B 2.1. East Slavic tribes on the territory of Belarus: resettlement, social and economic relations.

Brief description of events	Dates, events	Concepts
· The appearance of the Slavs on the territory of Belarus. Slavic settlements in the south of Belarus (town of Petrikov, village of Khotomel)). · Slavicization of the Balts. · East Slavic tribes on the territory of Belarus: Krivichi-Polotsk, Dregovichi, Radimichi. · Public relations: Transition to the neighboring community (rope); Unfortified settlements (villages); Prince, squad, military militia. · The emergence of property inequality among communal peasants contributed to the emergence of a feudal economic structure.	Vv. - the first written news about the Slavs. V-VII centuries - The Slavs began to spread widely throughout Europe. VI century - the appearance of the Slavs in the Middle Dnieper region. VI-VII centuries – the Slavs were divided into 3 groups: western, eastern, southern. VIII-IX centuries – tribal associations of the Eastern Slavs formed on the territory of Belarus.	Balts- tribes of Indo-European origin, the ancestors of modern Lithuanians and Latvians. Before the arrival of the Slavs, they inhabited Northern and Central Belarus. Slavicization of the Balts- a gradual process of rapprochement between the Baltic population and the Slavic one, the result of which was the final merger of the Baltic people with the Slavs. Prince- initially the leader of the tribe, later - the ruler of the principality. Druzhina- a detachment of armed and specially trained military people. Polyudye- collection of tribute from the population. "Rope"- the name of a rural (neighboring) community among the Slavs (they measured an area with a rope).

Tribal associations of the Eastern Slavs on the territory of Belarus:

The first written evidence about the Slavs dates back to the 6th century. The settlement of the territory of Belarus by the Slavs occurred mainly from the south.

During the period VIII - IX centuries. V. on the territory of Belarus several associations of Eastern Slavs.Krivichi-Polotsk residents settled along the Western Dvina. There is a literary hypothesis that their name comes from the word “krovnye,” which means “close by blood.” Krivichi arose as a result Slavicization of the Balts- mixing ( assimilation) newcomers Slavic with local Baltic tribes.

The southern neighbors of the Polotsk Krivichi were Dregovichi, who lived between Pripyat and Dvina. The most common belief is that their name comes from the word “drygva” - the wetland in which they lived (in ancient times, Pripyat Polesie was almost a continuous huge swamp). The Dregovichs' neighbors were Radimichi, settled on the Sozh River. The Eastern Slavs gradually developed the territory of Belarus and by the 10th century. became its main population. To denote the commonality of all Eastern Slavs, historians use the term "Old Russian people".

The main economic occupations of the population of the lands of Belarus there was agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as home crafts and crafts. They belonged to producing economy. Hunting, fishing, and beekeeping (collecting honey from forest bees) played a secondary role. These activities related to appropriating economy.

The development of agriculture among the Slavs went from hoeing and slash-and-burn to arable farming.

They cultivated the land with a knot harrow made from a tree trunk with the branches cut off. With transition to arable type of farming At first they used a wooden plow with an iron coulter. Common agricultural crops were rye, millet, and wheat.

In VIII V. on the territory of Belarus finally a neighboring (rural) community has developed among the Slavs. Its formation was due to the transition from slash-and-burn to arable farming. It caused a breakup large patriarchal family for small families. With the help of a plow, one small family could cultivate the land and harvest crops. People began to live in separate families and run their own households. In search of land suitable for farming, members of one family began to leave the fortified fortifications, where they lived as a tribal community. They built unfortified settlements on the new lands where they arrived.

The population in the new settlements consisted of small families from different clans. Relations were established between them similar to those that exist between neighbors. Gradually the families united into neighboring (rural) community. In it, each family received the right to use their own plot of land - an allotment. But at the same time, the family could not dispose of it at its own discretion, since the land was considered the property of the entire rural community. The family's personal property included tools. The rural community was called “verv” by the Slavs. This name comes from the word “rope”, which was used to measure out plots of land allocated to community members.

In IX V. originates among the Eastern Slavs feudal socio-economic structure- a method of farming, the emergence of which is associated with the emergence of property inequality among community members and their stratification into nobles and poor. The land, which was previously in the possession of the entire rural community, gradually becomes the private property of individual community members - elders, military leaders, their vigilantes- armed and specially trained military people. A class is gradually formed from them feudal lords At the same time, the transformation of poor community members into dependent peasants occurs.

