Mysterious chronicles of ancient Rus'. Russian chronicles
Chronicles are ancient Russian writings, they described events over the years, described the life of ordinary people and the princely court, legal documents and church texts were rewritten. They covered different periods for description. In some, the description came from biblical events, and in some, starting from the settlement of the lands by the Slavs. The emergence of the state, the adoption of Christianity are described. They described all the historical events that took place in Ancient Rus'. Each period described in them, of course, carries elements of the ideology and propaganda of the unification, descriptions of the merits of the princes. In addition to historical events, there is a description of the policy of the state, the way of life of the Slavs.
Unlike European chronicles, which are written in Latin, Old Russian chronicles are written in Old Russian. What made them accessible, since in Ancient Rus' there were many men and women who were literate, and there were also many very educated people.
Chronicle centers in Ancient Rus'
The annals used various methods of keeping and writing. Here, for example, lists were used. These are rewritten copies of ancient chronicles. Changes were made for various reasons. If the prince changed, then it was necessary to glorify the deeds, to describe the events of past years in a new way, making changes, taking into account new events. It was also done to introduce religious moments into writing.
The concept of "codes" or "consolidated annals" is also used. Chronicle of Ancient Rus' is a description of what is happening in chronology. The description takes place from the point of view of the ruling class, the entire process of keeping chronicles was under the control of the authorities. Ideology played an important role.
Kiev-Pechersky Monastery - the center of chronicle writing
This place has always been the main shrine and pride. It was here that many of the brightest and most worthy people lived, dressed as monks, after a haircut, moving away from worldly fuss and life's blessings, completely devoting themselves to the affairs of God. This is not only a shrine, but also the concentration of enlightenment. And later - the main focus of the annals. It is within these walls long time the chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years" was compiled and recorded. And the monk Nestor, who created this and whole line other significant works, lived here, having done many holy deeds, 41 years. Together with other monks, he compiled a scripture about the old Russian church, described all the important church events and gave a description of its features in Rus'. After his death, the incorruptible body was transferred and still rests in the cave of the Lavra.
The Vydubetsky Monastery also plays a special role. Within the walls of the Vydubetskaya shrine, hegumen Matthew was engaged in maintaining the Kyiv code, in which he chronolized the events in the period 1118-1198. Gave them a lot exact description and disclosure, without misrepresenting the facts. This work is also one of the written monuments, which plays an important role in the study of the history of our ancestors. It became a logical continuation of the chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years".
The Kiev model of reference formed the basis for the creation and application of principles in writing annals. This is where the rules and methods are based.
What were the centers of chronicle writing in Ancient Rus' called:
- Novgorod
- Vladimir-Suzdal
- Galicia-Volyn
Novgorod Chronicle Center
Novgorod was largest city with a developed structure, therefore it became the center of chronicles. A description of the city can be seen in the Tale of Ancient Years for 859. In the XI century, Yaroslav the Wise, having ascended the throne, did not stay in Kyiv, his court spent 10 years in Novgorod. All this time, the city was considered the actual capital of Rus'.
Compilation began in the 11th century with the writing of the first Novgorod Chronicle. In total, four of them were created, but the rest were written later. It included:
- Brief description of "Russian Truth"
- Brief description of the legal collection
- Description of ongoing events and processes
Vaults were also kept here, led by their posadnik Ostromir. But history has not left us any information about him.
Vladimir-Suzdal Chronicle Center
The Vladimir temple is the place where the chronicles were kept, the monks did the work. The chronicles, the earliest of those that have come down to us, there are two of them, compiled from 1177-1193, describe the Chronicler of Pereyaslavl Russian. They covered politics, church life, described the life and main events at the princely court. Everything was presented and interpreted from the point of view of the church. Only at the beginning of XII, the chronicle began to be conducted at the princely court.
Galicia-Volynian Chronicle Center
For these lands, the confrontation between princely and boyar power has always been a big problem. Chronicles were created at the court, so the main idea when writing was a strong and fair princely power, and the complete opposite - the boyars. Perhaps the chronicle was written by combatants. They described events as separate fragments and descriptions. They stood on the side of the princely power, therefore, the idea of \u200b\u200bthe fight against the boyars, a negative description of their desire for power, passes through the annals.
The Galicia-Volyn chronicle belongs to a later period, approximately to 1201-1291. She entered the Ipatiev vault. Already later it was issued in the form of a chronology, before the design it consisted of parts:
- Galician chronicle, compiled in Galicia in 1201-1261.
- Volhynian chronicle, compiled in Volhynia in 1262-1291.
The main feature: church events and way of life were not described.
The first ancient Russian chronicle
The oldest Russian chronicle was called The Tale of Bygone Years. Created in the 12th century. This is a consistent chronological description of events on the territory of Rus', the place of creation is the city of Kyiv. It was redone an unspecified number of times, but no fundamental changes were made. In any case, this version is officially considered correct.
