Mn Tikhomirov historical views. Tikhomirov Mikhail Nikolaevich Development of problems of source study

Student time, stay in Samara

Mikhail Nikolayevich very early felt not only the joy of direct knowledge of the primary sources of historical knowledge, but also experienced aesthetic pleasure from this. And already as an elderly illustrious scientist, he recalled what an unforgettable impression the words of B. D. Grekov about Old Russian writing, the album of Old Russian cursive writing he showed him, made on him, 17 years old; and a graduate of a commercial school decided to devote himself firmly to the study of history. At Moscow University, he went through the school of studying sources on national and general history for a long time and stubbornly, which later helped him to approach the phenomena of the history of our country in the panorama of world history and use the comparative historical method in analyzing evidence of the past. The basis of his dissertation was an appeal to the documents of MGAMID, where he worked for several months. In his student years, he seriously gets acquainted with the diverse historical literature and the system of its bibliography, with museums and visually with many cultural monuments in Moscow and the Moscow region, studies the history of Russian art (especially icon painting and architecture).

During the years of his stay in Samara (1919 - 1923) Tikhomirov saved, identified, described, studied the monuments of writing, began teaching at a higher school, continued to master the skills of an in-depth study of ancient writing, studying with Academician V.N. Peretz and V.P. Adrianova - Peretz.

Return to Moscow

After the closure of the university in Samara, the scientist returns to Moscow and works in secondary educational institutions teacher of geography and social science. He is intensively involved in local history work and begins to consistently study and describe ancient manuscripts, primarily chronicles stored in the Historical Museum.

M. N. Tikhomirov discovers many previously unknown or little-known written monuments in the Moscow vaults, describes them, prepares them for publication (sometimes he manages to publish something), and begins to compile a collection of information about chronicle works. Such scientific work continued without pay for several years. Talent and devotion to the cause of archeography were noticed by the greatest connoisseurs of the monuments of ancient Russian literature at that time, Academicians A.I. Sobolevsky and M.N. And then the scientist was invited to a full-time position; for several years he was in charge of the Department of Manuscripts of the Historical Museum. There Tikhomirov significantly enriches knowledge of the early printed book and then for decades will publish research on the beginning of Russian book printing. So, Tikhomirov, back in the 1920s, delved into the problems of descriptive archeography, the development of which he would lead in our country in 30 years. Even then, a methodology was developed for mastering special historical and philological disciplines, primarily paleography, which would then be embodied in the pedagogical practice of the scientist and in his teaching aids.

For Tikhomirov, the history of the past is not so much the concept of the historical process as the concrete eventfulness and everyday life and the very methodology of historical research. Tikhomirov shied away from theoretical discussions, especially about this or that word in the writings of Marxist-Leninist theorists, not only because initially it might not be safe for him ( younger brother Boris - died during the years of Stalinist terror), but above all because he had no taste for this kind of reflection. He was not an empiricist historian, but he thought - both in works of a large-scale, generalizing type, and in those close to local lore topics - always concretely, taking into account the influence of not only the determining factor of development, but also a combination of particular circumstances characteristic of a given time and place, this historical figure. And the discovery of such circumstances gave the scientist the greatest joy. And this skill, as well as the ability to quickly date a manuscript by paleographic features, to determine the style of an architectural building from a few details, to imitate the language of an order document, he himself especially appreciated. Such an attitude, as it were, reflected the apt expression of A.P. Chekhov: professionalism is the main quality of an intelligent person.

Since the mid-1930s, the scientist has been trying, first of all, to generalize and continue the scientific research of the previous decades in books and monographic articles. However, when academician B. D. Grekov invited him to prepare an academic edition of Russkaya Pravda, he prepared for printing not only about half of the surviving lists of this monument, but also articles, a textbook on it and a doctoral dissertation.

Areas of activity

All spheres of Tikhomirov's creativity as a researcher, professor, organizer of science are characterized by a special educational orientation. This is due, apparently, not only to the democratic traditions of Russian science, literature and art, close to his soul, but also to the experience of close service activities: in a museum, library, high school. Tikhomirov always had in mind the interests and possibilities of perception of a wide audience, its growing need to learn about the primary sources of knowledge and about methods for identifying such information.

Perhaps that is why Tikhomirov in his writings tried not only to answer the questions "where, when, what happened? Who participated in this?" , push them to independent further research and connect with the previously known.

Tikhomirov the scientist was not completely dependent on archival and printed materials, he was not a scientist of a cabinet warehouse or inclined to build conceptual structures for the sake of the beauty of the architecture of the concept itself. Tikhomirov felt the need to visually familiarize himself with the "historical places" in modern life, its place in modern aesthetic and ethical ideas. That is why, finally, he made both to himself and to others the requirement to write clearly, and not for "a few": his books are distinguished by the accessibility of presentation, the clarity of the construction and formulation of the formulation of the research problem. One of the first he began to publish articles on the history of pre-Petrine Russia in mass publications - newspapers, literary and art magazines.

The books of the 1940s established Tikhomirov's place as "the best source expert of all Soviet historians." This position was then consolidated by his further works, especially on the study of Russian chronicles, legislative monuments, early printed books. Such recognition of the merits of Tikhomirov, the significance of the problems and methodology of his works, his position in the world of science and culture, largely contributed to the establishment of new ideas about the place of source study itself in the system of historical knowledge and in the preparation of historians in higher education.

Tikhomirov skillfully and enthusiastically sought to introduce the students of his seminars to the "culture of source study" in their first year, where for several months at the historical faculties of Moscow State University and MIFLI they commented on Russian Truth, and then reports were prepared in a source study vein, with an emphasis on studying the main sources of the topic, and not historical literature. This is even more noticeable in the diploma essays and especially dissertations written under his scientific supervision. Some of them then stimulated the publication historical sources. The scientist considered it necessary to speak about the tasks of teaching students and guiding graduate students in the press. A lot has already been written about this by his students, who went through the "school of Tikhomirov."

Tikhomirov stubbornly tried to instill in the mind the idea that the study of sources is the basis of historical research and historical knowledge in general, and, accordingly, source study should become a must. academic discipline in the preparation of a historian, and especially a historian-archivist, who deals directly with documentary monuments, primary sources of historical information.

For Tikhomirov, the closest interdependence of the level of development of source studies and related disciplines (paleography and others) and archival disciplines proper (archaeography, archive studies) and the need for a comprehensive development of all this by historians were obvious. In this, the scientist saw a way to master the methods of research and further improve the craft of a historian. In the mid-1950s, speaking with an academic report, he said that "the most important task historical science is the publication of sources, their discovery and description" and at the same time he remarked: "If you develop a taste among young people for archives and the publication of sources, then this will affect later. If now young scientists, because of their youth, do not deal with such topics, they will still return to them and work later. You can’t rely only on old people, there must be people who will learn, just as I learned from the greatest specialists.”

Contribution to the development of archaeography and archival science

Mikhail Nikolayevich Tikhomirov was among those who, following A. S. Lappo-Danilevsky, A. A. Shakhmatov, S. F. Platonov, introduced the source study principle into the subject of archeography, into archiving. Much has been written about this (by S. V. Chirkov and others). It is also written about his great contribution to the development of archaeography. The first to do this was during the life of the scientist S. N. Valk in the article "Archaeographic Activities of Academician M. N. Tikhomirov", published in the "Archaeographic Yearbook for 1962" and reprinted in the book of selected works of the patriarch of our archeography.

Tikhomirov considered the problems of identifying, describing, publishing and studying written monuments and historical sources in general in a single context. And he did not attribute to the sphere of real science attempts to theorize on issues of archeography, separating theory from practice. In his view, the archeographer is, first of all, an expert on the monuments themselves, and on the methods of their identification, description and publication. And in accordance with the traditions of Russian science in his understanding, archeography is a special scientific discipline that develops the issues of collecting, describing and publishing documentary monuments. At the same time, he fully allowed the recognition in archival practice of publishing as an independent or even main one. In general, Tikhomirov was not inclined to theoretical disputes about definitions, he saw the point in them only in the fact that they make the heritage of their predecessors available to contemporaries, bringing it closer to our understanding, and with linguistic clarifications of terminology facilitate mutual understanding of scientists.

And he formulated the tasks of the Archaeographic Commission organized on his initiative and under his leadership in 1956 and the printed organ of the commission "Archaeographic Yearbook" in accordance with a broad understanding of the subject of archaeography. Moreover, having restored the name of the institution that led for almost a century (1834 - 1929) the work of collecting, describing and publishing historical documents, Tikhomirov gave it a different character, focusing on the description of manuscripts and the development of methods for describing various types of documents, the source study of monuments writing and preparing the publication of only a few unique monuments. He entrusted the Archaeographic Commission with the implementation of a grandiose undertaking - the work of compiling the Consolidated Catalog of Slavic-Russian handwritten books stored in our country, covering information about all handwritten books and their fragments of the 11th - 16th centuries.

It would be wrong to think that Tikhomirov was primarily concerned with the preservation and description of monuments of ancient origin or those created in line with ancient traditions (as with the Old Believers). He did a lot to organize the work of identifying, preserving, describing and even publishing monuments of modern and recent times. He attracted specialists on the materials of this period of history to the planned publications of the Archaeographic Commission, spoke on this occasion more than once and as an academic secretary at meetings of the Department of Historical Sciences of the Academy of Sciences, in the general press.

Last years

IN last years life, it became increasingly difficult for a scientist to work in the repository of manuscripts. And he took up the description of the collection of manuscripts compiled by him in the post-war years, which, during his lifetime, began to be called tihomiro. In his view, the archaeographer is, first of all, a connoisseur of the monuments themselves, and methods of their identification, description and publication by weighty ". He was helped by his students and most of all N.N. Collection of Manuscripts", which includes a significant part of the collection transferred to the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences. The book contains information about 500 manuscripts, including monuments of the XIV - XV centuries; in the appendix - publications of little-known works. But Mikhail Nikolayevich's eyesight began to deteriorate. more and more difficult to read: in fact, he was already deprived of the usual joy of describing old manuscripts.



Tikhomirov Mikhail Nikolaevich (19/31.05.1893-2.09.1965), Russian historian. Main works: "The Pskov uprising of 1650" (1935), “Source Study of the History of the USSR” (1940), “Research on Russian Truth” (1941), “Old Russian Cities” (1946), “Ancient Moscow” (1947), “A Handbook for the Study of Russian Truth” (1953).

Tikhomirov Mikhail Nikolaevich, Soviet historian, academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1953; corresponding member 1946). After graduating in 1917 from the Faculty of History and Philology of Moscow University, he worked as a museum, library and teacher; since 1934 at the Faculty of History of Moscow State University and in other universities. Since 1935 at the Institute of History, and then the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. In 1953-57 Academician-Secretary of the Department of Historical Sciences of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR; since 1956 chairman of the Archaeographic Commission. The main works on the history of Russia and the peoples of the USSR, as well as the history of Byzantium, Serbia, common Slavic problems, source studies, archeography, historiography. The generalizing work "Russia in the 16th century" (1962) is a fundamental contribution to historical geography. A number of T.'s works are devoted to the economic, political, and cultural ties of the peoples of the USSR. The monographs and articles of T. reflect the topics of socio-economic, political and cultural history ancient Russian city, popular movements in Russia 11-17 centuries, history public institutions feudal Russia, zemstvo councils of the 16th-17th centuries, office work. T. was one of the leading experts in the field of paleography and auxiliary historical disciplines. Studies and publications of written monuments were carried out by T. against a broad historical and philological background. In the work devoted to Russian truth, T. illuminated and in a new way solved the most important problems associated with the creation of the monument. T. belongs to the merit of the revival of the publication of the series "Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles"; he published the "Cathedral Code of 1649" (1961), "The Measure of the Righteous" (1961), etc. He was the leader of Soviet archaeographers in the search for and description of unknown manuscripts; under his leadership, the creation of a consolidated catalog of unique manuscripts stored in the USSR began. The manuscripts collected personally by T. were transferred to them by the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. Since 1959 T. full member of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He was awarded the Order of Lenin, 2 Orders of the Red Banner of Labor, as well as medals.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia. In 30 tons. Ch. ed. A.M. Prokhorov. Ed. 3rd. T. 25. Strunino - Tikhoretsk. – M., Soviet Encyclopedia. – 1976.

Read further:

Historians(biographical guide).

Compositions:

Russian culture X - XVIII centuries., M., 1968; class struggle in Russia XVII in., M., 1969;

Historical connections of Russia with the Slavic countries and Byzantium, M., 1969;

The Russian state of the XV - XVII centuries, M., 1973; Ancient Russia, M., 1975;

Research on Russian Truth, M, - L., 1941;

Old Russian cities, ed. 2, M., 1956; Medieval Moscow in the XIV-XV centuries, M., 1957;

Source study of the history of the USSR, c. 1-From ancient times to the end of the 18th century, M., 1962;

Medieval Russia on international routes (XIV - XV centuries), M., 1966.

Literature:

M. N. Tikhomirov. Materials for biobibliography of scientists of the USSR, M., 1963;

Life and work of M. N. Tikhomirov. Bibliography, in the collection: New about the past of our country, M., 1967;

Staroverova I.P., Manuscript heritage of Academician M.N. Tikhomirov in the Archives of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Scientific description, M., 1974.

Tikhomirov Mikhail Nikolaevich (1893, Moscow, -1965, Moscow) - historian;

Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (1953)

Mikhail Nikolayevich Tikhomirov was born on May 19 (June 1), 1893 in Moscow into the family of an office worker at the Nikolskaya manufactory.

In 1911 he graduated from the St. Petersburg Commercial School with a gold medal. From 1912 to 1917 he studied at the historical department of the Faculty of History and Philology of Moscow University. A student of historians B.D. Grekov (1882-1953) and S.V. Bakhrushin (1882-1950). Upon graduation from the university, he received a diploma of the first degree, presenting as a diploma work an essay on the Pskov uprising of 1650, based on archival materials.

Since October 1917, he worked as an intern in out-of-school education at the cultural and educational department of the Dmitrov Union of Cooperatives, then as an instructor in local history and head of the Dmitrov Museum of his native land organized by him.

In 1919-1921. was a library instructor of the Samara district department public education; in 1921-1923 lecturer at Samara State University.

In subsequent years, he taught in Moscow at the Unified Art Workers' Faculty (1923-1925), at the Moscow Secondary School No. 48 and at the Chemical College (1925-1931), at the Book Polytechnic (1931-1934).

From the end of the 1920s. worked in the Department of Manuscripts of the State Historical Museum (from 1940 - head of the department).

Since 1934 - Associate Professor, and then Professor of the Faculty of History of the Moscow state university(in 1946-1948 - Dean, from 1952 to 1965 - Head of the Department of Source Studies of the History of the USSR). He also taught at the Moscow Institute of Philosophy, Literature and History. N.G. Chernyshevsky (1938-1941), at the Moscow Institute of History and Archives and other universities.

In 1935 approved in degree candidate of historical sciences without defending a dissertation, in 1939 he defended his doctoral dissertation on the topic “Research on “Russian Truth”, in 1940 he was approved as a professor.

Since 1935, the center of activity of M.N. Tikhomirov was transferred to the Academy of Sciences of the USSR: from 1935 to 1957 he worked at the Institute of History, from 1957 to 1965 - at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences as a senior researcher.

He was a member of the editorial boards of the journals Questions of History (1945-1949, 1953-1957), the multi-volume History of the USSR (1956-1960), the publication of World History (since 1953), was the chief editor of the Archaeographic Yearbook ( 1956-1965) and the series "Monuments medieval history peoples of Central and Eastern Europe "(1957-1965), member of the National Committee of Historians Soviet Union (1953-1965).

December 4, 1946 M.N. Tikhomirov was elected a corresponding member in the Department of History and Philosophy, and on October 23, 1953, an academician in the Department of Historical Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences.

In 1953-1957. he was an Academician-Secretary, and since 1957 - a member of the Bureau of the Department of Historical Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences; from 1956 to 1965 - the permanent chairman of the Archaeographic Commission of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, recreated by him.

Actively participated in the work of the Museum of History and Reconstruction of Moscow, in the creation of the Museum of Old Russian Culture and Art. Andrei Rublev, carried out the scientific supervision of the work on the opening of the tombs of Ivan IV the Terrible and his sons in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin.

M.N. Tikhomirov - author fundamental research on the history of ancient and medieval Russia, the history of the Slavic countries and Byzantium, historical geography, cultural history, source studies, historiography, paleography, archeography, archiving.

He made a significant contribution to the study of the socio-economic, political and cultural history of the ancient Russian city, popular movements in Russia in the 11th-17th centuries, the history of state institutions of feudal Russia, zemstvo councils of the 16th-17th centuries, and office work. His work "Russia in the 16th century" (1962) is a fundamental historical and geographical study that characterizes the socio-economic and state-political development of each region of the country during this period.

