Traditions of historical polonistics at Saint Vladimir University; study of medieval Poland foreign policy

Abstract

Saint Vladimir University was one of the main centers of Poland history studies in Russian Empire. Here the interest to Polish past was mostly connected to appeal to domestic agenda, to history of Polish-Russian and Polish-Ukrainian relations. Already in the second part of 1830s I. N. Danilovich in Kiev collected relics of Polish royal legislation of 9−12 centuries. An important factor in formation of research interest to Polish history became successful activity of Kiev Archeographic Commission established in 1843. This commission published “South-Western Russia Archive” in many volumes, which substantially expanded source basis for subsequent Polonistic research devoted first of all to Polish-Ukrainian relations. Ona par with certain references to Polish medieval history by M. A. Maksimovich, Polonistic publications of various formats belonged to N. D. Ivanishev, N. P. Dashkevich, I. A. Linnichenko, M. F. Vladimirskiy-Budanov, V. V. Novodvorkiy. N. D. Ivanishev rejected purely religious underlying of 1596 Union of Brest, he showed that the purpose of union was solely political, and treated solutions of Synod of Brest as illegitimate. N. P. Dashkevich studied the history of 1569 Union of Lublin and saw one of its main reasons the interest to Polish privileges of Lithuanian cities and especially Lithuanian gentry. Whereas most of domestic researches recognized Krewo, Lublin or Brest Unions as fatal historical mistakes of Poland which led to the fall of statehood in 18st century, M. F. Vladimirskiy-Budanov in his master’s thesis “German Law in Poland and Lithiania” related the commencement of Polish state agony even to 13th century, when proliferation of German law began and German settlers appeared in Poland. He considered this process deadly for Polish and Ukrainian cities, which fitted into doctrine of eternal hostility of Germany to Poland. An essay by V. V. Novodvorskiy touches the problem of international relations in Baltic in second half of 16th century, discloses peculiarities of Polish, Swedish and Danish diplomacy during the reign of Polish King Stefan Batory. The most fundamental study in history of medieval Poland foreign policy was a monograph by I. A. Linnichenko devoted to the study of a total complex of Polish-Russian connections in 9−12 centuries in the field of foreign policy, economics, culture.

On the whole, as well as the bulk of representatives of pre-revolutionary domestic Polonistics, Kiev researchers sought proofs of non-viability of the medieval Polish state, substantiated its subsequent loss of independence mostly by aggressive foreign policy in the East and consequences of Polish-Lithuanian unions.