telated Tides from Academic International Press

,., MEDIEVAL RUSSIA

rhe Modem Encyclopedia of Russian, Soviet & Eurasian History
rhe Modern Encyclopedia of Religions in Russia and Eurasia A Source Book, 850-1700
rhe Modern Encyclopedia of East Slavic, Baltic and Eurasian Literatures
fhe Military Encyclopedia of Russia and Eurasia
The Academic International Press Edition

rhe Abolition of Serfdom in Russia. P.A. Zaionchkovsky

:Jays of the Russian Revolution. VV Shulgin
Emperor Nicholas I of Russia. The Apogee of Autocracy. A.E. Presniakov
Empress Elizabeth. Her Reign and Her Russia. Evgeny V Anisirnov
Ihe Formation of the Great Russian State. A.E. Presniakov
History of Russia From Earliest Times. Sergei M. Soloviev Edited by
[nto the Dustbin of History. j.L. Black Basil Dmytryshyn
[van the Terrible. S.F. Platonov
[van the Terrible. R. G. Skrynnikov
The Russian Army and Fleet in the Nineteenth Century. L. G. Beskrovny
The Russian Autocracy in Crisis, 1878-1882. P.A. Zaionchkovsky
The Russian Autocracy Under Alexander III P.A. Zaionchkovsky
The Russian Revolution. Paul N Miliukov
fhe Time of Troubles. Russia in Crisis, 1604-1618. R.G. Skrynnikov
Tsar Alexis. His Reign and His Russia. Joseph T Fuhrman
The Tsardom of Muscovy. A.E. Presniakov
;.,
Contents, excerpts of these works are available at \vww.ai-press.com

Acaden1ic International Press

2000
Cover: Ivan IV the Terrible, 1530-1584. Portrait in the icon style by an unknown artisr.
 TO Preface

Vi1:gi11ia, Sonia, 'Tania and tflizabetfi !A1m

This new Academic International Press edition of sources on the history of Medieval
Russia from 850 to 1700 was first published in 1967. Smdents and faculty alike
welcomed it, and reviews in professional journals in the United Stares and abroad
were favorable. The second edition appeared in 1973, and the third in 1991. The
reason for its enduring success is that it makes available to the student, the general
public, and the scholar who is not a specialist, illusuarive source material on politi-
cal, social, economic, religious, cultural, legal and other matters the p1..:oples of vari-
ous principalities of R.us/Russia faced from approximately 850 to 1700. This collec-
tion was never intended as a text or a substitute for a text. Its basic objective was and
is to provide what a text cannot offer-illustrative primary sourc1..: material to am-
plify and enrich rhe text and classroom lectures.
This edition consists of three Parts. The first Parr, subtitled Kicvan Rus, treats
various principalities up to the fourteenth century. Included in this Part are topics
such as the distribution of medieval Slavs and the origin of Rus, Kiev's relations with
the Byzantine Empire, rhe various nomads, the Scandinavian countries, Poland,
Hungry, and the Hanseatic Kiev's acceptance of Christianity and its impact
on the region; and the prolonged struggles among various princes ttJr control of Kiev.
The second Part, subtitled Mongol Yoke, covers the period from 1237 to I 480.
Included in this Part are such broad topics as Mongol conquests of Rus principali-
ties; a description of 1245 of rhe Mongols by a Papal emissary to Mongolia; Mongol
treatment of various Rus princes and of the Orthodox Church; a popular ami-
Mongol uprising in T ver in 1327; and the defeats of Mongol forces in I 380 and
1480 by Muscovy's military.
The third Part, subtided Muscovy, provides information on early rulers of Mus-
covy; on Muscovy's territorial growth to rh1..: Baltic, the Caspian, and the Black seas,
and across northern Asia to the Pacific Ocean; impressions of Muscovy, its rulers,
THE RUSSIAN SERIES/ Volume 46 and its people, by Italian, English, Durch, Austrian, and French observers; the
rise of Muscovy's autocracy, serfdom, popular discontents and many other topics.
Basil Dmytryshyn, Afedieval Russia. A Source Book, 850-1700
The selections included in this volume arc drawn from diverse sources such as
The Academic International Press Edition chronicles (the Primary, Novgorod and Galicia-Volyn); legal documents (Ruskaia
Copyright © 2000 by Academic International Press
Pravda of the 1070's, the Sudebnik of 1497, and the Ulozhenie of 1649); testaments
or wills of various princes; Church literature, and other !it1..:rature concerning the
All right, reserved. The reproduction or utilization of this work
or any part thereof in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, Orthodox Church; treaties with neighboring countries; lay literature (especially the
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerogra- Tale of the Host of Igor, the Zadonshchina, and the story of a rich merchant and his
phy, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and dcv1..:r wife); contempory descriptions of warfare; documents concerning Muscovy's
retrieval system, by any individual, institution or library, is forbidden
conquest and exploitation of Novgorod, Siberia, northern Asia and the Ukraine;
under law without the writlen permission of the publisher.
government decrees concerning serfdom; contemporary accounts of popular discon-
ISBN 0-87569-218-4 tents and the description of private lives of the high and mighty; and subjects'
Printed in the United Stales ol' America petitions to the government to case their sufferings.
ACADEMIC INTERNATIONAL PRESS Each sclecrion in this volume is provided with a brief introduction to indicate the
POB 1111 • Gull" Breeze FL• 32562 • USA source from which it was taken and to place ir in proper hisrorical perspective. Some
www.ai-press.com of the sources included were published pr1..:viously in English and, cxcqn for some
 Kie1•r111 R11J Ruskaia Pravda: The Shor/ Version 37

Article 4
If a person strikes another with an unsheathed sword, or with the hilt of a
sword, he pays twelve grivnas for the offense.

