When Russian archaeologists uncovered a piece of birchbark in 1951, they stumbled upon a remarkable glimpse into the everyday lives of medieval people. This seemingly ordinary strip of birchbark, inscribed in Old Russian, turned out to be a handwritten letter from centuries ago. It was a window into the past, revealing the words and thoughts of individuals who lived in the Middle Ages.
Since that discovery, more birchbark letters have emerged, primarily in the city of Novgorod in northwestern Russia. By 2017, archaeologists had uncovered around 1,200 pieces, dating from the 11th to the 15th centuries. Astonishingly well-preserved by the region’s clay-rich soil, these letters offer an unparalleled view of medieval daily life. Unlike grand historical chronicles, these brief messages reveal the small, personal stories of daily life—business deals, friendly exchanges, and even playful notes from children.
Advertisement
Two books – Old Russian Birchbark Letters, by Simon Dekker and Voices on Birchbark: Everyday Communication in Medieval Russia, by Jos Schaeken – explore this unique corpus of medieval correspondence. These short letters, often fewer than 20 words, are filled with practical matters: instructions to merchants, disputes over debts, or arrangements for social gatherings. Among the more surprising finds is a letter written by a child practicing their handwriting and another containing a marriage proposal. Here are some of our favourite letters:
From Boris to Nastas’ja
As soon as this letter arrives, send me a man on a stallion, because I have a lot of work here. And send a shirt; I forgot a shirt.
Advertisement
This letter, which was written near the end of the 14th century, probably came from Boris Vasil’evič, an official in Novgorod. Near it the archaeologists found another letter, dated to between 1410 and 1420, which Nastas’ja wrote:
A bow from Nastas’ja to my lords, to my brothers. My Boris is dead. How, lords, will you care for me and my children?
From Ilijca to Il’ja
Sujga is overwriting the marks on the oaks and has taken out the honey from the hives, saying “I am taking away the oaks on my own mark.” He is cutting away the cut-mark, saying “It is my oak. Your former beekeeper has fallen into robbery.” And now come here yourself; confirm your ownership of the bee-yard.
This letter, written in the early 14th century, has Ilijca writing to his employer about a dispute over beehives. Wild beekeeping involved marking trees to establish ownership. Ilijca reports that another beekeeper, Šujga, is claiming Il’ja’s oaks, harvesting his honey, and accusing the former beekeeper of theft. Ilijca urges Il’ja to intervene personally to resolve the conflict.
Advertisement
Request from Semen to the priest Ivan
May you check up on my goods so that moths will not ruin (them); I request to you, my lord, in regard of my trunk. And I have sent the key with Stepan. And the mark (on the trunk) is an ermine.
It is likely that the key was sent with the letter, suggesting that Stepan was also the messenger. Semen appears to have stored his valuables in a church cellar, as the letter is addressed to a priest. In medieval Novgorod, this was common practice since stone churches offered better protection from fire than wooden houses.
From Radoslav to Xoteslav
Collect from the merchant 2 grivnas and 5 kunas.
Brother Jakov, do your screwing lying down, you horny ballser!
This 12th-century letter was written by two different people. One interpretation is that they are back and forth between two brothers. Radoslav is asking Xoteslav to collect some money (grivnas and kunas are types of coins). However, in the second part Xoteslav replies, and uses Radoslav’s baptismal name followed by his own way of complaining that he shouldn’t have to do his brother’s work.
Advertisement
A letter to a priest
An order from the priest’s wife to the priest. What happened to you came to (the ears of) Onanija, and now it is being spread by Kjur’jak. So now show some concern about it.
In this letter from the late 14th century, a priest has apparently done something he should not have, and it is now being gossiped about. His wife is now ordering him to do something about it immediately, although she is careful not to say what the problem is (perhaps wary about the message being seen by the wrong people).
From Mikita to Malanija
Marry me. I want you, and you me. And Ignat Moiseev is witness to that. And in property…
The editor notes that this late 13th-century letter sounds more passionate in English translation than it would have been in Old Russian. They also find it interesting that Mikita is asking Malanija directly instead of her father, which would be the usual protocol at the time. Part of the letter is missing.
Advertisement
This 12th century letter is from a matchmaker to Marena – a noble lady of Novgorod. Matchmaker Milusha writes that it is time for Bolshaya Kosa (apparently, Marena’s daughter) to marry a certain Snovid and wishes her luck.
