Courses:

Lecturers of the department deliver/delivered the following specific courses: “Controversial Problems of Medieval History”, “Ruling Dynasties of Medieval Europe” (Prof. L. V. Voytovych), “The Renaissance and Humanism in Western European Countries” (Docent R. V. Shyyan), “Monastic, Religious and Military Orders of Medieval Europe”, “Heretical Movements of 4 – the First Half of 15 Centuries”, “Lifestyle and Habits of Medieval Western Europe” (Docent M. I. Chornyi), “Outstanding Figures of West European Middle Ages”, “Military Science and Technologies of the Middle Ages”, “Outstanding Figures of Medieval East” (Docent Yu. V. Ovsinskyi); “The Byzantine Empire Between East and West: a Bridge or a Defensive Wall?”, “The Byzantine Commonwealth of Nations”, “The Post-Byzantine World of Lviv”, “Peculiarities of Byzantine Everyday Life”, “Byzantine Portraits” (Docent I. M. Lylio), “History of Byzantine Art”, “History of Ancient Art” (Docent N. B. Kozak); “Byzantine Studies in Ukraine: From the 19^th Century to the Present”, “Written Sources to the History of the Byzantine Empire”, “Historiography of the History of the Byzantine Empire” (Docent O. V. Fayda). Within the subject matter provided by the department some specific courses were also delivered by the lecturers of related departments: “History of Byzantine Orthodox Theology”, “Theological Aspects of Byzantine Legal Culture” (Docent V. F. Kmet), “Everyday Life in the Middle Ages” (Docent I. I. Matsevko).

Research Areas:

The research interests of the department lecturers are characterized by a wide spectre and numerous trends: 1) ruling dynasties in Central and Eastern Europe (the late 9^th to the early 16^th centuries); 2) the activities of the Western European merchants in Lviv market of the 16^th to 17^th centuries; 3) the history of the Dominican order in Central Eastern Europe in the 13^th to 15^th centuries; 4) the history of Byzantine and Ukrainian fine arts; 5) the activities of Greek centers on the territory of Central Eastern Europe in the 16^th to 17^th centuries; 6) agrarian relations in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth of the 18^th century; 7) Byzantine studies in Ukraine during the 19^th to 20^th centuries.

In 2004–2006, the department members published 2 monographs, 2 historical and regional guides, 15 articles and a number of conference theses of different levels and teaching and methodic aids (the overall scope – 87 printed sheets). The most important published works are as follows: the monograph of prof. L. V. Voytovych “The Principality Epoch in Rus: Portraits of Ruling Elites” (Bila Tserkva, 2006), its chapter “Steppes of Ukraine in the Second Half of the 13^th to 15^th Centuries” in the collective academic paper “History of Ukrainian Cossacks. Essays in Two Volumes” (Kyiv, 2006). Docent R. V. Shyyan wrote the chapters “Trade in the 14^th to the First Half of the 17^th Century” and “Decline of Trade and Crafts at the End of the 17^th to 18^th Centuries” for the collective research project “Lviv 1256–2006: History, Policy, Culture”. Docent I. M. Lylio compiled and published interesting historical and regional guides: “Walk Around Lviv” (Kyiv, 2005) and “Walk Around Transcarpathia” (Kyiv, 2006).

During 2007–2011, the department members published 207 research papers (the overall scope – 535 printed sheets) including 5 monographs: N. B. Kozak. Image and Power: Prince’s Portraits in the Art of Kyivan Rus of the 11^th century. – Lviv: Liha-Press, 2007. – 156 p. (13,3 printed sheets); L. Voytovych, O. Tseluyko. Ruling Dynasties of Europe. – Bila Tserkva, 2008. – 464 p. (23,1 printed sheets); L. V. Voytovych. Formation of Crimean Tatar Peoples. Introduction to Ethnogenesis. – Bila Tserkva, 2009. – 214 p. (11,65 printed sheets); L. Voytovych. Halych-Volyn Studies. – Bila Tserkva, 2011. – 480 p. (28,5printed sheets); collected research papers: Actis testantibus. Studies in Honour of Leontiy Voytovych / Ukraine: Cultural Heritage, National Consciousness, Statehood. Collected Papers. – Vol. 20. – Lviv, 2011. – 822 p. – (45,5 printed sheets); 2 textbooks and 1 manual.

