The educational image of the nobility in Stavropol province, Terek and Kuban regions in the 1880s-1890s

The purpose of the study is to present systematically the educational image of the nobles of Stavropol province, Kuban and Terek regions on the basis of historical records. A visit of Emperor Alexander III to educational institutions in Vladikavkaz and Ekaterinodar in 1888 was demonstrated. The results of the Russian Imperial Census of 1897 were analyzed. It was noted that 34 % of local nobles received secondary and higher education. The large number of students (900 persons, or 80 %) who graduated from the universities were nobles. Noble families, if possible, preferred to teach their children in secondary schools. The research discussed the challenges faced by the nobility in the period under review: the increased number of noble families who were insufficiently wealthy to get an education, competition from urban estates, high education fees. The project of the Marshal of nobility P. Machkanin was presented. He proposed to upgrade the education system in order to create a favorable environment for training the noble children. Based on the statistical data analyzed, the author concluded that the proportion of nobles among the students remained significant despite the decline in noble population and its impoverishment.