Nikolai Mikhailovich Korkunov (Николай Михайлович Коркунов; – ) was a leading authority on

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in fe ...

and

legal sociology The sociology of law (legal sociology, or law and society) is often described as a sub-discipline of sociology or an interdisciplinary approach within legal studies. Some see sociology of law as belonging "necessarily" to the field of sociology, ...

in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

. His father was Mikhail Korkunov, a noted Russian historian. His sister Marie de Manacéïne was known for her pioneering studies of sleep and dreams. After

Aleksandr Gradovsky Aleksandr Gradovsky (1841–1889) was a Russian jurist. A professor of law at St. Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет ...

's death in 1889 Korkunov held the chair in constitutional and

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

at the

University of Saint Petersburg A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

. Korkunov was also active in the Commission for the Laws of Finland. He argued that

Grand Duchy of Finland The Grand Duchy of Finland ( fi, Suomen suuriruhtinaskunta; sv, Storfurstendömet Finland; russian: Великое княжество Финляндское, , all of which literally translate as Grand Principality of Finland) was the predecess ...

's claim to sovereignty was groundless. He defined autocracy as the "sovereignty of the ruler, the unlimited character of his rule, but at the same time the need to limit this rule by legal principles, basic laws of his own making". An English translation of Korkunov's ''General Theory of Law'' appeared in Boston in 1909. It was reprinted by Beard Books in 2000. Some of his basic ideas were later elaborated by

Leon Petrazycki Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again f ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Korkunov Russian legal scholars Philosophers of law Scholars of constitutional law International law scholars Academic staff of Saint Petersburg State University 1853 births 1904 deaths