What Tatishchev wrote about the Tatars in the Urals. III. The historical concept of V. Philosophical views of V.N. Tatishcheva

The problems of Russian history and Russian historiography, of course, could not pass by the attention of a man who, in the words of A. S. Pushkin, himself was world history. Peter I certainly wanted to have a full-fledged "History of Russia", corresponding to the modern level scientific knowledge. For its compilation, several Russian scribes were planted in turn. However, things somehow didn’t work out - the task turned out to be beyond the capacity of the domestic Herodotus and Thucydides, whose mental abilities were described by their short-lived descendant in one expressive line: “The mind is immature, the fruit of a short-lived science.” In the end, the tsar had to turn for Russian history to the same place where he used to turn for everything else - to Europe. A year before his death, on February 28, 1724, Peter I signed a decree stating: "To establish an academy in which they would study languages, as well as other sciences and noble arts and translate books."

Not even a decade and a half had passed since Peter's death, when Russia received a full-fledged historical work. And the most remarkable thing was that the Academy, with its visiting learned adjuncts and privatdozents, had nothing to do with it. The initiative in this matter and the main part of the work was undertaken by one person, moreover, who had no direct relation to historical science. His name was Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev. He, in fairness, can be considered the father of Russian historiography.

Tatishchev is interesting not only as a historian, but also as a type of practical figure, brought up in the huge Petrovsky workshop. According to Klyuchevsky’s apt definition, he is an example of a person “who was imbued with the spirit of reform, who assimilated its best aspirations and served the fatherland well, but meanwhile did not receive any extraordinary talents from nature, a person who did not rise high above the level of ordinary average people.” His figure opens a number of brilliant dilettantes of Russian science and culture of the 18th century.

In 1704, at the age of eighteen, Tatishchev joined the army as an artilleryman. In Peter's time, a person rarely ended his service where he began it. During the forty years of his official activity, Tatishchev was a mining engineer, the manager of the coin business in Moscow and the Astrakhan governor. Having retired from business in 1745, he lived until his death (1750) in his estate near Moscow, the village of Boldino. All this time he was under trial on charges of extortion. The acquittal was handed down a few days before his death.

Being engaged in mining, Tatishchev collected geographical information about the areas where it was supposed to develop ore deposits or build factories. Russian geography, in the natural course of thought, carried him away to Russian history. Gradually, the collection and study of ancient Russian monuments, written and material, turned into a true passion for him. Tatishchev became probably the most prominent reader of contemporary Russia. He did not miss a single Russian and foreign book on history and instructed to make extracts and translations from Latin and Greek authors. Later, he admitted that, starting to write his "History", he had at hand more than a thousand books.

Tatishchev perfectly understood the importance of foreign sources for ancient history Russia and skillfully used them. But over time, it was not they who gave special value to his work, but a unique ancient Russian monument, about which we have an idea only thanks to Tatishchev’s extensive extracts from it. This is the Joachim Chronicle attributed to the Novgorod hierarch Bishop Joachim Korsunian, a contemporary of Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich. It was known to Tatishchev from a late list of the middle of the 17th century, but it preserved an ancient Slavic tradition that was not included in other chronicles. Acquaintance with her led Tatishchev to the conclusion that "Nestor the chronicler of the first princes of Russia was not very well informed."

Indeed, who was not embarrassed by this sudden beginning of Russian history, dated in the Tale of Bygone Years in 859: “Imakh tribute to the Varangians in Slovenes”? Why "Imahu", since when "Imahu" - all these questions hang in the air. Following the Varangians on the historical stage, like the "god from the machine" in the ancient Greek tragedy, Rurik appears with his brothers and Russia. According to the Chronicle of Joachim, it turns out that Nestor begins at the end of a very long and very intriguing story.

In time immemorial, Prince Sloven lived in Illyria with his people, the Slovenes. Once removed from their homes, he led the Slovenes to the north, where he founded the Great City. Sloven became the founder of the dynasty, which at the time of Rurik's calling consisted of 14 generations of princes. Under Prince Burivoi, Rurik's great-grandfather, the Slovenes entered into a long war with the Varangians. Having suffered a heavy defeat on the Kyumen River, which for centuries served as the border of Novgorod and Finnish lands, Burivoy fled from the Great City, whose inhabitants became Varangian tributaries.

But the Varangians did not long own the Great City. Burdened by the tribute imposed on them, the Slovenes asked Burivoi for his son Gostomysl as prince. When he appeared, the Slovenes rebelled and drove the Varangians away.

During the long and glorious reign of Gostomysl, peace and order were established on Slovenian soil. But by the end of his life, internal troubles and external danger began to threaten the Great City again, because Gostomysl did not have an heir: four of his sons died in wars, and he married three daughters to neighboring princes. Worried by heavy thoughts, Gostomysl turned to the Magi in Kolmogard for advice. They prophesied that he would be succeeded by the prince of his blood. Gostomysl did not believe the prediction: he was so old that his wives no longer bore him children. But soon he had a wonderful dream. He saw that a great and fruitful tree had grown from the womb of his middle daughter Umila; it covered the whole Great City under its crown, and all the people of this land were satisfied with its fruits. Waking up, Gostomysl called the Magi to interpret his dream, and heard from them that Umila would give birth to his heir.

Gostomysl's doubts on this, however, did not subside. After all, he already had a grandson from his eldest daughter, and if the question arose of the transfer of inheritance through the female line, it was natural to offer the princely table to him, and not to his younger brother. Gostomysl nevertheless decided to rely on the will of the gods and told the people about his prophetic dream. But many Slovenians did not believe him and did not want to forget about the rights of their eldest grandson. The death of Gostomysl caused civil strife. And only having taken a sip of dashing, the Slovenes remembered Gostomysl's dream and invited Umila's son, Rurik, to reign.

In presenting his understanding of the Varangian issue, Tatishchev relied on previous experiences in Russian history - Synopsis (published in 1674) and. Following the spirit of the first, he gave the calling of princes the character of naturalness - the Slavs called not a stranger, but the grandson of their prince. From Bayer, Tatishchev borrowed a critical method of dealing with sources and the very formulation of the problem: the ethnicity of the Varangians-Rus and their habitat. But having entered the area of ancient Russian history under the leadership of Synopsis and Bayer, Tatishchev then acted independently. He did not go to look for the homeland of the first Russian princes, either in Prussia or in Scandinavia. The Varangian (Russian) husband of Umila was, in his opinion, a Finnish prince. To prove his words, Tatishchev cited a lot of historical and philological evidence of the long-standing existence of the root "rus" in the toponymy of Finland and the southeastern Baltic. And yet, the shadow of Bayer hovers over his historical research: the history of the Varangians-Rus in the pre-Rurik period turned out to be in no way connected with the history of the Slavs by Tatishchev. No wonder Klyuchevsky called him a Russian historiographer, clinging to the eternally rushing forward European thought.

Tatishchev's work fell under an even more severe judgment than the one that persecuted him himself - the judgment of history. In 1739, Tatishchev brought the manuscript of his work to St. Petersburg and gave it to his acquaintances and influential people in the then scientific world for reading, in the hope of positive feedback. However, in his own words, some reviewers reproached him for the lack of a philosophical outlook and eloquence, while others were outraged for the encroachment on the authenticity of the Nestor Chronicle. During the life of Tatishchev, "History" was never published.

Soon after his death, a fire destroyed the Boldin archive. From Tatishchev's manuscripts, only what was in the wrong hands survived. According to these faulty lists, published in 1769-1774, Russian readers got acquainted for the first time with the Russian History. In its full and closest form to the original, "History" appeared only in 1848.

Attacks on Tatishchev, however, did not stop. The Chronicle of Joachim, introduced by him into scientific circulation, was considered almost a hoax for a long time. K. N. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, expressing the general opinion of historians of the middle of the 19th century, even wrote that Tatishchev should not be referred to (however, later he revised his views and treated the works of the first Russian historiographer with due respect: ““History” Tatishchev, a monument to many years of conscientious work, erected under the most unfavorable conditions, remained misunderstood and unappreciated for a long time ... Now none of the scientists doubts Tatishchev’s conscientiousness”). Then the skepticism of historians was transferred to the information itself, reported by the Joachim Chronicle. But in recent years, the credibility of them on the part of historians has increased significantly. Now we can already speak of the Joachim Chronicle as a source of paramount importance, especially in terms of the “pre-Rurik” era.

P.S.
Thanks to the daughter of V.N. Tatishchev became the great-great-grandfather of the poet F.I. Tyutcheva (on the maternal side).

V.N. Tatishchev "Russian History"

According to V. Tatishchev, history is memories of "former deeds and adventures, good and evil."

His main work is Russian History. Historical events are brought in it until 1577. Tatishchev worked on the "History" for about 30 years, but the first edition in the late 1730s. he was forced to rework, tk. it evoked comments from members of the Academy of Sciences. The author hoped to bring the story to the accession of Mikhail Fedorovich, but did not have time to do this. about the events of the 17th century. only preparatory materials have been preserved.

The main work of V.N. Tatishcheva

In fairness, it should be noted that the work of V.N. Tatishchev was subjected to very severe criticism, starting from the 18th century. And to this day there is no final agreement on his work among historians. The main subject of the dispute is the so-called "Tatishchev News", chronicle sources that have not come down to us, which the author used. Some historians believe that these sources were invented by Tatishchev himself. Most likely, it is no longer possible to either confirm or refute such statements, therefore in our article we will proceed only from those facts that exist irrefutably: the personality of V.N. Tatishchev; its activities, including public ones; his philosophical views; his historical work “Russian History” and the opinion of the historian S. M. Solovyov: Tatishchev’s merit before historical science lies in the fact that he was the first to start historical research in Russia on a scientific basis.