The feudal lords, seizing communal lands, turned them into their own property - fief, which could be given for use to combatants (warriors) for the duration of their service. The feudal prince (from the word “horse” - a man on a horse) together with his squad collected from the subject population tribute- tax in kind on products, called polyhuman. This usually happened in the fall, when the harvest had already been harvested.

The era of the primitive system is characterized by several forms of social organization. The period began with a clan community, which united blood relatives who later led a common household.

The clan community not only united people who were related to each other, but also helped them survive through joint activities.

In contact with

As production processes began to be divided among themselves, the community began to divide into families, between which community responsibilities were distributed. This led to the emergence of private property, which accelerated the decomposition of the clan community, which was losing distant family ties. With the end of this form of social system, a neighboring community appeared, the definition of which was based on different principles.

The concept of a neighboring form of population organization

The meaning of the word “neighborhood community” implies a group of separate families living in a certain territory and leading a common household there. This form is called peasant, rural or territorial.

Among the main features of a neighboring community are:

• common area;
• common use of land;
• separate families;
• subordination to community governing bodies of a social group.

The territory of the rural community was strictly limited, but the territory with forests, pastures, lakes and rivers was quite enough to conduct individual cattle breeding and farming. Every family is like this social system owned its own plot of land, arable land, tools and livestock, and also had the right to a certain share of communal property.

The organization, included in society as a subordinate element, performed only partially social functions:

• accumulated production experience;
• organized self-government;
• regulated land ownership;
• preserved traditions and cults.

Man ceased to be a tribal creature for whom connection with the community was of great importance. People were now free.

Comparison of tribal and neighboring communities

Neighborhood and clan communities are two successive stages in the formation of society. The transformation of a form from a generic form to a neighboring form is an inevitable and natural stage in the existence of ancient peoples.

One of the main reasons for the transition from one type of social organization to another was the change from a nomadic lifestyle to a sedentary one. Slash-and-burn agriculture became arable farming. The tools needed to cultivate the land were improved, and this led to an increase in labor productivity. Social stratification and inequality among people appeared.

Gradually, clan relationships disintegrated and were replaced by family ones. Public property found itself in the background, and private property took first place in importance. Tools, livestock, housing and a separate plot belonged to a specific family. Rivers, lakes and forests remained owned by the entire community . But each family could run their own business, with the help of which she earned her livelihood. Therefore, for the development of the peasant community, the maximum unification of people was required, since with the acquired freedom a person lost the great support that was provided in the clan organization of society.

From the table comparing the tribal community with the rural one, one can highlight their main differences from each other:

The neighborly form of society had more advantages than the tribal one, since it served as a powerful impetus for the development of private property and the formation of economic relationships.

East Slavic neighborhood community

Neighborhood relations among the Eastern Slavs were formed in the 7th century. This form of organization was called a “rope.” The name of the East Slavic rural neighboring community is mentioned in the collection of laws “Russian Truth”, which was created by Yaroslav the Wise.

Verv was an ancient communal organization that existed in Kievan Rus and in the territory of modern Croatia.

The neighborhood organization was characterized by mutual responsibility, i.e. the entire community had to answer for the offense committed by its participants. When a murder was committed by someone from a community organization, the entire community group had to pay a viru (fine) to the prince.

The convenience of such a social system was that there was no social inequality, since the rich had to help the poor if they had a lack of food. But, as the future shows, social stratification was inevitable.

During the period of their development, the Vervi were no longer rural organizations. Each of them was a union of several settlements, which included several towns. The early stage of development of community organization was still characterized by blood kinship, but over time this ceased to play a major role in the life of society.

Verv was subject to general military service. Each family had private land with all household buildings, tools, various equipment, livestock, and plots for farming. Like any neighboring organization, the Vervi's public lands included forest areas, lands, lakes, rivers and fishing grounds.

Features of the Old Russian neighborhood community

It is known from the chronicles that the ancient Russian community was called “mir”. It was the lowest level of the social organization of Ancient Rus'. Sometimes the worlds were united into tribes, which gathered into alliances during periods of military threat. The tribes often fought among themselves. The wars led to the emergence of squads - professional mounted warriors. The squads were led by princes, each of which owned a separate world. Each squad represented the personal guard of its leader.

