The Laurentian Chronicle 1377

The earliest Russian chronicle surviving almost intact. The codex contains the earliest extant copy of the Tale of Bygone Years and provides the most authoritative source for the primary history of Eastern Slavs in the context of worldwide processes in medieval history. The text describes the events going on both in the Slavic lands and in the vast territories abroad including Byzantium, Europe and Eastern nomadic tribes. Made at the time of the Kulikov Battle, the Laurentian Chronicle had a crucial role in ideological and moral justification of the need for political unity in Russia and consolidation of all patriotic forces on the eve of resolute resistance to the Horde.  Read more on the UNESCO Memory of the World website.