TWO SOURCES OF THE KYIVAN CHRONICLE

The article delves into narrative strategies used in the Kyivan Chronicle (as preserved in the Hypatian codex and other codices akin to it), in the entries under the years 1130s and the period from the second half of the 1140s to the beginning of the 1150s. This chronicle contains parallel episodes, recorded by different scribes who, at least till the end of the 1150s, were very close in their geographical and political orientation, but placed different accents in their description of the events. For example, in the entry under the year 6657 (1149), the departure of Izyaslav’s allies is recounted twice, and each time the narrator explains the reasons for the departure. While in the Kyivan Chronicle two versions often appear side by side, the Suzdalian Chronicle presents only one of them. The relationship between parts of the text common to the Suzdalian and Kyivan Chronicles, on the one hand, and the unique layers of the Kyivan Chronicle, on the other hand, has long been the subject of scholarly discussion, in which the origin of the latter version was interpreted in a variety of ways (Belov, Bestuzhev-Ryumin, Nasonov, Vilkul, Yuryeva). The article attempts to show that, although the two sources differ in details, for example, in the composition of political coalitions or explanation of certain events (most cases are noted by T. Vilkul and I. Yuryeva), this difference is never fundamental, the versions do not contradict each other in general. This indicates that the compiler of the late 12th century, who formed the text of the Kyivan Chronicle, had at his disposal records from two sources that were progressively written in the south of Rus’ in the 12th century. Following K. Bestuzhev-Ryumin, they are designated as “brief” and “detailed”.