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Chronicle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ruthenia and Samogitia

The Chronicle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ruthenia and Samogitia (see #Name) is an early modern chronicle of Grand Duchy of Lithuania. It is considered the second redaction of the Belarusian–Lithuanian Chronicles. It was written in the Ruthenian language in the 1520s among the aristocracy of Vilnius.

Contents

The Chronicle describes the history of Lithuania from the mythical prince Palemon to Gediminas. The chronicle is based on a legend about the descent of Lithuanian rulers from the "Roman nobility" (patricians). It contains oral traditions about historical events: battles with the Tatars, Gediminas' campaigns in Ukraine (southern Rus'), the Kievan Chronicle (KC) and Galician–Volhynian Chronicle (GVC), and others. It exalts the heroic past of Lithuania, and denigrates former Kievan Rus'. To justify the superiority of Lithuanians over Ruthenians, the antiquity and nobility of the former's origin, and their prominent role in the life of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania are emphasised.

Textual history

The chronicle has survived in three redactions: short, long, and complete. A total of 11 copies are known to have survived until modern times.

  • Short redaction:
  • ; leaves 64–72 of the Krasinski collection (16th century), destroyed in 1944 during World War II.
  • Long redaction:
  • Alsheva/Olszew/ ( 1550, contains Polish translations).
  • ( 1600).
  • Patriarchal manuscript.
  • (second half of the 17th century; contains entries until the year 1567).
  • Complete redaction:
  • , also known as the Poznan manuscript ( 1580; contains entries until the year 1548).
  • .

The chronicle served as a source for the Bychowiec Chronicle ( 1574), the (Chronicle of Poland, Lithuania, Samogitia and all Rus) by Maciej Stryjkowski, and Teodor Narbutt's compilation History of the Lithuanian People (1840s).

The closely related (1740s), discovered by V. I. Buganov in the State Archive of the Tyumen Region (Department of Manuscript Books, No. 79), and Leningrad manuscript (1740s), discovered by Mikałaj Ułaščyk in the Manuscripts Department of the State Public Library named after Saltykova-Shchedryna in Leningrad (F.IV.372), were jointly published in a critical edition in PSRL Volume 32 in 1975 under the name Хроніка Литовська й Жмойтська (Lithuanian and Samogitian Chronicle).

Name

Original

  • , "The Chronicle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Zomoitsia" Ã¢Â€Â” name in the Krasinski manuscript.

Modern names

  • Lithuanian name:
  • , "The Chronicle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Samogitia".
  • Belarusian names:
  • , "The Chronicle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ruthenia and Zhamojtsia".
  • , "The Chronicle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Zhamojtsia".
  • Ukrainian names:
  • , "The Chronicle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ruthenia and Zhemajtsja".
  • , "The Chronicle of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and Zhemajtsja".
  • , "GDL Chronicle" Ã¢Â€Â” short name.

Editions

  • Lastowski, Vatslaw, (1925). (in Belarusian). pp. 68. Kaunas.
  • Летапісы і хронікі Вялікага Княства Літоўскага (XV—XVII Ã‘Ñ‚.): Социально-значимая литература (Помнікі даўняга пісьменства Беларусі). / Нацыянальная акадэмія навук Беларусі ; рэдкал. В. ÃÂ. ÃÂ§ÃÂ°ÃÂ¼Ã‘Ñ€Ñ‹Ñ†ÐºÑ–. (in Belarusian). Minsk: Беларуская навука [Belarusian Science], 2015.

Bibliography

Monographs

Reference works

  • Chemerytskyi, Vyacheslav Antonovych, Хроніка Вялікага княства Літоўскага і Жамойцкага // Вялікае княства Літоўскае: энцыклапедыя: у 2 т. Minsk: Беларуская энцыклапедыя [Belarusian Encyclopaedia], 2006. Volume 2, pp. 720.

References

External links