“I put this story in order. Vasily Tatishchev Russian history Tatishchev Vn Russian history

V.N. Tatishchev. Russian history.

Adaptation from Late Slavic - O. Kolesnikov (2000-2002)

PART ONE

Advice on the history of general and Russian history

I. What is history? History is a Greek word that means the same as ours. events or deeds; and although some believe that since events or deeds are always deeds committed by people, it means that natural or supernatural adventures should not be considered, but, having carefully examined, everyone will understand that there cannot be an adventure that cannot be called an act, for nothing itself cannot happen by itself and without a cause or external action. The reasons for every adventure are different, both from God and from man, but enough about that, I won’t go into more detail. Whoever is interested in an explanation of this, I advise you to familiarize yourself with “Physics” and “Morality” by Mr. Wolf1.

Divine. Church. Civil. Natural. What history contains in itself is impossible to say briefly, because the circumstances and intentions of writers are different in this regard. So, it happens depending on the circumstances: 1) History is sacred or holy, but it is better to say divine; 2) Ecclesiastics, or church; 3) Politics or civil, but we are more accustomed to calling it secular; 4) Sciences and scientists. And some others, not so well known. Of these, the first represents divine works, as Moses and other prophets and apostles described. Adjacent to it is the natural or natural history, about actions produced by the forces invested during creation by God. Natural describes everything that happens in the elements, that is, fire, air, water and earth, as well as on earth - in animals, plants and the underground. In the church - about dogmas, statutes, orders, the application of any circumstances in the church, as well as about heresies, debates, affirmations of the right in faith and the refutation of wrong heretical or schismatic opinions and arguments, and also church rituals and orders in worship. The secular includes quite a lot, but mainly all human deeds, good and praiseworthy or vicious and evil. In the fourth, about the beginning and origin of various scientific names, sciences and learned people, as well as the books they published and other such things, from which universal benefit comes.

II. The benefits of history. There is no need to talk about the benefits of history, which everyone can see and feel. However, since some have the habit of examining and reasoning about things clearly and in detail, repeatedly, to the extent that their meaning is damaged, putting what is useful into harm’s way, and what is harmful into being useful, and therefore making mistakes in actions and deeds, it is not without regret that I hear similar reasoning about the uselessness of history happened, and therefore I decided that it would be useful to briefly explain this.

First, let us consider that history is nothing more than the recollection of past deeds and adventures, good and evil, therefore everything that we have known and remembered before ancient or recent times through hearing, vision or sensation is the real history that we or from his own, or from other people’s deeds, teaches to be diligent about good, and to beware of evil. For example, when I remember that yesterday I saw a fisherman catching fish and thereby acquiring considerable benefit for himself, then, of course, I have in my mind some compulsion in the same way to be diligent about the same acquisition; or as I saw yesterday a thief or other villain condemned to heavy punishment or death, then, of course, the fear of such a deed, which exposes me to destruction, will deter me. In the same way, all the ancient stories and events we read are sometimes imagined so sensitively to us, as if we ourselves had seen and felt them.

Therefore, we can briefly say that no person, no settlement, industry, science, nor any government, much less one person on his own, without knowledge of it, can be perfect, wise and useful. For example, taking the sciences.

Theology needs history. The first and highest is theology, that is, knowledge about God, his wisdom, omnipotence, which alone leads us to future bliss, etc. But no theologian can be called wise if he does not know the ancient deeds of God declared to us in the holy scriptures , as well as when, with whom, about what in dogma or confession there was debate, by whom what was approved or refuted, for which purpose the ancient church applied some statutes or orders, set aside them, and introduced new ones. Consequently, they simply need divine and ecclesiastical history, and also civil history, as Guetius2, the glorious French theologian, sufficiently demonstrated.

Lawyer uses history. The second science is jurisprudence, which teaches the good behavior and duties of everyone before God, before themselves and others, and therefore, the acquisition of peace of mind and body. But no lawyer can be called wise if he does not know the previous interpretations and debates about natural and civil laws. And how can a judge judge the right case if he does not know the ancient and new laws and reasons for their applications? To do this, he needs to know the history of laws.

The third is medicine or medicine, which consists of preserving a person’s health, and returning what was lost, or at least preventing developmental diseases. This science depends entirely on history, for he must receive from the ancients knowledge of what causes which disease, what medicines and how it is treated, what medicine has what power and effect, which no one in a hundred years could know by his own testing and inquiry, and there is such a danger in doing experiments on patients that it can destroy them soul and body, although this often happens with some ignorant people. I don’t mention many other parts of philosophy, but briefly we can say that all philosophy is based on history and is supported by it, for everything that we find in the ancients, right or wrong and vicious opinions, is the essence of history for our knowledge and reasons for correction.

