Russia in the Arctic: the History of Exploration and Development (on the 200th Anniversary of the Birth of Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov)
From the Editor
As does any historical event become associated with a certain social group or a particular individual, so is the 19th century history of the Northern Sea Route, Russia’s Arctic maritime highway, associated with Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov. He was a merchant, goldminer and industrialist, philanthropist, and sponsor of numerous projects in the High North of the Russian Empire, especially in the Siberian Arctic. As was typical of the age, he himself participated in a number of voyages around the Arctic and Siberia, at one point noting the immense untapped natural wealth of these lands. Moreover, M.K. Sidorov was a stunt publisher – not less, a public relations expert, who enthusiastically promoted the idea of developing the North for the benefit of Russia and her people. This earned him the sobriquet “custos” or “patriot” of the North. This year we mark the 200th anniversary of his birth. Up to this day, there is not a single serious study on the history of the Northern Sea Route and the Russian Arctic in the latter half of the 19th century that does not address M.K. Sidorov’s activities and projects. This applies to both Russian and foreign works, despite the latter oftentimes being deprived of an extensive usage of Russian literature and primary sources due to the existing language barrier. This level of attention and established consensus amongst academics on the important role that M.K. Sidorov played is not surprising. There are few individuals in the entirety of Arctic history that can boast the same level of fostered enthusiasm for exploration and development in this region as could M.K. Sidorov. His interests covered an immense spectrum – from transportation projects and resource extraction to establishing a Russian military presence in the Barents and Kara seas. He also focused on a series of philanthropic projects such as establishing navigation and seamanship schools for the children of Siberian indigenous peoples and the Russian peasantry.
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov: Materials for Biography
T.A. Sanakina
Materials for the Lineage of M.K. Sidorov and His Family: On the Documents from The State Archive of the Arkhangelsk Region
The article, based on archival sources, such as philistine, metric and confessional books, makes an attempt to trace the biography of an explorer of the North and Siberia, an entrepreneur, and an Arkhangelsk native, Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov. It reveals details of his life and studies at the gymnasium, as well as information about the relatives such as his parents and grandparents, who played a significant role in the development of Mikhail’s character. In addition, the archive preserves autograph documents, including correspondence with Arkhangelsk governors N.P. Ignatiev, N.M. Baranov and others on the matter of development of river and sea routes of communication and industries in the North.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Sanakina T.A. Materials for the Lineage of M.K. Sidorov and His Family: On the Documents from The State Archive of the Arkhangelsk Region // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 13–25. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-01.pdf]
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov: Materials for Biography
A.G. Edovin
Vologda Roots of the Origin of M.K. Sidorov
The article tells about two important matters of the biography of the famous Russian entrepreneur M.K. Sidorov: his origin on the maternal side and the geography of his places of residence during his childhood and adolescence in Arkhangelsk. The genealogical aspect helped to clarify his relationship with the most famous public figures of the 19th century in the North of Russia, and the historical and geographical aspect identified memorial architectural objects which have survived to this day.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Edovin A.G. Vologda Roots of the Origin of M.K. Sidorov // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 26–30. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-02.pdf]
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov: Materials for Biography
T.S. Minaeva
“Governor-General of Novaya Zemlya” (M.K. Sidorov as the Inspirer of the Development of the Marine Mammal Hunting in the North of Russia)
M.K. Sidorov, a merchant and industrialist of the second half of the 19th century, was originally from the Arkhangelsk province. He knew the peculiarities of the economy of the North of Russia and the traditional occupations of its population, therefore, when the marine mammal hunting started to decline, he began to fight for its revival. The article examines the activities of M.K. Sidorov on attracting the attention of the state and society to the marine riches of the Arctic and the profitability of their extraction. The author analyzes the proposals and views of M.K. Sidorov, the types of his activities and draws conclusions about the causes of the entrepreneur's failures and the consequences of his efforts.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Minaeva T.S. “Governor-General of Novaya Zemlya” (M.K. Sidorov as the Inspirer of the Development of the Marine Mammal Hunting in the North of Russia) // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 31–41. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-03.pdf]
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov: Materials for Biography
E.G. Menshakova
M.K. Sidorov and Pustozerye
The article summarizes information about the activities of M.K. Sidorov on the lower Pechora, within the Pustozersk volost of Mezen uyezd in the 1860s–1870s. Based on newly identified documents and data already published, the work of the Pechora Company on the creation of infrastructure for the export of wood, the study of the river channel, and the creation of port points are explored; and its relationship with Russian old-timers and nomadic population is researched.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Menshakova E.G. M.K. Sidorov and Pustozerye // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 42–49. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-04.pdf]
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov: Materials for Biography
A.E. Goncharov
Who Shipwrecked the SS Tsaritsa? M.K. Sidorov and the 1878 Polar Expedition to the Yenisey
Among the most widely circulated geographic topics discussed in the 1870s was that of the Northern Sea Route. Since the emergence of this idea, the media component has become a fundamental factor in its development, which remains relevant to this day. As if doubting their ability to conquer the Arctic nature, the participants in this process regularly attracted the media to their side. This article will analyze the media component of the history of the development of the Northern Sea Route during the period on the basis of the 1878 commercial expedition to the Enisei and the role of M.K. Sidorov.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Goncharov A.E. Who Shipwrecked the SS Tsaritsa? M.K. Sidorov and the 1878 Polar Expedition to the Yenisey // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 50–71. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-05.pdf]
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov: Materials for Biography
R.A. Davydov
M.K. Sidorov’s Accusation of the Arkhangelsk Military Governor R.P. Boyle of Treason: Was It Fair?
