At the end of the 12th century, the Sovereign Court was formed in Tsarist Russia. This definition in Europe initially determined the circle of people who served the royal family in a personal residence. But in Russia, the list of people included not only servants. It was a privilege to get a position in the Sovereign's court. Since over time, the entire political system of government was concentrated in it.
Life before the Tsar's Court
Since the 11th century, the Russian state has become increasingly isolated, but steadily developed. The positive side of isolation was the economic and cultural development of the regions. The population increased, the economy became stronger, the cities became richer.
Russian lands were united by only a few factors:
- princes and boyars recognized the power of the prince of Kyiv;
- regions maintained a single religion and language;
- subordination of the norms described in the adopted code of laws "Russkaya Pravda" was controlled.
Reasons for fragmentation
Vladimir Monomakh, who reigned from 1113-1125gg., tried to stop the process, but died. His son Mstislav took the throne after the death of his father, but did not rule for long, only 7 years.
The reason for the fragmentation of the state was the resettlement of people from those lands that were periodically raided by the Polovtsy. The eastern and southwestern cities of Vladimir, Suzdal, Galich and Volyn took over the main flow of refugees.
The princes and boyars who owned the lands were not satisfied with subordination to Kyiv. Indeed, in order to maintain order in their lands, they had sufficient power and were strong. In addition, the local boyars and the princely squad provided each prince with the necessary protection and assistance, supporting the idea of not depending on the capital.
The fragmentation of the Old Russian state
Due to the princely civil strife, the state's defense capability has weakened. In the XII - I half. 13th century The Old Russian state turned out to be completely fragmented.
By the end of the 12th century, 15 lands became independent, independent of the capital. The largest of them were the Galicia-Volyn and Vladimir-Suzdal principalities, and the Novgorod Republic. In 1132, the fragmentation of Russia reached its climax.
The centralization of the state has become conditional. Each prince ruled on his own land independently, taking into account the boyars and retinue close to him - the forces on which his power depended.
Historically significant person in that period was Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. He ruled in the Vladimir-Suzdal lands and ledan active foreign policy to give himself the title of king. But in 1174 he was killed and power passed to his brother - Vsevolod the Big Nest. It was the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality that became the center that further rallied the state.
The reasons for the emergence of the Sovereign's Court
Let's look at the definition of history, what is the Gosudarevchfhiio yard. Historians date its origin to the second half of the 12th century. It included representatives of the princely squad. But at that time, submission was based on the principle "the vassal of your vassal is not my vassal." Then the Sovereign's Court appeared. This is a structure that, over time, on the basis of voluntary subordination, included boyars, "free servants" and servants who were subordinate to the "dvor-majordomo". Over time, the number of willing vassals grew.
In the XIII-XIV centuries. each prince had his own "Tsar's court". These are all vassals in the structure: squad, boyars and their descendants, hired workers, slaves. They were all called nobles.
The Sovereign's Court
At the end of the 16th century, during the reign of the Rurikids in Russia, the Moscow Sovereign Court was fully formed. It was a manorial system, which included people from three classes: the upper and middle classes constituted the residence of the king, the lower - his servants.
The upper class were people with large landholdings. The top of this class also had ranks in the Boyar Duma. The rest occupied various positions at court: a printer, a stableman, a sleeping bag, a gunsmith, and so on. The middle class included cavalrymen whocalled to serve in the capital: district landowners (nobles and children of boyars). The total number of people eventually reached 1200. The role of the royal court in governing the country was great. The people included in the structure influenced foreign and domestic policy.
Palace officials
The ranks of the Moscow Sovereign's Court are palace and Moscow positions. The list of palace ranks included:
1. The groom - after the death of the king, if he had no heirs, was the first contender for the throne. He was in charge of herds and cavalry, participated in military and diplomatic activities.
2. Butler - served at the table, managed the exchange between palace servants, carried out distribution, surveying, judged.
3. The treasurer of the royal court kept the valuables and the archive.
4. Gunsmith - was in charge of the gun room.
5. The bed clerk was in charge of the sovereign's bedroom, personal treasury and jewelry, office, formal clothes.
In addition to these positions, there were ranks of huntsman, falconer, kravchey, housekeeper, stoker.
The royal court also consisted of Moscow officials. They were assigned to the nobles, whose activities were connected with the army. They were stewards and solicitors.
The fragmentation of the Russian state served as a prerequisite for the appearance of the royal court. The role of the Sovereign's court in governing the country was great. People close to the king, who held ranks in this structure, could influence the political and economic spheres. What is the Sovereign's Court(definition by history), this article told you.
