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Entries / Senate

Senate


Categories / Capital/Superior and Central State Institutions

SENATE (The Ruling Senate) was the highest state institution of the Russian Empire. It was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 22 February 1711 as the highest organ of legislation, administration and judiciary. Senators were appointed personally by the Emperor, and as a rule bore their titles for life. In 1722, the Senate was headed by the Procurator General (called the Attorney General from 1802), who reported to the Senate Chancery. During the 18th century the role of the Senate in state Government was lowered by a number of new High Organs of State Power, and gradually turned into their highest administrative and judicial institution. In 1763, the Senate was divided into six departments (four of them were situated in St. Petersburg). After establishment of the Ministries (1802), the Senate preserved the function of highest judicial organ and supervisory authority (though attempts to return it to its original role were continually undertaken). By the mid 19th century, the Senate consisted of twelve departments (six of them in St. Petersburg). After the Judicial Reform of 1864, the Senate was reorganised and by the early 20th century it consisted of the following departments: the First Department, the Second Department, Heraldic Department, Judicial Department, two Appeals Departments (criminal and civil), and the Departments of Special and High Disciplinary Tribunals. Originally, the Senate was situated in the Building of the Twelve Collegiums; from 1763, it moved to the building at 1 Senatskaya (today Dekabristov) Square; for the period of its reconstruction (1829-36, architect K.I. Rossi), meetings were moved to the old building. The Senate was abolished by the Decree of the Soviet of Peoples Commissars of 22 November (1 December) 1917.

References: История Правительствующего Сената за 200 лет, 1711-1911: В 5 т. СПб., 1911; Высшие и центральные государственные учреждения России, 1801-1917 гг. СПб., 1998. Т. 1.

D. N. Shilov.

Persons
Peter I, Emperor
Rossi Carl Ivanovich (Carlo Giovanni)

Addresses
Dekabristov Square/Saint Petersburg, city, house 1

Bibliographies
История Правительствующего Сената за 200 лет, 1711 - 1911: В 5 т. СПб.
Высшие и центральные государственные учреждения России, 1801-1917 гг. СПб., 1998

The subject Index
Twelve Collegiums Building
Senate and Synod Buildings


Academy of Arts

ACADEMY OF ARTS (17 Universitetskaya Embankment), state establishment of higher education in the sphere of fine arts and architecture, and a higher school of art

Address Directories

ADDRESS DIRECTORIES, reference publications containing information about addresses of people and institutions. The first address book in St. Petersburg Address and Reference Book in Russian, German and French Languages was published in 1809 by G

Bezborodko A.A. (1747-1799), statesman

BEZBORODKO Alexander Andreevich (1747-1799, St Petersburg), Serene High Prince (1797), statesman, State Chancellor (1797). From 1765, he served at the Chancellery of the Governor-General of Malorussia (Left-Bank Ukraine)

Board of Decency

BOARD OF DECENCY, the main provincial (before 1871) and city police institution. It was created in 1782 in the course of the reform of police instead of the Main Police Office

Bobrinsky A. A. (1852-1927), public figure

BOBRINSKY Alexey Alexandrovich (1852, St. Petersburg 1927) Count, statesman and public figure, major land-owner, businessman, archaeologist, historian, senator (1896), Arch-Hoffmeister (1916). He was a son of Count Alexander A. Bobrinsky

Chernyshevsky N. G. (1828-1889), publicist, critic, writer

CHERNYSHEVSKY Nikolay Gavrilovich (1828-1889), publicist, writer, critic. From 1846-64 lived in St. Petersburg (with an interruption from 1851-53). Graduated from the Faculty of History and Philology of Petersburg University (1850)

City Administration (entry)

CITY ADMINISTRATION. The system of City Administration in St. Petersburg from the beginning of the 18th century developed in 2 directions - the city government and self-government (see City self-government). From 1703 the city was governed by A. D

Civil Servants

CIVIL SERVANTS, a social-professional group forming a part of the St. Petersburg population, serving state institutions. In 1722 Emperor Peter the Great introduced a Table of Ranks

Commission for St. Petersburg and Moscow Stone Construction

COMMISSION FOR ST. PETERSBURG AND MOSCOW STONE CONSTRUCTION was the state institution addressing the issues of urban planning and development of both capitals and other cities. It was formed on 11 December 1762 and was supervised by the Senate

Decembrist Revolt of 1825

DECEMBRIST REVOLT OF 1825, the first overt armed revolt against autocracy and the ownership of serfs in Russia. It was prepared by the Northern Decembrist Society

Decembrists

DECEMBRISTS, members of secret societies, mainly, Guard officers and Masonic lodge members, who excited a rebellion against autocracy and serfdom in December 1825 (hence the name). Many of the future Decembrists were born in St