Rttskaia Pravda: Artide 5

If a person hits [another's} arm and the arm is severed or shrinks, he pays
The Short Version forty grivnas fine. And if he hits the leg [but does not sever it}, and then he
{the victim} becomes lame, let both [parties} reach an agreement.
One of the most important legal sourc<:s on Kievan hisrorv is a docu1rn:nt
calk:d Rllskaia Prt1t'da, or Rm .Jmtice. There are two l;asic versions of
Article 6
this <locurnent-shurt and expanded. The short version includes the old
Pravdc1 of Iaroslav, which appeared in the r 030s, and the Pr,nd11 of
And if a finger is cut off, three gr-i1 1nas for the offense,
Iaroslav's sons, which appeared in the 1070s. The expanded version,
which includes many of the points of the short version plus additional
Article 7
items, appeared at the encl of the twelfth or early 111 the thirteenth c<cntury. For the mustache twelve grivnas; and for the beard twelve grivncts.
In reading the document, note that economic questions and problems ut
property relationships occupy a prominent place. Article 8
If anyone unsheathes his sword, but does not hit, he pays one griz-na fine.
Artide I
If a man kills a man, the brother is to avenge his brother; the son, his father; Article 9
If a man pulls another man coward himself or pushes him away and [the
or the father, his son; or nephews, their uncles; and if there is no avenger
offended} brings two witnesses, rhe fine is three grivtws; if he should be a
[the murderer pays} forty grivnas fine; if [ the killed man} is a [Kievan} Russian,
Varangian or a Kolbiag, an oath is to be taken.
or a member of the druzhina [retinue}, or a merchant, or a sheriff, or an agent
of_the prince, or even an izgoi [serf}, or a [Novgorodian} Slav, the fine is forty
Article IO
grivnas. If anyone conceals a runaway slave of a Varangian or a Kolbiag for three days,
and if it is discovered on the third day, the original owner gets back his slave
Artide 2
and three g1-irnc1s for the offense,
If a man is bleeding or is blue from bruises, he does nor need any eyewitness;
if he has no sign [of injury} he is to produce an eyewitness; if he cannot, the Article I I
matter ends there; if he cannot avenge himself he is to receive three grivnas, If anyone rides another's horse without the owner's permission, he has co pay
while the physician is to get an honorarium. three grivnas.

Articfe 3 Article 12
If a person hits another with a stick, or a rod, or a fist, or a bowl, or a If anyone steals another's horse, or weapon, or clothes, and the owner recognizes
[drinking} horn, or the dull side of a sword, he is to pay twelve griz·nas fine; it within his township, he gets back his property and three grivnas for the
if the offender is not hit back [by his victim}, he must pay, and there the offense.
matter ends.
Article I 3
If anyone should recognize his scolen property, he should neither take it nor
say to a person, "This is mine"; he should say as follows: "Let us go to the
Fwm M. N. Tikhomiruv, Pr;Jobit' dlit1 1;;11chemia N11s.rkoi Prt11'{/r (An Aid for ilw Studv of
Russian Jusricd (Moscow, I~dardstvo Moskovskogu Univusnet,;, t9'i )), pp. 7 ',-8(1. Tr:rns-
place where you got it"; if he will not go immediately, he must post bond
latiun mine. Items in brackets are mine. · within five days.
r
I Kievan R11s Ruskaia Pravda: The Short Version

Article 14 Article 21
If a business partner should demand money from his associate and the latter And for a prince's steward, eighty grivnas; and for a master of the stable
should demur, he must be brought to a court of twelve men; and if it should [killed} near his livestock, also eighty grivnas, as decreed by Iziaslav when
be established that he [the associate} cheated, the partner shall receive his the Dorogobuzhians killed his master of the stable.
share and three grivnas for the offense.
Article 22
Article 15 For (the murder of} an elder of a prince's village, or for a field overseer, twelve
If the original owner should recognize his [runaway} slave and should want grivntis; and for the helper of a steward, five grivnas.
him back, the present owner shall lead him to the party from whom he
purchased the slave, and he may go the second party; and should the matter Article 23
go to the third party, the third party should be told: "Give me back my And for the killing of a peasant or a five grizirias.
slave, and try to get your money back [from the fourth party} with the aid
of an eyewitness." Article
And if a slave-nurse or her son is killed, twelve grivnas.
Article r6
If a slave should hit a free man and then hide in the house of his master, Article 25
and the master should be unwilling to him up, the slave must be And for [the killing of} a prince's horse, if the laccer has a brand, three grivntis,
and his master must pay twelve grivnas fine; and the offended free man may and for a peasant's horse, two grivnas.
beat that slave wherever he finds him.
Article 26
Article 17 And for a mare, sixty rezantis; for an ox, one grivna; for a cow, forty rezanas;
And if anyone should break [someone's} spear, or shield, or damage his clothes, for a three-year-old cow, fifteen kunas; for a yearling (heifer}, one-half grivna;
and then should want to keep [these items}, he must pay for them; and if for a calf, five rezanas; for a yearling ewe, one nogatrt; and for a yearling ram,
he should insist on returning the damaged article he must pay for the value one nogtlta.
of that article.
The Law of the Rus Land enacted at a meeting of Princes Iziaslav, Vsevolod, Article
and Sviatoslav, and the advisors Kosniachko, Pereneg, Nikifor of Kiev, Chu- If anyone should abduct someone's male or slave, he has co pay twelve
din, and Mikula. grivnas for the offense.

Article 18 Article 28
Should a bailiff be killed deliberately, the killer muse pay eighty grinias fine; If a man should come bleeding or bruised, he needs no witness.
the people are not co pay; and for [the murder of} a prince· s adjutant, eighty
grtvnas. Article 29
And whoever steals either a horse or an ox, or robs. a barn, if he is alone he
Article 19 has to pay one grivna and thirty rezanas; if there were as many as eighteen
And if a bailiff is killed in a high-way attack and the people do not search thieves, each pays three grivncu and thirty rezanas.
for the killer, the fine will be paid by that locality when.: the killed official is
found. Article 30
And if anyone damages or bums a prince's bee hive, three grivnas.
Article 20
Should a bailiff be killed near a barn, or near a horse [stable}, or a livestock Article JI
[shed}, or [trying to prevent} rustling of cattle, the murderer should be killed And if anyone should torture a peasant, without the pnnce·s order, three
like a dog; the same law is apnlicable to the murderer of a steward. grivnas for the offense.
 Kie1•,m Rus Ruskaia Pravda: The Short Venion 41

Article Article 42
And [for the torture of} a bailiff, a steward, or a sheriff, twelve grivnas. The following is the tax collecting custom: the collectors [during their journey}
should receive seven buckets of malt, a ram or some other meat or two nogatas;
Article and on Wednesday one rezana or cheese; the same on Friday; and as much
And whoever should plow over the property line or destroy a property mark, bread and millet as they can eat; and two chickens per day; and shelter for
twelve grivnas for the offense. four of their horses and feed for them, as much as they can eat; the collectors
should [collect} sixty grivnas, ten n:zanas, twelve veveritws, and a grivna in
Article 34 advance; and during Lent collectors should receive fish and should get seven
And whoever steals a boat, he has to pay [the mvner} thirty rezanas for the rezanas for fish; during a week they should receive fifteen ktmas and food as
boat, and sixty rezanas fine. much as they can eat; tax collectors should complete their task in one week;
such is laroslav' s decree.
Article 35
And for [the theft of} a dove or a chicken, nine kunas. Article 43
The following is the code of bridge builders: when they complete a bridge,
Article 36 they should receive for their work one nogota; also one nogata for every span;
And for [the theft of} a duck, a goose, a crane, or a swan, thirty rezanas and and if an old bridge needs repair of several planks, three, or four, or five, the
a fine of sixty rezanas. same payment.

Article 3 7
And if anyone steals someone's hunting dog, or a hawk, or a falcon, three
grivnas for the offense.

Article 38
If anyone should kill a thief in his own yard, or at the barn, or at the stable, The Church Statute of Kiev
he is [justly] killed; if, however, anyone detains the thief till daylight, he must
bring him to the prince's court; and should he [the thief} be killed, and A few years after he became a convert to Christianity, Vladimir granted
should people see that the thief was bound, the killer must pay for him. the Church many rights and privileges. His son and successor, Iaroslav
the Wise, bestowed upon the Church additional favors. The original
Article 39 copies of these two vital documents have not been preserved. There do
If anyone should steal hay, nine kunas; and for wood, nine kunas. however, two editions of Iaroslav·s "Church Statute"-the West
Rus, or what may be appropriately called the early edition, and the East
Article 40 Rus, or late edition. Both appeared many decades after the original
If a gang of ten thieves should steal an ewe, or a goat, or a pig, each must document was issued and as a consequence include within their provisions
pay a fine of sixty rezanas. a number of later practices and expressions.

Article 41 I, Grand Prince Iaroslav, son of Vladimir, in accordance with the wish of my
And whoever should apprehend a thief receives ten rezanas; and a sheriff
receives fifteen kunas from three grivnas [of fines collected}; fifteen ktmas go
[to the Church} as tithe; and the prince receives three grivnas. And from From Pohwe Solmmie Rwskzkh Letopi.re1 (Complete Colleniun uf Russian Chronicles) 2d edition
twelve grivnas of theft, the apprehender of the thief will receive seventy ktmas; (Moscow-Leningrad: 1925), vul. V, pp. r20-122. Translation mine. lt<:ms in btackets are
[the Church] two grivnas as tithe; and the prince ten grivnas. rnint:,