Pyotr Sviatopolk-Mirsky

Prince Pyotr Dmitrievich Svyatopolk-Mirsky (Russian: Пётр Дми́триевич Святопо́лк-Ми́рский, tr. Pyotr Dmítriyevich Svyatopolk-Mírskiy; 30 August [O.S. 18 August] 1857, in Vladikavkaz – 29 May [O.S. 16 May] 1914, in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire) was a Russian general, politician, and police official.

Family

Svyatopolk-Mirsky was born in Vladikavkaz into the prominent

Orbeliani. Pyotr was educated at Page Corps, graduating in 1874 with first-class honours, and was appointed Page of the Chamber. In 1875, he became a cornet at Her Empress Leib-Guards Hussars. He was the father to literary historian D. S. Mirsky

.

Military career

Svyatopolk-Mirsky took part in the

General Staff Academy

and graduated in 1881.

In 1884, he was made the acting commander of the staff of 31st Infantry division, and in 1887, he was appointed to commander of staff of 3d Grenadier division.

Political career

In 1895, he was appointed the

governor of Yekaterinoslav

.

In 1900,

Governor-General of Vilna (modern-day Lithuania and Belarus). As the Governor-General, Svyatopolk-Mirsky was credited with successful liberal reforms, defusing national tensions in the province by allowing more rights to the national minorities and stopping pogroms

against the Jews.

In August 1904, he succeeded to the position of

Alexandra Fyodorovna

.

The Conservative Ministers

zemstvos to gather to discuss broader policy issues and coordination of zemstvo programs, something that had not been permitted in Russia regularly. The remaining reforms were embodied in a decree that called for the inclusion of elected members to the State Council, removal of the restrictions on the Old Believers, measures to strengthen legality, extend freedom of the press and religion, broaden the authority of local self-government, eliminate unnecessary restrictions on non-Russians, and do away with exceptional laws in general. Svyatopolk-Mirsky not only allowed the congress but also participated in its work and personally delivered its decision to Tsar Nicholas II

along with his own plan for constitutional reforms.

Svyatopolk-Mirsky's plan included transferring more power to the

State Council of Imperial Russia. The plan was much less radical than the reforms implemented by the October Manifesto

1905, but in December 1904, it was considered ultra-radical and was dismissed.

The massacre of a peaceful demonstration in Saint Petersburg, known as Bloody Sunday, occurred on 22 January [O.S. 9 January] 1905. According to Svyatopolk-Mirsky, he never had authorised the shooting of the demonstrators but still fulfilled his final duty to the tsar and became the scapegoat for the massacre. According to Svyatopolk-Mirsky's opponents, he not only authorised the shooting but also actively encouraged the demonstration to push his own political agenda.

Svyatopolk-Mirsky was replaced as minister of the Interior by

State Council of Imperial Russia

, but it was not the case. He retired from the political life until his death on 16 May 1914.

References

Out of My Past: The Memoirs of Count Kokovtsov Edited by H.H. Fisher and translated by Laura Matveev; Stanford University Press, 1935.
The Memoirs of Count Witte Edited and translated by Sydney Harcave; Sharpe Press, 1990.
Biography of Pyotr Dmitrievich Svyatopolk-Mirsky in Russian

Preceded by Vyacheslav von Plehve	Minister of Interior July 1904 – February 1905	Succeeded by Alexander Bulygin

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