Contains descriptions up to 1137, but originates from 852. Consists of a large number of articles of different nature. And in each there is a description of a particular year. The number of articles coincides with the number of years described. As a rule, each section begins with a phrase in the form: "In the summer such and such" and then the description, excerpts from important documents or in the form of legends goes the description. The name was given because of the phrase that appears at the beginning - "The Tale of Bygone Years."
The most ancient chronicle of the indicated ancient Russian chronicle, The Tale of Bygone Years, which managed to reach our days, was rewritten by the monk Lavrenty and dates back to the 14th century. The original chronicle, unfortunately, has been lost forever. Late versions with various modifications by other authors have now been found.
At the moment, there are many versions of the history of the chronicle. If you believe them, then it was completed in 1037, and the monk Nestor is also the author. Even under Nestor, it was rewritten, because he made changes to add Christian ideology, political additions were also made. Ideology, even in those days, was an important tool for strengthening princely power. Other versions say that the date of creation is 1100. It is generally accepted that the oldest Russian chronicle of the beginning of the XII century. is The Tale of Bygone Years.
A distinctive feature is that it carries a structured description of events, does not try to interpret them in its own way. In the first place was the Will of God, its existence explained many events. The causal relationship was not interesting and was not reflected in the work. The genre of the Tale of Bygone Years was open, it could include anything, from various legends to weather reports. The chronicle had legal force on a par with the set of officially adopted documents.
The purpose of writing the first ancient Russian chronicle, called The Tale of Bygone Years, is to clarify the roots of the Russian people, the philosophy of Christianity and a description of the valiant princely power. It begins with a story and reasoning about the origin and settlement. The Russian people are shown as a descendant of Noah's son, Japheth. The basis, to which the majority is subordinated, consists of legends about the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, about wars and brave heroes. The ending consists of battle stories from the princes' obituaries.
The Tale of Bygone Years is the first important document that described the history of Rus' from its very beginning. She played a very important role in the subsequent historical research and is a very important source of knowledge about our ancestors.
Old Russian chroniclers
In our time, information about the chroniclers is collected bit by bit. The centers of their writing were, as a rule, temples. Chroniclers of Ancient Rus', names: Nestor and hegumen Matthew. These are one of the first chroniclers, others later appeared. Initially, chronicles were written almost everywhere only in temples, and later, at princely courts. Unfortunately, nothing is known about the life of Father Superior Matthew, except that he was engaged in writing chronicles in the Vydubetsky monastery.
Little more is known about Nestor the chronicler. As a seventeen-year-old teenager, he received the monastic dignity from Theodosius of the Caves. He came to the monastery already a literate and educated person, in Kyiv there were many teachers who could teach him. Nestor, in addition to The Tale of Bygone Years, left us a lot of works, one of them: The Biography of Theodosius of the Caves, whom he often saw as a novice. In 1196, he witnessed the destruction of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. In his last writings, he raised topics about the unity of Rus' by Christianity. Death overtook the chronicler at the age of 65.
Conclusion
The annals, summary annals and chronicle lists, which help in studying the history of the ancient Slavs, have only partially survived to this day, political events, way of life, like common people, and the princely court.
Great philosophers have often said that people who do not know their past have no future. The history of your family, your people, your country should be known at least so that you do not have to make the same discoveries, make the same mistakes.
The sources of information about the events of the past are official documents of the state level, records of religious, social, educational institutions, preserved eyewitness accounts and much more. Chronicles are considered the oldest documentary source.
The chronicle is one of the genres of Old Russian literature that existed from the 11th to the 17th centuries. At its core, this is a consistent presentation of events significant for history. The records were kept by year, and they could vary greatly in terms of volume and details of presentation of the material.
What events deserved to be mentioned in chronicles?
First, this turning points in the biography of Russian princes: marriage, the birth of heirs, the beginning of the reign, military exploits, death. Sometimes the Russian chronicles described miracles coming from the relics of the deceased princes, for example, Boris and Gleb, the first Russian saints.
Secondly, the chroniclers paid attention to the description of celestial eclipses, solar and lunar, epidemics of serious diseases, earthquakes, etc. Chroniclers often tried to establish a relationship between natural phenomena and historical events. For example, a defeat in a battle could be explained by the special position of the stars in the sky.
Thirdly, the ancient chronicles told about events of national importance: military campaigns, attacks by enemies, the construction of religious or administrative buildings, church affairs, etc.
Common features of famous chronicles
1) If you remember what a chronicle is, you can guess why this genre of literature got such a name. The fact is that instead of the word "year" the authors used the word "summer". Each entry began with the words "In summer", followed by an indication of the year and a description of the event. If, from the point of view of the chronicler, nothing significant happened, then a note was put - "In the summer of XXXX, there was silence." The chronicler had no right to completely skip the description of this or that year.
