Memory. Alexander Baranov

On February 14, 1746, the merchant Alexander Baranov, the first ruler of Russian America, was born.

Personal business

Alexander Andreevich Baranov (1746-1818) was born in the Kargopol of the Olonets province in the Posad family, where, in addition to him, there were three more children: Peter, Evdokia and Vassa. There was little information about the childhood and youth of Alexander Baranov. It is known that he studied with literacy with a local clerk and, from an early age, began to help his father in the conduct of trade affairs, went to Moscow, Petersburg, to the Makaryevsky and Ladoga Assumption Fair. At the age of 15 he left his family and tried to get out of his business in Moscow. He signed up in merchants, traded in Moscow and St. Petersburg, mainly Siberian furs. For the age of majority, he married Matren Aleksandrovna Markova with two young children on the merchant widow.

Until 1780, he was engaged in trade and industrial operations in Kargopol and beyond: in the Olonets province, Moscow, St. Petersburg. In the “Kargopol city philistine book (1786-1788)” there is a record: “Alexander Andreev Baranov, the son of a mushroom, has a house built in the 1st part in the 1st quarter of a planned building under No. 12”.

In 1780, Baranov moved to Siberia and, together with his wife Matrena and younger brother Peter, settles in Irkutsk. First, he controlled the glass factory and brewery by the merchants V.I. Sitnikova and A.E. Polevoy, engaged in official contracts and supplies. Later he took up the winery and began to sell alcohol in Yakutia, where it was delivered from the state -owned Alexander, Nikolaev and Ilgin District Vino -Koured Plants. In addition to the content of the winery, an entrepreneurial merchant was engaged in trade and fur fishing, making business trips to remote Siberian districts and Yakutia.

In 1784, in the company with the scientist E.G. Laxman he arranges his own glass factory on the Taltsinka River. Soon another factory was opened, vodka. He organized several commercial expeditions to northeast of Asia and Alaska.

For articles about Siberia in 1787, Baranov was elected an honorary member of the Imperial Free Economic Society.

In May 1790, Baranov on trade affairs came to Okhotsk, where he met Grigory Shelikhov, who was called Russian Columbus, since he created a company for fur and St. John's wort on the northern islands of the Pacific Ocean in 1775 and founded the first Russian settlements there.

Already in August, Baranov accepted Shelikhov’s proposal to head his “North-Eastern Company” (in 1799 reorganized at the “Russian-American company”) and became the first main ruler of Russian America in North America.

Shelikhov and Baranov concluded the following agreement: “We, the lower signature, Rylsky eminent citizen Grigory Ivanov, son Shelikhov, Kargopol merchant, Irkutsk guest Alexander Andreev son of Baranov, decided this agreement on being, Baranov in the settlements of the American at the disposal and management of the northeastern company, located there located ...”.

As the head of Russian settlements, he contributed to the research and colonization of territories that adjoined the Pacific coast of North-West America, founded many settlements there. Under the leadership of Baranov, the commercial activity of the Russian-American company increased significantly, the volumes of Pacific trade increased. In addition to the crafts, industry also developed - the beginning of shipbuilding, copper -smelting and mining of coal in Russian America was laid, a school in Alaska was organized.

Baranov’s activity as the chief ruler of Russian America was highly appreciated by the government. He is awarded the title of commerce of an adviser, awarded orders.

For more than 28 years, Baranov spent in this post. In recent years, due to shaken health, he repeatedly sent petitions about replacement, but only in January 1818 did the new ruler arrive. The surrender of cases took almost six months and only in November Baranov was able to sail to his homeland. On the way, he fell ill.

Alexander Baranov died on the road on April 28 according to the new style of 1819 on the Kutuzov ship near the island of Java.

What is famous

The name of Alexander Baranov, who became legendary in the history of Alaska, is connected by a whole era of the life of Russian America. For almost 30 years, Alexander Baranov was the head of Russian settlements in North America. He founded the majority of Russian settlements in Alaska, including Novoarkhangelsk (since 1867 - Sitka) and transferred the administrative center of Russian America from Irkutsk. Thanks to his energy and administrative abilities, the trade relations of Russian settlements with California, the Hawaiian Islands and China expanded significantly; New settlements were created, a number of expeditions were equipped to examine the areas of the Pacific coast.

