People who are faced with the history of the emergence of the state among the Eastern Slavs, certainly came across the concept of “polyudam”. Indeed, at an early stage in the country's existence, this process can be described as tax collection.
The formation of signs of statehood in Russia
So what is polyudy? Let's try to understand this issue in more detail. At the end of the eighth century, powerful tribal alliances were formed on the territory of the settlement of East Slavic tribes , which competed among themselves for supremacy. The tribal union of the glades acquired the greatest influence and power. They gradually subjugated most of the Slavs. The first signs of a nascent state appeared, such as: a single leader, court, laws, army, and, of course, the most important component of this system - taxes. Here is what polyudam is. This is a way of collecting tax from the surrounding tribes in favor of the Grand Duke. Such a system was common in all European countries at the dawn of their appearance, it was simply called differently depending on national nuances, but the essence was the same for everyone - it was replenishment of the treasury.
The system of taxation among the Eastern Slavs
Russia was not an exception. Tribute expressed in mandatory taxes was an integral part of government. However, the prince, in turn, also assumed certain obligations, in particular, he had to protect the peace and peaceful life of his subjects from foreign encroachments, to protect the identity of each person, and all this required significant amounts of money. What is polyode for a resident of ancient Russia? The same as income tax for the modern population of our country, with the only difference in the method of weaning material resources. When the glade liberated a number of Slavic tribes from the Khazars , they imposed them with obligatory payments in their favor. But now, unlike the Khazar tribute, the population could make it not only with money, but also with products, products of artisans.
Pitfalls
Thus, the necessary financial and monetary resources flow was established for the young state. This system was far from perfect, nevertheless it remained for a long period. In late autumn, the Grand Duke, along with his squad, began to go around all his possessions in order to collect the payments due to him and his retinue. “Walking around people” - that’s what polyudam is, the definition is very accurate, because during this journey the prince stayed in large settlements, in small settlements. This continued until all the lands belonging to the Prince of Kiev were visited by him. At the same time, in addition to the actual payments, the population had to support the ruler and his retinue throughout their stay in a particular locality. Injustice of all kinds reigned in the collection of tribute, and its main reason was the actual absence of a fixed amount of tax.
The tragedy of Grand Duke Igor or indefatigable greed?
This is what caused the death of Prince Igor. During the next outback, he took tribute from the Drevlyan tribe and shared it with the squad, and considered the tax insufficient. Then, by a joint decision of the prince and his soldiers, it was decided to return for a second tribute. They again came to the lands of Drevlyans and demanded to pay again. Of course, this outraged people, and they simply killed the squad along with the prince. So the lack of tax collection was the reason for the death of Igor. The death of the Grand Duke put the state on the brink of disintegration, but Igor's wife, Olga, turned out to be a very smart and far-sighted woman. She understood that this method of taxation needed to be changed, and first of all to establish the exact figure of the necessary payments. With quick and decisive steps she pacified agitated tribes and restored the unity of Russia.
Princess Olga's tribute reform
Then Olga embarked on the first major reform of the tax collection system since its inception. Her first action was to establish a fixed amount of tribute. This in the future will avoid many abuses, and, as a result, make this process more legal. In addition, she understood that such a polyud is a great danger to the ruler himself, and therefore decided that all collected resources should be brought to a specific place indicated from Kiev. Such places were called pogosts, it was there that different tribes brought all the collected taxes, and then representatives of the princely authority took them from there. Thus, Princess Olga simultaneously simplified the tax system and made it safer for collectors themselves. This reform has allowed the state to become even more consolidated, all disputes over the injustice of tribute are gradually becoming a thing of the past.
Kievan Rus made an important step in its further development. The former “tributary-master” scheme was a thing of the past. This is what polyeud about Russian history is. The departure of such a tax system testifies to the progress of feudal relations within Old Russian society, and Olga’s reforms were a dictate of the time, which she very accurately caught and did not allow the state to divide into separate warring units.