RELG 330 - History of Christianity

History Resources

The Russian Primary Chronicle

Introduction to The Primary Chronicle

Selections from the Primary Chronicle

• The Origin of the Slavic peoples
• The Legend of St. Andrew
• The Varangians
• Olga's Revenge
• Prince Vladimir of Kiev
• Prince Yaroslav the Wise
• Laws from Ruskaia Pravda
• Go here for maps of Russia

The Origin of the Slavic peoples
"These are the tales of bygone years regarding the origin of the land of Rus, the first princes of Kiev, and how the land of Rus had its beginning.
Let us begin our story.
After the flood, the three children of Noah : Shem, Ham, and Japhet, divided the world amongst themselves. (1)
To the lot of Shem fell the Orient, and his share extended lengthwise as far as India . . .
To the lot of Ham fell the southern region, comprising Egypt, Ethiopia . . . .
To the lot of Japheth fell the northern and the western sections, including Media, Albania, Armenia (both little and great), Cappadocia, . . . and the territory to the north extending as far as the Pontus and including the Danube, the Dniester, and the Caucasian Mountains, which are called Hungarian, and thence even to the Dnieper. He likewise had dominion over other rivers, among them the Desna, the Pripet, the Dvina, the Volkhov, and the Volga, which flows eastward into the portion of Shem.
In the share of Japheth lie Russia, Chud, and all the Gentiles . . . The Liakhs, the Prussians, and Chud border on the Varangian (Baltic) Sea. The Varangians (Norsemen, Vikings) dwell on the shores of that same sea and extend to the eastward as far as the portion of Shem. They likewise live to the west beside this sea as far as the land of the Angles and the Italians. For the following nations also are a part of the race of Japheth: the Varangians, the Swedes, the Normans, the Rus, the Angles, the Gauls, the Italians, the Romans, the Germans, the Carolingians (French), the Venetians, the Genoese, and so on. Their homes are situated in the northwest and adjoin the Hamitic tribes.
Thus Shem, Ham, and Japheth divided the earth among them, and after casting lot, so that none might encroach upon his brother's share, they lived each in his appointed portion.
There was but one language, and as men multiplied throughout the earth, they planned, in the days of Joktan and Peleg, to build a tower as high as heaven itself. Thus they gathered together in the plain of Shinar to build the tower and the city of Babylon round about it. (2)
But they wrought upon the tower for forty years, and it was unfinished. Then the Lord God descended to look upon the city and the tower, and said: "This race is one and their tongue is one." So the Lord confused the tongues, and after dividing the people into seventy-two races, he scattered them over the whole world. After the confusion of the tongues, God overthrew the tower with a great wind, and the ruin of it lies between Assur and Babylon.
After the destruction of the tower and the division of the nations, the sons of Shem occupied the eastern regions, the sons of Ham those of the south, and the sons of Japheth the western and the northern lands. Among these seventy-two nations, the Slavic race is derived from the line of Japheth, . . .
For many years the Slavs lived beside the Danube, where the Hungarian and Bulgarian lands now lie. From among these Slavs, parties scattered throughout the country and were known by appropriate names, according to the places where they settled. Thus some came and settled by the river Morava, and were named Moravians, while others were called Czechs.
The Serbs and the Croats are also Slavs.
Among those Slavs who lived along the Dnieper, some took the name of Poles, . . .
The Slavs also dwelt about Lake Ilmen, and were known there by their own original name. They built a city which they called Novgorod.
Still others had their homes along the Desna, the Sem, and the Sula, and were called Severians.(3)
Thus the Slavic race was divided, and the language of the Slavs was dispersed.
As to the alphabet, that was not born until later."

