A. A. Shakhmatov

This article is devoted to the study of such a separate historical and literary genre as the chronicle praise of the ruler. During the 11th–16th centuries, chronicle praise was a very common technique of medieval scribes. Comparing the praises of different Russian Chronicles and different historical periods, the author proves that the chronicle praise of the ruler grew out of a brief posthumous description of him, reflected the chronicler’s good knowledge, his likes and dislikes, and in the 12th century acquired a ready-made form — a literary form. Early praises (11th–13th centuries) correctly reflected historical reality, contained individual traits of the ruler, changed depending on historical conditions, which increases their value as a historical source. It was also found out that there were two main forms of praise — southern and northern. The difference between them is that southern praise was secular, while northern praise was ecclesiastical; southern praise was limited to local interests, and northern praise had a world-historical scale. In general, praise can be considered as a separate chronicle of the medieval genre, characterized by special plot and stylistic features.