Location of the Principality of Polotsk 9-13th century. Principality of Polotsk - Russian historical library
Polotsk principality- the principality of the Krivichi on the "Way from the Varangians to the Greeks". The first chronicle information about him is associated with the Scandinavian Varangians. Chronicle "Acts of the Danes" (Gesta Danorum) tells about the campaign to Polotsk legendary king Frodi I (V-VI centuries AD). In the "Russian chronicles" it was first mentioned in 862 ("The Tale of Bygone Years").
A detailed analysis of information about "Polotsk at the time of Attila" can be viewed.
Since the Polotsk chronicles disappeared along with the destroyed St. Sophia Cathedral, today we know about many episodes of history only from the Scandinavian chronicles. So Sophia, the princess of Minsk - is not mentioned in the Russian chronicles, but is well known from Western sources (works of Saxon Grammar, "Sagas of the Knutlings", genealogy of Danish kings) - she was the Queen of Denmark, the wife of Valdemar I the Great.
Fun facts
- The eastern border of the Polotsk principality is the oldest border in Belarus. Today, 1000 years later, it passes through the same places.
- Over this 1000 years, more than 90% of the wars with neighboring states adbylos on the eastern border.
- Until the 19th century, the academic community was firmly convinced that along this border (plus or minus Smolensk) there was a division between the "Russ of the Finnish tribe" and the "Krivichi-Poles". This was reflected in the first "Description of all peoples living in the Russian state" in 1799 by the Imperial Academy of Sciences.
X century
The Polotsk principality quickly fell away from the supposed "Old Russian state".
Century feudal fragmentation... The Polotsk principality is divided into Minsk, Vitebsk, Drutsk, Izyaslavskoe, Logoisk, Strezhevskoe and Gorodtsovskoe.
Paganism and Christianity
By the 12th century, Christianity was not the dominant religion on the territory of Belarus, rather it was rather local.
In the first half of the 11th century, St. Sophia Cathedrals were built - in Kiev, Polotsk and Novgorod. Already the third generation of the Kiev and Novgorod princes is canonized - St. book Anna Novgorodskaya, Kiev St. book Olga, St. book Vladimir "the Baptist of Rus" and his son Yaroslav the Wise, brother of Izyaslav (only about 20 people, not counting the schema monks and monks).
However, the two Polotsk princes (Bryacheslav and Vseslav), who ruled the entire 11th century, were remembered differently - Bryacheslav "turned to the Magi and his son was born of magic", and the Chronicle described Vseslav as a werewolf-voўkalaka and the descendants gave him the name of the sorcerer-Charadzei. The only person who was considered a saint in the Polotsk lands by his contemporaries was Torvald Codransson, the baptist of Polotsk.
This is how a rich palette of religions began to take shape in the Belarusian lands.
1101-1128 Prince Rogvolod-Boris and Dvinsky stones
One of the significant cult artifacts left over from the 12th century is the Dvina (Borisov) stones - huge boulders with Christian symbols engraved on them. Mass "baptism" of pagan temples in the Polotsk principality - this is how most researchers define the purpose of the Dvina stones.
Dvina (Borisov) stones are associated with the names of the first princes of Polotsk and Drutsk, who bore two names (pagan and Christian) - Rogvolod-Boris (1040-1128, son of Vseslav "The Sorcerer") and his son Rogvolod-Vasily. The city of Borisov is also associated with the name of Rogvolod-Boris - "he went to the Yatvingians and, having defeated them, returning, he set the city in his name ..."
However, due to the fragmentation of the Polotsk principality into appanages, " crusade"he touched upon paganism only the Polotsk land itself (Vitebsk region).
In the 12th century, Kirill Turovsky (1130-1182), a theologian, writer and preacher, wrote his works in the Turovo-Pinsk principality. One of the brightest names of the 12th century is the granddaughter of Vseslav "The Sorcerer", St. Euphrosinia of Polotskaya (1101-1167) - nun and educator, legendary copyist of the Polotsk Chronicle, founder of icon painting and jewelry workshops. Church veneration for her on the lands from Polotsk to Kiev began as early as the 12th century - there was a church service and the Life of Saint Euphrosyne.
[The Moscow church until the 19th century had nothing to do with it - the Makariev cathedrals of the 16th century, which canonized Russian saints, did not consider it as such. And although her name is mentioned in the "Book of the Degree of the Tsar's Genealogy" (written under Ivan the Terrible, who temporarily seized Polotsk), the first Russian service of the Monk Euphrosinia was compiled in 1893. Therefore, it is rather strange to read on Orthodox portals that "The Monk Mother Euphrosinia, as a warrior of Christ, guards the extreme WESTERN border of the RUSSIAN land on guard." Polotsk, in general, is located in the EAST of the land called BELARUS. ]
XIII-XIV century
Near the Polotsk principality, on the coast of the Herodotus sea, in historical Lithuania, under the leadership of Mindaugas, the principality of Lithuania was formed. By 1266-69, after the death of his son Voishalka and son-in-law Schwarn, the princely (royal) dynasty ended.
In Prussia, the Teutonic Order begins to dominate. In Livonia, the papal bull approved the Order of the Swordsmen (Livonian Order). The founding of the city of Dinaburg (Daugavpils) on the Dvina in 1275 reduces the role of Polotsk in transit trade. The established border with Latgale (Latvia) exists to this day.
Anarchie or sans duc. (anarchy, no prince; French) - this is how the old textbooks characterized the period from 1223 in the Polotsk principality and from 1267 in the Lithuanian principality. The end of this period was associated with the reign of the children of Lutuver - in 1307, Prince Warrior in Polotsk and in 1291, Prince Vitenya in Lithuania.
Collected peacefully - there is no mention of battles and sieges in the chronicles. Polotsk Sophia remained untouched for another 300 years (before the arrival of the Moscow army) - which is incomparable with the campaigns of David Gorodensky (the governor of Gedimin) to Revel (Tallinn) or Mazovia.
* Editorial comment
Rodovid Gediminovich.
Some modern historians, disputing the conclusions of the Imperial Geographical Society (although without having access to its archives - no one has worked with the Polotsk Chronicle after Tatishchev), consider Gedimin to be a descendant of the Zhmudins, who "For a long time they sat on the princely thrones of the principality of the Polotsk principality - it was weakened and princes from the strong Lietuva (Zhmudi) were invited / appointed there, therefore the annexation of the Polotsk lands took place voluntarily and peacefully"
The question immediately arises, which is not answered.
How likely is the invitation (peaceful - there was no conquest) to the princely throne in the Christian center of the leaders of the Aboriginal pagans
[
"The Samogites wear bad clothes and, moreover, in the vast majority of cases are ash-colored. They spend their lives in low and, moreover, very long huts; in the middle of them a fire is maintained, at which the father of the family sits and sees the cattle and all his household utensils. the custom of keeping cattle, without any partition, under the same roof, under which they themselves live. The more noble ones also use buffalo horns as cups. ... They blow up the earth not with iron, but with wood ... there are a lot of logs with which they dig the ground "
S. Gerberstein, "Notes on Muscovy", XVI century, about contemporary Zhmudins. (It was even sadder in the 13th century)]
And what were the residents guided by, preferring them to those who came from neighboring (Volyn, Kiev, Smolensk, Novgorod, Mazovia) principalities, which
- represent a powerful public entity
- closer in culture
- closer in language
- dynastically related
- live in cities, know written language and the semblance of laws
And this despite the fact that at that time there was "freedom Polotsk or Venice"- Undesirable rulers were quite often simply expelled.
Perhaps the Imperial Russian Geographical Society ("Picturesque Russia", 1882) was right in asserting the origin of the Gedyminovichs from the Polotsk Rogvolodovichs - of many versions this looks the most logical.
The Polotsk principality, located to the west of Smolensk and north of Turov, was sharply different from all the regions described above, which constituted the lands of Russia in the XII century. It was never the ancestral possession of any of the descendants of Yaroslav Vladimirovich and, unlike other principalities, was never connected by an umbilical cord with the mother of Russian cities, Kiev. No matter how hard the Kiev princes tried to subdue it, it remained independent and indifferent to the main political events for most of the 11th and 12th centuries. The descendants of the second son of Vladimir Svyatoslavich Izyaslav, who was sent here to reign with his mother Rogneda at the end of the 10th century, ruled here. At the end of the 12th century, it was the only principality that simultaneously bordered Lithuania and the lands of the German Order, which made it vulnerable to two potentially aggressive western neighbors.
