Opera for everyone “The Little Chimney Sweep. Premiere of the children's opera "The Little Chimney Sweep"

- (La Harpe) (1754 1838), Swiss politician, adherent of the ideas of the Enlightenment. In 1784-95 he was the teacher of the future Russian Emperor Alexander I. In 1798-1800 he was a member of the Directory of the Helvetic Republic. * * * LAHARP Frederic Cesar de LAHARP... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

LAGARPE (La Harpe) Frederic Cesar de (1754 1838) Swiss politician, adherent of the ideas of the Enlightenment. In 1784 95 educator of the future Russian Emperor Alexander I. In 1798 1800 member of the Directory of the Helvetic Republic ...

La Harpe (La Harpe) Frederic Cesar de (6.4.1754, Roles, canton of Vaud, ≈ 30.3.1838, Lausanne), Swiss politician. A lawyer by profession. In the 80s invited by Catherine II to Russia as a teacher of her grandson, the future Russian... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

La Harpe Frederic César de- (1754 1838) Swiss, in 1784 95 teacher led. book Alexander Pavlovich (future Alexander I). A lawyer by profession, he adhered to republican ideas and lib. will enlighten. views in the spirit of the encyclopedists and J. J. Rousseau, which he instilled in his... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary

- (French Frédéric César Laharpe; originally de La Harpe, but during the French Revolution he changed the spelling of the surname, removing the noble particle de; April 6, 1754 March 30, 1838) Swiss general and statesman, in Russian history... Wikipedia

Frédéric César Laharpe Frédéric César Laharpe (French Frédéric César Laharpe; originally de La Harpe, but during the French Revolution he changed the spelling of his surname, removing the noble particle de; April 6, 1754 March 30, 1838) Swiss general... ... Wikipedia

Frédéric César Laharpe Frédéric César Laharpe (French Frédéric César Laharpe; originally de La Harpe, but during the French Revolution he changed the spelling of his surname, removing the noble particle de; April 6, 1754 March 30, 1838) Swiss general... ... Wikipedia

Frédéric César Laharpe Frédéric César Laharpe (French Frédéric César Laharpe; originally de La Harpe, but during the French Revolution he changed the spelling of his surname, removing the noble particle de; April 6, 1754 March 30, 1838) Swiss general... ... Wikipedia

- (17541838), Swiss politician, adherent of the ideas of the Enlightenment. In 178495 educator of the future Russian Emperor Alexandra I. In 1798-1800 member of the Directory of the Helvetic Republic ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

• Emperor Alexander I and Frederic-César La Harpe. Letters. Documentation. In 3 volumes. Volume 1. 1782-1802, . For the first time, the correspondence of the Russian Emperor Alexander I and his Swiss mentor F.-S. is published in full in Russian. Laharpe, who, after finishing his service at the court of Catherine II...

The emperor's frank correspondence with his tutor and close friend was published for the first time in Russia

Last December marked the 240th anniversary of the birth of the most mysterious Russian emperor, Alexander I the Blessed. Whatever his contemporaries called him: “a real seducer” (M.M. Speransky), “a weak and crafty ruler” (A.S. Pushkin), “The Sphinx, not solved to the grave” (Prince P.A. Vyazemsky), “this is a true Byzantine... subtle, feigned, cunning” (Napoleon)...

Jacques Pazhu. Portrait of Frederick Caesar La Harpe. 1803 Francois Gerard. Portrait of Alexander I. 1830s.

But there was another point of view.

"Alexander was not ordinary and limited person... This is a deeply melancholy personality. Full of great plans, he never brought them to life. Suspicious, indecisive, lacking self-confidence, surrounded by mediocrity or retrogrades, he was, in addition, constantly tormented by his semi-voluntary participation in the murder of his own father. Crowned Hamlet, he was truly unhappy,” wrote Alexander Ivanovich Herzen.

Nowadays, historians have unique opportunity get closer to unraveling the character of the remarkable monarch.

Moscow State University professor Andrei Yurievich Andreev and his colleague from Lausanne, Mrs. Danielle Tosato-Rigo, did a titanic job and prepared for printing a major three-volume large-format work - the complete correspondence of Emperor Alexander I and his Swiss mentor Frederic-Cesar Laharpe (1754-1838). Before us are almost three thousand pages - 332 letters and 205 documents of the Appendix, not counting the List of Historical Realities, the Annotated Index of Names and the Annotated Index geographical names. In short, we have before us a thorough and carefully funded academic publication of a first-class historical source.