By the way, works have recently appeared in which Tatishchev's creative heritage is being reviewed, and his works have been republished. Do they have something relevant for us? Imagine yes! These are questions about protecting state interests in the field of mining, vocational education, a look at our history and modern geopolitics…

At the same time, we must not forget that many of our famous scientists (for example, Arseniev, Przhevalsky and many others) served the fatherland not only as geographers, paleontologists and surveyors, they also performed secret diplomatic missions, which we do not know for certain . This also applies to Tatishchev: he repeatedly performed secret assignments for the head of Russian military intelligence, Bruce, and personal assignments for Peter I.

Biography of V.N. Tatishcheva

Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev was born in 1686 in the village of Boldino, Dmitrovsky district, Moscow province, in the family of an impoverished and humble nobleman, although he was descended from the Rurikids. Both Tatishchev brothers (Ivan and Vasily) served as stolniks (the steward served the master's meal) at the court of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich until his death in 1696.

In 1706, both brothers were enrolled in the Azov Dragoon Regiment and in the same year were promoted to lieutenants. As part of the dragoon regiment of Avtomon Ivanov, they went to Ukraine, where they took part in hostilities. In the battle of Poltava, Vasily Tatishchev was wounded, and in 1711 he participated in the Prut campaign.

In 1712-1716. Tatishchev improved his education in Germany. He visited Berlin, Dresden, Breslavl, where he studied mainly engineering and artillery, kept in touch with Feldzeugmeister General J. V. Bruce and carried out his instructions.

Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev

In 1716, Tatishchev was promoted to artillery lieutenant engineer, then was in the army near Koenigsberg and Danzig, where he was engaged in the organization of artillery facilities.

At the beginning of 1720, Tatishchev was assigned to the Urals. His task was to identify sites for the construction of iron ore plants. Having explored these places, he settled in the Uktus plant, where he founded the Mining Office, which was later renamed the Siberian Higher Mining Administration. On the Iset River, he laid the foundation for the current Yekaterinburg, indicated a place for the construction of a copper smelter near the village of Egoshikha - this was the beginning of the city of Perm.

Monument to V. Tatishchev in Perm. Sculptor A. A. Uralsky

At the factories, through his efforts, two primary schools and two schools for teaching mining. He also dealt with the problem of saving forests here and the creation of a shorter road from the Uktussky plant to the Utkinskaya pier on Chusovaya.

V. Tatishchev at the Ural plant

Here, Tatishchev had a conflict with the Russian businessman A. Demidov, an expert in the mining industry, an enterprising figure who knew how to deftly maneuver among the nobles of the court and seek exclusive privileges for himself, including the rank of real state councilor. In the construction and establishment of state-owned factories, he saw the undermining of his activities. To investigate the dispute that arose between Tatishchev and Demidov, G. V. de Gennin (a Russian military man and engineer of German or Dutch origin) was sent to the Urals. He found that Tatishchev acted fairly in everything. According to a report sent to Peter I, Tatishchev was acquitted and promoted to adviser to the Berg Collegium.

Soon he was sent to Sweden on mining issues and to fulfill diplomatic missions, where he stayed from 1724 to 1726. Tatishchev inspected factories and mines, collected drawings and plans, brought a cutting master to Yekaterinburg, collected information about the trade of the Stockholm port and about the Swedish monetary system, met many local scientists, etc.

In 1727, he was appointed a member of the mint office, which then subordinated the mints.

Monument to Tatishchev and Wilhelm de Gennin in Yekaterinburg. Sculptor P. Chusovitin

In 1730, with the accession to the throne of Anna Ioannovna, the era of Bironovism begins. You can read more about this on our website:. Tatishchev did not have a relationship with Biron, and in 1731 he was put on trial on charges of bribery. In 1734, after his release, Tatishchev was assigned to the Urals "to breed factories." He was entrusted with the drafting of the mining charter.

Under him, the number of factories increased to 40; new mines were constantly being discovered. An important place was occupied by Mount Blagodat indicated by Tatishchev with a large deposit of magnetic iron ore.

Tatishchev was an opponent of private factories, he believed that state-owned enterprises were more profitable for the state. By this he called "fire on himself" from the industrialists.

Biron did his best to free Tatishchev from mining. In 1737, he appointed him to the Orenburg expedition to pacify Bashkiria and control the Bashkirs. But even here Tatishchev showed his originality: he ensured that the yasak (tribute) was delivered by the Bashkir foremen, and not by the yasaks or kissers. And again, complaints rained down on him. In 1739, Tatishchev came to St. Petersburg for a commission to consider complaints against him. He was accused of "attacks and bribes", non-performance and other sins. Tatishchev was arrested and imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress, sentenced to deprivation of rank. But the sentence was not carried out. In this difficult year for him, he wrote his instruction to his son: "Spiritual."

