Жалованные грамоты за золотой печатью: история бытования и ареал распространения (об ордынской преемственности в вопросе инвеституры)

Abstract

Research objectives: To summarize and analyze all known evidence of the Moscow sovereigns awarding granted charters with a gold (usually gilded silver) seal in the sixteenth century. Research materials: Documents of the Ambassadorial Prikaz, as well as evidence found in the Russian chronicles. Results and novelty of the research: It is established here that such granted charters were issued to the regions recently annexed to the Moscow state or those having voluntarily entered into formal citizenship. With the strengthening of the real power of the Russian sovereigns, the issuance of such documents was discontinued. The area of distribution of charters included the regions of the Middle Volga, the Urals, Western Siberia, and the Caucasus. The nature of such documents was twofold. On the one hand, they originated from the development of the traditions inherent in Russian lands, and on the other hand, they reflected the Horde’s rules, in accordance with which the right to own land was possible only with permission from the higher authorities (a khan or tsar). With the capture of Kazan and Astrakhan, Moscow inherited these functions though its issuance of such certificates began a little earlier. Perhaps it happened already in the fifteenth or even the end of fourteenth century. The seals and charters in question are recorded up to the first third of seventeenth century.