2) Some Russian chronicles do not begin with the appearance Russian state, which would be logical, but from the creation of the world. Thus, the chronicler sought to inscribe the history of his country into the universal history, to show the place and role of his homeland in the modern world for him. Dating was also conducted from the creation of the world, and not from the Nativity of Christ, as we do now. The interval between these dates is 5508 years. Therefore, the entry "In the summer of 6496" contains a description of the events of 988 - the Baptism of Rus'.
3) For work, the chronicler could use the works of his predecessors. But he not only included the materials they left in his narrative, but also gave them his political and ideological assessment.
4) The chronicle differs from other genres of literature in its special style. The authors did not use any artistic techniques to embellish your speech. The main thing for them was documentary and informative.
The connection of the chronicle with literary and folklore genres
The special style mentioned above, however, did not prevent chroniclers from periodically resorting to oral folk art or other literary genres. Ancient chronicles contain elements of legends, legends, heroic epic, as well as hagiographic and secular literature.
Turning to the toponymic legend, the author sought to explain where the names of the Slavic tribes, ancient cities and the whole country came from. Echoes of ritual poetry are present in the description of weddings and funerals. Epic techniques could be used to depict the glorious Russian princes and their heroic deeds. And to illustrate the life of the rulers, for example, the feasts they arrange, there are elements of folk tales.
Hagiographic literature, with its clear structure and symbolism, provided the chroniclers with both material and a method for describing miraculous phenomena. They believed in the intervention of divine forces in human history and reflected this in their writings. Elements of secular literature (teachings, stories, etc.) were used by the authors to reflect and illustrate their views.
Texts of legislative acts, princely and church archives, and other official documents were also woven into the fabric of the narrative. This helped the chronicler to give the most complete picture of important events. And what is a chronicle if not a comprehensive historical description?
The most famous chronicles
It should be noted that the chronicles are divided into local, which became widespread during the time of feudal fragmentation, and all-Russian, describing the history of the entire state. The list of the most famous is presented in the table:
Until the 19th century, it was believed that The Tale of Bygone Years was the first chronicle in Rus', and its creator, monk Nestor, was the first Russian historiographer. This assumption was refuted by A.A. Shkhmatov, D.S. Likhachev and other scientists. The Tale of Bygone Years has not been preserved, but its individual editions are known from lists in later works - the Laurentian and Ipatiev Chronicles.
Chronicle in the modern world
By the end of the 17th century, the chronicles had lost their historical meaning. More accurate and objective ways of fixing events have appeared. History began to be studied from the positions of official science. And the word "chronicle" has additional meanings. We no longer remember what a chronicle is when we read the headings “Chronicle of the life and work of N”, “Chronicle of a museum” (of a theater or any other institution).
There is a magazine, a film studio, a radio program called Chronicle, and computer game fans are probably familiar with the game Arkham Chronicle.
Beginning of chronicle
The authors of the first books
The first Russian book
Chronicler Nestor
Review questions
Homework
The first Russian books
Chronicles were the first Russian books
chronicle - a genre of narrative literature in Russia in the 11th-17th centuries
Chronicles were all-Russian and local
Preserved mainly in later lists
The origin of chronicle writing
Chronicle writing originated in Kyiv and Novgorod in the 11th century
The first Russian books were created in monasteries
The authors of the first books
Chronicle writing was done by monks specially trained by senior masters.
The first books were written by hand parchment , quill pen, black and red ink
Chronicler's work
The work of the chronicler required a lot of effort and attention
The scribes worked from dawn to dusk
To distract themselves a little, they made postscripts in the margins:
book design
Stitched parchment sheets were placed between two boards that served as a cover at that time.
The cover was covered with leather, often decorated with precious stones, copper inserts.
The text of the chronicle consisted of weather (compiled by years) records
Each entry begins with the words:
"In the summer such and such", followed by a message about what happened in this "summer" that is, the year
Since then, the expression “how old are you?”
How chronicles were written
Entries related to the same year are called articles.
The book was written in two columns in black ink.
Capital letters were written with cinnabar - red paint
Articles went in a row, standing out only with a red line
Types of chronicle writing
Old Russian books written charter And
half charter
Messages were long, detailed stories, and were very short:
"Into the summer 6898 there was pestilence in Pskov, as if there were no currents; where you have dug up one, that and five and ten you will put ”
"Into the summer 6752 don't be nothing"
The chronicler gave titles to some articles
The first Russian book
« Tale of Bygone Years» - this is the name in historical science of the oldest of the chronicles that have come down to us, entitled with the following words:
What is the "Story" about?
