Chronicle Message on the Murder of Vaišvilkas of Lithuania and Old Russian Tales about Princely Crimes

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Category: Hermeneutics of Old Russian Literature: Issue 25
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Abstract:

The article examines the chronicle account of the murder of the Lithuanian prince Vaišvilkas by Lev Danilovich of Halych. Vaišvilkas became the first Lithuanian ruler to convert to Orthodoxy. After becoming a monk, he left his possessions to his brother-in-law, Shvarn Danilovich, Lev’s younger brother. As a result, the Russian prince briefly held control of the Lithuanian lands. This event sparked jealousy among Lev Danilovich and led to the treacherous murder of Vaišvilkas — the prince — monk and the godfather, who baptized Yuri Lvovich, the murderer’s son. The thirteenth century Volyn Chronicle contains a brief description of the episode in Russian-Lithuanian relations. D.S. Likhachev introduced the concept of Old Russian “chronicle stories about princely crimes.” Despite its brevity, the chronicle fragment under consideration shares common motifs and stylistic features that bring it closer to similar accusatory stories from the 11th and 12th centuries. The features of the internal political life of southwestern Russia during the establishment of Mongol dominion and the new stage of fragmentation of the region’s lands after the death of Daniel Romanovich of Galicia are reflected here. Comparison with later sources suggests that the hypothetical original text of the story about Vaišvilkas may have been shortened, which is reflected in the Volyn Chronicle.
Keywords: Volyn Chronicle, Vaišvilkas, Lev Danilovich, tales about princely crimes, Russian-Lithuanian relations, motif of a feast
Author: Alexey A. Pautkin
Information about the author:

Alexey A. Pautkin, DSc in Philology, Professor, Philological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Leninskie gory, 1, 119991 Moscow, Russia.

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0166-4912

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For citation:

Pautkin, А.A. “Chronicle Message on the Murder of  Vaišvilkas of Lithuania and Old Russian Tales about Princely Crimes.”  Germenevtika  drevnerusskoi  literatury  [Hermeneutics  of Old Russian Literature]. Issue 25. Ed.-in-chief O.A. Tufanova, sci. ed. M.V. Kaplun. Moscow, IWL RAS Publ., 2026, pp. 360–371. https://doi.org/10.22455/HORL.1607-6192-2026-25-360-371 (In Russian)
EDN:

https://elibrary.ru/QNXIFE
UDC: 821.161.1.0
Publication Type: Research Article
DOI: https://doi.org/10.22455/HORL.1607-6192-2026-25-360-371

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