1. Introduction.

  Count Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky (1772-1839) went down in history as a great Russian reformer, the founder of Russian legal science and theoretical jurisprudence [1]. His practical activity was largely connected with the reform of the state and legal system of the Russian Empire [2]. Speransky’s concept formed the basis of the famous decree of Alexander I «On free (free) farmers» (1803), according to which landlords received the right to release serfs to «freedom», endowing them with land.

  Mikhail Mikhailovich made an invaluable contribution to the development of political and legal science in Russia. The Complete Collection of Laws and the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire crowned his life, marked by both honors and persecution [3]. The impressive intellectual legacy of Speransky, his tireless and conscientious work in the public sphere do not only enter the boundaries of the century before last.

2. Materials and methods.

  Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky, the founder of Russian legal science and the legal education system, an outstanding lawmaker and theologian, was the son of a priest. He was born on January 1, 1772 in Cherkutino village, Vladimir province (now Vladimir region). Mikhail, the eldest child in the family, was in poor health and learned to read early. He regularly went to church with his blind grandfather Vasily, reading «The Apostle» and «The Book of Hours» instead of the sexton. The boy turned 6 years old when he entered the estate of the Catherine nobleman N.I. Saltykov, in whose church his father served, was visited by the owner of the estate with his friend. This comrade was Archpriest Andrei Samborsky, who a few years later became the confessor of Grand Duke Alexander, later Emperor Alexander I the Blessed.

  The smart and kind Mikhail was very liked by the visiting priest, who jokingly invited him to the court in St. Petersburg. When the boy turned 8 years old, he was sent to study at the Vladimir Diocesan Seminary. In 1787, Mikhail became a «student of philosophy» and joined the rector of the seminary as a cell attendant (junior secretary). As the best seminarian, he was sent to the capital’s Alexander Nevsky Seminary, a higher educational institution of the Russian Orthodox Church, for further spiritual education.

  Speransky’s career was largely determined by his proximity to Prince A.B. Kurakin. As soon as the prince was appointed Prosecutor General of the Senate, he persuaded Speransky to join the service there and quickly promoted him to the rank of collegiate adviser and freight forwarder. Despite the suspicion of Paul I and the rapid succession of governors-general — Kurakin, then P.V. Lopukhin, A.A. Bekleshov, and finally, in 1801, P.H. Obolyaninov — Speransky maintained his position due to his high professionalism. At the same time, Mikhail Mikhailovich was the secretary of the Commission for the Supply of food to the capital, which was headed by heir to the throne Alexander Pavlovich. It was here that the future emperor met M.M. Speransky.

  On March 12, 1801, Alexander I ascended the throne, and on March 19, Speransky was appointed state secretary to the emperor.  At this stage of his political career, Speransky is the author and editor of many decrees and orders that were the basis for the reform course of Emperor Alexander. These include the restoration of Letters of Commendation to the nobility and Letters of Commendation to cities; the abolition of corporal punishment of priests and deacons; the liquidation of the secret expedition; the permission to import books and music from abroad; the restoration of the right to open private printing houses; numerous pardons.

  Speransky became the author of a project to transform the system of public authorities, taking up the post of head of the expedition of civil and spiritual affairs in 1802, in the newly formed State Council. Soon, at the request of Interior Minister V.P. Kochubey, Speransky was appointed head of the Ministry’s chancellery. From 1802 to 1807 Kochubey holds the post of minister, and in cooperation with Speransky, a number of liberal innovations are being implemented, including a decree on free farmers, permission for free salt fishing, and the transformation of medical and postal affairs. Speransky’s activities in the Ministry were noticed by Emperor Alexander I, who reappointed him state secretary. In 1808, Speransky accompanied Alexander to Erfurt to meet with Napoleon and in the same year presented his draft of a general political reform to the emperor for consideration.

  The reforms of Speransky at the beginning of the 19th century affected all strata of Russian society and caused discontent among the nobility and bureaucracy. The former was outraged by taxes on estates, the latter by the struggle against bureaucracy, embezzlement and progressive organization of office work. People dissatisfied with the liberalism of the tsar himself and Speransky rallied around Alexander’s sister Ekaterina Pavlovna. They reminded the emperor of Mikhail Mikhailovich’s excessive self-confidence in state affairs and the reproaches he had expressed to Alexander I for his inconsistency in reforms. All this irritated the emperor, and in March 1812 he dismissed Speransky. He was sent to Nizhny Novgorod, from where the great reformer was able to return to the capital only after 9 years.

