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Vasily Tatishchev | |
|---|---|
Василий Татищев | |
 Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev, a portrait by an unknown painter, 1800s. | |
| Born | 19 April 1686 Boredki, Ostrovsky Uyezd,Pskov Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 15 July 1750 (aged 64) Boldino, Dmitrovsky Uyezd,Moscow Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Alma mater | Jacob Bruce Moscow Artillery and Engineering School |
| Occupation(s) | historian,geographer,ethnographer,linguist, statesman |
| Known for | Book on Russian history |
| Spouse | Anna Vasilyevna Andreevskaya |
| Children | Eupraksiya Tatishcheva (1715–1769) Eugraf Tatishchev (1717–1781) |
| Parents |
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| Family | Tatishchev family |
Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev (sometimes speltTatischev;Russian:Васи́лий Ники́тич Тати́щев,IPA:[vɐˈsʲilʲɪjnʲɪˈkʲitʲɪtɕtɐˈtʲiɕːɪf]; 19 April 1686 – 15 July 1750) was a Russian statesman, historian,philosopher, andethnographer. He is known as the author of a book on Russian history titledThe History of Russia (Russian:История Российская,romanized: Istoriya Rossiyskaya), posthumously published in 1767. He also founded three cities in the Russian Empire:Stavropol-on-Volga (now known as Tolyatti),Yekaterinburg, andPerm.
Tatishchev often did not cite his sources, which required later critical historians to find out where he got his information from. After several sources were discovered, the texts of Tatishchev which remained unaccounted for (such as the allegedIoachim Chronicle, which has never been found) became known as "Tatishchev information" (Russian:Татищевские известия,romanized: Tatishchevskiye izvestiya), which is not to be trusted until it is supported by another extant source.[1][2][3]
Tatishchev was born nearPskov on 19 April 1686. The young Tatishchev was homeschooled, being taught German and Polish.[4] As an adult, he also studied some French and Latin, though he never mastered these two language very well.[4] Having graduated from the Artillery and Engineering school inMoscow, he took part in the 1700–1721Great Northern War withSweden. In the service ofPeter the Great he gained a prominent post in theForeign Office, which he used to oppose the policies of theSupreme Privy Council and supportAnna's ascension to the Russian throne in 1730.[citation needed]
He was entrusted by Anna with a lucrative office of the management ofUral factories. At that post he founded the cities ofPerm andYekaterinburg, which have since grown into the veritable capitals of the Urals. A monument to him was opened in Perm in 2003. During theBashkir War of 1735-40 he was in command of Siberian operations from the winter of 1736-37 and head of the whole operation from the spring of 1737. He was removed from command after March 1739, nominally on charges of corruption, but mainly because he had made too many enemies. Tatishchev finished his official career as a governor ofAstrakhan (1741–44). He died at the Boldino estate near Moscow on 15 July 1750.[citation needed]
Having retired from active service, the elderly statesman dedicated himself to scholarly pursuits. Feeling that the Russianhistoriography had been neglected, he discovered and published several legal monuments of great interest, e.g., theRusskaya Pravda and theSudebnik of 1550. Hismagnum opus was the first sketch of Russian history, entitledRussian History Dating Back to the Most Ancient Times and published in 5 volumes after his death. He also compiled the first encyclopedicdictionary of theRussian language.[citation needed]
The scientific merits of Tatishchev's work were disputed even in the 18th century. German historianAugust Ludwig von Schlözer (1735–1809) wrote that '[Tatishchev had] no training, did not know a single word of Latin, and did not even understand any modern language other than German'.[5] However, American historianEdward C. Thaden (1986) said this criticism was somewhat exaggerated, given his knowledge of German and Polish, but poor understanding of French and Latin; nevertheless, his military and administrative training and experience did bring him some expertise in those fields.[5]
Russian historianNikolay Karamzin (1766–1826) called all unsourced or poorly sourced claims by Tatishchev "inventions" and "fantasies".[3] It is true that he used some chronicles that have since been lost, but most of them, most notoriously theIoachim Chronicle, were of dubious authenticity, and may never have existed in the first place.[3] This led Soviet historian Iakov S. Lur'e (1968) to write of "Tatishchev information", which he defined as "data found only in that historian", that should be approached with skepticism and extreme caution.[3] It is also true that he could never tell a genuine work from a fake,[citation needed] and some incidents inserted in his history could have been products of his own fancy.[6]
Several inhabited locations inSaratov Oblast,Samara Oblast andOrenburg Oblast are named after Tatishchev.[citation needed]
{{isbn}}: ignored ISBN errors (link) (also published atKrytyka, Kyiv, 2005)