Bludov Dmitry Nikolaevich short biography. The statesman Dmitry Nikolaevich Bludov was born. See what “Bludov Dmitry Nikolaevich” is in other dictionaries

Dmitry Nikolaevich (04/5/1785, village of Romanovo, Shuisky district, Vladimir province - 02/19/1864, St. Petersburg), count (1842), state. and public figure, president of the Academy of Sciences, chairman of the State. advice. Father gr. A. D. Bludova, relative of G. R. Derzhavin. He lost his father early and received a good education at home under the guidance of professors from Moscow University. In 1800, he entered the service as a cadet in the Moscow archive of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs, where he became friends with V. A. Zhukovsky, K. N. Batyushkov. Was an active participant in literature. life 1st quarter XIX century, one of the founders and active members of the Arzamas society. In 1802 he moved to the College of Foreign Affairs in St. Petersburg. In Oct. 1806 sent as a courier to Holland to present the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called cor. Louis Bonaparte. In 1810, he was appointed head of the Diplomatic Chancellery of the Commander-in-Chief of the Danube Army, General. N. M. Kamensky, in 1813-1814. was charge d'affaires of the Russian mission in Stockholm. Being a supporter of the diplomatic policy of gr. I. Kapodistrias, B. considered Austria a natural rival of Russia in the situation in the Balkans, and stood for Russian intervention in the struggle of Greece against Turkey. In 1817-1820 B. was an adviser, then charge d'affaires of the Russian embassy in England, introduced the foreign press to the state of affairs in Russia and through the English. The newspapers were defended by a Russian. policy from attacks from the foreign press. Upon returning to Russia, he initiated the creation of an archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, translated and published “Documents for the history of diplomatic relations between Russia and the Western powers. 1814-1822”, which became an important stage in the development of Russian. diplomatic language.

After Kapodistrias' disgrace, B.'s diplomatic career ended. On July 31, 1822, he was seconded to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Bessarabia. After the accession of the Emperor. Nicholas I, on the recommendation of N.M. Karamzin, in 1826 was appointed case manager for the Supreme Commission of Investigation in the Decembrist case. After the closure of the commission, B., as Secretary of State and case manager, entered the “Committee of December 6, 1826”, and was the author of a decree on the non-admission of children of serfs to educational institutions (1827). From 1828 he was the head of the Main Directorate for Foreign Religious Affairs, in 1830-1831. managed the Ministry of Justice, in 1832-1839. headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs (managed the Ministry since 1831), from February. to Dec. 1839 was Minister of Justice.

Knowing well (from Governor-General Prince N.N. Khovansky and Mogilev civil governor M.N. Muravyov) the peculiarities of the confessional situation in the North-West. region, B. was a convinced supporter of strengthening the positions of Orthodoxy there and the gradual reunification of the Greek Uniates with Orthodoxy. He insisted on opening an Orthodox church in Polotsk. diocese (1833) and the appointment of bishop to it. Smaragda (Kryzhanovsky). Fully sharing the views of Joseph (Semashko), B. came up with a project for the establishment of Greek-Uniate churches in Russia (for which he was awarded the rank of Privy Councilor in 1828) and, together with Bishop. Joseph (Semashko) participated in the reform of the Uniate Church. B. was one of the initiators of the creation (1835) and one of the members of the secret committee for Greek Catholic affairs. Churches, the activities of which took place under his control. In “A Note for Preliminary Reading to Members of the Secret Committee” (1835), B. outlined a plan for the careful and gradual ridding of the Uniate Church from armor. rituals, insisted on the appointment of Vasily Luzhinsky (assessor of the Greek-Uniate Collegium in St. Petersburg), whose good attitude towards Russian Orthodoxy. the official was sure suffragan bishop of the Belarusian Uniate diocese (1834). On B.'s initiative in 1837, affairs of the Greek Catholic. The churches were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Holy Synod, one of the first measures of which was the ban on Catholicism. priests to baptize Uniate children. Greek Catholics called B. “the destroyer of the union.” In 1837, he introduced new territorial police units in the counties - stans. He initiated the publication of the Gubernskiye Gazette in all provinces. The name of B. is associated with a change in government policy towards Jews: after his appointment in 1856 as chairman of the Jewish Committee, the policy of isolation of Jews was replaced by a policy of their social and cultural assimilation, the desire to subordinate Jews to the general laws of the empire.

