Siegmund Sigismund Freiherr von Herberstein 1486 1566 diplomat

Siegmund (Sigismund) Freiherr von Herberstein (1486 -1566) diplomat, writer, historian and member of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Council. He was twice in Muscovy: 1517, 1526.

Issues: u Problem of origin of east Slavs; u Establishment of Russian state system; u “Norman” and “Slavonic” conceptions of Kiev Rus establishment; u Social and political system of Old Russian state; u Christianization of Kiev Rus.

Problem of origin of east Slavs

Slavs First mentioned in VI AD (Procopius of Caesarea) Etymology : Slav <- *slovo (word) Slavs – people, who speak our language Niemcy (Germans, foreigners) – people, who can not speak (niemec dumb)

Studies on the origin of th Slavs are based on: - Archeological data - Linguistic data (buzina* - effect i. e. elder, Sambucus) - Narrative data Slavs are Indo-European, which became an unique group in V BC

Slavs’ settlement u VI AD invasion of Ancient Avars Þ A part of the Slavs went to the West Þ VI-VII the Slavs went to the North and the East

u Rus- Русь (Halych-Volyn Rus; Vladimir-Suzdal Rus) u Russia – Русь, Россия u Muscovy - Московия

Etymology of “Rus” First mentioned in 839 in Annales Bertiniani From the name of the river Ros (Rossiya) [Lomonosov M. Tatishchev V. ] 2) From “Roxolani” (Sarmatian people) [Vernadsky G. , Trubachyov O. ] (*ruksi «light» ) 3) Prussian version 4) From finish word “routsi” – “rowers”, which meant ‘Swede’ routsi=Varyags (Normans) 1)

Etymology of “Moscow” 1) 2) From Slavic *mozg- и *moskswamp, marsh, dampness [Fasmer M. ] From Baltic *mask-/mazg- swamp, marsh, dampness [Toporov V. ]

“Norman” and “Slavonic” conceptions of Kiev Rus establishment;

Povest Vremennykh Let (The Chronicles of the Contemporary Years/ Tale of Bygone Years ) XII AD The Povest tells that the Normans often acted as mediators in the intertribal Slavic wars and laid them under tribute. In the middle of the ninth century, for example, they took “a squirrel and a silver coin per a smoke (i. e. house) of the Chud”, and “of the Slovene, the Merya and all Krivichi”. « Povest. . . » describes the event of the year 862 when the Slavs had driven the Varangians away over the sea and «began to be owned by themselves» . However, very soon the quarrels arose again, with new force, and «a kin fought another kin» . This is the way the Chronicles explain the reason of Gostomysl’s, the Slavic elder’s, “appeal” upon a Varangian conung Rurick to reign in Novgorod in 862, which has played a decisive role in the future unification of the tribes.

u 882 Prince Oleg went down the river up to Kiev and conquered it Tale of Bygone Years in Radzivill Chronicle

Normans conception XVIII AD Gottlieb Siegfried Bayer u Gerhard Friedrich Müller u August Ludwig von Schlözer Based on: 1)Archeology 2) Written sources 3) Linguistics data (Ingvar-Igor, Helgi-Olga etc. ) u The Slavs could not establish a state”

Slavs conception Tatishchev V. N. Lomonosov M. V. No! They could! Based on: 1) Interpretation of written sources 2) Topography 3) Genetic data Lomonosov M. V. 1711 -1765

Social and political system of Old Russian state

u State establishing is a long complex process demanding a) Social change; b) Economical change; c) Mental change. u The term “state” appeared only in 1415 centuries: State; Staat <-status; государство<-государь

Social changes u Neighborhood community (verv’): a) tribal community decay; b) different ethnic groups assimilation. u Community control emergence – veche u Social classes u Marginal person isolation u Chiefdom emergence

Князь (kъnęzь) <= *kun-ing- (König, king) u chieftain u Дружина (Druzhina, literally a "fellowship") in the medieval history of Slavic Europe was a retinue in service of a chieftain (Князь) u Полюдье (the poliudie) process of gathering tribute by the rulers of Kievan Rus' from vassal East Slavic tribes. u

Economical changes u The Ancient Rus was called by Scandinavians as Garðaríki, i. e. country of cities u The Trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks played consolidating role u Tribute payments before Ruriks invitation

Chiefdom concept u Chief with his own armed force exercises control over peasant communities through the collection of tribute u First tax system derives from tribute payments. u Kievan Rus is an unstable state formation, consisted of several principalities held by a single prince’s Rurik-dynasty with its head - the

Christianization of Kiev Rus 988 AD

Vasnetsov V. Prince Oleg meets wizard (volkhv).

Khors (Red Sun)/Dazhb og (Giving God) Хорс/ Даждьбог) Lada (Лада) deity of harmony, merriment, youth, love and beauty Veles (Велес) God of cattle Mokosh (Макошь) connected with female activities such as shearing, spinning and weaving Perun (Перун) the god of thunder and lightning Zbruch Idol (X AD)

Causes u Byzantine influence u Forming of the state u Trade ties

Consequences of Christianization u moral revolution in Russian life u refuse from painful punishments u appearance and spread of written language u Base for the state structure

Comparison between Cyrillic and Greek alphabet