Let us dive into these beautifully produced and lovingly illustrated volumes. The crowned Hamlet awaits the verdict that the court of History will give him.

Cards that La Harpe drew to teach the Grand Dukes French.

A trusting relationship was immediately established between the tutor, who was awarded the rank of prime major of the Russian army, and Grand Duke Alexander - despite such different ages and social status.

La Harpe taught his pupil many useful things:

Disorder and negligence in business are hateful.

The king is obliged to work.

You have to get up at six in the morning.

Don't allow yourself to be deceived.

A king should be an example of a loving husband for his subjects.

Don't give in to your aversion to authority.

The student responded to the teacher with sincerity. IN famous letter Lagarpu from Gatchina on September 27 (October 8), 1797, the Tsarevich formulated his cherished dream: after the accession to the throne, to grant Russia a constitution: “After which I will completely relinquish power and, if Providence wishes to help us, I will retire to some quiet corner, where I will live calmly and happily, seeing the prosperity of my homeland and enjoying this spectacle. This is my intention, dear friend."

Let's think about it: the Tsarevich entrusted Laharpe with the most important state secret! This is not how you write to a mentor. This is how they write only to a friend - close and only.

Gerhard von Kügelgen. Portrait of Paul I with his family. 1800

A painful farewell...

Catherine II, having astutely noticed that a trusting relationship had been established between her beloved grandson and his teacher, decided to take advantage of this (Rodina talked about this intrigue in N5 for 2016). She honored La Harpe with a lengthy two-hour audience in the inner chambers. The Empress intended to deprive her son Pavel Petrovich of the right to inherit the throne and, bypassing his son, transfer the throne to his eldest grandson Alexander. Grand Duke Alexander had to be prepared in advance for the impending change in his fate.

According to the empress, it was La Harpe who was capable of doing this: “Only he alone could exert the necessary influence on the young prince”3.

So the Swiss found himself involved in the epicenter of a very serious political intrigue. But he had the intelligence and tact not to accept the role offered to him. The wounded empress did not forgive this. Lagarpe was dismissed, having paid a lump sum of 10 thousand rubles instead of the due pension. However, this was enough for Laharpe to acquire a beautiful estate on the shores of Lake Geneva.

May 9, 1795 Grand Duke, so that in last time To hug his friend before leaving, he quietly left the palace and arrived incognito in a hired Yamsk carriage at La Harpe’s apartment. Alexander embraced his friend and cried bitterly. “Our farewell was painful”4. Then the Grand Duke said what later became famous phrase that he owes everything to Laharpe except his birth.

Seeliger Karl-Wilhelm. Allegory of the accession to the throne of Alexander I.

...and the long-awaited meeting

Soon after his accession to the throne, Emperor Alexander hastened to send the Swiss to St. Petersburg. La Harpe was not slow in arriving. The Emperor visited him twice a week to discuss urgent state affairs. It is impossible to imagine “The Alexandrov Days, a wonderful beginning” without La Harpe. According to the authoritative testimony of Nicholas I, for his elder brother Alexander, “cordial relations” with La Harpe “became a need of the heart”5.

We can safely say: for 35 years the Swiss was perhaps the only friend of the fickle sovereign. History knows no other example of such long-term friendly communication between an august person and a private person. This is convincingly evidenced by Alexander’s letters, among which, according to La Harpe, “there are those who are worthy of being cast in gold.” And even more so - the letters of La Harpe himself to Alexander, many of which would be more correctly called scientific treatises.

The emperor sympathetically read the teacher’s lengthy letters. “Undoubtedly, he was not cut from the same cloth as all other sovereigns, since for three decades he allowed an ordinary citizen to address letters to himself, ... in every line of which frankness is visible, even rare among equals,”6 admitted La Harpe.

Letter from Grand Duke Alexander to Laharpe. 1795

What did the “common citizen”, who had a pragmatic mind and encyclopedic knowledge, write to the sovereign about?

Do not overuse trifles, because you can drown in them, but decide all issues yourself, so that the nobles and ministers of the imperial decision cannot guess.

Civilize your fellow citizens.

The Russian Empire needs, first of all, not lyceums and universities for the nobility, but primary rural schools for the common people.

Plant gardens and forests. Master the production of your own sugar in the country and do not waste money on buying it. IN Russian Empire three climatic zones, without knowing it, it has enormous agricultural wealth: why import what you can grow yourself.

La Harpe called on the tsar to begin the gradual abolition of serfdom, “without which Russia will remain forever dependent and weak, and the story of Stenka Razin and Pugachev will be repeated in its vastness whenever enemies and rivals decide to expose it to this danger.”7

And the Swiss also wrote about privacy sovereign, impartially blaming Alexander for the absence of legitimate children and unobtrusively condemning the long love affair with Maria Antonovna Naryshkina, from whom daughter Sofia was born:

“...Do you really think that since you are an emperor, you have the right to do this?”8

Reflection on the throne

The beloved lady-in-waiting of Empress Elizabeth Alekseevna Roxana Skarlatovna Sturdza (married Countess Edling) claimed that La Harpe repeatedly used “the influence that he always had over the conscience of his pupil” 9 . However, La Harpe himself was not inclined to exaggerate the degree of his influence on the autocrat. “The truth is that the Emperor obeyed only his own heart and excellent reason”10.

The Swiss called on the monarch to become “emperor of the people” and “emperor-citizen”11. Along with Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, he purposefully instilled in the sovereign the idea of ​​his future responsibility to History: “...Don’t forget for a moment that your first and most sacred obligations are obligations to Russia, that Russia has been waiting for you for ten centuries! From current decisions Your judgment largely depends on what your descendants will make of your reign... and they will judge according to the facts, according to what you did and what you did not do."12

Why was the monarch in no hurry, following the advice of his teacher, to carry out fundamental reforms to modernize the Russian Empire? He was not a coward. In 1813, during the Battle of Dresden, General Jean Victor Moreau, who was observing the battlefield near the sovereign, was killed by a French cannonball. If the cannonball had deviated a few meters to the side, the Russian Tsar would have become its victim. Alexander was not afraid of attempts on his life, taking long walks around St. Petersburg alone, without security; residents of the capital were well aware of them. “The Emperor, as everyone knows, used to walk along the Fontanka in the morning. Everyone knew his watch...”14 recalled Anna Petrovna Kern. When La Harpe decided to discuss problems of personal safety with Alexander, the king answered briefly: “My only protector from new attacks is a clear conscience” 15 .

But Alexander’s desire to “be a man on the throne” and always act according to his conscience caused quarrels with himself. Remember key phrase from the famous monologue of the Prince of Denmark: “How conscience makes cowards out of us all”? Crowned Hamlet continuously experienced painful doubts and hesitations. Reflection often triumphed over his thirst for action. And this despite the fact that, having made a decision and made his choice, Alexander, like Hamlet, acted fearlessly and decisively, defeating his enemies skillfully and accurately.

His last order before his death was the order to arrest members secret society- Ensign Fyodor Vadkovsky and Colonel Pavel Pestel, and with the last words: “Monsters! Ungrateful!”

K. Goldstein. This is how a republic will be. Speech by Pavel Pestel at the meeting of the Northern Society in St. Petersburg. 1925

Nomadic Monarch

The monarch, not trusting the official reports of the ministers, wanted to see with his own eyes how his subjects lived. He was well aware of the ordeals of honored people: “with us, many Russians find themselves without places, due to the impossibility of finding them...”16. Therefore, Alexander I ruled a vast empire not from a palace office, but from a windswept road carriage, devoid of minimal amenities, in which he spent most of his reign.

“A nomadic despot,” - this is how Pushkin certified the monarch.

I. Kraft. Carl Philipp Schwarzenberg, Alexander I, Franz I and Friedrich Wilhelm III at the Battle of Leipzig on October 19, 1813.

Alexander I was not pampered, did not shy away from Spartan life and was not afraid of accidents high road. He always had small pocket pistols and a leather suitcase with a folding camp bed at hand17. On the way, the emperor slept on a red morocco mattress stuffed with straw, and put a morocco pillow stuffed with horse mane under his head.

Wherever he has been!

In 1816 he visited Tula, Kaluga, Roslavl, Chernigov, Kyiv, Zhitomir and Warsaw, Moscow. In 1819 he went to Arkhangelsk, then through Olonets to Finland, visited the monastery on the island of Valaam and reached Torneo. In 1824 he visited Penza, Simbirsk, Samara, Orenburg, Ufa, Zlatoust factories, Yekaterinburg, Perm, Vyatka, Vologda and from there returned to Tsarskoe Selo via Borovichi and Novgorod.

In 1825, Alexander decided to take a trip to the south of Russia, to the Crimea, to the Caucasus, and then even to visit Siberia, but only reached Taganrog.

An epigram is attributed to Pushkin:

Spent my whole life on the road,
And he died in Taganrog.

Reflection did not prevent the crowned Hamlet from performing actions, with the exception, perhaps, of the most important thing: he never dared to begin reforms to modernize the Russian Empire. And he explained his own inconsistency briefly: “There is no one to take.” Ideal and reality were at odds. The unattainability of the former ideal, its absolute loss in the last years of his reign - this is the basis of the truly Shakespearean tragedy experienced by the emperor.

One day, Alexander I could not resist making a bitter remark that “if he had not made mistakes so often in those whom he invested with his trust, then his reform projects would have long been brought to life”18.

Perhaps the only one to whom this could not apply one iota was Frederick Caesar Legarpe.

A LOOK THROUGH THE YEARS

“They respect and fear Russia”

Other advice from Laharpe, especially about the relationship between Russia and the West, has not lost its relevance today.

“Can’t Russia really exist and prosper without outside help? I’m convinced of the opposite. Furthermore, my cherished conviction is that she will be especially formidable, powerful, influential if, without fuss, never threatening anyone either in words, or in writing, or in deeds, without revealing her secrets to her neighbors, she observes what is happening, so that at the decisive moment, strike with lightning speed and not according to someone else’s instructions, but according to your own understanding.

No one will dare to challenge this giant for fear of being struck down by the first blow, for neither diplomacy, nor diplomats, nor intriguers upper class, nor the intriguers of the lower class are able to repel a blow delivered swiftly, with an irresistible hand.

When Russia acts independently, the Sovereign behaves proudly and majestically, and her opponents themselves are forced to admit this in the depths of their souls. They respect and fear Russia; see in her dark cloud, hiding in its depths hail, lightning and deadly streams, which seem even more terrible in the imagination than in reality"13.

A. Kivshenko. Entry of Russian and allied troops into Paris.

BRIEFLY ABOUT THE MAIN THINGS

"Ignorants and half-knowledgeable people were the scourge of Russia..."

Several aphorisms of La Harpe addressed to us

Until now, ignoramuses and half-knowledgeable people have been the scourge of Russia, ... it is urgently necessary to replace them not with empty talkers, but with deeply educated people, capable of developing with all clarity those true rules on which science is based.

No amount of talent gives the right to be freed from control, especially in Russia, where they are accustomed to pleasing viziers and submitting to arbitrariness.

In the matter of government, and especially in the matter of education, everything that glitters is either useless or harmful.

Nations perish when their rulers destroy the public spirit in the bud.

Russia must remain prepared, preserve its dignity and its secrets and, most importantly, not hand over notes without having at the ready two hundred thousand people capable of immediately ensuring their execution.

People pass, but the institutions remain.

After the victory over Napoleon and the capture of Paris (the king rode into the capital of France riding a white stallion named Eclipse, given to him by Napoleon in 1808), at the moment of his greatest personal triumph, Alexander the Blessed again remembered his mentor and friend, bestowing upon him the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called - highest award Russian Empire.

Biography

Frederic César La Harpe was born on April 6, 1754 in Rolle ( English Rolle ).

In 1797 he sold the Genthod estate Eli Crew, after which he went to Geneva, from there to Paris, where he published several pamphlets against the Bernese aristocratic rule. When was it formed Helvetic Republic, La Harpe was a member of the directory that managed it.

IN - 1802 La Harpe came to Russia. Later lived in France; during Congress of Vienna advocated for the independence of the cantons of Vaud and Aargau; spent the end of his life in his homeland. In 1815, when Alexander I lived in Elysee Palace, La Harpe received an invitation from him to all dinners. A. O. Smirnova in her notes she calls Laharpe “my uncle”: her grandmother was allegedly the sister of the famous Swiss.

Write a review of the article "Laharpe, Frederic Cesar"

Notes

Literature

• Glasco B. // Russian biographical dictionary: in 25 volumes. - St. Petersburg. -M., 1896-1918.

Awards

• Order of St. Andrew the First-Called 29.03.1814

F. Laharpe was very strong and could twist a weak boxer

Excerpt characterizing La Harpe, Frederic César

On the night of September 1, Kutuzov ordered the retreat of Russian troops through Moscow to the Ryazan road.

annotation

With the help of archival sources, the true nature of the relationship between Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich, later Emperor Alexander I, and his mentor F.S. is restored. La Harpe, Swiss citizen, writer, philosopher, politician.

With the help of archival sources recovers the true nature of the relationship the Crown Prince Alexander, later Tsar Alexander I, and his coach - F.S. La Harpe, a Swiss citizen, writer, philosopher, political activist

Keywords

Archives. Epistolary heritage. Pedagogy. Education. Upbringing. Catherine II. Paul I.

Archives. Epistolary heritage. Pedagogy. Education. Education. Catherine II. Paul I.

La Harpe Frederic Cesar de (6.4.1754, Roles, canton of Vaud - 30.3.1838, Lausanne) - Swiss politician. A lawyer by profession. In the 1780s. invited by Catherine II to Russia as a teacher of her grandson - the future Russian Emperor Alexander I. La Harpe's liberalism and his defense of the canton of Vaud from the encroachments of the government of Berne, where revolutionary uprisings began under the influence of the Great French Revolution, led to La Harpe's release from the post of teacher in 1795 .

In 1798-1800 together with P. Ochs, he headed the Directory of the Helvetic Republic. During the Congress of Vienna 1814-1815. with the help of Alexander I, he sought to recreate the Swiss Federation with the cantons of Vaud and Aargau independent from Bern.

These fears were later expressed by the famous satirist and fabulist I.A. Krylov in his fable “The Education of a Lion,” where the king of beasts, in search of a teacher for his son, chooses an eagle. As a result of eagle upbringing, the lion cub plans to command all animals to build nests upon ascending the throne. The moral of the story is: “...There is no benefit big one to know the life of birds, / To whom nature has appointed to own animals / And that the most important science for kings / To know the properties of their people / And the benefits of their land.”

Some Russian historians also received controversial assessments of the upbringing of Alexander I. “Thanks to the principles devoid of strict certainty and stability, sown by the republican educator, Alexander I was a mystery to his contemporaries and during his reign presented sharp transitions from the idealistic-liberal ideas of La Harpe and the constitutional inclinations of Czartoryski, to mystical Freemasonry and the corporal bearing of Arakcheev. That is why one can be skeptical about La Harpe’s arrogant statement that “Providence apparently took pity on the millions of people living in Russia, but only Catherine II could wish that her grandchildren were raised as people.” Rather, we can say that Providence took pity on the oppressed fatherland of La Harpe and sent him liberation as a reward for his work in educating, caring for and caring for the Russian Grand Duke of the Swiss exile.” IN last words contains an allusion to the position of Alexander I, which, under the influence of La Harpe, he took at the Congress of Vienna on the issue government system Switzerland.

Historian and publicist B.B. Glinsky described this during the reign Alexandra III, when the liberal reforms of the previous reign, and with them all “European liberalism,” were, if not directly, then indirectly condemned. But we should not forget the directly opposite judgments, starting with Pushkin: “Alexander’s days are a wonderful beginning.” In fact, all these are echoes of a three-hundred-year dispute about historical path Russia: should the country develop in a pan-European way, or does it have its own “special” destiny? Disputes on this topic continue to this day, and the more interesting to us today is the personality of La Harpe and the role he played in the history of Russia.

Concerning Russian archives, then for the first time the name Laharpe is mentioned in a letter from Catherine II to F.M. Grimm dated February 25, 1782, the Empress wrote that La Harpe captivated everyone with his good behavior and intelligence and earned a good reputation and gratitude. It was about a delicate assignment that the Swiss carried out at Grimm’s request: the younger cousin of Catherine’s favorite A.D. Lansky became interested in an “unwanted” romance and needed a mentor to accompany him young man on a trip to Italy, where, it was hoped, he would forget his hobby. It is obvious that Grimm by this time was familiar with La Harpe, who, on the one hand, was already famous in literary circles Lausanne, and on the other hand, he was thinking about leaving service in Switzerland due to disagreements with the Berne government. Successfully fulfilling the role of guide-mentor drew the attention of the Russian Empress to him, at whose invitation he came to St. Petersburg in 1783.
It was at this time that Catherine decided that the time had come to hand over the upbringing of her beloved grandson Alexander, and at the same time his younger brother- Konstantin, in man's hands. N.I. was appointed as the main mentor. Saltykov, and Lagarpe was initially asked to take the place of teacher French. But gradually he began to work with his students general history, geography and mathematics, and later philosophy and law. Count N.I. Saltykov was a kind and simple man, but he was no different special mind, nor education, and it is not surprising that La Harpe, who stood incomparably higher in his development and education, became de facto a real educator of the great princes. "With fervor and true love he began his new duties: the role of leader of the royal children was to his heart, ideal prospects were drawn to his imagination. With special love he dwelled on the future of Alexander, who from the very first days acquired his sympathy. From him I will raise, - so Laharpe dreamed, - a man - a friend of freedom, a patron of the sciences and arts, who will appear in the world to proclaim the ideas of equality and independence. How happy the people he will rule will be: numerous schools and universities will be erected in his state, trade will flourish and peaceful farmers, blessing their monarch, will lovingly turn to their rural work, the magnificent aristocracy will take off their gilded caftans, intrigues and intrigues will subside at court and all will turn to activities that ennoble the mind and heart.”

This presentation of the educational program, perhaps not without some sarcasm, but on the whole correctly conveys La Harpe’s goals as a teacher. Of course, he was not such a complete idealist and quickly understood the rules of the game at the Russian imperial court, otherwise he simply would not have been able to maintain his position for a decade. But, being a follower of John Locke in matters of education, he managed to become for the student not just a mentor, but a sincere friend. Feelings of sincere love and gratitude to the teacher remained in the heart of Alexander I until the end of his life.

Having become emperor, Alexander continued to turn to his mentor for advice, read his letters, and studied the books that he regularly sent. All the mentor’s papers were in the office of Alexander I. Upon his accession to the throne, Nicholas I sent Laharpe to Lausanne all his letters and projects addressed to the late emperor. Touched by such a flattering sign of attention, La Harpe sent them back to St. Petersburg, having first made copies of the documents. To the originals of his letters and projects he sent, he attached copies of letters from Alexander I to him. In his response letter, Nicholas I sincerely thanked Laharpe: “The papers are a precious gift for anyone who, like me, looks for the noble thoughts of the late Emperor Alexander Pavlovich driving force deeds that marked his reign. But I understand what an inexhaustible source of pleasure these papers must have brought you, constantly reminding you of the sublime soul of the sovereign, for whom a sincere relationship with you has become a need of the heart. I appreciate all the more the reasons that force you to look at your correspondence with him as a sacred pledge, and which prompted you to part with it, so as not to ever subject it to the research of immodest or malicious curiosity. In this act I recognize all the delicacy of your feelings and new sign reverence for the memory of my late brother. Please accept my deepest gratitude. I also bring it to you for the difficult work of your joining the collection of the register that you donated to me, which facilitates its analysis.”

Laharpe's papers in a sealed envelope were transferred for storage to the State Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in St. Petersburg, which received the most important foreign policy materials, mostly secret, as well as documents relating to the imperial family. Nowadays the funds of this archive are integral part Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RGADA) in Moscow. But the original letters of Alexander I, Grand Dukes Konstantin Pavlovich and Mikhail Pavlovich, Empresses Maria Feodorovna and Elizaveta Alekseevna and others remained in the Laharpe family in Lausanne.

Created in 1866 under the august chairmanship of the heir to Tsarevich Alexander Alexandrovich (the future Emperor of All Russia Alexander III), the Imperial Russian Historical Society, through the Russian mission in Bern, entered into negotiations with La Harpe's heir, Henri Monod, to acquire authentic correspondence from him. As a result of negotiations, G. Mono agreed to donate the original letters personally to the heir to the Tsarevich, which was done in 1868. All acquired documents also entered the State Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In 1899, La Harpe's letters, along with some other secret packages, by order of Nicholas II were transferred from the State Archives to His Imperial Majesty's own library, while the documents received from G. Monod remained in the same place of storage. Thus, the correspondence turned out to be separated in two archives.
Today Laharpe's own materials are in State Archives Russian Federation(GARF) as part of fund 728 - Manuscript department of the library Winter Palace, and the originals of the imperial and grand ducal letters to him are in the RGADA in fund 5 - Correspondence of the highest persons with private individuals and some other funds.

Both documentary complexes are interconnected and are of considerable interest to researchers. If La Harpe’s letters reflect the ideas that he tried to instill in his pupil, then the latter’s letters, as an element of “ feedback”, give some idea of ​​the degree of assimilation of these ideas. Considering the importance of these documents, Russian historians, soon after gaining access to them, undertook their publication in the Collection of Russian historical society under the title “Letters from Emperor Alexander I and other persons of the reigning house to F.Ts. Laharpo. Reported by His Imperial Highness the Tsarevich Heir."

The publication was accompanied by translations into Russian of the texts of Laharpe’s letters and notes, but the compilers refrained from commenting. The brief preface stated: “The assessment of these relations, so to speak, excited and illuminated by the assistance of Empress Catherine the Great, belongs to history. In due time, when the rights of historical prescription will receive their legal force, when events and the very motives and dark springs that acted on them are fully exposed to the study and judgment of historical openness, the new historian of the famous era will be able to more comprehensively and more accurately determine what share of influence he could have had. Laharpe on mental and spiritual development Emperor Alexander and on many directions and aspirations, which at different times marked the actions and attempts of his reign.”

