“…Sergey and I, We’ve Been on the Site, but Found Nothing”: Crimean Diary of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia, 1875

УДК 930.2

Dmitriy M. Sofjin

Perm State National Research University, Perm, Russian Federation

Marina V. Sofjina

Perm State Institute of Culture, Perm, Russian Federation

“…Sergey and I, We’ve Been on the Site, but Found Nothing”: Crimean Diary of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia, 1875

Abstract

This is the first publication of the diary of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia for 1875. The author was a nephew of the Russian Emperor Alexander II, son of his brother, Grand Duke Michael Nikolayevich, who was an outstanding military commander and statesman, Governor-General of the Caucasus, and later Chairman of the State Council. Grand Duke George Mikhailovich served in the ranks of the cavalry guards; for years he had been director of the Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III, and had become an acclaimed scientist, specialist in numismatics. George Mikhailovich’s elder brother, Grand Duke Nicholas, also was a prominent scientist, historian and entomologist. The diary, which is published here, was written by Grand Duke George Mikhailovich during his stay in the Crimea, where he lived with his parents, brothers and sister in the Ai-Todor estate; he was 12 years old at the time. Its entries are concise, and yet they present a vivid description of the daily life of young Romanovs during their Crimean vacation, highlighting their interests and social circle. Diary refers to the Grand Duke George Mikhailovich’s relatives (including Admiral-General Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich, future famous poet Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich, future Moscow Governor-General Grand Duke Sergey Alexandrovich), mentors and confidants. The diary also alludes to the family celebrations (birthday of the author’s brother, Grand Duke Sergey Mikhailovich, and that of his cousin, Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich). It describes visits to the Imperial Palace in Livadia and the Vorontsov Palace in Alupka. Beside usual holiday activities, such as walking, swimming and fishing, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich describes archaeological excavations, in which he and his cousins participated under the guidance of the famous scientist, Count Aleksey Uvarov. The diary of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich is stored in his personal provenance fond in the State Archive of the Russian Federation (Moscow).

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Keywords

Personal provenance source, Romanovs, Grand Duke George Mikhailovich, archaeology, source studies, Crimea

References

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CHERNYSHOVA-MEL’NIK, N. D. Sud’ba numizmata. Velikii knyaz’ Georgii Mikhailovich [The fate of the numismatist: Grand Duke George Michailovich. In Russ.]. IN: Moskva, 2014, no. 3, pp. 173—180.

About authors

Dmitriy M. Sofjin, PhD in History, associate professor, Perm State National Research University, assistant professor, +7-912-88-45-782, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Marina V. Sofjina, PhD in History, Perm State Institute of Culture, assistant professor, +7-982-45-05-789, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Submitted 2.05.2017, published:

SOFJIN, D. M., SOFJINA, M. V. “…Sergei i ya, my byli na raskopkakh, no nichego ne nashli”: Krymskii dnevnik Velikogo knyazya Georgiya Mikhailovicha. 1875 g. [“…Sergey and I, we’ve been on the site, but found nothing”: Crimean diary of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia, 1875]. IN: Vestnik arhivista – Herald of an Archivist, 2017, no. 3, pp. 199-209.