Governor-General M.N. Muravyov and the Confessional Policy of the Russian Empire in the Western Provinces

The subject of this research is the figure of Governor-General M.N. Muravyov-Vilensky in the context of the confessional policy he implemented in the western provinces of the Russian Empire. The aim of the study is to characterize M.N. Muravyov's personality and his policies as one of the most prominent representatives of Russification politics within the broader trends of the religious policy of the Russian Empire in the 1860s. The research tasks are: 1) to describe the social landscape in the western provinces before M.N. Muravyov was appointed Governor-General; 2) to define the psychological and historical portrait of the aforementioned statesman; 3) to analyze M.N. Muravyov's role in developing religious innovations during the era of great reforms; 4) to examine the peculiarities of M.N. Muravyov's policy as the Vilensky Governor-General concerning the Orthodox population and non-Orthodox individuals. The study employed a systematic research method to consider M.N. Muravyov's figure from different perspectives in the context of political and religious transformations in the western provinces and the country. Additionally, the principle of historicism was applied in analyzing the life path and the development of crisis situations within the religious institutions of the Russian Empire. As a result of the research conducted, the conclusion was drawn regarding the characteristic nature of Governor-General M.N. Muravyov's figure in the context of the confessional policy pursued by the Russian Empire at that time. Unlike other government members who sought compromise with non-Orthodox individuals, Muravyov acted quickly and resolutely. He considered it impossible to achieve reconciliation with Catholics and refused to acknowledge that the Orthodox Church needed any internal changes. This led to a temporary resolution of the social crisis in the western provinces, but subsequently, it only worsened, something that neither Muravyov's successors nor the government of the Russian Empire fully understood. The novelty of the study lies in examining M.N. Muravyov's figure in the context of the overall confessional policy of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century as one of its most characteristic representatives. The materials of the research can be applied in educational materials and further studies on the confessional policy of the Russian Empire.

Muravyov-Vilensky, Priests, Gentry, Holy Synod, Orthodoxy, Catolicism, Clergy, Religious tolerance, Polish Uprising, Western Region