Attributed to Nestor the Chronicler · Complete work
945: Igor's Treaty with the Greeks
945: Igor's Treaty with the Greeks of 46. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Old East Slavic
В лѣто 6453. Присла Романъ, и Костянтинъ и Стефанъ слы къ Игореви построити мира пѣрваго. Игорь же глаголавъ с ними о мирѣ. Посла Игорь мужи свои къ Роману. Романъ же събра бояры и сановникы. И приведоша рускыя слы, и повелѣша глаголати и писати обоихъ речи на харотью:
«Равно другаго свѣщания, бывшаго при цесаре Романѣ, и Костянтинѣ, и Стефанѣ, христолюбивыхъ владыкъ. Мы от рода рускаго слы и гостье: Иворъ, солъ Игоревъ, великаго князя рускаго, и обьчии сли: Вуефастъ Святославль, сына Игорева, Искусеви Олгы княгыня, Слуды Игоревъ, нетий Игоревъ, Улѣбъ Володиславль, Каницарь Предславинь, Шигобернъ Сфандръ, жены Улѣбовы, Прастенъ Турдуви, Либиарь Фастов, Гримъ Сфирковъ, Прастѣнъ Якунъ, нетий Игоревъ, Кары Тудковъ, Каршевъ Тудоровъ, Егри Ерлисковъ, Воистовъ Иковъ, Истръ Яминдовъ, Ятьвягъ Гунаревъ, Шибьридъ Алдань, Колъ Клековъ, Стегги Етоновъ, Сфирка, Алвадъ Гудовъ, Фудри Тулбовъ, Муторъ Утинъ, купѣць Адунь, Адолбъ, Ангивладъ, Улѣбъ, Фрутанъ, Гомолъ, Куци, Емигъ, Турьбридъ, Фурьстенъ, Бруны, Роалъдъ, Гунастръ, Фрастенъ, Инъгелдъ, Турбернъ и другий Турбернъ, Улѣбъ, Турбенъ, Моны, Руалдъ, Свѣнь, Стиръ, Алданъ, Тилий, Апубкарь, Свень, Вузелѣвъ, и Синько биричь, послании от Игоря, великаго князя рускаго, и от всея княжья и от всѣх людий Руское земли. И от тѣхъ заповѣдано объновити ветхый миръ и от ненавидящаго добра, вьраждолюбца дьявола разореный от многъ лѣт, утвѣрдити любовь межю Грѣкы и Русью.
И великый нашь князь Игорь, и бояре его, и людие вси рустии послаша ны къ Роману, и Стефану, и Костянтину, великымъ цесаремъ грѣцкымъ, створити любовь съ самими цесари, и съ всѣмъ боярьствомъ и съ всими людми грѣцкыми на вся лѣта, дондеже солнце сияеть и всь миръ стоить.
Иже помыслить от страны Рускыя раздрушити таковую любовь, и елико ихъ крещенье прияли суть, да приимуть мѣсть от Бога вседѣржителя, осужение и на погибель и в сий вѣкъ и в будущий, а елико ихъ не кресщено есть, да не имуть помощи от Бога, ни от Перуна, да не ущитятся щиты своими, и да посѣчени будуть мечи своими, и от стрѣлъ и от иного оружья своего, и да будуть раби и в сий вѣкъ и будущий.
Великый князь рускый и боярѣ его да посылають на то въ Грѣкы к великымъ цесаремъ грѣцкым корабля, елико хотять, съ послы своими и гостьми, якоже имъ уставлено есть. Ношаху слы печати златы, а гостие серебряны. Нынѣ же увѣдалъ есть князь вашь посылати грамоту къ царству нашему, иже посылаеми бывають от нихъ послы и гостье, да приносять грамоту, пишюще сице, яко «послах корабль селико». И от тѣхъ да увѣмы и мы, оже с миромъ приходят. Аще ли безъ грамоты приидуть, и предани будуть намъ, дѣржимъ и хранимъ, дондеже възвѣстимъ князю вашему. Аще ли руку не дадят и противятся, да убьени будуть, и да не изыщеться смерть ихъ от князя вашего. Аще ли, убѣжавше, приидуть в Русь, и мы напишемъ къ князю вашему, и яко имъ любо, тако створять. И аще придуть русь безъ купля, да не взимають мѣсячины. И да запретить князь слом своимъ и приходящий руси сде, да не творять бещинья в селѣхъ, ни въ странѣ нашей.
И приходящимъ имъ, да витають у святаго Мамы, да послеть царство наше, да испишеть имена ихъ, и тогда възмуть мѣсячное свое, сли слѣбное свое, а гостье мѣсячное свое, пѣрвое от града Киева, и пакы ис Чернигова и ис Переяславля и прочии городи. И да входять в город одиными вороты съ цесаревомъ мужемъ безъ оружья, 50 мужь, и да творять куплю, якоже имъ надобѣ, и пакы да исходять; и мужъ цесарьства нашего да хранить я, да аще кто от руси или от грѣкъ створить криво да оправляет тъ. Входя же русь в городъ, да не творят пакости и не имѣють власти купити паволокъ лише по пятидесятъ золотникъ; и от тѣхъ паволокъ аще кто купить, да показаеть цесареву мужеви, и тъ я запечатаеть и дасть имъ.
И отходящи руси отсюду, взимають от нас, еже надоби брашно на путь, и еже надобѣ лодьямъ, якоже уставлено есть пѣрвое, и да възвращаются съ спасениемъ въ свою сторону, и да не имуть волости зимовати у святаго Мамы.
И аще ускочить челядинъ от Руси, по не же приидуть въ страну царства нашего, и от святаго Мамы, и аще будеть и обрящеться, да поимуть и́, аще ли не обрящется, да на роту идут наши христеяне руси, а не христьянии — по закону своему, ти тогда взимають от нас цѣну свою, якоже уставлено есть преже, 2 паволоцѣ за челядинъ.
Аще ли кто от людий царства нашего, ли от города нашего, или от инѣхъ городъ ускочить челядинъ нашь къ вамъ и принесеть что, да взвратять е опять, и еже что принеслъ будеть цѣло все, да возмет от него золотника два имѣчнаго.
Аще ли покусится кто взяти от руси и от людий царства нашего, иже то створить, покажьненъ будеть вельми; аще ли и взялъ будеть, да заплатит сугубо. Аще ли створить то же грѣцинъ русину, да приимет ту же казнь, якоже приялъ есть онъ.
Аще ли ключится украсти русину от грѣкъ что, или грѣчину от руси, достойно есть, да възвратит е не точью едино, но и цѣну его. Аще украденое обрящется продаемо, да вдасть цѣну его сугубу, и тъ покажненъ будеть по закону грѣцкому, и по уставу грѣцкому и по закону рускому.
И елико християнъ от власти нашея пленена приведут русь ту, аще будеть уноша или дѣвица добра, да въдадять золотникъ 10 и поимуть ̀и. Аще ли есть средовѣчь, да вдасть золотникъ 8 и поиметь ̀и. Аще ли будеть старъ или дѣтичь, да вдастъ золотникъ 5.
Аще ли обьрящются русь работающе у грѣкъ, аще суть полоняници, да искупають а русь по 10 золотникъ; аще ли купилъ и будет грѣчинъ, под крестомъ достоить ему, да възметь цѣну, елико же далъ будеть на нем.
О Корсуньсций сторонѣ. Колко же есть городъ на той части, да не имуть власти князи рускыи, да воюеть на тѣхъ сторонахъ, а та страна не покоряется вам, и тогда, аще просит вой от насъ князь рускый, дамы ему, елико ему будет требѣ, и да воюет.
И о томъ, аще обрящют русь кувару грѣчьску, вывержену на нѣкоемъ любо мѣстѣ, да не приобидять ея. Аще ли от нея възметь кто что или человѣка поработить или убьеть, да будеть повиненъ закону рускому и грѣцкому.
И аще обрящють русь коръсуняны, рыбы ловяща въ устьи Днѣпра, да не творят имъ зла никакогоже.
И да не имѣють русь власти зимовати въ устьи Днепра, Бѣлобережии, у святаго Елеуфѣрья, но егда придеть осень, да идуть в домы своя в Русь.
