The Tale of Bygone Years - Old Russian chronicle, created at the beginning of the 12th century. The story is an essay that tells about the events that happened and are happening in Rus' during that period.

The Tale of Bygone Years was compiled in Kyiv, later rewritten several times, but was not greatly changed. The chronicle covers the period from biblical times until 1137, with dated entries beginning in 852.

All dated articles are compositions beginning with the words “In the summer of such and such...”, which means that entries were added to the chronicle every year and told about the events that occurred. One article for one year. This distinguishes the Tale of Bygone Years from all the chronicles that were conducted before. The text of the chronicle also contains legends, folklore stories, copies of documents (for example, the teachings of Vladimir Monomakh) and extracts from other chronicles.

The story got its name thanks to its first phrase that opens the story - “The Tale of Bygone Years...”

The history of the creation of the Tale of Bygone Years

The author of the idea of ​​the Tale of Bygone Years is considered to be the monk Nestor, who lived and worked at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. Despite the fact that the author's name appears only in later copies of the chronicle, it was the monk Nestor who is considered the first chronicler in Rus', and The Tale of Bygone Years is considered the first Russian chronicle.

The oldest version of the chronicle that has reached the present day dates back to the 14th century and is a copy made by the monk Laurentius (Laurentian Chronicle). The original edition of the creator of the Tale of Bygone Years, Nestor, has been lost; today only modified versions exist from various scribes and later compilers.

Today there are several theories regarding the history of the creation of The Tale of Bygone Years. According to one of them, the chronicle was written by Nestor in Kyiv in 1037. The basis for it was ancient legends, folk songs, documents, oral histories and documents preserved in monasteries. After writing, this first edition was rewritten and revised several times by various monks, including Nestor himself, who added elements of Christian ideology to it. According to other sources, the chronicle was written much later, in 1110.

Genre and features of The Tale of Bygone Years

The genre of the Tale of Bygone Years is defined by experts as historical, but scientists argue that the chronicle is neither a work of art nor historical in the full sense of the word.

A distinctive feature of the chronicle is that it does not interpret events, but only talks about them. The attitude of the author or copyist to everything described in the chronicle was determined only by the presence of God's Will, which determines everything. Cause-and-effect relationships and interpretation from the point of view of other positions were uninteresting and were not included in the chronicle.

The Tale of Bygone Years had an open genre, that is, it could consist of completely different parts– starting from folk tales and ending with notes about the weather.

In ancient times, the chronicle also had legal significance, as a set of documents and laws.

The original purpose of writing the Tale of Bygone Years was to study and explain the origin of the Russian people, the origin of princely power and a description of the spread of Christianity in Rus'.

The beginning of the Tale of Bygone Years is a story about the appearance of the Slavs. The Russians are presented by the chronicler as descendants of Japheth, one of the sons of Noah. At the very beginning of the narrative there are stories telling about the life of the East Slavic tribes: about the princes, about the calling of Rurik, Truvor and Sineus to reign as princes and about the formation of the Rurik dynasty in Rus'.

The main part of the content of the chronicle consists of descriptions of wars, legends about the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, the exploits of Nikita Kozhemyaka and other heroes.

The final part consists of descriptions of battles and princely obituaries.

Thus, the basis of the Tale of Bygone Years is:

• Legends about the settlement of the Slavs, the calling of the Varangians and the formation of Rus';
• Description of the baptism of Rus';
• Description of the life of the great princes: Oleg, Vladimir, Olga and others;
• Lives of Saints;
• Description of wars and military campaigns.

The significance of the Tale of Bygone Years can hardly be overestimated - it was it that became the first document in which the history of Kievan Rus was recorded from its very inception. The chronicle later served as the main source of knowledge for subsequent historical descriptions and research. In addition, thanks to its open genre, The Tale of Bygone Years is of high importance as a cultural and literary monument.

Genre originality of "The Tale of Bygone Years"

Unlike folklore, which is not characterized by a mixture of different genres within one work, "The Tale of Bygone Years" was set of primary genre formations. The ensemble of the chronicle included legends and tales, tales and military stories, teachings and parables, signs and wonders.

