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.