Nestor Chronicle

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Page from the illustrated Radziwiłł manuscript from the 15th century.

The Primary Chronicle (also Nestor Chronicle ; Altostslawisch : Повѣсть времѧньныхъ лѣтъ, Povesti vremęnĭnyhŭ Letu , German  narrative of recent years ) is the oldest East Slavic chronicle . It is one of the most important written sources for the history of the Kievan Rus . Your information is largely based on the findings of archeology and onomastics .

Lore

The Nestor Chronicle was compiled from several sources between 1113 and 1118 in the editorial office of Silvester, an abbot in the Vydubitsky Monastery in Kiev . Its name comes from the fact that it has been attributed to the hagiographer Nestor of Kiev since around 1230 . However, this is no longer accepted today, since around 1085 Nestor wrote two saints about the princely sons Boris and Gleb and the abbot Feodosij of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra , the representation of which deviates significantly from the representation of the same people in the chronicle.

The most widespread version is usually called in science after the initial words Povest 'vremennych let "PVL" ( Russian Повесть временных лет German  story of the past years ). Most of the Russian local chronicles drew directly or indirectly from the PVL for history before they began to be recorded. Only a few remote monasteries were able to protect their specimens from being pillaged by the Mongols . But the reputation of the chroniclers ensured a lively exchange of manuscripts, so that around 2,000 are available, more or less drawing on the last phase of tradition, for example the Hypatius Chronicle . The oldest chronicle is the first Novgorod Chronicle according to its oldest edition ("Synodal manuscript") and was written by three scribes between the 13th and the middle of the 14th century. The printed editions are usually based on the so-called Laurentius Chronicle. Since most of the manuscripts available today date from the 15th to 17th centuries, they have passed through numerous stages of transmission. There is also an important chronicle, the first Novgorod Chronicle after its younger editors (1095 compilation), named after the probable year of the compilation, which has come down in a version from the middle of the 15th century and which in some cases has older traditions than the PVL having.

content

The chronicle begins in the usual way at that time in biblical times, here with the division of the world among the sons of Noah and the dispersal of 72 peoples at the tower of Babel . One of them is said to have been the Slavs, whose original home is the lower and middle Danube. She describes the tribes on the Danube in detail " from the Varangians to the Greeks ". She lets the Apostle Andrew travel from the Black Sea up the Dnieper across the Baltic Sea to Rome . In the description of all Slavic and non-Slavic tribes in the region, she reports in detail on the mythical rulers and customs of the " Poljanen ", to which the author apparently belonged. From 852 onwards, the narrative is divided into the individual years according to chronicle type (the 1095 compilation does not begin the annual report until the year 920). Under this year the Rus is mentioned for the first time , which he finds mentioned under this year in his Greek sources. Under the year 862, the version of the Laurentius Chronicle reports the invitation legend about the Varangians:

“ In the year 6370 (Note: according to Byzantine calendar ; corresponds to 862 AD): They drove the Varangians across the sea and did not give them any tribute and began to rule themselves. And there was no justice among them, and clan stood up against clan, and there were feuds among them , and they began to fight against one another. And they said to each other: “We want to look for a prince who will rule over us and judge us justly.” And they went across the sea to the Varangians , to the Rus , because that was the name of the Varangians “Rus”, as other Swedes are called other Norwegians and anglers , other Gotlanders : so too this one. And the Rus, the Tschuden (note: see Estonians ), Slovenes (note: the Ilmenslawen are meant ), Kriwitschen and Wes spoke : “Our country is big and rich, but there is no order in it; so come to rule and rule over us. ”And the three brothers and their families were chosen, and they all took Russia with them and came. Rurik , the elder, settled in Novgorod , the second Sineus on the White Lake (Belo Osero) , the third Truvor in Izborsk . And the country around Novgorod was called 'Rus' after these Varangians, and the Novgorodians are of the Varangian family, namely they were Slovenes earlier. "

