Synopsis on the history of Russia
The oldest chronicles connect the beginning of statehood in Russia with vocation of the Varangians(Scandinavians) - the brothers Rurik (to the Ilmen Slavs), Sineus (to the Chud and Vesi on Beloozero) and Truvor (to the Krivichi in Izborsk) with a squad. Two years later, after the death of the younger brothers, Rurik assumed all power over the tribes that called them. Leaving Ladoga for the Volkhov, he founded the city, which received the name Novgorod. As a result of wars with neighboring tribes, Rurik's power spread south to the Polochans, to the west to the Krivichi, to the northeast to Merya and Murom. Thus, the beginning of the gathering of the East Slavic lands into a single state was laid. According to legend, the two "husbands" of Rurik - Askold and Dir - descended with a retinue down the Dnieper and, stopping in Kyiv, began to own the lands of the glades, who paid tribute to the Khazars.
In 879, Rurik died, leaving a young son Igor in the care of a relative Oleg, who, having made a campaign to the south, killed the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir and transferred the center of his principality to Kyiv. According to the chronicle, he did this in 882, and this year is considered date of formation of the ancient Russian state. Having established himself in Kyiv, Oleg imposed tribute on the northern tribes, actively built cities and fortresses to establish his power in new lands and protect himself from the steppe nomads. Subsequently, Oleg (882-912) subjugates the Drevlyans, Radimichi and northerners. Igor (912-945) - streets and Tivertsy and - for the second time - Drevlyans, Svyatoslav (965-972) makes a trip to the Vyatichi, and Vladimir (978-1015) - to the Croats. By the beginning of the XI century. Russia united almost all the East Slavic tribes and turned into a large European state.
The ancient Russian state faced complex foreign policy tasks- opposition to the Byzantine expansion in the Northern Black Sea region, repelling the raids of the nomadic Pechenegs, the fight against the Khazar kingdom, which prevented the eastern trade of Russia. The struggle against the attempts of the Byzantine Empire to subjugate Russia went through several stages - sea trips to Constantinople by Prince Oleg (907), Prince Igor (941 and 944), the struggle of Prince Svyatoslav on the Danube. Especially successful was the campaign of Oleg, who took a large tribute and obtained from the emperor a trade agreement beneficial for Russia. The campaign of Prince Igor in 941 ended in failure. After the campaign of 944, a new treaty was concluded, already on less favorable terms. In other cases, Russia acted as an ally of Byzantium. Svyatoslav's foreign policy activities were unusually active. In 964-965. he conquered the Vyatichi who lived on the Oka, went to the Volga, defeated Volga Bulgaria and, moving down the Volga, fell upon the old enemy of the Eastern Slavs - the Khazar Khaganate. The Khazar army was defeated. Svyatoslav also conquered the North Caucasian tribes of Yases (ancestors of the Ossetians) and Kasogs (ancestors of the Adyghes) and laid the foundation for the Russian Tmutarakan principality on the Taman Peninsula (Eastern Azov Sea).
In 967, Svyatoslav changed the eastern direction its activities on Balkan. By agreement with the Byzantine emperor Nikephoros Phocas, he opposed the Bulgarian kingdom, won and settled on the lower Danube. From here he began to threaten Byzantium itself. Byzantine diplomacy managed to send the Pechenegs against Russia, who, taking advantage of the absence of the Russian prince in 968, almost took Kyiv. Svyatoslav returned to Russia, defeated the Pechenegs and again returned to the Danube. Here, having concluded an alliance with the Bulgarian Tsar Boris, he began a war with Byzantium and, having crossed the Balkans, invaded Thrace. Military operations took place with varying success, but in the end Svyatoslav had to retreat back to the Danube. In 971, the new Byzantine emperor John Tzimisces went on the offensive, occupied the capital of Bulgaria, Preslav, and laid siege to Svyatoslav in Dorostol (on the right bank of the Danube). The Byzantines failed to achieve decisive success, but Svyatoslav, who had exhausted his forces, was forced to agree to the conclusion of an agreement according to which he lost all the positions he had won in the Balkans. In 972, Svyatoslav with part of the army returned to Kyiv along the Dnieper. At the Dnieper rapids, the Pechenegs, bribed by Byzantine diplomats, ambushed and Svyatoslav was killed.
Relationship with Turkish-speaking Pechenegs, at the beginning of the X century. who occupied the Black Sea steppes from the Danube to the Don, were also an important part of ancient Russian foreign policy. Both the facts of allied relations of Russia with individual Pecheneg tribes (in 944 and 970 against Byzantium) and military conflicts (920, 968, 972) are known. The Pecheneg onslaught on the South Russian lands was especially strong at the end of the 10th century. Prince Vladimir of Kyiv (980-1015) organized the defense of the southern borders by building watchtowers along the border rivers with the steppe - Desna, Seima, Sulya, Ros.
Reign Vladimir Svyatoslavich(980-1015) was a period of political stability of Kievan Rus, when the structure of a single early feudal state was formed, the onslaught of the Pechenegs on the southern borders was neutralized. After the death of Vladimir in 1015, a fierce struggle for power unfolded between his heirs. As a result of this struggle, in 1036 Yaroslav became the "autocrat" of the Russian land.
