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108-703: The Swedish–Novgorodian Wars were a series of armed conflicts during the 12th and 13th centuries , fought between the Novgorod Republic and medieval Sweden over control of the Gulf of Finland . Part of the trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks , the area was vital to the Hanseatic League . The clashes between Catholic Swedes and Orthodox Novgorodians had religious overtones, but before

216-448: A contract called a ryad ( Russian : ряд ), which protected the interests of Novgorodian boyars and laid out the prince's rights and responsibilities. The ryads that have been preserved in archives describe the relationship of Novgorod with twelve invited princes: five of them from Tver, four from Moscow, and three from Lithuania. First and foremost among the prince's functions, he was a military leader. He also patronized churches in

324-478: A stepennoy posadnik . Posadniks were almost invariably boyars – the city's highest aristocracy. The precise makeup of the veche is also uncertain, although it appears to have comprised members of the urban population, as well as of the free rural population. Whether it was a democratic institution or one controlled by the boyars has been hotly debated. The posadniks, tysiatskys, and even the bishops and archbishops of Novgorod, were often elected or at least approved by

432-558: A bid to appease Suzdal, accepted some Suzdalians as rulers of Novgorod. Despite these events, Suzdal still blocked off trade to Novgorod twice and intercepted Novgorod's tributes. In 1228, there was a failed Novgorodian campaign against the Tavastians in present-day southern Finland , as reported in the Novgorod First Chronicle (NPL). The Novgorodian troops were disaffected by prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich ,

540-522: A campaign to Chernigov against his rival Michael. In 1232, there were anti-Yaroslav rebellions in Novgorod and Pskov, but only the latter was successful in chasing the Suzdalians out of town. In 1233, Boris Negochevich and other Novgorodian nobles joined forces with Yaroslav Vladimirovich (pretender-prince of Pskov) and some Sword Brothers, occupying Izborsk in 1233, but they were soon expelled by

648-464: A cousin of Ivan III, to be accepted. According to tradition, Marfa Boretskaya , the wife of the posadnik Isak Boretsky, was the main proponent of an alliance with Poland–Lithuania to save the republic. According to this legend, Boretskaya invited the Lithuanian princeling Mikhailo Olelkovich and asked him to become her husband and the ruler of Novgorod. She also concluded an alliance with Casimir ,

756-599: A critical conflict took place between Moscow and Novgorod, when Moscow annexed the Dvina Lands along the course of the Northern Dvina . These lands were crucial to Novgorod's well-being since much of the city's furs came from there. This territory was returned to Novgorod the following year. In the 12th to 15th centuries, the Novgorod Republic expanded east and northeast. The Novgorodians explored

864-606: A crusade bull against Novgorod. Soon afterwards, the Novgorodians retreated from Ostrobothnia, leaving it for the Swedes. In the late 14th century, the Novgorodians set up the fiefs of Korela , Oreshek , Koporye , Luga , and Ladoga as a sort of buffer state between their core dominions and Sweden. Several Lithuanian dukes renowned for their military skills were invited to rule this Ingrian duchy; Narimantas , his son Patrikas , and then Lengvenis . Hostilities between

972-623: A foothold in Karelia . On August 12, 1323, Sweden and Novgorod signed the Treaty of Nöteborg , regulating their border for the first time. The Novgorod Republic was saved from the direct impact of the Mongol invasions as it was not conquered by the Mongols. In 1259, Mongol tax-collectors and census-takers arrived in the city, leading to political disturbances and forcing Alexander Nevsky to punish

1080-463: A large measure of democratic participation far in advance of the rest of Europe, but that share several similarities with the democratic traditions of Scandinavian peasant republics . The people had the power to elect city officials and they even had the power to elect and remove the prince. The Chronicle writer then goes on to describe a "town meeting" where these decisions would have been made, which included people from all social classes ranging from

1188-541: A number of petitions regarding new Baltic crusades, mainly concerning Prussia and Livonia, but also a report from the Swedish Archbishop concerning difficulties with their mission in Finland. At that time, Honorius responded to the Swedish Archbishop only by declaring an embargo against trade with pagans in the region; it is not known if the Swedes requested further help for the moment. The 1230s and 1240s saw

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1296-447: A number of pro-Lithuanian boyars and confiscating their lands. In 1478, Ivan III sent his army to take direct control of the city. He destroyed the veche , tore down the veche bell, the ancient symbol of participatory governance, civil society, and legal rights, and destroyed the library and archives , thus ending the independence of Novgorod. After the takeover, Ivan took more than four-fifths of Novgorod's land: half for himself and

1404-671: A political schism of north and south. The Khmer Empire of Cambodia flourished during this century, while the Fatimids of Egypt were overtaken by the Ayyubid dynasty . Following the expansions of the Ghaznavids and Ghurid Empire , the Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent took place at the end of the century. Novgorod Republic Novgorod won its independence in 1136 after

1512-508: A protracted series of wars with Moscow beginning in the late 14th century in order to keep these lands. Losing them meant economic and cultural decline for the city and its inhabitants. The ultimate failure of the Novgorodians to win these wars led to the downfall of the Novgorod Republic. Novgorod supported Dmitry Shemyaka against Vasily Vasilievich in the Muscovite War of Succession (1425–1453). After Vasily II returned to throne,

