Shishkin Papers

Scope and Content

Papers of Nikolai Pavlovich Shishkin comprising material relating to Balkan, Near Eastern and Far-Eastern affairs, 1834-1902; Shishkin's identification documents including passports and visas, 1880-1914; miscellaneous items, 1826-1898; correspondence, 1859-1902; literary manuscripts, 1796-1892. The literary manuscripts include one of the Russian author, Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, (1809-1852).

Administrative / Biographical History

Nikolai Pavlovich Shishkin served in the diplomatic service of the Russian Imperial Government. He was Consul in Belgrade from 1863; Diplomatic Agent and Consul General in Belgrade, 1868-1875; Envoy in the United States of America, 1875-1880; Envoy in Greece, 1880-1884; Envoy in Sweden and Norway, 1884-1891; Deputy Foreign Minister, 1891-1897; Administrator and Temporary Administrator of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 1891-1897.

Reference: Finding aid to the Shishkin Papers

Arrangement

The collection is arranged by theme and document type and chronologically within. Some of the correspondence is arranged alphabetically.

Access Information

Open, access to all registered researchers.

Acquisition Information

This collection was purchased by the University of Birmingham in 1973

Other Finding Aids

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections. Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

Custodial History

The papers of Nikolai Pavlovich Shishkin were formerly in the possession of his granddaughter, the daughter of his son, Viktor, who was Russian consul in Liverpool in 1914. A literary agent heard about the archive and passed on information to Serge Wolff, a white Russian emigré. He realised the historical importance of these papers and undertook the task of arranging and cataloguing them and of finding a buyer. Through Wolff's friendship with Michael Glenny, a lecturer in the Centre for Russian and East European Studies, the University of Birmingham received early information of the prospective sale.

Related Material

University of Birmingham Information Services, Special Collections Department also holds the papers of Sir John Elijah Blunt (GB 0150 MS46), which relate to consular and diplomatic relations in the Balkans in the same period, and the Letters of Prince Vasily Alexandrovich Dolgorukov (GB 0150 VD), a devout supporter of the Russian Imperial family.