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Bulgarian and Polish Questions in I.S. Aksakov's Perception (Based on the Materials of the Newspapers ‘Moskva’ and ‘Moskvich’ (1867–1868))

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.37816/2073‑9567‑2026‑79‑169‑182
  • УДК / UDC: 821.161.1.0
  • Publication Type: Research Article
  • For Citation:

    Lunkova, N.A. “Bulgarian and Polish Questions in I.S. Aksakov's Perception (Based on the Materials of the Newspapers ‘Moskva’ and ‘Moskvich’ (1867–1868)).” Vestnik slavianskikh kul’tur, vol. 79, 2026, pp. 169–182. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.37816/2073‑9567‑2026‑79‑169‑182 
  • Author 1: Natalia A. Lunkova
  • Information about the Author 1:

    Natalia A. Lunkova — Junior Researcher, Institute of History, St. Petersburg State University, Mendeleevskaya Line, 5, 199034 St. Peters‑ burg, Russia; Junior Researcher, Institute of Slavic Studies, Russian Academy of Sci‑ ences, Leninskii Ave, 32 A, 119334 Moscow.

    ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000‑0001‑9193‑3890

    E‑mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
  • Abstract: This paper analyzes, based on the articles by I.S. Aksakov published in the newspapers “Moskva” and “Moskvich” (1867–1868), his perception of the Polish and Bulgarian national questions. An important factor in understanding the specifics of his views on the socio‑political life of Poles and Bulgarians was the idea of a unified Ortho‑ dox‑Slavic world, in which Eastern Christianity serves as the centripetal force. Aksakov labels the Poles as “enemies of Slavichood” and, unlike other Slavic Catholics, places them outside this unity. Attention is drawn to the fact that in the evaluation of the actions of Poles and Bulgarians — peoples fighting for national independence and opposing the ruling empires — Aksakov adopts opposing positions and employs different terms to describe their resistance: “rebellion” in the case of the Polish question, and “uprising” / “revival” regarding Bulgaria. The study demonstrates that within the context of the Pol‑ ish national idea, the concept of Polonization — an implicit, covert form of rebellion threatening the inhabitants of the Western Borderlands — is relevant, a point Aksakov first articulated in the newspaper “Den’”. Regarding the Bulgarian question, Aksakov also perceives two vectors of uprising: armed resistance and spiritual revival.
  • Keywords: Aksakov, Pan‑Slavism, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Bulgarian question, Polish question, nationalism, Russian social thought.
  • Funding Sources: The research was supported by Russian Science Foundation project no. 23‑78‑10045 “National Movements in the Optics of Imperial Legitimacy: Revolutions, Uprisings, Rebellions, and Revolts in Slavic Lands in the Rhetoric of Russian Authorities during the Long Nineteenth Century”.
  • Страницы / Pages: 169–182
  • Received: November 17, 2025
  • Approved after Reviewing: January 27, 2026
  • Publication Date: March 25, 2026

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