The Privy Committee established

On June 24 (July 6) 1801 was established an unofficial supreme advisory body under Alexander I — the Privy Committee — which included his closest associates, members of the former “Circle of Young Friends”.

Among members of the committee were Count V. P. Kochubei, N.N. Novosiltsev, Count P. A. Stroganov and Prince N.A. Czartoryski.

The purpose of the committee was “at first, to show the actual state of things, then — to introduce reforms of various parts of administration … and, finally, crown these new establishments with a guarantee in the form of constitution consistent with the true spirit of the nation”.

In practice the committee considered not only general problems, but a number of specific issues, although the issues related to the state system reformation failed to be developed or completed. The committee discussed: a draft of the “Coronation Charter” — a manifesto which proclaimed and approved basic economic and civil rights of subjects of the Empire; drafts of Senate’s reform, establishment of ministries and the Committee of Ministers; a peasant problem (drafts meant to give peasants a right to buy uninhabited lands, peasant reform in Livonia, rights of merchants, having “8 class ranks” to purchase villages and possess them under conditions, agreed on with peasants); principles of elaboration of a new Code; a draft of the decree, which allowed the nobility to be involved in trade; issues of arrangement of the Ministry of National Education and the system of educational institutions, as well as organization of military education, foundation of secret police; on annexation of Georgia and organization of state government, consideration of land claims in the Crimea; as for specific matters — purchase of a building for Moscow University, the will of Major General S. A. Talyzin, litigation between Count N. I. Saltykov and Count I. P. Kutaisov, resignation of Prince A. B. Kurakin etc.

The committee did not keep official records. However the diary notes of Count P. A. Stroganov, published under the title of minutes, have survived.

The Privy Committee membership remained permanent. From June 24 (July 6) 1801 to May 12 (24) 1802 there were held 35 meetings of the committee; after that there was a long break, after which from October 26 (November 7) to November 9 (21) 1803 the committee had only four meetings. In fact, the committee ceased its work in November 1803.

Lit.: Богданович М. И. Первая эпоха преобразований императора Александра I (1801-1805) // Вестник Европы. 1866. № 1; Вел. кн. Николай Михайлович. Граф Строганов. СПб., 1903. Т. 2. Приложения: Протоколы Негласного комитета; Высшие и центральные государственные учреждения России 1801—1917. Т. 1. СПб., 2000. С. 17—19.

Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:

Богданович М. И. История царствования императора Александра I и России в его время. Т. 1. СПб., 1869;

Богданович М. И. История царствования императора Александра I и России в его время. Т. 2. СПб., 1869;

Богданович М. И. История царствования императора Александра I и России в его время. Т. 4. СПб., 1869.