Veliky Novgorod is a large and beautiful city located in the North-West Federal District of the Russian Federation and having a population of 222 594 people. For the courage, heroism and resilience of the inhabitants, Veliky Novgorod received the honorary title “City of Military Glory”.
This article will discuss the history of the founding of the city of Veliky Novgorod. The year of formation, legends and other information related to this event will be considered. However, first, let's briefly get acquainted with the city itself and its main characteristics and attractions.
Geographical and climatic conditions
Before you find out in which year Veliky Novgorod was founded, you should find out exactly where it is located.
The city is located on the large Volkhov River, whose length reaches 224 kilometers. Not far from Novgorod (only six kilometers) is the picturesque lake Ilmen, the area of which, depending on the water level, can reach two thousand kilometers.
How far is Veliky Novgorod from large cities of Russia (the year of foundation, interesting facts and the history of occurrence will be presented below)? From Moscow - the capital of the Russian Federation, Novgorod is 552 kilometers away, and from St. Petersburg - only 145 kilometers.
Due to its geographical location, the city is located in a temperate continental climate zone, characterized by frosty snowy winters and dry cool summers. The average winter temperature is about 10 degrees below zero, and the average summer temperature is about 18 degrees with a plus mark.
Industry and infrastructure
With regard to the economy of Veliky Novgorod (the year of foundation, by whom it was founded, and other historical reports will be presented just below), it should be noted that the main processing industry of the city is chemical production, as well as food, pulp and paper and printing.
Among the architectural sights of Novgorod, it is necessary to mention numerous ancient cathedrals, churches and monasteries, as well as the building of the Main Post Office and the ruins of the brewery.
What can be said about the date (year) of foundation of Veliky Novgorod?
Background
In short, the official year of foundation of Veliky Novgorod is 859 AD. However, there is a lot of debate and discussion among competent world and national scholars. Why?
The fact is that Veliky Novgorod (the year the city was founded above) is geographically divided by the Volkhov River into two parts - Sofia and Torgovaya. Such territorial division had a huge impact on the historical and economic development of the settlement. There are many historical reports about the confrontation between the residents of the Sofia and the Trade sides, expressed not only in rivalry, but also in open hostilities in the middle of the common river bridge.
Is it possible to consider the year when Veliky Novgorod was founded (photos of the city are presented in this article) the time when the very first settlements appeared on its modern territory? Probably not. Although these ancient colonies date back to the 4th – 5th millennium BC, they cannot be called unchanged and continuous, since they have a fractional and chaotic character.
The first permanent villages
In the VIII century AD, Ladoga appeared on the territory of the modern city - a small village built by immigrants from Northern Europe. According to archaeological excavations, bulky log houses were inhabited by Scandinavians, supposedly by the Dutch.
At first it was an agricultural settlement of artisans. Later, the inhabitants of Ladoga began to engage in trade. According to historians, at about this time, the village was captured by the Vikings.
In the 9th century AD, another settlement arose near Ladoga - Rurikovo Gorodishche, based on the permanent parking of the Ilmen Slovenes.
Gorodische entered the history as the official residence of the Novgorod princes. According to the finds, Rurik and his squad could live both in Ladoga and in the Settlement, since both of these villages were part of the Varyazhsky (or East) trade route.
Start of check-in
When did Veliky Novgorod appear? The year of foundation of the city (generally recognized) is considered 859 year of our era. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that the first settlements on its territory arose at the end of the 9th or middle of the 10th century.
Almost immediately after its founding, the city became the second most important in Kievan Rus. This state of affairs persisted until 1478, until the Kiev state became subordinate to the Moscow Principality.
As the modern toponymy of the Novgorod region shows, Novgorod was inhabited by Slavic, Finno-Ugric and Baltic tribes.
How is the year of foundation of Veliky Novgorod reflected in official sources?
Recognized Date Discussions
Although the official year of foundation of Veliky Novgorod is considered to be 859, this date is still not reliably correct and error-free. Why can I say so?
For example, according to the Nikon Chronicle (the largest monument of Russian chronicles of the 16th century AD), 859 is the date of the death of the legendary Novgorod elder from the Ilmen Slovenian Gostomysl. It turns out that Veliky Novgorod already existed before this memorable event, that is, before 859.
According to the “Tale of Bygone Years” written by the chronicler Nestor in the first half of the 12th century, Veliky Novgorod already existed by the time Rurik came to power in 862. According to the same source, the city was built by the Ilmen Slovenes immediately after their global migration from the Danube. As we see, from the history the foundation year of Veliky Novgorod should be considered an earlier date than 859.
Early mention of an ancient settlement
Do other official historical sources mention the year of foundation of Veliky Novgorod (a description of the city itself was provided at the beginning of the article)? Such records have not yet been found, but it is known for certain that by the 10th century AD, Novgorod occupied an important place in the life of Kievan Rus. Why can I say so?
In an Arabic source dating from the 10th century, Veliky Novgorod is mentioned as the village of ay-Slaviya, one of the three main cities of the Old Russian state.
In the historical and geographical treatise of Konstantin Bagryanorodny (Byzantine emperor) “On the management of the empire”, written in 949, Novgorod (or Nemogard) is also mentioned as one of the neighbors of the Byzantine empire.
