Mikhail Vladimirovich Rodzianko (russian: Михаи́л Влади́мирович Родзя́нко; uk, Михайло Володимирович Родзянко; 21 February 1859,
Yekaterinoslav Governorate
The Yekaterinoslav Governorate (russian: Екатеринославская губерния, Yekaterinoslavskaya guberniya; uk, Катеринославська губернія, translit=Katerynoslavska huberniia) or Government of Yekaterinos ...
– 24 January 1924,
Beodra,
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Kingdom commonly refers to:
* A monarchy ruled by a king or queen
* Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy
Kingdom may also refer to:
Arts and media Television
* ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
) was a
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
statesman of Ukrainian origin. Known for his colorful language and conservative politics, he was the
State Councillor
A state councillor () is a high-ranking position within the State Council, the executive organ of the Chinese government (comparable to a cabinet). It ranks immediately below the Vice-Premiers and above the ministers of various departments. ...
and chamberlain of the Imperial family, Chairman of the State Duma and one of the leaders of the
February Revolution of 1917, during which he headed the
Provisional Committee of the State Duma
The Provisional Committee of the State Duma () was a special government body established on March 12, 1917 (27 February O.S.) by the Fourth State Duma deputies at the outbreak of the February Revolution in the same year. It was formed under th ...
. He was a key figure in the events that led to the abdication of
Nicholas II of Russia
Nicholas II or Nikolai II Alexandrovich Romanov; spelled in pre-revolutionary script. ( 186817 July 1918), known in the Russian Orthodox Church as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer,. was the last Emperor of Russia, King of Congress Polan ...
on 15 March 1917.
Life
Rodzianko was born in the village of Popasne. He came from an old and rich noble family of Ukrainian origin and was educated at the ''
Corps des Pages
The Page Corps (russian: Пажеский корпус; french: Corps des Pages) 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 Jurispru ...
''. From 1877 until 1882 he served in the
Her Majesty's Regiment of the Cavalry of the Guard. In 1884 Rodzianko married Anna Nikolaevna
Galitzine
The House of Golitsyn or Galitzine was one of the largest princely of the noble houses in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire. Among them were boyars, warlords, diplomats, generals (the Mikhailovichs), stewards, chamberlains, the richest ...
(1859-1929); the couple had three children. In 1885 he retired and lived on his estate in the
Novgorod Oblast
Novgorod Oblast (russian: Новгоро́дская о́бласть, ''Novgorodskaya oblast'') is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the city of Veliky Novgorod. Some of the oldest Russian cities, includin ...
. He was appointed as ''Marshall of the Gentry''. Rodzianko served as ''
Kammerherr'' in 1899. In 1900 he was elected in
Yekaterinoslav Governorate
The Yekaterinoslav Governorate (russian: Екатеринославская губерния, Yekaterinoslavskaya guberniya; uk, Катеринославська губернія, translit=Katerynoslavska huberniia) or Government of Yekaterinos ...
. From 1903 until 1905 he was editor of a newspaper, called "Herald Katerynoslav zemstvos." In 1906 he was elected for the
Zemstvo
A ''zemstvo'' ( rus, земство, p=ˈzʲɛmstvə, plural ''zemstva'' – rus, земства) was an institution of local government set up during the great emancipation reform of 1861 carried out in Imperial Russia by Emperor Alexande ...
as ''Provincial Zemstvo Executive''.
In 1905 Rodzianko had been one of the founders and leaders of the
Octobrist party
The Union of 17 October (russian: Союз 17 Октября, ''Soyuz 17 Oktyabrya''), commonly known as the Octobrist Party (Russian: Октябристы, ''Oktyabristy''), was a liberal-reformist constitutional monarchist political party in ...
. He became a deputy in the
Third Duma
The State Duma, also known as the Imperial Duma, was the lower house of the Governing Senate in the Russian Empire, while the upper house was the State Council. It held its meetings in the Taurida Palace in St. Petersburg. It convened four times ...