А о сихъ, иже то приходять черьнии болгаре и воюють въ странѣ Корсуньстий, и велимъ князю рускому, да ихъ не пущаеть, и пакостять сторонѣ его.
Или аще ключится проказа нѣкака от грѣкъ, сущихъ подъ властью царства нашего, да не имате власти казнити я, но повелѣньемь царства нашего, да приимет, якоже будеть створилъ.
И аще убьеть крестьянинъ русина, да дѣржимъ будеть створивый убиство от ближнихъ убьенаго, да убьють ̀и. Аще ли ускочить створивы убой и убѣжить, и аще будеть имовит, да возмуть имѣнье его ближнии убьенаго; аще ли есть неимовитъ створивый убийство и ускочить, да ищють его, дондеже обрящется, да убьенъ будет.
Или аще ударит мечемъ, или копьемъ, или кацемъ инымъ съсудом русинъ грѣчина, или грѣчинъ русина, да того дѣля грѣха заплатить серебра литръ 5 по закону рускому. Аще ли есть неимовит, да како можеть, въ толко же и проданъ будеть, яко да и порты, в нихъже ходить, и то с него сняти, а о прочи да на роту ходит по своей вѣрѣ, яко не имѣя ничтоже, ти тако пущенъ будеть.
Аще ли хотѣти начнеть наше царьство от вас вои на противящася намъ, да пишют к великому князю вашему, и пошлеть к намъ, елико хощемъ; и оттолѣ увѣдять иныя страны, каку любовь имѣют грѣци с русью.
Мы же свѣщание все положимъ на двою харатью, и едина харотья есть у царства нашего, на нейже есть крестъ и имена наша написана, а на другой сли ваши и гостье ваши. А отходяче со слом царства нашего да допроводять к великому князю Игореви рускому и к людемъ его, и ти, приимающе харотью, на роту идуть хранити истину, якоже мы свѣщахом и написахом на харотью сию, на нейже суть написана имена наша.
Мы же, елико насъ крестилися есмы, кляхомся церковью святаго Ильи въ зборнѣй церкви и предлежащимъ честнымъ крестомъ, и харотьею сею, хранити же все, еже есть написано на ней, и не преступати от того ничтоже. А оже переступить се от страны нашея, или князь, или инъ кто, или кресщенъ или некрѣщенъ, да не имать от Бога помощи, и да будуть рабы в сий вѣкъ и в будущий, и да заколенъ будеть своимъ оружьемъ.
А некрѣщении русь да полагають щиты своя и мечи свои нагы, и обручи свои и прочая оружья, и да клѣнуться о всем, и яже суть написана на харотье сей, и хранити от Игоря и от всѣхъ бояръ и от всѣх людий и от страны Рускыя въ прочая лѣта и всегда.
Аще ли же кто от князь и от людий рускыхъ или крестьянъ, или некресщеный переступить все, еже написано на харотье сей, и будеть достоинъ своимъ оружьемь умрети, и да будет клятъ от Бога и от Перуна, и яко преступи свою клятъву.
Да обаче будеть добрѣ Игорь великый князь да хранить любовь вьсю правую, да не раздрушится, дондеже солнце сияет и всь миръ стоить, въ нынѣшняя вѣкы и в будущая».
Послании же сли Игоремъ придоша къ Игореви съ слы грѣцкими и повѣдаша вся рѣчи цесаря Романа. Игорь же призва послы грѣцкыя, рече «Молвите, что вы казалъ цесарь?» И ркоша сли цесареви: «Се посла ны цесарь, радъ есть миру и хочеть миръ имѣти съ князем рускымъ и любовь. И твои сли водили суть цесаря нашего ротѣ, и насъ послаша ротѣ водить тебе и мужь твоихъ». И обѣщася Игорь сице створити. И наутрѣя призва Игорь сли, и приде на холъмы, кде стояше Перунъ, и покладоша оружья своя, и щиты и золото, и ходи Игорь ротѣ и мужи его, и елико поганыя руси, а хрестьяную русь водиша въ церковь святаго Ильи, яже есть надъ Ручьемъ, конѣць Пасыньцѣ бесѣды, и козарѣ: се бо бѣ сборная церкви, мнози бо бѣша варязи хрестьяни. Игорь же, утвѣрдивъ миръ съ грѣкы, отпусти слы, одаривъ скорою, и челядью и воском, и отпусти я. Сли же придоша къ цесареви и повѣдаша вся рѣчи Игоревы и любовь, яже къ грѣком.
