Alexander Petrovich Kunitsyn (; November 16 7 1783, Koi, Tver Province – July 1 3 1840,

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

) was a Russian lawyer, professor,

Active State Councillor Active State Councillor (, deystvitelnyi statskiy sovetnik) was a civil position (class) in the Russian Empire, according to the Table of Ranks introduced by Peter the Great in 1722. That was a civil rank of the 4th class and equal to those of M ...

. He was a favourite teacher of the Russian poet and playwright,

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...

Biography

Kunitsyn was born on November 16 (27), 1783 in the family of a rural

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

. He was educated at the

Main Pedagogical Institute Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

(1803–1807); then he prepared for a professorship at the Universities of

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

and

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

(1808–1811). In 1811–1820, from the moment of opening of the

Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum The Imperial Lyceum () in Tsarskoye Selo near Saint Petersburg, also known historically as the Imperial Alexander Lyceum after its founder Tsar Alexander I, was an educational institution which was founded in 1811 with the object of educating yo ...

and the Noble

Boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. They have existed for many centuries, and now extend acr ...

at the

, he taught moral, political and legal sciences. Since the opening of

St. Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...

, he had been reading the same subjects in it. The success that he had among the students of the

lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...

was testified by

in the poem dedicated to the Lyceum's anniversary 'October 19, 1825'.

Career

The course of science taught by Kunitsyn at the

Lyceum The lyceum is a category of educational institution defined within the education system of many countries, mainly in Europe. The definition varies among countries; usually it is a type of secondary school. Basic science and some introduction to ...

included only 12 subjects:

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, ethics,

natural law Natural law (, ) is a Philosophy, philosophical and legal theory that posits the existence of a set of inherent laws derived from nature and universal moral principles, which are discoverable through reason. In ethics, natural law theory asserts ...

, Russian civil law,

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

financial law Financial law is the law and regulation of the commercial banking, capital markets, insurance, derivatives and investment management sectors. Understanding financial law is crucial to appreciating the creation and formation of banking and finan ...

, and so on. They constituted a certain unity since Professor Kunitsyn believed that "science has a perfect form only when all its provisions form an uninterrupted chain and one is explained sufficiently by the other." He also taught the basics of

political economy Political or comparative economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and national economies) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Wi ...

and an overview of various social systems, and even an analysis of the vices of the

serfdom Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery. It developed du ...

. On October 23, 1811, he was awarded the Knight of the

Order of Saint Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir () was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine the Great, Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Vladimir I, Prince of Kiev, Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of ...

IV degree. He was an author of the book 'The Natural Law' (parts I, II,

, 1818–1820). Kunitsyn's work was compiled under the strong influence of

Rousseau Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher ('' philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects ...

and

Kant Immanuel Kant (born Emanuel Kant; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German philosopher and one of the central Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemology, metaphysics, et ...

. It carried the idea of the need to limit any power, both social and parental; otherwise power turns into

tyranny A tyrant (), in the modern English language, English usage of the word, is an autocracy, absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurper, usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defen ...

and injustice. Power is established not for the benefit of rulers, but for the benefit of subjects and subordinates; that is why only power exercised to protect the rights and interests of the population, society and children can be recognised as lawful. Kunitsyn's book, printed in the amount of 1000 copies, was confiscated from the author and from all institutions of the Ministry of Public Education, and even the

Natural law Natural law (, ) is a Philosophy, philosophical and legal theory that posits the existence of a set of inherent laws derived from nature and universal moral principles, which are discoverable through reason. In ethics, natural law theory asserts ...

, as a science, became the subject of increased persecution until the publication of the university charter in 1835. In 1820 he was also invited to teach at the

Corps of Pages The Page Corps (; ) was a military academy in Imperial Russia, which prepared sons of the nobility and of senior officers for military service. Similarly, the Imperial School of Jurisprudence prepared boys for civil service. The present-day equiv ...

. He was dismissed from the university in 1821. In 1828–1829, Kunitsyn, who joined the commission for the drafting of laws (the 2nd Division of

His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery or H.I.M. Own Chancellery () began as personal chancellery of Paul I and grew into a kind of regent's office, run by Count Arakcheyev from 1815 and until the death of Alexander I of Russia. Under Nicholas ...

), lectured on law to the elect of theological academies preparing for the title of professor of

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

. Since 1838 he had been an honorary member of

. In 1840 he became a director of the Department of Spiritual Affairs. His other works include 'Image of the interconnection of state information' (St. Petersburg, 1817) and 'Historical image of ancient legal proceedings in Russia' (permitted by censorship in 1825, but published only after Kunitsyn's death, in 1843). The last work is only a part of the extensive work which was supposed to be devoted to the history of the Russian ancient law – from the emergence of Russia to the 16th century – and reveals in the author remarkable historical and legal background and views of that time.

Books

* ''The natural law''. – St. Petersburg, 1818. – 135 p.

Cultural references

Kunitsyn is one of the characters in the novel by

Yuri Tynyanov Yury Nikolaevich Tynyanov ( rus, Ю́рий Никола́евич Тыня́нов, p=ˈjʉrʲɪj nʲɪkɐˈlajɪvʲɪtɕ tɨˈnʲænəf; October 18, 1894 – December 20, 1943) was a Soviet Union, Soviet writer, literary criticism, literary cr ...

"Pushkin" (1936). Pushchin's memoirs describe an episode in which Kunitsyn, during the opening of the

, in his speech in the presence of

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon from 495 to 454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Alexander I Theopator Euergetes, surnamed Balas, ruler of the Seleucid Empire 150-145 BC * Pope Alex ...

, never mentioned the name of the emperor.

was so surprised by Kunitsyn's lack of flattery that the next day he sent him the

Order of St. Vladimir The Imperial Order of Saint Prince Vladimir () was an Imperial Russian order established on by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus'. Grades The order had four ...

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * ''Яценко О. А.'' А. П. Куницын // Философия в Санкт-Петербурге. 1703–2003. Справочно-энциклопедическое издание. — СПб., 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kunitsyn, Alexander Petrovich 19th-century educators from the Russian Empire Legal scholars from the Russian Empire 1783 births 1840 deaths Saint Petersburg State University alumni Academic staff of Saint Petersburg State University Heidelberg University alumni