People faced with the history of the emergence of the state among the Eastern Slavs, certainly met the concept of "polyudye". Indeed, at an early stage of the existence of the country, this process can be characterized as the collection of taxes.
Formation of signs of statehood in Russia
So, what is polyudie? Let's try to understand this issue in more detail. At the end of the eighth century, powerful intertribal unions formed on the territory of the settlement of the East Slavic tribes, which competed with each other for supremacy. The tribal union of the glades acquired the greatest influence and power. They gradually subjugated most of the Slavs. The first signs of the nascent state also appeared, such as: a single leader, a court, laws, an army, and, of course, taxes, the most important component of this system. That's what polyude is. This is a way of collecting tax from the surrounding tribes in favor of the Grand Duke. Such a system was common in all European countries at the dawn of their appearance, it was simply called differently depending on national nuances, but the essence was the same for everyone - this is the replenishment of the treasury.
Eastern Slavic taxation system
Rus is notwas an exception to this. Tribute, expressed in mandatory taxes, was an integral part of the state structure. However, the prince, in turn, also assumed certain obligations, in particular, he had to protect the peace and peaceful life of his subjects from foreign encroachments, protect the identity of each person, and all this required significant amounts of money. What is polyudie for a resident of ancient Russia? The same as income tax for the modern population of our country, with the only difference in the method of taking away material resources. When the glades liberated a number of Slavic tribes from the Khazars, they imposed mandatory payments in their favor. But now, unlike the Khazar tribute, the population could make it not only with money, but also with products, handicrafts.
"Pitfalls" polyudya
Thus, the influx of the necessary financial and monetary resources necessary for the young state was established. This system was far from perfect, but it persisted for a long period. In late autumn, the Grand Duke, together with his retinue, began to travel around all his possessions in order to collect the payments due to him and his retinue. “Walking among people” is what polyudye is, the definition is very accurate, because during this trip the prince stopped in large settlements, in small settlements. This continued until all the lands belonging to the Kyiv prince were visited by him. At the same time, in addition to the actual payments, the population had to support the ruler andhis retinue during the entire time of their stay in a particular locality. Various kinds of injustice reigned in the collection of tribute, and its main reason was the virtual absence of a fixed amount of tax.
The tragedy of Grand Duke Igor or irrepressible greed?
This is what caused the death of Prince Igor. During the next polyudya, he, having taken tribute from the Drevlyane tribe and divided it with the squad, considered the tax insufficient. Then, by a joint decision of the prince and his soldiers, it was decided to return for a second tribute. They again came to the lands of the Drevlyans and demanded to pay again. Of course, this angered people, and they simply killed the squad along with the prince. So the lack of tax collection was the cause of Igor's death. The death of the Grand Duke brought the state to the brink of collapse, but Igor's wife, Olga, turned out to be a very smart and far-sighted woman. She understood that this method of taxation needed to be changed, and first of all, to establish the exact figure of the necessary payments. With quick and decisive steps, she pacified the agitated tribes and restored the unity of Russia.
Reform of tribute collection by Princess Olga
Olga then embarked on the first major reform of the tax collection system since its inception. Its first action was the establishment of a fixed amount of tribute. This will avoid many abuses in the future, and, as a result, make this process more legal. In addition, she understood what polyudie was - it was a great danger to the ruler himself, and thereforedecided that all the collected resources were brought to a certain place indicated from Kyiv. Such places were called graveyards, it was there that various tribes brought all the taxes collected, and then representatives of the princely authorities took them from there. Thus, Princess Olga both simplified the taxation system and made it safer for the collectors themselves. This reform allowed the state to become even more consolidated, all strife over the injustice of the tribute is gradually becoming a thing of the past.
Kievan Rus has taken an important step in its further development. The former "tributary-master" scheme was a thing of the past. This is what polyudie is in the history of Russia. The departure of such a tax system testifies to the progress of feudal relations within the ancient Russian society, and Olga's reforms were the dictates of the times, which she very accurately caught and did not allow the state to split into separate warring parts.
