A. S. Mayorova. M. M. Speransky and the Zlobin family from the town of Volsk in Saratov
Province // Petersburg historical journal, no. 4, 2024, pp. 53–65.
Abstract:
This article examines the relationship between M. M. Speransky and the family of the wealthy
tax farmer V. A. Zlobin. Historians who have studied Speransky’s biography, as well as scholars from Saratov who have written about the Zlobin family, have observed the existence of a familial connection between this family and the statesman. Konstantin, the son of the tax farmer, was married to Marianna Stevens, the sister of Speransky’s wife. His rapid ascent within the upper echelons of state institutions and the conferral upon him of a rank that bestowed upon him the right to nobility gave rise to rumours in St. Petersburg concerning Speransky’s patronage of the Zlobin family. The documentary evidence pertaining to Konstantin Zlobin’s career corroborates the assertion that he was promoted on three occasions within a three-year period and subsequently married. His marriage to Marianna was unsuccessful, resulting in his departure from St. Petersburg for Volsk and subsequent resignation from his post. Later he entered into a second marriage. This would suggest that Konstantin had managed to obtain an official divorce from his first wife, who was still alive at the time. The Zlobins did not terminate their relationship with Speransky during his exile from St. Petersburg. The family experienced a decline in financial status following the War of 1812, with both V. A. Zlobin and his son passing away. However, Konstantin had children from his second marriage. His son, Konstantin Konstantinovich, obtained a university degree in St. Petersburg, served in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and subsequently in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He attained the rank of Privy Councilor and concurrently assumed the roles of head of the State Archive and the Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in St. Petersburg. It seems plausible to suggest that Konstantin Konstantinovich’s successful career was facilitated by Speransky’s connections with the ministers under whom Zlobin served.
Key words: relatives of Speransky, Sarepta Colony, service record of K. V. Zlobin, N. I. Kostomarov, the case of the Zlobins’ noble status, Velikopolye estate, Nizhny Novgorod, State Archive, Main Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, M. D. Bludov, K. V. Nesselrode.
Author:
Mayorova, Alla Stepanovna — PhD in History, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the
Department of Russian History and Archaeology, Saratov National Research State University named after N. G. Chernyshevsky (Saratov, Russia).
E-mail: Majorova-as@mail.ru
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