Political part. Janus. Politics consists of three different parts: internal management, or economy, external reasoning and military actions. All these three require no less than history and cannot be perfect without it, because in economic management you need to know what harms happened from what before, in what way were averted or reduced, what benefits were acquired and preserved through what means, according to which about the present and It is possible to reason wisely in the future. Because of this wisdom, the ancient Latins depicted their king Janus with two faces, because he knew in detail about the past and wisely reasoned about the future from examples.

“Russian History from the Most Ancient Times” is a famous historical work by Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev. This work became one of the most significant books of Russian historiography, marking the beginning of a new stage in the development of Russian historical literature, thanks to which the transition from chronicle to critical analysis and presentation based on sources was accomplished. At the same time, few people know that the author of “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times” did not at all dream of writing this work. He created it under the pressure of circumstances.

Who was the author of “Russian History”?

Tatishchev was born in 1686 into a noble family, originating from the Rurik family. He graduated from the Engineering School in Moscow, and then went to receive higher education in Europe. And not to Holland or France, as many of his contemporaries did, but to Germany, which was not very popular in those days.

He went through the Northern War as a diplomat, and after it he managed factories in the Urals and founded Yekaterinburg.

Tatishchev was the first to introduce such important texts as “Russian Truth” and “Code of Code” into scientific circulation, thereby giving rise to the development of ethnography and source studies in Russia.

But, perhaps, Tatishchev’s most ambitious work was “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times,” which summarized all the numerous Russian and foreign documentary sources known at that time, describing the history of Russia from its founding to the reign of Fyodor Romanov.

Tatishchev was not a historian and wrote such a significant work only out of state necessity. Foreign books about Russia were filled with errors, which affected diplomacy between countries. So, Tatishchev decided to restore the historical truth and write a short essay about the history and historical borders of Russia.

He collected a huge number of books in his library, most of which were unpublished, and realized how unstudied the history of Russia at that time was. Members of the Academy of Sciences helped him translate the texts of the books.

Structure of “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times”

About work. “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times” by Tatishchev became one of the most significant works in Russian historiography. It describes the development of the country not only in military or political aspects, but also in religious, everyday and cultural terms.

The work is divided into four parts; there are also separate sketches dedicated to the history of the 17th century. Only the first and second parts of the work, which contain most of the author’s notes that complement the text, can be called relatively complete. The third and fourth parts are devoid of notes, which suggests that work on them was not completed.

The first part of “The History of Russia from the Most Ancient Times” describes the history from the formation of tribes to the unification of lands by Rurik. The presentation is carried out on behalf of the Slavs, who later became “Russians”. The customs, geography of settlement and religious beliefs of the first Slavs are described. A whole series of first baptisms in Rus' are mentioned (after all, the story begins in ancient, pagan times). Tatishchev adheres to Nestor’s account, describing the calling of the Varangians and the fight against the hostile Khazars.

Subsequent parts tell about before the Troubles and are divided into approximately equal time periods.

Scientific significance of Tatishchev’s work

Government employment and lack of historical training prevented Tatishchev from working on “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times.” Of course, his work was not ideal and not flawless, but he became the first Russian scientist to pay such considerable attention to the issue of studying his native history. Thanks to him, previously unknown documents were published, and such a science as historiography appeared.

Opinions about Tatishchev's work

Contemporaries highly appreciated “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times.” For many years it became a reference book for everyone interested in history. Thanks to this work, the study of Russian history moved to a new level.

In Soviet times, Tatishchev’s work was subject to both criticism and praise: due to a lack of knowledge and ability to work with sources, many of them were misinterpreted or completely lost.

At the same time, despite the fact that Tatishchev’s work cannot be called impeccable, one cannot fail to note its enormous significance for historical science.

(1686 – 1750), Russian statesman, historian. He graduated from the Engineering and Artillery School in Moscow. He took part in the Northern War of 1700-21, carried out various military and diplomatic assignments of Tsar Peter I. In 1720-22 and 1734-37 he managed state-owned factories in the Urals, founded Yekaterinburg; in 1741-45 - Astrakhan governor. In 1730 he actively opposed the supreme leaders (Supreme Privy Council). Tatishchev prepared the first Russian publication of historical sources, introducing into scientific circulation the texts of Russian Pravda and Code of Laws of 1550 with a detailed commentary, and laid the foundation for the development of ethnography and source studies in Russia. Compiled the first Russian encyclopedic dictionary (“Russian Lexicon”). He created a general work on Russian history, written on the basis of numerous Russian and foreign sources, “” (books 1-5, M., 1768-1848).
“” Tatishchev is one of the most significant works in the entire history of Russian historiography. Monumental, brilliantly and accessiblely written, this book covers the history of our country from ancient times - and right up to the reign of Fyodor Mikhailovich Romanov. The special value of Tatishchev’s work is that the history of Russia is presented here IN ITS COMPLETENESS - in aspects not only military-political, but religious, cultural and everyday!
Adaptation from Late Slavic - O. Kolesnikov (2000-2002)
Russian History (Russian doref. Russian History; full title of the first edition: “Russian History from the most ancient times, with tireless labor thirty years later, collected and described by the late Privy Councilor and Astrakhan Governor Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev”) - a major historical work of the Russian historian Vasily Tatishchev , one of the most important works of Russian historiography of the second quarter of the 18th century, a significant stage in its transition from the medieval chronicle to the critical style of narration.
The “History” consists of four parts; some sketches on the history of the 17th century have also been preserved.

