Novgorod land (Republic)

The power of one person over another destroys, first of all, the one who rules.
Lev Tolstoy

The largest principality of the era of specific fragmentation of Rus' was the Novgorod land, which was ruled in the form of a boyar republic. The principality prospered due to the development of trade and crafts, because Novgorod, the center of the earth, was located on the most important trade routes. Novgorod for a long time maintained its independence from Kyiv and managed to maintain its independence and originality.

Geographical position

The Novgorod principality or Novgorod land (republic) was located in the northern part of Rus' from the Northern Arctic Ocean to the upper reaches of the Volga, and from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains. The capital is Novgorod. Big cities: Novgorod, Pskov, Staraya Russa, Ladoga, Torzhok, Korela, Pskov and others.

Map of the Novgorod land in the 12th-13th centuries.

The specifics of the geographical location consisted in the almost complete absence of agriculture, since the soil was unsuitable for Agriculture, as well as remoteness from the steppes, thanks to which Novgorod practically did not see the Mongol invasion. At the same time, the principality was constantly subjected to military invasions by the Swedes, Lithuanians and German knights. Thus, it was the Novgorod lands that were the shield of Rus', which guarded it from the North and West.

Geographical neighbors of the Novgorod Republic:

Vladimir-Suzdal Principality
Smolensk principality
Polotsk principality
Livonia
Sweden

Economic features

The lack of good arable land has led to The Novgorod Republic actively developed crafts and trade. Among the crafts stood out: the production of iron, fishing, hunting, salt making and other crafts characteristic of the northern regions. Trade was mainly carried out with neighboring regions: the Baltic states, German cities, Volga Bulgaria, Scandinavia.

Novgorod was the richest trading city in Rus'. This was achieved by the advantageous geographical position, as well as the presence of trade relations with various regions, including with Byzantium and the Caucasus. Mostly Novgorodians traded in furs, honey, wax, iron products, pottery, weapons, and so on.

Political structure

The Novgorod feudal republic was formally ruled by a prince, but in reality the control system can be represented as an inverted triangle.

Veche and the boyars had real power. Suffice it to say that it was the veche who appointed the prince, and it could also expel him. In addition, at the citywide veche, which functioned within the framework of the boyar council (300 gold belts), the following were appointed:

Prince - was invited along with the squad. His residence was outside the city. The main task is to protect Novgorod land from external threats.
Posadnik is the head of the city administration. His tasks are to monitor the prince, to judge in cities, to manage cities. In submission had the headman of the streets of the city.
Tysyatsky - the head of the city administration and the city militia (assistant posadnik). He was engaged in population management.
The archbishop is the head of the Novgorod church. Tasks - storage of archives and treasury, responsibility for external relations, monitoring of trade, compilation and preservation of annals. The archbishop was approved by the Moscow Metropolitan.

The prince could be called by the Novgorodians, but he could also be expelled, which happened often. A gift (contract) was concluded with the prince, in which the rights and obligations of the prince were indicated. The prince was considered only as a protector from foreign invaders, but had no influence on internal politics, as well as the appointment/removal of officials. Suffice it to say that during the 12th-13th centuries the princes in Novgorod changed 58 times! Therefore, we can safely say that the real power in this principality belonged to the boyars and merchants.

The political independence of the Novgorod Republic was formalized in 1132-1136 after the expulsion of Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich. After that, the Novgorod land liquidated the power of Kyiv and became in fact independent state with a republican form of government. Therefore, it is customary to say that the Novgorod state was a boyar republic with elements of a system of urban self-government.

Novgorod the Great

Novgorod - the capital of the Novgorod land, was founded in the 9th century as a result of the unification of the settlements of three tribes: Chud, Slavic and Meryan. The city was located along the Volkhov River and was divided by it, as it were, into 2 parts: eastern and western. The eastern part was called Trade, and the western - Sofia (in honor of the cathedral).

Novgorod was one of the largest and most beautiful cities not only in Rus', but also in Europe. The population of the city was quite educated compared to other cities. This was largely due to the fact that crafts and trade developed in the city, which required specific knowledge.

culture

Novgorod is one of largest cities of his time. It is no coincidence that he is often called Lord Veliky Novgorod. Located in the center of the city Saint Sophia Cathedral. The pavements in the city were paved logs and were constantly updated. The city itself was surrounded by a moat and wooden walls. Wood and stone construction was practiced in the city. As a rule, churches and temples were built of stone, one of the functions of which was to store money.

Chronicles, fairy tales and epics were created in the Novgorod land. Much attention was paid to iconography. The brightest canvas of that era is the “Angel with Golden Hair”, which today can be seen in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

Developed in the principality and architecture with fresco painting. The main direction of development is realism.

Main events

The main events in the principality in the 12th-13th centuries:

1136 - the expulsion of Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich, after which the Novgorodians independently elected their own prince.
1156 - independent election of the Novgorod Archbishop
1207-1209 - social movements in Novgorod against the boyars
1220-1230 reign of Yaroslav, son of Vsevolod the Big Nest
1236-1251 - reign of Alexander Nevsky

NOVGOROD PRINCIPALITY

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Article subject:	NOVGOROD PRINCIPALITY
Rubric (thematic category)	Story

The territory of the Novgorod principality increased gradually. Novgorod principality began with ancient area settlements of the Slavs. It was located in the basin of Lake Ilmen, as well as the rivers Volkhov, Lovat, Msta and Mologa. From the north, Novgorod land was covered by the fortress-city of Ladoga, located at the mouth of the Volkhov. Over time, the territory of the Novgorod principality increased. The principality even had its own colonies.

