The ideal male image in military-aristocratic environment in the reflection of the Rus’ 11th–14th centuries chronicles: key features and interregional tendencies

10.54398/1818510Х_2023_4_9

Annotation

The article raises the problem of the origin and development of the image of the ideal man from the military-aristocratic environment, proposed by the Russian chronicles of the 11th–14th centuries and presented mainly by the dukes. The military aristocracy in the Middle Ages is under the scrutiny of written sources and is a kind of reflection of the era, so the analysis of the ideal image of the Rus’ duke will allow us to consider some of the internal features of the worldview of a medieval person. It is stated that in the course of its development, the ideal male military-aristocratic image is transformed from the state of a warrior-ruler living in war and closely connected with the retinue into a noble and pious man, and the connection with the retinue is replaced by a connection with the church and the clergy. The emphasis on a man's physical strength remains as a fact, but also changes from a simple statement to a greater emphasis on aesthetic and physiometric indicators. In addition, at any stage of its development, the ideal male image is universal, going beyond the geographical boundaries of Rus' and finding analogies in foreign testimonies: at an early stage, mainly in Scandinavia and the East, and at a later stage, in the countries of Catholic Europe

Keywords

• High Medieval
• Medieval Rus'
• Rus' principalities
• chronicles
• gender history
• men
• ideal image
• masculinity
• military aristocracy
• courtliness
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References

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