At the origins of formation of dissertative culture in Russia: the works of A.I. Stavrovsky about the history of the middle age
The article is devoted to the peculiarities of the formation of the dissertation culture in Russia. One of the first defended dissertations on general history was the work of A.I. Stavrovsky, «The Discourse on the Meaning of the Middle Ages in Relation to the Modern Time» (1841). In it, the author reveals the factors that influenced the development of Western European states of the new time, and concludes that their origins lie in the era of the Middle Ages. Characteristic features of the study are: a broad chronological framework, almost complete disregard for historical sources and reliance on scientific literature, philosophical nature, the manifestation of sympathies and antipathies of the author through historical material. The author agrees with the opinion of Yu.A. Kiselyova on the applied nature of historical and scientific reflection in the early stages of the development of historiography.