Abstract
There are five main positions in assessment of consequences of the middle-aged Russian-Horde communications. Objective research of the Russian-Horde relations has to include the analysis of all set of communications and a right choice of system of sources. The authors consider significance of foreign sources for researches of the Russian-Horde communication, their objectiveness and informative value. These are four types of sources: chronicles; literary works of medieval authors; stories of travellers; historical maps. These types include European, Persian, Arab, Mongolian and Chinese sources. Having analysed the content of many certain sources in relation to the Russian-Horde communications, the authors assess them as sources for research of the Russian-Horde communications.
Highlights
The political history of Russia in the XIII-XV centuries was defined by the relations between Russia and the Horde
Different authors assess them in plenty of works differently, sometimes opposite. They are assessed as equal allied interstate communications (Gumilev, 1989); as equal allied intrastate communications when Russian lands were a part of the Horde (Vernadsky, 1966; Trubetskoi, 1991; Hara-Davan, 2003); as subordinated for Russia and very pernicious for its population and historical development (Nasonov, 1940; Kargalov, 1967; Grekov, 1950); as subordinated and pernicious for Russia in its sense, but in historical prospect they helped Russia to mobilize, strengthen a power of vertical and to become stronger (Karamzin, 1993; Kostomarov, 1863); as not having any significant impact on historical destiny of Russia (Klyuchevsky, 1987; Solovyov, 1988; Fennell & Illingworth, 1983)
The Persian author of chronicles Rashid-ad-Din writes about these shortcomings: “...the author hopes firmly for comprehensive favour of those great people who will read this book and in all those places where there will be mistakes, defects, cases of errors and delusions, they will take my apologies” (Hrapachevsky, 2009, p. 51)
Summary
The political history of Russia in the XIII-XV centuries was defined by the relations between Russia and the Horde. Professor of Harvard University Richard Pipes writes: “If Mongols have not affected Russia or if this influence has not concerned the political sphere, Russian commitment to the autocratic power in the most extreme, patrimonial form should be recognized as something congenital and eternal. In that case it is rooted in Russian souls, religion or any other source that cannot be changed. In this article the authors consider significance of foreign sources for researches of the Russian-Horde communication, their comparative objectiveness and informative value
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