A significant place in the scientific heritage of M.N. Tikhomirov is occupied with works on the history of Moscow.

M.N. Tikhomirov is a prominent specialist in the field of paleography and auxiliary historical disciplines. In the work devoted to Russkaya Pravda, he illuminated and solved in a new way the most important problems related to the history of the creation of the ancient Russian monument. He revived the publications of the Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles series. He published such important sources on national history as the "Cathedral Code of 1649" (1961), "The Measure of the Righteous" (1961), etc. He initiated the revival of the publication of the series "Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles", the initiator of the publication and editor-in-chief of the "Archaeographic Yearbook". He led the work of Soviet archaeographers in the search for and description of unknown manuscripts, under his leadership, the creation of a consolidated catalog of unique manuscripts stored in the USSR began.

M.N. Tikhomirov was elected full member Polish Academy of Sciences (1959), honorary member of the American Historical Society (1964).

Awarded the Order of Lenin (1963), Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (1945, 1953) and medals. Laureate of the M. V. Lomonosov Prize (1956).

Mikhail Nikolayevich Tikhomirov died in Moscow on September 2, 1965, and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery.

Since 1968, in memory of the scientist, Tikhomirov readings have been held in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novosibirsk. M.N. Tikhomirov bequeathed the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, and his personal library to the university in Vladivostok, which he came to open. One of the streets in Moscow is named after Mikhail Nikolaevich.

Mikhail Nikolayevich Tikhomirov (May 19 (May 31), 1893, Moscow - September 2, 1965, ibid) - Soviet historian.
Doctor of Historical Sciences (1939, dissertation devoted to the origin of the texts of Russkaya Pravda). Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR (10/23/1953, corresponding member since 12/04/1946).
Born in the family of an office worker. Brother - Boris Nikolaevich Tikhomirov (1898-1939) - historian, was repressed.
He graduated from the commercial school in St. Petersburg (where the future academician B. D. Grekov taught history), the historical department of the historical and philological faculty of Moscow University (1917, studied with S. V. Bakhrushin).
Since October 1917, M.N. Tikhomirov has been working as an intern in out-of-school education at the cultural and educational department of the Dmitrov Union of Cooperatives, and later he was appointed, concurrently, as an instructor in local history and head of the Dmitrov Museum, which had not yet been opened. In 1921-1923 - teacher Samara University. In 1923-1934 he taught at a secondary school in Moscow. In 1923-1939 he worked in the Department of Manuscripts of the State Historical Museum, from 1940 - its head. In 1935-1953 - senior Researcher Institute of History of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, in 1957-1965 - Institute of Slavic Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
Since 1934 - Associate Professor, Acting Professor, in 1940-1952 - Professor, in 1952-1965 - Head of the Department of Source Studies of the History of the USSR of the Faculty of History of Moscow State University. In 1946-1948 - Dean of the Faculty of History of Moscow State University.
In 1953-1957 - Academician-Secretary of the Department of Historical Sciences of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1956-1965 - Chairman of the Archeographic Commission of the USSR Academy of Sciences. Active member of the Polish Academy of Sciences (1959). Honorary Member of the American Historical Society (1964). Laureate of the M. V. Lomonosov Prize (1956).
Researcher
Research interests: history of Russia and the peoples of the USSR from ancient times to the 19th century, history of the Slavic countries and Byzantium, historical geography, common Slavic problems, source studies, paleography, diplomacy, economic, political and cultural relations of the peoples of the USSR. Founder of the scientific school.
He made a significant contribution to the study of the socio-economic, political and cultural history of the ancient Russian city, popular movements in Russia in the 11th-17th centuries, the history of state institutions of feudal Russia, zemstvo councils of the 16th-17th centuries, and office work. His work "Russia in the 16th century" (1962) is a fundamental historical and geographical study that characterizes the socio-economic and state-political development of each region of the country during this period.
Specialist in the field of paleography and auxiliary historical disciplines. In the work devoted to Russkaya Pravda, he highlighted and solved in a new way the most important problems related to the history of the creation of the monument. He published such important sources on national history as the "Cathedral Code of 1649" (1961), "Measure of the Righteous" (1961), etc. Initiator of the revival of the publication of the series "Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles", initiator of the publication and editor-in-chief of the "Archaeographic Yearbook". He led the work of Soviet archaeologists in the search and description of unknown manuscripts. Became the initiator of the creation of a consolidated catalog of unique manuscripts stored in the USSR.
He was a member of the editorial boards of the journals Questions of History (1945-1949, 1953-1957), the multi-volume History of the USSR (1956-1960), and the edition of World History (since 1953).
Since 1967, a street in the Moscow district of Medvedkovo has been named after M.N. Tikhomirov. The auditorium of the Faculty of History of Moscow State University is named after him.
Proceedings
Pskov uprising of 1650. M. - L., 1935.
Research on Russian Truth. M. - L., 1941.
Peasant and urban uprisings in Russia XI-XIII centuries. M., 1955.
Ancient Russian cities. Edition 2nd. M., 1956.
Medieval Moscow in the XIV-XV centuries. M., 1957.
Joining Merv to Russia. M., 1960.
Russia in the 16th century. M., 1962.
Source study of the history of the USSR. Issue 1. From ancient times to the end of the XVIII century. M., 1962.
Medieval Russia on international routes. XIV-XV centuries M., 1966.
Russian culture of the X-XVIII centuries. M., 1968.
Historical relations of Russia with the Slavic countries and Byzantium. M., 1969.
Class struggle in Russia in the 17th century. M., 1969;
Russian state of the XV-XVII centuries. M., 1973.
Ancient Russia, M., 1975.
Russian chronicle. M., 1979.
Taken from wikipedia