Moisej’s Letter
Thus may your heart be enflamed, and your body, and your soul, towards me and towards my body and towards the sight of me.
According to the editor, early 15th-century letter “seems to be a steamy lyrical spell.”
Two letters from Smen
These two letters, written in the later 14th century, were found rolled up together:
A bow from Smen to my daughter-in-law. In case you have not celebrated the commemoration meal: you had malt, and the rye malt is in the cellar. You take a handful, and as much flour as you need, and you bake it in the (proper) measure. And the meat is in the pantry. And concerning the rouble that is due to Ignat, you give it.
A bow from Smen to Sidor. When you will sell, then you give us rye for a poltina (half a rouble), as you will give it to (other) people. And the letter to you is with my servant.
Here we have two letters, one for a family member and the other to a business associate. Perhaps Smen intended for his servant to deliver both letters, but for some reason he failed to do so. The one to his daughter-in-law is reminding her to prepare food for a memorial, directing her to find malt for beer and flour for bread or meat pie (pirog), which is still popular in Russian cuisine today.
A Birch-bark letter in Karelian/Baltic-Finnic language from the early 13th Century.
A letter to Zirocko and from Tesko to Vdovin
Say to Šil’ce: “Why are you damaging other people’s pigs? Nozdr’ka has made (this) known. And you have disgraced the entire Ljudin End. (There has been) a letter from the other side (of the river). It was about horses, that you have done the same (with them).”
This early 12th-century letter seems to allude to a scandal that is affecting an entire neighbourhood in Novgorod. A couple of suggestions are that Šil’ce is involved in bestiality or that he is casting magical spells that are harming the animals.
Onfim’s Letters
We also have 17 letters that were created by Onfim, which date to the mid-13th century. Judging by the material in these letters, Onfim was a boy about six or seven years old. They show what seem to be learning exercises: practicing the alphabet, repeating syllables, and writing psalms. One letter includes him writing out “A bow from Onfim to Danilo” and “I am a beast.” Most of these letters include pictures, such as a knight on a horse and a strange beast. Here are images from some of Onfim’s letters:
When Russian archaeologists uncovered a piece of birchbark in 1951, they stumbled upon a remarkable glimpse into the everyday lives of medieval people. This seemingly ordinary strip of birchbark, inscribed in Old Russian, turned out to be a handwritten letter from centuries ago. It was a window into the past, revealing the words and thoughts of individuals who lived in the Middle Ages.
Since that discovery, more birchbark letters have emerged, primarily in the city of Novgorod in northwestern Russia. By 2017, archaeologists had uncovered around 1,200 pieces, dating from the 11th to the 15th centuries. Astonishingly well-preserved by the region’s clay-rich soil, these letters offer an unparalleled view of medieval daily life. Unlike grand historical chronicles, these brief messages reveal the small, personal stories of daily life—business deals, friendly exchanges, and even playful notes from children.
Two books – Old Russian Birchbark Letters, by Simon Dekker and Voices on Birchbark: Everyday Communication in Medieval Russia, by Jos Schaeken – explore this unique corpus of medieval correspondence. These short letters, often fewer than 20 words, are filled with practical matters: instructions to merchants, disputes over debts, or arrangements for social gatherings. Among the more surprising finds is a letter written by a child practicing their handwriting and another containing a marriage proposal. Here are some of our favourite letters:
From Boris to Nastas’ja
As soon as this letter arrives, send me a man on a stallion, because I have a lot of work here. And send a shirt; I forgot a shirt.
This letter, which was written near the end of the 14th century, probably came from Boris Vasil’evič, an official in Novgorod. Near it the archaeologists found another letter, dated to between 1410 and 1420, which Nastas’ja wrote:
A bow from Nastas’ja to my lords, to my brothers. My Boris is dead. How, lords, will you care for me and my children?
From Ilijca to Il’ja
Sujga is overwriting the marks on the oaks and has taken out the honey from the hives, saying “I am taking away the oaks on my own mark.” He is cutting away the cut-mark, saying “It is my oak. Your former beekeeper has fallen into robbery.” And now come here yourself; confirm your ownership of the bee-yard.
