The collapse of the Old Russian state is one of the most important and significant processes of the early Middle Ages. The destruction of Kievan Rus left a huge imprint on the history of the Eastern Slavs and all of Europe. It is rather difficult to name the exact date of the beginning and end of the fragmentation. The largest state in the world decayed for almost 2 centuries, drowning in the blood of internecine wars and foreign invasions.
The book "The Disintegration of the Old Russian State: Briefly" is a must-read for all historical faculties of the post-Soviet space.
First signs of crisis
The reasons for the collapse of the Old Russian state are similar to the reasons for the fall of all the powerful states of the Ancient World. The acquisition of independence from the center by local rulers was an integral part of the progress and development of feudalism. The starting point can be considered the death of Yaroslav the Wise. Prior to that, Russia was ruled by the descendants of Rurik, the Varangian invited to reign. Over time, the rule of this dynasty covered all the lands of the state. In every major city sat one or another descendant of the prince. All of them were obliged to pay tribute to the center and supplysquad in case of war or raids on foreign lands. The central government met in Kyiv, which was not only the political, but also the cultural center of Russia.
Weakening of Kyiv
The collapse of the Old Russian state was not least the result of the weakening of Kyiv. New trade routes appeared (for example, "from the Varangians to the Greeks"), which bypassed the capital. Also on the ground, some princes undertook independent raids on nomads and left the looted we alth for themselves, which allowed them to develop autonomously from the center. After the death of Yaroslav, it turned out that the Rurik dynasty is huge, and everyone wants to get power.
The younger sons of the Grand Duke died, a protracted internecine war began. The sons of Yaroslav tried to divide Russia among themselves, finally abandoning the central government.
A number of principalities are devastated as a result of wars. This is used by the Polovtsy - a nomadic people from the southern steppes. They attack and ravage the border lands, each time going further and further. Several princes attempted to repulse the raids, but were unsuccessful.
Peace in Lyubech
Vladimir Monomakh convenes a congress of all princes in the city of Lyubech. The main purpose of the gathering was an attempt to prevent endless hostility and unite under one banner to repel the nomads. All present agree. But at the same time, a decision was made to change the internal policy of Russia.
From now oneach prince received full power over his possessions. He had to participate in general campaigns and coordinate his actions with other principalities. But tribute and other taxes to the center were abolished.
Such an agreement made it possible to stop the bloody civil war, but catalyzed the beginning of the collapse of the Old Russian state. In fact, Kyiv lost its power. But at the same time it remained the cultural center of Russia. The rest of the territory was divided into approximately 15 "lands" states (various sources indicate the presence of 12 to 17 such entities). Almost until the middle of the 12th century, peace reigned in 9 principalities. Each throne began to be inherited, which influenced the emergence of dynasties in these lands. There were mostly friendly relations between the neighbors, and the Kyiv prince was still considered "first among equals".
Therefore, a real struggle unfolded for Kyiv. Several princes could simultaneously rule in the capital and counties. The constant change of various dynasties led the city and its surroundings to decline. One of the world's first examples of a republic was the principality of Novgorod. Here, the privileged boyars (descendants of combatants who received land) firmly established power, significantly limiting the influence of the prince. All basic decisions were made by the people's council, and the "leader" was assigned the functions of a manager.
Invasion
The final collapse of the Old Russian state occurred after the invasion of the Mongols. Feudal fragmentation contributed to the development of individual provinces. Each city was directly ruleda prince who, being in place, could competently allocate resources. This contributed to the improvement of the economic situation and the significant development of culture. But at the same time, the defensive capacity of Russia fell significantly. Despite the peace of Lubeck, internecine wars for one or another principality repeatedly took place. The Polovtsian tribes were actively attracted to them.
By the middle of the 13th century, a terrible threat loomed over Russia - the invasion of the Mongols from the east. Nomads have been preparing for this invasion for several decades. In 1223 there was a raid. Its purpose was intelligence and familiarization with Russian troops and culture. After that, Batu Khan decided to attack and enslave Russia entirely. The Ryazan lands were the first to be hit. The Mongols ravaged them in a few weeks.
Business
The Mongols successfully used the internal situation in Russia. The principalities, although they were not at enmity with each other, pursued an absolutely independent policy and were in no hurry to help each other. Everyone was waiting for the defeat of a neighbor in order to have their own benefit from this. But everything changed after the complete destruction of several cities in the Ryazan region. The Mongols used state-wide raiding tactics. In total, from 300 to 500 thousand people took part in the raid (including detachments recruited from conquered peoples). While Russia could put up no more than 100 thousand people from all the principalities. Slavic troops had superiority in weapons and tactics. However, the Mongols tried to avoid general battles and preferred quicksurprise attacks. Superiority in numbers made it possible to bypass large cities from different sides.
Resistance
Despite the ratio of forces 5 to 1, the Russians gave a fierce rebuff to the invaders. The losses of the Mongols were much higher, but were quickly replenished at the expense of prisoners. The collapse of the Old Russian state was h alted due to the consolidation of the princes in the face of the threat of complete annihilation. But it was too late. The Mongols were rapidly moving deep into Russia, ruining one lot after another. After 3 years, the 200,000-strong army of Batu stood at the gates of Kyiv.
The brave Russians defended the cultural center to the last, but there were many more Mongols. After the capture of the city, it was burned and almost completely destroyed. Thus, the last uniting facts of the Russian lands - Kyiv - ceased to play the role of a cultural center. At the same time, the raids of the Lithuanian tribes and the campaigns of the Catholic German orders began. Russia ceased to exist.
Consequences of the collapse of the Old Russian state
By the end of the 13th century, almost all the lands of Russia were under the rule of other peoples. The Golden Horde ruled in the east, Lithuania and Poland - in the west. The reasons for the collapse of the Old Russian state lie in the fragmentation and lack of coordination between the princes, as well as the unfavorable foreign policy situation.
The destruction of statehood and being under foreign oppression catalyzed the desire to restore unityall Russian lands. This led to the formation of the mighty Moscow kingdom, and then the Russian Empire.
