Shishkin Papers

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. Literary manuscripts include one of the Russian author, Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, (1809-1852) Russian author.

N.P. Shishkin served in the diplomatic service of the Russian Imperial Government. 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

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

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

This collection was purchased by the University of Birmingham in 1973.

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the University Archivist, 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 Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult.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.

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 emigr. 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.

Further deposits are not expected.

University of Birmingham Information Services, Special Collections Department also holds the papers of Sir John Elijah Blunt (GB 150 MS46), which relate to consular and diplomatic relations in the Balkans in the same period, and the Letters of Prince Vasily Alexandrovich Dolgorukov (GB 150 VD), a devout supporter of the Russian Imperial family.