Like Turov, the soil here was poor, the area was wooded and swampy. But in commercial terms, this region had a huge advantage over most other principalities: in the center of this land flowed the Western Dvina, which directly connected the principality with the Baltic; the upper course of the Nemunas in the western part of the principality also led there. Convenient river routes also led to the south: the Dnieper and its two main tributaries, the Drut 'and the Berezina, flowed in the southeastern outskirts of the region.
The Polotsk land had all the conditions for gaining independence; in this respect it resembled Novgorod. There was also a strong local boyars; in Polotsk, a rich trade center, there was a city veche and, in addition, some "brothers" who fought with the princes; it is possible that these were merchant associations similar to Ivan on Opoki in Novgorod.
In the 11th century, the Polotsk principality was apparently strong and united; for a whole hundred years, only two princes occupied the throne - the warlike son of Izyaslav Bryachislav (1001-1044) and his even more aggressive grandson Vseslav (1044-1101). A bright era in the life of the Polotsk land was the long reign of Vseslav Bryachislavich (1044-1101). This energetic prince fought against Novgorod, and Pskov, and the Yaroslavichs. One of the enemies of Vseslav was Vladimir Monomakh, who went on campaigns to the Polotsk land from 1084 to 1119. The princes of Kiev managed only for a while to subjugate this land, which lived its own isolated life. The last time a decisive attempt to subjugate it was made by Mstislav the Great in 1127, sending troops from all over Russia - from Volhynia and Kursk, from Novgorod and from Tork Porosye. All the detachments were given the exact routes and all of them were assigned a single day, common for all, of the invasion of the Polotsk principality. Prince Bryachislav of Polotsk, seeing himself surrounded, "being afraid, could not go either semo or ovamo." Two years later, some of the Polotsk princes were exiled to Byzantium, where they stayed for ten years.
In 1132, Polotsk independently chose a prince and, at the same time with other lands of Russia, finally isolated from the power of Kiev. True, unlike neighboring principalities Polotsk land immediately fell apart into destinies; Minsk (Menesk) was the first to stand out as an independent reign. The townspeople of Polotsk and Drutsk took an active part in the struggle between Rogvolod Borisovich Polotsk and Rostislav Glebovich Minsky in 1158. Rogvolod, the grandson of Vseslav, turned out to be an outcast prince without a principality. The Druchans began to invite him to their place, and when he and his army were near Drutsk, 300 Druchans and Polochans left on boats for a solemn meeting of the prince. Then in Polotsk "the rebellion was great." The townspeople and the boyars of Polotsk invited Rogvolod to a great reign, and Rostislav, the instigator of strife, they wanted to lure on June 29 to a feast and kill, but the prudent prince put on chain mail under his dress and the conspirators did not dare to attack him. The next day, an uprising against the Rostislavov boyars began, which ended with the reign of Rogvolod. However, the attempt of the new Polotsk prince to unite all the lands was not crowned with success. After one unsuccessful campaign, during which many Polotsk citizens perished, Rogvolod did not return to his capital, and Polotsk residents once again showed will, like the people of Kiev or Novgorodians - they invited Prince Vseslav Vasilkovich (1161-1186) from Vitebsk in 1162.
The history of the Polotsk land in the late 12th - early 13th centuries is poorly known to us. To the greatest regret, the Polotsk Chronicle, which belonged to the architect P.M.Eropkin at the beginning of the 18th century, perished. VN Tatishchev wrote out from it an interesting detailed account of the events of 1217 in Polotsk. The wife of Prince Boris Davydovich Svyatokhna led a complex intrigue against the stepchildren of Vasilko and Vyachka: either she wanted to poison them, then she sent forged letters, then she sought their expulsion and, finally, with the help of her retinue, she began to destroy the Polotsk boyars who were hostile to her. The tysyatsky, the mayor and the key keeper were killed. The veche bell rang, and the Polotsk citizens, bitter that the princess's supporters "were ravaging the cities and the people plundering," opposed the intriguing Svyatokhna Kazimirovna; she was taken into custody. VN Tatishchev held this chronicle in his hands for a very short time. He noted that in it “a lot is written about Polotsk, Vitebsk and other ... princes; only I didn’t have time to write everything out and then ... I didn’t get to see ”.
