Alexander Radishchev's biography of the Russian poet is briefly outlined in this article.
Alexander Radishchev short biography
Alexander Nikolaevich was born on August 20 (31), 1749 into a noble family in Moscow. He spent his childhood in the village of Nemtsovo, after which the family moved to Verkhnee Ablyazov. At first he studied at home, and only in 1756 the father took his son to Moscow and settled him in the house of the director of Moscow University. Here he was looked after by a hired French tutor.
In 1762, Radishchev was promoted to page and sent to the St. Petersburg page corps. By decree of Catherine II, in 1766 he was sent to Germany to study at the University of Leipzig at the Faculty of Law. At the educational institution, he became interested in the works of Rousseau, Raynal, Voltaire, and Helvetius.
Alexander Nikolaevich returned to St. Petersburg in 1771. He receives the title of adviser and gets a job as a secretary in the Senate. Also this year, the writer anonymously publishes an excerpt from his book “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” in the magazine “Painter”.
Radishchev entered military service in 1773 with the rank of chief auditor at the Finnish divisional headquarters. At the same time, he is translating Mably’s book and writing the works “Diary of One Week” and “Officer Exercises.” Resigns in 1775.
After 2 years, he begins to work at the Commerce Collegium of Count Vorontsov. In 1780 he got a job at the St. Petersburg customs, which he headed 10 years later. The writer wrote the ode “Liberty” in 1783.
In 1790, he completed work on the main work of his life: “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” in which he reflected on the serf system of Russia. The book caused a protest from the empress. He was arrested and sentenced to death, but it was later replaced by 10 years of exile in the Siberian prison of Ilimsk.
In Siberia, Radishchev continued to write, studying the traditions of the local population. He created the following works: “About Man, His Mortality and Immortality”, “Letter on the Chinese Trade”, “Abridged Narrative of the Acquisition of Siberia”.
When Paul I came to power, he returned Radishchev from exile in 1796. On May 31, 1801, Alexander I announced an amnesty for the writer. He was called back to St. Petersburg and offered a job in the Commission for Drafting Laws. He developed a project to abolish serfdom, but Alexander Nikolaevich was threatened with another Siberian exile. This mentally broke the writer: he decided to commit suicide by taking poison. Radishchev passed away September 12 (24), 1802.
Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev. Born on August 20 (31), 1749 in Verkhniy Ablyazovo (Saratov province) - died on September 12 (24), 1802 in St. Petersburg. Russian prose writer, poet, philosopher, de facto head of the St. Petersburg customs, member of the Commission for drafting laws under Alexander I. He became best known for his main work, “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” which he published anonymously in 1790.
Alexander Radishchev was the first-born in the family of Nikolai Afanasyevich Radishchev (1728-1806), the son of the Starodub colonel and large landowner Afanasy Prokopyevich.
He spent his childhood on his father's estate in the village of Nemtsovo, Borovsky district, Kaluga province. Apparently, his father, a devout man who was fluent in Latin, Polish, French and German, took a direct part in Radishchev’s initial education.
As was customary at that time, the child was taught Russian literacy using the Book of Hours and the Psalter. By the age of six, a French teacher was assigned to him, but the choice turned out to be unsuccessful: the teacher, as they later learned, was a fugitive soldier.
Soon after the opening of Moscow University, around 1756, Alexander's father took him to Moscow, to the house of his maternal uncle ( brother whom, A. M. Argamakov, was the director of the university in 1755-1757). Here Radishchev was entrusted to the care of a very good French governor, a former adviser to the Rouen parliament, who had fled the persecution of the government of Louis XV. The Argamakov children had the opportunity to study at home with professors and teachers of the university gymnasium, so it cannot be ruled out that Alexander Radishchev prepared here under their guidance and completed, at least in part, the gymnasium course program.
In 1762, after the coronation, Radishchev was granted a page and sent to St. Petersburg to study in the Corps of Pages. The page corps trained not scientists, but courtiers, and the pages were obliged to serve the empress at balls, in the theater, and at state dinners.
