Roslavsky-Petrovsky, Alexander Petrovich

He was born in the village of Slabin , near Chernigov , on April 9 ( 21 ), 1816 . Having lost his father early, he owes his upbringing to the care of his mother, who sacrificed the last means of her small fortune to give her only son an education. Under her supervision, one of the students of the Chernigov seminary was engaged with Alexander. Since 1825, Roslavsky began to study in Chernigov, first with the teacher of the Negachenko gymnasium, and then with the professor of theological seminary Osip Yakovlevich Semchevsky, under whose leadership Roslavsky began to study the works of the best Russian writers, and gradually developed a love of reading in him. Samchevsky, in addition, asked Roslavsky themes for essays and tried to work out a good syllable with him. The home education was so successful that, taken by his mother to Nizhyn in 1828, for admission to the Grammar School of Higher Sciences of Prince Bezborodko , he was accepted directly to the IV class, and in languages ​​- to the 3rd department, where the students were much older than him in age and upper classes (including Eugene Grebenka ).

With his knowledge of the Latin language, Roslavsky soon attracted the attention of Professor S. M. Andrushenko, who appointed Roslavsky as the auditor (checking) of the auditors of the entire department. At that time, a literary spirit prevailed in Nizhyn Gymnasium: pupils of the upper classes formed circles where everything that was remarkable in poetry and prose was read eagerly and debated. Roslavsky, who had dreamed as a writer of his childhood, also began to write. Partly in his own respect for Derzhavin and Krylov , partly on the advice of the professor of Russian literature Parfeny Ivanovich Nikolsky, Roslavsky took up mainly the composition of odes and fables . However, by the time he graduated from the Nizhyn gymnasium, he no longer wrote poetry at all.

In 1832, the Gymnasium of Higher Sciences was renamed the Lyceum and underwent a transformation that gave this institution a special character, meanwhile, as an encyclopedic education dominated there before. In 1833, Roslavsky was graduated from the lyceum as a full-time student, and in 1834 he entered Kharkov University at the Faculty of Philology, where he studied classical philology under I. Ya. Kroneberg . In 1837, after completing the course with a candidate’s degree, at the request of the dean of the faculty, professor of Russian history P.P. Artemovsky-Gulak, Roslavsky received an invitation from the university authorities to take a teaching position at the university. After passing the exam for a master's degree in historical sciences in July 1839, Roslavsky was appointed adjunct in the 1st department (historical and philological) of the Faculty of Philosophy for the teaching of statistics ; his lectures attracted attention: neither before nor after this subject stood at such a height. In addition to the theory of science and general comparative statistics of European states, Roslavsky presented to his students special courses in statistics from Russia, France and England in order to present them with samples of statistical monographs. In 1841, at the suggestion of Count Yu. A. Golovkin , trustee of the Kharkov school district, the teaching of statistics at Kharkov University was separated from the department of political economy , and Roslavsky was appointed re-establishing the position of extraordinary professor of statistics.

In 1844, Roslavsky was instructed to supervise the practical classes of students at the Pedagogical Institute at the University — in history and its auxiliary sciences. He performed this duty until the opening of the department of pedagogy at Kharkov University in 1852. In 1845, due to the election and petition of the Council, Roslavsky moved to the department of general history , which remained free at the university after the death of an ordinary professor M. M. Lunin . In the same year, Roslavsky received a doctorate in historical sciences, political economy, and statistics.

In February 1846, the Imperial Geographical Society elected him to its associate members, and in the same year Roslavsky was approved as an extraordinary professor, and six months later - ordinary in the department he occupied. Despite the fact that the main subject of the teaching of Roslavsky was general history, he continued to teach statistics, which in 1850, according to the program prescribed by the Ministry of Education , was limited to general preliminary concepts of science and the presentation of economic statistics of Russia.

During the second semester of the academic year 1849/50, Roslavsky read political economy. According to general history, Roslavsky published many works. However, as a lecturer, Roslavsky was not only not popular, but was not even loved for pedantry and manner of teaching. It was unpleasant for the audience that Roslavsky read his lectures word for word, not allowing himself to change anything. Everything read in one lecture, Roslavsky used to repeat at the beginning of the next lecture, but with such speed that it was impossible to understand anything for the first time to the audience. Roslavsky, bearing in mind that general history has a very rich literature, which many of the best minds have devoted their work to, did not consider it necessary to offer their students their own research and develop new views. He constantly cared only to convey to them in a strictly systematic form, avoiding verbosity, the results obtained by others and already recognized in science. He also drew attention to the completeness of the subject matter, for which he devoted a significant part of his lectures to internal history, to the study of the spiritual life of peoples and how it affected their religion, state structure, in science and art, in industrial and private life.

