Zolotoordynskoe Obozrenie (Jan 2016)
The Mongol Empire and the Tatars in the Ragusan Chronicle of Giacomo Luccari »
Abstract
Nobleman Giacomo di Pietro Luccari, or Jakov Lukarević (1551–1615), was one of the several notable historians of the Republic of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) who lived and worked at the turn of the sixteenth and the seventeenth century. In 1605 in Venice, he published his book Copioso ristretto degli Annali di Ragusa. Luccari attempted to provide an overview of the history of his home city, as well as the states and peoples that influenced the history of Ragusa. One of the most interesting excurses in his work is related to the Mongol Еmpire, chiefly based on the works of Marco Polo and Hayton of Corycus, but also other less known source materials. Luccari also wrote short sketches about the Golden Horde and the Tatar presence in the Lower Danube region. In general, his book is unreliable source, full of factual mistakes, but it deserves attention of the researchers due to one particular reason. Namely, Luccari was the first South Slavic historian who dealt with the Tatars and their important place in the world history. Despite the considerable degree of popularity it enjoyed at the time of its appearance, Copioso ristretto is neither critically published, nor translated in any modern language so far. Therefore, in this paper, annotated Russian translation of the passages from the work of Luccari with respect to the Mongol Empire and the Tatars of the Golden Horde is presented to the wider circle of scholarly audience, accompanied by a short introductory study about the Ragusan historian and his work.
