Pre-modern identity No. 4: land-based self-awareness, 12th–13th centuries (02.08.2025)
The fourth installment of the cycle. Dribnytsya examines the “land-based” self-awareness of the 12th–13th centuries: after tribal names disappear from the chronicles, “lands” (the Rus’, Galician, Chernihiv, Volyn, and others) come to the fore, and these must be distinguished from principalities. The hierarchy of identities was concentric (local → land-based → all-Rus’), with the all-Rus’ level perceived most weakly and largely from the outside. The constant wars between lands prove that the inhabitants of different lands did not regard one another as their own. A source for the article on the formation of pre-modern identity.
Key moments
- 00:30 After tribal names disappear, "lands" come to the fore: the Rus', Galician, Chernihiv lands, etc.
- 02:48 Lands must be distinguished from principalities: principality borders shifted, but the land was a stable unit
- 06:27 Concentric identities per Smith: local → land-based → all-Rus' (the latter mostly "for export")
- 07:00 Constant wars between lands (Novgorodians vs. Suzdalians) — evidence that outsiders were not regarded as one's own
- 14:17 The Mongol invasion interrupted centralization; "local" self-awareness became entrenched