A.S. Norov: at the head of Russian education

The article analyzes the multifaceted public and state activities of A.S. Norov, a person of an interesting destiny, the Minister of Public Education in the 1850s. A veteran of the Patriotic War of 1812, Norov at the head of the Ministry of Education laid the foundations of the reform processes in Russian education, helped to bring the educational system out of the crisis. His activities gave impetus to the development of all levels of education, led to the restoration of the full structure of the ministry, changed the composition of the trustees of the study districts towards representatives of liberal sentiments, and revived the system of training professors. However, A.S. Norov could not embody everything conceived by him in the field of education and censorship while being the minister.