In 1839, B. was granted the rank of actual privy councilor. In 1839-1861. served as chief manager of the II department of His Imperial Majesty's own office, which was involved in the codification of Russian laws, was a member of the State. Council, Chairman of the Department of State Laws. council (1840-1861), participated in the work of many committees. Under the editorship of B., 2 editions of the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire were published (1842 and 1857). Since 1840, B. was present in the department of affairs of the Kingdom of Poland. Council and Committee of the Western Provinces, was one of the authors of the Code of Punishments (1845). In 1846, he negotiated in Rome about the Roman Catholic system of government. churches in Russia, in 1847, as a representative of Russia, he signed a concordat with the Roman Curia. In 1855 he was elected president of the emperor. AN. Since 1857, he participated in the preparation of the peasant reform, was a member of the committee to consider decisions and assumptions about the state of serfdom in Russia, the Main Committee for Peasant Affairs (from 1861 the Main Committee for the Organization of Rural Conditions). Compiled and submitted imp. Alexander II “Note on judicial regulations” (1857), in which he proposed to separate the judicial and administrative branches. authorities, liquidate class courts, introduce jury trials. In 1859, B. spoke out against increasing censorship strictures and “constraining the country’s mental development.” In 1862, B. was appointed chairman of the State. advice.

According to Karamzin’s will, B. prepared for publication the 12th volume of “History of the Russian State” (1828), in the 50s. published a posthumous collected works of Zhukovsky. B. was the author of many. manifestos of the imp. Nicholas I. On behalf of the sovereign, he wrote several. historical essays: “The trial of gr. Devier and his accomplices”, “About the impostors who appeared under Catherine II in the Voronezh province”, “Note on the Benevsky riot in the Bolsheretsky prison”, “Daily notes of Prince. Menshikov". A special place among lit. B.'s works are occupied by the brochure “The Last Days of the Life of Emperor Nicholas I,” written under the direct impression of the death of the monarch. The essay captures the last days of the emperor's life, communion of the Holy Mysteries, farewell to his neighbors, and sets out the spiritual will of the emperor, written by him in 1844-1845. The brochure has been translated into plural. European languages. B. was buried in the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg.

Works: The last minutes and death in Bose of the deceased emperor, unforgettable and worthy of eternal glory, Nicholas I. St. Petersburg, 1855; The will and last days of the imp's life. Nicholas the First. M., 1856; Speech by the President of the Academy of Sciences at the meeting on December 23. 1855 St. Petersburg, 1856; Thoughts and comments gr. D. N. Bludova. St. Petersburg, 1866.

Lit.: Nikitenko A. IN . Memories of the former president imp. AN gr. Bludov. St. Petersburg, 1864; Bludova A. D. The last days of the life of gr. D. N. Bludova // Bludov D. N. Thoughts and comments. St. Petersburg, 1866. P. 57-64; she is the same. Memories. M., 1888; Kovalevsky E. P . Count Bludov and his time. St. Petersburg, 1866; Kokorev V. A . Two evenings at gr. D. N. Bludova: From the memory. // RA. 1888. Book. 2. No. 5. Stb. 0123-0128; RBS. T. 3. P. 94-98; Dolgorukov P. IN . Petersburg Sketches: Pamphlets of an Emigrant, 1860-1867. M., 1934. S. 232-260; Peskov A. M. Bludov D. N. // Russian writers, 1800-1917. T. 1. pp. 283-284.

I. V. Orzhekhovsky, V. A. Teplova

BLUDOV Dmitry Nikolaevich, count (1842), Russian statesman and public figure, actual Privy Councilor (1839), honorary member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1826). Nobleman.

