Nikolai Ivanovich Kostomarov

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Nikolai Ivanovich Kostomarov

Nikolay Kostomarov ( Russian Николай Иванович Костомаров , * May 4. . Jul / 16th May  1817 greg. In Jurasowka, Voronezh Governorate , Russian Empire ; † April 7 jul. / 19th April  1885 greg. In St. Petersburg , Russian Empire ) was a Russian social activist, historian, writer and poet, real State Councilor , member of the Saint Petersburg Imperial Academy of Sciences, as well as one of the leaders of theSt. Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood . He was a researcher of the socio-political and economic history of Russia, especially the area of ​​today's Ukraine .

childhood

Nikolai Kostomarov was born on 1817 in the Jurasovka settlement in the Ostrogoshsk district of the Voronezh governorate. His father Ivan Petrovich Kostomarow, landowner and retired military, married the serfs in September 1817 and Nikolai Kostomarov's mother Tat'jana Petrovna Kostomarowa (née Melnikowa). Since Nikolai was born before his parents married, he became his father's serf. The murder of his father on 2 jul. / July 14, 1828 greg. July 14, 1828 by serfs brought Nikolai and his mother into a difficult financial and legal position, because the fact that he was a serf, the inheritance went to the next of kin. By selling the 14,000 hectares (Dessiatin) land, Tatyana Petrovna Melnikova received 50 thousand rubles and the freedom of her son. Nikolai went to the Moscow boarding school and was considered a (French: Enfant-miraculeux) child prodigy due to his good performance. However, for financial reasons he had to move to the Voronezh boarding school, which was closer to home. The lessons at the boarding school bored and under-challenged him and after two years he was expelled from the boarding school because of his pranks and transferred to the Voronezh grammar school, which he graduated in 1833 and then became a student of the history-philological faculty of the Kharkiv University .

Study time

Nikolai Kostomarov worked a lot on classical antiquity and French literature, but at first he was not really enthusiastic about the course. This was due on the one hand to the low level of education of the teachers there and on the other hand to the study without leadership and without a system. Kostomarov later described his student days as "chaotic". It was only when MM Lunin took up his chair at Kharkiv University in 1835 that Kostomarov, influenced by Lunin's lectures, began to deal seriously and systematically with history. However, ideas about his calling were still so vague that Kostomarov even joined the army after graduating. When his regiment was stationed in Ostrogoschsk , Kostomarov immersed himself in the archives of the local district court. This inspired him to write down the history of the slobodskij Cossack regiments (слободских казачьих полков [slobodskich kazač'ich polkov]). In 1837, on the advice of his superiors, he left the regiment and went back to Kharkov to deepen his historical knowledge. During his studies, Kostomarov developed a view of history that was contrary to what prevailed among Russian historians at the time. He wondered why in historical literature one could read everything about the famous statesmen, from time to time about laws and institutions, but nothing about the common people. There was nothing about the "common man", nothing about his life, his faith, his everyday life. The thought about the history of the common people, their spiritual life as opposed to the history of the state, became the central idea that decisively shaped Kostomarov's historical views. With this expanded view of history, Kostomarov expanded his sources as well. So, in his opinion, you not only had to study the written chronicles and notes, but also question living people. He learned the Ukrainian language, read the published Ukrainian folk songs and the printed literature in the Ukrainian language. He spent the spring of 1838 in Moscow , where the lectures of P. P Schevyrev strengthened his opinion of the common people. In the years 1839–1841 he published two plays and several collections of poetry, both in the original language and translated by him, under the pseudonym "Jeremij Galka". Kostomarow continuously expanded his knowledge of history and in 1840 he passed the master's examination. In 1842 he published his dissertation "On the causes and nature of the unification in western Russia.", But could not do his doctorate with it. Archbishop of Kharkov found the content of the book insolent. Although it was only about a few unfavorable formulations, the Petersburg professor NG Ustrialov, who corrected the work, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, gave a damning assessment of the result of the burning of the book. Kostomarov was allowed to submit another master's thesis, and in 1843 he presented the work entitled "On the Historical Significance of Russian Folk Poetry". He then defended this at the beginning of the next year.

N. Kostomarov 1864-1865

The heyday of creativity

Immediately after completing his second dissertation, Kostomarov began working on Bohdan Khmelnyzkyj . In order to be close to the places where the events took place, he first took a job as a teacher in a high school in Rivne and later (1845) moved to the first Kiev high school. In 1846, Kostomarov was hired as a professor of Russian history at Kiev University , and he began lecturing in the autumn of that year. These became very popular and aroused great interest. In Kiev and Kharkov , a group of people around Kostomarov formed who devoted themselves to the idea of ​​“narodnost” (popular culture). This group included Pantelejmon Kulisch , Opanas Markewytsch , Mykola Hulak , Wassyl Biloserskyj and Taras Shevchenko . The interests of the Kiev district were not limited to Ukrainian nationality. The members dreamed of an all-Slavic reciprocity that harbored the desire for inner progress in their own homeland. This saw the passage of the same basic laws and rights in all federations; the introduction of uniform measures, weights and coins; and the abolition of tariffs. A central authority must be set up that has authority over the army and navy. However, every federation must retain full autonomy in the areas of internal institutions, internal administration, judicial proceedings and public education. Another goal was the abolition of serfdom and the classes. In order to promote the spread of these ideas, a circle of friends became a society called the Cyril and Method Brotherhood . The Pan-Slavic plans of the young enthusiasts were thwarted. A student overheard their conversations and informed the authorities. In the spring of 1847 they were all arrested, charged with a state crime and sentenced to different sentences.