Only parts are relatively completed by V. N. Tatishchev and include a significant number of notes. In the first part, the notes are distributed among the chapters; the second, in its final edition, contains 650 notes. There are no notes in any part, except for the chapters on the Time of Troubles, which contain some references to sources.

Related Posts:

• Putin, Macron, Qishan and Abe at the plenary session...

Vasily Tatishchev

V.N. Tatishchev’s great-granddaughter E.P. Yankova, from whose words her grandson D.D. Blagovo compiled the famous memoirs “Grandmother’s Stories,” recalled that when N.M. Karamzin decided to write Russian history, many over They joked with him and said: “Well, where can some Karamzin compete with Tatishchev and Shcherbatovy?” By this time, the future author of the “History of the Russian State” had not only carefully studied Tatishchev’s work, but also gave it a not entirely flattering assessment (Pantheon of Russian Authors // Bulletin of Europe. 1802. No. 20), which had a significant impact on scientific research. Tatishchev's reputation. Recognizing the tireless energy of his predecessor in the search for handwritten and printed sources, his active mind and passionate desire for historical sciences, Karamzin, however, noted that “this hardworking husband” could not “do everything in his head” and instead of history, he left for descendants only materials for it, providing the chronicle corpus he prepared with not always convincing comments.

Even contemporaries who read it in manuscript complained about the lack of “order and structure” in Russian History. Tatishchev himself, in the preface to the work, explained his position as follows: “I am not composing an eloquent composition for the amusement of the readers, but from old writers, in their very order and dialect, as they laid down, but about sweet speech and criticism I wasn’t diligent.”

Later, the historian S. M. Solovyov, who had great respect for Tatishchev, would see his merit precisely in the fact that the chronicle code he prepared, equipped with geographical, ethnographic, chronological notes, “showed the way and gave the means to his compatriots to study Russian history " Modern scientists, having elevated Tatischev to the rank of “father of Russian historiography,” continue to ask the question: who wrote “Russian History” - the first Russian historian or the last chronicler?

Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev collected materials for “History” for thirty years. And almost all this time he was in service. In 1693, at the age of seven, Vasily Tatishchev was taken as a steward to the court of Praskovya Fedorovna, the wife of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich and a distant relative of the Tatishchevs. He would serve in the army for sixteen years, mainly in the artillery, and would take part in the battle of Narva, the Battle of Poltava, and the Prut campaign. Inspector of the Ural metallurgical plants (1720-1722), member of the Moscow Mint Office (1727-1733), governor of the Ural region (1734-1737), head of the Orenburg expedition (1737-1739) and the Kalmyk Collegium (1739-1741), Governor of the Astrakhan Territory (1741-1745) - this is not a complete list of Tatischev’s positions. And although during trips abroad to Prussia, Saxony, Sweden and England he had the opportunity to learn about fortification, mining and coin making, most often he had to acquire new professional skills on the spot. However, for the 18th century, which believed that an enlightened person, with diligence, could cope with any task, this was a common occurrence.

The “beginning” of Tatishchev’s historical research was also associated with his official activities - as an assistant to Field Marshal Count Y. V. Bruce, who in 1716 decided to compose a detailed geography of the Russian state with land maps of all destinies and information about all cities. Due to the lack of time for desk studies, Bruce entrusted the main responsibilities for compiling geography to his assistant. Having started work, Tatishchev immediately realized that without ancient history it was “impossible” to compose geography, and therefore he soon left geography and began to “be diligent about the collection of this history.”

In Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Siberia, Astra-Khan - wherever Tatishchev found himself on official business, he did not miss the opportunity to rummage through the archives. He knew many personal libraries, in particular the book collection of the leader of the “supreme leaders” D. M. Golitsyn. Buying books in Russia and abroad, Tatishchev compiled his own extensive library, numbering about a thousand volumes.

In 1745, five years before his death, Vasily Nikitich, by decree of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, was dismissed from service and exiled to his estate Boldino, Dmitrovsky district, Moscow province. The last years of the disgraced Astrakhan governor were devoted to putting “Russian History” in order.