Prince Vyachko subsequently fell in battle with the German knights, defending the Russian and Estonian lands.
The Polotsk-Vitebsk-Minsk land, which later, in the XIV century, became the basis of the Belarusian nationality, had a peculiar culture, an interesting history, but the far-reaching process of feudal fragmentation did not allow it to preserve its integrity and political independence: in the XIII century, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Drutsk and The Minsk principalities were swallowed up by a new feudal formation - the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in which, however, Russian laws were in force and the Russian language dominated.
And it arose on the way "from the Varangians to the Greeks." It was this path that contributed to the rapid rise of the principality, its strong economy and famous culture. The desire for independence, the struggle against the Kiev princes, and then the Lithuanians who replaced them - this is the history of the Polotsk principality. In short, it looks like this: the more Kiev put pressure on the Polotsk nobility, the more powerful became the resistance and desire of Polotsk for independence. However, the wars with Kiev weakened the principality, and in 1307 Polotsk became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
Formation and separation of the principality
In Russian chronicles, Polotsk is mentioned in 862. In the middle of the 10th century, Polotsk has its own ruler - Rogvolod Polotsk, who, at the end of the 10th century, is killed and his daughter married. That allows this land to be annexed to the Novgorod possessions. In 987, Prince Vladimir appointed the heir of Izyaslav as the prince of Polotsk, and the city of Izyaslavl became the capital.
As an adult, Prince Izyaslav rebuilt Polotsk, moving the capital of the principality to the left bank of the Polota River, to the most inaccessible and high place. Under him, the isolation of the principality from the dominion of Kiev began. It should be noted that at the beginning of the XI century, the Polotsk land occupied a huge territory of North-Western Russia. Great benefits to the principality were given by the location of Polotsk at the intersection of the waterways of the Western Dvina and the Upper Dnieper. Iron production played an important role in the independence of the principality.
The reign of Vseslav the Sorcerer (1044 - 1101)
The principality acquired the greatest prosperity under Izyaslav's grandson - Vseslav Bryachislavovich. After the campaign against the Torks, in 1060, Vseslav began a long struggle with Kiev for the possession of North-Western Russia. In 1065, the prince made an unsuccessful attack on Pskov. Failure did not break the prince, and on next year he attacked Novgorod and plundered the city. However, then luck turned away from Vseslav and in February 1067 the Kiev princes Yaroslavovichi attacked the Principality of Polotsk, capturing Minsk.
On March 3, a significant battle took place under the Nemiga River. For several days, the opponents did not dare to start the battle, not yielding to each other in stubbornness and not making compromises, and on the seventh day Vseslav Polotsky decided to drive the Yaroslavovichs from their native land. This battle was described in the Word about Igor's Host, as well as in the Kiev chronicles. The prince himself escaped captivity and fled to Polotsk. According to legend, the prince was a werewolf sorcerer and fled from the battlefield in the form of a wolf.
In the summer of the same year, the Yaroslavovichs invited the prince to Kiev for peace negotiations, promising him safety before the cross. However, Kiev did not keep its word, and Vseslav was taken prisoner. In 1068, the Yaroslavovichs had to defend their native land against the Polovtsians. However, they lost the battle on the Alta River and fled. Kiev was left without protection. On September 15, 1068, the Kiev uprising took place, and the Kievites by force liberated Vseslav, appointing him the Grand Duke. The Yaroslavovichs did not like this turn of affairs, and they fled to Poland for help.
When Vseslav heard that the army of the Yaroslavichs was heading for Kiev, he abandoned the city and fled to his native land - Polotsk. They say that houses and walls help, but he needs Kiev like a wolf's second tail. This helped him little, and Izyaslav captured Polotsk, putting his son to reign there. In 1072, Vseslav regained Polotsk, after which the rapprochement of Izyaslav and Vseslav began. With the rest of the Yaroslavovichs, he fought relentlessly.
