Most of the information about the history of Ancient Russia is gathered from chronicles. This genre of Old Russian literature has been and still is the main source of historical data for modern science along with archaeological research. Of particular interest to researchers is the Ipatiev Chronicle. Why? Let's figure it out together.
Annals
The very name "annals" speaks for itself - writing events by years, years. The authors were most often the monks of the monasteries, who summarized the essence of the main events. During the period of feudal fragmentation, each princely house compiled its own arch, which also gave some interpretation of what was happening, based on the interests of the ruling dynasty. The first chroniclers in Russia appeared in the eleventh century. The most ancient work that has come down to us in this genre is The Chronicle of Bygone Years, written around 1113 by the monk of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra Nestor.
Historians have discovered dozens of similar codes of events. The most famous and ancient of them are the Laurentian Chronicle and the Ipatiev Chronicle. A vault is a work that includes a census of earlier sources that have been supplemented by recent events. Thus, the Chronicle of Bygone Years is included in most vaults of the late period as the beginning of the narrative.
Find Karamzin
In the 19th century, the Russian historian N. Karamzin discovered a chronicles in the archives of the Ipatiev Monastery near Kostroma. It was dated to the 14th century. Its name - Ipatiev Chronicle - received at the place of discovery. Along with the Lavrentievsky vault, this is one of the oldest. Its peculiarity is that, in addition to the usual inclusion of the narrative of Nestor, he has a detailed account of the events of the history of the
Kiev principality under the rule of Rurik Rostislavovich, as well as the Galicia-Volyn lands until the end of the 13th century. This is a unique material for studying the history of ancient Russian southwestern lands after the beginning of feudal fragmentation and the establishment of Tatar-Mongol rule.
How to read the text?
Familiarization with ancient annals is possible for a wide range of readers. First, the Complete Collection of Russian Chronicles was published more than 150 years ago. Secondly, at the moment most of them are available on the Internet. Of course, they are redesigned in accordance with the modern Russian language. The Ipatiev Chronicle, which was also translated into Ukrainian, is also available to anyone. Parts of it exist in English. But if you still want to read the annals in the original, you need to learn, at least, Old Slavonic. The materials are scanned and posted online.
The contents of the Ipatiev arch
It is generally accepted to single out three parts of the code in question. The first chronicle according to the Ipatiev list is traditional for all the others - it is The Tale of Bygone Years. Although there are some differences in it, the refinement of data that is not in other sets. This proves that the place of creation was southern Russian lands, where the author of the code had access to documents and archives and could clarify the necessary information.
The second part is called Kiev. Much attention is paid to the rule of Prince Ruruk from the house of Rostislav. Presumably, the abbot of the Vydubytsky Monastery was the author of this part of the Ipatiev Chronicle.
Ukraine, more precisely, Galicia-Volyn Rus, in the thirteenth century is represented in the third part of the code. This part is different from the previous ones. In the original, she didnโt even have a traditional listing of dates, which, apparently, were put down when writing off later. Let us dwell on the last two parts.
Kiev Chronicle
Paradoxical as it sounds, the Kiev Chronicle is also a set of chroniclers of several princes who ruled in Kiev. The twelfth century was rather complicated for this land. There was a continuous struggle for the throne between Monomakhovichi and Olgovichi. This trend was visible not only in the capital city, but also in other lands. The descendants of Monomakh moved to the north-east, gaining unlimited power there, and the Olgovichi remained in the south, under the threat of Polovtsian raids.
In 1185, Igor Svyatoslavovich took a sad trip to the steppe, described in the "Word on Igor's Regiment". The attitude towards him is completely opposite in the Laurentian and Ipatiev chronicles. The latter shows more sympathy and condescension to Igor's failed attempt to rid the Russian land of enemies. In the vault of the northeastern lands, Igor is condemned for arrogance, for not waiting for help from his brothers. Some researchers believe that the beginning of the Kiev Chronicle was laid in Chernigov and Pereyaslavl under Prince Rostislav. It is from there that the details are from the life of the southern principalities.
About Galicia-Volyn Rus
Galich and Volyn, as the western borders of Kievan Rus, had significant developmental features. About the nuances of the political struggle, international relations from 1205 to 1292, we read in the Ipatiev Chronicle. It should be noted that the compilers of the latter part were the most educated people of their time, since they used Greek and earlier Old Russian sources. They gathered information from the reports of ambassadors, princely letters, military stories. Thanks to this code, we have a detailed description of the Battle of Kalka and the consequences of the Batyev invasion of South-Western Russia. We hope that it is now clear what the Ipatiev Chronicle describes and why it is interesting to both ordinary people and professional historians.