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Comparative Study of Medieval Woman’s Biography: The Case Study of Princess Ingigerd

Student: Blinova Mariya

Supervisor: Adrian A. Selin

Faculty: Saint-Petersburg School of Social Sciences

Educational Programme: History (Bachelor)

Final Grade: 7

Year of Graduation: 2016

The theme of the graduation work is “Comparative Study of Medieval Woman’s Biography: the Case Study of Princess Ingigerd”. The chronological period includes the 10th- 11th centuries. This work is devoted to the preparation and subsequent analysis of the biographies and image of Ingigerd – the Swedish princess and the wife of Yaroslav the Wise in the Scandinavian royal sagas and ancient Russian chronicles. The research question is to what extent sagas and chronicles show the biographical information of ancient Russian elite and also how Ingigerd biography demonstrates the special aspects of the sources. That is why there were some main aims in the research. Firstly, to analyze the historiography of studies of the sagas, chronicles and the method of historical biography. Secondly, to identify, compare and analyze the biography of Ingigerd in the sources. And thirdly, to follow on the example of the biography of Ingigerd some special features of Scandinavian sagas and Russian Chronicles as sources for biographical researches. Two received biographies, their compilation and the subsequent analysis of the data revealed not only a biography of Ingigerd in chronological order, her social surroundings, but also to determine the specificity of sources. Thus obtained biography on the sagas indicates those aspects of royal saga as certain genre stereotypes about Scandinavian elite in Russia. In addition, the biography is showing clear signs of other goals of the sagas and chronicles. Hence, there are two very different biographies and images of Ingigerd in the sources.

Full text (added May 31, 2016)

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