What is a chronicle? Ancient Russian chronicles. What is a chronicle - definition

• Chronicle (or chronicle) is a historical literary genre, which is a yearly, more or less detailed record historical events. The recording of the events of each year in chronicles usually begins with the words: “in the summer ...” (that is, “in the year ...”), hence the name - chronicle. In Byzantium, analogues of the chronicle were called chronicles, in Western Europe in the Middle Ages by annals and chronicles.

  Russian chronicles have been preserved in large quantities so-called lists of the XIV-XVIII centuries. By list we mean “rewriting” (“writing off”) from another source. These lists, based on the place of compilation or the place of the events depicted, are exclusively or predominantly divided into categories (original Kiev, Novgorod, Pskov, etc.). Lists of the same category differ from each other not only in expressions, but even in the selection of news, as a result of which the lists are divided into editions (editions). So, we can say: The original Chronicle of the southern edition (the Ipatievsky list and similar ones), the initial Chronicle of the Suzdal edition (the Lavrentievsky list and similar ones).

  Such differences in the lists suggest that the chronicles are collections and that their original sources have not reached us. This idea, first expressed by P. M. Stroev, now constitutes a general opinion. The existence in a separate form of many detailed chronicle legends, as well as the possibility of pointing out that in the same story stitchings from different sources are clearly indicated (bias mainly manifests itself in sympathy for one or the other of the warring parties) further confirms this opinion.

  The most ancient Russian chronicles are those of the monk Laurentius (the Laurentian Chronicle, judging by the postscript - 1377), and the Ipatiev Chronicle of the 14th century (after the name of the Ipatiev Monastery near Kostroma, where it was kept); but they are based on an older vault from the beginning of the 12th century. This collection, known as the “Tale of Bygone Years,” is the first Kyiv Chronicle.

  Chronicles were kept in many cities. Novgorod (charate synodal list of the 14th century, Sophia) are distinguished by the conciseness of the syllable. Pskov - vividly depict social life, South Russian - literary, sometimes poetic. Chronicle collections were also compiled in the Moscow era of Russian history (Voskresenskaya and Nikonovskaya Chronicles). The so-called “royal book” concerns the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Then the Chronicles receive an official character and are gradually turned partly into categorical books, partly into “Tales” and notes of individuals.

  In the 17th century, private chronicles appeared and became widespread. Among the creators of such chronicles one can name the zemstvo sexton of the Annunciation Pogost (Vaga River) Averky.

  There were also Lithuanian (Belarusian) chronicles and chronicles of the Moldavian principality. Cossack chronicles relate mainly to the era of Bohdan Khmelnytsky. Chronicle writing was also carried out in Siberia (Buryat Chronicles, Siberian Chronicles), Bashkiria (Bashkir Shezhere).

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In literature lessons, children learn about a wide variety of works of art. You can often hear the word chronicle.

Definition of chronicle

Despite the fact that the chronicle is considered literary genre, it is thanks to her that people know about numerous historical events that could be lost in time. In such records, all significant incidents were described by year, and each time the text began with the phrase “In the summer ...”, which means “In the year ...”. This is where the name came from. This is a description of events by year.

This existed not only in Rus'. For example, in the famous Byzantium, people preserved their history with the help of chronicles, and in Europe there were also annals.

Russian chronicles are considered monuments ancient Russian literature, and it is on them that the history of Russia and a number of East Slavic lands is based. The first representatives of such records appeared around the eleventh century, in Kyiv, although the events described in them date back to the ninth century.

Famous Chronicles

In total there are approximately five thousand of these literary monuments, however, among them there are practically no originals. Once recorded historical facts rewritten and reworked many times. Thus, from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries, lists – rewritten texts. Depending on who exactly and when such a list was created, it differed both in the expressions used and in the events themselves that it was decided to include in the text. In this regard, it is safe to say that the original historical sources no longer exist, and the surviving chronicles are original collections of selected recorded events.

There are several well-known lists.