"The Tale of Bygone Years" tells about the origin of Rus', the princes, the events of the initial period of Russian history
The time of the creation of the "Tale"
The compilation of the "Tale" refers to the XI - the beginning of the XII centuries
This collection is also called the Nestor Chronicle, a temporary Nestor , the original chronicle
Nestor is the author of the first edition of The Tale of Bygone Years
Authorship of chronicles
Chronicle writing was carried out at the behest of one or another prince
But the chronicler always wrote "all good and bad", without embellishing reality
Chroniclers, with rare exceptions, did not indicate their names
The role of books in society
Chronicle was an official document
Highly valued were people who could "speak" according to the annals, that is, they knew their content well.
Review questions
What is the name of the most ancient monuments of Russian literature?
How the first Russian books were created?
Who was author the first Russian chronicle and what was it called?
How do you imagine a Russian chronicler, what qualities did he possess?
Phraseological turnover has been preserved in speech to this day "read from board to board""fully". How do you explain its origin and what does it mean?
What is the history of the origin of phraseology "from the red line"?
Do you want to get acquainted with the content of Russian chronicles? What, they can interest modern readers?
The most remarkable phenomenon ancient Russian literature were chronicles. The first weather records date back to the 9th century, they were extracted from later sources of the 16th century. They are very brief: notes in one or two lines.
As a phenomenon on a national scale, chronicle writing appeared in the 11th century. People became chroniclers different ages and not just monks. A very significant contribution to the restoration of the history of the annals was made by such researchers as A.A. Shakhmatov (1864-1920) and A.N. Nasonov (1898 - 1965). The first major historical work was the Code, completed in 997. Its compilers described the events of the 9th-10th centuries, ancient legends. It even includes epic court poetry that praised Olga, Svyatoslav and especially Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, in whose reign this Code was created.
Nestor, a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, who by 1113 completed his work The Tale of Bygone Years and compiled an extensive historical introduction to it, must be attributed to figures of a European scale. Nestor knew Russian, Bulgarian and Greek literature very well, being a very educated person. He used in his work the earlier Codes of 997, 1073 and 1093, and the events of the turn of the XI-XII centuries. covered as an eyewitness. This chronicle gave the most complete picture of the early national history and copied for 500 years. It must be borne in mind that the ancient Russian annals covered not only the history of Rus', but also the history of other peoples.
Secular people were also engaged in writing chronicles. For example, Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh. It was in the composition of the chronicle that such beautiful works of his as “Instruction to Children” (c. 1099; subsequently supplemented, preserved in the list of 1377) have come down to us. In particular, in the "Instruction" Vladimir Monomakh holds the idea of the need to repulse external enemies. In total, there were 83 "paths" - campaigns in which he participated.
In the XII century. chronicles become very detailed, and since they are written by contemporaries, the class and political sympathies of the chroniclers are very clearly expressed in them. The social order of their patrons is traced. Among the largest chroniclers who wrote after Nestor, one can single out the Kyivian Peter Borislavich. The most mysterious author in the XII-XIII centuries. was Daniil the Sharpener. It is believed that he owns two works - "Word" and "Prayer". Daniil Zatochnik was an excellent connoisseur of Russian life, knew church literature well, wrote in bright and colorful literary language. He said the following about himself: “My tongue was like the reed of a scribe, and my lips were friendly, like the speed of a river. For this reason, I tried to write about the fetters of my heart and broke them with bitterness, as in ancient times they smashed babies against a stone.
Separately, it is necessary to highlight the genre of "walking", describing the travel of our compatriots abroad. Firstly, these are the stories of pilgrims who carried out their “walks” to Palestine and Pargrad (Constantinople), but descriptions of Western European states gradually began to appear. One of the first was a description of the journey of Daniil, the abbot of one of the Chernigov monasteries, who visited Palestine in 1104-1107, spending 16 months there and participating in the crusader wars. The most outstanding work of this genre is "Journey Beyond Three Seas" by the Tver merchant Athanasius Nikitin, compiled in the form of a diary. It describes many southern peoples but mostly Indians. "Walking" A. Nikitin lasting six years took place in the 70s. 15th century
The "hagiographic" literature is very interesting, since in it, in addition to describing the life of canonized persons, a true picture of life in monasteries was given. For example, cases of bribery for obtaining this or that church rank or place, etc., were described. Here one can single out the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon, which is a collection of stories about the monks of this monastery.
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worldwide famous work of ancient Russian literature was "The Tale of Igor's Campaign", the date of writing of which is attributed to 1185. This poem was imitated by contemporaries, it was quoted by Pskovians already at the beginning of the 14th century, and after the victory at Kulikovo Field (1380) in imitation of "The Lay ..." "Zadonshchina" was written. "The Word..." was created in connection with the campaign of the Seversk prince Igor against the Polovtsian Khan Konchak. Igor, overwhelmed by ambitious plans, did not unite with the Grand Duke Vsevolod the Big Nest and was defeated. The idea of unification on the eve of the Tatar-Mongol invasion runs through the entire work. And again, as in the epics, here we are talking about defense, and not about aggression and expansion.
