AbstractsHistory

Scandinavian Origins through Christian Eyes: A Comparative Study of the History of the Normans and the Russian Primary Chronicle

by Aron Miller




Institution: Western Washington University
Department:
Year: 2016
Keywords: Dudo; Dean of St. Quentin; active 1030. De moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum; Rollo; Duke of Normandy; approximately 860-approximately 932 – Historiography; Northmen – France – Normandy – Historiography; Normandy (France) – History – To 1515 – Historiography; Normans – Historiography; Normandy; Dukes of – Historiography; Collective memory – France – Normandy; Povest' vremennykh let; Northmen – Kievan Rus – Historiography; Kievan Rus – History – To 862 – Historiography; Kievan Rus – Kings and rulers; Collective memory – Kievan Rus; History; Dudo, Dean of St. Quentin, active 1030; Rollo, Duke of Normandy, approximately 860-approximately 932;
Posted: 02/05/2017
Record ID: 2067874
Full text PDF: http://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/512


Abstract

The present study examines two historical texts; the History of the Normans by Dudo of St-Quentin and the Russian Primary Chronicle by the anonymous authors. Both sources have only recently been examined by historians, but have never been compared. These two sources created a historical narrative for the new Norman culture and Russian culture. Before these texts both of these cultures had been forming, but they had not been dedicated to pen and paper. The authors of these texts needed to justify the rule of the patron dynasties because they both originated from Scandinavian in the late ninth century and early tenth century. In addition to being foreign, the patriarchs of each dynasty were Norse pagan. The authors worked around these two problems by tying members of the dynasties to important Christian figures and using Christian redirect. Throughout this study I demonstrate that in addition to a shared Christian redirect, both authors used a shared Pan-Scandinavian oral tradition by comparing them to the Icelandic Sagas. Advisors/Committee Members: Diehl, Peter D., Murphy, Sean Eisen, Goldman, Tristan.