The Legend of St. Andrew
"When the Polianians (Poles) (4) lived by themselves among the hills, a trade route connected the Varangians with the Greeks. Starting from Greece, this route proceeds along the Dnieper, above which a portage leads to the Lovat. By following the Lovat, the great Lake Ilmen is reached. The river Volkhov flows out of this lake and enters the great lake Nevo. The mouth of this lake opens into the Varangian Sea. Over this sea goes the route to Rome, and on from Rome overseas to Constantinople. The Pontus, into which flows the river Dnieper, may be reached from that point. The Dnieper itself rises in the upland forest, and flows southward. The Dvina has its source in this same forest, but flows northward and empties into the Varangian Sea. The Volga rises in this same forest, but flows to the east, and discharges through seventy mouths into the Caspian Sea. It is possible by this route to go eastward to reach the Bulgars and Khorezm, and so reach the region of Shem. Along the Dvina runs the route to the Varangians, whence one may reach Rome, and go on from there to the race of Ham. But the Dnieper flows through various mouths into the Pontus. This sea is called the Russian Sea; beside this sea St. Andrew, Peter's brother, taught.
When Andrew was teaching in Sinope and came to Kherson, he observed that the mouth of the Dnieper was nearby. Wishing to go to Rome, he traveled to the mouth of the Dnieper. Thence he ascended the river, and by chance he halted beneath the hills upon the shore. Upon arising in the morning, he observed to the disciples who were with him: "See ye these hills? So shall the favor of God shine upon them that on this spot a great city shall arise, and God shall erect many churches therein." He drew near the hills, and having blessed them, he set up a cross. After offering his prayer to God, he descended from the hill on which Kiev was subsequently built, and continued his journey up the Dnieper.
He then reached the Slavs at the place where Novgorod is now situated. He saw these people living according to their customs, and on observing how they bathed and washed themselves, he wondered at them. He went thence among the Varangians and came to Rome, where he recounted what he had learned and observed. . . ."

The next section of the Chronicle contains dates which have been converted to those now in use.

The Varangians
"859 - The Varangians from beyond the sea imposed tribute upon the Chuds, the Slavs, the Merians, the Ves, and the Krivichians. But the Khazars imposed it upon the Polianians, the Severians, and the Viatichians, and collected a squirrel skin and a beaver skin from each hearth.

860-862 - The four tribes (Chuds, Slavs, Merians, and Krivichians) who had been forced to pay tribute to the Varangians drove the Varangians back beyond the sea, refused to pay them further tribute, and set out to govern themselves. But there was no law among them, so tribe rose against tribe. Discord thus ensued among them, and they began to war one against another. They said to themselves: "Let us seek a prince who may rule over us, and judge us according to custom."
They accordingly went overseas to the Varangian Rus. These particular Varangians were known as Rus, just as some are called Swedes, and others Normans, Angles, and Goths, for they were thus named. The Chuds, the Slavs, and the Krivichians then said to the Rus: "Our whole land is great and rich, but there is no order in it. Come to reign as princes, and rule over us."
They thus selected three brothers, with their kinfolk, who took with them all the Rus, and migrated. The oldest, Rurik, located himself in Novgorod; the second, Sineus, in Beloozero; and the third, Truvor, in Izborsk. On account of these Varangians, the district of Novgorod became known as Rus land. The present inhabitants of Novgorod are descended from the Varangian race, but aforetime they were Slavs.
After two years, Sineus and his brother Truvor died, and Rurik assumed the sole authority. He assigned cities to his own men, Polotzk to one, Rostov to another, and to another Beloozero. The Varangians in these cities are colonists, but the first settlers in Novgorod were Slavs; in Polotsk, Krivichians; in Beloozero, Ves; in Rostov, Merians; and in Murom, Muromians. Rurik had dominion over all these districts.
Two of Rurik's men, Askold and Dir, who were not of his tribe but were warriors (boyars) sought permission to go to Tsargrad (Constantinople) with their tribe.
They sailed down the Dnieper, and in the course of their journey they saw a small city on a hill. They asked, "Whose town is this?" The inhabitants answered, "There were three brothers, Kii, Shchek and Khoriv, who built this burg, but they have since died. (5) We who are their descendants dwell here and pay tribute to the Khazars". Askold and Dir remained in this city, and after gathering together many Varangians, they established their dominion over the country of the Polianians. At the same time Rurik ruled in Novgorod."

