Aspects of teaching children of the Bessarabian nobility within the educational system of the Russian Empire

Abstract

The given article, based on unpublished archival documents and monographic studies, discusses aspects of implementation of the Russian educational system in Bessarabia. The imperial policy promoted in the newly annexed territory tended to centralize and standardize the administrative system. The main objective of this policy in the field of culture was forced Russification of the autochthonous population, which involved the removal and destruction of national traditions to enhance the process of assimilation of the natives. One of the means to achieve this aim was the policy of education.

Before annexation of Bessarabia to the Russian Empire, most noble children were taught at home, usually by teachers of foreign origin, and then continued their studies in Western Europe. The situation changed immediately after the signing of the Treaty of Bucharest. For example, a letter dated 17 October 1828, addressed to the District Marshal of Nobility, contained the demand to stop the activities of private teachers and all boarding schools in Bessarabia due to their illegality. Nobles were warned that they should not hire private teachers who did not have a special certificate issued by the tsarist administration, as otherwise they will be punished according to law. Other sources provide information that the Bessarabian Assembly of Nobility was obliged to allocate funds for scholarships "to educate young people in the spirit of devotion to the Tsar and the homeland." As a result, the Bessarabian Assembly granted 20 scholarships in the name of Emperor Nikolay II and 5 scholarships in the name of the District Marshal of Nobility M.N. Krupensky 300 rubles each fellow to continue their education in higher educational institutions of Russia.