The lands turned into fiefdoms. Peasants or community members who used such land were obliged to pay tribute to their princes. Patrimonial lands were inherited through the male line. Peasants who lived in rural neighborhood organizations were called “black peasants”, and their territories were called “black”. The People's Assembly, in which only adult men participated, resolved all issues in peasant settlements. In such a social organization, the form of government was military democracy.

In Russia, neighborly relations existed until the 20th century, in which they were eliminated. With the increasing importance of private property and the emergence of surplus production, society was divided into classes, and communal lands were transferred to private ownership. The same changes were happening in Europe. But neighboring forms of population organization still exist today, for example, in the tribes of Oceania.

The neighborhood community is a traditional form of human organization. It was divided into rural and territorial communities.

Kin and neighborhood community

The neighborhood community is considered the most recent form of clan community. Unlike the clan community, the neighboring community combines not only collective labor and consumption of excess product, but also land use (community and individual).

In the tribal community, people were related by blood. The main occupation of such a community was gathering and hunting. The main occupation of the neighboring community was agriculture and cattle breeding.

Neighborhood Community

A neighborhood community is usually considered to be a certain socio-economic structure. This structure consists of several separate families and genera. This society is united by a common territory and joint efforts in the means of production. This means of production can be called land, various lands, pastures for animals.

Main features of a neighborhood community

– general territory;
– general land use;
– community management bodies of such a community;

A feature that clearly characterizes such a community is the presence of separate families. Such families run independent households and independently manage all the products produced. Each family independently cultivates its own territory.
Although the family is economically separate, they may or may not be related.

The neighboring community opposed the clan community; it was the main factor in the disintegration of the clan structure of society. The neighboring community had a very great advantage, which helped the neighboring community to eradicate the clan structure. The main advantage is not only the social organization, but the socio-economic organization of society.

The neighborhood community was replaced by the class division of society. The reason for this was the emergence of private property, the emergence of excess product and the increase in the planet's population. Community land passes into private land ownership; in Western Europe, such land ownership began to be called allod.

Despite this, communal property has still been preserved to this day. Some primitive tribes, in particular the tribes of Oceania, retain a neighborly structure of society.

Neighborhood community among the Eastern Slavs

Historians call the neighboring community of Eastern Slavs Vervya. This term was removed from “Russian Truth” by Yaroslav the Wise.

Verv is a community organization on the territory of Kievan Rus. The rope was also common in the territory of modern Croatia. The rope was first mentioned in “Russian Truth” (a collection of laws of Kievan Rus, created by Prince Yaroslav the Wise).

The rope was characterized by circular responsibility. This means that if someone from the community commits a crime, the entire community can be punished. For example, if someone in the village committed a murder, all members of the community had to pay the prince a fine called vira.

General military service was finally established.

During its development, Verv was no longer a rural community, it was already several settlements, consisting of several small villages.

In the personal possession of the family in Vervi there was personal land, all household buildings, tools and other equipment, livestock, and an area for plowing and mowing. Forests, lands, nearby reservoirs, meadows, arable land, and fishing grounds were in the public ownership of the Vervi.

At an early stage of development, the rope was closely connected by blood ties, but over time they cease to play a dominant role.

Old Russian neighborhood community

According to the chronicles, the Old Russian community was called Mir.

The neighboring community or world is the lowest link in the social organization of Rus'. Such communities often united into tribes, and sometimes tribes, when threatened with attack, united into tribal unions.

The land has become a fiefdom. For the use of patrimonial land, peasants (community workers) had to pay tribute to the prince. Such patrimony was passed down by inheritance, from father to son. Peasants who lived in a rural neighboring community were called “black peasants”, and such lands were called “black”. All issues in neighboring communities were resolved by the people's assembly. Tribal unions could participate in it.
Such tribes could wage war among themselves. As a result, a squad appears - professional mounted warriors. The squad was led by the prince, in addition, it was his personal guard. All power in the community was concentrated in the hands of such a prince.
Princes often used their military strength and authority. And thanks to this, they took part of the residual product from ordinary community members. Thus began the formation of the state - Kievan Rus.
The land has become a fiefdom. For the use of patrimonial land, peasants (community workers) had to pay tribute to the prince. Such patrimony was passed down by inheritance, from father to son. Peasants who lived in a rural neighboring community were called “black peasants”, and such lands were called “black”. All issues in neighboring communities were resolved by the people's assembly. Only adult men, that is, warriors, could participate in it. From this we can conclude that the form of government in the community was military democracy.