(1907), vice-president in 1909 and was elected Chairman on 22 March 1911 after the resignation of
Aleksandr Guchkov, who was hated by the court as a "Young Turk." He then continued as the Chairman of the Fourth Duma from 15 November 1912 until its dissolution on 6 October 1917 (before the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...
).
Chairman of the Fourth Duma
Rodzianko thought the meeting between
Grigory Rasputin
Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus ga ...
and Emperor
Nicholas II "marked the beginning of the decay of the Russian society and the loss of prestige of the throne and of the tsar himself." He gathered information on Rasputin and handed it to the Emperor. Rodzianko, who asked Rasputin to leave the capital, and
Theofan of Poltava
Theofan of Poltava (born Vassili Dimitrievich Bystrov, russian: link=no, Василий Дмитриевич Быстров; 12 January 1875 - 6 February 1940) was a Russian archbishop and theologian in the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was widely ...
held Rasputin to be a
Khlyst.
"The emperor took no account of the report which nevertheless proved undoubtedly that Rasputin was not the holy man he claimed to be."
On 21 February 1913, Rodzianko dismissed Rasputin from the
Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan in Saint Petersburg shortly before the celebration of the tercentenary of Romanov rule over Russia. He had established himself in front of the seats which Rodzianko, after considerable difficulty, had secured for the Duma. According to
Orlando Figes
Orlando Guy Figes () is a British historian and writer. Until his retirement, he was Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London.
Figes is known for his works on Russian history, such as '' A People's Tragedy'' (1996), ''Nata ...
, "the members were to be seated at the back, far behind the places reserved for the state councilors and senators. This, he complained to the master of ceremonies, was 'not following the dignity' of the parliament." Rasputin considered Rodzianko a personal enemy.
"Rodzianko told the Tsar in March 1913: 'A war will be joyfully welcomed and it will raise the government's prestige.'" In April 1915, Rodzyanko visited to the Russian troops occupying
Austrian Galicia
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria,, ; pl, Królestwo Galicji i Lodomerii, ; uk, Королівство Галичини та Володимирії, Korolivstvo Halychyny ta Volodymyrii; la, Rēgnum Galiciae et Lodomeriae also known as ...
.
On 11 August 1915, the day the Emperor announced he would take the Supreme Command from
Grand Duke Nicholas, according to M. Nelipa, Rodzianko suffered a heart attack. Somehow Rodzianko participated in the creation of the
Progressive Bloc
The Progressive Bloc () is an electoral alliance in the Dominican Republic. The alliance is led by the Dominican Liberation Party
The Dominican Liberation Party ( Spanish: Partido de la Liberación Dominicana, referred to here by its Spanis ...
.
For Rodzianko,
Alexei Khvostov
Aleksey Nikolayevich Khvostov () (1 July 1872 – 23 August 1918) was a right-wing Russian politician and the leader of the Russian Assembly. He was a governor, a Privy Councillor (Russia), a chamberlain, a member of the Black Hundreds, and ant ...
had broken his neck in combating the Rasputin clique and Prime Minister
Boris Stürmer
Baron Boris Vladimirovich Shturmer (russian: Бори́с Влади́мирович Штю́рмер) (27 July 1848 – 9 September 1917) was a Russian lawyer, a Master of Ceremonies at the Russian Court, and a district governor. He became a ...
would become a dictator with full powers early in 1916.
In the Summer of 1916, there was another crisis in the government: Rodzianko proposed
Alexander Protopopov
Alexander Dmitrievich Protopopov (; 18 December 1866 – 27 October 1918) was a Russian publicist and politician who served as Minister of the Interior from September 1916 to February 1917.
Protopopov became a leading liberal politician in Rus ...
to the Emperor and Protopopov hinted at Rodzianko as Premier and Foreign Minister. But after Protopopov had become Minister of the Interior and had expressed admiration for the ruling family, the Duma attacked him fiercely and called at once for his dismissal. Rodzianko demanded that the Empress be internally exiled to the Crimea until the end of the war. The
Empress demanded in response that Rodzianko's court rank be taken from him; she referred to him in her letters as a scoundrel.