A section, covering about 80 years, has been omitted. It recounts tales of the Princes of Kiev, Oleg and his successor Igor. Oleg led a mixed group of Slavic and Varangian people against Constantinople, and in the year 911 forced the Byzantine Emperors Leo and Alexander to agree to a treaty which granted trading privileges and tribute to the Princes of Kiev and other cities of the Rus.
Igor was less able as a soldier, and was killed on a raiding expedition, leaving his widow, Olga, and small son Svyatoslav as rulers of Kiev. Olga was not baptized until 954 (after the events described here) and her son Svyatoslav lived and died a pagan warrior

Princess Olga of Kiev
"945 - Olga was in Kiev with her son, the boy Svyatoslav. His tutor was Asmund, and the troop commander was Sveinald, the father of Mistisha. The Derevlians (6) then said: "See, we have killed the Prince of Russia. Let us take his wife Olga for our Prince Mal, and then we shall obtain possession of Svyatoslav, and work our will upon him."
So they sent their best men, twenty in number, to Olga by boat, and they arrived below Borichev in their boat. . . . .
Olga was informed that the Derevlians had arrived, and summoned them to her presence with a gracious welcome. When the Derevlians had thus announced their arrival, Olga replied with an inquiry as to the reason of their coming. The Derevlians then announced that their tribe had sent them to report that they had slain her husband, because he was like a wolf, crafty and ravening, but that their princes, who had thus preserved the land of Dereva, were good, and that Olga should come and marry their Prince Mal, for the name of the Prince of Dereva was Mal.
Olga made this reply: "Your proposal is pleasing to me; indeed, my husband cannot rise again from the dead. But I desire to honor you tomorrow in the presence of my people. Return now to your boat, and remain there with an aspect of arrogance. I shall send for you on the morrow, and you shall say: 'We will not ride on horses nor go on foot; carry us in our boat.' And you shall be carried in your boat." Thus she dismissed them to their vessel.
Now Olga gave command that a large deep ditch should be dug in the castle with the hall, outside the city. Thus, on the morrow, Olga, as she sat in the hall, sent for the strangers, and her messengers approached them and said: "Olga summons you to great honor." But they replied: "We will not ride on horseback nor in wagons, nor go on foot; carry us in our boat."
The people of Kiev then lamented: "Slavery is our lot. Our prince is killed, and our princess intends to marry their prince." So they carried the Derevlians in their boat. The latter sat on the cross-benches in great robes, puffed up with pride. They thus were borne into the court before Olga, and when the men had brought the Derevlians in, they dropped them into the trench along with the boat. Olga bent over and inquired whether they found the honor to their taste. They answered that it was worse than the death of Igor. She then commanded that they should be buried alive, and they were thus buried.
Olga then sent messages to the Derevlians to the effect that, if they really required her presence, they should send after her their distinguished men, so that she might go to their prince with due honor, for otherwise her people in Kiev would not let her go. When the Derevlians heard this message, they gathered together the best men who governed the land of Dereva and sent them to her. When the Derevlians arrived, Olga commanded that a bath should be made ready, and invited them to appear before her after they had bathed. The bathhouse was then heated, and the Derevlians entered in to bathe. Olga's men closed up the bathhouse behind them, and she gave orders to set it on fire from the doors, so that the Derevlians were all burned to death.
Olga then sent to the Derevlians the following message: "I am now coming to you, so prepare great quantities of mead in the city where you killed my husband, that I may weep over his grave and hold a funeral feast for him."
When they heard these words, they gathered great quantities of honey, and brewed mead. Taking a small escort, Olga made the journey with ease, and upon her arrival at Igor's tomb, she wept for her husband. She bade her followers pile up a great mound, and when they had piled it up, she also gave command that a funeral feast should be held. Thereupon the Derevlians sat down to drink, and Olga bade her followers wait upon them.
The Derevlians inquired of Olga where the retinue was which they had sent to meet her. She replied that they were following with her husband's bodyguard. When the Derevlians were drunk, she bade her followers fall upon them, and went about herself egging on her retinue to the Massacre of the Derevlians. So they cut down five thousand of them; but Olga returned to Kiev and prepared an army to attack the survivors.

