In what century did the annexation take place? Section II

The unification of Rus' is the process of political unification of disparate Russian lands into a single state.

Prerequisites for the unification of Kievan Rus

The beginning of the unification of Rus' dates back to the 13th century. Until this moment, Kievan Rus was not a single state, but consisted of disparate principalities that were subordinate to Kyiv, but still remained largely independent territories. Moreover, smaller fiefs and territories arose in the principalities, which also lived an autonomous life. The principalities constantly fought with each other and with Kiev for the right to autonomy and independence, and the princes killed each other, wanting to lay claim to the Kiev throne. All this weakened Rus', both politically and economically. As a result of constant civil strife and hostility, Rus' could not gather a single strong army in order to resist the raids of nomads and overthrow the Mongol-Tatar yoke. Against this background, the power of Kyiv weakened and the need arose for the emergence of a new center.

Reasons for the unification of Russian lands around Moscow

After the weakening of Kyiv's power and constant internecine wars, Rus' was in desperate need of unification. Only an integral state could resist the invaders and finally throw off the Tatar-Mongol yoke. The peculiarity of the unification of Rus' was that there was no one clear center of power; political forces were scattered throughout the territory of Rus'.

At the beginning of the 13th century, there were several cities that could become the new capital. The centers of unification of Rus' could be Moscow, Tver and Pereyaslavl. It was these cities that had all the necessary qualities for a new capital:

• They had an advantageous geographical location and were removed from the borders where the invaders ruled;
• They had the opportunity to actively engage in trade due to the intersection of several trade routes;
• The princes ruling in the cities belonged to the Vladimir princely dynasty, which had great power.

In general, all three cities had approximately equal chances, but the skillful rule of the Moscow princes led to the fact that it was Moscow that seized power and gradually began to strengthen its political influence. As a result, it was around the Moscow principality that a new centralized state began to form.

The main stages of the unification of Rus'

In the second half of the 13th century, the state was in a state of severe fragmentation, with new autonomous territories constantly being separated. The Tatar-Mongol yoke interrupted the process of natural unification of lands, and the power of Kyiv by this period was greatly weakened. Rus' was in decline and needed a completely new policy.

In the 14th century, many territories of Rus' united around the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. In the 14-15 centuries, the great Lithuanian princes owned Goroden, Polotsk, Vitebsk, Kyiv and other principalities; under their rule were the Chernigov region, Volyn, Smolensk region and a number of other lands. The rule of the Rurikovichs was ending. By the end of the 15th century, the Principality of Lithuania had grown so much that it came close to the borders of the Moscow Principality. The North-East of Rus' all this time remained under the rule of the descendant of Vladimir Monomakh, and the Vladimir princes bore the prefix “all Rus'”, but their real power did not extend beyond Vladimir and Novgorod. In the 14th century, power over Vladimir passed to Moscow.

At the end of the 14th century, Lithuania joined the Kingdom of Poland, which was followed by a series of Russian-Lithuanian wars, in which Lithuania lost many territories. New Rus' began to gradually unite around the strengthened Moscow principality.

In 1389 Moscow became the new capital.

The final unification of Rus' as a new centralized and unified state ended at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries during the reign of Ivan 3 and his son Vasily 3.

Since then, Rus' has periodically annexed some new territories, but the basis of a unified state has already been created.

Completion of the political unification of Rus'

In order to hold the new state together and avoid its possible collapse, it was necessary to change the principle of governance. Under Vasily 3, estates appeared - feudal estates. Patrimonies were often fragmented and became smaller, as a result, the princes who received their new possessions no longer had power over vast territories.

As a result of the unification of the Russian lands, all power was gradually concentrated in the hands of the Grand Duke.

In the middle of the 15th century, the most important task that Ivan III had to cope with was the annexation of Veliky Novgorod to Moscow. But he was not the only contender for these lands. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania also tried to claim its rights to them.

Beginning of the conflict

It is no secret that the history of Moscow has always been closely connected with Novgorod. The roots of the conflict itself go back to the outbreak that broke out among the descendants of Prince Dmitry Donskoy, which lasted several decades - from 1425 to

The main warring parties were Vasily the Dark and After defeat in the battle for power, the latter took refuge in Novgorod. In 1449, Vasily the Dark managed to conclude a beneficial agreement with the Lithuanian prince and the then Polish king Casimir IV that each side would not accept each other’s political opponents on its territory. In addition, Lithuania agreed to abandon the encroachment on Novgorod. After 4 years, Vasily, with the help of his faithful people, poisoned Shemyaka.