V.N. Tatishchev was released after the fall of Biron's power, and already in 1741 he was appointed governor of Astrakhan. His main task was to stop the unrest among the Kalmyks. Until 1745, Tatishchev was engaged in this thankless task. Ungrateful, because neither the military forces nor the interaction of the Kalmyk authorities were enough to carry it out.

In 1745, Tatishchev was relieved of this post and settled permanently in his Boldino estate near Moscow. It was here that he devoted the last five years of his life to working on his main work, The History of Russia. V.N. died. Tatishchev in 1750

Interesting fact. Tatishchev knew about the date of his death: he ordered in advance to dig a grave for himself, asked the priest to take communion the next day, after that he said goodbye to everyone and died. The day before his death, the courier brought him a decree, which spoke of his forgiveness, and the Order of Alexander Nevsky. But Tatishchev did not accept the order, explaining that he was dying.

Buried V.N. Tatishchev on the Christmas churchyard (in the modern Solnechnogorsk district of the Moscow region).

Grave of V.N. Tatishchev - a historical monument

V.N. Tatishchev is the great-great-grandfather of the poet F.I. Tyutchev.

Philosophical views of V.N. Tatishcheva

Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev, who is rightfully considered an outstanding historian, "the father of Russian historiography", was one of the "chicks of Petrov's nest". “All that I have - ranks, honor, property, and most importantly over everything - reason, I only have everything by the grace of His Majesty, for if he had not sent me to foreign lands, did not use me for noble deeds, but did not encourage me with mercy, then I would I couldn’t get anything of that, ”this is how he himself assessed the influence of Emperor Peter I on his life.

Monument to V. Tatishchev in Togliatti

According to V.N. Tatishchev was a loyal supporter of autocracy - he remained such even after the death of Peter I. When in 1730 the niece of Peter I, the Duchess of Courland Anna Ioannovna, was enthroned on the throne with the condition that the country would be governed by the Supreme Privy Council, Tatishchev was categorically against limiting imperial power. Anna Ioannovna surrounded herself with German nobles, who began to manage all the affairs in the state, and Tatishchev opposed the dominance of the Germans.

In 1741, as a result of a palace coup, the daughter of Peter I, Elizabeth, came to power. But Tatishchev's social views, his independent character, freedom of judgment were not to the liking of this empress either.
The last five years of the life of a seriously ill Tatishchev devoted to work on the history of the fatherland.

Historian at work

He understood life as a continuous activity in the name of public and state good. In any place, the most difficult work he performed in the best possible way. Tatishchev highly valued intelligence and knowledge. Leading an essentially wandering life, he collected a huge library of ancient chronicles and books in different languages. The range of his scientific interests was very wide, but history was his main attachment.

V.N. Tatishchev "Russian History"

This is the first scientific generalizing work in Russia on national history. By the type of arrangement of the material, his "History" resembles the ancient Russian chronicles: the events in it are set out in a strict chronological sequence. But Tatishchev did not just rewrite the chronicles - he conveyed their content to a language that was more accessible to his contemporaries, supplemented them with other materials, and in special comments gave his own assessment of events. This was not only the scientific value of his work, but also novelty.
Tatishchev believed that knowledge of history helps a person not to repeat the mistakes of his ancestors and improve morally. He was convinced that historical science should be based on facts gleaned from sources. A historian, like an architect for the construction of a building, must select from a pile of materials everything suitable for history, be able to distinguish reliable documents from those that do not deserve trust. He collected and used a huge number of sources. It was he who found and published many valuable documents: a code of laws Kievan Rus"Russkaya Pravda" and "Sudebnik" of Ivan IV. And his work became the only source from which you can find out the contents of many historical monuments, subsequently destroyed or lost.

Sculpture of Tatishchev in VUiT (Tolyatti)

Tatishchev in his "History" paid much attention to the origin, interconnection and geographical distribution of the peoples who inhabited our country. This was the beginning of the development in Russia ethnography and historical geography.
For the first time in Russian historiography, he divided the history of Russia into several main periods: from the 9th to the 12th centuries. - autocracy (one prince ruled, power was inherited by his sons); from the 12th century —the rivalry of princes for power, the weakening of the state as a result of princely civil strife, and this allowed the Mongol-Tatars to conquer Russia. Then the restoration of autocracy by Ivan III and its strengthening by Ivan IV. A new weakening of the state in the Time of Troubles, but he was able to defend his independence. Under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, autocracy was again restored and flourished under Peter the Great. Tatishchev was convinced that an autocratic monarchy was the only form of government necessary for Russia. But "History of Russia" (I volume) was published only 20 years after the death of the historian. Volume II came out only 100 years later.
The well-known Russian historian S. M. Solovyov wrote: “... His importance lies precisely in the fact that he was the first to begin processing Russian history, as it should have begun; the first gave the idea of how to get down to business; he was the first to show what Russian history is, what means exist for studying it.
Scientific activity Tatishchev is an example of selfless service to science and education: he considered his scientific work as fulfilling his duty to the fatherland, whose honor and glory were above all for him.

