2025, vol. 13, no. 3. Gorsky A.A.

2025, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 543-551

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2025-13-3.543-551

EDN: https://elibrary.ru/EIWSDR

   TSESAR’-TSAREVICH-KNYAZ’: ON THE PERIOD OF FORMATION
OF RUSSIAN TITLES FOR THE HORDE ARISTOCRACY

A.A. Gorsky
Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Moscow, Russian Federation
gor-ks@yandex.ru

Abstract. Research objectives: The aim of the article is to reveal the timeframes when the titles of tsar, tsarevich and knyaz for the Horde’s aristocracy were established in Rus’.
Research materials: The texts of Old Russian chronicles – Ipatian, Lavrentian, Novgorod First and others, Vitas of Alexander Nevskiy, Mikhail Chernigovskiy and tsarevich Pyotr, and legal agreements.
Results and novelty of the research: The historiography has come to the conclusion that supreme ruler of the Horde – khan – was designated in Rus’ by the title tsesar/tsar, members of khan’s kin by tsarevich, and emirs (beks) by knyaz. But the question of overlapping time in this terminological picture was not raised. After the invasion of Batu, for some time the title of supreme ruler of Mongol empire was reproduced in Rus’ without translation as khan. Then, the title tsesar/tsar, which in previous epoch was used only for emperors of Byzantium and Holy Roman Empire, started to be used for ruler of the Mongol empire and the khan of Jochi’s ulus. There were cases in the second half of 13th century when this title was designated to members of the Jochid dynasty who were not khans. In the 14th century, such cases were not fixed. As for the title tsarevich, there are not cases of using it in the 13th century (except retrospectively in later sources). This term was securely fixed for members of khan’s kin only from the second half of the 14th century. The cases of using of term knyaz for Horde’s aristocrats in the 13th century also cannot detected. The earliest point for it becoming a fixed term is in the Vita of Mikhail of Tver’ (1319–1320); in other sources – only from 1350s. So, the “triad” tsesar/tsar – tsarevich – kniaz for members of the Horde’s aristocracy formed completely only in the 14th century. At the beginning of its usage, the tradition was established only for using the title tsesar/tsar for the ruling khan of the Horde. In the first half of the 14th century, the Horde’s emirs began to be designated as “knyasya”. The practice to designate Jochids, who were not khans, as “tsarevichi” was established only in the second half of the 14th century.

Keywords: Rus’, the Horde, Tsar, Tsarevich, Knyaz

For citation: Gorsky A.A. Tsesar’-tsarevich-knyaz’: On the Period of Formation of Russian Titles for the Horde Aristocracy. Zolotoordynskoe obozrenie=Golden Horde Review. 2025, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 543–551. https://doi.org/10.22378/2313-6197.2025-13-3.543-551 (In Russian)

Financial Support:The paper was prepared with the support of the Russian Science Foundation, project № 24-18-00407 “The world’s conquest and the collapse of the global empire: the Mongol invasion in the fate of the Russian lands of the 13th century”.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Anton A. Gorsky – Dr. Sci. (History), Chief Research Fellow, Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences (19, Dm. Ulyanov Str., Moscow 117292, Russian Federation) ; ORCID: 0000-0002-8502-1235. E-mail:gor-ks@yandex.ru

Received  02.06.2025
Revised  13.08.2025
Accepted  26.08.2025