Donald Ostrowski
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 288457 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Donald Ostrowski |
| NOMBRES | Donald |
| APELLIDO | Ostrowski |
| FIRMA | OSTROWSKI D |
| AFILIACIONES | Harvard University Press |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3653-5464 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 40 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 32 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 42 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 1982 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2025 |
| ÍNDICE H | 3 |
Four Analytical Tools in the Study of the Correspondence attributed to Prince A. M. Kurbskii and Tsar Ivan IV Groznyi
Before 1971, the attribution of the so-called Correspondence to Prince Andrei M. Kurbskii (d. 1583) and Tsar Ivan IV Groznyi (r. 1533–84) was uncontested. Then the Harvard University historian Edward L. Keenan (1935–2015) challenged not only their authorship of the Correspondence but of much else that has been attributed to them. The responses to Keenan's challenge have been widespread and now cover over fifty years. This article examines four an…
Rus′ian-Language Sources
Sources that contain testimonies regarding the part of the Mongol Empire known to the Rus′ can be divided into three broad genre categories: chronicles, tales and saints’ lives, and documents. Rus′ sources from the first encounter of the Rus′ with the Mongols in 1223 through the seventeenth century concerning the Ulus of Jochi and its successor khanates can be divided into three chronological phases: 1223−1252, 1252−1448, and post-1448. Those wri…
Shakespeare, Elizabeth and Ivan; The Role of English-Russian Relations in Love’s Labours Lost , by Rima Greenhill
Attribution Gleanings
Those engaged in scholarly work might benefit from getting out of their silos of research from time to time and become familiar with parallel research in other areas of study. Very little of historical study involves 100 % certainty; it mostly involves degrees of possibility and probability. Finding out how scholars in other fields deal with similar problems can help us adjust the possibility/probability calibrations in our own field. For example…
A Counterfactual Theory of Counterfactuals
Jeremy M. Black has proposed criteria for a determining whether a counterfactual is helpful. This article raises questions about how we can have a counterfactual if we cannot agree what a historical fact is. The conceptualization of any particular so-called historical fact differs in the mind of each historian, so this article asks how can we have a counterfactual to what are different conceptualizations, even if the words historians are using to…
The Povest’ vremennyx let (PVL)
Who Decided and How Did They Decide It
The system of collateral succession was abandoned by the ruling family of Moscow in the fifteenth century, although it was continued within elite families. This article proposes that after 1432 and before 1797, succession to the throne of Russia was decided by the heads of those ruling elite families to maintain stability and balance of power within the ruling elite. No set process was in place, but various mechanisms for formalizing the choice w…
A Construct That Obstructs
The dominant construct to explain early sixteenth-century internal Russian Church relations was for over a hundred years one of conflict between two parties – the Possessors (a.k.a. Josephians) and the Non-Possessors (a.k.a. Trans-Volga Elders). Source-based research challenged that conflict model by demonstrating that Iosif Volotskii, the presumed leader of the Possessors, and Nil Sorskii, the presumed leader of the Non-Possessors, and their dis…
Beyond the Church Parties Model
The historiography of sixteenth-century Church parties may have arisen from historians’ misinterpreting the use of the terms “band of Josephian monks” ( cheti Osiflianskikh mnikhov ) and the “non-possessor way of life” ( nestiazhatel’noe zhitel’stvo ) by the author of The History of the Grand Prince of Moscow . But he does not juxtapose these terms against each other. Those monks who live the non-possessor way of life are, instead, directly contr…
Ransoming Russians from Tatars
The early modern Russian government and Russian Orthodox Church identified as one of their main duties the ransoming of Russian Christians from Muslim Tatar captors. The process of ransoming could be an involved one with negotiations being carried on by different agents and by the potential ransomees themselves. Different amounts of ransom were paid on a sliding scale depending upon the ransomee’s social status, gender, and age. One of our main s…
The Thick and Thin of It
Methodological Traps, Pitfalls, and Fallacies in the Study of Intellectual Silence
This article is a response to four responses to my book Europe, Byzantium, and the “Intellectual Silence” of Rus’ . That book in turn responded to the question posed by Francis Thompson, “Where was the Russian Peter Abelard?” It began with two premises − that theology was “the crown jewel of disciplined thought” in both the Eastern and Western Churches during the medieval period and that medieval Christian theology represented an amalgamation of …
