Books on Russian History
The major portion of the exhibition is dedicated to the books on the history of Russia from ancient times until today.
In the collection of articles
Christianization and the Rise of Christian Monarchy: Scandinavia, Central Europe and Rus'c.900-1200 / Cambridge, 2009 /, leading foreign scholars explore the chief issues of the adoption of Christianity among Scandinavian and Slavic peoples. The section concerning the Christianization of Russia was written by the British researcher Jonathan Shepard, an author of numerous works on ancient and Byzantine history. The publication make it possible to trace the main characteristics of this process, that is why, it will be especially interesting for specialists in Russia's history.
In particular, we would like to draw attention to the publication of Smolensk-Riga agreements of the 13th-14th centuries, held at the Latvian State Historical Archives. These documents are an important source of ancient history, because they contain unique information about the relationship between Smolensk and Riga, Gotland and German cities during this period. The publication
Smolensk-Riga Deeds in the 13th- the First Half of 14th Centuries was prepared by A.I. Ivanov, and A.M. Kuznetsov, lecturers at the Daugavpils University (Latvia) / Ivanov A., Kuznetsov A. Smolensko-rizhskie akty XIII v.- pervaja polovina XIV v. Riga. 2009 /. The book also includes an extensive study which offers a new dating and attribution of some documents, based on the paleographic, linguistic, historical and diplomatic analysis of the deeds. The study and documents have parallel Latvian and Russian texts.
Of undoubted interest to readers will the collection of articles
Impostors and an Imposture in Muscovy published in Budapest in 2010 on the basis of materials of the international scientific seminar held there on May 25, 2009. Papers made at the seminar were mainly devoted to the 17th century, in other words, to the history and traits of imposture in the Grand Principality of Moscow. The authors show that, although, this phenomenon is more important for Russia than for other countries, because of Russia's historical development, imposture is still a world-historical problem and even a kind of pattern.
The American historian Marshall Poe in his book A People Born to Slavery: Russia in Early Modern European Ethnography, 1476-1748 / Poe M. A People Born to Slavery: Russia in Early Modern European Ethnography, 1476-1748. Ithaca, 2000 / traces the roots of Western European ideas about "Russian Despotism" and examines the writings of the European travelers who visited Russia in the 16th-17th centuries. In the author's opinion, foreign travelers exaggerated the degree of Russian "slavery", but their writings contain many reliable ethnographic information. He states that they "correctly concluded that the political culture of Muscovite autocracy was unlike that of European kingship".
History of the Russian Orthodox Church in the 14th-16th centuries is reflected in the book of the French scholar Elizabeth Teiro
Church of the First Russian Saint Metropolitans / Teiro E. L'Église des premiers saints métropolites russes. Paris, 2009 /. The research covers the period from 1299, the time of moving the seat of Russian metropolitans from Kiev to Vladimir, to the creation of Russian Patriarchate in 1589. The author focuses on the organization of the Russian Church in this period, the institution of the metropolitans and bishops, the canonization of the higher church hierarchy. The monograph by Angelika Schmähling
Stronghold of Piety - a Place of Custody. Russian Convents / Schmähling A. Hort der Frömmigkeit - Ort der Verwahrung. Russische Frauenklöster im 16.-18 Jahrhundert. Stuttgart, 2009 / continues the church theme. The author shows the contradictory functions of convents in Russia at that epoch, and indicates the distinction between the ideal of monastic rules and prosaic reality.
The
eighteenth century was a time of dramatic changes in Russia's destiny. At this time the country turned into an European great power and became an empire. At the root of this revolution was Peter I. The German researcher Peter Hoffmann studies the military aspect of Peter's time in his book
Peter the Great as a Military Reformer and Leader / Hoffmann P. Peter der Große als Militärreformer und Feldherr. Frankfurt am Main, 2010 /. The author uses a new way to evaluate actions of the Russian army in the Battle of Poltava and describes Peter the Great 's military legislation as having many levels. According to the author, the army in Russia was separated from civil society thanks to Peter's reforms. Swedish historian Peter Ullgren in the book
The Great Northern War of 1700-1721. The Story of the Fall of the Great Swedish Power / Ullgren P. Det stora nordiska kriget 1700-1721. En berättelse om stormakten fall. Stockholm, 2008 / talks about one of the bloodiest wars of that time, which took 200 000 Swedish lives. The Great Northern War not only led to the collapse of the Swedish empire that ceased to be one of the leading political forces in Europe, but also resulted in a strengthing of Russia that was acknowledged to be the major power in the Baltic Sea. The book is noted for the fact that the author cites numerous evidence of contemporaries. This approach allows him to better capture the spirit of the era and to show the war from multiple perspectives.
The French researcher Francine Dominique Liechtenhan investigates the reign of the Peter the Great's daughter - Elizabeth. Her book titled
Elizabeth I of Russia. Another Empress was published by the famous French publisher Fayard / Liechtenhan F-D. Elisabeth I- re de Russie. L'autre impépatrice. Paris, 2007 /. Using many unpublished documents, the author shows that the reign of Elizabeth was a time of many important and progressive reforms, and her foreign policy anticipated success of Russia in the next centuries, although Elizabeth has still remained in the shadow of such figures as Peter I and Catherine II.
