Аннотация: Lisyansky and Nakhimov. Historical and biographical essay
Lisyansky and Nakhimov. Historical and biographical essay.
In the biographies of Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky and Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov, there are some similarities.
From their biographies we can learn not much about their origin.
For example, Yevgeny Tarle in his biographical work 'Nakhimov' almost does not touch on this issue.
However, we see Wikipedia: 'Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov was born on July 5, 1802 in the village of of Gorodok in the Vyazma uyezd (district) of Smolensk Governorate. He was the seventh of 11 children of a poor landowner the major - Stepan Mikhailovich Nakhimov and Feodosia Ivanovna Nakhimova (nee Kozlovskaya). In addition to Paul, his parents had four more sons - Nicholas, Plato, Ivan and Sergey. All the Nakhimov brothers were professional sailors. '
From 1404 to 1514, Smolensk was part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
From 1514 to 1614, the Smolensk's affiliation was changing. At that time, the Rech Pospolita (the Commonwealth) emerged (the Union of Lublin, 1569).
As Wikipedia notes, characterizing one of the historical episodes related to the fate of Smolensk, 'However, the Moscow authorities soon began to burden some noble Smolensk inhabitants, who accustomed to Lithuanian liberties.'
It can be assumed that the origin of Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov is connected with the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Rech Pospolita (Commonwealth).
The book by I. Firsov "Lisyansky" (2002), for example, is about the biography of Yuri Fedorovich Lisyansky.
For brevity, we turn to Wikipedia.
'He was born in Nezhin in the family of the archpriest of the Nezhin Church John the Evangelist Fyodor Gerasimovich (1735-1803) and his wife Photina Osipovna. The godfather was the regimental professional copyist of the Nezhinsky regiment Ivan Romanovsky.
Yu. F. Lisyansky belonged to the Ukrainian Cossack family of Lisyanski. Lisyanski were descended from a certain Polish gentry Stefan Lisyanski, who in the 17th century, having escaped from Crimean captivity, entered the Lubensky Cossack regiment. His grandson Gerasim Lisyansky had three sons: Demyan, Fedor and Ivan, of whom Demyan and Ivan held positions in the Nezhinsky Cossack regiment in accordance with family tradition. Fedor, also starting his service in the regimental chancellery of the Prilutsky regiment, but then chose a spiritual career ... Thanks to the patronage of the fellow countryman Count Bezborodko, he [Fedor] arranged the sons, Ananius and Yuri, in the Naval Cadet Corps.'
So (presumably) the origin of Lisyansky and Nakhimov is associated with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and with the Rech Pospolita (the Commonwealth). We will consider this the first biographical coincidence.
After many historical events, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania disappeared from the political map.
The fate of many of its inhabitants was typical.
For example, in the biography of Gogol-Yanovsky we can see the movement of many of his relatives into the ranks of clergy. The fate of many relatives of Lisyansky was similar.
It is difficult to say something concrete in this work about Nakhimov's relatives in this connection.
The second biographical coincidence is that both Lisyansky and Nakhimov studied in the Naval Cadet Corps.
It follows from the biographies of Yuri Lisyansky that during his studies he never went home. The ties connecting him with the house, with his homeland, in fact, broke. Did his father intentionally do this? Or is it so happened due to a combination of circumstances and lack of funds?
We find something similar in the biography of Nakhimov. '... He knew no life other than maritime service and did not want to, and simply refused to acknowledge the possibility of existence not on a warship or not in a military port. For lack of time and for too much preoccupation with marine interests, he forgot to fall in love, forgot to marry. He was a fanatic of maritime affairs, according to unanimous reviews of eyewitnesses and observers '(Yevgeny Tarle ' Nakhimov ').
Then the biographical differences begin.
Lisyansky lived in the era of Catherine II, Paul I and Alexander I. 'In 1793-1799 he underwent military training on the ships of the English fleet. He also took part in the fighting of this fleet, traveled a lot in North America, South Africa, India, as well as West India. During his stay in Philadelphia (USA) he met with President George Washington. He spoke highly of Benjamin Franklin, with whom, judging by his letters and memoirs, he was personally acquainted. ' (Wikipedia).
Most of the activities of Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov was during the reign of Nicholas I.
Nakhimov was in the "team" of the great admiral M.P. Lazarev, who achieved world-famous fame with great expeditions and with the victory in the Battle of Navarino (1827).
In this "team", under the leadership of Admiral Lazarev, Nakhimov continued his career.
Then, again you can find the similarities in biographies - the great, world-famous achievements.
Lisyansky makes the first round-the-world voyage under the Russian flag, with a visit to Alaska. ("In 1803-1806, Ivan Kruzenshtern and Yuri Lisyansky on the ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva" made the first round-the-world expedition in the history of the Russian fleet." Wikipedia). Lisyansky completed the expedition first. He was the first to arrive in Kronstadt, ahead of Kruzenshtern by about two weeks.
Nakhimov organized the world famous 349-day defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855. (Maybe it's more accurate to say - 'participated in the organization').
So both covered themselves with eternal glory.
Next, the differences begin again.
In 1955, Nakhimov was mortally wounded on the Malakhov kurgan (the Malakhov Hill).
After several years of service, Lisyansky retired, wrote a book about the round-world travel, and published it. Then he translated the book into English and published it in England. The book was quickly sold out.
Further Lisyansky married (1807).
His health gradually worsened. Lisyansky died in 1837 at the age of 63.
However, someone may find a similarity further.
What was the fate of Alaska, which Lisyansky visited in 1804 during the circumnavigation (Lisyansky participated in the battle of Sitka)?
Did Nakhimov was succeeded to defend Sevastopol? Did Russia win the Crimean War (1853-1856)?
Slightly departing from the topic, it can be noted that during the 'Stalin's epoch' many famous people whose origin was associated with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth were not only personally successful, but also achieved a resulting successes for Homeland.
Summarizing a brief comparison of the biographies of Lisyansky and Nakhmov, we can draw the following conclusions.
Both of them focused on maritime service, which led to a certain break in ties with the house, with their native places.
The break with the house led to some social disadaptation, which is less noticeable in the biography of Lisyansky (he served in the the Royal Navy (the Britain's navy), met great people, traveled a lot).
Both achieved outstanding results, which, however, were not fully 'accepted' by the empire.
Both occupy a worthy place in Russian and world history.
A number of geographical objects are named after Lisianski.
October 3, 2019 10:25
Translation from Russian into English: October 3, 2019 22:03.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Лисянский и Нахимов. Историко-биографическое эссе'.