Europe, Byzantium, and the "Intellectual Silence" of Rus' Culture
Europe Byzantium and the "Intellectual Silence" of Rus Culture
This book sets out to answer the question of why Eastern Church writers showed no interest in analytical reasoning - the so-called 'intellectual silence' of Rus' culture - while Western Church writers, by the time of the Scholastics, routinely incorporated analytical reasoning into their defences of the faith.Donald Ostrowski suggests that Western, post-Enlightenment- trained, analytical scholars often miss the point, not because of an inability …
Europe, Byzantium, and the "Intellectual Silence" of Rus' Culture
This book sets out to answer the question of why Eastern Church writers showed no interest in analytical reasoning - the so-called "intellectual silence" of Rus' culture - while Western Church writers, by the time of the Scholastics, routinely incorporated analytical reasoning into their defences of the faith.Donald Ostrowski suggests that Western, post-Enlightenment- trained, analytical scholars often miss the point, not because of an inability …
Was There a Riurikid Dynasty in Early Rus’
This article explores the gap between the scholarly literature, which touts a Riurikid dynasty in Rus’ before the sixteenth century, and the primary sources of the time, which seem to be unaware of such a dynasty. The appeals to legitimacy in the primary sources for particular kniazi to rule in a town never resort to claiming descent from Riurik. Instead, such claims are based on whether one’s father ruled in that town. All others are izgoi , tha…
The Return of the Rhos
The Annales Bertiniani , a ninth-century Frankish chronicle, reports that the Byzantine Emperor Theophilos (r. 829–842) sent to the court of Emperor Louis the Pious (r. 814–840) in Ingelheim in May 839 a group calling themselves Rhos who were trying to return to their homeland ( in patriam ). They said that their ruler had the name Chacanus . After Louis found out they were Swedes ( Sueones ), he became suspicious that they were spies and wrote t…
Attributions to Andrei Kurbskii and Inferential (Bayesian) Probability
Attributions of original works, letters, and translations to Prince Andrei Mikhailovich Kurbskii (d. 1583) have been contested for almost 45 years. This article proposes that Bayesian or inferential probability be applied to a number of the main points of contention. Of central importance to the attribution question are the so-called Kurbskii miscellanies ( sborniki Kurbskogo ), which date no earlier than the mid-1670s. Among the works in the Kur…
Dressing a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
The Life of Alexander Nevskii is written in two styles: a hagiographic style and a secular style. Scholarly views are divided over whether the Life was written by one person in two different styles or by two persons, either a hagiographic writer and secular editor or a secular writer and hagiographic editor. The present article hypothesizes that the Life was probably written initially in a secular style as a military tale (the “wolf”) in the seco…
Simeon Bekbulatovich’s Remarkable Career as Tatar Khan, Grand Prince of Rus’, and Monastic Elder
Tsar Simeon Bekbulatovich was the nephew of Ivan IV’s second wife, Mariia Temriukovna. He was a Chingissid who had a remarkable career, first, as khan of Kasimov, then after entering Muscovite service, as head of the Muscovite army’s “main regiment”, as grand prince of Rus′, and as grand prince of Tver′. He also married Anastasia Ivanovna Miloslavskaia. Finally he was tonsured as the monk Stefan and was buried in the Simonov Monastery. The episod…
The Letter concerning Enmities as a Polemical Source for Monastic Relations of the Mid-Sixteenth Century
The Letter concerning Enmities between the Kirillov and Iosifov Monasteries has been used since the middle of the nineteenth century as a major source for monastic relations of the early sixteenth century. It is a mid-sixteenth-century composition extant in a single copy. Most likely composed in the Volokolamsk Monastery by Vassian Koshka (d. 1568), the former archimandrite of the Vozmitsk Monastery, the Letter describes disagreements between Nil…
The End of Muscovy
How Russia transformed itself from a relatively small principality on the steppe frontier in 1450 to a major Eurasian empire by 1800 is one of the fundamental questions of Russian historical study. The two main views posit a central role for Peter I (1682-1725) in that transformation either by singled-handedly "changing everything" and bringing Muscovy into the modern age through embracing contact with Europe and with the western enlightenment or…
Melchior Sternfels Von Fuchshaim in Muscovy
The Načal’nyj Svod Theory and the Povest’ Vremennyx Let
The Tapestry of Russian Christianity
Published by the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures with the assistance of the Resource Center for Medieval Slavic Studies, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210.