The city of interest to us was also mentioned in the Scandinavian sagas. He was described as Holmgard (an island town) on the eastern bank of the Volkhov River.
Veliky Novgorod is also often mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle, as well as later epic works dating back to the 17th century, such as the epic of Sadko Novgorod and Tales of Sloven and Rus and the city of Slovensk.
History Center
As you know, Veliky Novgorod was formed from several settlements adjacent to each other, these are:
- Nerevsky end. Residential area located in the northern part of the Sofia side, on the left bank of the Volkhov River. Settled by the ancient tribes of the Narov or Finno-Ugric laity. The first mention of the settlement is found in 1067 (“Novgorod Fourth Annals”) and in 1172 (“Novgorod First Annals”).
- Slavic end. The area of the ancient city, named after the ancient village of Slavna. It is mentioned in the annals from 1231, while information about Slavna can be found in written sources starting from 1105.
- People end (or Goncharsky). The area was located in the southwest of Detinets (a powerful fortress of Veliky Novgorod). The earliest mention of this village dates back to the 1120s (birch bark letters) and to 1194 (numerous Novgorod annals).
“The Tale of Bygone Years”
What happened in the early stages of the founding of Veliky Novgorod, according to this reliable and respected source?
First of all, the city is mentioned in connection with the election of three brothers to the principality over the Russians. The chronicle says that Rurik began to rule in Novgorod, and his brothers - Sineus and Truvor - got into the possession of two other cities (Beloozer and Izborsk, respectively). It is noteworthy that the narrative explains the origin of the Novgorodians: "... from the Varangian clan, but before there were Slovenia."
Further in the message it is said that Sineus and Truvor died, after which Rurik, who received all power over Ancient Russia, began to distribute princely allotments to his relatives and boyars.
The next mention of Novgorod dates back to 1067, when the city was captured by the Polotsk prince Vseslav Bryachislavich and was half burned or destroyed. Most of the inhabitants were assigned to slavery.
50 years later, Novgorod land expanded its borders to include small areas of the modern Baltic, Karelia, Finland, Obonezhie, and even the Ural Mountains.
The next mention of Veliky Novgorod was the report of severe famine reigning in the village, due to which local residents had to eat linden leaves, birch bark, moss and horse meat. This information dates from 1121.
History of the Novgorod Republic
Another name for the territory we are considering is Mr. Veliky Novgorod. This medieval state lasted about 350 years since 1136. In the best of times, Novgorod land included vast territories between the Baltic Sea and the Ural Mountains, between the White Sea and the Zapadnaya Dvina River.
How was this state formed? Since the beginning of the XI century, Novgorod wanted to gain independence from Kievan Rus, since the boyars, having secured the support of the common people, refused to pay tax to Kiev and were eager to create their own army. The unrest ended in the expulsion of the local prince Vsevolod Mstislavovich, after which a republican form of government was established in the city. And although starting in 1259 Novgorod land fell into tax dependence on the Tatar-Mongol Horde, local princes sat on its throne, less often - Moscow and Lithuanian.
Political system
What is characteristic of the political system of the Novgorod state? Power in the republic was exercised by the prince, who was elected at the veche from neighboring principalities. Such a ruler was responsible for the judicial system in his lands, as well as for defense and military power. He depended in many respects on the eternity - the national assembly of prominent city men.
Veche was endowed with great powers. It elected the prince and judged his actions, elected the head of the city and military commanders, created laws and decrees, established taxes and their sizes.
In addition to city posts and the national assembly, in the republic there was a higher chamber, or council of gentlemen, consisting of an archbishop, a posadnik, a thousand and a few elders.
The population was divided into: citizens (who had the right to buy urban land), boyars (representatives of the upper class), living people (small landowners), merchants, black people (artisans, workers, small traders), villagers (all kinds of peasants).
Economic relations
The main factor of the economy in the Novgorod principality was not land, but capital. And although most of the state’s inhabitants were engaged in agriculture, fishing, and hunting, most of the relations were based on trade (both external and internal). Novgorod stood on the trade route from Scandinavia to Byzantium and was an important part of the “Varangian way”.
In addition, the city was famous for crafts. For example, about 215 housekeepers were equipped here, where 503 housekeepers were smelted. Metal was processed by blacksmiths, the total number of which reached 130 people.
Also in the Novgorod principality were engaged in salt production, pearl mining, jewelry making, castles. The city was famous for woodworking, leather and shoe, iron ore craftsmen, as well as weavers, potters and other artisans.
The fall of the principality
In 1478, the state was forcibly annexed to the Moscow Principality. Many local boyars were executed, others were deported to Moscow lands and were deprived of any privileges. Veche in Novgorod, as well as its administrative and political institution, was abolished.
In conclusion
From all of the above, it follows that Veliky Novgorod is an important economic structure in the history of the formation of the Russian state. The city has its own unique and inimitable history, significant dates and events, outstanding and famous personalities.
Throughout history, Novgorod, Kiev and Moscow (as the capitals of three influential principalities) have been united by complex political, economic and national relations.
As for the dates of the emergence of these cities, the year of foundation of Veliky Novgorod and Kiev is considered to be 859 and 482 years respectively (according to official and generally recognized data). The first mention of Moscow dates back to 1147 AD.