Table on history: the main political centers of Russia. The Vladimir-Suzdal Principality is the main political center of Russia

One of the most important problems in the study of Russian medieval history is the theme "The main political centers of Russia". Briefly, this issue should be examined with the help of an analysis of the specifics of the development of the main areas that were formed as a result of the collapse of the once unified state territory.

The way of the formation of the principality in the Northeast

The main political center of Russia at the considered time is the Rostov-Suzdal land. It was here that the main focus of agriculture and agriculture was formed, which subsequently gave impetus to the formation of the nucleus of the future unified state on this territory. The main stream of the population went to these lands in search of new lands, pastures, lands. A characteristic feature of this area is the active participation of the princely authority in the construction of cities, fortresses, clearing pastures, wastelands, deforestation.

The latter circumstance led to the fact that here from the very beginning a strong princely power developed which suppressed the boyar opposition and subordinated the local population to its will. It is not surprising that the North-Eastern lands became the basis for the formation of a unified Russian state. It was around this region that the uniting of specific lands began, which later became the nucleus of a centralized nation state.

Edge advantages

The main political center of Rus was formed due to the construction of new cities, which became the capitals of new appanage principalities. As already mentioned above, the initiators of their creation were the princes. One of them was Yuri Dolgoruky, whose name is associated with the first chronicle of the city of Moscow. The active urban planning of the northern princes, their vigorous measures to attract the population here have done their job.

After Kiev lost its importance and actually ceased to be the capital of Russian lands, a stream of people poured into the northern regions, which sought protection in these forests from the raids of nomads, princely internecine strife, the ruin of cities and villages. The future main political center of Rus had an advantageous geographical position, as it was covered from rushes of nomads and Mongol-Tatars by impassable woodlands. In addition, this region possessed fertile lands, which were very good for the development of agriculture. Peasants burned the forests and fertilized the soil with soil, which contributed to the development of plowland farming, as well as to a wide variety of fisheries.

Some facts from the history

The main political center of Russia in the 12-13 centuries was formed during the reign of Yuri Dolgoruky. This prince waged active foreign policy wars, as a result of which he managed to even capture the former capital of the Russian lands and plant a dependent ruler there. His son and successor Andrei Bogolyubsky finally subordinated the princely power to the boyars. This predetermined the monarchical form of government in the area. Despite the temporary weakening of the power of the prince, his successor nevertheless managed to continue the policy of his father and grandfather and achieve unconditional domination. Thus, this region became the core of the unification of Russian lands in the following centuries.

Fighting Cities

The study of medieval Russian history is closely related to the analysis of the theme "The main political centers of Russia." The Vladimir-Suzdal Principality in this line occupies a leading place, since it was on its basis that a single national state was formed. But this was preceded by a protracted confrontation between old and new cities: Rostov and Vladimir. The first long time kept the leading position, because he was the owner of the status of the senior. However, very soon a new city of Vladimir appeared on the historical scene, whose ruler, in opposition to the old concepts, declared himself the supreme ruler of the northeastern lands. Thus, this main political center of Russia took the initiative in its hands to unite all the lands.

Other lands

In addition to the Vladimir-Suzdal princedom, there were other areas that could also claim the role of a land unifier. In general, there were a lot of destinies, which in fact led an independent existence, but only three of them managed to rise to leave a visible mark in the people's memory. It is their development that is the main theme for understanding what the history of Russia was like at the time under consideration. The main political centers of Russia in addition to the above-mentioned region included the Novgorod land and the Galicia-Volyn principality.

Novgorod

The peculiarity of the first development was that in it the boyar government was established, and the prince's power was considered to be nominal. The latter carried out military and some administrative functions. He was not a political head and did not take part in the legislative life of the city. On the contrary, the boyar elite took the rule of even driving out the disagreeable prince from Novgorod. Thus, here, in essence, the republican type of government was established, a phenomenon that is inherently unique for the Middle Ages.

Economy of the city

Another characteristic feature of the development of this area was that it was economically developed and had trade relations with the countries of Western Europe. Novgorod merchants had their offices in the northern states, and foreign merchants also conducted their business in the city itself. However, agriculture was poorly developed in the Novgorod land, which depended on the supply of bread from the so-called grass-roots areas. Nevertheless, the Novgorod boyar republic had a high urban culture.

Galicia-Volyn principality

This area was located in the north-west of Russia. Politically, it was a cross between the two centers mentioned above: in it, evenly-dominant powers were divided between the prince and the boyars. From time to time, each of these political forces prevailed, however, as a rule, the relative balance between them was respected. However, the struggle for domination led to bitter clashes between the rulers and the tribal aristocracy, which periodically sought to win lost positions.

Another characteristic feature of the development of this region is the constant interference of Western European neighbors in the internal affairs of the state. But the Galicia-Volyn principality was far from the Khan's rate and therefore was not so badly affected by the raids of the Mongol-Tatars. Located on the periphery of the Russian lands, this territory retained some independence, but at the same time it eventually fell under the influence of the West.

The table on the history of "The main political centers of Russia" clearly shows the above features.