Хроника
“DIPLOMACY OF MEDIEVAL RUS’ (X – XVI CENTURIES)”, X INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE IN THE “COLLOQUIA RUSSICA” SERIES
On October 9 – 11, 2019, the 10th International Scientific Conference of the “Colloquia Russica” series was held in Cracow (Poland). The organizers of the conference – Dr. Vitaliy Nagirnyy and other scholars from the Institute of History of Jagiellonian University, as well as friendly educational institutions – each time choose interesting and relevant topics from the history of ancient Rus’ for their conferences. This time the diplomacy of medieval Rus’ became the theme of the 10th, anniversary conference. Studies of diplomacy and international relations have gathered the scholars from many European countries: Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Ukraine. The conference sections were chronologically themed, and as is typical of the “Colloquia Russica” conferences, participants' presentations were combined with thematic lectures from leading scholars of the branch.
The inaugural lecture on “Books and other Diplomatic gifts in iconographic sources” was delivered by a representative of the host institution, Jagiellonian University Małgorzata Smorąg-Różycka. The lecturer showed the place of books in the practice of mutual gifting of medieval European rulers, mentioning in particular such artefacts as the Gertrude Psalter and the Svyatoslav’s Izbornik. The section continued with a lecture “Who were sent by the Hungarian kings of the 11th–13th centuries in variis legacionibus nostris in Rutheniam: family affiliation and social status” by Myroslav Voloshchuk (Ivano-Frankivsk), in which he explained the social and family status of „мужи“ sent to Rus’ from Hungary. The report by Konrad Lewek from Jagiellonian University was dedicated to one of the few archaeological sources that testify to the diplomatic and dynastic relations of Rus’ with Byzantium – the 10th century seals, among which 13 were found in the territory of Rus’. Volodymyr Kuzovkov (Mykolaiv) offered to look at the events of the Rus’ raid to the Caspian in the first quarter of the 10th century from the perspective of international relations of the era; in particular, he suggested the increasing influence of the Muslim community of Khazaria as a cause to the raid. Ivelin Ivanov (Veliko Tarnowo) in his report “Between war and diplomacy: Rus’ and Bulgaria in the second half of the 10th century” placed the Bulgarian-Rus’ conflicts in the context of the Great Viking invasion of the 9th – 11th century period. He analysed those campaigns from the point of view of their impact on medieval Bulgaria and also in comparison with the Viking invasions in medieval Europe. Ivelin Ivanov also noted that the Scandinavian artefacts from medieval Bulgaria, which are considered sometimes as traces of Svyatoslav’s raids, can be as well dated to 11th century and connected to the Norman or Anglo-Saxon presence in Bulgaria during the Byzantine rule. Ostap Kardash (Ivano-Frankivsk) in the report “Whose ambassadors were the ‘legati Ruscorum’ at the congress in Quedlinburg in 973?” suggested that they were sent by Prince Yaropolk Sviatoslavovych with a purpose of concluding a military-political agreement due to the deterioration of the Russo-Byzantine relations. Artem Papakin (Kyiv) dedicated his report “Diplomatic gift as one of the ways of importing prestigious weapons in the 10th century Rus’” to the gifts exchange by the Pecheneg and the Rus’ warlords as well as the emperor’s gifts of swords to Prince Svyatoslav, mentioned by the Tale of Bygone Years. He noted that there is no reason in making bold conclusions about identity of any archaeological find with the diplomatic gifts mentioned in the chronicle. Karolina Madeja (Cracow) dedicated her report to the issue of diplomatic relations between Hungary and Rus’ during the reign of Yaroslav Volodymyrovych. The panel was summarized by the discussion, during which particular comments were made regarding the need for a careful use of the term “diplomacy” to such events of the Viking era as military raids, as well as on a number of questions that specified the conclusions made by the speakers.
The second panel included the reports by Miroslav Daniš (Bratislava) “Diplomatic contacts of Rus’ in the Nestor Chronicle(the Primary Chronicle): characteristics – typology – contexts”, Arkadiusz Siwko (Cracow), „Hа Сутейску мира творитъ с ляхы” – Rus’-Polish peace negotiations in the light of The Testament of Vladimir Monomakh”, Simon Malmenvall (UL, Lublana), “Pilgrimage as a factor of (religious) international relations: an image of the ‘self’ and ‘other’ in the travel diary of the Rus’ hegumen Daniel”, Illia Parshyn (Lviv), “Weapon as a gift in the Rus’ diplomatic practice of the Middle Ages”, Maria Samonova (Homel), “Dynastic unions as an element of diplomacy of Rogvolodoviches of Polotsk in the 10th – 13th Centuries”, and Djura Hardi (Novi Sad), “Rjurikovich as a diplomat: Rostilsav Mihailovich in the Bulgarian-Nikaean negotiations in 1257”. In particular, the latter speaker, opposing the dominant historiography, believes that Prince Rostislav, the father-in-law of the Bulgarian emperor Michael Asen and the son-in-law of the Hungarian king Bela IV, was not a mere executioner of Hungarian policy, but relatively independent ruler.
The next panel of the conference, which was held on October 10, was dedicated to the 12th – 14th centuries Rus’. Andrii Stasiuk (Halych and Ivano-Frankivsk) perceptions of Livonian diplomats (1474 – 1554)”; Irina Koluzaeva (Warsaw), “An embassy on the way. Moscow diplomats in the frontier Orsha”, Izabella Korchagina (Warsaw), “Drinking culture in diplomatic ceremonies at Muscovite court in foreign reports of 16th century”, Yulia Zakrzhevskaya (Saint-Petersburg),”Projects of dynastic marriages as a form of diplomacy of the Grand Princes of Moscow in the 16th century”, and Lukáš Rybár (Bratislava),”Nicholas von Warkotsch and Azi Khosrov on the court of Russian tsar in the 1593”. The final discussion summed up the section presentations.
As always, scientific events were not the only part of the conference in the “Colloquia Russica” series – the organizers are constantly relieving the monotony of communication of scientists with the cultural program. This time the presentations of the speakers were completed by a demonstration of reenactors depicting the aspects of the daily life of medieval Rus’. In addition, at the end of the conference, a presentation of the latest editions that match the theme of the conference was made. Participants’ reports, lecture texts, scholarly discussion, and book reviews will be published this year in the “Diplomacy of Medieval Rus’ (10th – 16th centuries)” conference proceedings.