“Petrpolis” publishing house issued a monograph by S.N. Iskioul “The war and the world in Russia of year 1812”, SPb., 2015.

This book unlike the previous historiography that took under consideration the war history examines the everyday life of different estates of the Russian empire of this period: clergy, nobility, peasantry and townspeople. The monograph scrutinizes every aspect of relations between central and local authorities on the one hand and between the estates on the other hand. On the basis of both archival and published documents, both little known by the scholars the author analyzes the attitude of different estates towards all the issues connected with the Patriotic war: French invasion, governmental efforts against it, recruitment and evacuation. He especially takes up the problems concerned with the destiny of Moscow.

The monograph is prepared thanks to the grant support of the Russian foundation for humanities in the frames of project “Russia and Western Europe: cultural transfer and the destiny of All-European cultural traditions (beginning of the 17^th century – end of 1920s)”, №11-21-170001a/Fra.

The book includes the materials collected while being in Paris in the context of grants given by “Maison des sciences de l‘Homme”.

On November 1, 2015 is the 80-year anniversary of outstanding historian, a specialist in Byzantine history, corresponding member of the RAS, D. Sc. in History and a remarkable person Igor Pavlovich Medvedev. He is a symbol of both Byzantine history studies and the destiny of Saint Petersburg institute of History, where he has been working for almost 50 years. Igor Pavlovich Medvedev can be claimed a worthy heir of Saint Petersburg school of Byzantine studies, moreover he himself leads the school acknowledged both in Russia and abroad. A lot of his students became outstanding scholars recognized all around the world. I.P. Medvedev is a great specialist in source studies; he is interested in different aspects of scholarly work and prepared a lot of books and publications on both the history of Byzantium and some problems of the Renaissance period.
Igor Pavlovich Medvedev from the first days of his work at the institute combined many-sided scholarly job with enormous and complicated community work. He used to be a scientific secretary of the sector of General history, struggled for the development of international relations of the institute and since 1968 has participated in the sessions of Leningrad (Petersburg) Byzantine group as its secretary and then longstanding chairman.

Nowadays Igor Pavlovich Medvedev is one of the most prominent specialists in Byzantine history and at the same time one of the most respected members of the institute staff honored and beloved by his colleagues.

Friends, colleagues and students heartily congratulate Igor Pavlovich Medvedev on this anniversary and wish him sound health, prosperity and new creative progress.

The library of SPbIH of the RAS prepared the exhibition of scientific works, photos and drawings by I.P. Medvedev timed for the jubilee of this outstanding scholar.

On October 16, 2015 at the Conference-hall of the New building of the NLR took place the round-table discussion “Museum of book in the shifting world: On the 90-year anniversary of the Paleography museum of the Academy of sciences of the USSR foundation”.

Scholars from SPbIH RAS, SPbSU, Manuscripts dept. of the NLR, the Library of the RAS, the Russian state library (Moscow) and the State institute of art studies (Moscow) delivered their reports.

Such problems as N.P. Likhachev’s view on museum studies, the structure and history of his collection and the issue of founding of the Paleography museum as research, educational and expert centre were discussed at the morning session “The N.P. Likhachev’s Museum of paleography: view from the 21^st century” .
The matter of exhibit and representation of manuscripts in Russian and foreign museums of books and paleography was considered at the afternoon sitting “Museums of book: historical experience and modernity”.
At the discussion scholars paid special attention to pros and cons of interactive methods of literary texts’ display which serve to attract the visitors to museums of book and paleography.

During the adjournment both participants and guests visited the exhibition “The collection of books and manuscripts of academician N.P. Likhachev (1862-1936): on the 90- year anniversary of the Paleography museum of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR establishment” (the excursion was conducted by A.V. Chirkova and E.Z. Panchenko).

The round-table discussion and the exhibition are the first scientific events dated to the anniversary of Saint Petersburg Institute of History of the RAS.

The first session of the Seminar on the Old Russian history (Drevnerusskii seminar) organized by SPbIH of the RAS in collaboration with the Institute of history of SPbSU took place on October 15, 2015 at the conference hall of SPbIH.

At this meeting the report delivered by D.D. Smirnova “The letters (encyclicals) of Novgorod archbishop Feodosii: the issues of their creation and existence”.

The next session is planned on December, 2015. The exact date, time and subject will be announced later.

The Seminar on the Old Russian history (Drevnerusskii seminar) is expected to be the area for discussions of different subjects connected to the researches on the Old Russian history and culture and source studies of this period with the participation of scholars from different scientific institutions of Saint Petersburg, students and post-graduates. It should both give an opportunity for collaboration of specialists in related sciences such as history, philology, art history, etc. and ameliorate the quality of historical education.

We are looking forward to your cooperation and welcome colleagues and their students.

On October 16, 2015 in Saint Petersburg in the New building of the National library of Russia (Moskovskii pr., 165-2) will be held round-table discussion “Museum of book in the shifting world: On the 90-year anniversary of the Paleography museum of the Academy of sciences of the USSR foundation”. The forum is timed to the exhibition “The collection of books and manuscripts of academician N.P. Likhachev (1862-1936): on the 90-year anniversary of the Paleography museum of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR establishment” (organizers: the National library of Russia, Saint-Petersburg institute of history of the RAS, Scientific library of the SPbIH of the RAS (department of the Library of the RAS), Saint-Petersburg branch of the Archive of the RAS).

At the round table there will be two sections and a separate discussion: The N.P. Likhachev’s Museum of paleography: view from the 21^st century.
Museums of book: historical experience and modernity.
Discussion “On the role of museums of book and paleography in the modern world”.

The programme of the rount-table discussion.

The 5^th International scientific conference “Novgorodica-2015. From “Pravda Russkaya” to Russian constitutionalism” was opened on September 24, 2015. It took place in Velikii Novgorod at the Institute for Humanities of the Yaroslav-the-Wise Novgorod state university and was timed to the Milennial anniversary of Russkaya Pravda, 150-year anniversary of Novgorod state joint museum-preserve and the year of literature in Russia.

The scientific forum was preceded by press conference where participated several representatives of institutions-organizers.

Scholars from more than 30 Russian cities (Saint-Petersburg, Moscow, Velikii Novgorod, Barnaul, Rostov-on-Don, etc.), Belorussia, Finland, Latvia, Ukraine and the USA.

Scholars from Saint Petersburg Institute of History also delivered several reports.

The conference was conducted in seven sections: “History and archaeology”, “Law studies”, “Museum studies”, “Source studies”, “G.R. Derzhavin in life and creative work” (on bicentenary of death of poet and statesman, minister of justice G.R. Derzhavin), “Religious and philosophic aspects of Old Russian culture” and “Culture as a resource for regional development”.

Collection of articles will be issued on the basis of the conference materials covering a wide specter of problems connected with the study of the history of Novgorod and Novgorod region.

The conference which took place on September 15-16, 2015 at SPbIH of the RAS aimed to determine the role of the reformatory efforts of the power and society of the first quarter of the 19^th century for the historic development of Russia. The main feature of this event was its originality as the first scientific forum in post-Soviet Russia especially dedicated to the reign of Alexander I.

This conference for the first time made it possible to gather the leading Russian specialists in order to discuss different issues concerning this period paying special attention to the peculiarities of modernization of the Russian empire in the first quarter of the 19^th century and to the study of the reforms. This event has become a continuation of series of scientific forums on the history of the Russian reformative tradition that took place a.o. in Saint Petersburg in 2000, 2003 and 2006.