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Byzantine treaty 911. Peace treaty between Prince Oleg of Kyiv and Byzantium. General data about the contract and its meaning

Oleg's campaign against Tsargrad. Miniature from the Radziwill Chronicle. 13th century

On September 2, 911, Prince Oleg of Kyiv concluded a peace treaty with Byzantium. It was the first treaty with the Greeks equal in form. “Until now, only verbal traditions could guide Nestor; but wanting to establish peace with the Greeks, Oleg decided to send Ambassadors to Tsargrad, who concluded a written, precious and ancient monument of Russian history, preserved in our annals, with the Empire. We will explain only the meaning of dark sayings, leaving intact, where possible, the curious antiquity of the style.

THE AGREEMENT OF THE RUSSIANS WITH THE GREEKS

“We are from the Russian family, Karl, Ingelot, Farlov, Veremid, Rulav, Gudy, Ruald, Karn, Flelav, Ruar, Aktutryan, Lidulfost, Stemid, sent by Oleg, the Grand Duke of Russia and all the Bright Boyars who are under his hand to you, Leo , Alexander and Constantine ”(brother and son of the first)“ To the Great Kings of Greece, to keep and to notify from many years the former love between Christians and Russia, by the will of our Princes and all those who exist under the hand of Oleg, the following chapters are no longer verbal, as before , but they affirmed this love in writing and swore that according to Russian law with their weapons.
I. In the first word, let us make peace with you, Greeks! Yes, we love each other with all our hearts and do not let any of our Bright Princes who exist under our hand offend you; but let us strive, as far as we can, always and immutably observe this friendship! Likewise, you, Greeks, always keep an unmoving love for our Bright Princes of Russia and all that exist under the hand of Bright Oleg. In the case of crime and guilt, let us act as follows:
II. Guilt is proven by evidence; and when there are no witnesses, then not the plaintiff, but the defendant swears - and let each swear according to his Faith. Mutual grievances and quarrels between the Greeks and the Russians in Constantinople forced, as one might think, the Emperors and Prince Oleg to include articles of criminal laws in the peace state treaty.
III. “Whether a Rusin kills a Christian or a Christian Rusin, let him die at the place of the atrocity. When the murderer makes a home and hides, then his estate should be given to the closest relative of the murdered; but the murderer's wife is not deprived of her rightful part. When the offender leaves without leaving his estate, he is considered to be on trial until they find him and execute him by death.
IV. Whoever strikes another with a sword or some vessel, let him pay five liters of silver according to the Russian law; but the immovable one shall pay what he can; let him take off the very clothes in which he walks, and let him swear by his Faith that neither neighbors nor friends want to redeem him out of guilt: then he is dismissed from further punishment.
V. When a Rusin steals something from a Christian or a Christian from a Rusin, and the one caught stealing wants to resist, the owner of the stolen thing can kill him without being punished, and take back his property; but he must only bind the thief, who, without resistance, is given into his hands. If a Rusyn or a Christian, under the guise of a search, enters someone's house and by force takes someone else's property instead of his own, he will pay three times.
VI. When the wind throws the Greek boat onto a foreign land, where we, Russia, happen, we will guard it along with its cargo, send it to the Greek land and lead it through every terrible place to the fearless. When she cannot return to her homeland due to a storm or other obstacles, then we will help the rowers and bring the boat to the nearest Russian pier. Goods, and everything that will be in the ship we saved, let it be sold freely; and when our Ambassadors go to Greece to the Tsar or guests to buy, they will bring the boat there with honor and give back intact what was received for its goods. If one of the Russians kills a man on this boat, or steals something, let the guilty person receive the above-mentioned execution.
VII. If there are Russians in Greece between the purchased slaves or Greeks in Russia, then free them and take for them what they cost the merchants, or the real, well-known price of the slaves: let the prisoners also be returned to the fatherland, and for each let 20 gold be paid back. But the Russian soldiers who, out of honor, come to serve the Tsar, may, if they themselves wish, remain in the Greek land. VIII. If the Russian slave leaves, is stolen, or taken away under the guise of a purchase, then the owner can look everywhere and take him; and whoever opposes the search is considered guilty.
IX. When Rusin, who serves the Christian Tsar, dies in Greece without disposing of his inheritance, and there will be no relatives with him: then send his estate to Russia to his dear neighbors; and when he makes an order, then give the estate to the heir indicated in the spiritual.
X. If between the merchants and other Russian people in Greece there are guilty and if they demand them to the fatherland for punishment, then the Christian Tsar must send these criminals to Russia, even if they did not want to return there. Yes, the Russians do the same in relation to the Greeks!
For the faithful fulfillment of these conditions between us, Russia and the Greeks, we ordered them to be written in cinnabar on two charters. The King of Greece sealed them with his hand, swore by the holy cross, by the Indivisible Life-Giving Trinity of the one God, and gave the charter to our Serene Highness; and we, the Russian Ambassadors, gave him another and swore, according to our law, for ourselves and for all Russians, to fulfill the approved chapters of peace and love between us, Russia and the Greeks.
September in the 2nd week, in the 15th summer (that is, Indicta) from the creation of the world ... "

The treaty could be written in Greek and Slavonic. Already the Varangians dominated Kyiv for about fifty years: Igor's peers, like him born among the Slavs, no doubt spoke their language better than Scandinavian. The children of the Varangians, who converted to Christianity during the time of Askold and Dir, had a way to learn the Slavic literacy invented by Cyril in Moravia. On the other hand, many Slavs who lived in Thrace, in the Peloponnese and in other Imperial possessions have long been at the Court and in the Greek army. In the eighth century one of them ruled, in the rank of Patriarch, the Church; and at the very time when Emperor Alexander signed peace with Oleg, his first favorites were two Slavs, named Gavrilopul and Vasilich: he even wanted to make the latter his heir. Both the Greeks and the Varangians had to understand the terms of peace: the first did not know the language of the Normans, but Slavic was known to both.
This treaty presents us Russians no longer as wild barbarians, but as people who know the sanctity of honor and the solemn conditions of the people; have their own laws affirming personal security, property, the right of inheritance, the force of wills; have internal and external trade. The seventh and eighth articles prove it - and Konstantin Porphyrogenitus testifies the same - that Russian merchants traded in slaves: either prisoners taken in the war, or slaves bought from neighboring peoples, or their own criminals, legally deprived of their freedom.
- It should also be noted that among the names of the fourteen nobles used by the Grand Duke to conclude peace terms with the Greeks, there is not a single Slavic one. Only the Varangians, it seems, surrounded our first Sovereigns and used their power of attorney, participating in the affairs of government. The emperor, having endowed the Ambassadors with gold, precious clothes and fabrics, ordered to show them the beauty and richness of the temples (which, stronger than mental evidence, could present to the imagination of coarse people the greatness of the Christian God) and honorably released them to Kyiv, where they gave an account to the Prince of the success of the embassy.

