The Pskov Krom ( Russian : Псковский Кром , romanized : Pskovsky Krom ), also known as the Pskov Kremlin ( Russian : Псковский Кремль , romanized : Pskovsky Kreml' ), is a citadel in Pskov , Russia . In the central part of the city, the Krom is located at the junction of the Velikaya and Pskova rivers. The citadel is of medieval origin, with the surrounding walls constructed starting in the late 15th century.
50-969: The Krom was the administrative and spiritual centre of the Pskov Republic in the 15th century. In 2010, two of the towers of the Krom (the Vlasyevskaya, which dates to the 15th or 16th century, and the Rybnitskaya, which dates to 13th or 14th) were damaged in a fire. It is a Russian nominated candidate site on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List under 'Great Pskov' nomination. 57°49′17″N 28°19′46″E / 57.82139°N 28.32944°E / 57.82139; 28.32944 Pskov Republic The Pskov Republic ( Russian : Псковская республика , romanized : Pskovskaya respublika )
100-412: A prominent role in the government: often delegations sent by Pskov had representatives from all the ends and each end administered a part of the territory of the republic outside of the capital city. Pskov remained dependent on Novgorod in ecclesiastic all matters during the republican period. A religious sect whose followers were known as the strigolniki was active in the city in the second half of
150-619: A reason. According to modern historians, "For Gediminas and Algirdas, retention of paganism provided a useful diplomatic tool and weapon ... that allowed them to use promises of conversion as a means of preserving their power and independence". Hermann von Wartberge and Jan Długosz described Algirdas as a pagan until his death in 1377. Contemporary Byzantine accounts support the Western sources; Patriarch Neilos described Algirdas as "fire-worshipping prince" and another patriarch, Philotheos, excommunicated all Ruthenian noblemen who helped
200-738: A result of its geographic position, Pskov made frequent contact with Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights . The Hanseatic League also had an office in Pskov, which allowed the city to have commercial contacts with distant states. Pskov did not have a relatively empty hinterland, which prevented it from engaging in expansionism unlike Novgorod, which had a vast hinterland in the Russian North . The Pskov Republic had well-developed farming , fishing , blacksmithing , jewellery-making and construction industries. Exchange of commodities within
250-459: A viceroy). Mayors ( posadniki ) from all parts of the city, together with one or more lord mayors and former mayors formed the Council of Lords ( sovet gospod , boyarskiy sovet ), which was the main executive organ of the state. The mayoral offices ( posadniki ) became a privilege of several noble ( boyar ) families. Former posadniki kept their title, and so the incumbent posadnik was known as
300-517: The Battle of the Vorskla River in 1399. After Prince Ivan Andreyevich left the city, Pskov sent emissaries to Grand Prince Vasily I of Moscow requesting a prince, and from then on, the prince of Pskov was a governor or viceroy ( namestnik ) under the overlordship of the grand prince. The same year, Moscow signed an agreement with the prince of Tver, which consolidated cooperation between
350-664: The Grand Duchy of Lithuania . This changed after Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania signed the Treaty of Salynas with the Teutonic Knights in 1398, in which he promised to help them conquer Pskov, while the Teutons promised to help Lithuania conquer Novgorod. That same year, Vytautas sheltered Tokhtamysh in exchange for military assistance. Vyatautas was promised aid in conquering Moscow and he joined Tokhtamysh in his war against Temür Qutlugh , but they were decisively defeated at
400-549: The Russian Orthodox Church excommunicated Aleksandr as well as the people of Pskov. Aleksandr then fled to Lithuania and, after a treaty was signed between Pskov and the head of the church, the ban was lifted. Aleksandr later returned to Pskov in 1331 and he once again served as their prince until he went to the Horde in 1337 to recover the principality of Tver . In August 1348, Magnus IV of Sweden captured
450-551: The Story of Dovmont describing the coming of Dovmont to the city, his baptism and subsequent victories, The Life of Saint Euphrosynus and The Address of Hegumen Pamfil which contains one of the earliest descriptions of Ivan Kupala rituals. The downfall of Pskov is recounted in the Story of the Taking of Pskov (1510), which was lauded by D. S. Mirsky as "one of the most beautiful short stories of Old Russia. The history of