Neighborhood Community- these are several clan communities (families) living in one area. Each of these families has its own head. And each family runs its own farm and uses the produced product at its own discretion. Sometimes a neighboring community is also called rural or territorial. The fact is that its members usually lived in the same village.

The tribal community and the neighboring community are two successive stages in the formation of society. The transition from a tribal community to a neighboring one became an inevitable and natural stage in ancient peoples. And there were reasons for this:

The nomadic lifestyle began to change to a sedentary one. Agriculture became arable rather than slash-and-burn. The tools for cultivating the land became more advanced, and this, in turn, sharply increased labor productivity. The emergence of social stratification and inequality among the population.

Thus, there was a gradual disintegration of tribal relations, which was replaced by family ones. Common property began to fade into the background, and private property came to the fore. However, for a long time they continued to exist in parallel: forests and reservoirs were common, and livestock, housing, tools, and plots of land were individual benefits. Now every person began to strive to do his own business, earning a living from it. This undoubtedly required the maximum unification of people so that the neighboring community continued to exist.

Differences between a neighborhood community and a tribal community

How does a tribal community differ from a neighboring one?

Firstly, the fact that in the first a prerequisite was the presence of family (blood) ties between people. This was not the case in the neighboring community. Secondly, the neighboring community consisted of several families. Moreover, each family owned its own property. Thirdly, the joint labor that existed in the clan community was forgotten. Now each family worked on their own plot. Fourthly, so-called social stratification appeared in the neighboring community. More influential people stood out and classes were formed.

A person in a neighboring community has become more free and independent. But, on the other hand, he lost the powerful support that he had in his tribal community.

When we talk about how a neighboring community differs from a tribal community, it is necessary to note one very important fact. The neighboring community had a great advantage over the clan: it became not just a social, but
socio-economic organization. It gave a powerful impetus to the development of private property and economic relations.

Neighborhood community among the Eastern Slavs

Among the Eastern Slavs, the final transition to a neighboring community occurred in the seventh century (in some sources it is called “rope”). Moreover, this type of social organization existed for quite a long time. The neighboring community did not allow the peasants to go bankrupt; mutual responsibility reigned in it: the richer helped out the poor. Also, in such a community, rich peasants always had to focus on their neighbors. That is, social inequality was still somehow restrained, although it naturally progressed. A characteristic feature of the neighboring Slavic community was mutual responsibility for committed misdeeds and crimes. This also applied to military service.

Finally

Neighborhood community and clan community are types of social structure that existed at one time in every nation. Over time, there was a gradual transition to a class system, to private property, and to social stratification. These phenomena were inevitable. Therefore, the communities have become a thing of history and today are found only in some remote regions

Eastern Slavs are a cultural and linguistic community of Slavs who speak East Slavic languages.

The language of the Eastern Slavs - the ancestors of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians - was uniform for a long time (until the 13th century). But over time it changed. Already in the Old Russian language there were tens of thousands of words, but no more than two thousand go back to the ancient, common Slavic language. New words were either formed from common Slavic ones, or were a reinterpretation of old ones, or were borrowed.

As for the external appearance of the Eastern Slavs, according to the descriptions of ancient historians, they were vigorous, strong, and tireless. Despising the bad weather characteristic of the northern climate, they endured hunger and every need. The Slavs surprised the Greeks with their tirelessness and speed. They cared little about their appearance, believing that the main beauty of men was the strength of the body, strength in the hands and ease of movement. The Greeks praised the Slavs for their slimness, tall stature and courageous, pleasant face. This description of the Slavs and Antes was left by the Byzantine historical writers Procopius of Caesarea and Mauritius, who knew them back in the 6th century.

By the 17th century, on the basis of the East Slavic community, the following were formed (in descending order of numbers): Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian peoples.