Tatishchev tried to publish his work back in 1739, introducing the manuscript to members of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and acquaintances, including Novgorod Archbishop Ambrose. The court of contemporaries turned out to be strict, but not unanimous. Some found that Tatishchev's work was too short, others that it was too lengthy, and still others even accused the author of betraying the Orthodox faith. Having failed to achieve a positive decision in Russia, Tatishchev made attempts to publish “History” in England. It was for this purpose, as researchers believe, that he donated the manuscript of the Rostov Chronicle to the English royal collection. However, despite all his efforts, Tatishchev was not able to see his work published.

The publication of “Russian History,” divided by the author into four books, took eighty years. The first three books were published by Moscow University based on lists provided by Tatishchev’s son, Evgraf Vasilyevich. Work on preparing the manuscript for printing was carried out under the supervision of the historian G. F. Miller, who corrected, in particular, the scribes’ errors in writing geographical names and ethnographic realities. Having decided to begin publication as quickly as possible, Miller, at the request of Moscow University, divided Tatishchev’s first book into two parts, published in 1768 and 1769. The next two books appeared in 1773 and 1774. The fourth book, published in St. Petersburg, appeared only in 1784, and the last, fifth, part of the “History” (or the fourth, according to Tatishchev’s chronological division) was published by the Imperial Society of Russian History and Antiquities in 1848 from a manuscript discovered M.P. Pogodin.

“Russian History from the Most Ancient Times” is a somewhat journalistic work. Both in the extensive preface and in the text of the essay, the author set himself the task of defending Russian history from the attacks of “European” scientists who argued that Ancient Rus' did not leave behind its own written monuments. The “history” was extended only to the reign of Ivan the Terrible, although Tatishchev had plenty of materials from later times, including the Peter the Great era. In the preface, the historian explained why he did not dare to continue his work chronologically: “In the present history, great vices will appear in many noble families, which, if written, would incite them or their heirs to malice, and to avoid them would destroy the truth and clarity of history or turn the blame onto those who judged, if it was not in agreement with conscience; For this reason I leave it for others to write.”

• Genre:
• Tatishchev Vasily Nikitich (1686 – 1750), Russian statesman, historian. He graduated from the Engineering and Artillery School in Moscow. He took part in the Northern War of 1700-21, carried out various military and diplomatic assignments of Tsar Peter I. In 1720-22 and 1734-37 he managed state-owned factories in the Urals, founded Yekaterinburg; in 1741-45 - Astrakhan governor. In 1730 he actively opposed the supreme leaders (Supreme Privy Council). Tatishchev prepared the first Russian publication of historical sources, introducing into scientific circulation the texts of Russian Pravda and Code of Laws of 1550 with a detailed commentary, and laid the foundation for the development of ethnography and source studies in Russia. Compiled the first Russian encyclopedic dictionary ("Russian Lexicon"). He created a general work on Russian history, written on the basis of numerous Russian and foreign sources, “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times” (books 1-5, M., 1768-1848). “Russian History” by Tatishchev is one of the most significant works in the entire history of Russian historiography. Monumental, brilliantly and accessiblely written, this book covers the history of our country from ancient times - and right up to the reign of Fyodor Mikhailovich Romanov. The special value of Tatishchev’s work is that the history of Russia is presented here IN ITS COMPLETENESS - in aspects not only military-political, but religious, cultural and everyday! Adaptation from Late Slavic - O. Kolesnikov (2000-2002)
• | | (0)

• Genre:
• Tatishchev Vasily Nikitich (1686 – 1750), Russian statesman, historian. He graduated from the Engineering and Artillery School in Moscow. He took part in the Northern War of 1700-21, carried out various military and diplomatic assignments of Tsar Peter I. In 1720-22 and 1734-37 he managed state-owned factories in the Urals, founded Yekaterinburg; in 1741-45 - Astrakhan governor. In 1730 he actively opposed the supreme leaders (Supreme Privy Council). Tatishchev prepared the first Russian publication of historical sources, introducing into scientific circulation the texts of Russian Pravda and Code of Laws of 1550 with a detailed commentary, and laid the foundation for the development of ethnography and source studies in Russia. Compiled the first Russian encyclopedic dictionary (“Russian Lexicon”). He created a general work on Russian history, written on the basis of numerous Russian and foreign sources, “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times” (books 1-5, M., 1768-1848). “Russian History” by Tatishchev is one of the most significant works in the entire history of Russian historiography. Monumental, brilliantly and accessiblely written, this book covers the history of our country from ancient times - and right up to the reign of Fyodor Mikhailovich Romanov. The special value of Tatishchev’s work is that the history of Russia is presented here IN ITS COMPLETENESS - in aspects not only military-political, but religious, cultural and everyday!