Игорь же нача княжити въ Киевѣ, и миръ имѣя къ всѣмъ странамъ. И приспѣ осень, и нача мыслити на деревляны, хотя примыслити болшюю дань.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Old East Slavic text of the Hypatian Codex (O. V. Tvorogov’s 1997 edition, pinned Russian Wikisource revision), covering the undated introduction and every annal from 6360 to 6625 (852–1117 CE). Worker drafts were checked against the source paragraph by paragraph before publication. Years keep the chronicle’s own reckoning from the creation of the world; subtract 5508 for the approximate year CE, as the chapter titles do.
In the year 6453. Romanos, Constantine and Stephen sent envoys to Igor to conclude a first peace. And Igor spoke with them about the peace. Igor sent his men to Romanos. And Romanos gathered the boyars and the dignitaries. And the envoys of Rus' were brought in, and it was commanded that the words of both sides be spoken and written on parchment:
“A copy of the second agreement, made under Emperor Romanos and Constantine and Stephen, Christ-loving sovereigns. We are envoys and merchants of the people of Rus': Ivor, envoy of Igor, grand prince of Rus', and the common envoys: Vuefast for Sviatoslav, the son of Igor; Iskusevi for Princess Olga; Sludy for Igor, nephew of Igor; Uleb for Volodislav; Kanitsar for Predslava; Shigobern for Sfandra, the wife of Uleb; Prasten Turduvi; Libiar Fastov; Grim Sfirkov; Prasten Yakun, nephew of Igor; Kary Tudkov; Karshev Tudorov; Egri Erlikov; Voistov Ikov; Istr Yamindov; Yatviag Gunarev; Shibrid Aldan; Kol Klekov; Steggi Etonov; Sfirka; Alvad Gudov; Fudri Tulbov; Mutor Utin; the merchants Adun, Adolb, Angivlad, Uleb, Frutan, Gomol, Kutsi, Emig, Turbrid, Fursten, Bruny, Roald, Gunastr, Frasten, Ingeld, Turbern and another Turbern, Uleb, Turben, Mony, Ruald, Sven, Stir, Aldan, Tilii, Apubkar, Sven, Vuzelev, and Sinko the herald — sent by Igor, grand prince of Rus', and by all his princely house and by all the people of the land of Rus'. And it has been commanded by them to renew the old peace, broken for many years by the devil, the hater of good and the lover of strife, and to establish love between the Greeks and Rus'.
And our grand prince Igor, and his boyars, and all the people of Rus' have sent us to Romanos and Stephen and Constantine, great emperors of the Greeks, to establish love with the emperors themselves, and with all their boyars, and with all the Greek people, for all the years, so long as the sun shines and the world stands.
And whoever of the Rus' nation shall plot to break this love — as many of them as have received baptism, let them receive vengeance from God almighty, condemnation and destruction in this age and in the age to come; and as many of them as are not baptized, let them have no help from God nor from Perun; let them not shield themselves with their shields; let them be cut down by their own swords, by their arrows and by the rest of their weapons; and let them be slaves in this age and in the next.
Let the grand prince of Rus' and his boyars send to the Greeks, to the great emperors of the Greeks, as many ships as they wish, with their envoys and merchants, as has been established for them. The envoys wore golden seals, and the merchants silver ones. Now your prince has agreed to send a letter to our empire: the envoys and merchants who are sent must bring a letter, written thus: 'I have sent so many ships.' From it we too shall know that they come in peace. But if they come without a letter, they shall be delivered up to us, held and kept until we inform your prince. If they do not give their hand and resist, they shall be slain, and their death shall not be sought from your prince. If they flee and come back to Rus', we shall write to your prince, and he will do with them as he pleases. And if Rus' comes without trading, they shall not take the monthly allowance. And let the prince forbid his envoys, and the Rus' who come here, to commit any lawlessness in the villages or anywhere in our land.