In 1037, the last major battle with the Pechenegs took place: they were defeated near Kyiv and after that they no longer posed a danger to Russia. In 1043 Russian-Byzantine relations escalated. Yaroslav sent an army to Constantinople led by his eldest son Vladimir, Prince of Novgorod. The campaign was unsuccessful - the Russian army was defeated by the Greek fleet.
After the death of Yaroslav in 1054, political stability remained for some time between his sons. Yaroslavichi - Prince Izyaslav of Kyiv, Svyatoslav of Chernigov and Vsevolod of Pereyaslav - formed the ruling triumvirate under the leadership of the elder Izyaslav. The division of power led to the temporary emergence, along with the Kyiv metropolis, of two new ones - Chernigov and Pereyaslav. In 1060, the princes succeeded in defeating the combined forces of the nomadic Torks, who were trying to take the place of the Pechenegs in the Black Sea steppes.
The basis of the socio-economic structure of the state was feudal tenure. The owners of the land - princes, boyars, warriors, and after the adoption of Christianity and the church - exploited the labor of various categories of the dependent population: serfs, purchases, outcasts, ryadoviches, smerds. The most numerous in composition was the group of smerds - free and already addicted. The main form of exploitation in the X-XII centuries. was natural (grocery) rent.
Along with the establishment of feudal relations in Russia, the growth of cities took place. The main population in them were artisans and merchants. played an important role in the life of the city veche, which was in charge of issues of war and peace, convened the militia, replaced princes, etc. The boyars, the highest hierarchs of the church, the prince towered over the bulk of the population. But the power of the prince was not autocratic, it was limited to the will of free communities and the veche system of cities.
The process of feudalization of Russia led to the formation of powerful political centers and the beginning of their struggle with Kyiv. The collapse of the state began with the death of Yaroslav the Wise and the division of Russia between his sons. The rule of the triumvirate of the Yaroslavichs did not save the country from civil strife and feudal wars. It was not possible to overcome fragmentation. By the end of their reign, local princes, using an external threat (the raids of the Pechenegs, then the Polovtsians), internal instability (a popular uprising in Suzdal (1024), Kyiv (1068-1071), in the same year in Rostov, in Novgorod, on Beloozero) and contradictions in the grand-ducal families launched feudal wars. The congress of princes in Lyubech (1097) officially confirmed the fall of the autocracy of the Kyiv princes, the recognition of the independence of feudal centers.
The rule of Vladimir Monomakh(1113-1125). The Kyiv prince managed to preserve the unity of the Old Russian state and extinguish the separatist aspirations of some princes (Yaroslav, Gleb). In the field of foreign policy, he managed to repel the danger that threatened Southern Russia from the side of the Polovtsians. In 1116-1118. Vladimir organized a large-scale military and political offensive against Byzantium. Attempts to place on the throne of Constantinople his impostor son-in-law Leon, who pretended to be the son of the Byzantine emperor Roman IV Diogenes, and after his death, the son of Leon Basil (his grandson) failed, but their result was the strengthening of the influence of Russia on the left bank of the Lower Danube.
The Old Russian state arose in the middle of the 9th century. The ethnic basis of Ancient Russia was the East Slavic tribal unions listed in the "Tale of Bygone Years" (glade, northerners, drevlyans, krivichi, etc.).
By the middle of the 9th century, East Slavic society had reached the last stage of the decomposition of the primitive communal system - the era of military democracy (the era of chiefdoms). The main economic unit of society was a separate small family that owned arable land and the main tools of labor. The old patriarchal tribal community collapsed. She owned only forest and water lands. This community was increasingly turning from a tribal community into a neighboring community (9world, verv). Property differentiation increased between small families. The material inequality of families was aggravated during frequent wars. As a result, previously united societies split into rich and poor. The power of the leaders of the tribes (princes) increased more and more. Gradually, they surrounded themselves with a permanent army of combatants and ceased to depend on popular assemblies. Formally, the people's assemblies gathered for a long time, but the prince and the squad still neglect the opinion of the people's assembly (veche) and actually act in the interests not so much of the people as of themselves. Increasingly, princes are trying to transfer power by inheritance. Endless wars lead to a radical split in society, which, in order to save itself, produces a new social institution - the state. The real expression of this state was the original princes and their squads.
In cases where social relations in society were at the stage of state formation, it turned out to be very high, they preferred to invite supreme rulers from outside. This happened in the history of Russia. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, in the middle of the 9th century, the Krivichi and Slovenes were the first to invite one of the Varangian princes to reign. In 862 This prince was expelled across the sea, but soon the Novgorodians quarreled among themselves and again sent ambassadors to the Varangians to ask someone to reign. The Varangian prince Rurik came to reign in Novgorod. Rurik himself began to reign in the Novgorod land, and his closest relatives received reign in Izborsk and Beloozero. Soon Rurik sent a small squad led by Oskold and Dir to the south to capture Kyiv, where at that time the local Kyiv dynasty reigned (Chek, Khariv, sister Lybid). So the Varangian dynasty began to reign in Kyiv. In 879 Old Rurik died, leaving his young son Igor. Regent under Igor became relative Oleg. In 882 Oleg with Igor and a large squad moved south. He captured Smolensk, Lyubech and Kyiv, killing Oskold and Dir in the process. Oleg moved the capital of the Russian state from Novgorod to Kyiv, and at the same time said: "Let Kyiv be the mother of Russian cities." Novgorod was forced to submit to Kyiv and pay tribute.
So, under Oleg, the unification of Northern and Southern Russia took place within the framework of a new single state called Russia. Oleg began a policy of enthronement, i.e. subordinated to Kyiv neighboring field unions. Oleg subjugated the northerners and relatives by force and weapons, while freeing them from paying tribute to the Khazars. The first form of exploitation of the still free Old Russian population was polyudye. It consisted in the fact that every autumn in November, the prince with his retinue went north and bypassed all the territories subject to Kyiv. By spring, the squad with the prince returned to Kyiv. Initially, there was no order in the collection of tribute, which led to conflicts.
In 945 Prince Igor collected tribute from the Drevlyans, but on the way to Kyiv, the squad was indignant that they had stolen little. The Drevlyans killed Igor. Igor's wife, Princess Olga, avenged the death of her husband, carried out a polyudye reform. It was replaced by a cart. Fixed sizes of tribute (lessons) and places where tribute had to be brought (graveyards) were established. This was the first economic reform. Olga converted to Christianity. The son of Igor and Olga, Prince Svyatoslav entered the history of Russia as a prince-commander (he defeated the Vyatichi, defeated the Khazars), until in 971. did not die at the hands of the Pechenegs.
The new Kyiv prince Vladimir 1, was the illegitimate son of Svyatoslav. The main merit of Vladimir 1 was the defeat of the Pechenegs and strengthened the state border south of Kyiv. Having come to power as a result of an internecine war (the murder of Yaropolk), Vladimir understood the need to strengthen princely power. He began by eliminating rivals, in particular, he killed the Polotsk prince Rogold, and then moved on to reforming pagan cults. For worship, 6 all-Russian cults were chosen, and all other cults were prohibited. This reform took place in 980. However, the centralization of pagan cults was not successful. People worshiped common Russian gods. Convinced that this reform was useless, he decided to take the path of Princess Olga. After a long process of choosing a religion, in 988 Russia adopted Christianity in its Orthodox version from Byzantium. Vladimir himself was baptized in Chersonese.
Benefits of converting to Christianity:
1) Russia entered the family of European states.
2) Russia joined the Byzantine culture.
3) The sole power of the great Kyiv prince was strengthened. Christianity demanded submission to the prince.
4) Strengthening the Old Russian state. Christianity forbade the death penalty.
Christianity is the religion of a class society. It contributed to new forms of oppression of the people, the unification of ancient Russian tribes into a single ancient Russian people. Feudal relations originated in Old Russian society on a primitive basis. The main sign of feudalism is the ownership of land, people who carried military or other service to the state. The owner or owner of the land at the same time had real power. The feudal lords received land in their ownership by forcibly seizing peasant lands, and then from the hands of those very large feudal lords who had already managed to form large land holdings. During the 15-16 centuries. in ancient Russia, two main forms of large-scale feudal landownership developed: patrimony and estate. The fiefdom appeared first. It was an inalienable private land property passed from father to son. They belonged to the prince, his family, boyars, monasteries. An estate is a conditional land holding, in which land was given temporarily, conditionally, for service to the state or another feudal lord. When the service ended, it was taken away and transferred to the real owner. The feudal method of pr-va is based on receiving a special income of the feudal lord, called land rent, without any investments and costs. Historically, 3 forms of rent have developed in Russia:
1) Natural (grocery, dues)
2) Development (corvee)
3) Monetary.
The rent was paid by the peasants as rent for the land they rented from the feudal lords. The feudal lords were interested in the fact that the land was constantly cultivated. However, until the middle of the 17th century. The Russian peasantry remained free. Therefore, the entire history of the Russian Middle Ages is a process of gradual enslavement of the Russian peasants. In order to tie the peasants to a certain land, the government used both economic and non-economic coercion, relying on the state and laws.
Another feature of Russian feudalism was that, compared with Western European feudalism, our feudalism arose later and developed more slowly than in the West. For a long time in Russia, slavery (servility) and the patriarchal-tribal way of life were preserved as a relic.
For a long time the state acted as a feudal lord for the Russian peasantry. Legislative monuments serve as the main source for the study of Russian feudalism. For the Old Russian period, such a monument is the Russkaya Pravda, the oldest edition of which is associated with the name of Yaroslav the Wise (1019). This "Pravda" was given by Yaroslav the Wise to the people of Novgorod. And with the transition of Yaroslav to the Kyiv table, it was extended to all of Russia. After the death of Yaroslav the Wise in 1054. 3 of his sons in 1072. Yaroslav's "Pravda" was supplemented with new articles, which were called "The Truth of the Yaroslavichs!. In 1113 Vladimir Monomakh once again supplemented the "Russian Truth" with new articles, which are called the "Charter of Vladimir Monomakh." The "Charter" contained rules governing the interest rate for a loan.
The Old Russian state took shape in the form of an early feudal monarchy. Main classes: feudal lords, dependent peasants. At the head is the Grand Prince of Kyiv, who came from the house of Rurikovich. However, he considered the whole Russian land to be the patrimony of the Rurik dynasty. The prince relied on the Boyar Duma, which included his relatives and representatives of the senior squad. Almost always, the senior squad was made up of only boyars. In addition to the older one, there was also a younger squad, which included the youths. From these persons, petty government officials were appointed. The entire free population of Russia was called the term "people". The prosperous part of the population in Russkaya Pravda was called the term "husbands". Old Russian society was strong enough, which resulted in an unequal fine for the murder of a free man. The life of a rich person was valued twice as much as the life of an ordinary person. The penalty for killing is vira.
