One of the most beautiful and rich in architectural monuments place in Ukraine is Lviv. The history of the city from its very beginning to the present day is replete with many interesting facts. We will try to dwell on the most remarkable of them. The history of Lviv in all its grandeur will be revealed before us.
Backstory
Ancient Slavic settlements on the territory of the modern city date back to the 5th century AD. Some historians believe that it is from this moment that the history of Lviv begins. Since the 7th century, an area of artisans has been actively functioning in the settlement, which gave it the right to be called a city. But what was the name of this settlement then remains a mystery to historians. The settlement was inhabited in those days by the tribes of white Croats.
In 981, the area around the future Lviv, in the course of the struggle with the young Polish kingdom, was annexed by Prince Vladimir to Kievan Rus. From that moment on, this territory was included in the economic and political life of the Old Russianstate.
After the beginning of the feudal fragmentation of a single ancient Russian power, the lands on which Lviv now stands were first included in the Galician principality, and since 1199 - in the Galicia-Volyn principality of the Monomakhoviches. Roman Mstislavovich, the father of the future founder of Lvov, Daniil Romanovich Galitsky, is considered to be the creator of this state.
The heyday of the Galician principality
It is to the period of Daniel's reign that the political and economic heyday of the Galician state belongs. And this despite the fact that he had to spend his whole life in the fight against the local boyars and external aggressors - Poland and Hungary.
But the Mongol-Tatar invasion de alt the most severe blow to the Western Russian state. During this bulk, many cities of Galicia were destroyed. Unlike other princes, Daniel did not fully reconcile himself to the foreign yoke until the last days of his life. He constantly looked for ways to resist the invaders, tried to create an alliance against the Mongols, consisting of the rulers of Western countries. For the sake of this, he was even ready to enter into an alliance with the Catholic Church, although in practice he never betrayed Orthodoxy. In recognition of his services to the faith in the fight against the Mongols, Daniel of Galicia was given the title of King of Russia by the Pope of Rome.
The Horde khans, of course, did not like this activity of the prince, who sent one punitive detachment after another to force him to loy alty. As a result of these raids in Galicia, many cities and settlements were destroyed.
Foundation of Lvov
Tatar raids were one of the reasons for the founding of the city with the beautiful name of Lvov. The history of its creation begins in 1256. It was then that the capital of the Galicia-Volyn principality, the Hill, was badly damaged by the fire. In this regard, Prince Daniel decided to build a new large city in an area difficult to access for Tatar raids.
At the same time, some historians attribute the date of the foundation of Lviv to an earlier time - 1247 or 1240. Accordingly, in these hypotheses, this event is timed to coincide with the marriage of Daniel's son Leo and the capture of Kyiv by the Mongols.
City name
Practically all historians have the same opinion on why the city was given the name Lvov. The history of the name is traced back to the son and heir of Daniil Galitsky - Lev Danilovich. It was in his honor that the great father named the city, which was destined to become the capital of the principality. According to one version, the name was given on the day of the wedding of Leo with the daughter of the King of Hungary.
The capital of the Russian kingdom
The history of Lvov has taken a new turn since 1269, when Leo became the prince of Galicia-Volyn and the king of Russia. It was he who transferred the capital to this city from Galich, which was subject to repeated destruction, and the burnt Hill. From that moment on, Lviv became not just the main city of the Galicia-Volyn principality, but actually the center of the Russian kingdom.
In line with his new status, the city has begun massive construction. In 1270 it was built like thiscalled the High Castle - the citadel of Lviv. Although the prince himself lived in the Lower Castle. The entire public life of the city took place in the market, it was he who was his heart. More and more people flocked to the capital from neighboring and distant settlements. This is how Lviv grew. The history of the city has become an inseparable part of the world chronology.
After the death of Leo I, the settlement did not lose its capital status. It remained the main city of the state under the following princes, who at the same time bore the title of kings of Russia. This continued until the ruling family came to an end in 1340 with the death of Yuri II Boleslav.
Lviv as part of the Commonwe alth
After the ruling dynasty ended in Galicia, Polish King Casimir III declared his rights to the principality, and in particular to Lvov. In 1340, his troops captured the city and established royal power there. True, the king granted the city self-government and the Magdeburg Law, but at the same time, Lviv began to rapidly become Polonized. Soon the majority of the townspeople were Poles. Jews were also a significant part of the population. The history of Lviv from that time until 1939 is inextricably linked with Poland.
In 1412, the archbishop's chair was moved to Lviv from Halych.
In 1569, Poland and Lithuania formed a union state - the Commonwe alth. Lviv was part of it until 1772, when, as a result of the first division of the Polish-Lithuanian state, it, like the rest of Galicia, was included in the Austrian Habsburg Empire.
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
IncludedDuring the Habsburg Monarchy, Lvov became the capital of the province, which is commonly called the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. Despite the fact that the city became part of another state and the governor was appointed from Vienna, the Polish nobility continued to play a leading role in the region.
At the same time, this period can be called the cultural revival of Lviv. The university was restored, the theater was opened, the imperial government supported the fight against church obscurantism. At the same time, the cultural communities of the Ruthenians began to revive, as the Habsburgs tried to find support in them in the confrontation with the Polish nobility.
Attempt to restore Ukrainian statehood
After the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918 due to the defeat in the First World War, the Ukrainian intelligentsia of Lvov attempted to restore their own statehood. It expressed itself in the proclamation of the Declaration of State Independence of the Western Ukrainian People's Republic (ZUNR) on October 19, 1918.
But the problem was that the majority of the population of Lvov at that time were Poles who saw themselves only as part of the new Polish state. Therefore, the fate of ZUNR was a foregone conclusion. In November, the troops of the head of Poland, Pilsudski, already completely controlled Lviv, and soon the ZUNR army was finally defeated.
Under Polish rule
Thus, the history of Lviv until 1939 was connected with the Polishstate. The rights of Ukrainians during this period were completely infringed. Thus began one of the most tragic pages in the history of the region. It was during this period that a bloody struggle unfolded between Ukrainian nationalists and the Polish authorities, the main victim of which was the civilian population among representatives of both one and another nationality.
In 1939, Poland was actually divided between Germany and the Soviet Union. Lviv and almost all of Galicia were annexed to the USSR.
Lviv as part of the USSR
Lvov did not enjoy the world for long. History presented him with a series of tragic events. The Great Patriotic War began. Nazi troops occupied the city on June 29, 1941. The time of the fascist occupation was marked by one of the largest exterminations of Jews. Soviet troops managed to liberate the city only in 1944.
After that, the rapid restoration of the settlement began. As part of the Ukrainian SSR, Lviv became the largest industrial and cultural center of the region. At this time, in contrast to previous periods, the vast majority of citizens began to be ethnic Ukrainians.
Lviv after Ukraine's independence
Lviv did not lose its significance even after the proclamation of Ukraine's independence on August 24, 1991. True, since then the industrial potential of the city has been significantly reduced, but, nevertheless, it remained the economic center of the region. The cultural significance of modern Lviv for the country can hardly be overestimated. Many consider it the heart of Ukraine.
Conclusion
As you can see, the history of Lviv had many tragic and, conversely, happy pages. Briefly convey all its vicissitudes will not work. To study the issue of the economic and political development of the city, you need to spend months, or even years. Well, to understand the spiritual essence of Lviv, you must definitely visit it in person.
