Events in history
1. Why the description of the unsuccessful campaign of Prince Igor Svyatoslavovich in 1185 remained in the memory of the descendants
In the 12th century. Our lands suffered from attacks of the nomadic people – Polovtsians. A participant in the struggle against them was Novgorod the Great Prince Igor. In 1185, together with his son Vladimir, brother Vsevolod and nephew Svyatoslav went to the Polovtsian steppe. The campaign was untimely and poorly organized. Igor intended to catch the Polovtsians by surprise. However, from the very beginning, it was necessary to change the battle plan, because the Polovtsi were ready for a clash. On the first day, the battle brought victory to Rusich. The Polovtsi began to retreat into the steppes. Igor imprudently ordered to pursue them. Therefore, to spend the night princely squads were forced in the Polovtsian steppes. Meanwhile, the Polovtsi did not rest: they gathered great forces and in the morning they launched an attack. All Igorevo
The annoying defeat of the vain prince would hardly remain in the memory of the descendants for a long time, if not for the strength of the poetic word. The fact is that Prince Igor’s campaign was described by the poet of the late 12th century. History does not preserve the author’s name, and this only adds to the mystery of the poem “The Lay of Igor’s Host”. Several generations of historians, researchers of language and literature, poets and artists in many countries of the world seek to unravel the riddle of the poem. In scientific research, the personality of Prince Igor and his entourage – the family, comrades, enemies and enemies – are mentioned. About the prince written at the present time is much more than any other figure in our past. The name of the one who owes his popularity to Prince Igor, probably, will remain unknown.
2. Why are travelers’ testimonies valuable historical sources?
At all times, travel has opened “windows” to the world. However, traveling was a difficult and dangerous
One of the most famous Ukrainian travelers was Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky. His younger brother Ivan, an outstanding Kiev architect of the mid-18th century, testified that “Vasily had been curious since childhood” and “wanted to see other countries.” His journey began in 1723 from Lvov, and returned to his homeland only in 1747.
Vasily Grigorovich-Barsky visited many countries: traveled to Hungary, Bulgaria, Austria, Romania, Moldova, Italy, Greece, Palestine, Syria, Arabia, Egypt. The traveler kept a diary, in which he recorded all the details of what he saw in foreign lands. In these road records, decorated with 150 drawings, he left detailed descriptions of the life and life of those peoples on whose lands he visited. Grigorovich-Barsky paid special attention to architectural sights, city fortifications and fortresses, and, of course, to temples and churches.
In addition, he looked closely at the bazaars, street lighting, outfits of local residents.
Traveling, he perfectly studied several languages, he knew, in particular, Latin, Greek and Arabic. Travel notes V. Grigorovich-Barsky became famous even during the life of the traveler. The text of “Wanderings” with abbreviations was first published in St. Petersburg in 1778. In the 80s of the 19th century, was printed a full edition with illustrations in 4 volumes.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)