Russkaya Pravda mentions the following categories of the free population: serf peasants (some of them were already economically dependent on the feudal lords), ryadovichi - people who took work under a contract (row), purchases - people who borrowed money or other material assets . The law protects everyone. Kholops are absolutely disenfranchised people. The Russian peasantry at that time was organized into communities. In the middle of the 10th-first half of the 11th century, Kievan Rus flourished. At that time, Vladimir I reigned.
Lesson 3. Russia in the IX - early. 12th century
Prerequisites for the formation of the ancient Russian state
successes in the development of the economy (arable farming);
the separation of handicrafts from agriculture and its concentration in cities;
trade development.
the emergence of property inequality and social hierarchy.
the formation of tribal unions - already in the VI century;
the need for a special management system - the state apparatus;
threat from external enemies (nomads - Khazars, Pechenegs, Normans);
the presence of proto-states (pre-states) in the 7th-9th centuries: Kuyaba (around Kyiv), Slavia (around Novgorod), Artania (Ryazan, Chernigov).
similar customs, common religion.
Economic:
Social:
Political:
Spiritual:
By the middle of the 9th century, there were two centers for the unification of the East Slavic tribes - Novgorod and Kyiv.
Stages of development of the ancient Russian state
1) IX - the middle of the X century. - the time of the first Kyiv princes;
2) the second half of the X - the first half of the XI century. - the time of the principality of Vladimir I the Holy and Yaroslav the Wise, the heyday of the Kyiv state;
3) the second half of the XI - the second half of the XII century. - the transition to territorial and political fragmentation, or to specific orders.
Main events (according to the periods of reign of the Kyiv princes)
862 - the calling of Rurik by the Ilmen Slovenes: “Our land is great and plentiful, but there is no dress (order) in it. Come to us and rule over us." Rurik reigned in Ladoga, then in all Novgorod lands
882- Oleg's campaign against Kyiv, subjugation of the Drevlyans, northerners, Radimichi to Kyiv.
Control over the trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks": from Byzantium along the Black Sea and the Dnieper - dragging to Lovat - Lake. Ilmen - r. Volkhov - Lake Ladoga - Gulf of Finland - Baltic.
Two campaigns against Byzantium - treaties of 907 and 911: the right to trade, the right to live in Constantinople (at the expense of the Greeks, but to walk without weapons).
According to the chronicle legend, he died from a snake bite: “And he accepted death from his horse” (A. Pushkin).
912 - 945- reign of Igor
He was killed during a campaign in the lands of the Drevlyans for tribute.
Continued the policy of subjugation of the East Slavic tribes (Ulichi) and campaigns in Byzantium
945 - 957 (969)- Duchess Olga
Established a clear procedure for collecting tribute.
In 955 (957) she converted to Christianity (Christian name - Elena).
957 - 972- reign of Svyatoslav Igorevich (Svyatoslav I)
He defeated the Khazar Khaganate, subjugated the Vyatichi.
Active foreign policy: campaigns against Danube Bulgaria, Byzantium
In 972, he was killed by the Pechenegs when he was returning to Kyiv from a campaign (the Pechenegs made a cup of wine from his skull).
He appointed his sons as governors instead of the tribal princes of the East Slavic tribal unions.
After his death - a struggle for power (Yaropolk - Oleg, Vladimir - Yaropolk).
980 - 1015. - the reign of Vladimir I (Vladimir "Red Sun", Vladimir the Holy)
987 - union with Byzantium.
988 - adoption of Christianity (in 980 he tried to carry out a "pagan reform": the role of the main god was assigned to Perun).
Strengthening power over the East Slavic tribes; the introduction of a new administrative system: Vladimir puts his sons at the head of tribal unions - there is a complete elimination of tribal principalities.
Creation of a defensive system on the southeastern borders: notches and watchtowers.
Direct roads are being laid to distant cities.
After death - internecine struggle of sons: Yaroslav, Svyatopolk (Cursed), Mstislav Tmutarakansky
1019 - 1054. - reign of Yaroslav the Wise
The defeat of the Pechenegs
1016- the beginning of the compilation of "Russian Truth" (final version - 1072).
Strengthening ties with European states.
Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Kiev-Pechersky Monastery.
Formation of the Kyiv Metropolis, the first Russian-born metropolitan - Hilarion.
After the death of Yaroslav the Wise, strife began (the law of succession to the throne - power was transferred not from father to son, but from older brother to younger).
1097- the congress of princes in Lyubech: "let everyone keep his patrimony": the legal basis of feudal fragmentation.
1113 - 1125. - reign of Vladimir II Monomakh (son of Vsevolod Yaroslavich)
Campaigns to the Polotsk lands.
Defeat of the Polovtsy.
"Charter of Vladimir Monomakh" - interest on loans was limited and debt slavery was prohibited.
Elimination of revenge for the murder, replacing it with a fine - viroy .
"Instruction to children" - for the preservation of the unity of the Russian lands.
1125 - 1132- reign of Mstislav I the Great.
Permanent campaigns: Polotsk lands, Chernihiv, Polovtsy, Lithuania.
Tasks
The activities of Metropolitan Hilarion, Prince Yaroslav the Wise are connected with
1) VIII century. 2) IX century. 3) XI century. 4) XIII century.
