Note by Grand Duke Paul Petrovich con- cerning the reform of the Senate

Abstract

This material represents the first comprehensive publication of Grand Duke Paul Petrovich’s note concerning the reform of the Senate – a historical source important for understanding the evolution of Pavel’s political views prior to his accession to the throne. Following the ideals of Panin, the Grand Duke envisioned the Senate as the highest judicial institution («the first judicial tribunal») headed by the Chancellor of Justice. At the same time, the Senate was granted the right of «representation» to the sovereign on all matters of state administration, with the exception of foreign policy. Direct administration, according to Pavel’s conception, was to be concentrated in a new governing body – the «imperial’s council», headed by officials who were chiefs of various branches of administration (a prototype of ministries). Pavel avoided discussing the competencies of the «imperial’s council». However, taking into account the influence of Count N. I. Panin’s ideas on the Grand Duke, it can be assumed that this institution was intended to function as the emperor’s personal chancellery on matters of state administration. In view of the excessive burden and the Senate’s remoteness from many places, Pavel Petrovich proposed to establish it in Petersburg, Moscow, Kazan, and Glukhov, with each assigned a specific number of provinces with similar regulations and laws. The published source allows tracing the origins of reform projects in Russia at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries