400px, Stepan Glotov Stephan Gavrilovich Glotov () (c. 1729 in

Yarensk Yarensk () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, rural locality (a ''village#Russia, selo'') and the administrative center of Lensky District, Arkhangelsk Oblast, Lensky District of Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located on the bank of the ...

, Russia – May 5, 1769 in

Unimak Island Unimak Island (, ) is the largest island in the Aleutian Islands chain of the U.S. state of Alaska. Geography It is the easternmost island in the Aleutians and, with an area of , the 9th largest island in the United States and the 134th larges ...

) was a Russian navigator, explorer, and fur trader. He was the first Russian captain to enter the waters of the eastern

Aleutian Islands The Aleutian Islands ( ; ; , "land of the Aleuts"; possibly from the Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', or "island")—also called the Aleut Islands, Aleutic Islands, or, before Alaska Purchase, 1867, the Catherine Archipelago—are a chain ...

, and was the European discoverer of

Kodiak Island Kodiak Island (, ) is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the Un ...

and several other Alaskan islands.

Early voyages

Glotov's first recorded voyage was in 1746 aboard the vessel ''Ioann'' ("John"), belonging to the merchant Fyodor Kholodilov of

Totma Totma () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Totemsky District in Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Sukhona River at its confluence with the Pesya Denga River, Pesya Denga, no ...

. This ship sailed from the

Kamchatka Peninsula The Kamchatka Peninsula (, ) is a peninsula in the Russian Far East, with an area of about . The Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Okhotsk make up the peninsula's eastern and western coastlines, respectively. Immediately offshore along the Pacific ...

, hunting for

sea otters The sea otter (''Enhydra lutris'') is a marine mammal native to the coasts of the northern and eastern North Pacific Ocean. Adult sea otters typically weigh between , making them the heaviest members of the weasel fa ...

and

seals Seals may refer to: * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impress an emblem, used as a means of a ...

, and wintered on

Bering Island Bering Island () is located off the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Bering Sea. Description At long by wide, it is the largest and westernmost of the Commander Islands, with an area of . Most of Bering Island and several of the smaller islands in ...

. In the following spring, the ''Ioann'' went in search of the middle

(the chain had fairly recently come to the awareness of the Russians), but were unsuccessful. In 1758–1762, Glotov and

Cossack The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...

s of the Nizhny Kamchatsky ostrog explored aboard the vessel ''Saint Julian''. Aboard were the Cossack Ponomarev and the merchant Peter Shishkin. This expedition opened up the Aleutian Islands to the Russian fur trade. The ''Saint Julian'' set off from the mouth of the

Kamchatka River The Kamchatka () is the longest river in Kamchatka peninsula, located in Kamchatka Krai in the Russian Far East. It flows into the Pacific Ocean at the town Ust-Kamchatsk, on the east coast of Kamchatka. It is long, and has a drainage basin of ...

on September 2, 1758 (September 15

New Style Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, they refer to the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various Europe, European countrie ...

). After nine days Glotov arrived at the Komandorski Islands. After spending the winter on Medny Island, Glotov's expedition sailed east and discovered

Umnak Island Umnak (; ) is one of the Fox Islands of the Aleutian Islands. With of land area, it is the third largest island in the Aleutian archipelago and the 19th largest island in the United States. The island is home to a large volcanic caldera on Moun ...

in the Aleutians, landing there on September 1, 1759. Aleuts immediately attacked his expedition, wounding Glotov and killing two of his men, but Glotov exercised restraint at this time. Glotov and his men spent three winters at Umnak, amassing over a thousand pelts of fox fur (Glotov was the first to bring large amounts of fox fur back to Russia from Alaska) as well as many sea otter skins. During this time (1759–1762), Glotov and his men discovered several islands of the Aleutian chain, including Unimak and

Unalaska The City of Unalaska (; ) is the main population center in the Aleutian Islands. The city is in the Aleutians West Census Area, a regional component of the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Isl ...

. The ''Saint Julian'' returned to Kamchatka on August 31, 1762 (September 13 New Style). In his report, Glotov lists 29 islands and describes their wildlife.

1762 expedition, and war against the Aleuts

On October 1, 1762 (October 14 New Style), Glotov embarked on another expedition from the coast of Kamchatka to the Aleutian Islands and the northwestern coast of North America, on the vessel ''Adrian and Natalia'', belonging to the merchant Lapin. Glotov had a crew of 38 Russians and eight

Kamchadals The Kamchadals (, ) inhabit Kamchatka, Russia. The name "Kamchadal" was originally applied to the descendants of the local Siberians and aboriginal peoples (the Itelmens, Ainu, Koryaks and Chuvans) who assimilated with the Russians. The desce ...

(Kamchatka natives). Glotov and his men again wintered on Medny Island, setting forth from there on July 26, 1763 (August 8 New Style). Glotov discovered several more islands, including

(the 80th largest island in the world, slightly larger than Cyprus, Puerto Rico, or Corsica). During this expedition, Glotov and his men suppressed a revolt of the

Aleut Aleuts ( ; (west) or (east) ) are the Indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands, which are located between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Both the Aleuts and the islands are politically divided between the US state of Alaska ...

natives of the Fox Islands. The Aleuts were unhappy with the depredations of Promyshlenniks (Russian fur workers) who followed on the heels of the explorers, and who were brutal and avaricious and pursued a policy of forcing natives to work and pay the

Yasak ''Yasak'' or ''yasaq'', sometimes ''iasak'', (; akin to Yassa) is a Turkic word for "tribute" that was used in Imperial Russia to designate fur tribute exacted from the indigenous peoples of Siberia. Origin The origins of yasak can be trace ...

(tax paid in furs) by taking their families hostage. The Aleuts had consequently revolted against the Russian occupation, killing many Russians and driving most of the rest from the islands, and destroying most of the Russian vessels in the area. Glotov and his men destroyed all the Aleut villages on the southern part of Umnak, and with the assistance of other forces the revolt was ended, with several hundred Aleuts being killed directly and many more perishing from related causes (wounds, hunger, cold and disease). This effectively ended Aleutian independence. Ethnographer and missionary I. E. Veniaminov, relying on the accounts of eyewitnesses of these events, wrote of Glotov: "He, under the pretext of revenge for the death of his compatriots, as well as for rebellion itself, destroyed almost all the villages that were on the southern side of Umnak, and the inhabitants of the islands of Samalga and the

Islands of Four Mountains The Islands of Four Mountains () is an island grouping of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, United States. The chain includes, from west to east, Amukta Island, Amukta, Chagulak Island, Chagulak, Yunaska Island, Yunaska, Herbert Island, Herbert, C ...

." In the course of this expedition, Glotov collected valuable ethnographic information about the Aleuts, in addition to killing them.

Final voyage and death

In October of 1768, Glotov was part of an expedition led by Krenitsyn and Levashov, which explored of the northern coast of the

Alaska Peninsula The Alaska Peninsula (also called Aleut Peninsula or Aleutian Peninsula, ; Sugpiaq language, Sugpiaq: ''Aluuwiq'', ''Al'uwiq'') is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. T ...

and discovered Port Moller Bay. Glotov died of

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...

in the spring of 1769, while wintering on Unimak Island. A mountain on Kodiak Island is named for Glotov, as is a street in the village of

. In 1992, archaeologists working for the Aleut located the site where Glotov was attacked by armed Unangan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glotov, Stepan 1720s births 1769 deaths 18th-century explorers from the Russian Empire Russian explorers of North America Fur traders