Count Mikhail Speransky (1772-1839) went down in history as a great Russian reformer, the founder of the Russian legal science and theoretical science of law.
M. Speransky was born in the village of Cherkutino of the Vladimir Province in the family of a village priest, and was educated at the St. Petersburg Theological Academy. Having graduated, he was a Professor of the Academy from 1792 to 1795, and then a Prefect of the Academy. Speransky's educational and administrative activities lasted until 1797, when he went into service in the Senate. On March 12, 1801, Alexander I mounted the throne and already on March 19, Speransky was appointed State Secretary to the Emperor. At this stage of his political career, Speransky was the author and editor of many decrees and orders, which made the basis for the reformatory course of Emperor Alexander.
His practical activities were in many respects related to the reformation of the state legal system of the Russian Empire. M. Speransky's concept provided the basis of famous Decree On free grain farmers (1803) by Alexander I, which enabled landlords to manumit serfs by granting them land.
Speransky's important reforms included establishment of everyone’s equality before the law, of strict control over the expenditure of public funds, introduction of a new tax system, separation of power into legislative, executive and judicial branches, and institution of advanced judicial bodies. New Emperor Nicholas I put M. Speransky in charge of the codification of the Empire legislation over the past 180 years. On January 19, 1833, during a special meeting of the State Council, he presented to the Emperor 45 volumes of the Complete Collection of Laws of the Russian Empire and 15 volumes of the Code of Laws of the Russian Empire compiled under his guidance. At the end of the ceremony, Nicholas I, in the presence of all the members of the State Council, took off a Star of St. Andrew from himself and put it on Speransky.
The commemorative stamp provides a portrait of M. Speransky; the illustration features painting by A.D. Kivshenko Nicholas I laying the Ribbon of the Order of Saint Andrew the First-Called on Count Speransky (1880, the Central Naval Museum).
In addition to the issue of the envelope with a commemorative stamp, JSC Marka produced special cancels for Moscow and Vladimir.
Design Artist: R. Komsa.
Quantity: 1 million items.
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