Relationships of junior and senior princes of XIV-XV centuries in historiography and sources. Terminological aspect

The article is devoted to the terminology, which has been used since the "state school" of historiography and so far to describe relations among princes in Northeastern Rus at the end of the 13th - the first third of the 15 th centuries. It also deals with the question how the history of this period, based on this terminology, corresponds with historical accounts. Basing on the thesis by A.E. Presnyakov, who states that it is impossible to adequately describe political process of the Medieval Russia, the author has researched the traditional use of such terms as "veliky knyaz" (grand prince), "udelny knyaz" (appanage prince), "mestnoye velikoye knyazhenie" (local grand duchy) and hypothetical grand prince titles, such as Grand Prince of Moscow, Grand Prince of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod, Grand Prince of Tver, Grand Prince of Yaroslavl, and others. The author has also analysed the 19th century's historiographic construction according to which the Princes in the Northeastern Rus in the 14th -15th centuries were divided into three hierarchic levels with the opposition of grand and appanage princes. To determine whether this historiographic construction is substantiated, the chronicles of the 15th century, as well as the texts of wills and treaties, have been analysed. Special emphasis has been laid on the Tver Chronicles as the representatives of Tver duchy were Grand Princes of Vladimir and were really granted the titles of Grand Princes of Tver by the Horde at the end of the 14th century. The article also analyses the arguments, if any, in favour of tripartite system with grand duchy on two levels. The following conclusions can be made: firstly, some of the existing schemes basing on definitions suffer from inner alogism. In particular, they provide no reason to oppose grand and appanage princes, as they both possess appanages and, besides, many appanage princes kept their right for Grand Duchy. Secondly, relations among princes do not fall into the pattern, which presupposes division into Grand Princes of Vladimir, local grand princes and appanage princes. There are at least three models of relations among princes in Northeastern Rus in general and in separate Duchies in particular. Thirdly, the idea of local grand duchies in Moscow, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod and Tver before 1383 has not been supported by historical accounts. The only exception is the Tver Chronicles of the 15th century ordered by one of Grand Princes of Tver, who wanted to prove that his Duchy was equal to the Grand Duchy of Moscow.

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