The kindest people in Russian history. Benefits enjoyed by a noble person

Today the concept of “noble people” has already become historicism. And once upon a time it was a determining factor in the fate of this or that person. This helped to achieve high positions in the state, receive a rich dowry, achieve success, wealth and respect from others.

The meaning of the word "noble"

People have always belonged to some category of society. Who were called nobles? Modern explanatory dictionaries The meaning of this word is described differently. There is a historical and modern interpretation. From the point of view of history, this is belonging to an aristocratic family. Modernity says that these are people who became famous for their merits (according to the dictionaries of S.I. Ozhegov and D.N. Ushakov).

Of course, we are interested in the first meaning of the word “noble”. People to whom it can be applied this concept- a kind of elite of society. Their distinctive feature is the right to pass on their achievements by inheritance. Thus, children inherit not only the property of their parents, but also their titles, in other words, social merits and the right to use them.

How did the nobility appear?

A layer of noble people was formed in ancient communities, exerting their influence on government. It retained its significance in the Middle Ages, but lost it only at the end of the 19th century. Modern society no longer values the aristocracy as much as it did before (although in the West aristocrats retained their titles and titles). This circumstance is connected with the fact that today it is not the merits of the ancestors of this or that person that are important, but his own initiative and the ability to occupy a high social position.

A man of noble birth in the era of monarchism

Aristocracy reached its highest flowering in the era when monarchism was a widespread government system. When republics appeared in the world, it was then that the power of the aristocracy began to fade significantly. This is due to the fact that the monarch himself appears in the state; he is the first aristocrat in the country.

The idea of monarchism and the primacy of the nobility is based on the idea that the state can be ruled by chosen people, God’s anointed, to whom God has entrusted governance. Noble people, exercising this function of management and supervision of common people, pass it on to their children, as if they were the same chosen ones. After all, the Lord also chose them, giving them to be born into a noble and noble family.

By the way, know in different countries Europe and Russia was determined by different signs. It was military valor, the ability to faithfully serve one’s monarch, material wealth And so on. The monetary aristocracy gradually supplanted all others and by the beginning of the era of capitalist relations began to be valued more than all kinds of noble titles.

Noble man in 19th century Russia

Who are they, noble people of the 19th century? was divided into two main classes: personal and hereditary. It was the second that represented the nobility of that time. This included all the famous aristocratic families of Russia, some of which traced their history back to Rurik (the old boyars), and some from the offspring of Peter the Great (the nobility itself).

Even at the beginning of the 18th century, these two elite groups were opposed to each other. Peter the Great relied on the nobility as a service system, and he contrasted it with the lazy and mired in squabbles and division of property of the old Russian boyars. However, everything has changed since the reign of Catherine the Great, who, having ascended the throne, granted freedom to the entire noble class of Russia, freeing them from compulsory service to the state. Since then it began new stage in the history of the Russian nobility, which ended tragic events February and October 1917.

Noble families of Russia in the 19th century

The noble people of Russia entered the 19th century, representing only 1.2% of the total population of the empire. These were representatives of various genera, which can be divided into several groups.

The ancient nobility is the oldest stratum of noble people. It included the descendants of Rurik and the great princes, as well as the heirs of the Golden Horde military leaders who switched to Russian service. The names and surnames of these people were recorded in special books - columns, hence the origin of the name.
Noble people with titles. This part of the aristocracy could boast of princely, count, and baronial titles, granted to their ancestors for special services to the country and the sovereign.
Hereditary nobles who acquired nobility due to their ancestors receiving a special patent, military merit, or success in civil service.
Foreign nobility, which included representatives of the aristocracy of states and regions annexed to Russia (Georgia, Ossetia, Armenia, etc.).
Personal nobles who received status for special merits, but were unable to pass it on to their heirs.

Benefits enjoyed by a noble person

What kind of property did noble people own? What could they afford? Also A.S. Pushkin wrote that among the main advantages of noble people in Russia were the right of property and special freedom. In addition, noble people could afford to own numerous property of the following nature:

estates and villages inhabited by serf souls (serfs were forbidden to kill at the will of the owner, as well as to sell them separately from their village);
houses in cities and other real estate.

In addition, the procedure for commercial activities was significantly simplified for privileged people; they could receive higher education, were exempt from military service (until 1874), and if they wanted to serve, they entered the service as officers (unlike ordinary people, who pulled the burden of soldiering for 25 years), etc.

