The Viceroy of the Emperor: The Caucasus in the System of State Administration of Nicolaevan Russia

The Caucasian governor occupied an exclusive place in the system of state administration of the Russian Empire in 1844-1881, and then in 1905-1917. The formation of the Caucasus governance model led by the imperial governor occurred in 1842-1846 and became possible in the context of the rational paternalism of Nicholas I, who sought to preserve his own influence on political processes in the vast empire. The article analyzes the circumstances and con-ditions of Nicholas I's search for an optimal management model for the southern outskirts, as well as the appointment of M.S. to the post of the Caucasian governor. Vorontsova Street. It is noted that the failure of the administrative reform of Senator P.V. Gan (1837-1841) was of key importance in the transition to the viceroyalty model. After the failure of the bureaucratic administrators, Nicholas I created mechanisms for personal control over the integration of the Caucasus into the Russian Empire. They were the VI Provisional Branch of the Imperial Chancellery and the Commander-in-Chief in the Caucasus, whose official rights were significantly expanded in 1842. Two years later, Nicholas I further expanded the sphere of influence of the regional administration headed by the governor. Novorossiysk Governor-General Vorontsov, who was elected by the monarch to this position, was distinguished not only by his military and administrative experience, but also by his skills in political confrontation with the central bureaucracy. The Caucasian governor in the empire's management system acted as a personal agent of the autocrat and, at the same time, as an opponent of ministerial control. The article is based on an extensive set of both published and archived historical evidence, which has been reinterpreted in the context of various historiographical trends.