Little-Known Facts of the Life of the Eminent Russian Navigator I. F. Krusenstern reflected in the Presidential Library’s materials

Adam Johann - a person at birth who glorified Russian fleet, but under a completely different name. November 19, 2018 marks the 248th anniversary of the birth of the famous navigator Ivan Fedorovich Krusenshtern. The Presidential Library's collections contain a large amount of materials dedicated to the admiral - historical documents, studies, atlases, maps, and much more.

Meanwhile, according to the author of the book “Believe in Hope” (2012) V. E. Erger writes, “if we analyze what was written about Krusenstern, it will turn out that the Russians know about him not enough so that they could draw a definite conclusion about his character, habits, inclinations. In his work, presented in the open access on the Presidential Library’s portal, the researcher summarizes all the information about Krusenstern available in archival documents and books, thereby revealing to the reader new facts about the life of the famous navigator.

Adam Johann Krusenstern was born on November 19, 1770 on the manor of Hagudi in the Rapla district of Estonia in a poor noble family. “As for childhood, the authors of the books only tell us that Adam was weak in health, a very homely boy, spoiled by parental love, and that no one in the Krusenstern family was either a sailor or a traveler. Adam was not ready for such a life journey, - writes V.E. Erger. - At the age of 12, Adam Johann was sent to the Vyshgorod Cathedral School in Revel (Tallinn), where he studied for three years. Only after this, in the “old age” (at 14.5 years old), he was sent to study at the Sea Cadet Corps”. To the question why the parents chose a sailor’s career for the child, the author of the study gives the following answer: “It’s hard to say what Adam’s father was guided by when he decided to send his son to the Marine Corps. There is information that this decision was triggered by the fascinating sea stories of some familiar experienced sailor, and according to other sources, an understanding that he could not study at any decent university with such poor preparation”.

In the Marine Corps, the boy received a new name: “When forming Krusenstern in the corps instead of Adam Johann, he was recorded by Ivan Fedorovich without any demand and consent from his father, Johann Friedrich. So in Russia they always acted with German and other foreign names. For example, Fabian-Gottlieb-Benjamin became Faddey Faddeevich Bellingshausen, Hermann Ludwig became Ermolai Yermolaevich Levenstern”, - notes E. Erger.

“Krusenstern looked like a shy and awkward teenager with a direct and open look. In his studies, he was rather diligent and persevering, so the educators almost immediately drew the conclusion about him: “The German is with the makings!”"

According to history, the teachers were not mistaken: having graduated from the Marine Corps three years later because of the war with the Swedes in the post "for the midshipman" (if he did not complete the full course of study), in 1790 Ivan Fedorovich was already a lieutenant - a swift career for that time. He was not yet 20 years old.

These are the first steps in the fleet of the future outstanding Russian navigator and admiral, the initiator and leader of the first round-the-world expedition of Ivan Fedorovich Krusenstern. Visitors to the Presidential Library's portal can find out what the prerequisites of this expedition were, how it was prepared, and what tests Russian sailors had to overcome.

This journey could be failed. And it’s not even the fact that a very expensive initiative for the state was not approved at the very top for several years, the future campaign depended on a single person. According to Krusenstern in his famous work “Journey around the world in 1803, 4, 5 and 1806 on the ships Nadezhda and Neva” the sovereign determined that I should be the executor of my design. This unexpected consequence brought me into considerable confusion. My circumstances changed and made the acceptance of this important duty incumbent upon me incomparably more difficult against the former. More than half a year has passed, as I shared the happiness with my beloved wife and expected to soon be called the father. No flattering views already touched me much ... But Admiral Mordvinov announced to me that if I did not agree to be a performer myself in my own style, then it would be completely abandoned. I felt a duty to the fatherland in full and decided to make a sacrifice to him”.

The Presidential Library's portal provides access to the electronic copy of a detailed instruction given by the Russian-American company Kruzenstern during the preparation for the voyage, which indicates the purpose of this event: “The purpose of the expedition is to prepare for reinforcement of Russian-American villages for local trade and industry to deliver cargo to these villages; in order to return, take and bring the customs cargo here; so that on the same return trip, the bailiff to the Chinese port of Canton, to make the experience of the exchange of fur goods for Chinese works; so that between the accomplishments of these enterprises in northeastern part of Russian America, if time and circumstances allow, learn more about the local islands and the mother bank of Russia's stretching affiliation to not much further than 55 degrees north latitude, and in order to get a long circle of light, to acquire information in the reasoning of trade Whether it cannot serve in favor of our fatherland".

The result of this campaign is multifaceted: Russian sailors have completed several important tasks for the country in particular and the world as a whole. Among the most important are the most extensive oceanographic, natural-scientific, ethnographic, and linguistic studies that are still a source of important information for scientists, as well as the first experience in long-distance sea navigation, which opened a series of circumnavigation of the first half of the XIX century.

The Presidential Library\s portal also features other rare and interesting works dedicated to the expedition: an album with archival illustrations “Around the World with Krusenstern”, a collection “Russian World Travel. From Krusenstern to Sedov, essay Admiral I. Krusenstern, the first Russian navigator around the world” (1873), etc.