“The land… somewhat distant from the Monarch’s view”: Central Russia in the first half of the XIX centurury

Abstract

The articles examines the history of Central Russia, or what was known as the governorates of Greater Russia (velikorusskiye / velikorossiyskiye gubernii), in the first half of the 19th century, during the reigns of Alexander I and Nicholas I. The author starts with focusing on the naming of the region and tracing its borders – both as it appeared in research discourses and in the rising language of the authorities. Following on with a look at the new practices of administration and the language of symbols, the author concludes that the region was steadily marginalized both in the “outside gaze” and even in the region’s selfidentification. The author suggests that over time this perception of Central Russia crystallized into a mental construct which largely survived numerous regime changes from the Russian Empire to the USSR to Post-Soviet Russia. A case for studying the administration of the territories is found in Alexander I’s project of governorates general (as it was put in practice in Greater Russia and then dismantled under Nicholas I). Special attention is paid to the work of governors general A. D. Balashov and A. N. Bakhmetev, most notably to the latter’s memorandum “On the advantage of and need for governors general” (1826). The document explores reasons for preserving the institute of governorates general in the Russian Empire’s hinterlands. The article also presents an overview of the research field as it can be applied to studying Central Russia as compared to the body of literature on the history of Russia’s other macro-regions.