Yazhelbitsky world

The history of Veliky Novgorod knows many bloody battles. One of them occurred in 1456 near a city called Rusa. Then the Moscow troops managed to take it quite easily and almost without resistance. But soon they were attacked by the Novgorod cavalry. Muscovites, under the leadership of their governors Striga and Basenka, hid behind a snow-covered hill. They began to shoot arrows not at the Novgorod warriors, but at their horses. There was confusion. The Novgorodians were dressed in heavy armor, so they could not fight on a par with the Muscovites. As a result, most of the boyars were captured or killed.

Thus, Moscow won a complete victory over Novgorod. Moreover, the number of troops of the first side was 20 times less than the second. After some time, Vasily the Dark received an embassy in Yazhelbitsy, which was headed by the Novgorod Archbishop Euthymius II with the aim of concluding a peace treaty. After short negotiations, the parties signed a bilateral agreement. According to it, the losers had to pay the winner a fairly large indemnity, amounting to 8 thousand rubles. But the annexation of Novgorod to Moscow did not take place. He remained independent for now.

The situation after the conclusion of peace

The history of Novgorod says that back in 1136 it became the very first free republic located on the territory of Kievan Rus. There was such a democratic institution as the veche. It existed until the events that led to the annexation of Novgorod to Moscow. But, despite this, not all townspeople advocated the independence of their lands and were ready to fight for it.

It is worth noting the fact that the rights of ordinary, poor citizens were most often not respected, and the poorest population, which consisted of smerds, were generally deprived of the right to attend the assembly. The gap between the poor and the rich was too great, so ordinary Novgorodians were not eager to fight with Moscow for the rights of the boyars.

In 1460, Vasily Vasilyevich arrived with an embassy in Novgorod for negotiations. But the townspeople opposed him and even tried to kill him. Thus, another conflict broke out, which was resolved by Bishop Jonah, who intimidated the Novgorodians with the invasion of the Tatars along with the Muscovites.

3 years after the Moscow prince visited Novgorod, this republic refused military support to Pskov, who asked to help him fight off the attacks of the Livonian knights. Help came from Moscow. After this, Novgorod took an openly hostile position towards Pskov. This time the conflict was resolved by the wise policy of Prince Ivan III.

New disagreements

The Novgorod elite was always under constant pressure from two neighboring fairly powerful states - Moscow and the Principality of Lithuania. The boyars understood perfectly well that they would be able to preserve their possessions only if they entered into an alliance with one of them.

The history of Moscow points to the fact that disagreements over the annexation of lands also existed in Veliky Novgorod itself. The boyars advocated an alliance with the Principality of Lithuania, because they expected to retain all their privileges, while ordinary townspeople supported the Moscow Tsar, since in him they saw, first of all, an Orthodox ruler.

Causes of hostilities

The reason for the campaign in May 1471 against Veliky Novgorod was rumors allegedly indicating that the majority of the boyars, led by Martha Boretskaya, the widow of the mayor, signed an agreement with the Lithuanian side about Many historians believe that these rumors were only the reason for reprisals. But there is still the fact that the Novgorodians asked the Lithuanian prince to become their governor. In addition, they still sought to create their own church, independent of Moscow. That is why the campaign against Veliky Novgorod took on the appearance of a war against apostates and for the restoration of the Orthodox faith.

Another campaign

This time, military actions against the republic were led by Moscow Prince Daniil Kholmsky. It must be said that this was a considerable risk, since the spring that year turned out to be quite cold, and a large amount of snow that had not yet melted could significantly slow down the advance of the troops. But it was impossible to postpone the trip. The Golden Horde and the Principality of Lithuania were ready to come to the aid of Novgorod.

In the first days of the campaign there were almost no battles. The Moscow army captured the cities of the republic one after another without much effort. Only in mid-July did the Battle of Shelon take place. The army of Novgorod, consisting of 40 thousand people, and the 12 thousand army of their enemy met on the battlefield. The final outcome of this battle was decided by a powerful attack by the Moscow cavalry. The poorly organized Novgorodians were unable to withstand such onslaught.

2 weeks after the Battle of Shilon, another battle took place near the Shilenga River. It also ended in victory for the Muscovites. After this, negotiations began on concluding peace in Korostyn.

Consequences of the truce

As a result, Novgorod had to abandon the patronage of the Polish-Lithuanian king Casimir IV. In addition, the vanquished paid approximately 15 thousand rubles, and also actually recognized the supremacy of the Moscow prince. So the campaign of 1471 turned out to be more than successful. He proved that ordinary Novgorodians, unlike the boyars, do not want to fight with their neighbors.

In part, the fate of this republic was already predetermined. But the final annexation of Novgorod to Moscow will take place only after 7 years.

Last trip

In the spring of 1477, this was not the first Novgorod embassy that arrived in Moscow. But it turned out that it was sent not by the veche, but by a group of boyars. They wanted the fastest and final recognition of the supremacy of Moscow, which would give them the right to retain all their lands and wealth. They learned about this in Novgorod. At the next meeting, several pro-Moscow boyars were killed, and supporters of the Lithuanian prince came to power. But their reign was short-lived.

In October 1477, the last campaign against the republic took place under the leadership of Ivan III. This time the Novgorod army did not leave the city. Long negotiations began. After 2 months, Muscovites put forward final demands. They consisted of the abolition of the posad position and the cessation of the existence of the veche. The Novgorodians agreed with these two demands, but the discussion about the boyars preserving their estates dragged on. In the end, they still had to give the monastic and lordly lands to the Moscow prince. At this point the negotiations were completed. On January 15, the Moscow prince and his entourage, accompanied by a squad, entered the city without a fight.

Results

In history, 1478 is the year of the annexation of Novgorod to Moscow. The wars are finally over. This time there were no executions, but many boyar families were expelled outside Novgorod. Among them was the mayor and her grandson. She was later tonsured a nun and her possessions were confiscated.

When Novgorod was annexed to Moscow, all lands began to be governed by 4 governors, who had the right to dispose of their inheritance and conduct courts. Trade, agriculture and industry were now carried out under the control of the new government.

The boyar leadership and the veche were liquidated. The symbol of Veliky Novgorod's independence - the veche bell - was taken away. From that moment on, it became a secondary city, and Muscovy's possessions almost doubled. Thus ended the history of a republic that had existed for more than three centuries.

The annexation of the lands of Veliky Novgorod became the most important task facing Ivan III.

The Novgorod boyars, being under constant pressure from two powerful powers - Moscow and Lithuania, competing with each other, understood that the independence of Novgorod could only be preserved by concluding an alliance with one of them. The boyars were inclined towards an alliance with Lithuania, while the Moscow party consisted mainly of ordinary Novgorodians, who saw in the Moscow prince the entire Orthodox sovereign.

The reason for the campaign in 1471 was rumors that part of the Novgorod boyars, led by the mayor’s widow Marfa Boretskaya (Marfa Posadnitsa), had entered into an agreement of vassalage with Lithuania. In addition, Novgorod sought to create a church independent from Moscow.

The war with Novgorod was proclaimed as a campaign for the Orthodox faith, against apostates. The Moscow army was led by Prince Daniil Kholmsky. The Polish-Lithuanian king Casimir IV did not dare to open war with Moscow.

Removal of the veche bell - Miniature of the Front Chronicle. XVI century

In the battle on the river. Sheloni On July 14, 1471, the Novgorod militia was defeated, and the mayor Dmitry Boretsky was executed.

The Novgorodians refused an alliance with the Polish-Lithuanian king Casimir IV and paid the Muscovites 15.5 thousand rubles for military expenses. (the price of peasant households at that time was 2-3 rubles). From that time on, Novgorod recognized itself as the fatherland of Ivan III, who was given the right to judge the Novgorodians. However, the unrest in Novgorod continued.

In 1475, Ivan III made a long trip with his squad around the Novgorod land. On November 23, 1475, Ivan III entered Novgorod, accompanied by a large retinue, and acted as a fair judge defending the offended. As a result, many boyars were arrested, and some of them were sent to Moscow.

In 1477, Novgorod ambassadors recognized Ivan III as their sovereign, which meant the unconditional submission of Novgorod to the power of Moscow. After this, the Grand Duke demanded direct control of Novgorod and the elimination of its independence.

A split occurred in Novgorod: the townspeople spoke out in favor of joining Moscow, the boyars defended the inviolability of their estates and rights. At the meeting, some of Moscow's supporters were killed, and the Novgorod ambassadors refused to call Ivan III "sovereign".

As a result, a new campaign against Novgorod was undertaken. On January 15, 1478, the Novgorod authorities surrendered, and the Novgorodians swore allegiance to Ivan III.

Claudius Lebedev - Marfa Posadnitsa. Destruction of the Novgorod Veche.

The veche was cancelled, the symbol of Novgorod independence - the veche bell, as well as Marfa Boretskaya - were sent to Moscow. Ivan III confiscated the bishop's estates and 6 large monasteries.

In 1484-1499, the confiscation of boyar lands was carried out. Supporters of independence were executed, several thousand Novgorod families were transferred to other regions of the country. Instead of mayors and thousanders, Moscow governors began to govern the city. With the annexation of Novgorod, the territory of Muscovy doubled.

History in faces

In the Novgorod monastery on the suburban tract of Klopsk in the 40s of the 15th century, blessed Michael, known in our calendar under the name of Klopsky, asceticised. In 1440, the local Archbishop Euthymius visited him. The blessed one said to the bishop: “And today there is great joy in Moscow.” - “What, father, is this joy?” - “The Grand Duke of Moscow gave birth to a son, who was given the name Ivan; he will destroy the customs of the Novgorod land and bring destruction to our City.”

Shortly before the fall of Novgorod, the founder of the Solovetsky Monastery, Ven. Zosima petitioned the authorities about the needs of his monastery. He also went to the boyar Marfa Boretskaya, the widow of the mayor, who enjoyed great influence in Novgorod society; but she did not accept the elder and ordered the slaves to drive him away. Leaving the courtyard of the arrogant noblewoman, Zosima shook his head and said to his companions: “The days will come when those living in this courtyard will not step on it with their feet, when its gates will be closed and will no longer open and this courtyard will be desolate,” which is what happened, the biography writer adds. Rev. Zosima.

Martha later changed her mind when she learned how cordially the Novgorod boyars received the hermit offended by her. She earnestly asked Zosima to come to her and bless her. Zosima agreed. Martha arranged a dinner for him with noble guests, the first Novgorod dignitaries, the leaders of the Lithuanian party, the soul of which was Martha. In the middle of dinner, Zosima looked at the guests and suddenly, in amazement, silently lowered his eyes to the ground. Looking another time, he did the same again; looked a third time - and again, bending down, shook his head and shed tears. From that moment on, he did not touch the food, despite the hostess’s requests.

Upon leaving the house, Zosima's student asked him what his behavior at the table meant. Zosima answered: “I looked at the boyars and saw that some of them were sitting without heads.” These were the Novgorod boyars whom Ivan III, in 1471, after the Battle of Shelon, ordered to beheaded as his main opponents.

Having decided to surrender to the Lithuanian king, the Novgorodians begged his assistant, Prince Mikhail Olelkovich, to become his viceroy. The fight with Moscow was being prepared. Posadnik Nemir, who belonged to the Lithuanian party, came to the Klop Monastery to visit the mentioned blessed Michael. Mikhail asked the mayor where he was from. “Father, he was with his great-mother-in-law (mother-in-law).” - “What are you thinking, son, what are you always thinking about with women?” “I hear,” the mayor said, “the Prince of Moscow is going to attack us in the summer, and we have our own Prince Mikhail.” “Then, son, he’s not a prince, but dirt,” the blessed one objected, “send ambassadors to Moscow as soon as possible, finish off the Moscow prince for his guilt, otherwise he will come to Novgorod with all his forces, you will go out against him, and you will not receive God’s help, and he will kill many of you, and even more will bring you to Moscow, and Prince Mikhail will leave you for Lithuania and will not help you in anything.” Everything happened as the blessed one predicted.

The world at this time

In Spain, the Inquisition is being revived with renewed vigor. Torquemada becomes Grand Inquisitor.

The systematic persecution of “suspicious Christians” begins. The soul of the new Inquisition becomes the confessor of Queen Isabella of Castile, the Dominican monk Torquemada.

Thomas Torquemada, founder of the Spanish Inquisition

In 1478, the “Catholic kings” Philip and Isabella received a special bull from Pope Sixtus IV, which authorized the establishment of a new Inquisition.

in 1480, the first tribunal was established in Seville. By the end of the next year, it had already sentenced 298 heretics to execution.