1620-476: A quarrel broke out within the army and the troops refused to fight. In the same year, Yaroslav tried to militarily overrun the rebellious town of Pskov (possibly because its throne was vacant ), but the Pskovians closed their gates in time and denied him entry. Yaroslav retreated to Novgorod, claimed no ill will towards Pskov, but raised another army supposedly for the purpose of attacking Riga (a stronghold of

1728-569: A repudiation of the Treaty of Yazhelbitsy (1456), and went to war against the city. The army of Moscow won a decisive victory in the Battle of Shelon River in July 1471, which severely limited Novgorod's freedom to act thereafter, although the city maintained its formal independence. For the next six years, pro-Moscow and anti-Moscow factions in Novgorod competed with one another. Ivan III visited Novgorod several times during this period, persecuting

1836-593: A struggle with Novgorod for the Russian fur trade , and thus, an economic rivalry for fur, land and trade ports. Some Novgorodian boyars were opposed to Moscow as a result, while others pursued a pro-Muscovite policy in the hopes that good relations with Moscow would reduce disruption in Novgorod's trade ; Novgorod was also dependent on the Russian lands to its southwest for important imports such as grain. Some Novgorodians were also attracted to Moscow due to it being

1944-479: A successful campaign into Tavastia , the Swedes advanced further east until they were stopped by a Novgorodian army led by Prince Alexander Yaroslavich , who supposedly defeated the Swedes in the Battle of the Neva in July 1240 and received the nickname Nevsky . The only source of information on the attack is a Novgorodian chronicle. Novgorod fought against the crusade for economic reasons, to protect their monopoly of

2052-408: A war between Moscow and Novgorod took place, which ended after the Treaty of Yazhelbitsy was signed in 1456. The treaty marked the beginning of the fall of Novgorod's independence as it lost certain freedoms. Moscow began to gradually seize land in the northern territories that were formerly under Novgorod's control for the next decade and half due to a desire for luxury furs in the area. This led to

2160-480: Is also unclear who supposedly defeated and killed who; earlier authors such as Nikolay Karamzin (1826) and Vladimir Pashuto (1968) concluded that the "Novgorodian" merchants defeated the Swedish raiders, while Beñat Elortza Larrea (2023) wrote that the Swedish fleet ended up "intercepting three merchant ships from Novgorod and killing their crews." Philip Line (2007) pointed out that it is uncertain whether this raid

2268-427: Is not definitely known; the country was divided into several tysyachi ( Russian : тысячи , lit.   'thousands') in the core lands of the country, and volosti ( Russian : волости ) in lands in the east and north that were being colonized or just paid tribute. The city of Novgorod and its vicinity, as well as a few other towns, were not part of any of those. Pskov achieved autonomy from Novgorod in

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2376-586: Is poorly documented in Sweden, and Old East Slavic documents are fragmentary. Arnold Lelis (2005) summarised that the Novgorod First Chronicle (NPL) mentions 42 instances of warfare between 1111 and 1205. Amongst other conflicts, 18 of them were with other Rus' states and cities over dynastic succession ; 11 with the Chud '; and only 2 (in 1142 and 1164) involved Swedes, the first of which concerned merchants that may or may not have been "Novgorodian". According to

2484-420: Is unclear. Many were between various boyar factions or, if a revolt did involve the peasants or tradesmen against the boyars, it did not consist of the peasants wanting to overthrow the existing social order, but was more often than not a demand for better rule on the part of the ruling class. There did not seem to be a sense that the office of prince should be abolished or that the peasants should be allowed to run

2592-565: The Life of Alexander Nevsky . Novgorod was also spared by the Mongol armies during the Mongol invasions after Alexander Nevsky agreed to pay tribute. Historians such as J. L. I. Fennell have called the proportions of Nevsky's victories as having been overblown; he also argued that there was no existence of a unified Western scheme of aggression against Russia and that Nevsky appeased the Mongols, while many Russian historians have argued that Nevsky

2700-471: The posadnik and other members of the city's elite and told the king that, since they had received Christianity from Constantinople , he should send his philosophers there to debate with the Byzantines . Having received such a response, the king sent his army to Oreshek and set it ablaze. Novgorod soon recovered the lost ground. The king attempted yet another fruitless attack in 1350. In the same year,

2808-508: The Baltic - Volga - Caspian trade route, not only for trading but also for bringing food from the fertile Oka region to their city. In 1136, the Novgorodians dismissed their prince Vsevolod Mstislavich , and over the next century and half, were able to invite in and dismiss a number of princes. However, these invitations or dismissals were often based on who was the dominant prince in Rus' at

2916-680: The Black Death broke out in Northern Europe, effectively ending further hostilities. Later skirmishes were more sporadic. Sweden's attempts to control the Gulf of Bothnia resulted in Novgorod beginning construction of a castle near the Oulujoki delta in the 1370s. Sweden replied by establishing their own castle nearby. Novgorod assaulted it in 1377, but was unable to take it. In the following year, Pope Gregory XI intervened and issued

3024-497: The Chamber of Facets after 1433). The executives of Novgorod, at least nominally, were always the princes of Novgorod, invited by Novgorodians from neighboring states, even though their power waned in the 13th and early 14th centuries. It is unclear if the archbishop of Novgorod was the true head of state or chief executive of the Novgorod Republic, but in any case, he remained an important town official. In addition to overseeing

