His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery
Encyclopedia
His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancery or H.I.M. Own Chancery began as personal chancery of Pavel I
and grew into a kind of regent
's office, run by Count Arakcheyev from 1815 and until the death of Alexander I of Russia
.
Under Nicholas I
, the Chancery was transformed into a large administrative body, on par with the Committee of Ministers
and the Governing Senate
. Since 1826, the Chancery was divided into several sections (sl.
otdeleniye):
Starting with 1880, the latter five sections were transferred to the corresponding Ministries
and in 1882 the First Section effectively became the Cancellery itself, serving as personal office of the Tsar again.
Paul I of Russia
Paul I was the Emperor of Russia between 1796 and 1801. He also was the 72nd Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta .-Childhood:...
and grew into a kind of regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
's office, run by Count Arakcheyev from 1815 and until the death of Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia
Alexander I of Russia , served as Emperor of Russia from 23 March 1801 to 1 December 1825 and the first Russian King of Poland from 1815 to 1825. He was also the first Russian Grand Duke of Finland and Lithuania....
.
Under Nicholas I
Nicholas I of Russia
Nicholas I , was the Emperor of Russia from 1825 until 1855, known as one of the most reactionary of the Russian monarchs. On the eve of his death, the Russian Empire reached its historical zenith spanning over 20 million square kilometers...
, the Chancery was transformed into a large administrative body, on par with the Committee of Ministers
Russian Council of Ministers
The Russian Council of Ministers is an executive governmental body that brings together the principal officers of the Executive Branch of the Russian government.- Committee of Ministers :...
and the Governing Senate
Governing Senate
The Governing Senate was a legislative, judicial, and executive body of Russian Monarchs, instituted by Peter the Great to replace the Boyar Duma and lasted until the very end of the Russian Empire. It was chaired by the Ober-Procurator...
. Since 1826, the Chancery was divided into several sections (sl.
Grammatical number
In linguistics, grammatical number is a grammatical category of nouns, pronouns, and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions ....
otdeleniye):
- First Section - preparation of the Majestic Decrees and Orders, control over its execution, gubernatorial and ministerial reports, petitions to the Sovereign, state service and its awards and decorations. It was run by Stats-Secretary of His Majesty.
- Second Section - codification of the Imperial Legislation, publication of the codes. Mikhail SperanskyMikhail SperanskyCount Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky was probably the greatest of Russian reformers during the reign of Alexander I of Russia. He was a close advisor to Tsar Alexander I of Russia and later to Tsar Nicholas I of Russia, he is sometimes called the father of Russian liberalism.-Early life and...
was the first head of the Section. - Third Section - political crimes, censorship, religious sects, aliens, GendarmesSpecial Corps of GendarmesThe Special Corps of Gendarmes was the uniformed security police of the Russian Empire in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Its main responsibilities were law enforcement and state security....
, headed by General Benckendorf, who had been commander of the Guards under Alexander. He suggested formation of a ministry of police and the overhaul of the whole system. They also exercised an increasingly repressive influence on education, especially after Uvarov's resignation. - Fourth Section, 1828 - former Chancellery of Dowager Empress Maria Fedorovna; charity issues such as education of females, orphanage, disabled persons, healthcare
- Fifth Section, 1836 - state-owned serfs of St. PetersburgSaint PetersburgSaint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
gubernia Created to improve the poor administration of the state peasants. The aim was to make them more efficient producers, both for the benefit of the state as a whole and as an example for landowners to follow with their serfs. Kiselev, another German who had been in Russia service since 1812, was placed at the head of the new section. - Sixth Section, 1842 - CaucasianCaucasusThe Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
civil matters and development
Starting with 1880, the latter five sections were transferred to the corresponding Ministries
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
and in 1882 the First Section effectively became the Cancellery itself, serving as personal office of the Tsar again.