASILY LUKITCH DOLGORUKOV (1670-1739) Prince, statesman, diplomat. The beginning of the Dolgorukov family was laid by the descendant of Prince Mikhail Vsevolodovich of Chernigov, Prince Ivan Andreevich Obolensky, nicknamed Dolgoruky for his vindictiveness. Over time, some of the kind

From the book of 100 great aristocrats author Lubchenkov Yury Nikolaevich

From the book of 100 great aristocrats author Lubchenkov Yury Nikolaevich

PETER MIKHAILOVICH VOLKONSKY (1776-1852) Most Serene Prince, military and statesman. The Russian princely family of the Volkonskys traces its origins to the holy martyr, one of the most revered holy princes in Russia after Boris and Gleb Mikhail of Chernigov. Truth,

From the book Crowd of Heroes of the 18th century author Anisimov Evgeny Viktorovich

Pyotr Shuvalov: the father of the Russian unicorn and the market Just as everyone at the court of Elizabeth Petrovna loved the Razumovsky brothers, so everyone hated and feared the Shuvalov brothers: Peter the elder and Alexander the younger. They were among the oldest associates of Elizabeth, familiar with

From the book Volume 1. Diplomacy from ancient times to 1872. author Potemkin Vladimir Petrovich

Peter I as a diplomat. Peter firmly held in his hands all the threads of Russian diplomacy. He personally participated in all the negotiations, performing the functions of both the ambassador and the minister of foreign affairs. He twice traveled abroad for diplomatic purposes and personally concluded such important

From the book Alba. Iron Duke of Spain [People of the Conquest] author Kirchner Walter

STATESMAN IN SPAIN AT THE COURT OF PHILIP II; MEETING OF MONARCHS IN BAYONNE; EXPLOITATION OF THE MOORS FROM SPAIN In 1559-1566, the life of the Duke of Alba was devoted primarily to big politics. His exceptional importance as a commander could not be questioned. Not

From the book Life of Count Dmitry Milyutin author Petelin Viktor Vasilievich

CHAPTER 8 COUNT SHUVALOV LEAVES RUSSIA The newly built government house where the Milyutins moved was huge. Dmitry Alekseevich was extremely interested in leaving all the troubles for arranging the house to him, and the whole family soon dispersed in different directions.

From the book The Birth of a New Russia author Mavrodin Vladimir Vasilievich

Peter I as a diplomat Peter began his diplomatic career early. When foreign ambassadors entered the Kremlin Palace and the long and boring ceremony of introducing them to the tsars Ivan and Peter began, the elder brother Ivan listened indifferently to the ornate speeches of the guests and the answers

author

From the book History of the Russian Prosecutor's Office. 1722–2012 author Zvyagintsev Alexander Grigorievich

From the book Russian Entrepreneurs and Patrons author Gavlin Mikhail Lvovich

Statesman and philanthropist The most famous of the new generation of the Stroganovs was the eldest son of the "obstinate" diplomat Sergei Grigorievich (1794–1882), an outstanding statesman and philanthropist, whose name is associated with a new stage in history

Count P.A. Shuvalov, who in 1866 replaced V.A. Dolgorukov, also understood the need for constitutional reforms. And the next attempt to introduce a nationwide representative legislative institution is associated with his name. Shuvalov repeatedly expressed the idea that the tsar should share legislative power with representatives of the higher nobility. Evidence of such statements is preserved in the memoirs and diaries of many prominent dignitaries of those years. One of them, Secretary of State E.A. Peretz, wrote in his diary that P.A. Shuvalov told him: “The deliberative meeting will not bring true benefit. It is necessary to proceed directly to the constitutional system: to establish two chambers and give them a decisive vote. If this is not immediately possible, then it is necessary, at least, to lay such a foundation from which real representative government would subsequently develop.

Given the negative attitude of Alexander II to the slightest restriction of autocracy, Shuvalov began not with the development of constitutional projects, but with the preparation of suitable conditions for their presentation to the tsar. To this end, he proposed the creation of a commission to study the needs of agriculture. Such a commission was created under the chairmanship of P.A. Valuev. When discussing the materials collected by the commission in the Committee of Ministers, Shuvalov proposed to convene an advisory body consisting of chairmen of zemstvo councils and noble assemblies for a more constructive discussion of agricultural problems. He motivated this proposal by the fact that representatives from the zemstvos should be aware of the state of affairs on the ground and approach current issues more thoroughly and competently. In addition, through the convocation, Shuvalov wanted to create a precedent that could later turn into a permanent representative body. If we take into account that the provincial zemstvos consisted of 75% of the nobility, and it was proposed to include more leaders of the nobility (as representatives of the nobility) in the meeting or commission, it becomes clear that the institution conceived by Shuvalov would represent the interests primarily of the nobility. The Committee of Ministers considered it possible to invite chairmen of zemstvo councils and leaders of the nobility to the commission, but only to discuss projects prepared in advance by officials on certain issues related to local needs.

In this form, the resolution in the journal of the meetings of the Committee of Ministers of February 26, 1874 was approved by the king. In the same 1874, a commission was created under the chairmanship of P.A. Valuev to discuss the draft law on the hiring of workers and servants. It included officials (representatives of departments), as well as 11 provincial marshals of the nobility, 14 chairmen of provincial zemstvo councils and 2 mayors. Although the commission, which met in 1875, was called "parliament" in society, the results of its activities were more than modest. Characteristically, they were admitted to the meeting of the State Council only as experts to give explanations on the questions asked by the members of the council. This experience was unique. More similar commissions were not convened. When in 1874 Shuvalov spoke negatively about the emperor's connection with Princess Ekaterina Dolgoruky (in 1880 she became the tsar's morganatic wife), he was immediately removed from his post and sent as ambassador to London.