Accession of Polotsk to ON
Having many sons in the family, Vseslav the Charodey divided the Polotsk land into 6 estates, which were further fragmented more and more. In 1127 Kiev captured the Polotsk lands, devastated them and exiled the Polotsk princes to Byzantium. However, three years later, power fell to one of the Polotsk princes, and after his death, a struggle for the throne began between three dynasties by a descendant of Vseslav, which finally undermined the combat capability of Polotsk, and in 1216 the Livonian Order seized the lands in the lower reaches of the Western Dvina.
A century later, the principality submitted to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (GDL). The principality finally ceased to exist after 76 years, when Lithuania abolished the autonomy of Polotsk.
Education ON Features of the state. And the socio-economic system.
Formation of the Commonwealth. State crisis and its 3 sections.
1) Written sources indicate that in the 6-8 centuries AD, the Krivichi, Radimichi and Dregovichi existed state formations in the form of reigns. The princes, according to Shtykov, are not the tribes of the Iron Age, but the so-called unions of tribes. The princes consisted of volosts and principalities, which were created on the site of the former tribal communities. Each volost-principality coexisted with its own prince and veche. Legislative power belonged to the veche. The functions of the prince were quite diverse: he was supposed to defend the territory of the principality, guard trade routes, and exercise court. Tribal princes were chosen from among the volosts by the right of seniority and moral and leadership qualities. The princes were usually formed from the clan elders, as well as the Varangians, who came from the Scandinavian peninsula. The Varangians could either be invited by the local population, or seize power by force into their own hands.
The threat from the Varangians, Cossacks and other peoples contributed to the unification of the East Slavic tribes into a single state - Kievan Rus. Written sources note that initially the Krivichi, the Novgorod Slavs were slightly ruled by the Varangians. But then they drove them over the pestilence. The Slavs had troubles, and in order to avoid them, the Vikings, in particular Rurik, were again invited. On the territory of Eastern Europe n. Two unions of reigns: the northern reign, which was headed by Novgorod and the southern union of reigns, headed by Kiev. The Northern Union of Princedoms was headed by Rurik, who sent one of his governors to Polotsk. This did not like the Kiev princes Oskold and Dir, who in 865 made a campaign against Polotsk and captured it, subjugating Kiev. After the death of Rurik, Oleg became a sovereign politician in Novgorod, who was the guardian of Prince Igor Rurikovich.
In 882 Oleg captures Kiev and kills the local princes Oskold and Dir. He is the creator of Kievan Rus and establishes his power over most of the East Slavic tribes. In 885, the Radimichi, who paid tribute to the barracks, were annexed to Kiev. Also, the territory of the Byelorussian and Dnieper areas became part of Kievan Rus. As for the Dregovichi, they retained their independence until 980, but they became part of Kiev. Prince Igor carried out two campaigns against Byzantium in 907 and 942, while the Radimichi and Krivichi took part in the first of them. Soon Igor was killed by the Drevlyans, trying to take tribute from them. His wife, Olga, dealt with the Drevlyans. Igor's son, Prince Svyatoslav, significantly expanded the borders of Kievan Rus. He defeated the Kazakh Kagonat, Volosko-Kama Bugaria, and also defeated the Yases and Kosokhs. Its greatest power Kievan Rus reached under Yaroslav the wise. Since the 11th century, the process of fragmentation of Kievan Rus begins and its gradual weakening. Regarding statehood Eastern Slavs noun Two positions: Norman and Anti-Norman. In the Norman theory, researchers in the west and some Russians adhere. According to this theory, the state. The Eastern Slavs were created by the Varangians. Anti-Normans claim that the state. The Eastern Slavs were originally, and the Varangians only gave rise to princely dynasties. Kievan Rus was a fragile state. education. It included various peoples who tried to get out of the subordination of Kiev at any cost.
