Fathers and children in the XII century

Fathers and children (especially sons), psychological and dynastic relations between them are an eternal theme both in worldwide and in Russian history. Not to mention literature and life. About what the unique relations between fathers and children among the Rurikovich in Rus' in the 12th century were told at the VII round table “Ancient Rus' and the German world in the historical and philological perspective” leading researchers of the higher school of the economy: DOK. Filol. Sciences, Deputy Director of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the head of the Center for Slavic-German Studies Fedor Uspensky and Cand. Filol. Sciences, employee of the Center for Slavic-German Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences Anna Litvina .

In the history of any ruling in the Middle Ages there are figures whose biography does not fit into the generally accepted framework. However, it is their life that highlights the most typical mechanisms inherent in their time. It was such a figure in the dynasty of the pre -Mongol Rurikovich that the most strange of the sons of Vladimir Monomakh, Prince Vyacheslav. According to Fedor Uspensky, for a long time this prince was infringed on his dynastic rights. Even his name was not lucky, which in the subsequent generations of the princes was rarely reproduced and extremely reluctant.

Observations of the life of Vyacheslav Vladimirovich led historians to rather interesting laws of structuring power in Rus' of the 12th century. At some point, this prince reached the peak of his dynastic career. And at that moment in the life of Vyacheslav Vladimirovich, who sat in Kyiv after the death of his brother, a clear failure occurred. According to the chronicler, the Olgovichi brothers, headed by Vsevolod, appeared in Kyiv, and they did not strive for military conflict, but for negotiations. At that time, Vsevolod had a relatively small army with him and did not even attract the Kdana situation of the Polovtsy, who had previously helped him in another conflict. Nevertheless, Vyacheslav gave him his place.

The mysterious princely inferiority of Vyacheslav is not exhausted by this episode. It is clearly traced over the 1130-1150s. Despite the seniority of this prince in the family of Rurikovich, he is diminished not only before the Olgovichi, but also to the members of his own family. Vyacheslav constantly finds himself in a situation where he should receive the main princely table, but does not receive it. What is wrong with him? You can, of course, substantiate everything with the personal qualities of the prince, however, the synthet is much more complicated: Vyacheslav Vladimirovich has succeeded in military affairs from young years.

It turns out that the beginning of the black strip in his princely career is due to the fact that Vyacheslav loses the only, already adult son Mikhalko. And the end of this strip - with the fact that he acquires a son or even several sons! The fact of the death of Mikhalko in the annals is illuminated in detail, although earlier this young prince in the annals was not mentioned at all. This means either the special significance of the bygone figure and the entire tragic event as a whole, or the cessation of a whole generic line. Despite the presence of the sons of Mikhalko, and Vyacheslav, grandchildren, by the time of the entry of Prince Vyacheslav, he has no grown son of the growing son, and his grandchildren cannot be a replacement! This, in all likelihood, explains the mysterious inferiority of Vyacheslav and the inability to be a full -fledged ruler for him. At the same time, from the whole history of the XII century, we can conclude that none of the princes manage to stay on the Kiev throne if he does not have blood or well -made sons. “This is not a law, but an unambiguous trend: the absence of boys in a princely family for a long time after marriage significantly reduces the career potential of the prince,” said Fedor Uspensky. It was important for the prince to have a son or sons from a military-strategic point of view: with his or their help, it was possible to hold, for example, Novgorod, Pereyaslavl or other no less significant city. Thus, the presence or absence of male heirs is closely connected with the dynastic fate among the Rurikovich.

There is another side of this phenomenon. Researchers call her "shame." If you are loaded, the case will look like this: in the XI and the first third of the XII century, the prince left without a father, even with a living grandfather, sometimes orphaned before he managed to put him on any princely table, lost the place in the tribal hierarchy that belonged to him at birth. The whole story of that time is permeated with all kinds of dynastic conflicts associated with frying and semi -consumption.

The situation in which the orphaned sons, who have risen to the throne too early, is very difficult, perhaps, perhaps, for all Western European dynasties. But, according to Fyodor Uspensky, it is precisely the Rurikovichs that can be observed how, the grandchildren of orphans even with a living grandfather fall out of the birth account.

