The 1876 Swedish expedition to the Yenisei

Abstract

The history of polar exploration has become an important matter in the context of modern competition for the possession of the Arctic and its resources. This leads to the necessity of studying the role of different nations in the exploration of the polar frontier - especially the Russian Arctic - to understand the contemporary geopolitical and economical issues. The main aim of the research is the study of the Swedish expedition to the Yenisei in 1876 under the command of Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld, focusing on its preparation, purposes, progress, and results. A complex of economical, political, geographical, and logistical matters has been reviewed based on new historical evidence of Russian and foreign origin. Methods used in the study: The author has used the comparative-historical and logical methods to identify the place of the Swedish expeditions in polar exploration and Arctic science, together with the economic impact of the 1876 expedition. Geographical and linguistic methods have been introduced during the data-collecting process, which included the study of maps and sources in XIX century foreign languages. Results: The investigation shows that the 1876 expedition was a dominantly scientific venture and should not be confused with commercial voyages through the Kara Sea of the same period. The article gives a new vision of Russian authorities in their effort of assisting the Swedish expedition; previously it had been thought that the Government took no part in the expedition. New archival materials have revealed the commercial results of the expedition, i.e. the number and assortment of goods, delivered to the Yenisei.

Keywords

• Northern Sea Route
• Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld
• Hjalmar Theel
• Estuary of the Yenisei
• Eniseyskaya guberniya
• Siberian studies