After a year in prison in the Peter and Paul Fortress , Kostomarov was transferred to Saratov and placed under the supervision of the local police. He was forbidden to teach and publish. During his time in exile, Kostomarov realized the gap between his ideals and reality, but he never lost his idealism, energy or enthusiasm for the work. In Saratov he continued the work on "Bohgdan Khmelnyzkyj" and on the side began with a new one about the inner workings of the Moscow State of the XVI.-XVII. Century. Kostomarov went on ethnographic excursions, collecting stories and songs. In 1855 Kostomarov was given permission to go to St. Petersburg. He used this trip to finish work on Bohgdan Khmelnyzkyj. A year later, both the publication ban and the surveillance are lifted. After a trip abroad, Kostomarov settled in Saratov again. Here he wrote " Stenka Razin Uprising " and participated as a scribe in the preparation of the peasant reforms at the local committee for the improvement of peasant life. In the spring of 1859 he was offered the chair in Russian history at St. Petersburg University . After the last ban on teaching activity was lifted in November, Kostomarov began his lectures. This was the time of the most intense work and also contributed most to its popularity. Kostomarov was already known as a talented writer. Now he is making a name for himself as a professor. In his lectures he often addressed the views he had gained in Kharkov. At the center of his work he placed the life of the common people in all its manifestations. In addition, Kostomarov began work on the Ukrainian history of B. Khmelnitskyj. He has also published in magazines such as Russkoe Slovo (“Russian Word”), “Sovremenik”, where he presented excerpts from his lectures and historical articles.

In 1861 Professor Pavlov was banished from St. Petersburg after a public reading. As a protest, the university decided to cancel all lectures. Kostomarov does not support this protest and is silenced during a lecture by the loud shouting of the auditorium. Further lectures are prohibited by the administration. Kostomarov left St. Petersburg University and was again targeted by the authorities. The Ministry of Education forced him to reject offers from Kharkiv and Kiev, so he was left with his literary work. After all these strokes of fate, Kostomarov lost interest in actively participating in the changes in the present and concentrated entirely on studying history.

One by one, his works came out on the great questions of the history of Ukraine, the Moscow State and Poland. In 1872 "Russian history in the lives of the most important characters" was written.

Historian N. Kostomarov in his coffin

The last few years

In 1875 Kostomarov survived a serious illness, which weakened him very much. In the same year he married Al. Kissel, to whom he became engaged before his arrest in 1847. A change can also be seen in Kostomarov's work. The vivid, lively style gives way in some places to the dry enumeration of facts. In those years Kostomarov even expressed the view that the task of a historian was to reproduce what he found in the sources, combined with proven facts. He worked tirelessly until his death.

On 7 jul. / April 19, 1885 greg. After a long and painful illness, Kostomarov died. Nikolai Kostomarov is buried in St. Petersburg's Volkovo Cemetery.

Act

Kostomarov contributed enormously to the development of Russian and Ukrainian historiography. In his research he did not concentrate on the history of the state, for him the history of the common people was the focus. By studying the spiritual and spiritual life of the people, he came to understand Ukrainian and Russian history. According to Kostomarov, it is important to look at the ethnic origin of each people and include regional history in order to get real results. His ideas, his research and last but not least his pictorial writing style inspired and interested masses of people in history. His enormous readership makes him not only one of the greatest historians, but also one of the most widely read authors.

Kostomarov's views and ideas are applied today in analyzing contemporary Asian and African tribes / societies.

1992 commemorative stamp

memory

Streets in Kharkiv and Voronezh are named after Kostomarov. A memorial plaque was placed on the house on Vasilyevsky Island where he lived. In 1992 a commemorative stamp was dedicated to Kostomarov in Ukraine. To mark his 200th birthday, the National Bank of Ukraine issued a 2- hryvnia commemorative coin on April 20, 2017 .

Works

literature

Secondary literature

  • Pinčuk, Jurij A.: Istoričeskie vwojady NI Kostomarova: (kritičeskij očerk), Kiev: Naukova Dumka, 1984
  • Pypin, Alexander N.: Istorija russkoj etnografii. Volume III. St. Petersburg, 1899

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Commemorative Coins of Ukraine - Mykola Kostomarow on the website of the National Bank of Ukraine ; accessed on April 30, 2017 (Ukrainian)
personal data
SURNAME Kostomarow, Nikolai Ivanovich
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Микола Іванович Костомаров, Mykóla Ivánovyč Kostomárov
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Russian social activist, historian, writer, poet, member of the Academy of Sciences
DATE OF BIRTH May 16, 1817
PLACE OF BIRTH Jurasovka, Voronezh , Russian Empire
DATE OF DEATH April 19, 1885
Place of death St. Petersburg , Russian Empire