Medieval Rus': Monographs

Киеву 1500 лет. Bibliogr. 4 p. Résumé en anglais. Accession No: OCLC: 774048459

On p. preceding t.p.: Akademii︠a︡ nauk SSSR. Nauchnyĭ sovet po istorii mirovoĭ kulʹtury AN SSSR. Vsesoi︠u︡znyĭ nauchno-issledovatelʹskiĭ institut iskusstvoznanii︠a︡ Ministerstva kulʹtury SSSR.

This revised edition is a concise, yet comprehensive narrative of the history of Russia from the reign of Vladimir I the Saint, through to the reign of Ivan IV the Terrible. Supplementing the original edition with results of recently published scholarship as well as her own research, Janet Martin emphasizes the dynamics of Russia's political evolution from the loose federation of principalities known as Kievan Rus' through the era of Mongol domination to the development of the Muscovite state. Her analyses of the ruling dynasty, of economic influences on political development, and her explorations of society, foreign relations, religion, and culture provide a basis for understanding the transformations of the lands of Rus'. Her lines of argument are clear and coherent; her conclusions and interpretations are provocative. The result is an informative, accessible, up-to-date account that will be of interest to both students and specialists of early Rus'.

This first volume of the Cambridge History of Russia covers the period from early ('Kievan') Rus' to the start of Peter the Great's reign in 1689. It surveys the development of Russia through the Mongol invasions to the expansion of the Muscovite state in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and deals with political, social, economic and cultural issues under the Riurikid and early Romanov rulers. The volume is organised on a primarily chronological basis, but a number of general themes are also addressed, including the bases of political legitimacy; law and society; the interactions of Russians and non-Russians; and the relationship of the state with the Orthodox Church. The international team of authors incorporates the latest Russian and Western scholarship and offers an authoritative new account of the formative 'pre-Petrine' period of Russian history, before the process of Europeanisation had made a significant impact on society and culture.

This text charts the fractured and violent history of early Rus, covering Slav territories which are not, and do not want to be, part of modern Russia. It explores the development, amongst the diverse peoples of the vast landmass between the Carpathians and the Urals, of a society underpinned by a broadly common culture and eventually a common faith, out of which would emerge the future Russia and its neighbours. The book also describes the emergence of a dominant state centred on Kiev and the coming of Christianity to the Slavs. Finally, it shows how the gradual proliferation of new dynastic centres northwards and westwards shifted the power-base of the region into Russi proper, where it would subsequently stay.

This volume deals with one of the most controversial issues in writings about early medieval history: the presence of Scandinavians, known as Rus, and their impact on Eastern Europe during the Viking Age. These studies give for the first time an extensive and detailed picture of the Norse population in the East by using, besides written narratives, a wide range of archaeological sources. The seven chapters survey the background, then depict the first Norse centres and sites of Norse colonists in the north-western Russia; further chapters contain information about the great number of settlements in the Volga region and, finally describe the activities of a group of Rus that resulted in creation of the principality of Kiev. With the help of numerous illustrations the contents of the book clarify many problems and support the conclusion that in the East real Norse societies existed that were an important and natural part of the Scandinavian värld.

This reader aims to reflect the latest scholarship on Russian history from its beginnings to the 1860s. Grouped around four chronological units, the book features both primary and secondary sources which treat the recurring themes of state structure, economy, society, and culture and everyday life. Gender and cultural history receive special attention.

An overriding assumption has long directed scholarship in both European and Slavic history: that Kievan Rus' in the tenth through twelfth centuries was part of a Byzantine commonwealth separate from Europe. Christian Raffensperger refutes this conception and offers a new frame for two hundred years of history, one in which Rus' is understood as part of medieval Europe and East is not so neatly divided from West. With the aid of Latin sources, the author brings to light the considerable political, religious, marital, and economic ties among European kingdoms, including Rus', restoring a historical record rendered blank by Russian monastic chroniclers as well as modern scholars ideologically motivated to build barriers between East and West. Further, Raffensperger revises the concept of a Byzantine commonwealth that stood in opposition to Europe-and under which Rus' was subsumed-toward that of a Byzantine Ideal esteemed and emulated by all the states of Europe. In this new context, appropriation of Byzantine customs, law, coinage, art, and architecture in both Rus' and Europe can be understood as an attempt to gain legitimacy and prestige by association with the surviving remnant of the Roman Empire. Reimagining Europe initiates an expansion of history that is sure to challenge ideas of Russian exceptionalism and influence the course of European medieval studies.