Which of the following is connected with the activities of Vladimir Monomakh?
2) adoption of Christianity
3) the introduction of clear norms for the collection of tribute
4) the defeat of the Pechenegs
5) the defeat of the Polovtsy
6) construction of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv
Below is a list of terms. All of them, except two , refer to the events (phenomena) of the VIII-XII centuries.
1) rank and file; 2) magi; 3) landlords; 4) purchases; 5) polyudie; 6) elderly.
Find and write down the serial numbers of terms related to another historical period.
The method of collecting tribute in Ancient Russia is _________________.
Establish a correspondence between administrative positions and functions: for each position in the first column, select the corresponding position from the second column.
| POSITIONS | |
| A) virniki B) thousandths B) scavengers D) posadniki | 1) collection of land tribute 2) governors of the prince in cities 3) collection of fines 4) leadership of the militia 5) collection of trade duties |
Write in the table the selected numbers under the corresponding letters.
Put the events in chronological order:
1) congress of princes in Lyubech
2) the reign of Justinian in the Byzantine Empire
3) the defeat of the Khazar Khaganate
Read an excerpt from the annals.
“And Vladimir began to reign in Kyiv alone, and set up idols on a hill outside the tower courtyard: a wooden Perun with a silver head and a golden mustache, and Khors, Dazhdbog, and Stribog, and Simargl, and Mokosh. And they sacrificed to them, calling them gods, and brought their sons and daughters, and sacrificed to demons, and defiled the earth with their sacrifices. And the Russian land and that hill were defiled with blood. But the most good God did not want the death of sinners, and on that hill now stands the church of St. Basil, as we will tell about this later. Now let's go back to the previous one.
Vladimir planted Dobrynya, his uncle, in Novgorod. And, having come to Novgorod, Dobrynya placed an idol over the Volkhov River, and the Novgorodians offered sacrifices to him as to a god.
Using the passage and knowledge of history, select from the list provided three correct judgments. write down numbers under which they are listed.
1) the chronicle speaks of the "pagan reform" of Prince Vladimir
3) the sun god Dazhdbog was the patron of princely power before the introduction of Christianity in Russia
4) Novgorod was on the ancient trade route "from the Varangians to the Greeks"
5) the events described took place in the middle of the tenth century
6) Prince Vladimir, mentioned in the annals, ascended the throne of Kyiv according to the will of his father
Review the diagram and complete the tasks.
1. Write the century (in a word) in which the events indicated in the diagram took place.
2. What is the name of the prince who made the campaigns indicated by arrows in the diagram.
3. Indicate the name of the capital of the state, indicated on the diagram by the number 1.
4. What judgments relating to the historical situation indicated in the diagram are correct? Select three correct judgments. write down numbers under which they are listed.
1) All campaigns of the military leader indicated on the diagram were successful for him.
2) The commander, whose campaigns are indicated on the diagram, waged the first war in the history of the Old Russian state with Byzantium.
3) The commander, whose campaigns are indicated on the diagram, died during his return from another war.
4) During the campaigns indicated on the diagram, the Khazar Khaganate was defeated.
5) The diagram shows the name of the people, in a battle with whose representatives the military leader died, whose campaigns are indicated on the diagram.
6) According to the chronicle, the commander who led the campaigns indicated on the diagram converted to Christianity.
Historical essay
Task 25: a historical essay on a certain period in the history of Russia
What do the compilers mean by "certain period"?
the reign of some head of state (or part of a long reign)
a collection of several reigns (for example, the era of palace coups)
turning point, dangerous events (Troubles, Civil War, revolutions)
Requirements for a historical essay:
indicate at least two events (phenomena, processes) related to a given period of history (up to 2 points);
name two historical personalities whose activities are associated with the indicated events (phenomena, processes), characterize the role of these personalities in the events (phenomena, processes) of a given period in the history of Russia (up to 2 points);
indicate at least two cause-and-effect relationships that existed between events (phenomena, processes) within a given period of history (up to 2 points);
give a historical assessment of the significance of the period based on historical facts and (or) the opinions of historians (1 point);
correct use of historical terms, concepts (1 point);
no factual errors (up to 2 points);
the answer is presented in the form of a historical essay (consistent, coherent presentation of the material) - (1 point).
Important: points for criteria 6 and 7 are given only if the student received at least 4 points for criteria 1-4.
There are three blocks of periods:
1) 9th century - 1689; 2) 1689 - 1914 (imperial period); 3) from 1914 to 1991
Approximate periods:
ON THE DISCIPLINE "NATIVE HISTORY"
ON THE THEME "KIEVAN RUSSIA IN THE IX - BEGINNING OF THE XII CENTURIES.
INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY IN RUSSIA AND ITS
HISTORICAL MEANING"
PLAN
Page
| Introduction ................................................ ................................................. .... | ||
| Kievan Rus at the end of the 9th - beginning of the 12th century.................................................. | ||
| The heyday of Kievan Rus (the end of the 10th - the first half of the 11th century .............. | ||
| Vladimir I ................................................ ............................................ | ||
| Yaroslav the Wise .................................................. ................................. | ||
| Acceptance of Baptism .................................................................. ............................... | ||
| The Historical Significance of Christianity .............................................................. | ||
| Conclusion................................................. ................................................. ......... | ||
INTRODUCTION
“History in a sense is the sacred book of peoples: the main necessary, the mirror of their being and activity; tablets of revelations and rules; the covenant of ancestors to posterity; supplement, an explanation of the present and an example of the future.”
