Mr. Veliky Novgorod - so respectfully called this northern city all the Eastern Slavs. The first Novgorodians chose a place for the settlement very well - after a few decades, a small settlement becomes a busy crossroads of trade routes. What is remarkable about the history of ancient Novgorod, how was this city formed, and why, in the end, did it lose its significance? Let's try to figure it out.
Look into the past
What are historians guided by when studying the past of such an entity as Novgorod? The ancient city did not arise from scratch - and before that, nameless villages, various towns and towns arose and disappeared on the damp channels of Ladoga. Historians take into account both architectural excavations and the analysis of folklore works. All information, collected bit by bit, becomes the basis for the birth of historical hypotheses.
This is how Novgorod arose. The ancient city was mentioned in chronicles dating back to 859. The emergence of the settlement is associated within the name of Prince Rurik, who came from the northern lands to rule the eastern territories. At first, Rurik even made Novgorod his capital. But later, having taken Kyiv, he left behind Novgorod the title of a border point - a fortress that stood guard over the borders of the northern lands.
Origin of the name
Ancient Novgorod was not always ancient. The very name of this settlement suggests that it was created under an already existing city. According to one hypothesis, Novgorod arose on the site of three small settlements. Together, they fenced off their new settlement and became the New City - Novgorod.
Another hypothesis indicates the presence of another, older settlement. Such a settlement was found on a hill located very close to the place where Novgorod now stands. The ancient hill is called Gorodische. Excavations have shown that compact settlements existed on the territory of the hill (perhaps, local nobility and pagan priests). But none of the other hypotheses can answer the numerous questions that have accumulated over the thousand-year history of this city.
First Ages
In the early days, ancient Novgorod was a small wooden village. Due to frequent floods, the inhabitants built their houses at some distance from the lake, along the banks of the river. Later, "breakthrough" streets appeared, connecting various parts of the city. The first Kremlin of Novgorod was an unremarkable wooden structure. Such small fortresses in Russia were called detintsy because of their small size and apparentstrength.
Detinets occupied the entire northwestern part of the village. The sights of ancient Novgorod were limited to this. The opposite bank was occupied by the mansions of the prince and the hut of a we althy Slovenian village.
First trips
No matter how small the information gleaned from the annals may seem to us, it is still possible to add up the history of Novgorod from it. For example, in the chronicles of the end of the 9th century, it is said about the campaign of Prince Oleg against Kyiv. The result of this was the unification of two Slavic tribes - the glades and the Ilmen Slavs. The chronicles of the 10th century say that the Novgorodians were tributaries of the Varangians and paid them 300 hryvnias a year. Later, Novgorod became subordinate to Kyiv, and Princess Olga herself set the amount of tribute from the Novgorod land. Chronicles tell of a large amount of tribute that could only be collected from a rich and prosperous settlement.
Expansion of Novgorod lands
It is impossible to talk about ancient Novgorod without mentioning the peculiarities of its foreign and domestic policy. Novgorod lands were constantly growing with new territories - during the period of its greatest prosperity, the influence of this city extended from the shores of the Arctic Ocean to Torzhok. Part of the land was seized as a result of military operations. For example, a campaign against the Chud tribe, who lived in the north of modern Estonia, brought a rich tribute to the city's treasury, and the Slavic Yuryev, founded by Yaroslav the Wise, appeared in the original Chud lands.
Diploma,transferred book. Svyatoslav Olgovich, listed several small graveyards located far to the north, but if they are mentioned in the census, then the tribute to the prince came from there. For several centuries, the territories of the Novgorod lands grew peacefully - Russian farmers in search of fertile lands contributed a lot to the peaceful colonization of non-Slavic tribes.
Territorial division of land
Such a large territory needed administration, so it was divided into five districts (pyatin), which were led by ancient Novgorod. The spots were located like this:
- Obonezhskaya pyatina - extended to the shores of the White Sea.
- Vodskaya pyatina - occupied part of modern Karelia.
- Shelonskaya Pyatina is an area south and southwest of Novgorod.
- Tree patch - stretched to the southeast.
- Bezhetskaya pyatina is the only one whose borders did not touch the city limits, this patch was located between the territories of Derevskaya and Obonezhskaya pyatina.
The population of Pyatin was mainly engaged in tillage, hunting, and fishing. Pyatinas were ruled by representatives sent from Novgorod by officials. More distant lands were annually visited by tribute collectors, who even reached the places of residence of the Mansi and Khanty tribes - far in the northeast. Tribute was paid mainly in furs, which were then successfully sold to Europe. Thanks to fur taxes and active trade, in a short time, ancient Novgorod became one of the richestcities of Kievan Rus.
City Governance
Novgorod, the ancient city of Russian lands, had a unique form of government for the Middle Ages - a republic. During the 9th-11th centuries, the Novgorod lands were no different from other possessions of Kievan Rus. But in the XII century, the city council became the main form of government. Who ruled the ancient city? How did Novgorod become a republic?
The answer can be found in letters from the beginning of the 12th century. In the lists of 1130 we find the standard orders of Prince Mstislav to his son Vsevolod. Everything is correct - in the princely lands it should be so. But in the letter of 1180, Prince Izyaslav asks Novgorod to allocate land to the nearest monastery. As you can see, at the end of the 12th century, the princes were not full sovereigns at all, and had to seek permission from the city authorities.
The turning point was the Novgorod uprising in 1136. During this period, the rebels arrested Prince Mstislav along with his family and held him captive for six weeks, after which they were allowed to leave ancient Novgorod. Briefly about this period, we can say this: the Slavic veche was revived and turned into a powerful legislative body. The first elected positions appeared - posadniki, who pursued an independent policy. This form of government successfully existed in the Novgorod lands for more than three hundred years. Only after the bloody annexation of the Novgorod lands to the Moscow principality did the Novgorod freemen come to an end.
Posadnik ruled the city?
There isthe opinion that ancient Novgorod was ruled by posadniks. Yes or no? There is no definite answer to this question. Formally, the posadniks managed the work of the veche, convened and dissolved the city council. In their hands were the keys to the arsenal and the city treasury. They regulated the work of the veche and approved the decisions made there.
So the posadniks ruled ancient Novgorod? Yes or no? Let's approach the problem from the other side. The form of decision-making in those days was different from that adopted in the modern world. Decisions at the veche were made not by a simple majority vote, but in favor of those who shouted the loudest. Cunning posadniks hired such screamers in their districts and promoted them at the veche in order to adopt the necessary legal provisions. It can be said that formally Novgorod was ruled by all the inhabitants. But in fact, the power was in the hands of elected mayors.
Princes in Novgorod
Princes in Novgorod had no rights. Only in wartime, by decree of the veche, could they be invited to command the defense of the city. Mercenary princes were forbidden to own their own lands and take part in the management of the city. They settled with their families and household members in Gorodishche - special mansions were equipped there for them.
But the princes were the only ones who ruled ancient Novgorod during the war. A special veche considered the candidacies of neighboring princes and decided which of them to call for help. The chosen one was settled in Gorodishche, given all the powers in his hands, and the city militia was assembled under his leadership. And after the elimination of the military threathe was simply expelled, as they say in the ancient chronicles, they showed him the way. At the same time, the Novgorodians sought firm compliance with the clauses of the agreement from all the princes:
- do not interfere in the internal life of the Novgorod lands;
- be content with collecting tribute;
- lead military operations.
Those princes who did not comply with the conditions were simply expelled from the Novgorod possessions. The only exception, perhaps, was the reign of Alexander Nevsky. A firm hand and a tough policy, combined with the impending danger, temporarily reconciled the Novgorodians with the princely order. He was the only one who ruled ancient Novgorod as a prince and ruler. But, after Nevsky took the throne, the Novgorodians did not ask for either the prince's relatives or his deputies.
Novgorod military
Many centuries of Novgorod's independence obligated him to pursue a completely independent foreign policy. At first, the main goal of military expansion was to expand the borders of the Novgorod Republic, later it was about preserving the existing borders and protecting the sovereignty of the state. To accomplish these tasks, Novgorodians had to receive foreign delegations, enter into and break political alliances, hire teams and armies, and mobilize the local population.
The backbone of the Novgorod army was the militia. It included peasants, artisans, boyars and civilians. Slaves and representatives of the clergy did not have the right to be in the militia. The elite of the army was the squad of the invited prince, and commanded the militaryoperation the prince himself, chosen by the decision of the veche.
The main protective armor of the Novgorodians was a shield, chain mail and a sword. Many of the examples of this weapon were discovered during later excavations, and the best examples are still kept in museums and in the photo of ancient Novgorod.
A variety of metal helmets were used for the head. For the attack, sabers and horns were used, in hand-to-hand combat, bludgeons and maces were used. Bows and crossbows were actively used for long-range combat. Crossbows were inferior in rate of fire, but the heavy tips of such arrows could penetrate any, even the most durable enemy armor.
Culture of ancient Novgorod, traditions of choice
The concept of Orthodox Christianity has become the foundation for the moral, ethical and ideological life of Novgorod society. The temples of ancient Novgorod gathered a lot of people and were ruled by bishops. The position of a bishop, like that of a posadnik, was elective in Novgorod. The veche also de alt with the procedure for choosing a spiritual shepherd.
It is interesting that even in such distant times there was a procedure for choosing secular and spiritual rulers. At the place of veche meetings, the names of the three applicants were announced, they were applied to parchment and sealed by the mayor. Then the Novgorodians went out under the walls of St. Sophia's Church, where the honor of drawing lots went to a blind man or a child. The chosen option was immediately announced, and the elected bishop accepted congratulations.
In the 11th century, the procedure changed somewhat. It was considered thatit is not the one who leaves who wins, but the one who stays and becomes the ruler. The archpriest of St. Sophia Cathedral took lots, read out the names, and the name of the winner was announced at the very end. In the vast majority of cases, abbots of nearby monasteries and representatives of the white clergy became bishops and archbishops of Novgorod churches.
But there were also cases when the chosen one did not even have a spiritual dignity. So, in 1139, this high position was taken by the parish keykeeper Alexy, chosen for his righteousness and fear of God. The authority of the archbishops was very great among the Novgorodians. More than once they prevented civil strife, reconciled those who quarreled, and blessed them for war. Without the blessing of the lord, neither economic nor military agreements between the rulers of Novgorod and visiting princes and representatives of foreign states were recognized.
Architecture of ancient Novgorod
The art of ancient Novgorod occupies a separate place in the history of Russian culture. In the second half of the 12th century, Novgorod architects built buildings according to their own model, decorating the walls of religious buildings with their own original frescoes. At first, the bishops and archbishops, who were lucky enough to occupy the highest positions in the church hierarchy, did not spare money for the churches and cathedrals of ancient Novgorod. The power of the church was generously supported by income from vast lands, donations from individuals, a system of duties and fines.
Unfortunately, few masterpieces of wooden architecture have survived to this day. The early temples of Novgorod largely copy the famous Kyiv ones. Christian shrines, but already at the dawn of the new millennium, specific Novgorod features appear in the outlines of the cathedrals. For example, the St. Sophia Cathedral in ancient Novgorod was copied from a similar church in capital Kyiv.
Its walls are crowned with heavy, lead domes, and only the highest of them, the fifth, sparkles with gold. Initially, the Novgorod church of St. Sophia was made of wood, like all architectural structures of that time. But the original building, after standing for about fifty years, burned to the ground in a big fire.
Prince Vladimir, son of Yaroslav the Wise, decided to build a new, stone cathedral, similar to the famous Kyiv temple. To do this, the prince had to call in masons and architects from Kyiv - in Novgorod there were no builders who could work with stone. The cathedral was very popular among Novgorodians and residents of Pyatin - during the great holidays, its walls were not visible due to the large crowds of people. The city treasury was kept in the temple, and the walls of this building hid many caches with treasures. Perhaps some of them have remained undiscovered to this day.
In the second half of the 12th century, the customers of temples and structures were no longer the church, but rich clerks and boyars. Other famous examples of Novgorod architecture - the Church of Peter and Paul in Kozhevniki, the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Ilyina, the Church of Fyodor Stratilat on the Creek - were built on boyar donations. The boyars did not skimp on the interior decoration of the temple - all divine services were held using goldand silver vessels. The walls of the temples were decorated with bright frescoes by local artists, and the Novgorod icons painted at that time do not cease to amaze today.
Modern sights of Novgorod
Tourists of our time will be able to find many historical monuments of this city in modern Novgorod. The list of must-see attractions includes the famous citadel, repeatedly burned to the ground and reborn in the 13th century, only in stone form. The Church of Paraskeva Pyatnitsa and the Church of the Assumption on the Volotovo Field attract visitors with their amazing frescoes and icons, the brightness of which does not fade even today. For those who want to immerse themselves in the era of ancient Novgorod, there is an excursion to the Troitsky archaeological excavation - it is there that you can walk the streets of the 10th century, see a lot of evidence of this ancient time.
Results
Until the 15th century, Novgorod led a completely self-sufficient sovereign existence, adopting and imposing its own policy on neighboring states. The influence of Novgorod extended far beyond the official borders of this principality. The we alth of its citizens and successful trade relations attracted the attention of all neighboring states. Novgorodians often had to defend their own independence, repelling the onslaught of the Swedes, Livonians, German knights and their indefatigable neighbors - the Moscow and Suzdal principalities.
With the we althy Grand Duchy of Lithuania, Novgorod preferred to trade rather than fight, trade relations between the two countries have a long history. Historians are sure that it was from the south to the Novgorod landscame an education system that allowed every free husband to read and write. Researchers find a lot of birch-bark letters with everyday or educational texts in the Novgorod lands - perhaps other principalities that remained after the collapse of Kievan Rus did not attach much importance to the level of literacy of their own inhabitants.
Unfortunately, a strong and rich state has not stood the test of time. The aggressive policy of forcible annexation of Russian lands played its role. Novgorod could not resist the onslaught of the forces of Ivan the Terrible, and in 1478 was included in the Moscow principality. The rich culture and traditions gradually fell into decay, the center of cultures and crafts shifted to the east, and Novgorod eventually became an ordinary provincial city.
