The term “Novgorod Rus” is generally applicable to the historical period when Novgorod was politically independent and a medieval republic existed in it. This city and its subordinate lands remained a unique corner among other East Slavic principalities. Here appeared its own structure of power, culture, education, and even language.
The origins of independence
Ancient Russia arose in 882, after the prince of Novgorod Oleg captured Kiev and made it his capital. Since then, the northern political center for some time began to play a secondary role. But even despite this, it was here that the governor-princes appeared, who later seized the central government and also went to rule in Kiev (Vladimir Svyatoslavovich and Yaroslav the Wise).
The situation changed dramatically when the united Russian state was divided into several independent principalities. All of them were ruled by members of the Rurik dynasty. This led to the emergence and disappearance of unions, the unification of destinies, mutual claims and bloodshed. Amid these events, Veliky Novgorod could not help but think about its own independence.
Historians agree that the period of governorship on the banks of the Volkhov ended in 1136. Then, according to the decision of the veche, Prince Vsevolod Mstislavovich was expelled, who fled during the battle at Zhdanoy Mountain against the troops of Yuri Dolgoruky. The cowardice of the Kiev appointee led, firstly, to the fact that he was left without an inheritance, and secondly, to the emergence of an independent Novgorod Rus.
Government structure
Beginning in 1136, the inhabitants of Novgorod themselves chose their princes, not paying attention to the ladder law and other principles of inheritance, adopted in most Russian principalities. Significant weight in decision-making had posadniks and thousands. These were the boyars from aristocratic families who achieved success in public service. They were elected by the veche.
Novgorod Russia could not live in normal mode without a thousand. The person in this position was responsible for all trade in the city. He was in charge of the arbitration court, where merchant disputes were resolved, often with foreigners. The prosperity of the city depended directly on trade with Europe. It was he who was the gateway to the entire East Slavic region, from where rare squirrel, marten, sable, and other expensive goods came to the west.
At the evening, Tysyatsky also represented the interests of small-local boyars and the so-called black people, with whom Novgorod Russia was full. These were the poor and ordinary city dwellers who did not have any privileges. Often, in order to become a posadnik (in fact, the mayor), it took some time to work out a thousand. Since the XIV century, the importance of the post has increased even more due to the fact that it was she who began to bestow the boyar title.
Culture
The medieval culture of Novgorod Rus was noticeably different from the culture of its neighbors. Modern science knows a lot about it due to the fact that here, in the north, much more monuments of a bygone era have been preserved. Archaeologists, linguists, ethnographers and other scholars continue to study with interest the legacy that Novgorod Russia left behind. The peculiarities of development, in short, helped the city's culture to stand on a par with Western European centers. Some researchers even claim that Novgorod is one of the northern cradles of the Renaissance.
Residents of the republic were great connoisseurs of art. This is evidenced by a huge number of unique buildings. Most of them survived due to the fact that the Mongol-Tatar hordes did not reach here. Regular invasions of the steppes often devastated Vladimir Russia, where whole cities had to be rebuilt. In the second half of the XIII century, some crafts were even forgotten due to the death of specialists and craftsmen.
Chronicles - this is another phenomenon that distinguishes Novgorod Russia. The peculiarities of development, in short, led to the fact that the authors of the chronicles in their documents not only described the events, but also touched on the life of the inhabitants and the appearance of the city. This style was not in the southern neighbors.
Painting
More than half of the monuments of medieval Russian painting were preserved precisely by Novgorod Rus. Features of the development of the region attracted talented artists from all Slavic regions. On the shores of Volkhov they sought for freedom and a quiet life that would allow them to create fruitfully.
The painting of Novgorod Rus even exceeded Western. In Europe, cathedrals in the Gothic and Romanesque styles were almost not decorated with frescoes. In Novgorod churches preserved a huge number of mosaics on a variety of biblical subjects. Local painting experienced its heyday in the XIV century, when even guests from Italy and Byzantium were amazed at it.