If in the publication, for obvious reasons, the compilers showed restraint in their assessments, then in preparatory materials they allowed for greater frankness. So, for example, on the sheet with which Konstantin’s early letters to La Harpe were laid out in the archival file, the compiler’s hand wrote: “Although all the letters of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich belong to his childhood, however, after reading them in a row, you involuntarily make the most unfavorable judgment about him : out of 18 letters, only three do not say anything about the evil inclinations of the august student of La Harpe."

As for the documents themselves, the earliest date back to 1785-1794. These are notes and letters to the teacher (La Harpe took up his duties in the summer of 1784), in which the student apologizes for misconduct, uncompleted assignments, etc. They are written in a child's unsteady handwriting and often forced. Apparently it was one of the pedagogical techniques Laharpa: to obtain from the student a handwritten written explanation of his actions. Sometimes a student had to write a “proclamation” about his inappropriate behavior, which was posted in the classroom (you can see the nail hole at the top of the sheet). Sometimes a whole dialogue between a teacher and a student was recorded, at the end of which a maxim followed. But even from these children’s notes one can see the thought inspired by the mentor: noble birth cannot be a source of pride or an excuse for ignorance.

Of course, letters cannot convey everything that happened between them in personal communication, but obviously the relationship became increasingly warm and friendly, which cannot be said about La Harpe’s position at the Court. The French Revolution, to which La Harpe did not remain indifferent, made his further stay in St. Petersburg impossible. In Alexander’s letter dated December 2, 1794, we read: “I am very annoyed, my dear friend (for you allow me to call you that according to my feelings), that your ill health deprives me of the pleasure of spending a few hours with you. Day by day I feel more of a need for this, especially since I know that we must part, which causes me severe grief.” In the article about F.Ts. Laharpe in encyclopedic dictionary Brockhaus-Efron literally says the following: “When the French revolution, to whose ideas L. devoted himself with passion, he turned to the Berne government with a petition in which he proposed reforms and the convening of states. This gave rise to recognizing him as the instigator of the unrest that erupted in Waadt, subordinate to Bern, and his enemies tried to bring this to the attention of the St. Petersburg court, as a result of which L. lost his place.”
The article does not accurately reflect the events. La Harpe really tried to influence from afar political life in his homeland, which caused an irritated reaction in ruling circles in Bern. An appeal followed to the Empress with an urgent demand to remove the “troublemaker” from the Court. However, the harsh tone of the message, in turn, aroused the displeasure of Catherine II, who did not want to listen to lectures from the Berne authorities, and the incident had no consequences for La Harpe.
One can only be surprised that the “Swiss Republican” maintained his position in St. Petersburg throughout 1793 and 1794, when they were already convicted of promoting the liberal views of A.N. Radishchev and N.I. Novikov, and the news from France brought one bitter disappointment after another. Terror and especially public executions The king and queen could not help but arouse Catherine's disgust for the revolution. It must be assumed that the reason here was not sacred awe for the life of the monarch, but fear of the mocking fury of the mob. It was decided to get rid of Laharpe, especially since in September 1793, Grand Duke Alexander Pavlovich got married, and this traditionally meant the onset of adulthood and the end of his studies.

On the back of Alexander’s already mentioned letter dated December 2, 1794, La Harpe’s hand describes the circumstances of his resignation: “When Count Saltykov announced to me the termination of my duties in December, he informed me that Catherine II had granted me 10,000 rubles. And so, after 11 years of fulfilling such important duties with honor, I had 2000 rubles. pensions and 10,000 rubles! I was not given either a rank or a cross, according to the customs of this country. Finally, they didn’t give me anything for my lessons with Grand Duke Constantine. I was forced to point out this circumstance and I was awarded the rank of colonel and a pension of 925 rubles, in return for which I was given capital of 10,000 rubles. Count Saltykov also announced that my salary would be paid until December 31, 1794. Not being able to leave until spring, I asked as a favor to be allowed to continue my lessons with the Grand Duke and even with the princess his wife. I gave this great importance completion important work with the Grand Duke, that they could not refuse me this, and I enjoyed my revenge, redoubled my zeal and continued to give my lessons until May, the time of my departure. My heart taught me lessons, for on January 1, 1795, I was completely dismissed. “Catherine the Great met a man even prouder than herself.”