The author was born and spent most of his life in Moscow, and he has no reason to write about his devotion and love for his native city. Like any Muscovite, he loves his city, its glorious past and great present. May this book, at least to a small extent, respond to the ardent interest that each of us shows in the history of our beautiful capital.

M. N. Tikhomirov. Ancient Moscow

With these words, M. N. Tikhomirov ended the preface to his book - the first in Soviet time monographs about Moscow in the 12th–15th centuries. M. N. Tikhomirov was prepared for such a generalizing work by all his previous work as a researcher and local historian.

Mikhail Nikolaevich Tikhomirov was born in Moscow on May 19 (old style), 1893. In 1912–1917. he is a student of the Department of History of the Faculty of History and Philology of Moscow University. In 1923–1934 teaches in secondary educational institutions in Moscow, since 1934 - in higher educational institutions of a historical profile: since 1934 at the Faculty of History of Moscow University (in 1946–1948, dean, since 1953 - head of the Department of Source Studies founded by him); in the pre-war years - at the Moscow Institute of History, Philosophy and Literature and at the Moscow State Institute of History and Archives. For many years he worked in the Department of Manuscripts and Old Printed Books of the State Historical Museum, and then he was in charge of it. The activity of the scientist is also connected with Moscow since 1935 at the Academy of Sciences (of which he became a corresponding member in 1946, a full member in 1953) - at the Institute of History, later at the Institute of Slavic Studies; in 1953–1957 he is a member of the Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences and Academician-Secretary of the Department of Historical Sciences; since 1956 - Chairman of the Archaeographic Commission revived by him. Almost all of his books were published by Moscow publishing houses (starting with the graduation essay published in 1919 - M.N. Tikhomirov declared himself in science right away with a book!) and documentary publications. On September 2, 1965, M.N. Tikhomirov died in Moscow; he is buried at the Novodevichy cemetery, on the square where mourning ceremonies take place.

M. N. Tikhomirov is a historian of a very wide range, both chronological, and geographical, and problem-thematic, a gifted teacher, the founder of a scientific school and a prominent organizer of science. His main works were written by him in the 1930s–1960s. He is the author of more than ten books, hundreds of articles research nature, pioneer and publisher of many written historical sources, initiator and editor-in-chief of scientific publications (“Consolidated catalog of Slavic-Russian handwritten books stored in the USSR”, “Essays on the history of historical science in the USSR”, “Archaeographic Yearbook”, renewed on his initiative Complete Collection Russian chronicles, works of historians V. N. Tatishchev, V. O. Klyuchevsky, M. N. Pokrovsky, etc.). At the same time, he is the compiler teaching aids both university and school - in history and geography, source studies and paleography, museum and archival practices, popularizer of historical knowledge (brochures and guidelines, articles in newspapers and weeklies, public lectures and reports), a promoter of educational cinema (as early as the turn of the 1920s–1930s!), a convinced and passionate defender of historical and cultural monuments.