Our story about V.N. Tatishchev, we want to finish with an excerpt from an article in the Togliatti city newspaper "Free City", which cites the well-known and little-known results of V.N. Tatishchev.

It's common knowledge
Under his leadership, the state (state) mining industry of the Urals was founded: more than a hundred ore mines and metallurgical plants were built.
He modernized assaying in Russia, created and mechanized the Moscow Mint and began the industrial minting of copper and silver coins.
He founded (personally compiled and corrected the drawings) the cities of Orsk, Orenburg, Yekaterinburg and our Stavropol (now Togliatti). Reconstructed Samara, Perm and Astrakhan.
He organized vocational schools at state-owned factories, the first national schools for Kalmyks and Tatars. Compiled the first Russian-Kalmyk-Tatar dictionary.
He collected, systematized and translated from Church Slavonic into Russian the first annals and state documents of the Moscow kingdom of the Middle Ages. Based on them, he wrote the first "History of Russia".
Prepared scientific works and memos on philosophy, economics, state building, pedagogy, history, geography, philology, ethnology, paleontology, archeology, numismatics.

little known
He is the author of the foundations of the first Constitution of (monarchist) Russia. By the way, it operated in the country for 50 days!
He found and organized the first archaeological excavations
the capital of the Golden Horde - Saray.
Personally drew the first detailed (large-scale)
a map of the Samara Luka and most of the Yaik (Ural) River.
He compiled a geographical atlas and a "General geographical description of Siberia", introduced the name of the Ural Mountains, previously called the Stone Belt.
Prepared the Åland Congress (the first truce negotiations with Sweden).
He made projects of navigable canals: between the Volga and the Don, between the Siberian and European rivers of Russia.
He was fluent in ten (!) languages: he was fluent in French, German, English, Swedish and Polish, he knew several Turkic languages, Church Slavonic and Greek. Participated in the improvement of the Russian alphabet.

Being engaged in pharmacology, he experimented a lot and created new drugs based on extracts from coniferous trees.

Autograph V.N. Tatishcheva

Vasily Tatishchev deservedly took an honorable place among the great minds of Russia. To call him ordinary simply does not turn the tongue. He founded the cities of Tolyatti, Yekaterinburg and Perm, led the development of the Urals. For 64 years of his life he wrote several works, the main of which is "Russian History". The importance of his books is evidenced by the fact that they are published today. He was a man of his time, who left behind a rich legacy.

Young years

Tatishchev was born on April 29, 1686 in a family estate in the Pskov district. His family was descended from the Rurikovichs. But this relationship was distant, they were not supposed to have a princely title. His father was not a rich man, and the estate went to him after the death of a distant relative. The Tatishchev family constantly served the state, and Vasily was no exception. With his brother Ivan, at the age of seven, he was sent to serve at the court of Tsar Ivan Alekseevich as a steward (a servant whose main duty was to serve at the table during a meal). About the early years of Tatishchev, G. Z. Yulyumin wrote the book “Youth of Tatishchev”

Historians do not have an unambiguous opinion about what exactly he did after the death of the king in 1696. It is known for certain that in 1706 both brothers entered the military service and took part in hostilities in Ukraine in the rank of lieutenants of the dragoon regiment. Later, Tatishchev took part in the battle of Poltava and the Prut campaign.

Carrying out the orders of the king

Peter the Great noticed a smart and energetic young man. He instructed Tatishchev to go abroad to study engineering and artillery sciences. In addition to the main mission of travel, Tatishchev carried out secret orders from Peter the Great and Jacob Bruce. These people had a great influence on the life of Vasily and were similar to him in their education and broad outlook. Tatishchev visited Berlin, Dresden and Bereslavl. He brought to Russia many books on engineering and artillery, which at that time were very difficult to obtain. In 1714, he married Avdotya Vasilievna, whose marriage ended in 1728, but brought two children - the son of Efgraf and the daughter of Evpropaksia. On the line of his daughter, he became the great-great-grandfather of the poet Fyodor Tyutchev.

His trips abroad ceased in 1716. At the behest of Bruce, he transferred to the artillery troops. A few weeks later, he had already passed the exam and became a lieutenant engineer. The year 1717 passed for him in the army fighting near Königsberg and Danzig. His main responsibility was the repair and maintenance of artillery facilities. After unsuccessful negotiations with the Swedes in 1718, among the organizers of which was Tatishchev, he returned to Russia.