500-811: The Trubetzkoy , Czartoryski and Sanguszko families. Although Algirdas was said to have ordered the death of Anthony, John, and Eustathius of Vilnius , who were later glorified as martyrs of the Russian Orthodox Church , the 16th-century Bychowiec Chronicle and 17th-century Hustynska Chronicle maintain that he converted to Orthodox Christianity some time before his marriage to Maria of Vitebsk in 1318. Several Orthodox churches were built in Vilnius during his reign, but later assertions about his baptism are uncorroborated by contemporary sources. Despite contemporary accounts and modern studies, however, some Russian historians (such as Batiushikov) claim that Algirdas
550-447: The stepennyi posadnik . Although considered to be a republic , the head of state remained the prince; however, power was shared with the local authorities, and so a particular prince could be dismissed. The best documented duties of the prince include him commanding the army and his judicial office. The prince of Pskov was also more dependent on the grand prince compared to the prince of Novgorod, and so princes were often recruited from
SECTION 10
#1732780963983600-410: The veche and important private papers and state documents. The veche assembly included posadniki , as well as "middle" and common people. Historians differ on the extent to which the veche was dominated by elites, with some saying that real power was in the hands of boyars, while others consider the veche to have been a democratic institution. Conflicts were common and the confrontation between
650-443: The veche bell was removed and transported to Moscow. During an official visit to Pskov, Vasily held a large reception that was attended by city officials, merchants and representatives of other classes. At the height of the reception, he had them arrested. In total, around 300 families were deported and replaced with loyalists, as Vasily sought to remove any potential opposition to his direct rule. Following its incorporation into
700-598: The "impious" Algirdas. His pagan beliefs were also mentioned in 14th-century Byzantine historian Nicephorus Gregoras ' accounts. After his death, Algirdas was burned on a ceremonial pyre with 18 horses and many of his possessions in a forest near Maišiagala , probably in the Kukaveitis forest shrine located at 54°55′42″N 25°01′04″E / 54.92833°N 25.01778°E / 54.92833; 25.01778 . His alleged burial site has undergone archaeological research since 2009. Algirdas' descendants include
750-665: The 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century. Pskov, along with Novgorod , was an important centre of trade between Russia and Western Europe . Already in the 13th century German merchants were present in the Zapskovye area of Pskov and the Hanseatic League had a trading post in the same area in the first half of the 16th century which moved to Zavelichye after a fire in 1562. Pskov's main trade partners were Riga , Reval and Dorpat . The wars with Livonian Order, Poland-Lithuania and Sweden interrupted
800-567: The Moscow principality, his rule in both commercial centres was (at best) precarious. Algirdas occupied the important principalities of Smolensk and Bryansk . Although his relationship with the grand dukes of Moscow principality was generally friendly (demonstrated by his marriages to two Orthodox Russian princesses), he besieged Moscow in 1368 and 1370 during the Lithuanian–Muscovite War (1368–1372) . An important feat by Algirdas
850-687: The Muscovites' leisurely perseverance is told with admirable simplicity and art. An atmosphere of descending gloom pervades the whole narrative: all is useless, and whatever the Pskovites can do, the Muscovite cat will take its time and eat the mouse when and how it pleases". Algirdas Algirdas ( Belarusian : Альгерд , romanized : Alhierd ; Ukrainian : Ольге́рд, О́льґерд , romanized : Olherd, Olgerd , Polish : Olgierd ; c. 1296 – May 1377)
900-567: The Polish throne, converted to Roman Catholicism and founded the dynasty which ruled Lithuania and Poland for nearly 200 years. Algirdas ( Belarusian : Альгерд , Alhierd ) is also widely honoured in Belarus as a unifier of all Belarusian lands within one state, a successful military commander and ruler of medieval Belarus. A monument to him has been erected in Vitsebsk in 2014, as part of
950-535: The Theotokos in Vilnius under the monastic name Alexius. With Maria of Vitebsk: With Uliana of Tver: Through his son Vladimir, Algirdas is the fifth great-grandfather of Elizabeth Báthory . Algirdas balanced himself between Moscow principality and Poland, spoke Lithuanian and Ruthenian (among other languages) and followed the majority of his pagan and Orthodox subjects rather than to alienate them by promoting Roman Catholicism . His son Jogaila ascended
1000-589: The capital, Vilnius . With the aid of his brother, Kęstutis , Algirdas drove out the incompetent Jaunutis and declared himself Grand Duke in 1345. He devoted the next thirty-two years to the development and expansion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. After becoming the ruler of Lithuania , Algirdas was titled the King of Lithuania ( Latin : rex Letwinorum ) in the Livonian Chronicles instead of
1050-573: The celebration of the city's 1040th anniversary. Algirdas was Duke of Vitebsk for over 20 years before becoming Grand Duke of Lithuania. In December 2022, the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus issued a commemorative coin dedicated to the Battle of Blue Waters with a portrait of Algirdas. Algirdas features in the 2021 video game Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition in the Dawn of
SECTION 20
#17327809639831100-519: The centralized Russian state, the city of Pskov and the lands around it continued to prosper, preserving some of its economic and cultural traditions that may have even spread to Moscow. Despite being a city-state , Pskov also extended over a large amount of territory, like Novgorod . It covered the territory between Novgorod and the lands inhabited by the Baltic peoples , reaching the Gulf of Finland . As
1150-517: The death of the Lithuanian governor in April 1349, the Pskovites decided to cut ties with Algirdas and his son Andrei . Algirdas declared war on Pskov but, due to a string of military defeats earlier, he was limited to arresting Pskovian merchants and sending Andrei to raid the territory of Pskov. Although there is no mention of a Muscovite governor arriving in Pskov or negotiations with Moscow at
1200-612: The enactment of the Pskov Judicial Charter the same year as an attempt to define the distribution of judicial authority between the city and the grand prince. In 1501, the armies of Pskov and Moscow were defeated in the Battle of the Siritsa River by the Livonian Order , but the city withstood a subsequent siege. Upon becoming the grand prince, Vasily III continued his father's policy of annexing
1250-583: The expense of the Moscow principality and the Golden Horde and extending the borders of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania to the Black Sea. His principal efforts were directed toward securing the Slavic lands which were part of the former Kievan Rus' . Although Algirdas engineered the election of his son Andrius as Prince of Pskov and a powerful minority of Novgorod Republic citizens supported him against
1300-414: The first collection of laws of the newly unified state. Like Novgorod, Pskov was divided into several kontsy ( lit. ' ends ' ). There were four kontsy in the 14th century, as the city was growing and a new wall was constructed in 1465 the new ends were created. Each end had its central church which housed the archive, treasury and refectory where holiday feasts were held. The ends played
1350-620: The forces of Władysław II Jagiełło to inflict a devastating defeat on the Teutonic Knights at the Battle of Grunwald in 1410. Relations between Lithuania and Moscow resumed a more peaceful course; however, both sides continued to struggle for influence in the political affairs of Pskov and Novgorod. Finally, in 1449, Grand Prince Vasily II signed treaties with Casimir IV Jagiellon which delineated their spheres of influence, with Casimir recognizing Pskov and Novgorod as dependencies of Moscow. Pskov's dependence on Moscow increased as
1400-541: The fortresses in Pskov , Izborsk and Gdov have survived. The literature of Pskov land was an integral part of the medieval Russian literature . The chronicle-writing started in the 13th century, at first dealing mostly with topics of local interest. By the 15th century, the chronicles became more detailed and described events in Muscovy, Novgorod, Lithuania and the Golden Horde. The most important works written in Pskov are
1450-406: The grand prince's governor was now required to swear an oath to him as well. In 1462, Grand Prince Vasily II appointed the prince Vladimir Andreyevich as his governor without requesting permission from Pskov first. After his death the same year, the Pskovites dismissed Vladimir, and Grand Prince Ivan III reached an agreement with the city in which he promised to not appoint a new governor without
1500-519: The key fortress of Orekhov located at the eastern end of the Neva . The Pskovites sent a small detachment and took advantage of the situation by only agreeing to accompany the Novgorodian army on the condition that Pskov would be formally granted its independence. Novgorod sent an allied force to lay siege to the fortress and signed the Treaty of Bolotovo on the way to Orekhov. As per the terms of
1550-472: The other remaining Russian states. In the autumn of 1509, he visited Novgorod, where he received complaints from the Pskov veche against the Muscovite governor of the city. At first, Vasily encouraged complaints against the governor, yet soon after, he demanded that the city abolish its traditional institutions, including the removal of the veche bell. From that point on, Pskov was to be ruled exclusively by his governors and officials, and on 13 January 1510,
Pskov Krom - Misplaced Pages Continue
1600-417: The permission of Pskov, while the Pskovites promised not to dismiss a governor without the permission of the grand prince. Five years later, Ivan appointed Fyodor Yuryevich as his governor and demanded that Pskov grant his governor the right to appoint representatives in all twelve boroughs, rather than the seven he had been allowed up to that point. Pskov was forced to accept the demand, and some scholars view
1650-470: The ranks of service princes who had been accepted into the service of the grand prince, especially after 1399. The veche had legislative powers; it could appoint military commanders and hear ambassadors' reports. It also approved expenses such as grants to princes and payments to builders of walls, towers and bridges. The veche gathered at the Trinity Cathedral , which held the archives of
1700-557: The republic itself and its trade with Novgorod and other Russian cities, the Baltic region , and Western Europe cities made Pskov one of the biggest handicraft and trade centres of Rus'. As opposed to the Novgorod Republic, Pskov never had big feudal landowners : estates were smaller and even more scattered than of those in Novgorod. The estates of Pskovian monasteries and churches were much smaller as well. Some land
1750-490: The republic. The long reign of Daumantas ( r. 1266–1299 ), and especially his victory in the Battle of Rakvere in 1268, ushered in a period of significant autonomy, as well as a state of peace with the Livonian Order. The expansion of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania began to penetrate Pskov when Grand Duke Gediminas responded to the Pskovites' request to send a prince in 1323. Prince Aleksandr of Tver
1800-408: The supervision of a posadnik , or chief executive, that was appointed by Novgorod. Pskov had the status of a borough ( Russian : пригород , romanized : prigorod ), but was given the unique right to have boroughs of its own, with Izborsk being the most ancient among them. Due to Pskov's leading role in the struggle against the Livonian Order , its influence grew significantly within
1850-466: The terms knyaz (English: prince , duke ) or velikiy knyaz ( grand prince ). Two factors are thought to have contributed to this result: the political sagacity of Algirdas and the devotion of Kęstutis. The division of their dominions is illustrated by the fact that Algirdas appears almost exclusively in East Slavic sources, while Western chronicles primarily describe Kęstutis. Lithuania
1900-413: The time in any of the sources, Pskov likely received military support from Moscow, and by the end of the decade, was within Moscow's sphere of influence. Simeon of Moscow was also able to establish a dominant position in Novgorod, and as a result, he was able to eliminate Lithuania's influence in northwest Russia . For most of the second half of the 14th century, Pskov was in the sphere of influence of
1950-433: The trade but it was maintained until the 17th century, with Swedish merchants gaining the upper hand eventually. Pskov churches feature many distinctive elements: corbel arches , church porches , exterior galleries and zvonnitsa bell towers. These features were introduced by Pskov masons to Muscovy , where they constructed numerous buildings during the 15th and 16th centuries. Out of all non-religious construction, only
2000-405: The treaty, the posadniki of Novgorod no longer had any administrative or judicial function in Pskov and the law-courts of the archbishop of Novgorod would only be run by representatives chosen by the Pskovites. In return, Pskov pledged to aid Novgorod in the event that it was attacked. Despite this, the Pskovites refused to aid Novgorod in its siege of Orekhov and the detachment left. Following