Under the year 882 the unification of Russia under Oleg and under the years from the middle of the 10th century on the gradual Christianization of Russia is described. Thereafter, Vladimir I made Christianity the state religion. After his death in 1015 there was fraternal fighting among his sons. Boris and Gleb are murdered on the orders of their older brother Svjatopolk . Yaroslav , another brother, avenges the deed and becomes sole ruler. Then the prosperity under his reign and the disintegration of the empire under his descendants are reported. The chronicler's emotional concern is also expressed here. Then, under the Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh of Kiev , calm reigns. From 1051 on, alongside the political events, the fate of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra with its abbots became increasingly important. A postscript by Abbot Silvester then ends the chronicle.

swell

The work taught draws on oral and written tradition, e.g. B. the Greek Chronicle , biblical books, Byzantine historical, liturgical, homiletic , apologetic and hagiographical writings, trade and peace treaties, Slavic stories about Cyril and Method , Slavic texts probably from the monastic tradition about Olga, Boris and Gleb, documents about the Introduction of Christianity as the state religion, ecclesiastical records of reliquary translations , records of tribute obligations of local tribes, notes on campaigns or family events from the princely house. The chronicler reports that he also used oral material with regard to Jan Vyšatič: “ I have heard many reports from him that I have entered in this chronicle. "

Origin and concerns

The work is not an accounting listing of the events, as it does the annals. Despite noticeable processing interruptions and different authors, there is a roughly uniform concept: The particularity and the salvation-historical significance of the people should be expressed. At the same time, the political unity factors of the empire are emphasized: the unity of language, the unity of the dynasty and the unity of religion. His ideal of rulership is the seniorate , in which the brothers entitled to inheritance rule in the parts of the empire under their control and show the elder the owed deference. For him, Orthodox Christianity is its highest form. During his conversion, Prince Vladimir is warned against Latin Christianity, whose beliefs are a little twisted towards ours. So the defense of the empire also becomes a defense of the true faith and the church and thus also a crusade.

If one compares the PVL with the other versions, one differentiates between them in that they also adapt the events to the requirements of the respective legitimations of power.

This is evident from the importance of Novgorod. According to the version of the PVL in the Laurentius Chronicle and the Hypatius Chronicle, Rurik settled in Novgorod, Sineus in Beloozero and Truvor in Izborsk . As far as Sineus and Truvor are concerned, all chronicles agree and their locations are also archaeologically documented as ancient centers. But this does not apply to Novgorod. A number of manuscripts, on the other hand, have a different version: According to them, Rurik first went to the Slovenes, “ before he built the fortress in Ladoga, and he sat in Ladoga. “Then the first fortress of Rurik was in Staraya Ladoga . He founded Novgorod only later. The critical apparatus of the printed Laurentiuschronik indicates, however, that the Laurentiuschronik originally gave no information about where Rurik settled. Rather, the editor of the Troickij manuscript, which was destroyed in the fire of 1812, but of which the first printed sheets have survived, noted that the texts of the two are identical, but added the comment "in Novgorod" about the text afterwards was, apparently an addendum from the manuscripts with the Novgorod version from the end of the 14th and the beginning of the 15th century, when Novgorod tried to legitimize his independence through many legends and myths. One of these myths was that Novgorod was the center of the oldest Russian state. At that time, the Novgorod Chronicles was transferred to Moscow, where the oldest Novgorod version can be found in the Sofija Chronicle from the 15th century. At that time, Novgorod was also incorporated into the PVL.