The result of this was general panic and a whole series of complaints against the actions of the tribunal addressed to the pope, mainly from the bishops. In response to these complaints, Sixtus IV in 1483 ordered the inquisitors to adhere to the same severity in relation to heretics, and assigned the Archbishop of Seville, Inigo Manriquez, to consider appeals against the actions of the Inquisition. A few months later, he appointed the great gene. Inquisitor of Castile and Aragon Torquemado, who completed the work of transforming the Spanish Inquisition

As a result of the activities of the Spanish Inquisition under Torquemada, between 1481 and 1498, about 8,800 people were burned at the stake; 90,000 people were subjected to confiscation of property and ecclesiastical punishments; 6,500 people were able to escape from execution by flight or die without waiting for the verdict by their own death.

In Florence, Sandro Botticelli creates the painting “Spring”

All over Europe, banks belonging to Duke Lorenzo de' Medici the Magnificent are being bankrupted and closed.

1477 - the branch in London declares bankruptcy, 1478 - in Bruges and Milan, and in 1479 - in Avignon.

1. Who carried out reforms in Russia at the beginning of the 18th century?

2. What is the name of the city that became the capital of Russia in the era of Peter I?

Saint Petersburg.
3. In which city in the 18th century was the first university in Russia created?

The first university was created in Moscow.

4. Which Russian scientist played a major role in the creation of the first university in Russia?

Lomonosov Mikhail Vasilievich.

5. When and under which Russian empress did the Crimean Peninsula become part of Russia?

On April 8, 1783, Catherine II signed the manifesto “On the annexation of the Crimean peninsula, Taman Island and the entire Kuban side under the Russian power.”

6. Who was A.V. Suvorov?

Count, then Prince Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov - great Russian commander, military theorist, national hero of Russia.

Bronze Horseman monument to Peter I.

8. In which city is the largest museum in Russia - the Hermitage?

The Hermitage Museum is located in St. Petersburg.

Topic 4. Russia in the 19th century

1. When was the Patriotic War?

The Patriotic War took place in 1812.

2. What is the name of the largest battle of the Patriotic War?

Battle of Borodino.

3. Who won the Patriotic War?

Russian victory; almost complete destruction of Napoleon's army.

4. Who was the commander-in-chief of the Russian army during the war?

Kutuzov M.I.

5. Who are the Decembrists?

Russian revolutionaries who rebelled against autocracy and serfdom in December 1825.

6. When was serfdom abolished in Russia?

The abolition of serfdom took place in 1861.

7. Under which Russian emperor was serfdom abolished?

Under Alexander II.

8. When did Central Asia join Russia?

In 1880.

9. Who was A.S. Pushkin?

A.S. Pushkin is a Russian poet, playwright and prose writer.

10. Which Russian scientist discovered the periodic law of chemical elements in the second half of the 19th century?

Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev.

11. Who was Leo Tolstoy?

Russian writer and thinker, revered as one of the world's greatest writers. Participant in the defense of Sevastopol.

12. Who was P.I. Tchaikovsky?

Russian composer, conductor, teacher, musical and public figure, music journalist.

13. Who was F.M. Dostoevsky?

Great Russian writer, thinker, philosopher and publicist. Dostoevsky is a classic of Russian literature and one of the best novelists of world significance

Topic 5. The Russian Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century

1. What main religions were represented in Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century?

The main religions represented in Russia are Christianity (mainly Orthodoxy, also Catholics and Protestants), as well as Islam and Buddhism.

2. Representatives of which religion made up the majority of the population of the Russian Empire?

The predominant religion of the Russian Empire was Orthodoxy.

3. When did the First Russian Revolution take place?

In 1905.

4. What was the main result of the First Russian Revolution?

New government bodies emerged - the beginning of the development of parliamentarism; some limitation of autocracy; democratic freedoms were introduced, censorship was abolished, trade unions and legal political parties were allowed; the bourgeoisie received the opportunity to participate in the political life of the country; the situation of workers has improved, wages have increased, the working day has decreased to 9-10 hours; redemption payments to peasants have been cancelled, and their freedom of movement has been expanded; The power of zemstvo chiefs is limited.

5. Who was the leader of the Bolshevik party?

Lenin Vladimir Ilyich.

6. When was the First World War?

7. Who was A.P. Chekhov?

A.P. Chekhov is a Russian writer, a generally recognized classic of world literature. A doctor by profession. Honorary Academician of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in the category of fine literature. One of the most famous playwrights in the world.

8. What was the name of the Russian scientist-inventor of radio?

Popov Alexander Stepanovich.

9. What is the name of the theater in Moscow, famous all over the world for its productions of opera and ballet?