The article is devoted to activities of the Arkhangelsk military governor R.P. Boyle in 1854, during the Crimean War, in the defense of the Arkhangelsk province. There are two points of view on these activities in historiography. According to the first one, R.P. Boyle did everything that depended on him. According to the second one, which spread thanks to the merchant M.K. Sidorov from the 1870s and shared by Soviet historians, R.P. Boil, by virtue of his origin, was a traitor. The article was prepared on the sources of the State Archive of the Arkhangelsk region. It was concluded that the charges against R.P. Boyla are not supported by documents.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Davydov R.A. M.K. Sidorov’s Accusation of the Arkhangelsk Military Governor R.P. Boyle of Treason: Was It Fair? // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 72–94. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-06.pdf]
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov: Materials for Biography
E.V. Komleva
“I Was and Remain on Trial”: M.K. Sidorov and the Regional Administration (1840s–1870s)
The article, based on the biography of the outstanding Russian merchant M.K. Sidorov (1823–1887), characterizes the interaction of representatives of private capital with regional authorities in remote, inaccessible and sparsely populated territories of the Russian Empire: in Arkhangelsk province, Western and Eastern Siberia. About a dozen cases of conflicts between M.K. Sidorov and high-ranking officials have been revealed. His opinion on the goals of the administrative apparatus and the productive, from his point of view, attitude of the authorities to private (primarily merchant) initiative has been considered.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Komleva E.V. “I Was and Remain on Trial”: M.K. Sidorov and the Regional Administration (1840s–1870s) // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 95–106. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-07.pdf]
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov: Materials for Biography
O.V. Churakova
Problems of Development of the North of Russia in the Creative Heritage of Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov (03.16.1823–07.12.1887) – entrepreneur, champion of the development of communications, author of works on the problems of development of the Russian North (1860–1870s). His creative heritage has a very wide range: projects, articles, reports, correspondence. He dedicated his work to the development and colonization of the north, improving the lives of “tundra wanderers”. His works are relevant for solving problems of regional development of the Russian Far North.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Churakova O.V. Problems of Development of the North of Russia in the Creative Heritage of Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 107–121. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-08.pdf]
Northern Sea Route
J.P. Nielsen, V.V. Tevlina
Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov and the Role of Norwegians in the Opening up of the Northern Sea Route to Siberia
The article examines the activities of the Russian public figure, gold miner and entrepreneur M.K. Sidorov and his relationship with Norwegian shipowners and marine mammal hunters, who in the 1860s–1870s were engaged in fishing near Novaya Zemlya and in the Kara Sea. It was during this period that M.K. Sidorov organized a large-scale project to open the Northern Sea Route to Siberia (Kara Sea Route), during which he encouraged Norwegians to participate in his plans for the development of this passage. At the same time, however, he worried and warned the Russian government about Norwegian economic expansion in Russian waters.