Zinaida Yusupova
Princess Zinaida Nikolayevna Yusupova (russian: Зинаи́да Никола́евна Юсу́пова; 2 September 1861 – 24 November 1939) was an Imperial Russian noblewoman, the only heiress of Russia's largest private fortune of her t ...
, Alexandra's sister
Elisabeth,
Grand Duchess Victoria, and the
Emperor's own mother tried to influence the Emperor or his stubborn wife to remove Rasputin, but without success. Rodzianko told Nicholas the truth, after being urged by the Emperor's mother and sisters. To him, the Empress Alexandra clearly should not have been allowed to interfere in state affairs until the end of the war; she treated her husband as if he were a little boy, quite incapable of taking care of himself.
On 7 January 1917, Rodzianko told the Tsar in regard of his government, "All the best men have been removed or have retired. There remain
nlythose of ill repute."
February Revolution
Mikhail Rodzianko was one of the key politicians during the Russian
February Revolution. On 26 February Rodzianko urged the Tsar to promulgate reforms in a telegram. "Serious situation in the capital, where anarchy reigns. General discontent was increasing. In the streets, uninterrupted firing, and one part of the troops is firing on the other. It is necessary to nominate without delay a person possessing the confidence of the people and who would form a new Government. To wait is impossible." Nicholas refused to reply, instead he ordered the dissolution of the Duma and a military crackdown and in a conversation with Count
Vladimir Freedericksz
Count Adolf Andreas Woldemar Freedericksz (russian: links=no, Владимир Борисович Фредерикс, Vladimir Borisovich Frederiks; 1 July 1927) was a Finno-Russian statesman who served as Imperial Household Minister between 189 ...
referred to Rodzianko, not very respectfully, as "fat-bellied Rodzianko". On 27 February he retired as Captain of the Guards. On 28 February he presided over the
Provisional Committee of the State Duma
The Provisional Committee of the State Duma () was a special government body established on March 12, 1917 (27 February O.S.) by the Fourth State Duma deputies at the outbreak of the February Revolution in the same year. It was formed under th ...
and advised the local governments to stay calm. On 1 March the power came entirely in the hands of the
Petrograd Soviet
The Petrograd Soviet of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies (russian: Петроградский совет рабочих и солдатских депутатов, ''Petrogradskiy soviet rabochikh i soldatskikh deputatov'') was a city council of P ...
. On that day Rodzianko assured general
Mikhail Alekseyev
Mikhail Vasilyevich Alekseyev (russian: Михаил Васильевич Алексеев) ( – ) was an Imperial Russian Army general during World War I and the Russian Civil War. Between 1915 and 1917 he served as Tsar Nicholas II's Chi ...
that the Duma leaders, rather than the Soviet ones, would form the new government in Petrograd. Rodzianko discussed the situation with General
Nikolai Ruzsky
Nikolai Vladimirovich Ruzsky (russian: Никола́й Влади́мирович Ру́зский; – October 18, 1918) was a Russian general, member of the state and military councils, best known for his role in World War I and the abdi ...
, who had the Imperial train stopped in
Pskov. Nicholas II had no other choice than to follow Rodzianko's advice. On 2 March 1917 a
Russian Provisional Government
The Russian Provisional Government ( rus, Временное правительство России, Vremennoye pravitel'stvo Rossii) was a provisional government of the Russian Republic, announced two days before and established immediately ...
was formed, which included members of the
Social Revolutionary Party
The Socialist Revolutionary Party, or the Party of Socialist-Revolutionaries (the SRs, , or Esers, russian: эсеры, translit=esery, label=none; russian: Партия социалистов-революционеров, ), was a major politi ...
. Rodzianko appointed General
Lavr Kornilov as head over the troops in Petrograd. In the evening Rodzianko led abdication talks with Tsar, to satisfy the crowds.
Early in the morning of 2 March (
Old Style
Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...
) or 15 March (
New Style
Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...
) the Tsar stepped down in favor of his son Alexei, (but announced in public the next day). As the
tsesarevich
Tsesarevich (russian: Цесаревич, ) was the title of the heir apparent or presumptive in the Russian Empire. It either preceded or replaced the given name and patronymic.