The simplest and oldest form of chronicle narration was the weather record, which recorded isolated facts of history. Its main features are documentary accuracy, extreme laconicism, lack of emotional overtones and author's commentary. The message was introduced into the chronicle narrative using traditional formulas: " In the summer6596 . The church of St. Michael of the Vsevolozh monastery is sacred... Same summer Svyatopolk went from Novgorod to Turov to reign. It's summer Nikon, abbot of Pechersk, died. Same summer took the Bulgarians Murom."

NS claimed to be “literary”, pursuing an informative goal, and a chronicle story, which, unlike a weather record, had the character of a detailed documentary message: “In the summer of 6534, Yaroslav bought many wars and came to Kiev, and made peace with his brother Mstislav at Gorodets. And divided the Russian land along the Dnieper: Yaroslav came to this country, and Mstislav came to it. And they began to live peacefully and in brotherly love, and strife and rebellion ceased, and there was great silence in the land." Written in the fresh wake of the event, the chronicle message retained the lively intonations of an oral story and reflected the author’s assessment of what happened.

The chronicle tales in the Tale of Bygone Years are a literary adaptation of an oral source to which the chronicler turned if there was no more reliable material at hand. They restore the pre-literate period of Russian history based on folk legends, toponymic legends or druzhina heroic epic. These stories in the chronicle are characterized by plot and an attempt by the author to create the illusion of authenticity by enclosing the legendary basis in a “historical frame.”

For example, in the chronicle tale of Oleg’s death from his horse, dates – real and symbolic – serve as a means of documenting the narrative. The chronicler, including the story of Oleg’s death in an article in 912, reports that he “remained for years” in the war with the Greeks, and “all the years of his reign were 33.” The history of the conclusion of a peace treaty between the Greek land and Russia, extracts from the Chronicle of George Amartol about cases when the predictions of sorcerers came true - the entire historical context was intended to testify to the authenticity of the description of the death of the great commander from a snake bite (according to other chronicle versions, he died, " going overseas" and was buried in Ladoga). The story reveals the author’s assessment of what is depicted, no matter how dispassionate the narrative may seem. The chronicler's attitude towards the triumphant commander, whose shield adorned the gates of the conquered Constantinople, is ambivalent. On the one hand, he captured popular attitude to Oleg through the nickname “Prophetic”, reflected the “great lament” over his death and the memory of the prince’s burial place on Mount Shchekovitsa, which has survived centuries. On the other hand, respect for Oleg’s military victories fades in the chronicler’s mind in front of the lack of faith of a man who imagined himself invincible against enemies and fate itself, who laughed at the prediction of the Magi and reproached them: “It’s wrong to say the word, but all that is a lie: the horse died, but I'm alive." The horse, according to the ancient beliefs of the Slavs, is a sacred animal, a helper and friend of man, a talisman. Having stepped on the skull of his beloved horse with his foot, Oleg doomed himself to an “evil” death, death-punishment. The reader is warned about the inevitability of a tragic outcome by the opening lines of the story. The chronicler connects the action with the arrival of autumn, which sets the theme of death, and with the period when Oleg lives, “having peace to all countries,” i.e. when a commander’s hundred talents are unclaimed.

Proximity to hagiographic literature discover the stories of the "Tale of Bygone Years" about two Varangian martyrs, about the founding of the Kisvo-Pechersky Monastery and its ascetics, about the transfer of the relics of Saints Boris and Gleb, about the repose of Theodosius of Pechersk. Glorifying the spiritual feat of the first Pechersk saints, who “like the siyahu who shone in the Russian land,” the chronicler cannot hide the shadow sides of monastic life. From the chronicle "word" about Matthew the Seer, it is known that some of the brethren, during the church service, "committed any kind of guilt, leaving the church, and going to the cell and saving, and not returning to the church until the funeral service." Others, like Mikhail Tolbekovich, fled from the monastery, unable to withstand the harsh monastic life. An ancient Russian writer explained these cases of deviation from the norms of Christian piety by the eternal machinations of the devil, who now takes the form of a “Polye” (Pole, Catholic) and, invisible to everyone except the saint, walks around the church, scattering “modelings” - flowers that force the monks to sleep during services, he appears at the monastery in the form of a demon sitting on a pig in order to “delight” those who long to return to the “world.”