Nephew of G. R. Derzhavin. Received home education. In 1800 he entered the service of the Moscow Archive of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. He played a prominent role among young writers - fans of N. M. Karamzin. Since 1802 at the College of Foreign Affairs; in 1808 he was sent to Holland to present the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called to King Louis Bonaparte. Since 1810, head of the Diplomatic Chancellery of the Commander-in-Chief of the Danube Army, General N. M. Kamensky. Since 1812, advisor, in 1813-14, chargé d'affaires of the Russian mission in Stockholm, supporter of rapprochement between Russia and Sweden. Enjoyed the patronage of I. A. Kapodistrias. In 1815, one of the founders and active participants of the Arzamas society. In 1817-20, adviser, then chargé d'affaires at the Russian embassy in London. In 1822 he was seconded to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for Bessarabia affairs. In the 1820s, he participated in the translation and preparation for publication of diplomatic documents on relations with the countries of Western Europe in 1814-1822. In 1825, on the recommendation of N.M. Karamzin, he was a member of the Supreme Investigative Commission in the case of the Decembrists, and was instructed to compile an article for publication in the press outlining the progress of the investigation; the article was redone into the “Report” of the commission, which expressed the official point of view. Subsequently, he was the author of many manifestos of Emperor Nicholas I. In 1826, Secretary of State, clerk of the “Committee of December 6, 1826,” Comrade Minister of Public Education, in 1827 managed the affairs of the Committee on Abuses in the Supply of Ship Scaffolding. Since 1828, chief administrator of spiritual affairs of foreign faiths; supporter of the gradual conversion of Uniates to Orthodoxy. In 1830-31 he directed the Ministry of Justice. In 1831, he was a member of the committees for the affairs of the Kingdom of Poland and the western provinces. In 1832-39, Minister of the Interior; under the leadership of Bludov, territorial police units were organized in counties - stans (1837), a decision was made to publish the “Gubernskie Gazette” in all provinces (1837). Member of the State Council (1832). In May - September 1837 he again managed the Ministry of Justice, in February - December 1839 he was the Minister of Justice. In 1839/40-1861, chief administrator of the 2nd (codification) department of His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery and chairman of the Department of Laws of the State Council. Under the leadership of Bludov, two editions of the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire (1842, 1857), and the “Code of Punishments” (1845; valid after revision in 1886 until 1917) were prepared. In 1846, Bludov led negotiations in Rome on the system of governance of the Roman Catholic churches in the Russian Empire, which ended with the signing of an agreement with the Pope (concordat 1847). A supporter of the transformation of the state apparatus while maintaining autocracy, in the peasant question he advocated the gradual abolition of serfdom while maintaining the ownership of land by landowners. Since 1856, chairman of the Main Committee on the Organization of Jews, since 1857 - Chairman of the Committee on Orphanages. In 1857, he submitted a “Note on Judicial Establishments” to Emperor Alexander II, proposing the separation of judicial and administrative powers, the liquidation of class courts, and the introduction of jury trials (many of its provisions were implemented during the judicial reform of 1864). In 1855-64, president of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences. Since 1861 presiding, since 1862 - chairman of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers.

According to the will of N. M. Karamzin (he considered Bludov his possible successor as an official historiographer), he prepared for publication the 12th volume of Karamzin’s “History of the Russian State”; in the 1850s he participated in the preparation of the posthumous edition of the works of V. A. Zhukovsky.

Awarded the orders of St. Alexander Nevsky (1832), St. Vladimir 1st degree (1842), St. Andrew the First-Called (1845), etc.

Works: The last hours of the life of Emperor Nicholas I. St. Petersburg, 1855; Thoughts and comments. St. Petersburg, 1866. Source: Nikitenko A.V. Memories of the former president of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, Count Bludov. St. Petersburg, 1864; Bludova A. D. Memoirs. M., 1888.

Lit.: Kovalevsky E.P. Count Bludov and his time. St. Petersburg, 1866; Zakharova L. G. Autocracy and the abolition of serfdom in Russia. 1856-1861. M., 1984; Korotkikh M. G. Autocracy and judicial reform of 1864 in Russia. Voronezh, 1989.

He stood at the origins of the literary society "Arzamas". Since 1855 he headed the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.

Dmitry Nikolaevich Bludov
Date of Birth	April 5 (16)
Place of Birth	With. Romanovo, Shuisky district, Vladimir province, Russian empire
Date of death	February 19 (March 2)(78 years old)
A place of death	Saint Petersburg
Citizenship	Russian empire Russian empire
Occupation	linguist, politician
Father	Nikolai Yakovlevich Bludov (d.1785)
Mother	Ekaterina Ermolaevna Tishina (1754-1807)
Children	Antonina Dmitrievna Bludova
Awards and prizes
Autograph
Dmitry Nikolaevich Bludov at Wikimedia Commons

early years

He came from an ordinary noble family of the Bludovs. Born in Shuisky district, Vladimir province, on his father's estate Romanovo. Having lost his father early, he was raised by his mother Ekaterina Ermolaevna, the daughter of state councilor Ermolai Vasilyevich Tishin. Having moved with her to Moscow, in 1800 he entered the service of the archive of foreign affairs, where he met, among others, the Turgenev brothers, Dashkov and Vigel. In his notes, the latter does not spare kind words towards Bludov, who subsequently provided him with patronage.