The adoption of Christianity (Orthodoxy) in Russia has always been regarded as an event that brought her a new historical destiny, allowing her to put an end to pagan barbarism and enter on an equal footing into the family of the Christian peoples of Europe. However, it was emphasized that the "baptism of Russia" was a long and complex process, accompanied by the preservation of a powerful layer of pagan beliefs.
With the strengthening of military-political integration between the principalities in Russia and the strengthening of the power of the Kyiv prince, the unity of the Old Russian state grew. In the context of the polytheism of the diversity of pagan cults, the question arose of which of the gods in pagan Russia should become the main one.
In the countries neighboring Russia, monotheistic religions have already established themselves: Islam - in the Volga Bulgaria, Judaism - in Khazaria, Christianity - in Byzantium. Christianity was adopted by such Slavic countries as Poland and the Czech Republic. The Old Russian state faced the problem of choosing a new faith.
1 KIEVAN RUSSIA AT THE END IX - BEGINNING XII CENTURY
From the end of the 9th to about the second third of the 12th century, Kievan Rus was a state consisting of volosts ruled by representatives of the Rurik dynasty. At the head of the princely hierarchy was the prince of Kyiv. Now the titles "Kagan" and "Grand Duke" have ceased to be used, since the need for them has disappeared. The entire East Slavic territory was under the direct rule of one princely family. The supreme ruler was the one who was the oldest in the family and reigned in Kyiv. The princes - the rulers of the volosts were his vassals. The volosts were formed on the basis of the territories of the former unions of tribal principalities, but their borders changed as a result of the activities of the princes, internecine wars, divisions and divisions of the territory.
With the folding of the structure of a single state by the end of the 10th century, a centralized and branched administration apparatus was formed. Representatives of the retinue nobility act as officials of the state administration. Under the princes, there is a council (duma), which is a meeting of the prince with the top of the squad. Princes from among the combatants appoint posadniks - governors in cities; governor - leaders of military detachments of various numbers and purposes; thousand - senior officials in the so-called decimal system of division of society; collectors of land taxes - tributaries; court officials - swordsmen, etc.
2 THE FLOWERING OF KIEVAN RUSSIA (END OF X - FIRST HALF 11th century)
2.1 Vladimir I
After the death of Svyatoslav, his eldest son Yaropolk (972 - 980) became the great prince of Kyiv. His brother Oleg received the Drevlyane land. The third son of Svyatoslav Vladimir, born from his slave Malusha, the housekeeper of Princess Olga (Dobrynya's sister), received Novgorod. In the civil strife that began five years later between the brothers, Yaropolk defeated the Drevlyansk squads of Oleg. Oleg himself died in battle.
Vladimir, together with Dobrynya, fled "overseas", from where he returned two years later with a hired Varangian squad. Yaropolk was killed. Vladimir occupied the grand-ducal throne.
Under Vladimir I (980 - 1015), all the lands of the Eastern Slavs united as part of Kievan Rus. The Vyatichi, lands on both sides of the Carpathians, Chervlensky cities were finally annexed. There was a further strengthening of the state apparatus. The princely sons and senior warriors received the largest centers in control. One of the most important tasks of that time was solved: ensuring the protection of Russian lands from the raids of numerous Pecheneg tribes. For this, a number of fortresses were built along the rivers Desna, Osetra, Sula, Stugna. Apparently, here, on the border with the steppe, there were “heroic outposts” that protected Russia from raids, where the legendary Ilya Muromets and other epic heroes stood for their native land.
The reign of Vladimir Svyatoslavich (980 - 1015) was a period of political stability in Kievan Rus, when the structure of a single early feudal state was formed, the onslaught of the Pechenegs on the southern borders was neutralized.
During the reign of Vladimir I, the subordination of Slavic tribes to Kyiv continued. So, in 984, Vladimir conquered the Radimichi, and even before that, in 981-982, he twice went on a campaign against the recalcitrant Vyatichi and imposed tribute on them.
The Kyiv prince undertook frequent attacks on the lands of neighboring peoples. In 981 he took Przemysl and other Cherven cities from the Poles, in 983 he successfully fought against the Yotvingians (an ancient Lithuanian tribe), in 985 he went to the Bulgarians. However, the main concern was still the fight against the nomads. The continuous attacks of the Pechenegs required the strengthening of the southeastern border. Vladimir created a solid defensive line south of Kyiv by building a number of fortresses on the Stugna, Sula, Desna and other rivers. Of these, Pereyaslavl and Belgorod stood out especially. The garrisons of the new border fortresses were recruited from the warriors of the distant northern lands (Krivichi, Vyatichi and Slovenia) in order to attract all the forces of the new power to the defense of the state. Relying on these lines, Vladimir protected Russia from new raids. In addition, he opposed the surprise of the attack not only by the large number of his squads, but also by the good service of long-range reconnaissance, warning, and communications. Mighty knights, bogatyrs became the heroes of Russian epics, the folk epic sang in the epics and the prince himself "Vladimir the Red Sun".
