Novgorod Rus: features of development briefly, history, culture, art, rulers

The term "Novgorod Rus", as a rule, is applicable to the historical period when Novgorod was politically independent, and in it there was a medieval republic. This city and its subordinate lands remained a unique place among other East Slavic principalities. Here you have your own device of power, culture, education and even language.

The Origins of Independence

Ancient Rus emerged in 882, after the Novgorod prince Oleg conquered Kiev and made it his capital. Since then, the northern political center for a while began to play a secondary role. But even so, it was here that the governor princes appeared, who later seized the central power and also left to rule in Kiev (Vladimir Svyatoslavovich and Yaroslav the Wise).

The situation radically changed when the single Russian state was divided into several independent principalities. All of them were ruled by members of the Rurik dynasty. This led to the emergence and disappearance of alliances, the unification of destinies, mutual claims and bloodshed. Great Novgorod against the background of these events also could not help but think about their own independence.

Historians agree that the period of vicegerency on the banks of the Volkhov ended in 1136. Then, according to the decision of the veche, Prince Vsevolod Mstislavovich was expelled, who fled during the battle at Zhdanoi Mountain against the troops of Yuri Dolgoruky. The unattractiveness of the Kiev appointee led, first, to the fact that he was left without a destiny, and secondly, to the fact that an independent Novgorod Rus appeared.

Government structure

Beginning in 1136, the inhabitants of Novgorod themselves chose their princes, not paying attention to the left-handed law and other principles of inheritance adopted in most Russian principalities. Significant weight in the decision-making had posadniki and tysyatskie. They were boyars from aristocratic families, who achieved success in the civil service. They were elected by the Veche.

Novgorod Russia could not live in normal mode without a thousandth. The person in this post was responsible for all the trade in the city. He was in charge of the arbitration court, where merchant disputes were resolved, often with foreigners. The prosperity of the city depended directly on trade with Europe. It was the gateway to the entire East Slavic land, from where rare furs of squirrels, martens, sables and other expensive goods came to the west.

Also, the thousandth at the veche represented the interests of the small-scale boyars and the so-called black people who were full of Novgorod Russia. They were poor people and ordinary city dwellers who did not have any privileges. Often in order to become a posadnik (in fact, the mayor), it was necessary to work for a while tysyatskim. Since the XIV century, the importance of the post has been further increased due to the fact that it was she who gave the boyar title.

Culture

The medieval culture of Novgorod Rus differed markedly from the culture of its neighbors. Modern science knows a lot about it due to the fact that here, in the north, there are many more monuments of a bygone era. Archaeologists, linguists, ethnographers and other scientists continue to study with interest the heritage that Novgorod Russia left behind. The peculiarities of development, briefly, helped the culture of the city to stand on one level with Western European centers. Some researchers even argue that Novgorod is one of the northern cradles of the Renaissance.

The inhabitants of the republic were great connoisseurs of art. This is evidenced by the huge number of unique buildings. Most of them were preserved due to the fact that the Mongol-Tatar hordes did not reach here. Regular invasions of the steppe people often devastated Vladimir Rus, where they had to rebuild whole cities. In the second half of the XIII century, even some crafts were forgotten because of the death of specialists and craftsmen.

Chronicles - this is another phenomenon that distinguishes Novgorod Russia. Features of development, briefly, led to the fact that the authors of chronicles in their documents not only described the events, but also touched on the themes of everyday life of residents and the external appearance of the city. This style was not in the southern neighbors.

Painting

More than half of the monuments of medieval Russian painting was preserved by Novgorod Russia. Features of the development of the region attracted talented artists from all the Slavic regions. On the banks of the Volkhov they sought for freedom and a quiet life, which would enable them to create fruitfully.

The painting of Novgorod Rus even surpassed the western. In Europe, cathedrals in Gothic and Romanesque styles were almost not decorated with frescoes. In the Novgorod churches, a huge number of mosaics were preserved for a variety of biblical stories. Its flowering of local painting survived in the XIV century, when it was surprised even by guests from Italy and Byzantium.

