Value of Russian archival and library documents in study of George Fedotov's biography

The author analyzes documents from Russian archives and libraries to determine their value in reference to biography reconstruction of the eminent Russian historian-medievalist George Fedotov (1886-1951). The State Archive of Saratov region contains documents that afford ample opportunities to comprehensively characterize his revolutionary activities. Documents, stored in the Central State Archive of St. Petersburg and the Russian State Historical Archive, provide extensive data instrumental in the definition of the main facts related to his studies at the University of St. Petersburg.Evidence of the young historian’s work on the library premises are deposited in the archives of the Russian National Library. Last, not least, George Fedotov’s correspondence with Tatiana Dmitrieva, held in the Research Department of Manuscripts of the Russian State Library, is the main source for understanding the motives of his actions. Analyzing his letters, the author argues that self-reflection, expressed in them, became the basis for a subsequent formation of his research method.