Dekabristov Square

DEKABRISTOV SQUARE (prior to 1925, also called Senatskaya, Petrovskaya), is situated between Admiralteyskaya Embankment and St. Isaac Square. It appeared at the beginning of the 18th century west of the outer bank of Admiralty Fortress;

First of March 1887

FIRST OF MARCH 1887 (The Second First of March, by analogy with the First of March 1881), the day of the attempt on the life of the Emperor Alexander III. It was prepared by members of the Terrorist Faction of People's Will, created in 1886 by A.I

Golovkin G.I. (1660-1734), count, statesman

GOLOVKIN Gavriil Ivanovich (1660-1734, St. Petersburg), Count of the Holy Roman Empire (1707), Count of the Russian Empire (1709), diplomat, statesman, associate of Emperor Peter the Great (half-cousin of Tsarina Natalia Kirillovna, nee Naryshkina

Head Magistrate

HEAD MAGISTRATE, the public institution of the highest rank. It was established in St. Petersburg on the decree of tsar Peter the Great in 1720 to function as the principal establishment in charge of city magistrates of other cities and towns. In St

Highest Organs of State Power (entry)

HIGHEST ORGANS OF STATE POWER. The first higher organ of state power to function in St. Petersburg was the Senate founded by Tsar Peter the Great in 1711. The Supreme Privy Council was founded under Empress Catherine I (1725-30)

Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg

HONORARY CITIZEN OF ST. PETERSBURG, an honorary title conferred on people who made a considerable contribution to the development of the city. In 1866-1908, 7 persons were conferred this title (the conferring didn"t entail any material privileges or

Koni A.F. (1844-1927), lawyer, public figure

KONI Anatoly Fedorovich (1844, St Petersburg 1927, Leningrad), lawyer, statesman, man of letters, Actual Privy Counsellor (1910); Doctor of Law (1890), Honorary Member of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1900)

Krasovsky M.V. (1851-1911), entrepreneur, public and political figure

KRASOVSKY Mikhail Vasilievich (1851-1911), public and political figure, entrepreneur, privy counsellor (1893). Graduated from the Faculty of Law of Kiev University (1871), from 1872 in St

Kuzmin-Karavaev V.D. (1859-1927), public figure

KUZMIN-KARAVAEV Vladimir Dmitrievich (1859-1927) was a public and political figure, lawyer, publicist, Major General (1901). On graduating from the Corps of Pages (1878) he served in Guards' Mounted-Artillery Brigade

Laval, House of

LAVAL, HOUSE OF (4 Angliiskaya Embankment), an architectural monument of the Empire style. The first stone edifice was constructed on this place in 1719, in the middle of the 1730s it was reconstructed in the Baroque style for Count A.I

Libraries (entry)

LIBRARIES. The first library of St. Petersburg was founded in 1714 by the decree of Tsar Peter the Great as His Majesty’s Library; later on, it formed the basis of the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences

Magistrate courts

MAGISTRATE COURTS, the lower echelon of the judiciary system introduced in the course of Judiciary reform of 1864 (see also District court). Magistrate courts were in charge of civil and minor criminal cases. The territory of St

Ministry of Justice

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, one of the Russian Empire's central public institutions. Established on 8 September 1802 on the basis of the Collegium of Justice, and reached a final structure in 1811

Mirovich V. Y. (1740-1764), podporuchik

MIROVICH Vasily Yakovlevich (1740-1764, St. Petersburg), a podporuchik (sub-lieutenant) of the Smolenksky Infantry Regiment who did his military service in the garrison of Shliesselburg Fortress where ex-Emperor Ioann VI had been kept as a secret

Orlov Family

ORLOV FAMILY, nobles, counts and princes, known since the 17th century. Brothers Grigory, Vladimir, Alexey and Fedor Orlov took an active part in the take-over of 28 June 1762

Panin Family

PANIN FAMILY, a noble family, counts since 1767, known since the 16th century. Ivan Vasilievich Panin (1673-1736) and his cousin, Alexey Ivanovich Panin (1675-1762), Captain of the Semenovsky Life Guards Regiment

Pobedonostsev K.P. (1827-1907), statesman

POBEDONOSTSEV Konstantin Petrovich (1827-1907, St. Petersburg), statesman, lawyer, writer and translator, Full Privy Councilor (1883), Personal Secretary (1894). Graduated from the Jurisprudence College in St. Petersburg in 1846

Political Trials of 1860-80s

POLITICAL TRIALS of 1860-80s, state trials that played the key role in the autocratic penal policy after the judicial reform of 1864. Most cases were tried in the Special Office of the Ruling Senate, doors closed and publicity confined