2) In the 70s, Polotsk managed to get out of the power of Kiev. At this time, Prince Rogvalod, who was a Varangian, began to rule in Polotsk. After the death of the Kiev prince Svyatoslav, a stubborn struggle for the Kiev throne flared up between his sons: the Kiev prince Yaropolk and the Novgorod prince Vladimir. Each of the brothers tried to enlist the support of Polotsk by marrying Princess Ragneda. Ragneda, as her chosen one, chose the Kiev prince Yaropolk, but she refused Vladimir, saying that she did not want to be the wife of a “slave”. This offended Vladimir, who made a campaign against Polotsk, burned the city, destroyed Rogvolod and his sons, and forcibly took Ragneda as his wife. After that, Vladimir defeated his brother Yaropolk and became a Kiev prince. After an unsuccessful attempt on the life of Vladimir, he, after consulting with his boyars, decided to send Ragneda and her son Izyaslav back to their homeland, to the Polotsk land. Izyaslav began to rule Izyaslavl, and then became the prince of Polotsk. Izyaslav died young and became famous as an exemplary peasant who regularly attended church services. After the death of Izyaslav, the Polotsk principality was headed by his son Bryachislav. Under him, Polotsk began to conduct an aggressive foreign policy... The goal of Polotsk was to defeat Novgorod, as the main competitor on the way "From the Varangians to the Greeks", while the task was to capture the cities of Vitebsk and Usvyaty. Bryacheslav captures Novgorod in 921 and takes large booty in the city. His action provoked a reaction from his own uncle, the Kiev prince Yaroslav. Kiev prince overtook the Polotsk army and defeated it. A peace treaty was concluded between Kiev and Polotsk, according to which Polotsk received Vitebsk and Usvyat. After the death of Bryachislav, Polotsk was ruled by his son Vseslav, who was nicknamed the Wizard. Under him, the Polotsk kingdom reached its power. In 1065, Vseslav made an unsuccessful attempt to capture Pskov. In the next 1066, Vseslav captures Novgorod and returns with rich booty to the Polotsk land. The Kiev prince gathers a huge coalition and invades the Polotsk land. He burns Minsk and in 1067 a battle takes place on the Nemiga River, which ended in a draw. The Kiev prince invited Vseslav and his sons to negotiations, where the latter were treacherously captured. Vseslav and his sons were taken to Kiev, where they were sent to prison.
In 1068, an uprising took place in Kiev, and the townspeople proclaimed Vseslav a Kiev prince, who was released from prison. Vseslav ruled in Kiev for only 7 months. The army of the former Kiev prince Izyaslav and his father-in-law, the Polish king Borislav, approached Kiev. And Vseslav was forced to leave for the Polotsk land. In 1071 he expels the son of the Kiev prince from Polotsk and reigns over the principality. After the death of Vseslav, the Polotsk land fell apart into a number of appanages, in particular, Minsk, Turov, Vitebsk and others were formed. Polotsk remained the main one. At this time, the son of Vseslav, the Minsk prince Gleb, was active. Its goal is to strengthen the Minsk land by capturing the basins of the Dnieper and Pripyat rivers. Gleb captures Orsha, Kopys and controls the Dnieper basin. Gleb's activity caused concern about the side of the Kiev prince. In 1116 the Minsk principality was invaded by a coalition of Russian princes and Gleb was forced to make peace with the Kiev prince. He left Minsk with his wife, but in 1118 a coalition of Russian princes invaded Minsk land back, Gleb was captured and, being imprisoned in Kiev, dies there. Polotsk princes have always shown their disobedience to Kiev. They refused to participate in the campaign against the Polovtsy, which was organized by the Kiev prince Mstislav. In revenge, in 1129, a coalition of Russian princes, led by a Kiev prince, invaded the Polotsk land. The Polotsk princes were exiled to Byzantium, and only a few of them were able to return to their homeland in 1139. Thus, from the beginning of the 12th century and up to its end, a period of feudal fragmentation took place on the Polotsk land. It was expressed in the fact that various dynasties of Vseslav's heirs fought for the Polotsk throne. In the 2-0-30 years of the 12th century, the role of the veche increased in the Polotsk land, in which merchants and boyars played the main role. The princes were elected at the veche, and if the townspeople did not like the prince, the prince was expelled from the city. The Turov principality was formed in the south of Belarus in the basin of the Pripyat River. Until the end of the 10th century, it developed independently and the local princely dynasty ruled here. The first prince was the legendary Tur, whom a number of researchers consider Rogvalod's brother. In the history of the Turov land, several stages can be distinguished: the end of the 10th century, and it is associated with the activities of Prince Svyatopolk, the end of the 11th - the beginning of the 12th centuries, the Turov principality belongs to Kiev, which was ruled by the Izyaslavovich dynasty, from 1112 to 1154 rounds owned by the heirs of Vladimir Monomakh and representatives of the dynasty of the Chernigov prince Olgovich, the 50s of the 12th century, the heirs of the Izyaslavovich dynasty began to rule in Turov, and the city at this time was no longer subordinate to Kiev.