946 - Olga, together with her Son Svyatoslav, gathered a large and valiant army, and proceeded to attack the land of the Derevlians. The latter came out to meet her troops, and when both forces were ready for combat, Svyatoslav cast his spear against the Derevlians. But the spear went between the ears of his horse, and struck its feet, for the prince was but a child. Then Sveinald and Asmund said: "The prince has already begun battle; press on, vassals, after the prince." Thus they conquered the Derevlians, with the result that the latter fled, and shut themselves up in their cities.
Olga hastened with her son to the city of Izkorosten, for it was there that her husband had been slain, and they laid siege to the city. The Derevlians barricaded themselves within the city, and fought valiantly from it, for they realized that they had killed the prince, and to what fate they would in consequence surrender.
Olga remained there a year without being able to take the city, and then she thought out this plan. She sent into the town the following message: "Why do you persist in holding out? All your cities have surrendered to me and submitted to tribute, so that the inhabitants now cultivate their fields and their lands in peace. But you had rather die of hunger, without submitting to tribute."
The Derevlians replied that they would be glad to submit to tribute but that she was still bent on avenging her husband.
Olga then answered: "Since I have already avenged the misfortune of my husband twice on the occasions when your messengers came to Kiev, and a third time when I held a funeral feast for him, I do not desire further revenge, but am anxious to receive a small tribute. After I have made peace with you, I shall return home again." The Derevlians then inquired what she desired of them, and expressed their readiness to pay honey and furs. Olga retorted that at the moment they had neither honey nor furs but that she had one small request to make. "Give me three pigeons," she said, "and three sparrows from each house. I do not desire to impose a heavy tribute, like my husband, but I require only this small gift from you, for you are impoverished by the siege."
The Derevlians rejoiced, and collected from each house three pigeons and three sparrows, which they sent to Olga with their greetings. Olga then instructed them, in view of their submission, to return to their city, promising that on the morrow she would depart and return to her own capital. The Derevlians re-entered their city with gladness, and when they reported to the inhabitants; the people of the town rejoiced.
Now Olga gave to each soldier in her army a pigeon or a sparrow, and ordered them to attach by a thread to each pigeon and sparrow a match bound with small pieces of cloth. When night fell, Olga bade her soldiers release the pigeons and the sparrows. So the birds few to their nests, the pigeons to the cotes, and the sparrows under the eaves. Thus the dovecotes, the coops, the porches, and the haystacks were set on fire. There was not a house that was not consumed, and it was impossible to extinguish the flames, because all the houses caught fire at once. The people fled from the city, and Olga ordered her soldiers to catch them. Thus she took the city and burned it, and captured the elders of the city. Some of the other captives she killed, while she gave others as slaves to her followers. The remnant she left to pay tribute.
She imposed upon them a heavy tribute, two parts of which went to Kiev, and the third to Olga in Vyshegorod; for Vyshegorod was Olga's city. She then passed through the land of Dereva, accompanied by her son and her retinue, establishing laws and tribute. Her residences and hunting preserves are there still. Then she returned with her son to Kiev, her city, where she remained one year."

Prince Vladimir of Kiev
"986 - Vladimir was visited by Bulgars of the Muslim faith, who said, "Though you are a wise and prudent prince, you have no religion. Adopt our faith and revere Mohammed."
Vladimir inquired about the nature of their religion. They replied that they believed in God, and that Mohammed instructed them to practice circumcision, to eat no pork, to drink no wine and promised them complete fulfillment of their carnal desires after death.
"Mohammed will give each man seventy fair women." they claimed. "He may choose one fair one, and upon that woman Mohammed will confer the charms of them all, and she shall be his wife. Mohammed promises that one may then satisfy every desire, but whoever is poor in this world will be no different in the next."
They also spoke other false things which out of modesty may not be written down. Vladimir listened to them, for he was fond of women and indulgence, regarding what he heard with pleasure, but circumcision and abstinence from pork and wine were disagreeable to him. "Drinking," he said, "is the joy of the Rus. We cannot exist without that pleasure."
Then came the Germans, asserting that they were emissaries of the Pope. They added, "Thus says the Pope: 'Your country is like our country, but your faith is not like ours. For our faith is the light. We worship God, who made heaven and earth, the stars, the moon and every creature, while your gods are only wood'."
Vladimir inquired what their teaching was, and they replied, "Fasting according to one's strength. But whatever one eats or drinks is all to the glory of God, as our teacher Paul has said."
Vladimir answered, "Depart hence, our fathers accepted no such principle."
The Jewish Khazars heard of these missions and came themselves saying, "We have learned that Bulgars and Christians came hither to instruct you in their faiths. The Christians believe in Him whom we crucified, but we believe in the One God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
Vladimir inquired about their religion. They replied that its tenets included circumcision, not eating pork or hare and observing the Sabbath. The prince then asked where their native land was, and they replied that it was in Jerusalem. When Vladimir inquired where that was, they answered, "God was angry at our forefathers, and scattered us among the gentiles on account of our sins. Our land was then given to the Christians."
The Prince then demanded, "How can you hope to teach others while you yourselves are cast out and scattered abroad by the hand of God? If God loved you and your faith, you would not be dispersed in foreign lands. Do you expect us to accept that fate also?"
Then the Greeks sent to Vladimir a scholar who spoke thus: "We have heard that the Bulgarians came and urged you to adopt their faith, which pollutes heaven and earth. They are accursed above all men, like Sodom and Gomorrah, upon which the Lord let fall his vengeance..."

