Any state in its history is going through three stages - the birth and development, golden age, decline and cessation of existence. Kievan Rus - a powerful formation of the Eastern Slavs - was no exception, therefore, after its triumph on the world stage during the time of Yaroslav the Wise, it gradually lost its influence and disappeared from the political map. The reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state today is known to schoolchildren and adults, but it is not the only one: Kievan Rus died due to external and internal factors that together led it to such an outcome. But we will tell about everything in order.
A bit of history
What is the reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state, which during its heyday occupied a vast territory from the Taman Peninsula to the upper reaches of the Northern Dvina,from the tributaries of the Volga to the Dniester and Vistula? Before considering it, let us briefly recall the history of Kievan Rus.
Traditionally, the year 862 is considered the formation of the state - the date of calling to rule Rurik. Having consolidated his power in Kyiv, his successor Oleg Veshchy united the nearest lands under his hand. Many historians do not agree with this theory, because before the arrival of Oleg in Russia, there were well-fortified cities, an organized army, ships, temples were built, a calendar was kept, there was its own culture, religion and language. The stronghold and capital was the city of Kyiv, favorably located on trade routes.
The golden age of the East Slavic state came after the adoption of Christianity in 988 and fell on the reign of Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko and Yaroslav the Wise, whose daughters became queens of three countries and under whom the first constitution "Russian Truth" was established. Gradually, feudal fragmentation and enmity between numerous specific princes developed in Kievan Rus. This is the first and main reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state. The Mongolian bulk erased it from the political map of Europe, turning it into a remote ulus of the Golden Horde.
Internal factors of the collapse of Russia
The main reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state is the feudal fragmentation of Kievan Rus and enmity between the princes. This is the traditional version of most historians, who also draw attention to the fact that this is a normal phenomenon for European countries of those times. Contributed to deepening fragmentation and the following:
- Russiansprincipalities were surrounded by enemies - numerous tribes that were at different stages of development. Each lot had its own enemy, so they fought back with their own forces.
- Each specific prince relied on new, but influential strata of the population, which included representatives of the church, boyars, merchants.
- Uneven economic development of regions: rich principalities did not want to share their resources with the Grand Duke of Kyiv and poorer destinies.
- Frequent civil strife between the heirs because of the Kyiv throne, in which a large number of ordinary people died.
External causes of the death of Kievan Rus
The internal causes of the collapse of the Old Russian state we briefly outlined, now consider the external factors. During the period of prosperity, the princes did a lot to ensure the security of their borders. Vladimir baptized Russia, while receiving the favor of Byzantium and the support of European countries, Yaroslav arranged dynastic marriages, developed architecture, culture, crafts, education and other aspects. At the beginning of the 13th century, the foreign policy situation changed dramatically: the Mongols began to actively claim dominance in the world. Iron discipline and absolute obedience to elders, the large number and good weapons obtained by previous campaigns, made the nomads invincible. After the conquest of Russia, the Mongols completely changed their way of life, introduced new rules, elevated some cities and wiped others off the face of the earth. In addition to all this, she died or was driven into slavery.most of the population, both the ruling elite and ordinary people.
The collapse of the Old Russian state: causes and consequences
We examined the factors of the political collapse of Kievan Rus, now we will find out what consequences this phenomenon had for the state. At the very beginning, the feudal fragmentation of the Old Russian state had a positive character: agriculture and crafts were actively developing, trade was briskly conducted, cities were growing.
But then the destinies turned into separate states, whose rulers were constantly fighting for power and the main bone of contention was Kyiv. The capital city and its lands lost their influence, which passed into the hands of richer and more powerful regions. These include the Galicia-Volyn, Vladimir-Suzdal principalities and the Novgorod Boyar Republic, which are considered to be the political heirs of the first Old Russian state. The enmity greatly weakened the lands and prevented the Russian princes from uniting before the attacks of the Horde, because of which Kievan Rus ceased to exist.
Instead of afterword
We examined the causes and consequences of the political collapse of the Old Russian state. Such an excursion into history teaches us the main lesson: only together people and rulers can build a strong and rich state that can survive all the hardships of life.
