Latin Christians in the Literary Landscape of Early Rus, c. 988–1330 Catherine Philippa Sykes Newnham College, University of Cambridge October 2017 This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ii Name: Catherine Sykes Title: Latin Christians in the Literary Landscape of Early Rus, c. 988–1330 Summary: In the wake of the recent wave of interest in the ties between Early Rus and the Latin world, this dissertation investigates conceptions and depictions of Latin Christians in Early Rusian texts. Unlike previous smaller-scale studies, the present study takes into consideration all indigenous Early Rusian narrative sources which make reference to Latins or the Latin world. Its contribution is twofold. Firstly, it overturns the still prevalent assumption that Early Rusian writers tended to portray Latins as religious Others. There was certainly a place in Early Rusian writing for religious polemic against the Latin faith, but as I show, this place was very restricted. Secondly, having established the considerable diversity and complexity of rhetorical approaches to Latins, this study analyses and explains rhetorical patterns in Early Rusian portrayals of Latins and Latin Christendom. Scholars have tended to interpret these patterns as primarily influenced by extra-textual factors (most often, a text’s time of composition). This study, however, establishes that textual factors—specifically genre and theme—are the best predictors of a text’s portrayal of Latins, and explains the appearance and evolution of particular generic and thematic representations. It also demonstrates that a text’s place of composition tends to have a greater influence on its depictions of Latins than its time of composition. Through close engagement with the subtleties and ambiguities of Early Rusian depictions of Latins, this study furthers contemporary debate on questions of narrative, identity and difference in Rus and the medieval world. iii This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration. It is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution. I further state that no substantial part of my dissertation has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for any such degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution. It does not exceed the prescribed word limit for the relevant Degree Committee. iv Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Simon Franklin, for his unfailing insight, generosity and interest in my work. Thanks are also due to my family and friends, especially to Anne Sykes for proofreading; to David Turner for his support; and to my fellow Cambridge graduate medievalists for their companionship. Finally, I would like to thank the Centre for East European Language-Based Area Studies (CEELBAS) for generously funding my doctoral research. v Contents Note on Transliteration and Orthography ......................................................................................... 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Rus, Latins and the ‘confessional border’ .......................................................................................................... 3 Interpreting texts and contexts ........................................................................................................................... 9 Who are the Latins? ......................................................................................................................................... 13 The scope of the thesis ...................................................................................................................................... 17 Time ............................................................................................................................................................. 17 Place ............................................................................................................................................................. 19 Texts ............................................................................................................................................................ 19 Themes ......................................................................................................................................................... 21 Outline of the thesis .......................................................................................................................................... 22 Chapter One: The Place of Anti-Latin Polemic in the Writing of Early Rus ................................ 25 Sources ............................................................................................................................................................. 27 Lists and epistles .......................................................................................................................................... 28 Erotapokriseis .............................................................................................................................................. 29 Byzantine polemic or Rusian polemic? The problem of authorship ................................................................. 30 Adapting anti-Latin lists, epistles and erotapokriseis in Rus ........................................................................... 35 The relevance of polemic in Rus ....................................................................................................................... 41 Why did polemic circulate in Rus? Some previous arguments .................................................................... 41 Canon law: Defining orthodoxy ................................................................................................................... 43 Polemic beyond lists, epistles and erotapokriseis?....................................................................................... 45 Polemic and orthodoxy: Credo, nego ............................................................................................................... 48 Chapter Two: Conceptualising Latins in the Chronicles of Early Rus .......................................... 53 The chronicles of Early Rus ............................................................................................................................. 54 The Laurentian, Hypatian and Novgorod First chronicles ........................................................................... 55 Polemic against Latins? ................................................................................................................................... 58 Unspeakable Latins? ........................................................................................................................................ 60 Latins as pagans? ............................................................................................................................................. 63 Manipulating Latin similarity and difference ................................................................................................... 66 Latin religious ambiguity ............................................................................................................................. 66 Ethnic and political difference ..................................................................................................................... 70 Latins as Other: The Tale of the Life of Aleksandr Nevskii .............................................................................. 72 Chapter Three: Genre and Theme in Early Rusian Depictions of Latins ..................................... 77 Locating Latins................................................................................................................................................. 77 Latins in the liturgy, hagiography and sermons: A conspicuous absence .................................................... 78 The Patericon: The Caves Monastery in the Christian world .......................................................................... 80 The tale of Shimon ....................................................................................................................................... 81 Religious difference in paterica ................................................................................................................... 83 Travel narratives: Structural and personal conceptions of Latins ................................................................... 89 Hagio-biographies: Latins and princely panegyric ......................................................................................... 95 vi Chapter Four: Evolving Representations? Chronological Variation in Early Rusian Depictions of Latins ............................................................................................................................................... 99 The Schism and its aftermath ......................................................................................................................... 100 The eleventh century .................................................................................................................................