With genre funeral words of praise linked in the chronicle are obituary articles that contain verbal portraits deceased historical figures. This is the chronicle description of the Tmutarakan prince Rostislav, who was poisoned during a feast by a Byzantine warrior: “Rostislav was a good man for the army, and he grew up with a beautiful face and was merciful to the poor.” A chronicle article from 1089 contains a panegyric to Metropolitan John, who was “cunning in books and learning, merciful to the poor and widows, kind to everyone, to the rich and to the poor, humble in mind and meek, and silent, speaking with holy books, comforting the sad , and such things would not have happened in Rus' before, nor would there be such a thing in Russia." When creating a portrait of the hero, the chronicler observed the principle of the priority of spiritual beauty over external beauty, focusing on moral qualities person.

Symbolic landscape sketches, found in The Tale of Bygone Years. Unusual natural phenomena interpreted by the chronicler as signs- warnings from above about future disasters or glory. The ancient writer explained the fire in Novgorod not by the internecine struggle of the princes, but by the fact that before that “Volkhovo was destroyed for 5 days. This sign of evil came quickly: on the 4th summer the whole city burned.” The sign of 1113, when “little was left of the sun, like the moon with its horns down,” also foreshadowed trouble - the death of Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich and the uprising in Kyiv.

In the depths of the "Tale of Bygone Years" a military tale begins to take shape. Elements of this genre formation are already present in the story about Yaroslav’s revenge on Svyatopolk the Accursed. The chronicler describes the gathering of troops and the march, preparations for the battle of opponents separated by the Dnieper, climax– “I smite the evil one” – and the flight of Svyatopolk. Stylistic formulas typical of a military story permeate the chronicle story about the battle between Yaroslav and Mstislav in 1024: “Mstislav, in the evening, killed his squad, and put the north [northerners] in front of the Varangians, and he himself stood with his squad against the enemy.<...>And Mstislav said to his squad: “Let’s go to it.” And Mstislav and Yaroslav went against... And the slaughter was strong, like shining and shining weapons, and the thunderstorm was great and the slaughter was strong and terrible.”

The mosaic structure of the chronicle led to the fact that under one year it contained messages of very different content. For example, a chronicle article from 1103 told about the princely congress in Dolobsk, about the locust invasion, about the founding of the city of Yuryev by Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, about the battle of the Russian army with the Mordovians. What turns such a “mosaic” of historical information into a coherent and harmonious literary whole?

First of all this unity of thematic range: before us are individual milestones in the history of Rus'. In addition, the presentation of the material regulates weather principle: the strict attachment of each fact to a specific year connects the links into a single chain. It should be taken into account that the compiler of the “Tale” used the medieval system of chronology, in which the starting point was the “creation of the world” (to translate into the modern system, where calculation is carried out from the Nativity of Christ, it is necessary to subtract 5508 from the chronicle date). The chronicler’s desire to “put the numbers in a row,” i.e. present the material he selected in strict time sequence, according to scientists, is associated with such characteristic features social life of the Middle Ages, as “decency” and “orderliness”. The ancients saw beauty and harmony in maintaining order, while disruption of the usual rhythm in the life of nature, society, and literature was perceived by them as a manifestation of the ugly and immoral. The chronological connection of events in the chronicle was supported by genealogy - the idea of ​​succession of power of the Rurikovichs. The chronicler is always attentive to what kind of “grandfather’s” glory the ruler of Rus' inherits, whether he is a descendant of Oleg Gorislavich or belongs to the family of Vladimir Monomakh.