Quoted from: Karamzin N.M. History of Russian Goverment. Moscow: Eksmo, 2006

Russian chronicle:
In the summer of 6420, the ambassador Oleg, his men, build peace and put a row between the Greeks and Russia and the ambassador, saying: “Equal to another meeting, which was under the same tsar Leo and Alexander. We are from the Ruskago clan: Karl, Ingeld, Farlof, Velmudr, Rulav, Grudy, Ruald, Karn, Flelav, Ruar, Aktev, Truan, Lidulfost, Stemid, and others sent from Olga, the Grand Duke of Ruskago, and from all others are under his arm light boyars, to you from Olgovi, Alexander and Kostyantin, the great autocrat about God, the king of Greece, for approval and notice from many years between the peasants and Russia, the former love at the will of our prince and at the command and from all those who are with him are at hand Russia. Our Grace, more than others who want to inspire God and make known such love, which was between the peasants and Russia, many times the right of the judge just verbally, by writing and by oath, firmly swearing with his weapon to make such love known, affirm by faith and according to our law. The bottom line is, as if we knew more about God's peace and about love, these are the chapters. According to the first word, let us make peace with you, Greeks, let us love each other with all our heart and will, and let us not, as our will, be from the princes of light that are under the hand of our princes of light to no temptation or guilt, but we will strive, as much as we can, on the preservation of other and other years with you, Greeks, confessed by writing and with an oath we proclaim love to the unchanging and immovable. The same is true for you, Greeks, but keep the same love for our bright princes of Russia and for everyone, who are at the hand of our princes, unattractive and immutable in all summer. And about the heads, even if we radiate leprosy, let us dress ourselves up: yes, there will be evidences revealed, yes, we will have the right thing about the phenomenon, and he will begin not to believe, but when he swears according to all faith, there will be an execution, as if a sin will appear. O seven, if anyone kills, a peasant Rusin or a peasant Rusin, but die, even if they commit murder. Is it possible to run away after committing a murder, if there is a householder, and a part of him, that is, he will be according to the law, but he will take the neighbor of the murdered one, and even the one who killed him will have, but he will remain the same according to the law. If the one who committed the murder is nameless, and having run away, let the burden tremble, until it turns out, as if to die. If you hit with a sword or hit with a katsm with any kind of loan, for that stress or beating, let a liter of five silver go away according to the Russian law; Is it possible that such a creature will not be able to do this, but you can go far away, but sleep yourself and you the very ports, go to them, but rather go by your own faith, as if there is no help to him otherwise, but from there the burden is unrecoverable. O seven, if you steal Rusin anything from a peasant, or packs a peasant from Rusin, and it will be a lot of time when you create a tadba from the one who killed anything, if you prepare a tatba creating and be killed, yes it will be required to die him neither from the peasants, nor from Russia, but even more so, take your own, hedgehog will be destroyed. If you give it to the thief in your hands, let it be that, it will be stolen from him, and he will be bound, but give it back, having done it either to Rusina the Christian or the peasant Rusin in the way of the art of creating torment, violence is to take whatever is friendly, but return it three times. Is it possible that a boat will be thrown to the land of a stranger in the wind and turn there likewise from us, Russia, and even if it costs, supply the lodia with its own ruin and send packs to the land of the Christians, and spend with whom every terrible place. If such a lodia, or from a storm or harrowing of an earthly boron, cannot return to its place, we will work as a rower tolodia, Russia, let us see and with the purchase of them will be healthy. If it’s too close to the Greek land, it’s also a leprosy of the Russian people, let us take them to the Russian land, and let them sell the ruined lodia, if anything we can sell from the lodia, and we will drag them into Russia. Yes, we always go to the Greeks, or as an ambassador to your king or with a purchase, let us honorably sell the ruins of their boats. Is it possible for someone to be killed from that lodia, or be beaten from us, Russia, or be taken to be anything, but blame those who did it from Russia with a drunkenness from those. If a prisoner of both countries is taken away from Russia or from a Greek betrayed to another country, you will turn into Rusin or Grechyn, or warm and return the redeemed person to your country and raise the price of its buyers, or it seems to be a purchase for a day. Also, if it will be taken away, yes from those the Greek will also return to his land, and let his price be given, as it is said there is, as there is a purchase. Whenever you will go to war, whenever you need to do, and even if you honor your king, let it be by your own will. From Russia captivity. Many times from someone who has come to Russia and is sold to Christians, and from Christians who have been captive many times from any country who has come to Russia, they are sold for 20 gold, come to the Greeks. About that, if the Russian servant is stolen, or run away, or be sold out of need, and complain to start Russia, such a servant will seem like that, and Russia will be raped. And if the guest is to destroy and the servant and take pity, but seek, find, capture and. If someone does not allow the temptation to be done, let the local destroy his truth. From the working Greek king of Rusia. If someone dies without putting his name in order, to small neighbors in Russia, let him return the property, if not to have his own. Is it possible to create a dress, and such a one to take up his dressed; to whom he would write to inherit the estate, but to inherit it. From those who take the purchase of Russia. From various people who go to the Greeks and serve. If the villain returns to Russia, let Russia complain to the Christian tsar, and they will be such and returned not even to Russia. So let the whole thing create Rus Grekom, even if such a thing turns on. For the affirmation and immobility to be between you, the peasants, and Russia, having been the world created by Ivan's scripture on two charters, your king with your own hand, an honest cross and the holy consubstantial Trinity, our only true God, know and give with our word. But we swear to your king, who is from God to God's building, according to the law and according to the law of our language, not to transgress either us or him from our country from the established heads of peace and love. Such a writing of your kingdom by dahom, undeterred to both stay such a meeting for the approval between us of the former world of the month of Septevrius, in the summer from the creation of the world 6420.
Quoted from: Complete collection of Russian chronicles. Volume 24. L .: Publishing House of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1926-1928

Dubovskaya O F On the treaty of Prince Oleg

O.F. Dubovskaya Love in Russian St. Petersburg, Rusina, 2007.

