The Governor-General in Action: Grand Duke Sergey Alexandrovich and the Case of Elena Voznesenskaya

In the first months of 1896, preparations were made in Moscow for the coronation celebrations in connection with the wedding of Emperor Nicholas II of Russia to the kingdom. The diary of Grand Duke Sergey Aleksandrovich, the uncle of Emperor Nicholas II, in particular, testifies to the hard work of the Moscow authorities under the leadership of the Grand Duke as the Moscow Governor-General. However, even in such extraordinary conditions, the local authorities of the Moscow governorate under the command of the member of the Russian Imperial House continued to carry out their social function in full, paying attention to the problems of an individual. One of the illustrative examples of such a policy is the case of a Moscow resident, hereditary honorary citizen Elena Voznesenskaya, who suffered from a mental disorder. The case materials show how much attention the authorities paid to such cases, and describe the standard algorithm of their actions for that time, including the role of representatives of state authorities (Governor-General, Chief Police Officer and Governor), their interaction in such situations with local self-government bodies represented by the Moscow City Council.