The Mongol Origins of Muscovite Political Institutions
Sources of the first half of the fourteenth century provide evidence that a sharp rift in institutional continuity occurred in Muscovy. This rift constituted a kind of "punctuated equilibrium" in the evolutionary development of the Rus' political system. The political institutional structure inherited from the Vladimir-Suzdal' component of Kievan Rus' ended abruptly, and, concomitantly, a new political structure similar to that of the Kipchak Kha…
Muscovy and the Mongols
Preface Introduction: understanding Muscovy Part I. Mongol Influence: What's What and What's Not: 1. Setting the scene 2. Administration, political institutions and the military 3. Seclusion of women 4. Oriental despotism 5. Economic oppression Part II. Development of an Anti-Tatar Ideology in the Muscovite Church: 6. Defining ideology 7. Anti-Tatar interpolations in the Rus' chronicles 8. Fashioning the Khan into a Basileus 9. Byzantine politica…
Thetammaand the dual-administrative structure of the Mongol empire
TheSecret History of the Mongols (Yuanchao bishi)tells us that, after the invasion and conquest of Qipchaq and Rus'lands in 1237-40, Qagan Ögödei placed 'daruγačinandtammačin' over peoples whose main cities were Ornas, Saḳsīn, Bulgar and Kiev
The End of Muscovy
How Russia transformed itself from a relatively small principality on the steppe frontier in 1450 to a major Eurasian empire by 1800 is one of the fundamental questions of Russian historical study. The two main views posit a central role for Peter I (1682-1725) in that transformation either by singled-handedly "changing everything" and bringing Muscovy into the modern age through embracing contact with Europe and with the western enlightenment or…
City names of the western Steppe at the time of the Mongol invasion
Section 274 of the Secret History of the Mongols (Yuanchao bishi) tells us that Khagan Ögödei placed governors over the conquered peoples whose cities were 'Asud, Sesüd, Bolar and Mankerman-Kiwa'. I present the entire passage, first, in the transliterated edition published in 1972 by Igor de Rachewiltz, then in two English translations, the first by Francis Woodman Cleaves, the second by Rachewiltz:batu büri güyük möngge teri'üten olon kö'üt qang…
The Façade of Legitimacy
From the middle of the nineteenth century until recently, the only acceptable way to discuss political developments in early modern Europe was in terms of the rise of absolutism. “Absolute monarchy” was the political theory of early modern states formulated by ideologues of their respective regimes. Later historians accepted this ideology as the way these monarchies operated and formulated a model called “absolutism,” which posits a monarch who a…
The Military Land Grant Along the Muslim-Christian Frontier
Yet Another "Refutation" of the Keenan Thesis
Did a Church Council Meet in 1581? A Question of Method
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A Typology of Historical Theories
The historical literature of the past two centuries testifies to disputes about what historical knowledge is and the relationship of the historian to it. The disputes have been fierce enough for each side to declare that any position other than its own is untenable. It would be futile to try to convince those who so staunchly defend their own ground that the other side might have a legitimate contribution to make. Yet, it might be worthwhile to c…
A Source-Oriented Theory of Historical Study
A gap exists between the philosophers of history and the practitioners. Both groups proudly encourage their splendid isolation from the other. The philosophers tend to consider the practitioners incompetent to philosophize about historical study; the practitioners tend to think that the philosophers engage only in "flimflam." Insofar as one can judge from the practitioners' attempts to formulate theories of historical study and the philosophers' …
The Historian and the Virtual Past
The Mongol Origins of Muscovite Political Institutions
Sources of the first half of the fourteenth century provide evidence that a sharp rift in institutional continuity occurred in Muscovy. This rift constituted a kind of "punctuated equilibrium" in the evolutionary development of the Rus' political system. The political institutional structure inherited from the Vladimir-Suzdal' component of Kievan Rus' ended abruptly, and, concomitantly, a new political structure similar to that of the Kipchak Kha…
The Military Land Grant Along the Muslim-Christian Frontier
City names of the western Steppe at the time of the Mongol invasion
Section 274 of the Secret History of the Mongols (Yuanchao bishi) tells us that Khagan Ögödei placed governors over the conquered peoples whose cities were 'Asud, Sesüd, Bolar and Mankerman-Kiwa'. I present the entire passage, first, in the transliterated edition published in 1972 by Igor de Rachewiltz, then in two English translations, the first by Francis Woodman Cleaves, the second by Rachewiltz:batu büri güyük möngge teri'üten olon kö'üt qang…
Thetammaand the dual-administrative structure of the Mongol empire
