International Relations of Medieval Europe in Works of D. I. Kachenovskiy (1827–1872)

Abstract

The article dwells on reaearch and academic activity of D. I. Kachenovskiy at Kharkiv University. His contribution is shown to the study of international relations history at Middle Ages. It is emphasized that we are quite right to call D. I. Kachenovskiy one of most prominent Ukrainian experts in this field, despite his certain idealization of feudal society. Main teaching subjects of D. I. Kachenovskiy were international law and state law of European powers. The basic research work by D. I. Kachenovskiy became his doctoral thesis «On Privateers and Prize Proceedings Relative to Neutral Merchandise» (1855) which became widely known both in Russian Empire and Europe. D. I. Kachenovskiy admitted the appropriateness of privateering, characterized its essence and shared the opinion of well-known French scholar J.-M. Pardessus that charter by Aragon king Alfonso III of 1288 had been the first legislative act relating to privateering. The first period in European privateering history when “naval war was almost indistinguishable from piracy” lasted, by the scholar’s opinion, up to the end of XVI century. His «Course in International Law» was published in 1863, though unfinished, and embraced the antiquity as well as Middle Ages. The concept of international law development in the Middle Ages as proposed by D. I. Kachenovskiy included several basic elements. Those are: admission of the tremendous contribution of Christian Church, Roman Popes and German Emperors in elaboration of this law, influence of public order and national character of German tribes, as well as statement of general détente of mores and international tension in the Middle Ages under the effect of above-cited factors. The scholar emphasized positive influence of knighthood on customs of war and international relations. Medieval international law, history of privateering and trade, social-political and cultural life of Florence and effect of internal factors on its development were the main lines in research of the scientist. Works by D. I. Kachenovskiy exerted the substantial impact not only on students, but on his colleagues as well, and his scientific treatments mostly sustained time exam.