Polovtsov А.А. (1832-1909) statesman, entrepreneur

POLOVTSOV Alexander Alexandrovich (1832, estate in Rapti Luzhsky Uyezd, St. Petersburg Province - 1909, same place), statesman, entrepreneur, patron of arts, Actual Privy Counsellor (1885), Secretary of State (1883)

Poselyanin (Pogozhev E.N.), (1870-1931) spiritual writer

Pogozhev (wrote under pen-name of Poselyanin) Evgeny Nikolaevich (1870-1931, Leningrad), church writer and journalist, Councilor of State (1913). In 1887-92 Poselyanin studied at the Faculty of Law of Moscow University

Publishing houses (entry)

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Radishchev A.N. (1749-1802), writer

RADISHCHEV Alexander Nikolaevich (1749-1802, St. Petersburg), writer, court counsellor (1780). In 1762-66 he was educated in the Page Corps. For the next five years he studied at Leipzig University

Rathaus

RATHAUS, the supreme authority of municipal government, established in St. Petersburg in 1798 by order of emperor Paul I instead of the abolished bodies of local government instituted by Cities Letter of Grant of 1785

Ratkov-Rozhnov V.A. (1834-1912), Mayor

RATKOV-ROZHNOV Vladimir Alexandrovich (1834-1912, St. Petersburg), public official, businessman, representative of the dynasty of St. Petersburg manufacturers and house-owners (see the Ratkov-Rozhnov Family), Valid Secret Counsellor (1898)

Russian Academy of Sciences

RUSSIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, the highest scientific institution in Russia. It was founded in St. Petersburg after Emperor Peter the Great's project for the academy was approved by the Senate on 28 January 1724

Russian Historical Archive

RUSSIAN HISTORICAL ARCHIVE, STATE (RSHA) (4 Angliiskaya Embankment) was founded in 1925 as the Leningrad Historical Archive. In 1929-34, it became Leningrad Department of the Central Historical Archive

Senate and Synod Buildings

SENATE AND SYNOD BUILDINGS (1 and 3 Decabristov Square), architectural monuments of the late Neoclassical. This ground on the embankment of the Neva River was owned by A.D. Menshikov from the early 18th century, then by A.I

Serov A.N., (1820-1871), composer

SEROV Alexander Nikolaevich (1820 - 1871, St. Petersburg), composer, music critic, father of artist V.A. Serov. Graduated from the Legal School (1840), where he befriended V.V. Stasov

Shaykevich E. G. (c. 1857-1928) entrepreneur

SHAYKEVICH Efim Grigoryevich (c. 1857-1928), entrepreneur and Court Counsellor. Graduating from St. Petersburg University with a major in law, he served in the Senate. He was a member of the board of St

Shchegolev P.Е. (1877-1931), historian

SHCHEGOLEV Pavel Eliseevich (1877-1931, Leningrad), literary critic, historian, archaeographer and essayist. He entered two faculties of Petersburg University simultaneously in 1895 - the Oriental Faculty and Faculty of History and Philology - but

Speransky M.M. (1772-1839), statesman

SPERANSKY Mikhail Mikhailovich (1772-1839, St Petersburg), Count (1839), statesman, Actual Privy Counsellor (1827), Honorary Member of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1819), full member of the Russian Academy (1831)

Stasov V.V., (1824-1906), critic, public figure

STASOV Vladimir Vasilievich (1824, St. Petersburg - 1906, St. Petersburg), art and music critic, arts historian, ethnographer, public figure, Honorary Member of St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1900), son of V.P. Stasov

Suvorov A.V.(1729-1800), military commander

SUVOROV Alexander Vasilyevich (1729-1800, St. Petersburg), military leader, Count of Rymnik (1789), Prince of Italy (1799), Generalissimo (1799). Received home education

Tatishchev A.D. Chief of Police General in 1745-60

TATISHCHEV Alexey Danilovich (1697-1760, St. Petersburg), statesman, general en shef (1757). Since 1712 he had been in the military service, took part in the Great Northern war of 1700-21, since 1718 a batman of tsar Peter the Great

Twelve Collegiums Building

TWELVE COLLEGIUMS BUILDING (7 Universitetskaya Embankment), an example of Baroque architecture, built in 1722-42 (main architect Domenico Trezzini, with the participation of architects G. Trezzini, M.G. Zemtsov and Т

Vinaver M. M. (1863-1926), public figure

VINAVER Maxim Moiseevich (1862 or 1863-1926) was a public and political figure, and lawyer. On graduating from the Faculty of Law of Warsaw University (1886), he became an assistant to an attorney (from 1904 an attorney in St. Petersburg)