Jacob Bruce in 1719 proved to Peter the Great that it was necessary to draw up a detailed geographical description of the Russian territory. This duty was assigned to Tatishchev. It was during this period that he actively became interested in the history of Russia. It was not possible to complete the mapping, already in 1720 he received a new appointment.

Management of the development of the Urals

The Russian state needed a large amount of metal. Tatishchev, with his experience, knowledge and diligence, suited the role of manager of all the Ural factories like no other. On the spot, he developed a vigorous activity in the exploration of minerals, the construction of new factories or the transfer of old ones to a more suitable place. He also founded the first schools in the Urals and wrote job description about the cutting down of forests. At that time, they did not think about the safety of trees, and this once again speaks of his foresight. It was at this time that he founded the city of Yekaterinburg and a plant near the village of Egoshikha, which served as the beginning for the city of Perm.

Changes in the region were not to everyone's liking. The most ardent hater was Akinfiy Demidov, the owner of many private factories. He did not want to follow the rules set for everyone and saw state-owned factories as a threat to his business. He did not even pay a tax to the state in the form of tithes. At the same time, he was on good terms with Peter the Great, so he counted on concessions. His subordinates interfered in every possible way with the work of civil servants. Disputes with Demidov took a lot of time and nerves. In the end, due to the slander of the Demidovs, Wilhelm de Gennin arrived from Moscow, who figured out the situation and honestly reported everything to Peter the Great. The confrontation ended with the recovery of 6,000 rubles from Demidov for false slander.

Death of Peter

In 1723 Tatishchev was sent to Sweden to collect information about mining. In addition, he was entrusted with hiring craftsmen for Russia and finding places to train students. And the matter did not go without secret instructions, he was ordered to collect all the information that could relate to Russia. The death of Peter the Great found him abroad and seriously unsettled him. He lost a patron, which affected his future career. His travel funding was severely cut, despite reports that indicated what he could purchase for the state. Upon returning home, he pointed out the need for changes in the monetary business, which determined his immediate future.

In 1727, he received membership in the mint, which ran all the mints. Three years later, after the death of Peter II, he became its chairman. But soon he was charged with bribery and suspended from work. This is associated with the intrigues of Biron, who at that time was the favorite of Empress Anna Ioannovna. During this period, Tatishchev did not give up, continuing to work on the "History of Russia" and other works, he studied science.

Recent Appointments

The investigation ended unexpectedly in 1734, when he was appointed to his usual role of head of all state mining plants in the Urals. During the three years that he spent in this post, new factories, several cities and roads appeared. But Biron, who conceived a scam with the privatization of state-owned factories, contributed to the fact that in 1737 Tatishchev was appointed head of the Orenburg expedition.

Its goal was to establish ties with the peoples of Central Asia in order to join them to Russia. But even in such a difficult matter, Vasily Nikitich showed himself only from the best side. He brought order among his subordinates, punishing people who abused their powers. In addition, he founded several schools, a hospital and a large library. But after he fired Baron Shemberg and confronted Biron about Mount Grace, a bunch of accusations rained down on him. This led to the removal of Vasily Nikitich from all cases and taking him under house arrest. According to some sources, he was imprisoned in the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The arrest continued until 1740, when, after the death of Empress Anna Ivanovna, Biron lost his position. Tatishchev first headed the Kalmyk Commission, designed to reconcile the Kazakh peoples. And then he became the governor of Astrakhan. For all the complexity of the tasks, he was extremely little supported by finances and troops. This led to a serious deterioration in health. Despite all efforts, the appointment ended as usual. That is, the court because of the large number of accusations and excommunication in 1745.

He spent his last days on his estate, devoting himself entirely to science. There is a story that Tatishchev knew in advance that he was dying. Two days before his death, he ordered the artisans to dig a grave and asked the priest to come for communion. Then a messenger galloped up to him with an excuse for all cases and the Order of Alexander Nevsky, which he returned, saying that he no longer needed it. And only after the rite of communion, saying goodbye to his family, he died. Despite its beauty, this story, attributed to the grandson of Vasily Nikitich, is most likely a fiction.

It is impossible to retell the biography of Vasily Tatishchev in one article. Many books have been written about his life, and his person is ambiguous and controversial. It is impossible to put a label on him, calling him simply an official or an engineer. If you collect everything he did, the list will be very large. It was he who became the first real Russian historian and did this not according to the appointment of his superiors, but at the behest of his soul.