The weather principle of reporting events also had certain costs. By condensing disparate news into one year, the chronicler was forced to break the unity of the narrative sequence in the story of an event that lasted several years: under one year there was a story about the gathering of the Russian army on a campaign, under another a description was given decisive battle, under the third was the text of the peace treaty. Fragmentation in the presentation of historical events hindered the development of Russian fiction, entertaining and action-packed stories. The structure of "The Tale of Bygone Years" is characterized by a confrontation between two trends: the desire for isolation, independence of each chronicle story, on the one hand, and the opportunity to "open" the narrative, stringing new works on a single chronological core historical topic- on the other.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" is a collection of in a broad sense this word; a monument that combines works of different times, different authors, having different sources and political orientation, differing in genre and style. It cements the monumental but harmonious edifice of the chronicle, despite the heterogeneity of the events described in it, common historical theme products of terms and chronological principle of organizing material in the vault. The main ideas of the chronicle are the idea of ​​the independence of Rus', the assertion of the superiority of the Christian faith over paganism, the inseparability of Russian history from the general historical process, a call for unity of action, for the unity of spirit of the Russian people.

The significance of "The Tale of Bygone Years" in the history of Russian chronicles

The presentation began with "The Tale of Bygone Years" national history the next generations of Russian chroniclers. Already in the 12th century. The geography of chronicle writing is expanding, and differences are emerging between specific chronicle collections. For example, distinctive features Scientists consider the Novgorod chronicle to have an anti-princely orientation, since Novgorod, after the political coup of 1136, turned into a boyar republic, as well as the rarity and sparsity of messages of an all-Russian nature. Unlike the Vladimir-Suzdal chroniclers, the Novgorodians avoided church rhetoric; The style of their weather articles is concise and matter-of-fact. If they were depicting a natural disaster, they would provide information about the severity of the hurricane or flood and the damage it caused. The Vladimir chronicle sought to substantiate the claims of its principality to church-political hegemony and therefore was attentive to events on both a local and national scale, while the southern Russian chroniclers were absorbed in the description turbulent history their destinies. The main form of South Russian chronicles of the 12th century. was a weather record; Only some stories about boyar and princely crimes (about the murder of Andrei Bogolyubsky, 1175) and military stories (about the campaign of Prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the Polovtsians, 1185) retain the action-packed nature of the story.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" had a decisive influence on the formation of regional and all-Russian chronicle collections, which included it in their composition. The oldest copies of the “Tale” are found in the Laurentian (XIV century), Ipatiev and Radzivilov (XV century) chronicles. “The Tale of Bygone Years” served as a source of poetic plots and images for many writers of the New Age: it is enough to recall the historical tragedies of A. P. Sumarokov and Ya. B. Knyazhnin, “Duma” by K. F. Ryleev. Chronicle tales, which A. S. Pushkin appreciated for the poetry of touching innocence, inspired him to create the historical ballad "Song of prophetic Oleg", the image of Pimen in the tragedy "Boris Godunov".

The earliest monument to the Russian chronicle is the work “The Tale of Bygone Years”. It describes historical events, which occurred in the period before 1117. At the same time, many experts doubt the authenticity of the document, citing various arguments.

But the Tale... is undoubtedly a landmark phenomenon both in Russian literature and in the history of the state, allowing us to trace the path of Kievan Rus from the beginning of its formation.

History of the creation of the work

Historians and literary scholars agree that the author of this work is the monk Nestor. He lived and worked at the turn of the XI-XII centuries. Although his name as the author appeared in later editions of the chronicle, he is considered the author.

At the same time, experts, calling it the most ancient chronicle , they still believe that “The Tale of Bygone Years” is a literary adaptation of more ancient works.

The first edition of the code was written by Nestor in 1113, subsequently there were two more adaptations: in 1116 its transcribed by monk Sylvester, and in 1118 by another unknown author.

Currently the first edition is considered lost, the oldest version that has come down to us is a copy of the monk Lawrence, made in the 14th century. It was this that was compiled on the basis of the second edition of the chronicle.

There is also Ipatiev copy, written based on the third edition.

