PEOPLE AND AUTHORITIES IN HALYCH AS AN EXAMPLE OF «THE BYZANTINE REPUBLIC»

Abstract

The article considers an issue of political system in Halych within 12th–13th centuries as an example of byzantinistic republicanism. That includes, also rethinking of powers «legitimacy» perception, according to Eastern Roman Empire institution-forming ideology. Unlike Western Europe, which after the fall of Rome, under the onslaught of barbarian tribes, adapted the principle of personal «divine right», in which the power was the personal property of a certain ruler, Byzantines preserved the republican mentality and the idea of power as the property of the people (only delegated to certain persons). The key Byzantine type state-building category is the concept of «politeia» – the plural, which is the source of «basileia» – the kingdom. The author emphasizes the proximity of Halych’s 12th–13th centuries political system to the Eastern Roman Empire’s one. In this contecst Halych political system of 12th– 13th centuries is determined as an electoral republican monarchy of the Byzantine type. This allows to reconsider a traditionally antagonistic picture of Halych’s political life as a confrontation between the state-creating personality of the princes and the destructive elements, embedded in the annals as «Halychians», «Halycian boyars» etc. Within byzantinistic republicanism stratum this elements may be consider as an example of the mature realization of the republican culture accepted from its Greco-Roman sources, combined with the traditions of the ancient Slavic community (viche) culture. Therefore three stages of evolution of the Halician Politician of the 12th–13th centuries are outlined: a) Slavic-Byzantine; b) Byzantine, c) Byzantine- Frankish. Also highlighted a role of geographical location of Halych «politeia», which, on the one hand, was ontologically linked with the laocracy of New Rome, and on the other hand, has been an example, of democratic formation for the neighboring countries of Arpad and Piast rules, who experienced partial erosion of the Latin-European paradigm of legitimisation of power by the «divine right».