And when they come, let them lodge at St. Mamas, and our empire shall send out to write down their names; then they shall receive their allowance — the envoys their allowance, and the merchants their monthly allowance — first those from the city of Kyiv, then those from Chernihiv and from Pereiaslav and the other cities. And let them enter the city by one gate only, unarmed, with the emperor's officer, 50 men at a time, and let them trade as they have need, and then go out again; and the officer of our empire shall watch over them, so that if any of the Rus' or of the Greeks does wrong, he may bring it to justice. And when the Rus' enter the city, they shall do no harm, and they have no right to buy silks worth more than 50 gold pieces; and whoever buys such silks shall show them to the emperor's officer, and he shall seal them and hand them over.
And when the Rus' leave here, they shall take from us food for the journey and whatever the boats have need of, as was established of old; and they shall return in safety to their own country, and they shall have no leave to winter at St. Mamas.
And if a slave runs away from the Rus' after they have come into the land of our empire, from St. Mamas, and he is found and discovered, they shall take him; but if he is not found, then our Christian Rus' shall go to their oath, and those who are not Christians according to their own law; then they shall receive from us their price, as was established before: 2 silks for a slave.
And if any man of the people of our empire, from our city or from other cities, has a slave of ours run away to you and carry off something, they shall send him back again; and if all that he carried off is intact, two gold pieces shall be taken from it as the fee for his capture.
And if anyone dares to take by force from the Rus' or from the people of our empire, whoever does it shall be severely punished; and if he has taken it, he shall pay double. And if a Greek does the same to a Rus', let him receive the same punishment the other received.
And if it should happen that a Rus' steals something from a Greek, or a Greek from a Rus', it is right that he return it — not the thing alone, but its price besides. And if the stolen thing is found being sold, he shall pay double its price, and he shall be punished according to the Greek law, according to the Greek statute and according to the law of Rus'.
And as many Christian captives as the Rus' bring from the dominion of our empire: if it is a young man or a good maiden, they shall give 10 gold pieces and take them; if he is of middle age, let him give 8 gold pieces and take him; and if he is old or a child, let him give 5 gold pieces.
And if the Rus' find Rus' laboring among the Greeks — if they are captives — let the Rus' ransom them at 10 gold pieces apiece; but if a Greek has bought them, he must take his oath upon the cross and receive back the price he paid for them.
Of the country of Cherson. Whatever cities there are on that side, let the princes of Rus' not have the power to wage war on them; nor shall that country be subject to you; and if the prince of Rus' asks troops of us, we will give him as many as he has need of, and let him make war.
And on this: if the Rus' find a Greek ship cast ashore in some place or other, let them do it no wrong. If anyone takes anything from it, or enslaves or kills a man, he shall be answerable to the law of Rus' and to the Greek law.
And if the Rus' find Chersonites fishing at the mouth of the Dnieper, let them do them no harm whatever.
And the Rus' shall have no right to winter at the mouth of the Dnieper, at Beloberezhie, by St. Eleutherius, but when autumn comes they shall go to their homes in Rus'.
And as for the black Bulgars who come and make war in the country of Cherson, we command the prince of Rus' not to let them through, lest they do harm to his land.
Or if any misdeed is committed by Greeks who are under the dominion of our empire, you shall have no right to punish them, but by the command of our empire he shall receive what is due him according to what he has done.
And if a Christian kill a Rus', the one who did the killing shall be held by the kinsmen of the slain, and they shall kill him. But if the one who has done the murder runs and flees, and he is wealthy, the kinsmen of the slain shall take his property; and if the one who has done the murder is poor and runs away, let them seek him until they find him, and he shall be put to death.
Or if a Rus' strike a Greek with a sword, or with a spear, or with any other vessel, or a Greek strike a Rus', for that offense he shall pay 5 pounds of silver according to the law of Rus'. And if he is poor and cannot pay so much, he shall be sold for as much as he is worth; even the garments he goes in shall be taken from him, and for the rest he shall take his oath according to his faith, that he has nothing more; and so he shall be set free.