He paid the greatest attention to the structure and sources of the chronicle in his research Academician A.A. Shakhmatov. He substantiated the existence and history of the creation of each of the three versions of the chronicle. He also proved that the work itself is only transcription of more ancient sources.

Main content

This chronicle is a major work, which describes the key events that took place from the time the first came to the period when the work itself was created. Below we will consider in detail what this chronicle tells about.

This not a complete work, its structure consists of the following elements:

• historical notes;
• articles describing events for one specific year;
• lives of saints;
• teachings from various princes;
• some historical documents.

Attention! The structure of the chronicle is complicated by the fact that in more later years Additional insertions were made into it in a fairly free manner. They break the logic of the overall narrative.

In general, the entire work uses two types of storytelling: these are actually chronicles and weather notes. In the work, the monk strives to talk about the event itself; in the weather records, he reports about this or that event. Then the author writes a chronicle based on the hearth notes, filling it with colors and details.

Conventionally, the entire chronicle is divided into three large blocks:

1. Formation of Russian statehood from the moment when the first Slavs settled. They are considered to be the descendants of Japheth, and the narrative begins in biblical times. The same block describes the moment when the Varangians were called to Rus', as well as the period when the process of baptism of Rus' was established.
2. The second and largest block consists of fairly detailed descriptions activities of the princes of Kievan Rus. It also describes the lives of some saints, the stories of Russian heroes and the conquests of Rus';
3. The third block describes the events of numerous wars and campaigns. The obituaries of the princes are also given here.

Prophetic Oleg, who, according to the legend of the Tale of Bygone Years, was destined to die from his horse.

The product is enough heterogeneous in structure and presentation, but the chronicle can be divided into 16 chapters. Among the most interesting chapters from a historical point of view, three can be noted: about the Khazars, about Olga’s revenge, about the activities of Prince Vladimir. Let's consider summary works by chapters.

The Slavs encountered the Khazars after they settled and founded Kyiv. Then the people called themselves Polans, and the founders of Kyiv were three brothers - Cue, Shchek and Horeb. After the Khazars came to the glades for tribute, they consulted for a long time. In the end they decided that tribute to the Khazars from every hut there will be represented by a sword.

The Khazar warriors will return to their tribe with tribute and will boast, but their elders will see such tribute as a bad sign. The Khazars were in circulation sabers- a weapon that has a sharp edge on only one side. And the clearing contacted with swords, a double-edged sword. And seeing such a weapon, the elders predicted to the prince that tributaries, having double-edged weapons, would eventually become collect tribute from the Khazars themselves. This is what happened later.

Princess Olga, the wife of Prince Igor, is probably the only woman about whom much is said in the chronicles. Her story begins with an equally entertaining story about her husband, who, due to greed and excessive collection of tribute, was killed by the Drevlyans. Olga's revenge was terrible. The princess, left alone with her son, became a very profitable match for remarriage. And the Drevlyans themselves, having decided reign in Kyiv, sent matchmakers to her.

First, Olga prepared a trap for the matchmakers, and then, having gathered a huge army, went to war against the Drevlyans, to avenge her husband.

Being a very smart and cunning woman, she was not only able to avoid an unwanted marriage, but was also able to completely protect yourself from the revenge of the Drevlyans.

To do this, the princess completely burned the capital of the Drevlyans, Iskorosten, and either killed the Drevlyans themselves, or took them and sold them into slavery.

Olga's revenge for the death of her husband was truly terrible.

Prince Vladimir became most famous for the fact that baptized Rus'. He did not come to faith entirely voluntarily, choosing for a long time which faith to be in and which god to pray to. And even having chosen, he set all sorts of conditions. But after being baptized, he began to actively preach Christianity in Rus', destroying pagan idols and persecuting those who did not accept the new faith.

The baptism of Rus' is described in great detail. Also, Prince Vladimir is mentioned a lot in connection with his military actions against the Pechenegs.

As an example, we can cite the following excerpts from the work:

• This is what Prince Vladimir says about the need to destroy the pagan gods: “If he sticks somewhere, push him away with sticks until he carries him through the rapids.”
• And this is how Olga spoke, implementing her plan for revenge on the Drevlyans: “Now you have neither honey nor furs.”

