SERGEEV A.V. Donations to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery as a Reflection of the Socio-Political Evolution of Princely Families in the 16th Century

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2026.1.7

Anton V. Sergeev,

Doctor of Sciences (History), Head of the Department of Industrial Safety, Institute of Industrial Safety, Labor Protection and Social Partnership, Constitution Square, Bld. 1A, Room 1-N, 314A, 196247 Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation,

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https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3255-5743

Abstract. Introduction. This article analyzes the records of the donation books of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery in the context of studying the socio-political evolution of princely families in the Muscovite state of the 16th century. Methods. The study is based on the method of prosopography. Materials. The article is based on factual material extracted from the monastery donation books, as well as other sources. Analysis. Unlike many other monasteries of the Muscovite state, the archives of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery contain not one, but four donation books of different editions compiled in the 16th – 18th centuries. A comparison of the records of princely donations showed that in later editions, due to abbreviations during copying, some important biographical information about individuals was lost. Therefore, it is crucial to prioritize the analysis of early edition texts when examining donation entries. In the donation books, most entries do not have dates, which complicates the determination of the dynamics of donations. Dating in these cases was carried out using biographical information about the contributors. The donation entries were used to identify princely families closely associated with the monastery, the social status of the contributors, their baptismal and monastic names, death dates, and marital information. The types of contributions and editing features of the donation books were also elucidated. Results. It was concluded that the dynamics of donations reflect the sociopolitical evolution of princely families in the 16th and early decades of the 17th centuries. Furthermore, unpublished editions of the donation books of the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery contain information about a number of individuals from princely families unknown from other sources.

Key words: princes, Kirillo-Веlozersky Monastery, donations, Donation books, manuscripts, social status.

Citation. Sergeev A.V. Donations to the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery as a Reflection of the Socio-Political Evolution of Princely Families in the 16th Century. Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Seriya 4. Istoriya. Regionovedenie. Mezhdunarodnye otnosheniya [Science Journal of Volgograd State University. History. Area Studies. International Relations], 2026, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 75-85. (in Russian). DOI: https://doi.org/10.15688/jvolsu4.2026.1.7

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) 

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