2025

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PHJ №1 (45) 2025 – G. S. Tziafetas. OLD PROBLEM, MODERN SOLUTION: FLOODS AND PROTECTION IN ST. PETERSBURG/LENINGRAD (1703–1924)

The article contains a scientific view of environmental management, projects for protecting St. Petersburg from floods, which were proposed by engineers of the 18th and early 20th centuries, as well as a social justification for why flood supports began to be seriously designed only after the catastrophic floods of 1924. Was it a catalyst for the authorities and engineers — or was this design phase more dependent on other (social) processes?

PHJ № 2 (46) 2025 — E. Yu. Zubkova. «VICTORY AND THE GREAT FAREWELL»: COLLECTIVE MEMORY AND THE POLICY OF REMEMBERING THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR. 1945–1965

In the Russian context, multiple memories of the war coexist, with one type forming spontaneously as a “living” experience of what was lived through, and the other emerging as the result of a targeted state project, driven by a policy on constructing memory. To what extent did the state commemorative project take into account the public demand for remembrance of the war? Furthermore, what objectives did the state memory policy pursue in creating the image of the Great Patriotic War? In what ways did this image manifest itself in various memorial formats? The present article is devoted to these and other issues of the formation of memory of the war — from Victory Day 1945 to Victory Day 1965.

PHJ № 2 (46) 2025 — A. V. Maiorov. KHWARAZM TURKS AND THE MONGOL ADMINISTRATION IN RUS’ IN THE MID-13TH CENTURY: CORENZA AND SARRACENUS

Following their triumphant campaigns of conquest in the East and West of Eurasia, the Mongols
refined and methodically implemented effective mobilisation technologies. These technologies enabled the effective utilisation of the resources of the conquered regions and populations — both human and material — for the purpose of further expansion and the establishment of a global empire. The Mongols demonstrated a particular emphasis on the mobilisation of experienced specialists, encompassing not only military leaders and professionals specialising in military affairs, but also those versed in civil administration and tax collection, particularly those adept in the management of sedentary agricultural and urban populations. In the administration of conquered territories, the Mongols demonstrated a preference for the appointment of administrators from external regions and nations, ensuring their allegiance to the new authorities. The surviving sources allow for a re-definition of the ethnic composition and nature of the activities of the Mongol authorities’ main representatives in the Rus’ lands in the 1240s — early 1260s. In the mid-13 th century, the Khwarazm Turks, who had embraced Islam, assumed a prominent role in the governance of the Rus’ lands. These include representatives of the imperial administration, such as tammachi Corenza and darughachi (basqaq) Sarracenus, who are documented in Rus’ chronicles and the report of the papal envoy John of Plano Carpini.

PHJ № 2 (46) 2025 — R. S. Astashkin. ORGANIZATION OF THE TRANSIT TRADE OF THE ARMENIAN COMPANY IN THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 17TH CENTURY (ON THE QUESTION OF PERSIA’S POSITION)

In 1667, the Armenian family firms based in New Julfa (Persia) were granted trade privileges in Moscow, which included the right to export oriental goods to Europe via the Russian Empire. The subject of this study is the question of the participation of the Persian Safavid state in this trade project. This inquiry is situated within the broader context of the “Russian transit” phenomenon, which is associated with the Russian Empire’s role in the European expansion towards the East. The factual material on the subject of publication was analysed by using the problem-chronological and comparative methods. The trade agreements that regulated the status of the Armenian Company were also studied. In preparing the article, the scientific works of historians, both domestic and foreign, including those with a specialism in the field of historical Iranian studies, were used. The analysis culminated in the formulation of a conclusion regarding the distinctive hybrid character of the accords established between the Russian authorities and the Persian Armenians. The study established that official Persia was not a full participant in these relationships and did not have a significant impact on their development. The hypothesis that the Safavids were uninterested in transferring the export of Persian raw silk to the northern (Russian) direction during the period under review is also put forward. The scientific results obtained can be used to further study the specifics of the Russian-Persian relations in the early modern history and the position of Russia at that time in the international trade system.

PHJ № 2 (46) 2025 — P. A. Avakov. THE ELDER BROTHER AND OTHER RELATIVES OF ST. PETERSBURG

Historiography has invariably placed significant emphasis on the distinctiveness of St. Petersburg as a city of a new type, which subsequently became synonymous with imperial Russia. Numerous scholars posit that the city had historical antecedents in the same geographical region. In recent years, however, a tendency has emerged to consider Taganrog, on the site of which the fortified town Troitsky (Holy Trinity’s Town) was founded in 1699, to be the elder brother of St. Petersburg. On initial consideration, there is ample evidence to support this assertion. Troitsky’s stablishment as the inaugural port city during the reign of Peter the Great, situated on a seashore and following a structured plan for a naval base, substantiates this assertion. Both cities’ origins as border outposts, as well as the location of their construction, being chosen by the Tsar himself, are further similarities. Nevertheless, the historical trajectories of the two cities diverge radically, and the circumstances surrounding their establishment are shrouded in mystery. In 1711, Peter the Great had to sacrifice the elder brother for the sake of the younger brother’s prosperity, since by that time the Baltic plans had become more important for the Tsar than the Black Sea ones. The fortress on Cape Tagan (Tagan Rog), which was revived by Catherine II in 1769, subsequently lost its former military-strategic significance and was transformed into a trading city. Consequently, Taganrog became one of the elements of the anti-Petersburg myth.