987 Vladimir summoned together his boyars and the city elders and said to them, "Behold the Bulgars came before me urging me to accept their religion.
Then came the Germans who praised their own faith; and after them came the Jews.
Finally the Greeks appeared, criticizing all other faiths but commending their own, and they spoke at length, telling the history of the whole world from its beginning. Their words were eloquent, and it was wondrous to listen and pleasant to hear them. They preach the existence of another world. 'Whoever adopts our religion and then dies shall arise and live forever. But whosoever embraces another faith, shall be consumed with fire in the next world.'
What is your opinion on this subject, and what do you answer?"
The boyars and elders replied, "You know, oh Prince, that no man condemns his own possessions but praises them instead. If you desire to make certain, you have servants at your disposal. Send them to inquire about the rituals of each and how they worship God."
Their counsel pleased the Prince and all the people, so that they chose ten good and wise men and directed them to go first among the Bulgars and inspect their faith. . . .
Vladimir then instructed them to go likewise among the Germans, and examine their faith, and finally to visit the Greeks.
So they went to Germany, and after viewing the German ceremonial, they proceeded to Constantinople where they appeared before the Emperor. He inquired about their mission, and they reported to him all that had occurred. When the Emperor heard their words, he rejoiced, and did them great honor on that very day.
On the morrow, the Emperor sent a message to the Patriarch to inform him that a Russian delegation had arrived to examine the Greek faith, and directed him to prepare the church and the clergy, and to array himself in his priestly vestments, so that the Russians might behold the glory of the God of the Greeks. When the Patriarch received these orders, he bade the clergy assemble, and they performed the customary rites. They burned incense, and the choirs sang hymns. The Emperor accompanied the Russians to the church, and placed them in a wide space, calling their attention to the beauty of the edifice, the chanting, and the offices of the priest and the ministry of the deacons, while he explained to them the worship of his God. The Russians were astonished, and in their wonder praised the Greek ceremonial. Then the Emperors Basil and Constantine invited the envoys to their presence, and said: "Go hence to your native country" and dismissed them with valuable presents and great honor.

So they returned to their own country, and the Prince called together his boyars and the elders. Vladimir announced the return of the envoys and ordered that their report be heard. He commanded them to speak before his vassals.
The envoys reported, "When we journeyed among the Bulgarians, we beheld how they worship in their temple, called a mosque, while they stand ungirt. The Bulgarian bows, sits down, looks hither and thither like one possessed, and there is no happiness among them, but instead only sorrow and a dreadful stench. Their religion is not good.
Then we went among the Germans, and saw them performing many ceremonies in their temples, but we beheld no glory there.
Then we went to Greece, and the Greeks led us to the edifices in which they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth there is no such splendor or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We know only that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty. Every man, after tasting something sweet, is afterward unwilling to accept that which is bitter, and therefore we cannot dwell longer here."
Then the boyars spoke and said: "If the Greek faith were evil, it would not have been adopted by your grandmother Olga, who was wiser than all other men." Vladimir then inquired whether they should all accept baptism, and they replied that the decision rested with him.

