Konstantin Pobedonostev
(1827-1907)
A timeline of his life.
“The Grand Inquisitor"
Background
• Born and raised in Moscow.
• His father, Peter Pobedonostsev, a professor at
the University of Moscow, educated Konstantin
at home until he enrolled at the St. Petersburg
School of Jurisprudence in 1841.
• He studied the Bible, the writings of the
Russian Orthodox Church Fathers, Greek and
Roman classics, Russian history, and Russian
literature. He graduated from the School of
Jurisprudence with a wide knowledge of
Western judicial institutions and laws.
(He was therefore a religious man)
•
In 1861 Alexander II invited him to instruct his
son and heir Nicholas in the theory of law and
administration
•
But on April 12, 1865 his pupil Nicholas died,
but Pobedonostsev was then invited to teach
the Nicholas’ brother Alexander (the next tsar
Alexander III).
•
Pobedonostsev stressed the ties between
Russian Orthodoxy and Russia’s history. By the
late 1870s his influence on Alexander had
become overwhelming.
(Pobedonostev’s religious views were rubbed off onto Alexander
III and his influence his seen in Alexander’s manifesto. He was
responsible for drafting the manifesto in April 1881)
• In 1881 Pobedonostsev advised Alexander III concerning the
selection of his ministers, most of whom were put forward
upon his recommendation.
• The Tsar consented to Pobedonostsev's policy of the
Russification of minority groups, particularly Jews and
dissenters. As director general, he also attempted to restrict
the number and the rights of other religious groups in Russia.
• Under his influence Alexander III opposed any limitation of
his autocratic powers, tightened censorship, tried to
suppress all opposition, and persecuted religious
nonconformists.
Pobedonostsev's reputation in
Russian history rests largely upon
his accomplishments as director
general of the Holy Synod. For 25
years his influence on the religious
and political life of Russia was
enormous as a result of his official
positions and his relations with
the Tsars, their wives, the imperial
family, and the court.
(the Holy Synod is the highest authority in the church and it
formulates the rules and regulations regarding matters of church
organisation, faith, and order of service.)
Contemporaries and historians have usually
felt that Pobedonostsev worked alongside
Ivan Delyanov (Minister of Education, 1882 1898) and together they worked toward
establishing a system in order to restrict the
numbers of non-Russian and non-Orthodox
students admitted to Russian universities
Pobedonostsev also
tutored the future
Nicholas II and had
been one of his most
influential advisers. In
his writing
Pobedonostsev
strongly attacked
Western liberalism. He
died in St. Petersburg
on March 23, 1907.
Pobedonostev rejected the Western ideals of
freedom and independence as "dangerous
delusions of nihilistic youth."
someone who rejects
all theories of
morality or religious
belief. An anarchist.