PHJ № 2 (46) 2025 — B. P. Milovidov. CAPTURED DOCTORS OF THE NAPOLEONIC ARMY AT WORK IN RUSSIAN MILITARY HOSPITALS: URGENT NEED VS CENTRALIZED REGULATION

The article under scrutiny herein sets forth a discussion on the utilisation of prisoners of war belonging to Napoleon’s army medical personnel during the years 1812–1814, who were employed within the Russian military hospital infrastructure. In an effort to reduce costs and partially offset the additional burden on the treasury, which had the unexpected task of maintaining an entire army, the Russian government sought to utilise prisoners within the country’s economy. This initiative represented a continuation of a broader policy initiated during peacetime, aimed at attracting qualified foreign specialists to Russia. Approximately half of the medical personnel captured in officer rank were able to contribute to the functioning of military hospitals. This represented approximately 19 % of the Russian military’s medical personnel in officer grades. The necessity for medical personnel was exceedingly pressing. Doctors participated voluntarily, motivated by financial incentives. The primary regulatory document was the regulation prepared by J. V. Willie and approved by M. I. Kutuzov on December 24, 1812. However, in reality, the process of attracting captured doctors to work in hospitals was largely chaotic. The central authorities’ efforts were not the primary factor in the success of this process; rather, it was the result of other factors. The excessive centralisation and lack of coordination between military and civilian authorities, local and central management structures, and various departments of the Ministry of War created problems. The remuneration of the captured doctors was determined on an individual basis by the central office of the Ministry of War and persisted for a considerable duration. However, this was partially offset by the actions of local authorities, who were guided by other legislative norms of their choosing, which seemed more or less appropriate to the situation.

PHJ № 2 (46) 2025 — L. P. Marney. DEVELOPMENT OF THE MONETARY AND CREDIT SYSTEM OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE 19 TH CENTURY IN PROJECTS OF M. M. SPERANSKY AND D. A. GURYEV

In the early 19 th century, two Russian statesmen, Secretary of State Mikhail Speransky and Minister of Finance Dmitry Guryev, proposed financial reforms with a particular emphasis on the development of the monetary system, a key component of the economic security of the Russian Empire. This strategy, which sought to enhance financial management, mobilise material resources, strengthen monetary circulation and stabilise the Empire’s financial system, had been in development since 1802, when the Ministry of Finance was established, and continued until 1823, when the subsequent finance plan was formulated. Despite the presence of certain discrepancies and idiosyncrasies, the finance plans devised by Speransky and Guryev constituted a unified programme for the development of the Russian financial system. The objective of this programme was to consolidate all revenue streams within the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Finance, to ensure the autonomy of the monetary system, to facilitate the implementation of administrative and political reforms, and, in general, to enhance the resilience and stability of the Russian Empire’s economic and political systems.

PHJ № 2 (46) 2025 — A. A. Efimov. THE ISSUE OF ESTABLISHMENT THE INSTITUTION OF JUDICIAL INVESTIGATORS IN PALACE TOWNS

The article addresses one of the problems of the administrative history of palace towns of the mid-19 th century. The author notes that these settlements had a special status in the Russian Empire. They were under the jurisdiction of special institutions of the Ministry of the Imperial Court — palace boards, being largely outside the general system of public administration and local self-government. This special status gave them a certain independence and even the opportunity to engage in some opposition when deciding on the applicability of certain administrative innovations. As noted in the article, this observation also applies to the issue of introducing the institution of forensic investigators. In a significant part of the provinces they began their work soon after the signing of the corresponding decree in the early summer of 1860. The author draws attention to the fact that in the palace towns only in August the question was raised about the possibility of these officials acting on their territory. As the article notes, representatives of the local administration of Peterhof were somewhat enthusiastic about the idea of outsourcing some of the work that fell to the city police, which was considered overloaded. At the same time, the boundaries of the participation of judicial investigators in the proceedings were also specified. In Tsarskoe Selo the situation was different. Despite the declared readiness to transfer the investigative work, officials of the Tsarskoye Selo city police, under various organizational and bureaucratic pretexts, delayed this process. The author notes that in the end, to resolve this issue, the intervention of the St. Petersburg provincial government was required. The latter had to issue an order with direct reference to the imperial decree on the transfer of cases subject to criminal proceedings to a judicial investigator.