En
Ru
Birth of Sergey S. Uvarov, Minister of Education of the Russian Empire
August 25 (September 5), 1786, in Moscow, was born Sergey Semenovich Uvarov, Russian specialist in antiquity and statesman, Minister of Education of the Russian Empire (1833-1849), count (1846), Honorary Member (1811) and President (1818-1855) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Uvarov was a descendant of an old Russian noble family, known in Russia since the 15th century. His father was an adjutant of Grigory Potyomkin. Sergey Uvarov received an excellent education at home, seriously studied the history of antiquity and ancient languages, attended lectures at the University of Göttingen in Germany.
In 1801, Uvarov joined the College of Foreign Affairs as a cadet and up to 1810 worked as a diplomat: he served in Russian embassies in Vienna and Paris. In France, he had the opportunity to meet many famous people: the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt, writer and philosopher Goethe, the French writer Germaine de Stael.
In 1810, Sergey Semenovich left the diplomatic service and was appointed a trustee of the St. Petersburg school district and a member of the Main Board of schools. His first literary efforts were also made at that time. He published several pamphlets in French, trying to explain the reasons for Russia's victory over Napoleon in the War of 1812. His scholarly works "On the Eleusinian Mysteries," "The Emperor Alexander and Bonaparte," writings on ancient culture, soon earned him fame.
In 1818, Uvarov was elected president of the Academy of Sciences and held this position until his death.
In 1822, Uvarov was appointed director of the Department of Manufactures and Internal Trade of the Ministry of Finance, and a year later- manager of the State Loan and Commercial banks. In 1826, he contributed to the development of the Censorial Statute of 1828. In addition, Uvarov founded the famous literary society "Arzamas" (1815-1818), which included mainly the writers from the capital (among the members of the Society were: K. N. Batyushkov, D. N. Bludov, P. A. Vyazemsky, D. V. Dashkov, V. A. Zhukovsky, V. L. Pushkin), and followers and defenders of literary and aesthetic views of the historian N. M. Karamzin.
As president of the Academy of Sciences, Uvarov contributed to the success of the scientific establishment. At the beginning of 1830 he approved the "Additional items for the Academic Regulations of 1803", thanks to which the number of academicians increased, and new scientific divisions were created in accordance to the development of scientific fields. At the vast academic museum, housed by the Kunstkamera, eight museums different in specialization, were created. 8 (20) January 1836, at the direction of Nicholas I, the Imperial Academy of Sciences received new Charter and State. Under Sergey Uvarov, the Academy of Sciences was merged with the Russian Academy and divided into three departments: Department of Physics and Mathematics, Department of Russian Language and Literature, History and Philology Department.
In 1833, Uvarov was appointed Deputy Minister of Education. Opposing any kind of free thinking, he submitted to the Emperor Nicholas I a note, stating the education of youth "with a fervent faith in the true Russian defensive bases: Orthodoxy, Autocracy and National Character, representing the last anchor of our salvation." A year later, the official became Minister of Education and Chairman of the General Administration of censorship; he defended the principle of the estate education, of tightening the censorship.
At the post of the Minister of Education, Uvarov strove to strengthen government control over universities and gymnasiums. However, he initiated the beginning of a real education in Russia, and restored the practice of sending of scientists abroad for training. However, during the revolutions of 1849, the Minister inspired the publication of an article in support of universities, which the Russian emperor did not approve of. After that Uvarov resigned.
For his dedicated service to the Fatherland Uvarov had numerous awards: the Order of St. Vladimir, St. Anne, the White Eagle, St. Alexander Nevsky, St. Andrew.
Sergey Semenovich Uvarov died in Moscow on 16 (4) September 1855, and was buried in the family vault in the village of Holm, Gzhatsk county, Smolensk province.
Lit.: Акульшин П. В. Граф С. С. Уваров и его роль в жизни российского общества // Педагогика. 1993. № 4; Биографическое известие о графе С. С. Уварове // Русский архив. 1871. № 12; Велижев М. С. С. Уваров в начале николаевского царствования: заметки к теме [Электронный ресурс] // RUTHENIA. 1999-2013. URL: http://www.ruthenia.ru/Push_Chten5/Velizhev.pdf; Виттекер Ц. Х. Граф Сергей Семёнович Уваров и его время. СПб., 1999; Драгомир В. В. К вопросу о полемике по проблеме роли С. С. Уварова в истории России: системный компаративный анализ. М., 1998; Дурдыева Л. М. С. С. Уваров и теория официальной народности : дис. … канд. ист. наук. М., 1996; Иванов О. А. Государственная деятельность С. С. Уварова // Воронежская беседа на 1999–2000 годы. Воронеж, 2000; Он же. Идеология «Православие, самодержавие, народность» С. С. Уварова // Консерватизм в России и мире: прошлое и настоящее: Сб. научных трудов. Вып. 1. Воронеж, 2001; Исабаева Л. М. Общественно-политические взгляды С. С. Уварова в 1810-е годы // Вестник Московского университета. Сер. 8: История. 1990. № 6; Парсамов В. С., Удалов С. В. Сергей Семёнович Уваров // Уваров С. С. Избранные труды. М., 2010; Петров Ф. А. Исторические взгляды С. С. Уварова // Исторический музей — энциклопедия отечественной истории и культуры. Труды Государственного Исторического музея. Вып. 106. М., 1998; Плетнёв П. А. Памяти графа С. С. Уварова, президента Императорской Академии Наук. СПб., 1855; Погодин М. П. Для биографии графа С. С. Уварова // Русский архив. 1871. № 12; Пугачёв В. В. К вопросу о политических взглядах С. С. Уварова в 1810-е // Учёные записки Горьковского государственного университета. 1964. Сер. ист.-филол. Вып. 72; Уваров С. С. О Гёте : В торжественном собрание Императорской Санкт-Петербургской Академии наук читано президентом Академии [C. С. Уваровым] 22 марта 1833 г. М., 1833; Хартанович М. Ф. Николай I и граф С. С. Уваров — реформаторы АН // Вестник РАН. 1995. Т. 65. № 12; Хотеенков В., Чернета В. Граф С. С. Уваров — министр-просветитель // Высшее образование в России. 1996. № 1, 2; Шевченко М. М. Записка С. С. Уварова о крепостном праве в России (1830-1831 гг.) // Русский сборник. Т. II. М., 2006; Он же. С. С. Уваров // Российские консерваторы. М., 1997; Он же. С. С. Уваров в борьбе за новый курс внутренней политики России в 1826-1832 гг. // Пётр Андреевич Зайончковский. Сб. статей и воспоминаний к столетию историка. М., 2008.
Based on the Presidential Library’s materials:
Уваров С. С. О преподавании истории относительно к народному воспитанию. СПб., 1813.