The Old Russian state is a strong, influential political formation of the period of the Middle Ages. The formation of institutions of power took place in stages. The basis for the formation of Russia was the tribal associations of the Slavs, who, in the course of many years of confrontation, rallied into a single state. The political and economic systems were formed by the great princes of Kievan Rus.
The early stage of Russian statehood
Initially, there were 14 tribal associations of the Slavs. Among them were Dulibs, Vyatichi, northerners, Tivertsi and many others. Tribal groups have evolved into political entities that can be called state prototypes. The most influential were glades and dulibs. As a result of wars with nomads, the glade became more influential. The foundation of Kiev, the future capital of Russia, is associated with this tribe. Around the city formed several strong principalities. By the middle of the IX century, according to historians, we can talk about the consolidation of disparate state associations into a single whole. History speaks of the successful foreign policy measures of the principality. Kievan Rus successfully fought with the Arabs and other opponents.
Novgorod: the second center of Russia
The second largest political center after Kiev was formed in Novgorod. We can talk about the foundation of this city in the X century. Novgorod was laid in the territory of the Slavic tribes. A confederation was formed here. The association also included representatives of non-Slavic peoples - according to research, they controlled these territories.
The northern and southern regions of the formation of statehood - Kiev and Novgorod - differed in the level of political, economic and social development. Historians say that Kiev was civilized and developed. At the same time, Novgorod remained almost "wild." The decisive factor in the development of the northern center was the Varangian conquest. The first princes of Kievan Rus came from Scandinavia. The Varangian factor had a significant impact on the development of statehood.
Why exactly the Scandinavians? Among the Slavic tribes there was no unity regarding governance. The Vikings at that time controlled the collection of tribute. At first, the Slavs rebelled and refused to pay. The tribes consolidated and drove out the conquerors, but this did not bring them unity. As a result, the Slavs call for the rule of Rurik - the Scandinavian king. The princes of Kievan Rus are considered his descendants.
The initial period of the historical development of Russia
The first princes of Kievan Rus had a significant impact on the course of history. Rurik managed to rally the tribes and solve some problems, but in 879 he died. His son and the rightful heir to the princely title was still too small and could not rule himself - according to existing laws, he was appointed regent.
Oleg is one of the most mysterious historical figures. Very little is known about him - researchers cannot pinpoint his origin. Even the name of the regent was controversial. Soon he became a full ruler. Prince of Kievan Rus Oleg conducted a series of successful campaigns, as a result of one of them he became the head of the whole state.
In 882, Kiev was captured, in which Askold and Deere ruled at that time . These princes were killed, and their power was seized by Oleg. Thus, the northern and southern lands of Rus were united. This is one of the main acts of Oleg. The princes of Kievan Rus, who ruled after him, successfully expanded the territory.
Oleg managed to make another change - to change the organization of Slavic tribes. Previously, these were disparate entities, the prince managed to lay the foundations of centralization.
Prince Igor and his wife Olga
Rurik's rightful heir came to power in 912. His reign cannot be called successful. He had to continue Oleg’s business - to fight the tendencies towards isolation, which the Slavic tribes gravitated towards, but this did not always succeed.
As a result of a three-year war, Igor subjugated the streets and Drevlyans, but very conditionally. The streets recognized the supremacy of the prince only conditionally. The biggest failure of Igor’s reign was his tax policy. The prince actively fought with many opponents, and this required funds. Once, during a repeated attempt to collect tribute, Igor was killed by the Drevlyans.
After his death, Olga came to power - his wife. She had the status of regent with the infant son Igor. Olga, like the other princes of Kievan Rus, did much to reform the state. Her first action was revenge on the Drevlyans, but after that the ruler streamlined the tax collection system. Tribute began to be collected centrally and systematically.
Foreign policy of the rulers of Russia at the initial stage of statehood
The rule of the princes of Kievan Rus had one thing in common in foreign policy - maintaining relations with Byzantium. With each ruler, the nature of the contacts was individual.
The reasons for the interest in Byzantium lay in the enormous influence that this country exerted on the whole of Europe: the state was a commercial, cultural and religious center. Entering into the struggle or diplomatic relations with Constantinople, the princes of Kievan Rus tried to assert themselves in the international arena. The first campaigns were carried out by Oleg - in 907 and 911. The result was an agreement beneficial for Russia: Byzantium was obliged to pay a considerable amount of indemnity and provide special trading conditions for Russian merchants.