Another example is the fate of Kiev. PVL and the “1095 Compilation” have contradicting accounts of the beginnings of the empire. According to both manuscripts, the Rurikids took over Kiev at the expense of the Scandinavian chiefs Askold and Dir . After the 1095 compilation, there was no relationship between the Rurikids and the chiefs. The PVL, on the other hand, claims that they were in Rurik's entourage at the invitation to take over power, but not from his family, and that they asked him to move to Constantinople, but then settled in Kiev en route. In both the PVL and the 1095 compilation, the Rurikids came to power in Kiev through the same cunning fraud. In the 1095 compilation the conquest is an unlawful act of violence, in the PVL the chiefs illegally appropriated what Oleg and Igor were actually entitled to. The 1095 compilation describes that Rurik had the son Igor, who later committed himself to the general Oleg, immediately goes into the conquest of Kiev and then continues: “And Igor sat and ruled in Kiev ... This Igor began to close fortresses and raise taxes ” . PVL, on the other hand, introduces Oleg when Rurik dies. Rurik then transfers the dignity and guardianship of his son Igor to Oleg, who is a relative of Rurik here, "since Igor was only a boy" . According to PVL, it is Oleg who conquered Kiev, and he introduces the chiefs Askold and Dir Igor as the son of Rurik and rightful ruler. The following text is the same as in the 1095 compilation, only Igor is exchanged for Oleg: "And Oleg sat and ruled in Kiev ... This Oleg began to build fortresses and raise taxes." According to this story, the 1095 begins -Compilation with the annual reports. She reports Oleg's death as the year 922. PVL, on the other hand, reports that Oleg ruled Russia alone until his death in 912. Only then did Igor take over rule. In 903 the chronicle reports that Igor had grown up and married Olga.

Text-critical investigations have unequivocally shown that the version of the 1095 compilation is the original. The changes in PVL are attributed to the fact that the takeover of power by the Rurikids in Kiev is to be subsequently legitimized.

Historical value

Unsurprisingly, the reliability of the PVL's news increases the closer it is to when it is written. This applies in particular to the accuracy for the years between 1060 and 1116. Inaccuracies and errors can be proven for earlier times. The first attack on Constantinople is dated in 866 instead of 860, and the arrival of the Varangians occurred before 862. Many other messages are also unhistorical for these periods, but others are obviously very precise because they are taken from tribute lists, for example, in particular the verbatim reproduction of treaties between the Kiev princes and the Byzantine emperor. In its legendary and mythical information, the Chronicle reliably reflects the self-confidence of the empire's intellectual leadership.

But the names of Rurik and his brothers Sineus and Truvor could be proven to be Scandinavian names that were translated into Slavic of the 9th century. It is certainly legend that the mainly Baltic Finnish tribes in north-western Russia later mauled themselves in fratricidal wars and therefore called in aristocrats from across the sea to create order. But on the other hand it is quite plausible that the Varangians did not see their rule as a conquest. It would also hardly be credible that a few thousand immigrants should have been able to found and maintain a large empire against bitter resistance from native tribes as early as 900. They must have recognized the predominant benefits of an orderly infrastructure, which the Varangians apparently created, compared to the tribute payments to them.

aftermath

The Nestor Chronicle is one of the identity-creating cultural documents of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. It was therefore inevitable that its legitimation function, which earlier led to changes in the text versions, also played an important role in the later interpretation of the chronicle. The dispute between the "Normannists" and "Anti-Normanists" can also be classified in this context: In the 18th century it was first suspected that the Rus came from Sweden. This claim met with fierce opposition from Russian patriots. They were still under the impact of the war between Tsar Peter I and King Karl XII. from Sweden and did not want the development of the Russian state to be derived from the Swedes. For them, the Russian Empire was an autochthonous creation. After 1800, however, Russian historical studies were convinced of the “Norman” thesis. Certain contradictions in the Chronicle in relation to the Rus were recognized as the results of the traditional history between the events of immigration and the writing of the Chronicle. So if in a list of Northern European peoples the Rus is used as one among others and not as a generic term, it is precisely because at the time of writing “Rus” no longer meant “Northern Germanic”. Therefore, in the chronicle, the term "Rus" is used once as a general term for the Kiev Empire, another time it is used only to refer to the southern and southwestern principalities from Kiev to Chernigov. The "anti-normans" believed this area to be the cradle of the Russian Empire. In truth, however, it was the principalities whose main task from around 900 onwards was the defense of the empire against the Pechenegs . These achievements of the subject tribes for the empire were valued as achievements for the "Rus" at the Grenzmark. Added to this is the rapid assimilation of the Scandinavian ruling class in the second half of the 10th century. This meant that new terms were required to denote the North Germanic peoples. In Kiev these were now called varjazi (mercenaries), in Novgorod kolbjazi (probably from the Scandinavian kylfingar ). But the term varjazi became generally accepted in the period that followed. This lost sight of the fact that "Rus" had previously been the expression for the North Germanic people.