Features of the Turov principality:
1. The city was subordinate to the Kiev princes for a long time.
2. In the absence of the prince, the mayor ruled there.
3. The townspeople themselves elected a local bishop.
3) In the 13th century arose largest state in Eastern Europe - ON.
There are several reasons for its formation:
1. Development of agricultural production, crafts and trade, contributed to the enrichment of the local political and economic elite, which was interested in creating a powerful state
2. The Lithuanian and Belarusian lands were threatened by the crusaders and the Mongol-Tatars
3. Lithuanian and Belarusian feudal lords believed that a single state would help them keep the lower strata of society under their control.
The center of the ON is to become the upper Ponyomanye, now it is the territory of the Grodno region. In the upper Ponymane high level reached agriculture, the development of handicrafts (Novogrudok, Volkovysk, Slonim). This region maintained close economic contacts with Polish and Czech lands, as well as with Byzantium and a number of other states. The Upper Ponymanye was not attacked by the crusaders and Mongol-Tatars, and the Polotsk land was weakened by the struggle with the crusaders. The formation of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania is associated with the activities of Prince Mindaugas. In 1246, Mindovg found himself in Novogrudok, was chosen by the local population as a prince and accepted Orthodoxy. After that, Mindovg begins to subordinate the upper Ponymanye to Novogrudok. This policy of Mindaugas did not like the Galicia-Volyn princes and the Livonian Order. With whom Novogrudok had to fight. To defend the young state, Mindaugas entered into an alliance with the Livonian Order and in 1253 adopted Catholicism and the title of king. In 1254, peace was concluded with the Galicia-Volyn principality. The son of Sindovg played an important role here. By the terms of the contract, the upper Ponemanie went to the son of the Galicia-Volyn prince, and the daughter of Mindvoga was given in marriage to another son of this prince. Voishelk leaves for a monastery, which we ourselves found. In 1263, Mindaugas and his young sons were killed by hired killers, on the orders of the Zhmut prince Troyanyaty. For a short time, the Troinyats become the Grand Duke of Lithuania. Voyshelk, however, threw off his cassock, began to rule in Novogrudok and, together with the tribesman of Mindovg, the Polotsk prince Toltsevil, expelled Roman from Ponyomanye. The triplets tried to destroy their rival, he managed to kill, but in 1264 he himself dies at the hands of assassins. Voyshelk becomes the ruler of the ON. The GDL was opposed by the Galicia-Volyn principality, with which Voyshelk concludes an agreement. He gives the ON to the son of the Galicia-Volyn prince Shvark.
Principality of Polotsk in IX-XIII centuries
In the 9-13 centuries, conditions for the emergence of statehood developed on our territory: -internal(division of labor, the emergence of cities, property stratification, the existence of classes, the need to maintain order within the country), - external(it is necessary to protect the territory from an external enemy). The first state formation is the Principality of Polotsk. The Polotsk land was located on the territory of the north of Belarus in the lands of the Krivichi, included the modern Vit region, the north of Minsk. In the north-west, the possessions of the Polotsk princes reached the Gulf of Riga. The convenient location on the waterways has promoted the cult. and economical. development of the principality. For the first time, the capital of the principality, the city of Polotsk, was mentioned in 862 in the "Tale of Bygone Years". At this time, Kiev and Novgorod competed with each other for the unification of the East-Slav lands. In this rivalry, Polotsk was assigned an important role. At the end of the 10th century, Prince Ragvalod ruled in Polotsk. The son of Ragneda and Vladimir, Izyaslav inherited the throne. His son Bryacheslav Izyaslavovich continued to expand the territory of the principality. The next prince is Vseslav the Sorcerer. During his reign, the principality reached its peak of development. After the death of the Sorcerer, the Polotsk principality was divided between his 6 sons (fragmentation). In the XII century Ming, Vit, Drutsk principalities, etc. appear. In 1119 Monomakh captured Minsk, captured Prince Gleb, where he died. In 1129, the Kiev prince Mstislav captured 3 princes of the Vseslavich for disobedience and took them to Byzantium, where they served in the Byzantine army. In 1132 they returned. The link contributed to the establishment of ties with Byzantium. In the 12c - the weakening of the prince, the strengthening of the veche. The feudal fragmentation weakened the principality. On the 13-14th border, the Polotsk principality became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. That. For several centuries Polotsk was the capital of a large principality.
