Nikolay Nikolayevich Novosiltsev: biography and merits

Count Nikolai Nikolayevich Novosiltsev was one of the most important state figures of Russia in the first half of the 19th century. He belongs to the authorship of several bills.

Origin

Nikolay Nikolaevich Novosiltsev was born in 1761. He was the nephew of noble grandee Alexander Stroganov - a member of the State Council and one of the approximate Catherine II. However, he was in the biography of a child and a flaw. He was the illegitimate son of his aristocratic mother. It was because of this that he was sent to education for his uncle, where he could live away from the family troubles of his parents.

Alexander Stroganov decided that the best way to his nephew would be to make a military career. Rich noble families always tried to attach their sons to elite St. Petersburg guards, which consisted of the cream of Russian society. Up to this level Nikolay Novosil'evich Novosiltsev did not survive, but nevertheless in 1783 he finished his studies in the Moscow Corps of Pages.

Military career

Over the next 13 years, the future statesman confidently moved up the career ladder in the army. For the years of his service, another war with Sweden occurred in 1788-1790. Novosiltsev participated in several important operations and gained real combat experience. After the war he became a colonel.

With the receipt of such a high rank, the officer finally forgot about rest. The Russian army did not have time to end the war with Sweden, as a rebellion broke out in Poland. This happened in 1794, when several sections of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth had already been left behind . Russia, Austria and Prussia tore this state apart and took it to pieces. The Poles raised an uprising. The leader was a nationalist and patriot Tadeusz Kosciuszko. Nikolai Nikolayevich Novosiltsev participated in the suppression of the armed resistance of the Poles. In 1796, he decided to leave the army service and retired.

Fame in Liberal Circles

For a time Nikolai Nikolayevich Novosiltsev lived abroad, including in London, where he completed his humanitarian education. He did not have to stay long in a foreign land. The young Emperor Alexander I called him back to his homeland.

At this time, the new king gathered around him a circle of faithful comrades among the most educated aristocrats of Petersburg. All of them were liberals and wanted to start reform in the country. The Emperor shared this desire. He needed people like Nikolai Nikolayevich Novosiltsev. The biography of this man fully met the requirements of Alexander.

Despite the fact that according to the first education Novosiltsev was a typical military man, he possessed a deep state mind. He became famous and popular amongst the Petersburg advanced aristocracy, dissatisfied with the rules established during the reign of Paul I - Father Alexander I. Now the old autocrat was overthrown and killed, and his conservative state system, established in Russia, it was time to dismantle.

Member of the Secret Committee

In the early years of the reign of Alexander Novosiltsev Nikolai Nikolayevich was an active member of the Secret Committee - an informal meeting of the approximate emperor. In 1803, the nobleman was appointed president of the Academy of Sciences. In this position he remained for 7 years, for which he did much for the development of education and research in Russia.

Novosiltsev was known for being able to combine several different positions at once. At the same time, his work capacity did not fall - he took correct and effective decisions. In 1804, the official became an assistant to the Minister of Justice. It was during this period that he plunged into the complex Russian legislation, which needed reforms. Some norms were established in the 17th century and by the time of Alexander's reign they were completely obsolete.

To implement the reforms, the Law Drafting Commission was established. It was headed by Nikolai Nikolayevich Novosiltsev. Photo of this man's portrait can be found in any textbook of law faculties in universities.

Diplomat and Reformer

In 1805, the Emperor became disillusioned with the Secret Committee. Reforms passed into the hands of Mikhail Speransky. Members of the former circle received new posts. Novosiltsev began a career as an ambassador and diplomat. In this field, he used his own experience of living abroad. In the same year 1805, he successfully concluded an alliance with Great Britain, which was vitally necessary for Alexander in preparation for the war with Napoleon.

During this period Novosiltsev performed many diplomatic missions throughout Western Europe. At the same time, he treated this work as an honorable exile. Novosiltsev really wanted to return to the capital. It happened much later. Soon the Patriotic War of 1812 broke out . When Napoleon was finally defeated, the remnants of Poland joined Russia. It was there that Novosiltsev was sent.

In the last years of Alexander's reign, the nobleman finally returned to Petersburg. In the capital, he drafted a draft draft Charter of the Russian Empire. In fact, it was a kind of prototype of the future constitution, which talked about civil liberties. The project was never implemented.

Under Nicholas I, Novosiltsev was a member of the State Council. In 1833 he became a count, and in 1838 died. For this man, the fame of one of the most executive and effective officials of the time was fixed.