Four years later, among twelve young nobles, he was sent to Germany, to the University of Leipzig to study law. During the time spent there, Radishchev expanded his horizons enormously. In addition to thorough scientific school, he adopted the ideas of advanced French educators, whose works greatly prepared the ground for the bourgeois revolution that broke out twenty years later.
Of Radishchev’s comrades, Fyodor Ushakov is especially remarkable for the great influence he had on Radishchev, who wrote his “Life” and published some of Ushakov’s works. Ushakov was a more experienced and mature man than his other comrades, who immediately recognized his authority. He served as an example for other students, guided their reading, and instilled in them strong moral convictions. Ushakov’s health was upset even before his trip abroad, and in Leipzig he further ruined it, partly with poor nutrition, partly with excessive exercise, and fell ill. When the doctor announced to him that “tomorrow he will no longer be involved in life,” he firmly accepted the death sentence. He said goodbye to his friends, then, calling one Radishchev to him, handed over all his papers to him and told him: “remember that you need to have rules in life in order to be blessed.” Ushakov’s last words “marked an indelible mark in the memory” of Radishchev.
In 1771, Radishchev returned to St. Petersburg and soon entered service in the Senate, as a protocol clerk, with the rank of titular councilor. He did not serve long in the Senate: he was burdened by the camaraderie of his clerks and the rude treatment of his superiors. Radishchev entered the headquarters of Chief General Bruce, who commanded in St. Petersburg, as chief auditor and stood out for his conscientious and courageous attitude to his duties. In 1775, he retired and got married, and two years later he entered the service of the Commerce Collegium, which was in charge of trade and industry. There he became very close friends with Count Vorontsov, who subsequently helped Radishchev in every possible way during his exile to Siberia.
From 1780 he worked at the St. Petersburg customs, rising to the position of its chief by 1790. From 1775 to June 30, 1790, he lived in St. Petersburg at the address: Gryaznaya Street, 14 (now Marata Street).
The foundations of Radishchev’s worldview were laid in the very early period his activities. Returning to St. Petersburg in 1771, a couple of months later he sent an excerpt from his future book to the editors of the Zhivopiets magazine "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow", where it was published anonymously. Two years later, Radishchev’s translation of Mably’s book “Reflections on Greek history" Other works of the writer, such as “Officer Exercises” and “Diary of One Week,” also date back to this period.
In the 1780s, Radishchev worked on “The Journey” and wrote other works in prose and poetry. By this time there was a huge social upsurge throughout Europe. The victory of the American Revolution and the French Revolution that followed it created a favorable climate for promoting the ideas of freedom, which Radishchev took advantage of.
In 1789, he opened a printing house at his home, and in May 1790 he published his main work, “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow.” His treatise “On Man, His Mortality and Immortality” contains numerous paraphrases of Herder’s works “A Study on the Origin of Language” and “On the Knowledge and Sensation of the Human Soul.”
The book began to sell out quickly. His bold thoughts about serfdom and other sad phenomena of the then social and state life attracted the attention of the empress herself, to whom someone delivered “The Journey” and who called Radishchev “a rebel, worse than Pugachev.”
Radishchev was arrested, his case was entrusted to S.I. Sheshkovsky. Imprisoned in the fortress, Radishchev led the line of defense during interrogations. He did not name a single name from among his assistants, saved the children, and also tried to save his own life. The Criminal Chamber applied to Radishchev the articles of the Code on “attack on the sovereign’s health”, on “conspiracies and treason” and sentenced him to death. The verdict, transmitted to the Senate and then to the Council, was approved in both instances and presented to Catherine.
On September 4, 1790, a personal decree was issued that found Radishchev guilty of violating his oath and office by publishing a book “filled with the most harmful speculations that destroy public peace, detract from due respect for the authorities, and strive to create indignation among the people against the bosses and authorities.” and finally, insulting and violent expressions against the dignity and power of the king”; Radishchev’s guilt is such that he fully deserves the death penalty, to which he was sentenced by the court, but “out of mercy and for everyone’s joy,” the execution was replaced by a ten-year exile for him in Siberia, in the Ilimsky prison.