Novgorod Principality in the XII-XIII centuries in the north owned lands along Lake Onega, the basin of Lake Ladoga and the northern shores of the Gulf of Finland. The outpost of the Novgorod principality in the west was the city of Yuryev (Tartu), which was founded by Yaroslav the Wise. This was the Chudskaya land. The Novgorod principality expanded very quickly to the north and east (northeast). So, lands that stretched to the Urals and even beyond the Urals went to the Novgorod principality.

Novgorod itself occupied a territory that had five ends (districts). The entire territory of the Novgorod Principality was divided into five regions in accordance with the five districts of the city. These areas were also called pyatinas. So, to the north-west of Novgorod was the Vodskaya Pyatina. It spread towards the Gulf of Finland and covered the lands of the Finnish Vod tribe. The Shelon Pyatina spread to the southwest on both sides of the Shelon River. Between the rivers Msta and Lovat, southeast of Novgorod, there was Derevskaya Pyatina. On both sides of Lake Onega to the northeast to the White Sea, there was the Obonezh Pyatina. Beyond the Derevskaya and Obonezhskaya pyatinas, to the southeast, was the Bezhetskaya pyatina.

In addition to the indicated five pyatins, the Novgorod principality included Novgorod volosts. One of them was the Dvina land (Zavolochye), which was located in the area of the Northern Dvina. Another volost of the Novgorod principality was the Perm land, which was located along the Vychegda, as well as along its tributaries. The principality of Novgorod included land on both sides of the Pechora. It was the region of Pechora. Yugra was located to the east of the Northern Urals. Within the Onega and Ladoga lakes was the land of Korela, which was also part of the Novgorod principality. The Kola Peninsula (Tersky Coast) was also part of the Novgorod Principality.

The basis of the Novgorod economy was agriculture. The land and the peasants working on it provided the main income for the landowners. These were the boyars and, of course, the Orthodox clergy. Among the large landowners were merchants.

On the lands of the Novgorod pyatins, the arable system prevailed. In the extreme northern regions, the undercut was preserved. Lands at these latitudes cannot be called fertile. For this reason, part of the bread was imported from other Russian lands, most often from the Ryazan principality and the Rostov-Suzdal land. The problem of providing bread was especially relevant in lean years, which were not uncommon here.

It was not only the earth that fed. The population was engaged in hunting for fur and sea animals, fishing, beekeeping, salt mining in Staraya Russa and Vychegda, iron ore mining in Vodskaya Pyatina. Trade and crafts were widely developed in Novgorod. Carpenters, potters, blacksmiths, gunsmiths, shoemakers, tanners, felters, bridge workers and other artisans worked there. Novgorod carpenters were even sent to Kyiv, where they carried out very important orders.

Trade routes passed through Novgorod from Northern Europe to the Black Sea basin, as well as from Western countries to countries of Eastern Europe. Novgorod merchants in the 10th century sailed on their ships along the route ʼʼfrom the Varangians to the Greeksʼʼ. At the same time, they reached the shores of Byzantium. The Novgorod state had very close trade and economic ties with the states of Europe. Among them was Gotland, a large trading center of North-Western Europe. In Novgorod there was a whole trading colony - the Gothic court.
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It was surrounded by a high wall, behind which there were barns and houses with foreign merchants living in them.

In the second half of the 12th century, Novgorod's trade relations with the union of North German cities (Hansa) were strengthened. All measures were taken to ensure that foreign merchants feel completely safe. Another merchant colony and a new German trading yard were built.
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The life of the trading colonies was regulated by a special charter (ʼʼSkraʼʼ).

Novgorodians supplied linen, hemp, linen, lard, wax and the like to the market. Metals, cloth, weapons and other goods went to Novgorod from abroad. Goods went through Novgorod from the countries of the West to the countries of the East and in the opposite direction. Novgorod acted as an intermediary in such trade. Goods from the East were delivered to Novgorod along the Volga, from where they were sent to Western countries.

Trade within the vast Novgorod Republic developed successfully. Novgorodians also traded with the principalities of North-Eastern Rus', where Novgorod first of all bought bread. Novgorod merchants were united in societies (like guilds). The most powerful was the trading company ʼʼIvanovskoye Stoʼʼ. Members of society had great privileges. From among its midst, the trading society again chose the elders according to the number of districts of the city. Each starosta, together with the thousandth, was in charge of all commercial affairs, as well as the merchant court in Novgorod. The head of the trade established measures of weight, measures of length, etc., supervised the observance of accepted and legalized rules for conducting trade. The dominant class in the Novgorod Republic were large landowners - boyars, clergy, merchants. Some of them owned lands that stretched for hundreds of miles. For example, the boyar family Boretsky owned lands that stretched over vast territories along the Northern Dvina and the White Sea. Merchants who owned significant lands over the territory were called ʼʼliving peopleʼʼ. Landowners received their main income in the form of dues. The landowner's own farm was not very large. Slaves worked on it.