Igor continued the practice of hiking in Byzantium, but in his case, everything was not so successful. In 941 and 943, the prince made attempts to improve the conditions of the old treaty. During the first campaign, his troops suffered a crushing defeat. After 2 years, the matter did not reach the battle, because Igor gathered a huge army. The Byzantine emperor agreed to the signing of the agreement, but it was less beneficial for Russia than the 911 agreement.
Relations with Olga of Constantinople were of a different nature. The princess visited Byzantium several times. She was interested in the Christianization of Russia. During one visit, Olga adopted Christianity, but overall her religious policy was unsuccessful.
Another direction of foreign policy at the early stage of the development of statehood was the countries of the Caucasus and the Arab Caliphate.
Svyatoslav - warrior prince
The son of Igor Svyatoslav came to power in 964 through a coup against his mother and regent, Olga. The campaigns of the prince allowed Russia to become one of the most influential countries.
The first area of interest for Svyatoslav was the Slavic tribes. The prince included some territories in Russia. Svyatoslav fought with the Khazars and Volga Bulgars.
The success of the prince excited Byzantium - this state was famous for its ability to conduct diplomatic wars. Constantinople managed to tie Russia into resistance with the Bulgarians. Byzantium “asked for help” from Svyatoslav to defeat this people. During a major battle near Dorostol, the Russian prince defeated the Bulgarians - thus ended the first Balkan campaign. Thus, Byzantium got rid of a large enemy with the wrong hands. A year later, Svyatoslav went on a second Balkan campaign - its beginning was successful, but Constantinople managed to stop the Russian troops and impose an agreement on the prince. Conditions: Russia should not fight with Byzantium and make claims to the territory of Crimea.
It is interesting that it was Svyatoslav who was the first to officially divide Russia between his sons in order to avoid strife after his death.
The Beginning of the Golden Era of Russia: the reign of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich
Russia experienced the greatest prosperity during the reign of Vladimir the Great and Yaroslav the Wise. At this time, the state’s borders were finally fixed, the territory was the largest, a number of reforms were carried out regarding the political and economic systems.
After the death of Svyatoslav, the fratricidal struggle for power began. The confrontation was won by Vladimir, later called the Great. In 980, he becomes the ruler of all Russia. Over the years of his reign, Vladimir has established himself as a strategist, diplomat, warrior and reformer. During his rule, the territory of Russia completed its formation.
Prince of Kievan Rus Vladimir carried out several reforms:
- During the administrative - the territorial division of the state was legally formalized.
- Military reform: the changes concerned the tribal organization of the troops. Instead, Vladimir reunited the defense system of Russia and the feudal system. The prince handed out the border lands to the best warriors - they cultivated the land and defended the borders.
- Religious: in 988, Prince Vladimir baptized Russia.
In the sphere of foreign policy, relations with Byzantium were continued, contacts were established with the Holy Roman Empire.
The period of the struggle for power
Prince Vladimir died in 1015. His heirs began to actively fight for their rights. During his lifetime, Vladimir distributed the land to his sons, but this did not solve the problem - everyone wanted to rule all the territories. Four brothers were killed during the confrontation. As a result, the most powerful opponents were the Chernigov ruler Mstislav and the Kiev prince Yaroslav. In 1024, a battle took place between their troops near the city of Listven. Yaroslav was defeated, but the brothers were able to agree and jointly rule for more than 10 years, until the death of Mstislav.
The princes agreed that Russia will have two centers - Chernihiv and Kiev. Such a political phenomenon is called the duumvirate - there are many such examples that history knows. Kievan Rus was strengthened during the reign of the brothers, since Yaroslav was a talented politician, and Mstislav was a commander and strategist.
Heyday
After the death of Mstislav, Yaroslav became the sole ruler of Russia. The years of his principality are the times of an unprecedented heyday, the centralization of the state. Yaroslav was a diplomat, a reformer, but not a warrior. Since childhood, he had a fragile physique, poor health and limp. But these shortcomings were offset by the prince's colossal abilities in matters of domestic politics and diplomatic contacts.
