North-Eastern Russia: principalities, culture, history and development of the region

For the territorial definition of a group of principalities in Rus, settled between the Volga and the Oka in the 9th-12th centuries, the term "North-Eastern Russia" was adopted by historians. Under it meant the land located within Rostov, Suzdal, Vladimir. Synonymic terms reflecting the unification of state formations in different years - "Rostov-Suzdal Principality", "Vladimir-Suzdal Principality", as well as "Grand Duchy of Vladimir" were also applicable. In the second half of the 13th century, Russia, which was called the Northeast, actually ceases to exist - many events contributed to this.

Grand Dukes of Rostov

All three princedoms of the North-Eastern Russia united the same lands, only capitals and rulers changed in different years. The first city built in these parts was Rostov the Great, in chronicles the mention of it is dated 862 AD. E. Before its foundation, the tribes of Merya and all the Finno-Ugric peoples lived here. Slavic tribes did not like this picture, and they - Krivichi, Vyatichi, Ilmen Slovens - began actively populating these lands.

After the formation of Rostov, which was one of the five largest cities under the rule of Prince Oleg of Kiev, references to measures and weights began to appear less frequently in the annals. For some time Rostis was ruled by henchmen of Kiev princes, but in 987 the principality was already ruled by Yaroslav the Wise, the son of Vladimir, the prince of Kiev. Since 1010, Boris Vladimirovich. Until 1125, when the capital was moved from Rostov to Suzdal, the principality passed from hand to hand to the Kiev rulers, it had its own rulers. The most famous princes of Rostov - Vladimir Monomakh and Yuri Dolgoruky - did a lot to ensure that the development of the North-Eastern Russia led to the prosperity of these lands, but soon the same Dolgoruky moved the capital to Suzdal, where he ruled until 1149. But he built numerous fortresses and cathedrals in the style of the same fortress structure with a weighted proportions, squat. Under Dolgoruk, writing and applied art developed.

The Legacy of Rostov

The significance of Rostov was, nevertheless, quite significant for the history of those years. In the annals of 913-988. Often the expression "Rostov land" - a territory rich in game, crafts, crafts, wooden and stone architecture. In 991, one of the oldest dioceses in Russia - Rostov - was formed here not by accident. At that time the city was the center of the principality of North-Eastern Russia, conducted intensive trade with other settlements, artisans, builders, gunsmiths flocked to Rostov ... All the Russian princes tried to have an efficient army. Everywhere, especially in the lands separated from Kiev, a new faith was propagated.

After the transfer of Yuri Dolgoruky to Suzdal Rostov, Izyaslav Mstislavovich ruled for some time, but gradually the city's influence finally came to naught, and it was rarely mentioned about it in the annals. The center of the principality has been moved to Suzdal for half a century.

Feudal nobility erected mansions for themselves, while artisans and peasants vegetated in wooden huts. Their homes were more like basements, household items were mostly wooden. But in the illuminated premises, unsurpassed products, clothes, luxury goods were born. Everything that the nobility wore on itself and the decorations of its tower, was produced by the hands of peasants and artisans. The wonderful culture of North-Eastern Russia was created under thatched roofs of wooden huts.

Rostov-Suzdal Principality

During that short period, while the center of North-Eastern Russia was Suzdal, only three princes managed to rule the principality. In addition to Yuri himself, his sons - Vasilko Yurievich and Andrei Yuryevich, nicknamed Bogolyubsky, and then, after the transfer of the capital to Vladimir (in 1169), Suzdali was ruled by Mstislav Rostislavovich Bezoky, but he did not play a special role in Russian history. All the princes of North-Eastern Russia came from the Rurik, but not everyone was worthy of a kind.

The new capital of the principality was somewhat younger than Rostov and was originally mentioned as Suzhal. It is believed that the city received its name from the words "zizhdit", or "create". The first time after the formation of Suzdal was a fortified fortress and was managed by princely governors. In the first years of the XII century, some development of the city began, while Rostov began to slowly but surely decline. And in 1125, as already mentioned, Yuri Dolgoruky left the once great Rostov.

Under Yuri, who is better known as the founder of Moscow, there were other important events for the history of Russia . Thus, it was during the reign of Dolgoruky that the North-Eastern principalities for ever separated from Kiev. A huge role in this played and one of the sons of George - Andrew Bogolyubsky, who sacredly loved the fiefdom of his father and did not think himself without it.

