To the question of the stay of Prince Mikhail Olelkovich in Novgorod

About the authors:

Sergey S. Pashin, Dr. Sci. (Hist.), Professor, Department of Homeland History, University of Tyumen; eLibrary AuthorID, pashin-s@yandex.ru

Victoria A. Yurshina, Postgraduate Student, Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Tyumen; 18tara@mail.ru

Abstract:

The article is devoted to the study of the stay of Prince Mikhail Olelkovich in Novgorod in 1470-1471 or rather, the degree of influence that he exerted on subsequent Moscow-Novgorod and Novgorod-Lithuanian relations. This problem was highlighted by Russian historians, however, their research looks like lengthy summary chronicles with intermediate and final comments. The authors of the article believe that such an opinion is based on an uncritical assessment of sources – Russian chronicles. We distinguish four versions of narrative sources with the mention of Mikhail Olelkovich: Novgorod, Pskov, Moscow and Sofia. Particular attention is paid to discrepancies in information in the sources, since it is precisely the discrepancies that help to see the specifics of perception of the events of interest to us by the authors of the sources. The Novgorod annals briefly mention the arrival of Prince Mikhail Olelkovich in Novgorod, without giving an assessment of his actions. The Pskov chroniclers gave detailed chronological guidelines for the prince’s stay in Novgorod and attempted to denigrate him. Official Moscow chroniclers believed that Mikhail Olelkovich was a protege of the Lithuanian prince Casimir in Novgorod.In addition, the dating of events given by Moscow chroniclers does not coincide with the dates of the Pskovites. The literary monument “Slovesa Isbrannija...” as part of the Sofia First and related annals basically repeats the Moscow version of the presentation of events, with the exception of two plots. Sources do not allow clarifying the real role of Mikhail Olelkovich in the events of the 1470s, but the fact that his presence influenced the military campaign of Ivan III to Novgorod in the summer of 1471 is obvious.

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