The Koran in the diplomatic practice of the Chancellery of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania

  • Aliona A. Liubaya National Institute for Higher Education, 15 Maskoŭskaja Street, Minsk 220007, Belarus

Abstract

In the papers, the author proves that a copy of the Koran appeared in the Chancellery of the the Grand Duchy of Lithuania not later than the beginning of the XVI century. He performed significant ritual functions in concluding peace treaties with the Crimean Khanate and holding of the oath by the Tatar ambassadors. Similar procedures existed in the Grand Duchy of Moscow. The author draws a conclusion the surviving sources fix a copy of the Koran at the Vilnia Chancellery of the Grand Duke of Lithuania 60 years earlier than at the court of the Moscow sovereign. It can be argued that this specimen is directly related to the Koranic translation tradition of Eastern Europe of the XVI–XVII centuries.

Author Biography

Aliona A. Liubaya, National Institute for Higher Education, 15 Maskoŭskaja Street, Minsk 220007, Belarus

PhD (history); head of the department of the historical and cultural heritage of Belarus

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Published
2018-01-31
Keywords: The Koran, the Chancery of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Tatar interpreters, the tradition of translation and interpretation of the Koran in Eastern Europe
How to Cite
Liubaya A. A. The Koran in the diplomatic practice of the Chancellery of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania // Journal of the Belarusian State University. History. 2018. 1. PP. 51-58.