• Nestorovsky. It is also called Khlebnikovsky, since the Russian bibliographer Sergei Dmitrievich Poltoratsky received it from Pyotr Kirillovich Khlebnikov, who collected manuscripts. The first edition of this list was in German.
• The Laurentian list was revealed to the world thanks to Alexei Ivanovich Musin-Pushkin. Its component is the well-known “Tale of Bygone Years,” which is still studied in schools.
• The Ipatiev list is called so because it was found by Karamzin in the Ipatiev Monastery.
• The Radziwill list was created at the end of the fifteenth century. It contains a huge number of images - more than six hundred. For this reason, such a chronicle is called a facial list.

Differences by terrain

Regardless of which chronicle was taken as a basis, it changed greatly depending on the area where it was copied. The first to appear were the Novgorodians, who focused on the baptism of their city. These entries are highly compressed, written exclusively in business style. There are no liberties or poetic colors here.

The Pskov Chronicles appeared a little later, after the creation of the story about Dovmont. They describe life in Pskov in detail and vividly. Galician-Volynian people are distinguished by a strong poetic flavor. Initially, the text was written without years, which were later somehow signed. The chronicles of northeastern Rus' are heavily concentrated on Rostov and have virtually no poetic elements.

One of the latest chronicles was the Moscow “Royal Book”. Soon after this, such records began to be formed into full-fledged works, Tales and simple notes.

What is Chronicle? Meaning and interpretation of the word letopis, definition of the term

1) Chronicle- - description of historical events in chronological order; the same as “chronicle” in the West. Russian chronicles contain the main material for the history of ancient Rus'; They also contain information about the Cossack ancestors, who are called there Kasagas, Kazyagas, Black Klobuks, Cherkassy, ​​Brodniks and other names.

2) Chronicle- - a special type of historical narrative by year (year). Russian chronicles arose in the 11th century. and continued until the 17th century. Having reached significant development in the 11th-12th centuries, chronicle writing then fell into decline due to the Mongol-Tatar invasion. In many chronicle centers it fades away completely, in others it persists, but has a narrow, local character. The revival of chronicle writing began only after the Battle of Kulikovo (1380). Old Russian chronicles have reached us as part of later (mainly XIV-XV centuries) chronicle collections. The largest chronicle collection of the Old Russian state is the "Tale of Bygone Years" (written in beginning of XII V.).

3) Chronicle- - a historical work in which the narrative was told year by year. The story about the events of each year in the chronicles usually began with the words: “In the summer...”. Chronicles existed back in the 10th century, but early chronicles have reached us only in the form later lists, included in the chronicles of a later time (the so-called chronicle code). The most famous of the early chronicles is the “Tale of Bygone Years” (circa 1113). In the 17th century Chronicle writings took on a different form, and chronicle writing gradually ceased.

4) Chronicle- A chronicle is a collection of historical records that served as sources for the compilation of 3 and 4 books of Kings and 1 and 2 books. Chronicles, to which they refer. See, for example, 1 Chron. 29:29. Compare "Bible".

5) Chronicle- monthly literary, scientific and political magazine, Petrograd, 1915-17. Founded by M. Gorky, it united writers and publicists of a socialist orientation who opposed the continuation of the war, nationalism, and chauvinism.

Chronicle

Description of historical events in chronological order; the same as “chronicle” in the West. Russian chronicles contain the main material for the history of ancient Rus'; They also contain information about the Cossack ancestors, who are called there Kasagas, Kazyagas, Black Klobuks, Cherkassy, ​​Brodniks and other names.

Special view historical narrative by year (year). Russian chronicles arose in the 11th century. and continued until the 17th century. Having reached significant development in the 11th-12th centuries, chronicle writing then fell into decline due to the Mongol-Tatar invasion. In many chronicle centers it fades away completely, in others it persists, but has a narrow, local character. The revival of chronicle writing began only after the Battle of Kulikovo (1380). Old Russian chronicles have reached us as part of later (mainly XIV-XV centuries) chronicle collections. The largest chronicle collection of the Old Russian state is the “Tale of Bygone Years” (written at the beginning of the 12th century).

- a historical work in which the narrative was told year by year. The story about the events of each year in the chronicles usually began with the words: “In the summer...”. Chronicles existed back in the 10th century, but the early chronicles have reached us only in the form of later lists, included in the chronicles of a later time (the so-called chronicle code). The most famous of the early chronicles is the “Tale of Bygone Years” (circa 1113). In the 17th century Chronicle writings took on a different form, and chronicle writing gradually ceased.

The chronicle is the collection of historical records that served as sources for the compilation of 3 and 4 books of Kings and 1 and 2 books. Chronicles, to which they refer. See, for example, 1 Chron. 29:29. Compare "Bible".

monthly literary, scientific and political magazine, Petrograd, 1915-17. Founded by M. Gorky, it united writers and publicists of a socialist orientation who opposed the continuation of the war, nationalism, and chauvinism.

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Expanding the question of what a chronicle is, it must be said that it, being a documentary evidence of history Ancient Rus', are handwritten collections of writings that reveal events in chronological order.

These documents are of interest to historians, linguists, ethnologists and philologists, since they are a source of study of past years, thanks to which we have the opportunity to learn about the events of a certain era, as well as language, culture and customs. In addition, based on them it was written modern history.

The chronicles of ancient Rus' were written by both individuals and entire groups (Ipatiev Monastery). To date, historical codes have not been preserved in the original; they exist in copies copied from the source.

The most ancient document of Rus' is considered to be “The Tale of Bygone Years,” which was written in Kyiv in the 12th century. The task of the compilers was to describe historical events that took place throughout the state. Until the 17th century, chroniclers wrote entire books at monasteries and princely courts. This profession was respected by people because it was believed that it contributed to the creation of a huge legacy for descendants.

Considering what a chronicle is, it should be noted that it takes its name from the words “In the summer...” with which each story began. Such records were gradually collected into codes, which were divided into categories depending on the place of their compilation or the events described (Kyiv, Pskov, Novgorod and others). All of them differed in expressions and selection of news, as a result of which over time they began to be divided into so-called editions.

Chronicles were written in many, the main ones are considered to be the following:

1. Laurentian List (origin unknown) - reveals origin Kievan Rus and describes the times of the reign of Prince Vladimir. Most of its content is The Tale of Bygone Years.

2. Nestorovsky or Khlebnikovsky list (origin unknown) - describes the reign

3. Radziwill list (written in the 15th century) - has many illustrations, which is why it is called obverse. Its first copy was made in 1716, and in 1767 it was printed in full without any corrections.

Thus, knowing what a chronicle is, let’s consider how it was compiled. Thus, the source for writing documents were small notes of incidents compiled in chronological order, as well as various legends and songs. All materials were processed by the compiler and historical summaries were written on their basis.

Depending on the location of the events described, Novgorod, Kyiv, Pskov chronicles are distinguished, as well as Galician-Volyn and chronicles of north-eastern Rus'.

This - these are those that have survived to this day and played great role in the formation of our Fatherland. And although during the wars, book storages in estates and monasteries were massively destroyed by opponents, we still have the opportunity to study history from copies made from primary sources.

However, not all chronicles are official; many of them have private notes (for example, in the narrative of Prince John Vasilyevich’s campaign against the Ugra you can find a letter from Vasian). Also, some people included the service time of their ancestors in them, and with chronographs - Russian events.

Thus, having understood what the chronicle is and how it was created, we can conclude that today, thanks to these historical and literary documents, we have an idea about the life, customs and culture of our ancestors. This legacy plays important role in the development of modern society.