Emperor Paul I, soon after his accession to the throne (1796), returned Radishchev from Siberia. Radishchev was ordered to live on his estate in the Kaluga province, the village of Nemtsov.
After his accession to the throne, Radishchev received complete freedom; he was summoned to St. Petersburg and appointed a member of the Commission to draw up laws.
There is a legend about the circumstances of Radishchev’s suicide: called to the commission to draw up laws, Radishchev drew up a “Draft of a Liberal Code”, in which he spoke about the equality of all before the law, freedom of the press, etc.
The chairman of the commission, Count P.V. Zavadovsky, gave him a strict reprimand for his way of thinking, sternly reminding him of his previous hobbies and even mentioning Siberia. Radishchev, a man with very poor health, was so shocked by Zavadovsky’s reprimand and threats that he decided to commit suicide: he drank poison and died in terrible agony.
In the book “Radishchev” by D. S. Babkin, published in 1966, a different version of Radishchev’s death was proposed. The sons who were present at his death testified to the severe physical illness that struck Alexander Nikolaevich already during his Siberian exile. The immediate cause of death, according to Babkin, was an accident: Radishchev drank a glass with “strong vodka prepared in it to burn out the old officer’s epaulettes of his eldest son” (royal vodka). The burial documents indicate a natural death.
In the church register of the Volkovsky cemetery in St. Petersburg on September 13, 1802, “college adviser Alexander Radishchev” is listed among those buried; fifty three years, died of consumption,” priest Vasily Nalimov was present at the removal.
Radishchev's grave has not survived to this day. It is assumed that his body was buried near the Church of the Resurrection, on the wall of which a memorial plaque was installed in 1987.
Family and personal life of Radishchev:Alexander Radishchev was married twice.
He married for the first time in 1775 to Anna Vasilyevna Rubanovskaya (1752-1783), who was the niece of his fellow student in Leipzig, Andrei Kirillovich Rubanovsky, and the daughter of an official of the Main Palace Chancellery, Vasily Kirillovich Rubanovsky. This marriage produced four children (not counting two daughters who died in infancy):
Vasily (1776-1845) - staff captain, lived in Ablyazov, where he married his serf Akulina Savvateevna. His son Alexey Vasilyevich became a court councilor, leader of the nobility and mayor of Khvalynsk.
Nikolai (1779-1829) - writer, author of the poem “Alyosha Popovich”.
Catherine (1782)
Pavel (1783-1866).
Anna Vasilievna died at the birth of her son Pavel in 1783. Soon after Radishchev was expelled, the younger sister of his first wife, Elizaveta Vasilievna Rubanovskaya (1757-97), came to him in Ilimsk, along with his two youngest children (Ekaterina and Pavel). In exile they soon began to live as husband and wife. Three children were born in this marriage:
Anna (1792)
Thekla (1795-1845) - married Pyotr Gavrilovich Bogolyubov and became the mother of the famous Russian marine painter A.P. Bogolyubov.
Afanasy (1796-1881) - major general, Podolsk, Vitebsk and Kovno governor.
Alexander Radishchev lived a relatively short life - he was born in 1749 (August 31), and died in 1802 (September 12). He was the first child in a wealthy noble family - his grandfather Afanasy Prokopyevich was a large landowner.
Happy childhood
His childhood years were spent on his father’s estate in Nemtsovo, a village belonging to the Borovsky district of the Kaluga province. The family was friendly, the parents were well-educated people. The father, who speaks several languages, including Latin, taught his son himself.
The boy was his mother's favorite. As was customary in noble families, he was taught at home - children learned the Russian language from liturgical books - the psalter and the book of hours; tutors were invited to study foreign languages, mainly French. Little Alexander no luck - under the guise of a teacher French a fugitive soldier was hired to join them.