Vladimir sought not only the political unification of the Eastern Slavic lands. He wanted to reinforce this unification with religious unity by reforming traditional pagan beliefs. Of the numerous pagan gods, he chose six, which he proclaimed the supreme deities on the territory of his state. The figures of these gods (Dazhd - god, Khors, Stribog, Semargl and Mokosh) he ordered to be placed next to his tower on a high Kiev hill. The pantheon was headed by Perun, the god of thunder, the patron of princes and combatants. The worship of other gods was severely persecuted. Non-canonical idols were destroyed. Paganism seemed to be on the rise; human sacrifices were made to idols, the prince and a significant number of townspeople perceived these bloody rituals with obvious approval, which, apparently, were almost forgotten in the previous decades (at least in Kyiv). However, the pagan reform did not satisfy Prince Vladimir. The artificial revival of the religion of the ancestors turned out to be a hopeless affair. Vladimir himself felt this very soon. In addition, it had no effect on the international prestige of the Old Russian state. The Christian powers perceived pagan Russia as a barbarian state.
A few years after the reign in Kyiv, Vladimir abandoned his former commitment to paganism. What made Vladimir accept Christianity? Is it only an understanding of the state benefit of Christianity?
A well-known Russian theologian of the first half of the 19th century, Archbishop Philaret (Gumilevsky) left a psychologically reliable description of the reasons that prompted Vladimir to be baptized:
“Terrible fratricide, victories bought with the blood of strangers and our own, rude voluptuousness could not help but burden the conscience of even a pagan. Vladimir thought to relieve his soul by putting new idols on the banks of the Dnieper and Volkhov, decorating them with silver and gold, and making “sacrifices before them. Moreover, he even shed the blood of two Christians on the altar of idols. But all this, as he felt, did not bring peace to the soul - the soul was looking for light and peace.
2.2 Yaroslav the Wise
Twelve sons of Vladimir I from several marriages ruled the largest volosts of Russia. After his death, the throne of Kyiv passed to the eldest in the family Svyatopolk (1015 - 1019). In the civil strife that broke out, on the orders of the new Grand Duke, the brothers, the favorite of Vladimir and his squad, Boris Rostovsky and Gleb Muromsky, were innocently killed. Boris and Gleb were canonized by the Russian Church as saints. Svyatopolk was nicknamed the Accursed for his crime.
At Vladimir Svyatoslavich (980-1015)
Kievan Rus had already acquired the features of an early feudal monarchy.
The political system of the ancient Russian state combined both the institutions of the feudal formation and the primitive communal system. Later at Yaroslav Vladimirovich (1019–1054) feudal features were further developed. At the head of the state was the prince, who ruled in Kyiv. He was the oldest in the Rurik dynasty, the princes of tribal unions were to obey him. These, as a rule, were the sons and nephews of the Grand Duke.
AT 1023 Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich shared with his brother Mstislav areas of influence. Thus, the west of Russia with Kyiv went to Yaroslav, and the southeast of Russia with the city of Chernigov went to Mstislav. In 1030-1031 brothers together made a campaign against Poland. AT 1036 after the death of Mstislav, Yaroslav became the sole ruler of Russia. In the future, Yaroslav decides to divide the territory subordinate to him between his sons: Svyatoslav got Chernigov, he gives Izyas-lava Novgorod, and Vsevolod - Pereslavl.
The socio-political system of the ancient Russian state Yaroslav owns the editorial board of the legislative collection "Russian Truth" in which: 1) all measures were taken to protect representatives of the highest social stratum of Kievan Rus; the fine imposed for the murder of a boyar was 80 hryvnia, which was 2 times more than for the murder of a simple community member; 2) there was also a further differentiation of the social structure of the early feudal monarchy.
At the same time, a category of economically dependent people appeared, who were called purchases. If the purchase did not work out the debt on time, then he could become a slave. "Ryadovichi" were called those people who entered into an agreement ("row") on the service of the feudal lord on any conditions; 3) the upper stratum was also subjected to differentiation: boyar land ownership was born. And representatives of the younger squad entered the bureaucratic apparatus of the prince, performed administrative duties in peacetime. In particular, swordsmen called court officials, collectors- collectors of trade duties. Stand apart tiunas, who were in charge of all the princely households.
The princes appointed posadnikov, who were their governors in the cities, governor and thousandths.
The territories ruled by the deputies of the Kyiv prince were called "volost".
After a long series of internecine wars, when the princely throne was transferred in turn to the children and grandchildren of Yaroslav, comparative calm came during the reign Vladimir Monomakh (1113-1125). Disputes for a great reign are explained by the order of succession of power that existed at that time, it did not pass from father to eldest son, but according to tribal seniority: the one who was the eldest in the Rurik family ruled.
AT 1097 on the initiative of Vladimir Monomakh, a princely congress was assembled in Lyubech, where the princes delimited the sphere of their political influence, which later led to feudal fragmentation.
Vladimir Monomakh, having received the grand-ducal throne, pursued a line of smoothing princely separatism and a pro-Byzantine foreign policy and actively fought against the Pechenegs.
ACCEPTANCE OF CHRISTIANITY. THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH IN THE LIFE OF ANCIENT RUSSIA
The date of the introduction of Christianity in Russia as a state religion is considered to be 988, when the great Kyiv prince Vladimir and his retinue were baptized. Although the spread of Christianity in Russia began earlier. In particular, Princess Olga accepted Christianity. Prince Vladimir sought to replace the pagan pantheon with a monotheistic (monotheism) religion.
