The European Idea of Noblemen's Boarding Schools and its Adaptation in the Cultural Space of Russia in the Second Half of 18 – First Half of 19 Centuries

Abstract

The second half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century saw significant changes to take place among the Russian nobility. The idea of forming a new type of nobility with an orientation towards Western models emerges, entailing changes in the system of education and upbringing. Thus, the concept of closed educational institutions for the upbringing of a new noble elite came to being. The principles of education and upbringing in those institutions were borrowed from the French Enlighteners, however modified because of their adaptation to the peculiarities of Russian society of that period. The basic idea was to isolate the child from the harmful influence of the social environment from an early age to let him follow a certain pedagogical concept. I.I. Betsky developed charters for male and female educational institutions in Russia. The most common military institutions of the time were cadet corps which for a long time became a source of forging of the best officer personnel for the Russian Empire. Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum represents an example of a secular educational institution for boys, known mainly for its first graduates. The Smolny Institute, established after the image of St. Louis School in Saint-Cyr near Paris, later served as a model for other institutes for noble maidens. All of these institutions were characterized by strict adherence to statutes and strict discipline. Despite some negative aspects, many closed educational institutions of the period under consideration brought up the best representatives of the nobility.