In addition to teaching duties, Roslavsky performed various educational and administrative posts and assignments. So, he consisted of: a secretary (over 14 years old) and a member (9 years old) of the Committee for testing individuals seeking the title of home teachers and teachers; Secretary of the faculty (in 1842/43); censor of the unofficial part of the Kharkov Provincial Gazette (1851/52) and, as appointed by the Council, took part in student enrollment tests (10 times as an examiner and once as chairman of the 2nd Committee). In 1842, Roslavsky was entrusted with compiling a report on the state of Kharkov University for utterance at a solemn act, and for the excellent execution of this order he was expressed written gratitude from the Council. In 1851, at the request of Adjutant General S. A. Kokoshkin , who managed the Kharkov school district , Roslavsky composed a brief historical note about the university for the Grand Dukes Nikolai and Mikhail Nikolaevich .

In 1854, regarding a project presented to the government by a private company on the construction of a railway between Kharkov and Feodosia , Roslavsky was collecting statistics to determine the benefits of this project. In the same year, Roslavsky drew up a note to eliminate doubts raised about the usefulness of the construction of the indicated road. On the occasion of the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the existence of Kharkov University, Roslavsky read a brief historical essay written by him. Since 1853, Roslavsky, as a result of the election of fellow professors, approved by the Ministry of Education, was appointed dean of the Faculty of History and Philology, and from 1859 to 1862 he was rector of Kharkov University.

From 01/06/1859 - a valid state adviser . He was awarded the Order of St. Anne of the 2nd Art. with the imperial crown (1856) and St. Vladimir 3rd art. (1867) ^[1] .

He died in Kharkov on December 25, 1871 ( January 6, 1872 ). In No. 5 of the Kharkov Provincial Gazette for 1872, N. Lavrovsky printed an obituary.

Of his major works, the following were published:

• "Comparative statistics of the five first-class powers of Europe";
• "Synopsis of the history of the ancient world";
• "Guide to the history of the peoples of the ancient East";
• “Guide to statistics”, Kharkov. 1844 and 1856;
• The Austrian Embassy in Moscow in 1698 in Essays on Russia by Wad. V. Passekom, 1840, Prince IV, p. 67;
• “On the scientific activities of Kharkov University in the first decade of its existence” - “Zhurn. Min People Enlightenment. ”1853, part LXXXVI, Dep. V;
• "Essay on the history of the Persian Wars" - Moskvityanin 1855, No. 21 and 22, Dep. 1st, p. 31 and the following;
• "A critical review of the history of the last 3 Roman kings" - "Zhurn. Min People Enlightenment. "1856, part LXXXIX, Dep. 2, p. 299 and the following;
• “Statistical and economic notes on the Kharkov province.” - “Economic Index”. 1857, No. 25, p. 586;
• “On trade at Kharkov fairs” - “Khark. Lip. Vedomosti, 1847;
• “Turnovers of the Kharkov fairs for the five-year period” - in the same place in 1849; “Russian Universities and the University Question of Mr. Pirogov,” Khark. 1864 g .;
• “A Few Words About Alfred the Great” - “Russian Word” 1860, No. 7, det. II, pp. 48-106;
• “Statistical information about the state peasants of the Kharkov province” - “Collection of statistical. information about Russia "1854, the book. II, p. 85;
• "Thoughts on the arrangement of the railway from Kharkov to the Black Sea", Kharkov, 1852;
• “A study on the population movement in Russia” - “Vestn. Imp. Russian geographer. General. "1853, the book. 3, p. 1 f .;
• “Moscow in 1698” - “Essays on Russia”, ed. Vadim Passek;
• “An Essay on the Life and Government of Slarta,” Khark. 1838 g .; “The solution to the question of what the true meaning of pragmatic history is and what its processing should be,” Khark. 1839;
• Statistical Review of European Population and Management, Lighthouse, 1843, vol. II, No. 22, p. 83.

• Roslavsky-Petrovsky, Alexander Petrovich // Russian Biographical Dictionary : in 25 volumes. - SPb. - M. , 1896-1918.
• Roslavsky-Petrovsky, Alexander Petrovich // Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.