The reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state and its consequences

Any state in its history is experiencing three stages - origination and development, the golden age, decline and the end of existence. Kievan Rus - a powerful formation of the Eastern Slavs - was no exception, therefore, after its triumph in the world arena in the time of Yaroslav the Wise, it gradually lost its influence and disappeared from the political map. The reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state today is known to schoolchildren and adults, but it is not the only one: Kievan Rus died because of external and internal factors that together led it to such an outcome. But we'll talk about everything in order.

A bit of history

What is the reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state, which during its heyday occupied a vast territory from the Taman Peninsula to the upper reaches of the Northern Dvina, from the tributaries of the Volga to the Dniester and the Vistula? Before considering it, let us recall briefly the history of Kievan Rus.

Traditionally, the formation of the state is considered to be the year 862 - the date of calling for the reign of Rurik. Having strengthened his power in Kiev, his successor Oleg Veschi united the nearest lands under his own hand. Many historians disagree with this theory, since before Oleg came to Russia there were well-fortified cities, an organized army, ships, temples, a calendar, a culture, religion and language. The stronghold and capital was the city of Kiev, favorably located on trade routes.

The golden age of the East Slavic state came after the adoption of Christianity in 988 and fell on the reign of Vladimir Krasno Solnyshka and Yaroslav the Wise, whose daughters became the queens of the three countries and with whom the first constitution "Russian Pravda" was established. Gradually in Kievan Rus feudal disunity developed and enmity between numerous specific princes. This is the first and main reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state. The Mongolian Navala erased it from the political map of Europe, turning it into a remote ulus of the Golden Horde.

Internal factors of the collapse of Russia

The main reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state is the feudal disunity of Kievan Rus and the feud between the princes. This is the traditional version of most historians, who also pay attention to the fact that this is a normal phenomenon for European countries of those times. Contributed to deepening the fragmentation and the following:

• Russian princedoms were surrounded by enemies - numerous tribes that were at different stages of development. Each lot had its own enemy, so it fought back from it with its own forces.
• Each appanage prince relied on new, but influential sections of the population, including church representatives, boyars, merchants.
• Uneven economic development of the regions: the rich principalities did not want to share their resources with the Grand Prince of Kiev and poorer estates.
• Frequent internecine strife due to the Kiev throne between the heirs, in which a large number of ordinary people died.

External causes of the death of Kievan Rus

The internal reasons for the collapse of the Old Russian state were briefly outlined, now we consider the factors external. In the period of prosperity, the princes did much to ensure the security of their borders. Vladimir baptized Rus, having received the favor of Byzantium and the support of European countries, Yaroslav arranged dynastic marriages, developed architecture, culture, crafts, education and other aspects. At the beginning of the 13th century, the foreign policy situation has changed dramatically: the Mongols began to actively claim to dominate the world. Iron discipline and absolute obedience to the elders, the multiplicity and good armament obtained by previous campaigns made the nomads invincible. After the conquest of Rus, the Mongols completely changed the way of life, introduced new rules, raised some cities and wiped out others. In addition to all this, a large part of the population, both the ruling elite and ordinary people, perished or was stolen into slavery.

The Decay of the Old Russian State: Causes and Consequences

We examined the factors of political disintegration of Kievan Rus, now we will find out what consequences this phenomenon had for the state. At the very beginning, the feudal fragmentation of the Old Russian state had a positive character: agriculture, crafts were actively developing, trade was lively, cities were growing.

But then the territories turned into separate states, whose rulers constantly fought for power and the main bone of contention - Kiev. Capital city and its lands lost influence, which passed into the hands of richer and stronger regions. These include the Galicia-Volynskoye, Vladimir-Suzdal princedoms and the Novgorod boyar republic, which are considered to be political heirs of the first Old Russian state. Enmity greatly weakened the land and prevented the Russian princes from uniting before the Horde's blows, which is why Kievan Rus ceased to exist.

Instead of an afterword

The reasons and consequences of the political disintegration of the Old Russian state were examined. Such an excursion into history gives us the main lesson: only together people and rulers can build a strong and rich state that can survive all the hardships of being.