People's memory is inescapable, it is eternal. The memory of their great compatriots, such as Y. Gagarin, S. Korolev, G Zhukov, M. Lomonosov, Dmitry Donskoy and countless other heroes, the Russians carefully keep in their hearts from generation to generation.
But besides people, there are also documents that are eternal beacons for their people. In them, every word, every thought rests on the tradition that binds the day
today and a thousand years ago. Such documents, as a rule, absorb and reflect the very spirit of the people, their will and ideological principles. We are talking here about the agreement between the Grand Duke Oleg of 911 and Byzantium.
The fate of the treaty itself is curious: an ambiguous interest in it either arose or disappeared from the memory of the Russians for many centuries.
For the first time the contract led. book. Oleg of 911 is noted by the chronicler Nestor in his Tale of Bygone Years, which he completed in 1093. Nestor points out that the written agreement of 911 was preceded by an oral agreement of 907. Here are the circumstances under which he led. book. Oleg concluded an oral contract in 907.
Vel. book. Oleg, having gathered the professional part of the army - a squad represented by many Slavic clans - "went against the Greeks." His army consisted of two branches: cavalry and navy. I led myself. book. Oleg led a naval flotilla of 2,000 units, 50 combatants on each ship. To Tsargrad, the Slavic army moved, as usual on long-distance campaigns, from two sides: the cavalry marched by land, and the navy by sea. When they approached Constantinople, the Greeks blocked the entrance to the sea harbor with a chain, and closed the city gates.
And then Oleg demonstrates to the Greeks something that will never be repeated by anyone in the history of world battles. We read from Nestor: “And Oleg ordered his soldiers to make wheels and put ships on wheels. And when a fair wind arose, they raised sails in the field and moved towards the city.
So, on the traverse of the Black Sea, armed ships “float” on the ground, and on the right, a cavalry army, numbering 100 thousand, is moving towards the city. (On long-distance campaigns, the Slavs gathered an army of at least 200 thousand). Frightened by the sight they saw, the Greeks asked for peace: “do not destroy the city, we will agree to the tribute you want ...” Caesars Leon and Alexander made peace with Oleg, pledged to pay tribute and swore to each other: they themselves kissed the cross, and Oleg and his husbands they took the oath according to Russian law, and they swore by their weapons and Perun, their god, and Volos (Veles. - Ed.) The god of cattle, and approved the world.
And four years later, in 911, the Greeks requested a written certificate of the establishment of peace between Byzantium and Russia. Vel. book. Oleg gives his consent to a written confirmation of peace between the Greeks and the Russians.
810 years have passed since the signing of the treaty led. book. Oleg in 911 and only in 1721 Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev for the first time makes a translation from the Old Slavonic language into the modern Russian of that time.
Then, 132 years later, N. Lavrovsky showed attention to him in 1853 and a number of other authors of the 19th century.
And, finally, almost 100 years later, in 1956, M. Levchenko dealt with the treaty. After that, a decline in attention to the treaty again led. book. Oleg 911.
2007 is ending. And again, our society is interested in a document that once shocked the world with its content. Let us note the key moments of Russian history, when we needed to look into the depths of centuries and seek support in the worldview principles of our ancestors.
1721 - the reforms of Peter 1.1853 - on the eve of the reform of Alexander II on the abolition of serfdom, 1956 - the famous 20th Congress of the CPSU and the exposure of the cult of personality, 2007 marks the 16th anniversary of the ongoing political, social, economic upheavals in Russia.
What does the Russian person expect in these reform moments of his history, exhausting consciousness and soul?
One and only: that way of governing the state, which makes it a monolithic entity, and the person living in it, not only free, but also involved in governance,
as it was fixed in the contract led. book. Oleg 911. Of course, we are talking about the Veche (community meeting) of the family, tribe, clan, the entire Slavic people about making a common decision. The decision taken by the people was binding on the rulers (princes). The rulers (princes), again, were appointed by the people. That is, the state was ruled by the people, and not by individuals or clans.
We, the descendants of our great ancestors, remember and know about the great and irresistible power of the communal decision.
The treaty was signed on September 2, 6419 from the creation of the world (AD 911). That is, in 2011 it will be 1100 years since the Russians consolidated their laws in an agreement with another state, namely with Byzantium.
Grand Duke Oleg had previously concluded agreements with the Greeks, but only verbally.
And he always followed the terms of the contract. But the Byzantine emperors asked to confirm these agreements by a written act, sealed with an oath, signatures and seals. At the request of Byzantium led. book. Oleg agrees, and keeps his word.
As we know, the contract led. book. Oleg of 911 is not only authentic, but also compiled during his imprisonment. The agreement was written in the Old Slavic language in the Glagolitic script. This is the only historical document that, by its existence, certifies the national foundations of the Russian people captured in it, as well as the existence of a powerful Russian state.
The agreement of September 2, 911 was concluded in the reign of three emperors - Leo, Alexander and Constantine. The joint reign of the three emperors lasted a short period - from June 9, 911 to May 11, 912 (the day of the death of Leo 6th). And it is to this short period that the treaty signed on September 2, 911 belongs.
The contract was written on parchment, in cinnabar.
* * *
Interest in the treaty led. book. Oleg did not arise from the author by chance. In the process of searching for the most ancient chronicle monuments containing information about the presence of their own written language among the Slavs even before Christianization, it was necessary to focus on the text of the treaty led. book. Oleg 911 and its history.
As it turned out later, the original contract was not drawn up in Cyrillic, but was written in GLAGOLIC writing. This fact is evidenced by the translations of the text of the treaty made by our great Russian historian Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev. In the translations of V.N. Tatishchev treaties of Oleg 911 and Igor 944 - 945. there is a Glagolitic inscription of some letters: instead of Veles (Cyrillic) (O. Dubovskaya. “The stars do not go out, Song about the Russian language” // A thousand years of life under a pseudonym. St. Petersburg, 2007). "B", "O", etc. the historian writes the Glagolitic graphics of these letters. This indicates that V. N. Tatishchev worked with the original contracts written in the Glagolitic script.
We are well aware of the procedure for signing interstate agreements and exchanging texts. Each of the contracting parties has a text in a foreign language plus a copy in their own, native language. That is, at the time of the exchange of charters, the texts of the treaty, written in both Greek and Glagolitic letters, were in the hands of the ambassadors of Russia. Exactly the same copies were in their hands and the ambassadors of Byzantium.
We read about this fact in the contract led. book. Oleg 911: “For an eternal and unshakable statement between you, the peasants and Russia, this created world is set out by Ivan's writing on two charters, your king and with your own hand to fasten, presenting an honest cross and the holy consubstantial Trinity of your one true god and give to our ambassadors For approval.
But we swear to your king by the name of our All-Bright Prince, who is an essence from God, as divine perfection, according to the law and according to the beginning of our language, do not transgress us, nor anyone else from our country, from the established heads of peace and love. And such a writing on two charters should be given to our kingdom for approval and notification of the established world.
In this case, Nestor, who was born in 1056 and who finished writing our history for us in 1093 at the age of 37, had the text of the treaty in his hands in two versions, both in Greek and in Glagolitic writing. Then how can one regard the “historical” message of a 37-year-old monk that “there was no written language in Russia and the people were illiterate ?!
As a matter of fact, the case of Nestor's distortion of history not in favor of the Russians requires special attention and serious research.