2050-404: The two principalities. Lithuania attempted to bring Novgorod and Pskov into its sphere of influence again, leading to a Lithuanian attack on Pskov in 1406. Grand Prince Vasily I of Moscow sent troops to aid Pskov, leading to a border war between Lithuania and Moscow until 1408. The two sides stopped fighting as Vasily had to battle a Tatar invasion led by Edigu in 1408, while Vytautas joined
Pskov Krom - Misplaced Pages Continue
2100-425: The veche and the posadniks in 1483–1484 led to the execution of one posadnik and to the confiscation of property of three other posadniks who fled to Moscow. The power of the prince was limited but – in contrast to the Novgorod Republic – he still retained important administrative and judicial functions, the latter carried out jointly with the posadnik. The legal code of Pskov, known as the Pskov Judicial Charter ,
2150-552: Was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1345 to 1377. With the help of his brother Kęstutis (who defended the western border of the Duchy) he created an empire stretching from the present Baltic states to the Black Sea and to within 80 kilometres (50 miles) of Moscow. Algirdas was one of the seven sons of Grand Duke Gediminas . Before his death in 1341, Gediminas divided his domain, leaving his youngest son Jaunutis in possession of
2200-477: Was a city-state in northern Russia . It won its formal independence from the Novgorod Republic in 1348. Its capital city was Pskov and its territory was roughly equivalent to modern-day Pskov Oblast . After the disintegration of Kievan Rus' in the 12th century, the city of Pskov and its dependent territory became part of the Novgorod Republic , but it continued to enjoy self-government under
2250-516: Was an Orthodox ruler. The Kiev Monastery of the Caves ' commemorative book, underwritten by Algirdas' descendants, recorded his baptismal name as Demetrius during the 1460s. Algirdas married Uliana of Tver by 1350. Following Wojciech Wijuk Kojałowicz and Macarius I , Volodymyr Antonovych writes that Algirdas took monastic vows several days before his death and was interred at the Cathedral of
2300-491: Was enacted by its veche in 1397, with redactions until 1467. Pskov's legal code is regarded as a monument of Russian law . The principal subjects of the code included commercial law, criminal law, debts, evidence, inheritance, the law of procedure, the legal position of certain peasant classes, as well as the rights of certain officials. The Charter of Pskov was an important source for the Sudebnik of 1497 under Ivan III ,
2350-525: Was granted sanctuary by the Pskovites in 1327 after he had fled Tver following an anti-Tatar uprising that was subsequently crushed by a punitive force dispatched by the khan of the Golden Horde . Aleksandr was appointed as the prince of Pskov and an agreement was reached in which the Pskovites promised to "not to hand him over to the Russian princes". At the behest of Ivan I of Moscow , the head of
2400-841: Was his victory over the Tatars in the Battle of Blue Waters at the Southern Bug in 1362, which resulted in the breakup of the Kipchaks and compelled the khan to establish his headquarters in the Crimea . In a 1371 letter to Philotheus Kokkinos, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople , Algirdas titled himself as a Lithuanian King, demanded a separate metropolitan bishop (from Moscow ) for Kyiv , Smolensk, Tver , Little Russia , Novosil , and Nizhny Novgorod , and denied Muscovite complaints that he attacked Moscow without
2450-467: Was owned by smerds while other izorniki did not own the land they worked and were obliged to pay rent – between a quarter and a half of the harvest. A farmer who had no debts to his landlord could leave him only on a certain day of the year. The government of the Pskov Republic consisted of the veche (popular assembly), posadnichestvo (mayoralty) and the prince (directly or through
2500-566: Was surrounded by enemies. The Teutonic Order in the northwest and the Golden Horde in the southeast sought Lithuanian territory, while Poland to the west and the Moscow principality to the east were generally hostile competitors. "The entire Rus' should belong to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania " — Algirdas' messengers statement to the Teutonic Order Algirdas held his own, also acquiring influence and territory at
#982017