Mikhail Speransky
Russian statesman
Count Mikhail Mikhailovich Speransky (1772 – 1839) was a Russian reformist during the reign of Alexander I of Russia, to whom he was a close advisor. Honorary member of the Free Economic Society (1801) and the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences (1819). He later served under Tsar Nicholas I of Russia and was Active Privy Councillor (1827). Speransky is referred to as the father of Russian liberalism.
Read more on Wikipedia.
Weirdly, Speransky and particularly that quote about the little white hands and watching the hands of one with power was one that I marked and a character I was fascinated with when I read the book for the first time around age 17. I think I was identifying with Andrei’s desire to find people to emulate or mentors and to identify those with new ideas and who knew how to navigate the world. It’s always interesting to return to those interactions and watch both Pierre and Andrei try different approaches to find their way in the world and where those take them
Interesting read in the link- helpful info alongside his role in W&P, etc.