PHJ No 3 (35) 2022 – A. Yu. Andreev. Sources on the resignation of M. M. Speransky in 1812: an experience of a systematic analysis
The article analyzes the source base for studying one of the “mysteries of Russian history” — the sudden resignation of M. M. Speransky from the post of State Secretary of Emperor Alexander I, held in March 1812. The article states that the existing multiple interpretations of these events are based in a large number of cases on the uncritical use of historical sources. A new analysis of the source structure has been carried out and a new classification has been proposed. As a result, it was concluded that the considered base of sources, provided that the methods of their critical analysis are applied, allows reconstructing the events that led to Speransky’s resignation with a sufficient degree of completeness.