the document functions, you need to rely on the document contents. M. Iliushenko in
his studies pointed out the following functions of the document: informational, social,
communicative, cultural, administrative, legal, accounting and of historical source. N.
Kushnarenko made a significant contribution to the study of the document functions.
She identified such functions of the document and divided them into three main
groupsin symbolic terms: the main, general and special functions that are considered
social. The document is most generalized with the help of the main function. This
document function preserves and distributes information in time and space. Regardless
of their type and kind – the common function is characteristic of all documents. N.
Kushnarenko refers communicative, social, cultural, informational, cumulativeby
definition to the general document functions. The special functions of the document
manifest themselves from the social needs of the society. They are specific not to all,
but only to certain types and kinds of documents. The following are commonly
widespread in general: regulatory or administrative function; cognitive or enlightening
(educational) function; statistical; legal; historical function or function of the historical
source; general cultural; memorial (monumental); hedonic function. However, the
functional analysis of the documentary communication of the city's defense policy in
the period of its pre-source existence has not yet been studied and has a particularly
informational value for the historian-researcher [2, p.41].
Research methods. The research is based on the use of a number of special and
general scientific historical methods. The general scientific methods of synthesis,
logical analysis, induction and deduction, as well as synthetic, analytical, retrospective
methods have been used in the research in the first place.
Common scientific methods include the method of system analysis. The use of
this method in the paper is necessary for the processing of information available in
different types of sources and summarizing this information to a complete historical
picture.
The comparative-historical method has been widely used in the thesis. The basic
principle of the comparative method is to understand a historical phenomenon or a
process through the comparison with other phenomena and processes [3, p. 252]. For
example, in order to better understand the peculiarities of the document creation
process of the Royal Chancellery in the 14
th
–16
th
centuries, it should be compared with
the chancelleries of other cities that have already been investigated by researchers.
Due to the problem-chronological method, the method of periodizationhas been
used, on the basis of which we have distinguished the periods in the development of
documentation on the issues of military art and defense of Lviv of both the magistrate
of the city and the royal chancelleries.
Another method widely used in the paper is the source-studies method of
scholarly criticism. In order to increase the probability of historical research, it should
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