The author found another moment of extraordinary interest regarding the terminology of the treaty.
For the first time in my life, and, I think, not only in my life, but also among millions of contemporaries, the fact that the word “love” is used in a legal document of an international level is perplexing. With this word, the text of the treaty, as they say, is saturated through and through.
It is customary for us that, as a rule, the meaning of relationships is invested in the word “love” on a personal plane, but not on an interstate one. This obvious discrepancy between the formality of the content of the contract and its stylistic decision makes it necessary to read and comprehend the very clauses of the contract more carefully. With this deepening into the text of the document, you suddenly begin to understand that it is, in essence, a reflection of those mystical-realistic laws that developed and were established long before the contractual year 911. At the same time, it is clearly indicated that the laws, or rather, the commandments by which our ancestors lived from young to old, were determined by the circle (circle) of the Slavic gods, in particular Perun and Veles.
For the first time in world diplomatic practice, an agreement between two states is sealed with love.
The treaty occupies an important place in the historical process of Russia. Subsequent Russian treaties were rooted in the treaty of 911: they continued to eat the commandments fixed in writing in 911. So the contract led. book. Igor 944 - 945; agreement led. book. Svyatoslav of 972 retains all the main points of the treaty of 911; Truth and the Charter of Yaroslav 1019; the peace charter of the Novgorodians with the Germans under Alexander Yaroslavich and his son Dmitry, 1262; treaty of Gerden, book. Polotsk and Vitebsk with Riga in 1264; diploma book. Andrei Alexandrovich of Novgorod to the husbands of the Danish king in Revel 1294 and others.
It should be noted that the agreement book. Oleg attracted the attention of many researchers. As mentioned above, the first research known to us was carried out by the Russian historian Tatishchev V.N.
In addition, we also note the following works on this topic: A. M. Falkovsky. "The system of crimes and punishments under the treaties of Oleg, Igor and Pravda Yaroslavova" (St. Petersburg, Legal Bulletin. 1875 No. 1-3); P. Sergeevich. “Treaties of the Russians with the Greeks” (Journal of the Ministry of Nar. Prosvet. 1882 January); N. Lavrovsky. “On the Byzantine Element in the Language of the Agreements between the Russians and the Greeks” (St. Petersburg: type. Imp. Acad. Sciences, 1853); M. Vladimirsky-Budanov. "Anthology on the history of Russian law" (Issue 1. Kyiv, 1885); D. Likhachev. "The Tale of Bygone Years" (M. - L .: Publishing House of Acad. Sciences of the USSR, 1950); M. Levchenko. "Essays on the history of Russian-Byzantine relations" (Moscow: Publishing House of Acad. Sciences of the USSR, 1956) and others.
While generally accepting the positions and points of view of previous authors on the interpretation of the Oleg Treaty, we still think that one fundamental point was missed, namely: that all clauses of the agreement reflect only and only the Vedic (pagan) culture of the ancient Slavs. Each word is literally "involved" in the Vedic worldview of our ancestors. Unfortunately, the researchers listed above, with the exception of V. N. Tatishchev, bypassed this issue. Ancient Slavic culture, its origins and influence on the outside world were out of sight of the interpreters of the Oleg Treaty of 911.
It seems to us that another, Vedic point of view on the text of the treaty is more promising, since it begins with the thought of a border, of drawing an invisible divide between the Christian world and Vedic Russia, which swore by its Slavic gods Perun and Veles. Thus, this paper explores issues related to the consideration of the ancient Slavic culture through the prism of the text of the treaty led. book. Oleg 911.
Both the text of the treaty and the works of the following authors served as material for the analysis: A. Famintsyn. "Deities of the ancient Slavs" (St. Petersburg. Issue 1.1884), A. Afanasiev. "Poetic views of the Slavs on nature" (M., 1865), A. Asov. "Veles Book" (M, 1992), O. Bodyansky. “On the time of the origin of Slavic writings” (M: Univer. Typ., 1855), I. Sreznevsky. "Ancient Slavic writings (J. M. N. Pr., 1848. No. 7) and other authors.
The work uses the method of comparing the laws of the ancient Slavs with the clauses of the agreement led. book. Oleg 911.
The purpose of this work is to identify the laws common to the entire Slavic ethnos, the reflection of which was the treaty led. book. Oleg 911.
So, the contract led. book. Oleg of 911 is a concentrated expression of the Vedic laws by which all Slavic families lived.

TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT VEL. KN. OLEG 6419 FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD (AD 911)
WITH THE GREEKS IN THE OLD SLAVIC LANGUAGE

From time immemorial to us. living in the 3rd millennium, the call is heard to live according to Love. We listen to the voice of our ancestors:
“Equal to another meeting, which was under the same kings Leo and Alexander. We are from the Russian family,
Carla. Inegeld, Farlof, Veremud, Rulav, Gudy, Ruald, Karn, Frelav, Ruar, Aktevu, Truan, Lidul, Fost, Stemid, others sent from Olga, the Grand Duke of Russia, and from all those who are under his hand, bright and great the prince, and his great boyars, to you, Lvovi and Alexander and Kostyantin, the great autocrat of God, the king of Greece, to keep and to notify from many years between the Christians and Russia the former love, by the lust of our great prince and by command from everyone else under the hand of his existing Russia. Our Grace more than others wanting a hedgehog hold on to God and proclaim such love, which has been between the peasants and Russia many times, the right of the judge, not just with words, and with writing and a firm oath, swearing with your weapon, affirm and proclaim such love according to faith and according to our law.
The essence, as if we had learned more about God's faith and love, the chapters are as follows: according to the first word, let us make peace with you, Greeks, let us love each other with all our soul and will, and we will not let in, as our will, be from those who are under by the hand of our prince of light, no temptation or guilt; but let us yield, with all our might, to the preservation of the rest and always with you, Greeks, by confession and writing with an oath, the proclaimed love is unchanging and shameless. So do you, Greeks, keep the same love for our bright Russian prince and for everyone, who are under the hand of our bright prince, irrevocable and immutable always and all summer.
And about the chapters, even if leprosy is on, let us put ourselves in order: yes, there will be a lot of evidence revealed, yes, they will have a true appearance about such things; but he will begin not to yat faith, but that part swears, even to seek ignorance of faith, but always swear according to his faith, and there will be a punishment, as if a sin will appear.
About family. if someone kills either a Rusyn peasant, or a Rusyn peasant, let him die, but if he commits murder, if the perpetrator of the murder runs away, and if there is a housekeeper, yes, a part of him, that is, someone like him will be in the law, but take the neighbor of the murdered, and the wife of the murderer and have the same number of people to abide according to the law. If there is an immeasurable slaughter and having run away, yes, hold on to the weight, until you turn around, and yes, die.
Is it possible to hit with a sword, or beat with a katz with any vessel, for that stress or beat and power a liter of 5 silver according to Russian law; if the creator does not imitate this, yes, he can go far, and yes, you can have the same ports with yourself, walk in them, and walk about the procedure with your faith, as if there is no other help to him, but the burden remains unrecovered from there.
About this, if you steal something that you like a Rusin from a Christian, or a pack of Christians from a Rusyn, and you will be thieving in that hour, when you create a tatbu, from the one who destroyed something, if you want to get ready to do it, do it, and he will be killed, but his death will not be exacted. from the Christians, not from Russia; but rather, let him take his own, who will destroy him. If he steals his hands, let them be the same, they will be stolen from him, and he will be bound, and he will give it away, to make him laugh, and create a trinity.
About this, if anyone is from the peasants or from Russia, in the form of a skill to create torment, and by force, to take what is friendly, and bring up the trinity.
Ashe will be cast out by the great wind to the land of others, and turn there, even from us, Russia, but whoever has to supply the lodia with his ruin and send packs to the Christian land, let us lead me through every terrible place, until he comes to a fearless place; If such a boat, whether from a storm, or from the harrowing of an earthly boron, cannot return to its place, we, Russia, will take care of the rower to the boat, we, Russia, will accompany them with a purchase to their health. It’s better to connect near the land of Gretzkaa (if it’s possible to connect) it’s the same leprosy of the Russian boat, let us take you to the Russian land, and sell the ruin of that boat, and if anything can sell from the boat, we drag, Russia. Yes, we always go to the Greeks, or with a purchase, or in a solba to your king; let them honorably sell the ruins of their boats. If it happens that someone from the boat will be killed by Russia from us, or what is taken at will, let them be blamed for those who did the prejudiced penance. About those, if we keep a polonyanik from both countries, either from Russia, or from the Greeks, sold to that country. more whether a Rusyn or a Greek turns up and redeems and returns the redeemed person to his side, and raises the price of his buyer, or thinks of buying over the price of a man. In the same way, if the Greek will ratify from those, so let him return to his country, and his price will be given, as it is said there is, as there is a purchase.
Whenever you demand to go to war, and these want to honor your king, and even if at some time they will come, and want to stay with your king by their own will, yes they will.
About Russia about poloneniya multiply. From any country to those who came to Russia and are sold to the Christians, and also about the Christians who were captured from any country to those who come to Russia, they are sold for 20 gold, and yes come to the Greeks.
About that, if a Russian servant is stolen, or to run away, or to be sold out of need, and Russia will begin to pay, but such a servant will appear and be caught in Russia; but even if the guest has ruined the servants and favors, yes, seek, acquired, and seize it. yes ruin the truth
And about those working in Greek Russia with the Christian king. If someone dies without arranging his estate, do not have his own qi, but return the estate to small neighbors in Russia. Is it possible to create such an outfit. take what he has prepared, to whom he will write to inherit his property, let him inherit it.
About those who charge, I will buy Russia.
About various people who go to the Greeks and continue ... If the villain does not return to Russia, let Russia favor the Christian kingdom; and yat will be such, and will be returned, not though, to Russia. So let’s make all of Russia a Greek, where else it’s like this
For the affirmation and immobility of being between you, Christians, and Russia, the former world created by Ivanov, writing on two harat, your king and with your own hand, presenting an honest cross and the holy consubstantial Trinity of your only true god, to know and give our ambassador. But we swear to your king, who is from God, as a building of God, according to the law and according to the law of our language, do not transgress us, nor another from our country from the established heads of peace and love. And such is the writing of your kingdom by the Dah to affirm both of you to be in such a meeting, to affirm the world that is between you. The month of September 2, index 15, in the year of the creation of the world 6420.

The conclusion of Oleg's agreement with the Greeks: "And Olga led the company, and her husbands according to Russian law
swearing by their weapons, and by Perun, their god. "Miniature of the Radzivilov Chronicle, fol. 16.