Thus, as we see, nobility of origin up to a certain time in our country, and throughout the world, meant a lot. A person of noble birth was superior to his peers from simpler classes and received in life those benefits about which ordinary people could only dream.

It is impossible to understand an era without referring to the conditions of everyday life. Historian I.E. Zabelin wrote that home life man "is the environment in which lie the germs and beginnings of all the so-called great events of history."

A person's daily life is centered in the family. IN Ancient Rus' families were usually large. The grandfather, his sons and wives, grandchildren, etc. lived in one family. Childhood was spent in very harsh conditions, which is reflected even in the terms applied to children: youth– “non-speaking”, not having the right to speak; lad– “servant”; servants - younger members of the clan. Spanking was considered the main method of education. Beatings for educational purposes were the norm. Babies were sometimes sold into slavery by their own parents due to hunger.

However, one should not exaggerate negative influence cruel upbringing. As V.V. Dolgov rightly noted, preventive cruelty was the only way to save the life of a child in situations where a parent could not control his child 24 hours a day (due to being busy at work, work, etc.). No nurseries, kindergartens or regular secondary schools then, of course, it did not exist. The rich could still assign a nanny to the child, but the poor? How to make sure your child doesn’t go where he shouldn’t if he most time left to yourself? There is only one answer: to intimidate, to protect his life with prohibitions and punishments that may turn out to be life-saving. He will not go into the forest with the wolves, will not swim away along the river, will not set fire to the house, etc. Moreover, the cruelty of upbringing did not cancel parental love, albeit in peculiar forms.

However, childhood, even such a harsh one, did not last long, especially among the lower classes.

"The social boundary of final adulthood throughout Old Russian period was considered a marriage. Another, no less important indicator of adulthood was acquiring one’s own household. According to V.V. Kolesov, “in Rus', even for fifty years, men living in their father’s house were called detiny, since such a fellow did not begin to live on his own.” It seems that the property criterion was even more important, since adulthood generally means independence, and remaining in parental home, children could not have a decisive vote - all power belonged to the head of the family. Therefore, in the chronicles, cases of princely weddings are always noted and described as very significant events, but the prince becomes an active political figure only after he takes possession of the volost...<...>

All this led to the fact that the society of the early Russian Middle Ages did not know a clearly defined age until which a person could, had the right and opportunity to remain a child. There was no age for the onset of legal capacity, there was no clearly defined period during which education should be received, all this appeared much later. For a long time the border of marriageable age remained the only institutionalized border that existed in official culture."

Among the peasantry, there were cases of eight- or nine-year-old boys marrying adult girls. This was done in order to get an extra worker into the family. Representatives of the noble classes married later, but weddings at 12–15 years of age were the norm. The adult head of the family - the husband - was full sovereign among their households. The spouse was considered only an addition to the “strong half”, so almost no proper names have come down to us ancient Russian women: they were called either by their father or by their husband (for example, Yaroslavna, Glebovna, etc.).

The attitude towards the weaker sex is illustrated by a well-known parable in the Middle Ages: “The owl is not a bird among birds, nor a hedgehog among beasts, nor a fish among fishes, a cancer, nor a cattle among cattle, a goat, nor a slave among slaves, nor a husband among husbands, who listens to his wife?

Without the permission of the husband, the wife had no right to leave the house and eat at the same table with him. Only in rare cases did women receive some rights. Before getting married, a daughter could inherit her father's property. A slave who lived with her master as a wife gained freedom after his death. Widows had all the rights of the head of the family and mistress.

However, for husbands too family life wasn't always carefree. Because of unequal marriages and age misalliances in medieval society, the problem of the “evil wife” was acute. A special article was even introduced into the legislation: “If a wife beats her husband, the fine is 3 hryvnia” (as for stealing a prince’s horse). The same fine was punished when a wife steals property from her husband and tries to poison him. If a woman persisted in her desire to destroy her husband and repeatedly sent a hired killer to him, she was allowed to divorce her.

People of Ancient Rus' were called mainly by their names, but often they also had various nicknames. Patronymic names were rarely used. A person who was called by his patronymic (with the addition of the suffix -vich, for example Igorevich, Olgovich), was noble; This was the name given to princes and later to major boyars. Personally, free representatives of the middle classes enjoyed "half patronymics"(suffixes were added to their names -ov, -ev, -in, for example "Ivanov Petrov's son", i.e. his father was named Peter). The lower strata of society did not have patronymics at all, they only had first names. Also in Ancient Rus' there were no surnames. They appear only in the 15th–16th centuries, initially among feudal lords.