3132-533: The East–West Schism , Novgorod struggled from the beginning of the 13th century against Swedish, Danish, and German crusaders. During the Swedish–Novgorodian Wars , the Swedes invaded lands where some of the population had earlier paid tribute to Novgorod. The Germans had been trying to conquer the Baltic region since the late 12th century. Novgorod went to war 26 times with Sweden and 11 times with

3240-591: The Livonian Brothers of the Sword ). But the Pskovians distrusted him and allied with Riga instead, while the troop raising caused food prices in Novgorod to spike, stoking civil discontent against prince Yaroslav as well; opposition to the Suzdalian dynasty's power grew amongst citizens of both Pskov and Novgorod. As they rejected support for his campaign against Riga, suspecting a ploy to seize Pskov along

3348-463: The Livonian Brothers of the Sword . The German knights , along with Danish and Swedish feudal lords, launched a series of uncoordinated attacks in 1240–1242. Russian sources mention that a Swedish army was defeated in the Battle of the Neva in 1240. The Baltic German campaigns ended in failure after the Battle on the Ice in 1242. After the foundation of the castle of Vyborg in 1293 the Swedes gained

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3456-684: The Northern Crusades , the Novgorodian prince Alexander Yaroslavich defeated the Swedes at the Battle of the Neva in July 1240, from which he received the sobriquet Nevsky ("of the Neva"). Alexander then defeated German crusaders at the Battle on the Ice in 1242, after the forces of the exiled prince of Pskov and men from the Bishopric of Dorpat attacked Pskov Land and Votia , a tributary of Novgorod. This later led to him being depicted as an ideal ruler in chronicles such as

3564-427: The grand prince of Vladimir ) was usually the prince of Novgorod as well. As Moscow grew in power in the 15th century, Novgorod began to lose its autonomy. In a 1471 peace treaty with Moscow following the Battle of Shelon , Novgorod pledged allegiance to Moscow, with its system of government temporarily left intact. The end of the republic and the veche came in 1478 when Ivan III once again invaded and seized

3672-631: The northwest and north of European Russia , as well as the eastern part of Finland . To the east, it was bordered by the Principality of Tver and to the west, it was bordered by Lithuania as well as various Baltic powers, including the Teutonic Order and the bishoprics of Dorpat and Courland as well as the Hanseatic cities of Riga and Reval . The economy of the Novgorod Republic included farming and animal husbandry (e.g.,

3780-413: The posadniki (burgomaster), to the chernye liudi ( lit.   ' black folks ' ) or the lowest free class. The precise constitution of the medieval Novgorodian republic is uncertain, although traditional histories have created the image of a highly institutionalized network of veches (public assemblies) and a government of posadniki (burgomaster), tysyatskys ("thousandmen"; originally

3888-500: The sub anno 1142 entry in the NPL, a " knyaz of the Svei with a Bishop in sixty boats attacked merchants who were coming from over sea in three boats", and "they killed one hundred and fifty of them." Scholars disagree on how to interpret this passage, because it is not said whether the merchants were Novgorodians or not; nor whether they were coming from Novgorod, or going to Novgorod. It

3996-654: The 11th century onward. The raid in the winter of 1226–1227 led to heavy losses on the Finnish side. A Finnish retaliatory raid against Ladoga in 1228 ended in defeat, contributing to the Finns' subjugation by the Catholic Swedes during the Second Swedish Crusade in 1249. Seven years later, the Novgorodians devastated Swedish Finland again. In 1293 the Swedes won a part of western Karelia and built

4104-424: The 12th century, while most are from after 1262. Thus it is difficult to determine Novgorod's political structure due to the paucity of sources. The prince, while his status in Novgorod was not inheritable and his power was much reduced, remained an important figure in Novgorodian life. Of around 100 princes of Novgorod, many, if not most, were invited in or dismissed by the Novgorodians. At least some of them signed

4212-424: The 13th century; its independence was confirmed by the Treaty of Bolotovo in 1348. Several other towns had special status as they were owned jointly by Novgorod and one of the neighbouring states. The Novgorod Republic was the largest of the Russian states in terms of area until it was surpassed by Moscow following its annexation of other independent principalities in the 15th century. The Novgorod Republic occupied

4320-533: The 14th century there is no knowledge of official crusade bulls issued by the pope . Scandinavians maintained trade relations and other links with Novgorod from the Viking Age onwards. Merchants from Gotland operated both their own trading house ( Gutagård ) and Saint Olaf's Church in Novgorod . Scandinavians also carried out isolated raids on Novgorod. Eiríkr Hákonarson raided Ladoga in 997, and his brother Sveinn Hákonarson followed suit in 1015. After

4428-692: The Baltic trade network established by the Hanseatic League . From Novgorod's northeastern lands ("The Lands Beyond the Portages" as they were called in the chronicles), the area stretching north of Lakes Ladoga and Onega up to the White Sea and east to the Ural Mountains had so much fur that medieval travel accounts tell of furry animals raining from the sky. The Novgorodian merchants traded with Swedish, German, and Danish cities. In early years,

