Mari Helena Isoaho (born 18 August 1967 [1] ) is a Finnish historian, archaeologist and medievalist. [2] She is docent at the University of Helsinki, [3] and specialises in Old East Slavic literature, including the mental imagery, eschatological narratives and textual criticism of the Primary Chronicle (PVL). [2] [3]
Isoaho received her PhD in General History from the University of Oulu. [3] Her doctoral dissertation The Warrior and Saint. The Image of Aleksandr Nevskiy in Medieval Russia was published by Brill in 2006. [2] Simon Franklin praised it, writing that 'scholars will be grateful to Isoaho for perusing such a range of sources, and for producing a coherent overview of the cultural representations of Aleksandr.' [4] F. B. Schenk remarked the monograph would have benefited from including other recent studies, but lauded Isoaho's profound knowledge on the subject matter and her important research contribution in the field. [5]
In January 2013, Isoaho hosted the international symposium "Past and Present in Medieval Chronicles", a series of lectures by many scholars, in 2015 bundled as conference proceedings under the same title. The common thread of the presentations was the way in which the literary label 'medieval chronicle' influenced descriptions of the past and visions of the future. Amongst other things, it sought to demonstrate that subjectivity and the historical context in which each chronicler is immersed during the composition of his or her work were of fundamental importance to understanding the genre. [6]
In her 2018 review of recent developments in textual criticism of the Primary Chronicle, Isoaho called Ukrainian historian Tetyana Vilkul 'a diligent writer', saying she has published an 'impressive list' of articles on textual criticism of chronicles and other Old Rus' texts, mostly in the Palaeoslavica journal between 2003 and 2012. [7]
Olga was a regent of Kievan Rus' for her son Sviatoslav from 945 until 957. Following her baptism, Olga took the name Elenа. She is known for her subjugation of the Drevlians, a tribe that had killed her husband Igor. Even though it was her grandson Vladimir who adopted Christianity and made it the state religion, she was the first ruler to be baptized.
Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych, given the epithet "the Great", was Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015. The Eastern Orthodox Church canonised him as Saint Vladimir.
The Primary Chronicle, shortened from the common Russian Primary Chronicle, is a chronicle of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110. It is believed to have been originally compiled in or near Kiev in the 1110s. Tradition ascribed its compilation to the monk Nestor beginning in the 12th century, but this is no longer believed to have been the case.
Yuri I Vladimirovich, commonly known as Yuri Dolgorukiy or the Long Arm, was a Monomakhovichi prince of Rostov and Suzdal, acquiring the name Suzdalia during his reign. Noted for successfully curbing the privileges of the landowning boyar class in Rostov-Suzdal and his ambitious building programme, Yuri transformed this principality into the independent power that would evolve into early modern Muscovy. Yuri Dolgorukiy was the progenitor of the Yurievichi, a branch of the Monomakhovichi.
Yaroslav III Yaroslavich was the first Prince of Tver from 1247, and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1263 until his death in 1271. All the later princes of Tver descended from him.
The Life of Alexander Nevsky is an Old East Slavic hagiography about Alexander Nevsky from the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
The Battle on the Ice, also known as the Battle of Lake Peipus or Battle of Lake Chud, took place on 5 April 1242. It was fought on or near the frozen Lake Peipus when the united forces of the Republic of Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal, led by Prince Alexander Nevsky, emerged victorious against the forces of the Livonian Order and Bishopric of Dorpat, led by Bishop Hermann of Dorpat.
The Prince of Tver was the ruler of the Principality of Tver. The princes of Tver descended from the first prince, Yaroslav Yaroslavich. They are also known as the "Iaroslavichi" or "Yaroslavichi of Tver", or the "Mikhailovichi of Tver". In 1485, Tver was formally annexed by Moscow and became an appanage.
The Novgorod First Chronicle, also known by its 1914 English edition title The Chronicle of Novgorod, 1016–1471, is the oldest extant Rus' chronicle of the Novgorod Republic. Written in Old East Slavic, it reflects a literary tradition about Kievan Rus' which differs from the Primary Chronicle.
Alexander or Aleksandr Peresvet was a Russian Orthodox monk who fought in single combat with the Tatar champion Temir-Mirza, known in most Russian sources as Chelubey, at the opening of the Battle of Kulikovo on 8 September 1380. The two men killed each other.
The Prince of Novgorod was the title of the ruler of Novgorod in present-day Russia. From 1136, it was the title of the figurehead leader of the Novgorod Republic.
This is a select bibliography of post-World War II English-language books and journal articles about the Early Slavs and Rus' and its borderlands until the Mongol invasions beginning in 1223. Book entries may have references to reviews published in academic journals or major newspapers when these could be considered helpful.
The Kievan Chronicle or Kyivan Chronicle is a chronicle of Kievan Rus'. It was written around 1200 in Vydubychi Monastery as a continuation of the Primary Chronicle. It is known from two manuscripts: a copy in the Hypatian Codex, and a copy in the Khlebnikov Codex ; in both codices, it is sandwiched between the Primary Chronicle and the Galician–Volhynian Chronicle. It covers the period from 1118, where the Primary Chronicle ends, until about 1200, although scholars disagree where exactly the Kievan Chronicle ends and the Galician–Volhynian Chronicle begins.
Textual criticism or textology of the Primary Chronicle or Tale of Bygone Years aims to reconstruct the original text by comparing extant witnesses. This has included the search for reliable textual witnesses ; the collation and publication of such witnesses; the study of identified textual variants ; discussion, development and application of methods according to which the most reliable readings are identified and favoured of others; and the ongoing publication of critical editions in pursuit of a paradosis.
Oleksiy Petrovych Tolochko is a Ukrainian historian and medievalist, doctor of historical studies, and corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Tolochko is the director of the Centre of Kievan Rus' Studies in Kyiv, and is known for his work on textual criticism of the Primary Chronicle.
Serhii Oleksiyovych Buhoslavskyi was a Russian Imperial and Soviet literary historian, musicologist and composer from present-day Ukraine. Buhoslavskyi is known for his work on textual criticism of the Primary Chronicle.
Donald "Don" Gary Ostrowski is an American historian, and a lecturer in history at Harvard Extension School. He specialises in the political and social history Kievan Rus' and Muscovy.
The Tale of the Battle with Mamai, also translated as The Tale of the Battle Against Mamai, is a Russian literary work about the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380. The first version was likely produced in the 15th century, although some recent studies suggest that it was written in the early 16th century. It belongs to the Kulikovo cycle of works, along with the Chronicle Account of the Battle with Mamai and Zadonshchina.
Tetyana Leonidivna Vilkul is a Ukrainian historian specialising in medieval Ukrainian history, and a senior research fellow of the Institute of History of Ukraine. She is known as one of the scholars who reinvigorated scientific interest and research efforts into textual criticism of the Primary Chronicle (PVL) in the early 21st century.
Janet Louise Block Martin is an American historian specialising in Old East Slavic literature and medieval history of Kievan Rus' and its successors. She is Professor Emerita at the Department of History at the University of Miami.