The Moscow Main Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the mid-19th century and its staff

Abstract

The article analyzes the history of the activities of the Moscow Main Archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the mid-19th century. That period in the history of the Archives as a whole is generally underresearched in Russian historical science. At the same time, in the mid-19th century, there was a fairly intensive development of the Archives as a major scientific center for the study of Russian history, and the previously established traditions of the storage and description of archival documents continued to develop. That was largely due to the personnel policy pursued in the Archives, aimed at attracting young and educated employees to archival work. With the guidance of the Archives manager, Prince M.A. Obolensky, the institution continued to develop a fairly intensive scientific publishing activity. The article describes specifics in the personnel selection for the Archives, reveals the scientific achievements of some of its employees (M.A. Obolensky, V.M. Undolsky, P.A. Bessonov, A.N. Afanasyev, P.I. Bartenev, A.E. Viktorov, N.V. Kalachov). Along with that, the article shows how the tightening of the Interior policy under Nicholas I, especially at the end of his reign, influenced the activities of the Archives and the fate of its employees.