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4536-510: The Catholic faith: Thus did Great Prince Ivan advance with all his host against his domain of Novgorod because of the rebellious spirit of its people, their pride and conversion to Latinism. With a great and overwhelming force did he occupy the entire territory of Novgorod from frontier to frontier, inflicting on every part of it the dread powers of his fire and sword. The city-state of Novgorod had developed procedures of governance that held

4644-556: The Karelian fur trade. From then on, Sweden moved its interest to Finland . Its troops did not return to the Neva before the end of the 13th century, when it had gained some kind of hold of western Finland. Earlier in 1220, Swedes had also tried to establish a bridgehead in Estonia , in vain . Apart from Ladoga, Novgorodian interests clashed with Sweden's in Finland, where Novgorodian forces held expeditions on numerous occasions from

4752-463: The Novgorodians deposed their prince and the Novgorod veche began to elect and dismiss princes at its own will. The veche also elected the posadnik , who was the chief executive of the city, and from 1156, the archbishop of Novgorod , subject to approval by the Russian metropolitan . The tysyatsky was also elected by the veche , who was originally the military commander, and served

4860-922: The Novgorodians sailed the Baltic themselves (several incidents involving Novgorodian merchants in Gotland and Denmark are reported in the Novgorodian First Chronicle ). Orthodox churches for Novgorodian merchants have been excavated on Gotland . Likewise, merchants from Gotland had their own St. Olaf church and trading house in Novgorod. However, the Hanseatic League disputed the right of Novgorodian merchants to carry out sea trade independently and to deliver cargoes to Western European ports by their own ships. Silver, cloth, wine and herring were imported from Western Europe. The amount of fur, especially squirrel and other relatively cheap furs, that Novgorod supplied to Hanseatic merchants

4968-918: The Principality of Moscow (later known as the Tsardom of Russia ) and Sweden until the early 19th century. 12th century The 12th century is the period from 1101 to 1200 in accordance with the Julian calendar . In the history of European culture, this period is considered part of the High Middle Ages and overlaps with what is often called the " 'Golden Age' of the Cistercians ". The Golden Age of Islam experienced significant development, particularly in Islamic Spain . In Song dynasty China an invasion by Jurchens caused

5076-758: The Pskovian army, while the pretender was captured, handed over to Yaroslav of Suzdal and imprisoned in Pereslavl-Zalessky . In 1234, Yaroslav of Suzdal campaigned against the bishopric of Dorpat. The 1234 peace agreement was based on that of 1224; it did not involve any territorial issues, but only a prisoner exchange and Dorpat's promise to stop supporting factions in Pskov and Novgorod that opposed Yaroslav of Suzdal. Yaroslav went to Kiev in 1235, leaving his 15- or 16-year-old son Aleksandr Yaroslavich behind in Novgorod. According to Russian sources, during

5184-493: The Rigans, and later Dorpat (modern Tartu ) and Odenpäh (modern Otepää ). Meanwhile, Yaroslav Vladimirovich, a son of the previous Pskovian prince Vladimir Mstislavich of Pskov  [ et ] sought to leverage his family ties with the bishops Hermann of Dorpat and Albert of Riga (died 1229) to gain his father's throne. The famine in Novgorod continued, and in 1230 another popular revolt erupted against supporters of

5292-693: The Rus' state. The Novgorodians were the first to reach the regions between the Arctic Ocean and Lake Onega . Even though there is no definitive account of the precise timing of their arrival at the northern rivers that flowed into the Arctic, there are chronicles which mention that one expedition reached the Pechora River in 1032, and trading was established as early as 1096 with the Yugra tribes. The Chronicle mentions Novgorodians traveling "beyond

5400-593: The Swedes had recently built the new Hakoinen Castle , starting the Häme War . In response, a Swedish fleet embarked towards Ladoga and set that trade emporium on fire. Three years later, the Karelians' discontent with Novgorod's rule broke out into the open, as they killed Novgorodian governors and sought help in Sweden. After several months of hostilities, Karelia submitted to Novgorod's authority again. In 1318 Novgorod attacked Turku in southwestern Finland , burning

5508-535: The archbishops of Novgorod and others raised horses for the Novgorodian army), while hunting , beekeeping , and fishing were also widespread. In most of the regions of the republic, these different "industries" were combined with farming. Iron was mined on the coast of the Gulf of Finland . Staraya Russa and other localities were known for their saltworks . Flax and hop cultivation were also of significant importance. Countryside products, such as furs, beeswax , honey , fish, lard , flax, and hops, were sold on

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5616-576: The areas around Lake Onega , along the Northern Dvina , and coastlines of the White Sea . At the beginning of the 14th century, the Novgorodians explored the Arctic Ocean , the Barents Sea , the Kara Sea , and the West-Siberian river Ob . The lands to the north of the city, rich with fur , sea fauna and salt among others were of great economic importance to the Novgorodians, who fought

5724-544: The auspices of Ivan III and his son Ivan Ivanovich . The Novgorod Judicial Charter, along with the Pskov Judicial Charter , were later used for Ivan III's Sudebnik of 1497 which served as the legal code for the entire Russian state. Novgorod was called a republic by Sigismund von Herberstein in his Notes on Muscovite Affairs written at least half a century after the conquest of Novgorod. Soviet-era Marxist scholarship frequently described