From the second half of the XIV century. Moscow chronicle is becoming increasingly important. In 1392 and 1408 Moscow chronicles are being created, which are of an all-Russian character. And in the middle of the XV century. "Chronograph" appears, representing, in fact, the first experience of writing world history our ancestors, and in the "Chronograph" an attempt was made to show the place and role of Ancient Rus' in the world-historical process.
Traditionally chronicles in a broad sense are called historical writings, the presentation of which is strictly by year and is accompanied by chronographic (annual), often calendar, and sometimes chronometric (hourly) dates. In the narrow sense of the word, chronicles are usually called chronicle texts that have actually come down to us, preserved in one or more lists similar to each other. Sometimes small chronicles - most often of a narrow local or chronologically limited nature - are called chroniclers (the Rogozhsky Chronicler, the Chronicler of the Beginning of the Kingdoms, etc.). As a rule, a chronicle in studies means a complex of lists combined into one edition (for example, the Laurentian Chronicle, the Ipatiev Chronicle). At the same time, they are considered to be based on a common alleged source.
Chronicle writing was carried out in Rus' from the 11th to the 17th centuries. Late Russian chronicles (XVI-XVII centuries) differ significantly from the chronicles of the previous time. Therefore, working with them has its own specifics. At that time chronicle as special genre historical narrative faded away. It was replaced by other types of historical sources: chronographs, Synopsis, etc. The period of coexistence of these types of sources is characterized by a kind of blurring of species boundaries. The chronicles are increasingly acquiring the features of a chronographic (more precisely, granographic) presentation: the narration is conducted along the “facets” - the periods of the reign of kings and grand dukes. In turn, later chronographs may include chronicle materials (sometimes entire fragments of chronicles).
Back in the 19th century it was found that almost all surviving chronicle texts are compilations, sets of previous chronicles.
Reconstruction of the texts of the vaults is a complex and time-consuming task (examples are the reconstruction of the Ancient Code of 1036/39, the Initial Code of 1096/97, I, II and III editions of the Tale of Bygone Years, created by A.A. Shakhmatov; academic edition of the reconstruction of the text Tale of Bygone Years, prepared by D.S. Likhachev). They are resorted to in order to clarify the composition and content of the text of a hypothetical code. Basically, such reconstructions are illustrative. At the same time, there is a known case of scientific reconstruction by M.D. Priselkov of the Trinity Chronicle, the list of which perished during the Moscow fire of 1812. Thanks to this reconstruction, the Trinity List was reintroduced into scientific circulation. Reconstructions of protographs are admissible, as a rule, at the final stage of source studies, since they allow a more concrete presentation of the results of work on the texts of chronicle lists. However, they are not commonly used as starting material.
>When working with annalistic materials, one should be aware of the inaccuracies and conventions of scientific terminology. This is due, in particular, to the “lack of clear boundaries and the complexity of the history of chronicle texts”, with the “fluidity” of chronicle texts, which allow for “gradual transitions from text to text without visible gradations of monuments and editions”. It should be distinguished whether the study refers to the chronicle as a conditional edition or a specific list; not to confuse reconstructions of chronicle protographs with texts of lists that have come down to us, etc.
Clarification of chronicle terminology is one of the urgent tasks of chronicle source studies. Until now, “in the study of chronicle writing, the use of terms is extremely vague.
One of the most complex in chronicle studies is the concept of authorship. Indeed, as already noted, almost all famous chronicles- the result of the work of several generations of chroniclers.
For this reason alone, the very notion of the author (or compiler, or editor) of a chronicle text turns out to be largely arbitrary. Each of them, before proceeding to describe the events and processes of which he was an eyewitness or contemporary, first rewrote one or more previous chronicles that were at his disposal.
The situation was different when the chronicler approached the creation of an original, "author's" text about contemporary events, of which he was a participant or eyewitness, or about which he learned from witnesses. Here the individual experience of the author or his informants could conflict with public memory. However, this obvious paradox disappeared when it was possible to discern in what was happening the features of historical experience that was higher for the Christian consciousness. For the chronicler, Sacred history is a timeless and constantly re-experiencing value in real, "today's" events. An event is essential for a chronicler insofar as, figuratively speaking, it was an event.
From here followed the method of description - through direct or indirect citation of authoritative (most often sacred) texts. analogy with already famous events gave the chronicler a typology of the essential. That is why the texts of the sources, on which the chronicler relied, were for him and his contemporaries a semantic fund, from which it remained to choose ready-made clichés for the perception, description and simultaneous assessment of what was happening. Apparently, individual creativity affected mainly the form and, to a much lesser extent, the content of the annalistic message.
The idea should allow a consistent explanation of: 1) the reasons that prompted the creation of new codes and the continuation of the exposition once begun; 2) the structure of the chronicle narrative; 3) selection of material to be presented; 4) the form of its submission; 5) selection of sources on which the chronicler relied.