  The statesman, Speransky, was poorly versed in court intrigues and relations within the court. On his initiative, an examination for officials was introduced, and court service was abolished, and all court titles became honorary titles and nothing more. All this caused irritation and hatred of the court. On the day of his 40th birthday, Speransky was awarded the Order of Alexander Nevsky. However, the presentation ceremony was unusually strict, and it became clear that the reformer’s «star» was beginning to fade. Speransky’s detractors (among whom were Swedish Baron Gustav Armfeld, chairman of the Committee on Finnish Affairs, and A.D. Balashov, head of the Ministry of Police) they became even more active. They passed on to Alexander all the gossip and rumors about the Secretary of State. At the same time, the self-confidence of Speransky himself, his careless reproaches against Alexander I for inconsistency in state affairs, eventually overwhelmed the cup of patience and irritated the emperor. Contemporaries will call this resignation «the fall of Speransky.» In reality, it was not a simple fall of a high dignitary, but the fall of a reformer with all the consequences that follow from this. In 1812, Speransky was accused of treason, arrested, dismissed from all posts and exiled to Perm, from where he was soon transferred to police supervision in his small estate Velikopolye, Novgorod province. At first, he had to pawn the royal gifts and the orders granted to him in order to provide himself with at least some decent living.

  M.M. Speransky’s disgrace ended in 1816 and he was appointed governor of Penza, where he lived for about three years and took energetic measures to restore order. In 1819 Speransky became the Siberian governor-general with extraordinary powers to conduct an audit. In 1821, he returned to St. Petersburg with the results of the audit and with a draft of a new Code for Siberia. His plans were approved, he himself was generously rewarded and appointed a member of the State Council and head of the Commission on Civil Code.

  In November 1825, Emperor Alexander I died. Speransky personally drafted a manifesto on the accession to the throne of Nicholas I. The new emperor entrusted him with the codification of the laws of the state, for which he created a special Second Department. The result of the work of this department and M.M. Speransky personally was the «Code of Laws of the Russian Empire» in 15 volumes, published in 1832. This publication marked the beginning of Russian jurisprudence, when disparate, confusing and contradictory laws were replaced by a well-thought-out and clear, legally impeccable regulatory system. Speransky’s works significantly enhanced the legal culture of the entire state and played an important role in establishing the rule of law over government. One of the most famous legal principles formulated by Speransky are:

• No one can be punished without trial.
• No one is obliged to pay taxes and duties, except according to the law.
• Anyone can dispose of their property within the framework of the law as they wish.

  In 1839, M.M. Speransky was awarded the title of Count for his work for the benefit of Russia. The emperor’s trust in Speransky increased so much that in October 1835 he appointed Mikhail Mikhailovich as a teacher of law and political sciences for the heir to the throne, the young Alexander. The outstanding Russian lawyer died of a cold on February 11, 1839 at the age of 67. He was buried at the Tikhvin cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg. Five monuments are dedicated to M.M. Speransky in Russia: in Belgorod, Perm, Irkutsk, Moscow and Kemerovo. In memory of the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1872, copper table medals were minted by the engraver A. Semenov.

3. Results and discussions.

  During the study:

1. The formation and career path of M.M. Speransky have been considered.
2. Reform activities and transformation projects have been analyzed.
3. The codification of laws and the legal legacy have been mentioned.
4. Conclusion.

  There was a lot in the life of this brilliant man: he was born, lived in poverty in a Vladimir village, knew the splendor of the imperial court, and was exiled to Perm for daring reformist plans.

  But despite all the vicissitudes of fate, he was faithful to the idea of building a rule-of-law state, demanded the introduction of the principle of legality into social and political life, and believed in the possibility of a fair and unbiased trial.

  It should be noted that M. M. Speransky’s project is imbued with an understanding of the need to preserve autocratic power, but what is noteworthy is based on the principles of «reasonableness in accordance with the will of the people, the principles of «gradualism.»

  Undoubtedly, the role of M. M. Speransky in changing the vector of development of the history of Russian law in the 19th century was grandiose, he was the most talented politician, thinker, legislator, and his innovative ideas are relevant and in demand in modern parliamentary Russia.

  Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky’s legacy in the field of jurisprudence is a great asset of Russia, which must be carefully studied and implemented. Mikhail Mikhailovich is rightfully a star of Russian jurisprudence.