In the city, large landowners shared power with the merchant elite. Together they made up the city patriciate and managed the economic and political life Novgorod.

The political system that developed in Novgorod was distinguished by its originality. Initially, Kyiv sent governor-princes to Novgorod, who were subordinate to the Grand Prince of Kyiv and acted in accordance with instructions from Kyiv. The prince-viceroy appointed posadniks and thousands. At the same time, over time, the boyars and large landowners more and more evaded submission to the prince. So, in 1136, this resulted in a rebellion against Prince Vsevolod. The annals say that ʼʼthe vadish of Prince Vsevolod in the episcopal court with his wife and children with his mother-in-law and the guard of day and night 30 husband for a day with weaponsʼʼ. It ended with the fact that Prince Vsevolod was sent to Pskov. And in Novgorod, a people's assembly, the veche, was formed.

The posadnik or the tysyatsky announced the meeting of the people's assembly on the trading side in the Yaroslavl courtyard. Everyone was summoned by the ringing of the veche bell. In addition, birgochis and Podveiskys were sent to different parts of the city, who invited (clicked) the people to the veche meeting. Only men participated in the decision-making. Any free man(man) could take part in the work of the veche.

The powers of the veche were wide and weighty. The veche elected a posadnik, a thousandth (previously they were appointed by the prince), a bishop, declared war, made peace, discussed and approved legislative acts, tried posadniks, thousandths, sotskys for crimes, concluded agreements with foreign powers. Veche invited the prince to rule. It also ʼʼshowed him the wayʼʼ when he did not justify his hopes.

Veche was the legislative power in the Novgorod Republic. The decisions made at the meeting had to be implemented. This was the responsibility of the executive in power. The head of the executive power was the posadnik and the thousand. The posadnik was elected at the veche. The term of his office was not determined in advance. But the veche could withdraw it at any time. The posadnik was the highest official in the republic. He controlled the activities of the prince, ensured that the activities of the Novgorod authorities were consistent with the decisions of the veche. The supreme court of the republic was in the hands of the townsman. He had the right to remove and appoint officials. The prince headed the armed forces. The posadnik went on a campaign as an assistant to the prince. In fact, the posadnik headed not only the executive branch, but also the veche. He received foreign ambassadors. If the prince was absent, then the armed forces were subordinate to the posadnik. As for the thousandth, he was an assistant to the posadnik. He commanded separate detachments during the war. In peacetime, the tysyatsky was responsible for the state of trade affairs and the merchant court.

The clergy in Novgorod were headed by a bishop. Since 1165, the archbishop became the head of the Novgorod clergy. He was the largest of the Novgorod landowners. The ecclesiastical court was in charge of the archbishop. The archbishop was a kind of foreign minister - he was in charge of relations between Novgorod and other countries.

Τᴀᴋᴎᴍ ᴏϬᴩᴀᴈᴏᴍ, after 1136, when Prince Vsevolod was expelled, the Novgorodians elected a prince at a veche. Most often he was invited to reign. But this reign was severely limited. The prince did not even have the right to buy this or that piece of land with his own money. All his actions were observed by the posadnik and his people. The duties and rights of the invited prince were stipulated in the contract, which was concluded between the veche and the prince. This agreement was called ʼʼnextʼʼ. Under the treaty, the prince had no administrative power. In fact, he was supposed to act as commander-in-chief. At the same time, he personally could not declare war or make peace.
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The prince for his service was allocated funds for his ʼʼfeedingʼʼ. In practice, it looked like this - the prince was allocated an area (volost), where he collected tribute, which was used for these purposes. Most often, the Novgorodians invited the Vladimir-Suzdal princes, who were considered the most powerful among the Russian princes, to reign. When the princes tried to break the established order, they received a fitting rebuff.
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The danger to the liberties of the Novgorod Republic from the Suzdal princes passed after in 1216 the Suzdal troops suffered a complete defeat from the Novgorod detachments on the Lipitsa River. We can assume that since that time Novgorod land has become a feudal boyar republic.

In the XIV century, Pskov spun off from Novgorod. But in both cities, the veche order lasted until they were annexed to the Moscow principality. There is no need to think that an idyll was realized in Novgorod, when the power belongs to the people. There should be no democracy (power of the people) in principle. Now there is not a single country in the world that could say that the power in it belongs to the people. Yes, the people take part in the elections. And that is where the power of the people ends. So it was then, in Novgorod. The real power was in the hands of the Novgorod elite. The cream of society created a council of gentlemen. It included former administrators (posadniks and thousand star osts of the Novgorod districts-ends), as well as current posadnik and thousand. The Novgorod archbishop headed the council of gentlemen. In his chambers, a council gathered when it was necessary to decide matters. Already passed out at the party turnkey solutions, which was developed by the council of gentlemen. Of course, there were cases when the veche did not agree with the decisions proposed by the Council of Masters. But there were not so many such cases.

NOVGOROD PRINCIPALITY - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "NOVGOROD PRINCIPALITY" 2017, 2018.

The territory of the Novgorod principality increased gradually. The Novgorod principality began with the ancient region of the settlement of the Slavs. It was located in the basin of Lake Ilmen, as well as the rivers Volkhov, Lovat, Msta and Mologa. From the north, Novgorod land was covered by the fortress-city of Ladoga, located at the mouth of the Volkhov. Over time, the territory of the Novgorod principality increased. The principality even had its own colonies.

