Pyotr Ivanovich Bartenev (Пётр Ива́нович Барте́нев; 13 October 1829 – 4 November 1912) was a Russian historian and collector of unpublished memoirs. Of noble birth, Bartenev attended the

Moscow University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

. In 1856, he undertook the first publication of the correspondence of

Tsar Alexis Aleksey Mikhaylovich ( rus, Алексе́й Миха́йлович, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsʲej mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪtɕ; – ) was the Tsar of Russia from 1645 until his death in 1676. While finding success in foreign affairs, his reign saw several wars ...

, which brought him to the attention of the leading

Slavophiles Slavophilia (russian: Славянофильство) was an intellectual movement originating from the 19th century that wanted the Russian Empire to be developed on the basis of values and institutions derived from Russia's early history. Slavoph ...

. These connections helped him secure the post of director at the Chertkov Library, then the only public library in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. At this position he consulted

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

on the details of the

Napoleonic wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

. Tolstoy, then at work on ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (russian: Война и мир, translit=Voyna i mir; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy that mixes fictional narrative with chapters on history and philosophy. It was first published ...

'', said that "turning to Bartenev with a research query was like turning on the tap of a

samovar A samovar (russian: самовар, , literally "self-brewer") is a metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water. Although originating in Russia, the samovar is well known outside of Russia and has spread through Russian culture t ...

". In 1863, Bartenev founded ''

The Russian Archive ''Russky Arkhiv'' (russian: Русский архив/Русскій Архивъ, Russian Archives) was a Russian historical and literary monthly (in 1880–1884, a fortnightly) magazine, published in Moscow in 1863–1917. Conceived originally ...

'', the first

history journal A history journal is an academic serial publication designed to present new scholarship on a historical subject, usually a subfield of history, with articles generally being subjected to peer review. History and development The historical journal, ...

in Russia. Like its rival, '' Old Times in Russia'', Bartenev's journal brought to light scores of unknown documents and memoirs from the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Prince Vorontsov Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov (russian: Князь Михаи́л Семёнович Воронцо́в, tr. ; ) was a Russian nobleman and field-marshal, renowned for his success in the Napoleonic wars and most famous for his participati ...

's entire family archive was published in 40 volumes as a supplement to this periodical. Bartenev is perhaps best remembered today as the founder of the

Pushkin studies The Pushkin studies is the branch of literary criticism which researches the life and works of Aleksandr Pushkin. It was established by Pavel Annenkov and Pyotr Bartenev in the mid-19th century. The greatest flowering of the field lasted from the 1 ...

. He collected numerous testimonials relating to

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

, from his relatives and friends. Bartenev and

Pavel Annenkov Pavel Vasilyevich Annenkov (russian: Па́вел Васи́льевич А́нненков) (July 1, 1813 – March 20, 1887) was a significant Russian Empire literary critic and memoirist. Biography Annenkov was born into a wealthy landowning fa ...

represent the first generation of amateur Pushkinists.Brian Horowitz. ''The Myth of A.S. Pushkin in Russia's Silver Age''. Northwestern University Press, 1996. Page 21.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bartenev 1829 births 1912 deaths People from Gryazinsky District People from Tambov Governorate Slavophiles Historians from the Russian Empire Male writers from the Russian Empire Literary historians Publishers (people) from the Russian Empire Librarians from the Russian Empire