The basics of an excellent education
In 1755, Moscow University opened, and Alexander Radishchev went to Moscow, to his mother’s uncle, Mr. Argamakov, whose brother held the post of director at that time (in 1755-1757). And this gave the children of the Argomakovs and Sasha Radishchev the right to receive knowledge at home under the guidance of professors and teachers of the university gymnasium. At the age of 13, Alexander Radishchev was granted a page when Catherine II ascended the throne in 1762, and was sent for further training to the Corps of Pages - at that time the most prestigious educational institution Russian Empire, where he studied from 1762 to 1766.
University years
He was rich, came from an old noble family, and most importantly, he studied well and was very diligent. Therefore, when Catherine decided to send a group of young nobles of 12 people abroad, including 6 pages, Alexander Radishchev was one of the first on this list. He went to Leipzig to study law.
However, in addition to the compulsory sciences and in-depth study of languages, students were allowed to additionally become acquainted with other sciences. A. N. Radishchev chose medicine and chemistry as additional classes, in which, as well as in languages, he was very successful. The five years spent in Leipzig were filled with study, and thanks to this, A. N. Radishchev became one of the most educated people of his time, and not only in Russia. There, abroad, he begins to write. During these years, an indelible impression on him was made by his friendship with Ushakov, who was somewhat older, wiser and more educated than Alexander, and by the death of this friend. In memory of him, Radishchev Alexander Nikolaevich wrote a work called “The Life of Fyodor Vasilyevich Ushakov.”
Years of life in Russia after returning
Upon returning to his homeland in 1771, A. N. Radishchev, together with his friend M. Kutuzov, entered service in the St. Petersburg Senate, where they did not work for a long time for a number of reasons. Radishchev returns from abroad as a freethinker. In 1773, he became a legal adviser at the headquarters of the Finnish Division, located in St. Petersburg, from where he retired in 1775. This was the time of the Pugachev rebellion and its suppression. During these years, Radishchev Alexander Nikolaevich completed several translations, including “Reflections on Greek History” by Bonneau de Mably. Gradually, Radishchev becomes one of the most convinced and consistent people who consider autocracy and serfdom to be the main evil of Russia. After his retirement, A. N. Radishchev married the sister of a friend with whom he studied in Leipzig. In 1777, he entered the St. Petersburg customs, where he worked until 1790 and rose to the post of its director. Here he became friends with Count A.R. Vorontsov, who would support the Russian philosopher and thinker even in Siberian exile.
The main work of life
Back in 1771, the first excerpts from the main work written by Alexander Radishchev were published. “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow” was published in separate chapters in the St. Petersburg magazine “Painter”. In the 80-90s of the 18th century, an unusually large social upsurge was observed in Europe; revolutions, first in the USA, then in France, followed one after another.
Taking advantage of the favorable climate to promote the ideas of freedom, Radishchev opened a printing house at his home (on present-day Marata Street), and in May 1790 he printed 650 copies of the book. Previously, “Letter to a Friend” was published in the same way. Who is not familiar with the phrase “Yes, he is a rebel, worse than Pugachev!”, uttered by Catherine II after reading this work. As a consequence of it, A.N. Radishchev was imprisoned Peter and Paul Fortress and sentenced to death. Then the “merciful” empress replaced her with a 10-year exile in Siberia with deprivation title of nobility, all orders, regalia and status.
Book-revealer
The books of the disgraced author were subject to destruction. But the copies released by Radishchev quickly sold out, a lot of copies were made from them, which allowed A.S. Pushkin to state the fact: “Radishchev, the enemy of slavery, escaped censorship!” Or maybe the great Russian poet was referring to the fact that the censor, having leafed through the book, decided that it was a city guide, since it listed settlements located along the highway. Even today, 70 such lists have survived.
