EVENTS ON THE RIVER SIT’ (1238) IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RUSSIAN RULERS’ BEHAVIOR DURING THE INVASION OF BATU KHAN

Abstract

Th e article examines the actions of grand prince Yuri Vsevolodo-vich of Vladimir on the river Sit’ and their descriptions in the early narrative of the chronicles about the invasion of Batu Khan. Th e aim of the study is to recon-struct the historical context in which prince Yuri and other rulers of Russian lands acted during the events of 1237–1241, and to reveal the attitude of the authors of chronicles and hagiographic works of the late 13th and early 14th centuries to the princes’ fl ight from the Tartars. Th e scholarly novelty of the research consists in the complex use of statistical and axiological methods. Th e author concludes that almost half of total number of Russian princes (18 out of 37) mentioned in the early narrative of the chronicles about the invasion either defi nitely escaped from the Tatars, or did so with a high probability. Th is allows us to believe the interpre-tation in the older version of the Novgorod First Chronicle, according to which Yuri Vsevolodovich also escaped from the Tatars and thus ended up on the River Sit’, where he was killed. Most likely, the princes’ fl ight itself was not a compromising circumstance in the eyes of their nearest descendants. Quite the contrary, the suc-cessful escape was perceived as God’s intercession and was extolled in every pos-sible way. However, Yuri’s case was special: unlike the overwhelming majority of princes who fl ed, he perished. As a result, the author of the Laurentian Chronicle, who set out to write a eulogy to the grand prince, had to create a rather contradic-tory picture of events, according to which Yuri Vsevolodovich allegedly was not going to escape, but, on the contrary, he was preparing to withstand the enemy on the river Sit’. And he revealed himself not as an experienced and courageous warrior, but as a martyr who, like saints Boris and Gleb, was ready for sacrifi cial slaughter and, like “new Job”, to meekly face the trials that came upon him.