TEXT OF THE AGREEMENT VEL. KN. OLEG 911 WITH THE GREEKS IN THE MODERN RUSSIAN LANGUAGE IN THE AUTHOR'S TRANSLATION

“Equally with the conference concluded under the same kings Leo and Alexander. We are from the Russian family, Karla, Inegeld, Farlaf, Veremud, Rulav, Guda, Ruald, Karn, Frelav, Ruar, Aktevu, Truan, Lidul, Fost, Stemid, who were sent from Oleg, the Grand Duke of Russia, and from all who live under his hand, light and great princes, and his great boyars, to you Leo, Alexander and Konstantin, the great autocrats of God, the kings of Greece to consolidate and confirm the love that has been for many years between Christians and Russia, at the request of our great princes and by order of all living under his hand in Russia.
Our Lordship, more than others, intends to consolidate and confirm in God such love, which has repeatedly been between Christians and Russia, they correctly judged, not only in words, but also in a written text and an unshakable oath, to swear by their weapons, to consolidate and confirm such love by faith and by law ours.
Since we have gathered in God's faith and love, the essence of the chapters is as follows: at the very first word, we will be at peace with you, Greeks, but we love each other with all our hearts and with good will, and we will not allow, since this is our decision, to be no deceit and fault from living under the hand of our princes of light; let us try with all our might to preserve and forever with you, Greeks, the proclaimed and written love, confirmed by an oath, unalterable and shameless. Likewise, you Greeks, keep the same love, inexhaustible and unchanging, for our bright Russian princes and for all who live under the hand of our bright prince.
And about the chapters
if villainy happens, we will decide in this way: those deceit that will be proven by facts, consider them established with certainty; if the arrested person begins to unlock, let that side swear according to their faith; if, after an oath according to one's faith, a crime is nevertheless revealed, let there be punishment for it.
About this, if a Rusyn kills a Christian, or a Rusyn Christian, let him die, no matter where the murder is committed. If the perpetrator of the murder runs away, and if there is a household, then the part of it that will be established by law will be taken by a relative of the murdered, as well as the murderer's wife has the same amount by law. If the perpetrator of the murder does not have a household and runs away, an investigation must be conducted until he is found, and let him die.
If someone strikes with a sword or beats with a batag, or with another object, for that blow or beating, let him give 5 liters of silver according to Russian law; if the one who has done not have so much, let him give as much as he can and let him take off the very trousers in which he walks, and swear on the remainder by his faith that no one else will help him, but the disputed part remains unclaimed from him.
About this: if a Russian steals something from a Christian, or, on the other hand, a Christian from a Russian, and the thief will be captured at that moment by the victim when the theft is committed, or if the thief is preparing to commit and will be killed, let his death not be exacted from Christians , nor from Russia; but more than that, whoever is hurt, let him take back his. If the one who stole falls into his hands, let him be detained by the same person from whom it was stolen, and be bound, let him give back what he took, and even return it three times.
About this, if someone from Christians or from Russia commits an attempt on the state of another with torture, or by violence takes something with accomplices, let him return it three times.
About this, if a boat is thrown by a great wind onto a foreign land and Russia turns to us in that place, but if anyone thinks to supply the boat with his goods and go back to Christian land, let the Russian lead her through every terrible place until he comes to fearless place; if such a boat cannot return from a storm or from a blow to the shore, then we, Russia, will lend the rowers with our boat and see them off with their goods in good health.
If such deceit happens to the Russian boat near the Greek land, then let them lead it to the Russian land, or we, Russia, will drag the boat to the Greek coast and sell the goods of the boat. So that when we come to Greek land with merchants or with a petition to your king, the Greeks will let the goods sold with honor from that Russian boat. If it happens to someone in Russia who arrived with a boat to be killed and something is taken from that boat, then the guilty who did it will be punished, as in the above chapters about murder and theft.
About these: if a captive is kept from Russia, or a Greek is kept by one of the parties, or sold to one of the parties, and if either a Rusyn or a Greek finds them, then let them ransom and return the ransomed person to their country, and his redeemer will take his price or exchange for the price of the purchased servant.
The same, if in battle he is taken prisoner by the Greeks, will also return to his country, and the price will be given for him according to the trade calculations that were mentioned above.
If it is necessary to go to war and the Russians want to honor your tsar with their participation, then let how many of them come and want to stay with your tsar of their own free will, so be it.
If any of the Russian soldiers is taken prisoner, then the Tsar of Greece must redeem and release them, and if the Greeks are taken prisoner by other peoples and they are brought to Russia, or the Russians fall into Greece for sale, then each of our parties must redeem them, taking 20 gold for each and letting go to their Fatherland
If a Russian servant is kidnapped, he will either run away or be sold out of need, and the Russians will declare him and they will catch him and return him to Russia. But let the Greeks, who have lost their servants, declare and seek what they have gained and take it. If any of the local judges oppose the return of the servant to his master, then declare him himself as a violator of the law.
About working Russians at the Greek Christian Tsar. If someone dies without disposing of his estate, and his relatives are not around, then the estate will be returned to his children in Russia. If the deceased leaves a will, then to whom he wrote his estate, let him be the heir
his
On the seizure of trade in Russia.
Of various travelers to the Greeks who find themselves in debt.
If such a person does not return to Russia, let Russia give a petition to the Christian kingdom, and such a person will be detained and returned to Russia, even if he does not want to. In the same way, let the Greeks do it, wherever it happens.
For an eternal and unshakable affirmation between you, Christians and Russia, this created world is set forth by Ivan's writing on two charters, to fasten your king with your own hand, presenting an honest cross and the holy consubstantial Trinity of your one true god and give it to our ambassadors for approval.
But we swear to your king by the name of our Most Bright Prince, who is an essence from God, as divine perfection, according to the law and according to the Beginning of our language, do not transgress us, nor anyone else from our country from the established heads of peace and love. And such a writing on two charters to give your kingdom for approval and notification of the established world.
September 2, week 15, in the year of the creation of the world 6420.

Treaties of Russia with Byzantium (907, 911, 945, 971, 1043)

So called treaties between Russia and Byzantium are the first known international treaties Ancient Russia, which were concluded in 907, 911, 944, 971, 1043 . At the same time, only Old Russian texts of treaties have been preserved to date, which were translated into Old Church Slavonic from Greek. Such treaties have come down to us as part of the Tale of Bygone Years, where they were included at the beginning of the eighth century. The earliest written sources of Russian law are the norms of the Russian Law.

The contract of 907 is considered the first of the above contracts. However, the fact of his imprisonment is disputed by some historians. They assume that the text itself is a chronicle construction. According to another assumption, it is considered as a preparatory treaty for the treaty of 911.

The treaty of 911 was concluded on September 2 after the most successful campaign of Prince Oleg's squad against Byzantium. This agreement restored friendly relations and peace between the two states, and also determined the actual procedure for ransoming prisoners, punishment for crimes committed by Russian and Greek merchants in Byzantium, changed coastal law, etc.

