The collapse of the Old Russian state is one of the most important and significant processes of the early Middle Ages. The destruction of Kievan Rus left a huge imprint on the history of the Eastern Slavs and all of Europe. It is rather difficult to name the exact date of the beginning and end of fragmentation. The largest state in the world was decomposed for almost 2 centuries, drowning in the blood of internecine wars and foreign invasions.
The book "The collapse of the Old Russian state: briefly" is required to be read at all historical departments of the post-Soviet space.
First signs of crisis
The reasons for the collapse of the Old Russian state are similar to the causes of the fall of all the powerful states of the Ancient World. Gaining independence from the center by local rulers was an integral part of the progress and development of feudalism. The starting point can be considered the death of Yaroslav the Wise. Prior to this, Russia was ruled by the descendants of Rurik - the Varangian invited to the reign. Over time, the rule of this dynasty swept all the lands of the state. In each major city sat one or another descendant of the prince. All of them were obliged to pay tribute to the center and supply a squad in case of war or raids on foreign lands. The central government met in Kiev, which was not only the political, but also the cultural center of Russia.
The weakening of Kiev
The collapse of the Old Russian state was not least the result of the weakening of Kiev. New trade routes appeared (for example, "from the Varangians to the Greeks"), which went around the capital. Also on the ground, some princes undertook independent raids on nomads and left the looted wealth to themselves, which allowed them to develop autonomously from the center. After the death of Yaroslav, it turned out that the dynasty of the Rurikovich is huge, and everyone wants to gain power.
The younger sons of the Grand Duke died, and a protracted internecine war began. The sons of Yaroslav tried to divide Russia among themselves, finally abandoning the central government.
A number of principalities are devastated by wars. This is used by the Polovtsy - a nomadic people from the southern steppes. They attack and ruin the border lands, each time going further and further. Several princes attempted to repel the raids, but to no avail.
Peace in Lubec
Vladimir Monomakh convenes a congress of all princes in the city of Lubech. The main purpose of the gathering was an attempt to prevent endless hostility and unite under one banner to repulse the nomads. All present agree. But at the same time, it was decided to change the domestic policy of Russia.
From now on, each prince received complete power over his possessions. He had to participate in general campaigns and coordinate his actions with other principalities. But the tribute and other taxes to the center were abolished.
Such an agreement allowed to stop the bloody civil war, but catalyzed the beginning of the collapse of the Old Russian state. In fact, Kiev has lost its power. But at the same time he remained the cultural center of Russia. The rest of the territory was divided into approximately 15 “land” states (various sources indicate the presence of 12 to 17 such entities). Almost until the middle of the 12th century, peace reigned in 9 principalities. Each throne began to be inherited, which influenced the appearance of dynasties in these lands. The neighbors had mostly friendly relations, and the Kiev prince was still considered "the first among equals."
Therefore, a real struggle unfolded for Kiev. Several princes could simultaneously rule in the capital and counties. The constant change of various dynasties has led the city and its surroundings to decline. One of the first examples of the republic in the world was the Novgorod Principality. Here, privileged boyars (descendants of warriors who received land) firmly established power, significantly limiting the influence of the prince. All basic decisions were made by the popular council, and the "leader" was assigned the functions of manager.
Invasion
The final collapse of the Old Russian state occurred after the invasion of the Mongols. Feudal fragmentation contributed to the development of individual provinces. Each city was directly controlled by the prince, who, being in place, could correctly allocate resources. This contributed to the improvement of the economic situation and the significant development of culture. But along with this, the defense ability of Russia fell significantly. Despite the peace of Lubesz, there were many times of internecine wars for one or another principality. They were actively attracted to the Polovtsian tribes.
By the middle of the 13th century, a terrible threat loomed over Russia - the invasion of the Mongols from the east. Nomads prepared for this invasion for several decades. In 1223 there was a raid. His goal was reconnaissance and familiarization with Russian troops and culture. After this, Khan Batu planned to attack and enslave Russia as a whole. The first under attack were the Ryazan lands. Their Mongols ravaged in a few weeks.
Ruin
The Mongols successfully used the internal situation in Russia. The principalities, although not at odds with each other, conducted an absolutely independent policy and were in no hurry to help each other. Everyone expected a neighbor’s defeat in order to have their own benefit. But everything changed after the complete destruction of several cities of the Ryazan region. The Mongols used state-wide raids. In total, from 300 to 500 thousand people took part in the raid (taking into account detachments recruited from conquered peoples). While Russia could expose no more than 100 thousand people from all the principalities. Slavic troops had superiority in armament and tactics. However, the Mongols tried to avoid general battles and preferred quick surprise attacks. Superiority in numbers made it possible to bypass large cities from different sides.
Resistance
Despite the ratio of forces of 5 to 1, the Russians gave a fierce rebuff to the invaders. The losses of the Mongols were much higher, but quickly compensated for by the prisoners. The collapse of the Old Russian state was suspended due to the consolidation of the princes before the threat of complete destruction. But it was too late. The Mongols swiftly moved deeper into Russia, ruining one lot after another. After 3 years, the 200,000th army of Batu stood at the gates of Kiev.
Brave Russ defended the cultural center to the last, but there were many more Mongols. After the capture of the city, it was burned and almost completely destroyed. Thus, the last unifying facts of Russian lands - Kiev - ceased to play the role of a cultural center. At the same time, raids of Lithuanian tribes and campaigns of Catholic Germanic orders began. Russia ceased to exist.
The consequences of the collapse of the Old Russian state
By the end of the 13th century, practically all the lands of Russia were under the rule of other peoples. The Golden Horde ruled in the east, Lithuania and Poland in the west. The reasons for the collapse of the Old Russian state lie in the fragmentation and lack of coordination between the princes, as well as the unfavorable foreign policy situation.
The destruction of statehood and stay under foreign oppression catalyzed the desire to restore unity to all Russian lands. This led to the formation of the powerful Moscow kingdom, and then the Russian Empire.