Dr. Michael Cherniavsky was born in Harbin, China, of Russian born parents and raised in Manchuria. He was educated at the University of California where he received a B.A. in 1946, an M.A. in 1947, and a Ph.D. in history in 1951. He became an instructor in history at Wesleyan in 1952 after having been a research assistant at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton; he joined the faculty of the University of Rochester as Associate Professor in 1964. In 1972, he was appointed Andrew W. Mellon Professor of History at the University of Pittsburgh. His field was Russian medieval history with a specialty in 15th and 16th century Russian political theory. Dr. Cherniavsky died in Pittsburgh in 1973.
This manuscript collection contains the correspondence, unpublished and published writings, manuscripts of direct studies and some personal memorabilia of Dr. Cherniavsky. The correspondence includes letters to and from scholars and specialists in medieval and Russian history, including Norman Cantor, Ernst H. Kantorowicz, Theodor E. Mommsen, Marc Raeff, and George Vernadsky.
No restrictions.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Gift of Mrs. Michael Cherniavsky, February 17, 1974.
This collection was processed by Carly Reed in November 2004.
Published articles and books from the collection have been cataloged in the University Library System.
Series I. Correspondence, 1953-1974
Scope and Content Notes
Correspondence, both written by and written to Dr. Cherniavsky, between the years of 1953-1974, is organized alphabetically by surname. The correspondence from Charles Halperin includes the first draft of
Muscovite Ideology at the End of the Fourteenth Century: The Kulekovo Cycle, a carbon typescript of Halperin's dissertation, and a mimeographed article,
The Concept of the Russian Land from the 9th to the 14th Centuries.
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| Box | Folder | A-B, 1953-1974 | 1 | 1 |
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| Folder | Halperin, Charles | 3 |
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| Folder | Raeff, Marc, 1962-1969 | 7 |
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| Folder | Unidentified Correspondence | 10 |
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Series II. News Clips, 1958-1964
Scope and Content Notes
This series includes articles on Michael Cherniavksy in
Wesleyan University Alumnus,
Wesleyan Argus,
Campus Times (University of Rochester),
Rochester Contrast, and the University of Rochester
Rochester Review.
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| Folder | News Clips, 1958-1964 | 11 |
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Series III. Writings
Scope and Content Notes
The writings are divided into manuscripts, including a copy of Dr. Cherniavsky's Masters Thesis and a summary of his dissertation, and various published articles.
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Subseries 1. Manuscripts |
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Tsar and People: Studies in Russian Myths, vol. 1 | 2 | 1 |
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Tsar and People: Studies in Russian Myths, vol. 2 | 2 |
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Tsar and People: Studies in Russian Myths, vol. 3 | 3 |
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| Box | Folder |
Tsar and People: Studies in Russian Myths, Carbon Typescript | 3 | 1 |
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| Folder | Masters Thesis,
The History of the Soviet Opinion of the United State, 1936-1946..., University of California, 1946 | 2 |
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| Folder | Unpublished summary of PhD thesis | 3 |
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Corporal Hitler, General Winter, and the Russian Peasant | 4 |
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Subseries 2. Published Articles |
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The Charismatic Figure in History, in
Civ. Past and Present, v. 2 | 5 |
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Holy Russia: A Study in the History of an Idea, in
American Historical Review, v. 63, no. 3, April 1958 | 6 |
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Khan or Basileus: an Aspect of Russian Medieval Political Theory, in
Journal of the History of Ideas, v. 20, no. 4, October - December 1959 | 7 |
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The Reception of the Council of Florence in Moscow, in
Church History, v. 24, no. 4, December 1955 | 8 |
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Series IV. Memorabilia
Scope and Content Notes
This series includes two sketches, one of Dr. Cherniavsky and a child's sketch of "Michael fishing"; and three photographs, presumably of members of Dr. Cherniavsky's family.
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Series V. Research
Scope and Content Notes
This series contains records of some of Dr. Cherniavsky's research on Russian history. They are kept in letter boxes and slide cases within the larger boxes and include draft manuscripts, reprints of articles, lecture transcripts, and photographs.
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| Box | Research Material | 4-5 |
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Series VI. Studies Directed by Michael Cherniavsky
Scope and Content Notes
These are three dissertations for which Dr. Cherniavsky served as advisor.
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| Box | Folder | Thesis:
The Russian Generalist of 1730; Towards a Definition of the Aristocracy, Brenda M. Meehan, University of Rochester, 1970 | 6 | 1 |
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| Folder | Thesis (Draft):
Russian Revolutionary Emigration, Terrorism and the 'Political Struggle', Michael Brockhardt Millard, University of Rochester, 1972 | 2 |
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| Folder | Thesis (Final draft): Millard, M.B. | 3 |
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| Folder | Thesis:
The Shape of Time, An Essay on the Meaning of the Psychiatric Conceptions of Harry Steck Sullivan, Peter S. Rosenbaum, Wesleyan University | 4 |
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Series VII. Miscellaneous Publications
Scope and Content Notes
This series contains theses of Matitiahu Mayzel, Thomas Esper, and Richard Wortman; and a paper by Ludolf Muller. Correspondence between Cherniavsky and Mayzel and Esper, discussing their dissertations and other research in the field of Russian history, can be found in Series I.
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| Box | Folder | Thesis:
The Russian General Staff During the Revolution, Matitiahu Mayzel, University of Rochester, 1972 | 7 | 1 |
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| Folder | Thesis:
Muscovite Russia 1505-1682, Thomas Esper | 2 |
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| Folder | Thesis:
The Crisis of Russian Populism, Richard Wortman, Cambridge University Press, 1967 | 3 |
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Die drei Hauptargumente gegen die byzantenische These, Chapter III of
Zum Problem des Hierarchischen Stalus und der jurisdiktioneilen Abhangigkeit der russische Kirche, Loln Braunsfeld, 1959 | 4 |
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