In the VIII–IX centuries. Several associations of Eastern Slavs formed on the territory of Belarus. The Krivichi-Polotsk residents settled along the Western Dvina. There is a literary hypothesis that their name could be formed from the word “krovnye,” which means “close by blood.” Krivichi arose as a result of the Slavicization of the Balts - the mixing of newcomer Slavs with local Baltic tribes. The southern neighbors of the Polotsk Krivichi were the Dregovichi, who lived between Pripyat and Dvina. It is widely believed that their name comes from the word “drygva” - swamp, since in ancient times the territory of Pripyat Polesie was swampy. The neighbors of the Dregovichs were the Radimichi, who settled on the Sozh River. The Eastern Slavs gradually developed the territory of Belarus until the 10th century. became its main population. To denote the commonality of all Eastern Slavs, historians use the name “Old Russian nationality”.

The main occupations of the population of Belarus in the 9th–12th centuries. there was agriculture and animal husbandry. With the slash-and-burn type of agriculture, the forest was cut down, the stumps were burned, and the land freed from the forest was sown. The ash that remained after burning the stumps was used as fertilizer. They cultivated the land with a knot harrow made from a tree trunk with branches cut off. During the transition to the arable type of agriculture, they began to use a wooden plow with iron coulters and a wooden plow with iron tips. Common agricultural crops were rye, millet, and wheat. A secondary role was played by hunting, fishing, beekeeping - collecting honey from forest bees.

The transition from the tribal to the neighboring (rural) community was associated with the transition from slash-and-burn to arable farming. Now it was possible to cultivate the land with the help of a plow and a rawl, and harvest the crops with the help of one small family. People were given the opportunity to form separate families. In search of fertile and convenient land for farming, relatives from the same family began to leave fortified settlements and build unfortified settlements on new lands. The population in the settlements was part of neighboring (rural) communities. Independent peasant families formed a neighboring community, called “verv” by the Slavs. This name comes from the word “rope”, which was used to measure out a piece of land that belonged to each member of the community.

In the 9th–12th centuries. Among the Eastern Slavs, a feudal economic structure arose - a way of running a household. It was associated with the emergence of property inequality among communal peasants and their stratification into poor and rich. The land, previously owned by the rural community, gradually became the private property of the community members. There was a violent seizure of land by tribal nobility and the transformation of free community members into dependent peasants. Large landowners seized communal lands and turned them into their own property - a fief, which could be given for use to the feudal lord's warriors for the duration of their service.

The feudal lord (prince) - the owner of a certain amount of local land - together with his squad (army) collected tribute from the subject population - a tax in kind with products, which was called polyudye. This usually happened in the fall, when the harvest was harvested. The prince's warriors (they were also called boyars) could receive from him primi for feeding - the right to collect income from a certain territory.

In the IX-XII centuries. the process of the emergence of cities is underway. The reasons for this were: the separation of crafts from agriculture; concentration of artisans in places close to the sources of raw materials necessary for their activities; the development of the exchange of agricultural products for things made by artisans.

Cities arose as centers of crafts and trade in those places where it was convenient to engage in them - at the intersections of rivers and roads. Some cities received their names from the rivers on which they were founded, for example Polotsk - from the Polota River, Vitebsk - from the Vitba River. An important role in the emergence of cities was played by the need for defense against the enemy. Therefore, cities were built on natural fortifications - hills and hills.

In total, medieval written sources name more than 30 cities on the territory of Belarus. The city consisted of several parts. The center of the city, fortified with ramparts, ditches, and steppes, was called Detinets. The settlement of artisans and traders, which was formed near the fortified center, was called a posad. Usually there is a market or trade near the Detinets on the river bank.

The most common crafts in the cities were blacksmithing - the manufacture of metal tools and weapons; pottery - making pottery; leatherworking - leather processing; cooperage - making barrels; spinning and weaving – making clothes.

Trade played an important role in cities. A medieval trade waterway “from the Varangians to the Greeks” passed through the territory of Belarus, which connected the Baltic (Varangian) and Black (Russian) seas through the Western Dvina and Dnieper rivers. Between these rivers, in the area of ​​modern Orsha and Vitebsk, overland routes of communication were established - portages along which ships were pulled along the ground, placing logs under them.

The most ancient Belarusian city is Polotsk. It was first mentioned in chronicles in 862.