5832-504: The boyars' wealth would flow to the grand prince and Muscovite boyars, and the Novgorodians would fall into decline; most of them also did not earn enough to pay for war. By 1470, with the pro-Lithuanian faction being dominant, the Novgorodian boyars questioned Ivan's sovereignty over Novgorod as their prince. Novgorod negotiated with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania for a new prince to be sent over. This led to Mikhailo Olelkovich ,

5940-404: The boyars. The Cathedral of St. Sophia – the main ecclesiastic establishment of Novgorod – was their chief rival in terms of landownership . Its votchinas were located in the most economically developed regions of Novgorod Land. The Yuriev Monastery , Arkazhsky Monastery , Antoniev Monastery and some other privileged monasteries are known to have been big landowners. There were also

6048-483: The brand new prince Michael of Chernigov, including tysiatskii Boris Negochevich. The desperate Novgorodian people asked for Yaroslav of Suzdal to return, which he did at the end of 1230, but the famine got even worse in spring 1231, until German merchants sailing from overseas were able to import sufficient amounts of grain and flour to relieve the Republic's hunger. In autumn 1231, Yaroslav took Novgorodian troops on

6156-459: The center of Russian Orthodoxy as opposed to Lithuania, where Catholicism was dominant and its culture was being increasingly polonized , though some Novgorodian clergy adopted a pro-Lithuanian policy for political reasons due to fears that embracing the grand prince of Moscow would eventually lead to the end of Novgorod's independence. Most Novgorodian boyars had hoped to maintain the republic's independence since if Novgorod were to be conquered,

6264-486: The church in Novgorod, he headed embassies, oversaw certain court cases of a secular nature, and carried out other secular tasks. However, the archbishops appear to have worked with the boyars to reach a consensus and almost never acted alone. The archbishop was not appointed, but elected by Novgorodians, and approved by the metropolitan bishop of Russia . The archbishops were probably the richest single land-owners in Novgorod, and they also made money off court fees, fees for

6372-584: The city (there was a Carpenter's End and a Potters' End, for example). The merchants were organised into associations, of which the most famous were those of wax traders (called Ivan's Hundred ) and of the merchants engaged in overseas trade. Like much of the rest of Novgorod's medieval history, the precise composition of these organizations is uncertain. It is quite possible that the "ends" and "streets" were simply neighborhood administrative groups rather than guilds or "unions". Street organizations were known to build churches in their neighborhoods and to have buried

6480-601: The city and the cathedral as well as the episcopal castle in Kuusisto Castle . Four years later, they besieged Viborg and founded Oreshek , an important fortress dominating the entrance to Lake Ladoga . After the Kexholm War (1321–1323), the first treaty concluded by the parties to the conflict was the Treaty of Nöteborg (12 August 1323), followed by the Treaty of Novgorod between Novgorod and Norway in 1326. The treaties sought to bring "eternal peace" to

6588-443: The city and held court, although it was often presided over by his namestnik or lieutenant when he was personally absent from the city. The posadnik had always to be present in the court and no court decision could be made without his approval. Also, without the posadnik's approval the prince could neither give out Novgorod lands nor issue laws. Besides, the prince could not own land in Novgorod and could not himself collect taxes from

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6696-463: The city as part of his campaign to annex all other Russian states. The state was called Novgorod and Great Novgorod ( Russian : Великий Новгород , romanized :  Velikiy Novgorod ) with the form Sovereign Lord Novgorod the Great ( Russian : Государь Господин Великий Новгород , romanized :  Gosudar' Gospodin Velikiy Novgorod ) becoming common in the 15th century. Novgorod Land and Novgorod volost usually referred to

6804-445: The city. Throughout the republican period, the archbishop of Novgorod was the head of the Orthodox church in the city. The Finnic population of Novgorod Land underwent Christianization. The sect of the strigolniki spread to Novgorod from Pskov in the middle of the 14th century, with its members renouncing ecclesiastic hierarchy, monasticism and sacraments of priesthood, communion, repentance and baptism, before they disappeared by

6912-401: The dead of their neighborhoods during outbreaks of the plague, but beyond that their activities are uncertain. "Streets" and "ends" may have taken part in political decision-making in Novgorod in support of certain boyar factions or to protect their interests. Merchant "elders" are also noted in treaties and other charters, but only about a hundred of these charters exist. A half dozen date from

7020-399: The dominance of rich merchant families in politics. Some scholars argue that the archbishop was the head of the executive branch of the government, although it is difficult to determine the exact competence of the various officials. It is possible that there was a Council of Lords ( Russian : Совет Господ ) that was headed by the archbishop and met in the archiepiscopal palace (and in

7128-500: The early 15th century. Another sect, known as the Heresy of the Judaizers by its opponents, appeared in Novgorod in the second half of the 15th century and subsequently enjoyed support at the court in Moscow, before ultimately they were persecuted and several councils of the Russian Church condemned them. Like other Russian states, the military of Novgorod consisted of a levy and the prince's retinue ( druzhina ). While potentially all free Novgorodians could be mobilised, in reality

7236-412: The first papal involvement in Latin crusades against the Novgorod Republic . In 1237, the Swedes received papal authorization to launch a crusade , and in 1240, new campaigns began in the easternmost part of the Baltic region. The Finnish mission's eastward expansion led to a clash between Sweden and Novgorod, since the Karelians had been allies and tributaries of Novgorod since the mid-12th century. After

