The work of the Brothers of Mercy detachment in the Russian-Tatar village Koshki of the Samara province during the famine of 1898

In 1898, large areas of the Russian Empire were engulfed by famine caused by the crop failure of 1897. The main areas of the disaster, which lasted for two years, were Novorossiya and the Volga provinces. These regions differed greatly in both their economic situation and the characteristics of the...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Grigoriy G. Tsidenkov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, Marjani Institute of History 2025-06-01
Series:Историческая этнология
Subjects:
Online Access:https://historicalethnology.org/news/en-2025-t10-n2-8/
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849426240152272896
author Grigoriy G. Tsidenkov
author_facet Grigoriy G. Tsidenkov
author_sort Grigoriy G. Tsidenkov
collection DOAJ
description In 1898, large areas of the Russian Empire were engulfed by famine caused by the crop failure of 1897. The main areas of the disaster, which lasted for two years, were Novorossiya and the Volga provinces. These regions differed greatly in both their economic situation and the characteristics of the disaster itself. In addition, during the period of instability and upheaval, the mentality of the local peoples became very distinct. These differences had a significant impact on the work of public charitable organizations helping those who were starving. The employees of such organizations were the first in Russia to begin collecting information about the national characteristics of the behavior of the starving population. In the spring of 1899, a detachment of six Brothers of Mercy, led by military doctor A.G. Nedler, arrived in the Koshki village in the Samara district of the Samara province. The Brothers of Mercy Institution was founded by Princess Maria Avgustovna Lobanova-Rostovskaya in St. Petersburg in 1897. This organization offered free two-month courses to train "assistants to the sisters of mercy". The Brothers of Mercy received their "baptism of fire" while working in the famine-stricken districts of the Kherson province in 1898. Their work in this region was considered successful, which is why the Brothers of Mercy were sent to a more difficult area in the Samara province. In the Koshki village the staff encountered a number of unforeseen problems caused by the national and religious characteristics of the mixed Russian-Tatar population of the village. Nevertheless, thanks to the endurance of the staff and the wise management of Lobanova-Rostova, the mission quickly adapted to local conditions and was able to carry out successful work.
format Article
id doaj-art-3a5ea237a1b74a45b1bf3fa5b8b0b3a4
institution Kabale University
issn 2619-1636
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, Marjani Institute of History
record_format Article
series Историческая этнология
spelling doaj-art-3a5ea237a1b74a45b1bf3fa5b8b0b3a42025-08-20T03:29:31ZengTatarstan Academy of Sciences, Marjani Institute of HistoryИсторическая этнология2619-16362025-06-01102282291https://doi.org/10.22378/he.2025-10-2.282-291The work of the Brothers of Mercy detachment in the Russian-Tatar village Koshki of the Samara province during the famine of 1898Grigoriy G. Tsidenkov0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8721-1446Cand. Sc. (Sociology), Associate Professor of the Department of Russian History and Archeology, Samara State University of Social Sciences and EducationIn 1898, large areas of the Russian Empire were engulfed by famine caused by the crop failure of 1897. The main areas of the disaster, which lasted for two years, were Novorossiya and the Volga provinces. These regions differed greatly in both their economic situation and the characteristics of the disaster itself. In addition, during the period of instability and upheaval, the mentality of the local peoples became very distinct. These differences had a significant impact on the work of public charitable organizations helping those who were starving. The employees of such organizations were the first in Russia to begin collecting information about the national characteristics of the behavior of the starving population. In the spring of 1899, a detachment of six Brothers of Mercy, led by military doctor A.G. Nedler, arrived in the Koshki village in the Samara district of the Samara province. The Brothers of Mercy Institution was founded by Princess Maria Avgustovna Lobanova-Rostovskaya in St. Petersburg in 1897. This organization offered free two-month courses to train "assistants to the sisters of mercy". The Brothers of Mercy received their "baptism of fire" while working in the famine-stricken districts of the Kherson province in 1898. Their work in this region was considered successful, which is why the Brothers of Mercy were sent to a more difficult area in the Samara province. In the Koshki village the staff encountered a number of unforeseen problems caused by the national and religious characteristics of the mixed Russian-Tatar population of the village. Nevertheless, thanks to the endurance of the staff and the wise management of Lobanova-Rostova, the mission quickly adapted to local conditions and was able to carry out successful work.https://historicalethnology.org/news/en-2025-t10-n2-8/famine of 1898samara provincedetachment of the brothers of mercyrussianstatars
spellingShingle Grigoriy G. Tsidenkov
The work of the Brothers of Mercy detachment in the Russian-Tatar village Koshki of the Samara province during the famine of 1898
Историческая этнология
famine of 1898
samara province
detachment of the brothers of mercy
russians
tatars
title The work of the Brothers of Mercy detachment in the Russian-Tatar village Koshki of the Samara province during the famine of 1898
title_full The work of the Brothers of Mercy detachment in the Russian-Tatar village Koshki of the Samara province during the famine of 1898
title_fullStr The work of the Brothers of Mercy detachment in the Russian-Tatar village Koshki of the Samara province during the famine of 1898
title_full_unstemmed The work of the Brothers of Mercy detachment in the Russian-Tatar village Koshki of the Samara province during the famine of 1898
title_short The work of the Brothers of Mercy detachment in the Russian-Tatar village Koshki of the Samara province during the famine of 1898
title_sort work of the brothers of mercy detachment in the russian tatar village koshki of the samara province during the famine of 1898
topic famine of 1898
samara province
detachment of the brothers of mercy
russians
tatars
url https://historicalethnology.org/news/en-2025-t10-n2-8/
work_keys_str_mv AT grigoriygtsidenkov theworkofthebrothersofmercydetachmentintherussiantatarvillagekoshkiofthesamaraprovinceduringthefamineof1898
AT grigoriygtsidenkov workofthebrothersofmercydetachmentintherussiantatarvillagekoshkiofthesamaraprovinceduringthefamineof1898