On the lands of the Novgorod pyatins, the arable system prevailed. In the extreme northern regions, the undercut was preserved. Lands at these latitudes cannot be called fertile. Therefore, part of the bread was imported from other Russian lands, most often from the Ryazan principality and the Rostov-Suzdal land. The problem of providing bread was especially relevant in lean years, which were not uncommon here.

Trade routes from Northern Europe to the Black Sea basin, as well as from Western countries to Eastern Europe passed through Novgorod. Novgorod merchants in the 10th century sailed on their ships along the route "from the Varangians to the Greeks." At the same time, they reached the shores of Byzantium. The Novgorod state had very close trade and economic ties with the states of Europe. Among them was Gotland, a large trading center of North-Western Europe. In Novgorod there was a whole trading colony - the Gothic court. It was surrounded by a high wall, behind which there were barns and houses with foreign merchants living in them.

In the second half of the 12th century, trade relations between Novgorod and the union of North German cities (Hansa) were strengthened. All measures were taken to ensure that foreign merchants feel completely safe. Another merchant colony and a new German trading yard were built. The life of the trading colonies was regulated by a special charter ("Skra").

Trade within the vast Novgorod Republic developed successfully. Novgorodians also traded with the principalities of North-Eastern Rus', where Novgorod bought primarily bread. Novgorod merchants were united in societies (like guilds). The most powerful was the trading company "Ivanovskoye hundred". Members of society had great privileges. From among its midst, the trading society again chose the elders according to the number of districts of the city. Each starosta, together with the thousandth, was in charge of all commercial affairs, as well as the merchant court in Novgorod. The head of the trade established measures of weight, measures of length, etc., supervised the observance of accepted and legalized rules for conducting trade. The dominant class in the Novgorod Republic were large landowners - boyars, clergy, merchants. Some of them owned lands that stretched for hundreds of miles. For example, the boyar family Boretsky owned lands that stretched over vast territories along the Northern Dvina and the White Sea. Merchants who owned large areas of land were called "living people". Landowners received their main income in the form of dues. The landowner's own farm was not very large. Slaves worked on it.

In the city, large landowners shared power with the merchant elite. Together they constituted the urban patriciate and controlled the economic and political life of Novgorod.

The political system that developed in Novgorod was distinguished by its originality. Initially, Kyiv sent governor-princes to Novgorod, who were subordinate to the Grand Prince of Kyiv and acted in accordance with instructions from Kyiv. The prince-viceroy appointed posadniks and thousands. However, over time, the boyars and large landowners more and more evaded submission to the prince. So, in 1136, this resulted in a rebellion against Prince Vsevolod. The annals say that "the vadisha of Prince Vsevolod in the episcopal court with his wife and children, with his mother-in-law and the guard guard day and night 30 a husband for a day with weapons." It ended with the fact that Prince Vsevolod was sent to Pskov. And in Novgorod, a people's assembly, the veche, was formed.

The powers of the veche were wide and weighty. The veche elected a posadnik, a thousandth (previously they were appointed by the prince), a bishop, declared war, made peace, discussed and approved legislative acts, tried posadniks, thousandths, sotskys for crimes, concluded agreements with foreign powers. Veche invited the prince to rule. It also "showed him the way" when he did not justify his hopes.

Thus, after 1136, when Prince Vsevolod was expelled, the Novgorodians elected a prince at a veche. Most often he was invited to reign. But this reign was severely limited. The prince did not even have the right to buy this or that piece of land with his own money. All his actions were observed by the posadnik and his people. The duties and rights of the invited prince were stipulated in the contract, which was concluded between the veche and the prince. This agreement was called "next". Under the treaty, the prince had no administrative power. In fact, he was supposed to act as commander-in-chief. At the same time, he personally could not declare war or make peace. The prince for his service was allocated funds for his "feeding". In practice, it looked like this - the prince was allocated an area (volost), where he collected tribute, which was used for these purposes. Most often, Novgorodians invited the Vladimir-Suzdal princes, who were considered the most powerful among the Russian princes, to reign. When the princes tried to break the established order, they received a fitting rebuff. The danger to the liberties of the Novgorod Republic from the Suzdal princes passed after in 1216 the Suzdal troops suffered a complete defeat from the Novgorod detachments on the Lipitsa River. We can assume that since that time Novgorod land has become a feudal boyar republic.

In the XIV century, Pskov spun off from Novgorod. But in both cities, the veche order lasted until they were annexed to the Moscow principality. One should not think that an idyll was realized in Novgorod, when the power belongs to the people. There can be no democracy (power of the people) in principle. Now there is not a single country in the world that could say that the power in it belongs to the people. Yes, the people take part in the elections. And that is where the power of the people ends. So it was then, in Novgorod. The real power was in the hands of the Novgorod elite. The cream of society created a council of gentlemen. It included former administrators (posadniks and thousand star osts of the Novgorod districts-ends), as well as current posadnik and thousand. The Novgorod archbishop headed the council of gentlemen. In his chambers, a council gathered when it was necessary to decide matters. At the meeting, ready-made decisions were made, which were developed by the council of gentlemen. Of course, there were cases when the veche did not agree with the decisions proposed by the Council of Masters. But there were not so many such cases.

