Radzivilov Chronicle: text, study, description

The first in time detection and the most ancient, and therefore the main one, is the Radzivilovo Chronicle. All the lists of the "Tale of Bygone Years" that followed it are in fact a copy of it.

The first owners

Janusz Radziwill, the governor of Vilna and the commander of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, was the owner of the scroll in the 17th century. Actually, on behalf of his magnate family, the chronicle got its name. According to the record made at the end of the Chronicle, it becomes known that Yanush Radziwill was presented to her by Stanislav Zenovevich, a representative of the petty nobility who owned the manuscript before, as evidenced by the postscript in the fields. Father Janusz, the prince of the Holy Roman Empire, Boguslav Radziwill, in 1671 defined the chronicle in the Königsberg Library where, in 1715, he met and ordered to make a copy of Peter I (according to some sources, a copy was sent to the tsar in 1711). And when in 1761 the city was taken by Russian troops, the chronicle was seized and transported to St. Petersburg, to the Academy of Sciences. From here comes the second name, which is the Radziwilow Chronicle, the Königsberg, after the city, where it was kept in the eighteenth century until the moment when it came to Russia, as a trophy, in the Seven Years' War. This document is the first and only one, giving an idea of the history of Russia, as well as its neighbors from the V to the XIII century. One can imagine the significance of this monumental historical testimony.

The first book with illustrations

But its uniqueness is also in the fact that the Radzivilovo Chronicle is the oldest and the only illustrative, or facial (painted faces) document at that time, a document. It contains 618 miniatures, giving, despite the schematic, a good idea of that era. The Königsberg Chronicle (another frequently cited name for the chronicle) stands in line with other similar European historical documents, which are universally recognized world masterpieces - the Bulgarian Chronicle of Constantine Manasseh, the Hungarian Chronicle of the XIV century and the famous Great French Chronicles. And in this row the Radzivilovo Chronicle is distinguished by the quantity and richness of the illustrations. It should be noted that the invaluable document for long times of existence has been significantly damaged, as a result of which the frayed edges were cut off, the decayed cover was replaced several times.

Chronicles of the Vladimir-Suzdal branch of the chronicle

On the place of origin and authenticity of the Chronicle, there are still endless disputes. West-Russian origin, presumably Smolensk, is now the most reasonable Versailles And. Confirm the combination of Belarusian and Great Russian adverbs and miniatures, in which the West European influence is felt. The chronicle Radzivilovsky is extremely close to the Moscow-Academic list of Suzdal chronicles. This collection is stored in Moscow, in the State Library. Lenin.

Both manuscripts coincide with the construction of Novgorod and until 1206, which ends with the narrative part of the document, then in the Moscow-Academic Chronicle there is another text describing events up to 1419. Radzivilov's chronicle is an invaluable monument, supposedly written in the XIII century. It is preserved in two lists, namely: actually Radzivilovsky and Moscow-Academic.

What chronicles tell about?

The chronicle of Radzivilovskaya tells about Igor Svyatoslavovich's campaign, about how he was captured by Konchak and fled from him with Ovlur, about the call of Russian princes by Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich to speak to Kanev. Narrated in it about the sally against Konchak Vladimir Glebovich, describes the campaigns to Constantinople, the battles with the Pechenegs and the Polovtsians. There is also a collection of tribute, and other comments on miniatures that captured the glorious deeds of the Russian princes.

There are a lot of ambiguities around the Koenigsberg chronicle. It is not known by whose order and where it was written, whether drawings and text are primary.

Historical document or falsification?

The fact that the oldest historical document Radzivilovsky chronicle - a fake, wrote many. Some of them considered the Polish paper as the most important proof, on which the Chronicle is written. Missing sheets cause doubts, gives rise to riddles the text, calling on drawings. Later studies showed that the manuscript ruled at least three times, and a rather significant period passed between the second and third time. The third artist was particularly aggressive: he changed the poses and clothes of people in miniatures. Many riddles caused obviously European clothes, which in Russia at that time could not be. That's what they are attributing to the third pravoschiku. In a word, the Koenigsberg chronicles give rise to many riddles and disputes. But research methods are constantly being improved, and someday the truth will be revealed. There have always been plenty of lovers to rewrite history, falsify it for its immediate goals.

Rurik's "own" is neither Norman, nor English, nor Swedish, nor Dutchman

Now there is a lot of talk about why the Rusich appealed to the reign of foreigners and whether they called them at all. Maybe, deys It was profitable for someone to show Russians as mentally retarded, and in the centuries. Radziwil's annals call the Varangians . And this, too, for some people raises doubts about its non-engagement. Other researchers, who also do not like the fact of summoning foreigners for reign, say, referring to V.N. Tatishchev that Rurik was generally Slavic and spoke Slavic. Others are asking why VN. Tatishchev, the industrialist and economist, and generally the descendant of Rurik, was entrusted with work on the history of Russia. They believe that very many facts in it are mystified.