Dmitrijus Dovgiala – paskutinysis Vilniaus archeografijos komisijos pirmininkas (1903–1915)
Dmitrij Dovgjallo – The Last Chairman of the Vilnius Archaeographic Commission (1903–1915)

Summary/Abstract: Throughout its existence (1864–1915), the Vilnius Commission for the Study and Publication of Old Acts, more commonly known as the Vilnius Archaeographic Commission, had seven leaders. The last of them was Dmitrij Dovgjallo (Lith. Daugėla; 1868–1942), appointed on 2 September 1913. The word “last” is a fateful one in Dovgjallo’s biography: he was also the last director (archivist) of the Central Archive of Old Act Books of the Vitebsk and Mogilev Governorates in Vitebsk, which closed in 1903. In addition, he served as the last chairman of the Temporary Commission for the Creation and Management of the Vilnius Public Library and Its Associated Museum. The aim of this article is to reconstruct the 13 years of Dovgjallo’s life spent in Vilnius, drawing on previously unused archival documents as well as little-studied printed sources (especially Dovgjallo’s opinion pieces) while also paying attention to the earlier period of his archival and archaeographic work in Vitebsk. Officially, Dovgjallo presented himself as a man of learning – an archivist, archaeographer, historian, and geographer – but in Vilnius he was most active as an opinion writer and public figure. His writing is characterised by strong empathy and resounding Great Russian rhetoric. He readily engaged in the activities of both state-supported secular societies and religious associations, in most of which he held leadership positions. As an active member of the Vilnius Holy Spirit Brotherhood, he also participated in numerous other initiatives, such as the founding of the Count Mikhail Muravyov Museum (he genuinely supported the idea of this institution from the very beginning) and the inauguration ceremonies of the monument to Empress Catherine II (1904); he also served as a member of the Council of the Church of the Transfer of the Relics of St. Nicholas (elected in 1912). In 1913, he took part in the commemorations of the fiftieth anniversary of the suppression of the 1863–1864 uprising, the 300th anniversary of the accession of the House of Romanov, and the consecration of the Church of St. Constantine and St. Michael (also known as the Romanov Church). The commemoration of historically and religiously significant dates via excursions and lectures was likewise an integral part of his pedagogical work at the Vilnius Realschule. Dovgjallo’s biography offers an inside view of the everyday life of the Russian cultural (scholarly) elite in Vilnius: the nuances of archival and archaeographic work, professional relationships (both collegial and hierarchical), domestic and financial affairs, and incentive mechanisms (the system of bonuses). He stood out from his colleagues for his pronounced rationality – he pursued a position (often several at once) only after carefully weighing its financial benefits. Such practicality contrasts with the idealism he proclaimed in his writings and the pathos he expressed regarding his personal contribution to restoring historical truth in the North-Western Province. Dovgjallo’s career in Vilnius reached its peak of prominence in 1913 with his appointment as chairman of the Vilnius Archaeographic Commission. He became acutely aware of how important, strategic, and politicised this position was one year into his tenure, on 17 July 1914, when the institution celebrated its 50th anniversary. The Vilnius Archaeographic Commission – and its head, first and foremost – received congratulations both in person and by telegram from across the empire’s political, scholarly, educational, and cultural domains, as well as the Orthodox Church. The essence of these messages is best captured in a telegram from the rector of the Imperial Moscow University, historian Matvei Liubavskii (1860–1936), in which the institution led by Dovgjallo was praised not only for its work “in the name of scholarship”, but also for its work “in the name of the Russian national cause in the Western Province”. For this reason, the title of this article names Dovgjallo as the last chairman of the Vilnius Archaeographic Commission above all (despite him having held other positions in Vilnius), whose purpose was to use historical documents to substantiate the “legitimate” claim on the North-Western Province made by Russia. In 1915, Dovgjallo’s career in Vilnius collapsed. He was forced to involve himself directly in the evacuation of cultural property, his colleagues, and himself; he also took part in the final meetings of Russian societies in Vilnius. It is unknown whether in the next couple of years the values he publicly proclaimed in Vilnius began to change in light of the new political reality. One thing is clear: his skills as an archivist and archaeographer helped him survive for at least some time. Dovgjallo was the only hereditary nobleman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to hold such a high position in the Vilnius Educational District; he was a descendant of a family whose members had held important offices in the old Lithuanian state. Thus, unlike the vast majority of his colleagues, he was a “local”. After the 1863–1864 uprising, it was especially difficult for officials of such heritage to establish themselves within the administrative structures of the North-Western Province, but every other detail of Dovgjallo’s biography was impeccable: he was the grandson, son, and sibling of Orthodox priests and an alumnus of an Orthodox theological seminary and academy. The importance he may have attached to his Lithuanian noble origin – especially once he settled in the former capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – will remain a mystery. The only tangible indication that it was not entirely insignificant is a large bundle of documents from the Daugėla Family of the Lida district (the oldest dating to 1585), preserved in the Manuscript Department of the Vilnius University Library in Dovgjallo’s personal collection. Nevertheless, the printed sources show no particular interest in the history of his family, and for now, one should avoid categorical statements on how “he traced his lineage to the nobles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania” or that “he was proud to be descended from Lithuanian nobles”. The same caution applies when evaluating Dovgjallo’s relations with the Lithuanian community of Vilnius.

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