Unfortunately, this whole art school is a thing of the past. She disappeared after the republic joined Moscow. The princes did everything so that Novgorod Russia was beheaded. Features of development made the northern cathedrals richer and more beautiful than Moscow. At the same time, the local aristocracy was proud and distinctive. All this irritated the central government. In the XV-XVI centuries, under various pretexts, several fatal pogroms were carried out. The most terrible blow was the terror of the guardsmen of Ivan the Terrible. After this, the Novgorod school of art gradually faded and died.
Architecture
Like painting, the architecture of Novgorod Rus is known for its originality in relation to Vladimir, Suzdal, Kiev, etc. In the north lived the best carpenters who masterfully worked with different types of wood. In all of Russia, it was Novgorodians who first mastered stone as a building material.
In 1044, a detinet appeared here, and a year later - the Hagia Sophia. All these architectural masterpieces were made of stone and have survived to this day. The talent of Novgorod masters was expressed in advanced positions in the field of engineering. The stone bridge over the Volkhov has long been the largest in Europe, and its construction was carried out according to a unique technique.
Novgorod architecture was born as a synthesis of several styles. It traces the elements of the European, Byzantine and proper Russian style. Greek trends came to the city along with the Orthodox faith. The European school has taken root in the republic thanks to active cooperation with Western merchants and the Hanseatic League. Having absorbed a little of everything, local masters created their own recognizable style. Monuments of Novgorod Rus were preserved largely due to the fact that architects built from reliable materials.
Birch bark letters
The birch-bark letters, which modern archaeologists continue to find, are a huge storehouse of knowledge about the life that Novgorod Russia led. In short, they help to open the veil of secrecy over the long-gone way of life and habits of the then inhabitants of the republic.
Often letters are private letters or business documents. Transactions were recorded on them and love confessions were written. Archaeologists even managed to find comic messages that are unique monuments of folklore.
Education
The presence of the above letters suggests that the vast majority of residents were literate. The rulers of Novgorod Rus tried to develop education. For example, it was here that Yaroslav the Wise opened the first school, which graduated church and state specialists.
Extensive connections with European trading cities allowed rich boyars to send their children there. It is known for certain that the Novgorod youth studied at the universities of Italian Bologna and German Rostock.
Novgorod in the XII-XIII centuries.
The eventful history of Novgorod Rus is divided into several periods. In the XII century, this republic often became the bone of contention between different Rurikovich. The connection between southern and northern Russia was still strong, so Kiev, Chernihiv, and even Polovtsian armies often appeared on Novgorod land.
In the XIII century there was a Tatar-Mongol invasion. Hordes of Batu destroyed many cities of eastern and southern Russia. The nomad army was even going to go to Novgorod, but thought better of it in time and did not go further Torzhok, turning in the direction of Chernigov. This saved the residents from ruin and death. However, Novgorod did not escape the fate of paying tribute to the Horde.
The main figure in the history of the republic of that period was Alexander Nevsky. At a time when almost all of Russia was moaning from the invasion of the steppes, Novgorod had to face another threat. She was the German Catholic military orders - the Teutonic and Livonian. They appeared in the Baltic states and threatened the republic for two centuries. Alexander Nevsky defeated them during the Battle of Ice in 1242. In addition, a couple of years before he defeated the Swedes in the Battle of Neva.
The end of Novgorod Rus
With the growth of the Principality of Moscow, Novgorod had to balance between Moscow and its foreign policy opponents. The aristocracy did not want to submit to the descendants of Ivan Kalita. Therefore, the Novgorod boyars tried to establish allied relations with Lithuania and Poland, despite the fact that these states had nothing to do with Russian culture and the nation.
In the middle of the 15th century, Vasily II the Dark succeeded in legally securing the vassal dependence of the republic on Moscow. His son Ivan III wanted to finally conquer Novgorod. When the veche decided to come closer to the Polish king, the Prince of Moscow declared war on the disobedience. In 1478, he annexed Novgorod to the Moscow Principality. This was one of the most important steps in creating a single Russian national state. Unfortunately, the policy of princes and kings led to the fact that Novgorod's former leading position in trade and culture was lost over time.