This letter, written in the early 14th century, has Ilijca writing to his employer about a dispute over beehives. Wild beekeeping involved marking trees to establish ownership. Ilijca reports that another beekeeper, Šujga, is claiming Il’ja’s oaks, harvesting his honey, and accusing the former beekeeper of theft. Ilijca urges Il’ja to intervene personally to resolve the conflict.
Request from Semen to the priest Ivan
May you check up on my goods so that moths will not ruin (them); I request to you, my lord, in regard of my trunk. And I have sent the key with Stepan. And the mark (on the trunk) is an ermine.
It is likely that the key was sent with the letter, suggesting that Stepan was also the messenger. Semen appears to have stored his valuables in a church cellar, as the letter is addressed to a priest. In medieval Novgorod, this was common practice since stone churches offered better protection from fire than wooden houses.
From Radoslav to Xoteslav
Collect from the merchant 2 grivnas and 5 kunas.
Brother Jakov, do your screwing lying down, you horny ballser!
This 12th-century letter was written by two different people. One interpretation is that they are back and forth between two brothers. Radoslav is asking Xoteslav to collect some money (grivnas and kunas are types of coins). However, in the second part Xoteslav replies, and uses Radoslav’s baptismal name followed by his own way of complaining that he shouldn’t have to do his brother’s work.
A letter to a priest
An order from the priest’s wife to the priest. What happened to you came to (the ears of) Onanija, and now it is being spread by Kjur’jak. So now show some concern about it.
In this letter from the late 14th century, a priest has apparently done something he should not have, and it is now being gossiped about. His wife is now ordering him to do something about it immediately, although she is careful not to say what the problem is (perhaps wary about the message being seen by the wrong people).
From Mikita to Malanija
Marry me. I want you, and you me. And Ignat Moiseev is witness to that. And in property…
The editor notes that this late 13th-century letter sounds more passionate in English translation than it would have been in Old Russian. They also find it interesting that Mikita is asking Malanija directly instead of her father, which would be the usual protocol at the time. Part of the letter is missing.
Moisej’s Letter
Thus may your heart be enflamed, and your body, and your soul, towards me and towards my body and towards the sight of me.
According to the editor, early 15th-century letter “seems to be a steamy lyrical spell.”
Two letters from Smen
These two letters, written in the later 14th century, were found rolled up together:
A bow from Smen to my daughter-in-law. In case you have not celebrated the commemoration meal: you had malt, and the rye malt is in the cellar. You take a handful, and as much flour as you need, and you bake it in the (proper) measure. And the meat is in the pantry. And concerning the rouble that is due to Ignat, you give it.
A bow from Smen to Sidor. When you will sell, then you give us rye for a poltina (half a rouble), as you will give it to (other) people. And the letter to you is with my servant.
Here we have two letters, one for a family member and the other to a business associate. Perhaps Smen intended for his servant to deliver both letters, but for some reason he failed to do so. The one to his daughter-in-law is reminding her to prepare food for a memorial, directing her to find malt for beer and flour for bread or meat pie (pirog), which is still popular in Russian cuisine today.
A letter to Zirocko and from Tesko to Vdovin
Say to Šil’ce: “Why are you damaging other people’s pigs? Nozdr’ka has made (this) known. And you have disgraced the entire Ljudin End. (There has been) a letter from the other side (of the river). It was about horses, that you have done the same (with them).”
This early 12th-century letter seems to allude to a scandal that is affecting an entire neighbourhood in Novgorod. A couple of suggestions are that Šil’ce is involved in bestiality or that he is casting magical spells that are harming the animals.
Onfim’s Letters
We also have 17 letters that were created by Onfim, which date to the mid-13th century. Judging by the material in these letters, Onfim was a boy about six or seven years old. They show what seem to be learning exercises: practicing the alphabet, repeating syllables, and writing psalms. One letter includes him writing out “A bow from Onfim to Danilo” and “I am a beast.” Most of these letters include pictures, such as a knight on a horse and a strange beast. Here are images from some of Onfim’s letters:
To learn more about these letters, check out Old Russian Birchbark Letters: A Pragmatic Approach, by Simon Dekker, and Voices on Birchbark: Everyday Communication in Medieval Russia, by Jos Schaeken, both of which are published by Brill. You can also see more of these birchbark letters at gramoty.ru/birchbark/
Related Posts
Subscribe to Medievalverse