The way to reveal the intention is the opposite: by analyzing the content of the texts on which the chronicler relied (and common ideas works that he took as the basis of presentation), according to the literary forms found in the annals, it is necessary to restore the content of annalistic messages relevant to the chronicler and his potential readers, the code as a whole, and already on this basis, try to isolate the basic idea that brought to life this work.
7. The Tale of Bygone Years: origin, authorship, editions, internal structure. It is customary to associate the beginning of Old Russian chronicle writing with a stable general text, which begins the vast majority of chronicles that have come down to our time. The text of The Tale of Bygone Years covers a long period - from ancient times to the beginning of the second decade of the 12th century. This is one of the oldest chronicle codes, the text of which was preserved by the chronicle tradition. In different chronicles, the text of the Tale reaches different years: before 1110 (Lavrentiev and related lists) or until 1118 (Ipatiev and related lists). This is usually associated with repeated editing of the Tale. A comparison of both editions led A.A. Shakhmatov concluded that the text of the first edition, carried out by Abbot Sylvester of the Vydubitsky Monastery, has been preserved in the Laurentian Chronicle. Text of Articles 6618-6626 is associated with the second edition of the Tale of Bygone Years, apparently carried out under the eldest son of Vladimir Monomakh, Prince Mstislav of Novgorod. At the same time, an indication that the author of the Tale was some monk of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery, Nestor. According to A.A. Shakhmatova, the chronicle, which is usually called the Tale of Bygone Years, was created in 1112 by Nestor, presumably the author of two well-known hagiographic works - Readings about Boris and Gleb and The Life of Theodosius of the Caves.
Chronicle compilations that preceded the Tale of Bygone Years: the text of the chronicle code that preceded the Tale of Bygone Years has been preserved in the Novgorod I Chronicle. The Tale of Bygone Years was preceded by a code, which A.A. Shakhmatov suggested calling it Primary. Based on the content and nature of the presentation of the chronicle, it was proposed to date it to 1096-1099. According to the researcher, it was he who formed the basis of the Novgorod I Chronicle. Further study of the Primary Code, however, showed that it was based on some kind of work (or works) of an annalistic nature. From this L.A. Shakhmatov concluded that the Primary Code was based on some chronicle compiled between 977 and 1044. The most likely in this gap is L.A. Shakhmatov considered 1037, under which the praise of Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich is placed in the Tale. The researcher suggested calling this hypothetical chronicle work the Most Ancient Code. The narrative in it has not yet been divided into years and was plot. Annual dates (chronological network) were introduced into it by the Kiev-Pechersk monk Nikoi the Great in the 70s of the 11th century.
M.P. Tikhomirov drew attention to the fact that the Tale better reflects the reign of Svyatoslav Igorevich than Vladimir Svyatoslavich and Yaroslav Vladimirovich. On the basis of a comparative study of the Tale and the Novgorod Chronicle I, the scientist came to the conclusion that the Tale was based on the monothematic Tale of the beginning of the Russian land, which told about the founding of Kyiv and the first Kyiv princes.
D.S. Likhachev believes that the Primary Code was preceded by the Legend of the initial spread of Christianity to the Rus. It was a monothematic story, compiled in the early 10s. 11th century The Legend included: stories about the baptism and death of Princess Olga; about the first Russian martyrs, the Varangian Christians; about the baptism of Rus'; about Boris and Gleb and Praise to Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich.
L.V. Cherepnin, Comparing the text of the Tale with the praise of Prince Vladimir Jacob Mnikh, came to the conclusion that the latter was based on the code of 996. This text was based on brief annalistic notes that were kept at the Church of the Tithes in Kiev. It was also suggested that Anastas Korsunyanin was involved in compiling the code of the Church of the Tithes.
Novgorod vaults of the 11th century: together with the Kiev-Pechersk vault of 1074 (the so-called Nikon vault), it formed the basis of the Initial Code. According to A.A. Shakhmatov, lay the Ancient Kiev code of 1037 and some earlier Novgorod chronicle of 1017, compiled under the Novgorod bishop Joachim.
B.A. Rybakov associated the compilation of such a code with the name of the Novgorod posadnik Ostromir (1054-1059). According to the researcher, it was a secular chronicle that substantiated the independence of Novgorod, its independence from Kyiv.
Oral sources in the Tale of Bygone Years: under 1096, the chronicler mentions the Novgorodian Gyuryata Rogovich, who told him the Ugra legend about peoples living on the edge of the earth in "midnight countries".
Foreign sources of the Tale of Bygone Years: A significant part of them are foreign chronicles, primarily Greek. The most numerous borrowings are from the translation of the Chronicle by George Amartol. The Chronicle itself was created around 867 and covered world history from Adam to the death of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus (812). Information related to the history of the Slavs was borrowed from the Chronicle, and above all with the first campaigns of Rus' against Constantinople.