The fight against the boyars and the choice of the new capital of Russia

Yuri Dolgoruky's plans, in which he saw his eldest sons as rulers of the southern principalities, and younger ones - as rulers of Rostov and Suzdal, were never to come true. But their role in some way was even more important. So, Andrew declared himself as a wise and far-sighted ruler. His willful character tried in every possible way to restrain the boyars entering into his council, but even here Bogolubsky showed his will, moving the capital from Suzdal to Vladimir, and then he captured Kiev in 1169.

However, the capital of Kievan Rus did not attract this man. Having conquered the city and the title of "Grand Duke", he did not stay in Kiev, but planted in him the governor of his younger brother Gleb. Rostov and Suzdal, he also took an insignificant role in the history of those years, since by that time the capital of the North-Eastern Russia was Vladimir. It was this city that Andrei chose as his residence in 1155, long before the conquest of Kiev. From the southern principalities, where he ruled for a while, he took Vladimir and the icon of the Virgin of Vyshgorod, which he revered very much.

The choice of the capital was very successful: for almost two hundred years this city kept the palm tree in Russia. Rostov and Suzdal tried to regain their former greatness, but even after the death of Andrew, whose seniority as the Grand Duke was recognized in virtually all the lands of the Russians, except perhaps Chernigov and Galich, they failed.

Internal strife

After the death of Andrei Bogolyubsky, the Suzdalians and Rostovites turned to the sons of Rostislav Yurievich - Yaropolk and Mstislav - in the hope that their reign would restore the cities to their former glory, but the long-awaited unification of North-Eastern Russia did not come.

In Vladimir ruled the younger sons of Yuri Dolgoruky - Mikhalko and Vsevolod. By that time, the new capital had significantly strengthened its importance. Andrew did a lot for this: he successfully developed construction, during his reign, the famous Uspensky Cathedral was built, he even sought the establishment of a separate metropolia in his principality in order to separate himself from Kiev in this.

North-Eastern Russia under the rule of Bogolyubsky became the center of the unification of Russian lands, and later the core of the great state of Russia. After the death of Andrew Smolensk and Ryazan princes Mstislav and Yaropolk - the children of one of the sons of Dolgoruky Rostislav, tried to seize power in Vladimir, but their uncles Mikhail and Vsevolod were stronger. In addition, they were supported by Prince Chernigov Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich. The internecine war lasted more than three years, after which Vladimir secured the status of the capital city of North-Eastern Russia, leaving Suzdal and Rostov to the subordinate principalities.

From Kiev to Moscow

The northeastern lands of Rus had by then many cities and scales. So, the new capital was laid in 990 by Vladimir Svyatoslavovich as Vladimir-on-Klyazma. About twenty years after its founding, the city, which is part of the Rostov-Suzdal principality, did not arouse much interest among the ruling princes (until 1108). At this time, his fortification was occupied by another prince - Vladimir Monomakh. He gave the city the status of a strong point of North-Eastern Russia.

The fact that this small settlement will eventually become the capital city of Russian lands could not be thought of by anyone. Many more years passed before Andrei drew his attention to him and transferred the capital of his principality there, which will remain for him almost two hundred years.

Since the time when the Grand Dukes began to be magnified as Vladimir, and not as Kiev, the ancient capital of Russia lost its key role, but interest in it was by no means lost among the princes. Edit Everyone honored Kiev for honor. But from the middle of the fourteenth century, the once marginal city of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality-Moscow-gradually but surely began to rise. Vladimir, like Rostov, and then Suzdal, lost his influence. A lot of that was facilitated by the move to the White-stone Metropolitan Peter in 1328. The princes of the North-Eastern Russia fought among themselves, and the Moscow and Tver governors tried in every possible way to win from Vladimir the advantage of the main city of the Russian lands.

The end of the fourteenth century was marked by the fact that local masters had the privilege of being called Grand Dukes of Moscow, so Moscow's advantage over other cities became obvious. Grand Duke Vladimir of Dmitri Ivanovich Donskoy last carried this title, after which all the rulers of Russia were magnified by the Grand Dukes of Moscow. Thus, the development of the North-Eastern Russia as an independent and even dominant principality was completed.

The fragmentation of the once-powerful principality

After the Metropolitan moved to Moscow, the Vladimir principality was divided. Vladimir was handed over to Suzdal prince Alexander Vasilievich, Veliky Novgorod and Kostroma took under his rule the Moscow prince Ivan Danilovich Kalita. Yuri Dolgoruky also dreamed of realizing the unification of North-Eastern Russia with Great Novgorod - in the end, it happened, but not for long.

