Orthodoxy and Authority: Ideological Struggles in Medieval Russian Chronicles
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| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | The discovery of medieval Russian letopisi has prompted a multitude of inquiries pertaining to their genesis, authorship, and purpose. Since the nineteenth century, scholars have been particularly preoccupied with elucidating their function. Timofey Guimon's 2021 monograph offers a comprehensive overview of the prevailing perspectives on this matter. It is widely believed that the letopisi were a product of political affairs and constituted a form of political propaganda. Subsequently, the chroniclers were employed by princes and were tasked with fulfilling their wishes regarding what to write and what to erase from history in order to create a coherent ideological narrative. In this essay, we will approach the ideological function of the letopisi based on Yuri Lotman's perspective. In his seminal work, The Scruture of the Artistic Text, Lotman observed that although the princes and warriors appear to be the primary figures in the text, they are, in fact, mere instruments in the hands of God. They act on behalf of God or are susceptible to the influence of demonic and malevolent forces, much like Cain who killed Abel on behalf of Satan. In light of Lotman's theory about the omnipotent God, it can be suggested, that the chroniclers themselves must have been influenced by divine forces, which would have impacted their writing. Given that the majority of these chroniclers had been members of the clergy, it seems unlikely that they would have been willing to sacrifice their piety and true devotion to God by remodelling the historical accounts in question. An analysis of surviving medieval chroniclers and written texts leads us to challenge the prevailing view of letopisi as a mere instrument for the political manipulation of princes of Rus’. This suggests a more complex and nuanced relationship between ideology and political power. |