M. E. Proskuryakova. “Invocatio” in the Tsar’ Charters of the 16th–17th Centuries // Petersburg
Historical Journal, no. 2, 2026, pp. 180–192.

DOI 10.51255/2311–603X_2026_2_180

Abstract:

The article analyses alterations in the textual configuration of initial protocol in tsar’ charters on
land and privileges in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, as evidenced by the incorporation of “invocatio” into these documents. The term “invocatio” is derived from the Latin word for “invoke”, and thus refers to an appeal to Divine authority. This declaration was intended to strengthen the legitimacy of the grant, formalised in writing. The article examines the history of the use of the formula “By the Grace of God” prior to its inclusion in Tsar’ charters in the late 16th century. In addition, the terminology employed by Russian scholars in relation to the formulas associated with sacred names is also given due consideration. Drawing upon the observations
and conclusions of historians, the article delineates the purpose of “invocatio” and the circumstances of its inclusion in the text of charters from the 14th to 16th centuries. The study then proceeds to analyse the text structure of Tsar’s charters issued to secular individuals and clerical corporations during the Time of Troubles and the first decade of Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov’s reign. The present study focuses on the replacement of the formula “Se yaz” (“It is me”) with the formula “Bozhieyu milostiyu” (“By the Grace of God”) towards the end of the 1590s. The present study is grounded in a compendium of documents from the collection of the St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Key words: diplomatics, text structure, invocatio, intitulatio, source study, tsar’ charters, Time of Troubles, Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich, project “History of Writing in European Civilization”.

Author:

Proskuryakova, Mariya Evgen’evna — Candidate of Sciences (History), Senior Researcher, St. Petersburg Institute of History Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg, Russia).
E-mail: m-proskuryakova@mail.ru
ORCID: 0000-0003-3000-999X

References:
Cherkasova, M. S. Pozemel’nye akty kak istochnik dlya izucheniya religioznogo soznaniya Srednevekovoi Rusi [Charters on Land as a Source for Studying the Religious Consciousness of Medieval Rus’. In Russ.]. In Drevnyaya Rus’. Voprosy medievistiki. 2002. No. 2 (8), pp. 35–47.

Chirkova, A. V. Zapadnoevropeiskaya diplomatika Srednikh vekov i Rannego Novogo vremeni [Western European Diplomatics of the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. In Russ.]. St. Peterburg, Nestor-Istoriya publ., 2019, 92 p.

Filyushkin, A. I. Tituly russkikh gosudarei [Titles of Russian Sovereigns. In Russ.]. Moscow; St. Peterburg, Al’yans-Arkheo publ., 2006, 254 p.

Kashtanov, S. M. Bogoslovskaya preambula zhalovannykh gramot [Theological Preamble to the Charters. In Russ.]. In Vspomogatel’nye istoricheskie distsipliny. Leningrad, 1973, iss. 5, pp. 81–107.

Kashtanov, S. M. Intitulyatsiya russkikh knyazheskikh aktov X–XIV vv. (opyt pervichnoi klassifikatsii) [‘Intitulatio’ of Russian Princely Acts of the 10th–14th Centuries (an Attempt at Primary Classification). In Russ.]. In Vspomogatel’nye istoricheskie distsipliny. Leningrad, 1976, iss. 8, pp. 69–83.

Komochev, N. A. Tsarskie zhalovannye gramoty svetskim litsam (1613–1696). Istochnikovedcheskoe issledovanie [Tsar’ Charters to Secular Persons (1613–1696). Source Study. In Russ.]. Moscow, Institut slavyanovedeniya RAN publ., 2016, 212 p.

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