[Austrvegr]

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

Btw. you read old Belarusian. Nice to see it.

Looks like I read it better than you judging by the time it took you to have read and your obvious problems in understanding its meaning.

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

The text from post 1.

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

In the 16th century the Golden Horde didn’t already exist. There were only its fragments, one of them was the Crimea Horde. (By the way, didn’t the dynasty of Mengli-Girey start to rule the Crimea Horde with the help of the Grand Duchy?) In fact that letter tells the inhabitants of lands that probably were subordinated to the Golden Horde for some time to pay tribute to the Grand Duchy. What is the problem?

The problem is that you misunderstand the text (or pretend so ). It says in plain Belarusian () that the Crimean Khan grants the Lithuanian Duke/Polish King a yarlik to rule its lands of the Tatars' behalf and pay tribute from them to the Horde. Try to concentrate as much as you can and read the following as attentively as possible:

Ино первые цари, дяды наши, и царь отецъ нашъ пожаловалъ которыми ярлыки, а потомъ и мы которымъ ярлыкомъ пожаловали, милуючи, Жикгимонта брата нашого, въ Литовской земли столецъ ему дали есмо … сесь нашъ ярлыкъ зъ ласки … по первому жъ сполна дани и выходы и службу … не будете ль сполна служити, и вамъ никоторого жъ добра не будетъ, будете воеваны и граблены, сего нашого ярлыка не будете ль послушными …

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

The text from post 2.

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

If I understand clearly that text is supposed to be a Sigizmund’s ‘humble answer’ to something? Well, Sigizmund imposes conditions himself and insists on following them. Is it humbleness?

In this text Sigizmund recognizes that most of his lands belong not to him but to the Horde and that he rules these lands on behalf of the Horde and pays tribute for them to the Horde. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the Belarusian Polotsk is among the lands over which Sigizmund acknowledge Tatar overlordship.

Къ тому тежъ царь Сагипъ-кгирей маетъ королю его милости и потомкомъ его милости во впокои держати: почонши у головахъ, Кiевъ и зъ землями и зъ водами, Луческъ со тмами и зъ землями и зъ водами, Смоленескъ со тмою и зъ водами и зъ землями, Полоцкъ со тмою и зъ землями и зъ водами...
Што ся дотычетъ поминковъ, ино король его милость маетъ царю, за добрость его, въ кождый годъ поминки посылати, за пятнадцать тысячъ золотыхъ сукны, то есть, кождый поставъ сукна лiоньского за тридцать и за три золотыхъ черленыхъ. А тотъ поминокъ маетъ его милость царю посылати по половицы, то есть, на день святого Яна, мЪсяца Iюня 24 дня, а другую половицу поминку маетъ его милость ему посылати на день Всихъ Святыхъ, мЪсяца Ноября 1 дня.

It is especially noteworthy that all this takes place as late as the 16th century. There is no sign that the Grand Duchy of Lithuania even tried to get rid of its dependance on the Tatars.

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

The text from post 3.

Originally Posted by Whiteruthenian

This text is later confirmation of the text from post 2. No comments.

Post something else, please. It’s cool to read our historical documents just at the computer. (As I said once I am too lazy to go to library).