To describe the main features of the life of Ancient Rus', let's start with the home. In the Middle Ages, living quarters were small, consisting of one or several rooms (for the rich). In the houses, the main furniture was benches and benches, on which they sat and slept. The rich had wooden beds, carpets, tables, and chairs. Household property was stored in chests or bags, which were tucked under benches. IN dark time the premises were illuminated with burning wood chips - torch or clay oil lamps, candles.

We can only partially restore the appearance of ancient Russian residential buildings based on archaeological data. The main type was hut It was a wooden quadrangular log frame, placed either directly on the ground or on stands (stones, logs). The floor could be earthen or wooden, made of smooth-hewn boards. There must have been a stove; actually, the word hut and means “dwelling with a stove” (from istba, source, source). However, chimneys and pipes were rare; stoves were fired “black,” i.e. all the smoke went into the hut. Light entered the houses through small windows cut into the walls. As a rule, they were “volokovye”: a narrow oblong gap in the wall, which was closed (“covered”) with a board.

The poor lived in half-dugouts. A rectangular hole was dug in the ground, the walls were reinforced with a wooden frame, which was coated with clay. Then, “over)” they built a plank or log roof, sometimes raising it above the surface on a small frame. Since it is impossible to exist without heating in the Russian winter, domed adobe stoves that were heated “in black” were also installed in the semi-dugouts. peasant houses together with the family under one roof, behind partitions, they could keep livestock.

The richer a person was, the more complex the structure of his home was: a canopy and a cold cage, which served as a storage room, were attached to the hut (warm living space). Among wealthy people, log cabins were combined into entire galleries, which were sometimes built up to several floors on special support pillars. A similar residential complex was called mansions, and if it was decorated with rounded gable roofs, six- or octagonal log houses, then it was called tower. Princes, boyars, and leaders of the city administration lived in the towers. Most of the buildings were wooden. Some churches and civil buildings (towers) were built from stone, but the latter are extremely few in number. In addition, in the yard of wealthy people there were various outbuildings: cellars, bathhouses, cowsheds, barns, storerooms, etc.

The main clothing was shirt-shirt from canvas, for the rich - from thin linen. It was fastened with wooden, bone or metal buttons and girded with a narrow leather belt or sash. Wide pants usually tucked into boots or wrapped in onuchi. The bulk of the population wore bast shoes or porschi(the leg was wrapped in a single piece of soft leather and tied up), in winter - felt boots. In winter they wore sheepskin coats and warm clothes made of coarse wool.

The nobility dressed richer. An aristocrat could be distinguished by the fact that he had a disgustingly- a cloak made of expensive fabric. Outerwear decorated with embroidery, furs, gold and precious stones at mantles(gate cutout), on the floor(clothing floors) and wrists(sleeves at the hands). The dress was made from expensive fabrics: Aksamita(velvet), pavoloki(silks). On the feet of the princes and boyars were high boots made of colored morocco (red, blue, yellow colors). The headdresses were round, soft, and trimmed with fur. Winter coats were made from the fur of sable, beaver, and marten.

Food products were made mainly from cereals (rye, oats, millet, less often wheat) and vegetables. These were bread, various cereals, jelly, stews, decoctions, etc. Meat was eaten by macho people and more often pork than beef and lamb. But it was widely popular River fish, which was explained both by its cheapness and the large number of Orthodox fasts. They drank bread kvass, honey, and fruit infusions. The utensils used were mainly wooden; in rich houses - iron, copper, and silver.

The life and customs of Ancient Rus' show us a medieval society that had recently adopted Christianity, with gradually growing social differentiation.

A woman is born to sacrifice and take care of loved ones. But there is unusual women who have dedicated their entire lives to other people without asking for anything in return. Their stories will simply shock you!

1. Mother Teresa

“Good deeds are short, they are pronounced easily and quickly, but their echo is eternal”

It is impossible to talk about Mother Teresa without tears. This woman dedicated herself to other people, lived her whole life in poverty and did not ask for anything for it.

