Formulary analysis

Formular analysis is a historical source study method for analyzing an act source form .

An act in the narrow sense in source science means an agreement between two counterparties . These may be international treaties , (for example, the treaties of Russia with Byzantium are the oldest Russian acts of sources), various letters of sale: deed of purchase (deed of exchange), exchange of land (exchange of deed), land pledging (mortgage deed), and awards, for example, by the prince of the monastery ( deed of honor ), etc. As a rule, acts of the same type have an established model of construction, a form . Formular analysis is based on a comparison of the forms of specific act documents, in particular for their more accurate dating (the form changed over time) and classification by groups. The conditional form , that is, the ideal model of a medieval act, is divided into the following parts:

Initial protocol

• Invocation - dedication to a higher power or sovereign.
• Intitulation - an indication of who the document is coming from.
• Encryption is an indication of who the document is addressed to.
• Salute is a greeting.

Main part

• Arenga - a preamble, the motives for creating a document.
• Promulgation - a warning about the essence of the document.
• Narration is the essence of the matter.
• Disposition - suggestions and questions.
• Sanction - a ban on violation of conditions.
• Corroboration - document certification, signature and seal.

Final Protocol (eschatocol)

• Datum - date and place of writing.
• Appeal is a conclusion-benevolence.

In a particular act, not all of the listed parts may be present, in addition, they may follow in a different order. In addition, in a formal analysis, the text of the act can be divided into “articles” or “clauses” (the concepts are not completely identical), finished by thought expressions: sacred, motivational, containing treatment, notification, procedural, certifying, descriptive, indicative, requesting, contractual . Articles are divided into revolutions, revolutions into elements. In addition, the acts distinguish “formulas” - stable expressions, “realities” - names, toponyms, etc. and “descriptions” - original expressions that are not stamps.