Another important source of the Tale was the Chronicler of the Patriarch Nicephorus of Constantinople (806-815), which contained a chronological list major events world history, brought to the year of the death of the author (829). Another important source of the Tale, according to A.A. Shakhmatov, supported by a number of researchers, became some kind of Chronograph of a special composition that has not survived to our time. It included fragments of the already mentioned Chronicle of George Amartol, as well as the Greek chronicles of John Malala, the Chronicle of George Sinkell and the Easter Chronicle.
Used in the Tale and the text of the Jewish chronograph Book of Josippon, compiled in southern Italy in the middle of the 10th century. At the base - latin translation"Jewish Antiquities" and a retelling of the "Jewish War" by Josephus Flavius. The main source of figurative representations of the first Russian chroniclers were sacred works, primarily the Holy Scriptures.
For the compilation of chronicles, apocryphal literature was also widely used, which in the XI-XII centuries. existed along with liturgical books. It was used by the compiler of the Tale and the Life of Basil the New - a Greek hagiographic work.
Internal structure: The PVL consists of an undated "introduction" and annual articles of varying length, content, and origin. These articles may have the character of 1) brief factual notes about a particular event, 2) an independent short story, 3) part of a single narrative, spaced across different years when timing the original text, which did not have a weather grid, and 4) "annual" articles of complex composition.
8. Chronicle 12-15 century. The main centers, features of the content of chronicles.
Local chronicle XII-XIII centuries. South Russian Chronicle Sources for the study of South Russian chronicle XII-XIII centuries. serve, first of all, Ipatievsky (beginning of the 15th century), close to him Khlebnikovsky (XVI century), Pogodinsky (XVII century), Ermolaevsky ( late XVII- beginning of the 18th century) and other lists, as well as lists of the Resurrection and the main edition of the Sofia I Chronicle. In the XII-XIII centuries. in the south of Rus', chronicling was systematically carried out only in Kyiv and Pereyaslavl South. In Chernigov, there were only family princely chroniclers.
The Kiev Chronicle, on the one hand, seemed to continue the tradition of the Tale of Bygone Years. On the other hand, it lost its nationwide character and turned into a family chronicle of the Kievan princes. It was carried on continuously throughout the 12th century.
Chronicle of the North-East Sources for the study of the chronicle of the Russian North-East for the XII-XIII centuries. include the Radzivilov (end of the 15th century) and the Moscow Academic (XV century) lists dating back to a common protographer (the Radzivilov Chronicle), the Chronicler of Pereyaslavl of Suzdal (the list of the 60s of the 15th century) and the Laurentian list of 1377. According to M. D. Priselkov, the central idea of this (grand-princely Vladimir vault of 1281) vault was to prove the priority of Vladimir “among the allied feudal Russian principalities (as opposed to the Galician vault of the late 13th century).
The Vladimir-Suzdal chronicle as an independent branch originates from 1158, when continuous local records began to rush in Vladimir-on-Klyazma at the court of Andrei Bogolyubsky. In 1177 they were merged with separate annalistic notes by Yuri Dolgoruky into a grand ducal code, which, moreover, relied on the episcopal South Russian (Pereyaslavl) Chronicler. It was continued by the annalistic code of 1193, which also included materials from the princely Chronicler of Pereyaslavl South. In 1212, on its basis, an obverse vault was created (that is, decorated with miniatures, copies of which can now be seen in the Radzivilov list) of the Grand Duke of Vladimir. Until that moment, the chronicle was probably conducted at the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. Then the annalistic code acquired secular features, which is associated with the deterioration of relations between Prince Yuri of Vladimir and Bishop Ivan. Most likely, the compilation of the code of 1212 was entrusted to a person close to the Grand Duke. Subsequently, as a result of the Mongol invasion and the ruin of Vladimir, the Vladimir annals proper faded.
The Rostov chronicle continued the traditions of the Vladimir grand ducal vaults. Here already at the beginning of the XIII century. a local princely chronicler was created, in many respects similar to the Vladimir one. In 1239, a continuation of the grand-princely Vladimir code appeared, which also took the news of the Rostov code of 1207.
The basis of the northeastern chronicle tradition was the idea of the transition of the center of the Russian land from Kyiv along Vladimir-on-Klyazma.
Novgorod chronicle The sources of studying the Novgorod chronicle of the XII-XIII centuries. serve as the Synodal list (XIII - the first third of the XIV century) of the Novgorod First Chronicle (senior edition), as well as the lists Commission (XV century), Academic (second half of the XV century) and Troitsky (second half of the XV century), combined into her junior version. Their analysis allows us to establish that in Novgorod from the middle of the XI century. the chronicle tradition was not interrupted until the 16th century.