988 - After a year had passed, Vladimir marched with an armed force against Kherson (7), a Greek city, and the people of Kherson barricaded themselves therein. . .
Then a man of Kherson, Anastasius by name, shot into the Russian camp an arrow on which he had written: "There are springs behind you to the east, from which water flows in pipes. Dig down and cut them off."
When Vladimir received this information, he raised his eyes to heaven and vowed that if this hope was realized, he would be baptized. He gave orders straightway to dig down above the pipes, and the water supply was cut off. So the inhabitants were overcome by thirst, and surrendered.
Vladimir and his retinue entered the city, and he sent messages to the Emperors Basil and Constantine, saying: "Behold, I have captured your glorious city. I have also heard that you have an unmarried sister. Unless you give her to me to wife, I shall deal with your own city as I have with Kherson."
When the Emperors heard this message, they were troubled, and replied: "It is not meet for Christians to give in marriage to pagans. If you are baptized, you shall have her to wife, inherit the kingdom of God, and be our companion in the faith. Unless you do so, however, we cannot give you our sister in marriage."
When Vladimir learned their response, he directed the envoys of the Emperors to report to the latter that he was willing to accept baptism, having already given some study to their religion, and that the Greek faith and ritual, as described by the emissaries sent to examine it, had pleased him well.
When the Emperors heard this report, they rejoiced, and persuaded their sister Anna to consent to the match. They then requested Vladimir to submit to baptism before they sent their sister to him, but Vladimir desired that the Princess should herself bring priests to baptize him. The Emperors complied with his request, and sent their sister, accompanied by some dignitaries and priests. Anna, however, departed with reluctance "It is as if I were setting out into captivity," she lamented, "Better were it for me to die here."
But her brothers protested: "Through your agency God turns the Russian land to repentance, and you will relieve Greece from the danger of grievous war. Do you not see how much evil the Russians have already brought upon the Greeks? If you do not set out, they may bring on us the same misfortunes."
They overcame her hesitation only with great difficulty. The Princess embarked upon a ship, and after tearfully embracing her kinsfolk, she set out across the sea and arrived at Kherson. The people came out to greet her, and conducted her into the city, where they settled her in the palace.
By divine providence, Vladimir was suffering at that time from a disease of the eyes and could see nothing, being in great distress. The Princess declared to him that if he wished to be relieved of the disease, he should be baptized immediately, otherwise it could not be cured. When Vladimir heard her message, he said: "If this proves true, then surely the God of the Christians is great." and gave orders that he should be baptized.
The Bishop of Kherson, together with the Princess' priests, after announcing the tidings, baptized Vladimir, and as the bishop laid his hand upon him, he straightway received his sight. Upon experiencing this miraculous cure, Vladimir glorified God, saying: "I have now perceived the one true God."
When his followers beheld this miracle, many of them were also baptized.
Vladimir was baptized in the Church of St. Basil, which stands at Kherson upon the Square in the center of the city, where the Khersonians trade. The palace of Vladimir stands beside this church to this day, and the palace of the Princess is behind the altar. After his baptism, Vladimir took the Princess in marriage. Those who do not know the truth say he was baptized in Kiev, while others assert this event took place in Vasiliev, while still others mention other places. . . .
As a wedding present for the Princess, he gave Kherson over to the Greeks again, and then departed for Kiev.

988 - When the Prince arrived back in Kiev, he directed that the idols should be overthrown and that some should be cut to pieces and others burned with fire.
He ordered that Perun (8) should be bound to a horse's tail and dragged along the Borichev to the Dnieper river. He appointed twelve men to beat the idol with sticks, not because he thought the wood could feel pain, but to affront the demon who had deceived people in this guise . . . .
While the idol was being dragged along the stream to the Dnieper, the unbelievers wept over it, for they had not yet received Holy Baptism. After they had thus dragged the idol along, they cast it into the Dnieper. But Vladimir had given this injunction: "If it halts anywhere, then push it out from the bank, until it goes over the falls. Then let it loose."
His command was duly obeyed. When the men let the idol go, and it passed through the falls, the wind cast it out of the bank, which since that time has been called Perun's Bank, a name that it bears to this very day.
Thereafter Vladimir sent heralds throughout the whole city to proclaim that if any inhabitant, rich or poor, did not betake himself to the river, he would risk the prince's displeasure. When the people heard these words, they wept for joy, and exclaimed in their enthusiasm: "If this were not good, the Prince and his boyars would not have accepted it."
On the morrow the Prince went to the Dnieper with the priests of the Princess and those from Kherson, and a countless multitude assembled. They all went into the water: some stood up to their necks, others to their breasts, the younger ones near the bank, some of them holding children in their arms, while the adults waded farther out. The priests stood by and offered prayers. There was joy in heaven and upon earth to behold so many souls saved. . . .
When the people had been baptized, they returned each to his own home. Vladimir, rejoicing that he and his subjects now knew God Himself, looked up to heaven and said: "O God, who hast created heaven and earth, look down, I beseech Thee, on this Thy new people, and grant them, O Lord, to know Thee as the true Cod, just as the other Christian nations have known Thee. Confirm in them the true and unalterable faith, and aid me, O Lord, against the hostile adversary, so that, hoping in Thee and in Thy might, I may overcome his malice."
Having spoken thus, he ordained that churches should be built and established where pagan idols had previously stood. He founded the Church of St. Basil on the hill where the idol of Perun and the other images had been set, where the Prince and the people had offered their sacrifices. He began to found churches and to assign priests throughout the cities, and to invite the people to accept baptism in all the cities and towns.
He took the children of the best families, and sent them to schools for instruction in book learning. . ."

