Alexander V. Peregudov Count P.A. Shuvalov and the Reorganization of the Corps of Gendarmes during the Era of the Great Reforms

Abstract

This article examines the historical origins of the establishment of the Corps of Gendarmes in the Russian Empire and the organizational structure it acquired under the two Statutes on the Corps adopted in 1827 and 1836. It highlights the institutional weaknesses of the gendarmerie and the rudimentary nature of its investigative practices, which were largely confined to routine surveillance of the population in provincial capitals. As a result, the Corps proved unable to identify in a timely manner or prevent the growth of the public movement and acts of political terrorism. The article seeks to determine the role of Pyotr A. Shuvalov in the reorganization of the Corps of Gendarmes during the 1860s–1870s and to analyze the principal directions of the reforms undertaken in response to the new challenges posed to the autocracy by radical political movements, including those rooted in nationalist activism. The study is based primarily on archival sources. It also draws upon memoirs, legislative materials, and the works of contemporary Russian and foreign historians. During this period, Count Shuvalov, who exercised considerable influence over the Emperor, initiated reforms that significantly expanded political surveillance by involving non-commissioned gendarmerie personnel in intelligence gathering and establishing additional observation posts throughout the governorates. Beginning in the early 1870s, gendarmerie officers also assumed new professional responsibilities as investigators of state crimes, substantially enhancing their importance within the imperial system of governance. The article concludes that the reorganization of the Corps of Gendarmes was consistent with the historical context and aligned with Shuvalov’s political program, which sought to strengthen conservative tendencies within the Russian Empire.

Keywords:

Corps of Gendarmes; Third Section; Great Reforms; Russian Empire; P.A. Shuvalov; Рolitical surveillance

For сitation:

Alexander V. Peregudov. Count P.A. Shuvalov and the Reorganization of the Corps of Gendarmes during the Era of the Great Reforms. The Historical Reporter. 2026. Vol. 59. P. 72–95. DOI: 10.35549/HR.2026.2026.59.003

Received 02.03.2026. Revised 02.04.2026. Accepted 04.05.2026.

Aleksandr V. Peregudov

C.Sc. (History), Associate Professor of Political History, Faculty of History, Voronezh State University. Voronezh, Russian Federation.

E-mail: peregydoff@mail.ru

SPIN-code: 5522-0773

ORCID: 0009-0001-5617-0389

References

1. Aleksushin G., Panov A. Gendarmerie of the Russian Empire. Reitar: Military Historical Journal. 2007;(38(5)):68–88 (in Russ.).
2. Bibikov G.N. Ch. Benckendorff and the politics of Emperor Nicholas I. Moscow: Tri kvadrata, 2009. 407 p. (in Russ.).
3. Chukarev A.G. The secret police of Russia, 1825–1855. Moscow; Zhukovsky: Kuchkovo pole, 2005. 701 p. (in Russ.).
4. Eroshkin N.P. Autocracy on the eve of collapse, in: Russian autocracy. Moscow: Publishing house of the Russian State University for the Humanities, 2006. P. 283–433 (in Russ.).
5. Koni A.F. Collected works (in 8 vols.). Vol. 2. Moscow: Yuridicheskaya literatura, 1966. 503 p. (in Russ.).
6. Leontiev A.A. Reporting documentation of the Gendarmerie Corps and the structure of the Supreme Police in the 1820s– Russian History. 2021;(2):105–111 (in Russ.).
7. Meshchersky V.P. Letters to Grand Duke Alexander Alexandrovich, 1863–1868. Moscow: Novoe literaturnoe obozrenie (New Literary Observer), 2011. 729 p. (in Russ.).
8. Nikitenko A.V. Notes and diary (in 3 vols.). Vol. 3. Moscow: Zakharov Press, 2005. 587 p. (in Russ.).
9. Novitsky V.D. From the memoirs of a gendarme, in: Behind the scenes of politics 1848–1914/ Coll. by A. Lieberman; afterword by S. Shokarev. Moscow: Sergey Dubov Foundation, 2001. 560 p. (in Russ.).
10. Orzhekhovsky I.V. The autocracy against Revolutionary Russia (1826–1880). Moscow: Mysl’, 1982. 207 p. (in Russ.).
11. Rieber A.J. Group interests in the struggle around the Great reforms, in: Russia’s Great reforms. 1856–1874/ Ed. by L.G. Zakharova, B. Eklof, J. Bushnell. Moscow: Moscow University Press, 1992. P. 44–72 (in Russ.).
12. Zakharova L.G. Alexander II and the abolition of serfdom in Russia. Moscow: Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN), 2011. 718 p. (in Russ.).
13. Zayonchkovsky P.A. The crisis of autocracy at the turn of the 1870s–1880s. Moscow: Moscow University Press, 1964. 511 p. (in Russ.).