“Russian History from the Most Ancient Times” is a famous historical work by Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev. This work has become one of the most significant books of Russian historiography, laying the foundation for a new stage in the development of Russian historical literature, thanks to which the transition from annals to critical analysis and presentation on the basis of sources has been accomplished. At the same time, few people know that the author of "History of the Russian Federation 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 Rurikovich clan. He graduated from the Engineering School in Moscow, and then went to graduate in Europe. And not to Holland or France, as many of his contemporaries did, but to Germany, which was not very popular at that time.
He went through the Northern War as a diplomat, and after that he managed factories in the Urals and founded Yekaterinburg.
Tatishchev was the first to introduce such important texts as “Russian Truth” and “Sudebnik” into scientific circulation, thereby giving rise to the development of ethnography and source studies in Russia.
But, perhaps, Tatishchev’s most grandiose work was “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times”, which summarized all the then-known numerous Russian and foreign documentary sources describing the history of Russia from the time it was founded until the reign of Fedor 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 the countries. So, Tatishchev decided to restore the historical truth and write a short essay on the history and historical borders of Russia.
He collected a huge number of books in his library, most of which were not published, and realized how little Russian history had been studied at that time. Members of the Academy of Sciences helped him translate books.
The structure of "Russian History from the most ancient times"
About work. “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times” 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, domestic and cultural terms.
The work is divided into four parts, there are also separate sketches on the history of the XVII century. Relatively completed can only be called the first and second parts of the work, which contain most of the author's notes, supplementing the text. The third and fourth parts are devoid of notes, which makes it possible to assume that work on them has not been completed.
The first part of the “History of Russia from the Most Ancient Times” describes the story from the formation of tribes until the unification of the lands by Rurik. The presentation is on behalf of the Slavs, who later became "Rus." The customs, settlement geography and religious beliefs of the first Slavs are described. A whole series of first baptisms in Russia is mentioned (after all, the narrative begins from ancient, pagan times). Tatishchev adheres to the presentation of Nestor, describing the calling of the Varangians and the fight against hostile Khazars.
The following parts tell the history of Russia before the Time of Troubles and are divided into approximately equal time intervals.
Scientific significance of Tatishchev’s work
State employment and the lack of historical training prevented Tatishchev from working on “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times”. Of course, his work was not perfect and not perfect, but he was the first Russian scientist to devote such considerable attention to the study of his native history. Thanks to him, previously unknown documents were published, such a science as historiography appeared.
Opinions on the work of Tatishchev
Contemporaries praised “Russian History from the Most Ancient Times”. For many years, it has become a handbook for anyone interested in history. Thanks to this work, the study of the history of Russia has moved to a new level.
In Soviet times, Tatishchev’s work was criticized as well as highly appreciated: 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 the work of Tatishchev cannot be called impeccable, it is impossible not to note its great importance for historical science.