The agreement of 945, which was concluded after the unsuccessful military campaigns of Prince Igor against Byzantium in 941 and 945, confirmed the norms of 911 in a slightly modified form. So, for example, the treaty of 945 obliged Russian merchants and ambassadors to use princely charters to use the previously established benefits. In addition, this agreement introduced many different restrictions for Russian merchants. Russia also pledged not to lay claim to the Crimean possessions of Byzantium, and also not to leave its outposts at the mouth of the Dnieper and to help Byzantium in every possible way in military affairs.

The treaty of 971 became a kind of result for the Russian-Byzantine war, which took place in 970-971. This agreement was concluded by Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich with the Byzantine emperor John Tzimiskes after the Russian troops were defeated near Dorostol. This agreement contained the obligation of Russia not to wage war with Byzantium, and also not to push other parties to attack it (and also to provide Byzantium with assistance in case of such attacks).

The Treaty of 1043 was the result of the Russian-Byzantine war of 1043.

All treaties of Russia concluded with Byzantium are a valuable historical source of Ancient Russia, Russian-Byzantine relations and international law.

Grand Duke Oleg concluded the first peace trade agreement between Russia and Byzantium.

The treaty - one of the earliest surviving ancient Russian diplomatic documents - was concluded after a successful campaign Kyiv prince Oleg and his squad to the Byzantine Empire in 907. It was originally compiled in Greek, but only the Russian translation has survived as part of " Tales of Bygone Years". The articles of the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 911 are devoted mainly to the consideration of various offenses and the penalties for them. We are talking about responsibility for murder, for deliberate beatings, for theft and robbery; on the procedure for helping merchants of both countries during their voyage with goods; rules for the ransom of prisoners are regulated; there are clauses about allied assistance to the Greeks from Russia and about the order of service of the Russians in the imperial army; on the procedure for the return of fled or stolen servants; the order of inheritance of the property of the Russ who died in Byzantium is described; regulated Russian trade in Byzantium.

Relations with the Byzantine Empire since the 9th century. were essential element foreign policy Old Russian state. Probably already in the 30s or the very beginning of the 40s. 9th century The Russian fleet raided the Byzantine city of Amastrida on the southern coast of the Black Sea ( modern city Amasra in Turkey). In sufficient detail, Greek sources tell about the attack of the "people of the Ross" on the Byzantine capital - Constantinople. AT " Tales of Bygone Years"This campaign is erroneously dated to 866 and is associated with the names of the semi-mythical Kyiv princes Askold and Dir.

The news about the first diplomatic contacts of Russia with its southern neighbor also date back to this time. As part of the embassy of the Byzantine emperor Theophilus (829-842), who arrived in 839 at the court of the Frankish emperor Louis the Pious, there were some " petitioners for peace» from « Ros people". They were sent by their Khakan ruler to the Byzantine court, and now they were returning to their homeland. Peaceful and even allied relations between Byzantium and Russia are evidenced by the sources of the 2nd half of the 860s, primarily by the messages of Patriarch Photius of Constantinople (858-867 and 877-886). During this period, through the efforts of Greek missionaries (their names have not reached us), the process of Christianization of Russia began. However, this so-called "first baptism" of Russia did not have significant consequences: its results were destroyed after the capture of Kyiv by the squads of Prince Oleg who came from Northern Russia.

This event marked the consolidation under the rule of the northern, Scandinavian in origin, Rurik dynasty of lands along the transit Volkhov-Dnieper trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks." Oleg, the new ruler of Russia (his name is a variant of the Old Norse Helga - sacred) first of all sought to assert his status in confrontation with powerful neighbors - the Khazar Khaganate and the Byzantine Empire. It can be assumed that initially Oleg tried to maintain partnership relations with Byzantium on the basis of an agreement of the 860s. However, his anti-Christian policy led to a confrontation.

The story of Oleg's campaign against Constantinople in 907 is preserved in " Tales of Bygone Years". It contains a number of elements of clearly folklore origin, and therefore many researchers have expressed doubts about its authenticity. In addition, almost nothing is reported about this military campaign by Greek sources. There are only separate references to the "Rose" in documents from the time of Emperor Leo VI the Wise (886-912), as well as an unclear passage in the chronicle of pseudo-Simeon (late 10th century) about the participation of the "Rose" in the Byzantine war against the Arab fleet. The main arguments in favor of the reality of the 907 campaign should be considered the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 911. The authenticity of this document is beyond doubt, and the conditions contained therein, extremely beneficial for Russia, could hardly have been achieved without military pressure on Byzantium.

(Oleg's campaign against Tsargrad, miniature of the Radziwill Chronicle)

In addition, the description in Tales of Bygone Years"negotiations between Oleg and the Byzantine emperors, co-rulers Leo and Alexander, is consistent with the well-known principles of Byzantine diplomatic practice. After Prince Oleg, together with his army, appeared under the walls of Constantinople and devastated the surroundings of the city, Emperor Leo VI and his co-ruler Alexander were forced to enter into negotiations with him. Oleg sent five ambassadors with his demands to the Byzantine emperors. The Greeks expressed their willingness to pay a one-time tribute to the Rus and allowed them duty-free trade in Constantinople. The agreement reached was secured by both parties through an oath: the emperors kissed the cross, and the Rus swore on their weapons and their deities Perun and Volos. The taking of the oath was apparently preceded by an agreement, since the oath had to refer precisely to the practical articles of the treaty, which it was called upon to approve. What exactly the parties agreed on, we do not know. It is clear, however, that the Russians demanded some kind of payments and benefits from the Greeks, and that they received this in order to then leave the district of Constantinople.

The formal treaty between Russia and Byzantium was concluded, apparently, in two stages: in 907 negotiations were held, then the agreements reached were sealed with an oath. But the verification of the text of the treaty was delayed in time and took place only in 911. It is worth noting that the most favorable articles of the treaty for the Russians - on the payment by the Greeks of indemnity ("ways") and on the release of Russian merchants in Constantinople from paying duties - are only among the preliminary articles 907, but not in the main text of the treaty of 911. According to one version, the mention of duties was deliberately removed from the article “On Russian Traders”, which was preserved only as a headline. Perhaps the desire of the Byzantine rulers to conclude an agreement with Russia was also caused by the desire to get an ally in the ongoing war against the Arabs. It is known that in the summer of the same year 911, 700 Russian soldiers participated in the campaign of the Byzantines to the island of Crete occupied by the Arabs. Perhaps they remained in the empire, having entered the military service there, after Oleg's campaigns, and did not return to their homeland.

