Western Russia: a description, interesting facts and history. Western and Eastern Russia - history

In the Middle Ages, Western Russia included territories bordering on Hungary, Poland and Lithuania. With the onset of political fragmentation, several principalities emerged in this region, disputing among themselves for leadership.

Part of Kievan Rus

Prior to the emergence of a single Old Russian state in the territory of Western Russia, tribal alliances of the Eastern Slavs lived : Dregovichi, Drevlyane, Volhynians, Ulichi and White Croats. In the IX-X centuries. They were attached to Kiev. This process was completed during the reign of Vladimir Svyatoslavich (980-1015).

Western Russia in the north was adjacent to the Baltic tribes: Lithuania, Prussia and Zhmud. These inhabitants of the Baltic coast traded with the Slavs honey and amber. For a while they did not pose a danger to Russia. Much stronger was the western neighbor - the Polish Kingdom. This Slavic people was baptized according to Roman custom. The differences between Catholics and Orthodox were one of the causes of tension between Rus and Poland. In 981, Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko declared war against Prince Meshko I and conquered the so-called Cherven land, the main city of which was Peremyshl.

In the south, Western Russia ended in the steppes inhabited by Turkic-speaking nomads. At first they were Pechenegs. In the 10th century the Polovtsians came to their place. Equally between them was the fact that both of these steppe people organized regular campaigns against Russia, accompanied by looting and violence against civilians.

Period of political fragmentation

After the death of Yaroslav the Wise in 1054, a single Old Russian state split into several principalities. This process was gradual. With some princes of Kiev, such as Vladimir Monomakh, the country once again became holistic. However, internecine strife and the leftist right finally divided Rus. In the 11th century, the main principality in Western Russia became Volynskoye with its capital in Vladimir-Volynsky.

Dynasty of Rostislavich

Here, a dynasty was established, which originated from Rostislav Vladimirovich, the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, on the senior line. Theoretically representatives of this offspring even had legal rights to Kiev, but in the "mother of Russian cities" other Rurikovichi were entrenched. First the children of Rostislav lived at the court of Yaropolk Izyaslavich, the Kiev governor. In 1084 Rurik, Volodar and Vasilko drove out this prince from Vladimir and temporarily seized the entire region.

Finally Rostislavichi took over Volhynia after the Lyubech Congress in 1097 and the ensuing internecine war. At the same time, other small towns in the region (besides Vladimir and Peremyshl) received their political recognition - Terebovl and Dorogobuzh. Grandson of Rostislav Vladimir Volodarevich in 1140 united them and created a new principality with a capital in Galich. Its inhabitants have grown rich on salt trading with their neighbors. Western Russia was strikingly different from the dense north-east, where the Slavs lived in the forests next to the Finnish tribes.

Jaroslav Osmomysl

With the son of Vladimir Yaroslav Osmomysle (ruled in 1153-1187 gg.) Galicia princedom experienced a golden age. Throughout his reign, he tried to resist the hegemony of Kiev and his alliance with Vladimir-Volynsky. This struggle ended in success. In 1168, a coalition of princes led by Andrei Bogolyubsky captured Kiev and betrayed his plunder, after which the city never recovered. His political significance fell, and Galich, on the contrary, became the western center of Russia.

Yaroslav led an active foreign policy, joining alliances and fighting against Hungary and Poland. However, with the death of Osmomysl on Galicia, wars began. His son and successor Vladimir Yaroslavich recognized the supremacy of the Rostov prince Vsevolod the Big Nest. He fought against the boyar opposition and eventually was expelled from his own city. In his place was called Volyn Prince Roman Mstislavovich, which allowed to unite the two destinies in a strong centralized principality.

Association of Galicia and Volhynia

Roman Mstislavovich - in contrast to the previous Galician princes - was a direct descendant of Vladimir Monomakh. According to his mother, he was a relative of the Polish ruling dynasty. Therefore it is not surprising that in childhood he was brought up in Krakow.

After the death of Vladimir Yaroslavich Roman appeared in Galich along with the Polish army, which was given to him by the king - his ally. It happened in 1199. It is this date that is considered the day of the creation of a single Galicia-Volyn principality. The history of Western Russia of this period is an interesting interweaving of medieval Slavic politics.

Roman Mstislavovich twice captured Kiev, but did not become his prince, but put on the local throne of faithful people who found themselves in semi-vassal dependence on him. The great merit of the Galician ruler was the organization of a series of campaigns against the Polovtsians, from which both Western and Eastern Russia suffered. Fighting with nomads, Roman resorted to the help of all his relatives from the Rurik dynasty. There is an unconfirmed theory that in 1204, after the fall of Constantinople, the exiled Emperor Alexei III Angel escaped to him.

The struggle of Daniel for his father's legacy

Roman Mstislavovich died in 1205 after an accident on the hunt. His son Daniel was just a newborn baby. The Galician boyars took advantage of this, depriving him of the throne. Throughout his life, Daniel fought against a rebellious aristocracy, Russian princes and western neighbors for the right to return his father's lot. It was a bright era, full of all sorts of events. It was during the reign of Daniil Romanovich that Western Russia reached its economic and political heyday.

The support of the prince's power was the service estate, as well as the city residents, who supported the ruler-peacekeeper. During the years of peace and prosperity, Daniel promoted the growth of new fortresses and shopping centers, attracting enterprising merchants and skilled artisans. With him, Lviv and Kholm were founded.

The Golden Age of Western Russia

Having reached adolescence, in 1215 the boy became a prince of Volhynia. This lot became its main fiefdom. In 1238, he finally returned the Galician principality, and a few months later captured Kiev. The flourishing of the new power was prevented by the Mongol invasion. As early as 1223, young Daniil, part of the princely Slavic coalition, participated in the battle of Kalka. Then the Mongols made a trial raid on the Polovtsian steppe. After defeating the allied army, they withdrew, but returned in the late 30's. First, North-Eastern Russia was ravaged. Then came the turn of the inheritance of Daniel. However, due to the fact that the Mongols had already considerably wiped out their army, they managed to avoid such colossal destruction as in the basin of the Oka and Klyazma.

Daniel tried to fight the Mongolian threat by making alliances with Catholic countries. Under him, Galician Russia and Western Europe actively cooperated and traded among themselves. Counting on help, Daniel even agreed to take the royal title from the Pope and in 1254 became the king of Russia.

His power was on an equal footing with a powerful Poland and Hungary. At a time when North-West Russia suffered from the Crusaders, and north-east from the Mongols, Daniel managed to keep peace in his possessions. He died in 1264, leaving his descendants with a great inheritance.

Decline and loss of independence

The children and grandchildren of Daniel could not keep their political independence from the west. The lands of Galich and Volhynia were divided between Poland and Lithuania, which annexed former Russian principalities through dynastic marriages and under the pretext of protection from the Mongols. In 1303, a metropolitanate was created in the region, which was subordinated directly to the Patriarch of Constantinople.

The struggle between Russia and its western neighbors ended when Poland and Lithuania divided the Galician-Volyn heritage among themselves. This happened in 1392. Soon, these two states signed the union and formed a single Commonwealth. The term "Western Russia" gradually became an archaism.