"The Tale of Bygone Years". Brief summary of the chronicle

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

A sage creates his historical writings at a table in a quiet cell. Subtle writings stretch across the entire width of his tome - witnesses of cautious, but brilliant thoughts. His gray hair gleams with silver, a bright soul and honor are felt in his eyes, his fingers - an instrument of noble labor - are flexible and long. He is the same talented writer, a wise thinker in a monastic cassock, a literary nugget who wrote The Tale of Bygone Years. The summary of the chronicle reveals to us the time in which Nestor the Chronicler lived.

No one knows what his childhood was like. It is not clear what brought him to the monastery, who taught him about life. It is only known that he was born after Yaroslav the Wise passed away. Approximately in 1070, a bright young man appeared in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, wishing to accept obedience. At the age of 17, the monks gave him the middle name Stefan, and a little later he was ordained a deacon. In the name of truth, he created evidence of ancient origins and a great gift to the fatherland - "The Tale of Bygone Years." A brief summary of the chronicle should be devoted to the period that, in addition topresence in the work, accompanied the author in his real life. At that time, he was a very educated person and gave all his knowledge to literary creativity. Nestor the Chronicler helped people learn more about what Ancient Russia was like in 900–1100.

The author of the story "Break Years" found in his youth the time when princes Yaroslaviches ruled in Russia. Yaroslav the Wise, being their father, bequeathed to them to take care of each other, to live in love, but the princely trinity almost violated their father's request. At that time, clashes began with the Polovtsy - the steppe inhabitants. The pagan way of life pushed them to aggressively assert their rights to exist in baptized Russia: riots and popular uprisings led by sorcerers were caused. The Tale of Bygone Years tells about this.

The summary of these political events in the annals also concerns the life of Yaroslav the Wise - the founder of the literary treasury, the first library in Russia. It was from this library that the novice of the Kiev Caves Monastery drew his knowledge. Nestor the Chronicler worked at a time of great change: it was a period of princely and feudal contradictions, which nevertheless could not break the power of Kievan Rus. Then the capital lived under the leadership of Svyatopolk - a greedy and cunning ruler. The poor people could no longer endure bondage and feudal exploitation, and in 1113 a popular uprising began. The nobility was forced to turn to Vladimir Monomakh -Prince of Pereyaslavl to take matters into his own hands. He did not want to interfere in the rule of someone else's patrimony, but, observing the disaster of Kievan Rus, he could not refuse the people in the new policy.

In the work "The Tale of Bygone Years" Nestor the Chronicler enriched the summary of ancient Russian history with his experience and added artistic images: he embellished the merits of princes and denigrated unworthy rulers. The chronicle gives a clear idea of where the Russian land came from, and who became the first to reign. It is noteworthy that in the original the unusually long title of the story explains the brief content. The Tale of Bygone Years was born when the author was already about sixty years old. Wise and diligent Nestor in the hearts of Russian people remained not only a monk, but also a gifted thinker who was able to describe in detail and thoroughly the beginning of our journey.