About the baptism of Rus'

Since the chronicle was written by a monk, its content has many references to the Bible and imbued with the spirit of Christianity.

The very moment when Prince Vladimir was baptized is the main one in the chronicle. In addition, the prince, before he was baptized, is described as a person who did not restrain himself in his desires and committed unrighteous acts from the point of view of Christianity.

It also describes the moment when he is overtaken by God's punishment for breaking a vow- He became blind and regained his sight only after he was baptized.

In the Tale of Bygone Years, in the chapters that talk about the baptism of Rus', foundations of the Orthodox faith, in particular, it substantiates who or what can be the object of worship.

The chronicle provides the basis for the process of baptism of Rus', saying that only the righteous, who are considered Christians, can go to heaven.

The chronicle also describes the beginning of the spread of the Christian faith in Rus': what exactly was done, what churches were built, how worship was performed, how the structure of the church was organized.

What does the Tale of Bygone Years teach?

"The Tale of Bygone Years" is iconic work for literature and history of Russia. From the point of view of literary scholars, this is unique historical monument Slavic writing in the genre of chronicle, the date of writing of which is considered to be 1113.

The main theme of the chronicle is description of the history of the emergence and development of Rus'. Its author wanted to popularize the idea of ​​the power of the Russian state during that period. Whatever event the monk described, he considered each from the point of view of the interests of the entire state, and also assessed the actions of the characters.

Chronicle as a literary monument is also important for its role in the education of that time. Certain parts of the work served as material reading for children of that time. Until specialized children's literature appeared, children mainly learned the science of reading by reading chronicles.

The role of this work is also important for historians. There is a certain criticism of the correctness of presentation and assessments of some historical events. Many researchers believe that the author of the work was very biased. But all these assessments are made from the point of view modern man , who may also be biased in assessing the work of the chronicler.

Attention! This presentation made it possible to make the work a source for the creation of many later chronicles, in particular, chronicles of cities.

The Tale of Bygone Years. Prince Oleg. Nestor - chronicler

A Tale of Bygone Years - Igor Danilevsky

Conclusion

"The Tale of Bygone Years" is one and first known historical evidence how it developed and established Russian statehood. The role of the work is also important from the point of view of assessing the events that took place in ancient times. What the chronicle teaches is, in general, clear.

“The Tale of Bygone Years” occupies a special place in the history of Russian social consciousness and the history of Russian literature. This is not only the oldest of the chronicles that have reached us, telling about the emergence of the Russian state and the first centuries of its history, but at the same time the most important monument of historiography, which reflected the ideas of ancient Russian scribes beginning of XII V. about the place of Russians among others Slavic peoples, ideas about the emergence of Rus' as a state and the origin of the ruling dynasty, in which, as they would say today, the main directions of foreign and domestic policy are illuminated with extraordinary clarity. “The Tale of Bygone Years” testifies to the highly developed national self-awareness at that time: the Russian land conceptualizes itself as a powerful state with its own independent policy, ready, if necessary, to enter into combat even with the powerful Byzantine Empire, closely connected by political interests and family relations of the rulers not only with neighboring countries - Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, but also with Germany, and even with France, Denmark, Sweden. Rus' conceives of itself as an Orthodox state, sanctified by special divine grace from the first years of its Christian history: it is rightfully proud of its patron saints - princes Boris and Gleb, its shrines - monasteries and churches, its spiritual mentors - theologians and preachers, the most famous of whom certainly appeared in the 11th century. Metropolitan Hilarion. The guarantee of the integrity and military power of Rus' was supposed to be the rule of a single princely dynasty - the Rurikovichs. Therefore, reminders that all princes are brothers by blood is a constant motif in “The Tale of Bygone Years,” because in practice, Rus' is shaken by civil strife and brother more than once raises his hand against brother. Another topic is persistently discussed by the chronicler: the Polovtsian danger. Polovtsian khans - sometimes allies and matchmakers of Russian princes, most often still acted as leaders of devastating raids, they besieged and burned cities, exterminated residents, and took away strings of prisoners. “The Tale of Bygone Years” introduces its readers to the very thick of these political, military, and ideological problems that were relevant for that time.