The chronicle is a genre of ancient Russian literature, a form of historical writings in which events are combined into annual, or “weather,” articles (they are also called weather records). In this respect, the chronicle is fundamentally different from the Byzantine chronicles known in Ancient Rus', in which events were distributed not by year, but by the reigns of the emperors. Chroniclers were usually monks and princely or royal officials. Chronicle writing was carried out at monasteries, at the courts of princes, kings and clergy of the highest rank - bishops and metropolitans. Chronicles are divided by researchers into all-Russian and local. The earliest ones that have survived to this day date back to the end of the 13th and 14th centuries. But chronicle writing was carried out in Rus' before. The hypothesis of A.A. Shakhmatov received the greatest recognition, according to which the Ancient Kiev chronicle was compiled around 1037. In 1110-13, the first edition (version) of “The Tale of Bygone Years” was completed - a lengthy chronicle that included numerous information on the history of Rus': about the wars of the Russians with the Byzantine Empire, about the calling of the Scandinavians Rurik, Truvor and Sineus to reign in Rus', about the history of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, about princely crimes. The probable author of this chronicle is the monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery Nestor. In 1116, the monk Sylvester and in 1117-18 an unknown scribe from the entourage of Prince Mstislav Vladimirovich, the text of “The Tale of Bygone Years” was revised. This is how the second and third editions of The Tale of Bygone Years arose; the second edition has reached us as part of the Laurentian Chronicle (1377), and the third - the Ipatiev Chronicle (15th century). In North-Eastern Rus', one of the centers of chronicle writing after the Mongol-Tatar invasion was Tver, where in 1305 the first Tver chronicle collection was compiled at the court of Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich. At the beginning of the 15th century, the center of chronicle writing moved to Moscow, where in 1408, on the initiative of Metropolitan Cyprian, the first Moscow chronicle collection was created. He had an all-Russian character. Following him, all-Russian Moscow codes were created in 1448, 1472 and 1479. The final stage in the history of the grand ducal and royal chronicles was the illustrated edition of the Nikon Chronicle - the Litseva (i.e., illustrated) chronicle code. Work on it was carried out in the 1560s or in the second half of 1570 - early 1580s. Apparently, the first Russian Tsar Ivan the Terrible personally participated in this work.

In the 17th century, chronicle writing gradually declined: they begin to include frankly unreliable material (about the relationship between Oleg the Prophet and Kiya, about the close relationship between Oleg and Yuri Dolgoruky, about the circumstances of the founding of Moscow by Yuri Dolgoruky). New, non-chronicle forms of historical writings are emerging. Nevertheless, at the patriarchal court, chronicles were kept until the very end of the century, and in some areas the chronicles were preserved even in the 18th century. Almost all Russian chronicles are vaults - a combination of several chronicle texts or news from other sources of an earlier time. Chronicle texts have a beginning, but their ending is usually conditional and coincides with some significant events: the victory of the Russian prince over his enemies or his accession to reign, the construction of cathedrals and city fortifications. For the chronicle, the principle of analogy is important, the echo between the events of the past and the present: the events of the present are thought of as an “echo” of the events and deeds of the past, primarily those described in the Bible. The chronicler presents the murder of Boris and Gleb by Svyatopolk as a repetition and renewal of the first murder committed by Cain; Vladimir Svyatoslavich - the baptist of Rus' - is compared with Saint Constantine the Great, who made Christianity the official religion in the Roman Empire. The chronicle is alien to the unity of style; it is an “open” genre. The simplest element in a chronicle text is a brief weather record, which only reports an event, but does not describe it. It also includes juristic documents, legends, biographies of saints, princely obituaries, stories about battles (military tales), descriptions of any significant events. Thus, the Second Sofia and Lvov Chronicles included “Walking across the Three Seas” by Afanasy Nikitin (1468-75). A significant part of the text in the chronicle is occupied by narratives of battles, written in the so-called military style (see), and princely obituaries.

The traditions of the chronicle can be traced in Russian historical works 18th and early 19th centuries; orientation towards the chronicle style is present in the “History of the Russian State” (1816-29) by N.M. Karamzin. For parody purposes, the form of the Chronicle Tradition was used by A.S. Pushkin (“The History of the Village of Goryukhin,” 1830) and M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin (“The History of a City,” 1869-70). The similarity with the concept of history inherent in chroniclers is characteristic of the historical views of Leo Tolstoy, the author of the novel “War and Peace” (1863-69). Since 1841, the series “Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles” has been published. In 1999, a new edition of the “Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles” was started; by mid-2000, seven volumes had been published (this edition included the Novgorod First Chronicle of the older and younger editions, which had not previously been published in the Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles).