Novgordians and Pskovians as «brothers» to each other in the Russian chronicles accounts of the XIIth – XIVth centuries

Abstract

This article undertakes a comprehensive analysis of the earliest (12th – 14th centuries) instances in which Novgorodians and Pskovians are referred to as «brothers» to one another in the Novgorod and Pskov chronicles. It traces the evolution of the concept of «brotherhood» – from its first mentions in the 12th – 13th centuries in the First Novgorod Chronicle to the accounts from the mid-14th century found in the Pskov chronicles and the chronicles of the Novgorod-Sophia group. Although all references to Novgorod-Pskov «brotherhood» are in one way or another connected with conflictual contexts,the nature of the chroniclers’ use of this concept changed over time: whereas in the 12th – 13th centuries the «brotherhood» of Novgorod and Pskov is mentioned in a reconciliatory sense, in the 14th-century chronicle tradition, «brotherhood», being linked to notions of military mutual aid, becomes an additional factor in the accumulating grievances between the two cities. The chronology of the term’s usage has been clarified: the earliest instance where Pskovians are called the «brethren» of the Novgorodians is found in the First Novgorod Chronicle under the year 1137, whereas in the Pskov chronicles, the Novgorodians are first called the «brethren» of the Pskovians only in 1342. The article emphasizes that the chronicle accounts from the 12th to the mid-14th century show no evidence of notions of a «fraternal» hierarchy («younger brother» – «elder brother») between Novgorod and Pskov. An asymmetry in the use of the concept of «brotherhood» in Novgorod and Pskov has been revealed: in Pskov sources, the word «brotherhood» was rarely used to denote their own the urban community, whereas in Novgorod sources it was a common self-designation for the Novgorodians. It is suggested that the concept of «brotherhood» reflected a specific and relatively high political status of the Pskovians, which distinguished them from the status of the residents of Ladoga or Torzhok (who were never referred to as the «brethren» of the Novgorodians).