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Mykola Zharkikh (Kyiv)

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Reconstruction of the "Lithuanian" chronicle

Nicholas Zharkikh

Shortened text of the section. Full text in ukrainian version

The composition of the six copies of "Lithuanian" chronicle can be visualized as follows:

The composition of the «Lithuanian»…

The composition of the "Lithuanian" chronicles in different copies

We can see that none of the preserved copies in its composition does not follow the other. The most similar to each other are Lit4L and Lit7L, but later Lit7L could not be derived from an earlier Lit4L, if for no other reason that Lit4L written in Polish.

The study "Annals of King Sigismund" and "Short chronicle Lithuania" convinces us that these articles were not an integral part of LitL. The scribes, wishing to continue LitL, attached to their copies such articles that have managed to find.

But it is possible to assume the existence Lit0L – common protograph "Lithuanian" chronicles. It derived from Vit6L and consisted of "Fabulous emergence of Lithuania" in Erdivil edition and edited "Vytautas" chronicle.

This common protograph marked not only on stemma "Fabulous emergence of Lithuania", but also on stemma "Tale of Vytautas" (as TOV-3), "Tale of Podillja land"(as TPL-2), "Praise of Vytautas "(as PV-4), "Tale the battle on Vorskla river" (as Lit0L).

That is the assumption Lit0L existence helps explain just a series of facts and other facts (for example, stemma "Tale of Švitrigaila") does not contradict this assumption.

Approximate time of creating Lit0L – 1520-30-ies. Later, for unknown reasons, based on "Erdivil" edition was created "Nemonos" edition "Fabulous emergence of Lithuania", and since the 1550s (two copies of Lit4L dated from 1550 and 1558 years [PSRL, 1980, T. 35, p. 13]) began to be attached to the Lit0L "Short chronicle Lithuania" or "Annals of King Sigismund." Thus, the formation of the composition of the majority of LitL copies can be dated 2 half 16 cent. Although part of the preserved copies were writed later.