The “Horde Captivity” of the Ryazan Prince Oleg Ingvarevich Krasny (1238–1258): From Historiographical Myth to Historical Realities

Abstract

Research objective: To both study the mechanisms of the formation of the historiographical myth about the so-called “Horde captivity” of the Ryazan Prince Oleg Ingvarevich Krasny and to reconstruct the political history of the Ryazan Principality in the 1240–50s. Research materials: The collection of Russian chronicle sources, the “Tale of the Destruction of Ryazan by Batu”, the “Armenian History” by Kirakos Gandzaketsi, the anonymous Georgian “Chronograph” of the fourteenth century, “History of World Conqueror” by Juvaini, “Compendium of Chronicles” by Rashid al-Din, as well as the “History of the Mongols” by John of Plano Carpini, and the “Itinerarium” by William of Rubruck. Results and novelty of the research: Based on a comprehensive study of narrative sources, the author reconstructs the political contacts of the ruling elites of the Ryazan Principality with the authorities of the Mongol Empire and the Jochid Ulus in 1242–1252. In particular, the author substantiates the thesis that Oleg Krasny received a yarliq to rule as a result of his trip to Töregene Khatun’s headquarters in 1242–1243. Also, a number of additional arguments are made to confirm the mythological nature of the thesis established in the scholarly literature about the long-term “Horde (Mongolian) captivity” of the Ryazan prince, Oleg Ingvarevich Krasny. In addition, the thesis about the existence of an anti-Horde union of Russian princes Daniil Romanovich of Halych, Andrey Yaroslavovich of Vladimir, and Yaroslav Yaroslavovich of Tver’ at the turn of the 1240–50s is argumentatively refuted along with the participation in this union of Oleg Ingvarevich of Ryazan, which allegedly caused his two-year (1250–1252) imprisonment in Batu’s headquarters.