And if our empire should want troops from you against those who resist us, let them write to your grand prince, and he shall send us as many as we desire; and from this other lands shall learn what love the Greeks have with Rus'.
And we shall set the whole agreement down on two charters: one charter shall be in the keeping of our empire, on which is the cross and our names written, and on the other your envoys and your merchants. And they, as they depart with the envoys of our empire, shall be escorted to the grand prince Igor of Rus' and to his people; and they, receiving the charter, shall take their oath to keep what is true, as we agreed and wrote on this charter, on which our names are written.
And we, as many of us as are baptized, have sworn by the church of St. Elias, which is the cathedral church, and by the precious cross that lies before us, and by this charter, to keep all that is written on it and to depart from none of it. And if any of our land transgress this — whether prince, or any other, baptized or unbaptized — may he receive no help from God, and may they be slaves in this age and in the next, and may he be slain with his own weapon.
And the unbaptized Rus' shall lay down their shields and their naked swords, and their arm-rings and all their other weapons, and shall swear to everything that is written on this charter, to keep it for Igor and for all his boyars and for all the people and for the land of Rus', in all the years to come and always.
And if any of the princes or of the people of Rus', Christian or unbaptized, transgress all that is written on this charter, may he deserve to die by his own weapon, and may he be accursed of God and of Perun, for that he has broken his oath.
But let all be well: let Igor the grand prince keep this love in all truth, that it be not broken, so long as the sun shines and the world stands, in the present ages and in the ages to come.“
And the envoys sent by Igor came to Igor with the Greek envoys and told him all the words of Emperor Romanos. And Igor called the Greek envoys and said: “Speak: what did the emperor tell you?” And the envoys said: “The emperor has sent us; he rejoices in peace and desires to have peace and love with the prince of Rus'. And your envoys swore the oath to our emperor, and they have sent us to swear the oath with you and your men.” And Igor promised to do so. And on the morrow Igor summoned the envoys, and they went up to the hill where Perun stood, and they laid down their weapons, and shields and gold; and Igor swore the oath, and his men, and all the pagan Rus'; but the Christian Rus' were led into the church of St. Elias, which is above the Brook, at the end of the Pasynets quarter and of the Khazars — for that was a gathering church, for many Varangians were Christians. And Igor, having confirmed the peace with the Greeks, dismissed the envoys, giving them furs and slaves and wax, and sent them away. And the envoys came to the emperor and told him all the words of Igor, and the love he bore the Greeks.
And Igor began to reign in Kyiv, keeping peace with all countries. And when autumn came, he began to plan against the Derevlianians, meaning to levy upon them a greater tribute.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same Old East Slavic text of the Hypatian Codex, paragraph for paragraph, and checked against the source before publication.
In the year 6453. Romanos, Constantine, and Stephen sent envoys to Igor to arrange a first peace. Igor spoke with them about peace. Igor sent his men to Romanos. Romanos gathered his boyars and dignitaries. They brought in the Rus' envoys and ordered the words of both sides to be spoken and written on parchment:
“A copy of the second agreement, made under Emperor Romanos, Constantine, and Stephen, rulers who love Christ. We are envoys and merchants from the Rus' people: Ivor, envoy of Igor, grand prince of Rus', and the common envoys: Vuefast for Sviatoslav, Igor's son; Iskusevi for Princess Olga; Sludy for Igor, Igor's nephew; Uleb for Volodislav; Kanitsar for Predslava; Shigobern for Sfandra, Uleb's wife; Prasten son of Turduv; Libiar son of Fast; Grim son of Sfirk; Prasten Yakun, Igor's nephew; Kary son of Tudka; Karshev son of Tudor; Egri son of Erlik; Voistov son of Iko; Istr son of Yamind; Yatviag son of Gunar; Shibrid Aldan; Kol son of Klek; Steggi son of Eton; Sfirka; Alvad son of Gud; Fudri son of Tulb; Mutor Utin; and the merchants Adun, Adolb, Angivlad, Uleb, Frutan, Gomol, Kutsi, Emig, Turbrid, Fursten, Bruny, Roald, Gunastr, Frasten, Ingeld, Turbern and the other Turbern, Uleb, Turben, Mony, Ruald, Sven, Stir, Aldan, Tilii, Apubkar, Sven, Vuzelev, and Sinko the herald. They were sent by Igor, grand prince of Rus', by all the princes, and by all the people of the Rus' land. Through them it was commanded to renew the old peace, broken for many years by the devil, who hates good and loves strife, and to establish love between the Greeks and Rus'.