History of the chronicle of Novgorod the Great. Around 1136, apparently in connection with the expulsion of Prince Vsevolod from Novgorod, at the direction of Bishop Nifont, the Sophia Sovereign Code was created, reworking the Novgorod princely chronicle, which was conducted from the middle of the 11th century. Another source was also the Kiev Initial Code of 1096, which formed the basis of the Novgorod chronicle. It is possible that the well-known cleric of Novgorod Sophia Kirik participated in the creation of the first sovereign arch. At the beginning of the XIII century. a new dominion appeared. Its creation was somehow connected with the fall of Constantinople in 1204. In any case, it ended with a story about the capture of the Byzantine capital by the Crusaders.
By the XIV century. include the first chronicles that claim to cover the history of all Russian lands (although in fact they displayed, as a rule, only the events that took place in North-Eastern Rus'). Sources for studying the origin of the all-Russian chronicle are, first of all, the Laurentian and Trinity chronicles.
Due to the fact that in 1305 the Prince of Tver, Mikhail Yaroslavich, became the Grand Duke of Vladimir, the center of the Grand Duke's annals moved to Tver, where, probably, as early as the end of the 13th century. records begin to be made. The creation here of the grand-ducal code of the beginning of the 14th century coincided with the assimilation of a new title by Mikhail Yaroslavich - “the Grand Duke of All Rus'”.
As a general Russian, the code included not only local, but also Novgorod, Ryazan, Smolensk, South Russian news and had a clear anti-Horde orientation. The code of 1305 became the main source of the Laurentian Chronicle. With the transfer of the label to the great reign in the hands of Ivan Kalita, the tradition of all-Russian chronicle writing, which originated in Tver, passes to Moscow. Here, approximately in 1389, the Great Russian Chronicler was created. An analysis of it shows that under Prince Yuri Danilovich in Moscow, apparently, no chronicle records were kept. Separate fragments similar work(family chronicle) are celebrated at the Moscow princely court only from 1317. A little later, from 1327, chronicle writing began to be conducted at the metropolitan see, which had been transferred to Moscow a year before. Apparently, since 1327 a unified chronicle has been continuously kept here.
Most likely, the chronicle in that period was conducted at the metropolitan court. This is indicated by the nature of the annual records: the chronicler is much more attentive to the changes on the metropolitan throne, and not on the Grand Duke's. However, this is quite understandable. Let's not forget that it was the metropolitans, and not the grand dukes, who at that time traditionally had in their titles the mention of "all Rus'", which (at least nominally) was subordinate to them. Nevertheless, the code that appeared was not actually a metropolitan, but a grand-prince-metropolitan. This collection (according to the dating of A.A. Shakhmatov - 1390), probably, was called the Great Russian Chronicler. It should be noted, however, that the horizons of the compilers of the new code were unusually narrow. The Moscow chronicler saw much less than the compilers of the Tver grand ducal codes. However, according to Ya.S. Lurie, the so-called Great Russian Chronicler, in his origin could also be from Tver.
The next stage in the development of the all-Russian chronicle in the existing independent lands and principalities was associated with the strengthening of the role and influence of the metropolitan of "All Rus'". Such was the result of a long confrontation between the Grand Duke of Moscow and the church during the reign of Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. The idea of creating a new annalistic code is associated with the name of Metropolitan Cyprian. It included the history of the Russian lands that were part of the Russian metropolis from ancient times. It was supposed to include, if possible, materials from all local annalistic traditions, including individual annalistic records on the history of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The first all-Russian metropolitan code was the so-called Trinity Chronicle of 1408, which was reflected mainly in the Simeonovsky list.
After the invasion of Yedigey and in connection with the ensuing struggle for the Moscow throne between the heirs of Dmitry Donskoy, the center of all-Russian chronicle writing again moved to Tver. As a result of the strengthening of Tver in the 30s of the XV century. (according to the latest dating by Y.S. Lurie - in 1412), a new edition of the code of 1408 appeared here, which was directly reflected in the Rogozhsky chronicler, Nikonovskaya and (indirectly) Simeonovskaya annals. An important milestone in the development of the all-Russian chronicle was the compilation of a code, which formed the basis large group chronicle lists combined into the Sofia I and Novgorod IV chronicles. The calculation of years, placed under 6888 (1380), allowed L.L. Shakhmatov to determine the date of its creation as 1448. The compiler of the code of 1448 reflected the changed outlook of the reader of his time. Under his pen, the idea of the need to unite the Moscow lands with Rostov, Suzdal, Tver and Novgorod the Great for a joint fight against the "nasty" took shape quite clearly. The chronicler “for the first time raised this question not from the narrow Moscow (or Tver) point of view, but from the all-Russian point of view (using in this case the South Russian chronicle).
The vault of 1448 did not reach us in its original form. Perhaps this is due to the fact that it involuntarily, due to the time of its creation, had a compromise character, sometimes paradoxically uniting Moscow, Tver and Suzdal points of view.
Nevertheless, it formed the basis of almost all Russian chronicles of the subsequent period (primarily Sophia I and Novgorod IV), which in one way or another processed it.