Agnes, as she was named at birth, was born in Macedonia. WITH early years she was interested in missionaries. And at the age of 18, she said goodbye to her family forever and went to distant India to serve God and people.

India in the early 20th century was a land of striking contrasts. The shacks of the poor huddled next to the luxurious palaces of the rich, mountains of garbage festered in the streets, the wretched were born and died under the scorching sun and in a terrible stench. Mother Teresa taught poor children for many years. But chance determined her future fate.

“The most important medicine is love and care”

One day she saw her son take his mother, who had leprosy, to the city square. He threw it away because hospitals refused to accept it. The woman’s entire body was covered with ulcers, bitten by rats and ants, and the bad smell hurt her eyes. Mother Teresa approached the woman and... ran away.

She couldn't stand such a sight. She cried, prayed and asked the Lord for strength to help the unfortunate woman. Mother Teresa is back. She washed the dying woman, consoled her, and the woman passed on to another world with calmness and a smile.

Now the nun knew what she had to do. She left her convent and began to live in the slums of Calcutta, helping the poor as best she could. Over time, local authorities learned about the merciful woman and allocated her premises for the needs of the poor.

She organized a whole “city” for the dying. Here, all people were treated with respect, regardless of religion, gender, or illness.

She is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 1979. She came to receive the award in the same white sari with a blue border and refused the banquet.

“It doesn’t matter who says anything about you - accept everything with a smile and continue doing your job”

During the life of Mother Teresa, her activities were more than once succumbed to sharp criticism. Why fight the effect of poverty rather than its cause? Why ban abortion when babies are thrown in the trash? How many charitable sums did she handle and where are the reports of her financial activities?

It’s easy to lie on the sofa and eat a sandwich and talk about the feat of others. But anyone who has never washed a leper, never taken a baby out of a pile of dung, never slept on bare ground cannot understand the power of her sacrifice. After all, there is not a single information that Mother Teresa had any material benefits during her life.

She knew about these accusations, smiled and continued working.

2. Victoria Soto

She shielded the children from the Devil

She was only twenty-seven. And she gave her life saving children...

American teacher Victoria Soto came to work with her beloved students. It was an ordinary day. But in a minute the world turned into hell. A former student with mental disabilities burst into the school with a weapon and began shooting at everyone indiscriminately.

According to the surviving children, the teacher hid them in closets and told them not to come out so that they would not hear. When Adam Lanza burst into the classroom, Ms. Soto said the children were in the gym. Several guys couldn't stand the tension and ran out. Victoria stood in the way of the killer and tried to distract him from the students. He killed her with three shots to the face and left. Six teachers and twenty children died that day.

Thanks to Victoria Soto, six babies survived. Six families were spared terrible grief in the world - they did not bury their children.

Gave your life for PR?

When the news spread across all news channels and online publications, many people reacted in different ways. Some sympathized with the families, while others called Victoria a “mother hen” who had not done anything special, that the US government was “sucking out the image of a new hero of America - a poor teacher,” which is exactly what the American enemies need.

I have nothing to say to these morally damaged people. Let everything be fine with them, their children will be safe, and the Almighty will judge who is a hero and who is a weakling.

3. Florence Nightingale

A calling is stronger than blood

Florence Nightingale was born into a wealthy aristocratic family in the 19th century and received an excellent education. Noble aristocrats approached her, but she refused them all.

One day she visited a hospital for the poor. What she saw impressed her for the rest of her life. Heaps of dirty rags, unsanitary conditions, drunken nurses, a fetid smell... The hospital of those years was a place where people were not treated, but died in terrible agony.

She decided what she wanted to do - become a nurse. The aristocratic world suddenly turned its back on her. No one else asked for her hand. But Florence didn’t care much about this. She studied many books about medicine and acquired many necessary skills.

Angel with light in hands

During the Crimean War, Florence and 38 other nurses went to the front. Of course, it was not easy for her, and these were not just everyday difficulties. No one took women seriously in the medical industry. Wounded soldiers died in their own excrement, rats and lice ran through them, clothes stuck to their bodies, and the smell made them dizzy. The most hopeless were given to Florence.

In a short period, she achieved an increase in the number of wards, organized kitchens and laundries, introduced the principles of hygiene, and even took care of the leisure of the sick. She walked around the rooms of her patients at night, for which she was called “the lady with the lamp.” Thanks to Florence Nightingale, mortality fell from 49% to 2%.