Our grand prince Igor, his boyars, and all the Rus' people sent us to Romanos, Stephen, and Constantine, the great Greek emperors, to make peace with the emperors themselves and with all their boyars and all the Greek people for all the years, as long as the sun shines and the world stands.
Whoever from the Rus' side plans to break such love: those of them who have received baptism, may they receive vengeance from God almighty, condemnation and destruction in this age and in the age to come; and those of them who are not baptized, may they have no help from God or from Perun, may their shields not protect them, may they be cut down by their own swords and by their arrows and their other weapons, and may they be slaves in this age and in the next.
The grand prince of Rus' and his boyars shall send to the Greeks, to the great Greek emperors, as many ships as they wish, with their envoys and merchants, as has been set down for them. In earlier times the envoys carried gold seals, and the merchants silver ones. Now your prince has learned to send a letter to our empire: when envoys and merchants are sent by him, let them bring a letter written as follows: ‘I have sent so many ships.’ From it we too will know that they come in peace. If they come without a letter, they shall be handed over to us, held and kept, until we inform your prince. If they do not submit and resist, they shall be killed, and your prince shall have no claim for their deaths. If they run away and come back to Rus', we will write to your prince, and he will do with them as he pleases. And if Rus' people come without trading, they shall not receive the monthly allowance. The prince shall also forbid his own men and the Rus' who come here to do violence in the villages or anywhere in our country.
When they come, they shall be lodged at St. Mamas', and word shall be sent to our empire, and it shall write down their names. Then they shall receive what is theirs: the envoys their monthly stipend, and the merchants their monthly allowance, first those from the city of Kyiv, then those from Chernihiv and from Pereiaslav and the other cities. They shall enter the city by one gate, with the emperor's man, unarmed, 50 men, and trade as they need, and then go out again; and the man of our empire shall watch over them, so that if anyone of the Rus' or of the Greeks does wrong, the wrong may be made right. When the Rus' enter the city, they shall do no harm, and they may not buy silks worth more than fifty zolotniks apiece. Whoever buys any of those silks shall show them to the emperor's man, and he shall seal them and give them to them.
When the Rus' leave here, they take from us food for the road and whatever their boats need, as was settled at first, and they return in safety to their own land; and they may not stay for the winter at St. Mamas'.
If a servant runs away from the Rus' once they have come into the land of our empire, or from St. Mamas', and he is found, they shall seize him. If he is not found, then our Christian Rus' shall swear an oath, and the non-Christians shall swear by their own law; then they shall take their price from us, as was settled before: 2 silks for a servant.
If anyone from the people of our empire, from our city or from other cities, runs away to you with a servant of ours and brings anything, they shall send it back again, and if everything the servant took is still whole, two zolotniks shall be paid from it as a reward for catching him.
If anyone dares to seize something from the Rus' or from the people of our empire, whoever does this shall be severely punished; and if he has taken something, he shall pay back double. If a Greek does the same to a Rus' man, he shall receive the same punishment as the other.
If it happens that a Rus' man steals something from a Greek, or a Greek from a Rus' man, it is right that he give back not only the thing itself but also its price. If what was stolen is found being sold, he shall pay double its price, and he shall be punished by Greek law, by the Greek statute, and by the law of Rus'.
And whenever the Rus' bring in a Christian from our land as a captive, whether a young man or a fine maiden, they shall give 10 zolotniks and take the person. If the captive is middle-aged, he shall give 8 zolotniks and take the person. If the captive is old or a child, he shall give 5 zolotniks.
If Rus' people are found working for Greeks as captives, the Rus' may ransom them for 10 zolotniks. If a Greek has bought them, he shall swear on the cross and take back the price he paid for them.