Returning to the problem of fathers and children, it can be noted that the described time was also marked by the conflicts of the uncles and nephews: the uncles did not want to help orphaned nephews, and the nephews tried in every possible way to take their father's inheritance. At some point, Monomashichi begin to conclude intra-rod agreements regulating agreements between the families of two princes-brothers in the event of the death of one of them and the transfer of orphaned nephews under the protection of the uncle. Such an agreement was concluded, for example, between the impatient brothers Mstislav and Yaropolk, as well as between the brothers Yuri Dolgoruky and Andrei. Similar relations were manifested in name: one of the youngest sons of Mstislav began to wear the name Yaropolk, and one of the sons of Yuri was named Andrei.

At first, such agreements are concluded not between all brothers, but between pairs that are closest in age. But it was then that a mechanism is developed that allows the sons not to be left without a father, and the father at the peak of his princely career - without sons. In the annals, you can find many evidence that the closest relatives, and sometimes not even relatives for one or another Rurikovich become “like father” or “in my father’s place”

Such agreements also concluded not only between brothers, but also between older and younger relatives. “Only from the period of interest to us is genealogically the one who is not a father can directly, without markers of metaphorization, be directly called the father ... Vyacheslav is eagerly and repeatedly called the father of Izyaslav and Rostislav,” said Uspensky. Gradually, this acute dynastic conflict causes an amazing shift: the struggle for nephews begins, even an uncle by the mother begins to be called the father.

The Ipatiev Chronicle shows how often such “artificial” sons use the word “Father”, addressing the newly made fathers. Perhaps they do this even more often than real sons. According to Fedor Uspensky, this hides a certain ceremonial demonstrativeness, which is emphasized by both the chroniclers and the princes themselves. Moreover, the chronicle contains a description of one ceremony with a cross -blooding, after which the non -biological father is called the father without any metaphors. This description concerns precisely the mentioned Vyacheslav Vladimirovich and Izyaslav Mstislavich. From this moment, the dynastic inferiority of Vyacheslav Vladimirovich ends. With the introduction of such a procedure, there is a way out, like nephews not to become enemies of the uncles and how to find their sons as a hotless fathers.

After the report, the correspondent of the TRV-hunger asked Fedor Uspensky several questions.

- Were there analogues of the “adoption” procedure in Western, for example, Scandinavian countries?

- There were no analogues. There were similar phenomena in the Scandinavian countries, when people became each other's deputy son and father. This had its own personalized terminology. There was no complete transfer of blood-related relationships, it was a kind of artificial relationship. And in the Russians, the word "father" from the middle of the XII century begins to be used literally. Not in quotes, but literally! The father is called the one who is not a father.

- That is, it cannot be said that this custom has been transferred from Western Europe?

- This is a practice that developed in the XII century among the Rurikovich. So to speak, by itself.

We also managed to talk with Anna Litvina.

- Please tell us about the ceremony of symbolic “adoption”.

- For Vyacheslav and his nephew Izyaslav, this procedure is described in the annals in sufficient detail. The rite with the cross -winning took place above the tomb of the saints Boris and Gleb. Accordingly, it was in Vyshgorod when accumulating a rather large number of people. Moreover, the citizens who were present there are people close to both sides, they still give a promise “not to make them to make them”, that is, not to quarrel them among themselves, and not to contradict this world. This ceremony is really quite long, well described, examined in the annals. This is very important, because often the princes refer to the fact that there was some kind of agreement between them, that there was a cross-house. Such a dull reference ... And here we have a directly description of the ceremony. It was an oath over the relics, over the coffins of the saints Boris and Gleb, the former relatives of all these princes, which was very important for them, accompanied by a kissing cross in the presence of a large number of close associates of the two princes, who had not always been among themselves in good and peaceful relations. And they are not involved in this procedure for the oath and contract, but also their boyars, combatants, supporters.

- What annals are we talking about?

- Ipatiev Chronicle, Ipatievsky Code. The part that we are talking about is most often called the Kyiv chronicle.