Tale of Podolia

The Tale of Podolia or Podillia,[1][2] or the Tale about Podolia,[a] is a 15th-century narrative written in Early Ruthenian, found in the first redaction of the Lithuanian Chronicles. It is estimated to have been written within the reigning circles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in Vilnius in the early 1430s, after the death of Vytautas the Great in 1430, which led up to the Lithuanian Civil War (1432–1438).[4]

Contents

The main content of the Tale covers the history of the region of Podolia from about 1350 until the 1430s, as well as its incorporation into the Lithuanian-Ruthenian state.[5] Written in the Belarusian recension of Early Ruthenian without dates, it is distinguished by its journalistic style and secular content, as religion plays almost no role in the narrative. It provides some valuable records on local history in Ukraine and Belarus. In particular, it is the first source to state that three Tatar 'tsars' called Kutlubuh, Khadjibey, and Dmytro were reigning in three different parts of Podolia around 1350;[2] to describe in detail the conquest of Podolia by the Koriatovychi (Koryatowicze, Karijotaičiai);[1] and to provide an account of the Battle of Blue Waters (1362/3).[6] The Koriatovychi are said to have founded several cities such as Kamianets (modern Kamianets-Podilskyi), and to have defended Podolia against Tatar raids.[1] Next, grand duke Vytautas would have completed the subjugation of all Podolia to Lithuania.[1]

Purpose

  The region of Podolia or Podillia in modern Ukraine.

Created as a political document, its purpose was to justify the Grand Duchy's rights to Podolia and condemn the policies of Polish feudal lords.[5] The latter had seized Western Podolia (west of the river Murafa) after the death of Vytautas in 1430. Historian Oksana Slipushko (2022) succinctly summarised: "Its task is to prove the historical affiliation of the region to Lithuania, not Poland."[5] Given that the Tale was written with this political goal of substantiating the claims of the Lithuanian nobility to Podolia against their Polish rivals, it does not provide an objective account of certain people or events.[5]

Felix Shabuldo (2005) warned that the text seeks to exalt the virtues of Koriato/Karijotas's sons rather than give an accurate account of the military campaign.[7] He explained: "The name of the author of this written monument remains unknown. What is certain is that he was involved in the highest government and bureaucratic circles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Ruthenia and Samogitia and wrote his work in the early 1430s, at the height of the Polish-Lithuanian military conflict, during which both sides were resolving the political problem: to whom exactly – the Kingdom of Poland or the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – would the entire Podillian land belong."[4]

Jaroslaw Pelenski (1998) similarly advised care when using the Tale to study the Battle of Blue Waters, "...because the tale about Podolia, entitled About the Podolian Land (O Podols'koi zemli) in the Lithuanian-Ruthenian Chronicles, which is the chief source, contains misleading information."[3] Historian Vitaly M. Mykhailovskyj (2017) also recommended caution when using chronicle texts such as the Tale as a source for the early history of Podillia: "The main caveat to their use is that the earliest texts, such as The Tale of Podillia, date from the 1430s–1450s, and thus are at least 80–100 years removed from the initial history of the region. Such an early – as for the new region on the territory of modern Ukraine – identification in the sources prompts the researcher to take a closer look at this disputed territory."[8]

Studies

Copies of the Tale of Podolia have been preserved in

Manuscript Incipit[c] Explicit[d]
Supraśl Manuscript На весну князь великыи Витовът иде и възя землю Подолскую. ляхове, пана Долькгирда из города ис Каменца созвали на раду к собе и до рады не допустивши самого иняли и огьрабили, и Каменець засели, и все тое забрали, што Подолъскои земли держать.
Vilnius Manuscript Тое же зимы велик[ыи к]нязь Витовт поиде взмя [земл]ю Подольскую. (lost; the chronicle breaks off mid-narrative)
Slutsk Manuscript Тое ж зимы на весну князь великии Витовт идЂ в землю Подольскую. леховЂ, и пана Долкгирда з города Каменца созвали на раду собе и до рады не допустили, самого иняли и ограбили, што Поидолъское земли держать.
Archaeological Society Тое же опят весны поидет князь Витовт к Подолю, (lost; the chronicle breaks off mid-narrative)
Krasiński Manuscript Тое жь опят весны на лЂто идеть князь великыи Витовт к Подолю, ляхо†пана Довкгирда c Каменца созвали к собЂ на раду, и до рады не допустивши самого обрали и забили, и Каменець засЂли, иныи подолские городы. И до сих часов тым Подоле за ляхи зашло, и тепер держать.
Raczyński Manuscript Тое ж опят весны поидеть князь Витовт к Подолю, ляхове пана Довкгирда c Каменца созвали к собЂ y раду, и до рады его не допустили, и забили, a Каменец засЂли и иншые городы подольские. И до сих часов тым Подолье за ляхи зашло, и тепер деръжать.
Olszew/Alševa Manuscript Teyze za się viosni szedł xiądz Vitolt ku Podolv, lachovie, pana Dolgirda s Kamienca zezvali do siebie na radą i, do radi nie dopusciwssi, iego zabili, i Kamienieć zasiedli i insse Podolskie zamki, i do tich czassow tym Podole za lachi zaszło, i teras dzierżą.
Rumyantsev Manuscript Тое ж опять весны поидет князь Витовт к Подолю, ляхове пана Довкгирда c Каменца созвали к собЂ на раду, и до рады не пустили, его забили, a Каменец засЂли и иныи городы подолскии, и до сих часов Подоле за ляхи зашло, и тепер держат.
Yevreïnovsky Manuscript Тое ж вЂсны пошел князь Витовт к Подолю, ?
Chronicle of G. D. Lithuania,
Ruthenia and Samogitia 		Выправа Витолта на Подоле.
Потом Витолт на Подоле з войском литовским и руским...[e] 		?
Bychowiec Chronicle A w tyie leta kniażaczy welikomu kniaziu Olgierdu na Litwe i na Rusi,
kniaź Fedor podolski zemlu osewszy, i z zemleiu Podolskoiu
ne chotieł posłuszon byty welikoho kniazia Olgierda.
A kniaź weliki Olgierd poszoł zo wsimi siłami litowskimi ko Podolu;[f] 		– [11]

