THE BYZANTINE INHERITANCE IN RUSSIA 383
bound. ^ Russian art, like Byzantine art, is not illusionist or
naturalistic: it permits of no free play for individual fancy
save in its glorious colouring. It does not attempt to represent
the realism of this world, but seeks to transport the wor-
shipper into the world of a supernatural tranquillity—into
that peace of soul which our troubled existence here can
neither give nor take away. In its bold simplicity the icon
can^make its appeal to all alike; it calls for no secret gnosis
for its understanding. It speaks a universal language and in
this it does but reflect the universality of the Christian faith,
The first great Russian victory over the Tartars was the
battle of Kulikovo Pole, 8 September 1380. St. Sergius of
Radonezh had bidden the Russians 'go forward and fear
not. God will help you', and the saint's words had been put
to a triumphant test. In 1472 Ivan III married Sophia
Palaeologus, the niece of the last East Roman Emperor. In
1480 Ivan renounced his subjection to the Tartar and adopted
the title of Tsar or autocrat: he was no longer the vassal of
any alien power.
In the early history of Russia there is no developed theory
of sovereignty, nor could there be in a land where the feuds of
the princes made unity impossible, where the authority of
the Great Prince of Kiev depended upon his power to enforce
it by arms. The developed theory of sovereignty came with
the establishment of the autocracy of the princes of Moscow
after the liberation from the Tartar domination. But though
that theory was derived from the Byzantine Empire, it did
not, it would seem, come to Russia directly from Constanti-
nople, but indirectly by way of Bulgaria. The second Bul-
garian Empire with its centre at Trnovo had for a time
controlled the Balkans (see Ch. 13); its rulers had styled
themselves Tsar and Autokrator and at their Court there
had been a literary revival when Greek works were translated
into Bulgarian. Among these translated works was the verse
chronicle of Manasses. In this chronicle the decline of the
Roman power in western Europe was described: the old
Rome of the West had failed, but Constantinople had taken
its place and still stood young and vigorous. In the Bulgarian
version Constantinople disappears, and in its stead the