Khmyrov, Mikhail Dmitrievich

A descendant of an old noble family of the Tula province . Born in the village of Lokotki, Glukhovsky district, Chernihiv province , September 1, 1830. He was brought up in the 1st Moscow Cadet Corps , where his father served as a teacher, and, as one of the best pupils in success, he was released in 1848 as an ensign of the Life Guard in the Izmailovsky Regiment .

In his own words, “he began to print involuntarily, writing a poem on the order of the cadet authorities on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the service and life of Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich ”, published without the knowledge and without the consent of the author in the “ Journal of military educational institutions ” in 1848; it was put to music by G. D. Lomakin and then published separately. In 1849, Khmyrov took part in the Hungarian campaign . In 1850, he wrote a poem, caused by the 50th anniversary of the service of Emperor Nicholas in the Izmailovsky Regiment, and this gave the author-ensign the rank of second lieutenant (1850). April 20, 1851 he was seconded to the 1st Moscow Corps as a tutor of mathematical sciences; freed in this way from military service, he got the opportunity to turn to the lessons of Russian history, to which, in his own words, had an “internal attraction”. However, already on November 28, 1852, Khmyrov received an order to return to his regiment; in 1854 he was promoted to lieutenant and during the Crimean War was part of the troops guarding the St. Petersburg coast.

In 1858, following his attraction to historical works, Khmyrov planned, according to his biographer P.A. Efremov , to write the history of the regiment in which he served, and obtained permission to work both in the archives of the Izmailovsky regiment and in other Petersburg and Moscow archives . Since 1860, began to print historical articles.

Speaking of Khmyrov, one cannot but mention his rich library, for the compilation of which he did not spare his meager earnings; it consisted of 12 thousand issues of magazines and clippings of them alone and was acquired in 1873 through the mediation of S. N. Shubinsky (for 3000 rubles) for the History Museum in Moscow . However, the receipt included only about three thousand editions, the so-called “Khmyrov's portfolios” were of the greatest value: 832 folders with thematically selected (over 300 topics) clippings. The portfolio with materials for the bibliographic dictionary “Russian People” was of great value. Khmyrov’s library was the first entry into the funds of the Russian Historical Museum.

Unsecured financially, existing only in literary earnings, Khmyrov at the end of his life was in great need and even had to sell his library in parts, which enthralled such a connoisseur of book business, like P. A. Efremov, and was always cordially open to everyone who wished for it to do. He owed about 800 rubles for an apartment to the famous breeder and publisher of the Stock Exchange Vedomosti, V. A. Poletika , in whose house he lived for several years on Mokhovaya Street in Moscow . The flight demanded a receipt from the debtor, presented it for recovery, and the Khmyrov library was threatened with a sale under the hammer, but a loan of A. A. Kraevsky in the amount of 800 rubles temporarily saved him from paying the debt. True financial situation from this has not improved. Left alone (his wife and children went to the village with her relatives) he only ate tea with jelly bought in a small shop.

Private assistance could not support Khmyrov, a breakdown appeared, and on November 27, 1872, after a three-month serious illness, he died in St. Petersburg from a transient brain inflammation, leaving the family only a ruble of money from the welfare given to him by the Literary Fund. Khmyrov was buried in the Sytinsky graveyard of the Kashirsky district of the Tula province .

His friends (P.A. Efremov, S.N. Shubinsky ) buried him with the money collected in a crumble. Here is how his friend P. A. Efremov characterizes Khmyrov:

And here is the opinion of S. N. Shubinsky:

His first historical work was an article in Breaking Dawn of 1860 (No. 1, 2, 8, and 9) - Countess Golovkina and her time, published in 1867 as a separate edition, with corrections and additions. At the beginning of 1861, in order to have more time for his favorite activities, Khmyrov resigned with the rank of staff captain , "aware of the possibility of literary work," as he later wrote in his autobiography. Then Khmyrov published three detailed essays on the life of Russian writers: A. P. Bunina , M. A. Pospelova and E. B. Kulman (Dawn, 1861, Nos. 11 and 12), the article “ Ksenia Borisovna Godunova ” (ib. , 1862, No. 3 and 4) and a translation from the French genuine note by Biron : “Circumstances Preparing the Disgrace of E. I. Biron, Duke of Courland” ( Vremya , 1861, No. 1), providing his translation with an appendix of extensive and valuable notes. In 1862, in the Russian World (Nos. 2 and 3), his article “ Gustav Biron , Regent's Brother” was published, later reprinted with additions in the 2nd book of the “XVIII Century” by P. I. Bartenev . Then the activities of Khmyrov become wider; for example, he placed many articles of geographical, historical, biographical, and genealogical content in the Encyclopedic Dictionary (vols. I, IV, and VI), in the literary publication Northern Lights (1862–1865), and a number of very valuable, comprehensive biographies in the " Portrait Gallery of Münster " (1865-1667); in the “ Artillery Journal ” of 1865-1867, Khmyrov published articles of military-historical content (“Artillery and Artillerymen in Pre-Petrine Rus”, 1865, No. 9) and biographies of the first three Russian generals-feldzeichmeisters - Alexander Imeretinsky , Y. V. Bruce and I. I. Gunther (1866, No. 1-5), collaborated in The Book Herald , Domestic Notes (Earl Lestok, 1866), The Russian Archive , The Picturesque Collection , and other periodicals. Moreover, a lot of historical materials with explanations and notes by Khmyrov are placed in Russian Antiquity . Of the individual publications, it is necessary to mention Khmelov’s compilation (but not completed) and originally attached to Genkel ’s calendars “Alphabetical and Inventory List of Russian Princes and Members of the Romanov Dynasty ” (St. Petersburg, 1871), which, according to K. N. Bestuzhev-Ryumin , He introduced several new data into historical science, for the author faithfully went through all the chronicles for his work. In 1869, Khmyrov, together with P. A. Efremov, published the comic “Complete and Comprehensive Collection of Jokes of Four Fools: Balakirev , D'Acosta , Pedrillo and Kulkovsky ” (St. Petersburg). Already after the death of Khmyrov, a collection of his historical articles was published (St. Petersburg, 1873), as well as his work (supplemented and corrected by K. A. Skalkovsky ) - “Metals, metal products and minerals in ancient Russia. Materials for the history of Russian mining ”, St. Petersburg, 1875, - the fruit of long studies in the archives of the Mining Department of the Ministry of the Interior, an essay met with great sympathy; then several materials reported from his papers were placed in the Russian Antiquity of M. I. Semevsky, Ancient and New Russia and the Historical Bulletin . Including many publications under the general heading “From the papers of M. D. Khmyrov” was carried out by S. N. Shubinsky: “Difficulties in commemoration of Peter III ”; "The poetic petition of the court singers Crane and the Circle, filed by Tsarina Catherine I "; "The list of the Duchess of Courland Anna Ivanovna in a loan from Ober-Hoffmeister Pyotr Bestuzhev ", etc.