Other narratives contained in these manuscript compilations include some conflicts between Lithuania and the Principality of Smolensk, related with a negative Tendenz towards Smolensk, especially when Andrei of Polotsk lost the succession struggle from his half-brother Jogaila, and fled to Smolensk in 1387.[1]

The narratives about Vytautas are concluded with a separate panegyric, the Praise to Vytautas.[1] This highly artistic work promoted ideas of Lithuanian patriotism and political independence, and several researchers have noted strong similarities between the Praise to Vytautas and the Tale of Podolia.[1] Whereas the "all-Ruthenian" first part of the early Belarusian-Lithuanian Chronicle, The Tale of the Faithful Holy Rus' Princes, is a highly selective anthology of entries relating to Lithuania from the earlier Novgorod First Chronicle and Kievan Chronicle,[12] both the Tale of Podolia and the Praise to Vytautas were new compositions and not mere redactions from existing sources.[1] Nevertheless, the texts of both stories later experienced significant changes.[1] According to Feoktyst Sushchytsky (1929), the Lithuanian part of the chronicle was written in Smolensk.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Ruthenian original: О Подолськои земли, O Podols'koi zemli, 'About the Podolian Land'.[3] Belarusian: Аповесць пра Падолле, romanized: Apoviesc' pra Padołle. Taraškievica Belarusian: Аповесьць пра Падольле, romanized: Apovies'c' pra Padoł'le. Ukrainian: Повість про Поділля, romanized: Povistj pro Podillja. Russian: Повесть о Подолье, romanized: Povest' o Podol'e.
  2. ^ The Suprasl Chronicle contains the following excerpt on the Battle of Blue Waters from the Tale of Podolia: "When the hospodar of the Lithuanian land was Grand Prince Olgird [Algirdas], and he went into the field with the Lithuanian army, he defeated the Tatars at the Blue Waters, three brothers: Prince Khochebii, Kutlubuga, and Dmytro. And these three brothers, the Tatar princes, were the fathers and grandfathers of the Podolsk [Podolian] land, and from them they were in charge of the tamon, and the warriors, arriving from their tamon, extorted tribute from the Podolian land. And the Grand Prince Olgird of the Novgorod Lithuanian powers, Prince Koryat, and with him were four sons: Prince Yuri, Prince Oleksandr, Prince Kostentin, Prince Fedor. And these three princes Koriatovychi, brothers: Prince Yuri, Prince Oleksandr, Prince Kostentin and Prince Fedor, with the permission of the Grand Prince Olgird and with the help of the Lithuanian land, went to the Podolsk land. And then in the Podolsk land there was not a single city, neither chopped from wood, nor built from stone. And then these princes Koriatovychi came to the Podolsk land from the Tatars, and did not begin to give way to the bogatyrs. And at first they found for themselves a fortress on the river at Smotryti, and in another place there were nuns in the mountain, and in that place they destroyed the city of Bakota. And the hunters in the hunt came in handy for them: they drove off many deer to that island, where now the Kamenske place lies. And having cut down the forest, they walled up the city of Kamianets, and from there they walled up all the Podolsk cities and settled the entire Podolsk land."[9]
  3. ^ The first-redaction manuscripts all similarly translate to "That same winter/spring, grand duke Vytautas came and took the Podolian land / went to Podolia." The second- and third-redaction manuscripts significantly alter the text.
  4. ^ Taking the Supraśl Manuscript as exemplar for the first-redaction common ending: "The Poles summoned Pan Dolkgird from the city of Kamenets to a council to themselves and, not allowing him to reach the council, they seized and robbed him, and settled in Kamenets, and took everything that the Podolian [Podolsk] lands needed to be kept."[10] However, this ending is lost in some manuscripts, and in later redactions, the Tale ends differently.
  5. ^ "Vytautas' expedition to Podolia. Then Vytautas marched on Podolia with Lithuanian and Ruthenian armies..."
  6. ^ "And in that year, grand duke Algirdas ruled over Lithuania and Ruthenia, while Prince Fedor of Podolia ruled over the Podolian land and refused to obey grand duke Algirdas. And grand duke Algirdas went with all the Lithuanian forces to Podolia;". In all other versions, this story is attributed to Vytautas rather than Algirdas. The continuation of the Tale about Podolia is also omitted in this version.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Slipushko 2022, p. 23.
  2. ^ a b Mykhailovskyj 2018, p. 4.
  3. ^ a b Pelenski 1998, p. 136.
  4. ^ a b Shabuldo 2005, p. 9.
  5. ^ a b c d Slipushko 2022, pp. 22–23.
  6. ^ Mykhailovskyj 2018, p. 8.
  7. ^ Shabuldo 2005, pp. 9–10.
  8. ^ Mykhailovskyj 2017, p. 71.
  9. ^ ПСРЛ. Т. 35. Летописи белорусско-литовские. М., 1980. С. 66. [PSRL. Volume 35. Belarusian-Lithuanian Chronicles. (Moscow 1980). p. 66].
  10. ^ Ulashchik 1980b, p. 5.
  11. ^ a b "Bychowiec Chronicle. PSRL Volume 32". Izbornyk (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 15 August 2025.
  12. ^ Slipushko 2022, p. 22.

Literature and sources

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