Justice of the Rus

Audience

The Justice of the Rus was intended first and foremost for use in court. It was also a statement of political power. In both capacities it was aimed at, and would certainly have been known among, a broad range of elites, including church officials, the nobility and gentry, and prosperous merchants or townsmen. The later redactions, especially the clauses added by Monomakh, were clearly intended also for a broad, even a mass audience, especially in the capital. They were written to restore social order, to satisfy popular concerns, and to convince the ordinary urban resident that their prince would offer them protection from some of the worst abuses they might suffer from masters, landlords, creditors, and others.