The "anti-normans" had no meaning in Russian historical research until 1936. However, when Stalinism revived national Russian traditions, their theses became official doctrine, causing a setback in Russian research.

The dispute between "Normanists" and "anti-Normanists" is still by no means over - neither in Russia nor internationally. The theses continue to be controversial in historical studies.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Müller, Nestorchronik , in: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 21, p. 94.
  2. ↑ Lind p. 36.
  3. ↑ Continuation of the chronicle of Georgios Monachos and the so-called breviary of Nikephoros .
  4. ↑ Müller, Nestorchronik , in: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 21, p. 98.
  5. ↑ Lind p. 37 ff.
  6. ↑ Lind p. 41. As the most prominent example, Lind mentions that in the description of the conquest of Kiev in the PVL Oleg appears alone in a sentence, but the verb is still in the dual , while in the 1095 compilation Igor and Oleg at this point are mentioned together.
  7. ↑ Müller, Nestorchronik , in: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 21, p. 99.
  8. ^ Schramm, Nestorchronik , in: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 21, p. 101.
  9. ^ Schramm, Nestorchronik , in: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 21, p. 100 f.
  10. ↑ Greek Κούλπιγγοι, is predominantly put to kolfr (messenger stick ) and means "member of a merchant's guild ". Jan de Vries: Old Norse Etymological Dictionary . Leiden 1977 p. 340 and Alexander Jóhannesson: Icelandic Etymological Dictionary . Bern 1956 p. 368 f.

Translations

  • Ludolf Müller (Ed.): The Nestor Chronicle . Fink, Munich 2001 ( digitized version ). [German translation]
  • The Nestor Chronicle. The Old Russian text of the Nestor Chronicle in the editorship of Abbot Sil'vestr from the year 1116 and its continuation up to 1305 in the manuscript of the monk Lavrentij from 1377 as well as the continuation of the Suzdal Chronicle up to 1419 according to the Academy manuscript (Forum Slavicum, Vol. 48), Munich 1977, ISBN 3-7705-1476-9 .
  • The Russian primary chronicle. Laurentian text , ed. by Samuel Hazzard Cross, Cambridge 1953.

literature

  • Jon Lind: The Russian Crowns who are in touch with the people in the area. (The Russian chronicles as a source of contacts in the Baltic Sea area) In: Aleksander Loit (Ed.): Det 22. nordiske historikermøte Oslo 13. – 18. august 1994 . Report I: North and Baltic States. IKS, Avdeling for historie, Universitetet i Oslo - Den norske historiske forening, Oslo 1994, pp. 35–46.
  • Ludolf Müller (Hrsg.): Manual for the Nestor Chronicle . Fink, Munich 1977 ff., Previously published: Volumes I – IV.
  • Ludolf Müller: Nestor Chronicle. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 21: Naualia - Østfold . Published by Heinrich Beck . 2nd completely revised and greatly expanded edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2002, ISBN 3-11-017272-0 , pp. 94-100.
  • Gottfried Schramm: Nestor Chronicle. In: Reallexikon der Germanischen Altertumskunde . Volume 21: Naualia - Østfold . Published by Heinrich Beck . 2nd completely revised and greatly expanded edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2002, ISBN 3-11-017272-0 , pp. 100-103.
  • Serge A. Zenkovsky : Medieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles, and Tales . Revised and enlarged Edition. Meridian, New York NY 1974, ISBN 0-452-01086-1 ( A Meridian book )

Web links