This article analyzes the views of the Russian emigrants on the cultural heritage of N. M. Karamzin and his place in the formation of "science about Russia." In the beginning are given arguments of supporters and opponents about his reform of the Russian language. The worldview of Karamzin is traced with the philosophical ideas of the Enlightenment, which are based on the values of freedom, law and education. The author evaluates the concept of the monarchy of Karamzin in different political directions among the Russian emigrants and explores an assessment which is given by them about the dispute between Karamzin and Speransky on key issues of the development of Russia. The article also discusses the assessments of the Russian emigrants regarding to the contradictory views of Karamzin on serfdom and the prospects for its abolition.In the article we show that the commitment of researchers to different ideological camps among the Russian emigrants did not allow themto see the complete picture of Karamzin’s worldview and understand what he wrote at the time when the main ideological currents were not doctrinally formed. And also we showthat the reproaches addressed to him about political inconsistency and about the confusion of ideas of liberalism and conservatism, are not substantial. The political and ideological preferences of the authors sometimes did not allow them to see many important ideas of Karamzin.So, in particular, Karamzin’s concept of the transient nature of monarchy and the inevitable transition of all peoples to a republican form of government remained unnoticed.