This article has been prepared with significant additions based on the materials in the collective monograph: Nielsen, J.P., Okhuizen, E. (Eds.); Tevlina, V.V., Nielsen, J.P., Krasnikova, O.A., Okhuizen E. (Illustration eds.). (2022). From Northeast Passage to Northern Sea Route. A History of the Waterway north of Eurasia. Leiden, Brill Academic Publishers. 544 p.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Nielsen J.P., Tevlina V.V. Mikhail Konstantinovich Sidorov and the Role of Norwegians in the Opening up of the Northern Sea Route to Siberia // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 122–138. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-09.pdf]
Northern Sea Route
I.V. Potkina
The Origin of the Northern Sea Route: A Prologue to the Forthcoming Geopolitical Confrontation in the Arctic
The author analyzes consular reports, diplomatic and interdepartmental correspondence, which reflect the history of the development of the sea route from Northern Europe through the Kara Sea at the mouth of the Ob’ and Yenisei rivers. The article shows how commercial navigation developed in the Arctic zone of Russia at the end of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th century, as well as which countries and entrepreneurs showed increased interest in establishing regular communications along the new route, and what goals they pursued. It is proved that a conflict situation arose between the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Empire and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Great Britain in St. Petersburg, who lobbied for the interests of British entrepreneurs.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Potkina I.V. The Origin of the Northern Sea Route: A Prologue to the Forthcoming Geopolitical Confrontation in the Arctic // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 139–153. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-10.pdf]
Northern Sea Route
I.A. Rud
The Role of N.I. Yevgenov in Development Scientific and Operational Support for the Kara Expeditions 1925–1928
The Kara expeditions of 1924–1928 were the first expeditions in the Arctic to receive, what the Soviets called “scientific and operational support”. In 1924, the flagship of the expedition was first used for ice exploration: a hydrological detachment was initiated, which provided the expedition with operational hydrometeorological data. Beginning from 1925, the head of ice navigation N.I. Yevgenov, who would later (1926–1931) become the head of the Kara Sea Expeditions, was an active participant of the Kara Sea Expeditions. Under his supervision a hydrographic party and a weather forecasting bureau were established on board the leading ship. N.I. Yevgenov actively employed the method of ice exploration. The article examines the role of the hydrographer N.I. Yevgenov in the development of scientific and operational services for the Kara Sea Expeditions of 1925–1928.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Rud I.A. The Role of N.I. Yevgenov in Development Scientific and Operational Support for the Kara Expeditions 1925–1928 // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 154–169. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-11.pdf]
Entrepreneurs of the Northern Outskirts
A.D. Vasil’ev
Yakuts or Merchants? Search for Оptimal Сontractors in Supplying the Northeastern Outskirts of Russia (Late 18th – Early 19th Centuries)
The article examines the process of finding optimal contractors between merchants and Yakut founders to supply the northeastern outskirts of Russia, primarily the port of Okhotsk, in the late 18th – early 19th centuries, which provided the only opportunity to enter the Pacific Ocean. The role of merchants in the formation of the institution of contracting operations is shown, the main reasons for cooperation between the Russian government and the Yakuts are studied, the relationship of the transitional period in the history of the local administration of Yakutia with the organization of cargo transportation is highlighted.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Vasil’ev A.D. Yakuts or Merchants? Search for Оptimal Сontractors in Supplying the Northeastern Outskirts of Russia (Late 18th – Early 19th Centuries) // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 170–179. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-12.pdf]
Entrepreneurs of the Northern Outskirts
M.D. Kushnareva
The Problem of the Development of the Fur Trade in the North of the Yakutsk Region in the Essay by V.M. Zenzinov
The article analyzes the point of view of the researcher V.M. Zenzinov on the problem of organizing the fur trade in the Northern districts of the Yakutsk Region at the beginning of the 20th century. A reconstruction of the process of development of the fur trade by large firms is presented, and information on the prices of furs and consumer goods is given. The key problems that existed in trade at the remote borders of the Russian Empire are identified; the primary of them are the predatory nature of trade, and the lack of inclusion of the region in the broad Imperial socio-economic processes.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Kushnareva M.D. The Problem of the Development of the Fur Trade in the North of the Yakutsk Region in the Essay by V.M. Zenzinov // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 180–189. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-13.pdf]
Entrepreneurs of the Northern Outskirts
T.A. Gafarova
The Heisins, Tonkonogovs and Flyers: Yeniseysk Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists (1830–1910s)
The article highlights the entrepreneurial and charitable activities of the Jewish families of the Tonkonogovs, Heisins and Fleers, who lived in the city of Yeniseisk from the 30s of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. It shows how they were able to integrate into the life of the host community, preserving their identity, traditions and language. The reasons for their move to Siberia are revealed, their entrepreneurial and charitable activities are characterized. It is noted that the latter applied to everyone, regardless of faith and nationality.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Gafarova T.A. The Heisins, Tonkonogovs and Flyers: Yeniseysk Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists (1830–1910s) // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 190–205. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-14.pdf]
