Vol 86, No 3 (2025)

This paper seeks to provide a quantitative assessment of the impact the forced loans imposed by the Venetian Republic in the first half of the 15th century had on its merchants and men of affairs. The task is achieved through case study approach by calculating the tax burden of a particular trading firm, namely the Soranzo fraterna, i.e., a family partnership of Donado Soranzo and brothers. Their two surviving account books, usually referred to as the libro real vechio (1410-1417) and the libro real nu-ovo (1406-1434), were used to construct a tabular database of transactions relating to the forced loans system, that is, of levies collected by the Camera d’imprestedi, of formally reimbursable loans imposed by other officials, such as the Provveditori di Comun, the Provveditori alle biave, and the estraordinarii, of interest payments on state obligations, and of secondary market operations in government bonds. The total sum of extraordinary taxes levied on the Soranzo fraterna between 1406 and 1433, including back taxes, came to about 11 410 ducats. This value was then converted into relative variables by calculating the percentage ratios of state loans to the firm’s operating profit from trade, to its net profit from all activities, and to its gross revenue, the latter comprising gross proceeds from the sales of goods, rents from real estate, interest on state obligations, and receipts from the selling of government bonds. The tax burden of the Soranzo fraterna relative to its net profit from all sources amounted to roughly 69,43%, and the same relative to the partnership’s gross revenue equaled about 8,729%, indicating substantial fiscal pressure and growing need for reform of the state finances in the Venetian Republic in the first half of the 15th century.

This article addresses one of the memorable events in the history of Rus’-Byzantine relations in the early-fifteenth century - the marriage of Anna, the daughter of Grand Duke of Moscow Vasilii I Dmitrievich, and the heir to the Byzantine throne, the future Emperor John VIII Palaiologos. Using the accounts of the Byzantine historians and Russian chroniclers, the author highlights the circumstances of the conclusion of this dynastic alliance and finds out the reasons why the Constantinopolitan court chose the bride from Moscow. According to the author of the article, the marriage was initiated by Emperor Manuel II, who, appreciating the financial assistance provided by Rus’ to the Empire during an Ottoman siege of Constantinople, decided to strengthen political ties with the Grand Duchy of Moscow by concluding dynastic alliance. However, due to Anna’s premature death, this marriage turned out to be short-term and childless. The article also examines the impact this event left on the Rus’ chronicle tradition of the 15th and 16th centuries. It is shown that the late chronicles’ accounts contain additions that gave this brief dynastic union of the Rurikids and Palaiologoi significant importance for strengthening Rus’-Byzantine ties.

The article examines Novgorodian political terminology in the so-called Niebur’s Peace Treaty (Nyeburs vrede), concluded between Great Novgorod and the Hanse in January-February of 1392. The primary focus is on the various designations of the Novgorodian political community found in different copies of the treaty - the Old Russian and the Middle Low German ones. Of particular significance is the fact that it is precisely in the Niebur’s Peace Treaty that the subsequently famous expression «весь Господин Великий Новгород» («all Lord Novgorod the Great») appears for the first time. It is revealed, however, that in the Lubeck copy of the treaty (Middle Low German), drafted on behalf of the Russian side, unlike the other copies drafted on behalf of the German side, the expression «all Lord Novgorod the Great» is rendered as «wii, meynen Noughard-en» («we, the all Novgorod»). This formula likely represents an attempt by the Hanseatic partners of Novgorod to interpret the complex Old Russian designation, which was difficult for them to comprehend. The designation «all Novgorod the Great» which emerged around that time, was thus perceived by Hansards, apparently, as a formula emphasizing the collective identity of the Novgorodian political community or, using an expression coined in Polish scholarship - narodpolityczny, «political people», which included free Novgorodian townspeople belonging to local communities of boroughs (kontsy) and streets (ulitsy) and making joint decisions at the veche assemblies. «All Lord Novgorod the Great» was undoubtedly understood by the Novgorodians themselves and perceived by the Germans as a community of Novgorodians enjoying full rights. This is directly evidenced by the mention in the treaty that «all Lord Novgorod the Great» «looked through» the old charters - i.e., earlier documents regulating relations between Novgorod and the Hanse. The author comes to the conclusion that the complex Novgorodian political formula was essentially interpreted correctly by the German translator -as a republican formula characterizing Novgorod’s main political institution and source of power - the «political people» (narod polityczny).

The concept of «feudalism» is as relevant as it is controversial for modern researchers of Western European history. Medieval Ferrara has repeatedly provided material to examine the most controversial issues related to land relations and the importance of vassal-feudal ties in the city and its district. The discussion of the fief seems to be more substantive for the further development of this topic, therefore the article is devoted to the consideration of the act of investiture and renewal of the fief of 1353. Based on this study, it can be argued that such a form of land ownership as a fief did not leave the practice of Ferrara in the 14th century, although it ceased to be the only form of grant from the rulers d’Este. The form of the feudal contract is simplified and evolving; but the fief remains alongside other forms of land tenure. It can also be assumed that the examination of the form of investiture acts by the fief on a more solid source base may open up a new side of the problem.

The article deals with the figure of Thorleifr the Wise, a 10th-century Norwegian who, according to the Orkneyinga Saga, was the great-great-grandfather of Earl Rognvald Kali. This information in itself is of interest due to the enormous role that genealogy played in the life of medieval Scandinavians (both noble and lay). The mention of Thorleifr in the genealogy of Rpgnvaldr Kali connects the latter with a very famous and noble family -without him, Rpgnvald’s paternal line would be a list of people, albeit noble, but not recorded in historical sources known to us. However, the most remarkable thing about Thorleifr the Wise is that the information about a person with such a name and nickname covers the time period from the end of the 9th to the end of the 10th century. The article analyzes all mentions of Thorleifr in ancient Norse sources, as well as a significant number of mentions of his closest relatives - his father, HprSa-Kari, brothers, etc. The article examines hypotheses previously put forward by other researchers about whether Thorleifr the Wise is one person, or two (or three?) characters with the same namesake: potentially, Thorleifr the Wise could have had a grandson with the same name and nickname; it is also possible that Thorleifr the Wise, the tutor of Earl Eirikr, was an individual who received this nickname in the course of contamination typical of oral tradition. Based on the analysis of the available evidence, the paper concludes that it is impossible to reliably establish whether Thorleifr the Wise of the late 10th century is the same person as Thorleifr son of HprSa-Kari. The characterization of Thorleifr in the sources and the absence of mentions of him in the description of the events of the 11th century rather indicate that it was the same person, but the distribution of mentions of his closest relatives from different generations may indicate the correctness of the sources that consider him the grandson of Thorleifr son of HprSa-Kari.

On 19-20 June 2025, the Institute of World History of the Russian Academy of Sciences hosted the international scientific conference «The vicissitudes of war: providence, luck and chance in medieval and early modern warfare», organized by the Department of Western Middle Ages and Early Modern Times and the seminar «Studia Bellorum». The main attention was focused on the problem of chance and predetermination in military conflicts, their perception in religious and secular contexts in different historical epochs.

The author of this review characterizes the new edition of inscriptions connected with the presence of Ostrogoths in early medieval Italy, evaluates its novelty and other advantages in comparison with the previous edition published more than a hundred years ago. He analyzes the logic of the selection of material for this collection, its linguistic and thematic specificity and the informational potential of such editions for the study of the early Middle Ages.