She returned from the war national hero. For the rest of her life, she was engaged in reorganizing the medical system and opening schools for nurses.
She never arranged it personal life, and before her death she burned everything personal diaries and notes so that no one could know about her most secret thoughts.

Today there is a medal named after Florence Nightingale - this is the highest award for sisters of mercy.

4. Irene Sendler

Little woman with a lion's heart

When did the second one begin? World War, Polish woman Irena Sendler was 30 years old. When Irena learned about the horrors that were happening to people in the Ghetto, she could not stand by.

The Germans were terribly afraid of the diseases that were spreading in the camp, so they let them through medical workers. Irena bought false documents from an employee of the Health Department and came to the camp every day.

It's hard to imagine that a small, fragile woman was able to save 2,500 thousand children. She led the children through sewers and tunnels, threw them over fences, and carried out the smallest ones in a tool case.

Based on a denunciation, she was arrested. The Germans tortured her for a long time, broke her arms and legs, but she did not betray her assistants. Until her death she walked on crutches.

Irena never advertised her activities; she always emphasized that she acted together with friends. But she was the only one who lived to old age.

Shame of the Peace Prize

Until 2007, no one knew about this woman. But then she was nominated for Nobel Prize Mira. However, the commission considered that this act was not worthy of an award, and the award was awarded to Al Gore for his reporting on global warming.

Aren’t 2,500 thousand saved children worth being grateful and respecting this heroine even in old age?

Irena Sendler died at the age of 98, having lived modestly all her life. She didn't consider herself a hero and always blamed herself for not being able to save more lives.

These simple and modest women show incredible strength of spirit. They gave up personal happiness, sacrificed health and even life for the sake of others, without expecting praise and rewards.

“Rus' is not without good people!” Russian people can easily be considered one of the most responsive peoples in the world. On the pages of history you can find many characters who throughout their lives tried to make the world a little better. Among them are doctors, military men, nobles, and even royalty.

Opening universities, specialized printing houses and schools, helping orphans, the hungry and the homeless is far from full list the good deeds of these people, which will be discussed in our material.

He was one of that rare breed of people who put the interests of others above their own “wants.” It was on the initiative of " bright man“The first shelters for beggars appeared not only in Moscow, but also beyond its borders. It was common for Rtishchev to pick up a drunk on the street and take him to a temporary shelter he organized - an analogue of a modern sobering-up station.

How many were saved from death and did not freeze to death on the street, one can only guess. In 1671, Fyodor Mikhailovich sent grain convoys to starving Vologda, and then money raised from the sale of personal property. And when I learned about the need of the Arzamas residents for additional lands, he simply donated his own.

During the Russian-Polish War, he carried out not only his compatriots, but also Poles from the battlefield. He hired doctors, rented houses, bought food and clothing for the wounded and prisoners, again at his own expense. After Rtishchev’s death, his “Life” appeared - a unique case of demonstrating the holiness of a layman, and not a monk.

She knew how to convince moneybags to donate money for construction educational institutions For noble maidens in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Simbirsk and Kharkov.

With her direct participation, the largest charitable organization was created - the Imperial Humane Society, which existed until the beginning of the 20th century. Having 9 children of her own, she especially cared for abandoned babies: the sick were cared for in orphanages, the strong and healthy were cared for in trustworthy peasant families. This approach has significantly reduced child mortality.

With all the scale of her activities, Maria Feodorovna also paid attention to the little things that were not necessary for life. So, in Obukhovskaya psychiatric hospital In St. Petersburg, each patient received his own kindergarten. Her will contains the following lines: “Give life to Your Spirit through meekness, love and mercy. Be helpers and benefactors to the suffering and the poor.”

A descendant of the Rurikovichs, Prince Vladimir Odoevsky, was convinced that the thought he sowed would certainly “come up tomorrow” or “in a thousand years.” Close friend Griboyedov and Pushkin, the writer and philosopher Odoevsky was an active supporter of the abolition of serfdom, worked to the detriment of his own interests for the Decembrists and their families, and tirelessly intervened in the fate of the most disadvantaged.

He was ready to rush to the aid of anyone who turned to him and saw in everyone a “living string” that could be made to sound for the benefit of the cause. The St. Petersburg Society for Visiting the Poor, which he organized, helped 15 thousand needy families. There was a women's workshop, a children's shelter with a school, a hospital, hostels for the elderly and families, and a social store.

