Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review

238–251

Authors: Somer T.

Research objectives: There are two research objectives to this study. The first is to survey the events of the Mongol invasion of Moravia in the spring of 1241 and the second is to examine how the story changed over the following centuries. The narrative surrounding the Mongol invasion lost its grounding in fact, and different versions of the story quickly arose. In this paper, I will explain when, why and how the story evolved. The Research materials are therefore diverse. The first part of the article is based upon 13th-century sources (charters, epistles, chronicles) of Central European origin. In the second part, later medieval chronicles as well as early modern historical treatises will be studied. These works influenced the perception (and form) of the story both at home and abroad since many of them were accessible in different languages. The Results and novelty of the research are therefore twofold. Since the Mongol myth became the subject of 19th-century forgeries, many scholars were misled by them. As a result, the forged documents have been presented as trustworthy sources even by renowned contemporary scholars. Consequently, the description of the historical events of 1241 undergo dramatic changes. The invasion – presented at times as a catastrophe – was in reality merely the brief passage of Mongol troops through Moravian territory. Later chroniclers confused this event with the Hungarian invasion of Moravia in 1253. Soon, a fictional victory at Olomouc was invented. Later, an imaginary hero was added (Jaroslav of Sternberg) and the story transformed in the second half of the 17th century into an account of a divine miracle, subsequently becoming a key part of the 19th century forgeries that exaggerated the Czech glorious national past by inventing sources that had actually never existed.

264–282

Authors: Khaydarov T.F., Dolbin D.A.

Research objective: To present a new concept of the origin and spread of the “Black Death” in the territory of the Golden Horde, the dependent Russian principalities and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania on the basis of textual analysis of medieval sources in Arabic, Persian, Greek, Latin and Russian, as well as recent advances in the studies of the genome of plague bacteria and climate in the Middle Ages. Research materials: Published narrative sources in Arabic, Persian, Greek, Latin and Russian; modern research in the field of the “Black Death” by both domestic and foreign authors. Results and novelty of the research: To date, there is quite a strong misconception about the “Black Death”. Authors made an attempt to comprehend this situation in the territory of the Jochid ulus in an integrative historical retrospective. On the basis of the most up-to-date research, the authors succeeded in theoretically visualizing the process of nucleation and spread of the plague in the territory of the Golden Horde and vassal state formations. Modern researchers have often come to the conclusion that the “Black Death” was a kind of decisive “Rubicon” in the development of medieval communities. However, until now there has been no theoretical interpretation of this situation in the territory of the Jochid ulus. Often, most of the studies published so far continue to reproduce clichés of the 14th–16th centuries. The main such cliché is the complete denial of this historical phenomenon in the territory of the medieval Tatar state. At the same time, recent studies in the field of genome analysis of plague bacteria have proved that the steppe areas of the Jochid ulus were the region from which the “Black Death” began its rampant spread. Judging by the information of the Russian chronicles, the appearance of plague was not limited to one year. These sources speak of constant outbreaks of plague epidemics that occurred before the beginning of the “Black Death” in the vast Russian Plain. At the same time, the scenario of simultaneous parallel movements of several epidemic diseases that had an animal origin has not been taken into account so far. Therefore, the authors consider it appropriate to talk not so much about the epidemic of the “Black Death” as about the onset of a new historical era – this was a period when modern Russia and ethnic groups living on its territory emerged.

304–311

Authors: Zaytsev I.V.

Research objectives: Medieval Tatar epitaphs from Kasimov. Research materials: Texts found on two medieval Tatar tombstones from Kasimov. Research results and novelty: This article is a publication of the texts of two medieval Tatar tombstones from Kasimov which have been preserved in the collection of Novy Ierusalim Museum (Moscow Region). The first epitaph belongs to a certain Syun-biq-qain, the daughter of the Sultan of Qaybulla. She died on Monday at the end of Muharram 1003 AH (early October, 1594), aged 27 years. The second epitaph is partially preserved and contains neither the name nor date of death of the buried person. Both epitaphs begin by bearing Arabic Hadiths.

342–369

Authors: Samigulov G.Kh.

