The System of Holding Moscow by Thirds from the 1340s until the Mid-Fifteenth Century. (In the Mirror of the Testaments of the Grand Princes of Moscow)

Abstract

In the first third of the fourteenth century a new type of document appeared in Muscovite Rus’: the testamentary will. The wills of the grand princes of Moscow as well as the agreements and treaties between various Rus’ princes have survived. These written wills are primary sources revealing a network of relationships among members of the Moscow princely family and recording changes in the inheritance regime. They enhance our knowledge of the era’s social structure, economic life and cultural history. Examining the documents, we can follow the development of ownership relations, the operation of the grand princely court, and the division of movable and immovable property, tax revenues, personal property, jewellery, and valuable clothing items. The testamentary wills provide information concerning the history of the Kalitovič family, giving us insights into the events preceding the birth of the Russian state and the development of its institutions. In the article, I employ authentic historical sources (the testamentary wills) to explore the peculiar administrative system that arose after the death of Ivan Kalita, namely the tripartite holding of Moscow and the attached areas under the direction of members of the grand princely family.