What you need to know about

Alexander Baranov sought with all his might to strengthen the peaceful relations of Russian colonists with local natives - Aleuts, Eskimos, Indians. It was during the years of Baranovsky rule in Russian America that landscaped settlements, shipbuilding shipments, workshops, schools, and hospitals were created. Building was encouraged, gardening, cattle breeding. The marriages of Russians with representatives of the local population and by 1816 in Russian America were already included more than 300 creolas - children from mixed marriages.

The Russian-American company tried to educate children from mixed marriages. They were taught not only on the islands, but also in Okhotsk, Yakutsk, Irkutsk and even sent to St. Petersburg. As a rule, they all returned to their native places to serve the company.

Baranov himself was married to a second marriage to the daughter of the leader of the Indian tribe and had three children from her - a son and two daughters.

Direct speech

Yu.F. Lisyansky about Baranov: “By its talents, all respect deserves ... The Russian-American company cannot have the best boss in America ...”.

G.I. Davydov, an officer of the Navy of the Russian-American company about Baranov: “The firmness of his spirit and the most always the presence of reason is the reason that the wild without love for him respect him, and the glory of the name Baranov thunders between all the barbaric peoples inhabiting the north-west shores of America to the Strait of Juan de Fuka. Even those living in remoteness sometimes come to watch him, and marvel that such enterprising things can be performed by a person so small. Growth rams below the average, white-combined, carny and has very meaningful facial features that are not applied either by labors or years, although he is already the 56th year. ”

The government messenger Nikolai Rozanov about Baranov: “I will tell you, gracious sovereigns, that the rams are a very original and, moreover, a happy work of nature. His name is loud throughout the western shore to California itself. The Bostonians revere him and respect him, and the natives from the farthest places offer him their friendship. The true patriot will fully appreciate him ... "

8 facts about Alexander Baranov:

• Initially, his surname was written Boranov. Only after 1780 he began to write his surname as Baranov.
• For “... His zeal to the establishment, approval and expansion of Russian trade in America” In 1799, Emperor Paul I awarded Baranov with a name medal on the tape of St. Vladimir. This was the first nominal gold medal in Russian history, granted to the face from the merchant class. In 1806, Baranov was awarded the Order of St. Anna of the 2nd degree for the reflection of the raids of the Indians Kolosh.
• Baranov called himself “Pisarro Russian”, comparing with Francisco Pizarro, the Spanish conquistador.
• Alexander Baranov was distinguished by impeccable honesty and selflessness. “When passing cases, all company property, which was considered, was found not only in the most perfect order, but even in an amount exceeded the inventories. The sizes of unexpected excess are impressive, expected to find property for 4,800,000 rubles, and it was found for seven million. All ill -wishers who spread rumors for many years that Baranov was enriched with quietly, instantly bite their tongues ... "
• By order of Baranov in 1812, Fort Ross in California was founded to supply Alaska in California - the southern Russian settlement in North America. The name Fort Ross is a literal translation into English of the Russian name "Ross fortress". According to some reports, the Indians allowed the Russians to use the Earth to create a fortress for three blankets, three pairs of pants, two axes, three hoes and several threads of beads.
• Alexander Baranov does not have a grave. He fell ill and died on the Kutuza ship on the way to his homeland and his body was lowered into the waters of the Indian Ocean.
• In Alaska, the name of Baranov is the island, river, lake, museum in the personnel and hotel in the current capital - Juno.
• In 1989, a monument to Baranov was erected in Sitka. Another monument was erected to its 250th anniversary in Kargopol in 1997.

Materials about Alexander Baranov:

The first chief ruler of Russian America

Baranov Alexander Andreevich. Biography on the website of Kargopol

Article about Alexander Baranov in Irkipedia

Article about Alexander Baranov on Wikipedia