TheSecret History of the Mongols (Yuanchao bishi)tells us that, after the invasion and conquest of Qipchaq and Rus'lands in 1237-40, Qagan Ögödei placed 'daruγačinandtammačin' over peoples whose main cities were Ornas, Saḳsīn, Bulgar and Kiev
Muscovy and the Mongols
Preface Introduction: understanding Muscovy Part I. Mongol Influence: What's What and What's Not: 1. Setting the scene 2. Administration, political institutions and the military 3. Seclusion of women 4. Oriental despotism 5. Economic oppression Part II. Development of an Anti-Tatar Ideology in the Muscovite Church: 6. Defining ideology 7. Anti-Tatar interpolations in the Rus' chronicles 8. Fashioning the Khan into a Basileus 9. Byzantine politica…
A History of Russia, Central Asia and Mongolia, 1
Muscovy and the Mongols
The Façade of Legitimacy
From the middle of the nineteenth century until recently, the only acceptable way to discuss political developments in early modern Europe was in terms of the rise of absolutism. “Absolute monarchy” was the political theory of early modern states formulated by ideologues of their respective regimes. Later historians accepted this ideology as the way these monarchies operated and formulated a model called “absolutism,” which posits a monarch who a…
The Povest' vremennykh let
Tale of Bygone Years (Povest Vremennykh let) is an important source for the history of early Rus'. This volume provides the text, including all of the known redactions of the Povest. It consists of an intercollation of the five oldest redactions, three modern redactions, three later interpolations and Donald Ostrowski's own final interpretation. The intercollated texts are nested line by line
Striving for Perfection
Alexander Nevskii's "Battle On the Ice"
Closed Circles”
Historians are at times divided in their views by “closed circles” of arguments based on differently prioritized premises. An instance of this occurs in the responses to the early textual work of Edward L. Keenan and his challenges to the traditional dating, attribution, and textual relations of four Muscovite texts. Preference is frequently given in the responses to arguments in a different register—to semiotic description and content interpreta…
The Načal’nyj Svod Theory and the Povest’ Vremennyx Let
Melchior Sternfels Von Fuchshaim in Muscovy
The End of Muscovy
How Russia transformed itself from a relatively small principality on the steppe frontier in 1450 to a major Eurasian empire by 1800 is one of the fundamental questions of Russian historical study. The two main views posit a central role for Peter I (1682-1725) in that transformation either by singled-handedly "changing everything" and bringing Muscovy into the modern age through embracing contact with Europe and with the western enlightenment or…
Simeon Bekbulatovich’s Remarkable Career as Tatar Khan, Grand Prince of Rus’, and Monastic Elder
Tsar Simeon Bekbulatovich was the nephew of Ivan IV’s second wife, Mariia Temriukovna. He was a Chingissid who had a remarkable career, first, as khan of Kasimov, then after entering Muscovite service, as head of the Muscovite army’s “main regiment”, as grand prince of Rus′, and as grand prince of Tver′. He also married Anastasia Ivanovna Miloslavskaia. Finally he was tonsured as the monk Stefan and was buried in the Simonov Monastery. The episod…
The Letter concerning Enmities as a Polemical Source for Monastic Relations of the Mid-Sixteenth Century
The Letter concerning Enmities between the Kirillov and Iosifov Monasteries has been used since the middle of the nineteenth century as a major source for monastic relations of the early sixteenth century. It is a mid-sixteenth-century composition extant in a single copy. Most likely composed in the Volokolamsk Monastery by Vassian Koshka (d. 1568), the former archimandrite of the Vozmitsk Monastery, the Letter describes disagreements between Nil…
Dressing a Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
The Life of Alexander Nevskii is written in two styles: a hagiographic style and a secular style. Scholarly views are divided over whether the Life was written by one person in two different styles or by two persons, either a hagiographic writer and secular editor or a secular writer and hagiographic editor. The present article hypothesizes that the Life was probably written initially in a secular style as a military tale (the “wolf”) in the seco…
Attributions to Andrei Kurbskii and Inferential (Bayesian) Probability
Attributions of original works, letters, and translations to Prince Andrei Mikhailovich Kurbskii (d. 1583) have been contested for almost 45 years. This article proposes that Bayesian or inferential probability be applied to a number of the main points of contention. Of central importance to the attribution question are the so-called Kurbskii miscellanies ( sborniki Kurbskogo ), which date no earlier than the mid-1670s. Among the works in the Kur…
Europe, Byzantium, and the "Intellectual Silence" of Rus' Culture
History (27 obras) · Philosophy (19 obras) · Political science (17 obras) · History (15 obras) · Law (15 obras) · Ancient history (12 obras) · Linguistics and language evolution (12 obras) · Byzantine Studies and History (11 obras) · Classics (10 obras) · Linguistics (10 obras)