Herzegovina in the “Turkish Empire”. The Russian Consul A. N. Kudryavtsev about the life of the region in the 1860s

Abstract

The present article dwells upon an unpublished essay about the Ottoman province of Herzegovina in the 19th century. The author of this text is a Russian consul in Mostar Alexei N. Kudryavtsev. The essay was written in 1867 and probably should have been included into the book “The Turkish Empire”. There are several evidences about the existence of this book, however it has not been found yet. Kudryavtsev’s essay embraces a wide range of problems of Herzegovina in the 19th century. It deals with the geography, ethnography and statistics, history of the region, as well as provides a general overview of trade, industry and communication routes in Herzegovina in 1866. The text is stored in the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire and is being published for the first time. Kudryavtsev’s essay tells us about the situation in Herzegovina and its problems. The consul gives a brief description of each area of Herzegovina. The description of trade relations is particularly important. The Consul provides a detailed list of imported and exported goods with an indication of their value. The article might be of interest to researchers focusing on the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the activities of the Russian Foreign Ministry, and on the economic history and ethnography of the Balkan peoples.

Received: 05.07.2021.

Acknowledgements
The study was funded by Russian Foundation for Basic Research and National Science Foundation of Bulgaria, project no 20-59-18004.

Citation
Melchakova K. V. Herzegovina in the “Turkish Empire”. The Russian Consul A. N. Kudryavtsev about the life of the region in the 1860s // Slavic Almanac. 2021. No 3–4. P. 50–75 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073- 5731.2021.3-4.1.03