The choice fell on Christianity, because:
1) the influence of Byzantium was great in Russia;
2) faith has already become widespread among the Slavs;
3) Christianity corresponded to the mentality of the Slavs, was closer than Judaism or Islam.
There are different points of view on how Christianity spread:
1) the baptism of Russia took place peacefully. The new religion acted as a powerful unifying factor. (D.S. Likhachev);
2) the introduction of Christianity was premature, since the main part of the Slavs continued to believe in pagan gods until the XIV century, when the unification of the country had already become inevitable. The adoption of Christianity in the X century. exacerbated relations between the Kievan nobility and their neighbors. The baptism of Novgorodians took place together with mass bloodshed, Christian rites, orders did not take root in society for a long time: the Slavs called children pagan names, church marriage was not considered mandatory, in some places remnants of the tribal system (polygamy, blood feud) were preserved (I.Ya. Froyanov). Since the adoption of Christianity as the state religion, the Russian Church has been part of the Ecumenical Constantinople. The metropolitan was appointed by the patriarch. Initially, the metropolitans and priests in Russia were the Greeks. But meanwhile, Russian foreign policy retained its independence thanks to the firmness and stubbornness of the first princes. Yaroslav the Wise appointed the Russian priest Hilarion as metropolitan, thereby putting an end to the dispute with the Greeks.
The Russian Church provided great influence on all spheres of life of the Slavs: politics, economics, culture:
1) the church began to quickly gain economic independence. The prince donated a tithe to her. Monasteries were, as a rule, an extensive economy. Some of the products they sold on the market, and some stockpiled. At the same time, the Church grew rich faster than the great princes, since it was not affected by the struggle for power during feudal fragmentation, there was no great destruction of its material values even during the years of the Mongol-Tatar invasion;
2) political relations began to be covered by the church: relations of domination and subordination began to be regarded as correct and pleasing to God, while the church received the right to reconcile, to be a guarantor, a judge in the political sphere;
3) Christian churches became the centers of not only religious but also worldly life, as community gatherings were held, the treasury and various documents were kept;
4) the Christian Church made an important contribution to the culture of ancient Russian society: the first sacred books appeared, the monk brothers Cyril and Methodius compiled the Slavic alphabet. Among the population of Russia, primarily the Kyiv principality, the percentage of literate people increased. Christianity introduced new norms of behavior, morality for the Slavs, such as “do not steal”, “do not kill”.
ECONOMIC AND SOCIO-POLITICAL PREREQUISITES FOR THE APPEARANCE OF INDEPENDENT RUSSIAN PRINCIPALITIES
Among causes of feudal fragmentation in general, we can distinguish: 1) internal political; 2) foreign policy; 3) economic.
Historians indicate the time of transition to fragmentation by a conditional date - 1132, the year of the death of the great Kyiv prince Mstislav Vladimirovich. Although researchers who support a formal approach to history, thereby allow a number of inaccuracies when analyzing feudal fragmentation, taking into account the personality of one or another Grand Duke.
In the XI-XII centuries. in Russia, several dozen independent states (lands, principalities, volosts) arise, about a dozen of them are large. Until the establishment of the Mongol-Tatar invasion, the process of their further fragmentation did not weaken.
At the same time, feudal fragmentation in Russia was not an out of the ordinary process; all countries of Western Europe and Asia passed through it.
Feudal fragmentation call the inevitable state, the stage of the world historical process, which has local specifics.
Economic reasons for the feudal fragmentation of Kievan Rus: 1) the dominance of natural economy; 2) economic independence of the estates of the princes; 3) isolation of individual economic units; 4) the strengthening and growth of Russian cities, the improvement of the technology of manufacturing goods.
In times of feudal fragmentation, representatives of princely families made every conceivable effort so that their patrimony would become more developed than the possessions of an enemy relative.
Political reasons for the feudal fragmentation of Kievan Rus: 1) the growth of boyar land ownership and the strengthening of the power of feudal lords in their estates; 2) territorial conflicts of representatives from the Rurik family.
It should also be taken into account that the Kyiv throne was losing the position of its former leader status, there was a decrease in its political significance. The center of gravity shifted gradually to the princely destinies. If at one time the princes sought to seize the throne of the grand duke, then in times of feudal fragmentation, everyone began to think about strengthening, strengthening their own patrimony. As a result, the reign of Kiev becomes honorary, although it does not really give anything, it does not mean anything.
Over time, the princely family grew, the destinies were subject to fragmentation, which led to the actual weakening of Kievan Rus. Moreover, if in the middle of the XII century. there were 15 specific principalities, then at the beginning of the XIII century. there were already about 50 of them.
Foreign policy reasons for the feudal fragmentation of Kievan Rus: 1) comparative calm on the borders of the Kyiv principality; 2) the resolution of conflicts took place by diplomatic methods, and not by force.
Important authorities in the fragmented feudal lands were the prince, as well as intensified in the XII century. veche (people's assembly of the city). In particular, in Novgorod the veche played the role of supreme power, which turned it into a special medieval republic.
The absence of an external danger that could rally the princes allowed them to deal with the internal problems of the destinies, as well as wage internecine fratricidal wars.
Even taking into account the high degree of conflict, on the territory of Kievan Rus, the population did not cease to consider itself a single entity. The feeling of unity was maintained thanks to the common spiritual roots, culture and great influence of the Orthodox Church.
The common faith helped the Russians to act together in times of severe trials during the Mongol-Tatar invasion.
