A college assessor is a rank that appeared in Russia in 1717. It existed for two centuries. Abolished after the October Revolution.
A college assessor is a title that is very common in fiction. For example, in the books of Dostoevsky, Gogol, Pushkin. What other ranks existed in the Russian Empire?
History
The college assessor is a rank corresponding to the rank of major. At least that was until 1884. After the rank of college assessor equated to the rank of captain. Until the mid- 19th century, this title was given by hereditary nobility. Later only personal.
What position did the college assessor hold? He was a secretary , adviser, registrar. On the clothes of such an official there was a distinction. Namely two stars . In 1809, a decree was issued according to which not only a hereditary nobleman could receive the rank of a college assessor, but also anyone who received higher education and passed a special exam. What is the origin of the name of the rank?
Assessor
This word came to Russian from Latin. In ancient Rome, an official who was vested with judicial authority was called an assessor. Today this is the name of a person who participates in an independent conformity assessment: jobs, personnel certification, quality management systems.
A college assessor is a rank that existed in the Russian Empire. It was a title that corresponded to the eighth grade in a rank card. It is worth giving a definition to this term, which existed in Russia until 1917.
Civil ranks of the Russian Empire
The ranking table was a table containing a list of correspondence between civil, military, court ranks. All posts were divided into 14 types (classes). The table of ranks was established by Peter I in 1722. In the future, it underwent many changes. The Great Reformer personally participated in editing the decree. When compiling this document, borrowed terms were used from the Prussian, French, and Swedish " timetables of ranks. "
The Petrovsky report card included more than 250 posts. Of course, it is not easy for a modern person to understand all these ranks. Let's talk about some of them.
Among the Russian civil ranks, advisers prevailed: secret, titular, court, college, state. A college assessor is a rank that belonged to the eighth grade. There were also such titles as college secretary, ship secretary, provincial secretary, college registrar. Titular advisers are found in the books of Russian writers no less than holders of the title, which is discussed in today's article. What kind of officials were these ?
Titular Advisor
This rank belonged to the ninth grade according to the ranking table. The rank of college assessor was inherited for some time. And exclusively between the nobles. In order for a titular adviser to receive this rank, it was necessary to overcome an invisible barrier. It was extremely difficult for a bureaucrat-official to do this. The nobility did not want to replenish due to noble upstarts.
College assessors in Russian society were more respected than titular advisers. Among the latter there were many who did not succeed in making a career throughout their lives . They were often called " eternal titular advisers. " This rite was an intermediate stage only for children of noble parents. Until 1809, it was automatically assigned to all who received higher education, but did not have a degree. It was possible to obtain the rank of a titular adviser by passing a qualification exam.
Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin after graduating from the lyceum was to receive the title of titular adviser. However, he was released as a college secretary . The writer became the titular adviser in 1831, after being reinstated.
Let's go back to college assessors . These were respected people, as a rule, nobles. As already mentioned, among the characters of classical literature there are many such officials. In what works are college assessors found?
"Woe from Wit"
In the comedy of Griboedov, there is a character personifying cunning, careerism, hypocrisy. We are talking about Famusov - a hero who is opposed to Chatsky . This young man managed to procure the rank of college assessor, thereby gaining the confidence of Molchalin .
"Nose"
The protagonist of the famous story of Gogol is a man by the name of Kovalev, who prefers to be called a major. It was said above that this rank corresponded to the rank of a college assessor, to which, by the way, the author of the work " Nose " also managed to reach the rank.
"The death of Achilles"
Today, many people know that once there was the rank of college assessor, thanks to the books of Boris Akunin. In the works of a popular writer there are many terms that are out of use. Including the college assessor - the rank that Erast Fandorin had in the book "The Death of Achilles " .
The title, which is described in today's article, had the heroes of Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoevsky and other Russian classics.