About the country of Cherson. However many cities there are in that part, the Rus' princes shall not have the right to make war on those lands, and that land shall not be subject to you. When the Rus' prince asks us for troops, we will give him as many as he needs, and he may make war.
And on this: if the Rus' find a Greek ship cast ashore in any place, they shall do it no harm. If anyone takes anything from it, or enslaves or kills a man, he shall be answerable under the law of Rus' and under Greek law.
And if the Rus' find Cherson men fishing at the mouth of the Dnieper, they shall do them no harm at all.
And the Rus' shall not have the right to spend the winter at the mouth of the Dnieper, at Beloberezhie, or at St. Eleutherius'; when autumn comes, they shall go home to Rus'.
And about those who come—the Black Bulgars—and raid the country of Cherson: we command the Rus' prince not to let them pass, so that they do no harm to his land.
Or if some crime is done by Greeks who are under the authority of our empire, you shall not have the right to punish them; by the command of our empire he shall receive what he deserves for what he did.
And if a Christian kills a Rus' man, the killer shall be held by the kinsmen of the killed man, and they shall kill him. If he runs away after the murder, and he has property, the kinsmen of the killed man shall take it; if the killer has nothing and escapes, they shall hunt for him until he is found, and he shall be killed.
Or if a Rus' man strikes a Greek with a sword, or a spear, or any other weapon, or a Greek strikes a Rus' man, for that offense he shall pay 5 litras of silver by the law of Rus'. If he is too poor to pay, he shall be sold for all he can fetch; even the clothes he wears shall be taken off him. For the rest he shall swear by his own faith that he has nothing, and then he shall be let go.
And if our empire ever wants troops from you against those who resist us, we shall write to your grand prince, and he shall send us as many as we want; and from this other lands will learn what love the Greeks and Rus' have for each other.
We have set the whole agreement down on two charters. One charter is with our empire; on it are a cross and our names written, and on the other your envoys and your merchants. As they leave, the envoys of our empire shall take it to grand prince Igor of Rus' and to his people, and they, receiving the charter, shall swear an oath to keep what is right, as we agreed and wrote on this charter, on which our names are written.
We who are baptized have sworn by the cathedral church of St. Elias, by the honored cross that lies before us, and by this charter, to keep everything written on it and never to break any of it. If anyone on our side breaks this—the prince, or anyone else, baptized or unbaptized—may he have no help from God, may he be a slave in this age and in the next, and may he be killed by his own weapons.
And the unbaptized Rus' shall lay down their shields, their bare swords, their arm rings, and their other weapons, and shall swear to all that is written on this charter: that Igor and all his boyars and all the people and all the land of Rus' shall keep it in the years to come and forever.
But if anyone of the princes or of the Rus' people, Christian or unbaptized, breaks all that is written on this charter, he deserves to die by his own weapons, and may he be cursed by God and by Perun, for he has broken his oath.
So may it be well: may grand prince Igor keep this whole true love unbroken, as long as the sun shines and the world stands, in this age and in the age to come.”
The envoys sent by Igor came back to Igor with the Greek envoys and reported all the words of Emperor Romanos. Igor called the Greek envoys and said: “Speak: what did the emperor tell you?” The emperor's envoys said: “The emperor has sent us; he is glad of peace and wants to have peace and friendship with the Rus' prince. Your envoys led our emperor through his oath, and they sent us to lead you and your men through yours.” Igor promised to do so. The next day Igor called the envoys and came to the hill where Perun stood. They laid down their weapons, shields, and gold, and Igor and his men swore, as many as were pagan Rus'; the Christian Rus' were led into the church of St. Elias, which stands above the Stream at the edge of the Pasynets court, and so were the Khazars, for that was a cathedral church, and many of the Varangians were Christians. Igor, having confirmed the peace with the Greeks, let the envoys go, giving them furs, servants, and wax, and sent them off. The envoys came to the emperor and reported all Igor's words and his friendship toward the Greeks.
And Igor began to rule in Kyiv, keeping peace with all lands. Autumn came, and he began to plan against the Derevlianians, wanting to add a larger tribute.