Page 30 - IJSA, Vol. 3, No 1, 2020

International Journal of Science Annals, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2020

V. Vernadsky had glorious ancestors who were devoted Father Ivan Vasylyovych (1821–1884) was born in
to Motherland and fought in B. Khmelnytsky’s host for Kyiv. He graduated from the University of
Ukraine’s independence and were in Zaporizhzhya Sich. St. Volodymyr where he later became a professor of
The Vernadsky family lead their genealogy from Ivan political economy and statistics, had a doctoral degree in
Nykyforovych Vernadsky (1729–1732 birth year – 1813 historical sciences (see Figure 1).
death year). After the liquidation of the Zaporizhzhya
Sich, he moved to Chernihiv province governorate.
There he was elected a priest in a large village of
Tserkovshchyna, Berezhansky district in Chernihiv
governorate. V. Vernadsky wrote such lines about his
great-grandfather: “He was a proud man, rather well-
educated ... however, he was a notorious despot both in
the family and in relations with others” (Vernadsky,
1988a, p. 18). This was clearly manifested in relation to
his son (V. I. Vernadsky’s grandfather) whom he
wanted to force to become a priest or a military man.
Grandfather, Vasyl Ivanovych Vernadsky, was a modest
man and sought to become a doctor. For his dream he
fled from home and came on foot to university in
Moscow. There he wandered heavily for some time
without money but subsequently made his way. Vasyl
Ivanovych graduated from Moscow Military Medical
Academy, received the title of military doctor. He also
went through a large number of military campaigns in
the armies of Suvorov and Kutuzov. During the war with
Napoleon he was captured, and this had significant
influence on him. However, he treated both Russians Figure 1. Ivan Vasylyovych Vernadsky (1821–1884),
and French in the hospital. For his humane attitude to father.
patients of various nationalities Napoleon Bonaparte
awarded Vasyl Ivanovych the Order of the Legion of Ivan Vernadsky believed that political economy had,
Honor of an officer degree (Sytnik & Bevz, 2017, p. 11). first of all, to study human needs and means of satisfying
Kateryna Yakivna (wife of Vasyl Ivanovych) was with them. He divided all needs into two parts: the desire for
her husband in military campaigns. V. Vernadsky wrote self-preservation and for improvement. The struggle of
about her: “Grandmother is Korolenko, she is from a these two needs creates, from Ivan Vernadsky’s point of
great family full of intellectual interests – like ours – not view, a human person. Undoubtedly these views had a
from the Cossack leaders but from the serving nobility” great influence on the development of the personality of
(Vernadsky, 2010). So, on his grandmother’s side his son Volodymyr.
Volodymyr Vernadsky was a relative of the writer Ivan Vernadsky was actively engaged in scientific and
Korolenko. social activities. It should be noted that he belonged to a
After the war Vasyl Vernadsky lived in Kyiv where he cohort of progressively thinking intelligentsia. He was
led an active life. He was a member of the circle of fluent in several European languages, highly valued
Masons whose head was Pilecki. The main idea culture and science. He was a supporter of the
professed by the members of the Order of Masons was introduction of democratic constitutional rule in the
the dream of creating a single human community: “The country. Five years before the abolition of serfdom, he
whole world is one big Republic.” The main Masonic gave free to his peasants (Vynohradova, 2020). In 1861,
slogan was: “Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood.” At the Vernadsky opposed landlord tenure and agrarianization
beginning of the XIX century Masonic lodges operated of the Russian Empire and the concept of “communal
in Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Odesa, Kharkiv, Poltava and Lviv. socialism” by Mykola Chernyshevsky. A controversy
Their members were representatives of the developed between them on the pages of the
intelligentsia: doctors, architects, writers, merchants and Sovremennik and Economichny Pokazhchyk magazines
representatives of senior-gentry families (Arkas, 2008). (Sytnik & Bevz, 2017).
The ideas of the Slavic Federation, in which Ukrainians The first wife of Ivan Vasylyovych was Mariya
would be equal among equals, were spread among Mykolayivna Shygayeva, the daughter of the famous
Ukrainian Masons. Also known was Kyiv “Lodge of the Russian economist Mykola Shygayev. She was the first
United Slavs” which existed in 1818–1822. However, in female economist in Russia and quite actively defended
1822 the government prohibited the activities of women’s rights. According to the memoirs of
Masonic lodges, and their members were persecuted. contemporaries, she was an intelligent woman and had a
Also a member of this society was a close friend of great influence on her husband. However, she died at a
Volodymyr Vernadsky’s grandfather and grandmother – young age from an illness. They had son Mykola.
Dr. Christian Bunge. He was the father of the Minister The mother of Volodymyr Ivanovych, Anna Petrivna
of Finance and later a member of the State Council. It Konstantynovych (1837–1898), was a cousin of Mariya
should be noted that Freemasonry also influenced Mykolayivna and also came from a senior noble family
Volodymyr Vernadsky’s father (Sytnik & Bevz, 2017). (see Figure 2).
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