The “romantic professor” G. F. Parrot and his friendship with emperor Alexander I
Abstract
A native German, Georg Friedrich Parrot (1767–1852) moved to the Russian Empire in 1795, became a professor at Dorpat University in 1801 and corresponded with Emperor Alexander I for a quarter of a century, during which period both correspondents discussed the political transformations of the Russian state in the spirit of the ideas of liberalism. Drafts of Parrot’s letters and copies of the letters of Alexander I in French were preserved in the archive and were newly transcribed in full by the author of this article. The purpose of the article is to review the content of this correspondence in the context of the development of the relationship between both actors. An important role for achieving this goal is played by approaches from the fi eld of the history of emotions, thanks to which it is necessary to record not only events and ideas, but the personal experiences of people interpreted as a part of the emotional culture of a given historical period. An analysis of the correspondence not only allows one to determine Parrot’s place in the circle of friends of Emperor Alexander I and assess the degree of his infl uence on reforms, but to take a fresh look at the personality of the Emperor himself, which in turn helps to fi nd new interpretations for the character and results of the reign of Alexander I.
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