Historical studies

  • On 6 June 2009 there was a centenary of birth of Sir Isaiah Berlin - one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century on liberalism. Few people know in Russia that he was born in Russian empire before Revolution and that he studied and taught in Oxford for many years. Moscow-based newspaper The New Times published an article "Berlin's Defence" (in Russian) devoted to this jubilee. For more information devoted to Berlin's Centenary see Wolfson college web-site
  • Prince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky (17 February 1916 — 29 March 1940) was a Russian Rurikid prince and an international rugby union footballer who played for England. He was popularly known as just "The Prince" by many sports fans.A member of the Rurik Dynasty, he was born in Saint Petersburg on 17 February 1916 and was the son of Prince Serge Obolensky, an officer in the Czar's Imperial Horse Guards, and his wife Princess Lubov'. They fled Russia after the Russian Revolution of 1917, settling in Muswell Hill, London. Obolensky was educated at The Ashe boys' preparatory school, Etwall, and Trent College, Long Eaton, both in Derbyshire, before going to Brasenose College, Oxford in Michaelmas 1934, where he held a College Exhibition and studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics. He gained a Fourth Class degree in 1938. At Oxford he earned two rugby blues representing Oxford University RFC as a wing/three-quarter. He played for Leicester Football Club between 1934 and 1939, as well as Rosslyn Park F.C.. His selection for England caused a stir because he was not a British citizen, but he gained British Citizenship in 1936. On 4 January 1936 he scored two tries on his England debut in a 13-0 victory over the All Blacks, the first time England had beaten New Zealand. Aided by Pathé News footage of the game, his name has entered into legend, since the first try, beating several All Blacks in a run of three-quarters of the length of the field, was widely regarded as the greatest try of the time, and one of the greatest tries ever scored by England. See Obolensky's tries on Youtube. See more on his biography
  • On the Russian page of this section you can find some very interesting facts about three prominent Russian professors and lectures who taught at Oxford University at different times: Dmitry Obolensky, Maksim Kovalevsky and Pavel Vinogradov (just press "Russian" above to go there)
  • Count Vorontsov, First Honorary Doctor in Oxford from Russia. Mikhail Prihodko, from Vorontsov society, wrote an article in the Russian magazine "Questions of history" which speaks about the life of Count Vorontsov (1741-1805), first ever Honorary Doctor in Oxford with Russian origins. The fact about this is mentioned in the article of J.S.G. Simmons. However, OUS Moscow together with Mikhail applied to Oxford to confirm this as J.S.G. Simmons unfortunately didn’t give any references to printed publications and archive documents as the confirmation of this fact. With the kind help of Prof. John Robertson and Simon Bailey, Keeper of the Archives at the Bodleian Library, we received such confirmation: The Register of Convocation held in the Bodleian records that the honorary degree of DCL was conferred on 7 July 1763 on 'Alexandrum de Woronzow Comitem Imperii Russui et Imperii Romani, Majorem Generalem Exercituum et Camerarium Imperatricis Totius Russiae et ejus Ministrum Plenipotentiarium apud Magnae Britanniae Regem' (Oxford University Archives, NEP/Subtus/Reg Bh, p460).The reference to the published source of this, where the name is given as Woronzo, is Joseph Foster, 'Alumni Oxonienses 1715-1886' p1609. Below is the article from the magazine which tells the biography of the famous Count:
  • Vorontsov.doc
  • J.S.G. Simmons, ‛Oxford's Russian Honorary Doctors‛, All Souls College, Oxford, text reprinted in Russian. Most interesting facts about Russians who visited Oxford in different capacities in XVII-XX, starting from Peter the Great and other Russian emperors and nobles and finishing with Turgenev, Mendeleev, Shostakovich, Chukovsky and many other.
    For further information please read: http://courier.com.ru/energy/en0801simmons.htm