The image of prince Roman Mstyslavich in the works of representatives of the Cracow historical school

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to study the evolution of the image of the figure of the Galician-Volyn prince Roman Mstyslavych and his assessment in the works of scholars belonging to the Cracow historical school. The methodological basis of the work is the general scientific principles of objectivism and historicism, as well as reliance on source material. Special emphasis is placed on the application of special scientific methods of historiographic research such as historiographic analysis and synthesis, comparative historical, biographical and other methods. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that for the first time in domestic historiographic studies, the specifics of the image of the figure of Roman Mstyslavych in the works of different generations of scholars from the Cracow historical school are studied. As a result, it was noted that Polish historians who worked in the second half of the 19th - the first third of the 20th century. and represented the Krakow historical school, showed considerable interest in the figure of the first Galician-Volyn prince Roman Mstyslavych and studied his role in the history of medieval Poland and Rus in detail. The activities of the Rus prince and his relations with the princes of the Piast dynasty were reflected in the works of both the older generation of representatives of the Krakow historical school such as J. Shuisky and F. Lewycki, and in the studies of S. Smolka and M. Bobrzynski. In the works of the mentioned historians, published in the period from the 1860s to the 1920s, there was a significant evolution of the image of Roman Mstyslavych and historical events related to his activities. Thus, in such early works of Krakow scholars as in the studies of J. Szujsky, the figure of the Galician-Volhynian prince was depicted as an exemplary oriental despot and a bloodthirsty barbarian, an “enemy of Christianity” and everything European. Such ideas were dictated by the uncritical reproduction of the testimonies of Polish medieval works, which were distinguished by their anti-Rus positions, and also by the significant influence of romantic historiography on the views of historians in the 1860s. Gradually, the image of Prince Roman was reinterpreted and in the works of historians it lost its most odious characteristics. Finally, in the studies of the younger generation of representatives of the Krakow historical school, who followed the traditions of positivism and “historical pessimism”, balanced assessments of Roman Mstyslavych appeared.