Ladder right in historiography is one of the systems of succession to the throne in monarchies. Most often, this term is used in relation to medieval Russia during the period of feudal fragmentation.
The origin of the system
The generic principle of inheritance (or in other words, the "ladder system") appeared within the Rurik dynasty. At first, Russia was a single centralized state with its center in Kyiv. It appeared in 882, when Oleg united the new southern capital with Novgorod the Great. In the future, the princes ruled, living on the banks of the Danube. With each generation, the number of Rurikovich men (brothers, pedigrees, etc.) grew.
In the 10th century, Svyatoslav sent his younger sons as governors to other cities of the country. This practice continued under his successors. At the same time, this led to unrest and internecine wars. The young princes did not want to be dependent on Kyiv and either captured this city themselves or declared their own independence. However, each time such a separatist war ended in the same way: one of the contenders won, repressed his rivals, and again united the state. It was not yet a ladder system, but only its beginnings.
Compromise
The heyday of the ancient Russian state fell on the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, who died in 1054. Like his ancestors, he again sent his younger sons as governors (to Novgorod, Pereyaslavl, etc.). And, of course, because of this, another conflict began. The descendants of Yaroslav could not decide with the help of weapons which of them was right, and therefore they all gathered together at the congress in Lyubech. This happened in 1097. By this time, the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Yaroslav were already arguing for power. It was at this meeting that the ladder system was adopted.
The compromise was reached due to the fact that the country's economy and well-being were undermined by constant wars. In addition, the Slavs were threatened by an external enemy. These were the Polovtsy - wild nomads who lived in the steppes to the south and east of Russia. They regularly organized predatory campaigns against peaceful cities, robbed or exacted tribute. To resist them, the strength of one small principality was clearly not enough. The state ceased to be a whole, it began to look like a patchwork quilt, where each "piece" pursued its own interests.
The main persons at the congress were Svyatoslav Izyaslavovich (prince of Kyiv), Vladimir Monomakh (prince of Pereyaslavl) and Oleg Svyatoslavovich (prince of Chernigov). They were constantly at odds with each other. However, they managed to reach an agreement. The new ladder succession system adopted by the parties stipulated binding rules for all rulers.
Key Features
Princes were recognized as equal. Each of them received the inheritance that he inherited from his own father. In fact, this meant the recognition of the independence of the provincial centers from Kyiv. At the same time, the prince, who was the eldest in the dynasty, was to rule in the “mother of Russian cities”. This meant that after Svyatopolk, power was to pass to Vladimir Monomakh (his cousin), which happened in 1113. This was the specific ladder system. Kyiv passed from the elder brother to the younger. Further, the children of the first were to rule, followed by their cousins, etc. This system was unstable. Often illegitimate applicants rebelled against the elders. Sometimes they were successful.
Another interesting rule that distinguished the ladder inheritance system was the outcast tradition. So they called the representatives of the Rurik dynasty, whose fathers did not live to see their turn to reign in Kyiv (or any other city). Often such outcasts were hired into the service of other rulers or became adventurers. Some were given special new allotments for feeding, which only increased the number of political formations within Russia.
Resemblance to a senorat
It is worth noting that such orders in Russia were not unique. In many countries of Europe in the Middle Ages, this principle was popular as a good way to resolve disputes between powerful relatives. There, this system was called the seignorate. The difference wasonly that the Russian state later entered the stage of fragmentation, which means that it later overcame it.
Rus and the ladder system
Also in Lyubech, the princes agreed that now all together they would fight against the Polovtsy and send their squads to the common army. By and large, this was the only positive outcome of the Lubech Congress in 1097.
In the future, every year the gap between the center in Kyiv and the provinces became more and more noticeable. The unstable ladder system of transfer of power has become one of the key reasons for this process. Kyiv finally lost its leadership position after it was captured by the army of Andrei Bogolyubsky in 1168. At the same time, the Vladimir-Suzdal prince did not remain on the Dnieper, but put his ally there. This finally confirmed the new order of things - Kyiv ceased to be the capital of Russia.
Fragmentation has led to a cultural gap between northern and southern cities. In the early years when the ladder system existed (the definition was especially popular among historians in the 19th century), this was not so noticeable. However, the Mongol invasion and the emergence of a powerful Lithuanian state finally cut off any ties between the steppe south and the forest north.
Reasons for appearance
Often there is a discussion: what is a ladder system? This is a tragic accident or is it a pattern. A comparative analysis of Russia and the European monarchies of the Middle Ages shows that this is rather a logicaldevelopment of events in the context of history. In England, France, and especially in Germany, there was the same fragmentation associated with the giving away of land for feeding. There is no need to think that the inheritance was given to a specific prince - he always had a squad behind him, which in each principality was the support and core of power.
It was this estate (in other words, the future boyars) that stood behind the emergence of independence in the provincial principalities. Ladder right was not the only way to get rid of dependence on the conditional "center". In the Russian north (Novgorod, Pskov) until the 15th–16th centuries. there was a veche and the format of a republic. Citizens of these cities enjoyed special liberties. Their independence from the princes became possible thanks to we alth (due to trade with Western neighbors), as well as cultural exchange with the same Europeans (for example, with members of the Hanseatic League).
Rejection of Ladder Right
Ladder right survived the era of Mongol rule over Russia. It was supplemented by the tradition of receiving labels for reigning from the khans (then, as a rule, the choice also fell in favor of the elders). At the same time, it was not Kyiv, which fell into decay, but Vladimir-on-Klyazma that became the bone of contention.
When the Russian principalities united around Moscow (XV century), the rulers of the Kremlin abandoned the disastrous practice of appanages. Power became autocratic and individual. Brothers and other male relatives became governors or nominal governors in the province.
