Male honor and dishonor in pre-Peter Russia (X—XVII centuries)
Svetlana V. Omelyanchuk, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor
Russian Institute of Theatre Arts, Moscow, Russia, omelyanchuks@mail.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8161-8552
Abstract
The article examines ideas about male honor in Ancient Rus in the 10th—17th centuries. During this period, the concept of “honor” was described in terms demonstrating the consequences of dishonorable actions and denoted both the insult itself and compensation for its damages. The law extended the possibility of protecting honor to representatives of all social groups, including foreigners. Dishonorable actions included physical violence associated with both mutilation and injuries that have moral and psychological significance for the individual (pulling out hair, beard, etc.), verbal abuse, slander, and attacks on reputation. For representatives of the upper service class, family honor was of particular importance, the protection of which took place in the course of local disputes. Responsibility for dishonor was differentiated. The form of responsibility and the severity of punishment depended on the social status, first only of the victim, and by the middle of the 17th century, of the person guilty of dishonorable actions.
Omelyanchuk S. V. Male honor and dishonor in pre-Peter Russia (X—XVII centuries). Vestnik of Orenburg State Pedagogical University. Electronic Scientific Journal, 2025, no. 4 (56), pp. 167—190. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32516/2303-9922.2025.56.11.
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