Question 3 Social and economic and religious and cultural development of the IX-XIII centuries. Economic life determined Agriculture... The main tools of work are dry wood, a wooden harrow. The most common cereals were millet, rye, wheat, barley, oats, peas. Cucumbers, beets, onions, carrots, and cabbage were widespread. agriculture was the main occupation of the population, but fishing, hunting, and beekeeping remained the same. The development of domestic crafts and the development of handicrafts contributed to the emergence of urban-type settlements. The earliest of them are Polotsk, Turov, Berestye, Vitebsk. The cities gradually turned into centers of craft production and trade. Trade was carried out both internal and external. Merchants maintained ties not only with neighboring countries, but also with distant countries (Byzantium, the Arab Caliphates). The land gradually fell into the private property of individual families. The tribal nobility seized the best lands and turned the impoverished community members into dependent peasants. Statehood was created on the Belarusian lands. Free smerds-communes had to pay tribute to the prince, who collected it together with the squad. Feudal land tenure was gradually expanding. Community peasants in different ways fell into dependence on the feudal lord: as a result of frequent wars, as a result of ruin from paying heavy tribute, etc. Their economy became the object of robbery, and they themselves lost their personal freedom. The dependent peasants, who bore various duties, were called servants. Those who completely lost their personal freedom were slaves. Following the princely land tenure, boyar and church tenure arose. public relations in Belarus led to the formation of statehood. The first full-fledged state that was formed on the Belarusian lands was the Principality of Polotsk. In 988, the Kiev prince Vladimir adopted Christianity in the r. Dnieper baptized the inhabitants of Kiev. The clergy appeared in Russia, headed by the Metropolitan, the bishops were subordinate to him. In 992 the Polotsk diocese was created, in 1005 - the Turov diocese. The influence of Christianity on the spread of writing and education was beneficial. Monasteries became important cultural and educational centers: Turovsky Mozyr and Polotsky. The chronicle became the main genre of written culture. One of the first monuments of chronicle writing is the "Tale of Bygone Years". evidenced by the inscriptions on the lead seal of the Polotsk prince Izyaslav, the famous cross of Efrosinya of Polotsk. A boxwood comb with a carved alphabet (letters from "A" to "L"), birch bark letters found in Vitebsk and Mstislavl were found in Brest. , inscriptions on boulder-stones World achievements corresponded to the construction of temples, their architecture, painting, decoration. they housed archives, the state treasury, libraries, schools. In the XI century. On the initiative of Prince Vseslav, St. Sophia Cathedral was built in Polotsk. In Belchitsy (near Polotsk) the Borisoglebskaya church was built, and in 1161 in Selts the Transfiguration Cathedral, also known as the Spassky or Spaso-Euphrosyne Cathedral. For this cathedral, by order of Efrosinya of Polotsk, master jeweler Lazar Bogsha created a cross in 1161. The Kolozhskaya church in Grodno has survived to this day. A vezha (Belaya Vezha), a monument of military architecture in Belarus, was erected in Kamenets. In the spiritual and cultural life, Kirill Turovsky appears (possibly 1130 - no later than 1182). He was a highly educated person, a brilliant writer, and an outstanding religious figure. The person who left a noticeable mark was Efrosinya (Predslava) of Polotsk (possibly 1104 - 1167), at first she copied books, after she got tonsured as a nun, created chronicles and her own writings, and built a monastery.