In 2010, the lecturers of the department published a textbook of the history of the Middle Ages approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine: L. Voytovych, N. Kozak, Yu. Ovsinskyi, M. Chornyi. Medium aevum: the Middle Ages / Edited by professor, Doctor of Historical Sciences L. Voytovych. – Lviv, 2010. – 501 p. This is the first textbook on the territory of the former USSR compiled considering the achievements of the world medieval history and modern views of feudalism. In 2011, the lecturers of the department along with the Department of Ancient and Medieval History of the V. N. Karazin National University in Kharkiv published a textbook of the Byzantine history approved by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine: L. Voytovych, A. Domanovskyi, N. Kozak, I. Lylio, M. Melnyk, S. Sorochan, O. Fayda, History of the Byzantine Empire. Introduction to Byzantine Studies / Edited by S. B. Sorochan and L. V. Voytovych. – Lviv, 2011. – 880 p. This is the first textbook on the territory of the former USSR compiled according to the most up-to-date methodical recommendations and considering achievements of the world Byzantine studies and including texts of sources, part of which were translated into Ukrainian for the first time. Both textbooks contain exhaustive reference materials and a terminological dictionary.

In 2009, Docent O. V. Fayda in co-authorship with Docent O. A. Dudiak (Department of Ancient History of Ukraine and Archival Studies) published methodical materials “Museum Studies. Curriculum for the Students of the Faculty of History. Methodical Recommendations for Seminars Preparation” (Lviv, 2009. 72 p.). Methodical Recommendations for Preparation to Seminars in Medieval History (Professors L. V. Voytovych and Yu. V. Ovsinskyi, Docent M. I. Chornyi) were submitted for publication.

Within the scope of international academic cooperation the lecturers of the department maintain contacts with Warsaw University, the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, the Jagiellonian University (Poland), St Petersburg University (Russia), the Aristotle University of Athens (Greece). Contacts with a number of Ukrainian research and educational institutions are also prolific.

The colleagues are also concerned about the increase in their proficiency level. In particular, in September 2004 – June 2005 Docent I. M. Lylio underwent training in the Jagiellonian University of Cracow. In May, 2006 Docent N. B. Kozak underwent training in the Institute of History of Art under Vienna University (Austria).

The members of the department took part in many scientific conferences of international and All-Ukrainian levels. Defences of the Candidate’s dissertations also testify to the successful research work of the department. For example, in March 2005, lecturer Yu. V. Ovsinskyi defended his Candidate’s dissertation “Folwark Economy in Podillia Province of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 18^th century” (supervisor – Prof. M. H. Krykun) within the department’s traditional subject area of research into agrarian relations in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth of the 16^th to 18^th centuries. In April 2006, lecturer O. V. Fayda defended his Candidate dissertation “Byzantine Studies in Kyiv Ecclesiastical Academy in 1819–1919” (scientific supervisor – Docent R. V. Shyyan) which filled up a gap in the history of Byzantine studies in Ukraine.

In 2007–2011, four Candidate dissertations were written and defended at the department (research fellow O. V. Vus, 18 March 2007, speciality 07.00.02 – World History, under the title “Military Engineering Support of Byzantine Defence Policy on the Northern Black Sea Coast” (the late 4^th to late 7^th centuries)) (supervisor – Candidate of Historical Sciences, Docent V. P. Otkovych); lecturer M. M. Melnyk, 3 April 2007, speciality 07.00.06 – Historiography, entitled “The Byzantine Empire and Nomads of the Northern Black Sea Coast in the 10^th to 11^th Centuries: Historiography of the Problem” (supervisor – Candidate of Historical Sciences, Docent V. P. Otkovych); postgraduate N. P. Zubashevskyi, 29 March 2011, speciality 07.00.02 – World History, under the title “Early State Institutions in Rus and Scandinavia: Comparative Analysis” (supervisor – Prof. L. V. Voytovych); research fellow M. M. Kutsyn, 31 May 2011, speciality 20.02.22 – Military History, under the title “Crisis of Knights Army and the Beginning of Professional Armies Formation in the 14^th to 15^th Centuries: Historiographic Aspect” (supervisor – Prof. L. V. Voytovych) and one Doctoral Dissertation (Docent S. V. Shelomentsev-Terskyi, 24 June 2011, speciality 20.02.22 – Military History, under the title “Military Infrastructure of Volyn Principality in the 11^th to 14^th Centuries” (advisor – Prof. L. V. Voytovych)).

Postgraduates and graduates of the Faculty of History also study at the department, registered as research fellows. Dissertations of postgraduate S. Kozlovskyi in speciality 07.00.02 – World History entitled “Medieval History in Lviv University (1784-1914)” (supervisor – Prof. L. V. Voytovych), and P. Yureyko in speciality 07.00.02 – World History entitled “Medieval History in Lviv University Between Two World Wars (1919–1939)” (supervisor – Prof. L. V. Voytovych) were defended on 26 April 2012.

Members of the department take part in many conferences of international and All-Ukrainian levels. Hereby mainly young staff has been formed whose potential allows to carry out complicated academic and methodical tasks.