THE LEGEND OF THE APOSTLE ANDREW

When the glades lived by themselves on these mountains, there was a path from the Varangians to the Greeks and from the Greeks along the Dnieper, and in the upper reaches of the Dnieper - a drag to Lovot, and along Lovot you can enter Ilmen, the great lake; The Volkhov flows from the same lake and flows into the Great Lake Nevo, and the mouth of that lake flows into the Varangian Sea. And along that sea you can even reach Rome, and from Rome you can come along the same sea to Constantinople, and from Constantinople you can come to the Pontus Sea, into which the Dnieper River flows. The Dnieper flows from the Okovsky forest and flows to the south, and the Dvina flows from the same forest and goes to the north, and flows into the Varangian Sea. From the same forest the Volga flows to the east and flows through seventy mouths into the Khvalisskoye Sea. Therefore, from Rus' you can sail along the Volga to the Bolgars and Khvalis, and go east to the inheritance of Sima, and along the Dvina to the Varangians, and from the Varangians to Rome, and from Rome to the tribe of Khamov. And the Dnieper flows into the Pontic Sea through three mouths; This sea is called Russian, - St. Andrew, Peter’s brother, taught along its shores.

As they say, when Andrei taught in Sinop and arrived in Korsun, he learned that the mouth of the Dnieper was not far from Korsun, and he wanted to go to Rome, and sailed to the mouth of the Dnieper, and from there he went up the Dnieper. And it so happened that he came and stood under the mountains on the shore. And in the morning, getting up, he said to the disciples who were with him: “Do you see these mountains? So on these mountains the grace of God will shine, there will be a great city, and God will erect many churches.” And having ascended these mountains, he blessed them and put up a cross, and prayed to God, and came down from this mountain, where Kyiv would later be, and went up the Dnieper. And he came to the Slavs, where Novgorod now stands, and saw the people living there - what their custom was and how they washed and whipped themselves, and he marveled at them. And he went to the Varangians, and came to Rome, and told about how many he had taught and whom he had seen, and told them: “I saw a marvel in the Slavic land when I came here. I saw wooden bathhouses, and they would heat them up too much, and they would undress and be naked, and they would douse themselves with soap, and they would take brooms, and they would start whipping themselves, and they would get so worked up that they would barely get out, barely alive, and they would douse themselves with cold water, and that’s the only way they would come back to life. And they do this constantly, not being tormented by anyone, but torturing themselves, and then they are not doing washing for themselves, but<...>torment." When they heard, they were surprised; Andrei, having been in Rome, came to Sinop.

"THE Tale of Bygone Years" AND ITS EDITIONS

In 1110-1113, the first edition (version) of the Tale of Bygone Years was completed - a lengthy chronicle collection that included numerous information on the history of Rus': about the Russian wars with the Byzantine Empire, about the calling of the Scandinavians Rurik, Truvor and Sineus to reign in Rus', about the history of Kiev. Pechersky Monastery, about princely crimes. The probable author of this chronicle is the monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery Nestor. This edition has not been preserved in its original form.

The first edition of the Tale of Bygone Years reflected the political interests of the then Kyiv prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich. In 1113, Svyatopolk died, and Prince Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh ascended the Kiev throne. In 1116 by the monk Sylvester (in the Promonomakhian spirit) and in 1117-1118. An unknown scribe from the circle of Prince Mstislav Vladimirovich (son of Vladimir Monomakh) revised the text of the Tale of Bygone Years. This is how the second and third editions of The Tale of Bygone Years arose; oldest list the second edition has reached us as part of the Laurentian Chronicle, and the earliest list of the third – as part of the Ipatiev Chronicle.

