G. F. Parrot and Emperor Alexander I: Two Decades of Correspondence, Its Personal and Political Aspects

At the center of this study lies an unusual historical phenomenon—a close friendship that linked at the beginning of the 19th century the Russian autocrat, Emperor Alexander I and the professor of the Dorpat University, George Friedrich Parrot. Evidence of this friendship is kept in their correspondence, amounting to more than 200 letters. This archival complex of documents had a difficult fate, which in many respects prevented its timely introduction into the scientific use. Meanwhile, these letters not only tell how the personal relations between Parrot and Alexander I developed, but also show the degree of influence that the professor wanted to exert on state affairs, especially in the field of public education, through his advice and conversations with the Emperor. Parrot himself quite unselfishly tried to direct his influence on strengthening the principles of liberal reforms in the Russian Empire. However, in practice, the implementation of his advice ran into a number of obstacles, one of which was Alexander’s constant inclination to compromise, and it was not as great as Parrot himself would have liked.