At the dividing line of political thought in Russia: Correspondence between Andrei Kurbsky and Ivan the Terrible

Abstract

The aim of the present paper is to provide a historical and philosophical analysis and an up-to-date interpretation of the correspondence between Andrei Kurbsky and Ivan the Terrible. According to the author, the decisive point of disagreement between the two was a difference not just of political and ideological, but also of cultural and aesthetic priorities: Prince Kurbsky's commitment to the Renaissance humanism (his acquaintance with it began long before his departure from Russia) did not allow him to adopt the program of cultural isolation and political authoritarianism implemented by the Tsar. Whereas the latter used the religious idea with the aim get Russia turn against Europe and to suppress freedom aspirations inside Russia, Kurbsky, with his keen interest in European scientific methods and fascinated by the diversity of religious and philosophical ideas in the West, opted for the dialogic model of social interaction and championed cultural rapprochement between Russia and Europe. It would be fair to say that Prince Kurbsky was one of the first Russian Europeans. Hence the interpretation proposed by the author, according to which the correspondence between Andrei Kurbsky and Ivan the Terrible can be regarded as a manifestation of the dramatic collision between divergent vectors of Russian political thought, the opposing versions of Russian spirituality and Russian mission. These ideological extremities, first crystallized in the famous epistolary duel of 17th century, kept being reproduced at almost every stage in the history of Russian society as a constant and integral part of its identity, a problem of an indubitably existential nature. Controversy between Ivan the Terrible and Andrei Kurbsky in many ways provided the model of historiosophical thinking and shaped the format of political debate in Russia.