Svätý Ladislav na Rusi: Uhorský rytiersky svätec v prameňoch stredovekej Rusi
(Saint Ladislaus in Rus’: Hungarian Pious Knight in the Sources on Medieval Rus’)
Michal Augustovič
Download PDFAUGUSTOVIČ, Michal. Saint Ladislaus in Rus’: Hungarian Pious Knight in the Sources on Medieval Rus’. In Historický zborník, Vol. 34, 2024, No. 2, pp. 75–87.
Abstract: The knightly story of the Hungarian king, St. Ladislaus, mentioned in the legends of St. Ladislaus, became popular throughout the Kingdom of Hungary during the Middle Ages. For example, the wall paintings in various parts of the former Kingdom of Hungary, preserved up to this day, testify to this. They depict Ladislaus chasing a Cuman warrior, kidnapping a Hungarian girl, then fighting with him, killing the heathen together with the girl, and finally resting in the lap of the rescued girl. An updated version of the story gets into Russian written sources in the 15th century. Although the Hungarian prototype remains recognizable in the story in Russian liturgical books and chronicles, it is adapted to the orthodox environment. This is evidenced by the alleged conversion of Saint Ladislaus to Orthodoxy under the influence of the Serbian Archbishop of Saint Sava or by several motifs associated with Orthodox Christianity. In the study, Saint Ladislaus is placed in the context of the issue of chivalric saints worshipped in the environment of medieval Rus’ principalities to expose the development of respect for the saints in more detail. Thanks to the setting in this context, it is then possible to better understand the reasons why the story of the Hungarian Saint was included in the company of the legends of pious knights revered in Rus’.
Keywords: Saint Ladislaus; Legend; Rus’; Batu Khan.