"... an imaginative and dispassionate re-examination of the significance of the Mongol Conquest and its aftermath for Russia's historical development." --Slavic Review "On all counts Russia and the Golden Horde infuses the subject with fresh insights and interpretations." --History "Combining rigorous analysis of the major scholarly findings with his own research, Halperin has produced both a much-needed synthesis and an important original work." --Library Journal "Halperin's new book combines sound scholarship and a flair for storytelling that should help publicize this all too unfamiliar tale in the West." --Virginia Quarterly Review "It is a seminal work that will be repeatedly cited in the future... " --The Historian "... ingenious and highly articulate... " --Russian Review

In "The Nature and the Image of Princely Power in Kievan Rus', 980-1054," Walter K. Hanak offers a critical analysis of the annalistic, literary, and other works that provide rich if conflicting and contradictory information on the nature of princely power and their image or literary representations. The primary sources demonstrate an interaction between the reality and the notions concerning princely power and how this power generates an image of itself. The author also analyses the textual incongruities that appear to be a reflection of a number of currents -- Byzantine, Varangian, Khazar, and Eastern Slavic. The secondary sources provide a variety of interpretations, which Hanak seeks to uphold and dispute. His stress, however, is to view this evidence in the light of a newly Christianized state and the launching of a maturative process in its early history.

Translation of Istorii︠a︡ Rossii s drevneĭshikh vremen.
Volumes issued out of chronological order. Translation of Istorii︠a︡ Rossii s drevneĭshikh vremen.
Volumes issued out of chronological order.
Editors vary.
Title on p. preceding t.p.: History of Russia from the earliest times.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes. ISBN/ISSN: 0875692230 (v. 1); 9780875692234 (v. 1)

5879072185; 5879072193 (kn. 1); 5879072207 (kn. 2); 5879072215 (kn. 3); 5790500749 (kn. 4)

The essays which comprise this book aim to identify and discuss aspects of the Byzantium heritage, whose principal beneficiaries were the Greeks, the Slavs and, most prominently, Russia. These 12 studies divide into three groups: the first is concerned with general aspects of Slavo-Byzantine relations; the second deals with the specific features of the acculturation process; and the third, which includes among others Russia's Byzantine Heritage is concerned with the contacts between Byzantium and medieval Russia.

Much of what we know about the colourful Russian middle ages comes from legal sources: the treaties of Russian-Scandinavian warlords with the Byzantine emperors, the gradual penetration of Christianity and Byzantine institutions, the endless game of war and peace among the numerous regional princes, the activities of Hanseatic merchants in the wealthy city-republic of Novgorod, the curious relationships between the Mongol conquerors and Russian rulers and church dignitaries, etc. And, at the even further fringes of medieval Europe, there were the Christian kingdoms of Armenia and Georgia, squeezed between the Islamic empires of Iran and Turkey, but each possessing their elaborate and original legal systems. A discussion of more general questions of legal history and legal anthropology precedes the treatment of these various topics. Ferdinand Feldbrugge is Professor Emeritus of East European Law at Leiden University. From 1973 to 1998, he was director of the Institute of East European Law and Russian Studies and the editor of the Law in Eastern Europe series and of the Review of Central and East European Law. He served as Special Advisor Soviet and East European Affairs ("Sovietologist-in-Residence") to the Secretary-General of NATO from 1987 to 1989 and as President of the International Council for Central and East European Studies from 1995 to 2000. Book jacket.

By examining the growth of legal institutions and concepts in Russia from the twelfth to the fifteenth centuries, Daniel Kaiser shows how the process of legal change reflects a gradual transformation of the political life, social relations, and accepted values of a traditional society. Originally published in 1981. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The Russian law -- The Charter of Dvina Land -- The Charter of the city of Pskov -- The Charter of the city of Novgorod.

This volume offers the first comprehensive guide in English to the myth and legend of the Russian Empire and other Slavic countries and peoples. * Numerous illustrations are included

The first available comprehensive collection of the myths and stories of Russia. This book takes the reader into the complex and mysterious world of Russian legends, which were shaped by the experiences of pre-Christian Slavic people and recorded through an ancient oral tradition which survived the establishment of Orthodox religion. In these epic tales are forest-dwelling spirits, wolves that talk, super-human heroes, magic spells and strange encounters.

Professor Noonan here sets out to examine what Islamic silver coins (dirhams) reveal about the great trade between the Islamic world, European Russia, and the Baltic during the early Viking Age. Particular attention is devoted to the origins of this international commerce and the role of such peoples as the Vikings and Khazars. As he shows, the study of these coins also throws new light on mint output in the âe~Abbasid caliphate, the historical significance of specific dirham hoards, and how the patterns of trade evolved during the course of the ninth century.

Among the finest products of early Ukrainian literature were the "Lives" of the first Rus' saints, including Boris and Gl b, Feodosij of the Caves Monastery, Avraamij of Smolensk, and Ol'ga and Volodimer. Drawing on Byzantine, Church Slavonic, and Latin literary traditions, the Rus' hagiographers fashioned religious narratives that were at once traditional and tailored for a specifically Rus' audience. These hagiographical works, as well as a number of related texts, are now translated into English and collected in a single volume for the first time. Paul Hollingsworth provides a lucid introduction that discusses each saint and his or her cult in the historical as well as social contexts and examines the literary and textual features of the Rus' "vitae." The translations are accompanied by copious historical and philological notes, an extensive bibliography, a map, and several indexes.

The authors included in this volume, Ilarion, Klim Smoljatic, and Kirill of Turov, are remarkable for both their personal and literary achievements. Appointed in 1051 by Prince Jaroslav the Wise, Ilarion was the first of only two recorded native metropolitans of Kiev. His Sermon on Law and Grace constitutes the finest piece of eleventh-century Rus' rhetorical literature. Klim Smoljatic, the second native metropolitan of Rus' (from 1147), is the author of the controversial Epistle to Foma, which addresses the debate over the proper nature and limits of Christian learning. Finally, the twelfth-century monk Kirill of Turov is best known for his collection of allegorical lessons and some of the most accomplished sermons of Kievan Rus'. The volume contains the first complete translations of the Epistle to Foma and the lessons and sermons of Kirill, as well as an entirely new rendering of the Sermon on Law and Grace, Simon Franklin prefaces the texts with a substantial introduction that places each of the three authors in their historical context and examines the literary qualities as well as textual complexities of these outstanding works of Rus' literature.

In the majority of western pre-modern and modern handbooks and surveys of the history of biblical scholarship, Eastern Orthodoxy is mostly and habitually dismissed. A clear orientation towards the western branch of the Christian church is maintained throughout. However, as the Russian Orthodox church is an organic part of the universal church this book attempts to assist in the Orthodox-Protestant interactions and serves as an introduction to Russian Orthodox hermeneutics. Alexander Negrov surveys the development of biblical interpretation within the history of the Russian Orthodox church from the Kiev period of its history (tenth to thirteenth centuries) until the Synodal period (1721-1917). The purpose of his study is to present a coherent analysis of the essential elements of Orthodox biblical hermeneutics as it developed over a period of several centuries which were critical to the defining of the Orthodox church and to present a case study of hermeneutical approach to the New Testament of D. I. Bogdashevskii (1861-1933). The main hermeneutical features of the Russian Orthodox church show that the church and tradition are the indispensable guides to the understanding of Scripture. Christ is considered as the beginning, centre, and end of biblical interpretation and exegesis is based upon cooperation between the Holy Spirit and the human interpreter. The church demands reading of the Scriptures guided by church dogmatics as well as a multi-discipline approach to the text.

The rulers of the Byzantine Empire and its commonwealth were protected both by their own soldiers and by a heavenly army: the military saints. The transformation of Saints George, Demetrios, Theodore and others into the patrons of imperial armies was one of the defining developments of religious life under the Macedonian emperors. This book provides a comprehensive study of military sainthood and its roots in late antiquity. The emergence of the cults is situated within a broader social context, in which mortal soldiers were equated with martyrs and martyrs of the early Church recruited to protect them on the battlefield. Dr White then traces the fate of these saints in early Rus, drawing on unpublished manuscripts and other under-utilised sources to discuss their veneration within the princely clan and their influence on the first native saints of Rus, Boris and Gleb, who eventually joined the ranks of their ancient counterparts.

A comprehensive overview of Slavic civilizations around the world, particularly in pre-Christian times, which emphasizes social and economic developments and the evolution of Slavic language and culture.

Well over half of Europe is today inhabited by about 270 million people speaking one of the many Slav languages and dialects. Despite this, their origin and early development are still poorly understood and they have remained among the most enigmatic problems of European archaeology. Alongside major political changes in Eastern Europe, important advances have been made in understanding the archaeology and history of its peoples, but much of this scholarship has been unavailable in Western Europe. This book, one of very few in English, brings that new evidence to a wider audience.

The history of the early Slavs is highly controversial, both politically and historically. Dolukhanov reviews the latest evidence concerning the first settlers, their cultural identities and their relationship with their modern successors.

Povestʹ vremennykh let. English

This is a reprint of the second revised edition of the text and translation of the "De Administrando Imperio" written and compiled by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus in the tenth century. It contains a wide variety of information on both foreign relations and internal administration and is one of the most important historical documents surviving from the Middle Byzantine period. Its confidential character and generally honest appraisal of the empire's political situation enhance its value for students of Byzantium and Europe during this period. The edition includes general and critical introductions, an index of proper names, and an extensive glossary, as well as grammatical notes and an index of sources and parallel passages.

An abridgement of the lost Historia Gothorum of Cassiodorus.
"The translation, already separately printed [Princeton University Press, 1908]...has been revised throughout."
Bibliography: p. 42-44.

