Всеобщая история

The author focuses on the lighting the reign of Ivan IV the Terrible by P.-Sh. Leveque on the pages of his «Russian History». Leveque was the first of the French historians who have tried to not only to give a critical assessment of the era, but also have tried to make an objective look at on the personality of the Russian autocrat of the XVI century.

The arms and armour of the Byzantine warriors are studied in the article as it was shown by David Nicolle, a well known English historian of medieval history.

In the article the intelligent monk’s opions at the wanders and his relation to the miraculous paperties of the relics are researched. The functions of relics are tracked in the landmark for understanding the wonders of the era. The research is based on a new, not put into domestic circulation medievalism material autobiography Guibert of Nogent.

The article is the attempt to analyze the description of the «common crusade», which was written by a member of the First Crusade in his chronicle «The Deeds of the Franks and the other pilgrims to Jerusalem». Comparing a description of the «common crusade» with the descriptions of the other events in the text, it could be possible to make a conclusion, that anonymous author considers members of the «common crusade» as a part of the Crusaders’ army.

In the current article the author allots a task to observe several plots from Dark Age Scandinavian history using the «new tools» of historian – researching the weather conditions, climate changes and natural cataclysms happened in the past. The main aim is the uncovering of possible connection between wide-known «volcanic winter» of 535–536 A.D., the development of herulic power in Middle Sweden (in the vaster territories later) and the emergence of Ragnarok myth concerned with the mindset changes.

The article is devoted to the investigation of western researchers’ views on the extent and causes of the famine 1921–1922 in the Volga region. It also takes into consideration their assessments of the factors that prompted the Soviet government to apply Western countries for humanitarian aid.

A short review of publicistic works of Charles de Mazade on Russia and Russian publicists’ and public figures’ comments is given in the article. On the basis of the journalist’s theses and phrases, a characteristic of his works is given: political views, his expectations and opinions on certain ideological companions and opponents. In the article the conclusion about a strong influence of de Mazade’d works on the Russian society is reached, the dynamics of his views on politics and social life is mentioned.

The article is devoted to the problem for studying some questions of the actual gender history, such as the peculiarity of the woman’s description and her behavior inside the public and private life on the basis of the material of G. Chaucer’s (English poet of the XIV’th century) poem, which «The Legend of good women» is. Today this source is weakly studied in the Russian historiography. A woman is described in three points of view: as a personality, a ruler and a wife.

The article considers the ethnical situation in remote regions of Eastern Europe at the edge of Antiquity and Middle Ages as it was reflected in Jordan’s Getica. It shows limits and capabilities of traditional philological and historical analysis of this source. The most doubtful are the ethnonyms mentioned in the list after Merens (‘Merya’), Mordens (‘Mordva’) и Imniskaris (‘Cheremis’). The author demonstrates capabilities of a new approach to the problem with the use of archaeological data.