Any state in its history goes through three stages - the emergence and development, the golden age, the decline and cessation of existence. Kievan Rus - a powerful formation of the Eastern Slavs - was no exception, therefore, after its triumph on the world stage during the time of Yaroslav the Wise, it gradually lost its influence and disappeared from the political map. The reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state today is known to schoolchildren and adults, but it is not the only one: Kievan Rus died due to external and internal factors that together led it to such an outcome. But we will talk about everything in order.
A bit of history
What is the reason for the collapse of the Old Russian State, which during its heyday occupied a vast territory from the Taman Peninsula to the upper reaches of the Northern Dvina, from the tributaries of the Volga to the Dniester and the Vistula? Before considering it, let us briefly recall the history of Kievan Rus.
Traditionally, the formation of the state is considered to be 862 - the date of calling to the rule of Rurik. Having strengthened his power in Kiev, his successor Oleg Veshchiy united the nearest lands under his own hand. Many historians do not agree with this theory, since before Oleg came to Russia, there were well-fortified cities, an organized army, ships, temples were built, a calendar was kept, there was its own culture, religion and language. The stronghold and capital was the city of Kiev, favorably located on trade routes.
The golden age of the Eastern Slavic state came after the adoption of Christianity in 988 and came under the reign of Vladimir Krasno Solnyshk and Yaroslav the Wise, whose daughters became the queens of the three countries and under whom the first Russian Truth constitution was established. Gradually in Kievan Rus developed feudal fragmentation and hostility between the numerous princes. This is the first and main reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state. The Mongolian bulk erased it from the political map of Europe, turning it into a remote ulus of the Golden Horde.
Internal factors of the collapse of Russia
The main reason for the collapse of the Old Russian state was the feudal fragmentation of Kievan Rus and hostility between the princes. This is the traditional version of most historians, who also pay attention to the fact that this is a normal phenomenon for European countries of those times. Contributed to the deepening of fragmentation and the following:
- Russian principalities were surrounded by enemies - numerous tribes that were at different stages of development. Each inheritance had its own enemy, and therefore fought off it with its own forces.
- Each specific prince relied on new, but influential segments of the population, which included representatives of the church, boyars, merchants.
- Uneven economic development of regions: wealthy principalities did not want to share their resources with the Grand Duke of Kiev and poorer destinies.
- Frequent feuds over the Kiev throne between the heirs, in which a large number of ordinary people died.
External causes of the death of Kievan Rus
We briefly outlined the internal causes of the collapse of the Old Russian state; now we consider external factors. During the period of prosperity, the princes did much to ensure the security of their borders. Vladimir baptized Russia, while receiving the favor of Byzantium and the support of European countries, Yaroslav arranged dynastic marriages, developed architecture, culture, crafts, education and other aspects. At the beginning of the 13th century, the foreign policy situation changed dramatically: the Mongols began to actively claim dominance in the world. Iron discipline and absolute obedience to elders, the multiplicity and good weapons obtained by previous campaigns, made the nomads invincible. After the conquest of Russia, the Mongols completely changed their way of life, introduced new rules, elevated some cities and wiped others from the face of the earth. In addition to all this, a large part of the population, both the ruling elite and ordinary people, died or was stolen.
The collapse of the Old Russian state: causes and consequences
We examined the factors of the political collapse of Kievan Rus, now we will find out what consequences this phenomenon had for the state. At the very beginning, the feudal fragmentation of the Old Russian state was positive: agriculture, crafts actively developed, trade was vibrantly carried on, cities grew.
But then the inheritance turned into separate states, whose rulers constantly fought for power and the main apple of contention - Kiev. The capital city and its lands lost influence, which passed into the hands of the richer and stronger regions. These include the Galicia-Volyn, Vladimir-Suzdal principalities and the Novgorod boyar republic, which are considered to be the political heirs of the first Old Russian state. The hostility greatly weakened the land and did not allow the Russian princes to unite before the blows of the Horde, because of which Kievan Rus ceased to exist.
Instead of an afterword
The causes and consequences of the political collapse of the Old Russian state we examined. Such an excursion into history presents us with the main lesson: only together the people and rulers can build a strong and rich state capable of surviving all the hardships of life.