Novgorod land is one of the main centers of education ancient Rus' like states. This was facilitated by the geographical position of the Novgorod lands. The modern Novgorod region is located in the European part of the Russian Federation, in its northwestern part. It borders: with the Leningrad region - in the north, with the Vologda and Tver regions - in the south and the Pskov region - in the west. Geographical position Novgorod land favored the rapid formation of the Novgorod Republic as an independent and independent military-political territory. The city of Novgorod was located on the water trade route, called by historians "from the Varangians to the Greeks." Trade between the feudal states of North-West Europe and Byzantium was intensively carried out along the mentioned trade route. The modern Novgorod region is located on the Priilmenskaya lowland, the Valdai Upland and the Tikhvin ridge. Rivers flow through its territory: Volkhov, Msta, Polist, Shelon and Lovat. During the Middle Ages, these rivers served as the main transport infrastructure of the Novgorod Republic. At present, the importance of rivers Novgorod region insignificant for the economic activity of the region. Of the lakes of the Novgorod region, three of the largest can be noted: Ilmen, Lake Valdai and Lake Velye.

The geographical position of the Novgorod land determines its climate as temperate continental. Precipitation on its territory falls annually up to 850 mm. The average temperature background in July is +15-18 degrees, and in January -7-10 degrees. In the period of its highest prosperity, the Novgorod Republic owned vast territories from the Baltic Sea to the Ural Mountains and from the White Sea to the Volga. This was the result of its aggressive colonial policy and ensuring its own food security. The whole point is that geographical location of the Novgorod land does not dispose to effective development Agriculture. The non-chernozem swampy soils of the Novgorod Republic limited the possibilities of cultivated agriculture, and the Novgorodians had to colonize the southwestern adjacent territories with a more favorable climate for this. Veliky Novgorod in the days of the Novgorod Republic was a completely European city and appearance, both in terms of the number of inhabitants and in terms of lifestyle. The fact that there were no climatic conditions for cultural agriculture forced the Novgorodians to develop various industries and crafts on the territory of the Novgorod Republic. The manufactured products were intensively traded with neighboring states and lands, which made it possible to form a fairly rich merchant class. Trade also contributed to interstate cultural exchange and foreign policy contacts.
The special geographical position of the Novgorod land in the north-west of the ancient land gave it significant weight among the Russian feudal principalities. Novgorod controlled trade routes from North to South and from East to North-West. This made it possible for the Novgorod feudal republic to receive significant income from customs duties, develop its own trade and conduct an effective exchange of production technologies with other peoples. Aggressive neighbors in the northwest (the Swedes and the "crusaders") forced Novgorod to wage constant wars to preserve its borders. This circumstance forced an agreement with the Tatar-Mongolian Golden Horde, which allowed Novgorod to focus its efforts on repelling the invasion of the Swedes and the Livonian and Teutonic Orders in the first half of the 13th century. Historians argue that one of the factors that influenced Golden Horde to conclude a non-aggression pact with Novgorod, is the geographical position of the Novgorod lands. The Novgorod Republic, covered with impenetrable forests, and the excessive swampiness of its territory would impede the movement of mounted Tatar-Mongolian troops and convoys. Perhaps, it was precisely due to the geographical location of its lands that Novgorod remained one of the few Russian cities that were not plundered and wiped off the face of the earth during the Tatar-Mongol invasion. This allowed the Novgorodians to defeat the Swedes and the "crusaders" who were pressing from the north, thereby saving medieval Rus' from the final enslavement by neighbors from the northeast. After the annexation of Novgorod to the Muscovite state at the end of the 15th century, the Novgorod Republic ceased its independent existence. The policy vector of the Russian tsars gradually changed its direction to other territories, and Veliky Novgorod turned into an ordinary provincial territorial center.

Novgorod land(or Land of Novgorod) - one of the largest territorial-state formations in the composition ancient Russian state, and then the Moscow state, which existed until 1708 with a center in the city of Novgorod.

During greatest development reached the White Sea and spread beyond Ural mountains. Covered almost the entire modern north-west of Russia.

Administrative division

Administratively, by the end of the Middle Ages, it was divided into pyatins, which in turn were divided into halves (pyatins), volosts, uyezds (awardings), graveyards and camps, and according to the annals, this division was started in the 10th century by Princess Olga, who divided the Novgorod land into graveyards and set lessons. In The Tale of Bygone Years, a definition is given as "a great and plentiful land."

Judging from the “Tale of Bygone Years” and archaeological data, by the time Rurik arrived in 862, Novgorod was already large settlements (probably as a chain of settlements from the sources of the Volkhov and Rurik’s Settlement up to Kholop’y town, opposite Krechevitsy), Ladoga, Izborsk, and possibly Beloozero. The Scandinavians probably called this particular territory Gardariki.

The pyatin system was finally formed by the 15th century. In each pyatina there were several courts (counties), in each court (county) there were several churchyards and volosts.

Pyatina: Vodskaya, near Lake Nevo (Lake Ladoga); Obonezhskaya, to the White Sea; Bezhetskaya, to Msta; Derevskaya, to Lovat; Shelonskaya, from Lovat to Luga)

and Novgorod volosts: Zavolochye, along the Northern Dvina from Onega to Mezen, Perm - along Vychegda and up. Kama, Pechora - along the Pechora River to the Ural Range and Yugra - beyond the Ural Range.