The main area of ​​research interests of M.N. Tikhomirov is National history from the 9th to the 19th centuries, the history of the Slavic peoples and Byzantium, special historical disciplines - source studies, historiography, historical geography, archeography (i.e., the identification, collection, description and publication of written sources), paleography.

It was M.N. Tikhomirov who showed that medieval Russia was a country of highly developed urban life, he was the first to summarize data on popular movements, wrote a multifaceted study on the historical geography of Russia in the 16th century, characterizing the features of the socio-economic and political development of individual regions of a vast country. Many works are devoted to the activities of state institutions (zemstvo councils, office work), international relations (especially with the South Slavic peoples), foreign policy Russia and Russian commanders, the origin of the names "Rus" and "Russia", the place of Russia in world history(The basis of his posthumously published book "Medieval Russia on international routes. XIV-XV centuries" are lectures given in Paris in 1957). A prominent place in the work of the scientist was occupied by the problems of the history of our culture of the X-XVIII centuries. (works on the urban written culture of Ancient Russia, The Tale of Igor's Campaign, Andrei Rublev, on the role of Novgorod and Moscow in the development of world culture, on the library of Moscow sovereigns, the beginning of printing, M.V. Lomonosov and the founding of Moscow University, on the "folk » culture and sources of its knowledge, etc.).

A distinctive feature of the works of M. N. Tikhomirov is a combination of historical and source research. Specially in terms of sources, the book “Research on the “Russian Truth”” (1941; it is based on a doctoral dissertation), an unfinished monograph on the beginning of Russian chronicle writing, many articles and prefaces to publications of written monuments (the first Novgorod birch bark letters, legends about the Battle of Kulikovo) were written. , the Cathedral Code of 1649, documents of the monastery archives, journalistic writings of the 16th-17th centuries, etc.). For decades, the scientist identified chronicle monuments in all the storehouses of Moscow and published a review of them.

In 1968–1979 Nauka Publishing House published posthumously six books of selected works of Academician M. N. Tikhomirov - mostly articles (including those not published during his lifetime), selected according to the thematic principle: “Russian culture of the 10th–18th centuries.” (1968), "Historical ties of Russia with the Slavic countries and Byzantium" (1969), "Class struggle in Russia

XVII century. (1969), "The Russian state of the XV-XVII centuries." (1973), "Ancient Russia" (1975), "Russian Chronicle" (1979). The publishing house "Moskovsky Rabochiy" republished in 1991 the works of the scientist in the book: M. N. Tikhomirov. Ancient Moscow. 12th-15th centuries Medieval Russia on international routes. XIV-XV centuries

But even the most complex works, the most sophisticated textological studies, M. N. Tikhomirov tried to write in an accessible language. The task of the scientist, he argued, "is to popularize science, and not at all to make this science the property of only a few." “The historian is not just a researcher who produces the right product from the laboratory. A historian is also a writer. Otherwise, he has nothing to take on such work, ”he wrote in one of his last articles in the Izvestia newspaper in 1962. And not only the breadth and diversity of interests, but also the approach to the form of presentation historical material brings M. N. Tikhomirov closer to the great democratic traditions of Russian historical science, dating back to N. M. Karamzin and continued by other major historians of the 19th century.

MN Tikhomirov managed to do a lot. He possessed a great gift of industriousness, knew how to work under all circumstances, never complained that he had to work hard. He rejoiced creative work, like a bird in flight, considered it a natural form of its existence. Even while traveling, he kept notes, not only noting what he saw, and sometimes making sketches of buildings or architectural details, but also confiding to paper his primary considerations of a historical nature. He wrote quickly, in a clear hand, usually without blots, in recent decades he typed on a typewriter. He had, as a rule, immediately a clear idea of ​​the volume of the manuscript being prepared for publication and was able to fit into the intended volume. M. N. Tikhomirov was proud of his mastery of the "craft" of the historian and skillfully did all the so-called rough work; treated her with respect and was angry with his students (and he was not an easy person!) for negligence in the scientific apparatus, the lack of unification in the design of articles and documentary publications. He highly appreciated the ability to easily read ancient texts, quickly find the right place in the book. And Tikhomirov's school was for his students not only a school of thought, but also a "guild craft" of a historian and, most importantly, a devoted love for the work of a historian.