Thanks to the patronage of the wife of Field Marshal Kamensky, young Bludov transferred to the diplomatic service in a foreign collegium and moved to St. Petersburg. As the cousin of V. A. Ozerov and the cousin of G. R. Derzhavin, he was readily accepted in the circle of metropolitan writers. Together with Zhukovsky, he was in the ranks of young writers who, under the banner of Karamzin, fought with the weapon of irony against the extremes of the Shishkov school.

Having entered the diplomatic field early, Bludov limited his participation in literature to close ties with young writers of the Karamzin circle, who often turned to him for advice. In 1815, Bludov, Dashkov and several other people organized the Arzamas society, where Bludov was given the comic name “Cassandra”. After Karamzin’s death, he prepared the last, unfinished volume of “History of the Russian State” for publication. It is known that shortly before his death, the historiographer pointed out Bludov to Emperor Nicholas as a conservative and at the same time enlightened person, that is, worthy of taking a place in the highest state administration.

Nikolaev dignitary

Having experienced in childhood the strong influence of one of his tutors, the emigrant Comte de Fontel, Bludov combined his admiration for the Enlightenment philosophy of the 18th century with an exclusively negative attitude towards the French Revolution. This influence was subsequently joined by Bludov's stay in the diplomatic service in the constitutional monarchies of Sweden and England. In London, where Bludov stayed for more than two years (1817-1820), first as an embassy adviser and then as a charge d'affaires, he closely followed political and literary life.

Immediately upon his accession to the throne, Nicholas I appointed Bludov to the responsible position of clerk of the supreme court over the Decembrists. Drawing up an indictment report on the results of this case earned Bludov favor in the eyes of the monarch and allowed him to advance. This Bludov report was destroyed by N.I. Turgenev, sentenced in absentia, in the book “Russia and the Russians” (Paris, 1847).

At the end of the trial, Bludov was promoted to Secretary of State and in the same 1826 he took the place of Deputy Minister of Public Education and at the same time the Chief Administrator of Affairs of Foreign Religions. In 1828, the emperor expressed his special favor to Bludov regarding the establishment of Greek-Uniate churches in Russia and granted him a position as a Privy Councilor.

In 1830, Bludov managed the Ministry of Justice for several months in the absence of Dashkov, from 1832 the Ministry of Internal Affairs, from 1837 the Ministry of Justice until December 1839, when, having been promoted to actual Privy Councilor, he was appointed chief manager of the II Department of the Own E.I.V. Chancellery, member of the Council of State and chairman of its department of laws. According to the verdict of the Great Soviet Encyclopedia

A typical bureaucrat of the Nicholas reign, educated and capable, but devoid of any originality, excellent at adapting to circumstances, essentially a conservative, but ready to make concessions to “new trends” in small things, Bludov successfully made his career under a wide variety of circumstances.

From 1832 to 1838, Dmitry Nikolaevich Bludov served as chairman of the Siberian Committee.

Since 1840, Bludov was present in the department of affairs of the Kingdom of Poland. Under his editorship as the chief administrator of the II department, two editions of the Code of Laws were published (1842 and 1857); he was also the main figure in the drafting of the Penal Code of 1845, which brought some order to the penal system, which had traditionally suffered from uncertainty in Russia.

On April 15, 1845 he was awarded the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called.

In 1847, Bludov signed a concordat with the Roman Curia. During the revolutionary unrest of 1848, he dissuaded Nicholas from closing universities. In 1855, he responded to the death of the monarch with a memoir, “The Last Hours of the Life of Emperor Nicholas I,” which was then translated into Polish, German, English and French.

Last years

After the start of the great reforms, Bludov remembered the progressive aspirations of his youth and again managed to prove useful to the supreme power. He developed a project for judicial reform, which provided for a departure from the class system and the separation of the judiciary from the executive. Since 1857, he was a member of the committee to consider decisions and assumptions about serfdom in Russia. During the reign of Alexander II, Bludov was appointed president of the Academy of Sciences (1855) and the Jewish (1856) and orphanages (1857) committees, chairman of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers (1862).