7344-403: The fortress of Viborg there. This expedition has traditionally been dubbed as the Third Swedish Crusade . Seven years later, they founded the fortress of Landskrona in the mouth of the Neva, on the river Okhta , and ruined the Novgorod settlements on the Neva. Later that year, the Novgorod troops retaliated by destroying Landskrona. In 1311, the Novgorodians devastated central Finland, where

7452-415: The founding of Kievan Rus' , he ordered Novgorod to pay the Varangian princes in Kiev 300 grivny a year. In 1014, the PVL mentions this tribute had increased: "When Yaroslav was in Novgorod, he paid two thousand grivny a year as tribute to Kiev, and another thousand was given to his garrison in Novgorod." The "Russian–Scandinavian cultural symbiosis" became prevalent following the establishment of

7560-416: The head of the town militia, but later a judicial and commercial official), other members of aristocratic families, and the archbishops of Novgorod . The veche tradition convinced Novgorodians that they had the right to be consulted on important issues, though in practice, the posadniki came from a few rich merchant families. In the early years of the republic, the prince and posadnik shared power until

7668-409: The interests of the common people. Novgorodian nobles known as boyars dominated the veche , and the offices of posadnik and tysyatsky remained in the hands of boyar families. The boyars also gave funding to the ushkuyniki , who contributed to the expansion of Novgorod's trade and colonies in the north of European Russia . By the 14th century, the prince of Moscow (who was almost always

7776-482: The key fortress of Orekhov . 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 (1348) on the way to Orekhov. As per the terms of the treaty, the posadniki of Novgorod no longer had any administrative or judicial function in Pskov and

7884-399: The king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania. The prospects of changing allegiance in favor of the allied Kingdom of Poland and Grand Duchy of Lithuania caused a major commotion among the commoners. Janet Martin and Gail Lenhoff have recently argued that Boretskaya was scapegoated, probably by Archbishop Feofil ( r.  1470–1480 ) in order to shift the blame from him for his betrayal of

7992-399: The land belonging to Novgorod. Novgorod Republic ( Russian : Новгородская республика , romanized :  Novgorodskaya respublika ) itself is a much later term, although the polity was described as a republic as early as in the beginning of the 16th century. Soviet historians frequently used the terms Novgorod Feudal Republic and Novgorod Boyar Republic . The area of Novgorod

8100-465: The late 11th century, the Novgorodians asserted greater control over the determination of their rules, and rejected a politically dependent relationship to Kiev. The PVL claims that Novgorod ceased paying tribute to the Varangians at the death of Yaroslav the Wise (1054). Chronicles state that the Novgorodians paid tribute to the grand prince of Kiev by 1113. Some time after this, the administration of

8208-508: The late 16th century peasants could leave their land in the weeks preceding and coming after George's Day in Autumn . Marxist scholars such as Aleksandr Khoroshev often spoke of a class struggle in Novgorod. There were some 80 major uprisings in the republic, which often turned into armed rebellions. The most notable among these took place in 1136, 1207, 1228–1229, 1270, 1418, and 1446–1447. The extent to which these were based on "class struggle"

8316-613: The law-courts of the archbishop of Novgorod would only be run by representatives chosen by the Pskovites. However, the archbishop of Novgorod continued to head the church in Pskov and kept the title of archbishop of Novgorod the Great and Pskov until 1589. As Moscow grew in strength, however, the Muscovite princes became a serious threat to Novgorod. Ivan I , Simeon , and other princes sought to limit Novgorod's independence. In 1397,

8424-424: The main profit of the shift. In spite of unfavorable natural conditions, Novgorod's rural population was dependent upon agriculture and stock-rearing, while hunting and fishing were also important. The agricultural basis was also insecure, as the land passed almost fully into the hands of ruling boyars and clergy, with only a small area belonging to merchants. The peasants of Novgorod also paid dues to their lords in

8532-410: The market and exported to other Russian cities or abroad. The real wealth of Novgorod, however, came from the fur trade. Hanseatic merchants were particularly attracted to the Russian trade due to its vast resources of furs and beeswax, with Novgorod being the leading supplier of furs. The city was the main entrepôt for trade between Rus' and northwestern Europe as it was located at the eastern end of

8640-508: The marriage of Yaroslav I (Grand Prince of Novgorod and Kiev) to Ingegerd of Sweden in 1019, Ladoga became a jarldom in the orbit of Kievan Rus' . It was ruled by Ragnvald Ulfsson , the alleged father of King Stenkil of Sweden (reigned 1060–1066). Dynastic marriages took place between Rus' and Scandinavian royal families—for example, in the 1090s Stenkil's granddaughter Christina married Mstislav of Novgorod , upon whose death in 1132 Novgorod seceded from Kievan Rus'. The 12th century

8748-555: The metayage, monetary payments also gained significant importance by the second half of the 15th century. Some scholars argue that the feudal lords tried to legally tie down the peasants to their land. Certain categories of feudally dependent peasants, such as davniye lyudi (давние люди), polovniki (половники), poruchniki (поручники), and dolzhniki (должники), were deprived of the right to leave their masters. The boyars and monasteries also tried to restrict other categories of peasants from switching their feudal lords. However, until