Entrepreneurs of the Northern Outskirts
O.A. Chelpanova
The Economic and Gold Mining Activities of the Yeniseysk Merchant Ivan Dmitrievich Cheremnykh in Terms of Yenisey Taiga Region Development
The article examines the entrepreneurship of a merchant Ivan Dmitrievich Cheremnykh, who lived in Yeniseisk in the second half of the 19th century, concerning the impact of his economic initiatives on the economy and infrastructure of the Yenisei taiga region. I.D. Cheremnykh first served as the manager of the mines of V.I. Bazilevskiy, and later he himself became one of the largest gold miners of the Yeniseisk province, whose activities attracted the attention and received an ambiguous assessment from contemporaries, and nowadays still remains a new field for research.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Chelpanova O.A. The Economic and Gold Mining Activities of the Yeniseysk Merchant Ivan Dmitrievich Cheremnykh in Terms of Yenisey Taiga Region Development // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 206–216. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-15.pdf]
Entrepreneurs of the Northern Outskirts
N.V. Pozdeeva, E.V. Komleva
The Yeniseysk Merchant Ignatiy Kytmanov: a Choice between Personal and Public
The article examines new details of the activities of the representative of a famous Yeniseisk merchant family – Ignatiy Petrovich Kytmanov (1818–1895), and his contribution to the history of Yeniseisk and the Yeniseisk province. The components of the successful conduct of his business, and the ratio of personal benefit and public benefit, which he was guided by in his practice, are revealed. The importance of merchant charity in the economic and cultural development of the northern territories of Russia is emphasized.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Pozdeeva N.V., Komleva E.V. The Yeniseysk Merchant Ignatiy Kytmanov: a Choice between Personal and Public // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 217–225. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-16.pdf]
The Fate of Ideas: The North of Russia in the First Years of Soviet Power
T.I. Troshina
Revolutionary Enthusiasm as a Trigger for the Implementation of Development Projects in Russia’s Northern Regions
Based on a set of various historical sources, the article attempts to show the process of emergence and development of innovative projects for the uplift of Russia's remote territories. Requiring state funding, these projects were only realized under circumstances when the northern territories regained vital importance for the country. The revolution of 1917 created conditions for the creativity of the masses, including the reanimation of projects created by people like M.K. Sidorov, whose initiative was not in demand during their lifetime. Political and economic difficulties did not allow these projects to be fully realized.
The research is supported by the Russian Science Foundation (RSF), project No. 22-18-20061 “Foreign Concessions in the Arkhangelsk Province: Regional Experience of Foreign Economic Contacts under the Isolation of Soviet Russia”, https://rscf.ru/project/22-18-20061/
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Troshina T.I. Revolutionary Enthusiasm as a Trigger for the Implementation of Development Projects in Russia’s Northern Regions // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 226–236. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-17.pdf]
The Fate of Ideas: The North of Russia in the First Years of Soviet Power
D.S. Zaozerskiy, O.V. Minchuk
The Projects of the American Timber Concessions on the North of Russia in the 1920s
The article is devoted to the study of the two American timber concessions projects administered by the Severoles state trust as of March of 1924. The authors conclude that the American projects of 1922–1923 were not implemented due to the fact that they were just exploration projects and did not contain specifics on the organization of production, considering the features of the local timber industry.
The work was carried out with the financial support of the RPF, competition No. 22-18-20061 “Foreign Concessions in the Arkhangelsk Province: Regional Experience of Foreign Economic Contacts in the Conditions of Isolation of Soviet Russia”.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Zaozerskiy D.S., Minchuk O.V. The Projects of the American Timber Concessions on the North of Russia in the 1920s // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 237–247. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-18.pdf]
Scientific life
T.V. Panich
The All-Russian Scientific Conference “Actual Problems of National History, Source Studies and Archeography” (Pokrovsky Readings – 2023)
On October 12–14, 2023, the Institute of History of the SB RAS (Novosibirsk) and Novosibirsk State University hosted the All–Russian scientific conference «Actual Problems of National History, Source Studies and Archeography» (Pokrovsky Readings – 2023), dedicated to the memory of the outstanding Russian historian, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Nikolai Nikolaevich Pokrovsky (1930–2013). The review presents the proceedings of the conference and provides information on its participants and its thematic areas, while characterization is given to the work of the sections and the problems of the presented reports.
Publishing: 28/12/2023
How to cite: Panich T.V. The All-Russian Scientific Conference “Actual Problems of National History, Source Studies and Archeography” (Pokrovsky Readings – 2023) // Historical Courier, 2023, No. 6 (32), pp. 248–257. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2023/ISTKURIER-2023-6-19.pdf]