Prince Vladimir died in 1015, fighting one of his rebellious sons. After his death there was a period of killing between his sons of his various wives. In 1016 his son Prince Yaroslav gained supremacy and became the ruler of Rus Land for nearly 40 years, from 1016 to 1054. He earned the title "The Wise" because he managed to hold the land in peace and prosperity. Future ages looked back on his reign as a "golden age" of great material, intellectual, and artistic achievements. Prince Yaroslav entered into political struggles with both Byzantium and Western Europe, and his children and grandchildren married the royalty of various western European nations. His daughter, Ann, became Queen of France, and ruled that country in the name of her son after the death of her husband, Henry I, the Capet. In contrast to the state of education in western Europe, Ann was the only literate member of the French royal family, and signed most of the state documents for her husband and son.

Prince Yaroslav the Wise
"1037 - Yaroslav built the great citadel at Kiev, near which stand the Golden Gates. He founded there also the Metropolitan Church of St. Sophia, the Church of the Annunciation by the Golden Gates, and the Monastery of Sts. George and Irene.
During his reign, the Christian faith was fruitful and multiplied, while the number of monks increased, and new monasteries came into being. Yaroslav loved religious establishments and was devoted to priests, especially to monks. He applied himself to books, and read them continually day and night. He assembled many scribes, who translated texts from Greek into Slavic. He wrote and collected many books through which true believers are instructed and enjoy religious education.
For as one man plows the land, another sows, and still others reap and eat food in abundance, so did this Prince. His father Vladimir plowed and harrowed the soil when he enlightened Russia through baptism, and this Prince sowed the hearts of the faithful with the written word, and we in turn reap the harvest by receiving the teaching of books. For great is the profit from book learning. . .

Yaroslav was a lover of books, and as he wrote many, he deposited them in the Church of St. Sophia, which he himself had founded. He adorned it with gold and silver and churchly vessels, and in it the usual hymns are raised to God at the customary seasons. He founded other churches in the cities and districts, appointing priests and paying them out of his personal fortune. He bade them teach the people, since that is the duty which God has prescribed them, and to go often into the churches. Priests and Christian laymen thus increased in number. Yaroslav rejoiced to see the multitude of his churches and of his Christian subjects, . . ."

Ruskaia Pravda

Article 1

If a man kills a man, the brother is to avenge his brother; the son, his father; or the father, his son; or nephews, their uncles; and if there is no avenger (the killer pays) forty grivnas fine. If (the killed man) is a Kievan Russian, or a member of the druzhina, or a merchant, or a sheriff, or an agent of the prince, or even a serf, or a Novgorodian Russian, the fine is forty grivnas.(9)

Article 3

If a person hits another with a stick, or a rod, or a fist, or a bowl, or a drinking horn, or the dull side of a sword, he is to pay twelve grivnas fine. If the offender is not hit back (by his victim), he must pay, and there the matter ends.

Article 4

If a person strikes another with an unsheathed sword, or with the hilt of a sword, he pays twelve grivnas for the offence.

Article 5

If a person hits (another's) arm and the arm is severed or shrinks, he pays forty grivnas fine. If he hits the leg (but does not sever it), and then he (the victim) becomes lame, let both (parties) reach an agreement.

