The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of ancient chronicles of XIII-XV centuries. Within the framework of a comprehensive analysis of the content chronicles the author identifies their factors influencing the selection of subjects and their interpretation depending on the centers of their creation. On the eve of the formation of the institutions of statehood political elite of the Russian lands actively used the Chronicle, as a kind of political platform, through which they promoted the idea that contributed to the justification of certain political claims. Even despite the fact that the chroniclers were monks content chronicles bore primarily secular in nature and was subordinated to the main goal - to justify the right to participate actively in the struggle for political domination before the formation of a unified Russian state. The article concludes that the predominance of secular subjects in vlachennyh chronicles, which were pronounced political journalism and reflect the interests of a political elite in terms of intensified struggle for power before the formation of a unified Russian state.