Since 1859, according to the order of awarding, he was a member of the pensioners - holders of the Order of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (800 rubles per year).

He died on February 19 (March 2) and was buried at the Tikhvin Cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The notes he kept throughout his life remained unpublished, although extensive excerpts from them were made public by Yegor Kovalevsky in his biography of Bludov, published two years after his death.

Private life

At the age of 16, Dmitry Bludov fell in love with a 24-year-old maid of honor, Princess Anna Andreevna Shcherbatova(1777-1848). The young Shcherbatova was notable for her delicate facial features; many at court found in her a resemblance to Empress Elizaveta Alekseevna. Because of his youth, Bludov could not marry; the princess remained unattainable for him for a long time. A few years later, having achieved a position in society, Bludov proposed. The obstacle to marriage was the mother of the bride; she did not want to hear about this marriage. Princess Antonina Voinovna Shcherbatova, née Yavorskaya (1756-1812) was known for her piety, strict rules, was proud of her nobility, and was stern and arrogant. She refused her hand to many young people worthy of her daughter, and she also refused to Bludov. The efforts of Countess Anna Pavlovna Kamenskaya (the commander-in-chief's mother), who replaced Bludov's late mother, with whom she was in close friendship, and Bludov's rapid rise through the ranks broke the long-term perseverance of Princess Shcherbatova. On April 28, 1812, the long-awaited wedding of 27-year-old Dmitry Bludov and 34-year-old Anna Shcherbatova took place. The Bludovs had children in their marriage:

• Antonina Dmitrievna(1813−1891) - maid of honor, author of “Notes” with memories of Pushkin.
• Lidia Dmitrievna(1815−1882) - maid of honor, married since 1837 to Yegor Ivanovich Shevich (1808-1849), son of I. E. Shevich.
• Andrey Dmitrievich(1817−1886) - diplomat, served as ambassador to Sweden, then to Belgium.
• Vadim Dmitrievich (1819−1902).

Bludov owned an apartment building at 80 Nevsky, second from the corner of Liteyny Prospekt. In Bludov's house, writers always received a warm welcome and found support and advice. Major writers (including L.N. Tolstoy) read their works in Bludov’s house even before they appeared in print.

Honorary titles and awards

Notes

1. // Russian biographical dictionary - SPb. : 1908. - T. 3. - P. 93–94.
2. //

April 5 (16), 1785 in the village. Romanovo, Shuisky district, Vladimir province, a Russian statesman, diplomat, writer, Count Dmitry Nikolaevich Bludov was born into an old noble family.

Dmitry Bludov received an excellent education at home. At 1800he moved to Moscow and entered the service of the Moscow Archives of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. During its service from 1800 to 1802 D.N. Bludov participated in the publication and translation of collections of diplomatic articles. Here he met D.V. Dashkov, subsequently - with V. A. Zhukovsky, P. A. Vyazemsky.

After the accession to the throne of Emperor Alexander I D.N. Bludov went to serve in St. Petersburg, at the Collegium of Foreign Affairs. He was carried away by the liberal ideas of the young emperor and welcomed the proposed reforms. In 1807Mr. Bludov received his first diplomatic assignment and was sent to Holland. Since 1810Mr. Dmitry Nikolaevich was the head of the diplomatic office of the commander-in-chief of the Danube Army in the Turkish War, General N. M. Kamensky. Since 1812 was an adviser, and in 1813-1814gg. - charge d'affaires of the Russian mission in Stockholm, supporter of rapprochement between Russia and Sweden. Bludov enjoyed the patronage of I. A. Kapodistrias, on behalf of whom he introduced the foreign press to the current state of affairs in Russia and, through English newspapers, defended the policies of the Russian state from attacks by the foreign press. The disease forced Dmitry Nikolaevich in 1820d. return to homeland; Having arrived from London, he became closely involved in the publication of diplomatic acts.

Back in 1812-1815 gg. Bludov plunged into the struggle of literary parties, joining the schoolN. M. Karamzina and a mug of V.A. Zhukovsky. As opposed to literary eveningsA. S. Shishkova(“Conversations among lovers of the Russian word”) D. N. Bludov with V. A. Zhukovsky, S. S. Uvarov and D.V. Dashkov created their own society “Arzamas”, which met in Bludov’s apartment. Almost all the main works of art of that era were read in Dmitry Nikolaevich’s house in manuscripts.

In 1826, Nicholas I appointed D.N. Bludov as clerk of the Supreme Investigative Commission in the case ofuprising of December 14 (26), 1825At the end of the case about the Decembrists, Bludov was appointed Secretary of State and comrade of the Minister of Public Education. In 1828 g. was determined chief administrator of foreign denominations ; was involved in the organization of the Greek-Uniate Church.

In 1830 Mr. Bludov ruled the Ministry of Justice instead of Minister Dashkov. Late 1820s/early 1830sgg. carried out significant work on the concentration of the most important archival documents in the State Archive. In 1832-1839gg. was the Minister of Internal Affairs. He led the work to improve the activities of the ministry apparatus and the institutions subordinate to it: under the leadership of Bludov, territorial police units were organized in counties - stans; a decision was made to publish the “Gubernskie Gazette” in all provinces; he participated in the development of the “Order to the Civil Governors of the Russian Empire” (1837). Since 1837Mr. Bludov headed the Ministry of Justice for two years, in 1839Mr. was appointed chief executive II department of His Majesty's Own Office, memberState Council and Chairman of the Department of Laws. Edited by him II the department published two publicationsCode of Laws(1842 and 1857). In 1845 gg. was made public II department "Punishment Code".

In 1855 Mr. Bludov was elected presidentAcademy of Sciences; chairman of the Jewish and orphanage committees. Since 1857g. was a member of the committee to consider regulations on serfdom. Early 1860sgg. Bludov was appointed chairman of the State Council. Under his chairmanship, the regulations on zemstvo institutions andjudicial statutes.

February 19 (March 2) 1864 Dmitry Nikolaevich Bludov died and was buried inAlexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg.

Lit.: Bludov D. N. Thoughts and comments of Count Dmitry Nikolaevich Bludov. SPb., 1866; Bludov D. N. General explanatory note to the draft New Code on criminal and correctional punishments. SPb., 1844; Bludov D. N. General explanatory note to the Draft of the new civil code of the Kingdom of Poland. SPb., 1853; Bludov D. N. In memory of Count Dmitry Nikolaevich Bludov: Readings at the meeting of the Imp. Rus. archaeol. islands March 3, 1864 St. Petersburg, 1864; Bludov D. N. Speech by the President of the Academy of Sciences at meeting 23 December 1855. St. Petersburg, 1856; Kovalevsky E. P. Count Bludov and his time. SPb., 1866; Mavlikhanova E. A. Dmitry Nikolaevich Bludov - “the successor of Karamzin’s story” // Christmas collection. Kovrov, 2010. Issue. 17; Nikitenko A. V. Memories of the former president of the Academy of Sciences, Count D. N. Bludove. SPb., 1864; 8th January 1851of the year: [Description of the celebration of the anniversary of the fiftieth year of service of gr.Dmitry Nikolaevich Bludov]. SPb., 1851; Popov A. N. A few words spoken on the 3rd March 1864 year in the extraordinary meeting of the Russian Archaeological Society, in memory of the late Count D. N. Bludova, A. Popov. St. Petersburg, 1864.

Born on the family estate of Romanov, Vladimir province. Having received an excellent education at home (he was taught by professors from Moscow University) and knowing several foreign languages, in 1800 he began serving in the Moscow archive of the Collegium of Foreign Affairs under the guidance of the famous historian N.

N. Bantysh-Kamensky. In 1801, the capable “archival youth” was transferred to St. Petersburg, to the College of Foreign Affairs, and in 1807, on the recommendation of N.M. Karamzin, with whom he was very friendly, he entered diplomatic work. At first he served as secretary of the Russian embassy in Holland, and in 1810 he became the ruler of the diplomatic office of the commander-in-chief of the Danube Army, Count N. M. Kamensky. Later he was an adviser to the Russian embassy in Sweden. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count I. A. Kapodistrias, valued him very much and called him “the pearl of Russian diplomats.” In 1820, Bludov returned to St. Petersburg and, having received the rank of full state councilor, began to think about resigning, since he could not get along with the new minister Nesselrode.

After leaving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bludov in January 1826 became the clerk of the Investigative Commission created in the case of the Decembrists. Based on the investigation materials, he prepared a report to the sovereign “On Malicious Societies,” which was approved by Nicholas I and published in a supplement to Russian newspapers. The report actually served as the basis for the verdict handed down by the Supreme Criminal Court.

Once Emperor Nicholas I, addressing his court historiographer Karamzin, said: “Imagine that around me no one knows how to write two pages in Russian, except for Speransky.” Karamzin recommended that he take a closer look at young people who had proven themselves in the diplomatic field - D. N. Bludov and D. V. Dashkov. This advice could not have come at a better time. Both friends were “granted” secretaries of state. The decree regarding Bludov was signed by the emperor on July 11, 1826, and on November 25 he also became a fellow minister of public education. In December 1828 Bludov was “awarded” the rank of Privy Councilor and became the chief administrator of affairs of foreign confessions. The memoirist A.I. Koshelev, who worked under him, recalled: “He did a lot of good, was accessible to everyone and was ready to listen to everyone to whom he could be useful in some way.”

In February 1832 Bludov was appointed Minister of the Interior and member of the State Council. In February 1839 - Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General, but remained in this post only until the end of the year.

On December 31, 1839, Bludov took the place of his deceased friend D.V. Dashkov, chairman of the department of laws of the State Council and chief manager of the 2nd Department of His Imperial Majesty’s own chancellery.

The intense work of D.N. Bludov was generously rewarded. In 1842 he became a count, and in 1845 he received the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called as a reward (two years later he was also awarded the diamond badge of this order). In 1851, Nicholas I “granted” him a ring with diamonds, and in 1852 - his own portrait with diamonds to wear in his buttonhole. In 1856, the new Emperor Alexander II presented him with his portrait with diamonds to be worn on St. Andrew's ribbon.

From his youth, Dmitry Nikolaevich was engaged in literary work: he wrote articles, critical analyzes and even epigrams. He was a keen connoisseur of literature.

Many were afraid of his wit. He became one of the founders of the literary society "Arzamas". Throughout his life he maintained contacts with many famous poets and writers. V. A. Zhukovsky wrote to him: “You are a friend and brother of the singer Lyudmila, you were a friend of Karamzin.” Subsequently, busy with government affairs, he paid less attention to creativity, although he still published several interesting historical essays and articles: “Notes about the famous impostor Tarakanova”, “Daily notes of Prince Menshikov”, “The Conspiracy and Execution of Mirovich” and others. In 1866, Bludov’s original diary “Thoughts and Remarks” was published.

Count D.N. Bludov died on February 19, 1864; buried at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

D.N. Bludov dealt with all the affairs of the Governing Senate, led the local prosecutorial authorities, sending them several important circulars, including those relating to the detention of prisoners.

Circular from the Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General D. N. Bludov

(Extract)

It has been noticed that prisoners are sometimes placed in prisons without due attention to their age and degree of crime. In order to avert the evil that may arise from this, I strictly order all provincial, regional and other prosecutors to observe in every possible way, in provincial cities personally, and in the district through district attorneys, that the prescribed ... rules for the placement of prisoners are carried out exactly, under fear of deviation from them penalties from the perpetrators to the fullest extent of the law.

On December 15, 1839, Bludov, “for the closest monitoring of the progress of cases regarding prisoners,” ordered his subordinate prosecutors “in addition to the monthly reports they submit to the Sovereign Emperor about prisoners held for more than a year, compiling one general report from all such reports, to present one when reporting to the Minister of Justice.”

Having left the post of Minister of Justice and Prosecutor General, D.I. Bludov took responsible positions in the State Council, and subsequently headed it. Here his enormous talent as a statesman was fully demonstrated. In 1842 and 1855, two new editions of the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire were published under his editorship, and in 1845, the Code of Criminal and Correctional Punishments (the first Criminal Code of Russia) was prepared. In 1855 Bludov headed the Imperial Academy of Sciences.

Realizing the need for radical reforms of the judicial system in the empire, Dmitry Nikolaevich began preparations for the reform back in the 1840s. A huge amount of factual material was collected, which was subsequently used by the drafters of the Judicial Charters. He took a direct part in drawing up documents on the Peasant Reform, and on February 19, 1861, already in the rank of Chairman of the State Council and the Committee of Ministers, he signed the acts on the liberation of peasants from serfdom.