Some territories of the region of late Novgorod colonization were not included in the five division and formed a number of volosts that were in a special position, and five cities with suburbs did not belong to any five. The position of these cities had the peculiarity that at first they were jointly owned by Novgorod: Volok-Lamsky, Bezhichi (then Gorodetsk), Torzhok with the Grand Dukes of Vladimir and then Muscovites, and Rzhev, Velikiye Luki with the princes of Smolensk and then Lithuanian, when Smolensk was captured by Lithuania. Beyond the Obonezhskaya and Bezhetskaya pyatinas to the northeast there was the Zavolochye volost, or Dvina land. It was called Zavolochye, because it was behind the portage - the watershed separating the basins of the Onega and the Northern Dvina from the Volga basin. The course of the Vychegda River with its tributaries determined the position of the Perm land. Beyond the Dvina land and Perm, further to the northeast were the Pechora volost on both sides of the river of this name, and on the eastern side of the northern Ural ridge there was the volost of Yugra. On the northern shore of the White Sea was the volost Tre, or Tersky coast.

In 1348, Pskov was granted autonomy by Novgorod in terms of choosing posadniks, while Pskov recognizes the Moscow prince as its head and agrees to elect persons pleasing to the Grand Duke for the Pskov reign. Since 1399 these princes have been called Moscow governors. Vasily II seeks the right to appoint Pskov governors at his own discretion, and they take an oath not only to Pskov, but also to the Grand Duke. Under Ivan III, the Pskovians renounce the right to dismiss the princes assigned to them. Since 1510, Pskov has been the patrimony of the Grand Duke of Moscow, Vasily III.

Settlement

The settlement of the territory of the Novgorod land began in the region of the Valdai Upland from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic times, along the border of the Valdai (Ostashkovsky) glaciation, and in the north-west of the Ilmenye, in the area of the future territorial center - from the Neolithic times.

In the time of Herodotus, about 25 centuries ago, the lands approximately from the Baltic to the Urals were completely or partially mastered by androphagi, neurons, melanchlens (Smolyans, Budins, Fissagetes, Iirks, northern Scythians in the Volga-Kama region, which are often localized depending on the Issedons.

Under Claudius Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. e. these lands were controlled by the Wends, Stavans, Aorses, Alans, Borusks, royal Sarmatians and more than a dozen large and small peoples. Possibly, who continued the Roxolans, the Rosomones (guards of the ruler of Scythia and Germany), the Tkhiuds (Chud, Vasi-in-abronki, Merens, Mordens and other peoples along the Baltic-Volga route in the 4th century AD were part of the power of Germanarich. The descendants of these peoples partly entered the ethnic groups noted by medieval Russian sources.

In the opening part of The Tale of Bygone Years, in Laurentian Chronicle 1377 there is an opinion of a medieval chronicler about the more ancient settlement of peoples:

Also here are the main actions of the epic "Tale of Slovena and Rus and the city of Slovensk" and the epic about Sadko.

Archaeologically and by studying toponymy, it is assumed that there are migratory so-called Nostratic communities here, from which Indo-Europeans stood out several thousand years ago in the area south of the Ilmen region ( Indo-European languages in particular - the future Slavs and Balts) and the Finno-Ugric peoples. This polyethnicity is also confirmed by ethnogenetics and genogeography.

It is traditionally believed that the Krivichi tribes came here in the 6th century, and in the 8th century, in the process of the Slavic settlement of the East European Plain, the tribe of the Ilmen Slovenes came. Finno-Ugric tribes lived on the same territory, leaving a memory of themselves in the names of numerous rivers and lakes, although the interpretation of the Finno-Ugric toponyms, exclusively as pre-Slavic, is probably erroneous and is questioned by many researchers.

The time of the Slavic settlement is dated, as a rule, according to the type of mound groups and individual mounds located in this territory. Pskov long mounds are traditionally associated with the Krivichi, and mounds in the form of a hill with Slovenes. There is also the so-called Kurgan hypothesis, based on which various assumptions are possible about the ways of settling this territory.

Archaeological research in Staraya Ladoga and Rurik's Settlement show the presence among the inhabitants of these first large settlements, including Scandinavians, traditionally called Varangians in ancient Russian (medieval) literary sources.

Demography

Archaeologically and through the study of toponymy, the presence of migration hypothetical so-called Nostratic communities is assumed here, of which several thousand years ago, Indo-Europeans (Indo-European languages in particular - the future Slavs and Balts) and Finno-Ugric peoples stood out in the district south of Priilmenye. This polyethnicity is also confirmed by ethnogenetics and genogeography.

In addition to the Slavic population, a noticeable part of the Novgorod land was inhabited by various Finno-Ugric tribes, who were at different stages of culture and had different relations to Novgorod. The Vodskaya Pyatina, along with the Slavs, was inhabited by Vodya and Izhora, who have long been in close connection with Novgorod. Em, who lived in southern Finland, was usually at enmity with the Novgorodians and leaned more towards the Swedes, while the neighboring Karelians usually sided with Novgorod. From time immemorial, Novgorod has come into conflict with the miracle that inhabited Livonia and Estonia; with this miracle, the Novgorodians are constantly fighting, which later turns into a struggle between the Novgorodians and the Livonian knights. Zavolochye was inhabited by Finno-Ugric tribes, often called the Zavolotsk Chud; later, Novgorod colonists rushed to this region. The Tersky coast was inhabited by Lapps. Further in the northeast lived Permyaks and Zyryans.