After the death of the Suzdal prince Alexander Vasilyevich, in 1331, his lands were transferred to the princes of Moscow. And 10 years later, in 1341, the territory of the former North-Eastern Russia again underwent a redistribution: Nizhny Novgorod passed to Suzdal, as did Gorodets, while the Vladimir principality remained forever behind the Moscow rulers, which by that time, as already mentioned, were also worn Title of the Great. So there was a Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal principality.

The march to the North-Eastern Rus princes from the south and the center of the country, their militancy, contributed little to the development of culture and the arts. Nevertheless, new temples were built everywhere, when decorating the best techniques of arts and crafts were applied. A national school of icon painting was created, with colorful colorful ornaments characteristic of that time combined with Byzantine painting.

The seizure of lands by Russian-Mongol-Tatars

A lot of misfortunes for the peoples of Rus brought internecine wars, and the princes constantly fought among themselves, but a more terrible misfortune came with the Mongol-Tatars in February 1238. All of North-Eastern Russia (the cities of Rostov, Yaroslavl, Moscow, Vladimir, Suzdal, Uglich, Tver) was not just ruined - it was almost burned to the ground. The army of Vladimir Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich was defeated by a detachment of the Burundai Temnik, the prince himself was killed, and his brother Yaroslav Vsevolodovich was forced to submit to the Horde in everything. The Mongol-Tatars only formally recognized him as the oldest over all the Russian princes, in fact they were all run by them. In the general defeat of Rus, only Novgorod the Great was able to survive.

In 1259, Alexander Nevsky conducted a population census in Novgorod, developed his strategy of government and strengthened his position in every possible way. Three years later, the tax collectors were killed in Yaroslavl, Rostov, Suzdal, Pereyaslavl and Vladimir, North-Eastern Russia again froze in anticipation of a raid and ruin. This retaliatory measure was avoided - Alexander Nevsky personally went to the Horde and managed to prevent trouble, but died on the way back. It happened in 1263. Only by his efforts he managed to preserve in some integrity the Vladimir principality, after the death of Alexander it fell apart into independent possessions.

Liberation of Russia from the yoke of the Mongol-Tatars, the revival of crafts and the development of culture

The terrible years were ... On the one hand - an invasion of North-Eastern Russia, on the other - the ongoing skirmishes of the surviving principalities for owning new lands. Everyone was suffering: both the rulers and their subjects. Liberation from the Mongol khans came only in 1362. The Russian-Lithuanian army under the command of Prince Olgerd defeated the Mongol-Tatars, forcing out these warlike nomads for ever from Vladimir-Suzdal, Muscovy, Pskov and Novgorod.

Years spent under the enemy yoke had catastrophic consequences: the culture of North-Eastern Russia fell into decay. The devastation of cities, the destruction of churches, the extermination of a large part of the population and, as a consequence, the loss of certain types of crafts. For two and a half centuries the cultural and commercial development of the state stopped. Many monuments of wooden and stone architecture were lost in the fire or were taken to the Horde. Many technical methods of construction, plumbing and other crafts were lost. Many literary monuments have disappeared without a trace, the annals, applied art, painting have come to a complete decline. It took almost half a century to restore the little that could be saved. But the development of new kinds of crafts went swiftly.

The people of the ruined lands managed to preserve their unique national identity and love for the ancient culture. In some ways, the years of dependence on the Mongol-Tatars caused the appearance of new types of applied art for Russia.

Unity of cultures and lands

After liberation from Iga, more Russian princes came to an uneasy decision for them and advocated the unification of their possessions in a single state. The centers of revival and freedom of love and Russian culture were the Novgorod and Pskov lands. It was here that the working population began to flow from the southern and central regions, carrying with them the old traditions of their culture, writing, architecture. Great importance in the matter of uniting the Russian lands and the revival of culture was influenced by the Moscow Principality, where many documents of antiquity, books, works of art were preserved.

The construction of cities and temples, as well as defensive structures began. Tver became almost the first city in North-Eastern Russia, where stone construction began. It is a question of erecting the Church of the Savior-Transfiguration in the style of Vladimir-Suzdal architecture. In each city, along with defensive structures, churches and monasteries were built: the Savior on the Illyn, Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki, Vasily on Gorka in Pskov, the Epiphany in Zapkovye and many others. The history of North-Eastern Russia has found its reflection and continuation in these structures.

The painting was revived by Theophanes the Greek, Daniel Black and Andrei Rublev, the famous Russian icon painters. Masters of jewelry business recreated the lost shrines, many artisans worked on restoring the technique of creating national household items, ornaments, clothes. Many of those centuries have come down to our days.