Unfortunately, all this art school is a thing of the past. It disappeared after the republic joined Moscow. The princes did everything to decapitate Novgorod Russia. Features of development made the northern cathedrals richer and more beautiful than Moscow. At the same time, the local aristocracy was proud and distinctive. All this irritated the central government. In the XV-XVI centuries, under various pretexts, several fatal pogroms were conducted. The most terrible blow was the terror of the oprichniks of Ivan the Terrible. After this, the Novgorod art school gradually died out and died.

Architecture

Like the painting, the architecture of Novgorod Rus is known for its originality in relation to the Vladimir, Suzdal, Kiev, etc. In the north lived the best carpenters who masterfully worked with different types of wood. In all of Russia it was the Novgorodians who first learned the stone as a building material.

In 1044, the Detinets appeared here, and a year later the temple of Hagia Sophia. All these masterpieces of architecture were made of stone and preserved to this day. The talent of the Novgorod masters was also expressed in the advanced positions in the field of engineering. The stone bridge across the Volkhov for a long time was the largest in Europe, and its construction was conducted by a unique technique.

Novgorod architecture was born as a synthesis of several styles. It traces elements of the European, Byzantine and Russian style proper. Greek trends came into the city together with the Orthodox faith. The European school has taken root in the republic thanks to active cooperation with Western merchants and the Hanseatic League. Having absorbed everything little by little, the local masters created their own recognizable handwriting. Monuments of Novgorod Russia were preserved in many respects due to the fact that the architects built of reliable materials.

Birchbark

Birch bark letters, which continue to find modern archaeologists, are a huge storehouse of knowledge about the life that led Novgorod Russia. To put it briefly, they help to open the veil of secrecy over the life that has long since disappeared into the past and the habits of the then inhabitants of the republic.

Often letters are private letters or business documents. They fixed transactions and wrote love letters. Archaeologists even managed to find humorous messages, which are unique monuments of folklore.

Education

The presence of the above letters indicates that the absolute majority of the inhabitants were literate. The rulers of Novgorod Russia tried to develop education. For example, it was here that Yaroslav the Wise opened the first school, which produced experts of church and state profile.

Vast links with European trading cities allowed rich boyars to send their children there. It is known for certain that Novgorod boys studied at the universities of Italian Bologna and German Rostock.

Novgorod in the XII-XIII centuries.

The eventful history of Novgorod Rus is divided into several periods. In the XII century, this republic often became an apple of discord between different Rurik people. The connection between southern and northern Rus was still strong, therefore on the Novgorod land often appeared Kiev, Chernigov and even Polovtsian armies.

In the thirteenth century there was a Tatar-Mongol invasion. The hordes of Batu destroyed many cities of eastern and southern Russia. The army of nomads was even going to go to Novgorod, but in time changed its mind and did not go beyond Torzhok, turning towards Chernigov. This saved the inhabitants from ruin and death. However Novgorod did not escape the fate of tribute to the Horde.

The main figure of the history of the republic of that period was Alexander Nevsky. At a time when almost all of Russia was groaning from the invasion of the steppe, Novgorod faced another threat. It was the German Catholic military orders - the Teutonic and the Livonian. They appeared in the Baltics and for two centuries threatened the republic. Alexander Nevsky defeated them during the Battle of the Ice in 1242. In addition, a couple of years before, he defeated the Swedes in the Battle of the Neva.

The End of Novgorod Russia

With the growth of the Moscow Principality, Novgorod had to balance between Moscow and its foreign policy opponents. The aristocracy did not want to obey the descendants of Ivan Kalita. Therefore, the Novgorod boyars tried to establish allied relations with Lithuania and Poland, despite the fact that these states had nothing to do with Russian culture and the nation.

In the middle of the XV century, Basil II the Dark managed to legally consolidate the republic's vassal dependence on Moscow. His son, Ivan III, wanted to finally conquer Novgorod. When the council decided to go to rapprochement with the Polish king, the Moscow prince declared war on the disobedient. In 1478 he annexed Novgorod to the Moscow principality. This was one of the most important steps in the creation of a unified Russian national state. Unfortunately, the policy of princes and kings led to the fact that the former leading position of Novgorod in trade and culture was eventually lost.