Ilya Kolesnikov

The problems of Russian history and Russian historiography, of course, could not pass by the attention of a man who, in the words of A.S. Pushkin, was himself world history. Peter I certainly wanted to have a full-fledged "History of Russia", corresponding to the modern level of scientific knowledge. For its compilation, several Russian scribes were planted in turn. However, things somehow did not work out - the task turned out to be beyond the capacity of the domestic Herodotus and Thucydides, whose mental abilities were described by their short-lived descendant in one expressive line: "The mind is immature, the fruit of a short-lived science." In the end, the tsar had to turn for Russian history to the same place where he used to turn for everything else - to Europe. A year before his death, on February 28, 1724, Peter I signed a decree stating: "To establish an academy in which they would study languages, as well as other sciences and noble arts and translate books."

In 1704, at the age of eighteen, Tatishchev joined the army as an artilleryman. In Peter's time, a person rarely ended his service where he began it. During the forty years of his official activity, Tatishchev was a mining engineer, the manager of the coin business in Moscow and the Astrakhan governor. Having retired from business in 1745, he lived until his death (1750) in his estate near Moscow - the village of Boldino. All this time he was under trial on charges of extortion. The acquittal was handed down a few days before his death.

Tatishchev perfectly understood the importance of foreign sources for the ancient history of Russia and skillfully used them. But over time, it was not they who gave special value to his work, but a unique ancient Russian monument, about which we have an idea only thanks to Tatishchev’s extensive extracts from it. This is the Joachim Chronicle, attributed to the Novgorod hierarch Bishop Joachim Korsunian, a contemporary of Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich. It was known to Tatishchev from a late list of the middle of the 17th century, but it preserved an ancient Slavic tradition that was not included in other chronicles. Acquaintance with her led Tatishchev to the conclusion that "Nestor the chronicler of the first princes of Russia was not very well informed."

In presenting his understanding of the Varangian issue, Tatishchev relied on previous experiences in Russian history - Synopsis (published in 1674) Bayer's treatise on the Varangians. Following the spirit of the first, he gave the calling of princes a natural character - the Slavs called not a stranger, but the grandson of their prince. From Bayer, Tatishchev borrowed a critical method of dealing with sources and the very formulation of the problem: the ethnicity of the Varangians-Rus and their habitat. But having entered the area of ancient Russian history under the leadership of Synopsis and Bayer, Tatishchev then acted independently. He did not go to look for the homeland of the first Russian princes, either in Prussia or in Scandinavia. The Varangian (Russian) husband of Umila was, in his opinion, a Finnish prince. To prove his words, Tatishchev cited a lot of historical and philological evidence of the long-standing existence of the root "rus" in the toponymy of Finland and the southeastern Baltic. And yet, the shadow of Bayer hovers over his historical research: the history of the Varangians-Rus in the pre-Rurik period turned out to be in no way connected with the history of the Slavs by Tatishchev. No wonder Klyuchevsky called him a Russian historiographer, clinging to the eternally rushing forward European thought.

Tatishchev's work fell under an even more severe trial than the one that persecuted him himself - the trial of history. In 1739, Tatishchev brought the manuscript of his work to St. Petersburg and gave it to his acquaintances and influential people in the then scientific world for reading, in the hope of positive feedback. However, in his own words, some reviewers reproached him for the lack of a philosophical outlook and eloquence, while others were outraged for the encroachment on the authenticity of the Nestor Chronicle. During the life of Tatishchev, "History" was never published.

P.S.
Thanks to the daughter of V.N. Tatishchev became the great-great-grandfather of the poet F.I. Tyutcheva (on the maternal side).

Tatishchev Vasily Nikitich ( 1686-1750) came from a noble but impoverished noble family, studied at the Petrovsky Artillery and Engineering School. In 1713-1714. continued his studies in Berlin, Breslau and Dresden. Participated in the military campaigns of Peter, in particular in the Battle of Poltava. He served in the Berg and Manufacture colleges. In the 20-30s, with short breaks, he managed state-owned factories in the Urals (founded Yekaterinburg). In 1721, on his initiative, mining schools in the Urals were opened. In 1724-1726 he was in Sweden, where he supervised the training of Russian young people in mining, studied economics and finance. Upon his return, he was appointed a member, then head of the Mint (1727-1733). In 1741-45 he was the governor of Astrakhan. After his resignation, he moved to his estate near Moscow and did not leave it until his death.

V. N. Tatishchev is the author of works on geography, ethnography, history, including the first generalizing work on national history, “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times.” Other works: “The Russian Lexicon” (before the word “keykeeper”), “Brief economic notes following the village”, Sudebnik was published in 1550 with its notes.

