At the end of the 12th century, Tsarist Russia formed the Tsar’s Court. 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 the servant. To get a position in the Court of Sovereigns was a privilege. Since over time, the whole political system of government was concentrated in it.
Life to the Sovereign's Court
Since the XI century, the Russian state became more and more isolated, but steadily developed. The positive side of isolation turned out to be the economic and cultural development of the regions. The population grew, the economy became stronger, the cities richer.
Russian lands were united by only a few factors:
- princes and boyars recognized the power of the Kiev prince;
- a unified religion and language remained in the regions;
- controlled the subordination of the norms described in the adopted code of laws "Russian Truth".
Reasons for fragmentation
Vladimir Monomakh, who reigned between 1113-1125, tried to stop the process, but died. His son Mstislav took the throne after the death of his father, but he did not rule for long, only 7 years.
A prerequisite for the fragmentation of the state was the resettlement of the people from the lands on which the Polovtsy periodically raided. 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 land were not satisfied with submission to Kiev. Indeed, in order to maintain order in their lands, they had sufficient power and were strong. In addition, the local boyars and the prince's squad provided each prince with the necessary protection and help, supporting the idea not to depend on the capital.
The fragmentation of the Old Russian state
Due to princely civil strife, the state’s defense was weakened. In XII - I floor. XIII centuries The Old Russian state was completely fragmented.
By the end of the XII century, 15 lands became independent, independent of the capital. The largest of them were the Galicia-Volyn and Vladimir-Suzdal principality, and the Novgorod Republic. In 1132, the fragmentation of Russia reached its peak.
The centralization of the state has become conditional. Each prince ruled on his own land independently, taking into account the boyars and squads close to him - those forces on which his power depended.
A historically significant person at that time was Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. He ruled in the Vladimir-Suzdal lands and pursued an active foreign policy to appropriate 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, which later rallied the state.
The causes of the sovereign's court
Let's look at the definition of history, what is Gosudarevchfkhiyo yard. Historians attribute its occurrence to the second half of the XII century. It included representatives of the prince's 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 structure, which over time, on the basis of voluntary subordination, included the boyars, "free servants" and servants who obeyed the "court-major." Over time, the number of voluntary vassals grew.
In the XIII-XIV centuries. each prince had his own "Sovereign's Court". These are all vassals, consisting in the structure: squad, boyars and their descendants, hired workers, slaves. They were all called nobles.
Sovereign Court
At the end of the XVI century, during the rule of the Rurikovich in Moscow, the Moscow Sovereign Court was fully formed. It was a local system, which included immigrants from three classes: the higher and the middle constituted the residence of the king, the lowest - his servants.
The upper class included people with large land tenure. The top of this class also had ranks in the Boyar Duma. The rest held various posts at the court: printer, stabler, sleeping bag, gunsmith, and so on. The cavalrymen who were called up for service in the capital belonged to the middle class: county landowners (nobles and children of the boyars). The total number of people eventually reached 1200. The role in governing the country of the royal court was large. The members of the structure influenced foreign and domestic policy.
Palace ranks
The ranks of the Moscow Sovereign's Court are palace and Moscow posts. The list of palace ranks included:
1. Stable - after the death of the king, if he did not have heirs, he was the first contender for the throne. Known for herds and cavalry, participated in military and diplomatic activities.
2. The butler - served at the table, was in charge of the exchange between the palace servants, carried out distribution, land surveying, and judged.
3. The treasurer of the royal court kept valuables and an archive.
4. The gunsmith - in charge of the armory room.
5. The prisoner was in charge of the sovereign's bedroom, personal treasury and jewelry, clerical office, formal clothes.
In addition to these posts, there were ranks of the stalker, falconer, kravchik, the key keeper, the stoker.
The royal court also consisted of Moscow ranks. They were assigned to nobles whose activities were associated with the army. These were stewards and solicitors.
A prerequisite for the appearance of the royal court was the fragmentation of the Russian state. The role in governing the land of the Sovereign Court was large. People close to the tsar, 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.