The history of the people is its main treasure and memory, which cannot be forgotten after many centuries. Being interested in facts about the life of our ancestors, we often notice that the information is shrouded in secrets and deep meaning. Many are trying to learn what spiritual literacy is, how to understand and decipher it. Some researchers give the concept the following definition: spiritual literacy is one of the most important sources of Russian medieval history, a testament addressed not only to specific individuals, but also to the whole people and descendants.
Wills of princes
In ancient times, to understand what the specific prince owns, it was enough just to look at his spiritual letter. She gave detailed information about the ownership of the owner, about the reasons and methods for its acquisition. Thanks to the recorded information, in an extraordinary will we can trace the dynamics of the collection or fragmentation of princely lands and wealth. In the Middle Ages, almost everyone knew about spiritual literacy. The manuscripts were stored for a long time and carefully, because documents were treated very reverently before. A collection of wills of the great Moscow princes has survived to this day.
The life and work of Ivan Kalita
One of the most remarkable and valuable is considered to be the spiritual letter of Ivan Kalita. It was truly the Grand Duke, who was born in 1283 and traveled a difficult path before becoming a famous and revered person during his lifetime. At the very beginning of his reign, the prince achieved tremendous results. He was respected for his ability to find a common language with people, as well as for perseverance and determination. Thanks to Great Ivan, the economic and political life of the union of the Moscow Principality and the Golden Horde came into harmony. Kalita was merciless with traitors and strict with his people, any confrontations were always suppressed by him with ease.
The spiritual letters of Ivan Kalita
The spiritual letter of Kalita was drawn up for a long time, in a very difficult historical period for Russia. At the beginning of the will there is an indication of the prince's state of health. He assured that everything was fine with him mentally and that there were no physical deviations either. Over his life, Kalita has accumulated sufficient capital, which he bequeathed to his sons and wife, Princess Ulyana. In the document, Ivan listed all his savings that he inherited from his father, grandfather, and those that he earned on his own. By the way, there were a lot of them. At that time, the Grand Duke was the owner of several cities, including Ruza, Zvenigorod, Mozhaysk, Serpukhov, Kolomna. Ivan Kalita owned dozens of villages and volosts.
Thus, to the question of what spiritual letter is, a simple answer can be given - a real testament drawn up during the reign. For the first time Kalita neglected the rules of the division of inheritance. He distributed it to all his sons equally, not paying attention to the “ladder climb”, according to which a significant share went to the eldest son. It is worth noting that Ivan Kalita did not take care of anyone else except his family. The entire inheritance was divided in a close family circle. An interesting fact is that the prince did not allocate a “widow's share” to his wife. He rightfully owned the money he gave to his eldest son and ordered him to take care of his mother and younger brothers.
Kalita's testament today
Unfortunately, few people know what spiritual literacy is, but it is never too late to read it and imbued with the events of a thousand years ago. For example, the will of Ivan Kalita is now available to everyone. There are two options for the spiritual writing of the Grand Duke, each of which deserves attention.