Историкът Гаврил Кръстевич
The Historian Gavril Krustevich

Summary/Abstract: The article follows the literary steps left by the historian Gavril Krustevich (1818–1898) in Bulgarian National Revival historiography and looks for an answer to the question, which has practically not been posed so far, of his place in the system of our national historiography of the time of the last few decades preceding the Liberation. The analysis centres on the series of historical articles published by Krustevich in the National Revival press, his well-known book “Bulgarian History. Volume I”, as well as the next two volumes of this work which cover the history of the First Bulgarian Kingdom, have been preserved in manuscript form (778 pp.) and are kept in the Archival Department of the Sts Cyril and Methodius National Library. The fundamental conceptions of this National Revival man of letters on our mediaeval past are set forth. It is proved that Krustevich’s studies in this sphere came close to the best models of our scientific historiography of the National Revival period: the works of M. Drinov and S. Palaouzov. They were based on an extensive source foundation and took into consideration achievements of the Slavistic studies of the time and many of the ideas predominant in the historical literature of the first half of the 19th century. The interest of Krustevich in the history of the Bulgarians of the 15th – 17th c., which was not typical of the majority of other historians of the National Revival period, is illustrated. Some aspects of the scholar’s notions of the National Revival period are also considered. The last part of the article is dedicated to the historical-methodological ideas of G. Krustevich. The analysis of his most general views on the nature of history and the directions of the civilization processes show that G.Krustevich’s historical heritage was undoubtedly connected with the spirit and traditions of national romanticism, but if was equally linked also to the ideological values of the Enlightenment. The established characteristic of “romantic historian” is not only incomplete but inaccurate as well. In his historical texts in a unique fashion are intertwined many of the ideas born from the Renaissance admiration of the human personality, the homage of the Enlightenment to the strength of the mind and the romantic enthusiast for the all-national ideals. At the same time as regards the chosen form of narration his method of work with the sources, the language and style of his historical works, Krustevich stood very close to the generally recognized representatives of the “scientific current” in our National Revival historiography. His omission in this field were the result of the fact that he, unlike Drinov and Palaouzov, had no opportunity to receive solid schooling at the European universities, if the fact that his occupation with history was outside his principal professional work is also taken into account, his contribution to the historiography of the Bulgarian 19th century should be highly appraised. Surely it was not accidental that his contemporaries considered him the best Bulgarian historian living and working within the confines of the Ottoman Empire.

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