Полоцька земля в лiтописних та актових джерелах XI-XVI столiть

ENThis monograph is devoted to the research of Polotsk and the Polotsk land history in the Old Russian State and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The author of the book does not focus on the «classical» history of the medieval city because it has been thoroughly studied by the previous researchers of Polotsk. The book provides more information on the image of the city-land and the analysis of its genesis in the narrative and documentary texts -the Old Russian and Belarussian-Lithuanian chronicles and Polotsk act sources. The monographic research is based on three chronicles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania of the middle of the XV-XVI centuries. Previously mentioned sources are of paramount importance. «Polotsk messages» of Belarussian-Lithuanian chronicles usually are not taken into consideration by historians studying the Polotsk Land. According to the scientists they are uninformative, unoriginal and semi-mythical. However at first sight insignificant and sometimes fictional data disguises the vision of the Polotsk Land in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania by chroniclers. The first chapter of the book is devoted to the analysis of information about Polotsk in the early old Russian chronicles of the XI-XIII centuries. Among the «Polotsk messages» the author distinguishes between those of Novgorod chroniclers and Kyiv scribes. Among the «Kyiv» messages of Polotsk the author distinguishes those that are likely to belong to the Kyiv-Pecherskyi chronicler, loyal Sviatopolk Iziaslavych, and the message of the author from Vydubychi, supporting Monomach.«Polotsk messages» of three chronicles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania arc considered in the second and third chapters. The main attention is focused on the analysis of «The Tale of Polotsk». The author of the monograph examines annalistic plot from the legendary part of the Belarussian-Lithuanian chronicles. The researcher offers her own point of view on the issue of attribution, dating and origin of «The Tale ofPolot.sk». Based on the evidence reviewed in the study of early and late chronicles, the author describes a series of images of Polotsk and its land on the pages of the annalistic texts. The final fourth chapter of the monograph is based on the analysis of Polotsk acts, which reveal the special features of Polotsk and its residents in all areas of their lives more «openly». Polotsk act sources allowed the author to look at Polotsk «from the inside» - by the eyes of Polochans. The data of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania troops census in 1528 and revisions of Polotsk in 1552 are enlisted for recreation of the model of the Polotsk Land. On the base of Polotsk acts the researcher attempted to construct a socio-political model of Polotsk in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the end of the XIV-XV centuries. Specific evidence given in the book allows the author to state that Polotsk was a very special and unusual city since the Middle Ages. AH this allows to re-estimate its position and importance in the history of Central and Eastern Europe of the medieval and early modern time.