Слідча справа історика Олексія Маркевича і репресивні заходи проти розгортання українського національного руху в Одесі на зламі ХІХ–ХХ ст.

Abstract

The purpose of the article is presentаеd in detail the facts from the life of the Odesa historian and public fi gure of the 19th century Oleksii Markevych, through the coverage of the circumstances of the scientist’s life. In particular, the events related to the criminal prosecution for the attempt to smuggle illegal literature show how such repressive measures hampered the development of the Ukrainian movement in Odesa. This research is based on sources are stored in the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Kyiv. The research methodology: the synchronous method was used, which made it possible to compare episodes of biographical history with the contexts of the formation and development of the Ukrainian movement; thanks to the comparative method, it was shown how the defeat of the Ukrainian movement in the 1870s negatively aff ected the socio-political processes in Odessa in the 1890s, and the circumstances in which scientists had to work are compared – between the liberalization of public life in the Habsburg Empire, where the free publication of books including literature in the Ukrainian language was allowed, and the strengthening of the repressive actions in the Russian Empire, where such literature was considered prohibited. Scientifi c novelty: the documents stored in the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Kyiv about the prosecution of O. Markevych for attempting to transport literature prohibited by the censorship authorities have signifi cant scientifi c value. In the investigative and pre-trial materials of the case, there is a lot of biographical data, both collected during the proceedings by gendarmerie offi cials, and given personally by the scientist during the testimony. Documents contain important information from diff erent periods of the O. Markevych life and give an opportunity to see the social and political background in which he lived. The analysis of documents stored in the funds of the Gendarmerie Department of Odesa and the Prosecutor of the Odesa Judicial Chamber also shows the cultural life of Odesa and the social life of university circles of that time, through the prism of the historian biography. Correspondence with M. Hrushevsky is an important evidence of connections not only between the scientists themselves, but also between various centres of the Ukrainian movement. Conclusions: the information presented in the article complements our knowledge about the social and scientifi c activities of O. Markevych as a prominent representative of the Odesa community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The information presented in the article is of great importance for the study of the history of Odessa University and the scientists who worked there. In a broader context, the article shows the state of development of the Ukrainian movement in Odesa at the end of the 19th century, the role and place of this center for formulating the political tasks of the movement, and through the personal connections of Professor O. Markevich – the connection with representatives of the Ukrainian movement in Chernihiv, Kyiv and Galicia.