Includes text of "Povestʹ vremennykh let po Lavrentevskoĭ letopisi 1377 g." in Russian and in Old Russian. Includes bibliographical references (p. 641-665) and indexes.

Publisher varies.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
Incomplete contents: t. 1-2. Lavrentʹevskai︠a︡ letopisʹ (2 v.) -- t. 3-4. Novogorodskai︠a︡ letopisʹ (2 v.) -- t. 5. Pskovskie letopisi (2 v.) -- t. 6. Sofiĭskai︠a︡ letopisʹ (2 v.) -- t. 7-8. Voskresenskai︠a︡ letopisʹ (2 v.) -- t. 9-14. Nikonovskai︠a︡ letopisʹ (6 v.) -- t. 15. Rogozhskiĭ letopiset︠s︡. Tverckoĭ sbornik -- t. 16. Letopisʹ Avraamki -- t. 19. Istorii︠a︡ o kazanskom t︠s︡arstve : Kazanskiĭ letopiset︠s︡ -- t. 23. Ermolinskai︠a︡ letopisʹ -- t. 25. Moskovskiĭ letopisnyĭ svod kont︠s︡a XV veka -- t. 24. Tipografskai︠a︡ letopisʹ -- t. 43. Novgorodskai︠a︡ letopisʹ.
ISBN/ISSN: 5785900262 (t. 1); 5785900572 (t. 2); 5785901269 (t. 3); 5887660635 (t. 4, ch. 1); 5785901226 (t. 6, vyp. 1); 5785901374 (t. 7); 578590134X (t. 14); 5785901277 (t. 15); 5785901285 (t. 19); 5785901501 (t. 23); 5785901870 (t. 25); 5944570466 (t. 43)

Title on added t.p.: Starorusʹki Kyïvsʹki i Halyt︠s︡ʹko-Volynsʹki litopysy.
Includes facsim. texts in Church Slavic and Ruthenian of the Povestʹ vremennykh let held in the Gos. publichnai︠a︡ biblioteka imeni M.E. Saltykova-Shchedrina (Firkovich IV230 and Pogodin 1401) and excerpts of a manuscript held in the Biblioteka Czartoryskich w Krakowie (Naruszewicz 122). Introduction and appendix also in Ukrainian.
Includes bibliographical references (p. lxxix-lxxxix).

v. I. History of the wars, Books 1-2. (Persian war) -- v. II. History of the wars, Books 3-4. (Vandalic war) -- v. III. History of the wars, Books 5-6.15. (Gothic war) -- v. IV. History of the wars, Books 6.16-7.35. (Gothic war) -- v. V. History of the wars, Books 7.36-8. (Gothic war) -- v. VI. The anecdota or secret history -- v. VII. On buildings. General index. Procopius of Caesarea is one of the greatest historians of Late Antiquity. He was born around 500 and died ca. 560, having thus lived much of his life as a contemporary of Emperor Justinian (527-565). Procopius was an assessor (legal advisor) on the staff of General Belisarius and accompanied him on campaign in Mesopotamia, Africa, and Italy. His longest and most important work consist of a history of the wars of Emperor Justinian, comprising two books on the Persian, two on the Vandal, three on the Ostrogothic wars, and a final book continuing the story on all three fronts. The work covers the period 527-551 and is one of the most important sources for the sixth-century history of the Empire and its barbarian neighbors. The excursus (digression) on the Slavs in Book VII is the longest description of any barbarian group in the entire work on Justinian’s wars, an indication of the special interest Procopius and his audience had in things Slavic. The excursus was most likely written in 550 or 551 on the basis of information that Procopius may have obtained through interviews with Sclavene and Antian mercenaries in Belisarius’ army in Italy. Translation from Procopius in Seven Volumes, with an English translation by H. B. Dewing, vol. 4 (London/New York, 1924), pp. 269-273.

This is the first English translation of the famous risala, letters by the tenth-century traveler Ibn Fadlan, one of the great Medieval travelers in world history, akin to Ibn Batutta. Ibn Fadlan was an Arab missionary sent by the Caliph in Baghdad to the king of the Bulghars. He journeyed from Baghdad to Bukhara in Central Asia and then continued across the desert to the town of Bulghar, near present Kazan. He describes the tribes he meets on his way and gives an account of their customs. His is the earliest account of a meeting with the Vikings, called Rus, who had reached the Volga River from Sweden. His description of the Rus, or Rusiya as he calls them, has produced much discussion about their origins, shockingly free sexual morals standards, customs, treatment of slaves and women, burial traditions, and trading habits, all explained in detail by Ibn Fadlan. The story of his travels has fascinated scholars and even prompted Michael Crichton to write the popular novel ""Eaters of the Dead,"" which was made into a film entitled ""The 13th Warrior.