To the Problem of Comparative Analysis of Persian Narrative Historical Sources of the XIII–XVII Centuries on the History of the Peoples of the Volga-Ural Region
50th Annual Meeting of the PIAC, Kazan 2007
The problem of the Mongol conquests in Eurasia in the XIII century and the history of the huge Mongol Empire remains one of the most essential. However, till the present time many aspects of this problem have not found their detailed solution. And continuous information inflow that has been going on for the last two centuries has done much to support this situation. Serious scientific studies and sometimes contradictory positions of different authors on one or other specific historical questions arouse the necessity of a thorough analysis of both the existing information of the sources, and the usual methods of their scientific interpretation during the whole period of their study. In some cases such an approach results in giving new interpretation of many facts.
In our research we are planning to consider problems of the comparative analysis of Persian narrative sources of the XIII–XVII centuries carrying information on the Volga-Ural region, extracts from which have been published in the second volume of “The Collection of materials concerning the history of the Golden Horde” by V.G.Tizengauzen (Moscow — Leningrad, 1941). Such statement of the problem means comprehension of the whole experience accumulated by several generations of Russian, West-European and Eastern orientalists in this field of research.
In spite of the fact that the complex of sources under study has rather a long history of study, it has not been adequately investigated yet. There is a need for further active search for material in these sources, and also application of modern methodology in their processing. We do hope that a more detailed elaboration of the subject of our research will promote the profound penetration into the source study aspect, and also into the problems of concrete history of the region.
The choice of the given complex of sources as the object of our research is determined by the following circumstances. The rise and powerful bloom of the Persian historiography of XIII-XVII centuries is well known, and the Persian language at that time held the leading position in the historical literature of the Near East. V.V.Bartold called this period “the Golden Age of the Persian historiography”1.
It was in the epoch of the Mongols’ ruling in Iran that the most significant historical works were created. They differed from each other in various criteria: in the amount of information, style, chronological frameworks, degree of compilation and complimentary character in relation to their foreign patrons etc. D.O.Morgan correctly noted that there could be some dispute concerning the quality, but “concerning the quantity, the abundance of the material available is beyond question. The Persian sources are of inestimable value not only for Persia itself; they also contain much information about the history of the whole Mongolian Empire”2.
It is known, that such a powerful rise of the Persian historiography was promoted by Mongolian khans themselves who, using their ideological and political reasons, were anxious to record the traditions and glory of Chinghiz khan’s conquests and those of his successors, unprecedented in the global history, and also to justify officially their rights to the authority in such high culture regions as Iran, Central Asia etc. Being well aware of the great value of the advanced Muslim historiographic tradition for the Iranian mentality of that time, the Mongols did not fail to use it. They did everything for it to become a tool in achieving their purpose. Undoubtedly, powerful Mongolian governors and prominent Iranian managers, serving to them, incorporated great advantages in possessing the information. They had all necessary archives, annals and documents at their disposal. Besides, the important data were drawn from eyewitnesses and participants of the events of the time of Chinghiz khan and his successors. These favourable conditions helped a number of Persian historians to expand considerably their outlook and use valuable data in their works. And as E. Bretschneider, an expert on Chinese and Mongolian sources, noticed the latter “never give such detailed, clear and intelligible descriptions on the same subject as the informed Persian historians”3.
As to Ulus Jochi, it is the Persian sources that give sufficiently coherent important material. Since Persian historians did not conduct purposeful gathering of data about this state, their information is usually examined together with the data from the Russian annals and the information from the West European travellers who visited this region.
Thus, it was in the so-called “unfortunate” Mongolian period, that the historical literature in Iran greatly surpassed the similar literature of the earlier period both in volume and in quality and “has taken its place among the best created by all the Moslem peoples”4. According to J.A.Toynbee, “it was the period when incomparably outstanding Persian historians appeared, in contrast to the previous and subsequent centuries… domination of historians in Ilkhanid period is considerable”5. It cannot be doubted that the Persian historiography and fiction of that time were equal to Greek, Latin and Arabian literature as far as their quality was concerned.
1 Bartold V.V. Istorico-geographicheskiy obzor Irana // Soch. – Vol.VIII. – Moscow, 1971. – P.282.
2 Morgan D.O. Persian Historians and the Mongols // Medieval Historical Writing in the Christian and Islamic Worlds. I Ed. by D.O.Morgan. – London, 1982. – P.125.
3 Bretschneider E. Notices of the Medieval Geography and History of Central and Western Asia // Journal of the North China branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. – 1876. – Vol. 10. – P.90.
4 Rypka J. Historiography // The Cambridge History of Iran / Ed. by Ch.A.Story. – Cambridge, 1968. – Vol.5. – Ch.8. – P.622.
5 Toynbee J.A. Study of History. The inspirations of Historians. – New-York, 1963. – Vol.10. – P.69-70.