The pointers made by Khmyrov to all published “Notes on the Time of Catherine II ”, extensive amendments to 8 volumes of the Dictionary of Memorable Russian People by Bantysh-Kamensky and notes and additions to 4 volumes of the “Russian Genealogy Book” of Prince P. V. Dolgorukov did not see the light of day genealogy, in the field of which Khmyrov collected the richest materials, as well as additions to the “History of the Russian Hierarchy” by Ambrose, a large collection of inscriptions from tombstones and a lot of materials from archives in all branches of knowledge.

Khmyrov’s favorite dream throughout his life was to compile an Encyclopedia of Homeland Studies, that is, a detailed dictionary of everything that was just written about Russia. All kinds of information about our country should have been included in this dictionary: about its history, geography, statistics of ethnography, trade, industry, etc. Unfortunately, this idea, for the achievement of which Khmyrov has already collected a lot of materials, has not been implemented, and only the publication program, reported by S. N. Shubinsky in “Russian Antiquity” (1873, v. VII), has survived. Khmyrova also occupied a great deal and the idea of ​​compiling a bibliographic index to Russian periodicals of the past tense; he submitted to the Academy of Sciences a draft of a similar index from 1755 to 1866, but the Academy, due to its vastness, refused to publish it.

• Localism and ranks ( St. Petersburg , 1862)
• Marina Mnishek : Historical Overview ( St. Petersburg , 1862)
• Sagittarius and the first streltsy rebellion with a schismatic rebellion: Historical outline ( St. Petersburg , 1863)
• Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh (1053-1125) : Historical and Biographical Essay ( St. Petersburg , 1863)
• Andrei Yuryevich Bogolyubsky : Essay on Russian History of the 12th Century ( St. Petersburg , 1863)
• Fedor Borisovich Godunov (1589-1605) : Historical and Biographical Essay ( St. Petersburg , 1863)
• The election and accession to the kingdom of Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov : Historical outline ( St. Petersburg , 1863)
• Portrait Gallery of Russian Figures ( St. Petersburg , 1864-1865) In collaboration with A. E. Munster .
• Artillery and gunners in pre-Petrine Rus: Historical and characteristic essay ( St. Petersburg , 1865)
• Countess Ekaterina Ivanovna Golovkina and her time (1701-1791) ( St. Petersburg , 1867)
• Gustav Biren, brother of the Regent ( St. Petersburg , 1869)
• Alphabetical reference list of Russian sovereigns and the most remarkable persons of their blood ( St. Petersburg , 1870)
• Alphabetical reference list of the specific princes of Russia and members of the Romanov reigning house : Half the 1st (A — I) ( St. Petersburg , 1871)
• Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky, Grand Duke of Vladimir and All Russia : Historical and Biographical Essay ( St. Petersburg , 1871)
• The beginning of Moscow and its fate until the death of Ivan I Kalita (1147–1340) : Historical outline ( St. Petersburg , 1871)
• First Tatars invasion of Russia in 1224 : Essay on Russian and Mongol manners of the 13th century ( St. Petersburg , 1871)
• The First Residents of the Russian Land and the Origin of the Russian State : A Historical and Critical Essay ( St. Petersburg , 1871)
• Svyatoslav I Igorevich, Grand Duke of Kiev and All Russia : Historical and Characteristic Essay ( St. Petersburg , 1871)
• Metals, metal products and minerals in ancient Russia: Materials for the history of Russian mining ( St. Petersburg , 1875)

• Rudakov V.E. Khmyrov // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Modzalevsky B.L. Khmyrov, Mikhail Dmitrievich // Russian Biographical Dictionary : 25 vol. / Under the supervision of A. A. Polovtsov. 1896-1918.
• Glinsky B. B. , “Sergey Nikolaevich Shubinsky. 1834-1913. " Biographical sketch. - Historical Bulletin, 1913 , June, pp. 3 - 93.