Saint-Petersburg Institute of History (SPbIH) as an independent research institution exists since 2000 after the reorganization of Saint-Petersburg branch of the Institute of the Russian History. SPbIH is an assign of Leningrad branch of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (LbIH), created in 1936 by merging Leningrad branch of the Institute of History of the Communist academy and the Institute of book, document and writing of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. In 1953-1956 LbIH was temporary disbanded and some scholars were discharged, then in march of 1956 was established Leningrad department of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR and on April 27, 1956 Leningrad branch of the Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR was restored. In 1968 it was renamed into Leningrad branch of the Institute of History of the USSR of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
Many outstanding scholars worked in the Institute: academicians B.D.Grekov, N.S.Derzhavin, S.A.Zhebelev, V.V.Struve, E.V.Tarle, A.A.Fursenko; corresponding members O.A.Dobiash-Rozhdestvenskaya, V.I. Rutenburg, N. E. Nosov, V.A. Shishkin, R.Sh. Ganelin; Doctors of History Yu.G.Alekseev, A.I.Andreev, O.L.Vainshtein, S.N.Valk, A.I.Dovatur, V.S.Dyakin, O.N.Znamenskii, D.P.Kallistov, T.M.Kitanina, A.I.Kopanev, Sh.M.Levin, M.V.Levchenko, E.E.Lipshits, A.D.Lyublinskaya, A.G.Man’kov, A.I.Molok, A.A.Neikhardt, , B.A.Romanov, K.N.Serbina, M.E.Sergeenko, E.Ch.Skrzhinskaya, I.I.Smirnov, G.L.Sobolev, Yu.G.Solov’ev, V.I.Startsev, A.L.Fraiman, I.P.Shaskol’skii, I.A.Shishova, V.M.Koval’chuk and many others.
Today at the institute work about 70 scholars, among them academician B.V. Ananich and corresponding member I.P. Medvedev, who educated numerous scholars.
At SPbIH work Saint-Petersburg branch of the Archaeographic commission of the RAS, Saint-Petersburg branch of the Scientific council of the RAS on historiography and source studies, North-Western branch of the Scientific council of the RAS «The history of social reforms, public movement and revolution» and Saint-Petersburg Byzantine group.