Article 6

And if a finger is cut off, three grivnas for the offence

Article 7

For the moustache twelve grivnas; and for the beard twelve grivnas

Article 8

If anyone unsheathes his sword, but does not hit, he pays one grivna fine

Article 9

If a man pulls another man toward himself or pushes him away and (the offended man) brings two witnesses, the fine is three grivnas. If he should be a Varangian or a Kolbiag, an oath is to be taken

Article 11

If anyone rides another's horse without the owner's permission, he has to pay three grivnas

Article 12

If anyone steals another's horse, or weapon, or clothes, and the owner recognises it within his township, he gets back his property and three grivnas for the offence

Article 16

If a slave should hit a free man and then hide in the house of his master, and the master be unwilling to give him up, the slave must be seized and the master must pay twelve grivnas fine. The offended free man may beat that slave wherever he finds him.

Article 21

And for (killing) a prince's steward, eighty grivnas, and for a master of the stable near his livestock, also eighty grivnas, as decreed by Iziaslav when the Dorogobuzhians killed his master of the stable

Article 22

For (killing) an elder of a prince's village, or for a field overseer, twelve grivnas; and for the helper of a steward, five grivnas

Article 23

And for the killing of a peasant or a slave, five grivnas

Article 25

And for (killing) a prince's horse, if the latter has a brand, three grivnas; and for a peasant's horse, two grivnas

Article 30

And if anyone damages or burns a prince's bee hive, three grivnas

Article 31

And if anyone should torture a peasant, without the prince's order, three grivnas for the offence

Article 32

(For torturing) a bailiff, a steward, or a sheriff, twelve grivnas

Article 33

Whoever should plough over the property line or destroy a property mark, twelve grivnas for the offence

Article 37

If anyone steals someone's hunting dog, or a hawk, or a falcon, three grivnas for the offence

Article 32

Whoever apprehends a thief receives ten rezanas; and a sheriff receives fifteen kunas from three grivnas (of the fine collected); fifteen kunas go to the Church as tithe; and the prince receives three grivnas. And from twelve grivnas (fine) for theft, the apprehender of the thief receives seventy kunas; (the Church) two grivnas as tithe; and the prince ten grivnas

Article 42

The following is the tax collecting custom: the collectors (during their journey) should receive seven buckets of malt, a ram or some other meat or two nogatas; and on Wednesday one rezana or cheese; the same on Friday; and as much bread and millet as they can eat; and two chickens per day; and shelter for four of their horses and feed for them, as much as they can eat; the collectors should (collect) sixty grivnas, ten rezanas, twelve veveritsas, and a grivna in advance. During Lent collectors should receive fish and should get seven rezanas for fish. During a week they should receive fifteen kunas and food as much as they can eat. Tax collectors should complete their task in one week. Such is Yaroslav's decree

FOOTNOTES

1 - Genesis, chapter 10
2 - Genesis 11:1-9
3 - Severians lived in the north beyond Novgorod. The Slavic root "sever" means north
4 - Polianians (Poles) lived on the open plains. The Slavic root "polia" means fields
5 - The town was Kiev. An earlier section of the Chronicle (not given here) recounts the founding of Kiev by the three brothers.
6 - Derevlians lived in the forests. The Slavic root "derevia" means trees
7 - Kherson was located in the Crimea, near present-day Sebastopol
8 - Perun was the local god of Kiev
9 - Currency equivalents (it varied a bit from place to place) : 1 ruble = 10 grivnas = 200 nogata = 250 or 500 kuna = 400 kopeks = 500 rezana. The early Russ did not have their own coins. Initially they used animal furs as articles for barter, and then started using any gold or silver coins from neighboring countries such as Turkey, and the Tartars

Other translations of the Russian Primary Chronicle

Selections from the Chronicle are available at

• www.ku.edu/~russcult/culture/handouts/chronicle_all.html
• home.swipnet.se/roland/primarychronicle.html
• www.uoregon.edu/~kimball/chronicle.htm
• www.old-russian.chat.ru/01povest.htm (in Russian)

Copyright © 2005 Shirley J. Rollinson, all Rights Reserved

Dr. Rollinson

Station 19, ENMU
Portales, NM 88130

Last Updated : July 17, 2019

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