Vasily Nazarovich Karazin (russian: Васи́лий Наза́рович Кара́зин; ukr, Василь Назарович Каразін; 30 January 1773 – 4 November 1842) was a Russian and Ukrainian Enlightenment figure, intellectual, inventor, scientific publisher, founder of the Ministry of National Education 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. ...

, and of the Imperial

Kharkov University The Kharkiv University or Karazin University ( uk, Каразінський університет), or officially V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University ( uk, Харківський національний університет імені ...

(now the

V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University The Kharkiv University or Karazin University ( uk, Каразінський університет), or officially V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University ( uk, Харківський національний університет імені ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

Biography

Karazin was born in Kruchik village,

Kharkov Governorate The Kharkov Governorate ( pre-reform Russian: , tr. ''Khárkovskaya gubérniya'', IPA: �xarʲkəfskəjə ɡʊˈbʲernʲɪjə ) was a governorate of the Russian Empire founded in 1835. It embraced the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. From ...

in the

(now

). His father was Nazary Aleksandrovich Karazin, 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 ...

Imperial Army officer noted for his involvement in

Pârvu Cantacuzino Pârvu III Cantacuzino, also known as Pârvul, Părvul, Purvul or Pîrvu Cantacuzino (russian: Пырву Матвеевич Кантакузино, ''Pyrvu Matveyevich Kantakuzino''; ? – December 11 or 15, 1769), was a high-ranking Wallachian s ...

's 1769 rebellion in

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and so ...

. Karazin's mother Varvara belonged to

Russian nobility The Russian nobility (russian: дворянство ''dvoryanstvo'') originated in the 14th century. In 1914 it consisted of approximately 1,900,000 members (about 1.1% of the population) in the Russian Empire. Up until the February Revolution ...

and was of partial Cossack starshyna ancestry.What Makes Kharkiv Ukrainian

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' ( uk, Український Тиждень, translit=Ukrainskyi Tyzhden) is an illustrated weekly magazine covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides ...

(23 November 2014) Vasily Karazin considered himself to be ethnic Serbian while his paternal family were originally known as Karadžić, which has Serb Montenegrin origins. He was married to Alexandra Karazina (née Mukhina) from

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, who was well known as a translator of

French literature French literature () generally speaking, is literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than Fr ...

into

; her stepfather was the Russian Imperial General major Egor von Blankennagel. Karazin was educated in schools for the nobility in

Kharkov Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine.

and then in

Kremenchug Kremenchuk (; uk, Кременчу́к, Kremenchuk ) is an industrial city in central Ukraine which stands on the banks of the Dnipro river, Dnipro River. The city serves as the Capital city, administrative center of the Kremenchuk Raion (Raio ...

. At the age of eighteen, he left for

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

, and underwent military training in the 1st Semyonovsky Independent Rifle Regiment. He also studied at the School of Mines, one of the top educational institutions in the Russian Empire at that time. Karazin was unhappy in this environment, and often reacted against the manners and customs condoned by the nobility of the times. Unsatisfied with his military service, he moved back to his village and married a fourteen-year-old

serf 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, which developed ...

girl. In 1798, Karazin attempted to leave Russia given his opposition to the policies of Emperor

Paul I Paul I may refer to: *Paul of Samosata (200–275), Bishop of Antioch *Paul I of Constantinople (died c. 350), Archbishop of Constantinople *Pope Paul I (700–767) *Paul I Šubić of Bribir (c. 1245–1312), Ban of Croatia and Lord of Bosnia *Paul ...

, but was denied a

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the personal ...

. After he attempted to cross the border illegally, he was swiftly arrested. When

Alexander I Alexander I may refer to: * Alexander I of Macedon, king of Macedon 495–454 BC * Alexander I of Epirus (370–331 BC), king of Epirus * Pope Alexander I (died 115), early bishop of Rome * Pope Alexander I of Alexandria (died 320s), patriarch of ...

took power, Karazin began petitioning him with his views on government development, pointing out the state's need to invest in education. In 1802 he obtained the tsar's permission to open a

university 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, t ...

in Kharkov. On 1 September of that year, during a meeting of the Kharkov nobility, he gave a famous speech on the benefits of having a university, asking for voluntary donations. Lacking sufficient funding and academic supplies, Karazin struggled to achieve his educational priorities. The local elite preferred to have a military college in the city. On 17 January 1805, Kharkov University was opened but Karazin did not take part in the opening ceremony, as by that time he had lost his position with the Ministry of Education. According to

Alexander Herzen Alexander Ivanovich Herzen (russian: Алекса́ндр Ива́нович Ге́рцен, translit=Alexándr Ivánovich Gértsen; ) was a Russian writer and thinker known as the "father of Russian socialism" and one of the main fathers of agra ...

, "the colossal ideas of Karazin were downscaled to a provincial

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Hochschule ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...

''". Hertzen A.I. ''Emperor

and V.N. Karazin'' From Hertzen in 30 volumes – Moscow, 1959. –v. 16. Forced to return to his village, Karazin established a school for local children. In November 1808, he wrote a letter to the emperor titled ''On non-intervention in European affairs'' for which he was arrested for a second time. Karazin carried out a wide range of academic work. He was a member of seven academies and published more than 60 articles in different fields of science, primarily

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

pharmacology Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

, and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

. As an example of his innovative spirit, in 1810 in his village he opened the first

weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...

in the territory of present-day Ukraine. Karazin repeatedly voiced critiques of what he viewed as

Alexander's Alexander's is a real estate investment trust that owns 7 properties in New York metropolitan area, including 731 Lexington Avenue, the headquarters of Bloomberg L.P. It is controlled by Vornado Realty Trust. It was founded by George Farkas and ...

resistance to self-government and national education in the Russian Empire. Karazin was the founding father of the Ministry of National Education. His direct confrontation with Emperor

was so public, that in 1820–21 Karazin was even imprisoned in

Shlisselburg Fortress The fortress at Shlisselburg is one of a series of fortifications built in Shlisselburg on Orekhovy Island in Lake Ladoga, near the present-day city of Saint Petersburg, Russia. The first fortress was built in 1323. It was the scene of many confli ...

. After that he lived in his family estate. Karazin died in Nikolaev. The Russian painter and writer

Nikolay Karazin Nikolay Nikolaevich Karazin (russian: Николай Николаевич Каразин; born 1842, Kharkov, Russian Empire (today Ukraine) — died 1908, Gatchina, Russian Empire)

was his grandson.

References

External links

* "An Enthusiastic 'Ukrainian Lomonosov'", ''

Zerkalo Nedeli ''Dzerkalo Tyzhnia'' ( ua, Дзеркало тижня), usually referred to in English as the ''Mirror Weekly'', was one of Ukraine's most influential analytical weekly-publisher newspapers, founded in 1994.in Russian
an
in Ukrainian

A.M Peskov ''Boratynsky''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karazin, Vasily Enlightenment scientists Politicians of the Russian Empire Inventors from the Russian Empire 19th-century scientists from the Russian Empire People from the Russian Empire of Serbian descent People from the Russian Empire of Greek descent Ukrainian politicians Ukrainian inventors Russian meteorologists 18th-century Serbian people 1773 births 1842 deaths Prisoners of Shlisselburg fortress

Biography

See also

References

External links