Objective: The study concerns controversial issues of Russian history related to yasak people from the end of the 16th century to the middle of the 18th century. Materials: During the investigation, the author used newly discovered archival documents as well as previous publications. Results and novelty of the research: It has been established that the term “foreigners” in the administrational documentation of the Muscovy in 16th–18th centuries indicated the yasak people from the river Volga to Eastern Siberia. The “yasak” for traditional yasak people signified a state duty (a tax) and yasak people had a votchina right on the yasak land. Yasak people can be preliminarily divided into three categories: 1. Yasak people in the Volga area. They were very similar to state peasants in an economic sense and the yasak was merely a vestige for them. Nevertheless, they preserved votchina rights on honey, lands and the hunting of beaver. 2. Ural, Western and Southern Siberian yasak people – hunters, fishers or pastoralists. For them, the yasak was basic type of the state tax corresponding to their local economies. Yasak traditions stemmed from period when these peoples were in sphere of influence or vassalage of post-Golden Horde states. The votchina rights of these peoples covered all over their territory. 3. North and Northeast Siberian populations who did not have advanced social structure and had never paid tax earlier. Any taxes were unclear to that population which is why the state formulated relations with them in understandable form – as an exchange of gifts. Thus, yasak populations were not all the same, and relations between the state and different groups were created along the lines of different schemes. Аt the same time, the yasak people formed a part of the social structure of the Russian state. An exception to the rule were some peoples in northern and northeast Siberia, where the situation must be considered separately for every clan/tribal group.

393–408

Authors: Narozhnyi E.I.

The proposed review of the next issue of the journal Stratum plus (2016, no. 6) concerns a compilation of articles by scholars from Russia, Ukraine and Moldova on the problem of determining the consequences of the Mongol-Tatar conquest of the thirteenth century. Researchers offer their views on the changes that occurred in the Eurasian continent after the end of the major military campaign and the formation of the Golden Horde. Using data from written sources, archaeological research, numismatics and other sources, the researchers offer an objective assessment of the changes that took place in Europe, some of which do not always correspond to traditional estimations. The author positively assesses this collective contribution to the development of modern ideas about the events under consideration and believes that this issue of the journal reflects a sound, important and very useful exercise of research efforts.

422–438

Authors: Tulibayeva Zh.M.

This article contains annotated translation of extracts from the work of Ulugh Beg (1394–1449) Ulūs-i arba’-yi Chingīzī (Four uluses of the Chingīzīds), written in Persian in 1425. Ulūs-i arba’-yi Chingīzī is dedicated to the topic of the rulers of four states of Chinggis Khan’s Empire: The Ulūs of Ūktāy Qā’ān (Ögedei Khagan), the Ulūs of Jūchi Khan, the Ulūs of Hulāgu Khan, and the Ulūs of Chagatai Khan. This work is an important source on the history of the Chinggisids’ reigns, particularly in Iran. While describing the Ulūs of Hulāgu Khan in his work, Ulugh Beg mentioned the names of sixteen rulers from the Chinggisid dynasty. Original information on the history of the Ulūs of Hulāgu Khan, which is missing in works of the Hulaguids’ historiographers, is provided there. This article provides translation of an extract dedicated to the period of the reigns in Iran of independent rulers from the Chinggisid dynasty: Öljaitü Khan (1304–1316) and Abū Saʿīd Bahādur Khan (1316–1335). According to Ulugh Beg, Öljaitü Khan differed from many Chinggisid sultans. He supported scientists and representatives of Muslim religious leaders, while putting a lot of effort into strengthening the laws of Islam. The part of the chapter dedicated to Abū Sa‘īd Bahādur Khan includes a story about the prince of the Ulūs of Chagatai Khan – shakhzade Yasavur Ūghlān – who was the descendant of Chagatai Khan. It should be especially noted that the chapter dedicated to the Ilkhanids of Iran contains numerous pieces of information about their relationship with other states of the Chinggisids, the ruling elite and nomadic nobility of Inner Asia. This article was prepared within the framework of a grant of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan aimed at funding basic and applied scientific research.