Early medieval sources

WHITE, MONICA

Abstract

The early medieval period (c. 1000–1325) witnessed the beginning of many institutions and processes which profoundly shaped the history of Eastern Europe, including the acceptance of Eastern-rite Christianity, the first flowering of East Slavonic writing, the rise of powerful princes and the Mongol invasion. Knowledge of Rus (the first East Slavonic state) is essential for those seeking a deep understanding of Russian, as well as Ukrainian and Belarussian, history. Although its remoteness can make it difficult to approach, this period is becoming more accessible thanks to the availability of new resources.

This chapter will begin with a brief overview of major historical developments in Eastern Europe through the early fourteenth century, as well as important technical issues such as terminology, language and dating systems. It will then introduce three broad categories which account for most of the sources from Rus: monastic and ecclesiastical sources, sources associated with the princely clan, and archaeological materials. Discussion will centre on questions of authorship, audience, preservation and transmission, with particular focus on features which may be unfamiliar to non-specialists, such as multi-author compilations and defective manuscripts. Thereafter, case studies of sources from each category will analyse their context, effective ways to use them (i.e. what kinds of questions they can answer), common pitfalls in their interpretation (what kinds of questions they cannot answer) and the evolution of the relevant historiography. The concluding section will provide information about print and online editions of primary sources, with an emphasis on those available in English translation.

Citation

WHITE, M. (2020). Early medieval sources. In G. Gilbert (Ed.), Reading Russian Sources: A Student's Guide to Text and Visual Sources from Russian History (19-34). Taylor & Francis (Routledge). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351184175

• Online Publication Date: Feb 10, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Deposit Date: Jan 22, 2024
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Pages: 19-34
• Book Title: Reading Russian Sources: A Student's Guide to Text and Visual Sources from Russian History
• Chapter Number: 1
• ISBN: 9780815394976
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351184175
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/30108745
• Publisher URL: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781351184175-3/early-medieval-sources1-monica-white?context=ubx&refId=42b86fcf-c56e-4041-b429-81d18240b6f6