Another letter from Alexander, which is marked by La Harpe’s hand “must have been either December 1794, or January or February 1795,” in part, said: “... I do not need to repeat this here, you will already understand, my dear friend, what I must feel sadness at the same time, thinking that I must soon part with you, especially being left alone in this Court, which I despise, and destined for a position, the very thought of which makes me shudder.” Apparently, the position of heir to the throne did not please the young man, and the fact that he shared such feelings with the teacher shows the whole nature of his upbringing. More than once in letters written after La Harpe’s departure from Russia in May 1795, Alexander mentioned his dream: giving up power, to live on a farm not far from his adored teacher. Realizing that such ideas could anger the august grandmother, Alexander preferred to send letters with reliable people and advised Laharpe to do the same.

After the accession of Paul I, correspondence became increasingly difficult. Only one letter dated September 27/October 8, 1797 has survived in a copy made by Laharpe’s hand, with a note about sending the original to Nicholas I in 1831. It was not possible to find the original in the archive; perhaps it was destroyed in St. Petersburg, which is not surprising, since Alexander Pavlovich asked his mentor for advice on a draft constitution for Russia. Despite the presence of a copy, the letter was not published along with others in the RIO Collection.

By the way, among the letters from members of the imperial family to Laharpe there is not a single letter from Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich. Excluded from raising his older sons, Paul was suspicious of the mentor chosen by Catherine II. However, the archive preserves an amazing monument to their relationship. This is a pair of white kid gloves with a note from La Harpe, in which he tells how, on the eve of leaving Russia in May 1795, he came to a ball in Gatchina. La Harpe did not want to leave without explaining to the father of his beloved student. During a two-hour conversation in Pavel’s office, Laharpe managed, in his words, to “pour out his heart,” which deeply touched the Grand Duke. Reconciliation was achieved, and when Maria Feodorovna invited Laharpe to a polonaise tour, Pavel gave him his gloves. La Harpe kept these gloves as a memory, and they were returned to Russia by G. Monod along with the originals of the imperial letters.

Correspondence between teacher and student resumed after 1801, when the latter became Emperor Alexander I, and continued for almost two more decades: Alexander’s letter dated November 23/December 5, 1818 contains the note “Laharpe” last letter". This time period contained a lot of events, both in the lives of these two people and throughout Europe. La Harpe visited Russia again in 1801-1802, at the invitation of a former pupil, who wrote that he accepted the burden of power in the hope of being useful to his country, and asked for help with advice. Alexander's notes to La Harpe during this period indicate the latter's participation in the discussion of government appointments and projects (for example, the reform of public charity institutions). After La Harpe left Russia, he settled in France for a long time, and both correspondents discussed in letters the policies of the First Consul, coming to the general opinion that he changed the constitution for the sake of tyranny. (It is quite strange to read words of condemnation of tyranny written by the hand of an autocratic monarch).

Subsequently, the correspondence gradually faded away (only two letters from St. Petersburg for 1808 and 1811 survived), but revived again in 1813-1814. during the foreign campaign of the Russian army. The emperor sometimes wrote literally from the battlefields. In Paris, Laharpe and Alexander met again. Laharpe was awarded the rank of lieutenant general and the highest Russian Order of St. Andrew the First-Called. But, of course, his main reward was the recognition of the sovereignty of his native canton of Vaud, adopted at the Congress of Vienna thanks to the influence of Emperor Alexander.

When in the early 1820s. the issue of the legitimacy of the state structure of Switzerland was again discussed, La Harpe published in Lausanne a polemical pamphlet “Observations d`un suisse sur les reflexions dirigees en 1820 et 1821 contre l`independence de la Suisse”, which he sent with an accompanying letter to St. Petersburg to Alexander I, as his like-minded person. Only once did their views completely diverge. When, during Napoleon’s “hundred days,” La Harpe was ready to reconcile himself with the return of the “usurper,” Alexander replied: “...Forgive me my frankness, but I do not share your opinion at all. It even seems to me that you changed it somewhat after our conversations in Vienna. - To submit to the genius of evil means to strengthen his power, to provide him with the means to establish tyranny in an even more terrible way than the first time. We must have courage to fight it, and with God's Providence, in unity and harmony, we will achieve a happy result. “This is my conviction.” These words were written a week before Waterloo, the battle that decided the fate of Europe.

Still out of sight are the letters of Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich, who, although he was not La Harpe’s favorite student, until the end of his days maintained a respectful attitude towards his mentor and also corresponded with him. And of course, separate analysis require not only epistolary documents located in the RGADA and other archives of Russia, for example GARF, but also all literary heritage F.S. La Harpe, a remarkable teacher, politician and philosopher, who left a noticeable mark on the history of Switzerland and Russia.