Usage
It is often confused with " tsarevich", which is a di ...
suffered from an incurable disease,
hemophilia B
Haemophilia B, also spelled hemophilia B, is a blood clotting disorder causing easy bruising and bleeding due to an inherited mutation of the gene for factor IX, and resulting in a deficiency of factor IX. It is less common than factor VIII defi ...
, his life expectations were short. Then
Grand Duke Michael Alexandrovich of Russia came into the picture as the new heir to the throne, but was regarded as unacceptable. With Prince Lvov,
Alexander Kerensky
Alexander Fyodorovich Kerensky, ; original spelling: ( – 11 June 1970) was a Russian lawyer and revolutionary who led the Russian Provisional Government and the short-lived Russian Republic for three months from late July to early Nove ...
and
Pavel Miliukov
Pavel Nikolayevich Milyukov ( rus, Па́вел Никола́евич Милюко́в, p=mʲɪlʲʊˈkof; 31 March 1943) was a Russian historian and liberal politician. Milyukov was the founder, leader, and the most prominent member of the C ...
Rodzianko visited Grand Duke Michael. The Grand Duke declined the crown after a long talk with Rodzianko.
Rodzianko remained prime minister just for a few days. He succeeded in publishing an order for the immediate return of the soldiers to their barracks and subordinate to their officers. To them Rodzianko was unacceptable as prime minister and Prince
Georgi Lvov, a member of the
Constitutional Democratic Party
The Constitutional Democratic Party (russian: Конституцио́нно-демократи́ческая па́ртия, translit=Konstitutsionno-demokraticheskaya partiya, K-D), also called Constitutional Democrats and formally the Party of P ...
, became his successor.
Later years
Together with
Aleksandr Guchkov he founded a liberal republican party in the Summer of 1917. After the
October Revolution
The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key mome ...
or shortly after the seizure of power by
Lenin
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...
, he left Petrograd and moved to
Rostov-on-Don and
Crimea
Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...
. Rodzianko supported
Anton Denikin
Anton Ivanovich Denikin (russian: Анто́н Ива́нович Дени́кин, link= ; 16 December Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_December.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New St ...
and
Pyotr Wrangel
Baron Pyotr Nikolayevich Wrangel (russian: Пётр Никола́евич барон Вра́нгель, translit=Pëtr Nikoláevič Vrángel', p=ˈvranɡʲɪlʲ, german: Freiherr Peter Nikolaus von Wrangel; April 25, 1928), also known by his ni ...
but when it became clear the White Army had lost, he emigrated to
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...
in 1920. There he wrote his memoirs ''The Reign of Rasputin: an Empire's Collapse.'' According to
Bernard Pares
Sir Bernard Pares KBE (1 March 1867 – 17 April 1949) was an English historian and diplomat. During the First World War, he was seconded to the Foreign Ministry in Petrograd, Russia, where he reported political events back to London, and worke ...
he died in great poverty.
Bernard Pares
Sir Bernard Pares KBE (1 March 1867 – 17 April 1949) was an English historian and diplomat. During the First World War, he was seconded to the Foreign Ministry in Petrograd, Russia, where he reported political events back to London, and worke ...
' introduction to Rodzianko (1927), at p.viii. His remains were moved to the new cemetery in Belgrade.
References
Sources
* Figes, O. (1996) ''A People's Tragedy: the Russian Revolution, 1891–1924''.
Rodzianko, M.V. (1927) ''The Reign of Rasputin: an empire's collapse: Memoirs of M. V. Rodzianko''. A.M. Philpot (London)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodzianko, Mikhail Vladimirovich
1859 births
1924 deaths
People from Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
People from Novomoskovsky Uyezd
Nobility from the Russian Empire
Octobrists
Members of the State Council (Russian Empire)
Chairmen of the State Duma (Russian Empire)
Members of the 3rd State Duma of the Russian Empire
Members of the 4th State Duma of the Russian Empire
White Russian emigrants to Yugoslavia