8856-676: The northern end of both the Volga trade route and the route from the Varangians to the Greeks along the Dnieper River system. A vast array of goods were transported along these routes and exchanged with local Novgorod merchants and other traders. The merchants of Gotland retained the Gothic Court trading house well into the 12th century. Later, German merchantmen also established trading houses in Novgorod. Scandinavian royalty would intermarry with Russian princes and princesses. After

8964-402: The number of recruits depended on the level of danger faced by Novgorod. The professional formations included the retinues of the archbishop and prominent boyars , as well as the garrisons of fortresses. Firearms were first mentioned in 1394, and in the 15th century, fortress artillery was used, and cannons were installed on ships. During the era of Kievan Rus' , Novgorod was a trade hub at

9072-466: The political system of Novgorod as a "feudal republic", placing it within the Marxist historiographic periodization ( slavery – feudalism – capitalism – socialism – communism ). Many scholars today, however, question whether Russia ever really had a feudal political system parallel to that of the medieval West. Historians have also described Novgorod's political system as an oligarchy due to

9180-471: The portage" as early as 1079. They also traveled to Pomorye, the "summer [southern] coast" of the "Cold [White] Sea" in search of furs as well as fish and salt. Historian George Lantzeff remarked that "in the beginning of Russian history, two Russian principalities, Novgorod and Rostov-Suzdal, were engaged in exploring, conquering, exploiting, and colonizing the area west of the Ural Mountains". From

9288-596: The prince's power was gradually restricted, while the archbishop of Novgorod increasingly played the role of head of state, particularly during times of feuds. Just before 1300, a series of reforms further curtailed the prince's powers within the local administration while those of the archbishop rose. The Council of Lords ( Russian : Совет господ , romanized :  Sovet gospod ) was also formed, and boyar families from each district were represented, typically by former posadniki , with each posadnik beginning to hold office for only one year. As feuds continued to grow,

9396-413: The principality seemed to have matured. The Novgorodian tysyatsky and posadniki appointed boyars from the cities and collected revenues for administration in the territories it held. A charter from the 1130s mentioned 30 administrative posts in the territory of Novgorod, where revenues were collected regularly and sent as a tithe to the Novgorod bishop. Throughout the 12th century, Novgorod utilized

9504-436: The products of agriculture, fishing, forestry, and stock-rearing. Foreign coins and silver were used as a currency before Novgorod started minting its own novgorodka coins in 1420. More than half of all privately owned lands in Novgorod had been concentrated in the hands of some 30–40 noble boyar families by the 14th and 15th centuries. These vast estates served as material resources, which secured political supremacy of

9612-425: The region. As early as 1328, Sweden was encouraging settlers to take over the northern coast of the Gulf of Bothnia , which was defined by the treaty as Novgorod's possession. When Karelians rebelled against Novgorod in 1337, King Magnus Eriksson sent his troops in their support, managing to briefly occupy Korela Fortress ( Sten Bielke's war against Novgorod ). Next year, Novgorod besieged Viborg, but an armistice

9720-526: The reign of Yury . In part, Tver's proximity (the Tver principality was contiguous with Novgorod Land) threatened Novgorod. It was feared that a Tverian prince would annex Novgorod's territory, and thus weaken the republic. At the time, though, Moscow did not border Novgorod, and since the Muscovite princes were further afield, they were more acceptable as princes of Novgorod. They could come to Novgorod's aid when needed but would be too far away to meddle too much in

9828-559: The republic's affairs. The city of Pskov , initially part of Novgorod Land, became de facto independent as early as the 13th century after opening a trading post for merchants of the Hanseatic League . Several princes such as Vsevolod Mstislavich ( d.  1138 ) and Dovmont ( d.  1299 ) reigned in Pskov without any deference to, or consultation with, the prince or other officials in Novgorod. Pskov won its formal independence in August 1348 after Magnus IV of Sweden captured

9936-406: The rest for his allies. The formal annexation of Novgorod marked a major step in the unification of Russia around Moscow, with Ivan III later adopting the title of sovereign of all Russia . The Novgorod Chronicle which had been critical of Ivan III before the fall of Novgorod thus described the conquest in its aftermath, justifying it on the grounds of purported conversion of Novgorodians to

10044-441: The so-called zhityi lyudi (житьи люди), who owned less land than the boyars, and unprivileged small votchina owners called svoyezemtsy (своеземцы, or private landowners). The most common form of labor exploitation – the system of metayage – was typical for the afore-mentioned categories of landowners. Their household economies were mostly serviced by slaves ( kholops ), whose number had been constantly decreasing. Along with

10152-427: The structure was again changed so that each district had its own posadnik , with the number of posadniki increasing to 24 in 1423, though this failed to achieve stability, and feuds continued until the last days of independence. The Novgorod Judicial Charter , inherited from the earlier Russkaya Pravda , served as the legal code of the Novgorod Republic from 1440. The latest version was supplemented in 1471 under

10260-564: The terms of the Treaty of Yazhelbitsy, which forbade Novgorod from conducting foreign affairs without grand princely approval. While the extent of Boretskaya's role in the Lithuanian party is probably exaggerated, Novgorod did indeed try to turn to the king of Poland. A draft treaty, allegedly found among the loot after the Battle of Shelon River, was drawn up between Casimir and the Novgorodians. The Muscovite authorities saw Novgorod's behavior as

