On the Problem of the Name rus’ in the Earliest Rus’ian Chronicles

Abstract

In the article the author studies the identity that was referred to by the name rus’ in the earliest chronicles of Kievan Rus’. The analysis is based on the ideas and reconstructions of Alexei A. Shakhmatov, who proved that the famous Tale of Bygone Years (1100s) had included some earlier chronicle or annalistic texts composed in the 11th century. According to Shakhmatov, the Tale originated from the so-called “Initial Composition” written in Kiev in the 1090s. The author shows that the writer or writers of the “Composition” placed Rus’ in the world history according to the eschatological schemes of Byzantine chronicles. They understood Rus’ as a Christian people and as a powerful state, and tried to “expand” its identity over local communities. The earlier texts, which can be dated back to the mid-11th century, considered Rus’ in a different way: their authors’ efforts were to specify its identity in relation to other ethnic or political groups, stressing its military victories and ignoring religious boundaries. The author of the article concludes that the intellectuals of Kievan Rus’ were able to propose a variety of distinct “strategies of identification” and “ethnic projects”.