The foundation of Tver is one of the controversial moments of Russian history. Most historians are inclined to approximately the same historical period (late XII-early XIII century), but each researcher has his own point of view.
The official date of foundation of Tver
Each city, for the convenience of celebrating another anniversary, has an official founding date. The year of birth of the city of Tver is officially considered to be 1135. In the famous literary work of Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich "Manuscript" the first mention of Tver dates back to this time. What points are in doubt? Firstly, there is no exact mention of Tver as a city, because we are talking about the taxes that the "Tver guest" brought. In this case, we can talk, perhaps, not about the city in the literal sense of the word, but about some settlement, which was later transformed into the city of Tver.
Secondly, the "Manuscript" does not belong to the number of annalistic sources in historical science. This work is more like ordinary prose, written in Old Russian. There is no breakdown of the text typical of the annals of the year, and the narrative itself is mixed up. By all indications, the "Manuscript" does not belong to the class of annals, therefore it is not worth completely trusting this source.
Was Tver transferred from one place to another?
In the first third of the 20th century, there was another version that explained the foundation of Tver. The fact is that historians admitted: perhaps the current location of the city is not the first, but the second. A very original version, but it existed. How did scientists explain their views? In approximately one area, two rivers flow - Tvertsa and Tmaka. The data of early excavations that were carried out in those years suggested that the first (Tver) was at the confluence of Tvertsa in the great Russian river Volga. Allegedly, in the second half of the XIII century, Tver was relocated to the cape, which was formed at the confluence of the Tmak River in the Volga. The version, of course, is interesting, but assuming its reality, then in this case it is worth talking about the disappearance of one city and the emergence of another with the same name. Repeated archaeological excavations were carried out in the 1930s , as a result of which this version was completely discarded as untenable.
1181 - the year of foundation of Tver
We have repeatedly emphasized that in historical literature and sources there are several versions about the appearance of the city of Tver. Let's consider one of them. The famous Russian historian V.N. Tatishchev in his "History" suggested that the foundation of Tver occurred in 1181. He found information in chronicles that this year the troops of Prince Vsevolod III defeated the city of Torzhok. Having departed some distance from this city, the prince ordered his people to build the Firmament. Translated from Old Russian, this means "fortress". Based on the consonance of the names Tver and Tver, the foundation of the city in 1181 should be recognized as quite real. According to other historians who specifically study the past of the Tver region, the construction itself began not in 1181, but in 1182. By the way, if we talk about the consonance of the names, then not all researchers agree that the word "Tver" comes from the name "Firmament".
The first documents mentioning Tver
Based on the documentary base, the authenticity of which cannot be doubted, the foundation of Tver should be attributed to the beginning of the XIII century. For example, you should pay attention to the document dated 1208 - an agreement between Prince Vladislav III and residents of the city of Novgorod. The prince very much oppressed local residents. His people robbed the Novgorodians, made all sorts of obstacles, collected huge taxes.
The inhabitants of Novgorod called on their defense the famous Prince Mstislav Udalny. The city governor Svyatoslav, the son of Vsevolod, was put in custody, and the Novgorod army went to defend the honor of their city. An army from Vsevolod also came out to meet, but the battle as such did not take place, because reasonable people were found in both camps . At a meeting of troops near Tver, a peace treaty was concluded. By the way, not only from this source it can be considered that the date of foundation of Tver is roughly the beginning of the XIII century. In the Tver Kremlin, during research conducted in 1983 and 1985, birch bark letters were found , written approximately in 1200-1220.