Then, in 1888, permission was received to publish 100 copies of this book, supposedly exclusively for connoisseurs and lovers of Russian literature. Why did the book so outrage the enlightened empress? The novel describes the horrors of serfdom, the incredibly difficult life of the peasants, in addition, the book contains direct denunciations of tsarism. Written good language, it is full of witty caustic remarks, and does not leave anyone indifferent. It included “Liberty” and “The Tale of Lomonosov”. And there had never been such denunciations of autocracy before.
Incorrigible lover of life
Radishchev, whose works, poems, philosophical treatises, odes, including “Liberty,” were from then on burned and ground in paper factories, was imprisoned in the Ilimsk prison. But even here, on behalf of him, he was engaged in studying the life of the indigenous inhabitants of Siberia, trade routes in northern regions vast country and the possibility of trade with China. He was even happy here in his own way. In the prison he wrote many wonderful works, and his sister-in-law came there to see him (and he was already a widower) to brighten up his loneliness in exile. Paul I, who ascended the throne and hated his mother, returned the disgraced philosopher, but without the right to leave the family nest in Nemtsov. Alexander I not only gave A. N. Radishchev complete freedom, but also attracted him to work in the Commission for drafting laws.
Suicide or fatal inattention
The exile did not change the writer’s views and, taking part in the drafting of laws, Alexander, who was full of clashes with those in power, wrote the “Draft of a Liberal Code.” It expressed thoughts about the equality of all before the law, the need for freedom of speech and the press, and other “free thoughts” that so outraged the Chairman of the Commission, Count P. V. Zavadsky, that he threatened the author with another exile to Siberia.
Either the rebuke was derogatory, or the thinker’s nerves finally gave way, and his health was severely undermined, or he experienced something very terrible in exile, but A. N. Radishchev, having come home, poisoned himself by taking poison. Very sad story. True, there is another version, which testifies to the strength of spirit greatest man of his time - he did not intend to commit suicide, but by mistake drank a glass of vodka standing in plain sight to calm down. And this was “royal vodka,” deadly to humans, prepared and left by the writer’s eldest son for the restoration of old epaulettes. Quite a sad story.
Good and great man
In his activities, A. N. Radishchev was also concerned with issues of education. He is considered the founder of Russian revolutionary ethics and aesthetics, as well as pedagogy. Along with serious studies, philosophical treatises, menacing denunciations of tsarism and serfdom, Radishchev, whose poems are full of love for people and nature, also wrote children's songs, composed funny rhymes, riddles, and invented different games and competitions.
That is, the man loved life very much, but wanted it to be fair to all people, so that in Russia there would be no humiliating serfdom. A. S. Pushkin wrote an excellent article about A. N. Radishchev.
Born in Nemtsov (Moscow). A few years later, the family moved to the village of Verkhnee Ablyazovo, Saratov governorship (Petersburg).
A.N. Radishchev is the first Russian revolutionary writer and poet, philosopher and lawyer.
While the young poet served Catherine II, he never forgot about literature; whenever possible, he read the works of John Vishensky and Fyodor Griboyedov. Watching life home country, for the most part, paid attention to wars, battles and travel, after which, based on what he saw, he wrote his works.
He sent his first excerpt, in the future from his own book “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” to the magazine “Painter” anonymously. A little later, the stories “Officer Exercises,” “Diary of One Week,” and “Reflections on Greek History” were published. In his works, A.N. Radishchev discussed serfdom and wrote about illegal human trafficking.
The government did not leave the writer unpunished; Radishchev was sent into exile posthumously. In his last years, he managed to write a treatise “On Man, His Mortality and Immortality.”
On September 11, Alexander Nikolaevich commits suicide, I feel guilty before the people. The fault was that he understood and knew the whole truth about the upper strata of society and did not know how to protect his “relatives” from this horror. It later turned out that the deceased left a letter in which it was written: “Posterity will avenge me!”
Biography of Radishchev for 9th grade
Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev (1749 - 1802) - Russian writer, philosopher, political and literary figure.
Childhood and adolescence
Born into the family of a wealthy rural landowner near Kaluga. Although his father did not serve, he was an educated man and spoke several languages, and he passed on his thirst for knowledge to his son. Parents tried to give each of their ten children a decent education - and Radishchev learned to read and write and speak languages from an early age.
In 1855 he was sent to Moscow, where he continued his studies under the supervision of his mother's uncle. At the age of 13 he entered the Corps of Pages and was sent to the capital. Unfortunately, this institution could not teach young men anything except the ability to behave at court; Fortunately, Radishchev had the opportunity to join European education - in 1766, among the twelve lucky ones, he went to attend training courses at the University of Leipzig.
After university
Returning to his homeland in 1771, Radishchev worked for some time in a minor position in the Senate, then transferred to the headquarters of the Commander-in-Chief, Count Bruce. Leaving service for a short time in 1775 - to get married - in 1776 he again changed his position and devoted himself to the Commerce Collegium.
After working there for four years as an assessor, Radishchev became subordinate to the manager of the St. Petersburg customs and became his closest assistant. Due to his duty, forced to constantly communicate with the British, Alexander Nikolaevich quickly learned English language, which allowed him to become acquainted with the originals of great works of British literature. Ten years later - in 1790 - Radishchev became the manager of the St. Petersburg customs.
After the “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow”
Radishchev’s most famous work, the essay “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” was published in the same 1790. After being taken into custody and numerous interrogations, Alexander Nikolaevich was sentenced to death, commuted by the grace of Empress Catherine II to ten years of exile. Her censorship ban on The Journey was finally lifted only in 1867. Radishchev lived in exile in the city of Ilimsk for a total of five years (1792 - 1797).
Pardoned by Emperor Paul I, he returned home to the Nemtsovo estate, which belonged to his family. Alexander I, who replaced Paul on the throne, granted him complete freedom. In 1801, in St. Petersburg, Radishchev was made a member of the Commission for drafting laws. Over the next two years, he worked on draft legislation based on respect for all natural rights and freedoms of all citizens of the state.
There are rumors that the Commission was hostile to this project and hinted to Alexander Nikolaevich that he could pay for it with his freedom and end up in a second exile; after which he committed suicide by poisoning with nitric acid.
There is no consensus in historiography about the death of Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev - it is known for certain that he died on September 11, 1802, was soon buried, but his grave has not survived to this day.
Biography by dates and interesting facts. The most important.
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Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev(20 (31) August 1749, Moscow - 12 (24) September 1802, St. Petersburg) - Russian writer, philosopher, poet, director of the St. Petersburg customs and member of the Commission for the Drafting of Laws.
Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev was born on August 20, 1749 into a family with noble roots. Radishchev's grandfather was an orderly for Peter I, then served in the guards troops. Radishchev's father, being very educated person, preferred military service housekeeping. Alexander himself was the first child in the family.
Radishchev received his education at the gymnasium program, then was sent to Leipzig to continue his education. After returning to St. Petersburg, Radishchev was appointed protocol officer in the Senate.
Alexander Nikolaevich dedicated his entire life literary work. He is the author of many works on historical, political and philosophical topics. Most famous work- "Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow" - was completed in 1790. In the same year, for distributing this book, Radishchev was arrested and sent into exile in Siberia, where he spent five years. Until 1801, Alexander Nikolaevich lived under constant police surveillance.
Then, at the request of A.R. Vorontsov, Radishchev became a member of the Law Drafting Commission, where he worked for the rest of his life. Radishchev died on September 12, 1802.
Alexander Radishchev's teachers were serfs. On early years Nikolai's life they taught him to write and read. It was then that the child discovered the hardships of peasant life - from the serfs he learned about the cruelty of the neighboring landowners. Stories about their abuse of the serfs left a deep imprint on the boy’s soul, which later turned into hatred of his oppressors. When he reached the age of six, a Frenchman was invited into the house, who later turned out to be a fugitive soldier. And he practically did not know French. I had to part with him. In 1756, the father took his son to Moscow - to the house of a relative of his mother. The latter was the nephew of the director of Moscow University. Alexander Radishchev began his studies at the university’s gymnasium program. True, he received knowledge at home, but just like high school students, he attended exams, participated in debates, and had access to a bookstore at the university. Alexander read a lot.
In 1762, Alexander Radishchev became a page. By this time he was a young man who had received an excellent education. As a result of this, he was enrolled in court service. He became a page. In 1764, Alexander made his first trip. As part of the Corps of Pages, he escorted the Empress from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Arriving in St. Petersburg, he found himself completely alone in a city unfamiliar to him; Here he spent more than two years - from 1764 to 1766.
Radishchev was sent to study in Germany. In 1766, the Empress sent twelve young nobles abroad to the University of Leipzig. Alexander Radishchev also went to study legal sciences. Among the young people, Fyodor Vasilyevich Ushakov was noticeably different - being the eldest (at that time he was 19 years old), he had an acute thirst for knowledge (for the sake of this he even gave up a profitable position as an official), thanks to which he soon became the head of the group. His studies in Leipzig lasted five years . In addition to studying the subjects provided for by the program, Alexander Radishchev was interested in literature, foreign languages, medicine. Students began to come to Russia in 1771.
Alexander Nikolaevich's literary activity began while studying in Leipzig. Here he began to translate a brochure by the politician Ghik, which had a political theme. The choice of this particular topic for translation speaks of Radishchev’s corresponding hobbies.
In 1771, Radishchev received the position of protocol officer. After returning home, Alexander Nikolaevich became a protocol officer in the Senate. He received the rank of titular councilor.
Radishchev did not limit himself to work in the Senate. In his free time from service, he was engaged in translating the work of G. B. de Mably, a famous French thinker. In the summer of 1773, Alexander Nikolaevich wrote an autobiographical story. It was called "Diary of one week." Working in such an institution as the Senate gave the young author huge amount material for reflection on the fate of the country, the established political system, etc. Radishchev described some details of his service in his work. True, this work saw the light of day many years later - the story was published only in 1811 (after the death of the author).
Alexander Nikolaevich learned about the beginning of the uprising led by Pugachev in the Finnish division. Here he received the position of regimental judge. It is likely that Radishchev personally saw the execution of Pugachev on January 10, 1775. This uprising led Alexander Nikolayevich to the idea of how much autocracy harms the development of the country, and also to the fact that it is possible to get rid of oppressive serfdom only through armed struggle.
In March 1775, Alexander Nikolaevich insisted on resignation. However, after some time Radishchev was accepted to the position of legal consul. Count Vorontsov, who occupies a prominent place among state dignitaries, appreciated the abilities of Alexander Nikolaevich and contributed to the appointment of Radishchev to a higher post. In 1780, he became assistant manager of the St. Petersburg customs, where he served until 1790. Then he was appointed manager of the St. Petersburg customs.
The best works of art Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev dates back to the 80s of the 18th century. It was during these years that excellent historical, artistic and journalistic works were created. In 1780, Radishchev wrote “The Tale of Lomonosov.” Alexander Nikolaevich's ode "Liberty", written between 1781 and 1783, opened the Russian revolutionary movement in literature. In 1788, Radishchev finished working on his second autobiographical story. Its content included a description of Radishchev’s studies in Leipzig. He spoke about his comrades with whom he whiled away university years, and also about important role education and upbringing. During these same years, Alexander Nikolaevich wrote several treatises on the history of the Fatherland and the state of customs affairs in the Russian Empire.
Radishchev is a member of the Society of Verbal Sciences. He entered it in the second half of the 80s. At society meetings, Radishchev read his articles, in which he discussed nobility, compassion, good behavior and other virtues.
Radishchev is the author of "Travel from St. Petersburg to Moscow." General ledger V life path Radishchev was completed in 1790. This work immortalized the name of Alexander Nikolaevich in the memory of his descendants. Only the empress did not appreciate his efforts at all, calling him a “rebel”, and even “worse than Pugachev” - such acute problems were covered in this book. No one dared to publish this work of Radishchev, so Alexander Nikolaevich took up this matter personally - he organized a printing house on the second floor of his St. Petersburg house. Radishchev was able to publish approximately 650 copies of the book, some of which went on sale in May 1790. Radishchev gave several copies to his friends. What didn’t Catherine the Great like when she actually read this book? Its main theme was the inhumane relationship of landowners with their serfs. But more than that, he dared to justify the armed rebellion of the peasants against the cruel masters - changing the political system, in his opinion, was possible only by uprising.
Radishchev was arrested for his beliefs. This happened on June 30, 1790. Colonel Goremykin arrived at his house and presented an arrest warrant. Radishchev was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, the investigation into his case lasted two weeks. The sentence passed by the St. Petersburg Chamber of the Criminal Court sounded menacing - Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev was sentenced to death. However, the empress did not approve it; the likelihood of public discontent was too great. A. N. Radishchev was sent into exile for a period of 10 years. The place of exile was Siberia - the Ilimsk prison.
An interesting fact is that some of his peasants, or rather, from former peasants- Before his arrest, he gave them their freedom.
Radishchev went to Siberia in a light dress. By September 8, 1790, he could barely stand on his feet - exhaustion and enormous nervous tension took their toll. Moreover, he set off on the journey in a light dress. Probably, Catherine was thinking about Radishchev’s death on the road, then the public would not have been alarmed as much as in the case of a possible execution. However, Count A.R. Vorontsov, when he learned that Alexander Nikolaevich was being taken to prison, ordered the Tver governor to buy everything necessary for Radishchev - Vorontsov personally sent him the money.
"Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow." was prohibited. Radishchev burned a significant part of the published books with his own hands even before his arrest. 6 copies were discovered by the relevant authorities and destroyed. Less than fifteen copies of “Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow,” published by Radishchev, have survived to this day.
The problems that Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev illuminated in his work continued to trouble the minds of Russian people for another century. And how much persecution the book has endured! Even in 1905, all attempts to publish a book in full version were suppressed by the authorities, who saw in it an undermining of the monarchical foundations and revolutionary notes in the mood of the author. Radishchev was accused of encroaching on the good name of important nobles, especially government officials, and also of convincing peasants of the need for violent action against landowners.
Alexander Nikolaevich Radishchev spent five years in Siberian exile. In the Ilimsk prison he studied social activities And homework: he healed, inoculated against smallpox with his own hands (his knowledge of medicine came in handy here), conducted various experiments in ore smelting, and built a smelting furnace at home, which he used for firing dishes. However, the most important occupation for Radishchev in Siberia remained literature - among his works were philosophical treatises, the story of Ermak, as well as historical investigation.
Alexander Nikolaevich was released from exile by the new Tsar, Paul I, who ordered him to live in his village. But Radishchev never became a completely free man - he lived constantly under police supervision. Police representatives could show up at Alexander Nikolaevich’s estate absolutely whenever they pleased. They had every right to read all of Radishchev’s letters, copied their contents and provided copies to Paul I. Such a life was very difficult, only work saved Radishchev.
After the end of his exile, Radishchev did not become free. In 1800, when the ten-year period of exile allotted to Radishchev by Empress Catherine the Great ended, Paul I did not stop supervising Alexander Nikolaevich.
Alexander I freed Radishchev. The amnesty decree was issued by the new emperor on May 31, 1801. Count A.R. Vorontsov contributed to the return of the noble title to Alexander Radishchev. He was again able to live in St. Petersburg and was even included in the Commission for Drafting Laws, in which he worked until last days life. At the age of 53 - in 1802 - he died; the circumstances of his death are not fully understood, because his last words were “Posterity will avenge me.” Most likely, in them he expressed his compassion for the serfs, hope for the wisdom of the autocrats and resentment for the state order of Russia.