Despite his origin and connections, Odoevsky did not seek to occupy an important post, believing that in a “minor position” he could bring “real benefit.” The “Strange Scientist” tried to help young inventors realize their ideas. The main character traits of the prince, according to contemporaries, were humanity and virtue.

An innate sense of justice distinguished the grandson of Paul I from most of his colleagues. He not only served in the Preobrazhensky Regiment during the reign of Nicholas I, but also equipped the first school in the history of the country at his place of service, in which soldiers’ children were educated.

Later, this successful experience was applied to other regiments. In 1834, the prince witnessed the public punishment of a woman who was driven through a line of soldiers, after which he petitioned for dismissal, saying that he would never be able to carry out such orders. Pyotr Georgievich devoted the rest of his life to charity. He was a trustee and honorary member of many institutions and societies, including the Kyiv Home for the Poor.

Retired second lieutenant Sergei Skirmunt is almost unknown to the general public. He did not hold high positions and failed to become famous good deeds, but was able to build socialism on a single estate.

At the age of 30, when Sergei Apollonovich was painfully thinking about future fate, he received 2.5 million rubles from a deceased distant relative. The inheritance was not spent on carousing or lost at cards. One part of it became the basis for donations to the Society for the Promotion of Public Access folk entertainment, the founder of which was Skirmunt himself. With the rest of the money, the millionaire built a hospital and a school on the estate, and all his peasants were able to move to new huts.

But her main efforts were aimed at changing the situation of people with disabilities. For 45 years, she did everything to ensure that blind people had the opportunity to become full-fledged members of society.

She was able to find the means and strength to open the first specialized printing house in Russia, where in 1885 the first edition of the “Collection of Articles for children's reading, published and dedicated to blind children by Anna Adler."

To produce the book in Braille, she worked seven days a week until late at night, personally typing and proofreading page after page. Later, Anna Alexandrovna translated the musical notation system, and blind children were able to learn to play musical instruments.

With her active assistance, a few years later the first group of blind students graduated from the St. Petersburg School for the Blind, and a year later - from the Moscow School.

Literacy and professional training helped graduates find jobs, which changed the stereotypical idea of their incapacity. Anna Adler just barely lived to see the opening of the First Congress All-Russian Society blind.

The entire life of the famous Russian surgeon is a series of brilliant discoveries, the practical use of which saved more than one life. The men considered him a wizard who, for his “miracles,” attracts higher power.

He was the first in the world to use surgery in the field, and his decision to use anesthesia saved not only his patients from suffering, but also those who lay on the tables of his students later. Through his efforts, the splints were replaced with bandages soaked in starch.

He was the first to use the method of sorting the wounded into those who were seriously injured and those who would make it to the rear. This reduced the mortality rate significantly. Before Pirogov, even a minor wound to the arm or leg could result in amputation. He personally conducted operations and tirelessly ensured that the soldiers were provided with everything they needed: warm blankets, food, water.

According to legend, it was Pirogov who taught Russian academicians to conduct plastic surgery, demonstrating the successful experience of implanting a new nose on the face of his barber, whom he helped get rid of deformity. Being an excellent teacher, about whom all the students spoke with warmth and gratitude, he believed that the main task education - teach to be human.

“Rus' is not without good people!” Russian people can easily be considered one of the most responsive peoples in the world. And we have someone to look up to.

Okolnichy Fedor Rtishchev

During his lifetime, Fyodor Rtishchev, a close friend and adviser to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, received the nickname “gracious husband.” Klyuchevsky wrote that Rtishchev fulfilled only part of the commandment of Christ - he loved his neighbor, but not himself. He was one of that rare breed of people who put the interests of others above their own “wants.” It was on the initiative of the “bright man” that the first shelters for beggars appeared not only in Moscow, but also beyond its borders. It was common for Rtishchev to pick up a drunk on the street and take him to a temporary shelter he organized - an analogue of a modern sobering-up station. How many were saved from death and did not freeze to death on the street, one can only guess.

In 1671, Fyodor Mikhailovich sent grain convoys to starving Vologda, and then money raised from the sale of personal property. And when I learned about the need of the Arzamas residents for additional lands, he simply donated his own.