A detailed textual, diplomatic and legal analysis showed that the texts of the diplomatic protocol, act and legal formulas, preserved in the Old Russian text of the treaty of 911, are either translations of well-known Byzantine clerical formulas, attested in many surviving original Greek acts, or paraphrases of Byzantine monuments. rights. Nestor included in the Tale of Bygone Years a Russian translation made from an authentic (that is, having the power of the original) copy of the act from a special copy book. Unfortunately, it has not yet been established when and by whom the translation was made, under no circumstances were extracts from copies of the books found their way to Russia.

During the X-XI centuries. wars between Russia and Byzantium alternated with peaceful, and rather long pauses. These periods are marked by the strengthening of diplomatic actions, the two states - by the exchange of embassies, active trade. Priests, architects, artists came from Byzantium to Russia. After the Christianization of Russia, pilgrims began to travel in the opposite direction to the holy places. AT " Tale of Bygone Years"Two more Russian-Byzantine treaties are included: between Prince Igor and Emperor Roman I Lekapen (944) and between Prince Svyatoslav and Emperor John I Tzimiskes (971). As with the agreement of 911, they are translations from Greek originals. Most likely, all three texts fell into the hands of the compiler " Tales of Bygone Years” in the form of a single collection. At the same time, the text of the treaty of 1046 between Yaroslav the Wise and Emperor Constantine IX Monomakh in " Tales of Bygone Years" No.

Treaties with Byzantium are among the most ancient written sources Russian statehood. As international treaty acts, they fixed the norms of international law, as well as the legal norms of the contracting parties, which, thus, was involved in the orbit of another cultural and legal tradition.

The norms of international law include those articles of the treaty of 911 and other Russian-Byzantine agreements, the analogues of which are present in the texts of a number of other treaties of Byzantium. This applies to the limitation of the period of stay of foreigners in Constantinople, as well as to the norms of coastal law, reflected in the treaty of 911. Paragraphs of some Byzantine-Bulgarian agreements can be analogous to the provisions of the same text on fugitive slaves. Byzantine diplomatic agreements included clauses on terms (baths), similar to the corresponding terms of the agreement of 907. Documentation of Russian-Byzantine agreements, as researchers have repeatedly noted, is largely due to the Byzantine clerical protocol. Therefore, they reflected the Greek protocol and legal norms, clerical and diplomatic stereotypes, norms, institutions. This, in particular, is the usual for Byzantine acts mention of co-rulers along with the ruling monarch: Leo, Alexander and Constantine in the treaty of 911, Roman, Constantine and Stephen in the treaty of 944, John Tzimiskes, Basil and Constantine in the treaty of 971. Such there were usually no mentions either in Russian chronicles or in short Byzantine chronicles, on the contrary, in the form of Byzantine official documents it was a common element. The determining influence of Byzantine norms was reflected in the use of Greek weights, monetary measures, as well as the Byzantine system of chronology and dating: an indication of the year from the Creation of the world and an indict (the serial number of the year in the 15-year tax reporting cycle). The price of a slave in the contract as 911, as studies have shown, is close to the fork of the average price of a slave in Byzantium at that time.

It is important that the treaty of 911, as well as subsequent agreements, testified to the complete legal equality of both parties. The subjects of law were the subjects of the Russian prince and the Byzantine emperor, regardless of their place of residence, social status and religion. At the same time, the norms governing crimes against the person were based mainly on the “Russian law”. Probably, this refers to a set of legal norms of customary law that were in force in Russia by the beginning of the 10th century, that is, long before the adoption of Christianity.
(based on materials.

General data about the contract and its meaning

In 911 (the year of the agreement was incorrectly affixed 6420, therefore not 912, but 911), according to chronicle data, Prince Oleg sent his people to the Greeks to conclude peace with them and establish an agreement between Russia and Byzantium. The agreement was concluded on September 2, 911 between two parties:

The treaty established friendly relations between Byzantium and Kievan Rus, determined the procedure for the ransom of prisoners, punishment for criminal offenses committed by Greek and Russian merchants in Byzantium, the rules for conducting a trial and inheritance, created favorable trading conditions for Russians and Greeks, and changed coastal law. From now on, instead of capturing the ship and its property thrown ashore, the owners of the coast were obliged to assist in their rescue.

Also, under the terms of the agreement, Russian merchants received the right to live in Constantinople for six months, the empire was obliged to support them during this time at the expense of the treasury. They were granted the right to free trade in Byzantium. And the possibility of hiring Russians for military service in Byzantium was also allowed.

Notes

Literature

Bibikov M.V. Russia in Byzantine diplomacy: treaties between Russia and the Greeks of the 10th century. // Ancient Russia. Medieval Questions. - 2005. - No. 1 (19). - S. 5-15.
Vladimirsky-Budanov M.F. Review of the history of Russian law. - K.-SPb.: Publishing house of N. Ya. Ogloblin, 1900. - 681 p.
Monuments of Russian Law / Ed. S. V. Yushkova. - M.: Gosyuridizdat, 1952. - Issue. 1. Monuments of law Kyiv state X-XII centuries - 304 p.
The Tale of Bygone Years / Ed. V. P. Adrianov-Peretz. - M.-L.: Academy of Sciences of the USSR, 1950. - Part 1. Texts and translation. - 405 p.; Part 2. Applications. - 559 p.
Falaleeva I. N. The political and legal system of Ancient Russia in the 9th-11th centuries. - Volgograd: Volgograd Publishing House state university, 2003. - 164 p.
Yushkov S. V. Socio-political system and law of the Kyiv state. - M.: Gosyuridizdat, 1949. - 544 p.

Byzantine treaty 911. Peace treaty between Prince Oleg of Kyiv and Byzantium. General data about the contract and its meaning

Treaties of Russia with Byzantium (907, 911, 945, 971, 1043)

Treaties of Russia with Byzantium (907, 911, 945, 971, 1043)

General data about the contract and its meaning

Notes

Literature

see also

See what the "Russian-Byzantine Treaty of 911" is in other dictionaries: