This thesis attempts to provide a complete textual analysis of Ivan Timofeyev's Vremennik. The first three chapters establish Timofeyev's biographical data, examine the extant manuscript and review prior research. Timofeyev's biography has been restored by putting together the data from earlier biographical studies and by utilising the information hidden within the text of Vremennik. The production of the extant manuscript should be dated to the 1650s rather than the 1630s. The remaining four chapters of this dissertation deal with the elements of Vremennik which were largely ignored by other scholars. Timofeyev expressed an outlook on the state based on his "Novgorodian vision", his understanding of Novgorod's role in the development of the new Russian state. I believe that this Novgorodian element is the key to the correct interpretation of Vremennik. Timofeyev also formulated on original concept of the "ideal tsar". He perceived a monarch's legitimacy not only on his hereditary rights but also on the basis of his moral behaviour, in a way creating a moral code for a Christian monarch. He viewed the events of Smuta as a total degradation of the country and attempted to provide the solutions by developing a distinct political theory. It was based on the traditional notion of a possibility of cleansing and redemption of the whole country through an adherence to the Christian doctrine and consequently a return to the paradise of pre-Smuta days. Timofeyev recognized his own apostolic mission of revealing the truth in order to facilitate this process.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.34462 |
| Date | January 1997 |
| Creators | Swoboda, Marina. |
| Contributors | Austin, P. (advisor), Goldblatt, H. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Russian and Slavic Studies.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001566547, proquestno: NQ30396, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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