10368-623: The territory of Novgorod. He lived from money given to him by the city. According to several ryads , the prince could not extradite or prosecute a Novgorodian outside of Novgorod Land. The princes had two residences, one on the Marketplace (called Yaroslav's Court ), and another in Rurikovo Gorodische (Рюриково городище) several miles south of the Trade Side of the city. The administrative division of Novgorod Republic

10476-538: The time, and not on any independent thinking on the part of Novgorod. Rostov-Suzdal comprised the territory of the important Oka region and lands along the vital Sheksna River. This river lay in the Northern Volga tributary region. Whoever controlled the river was able to block food supplies causing a famine in Novgorod. Perhaps due to these fears, Novgorod led a failed invasion of Suzdal in 1134. They tried again and succeeded in 1149. Alternatively, Novgorod, in

10584-461: The two powers were renewed in 1392 and 1411. However, Sweden had, by then, become a member state in the quarrelsome Kalmar Union , and was preoccupied by the Scandinavian power struggle for the entire 15th century. The last conflict took place in 1445, several decades before Novgorod was absorbed into Muscovy . Novgorod's demise did not result in peace, however, and conflict continued between

10692-524: The use of weights and measures in the marketplace, and through other means. Another important executive was the posadnik of Novgorod, who chaired the veche , co-chaired courts together with the prince, oversaw tax collection and managed current affairs of the city. Most of the prince's major decisions had to be approved by the posadnik. In the mid-14th century, instead of one posadnik, the veche began electing six. These six posadniks kept their status for their lifetimes, and each year elected among themselves

10800-467: The veche. Tradespeople and craftsmen also participated in the political affairs of Novgorod. Traditional scholarship argues that they were organized into five kontsy ("ends" in Russian) – i.e., the boroughs of the city they lived in; each end was then organized by the streets in which they lived. The ends and streets often bore names indicating that certain trades were concentrated in certain parts of

10908-648: The way after the previous failed attempt, Yaroslav was forced to abandon his plans and disband his expensive army. When a bad harvest exacerbated the famine,the Novogorodians rose in revolt against the prince, who fled with his family and supporters to Pereslavl-Zalessky . With the Suzdalian princely threat gone, the Pskovians sent the Livonian auxiliaries home, while the veche elected Michael of Chernigov as Novgorod's new knyaz in 1230. The NPL notes that in subsequent years, Pskov remained allied with Riga and

11016-483: The year 862, the Varangian brothers Rurik , Sineus and Truvor were each "invited" to reign in Novgorod, Beloozero , and Izborsk , respectively, in what is now in northwestern Russia . As a result, in Russian historiography, Novgorod is traditionally seen as the birthplace of the country's monarchy . The Primary Chronicle (PVL) states that when Oleg the Wise conquered Kiev (modern Kyiv ) in 882, which marks

11124-466: Was being wise, with cooperation with the Mongols being the only sensible option at the time which averted further tragedy. Tver , Moscow and Lithuania fought over control of Novgorod and its enormous wealth from the 14th century. Upon receiving the jarlig for grand prince of Vladimir in 1304, Mikhail Yaroslavich of Tver sent his governors to Novgorod . A series of disagreements with Mikhail pushed Novgorod towards closer ties with Moscow during

11232-470: Was considerable. The Lübeck company of Wittenborg exported between 200,000 and 500,000 Lübeck marks from Novgorod to Livonia in the 1350s. Anna Khoroshkevich assumed that exports increased throughout the 14th century and was at its height in the beginning of the 15th century, but by the second half of the century, Novgorod suffered from the effects of exhaustion of its resources with hunting grounds moving considerably further north and Muscovite merchants accruing

11340-703: Was formally sponsored by the king of Sweden or not, nor whether the Swedes co-ordinated their raid with the Yem people , who had unsuccessfully raided Ladoga earlier in 1142 according to the NPL, as the same chronicle mentions the Yem raiding on their own in 1149 and 1228. The NPL reports under the year 1164 that a Swedish fleet of 55 ships approached Ladoga, which was then defeated on the river Voronai, with most of its ships captured by Novgorod. According to Erik's Chronicle , Karelians , supported by Novgorod, attacked mainland Sweden in late 12th century and destroyed Sigtuna , which

11448-490: Was populated by various East Slavic tribes that were constantly at war with one another for supremacy. However, these tribes came together during the beginning of the 9th century to try to form a negotiated settlement to end military aggression amongst each other. According to the legendary calling of the Varangians (recorded in diverging variations in the Primary Chronicle and Novgorod First Chronicle ), in

11556-492: Was soon agreed upon. After ten years of peace, the king felt ready to renew hostilities and demanded the Novgorodians to recognise the pope's authority. According to the Novgorod First and Fourth Chronicles , the king demanded that the Novgorodians debate with his "philosophers" ( Catholic theologians ) and whoever lost would convert to the religion of the winner. Novgorodian archbishop Vasily Kalika conferred with

11664-442: Was then Sweden's most important city. However, Novgorodian sources do not mention these events, and earlier Swedish sources refer to the attackers of Sigtuna simply as "heathens", without specifying their identity further. The chronicle also tells that Jon Jarl spent nine years fighting against Novgorodians and Ingrians at the end of the 12th century. Jon's story is not known from other sources. Pope Honorius III (1216–1227) received

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