The center of the Slavic settlements was the vicinity of Lake Ilmen and the Volkhov River, Ilmen Slovenes lived here.

Story

Ancient period (before 882)

Novgorod land was one of the centers of formation of the Russian state. It was in the Novgorod land that the Rurik dynasty began to reign, and arose public education, the so-called Novgorod Rus, from which it is customary to begin the history of Russian statehood.

As part of Kievan Rus (882-1136)

After 882, the center of the Russian land gradually shifted to Kyiv, but the Novgorod land retained its autonomy. In the 10th century, Ladoga was attacked by the Norwegian Jarl Erik. In 980, Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich (the Baptist) of Novgorod, at the head of the Varangian squad, overthrew the Kyiv prince Yaropolk, in 1015-1019 the Novgorod prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise overthrew the Kyiv prince Svyatopolk the Accursed.

In 1020 and 1067 Novgorod land was attacked by Polotsk Izyaslavichs. At this time, the governor - the son of the Kyiv prince - had even greater powers. In 1088, Vsevolod Yaroslavich sent his young grandson Mstislav (son of Vladimir Monomakh) to reign in Novgorod. At this time, the institute of posadniks appeared - co-rulers of the prince, who were elected by the Novgorod community.

In the second decade of the 12th century, Vladimir Monomakh took a number of measures to strengthen the position of the central government in the Novgorod land. In 1117, without taking into account the opinion of the Novgorod community, Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich was placed on the throne of Novgorod. Some boyars opposed such a decision of the prince, in connection with which they were summoned to Kyiv and thrown into prison.

After the death of Mstislav the Great in 1132 and the deepening tendencies of fragmentation, the Novgorod prince lost the support of the central government. In 1134 Vsevolod was expelled from the city. Returning to Novgorod, he was forced to conclude a "series" with the Novgorodians, limiting his powers. On May 28, 1136, due to the dissatisfaction of the Novgorodians with the actions of Prince Vsevolod, he was imprisoned, and after that he was expelled from Novgorod.

Republican period (1136-1478)

In 1136, after the expulsion of Vsevolod Mstislavich, republican rule was established on Novgorod land.

During the Mongol invasion of Rus', the Novgorod lands were not conquered. In 1236-1240. and 1241-1252. Alexander Nevsky reigned in Novgorod, in 1328-1337. - Ivan Kalita. Until 1478, the Novgorod princely table was occupied mainly by Suzdal and Vladimir princes, then Moscow Grand Dukes, rarely - Lithuanian, see Novgorod princes.

The Novgorod Republic was captured and its lands annexed by Tsar Ivan III of Moscow after the Battle of Shelon (1471) and the subsequent campaign against Novgorod in 1478.

As part of the centralized Russian state (since 1478)

Having conquered Novgorod in 1478, Moscow inherited its former political relations with its neighbors. The legacy of the period of independence was the preservation of diplomatic practice, in which the northwestern neighbors of Novgorod - Sweden and Livonia - maintained diplomatic relations with Moscow through the Novgorod governors of the Grand Duke.

In territorial terms, Novgorod land in the era of the Muscovite kingdom (XVI-XVII centuries) was divided into 5 pyatins: Vodskaya, Shelonskaya, Obonezhskaya, Derevskaya and Bezhetskaya. The smallest units of administrative division at that time were graveyards, which determined the geographical location of the villages, the population and their taxable property were counted.

Reign of Basil III

March 21, 1499 son of Tsar Ivan III Vasily was declared the Grand Duke of Novgorod and Pskov. In April 1502, the Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir and All Rus' was an autocrat, that is, he became co-ruler of Ivan III, and after the death of Ivan III on October 27, 1505, he became the sole monarch.

Reign of Ivan the Terrible

Russo-Swedish War 1590-1595
Oprichnina, Novgorod pogrom
ingrianland

Time of Troubles. Swedish occupation.

In 1609, in Vyborg, the government of Vasily Shuisky concluded the Vyborg Treaty with Sweden, according to which the Korelsky district was transferred to the Swedish crown in exchange for military assistance.

In 1610, Ivan Odoevsky was appointed governor of Novgorod.

In 1610, Tsar Vasily Shuisky was overthrown and Moscow swore allegiance to Prince Vladislav. A new government was formed in Moscow, which began to take the oath to the prince and other cities of the Moscow state. I. M. Saltykov was sent to Novgorod to take the oath and to protect himself from the Swedes who appeared at that time in the north and from gangs of thieves. Novgorodians and, probably, at their head and Odoevsky, who was constantly in good relations with the Novgorod metropolitan Isidore, who had a great influence on the Novgorodians, and, apparently, he himself enjoyed respect and love among the Novgorodians, they agreed to let Saltykov in and swear allegiance to the prince no sooner than they receive from Moscow a list with an approved cross-kissing letter; but even after receiving the letter, they swore allegiance only after they took a promise from Saltykov that he would not bring the Poles with him into the city.

