Galician-Volyn chronicle: textology (2020)
Nicholas Zharkikh
Shortened text of the section. Full text in ukrainian version.
Russian Kutuzov near Popasna. No, not a field marshal – only a major general. And not Michael Ilarionovych – only Roman. Apparently, the reserves of the Suvorovs in the Russian army had already run out, so the Kutuzovs went on the move. But the positive thing is that the French may not be afraid of Russia from now on.
Well, I continue (June 7, 2022 at 8:05 am).
. – K.: Akademperiodika, 2020 – 929 p.
This large study, carried out under the leadership of Oleksij Tolochko, appeared already during my work on the topic. Here there is no continuous text of the GVL, instead the text is divided into episodes, and each is accompanied by a detailed commentary, often reaching the size of a separate article. These comments are signed by individual authors – participants of the work. Hence the volume – 74 printed sheets (the pure text of the chronicle has about 6 printed sheets). I will abbreviate this edition as GVLT with reference to the author of the particular commentary.
The final conclusion of the study is as follows:
Chronicle writing in Volyn arose after 1264 in the circle of scribes who were under the influence of translated chronographic monuments. It is impossible to determine more precisely the time of the start of work on the chronicle. At the end of the 1280s, this first historical work was continued in the form of the "Volyn" chronicle. After 1292, the "Volyn" chronicle was edited by the same author or his successor. At the same time, this author conducts a systematic reworking of the "Galician" part, as a result of which GVL finally acquires the image in which it is part of Ipat. codex [GVLT, p. 54].
I have already tried to reconstruct how, from a technical point of view, the work on the annals could proceed according to the given scheme [N. I. Zharkikh What is wrong with the Chronicle of the Romanovychs. – K.: 2022] and could not come up with any even slightly suitable, probable hypothesis.
Without repeating what was said in this my article, I will repeat the conclusion: the 929-page indictment appears to me to be hypercritical. If it is accepted, it will be necessary to reject the GVL as a historical source (or at least its entire first part, somewhere before the events of 1245-1250, that is, exactly the one where all the episodes I need are contained).