Even as part of the duumvirate, Yaroslav and his brother managed to conquer land near the border of Russia. The rulers did much to strengthen the defense of the state. During the reign of Yaroslav managed to defeat the long-standing enemies of Russia - the Pechenegs. In honor of this event, St. Sophia Cathedral was built - an outstanding monument of architecture.
In the sphere of foreign policy, the situation was stable. The troops of Yaroslav carried out the last campaign to Byzantium. He was not successful, but this did not harm the position of Russia in the international arena.
Yaroslav was the famous “family diplomat” - all his children got married to the great European rulers or representatives of noble families.
The main asset of the heyday was the "Russian Truth" - the first written code of laws. The author was Yaroslav, nicknamed the Wise. It contained all the rules that governed the life of the population.
The grand dukes of Kievan Rus - Yaroslav and Vladimir - made the state one of the greatest and most influential in Europe.
The beginning of the fragmentation of Russia
The heyday lasted until the middle of the XI century - after it gradually began to decline. Prince of Kievan Rus Vladimir and his heir Yaroslav did almost the same thing - they legally consolidated the division of the state between sons. This was done well-intentioned, but there was no positive result.
The sons of Yaroslav began the struggle for power. As a result, the form of the monarchy changed - the centralized one turned into a federal one. A triumvirate was also issued - a unique political union, thanks to which the state successfully functioned for about 20 years. Times passed, and each of the triumviers wanted to concentrate in their hands the fullness of power. The collapse of the union officially took place at the Vyshgorod Congress - the brothers agreed to rule in turn. Then the Truth of the Yaroslavichs was drawn up, which became the complement of the Russian Truth. Thus, the first was Prince Svyatoslav, after him Izyaslav, the last - Vsevolod.
The end of the century was marked by a large-scale confrontation between heirs and applicants for power. The point in the existence of united Russia was the Lubech Congress - it was decided that each prince should rule his lands. This became the basis of fragmentation.
The Russian princes of Kievan Rus at the end of the XI century completed the existence of a single, strong state. The last attempt to regain former greatness was the reign of Vladimir Monomakh, and after - his son. For a short period of time the lands were reunited, a new set of laws "Charter" was adopted.
The evolution of state power in Russia
The form of power in Russia was a monarchy. It has been modified several times during the development of statehood. The power of the prince in Kievan Rus has come a long way.
At the initial stage of the development of statehood, the prince was a leader-commander. This is a primitive form of monarchy, which relied on the squad. The army and the prince constituted the state elite. Around this simple apparatus of government, a taxation system and a court took shape. It is difficult to talk about the prince at that stage, as about a statesman or reformer. These are the reign of Rurik, Igor, Oleg.
The heyday of Russia - the period of the centralized monarchy. Now the prince is not just a warrior, but also a reformer, politician. The army loses influence on the decisions of the ruler - the squad begins to fulfill its immediate functions. The prince appears advisers - the boyars. This is an old Russian aristocracy, which had a huge influence. The ruler at that time was the bearer of power, the representative of Russia in the international arena, the guarantor of power and stability.
When Russia began to disintegrate, the centralized state gradually turned into a federal state. The nature of the power of rulers has changed. Now there was no single prince of all Russia - there were many leaders who made general decisions at congresses.
Important authorities were the boyar council. In some ways, it resembled a prototype of parliament. Especially the importance of this authority increased at the stage of fragmentation. In the time of centralization, the decisions of the boyar council were auxiliary.
Princes of Kievan Rus (table): features of the political development of the state:
| Ruler | Features |
| Rurik | Becoming |
| Oleg, Igor | The unification of Northern and Southern Russia, the first reforms, the period of the squad form of the monarchy |
| Regency Olga | Unsuccessful religious policy, an attempt to bring the state to the international arena |
| Svyatoslav | Territorial expansion, an example of a retinue monarchy |
| Vladimir, Yaroslav | Centralization of power of the ruler |
| The heirs of Yaroslav | The rise of a federal monarchy |
Political portraits of the princes of Kievan Rus allow us to characterize the features of the period of each of them. The military glory and strength of Oleg and Svyatoslav at the initial stage of development, the diplomacy and reforms of Vladimir and Yaroslav in their heyday, civil strife - all this is a story that everyone needs to know. Russia in its development has passed the classical stages - formation, prosperity, decline.