Soon a strong movement against the Poles arose in Moscow and throughout Russia; At the head of the militia, which set itself the task of expelling the Poles from Russia, was Prokopiy Lyapunov, who, together with some other persons, formed a provisional government, which, having taken control of the country, began to send out the governor to the cities.

In the summer of 1611, the Swedish general Jacob Delagardie approached Novgorod with his army. He entered into negotiations with the Novgorod authorities. He asked the governor whether they were enemies or friends of the Swedes, and whether they wanted to comply with the Vyborg Treaty, concluded with Sweden under Tsar Vasily Shuisky. The governors could only answer that it depended on the future king and that they had no right to answer this question.

The Lyapunov government sent governor Vasily Buturlin to Novgorod. Buturlin, having arrived in Novgorod, began to behave differently: he immediately began negotiations with Delagardie, offering the Russian crown to one of the sons of King Charles IX. Negotiations began, which dragged on, and meanwhile, Buturlin and Odoevsky had quarrels: Buturlin did not allow the cautious Odoevsky to take measures to protect the city, allowed Delagardie, under the pretext of negotiations, to cross the Volkhov and approach the suburban Kolmovsky monastery, and even allowed Novgorod trading people to supply the Swedes with various supplies.

The Swedes realized that they seemed to be very opportunity capture Novgorod, and on July 8 they launched an attack, which was repulsed only due to the fact that the Novgorodians managed to burn the suburbs surrounding Novgorod in time. However, the Novgorodians did not last long in the siege: on the night of July 16, the Swedes managed to break through to Novgorod. Resistance to them was weak, since all the military people were under the command of Buturlin, who, after a short battle, withdrew from the city, robbing the Novgorod merchants; Odoevsky and Metropolitan Isidor locked themselves in the Kremlin, but, having neither military supplies nor military men at their disposal, they had to enter into negotiations with Delagardie. An agreement was concluded, under the terms of which the Novgorodians recognized the Swedish king as their patron, and Delagardie was admitted to the Kremlin.

By the middle of 1612, the Swedes occupied the entire Novgorod land, except for Pskov and Gdov. Unsuccessful attempt to take Pskov. The Swedes stopped hostilities.

Prince Pozharsky did not have enough troops to fight simultaneously with the Poles and Swedes, so he began negotiations with the latter. In May 1612, Stepan Tatishchev, the ambassador of the "zemstvo" government, was sent from Yaroslavl to Novgorod with letters to the Metropolitan of Novgorod Isidore, the boyar Prince Ivan Odoevsky and the commander of the Swedish troops Jacob Delagardie. Metropolitan Isidor and boyar Odoevsky were asked by the government how they were doing with the Swedes? The government wrote to Delagardie that if the king of Sweden would give his brother to the state and baptize him in the Orthodox Christian faith, then they would be glad to be on the same council with the Novgorodians. Odoevsky and Delagardie replied that they would soon send their ambassadors to Yaroslavl. Returning to Yaroslavl, Tatishchev announced that there was nothing good to expect from the Swedes. Negotiations with the Swedes about the candidate Karl-Philip for the Moscow tsars became the reason for Pozharsky and Minin to convene the Zemsky Sobor. In July, the promised ambassadors arrived in Yaroslavl: hegumen of the Vyazhitsky monastery Gennady, Prince Fyodor Obolensky and from all the pyatins, from the nobles and from the townspeople - one by one. On July 26, Novgorodians appeared before Pozharsky and declared that "the prince is now on the road and will soon be in Novgorod." The speech of the ambassadors ended with the proposal "to be with us in love and union under the hand of one sovereign."

Then a new embassy of Perfilius Sekerin was sent from Yaroslavl to Novgorod. He was instructed, with the assistance of the Novgorod Metropolitan Isidor, to conclude an agreement with the Swedes "so that the peasantry would have peace and quiet." It is possible that in connection with this, the question of electing a Swedish prince, recognized by Novgorod, was raised in Yaroslavl. However, the royal election in Yaroslavl did not take place.

In October 1612, Moscow was liberated and it became necessary to choose a new sovereign. From Moscow to many cities of Rus', including Novgorod, letters were sent on behalf of the liberators of Moscow - Pozharsky and Trubetskoy. At the beginning of 1613, a Zemsky Sobor where a new tsar, Mikhail Romanov, was elected.

The Swedes left Novgorod only in 1617, only a few hundred inhabitants remained in the completely devastated city. During the events of the Time of Troubles, the borders of the Novgorod land were significantly reduced due to the loss of the lands bordering with Sweden according to the Stolbovsky Peace of 1617.

As part of the Russian Empire

Novgorod province

In 1708, the territory became part of the Ingermanland (since 1710 St. Petersburg province) and Arkhangelsk provinces, and since 1726 the Novgorod province was separated, in which there were 5 provinces: Novgorod, Pskov, Tver, Belozersk and Velikolutsk.

Remarks

The concept of "Novgorod land" sometimes, not always correctly (depending on the historical period), includes the areas of Novgorod colonization on the Northern Dvina, in Karelia and the Arctic.

Period political history Novgorod land, starting from the coup of 1136 and sharply limiting the role of the prince, until the victory of the Moscow prince Ivan III over the Novgorodians in 1478, most Soviet and modern historians are called - "Novgorod feudal republic".