EDITING "THE TALE OF BYE YEARS"

Having become the Prince of Kyiv, Vladimir Monomakh retained his “fatherland” - the Principality of Pereyaslavl, as well as the Suzdal and Rostov lands. Veliky Novgorod also recognized the power of Vladimir, obeying his orders and accepting princes from him. In 1118, Vladimir demanded that “all the Novgorod boyars” come to him to swear them in. He released some of them back to Novgorod, and “keep some of them with you.” Under Vladimir, the former military power of the ancient Russian state, weakened by previous feudal strife, was restored. The Polovtsians were dealt a crushing blow, and they did not dare to attack the Russian land...

One of the measures during the reign of Vladimir Monomakh in Kyiv in 1113 was the correction of Nestorov’s “Tale of Bygone Years” in order to more correctly cover the reign of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, hated by the Kyiv working people. Monomakh entrusted this matter to the abbot of the Vydubetsky monastery, Sylvester. The Vydubetsky Monastery was founded by the father of Vladimir Monomakh, Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich, and, naturally, supported the side of this prince, and after his death - the side of his son. Sylvester conscientiously completed the task assigned to him. He rewrote “The Tale of Bygone Years” and supplemented it with several inserts about the negative actions of Svyatopolk. Thus, Sylvester introduced into the “Tale of Bygone Years” under 1097 the story of priest Vasily about the blinding of Vasilko Rostislavich. Then, in a new way, he outlined the history of the campaign of the Russian princes against the Polovtsians in 1103. Although this campaign was led by Svyatopolk, as the senior prince of Kyiv, by the pen of Sylvester Svyatopolk was relegated to the background, and Vladimir Monomakh, who actually participated in this campaign, but did not lead it, was put in first place.

The fact that this version could not belong to Nestor, a monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, is clear from a comparison with it of the story about the same campaign, available in the “Kievo-Pechersk Patericon”, which probably comes, according to tradition, from Nestor himself. In the story "Paterikon" Vladimir Monomakh is not even mentioned, and the victory over the Polovtsians is attributed to Svyatopolk alone, who received a blessing before the campaign from the monks of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery.

While editing Nestor's "Tale of Bygone Years", Sylvester did not continue it for a single year, but issued an indication of the authorship of the Kiev-Pechersk monk. Under the same year 1110, Sylvester made the following postscript: “Hegumen Sylvester of St. Michael wrote this book, chronicler, hoping from God to receive mercy from Prince Volodymyr, who reigned over Kiev for him, and at that time I was abbot under St. Michael, in the summer of 6624 (1116) Indictment 9. And if you read these books, then be in your prayers.” Since Sylvester's edition received official recognition, it formed the basis for all subsequent Russian chronicle writing and has come down to us in many later chronicle lists. Nestorov’s text of “The Tale of Bygone Years,” which remained the property of only the Kiev-Pechersk tradition, has not reached us, although some traces of differences between this text and Sylvester’s edition were preserved, as already said, in individual stories of the later “Kievo-Pechersk Patericon.” This “Paterikon” also preserves a reference to Nestor, who wrote the Russian “chronicler”.

In 1118, Sylvester’s edition of The Tale of Bygone Years was continued, apparently due to the inclusion of the famous “Teachings of Vladimir Monomakh” written that year. According to the convincing assumption of M. Priselkov, the addition was made by the son of Vladimir Monomakh Mstislav, who was then in Novgorod. Of great interest among these additions are two stories about northern countries, heard by the author in 1114, when he was present at the foundation stone wall in Ladoga. The Ladoga mayor Pavel told him about the northern countries beyond Ugra and Samoyede. Another story about these countries, heard by the author from Novgorodian Gyuryata Rogovich, is placed under the year 1096, indicating that it was heard “before these 4 years.” Since both stories are closely related to each other in content, the words “before these 4 years” should be attributed to the time of writing this insert in 1118, when the author heard the first story.. Since the original of Mstislav’s manuscript has not reached us, but only her later lists, then the only explanation for the resulting confusion can be a random rearrangement of the original sheets from which these lists were then made. This assumption is all the more acceptable since in the available lists, under the year 1096, there is also “The Teachings of Vladimir Monomakh,” written no earlier than 1117.