Diary of Stepan Lashkevych. 1771–1772

Abstract

The article is devoted to Stepan Lashkevych’s diary (1734–1782), an important historical source and a significant document of Ukrainian culture in the 18th century. Stepan Lashkevych, who belonged to the Ukrainian elite of the Starodub Regiment of the Hetmanate, kept his diary during 1768–1782. The manuscript of the diary was kept in the archive of his descendants, one of whom, Oleksandr Lashkevych (1842–1889), a public figure and history enthusiast, intended to publish this valuable text. The number of manuscripts was transferred to the Southwestern Department of the Russian Geographical Society in Kyiv, and the rest were given to the editorial office of the historical journal “Kievskaia starina” (Kyiv Antiquity), where Fedir Nikolaychyk researched and prepared it for publication. In the 19th century, it was not possible to publish Stepan Lashkevych’s diary, in whole or in part. Only an article by Fedir Nikolaychyk reviewing the content of the diary was published. The original manuscript was lost, but a copy of a fragment of the diary from 1771–1772 with comments by Fedir Nikolaychyk has been preserved and is published in our article. The scientific community’s awareness of this text will contribute to expanding the understanding of researchers of early modern Ukrainian history about the everyday life of the elites of the Hetmanate at a time when it was increasingly integrated into the political, economic, and socio-cultural structures of the Russian Empire. Stepan Lashkevych’s diary also contains important evidence about the economic activities of Ukrainian elites (management of estates, participation in trade, etc), their cultural interests, such as, interest in literature, social and political processes and events (the Russian-Turkish war of 1768–1774, the plague epidemic). Stepan Lashkevych’s diary will also be valuable material for sociolinguistic studies, as it provides an opportunity to study the linguistic culture of Ukrainian elites of the second half of the 18th century (Stepan Lashkevych made entries in his diary in a language close to spoken Ukrainian).