Empress Maria Feodorovna

The second wife of Paul I, Maria Fedorovna, was famous for her excellent health and tirelessness. Starting the morning with cold douches, prayer and strong coffee, the Empress devoted the rest of the day to taking care of her countless pupils. She knew how to convince moneybags to donate money for the construction of educational institutions for noble maidens in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Simbirsk and Kharkov. With her direct participation, the largest charitable organization was created - the Imperial Humane Society, which existed until the beginning of the 20th century.

Having 9 children of her own, she especially cared for abandoned babies: the sick were cared for in orphanages, the strong and healthy were cared for in trustworthy peasant families.

This approach has significantly reduced child mortality. With all the scale of her activities, Maria Feodorovna also paid attention to the little things that were not necessary for life. Thus, in the Obukhov psychiatric hospital in St. Petersburg, each patient received his own kindergarten.

Prince Vladimir Odoevsky

A descendant of the Rurikovichs, Prince Vladimir Odoevsky, was convinced that the thought he sowed would certainly “come up tomorrow” or “in a thousand years.” A close friend of Griboyedov and Pushkin, the writer and philosopher Odoevsky was an active supporter of the abolition of serfdom, worked to the detriment of his own interests for the Decembrists and their families, and tirelessly intervened in the fate of the most disadvantaged. He was ready to rush to the aid of anyone who turned to him and saw in everyone a “living string” that could be made to sound for the benefit of the cause.

The St. Petersburg Society for Visiting the Poor, which he organized, helped 15 thousand needy families.

There was a women's workshop, a children's shelter with a school, a hospital, hostels for the elderly and families, and a social store.

Prince Peter of Oldenburg

In 1834, the prince witnessed the public punishment of a woman who was driven through a line of soldiers, after which he petitioned for dismissal, saying that he would never be able to carry out such orders.

Pyotr Georgievich devoted the rest of his life to charity. He was a trustee and honorary member of many institutions and societies, including the Kyiv Home for the Poor.

Sergey Skirmunt

Retired second lieutenant Sergei Skirmunt is almost unknown to the general public. He did not hold high positions and failed to become famous for his good deeds, but he was able to build socialism on a single estate.

At the age of 30, when Sergei Apollonovich was painfully pondering his future fate, 2.5 million rubles fell on him from a deceased distant relative.

The inheritance was not spent on carousing or lost at cards. One part of it became the basis for donations to the Society for the Promotion of Public Public Entertainment, the founder of which was Skirmunt himself. With the rest of the money, the millionaire built a hospital and a school on the estate, and all his peasants were able to move to new huts.

Anna Adler

The whole life of this amazing woman was devoted to educational and pedagogical work. She was an active participant in various charitable societies, helped during the famine in the Samara and Ufa provinces, and on her initiative the first public reading room was opened in the Sterlitamak district. But her main efforts were aimed at changing the situation of people with disabilities. For 45 years, she did everything to ensure that blind people had the opportunity to become full-fledged members of society.

She was able to find the means and strength to open the first specialized printing house in Russia, where in 1885 the first edition of the “Collection of Articles for Children’s Reading, published and dedicated to blind children by Anna Adler” was published.

To produce the book in Braille, she worked seven days a week until late at night, personally typing and proofreading page after page.

Later, Anna Alexandrovna translated the musical notation system, and blind children were able to learn to play musical instruments. With her active assistance, a few years later the first group of blind students graduated from the St. Petersburg School for the Blind, and a year later from the Moscow School. Literacy and vocational training helped graduates find jobs, changing the stereotype of their incapacity. Anna Adler just barely lived to see the opening of the First Congress of the All-Russian Society of the Blind.

Nikolay Pirogov

The entire life of the famous Russian surgeon is a series of brilliant discoveries, the practical use of which saved more than one life. The men considered him a wizard who attracted higher powers for his “miracles.” He was the first in the world to use surgery in the field, and his decision to use anesthesia saved not only his patients from suffering, but also those who lay on the tables of his students later. Through his efforts, the splints were replaced with bandages soaked in starch.

He personally carried out operations and tirelessly ensured that the soldiers were provided with everything they needed: warm blankets, food, water.

According to legend, it was Pirogov who taught Russian academics to perform plastic surgery, demonstrating the successful experience of implanting a new nose on the face of his barber, whom he helped get rid of deformity.

Being an excellent teacher, about whom all the students spoke with warmth and gratitude, he believed that the main task of education is to teach how to be human.