One of the important educational achievements of Tatishchev was a new understanding of man. He declared the "inviolability of man", trying to justify this position with the help of the theory of "natural law", of which he was an adherent. According to Tatishchev, freedom is the greatest blessing for a person. Due to various circumstances, a person cannot use it reasonably, therefore, a “bridle of bondage” must be imposed on him. "Captivity", as the scientist believed, is inherent in a person either by "nature", or "by his own will", or "by force". The servitude of a person is an evil that Tatishchev compared with sin, and in itself it acted "against the Christian law" (Tatishchev 1979:387). In fact, Tatishchev was the only one of the Russian thinkers of the first half of the 18th century who raised the question of a person's personal freedom. For him, this issue was resolved, first of all, in connection with the then existing serfdom. Tatishchev did not speak openly against its abolition, but this idea is clearly seen in his works. Such an idea can be arrived at through a consistent analysis of not only the researcher’s statements that “the will by nature is so necessary and useful to a person”, but also the scientist’s independent conclusions that arose in the course of characterizing the socio-economic development of Russia. Tatishchev made comparisons with other states, for example, with Ancient Egypt, thus showing what benefits a country can get when the peasants are freed from any dependence (Tatishchev 1979:121). The question of personal freedom was also solved by scientists from the point of view of the theory of "natural law".

The concept of serfdom, proposed by Tatishchev, is as follows: serfdom- the unshakable foundation of the system that existed at that time, but as a phenomenon it has a historical character. Its establishment is the result of an agreement, but, according to Tatishchev, the agreement should not apply to the children of those who agreed, therefore, serfdom is not eternal. Therefore, the existence of serfdom in Russia is illegal. Despite such conclusions, Tatishchev did not consider it possible to abolish serfdom in contemporary Russia. In the distant future, this should happen, but only after discussion, during which the most reasonable solution will be worked out on the issue of the abolition of serfdom.

Dwelling on the peasant question, Tatishchev paid special attention to the problem of the fugitives in the Ural region. Having discovered that the flight of peasants, mainly Old Believers, was widespread, he proposed using their labor at the mining enterprises of the Urals. Repeatedly pointing out the shortage of workers, Tatishchev sought out opportunities to attract various categories of the population to work at enterprises, including those who came freely, thereby proving the need to free the peasants from serfdom and the benefits of free labor. The scientist spoke in favor of organizing almshouses for people who had worked at the plant for a long time, which once again emphasizes his concern for a person as a worker.

Participating in the political events of 1730, Tatishchev, although in a veiled form, nevertheless advocated limiting the monarchy. Presenting in 1743 a note "Arbitrary and consonant reasoning." to the Senate, he, without knowing it, according to G.V. Plekhanov, "is writing a constitutional draft" (Plekhanov 1925:77). The main thing that Tatishchev advocated was a strong executive power, which should consist not only in the monarch, but also in the bodies that help him in governing the state. Proposing to elect "another government", the scientist determined such principles of their organization that could be acceptable in modern Russia: the absence of parochialism in obtaining positions, the reduction of funds for the maintenance of the apparatus, legitimate elections, and more.

In his works, Tatishchev also carried out a class division Russian society. The main attention was paid to them by the nobility, as the most progressive stratum in the country. The researcher singled out the trade stratum - merchants and artisans. He not only defined their duties, but also repeatedly emphasized that the state should take care of them, since thanks to their activities there was a constant replenishment of the treasury, and, consequently, an increase in the country's income.

Speaking about lawmaking, the scientist expressed a number of wishes that related to the creation of a code of laws. These wishes are aimed primarily at ensuring that in Russia all aspects of the life of society are regulated by legislative acts, which means that relations between all members of society and the state should be based on an agreement, which should not be oral, but a written agreement.

The integrity of Tatishchev's worldview is determined by such components as rationalism, freethinking, a departure from providentialism, independence and independence of judgment, religious tolerance, work for the benefit of the state, concern for man, the development of secular sciences and education. Despite this, there are also contradictions in the views of the scientist. This was also manifested in his attitude towards the Academy of Sciences, statements regarding serfdom and the preservation of privileges for the nobility, while determining the position of other estates in Russia.

Tatishchev was a man who anticipated his time. He did not see in Russia the social force that could be relied upon in carrying out reforms aimed at the capitalization of Russian society. Trying on the experience of Western European countries to Russia, the researcher understood the futility of his ideas, which could not be fully implemented. The state itself interfered with the implementation of Tatishchev's plans. Despite the fact that in Russia, thanks to the efforts and reforms of Peter I, there were serious changes in the social, economic, political and spiritual fields, a large number of them did not meet with support among the population. The scientist saw that in Russia there was no force that could be relied upon to carry out transformations in the state. Therefore, he counted on the support of the nobility, a conservative, but at the same time the most educated class of Russian society, capable of influencing the further accelerated development of Russia. Catherine II faced similar difficulties during her reign. This state of affairs, from our point of view, only shows the complexity in the development of Russia in the first half of the 18th century, and by no means the absence in the state of thinkers who were the spokesmen for enlightenment ideas. Such a thinker, in whose worldview the characteristic features of enlightenment were quite clearly traced, was Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev.