"I dream of writing about the origin and rise of Ancient Russia": Researching Novgorod the Great in Czech historiography

Abstract

An analysis of Czech historiography shows that the study of Novgorod history in different periods of the development of the Czech state was uneven because to a large extent, the research interest was influenced by socio-political events in the Czech Republic and attitudes in society. Despite traditional relations with the Slavic states and long diplomatic ties, the first scientific works on the history of Russia appeared in Czech historiography only in the second half of the 19th century. In addition to past political events, limited access to scientific literature and the lack of translations of historical sources influenced the problems of research, as well as the sometimes-distorted interpretation of Novgorod history. In this connection, the author presented a detailed review of Czech historiography dedicated to the history of Veliky Novgorod, highlighting the most promising vectors for Czech science at present. The issues of the source base of Czech historians about the problems of Veliky Novgorod and its changes in the period from the 19th century to the present days were also studied. Further research was also connected with the thematic differentiation of Czech Novgorod studies, which developed from a general synthesis on the history of Russia to specialized articles. Analysing the subject of study of Czech historians, studies about the political relations of Novgorod, diplomacy, and some hints about researching the social structure can be pointed out. Despite the not very strong reflection of Novgorod history in the works of Czech historians, this topic represents a promising way since many historical parallels between Novgorod and the Czech Republic can be found.