- Yakov Rostovtsev
Iakov Ivanovich Rostovtsev (OldStyleDateDY|9 January|1804|28 December|1803 – OldStyleDate|18 February|1860|6 February) was a leading figure in the formulation of
statute s which effectively emancipated the Russian serfs.Born in
St Petersburg ,Russia , Rostovtsev became a career soldier, and was a young officer at the time of the 1825Decembrist revolt . When he was invited to join the plot, he instead reported it toTsar Nicholas I, though without revealing the names of the officers involved.Rostovtsev went on to hold posts in military education, and was involved in the administration of the cadet corps, reaching the rank of General. In 1857, when the Russian government made public its plans to reform the institution of
serfdom , Rostovtsev was appointed to the secret committee charged with developing those plans. His subsequent report was well received, and brought him the chairmanship of the Commission whose task was to draft the necessary statutes.The resulting statutes were issued on
19 February 1861 , a year after Rostovtsev's death. Apart from Rostosvtev, the key figures behind the emancipation manifesto wereGrand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia andNikolay Alekseyevich Milyutin .References
* [http://panlog.com/cgi-bin/vizitka.cgi?type=person&id=19988 Panlog article]
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