Zadonshchina, Ryazan, and the Moscow Princely Family

This paper is devoted to the history and controversies surrounding the outstanding representative of Russian medieval literature from the late 14th century, the famous Zadonshchina. This work glorifies the military victory of the united forces of the Russian troops, led by Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy, over the Tatar army on 8 September 1380, at Kulikovo Field near the Don River. This article presents arguments in favor of a Ryazan origin of the Zadonshchina text; furthermore, the article offers an explanation of the presence in the text of two “protagonists,” Grand Prince Dmitry Ivanovich and his cousin, Vladimir Andreyevich the Bold, Prince of Serpukhov. The joint rule of the “brothers” was a result of deaths caused by the plague in the Moscow ruling house, which took the dynasty to the brink of extinction. This feature of the political situation is reflected in the Zadonshchina text.