Principality of Kiev
The Principality of Kiev ( Russian Киевское княжество , Kijewskoje knjaschestwo , Ukrainian Київське князівство , Kyjiwske knjasiwstvo ) was a part of the principality of the Kievan Rus with the center in Kiev . For a long time it formed the cultural center of the Rus and served as the seat of the Grand Duke under the Rurikid rulers of the country.
location
The Kiev principality arose on the tribal areas of the Poljan and the Drewljan . It stretched between the Dnieper , Slutsch , Ros and Prypiat rivers . It bordered the Principality of Turow-Pinsk in the north, the Principality of Chernigov and the Principality of Pereyaslav in the east, and Galicia-Volhynia in the west . On its southern flank it bordered the steppe , the so-called “ Wilde Feld ”, in which Turkic nomads such as Pechenegen and Cumans lived.
history
After the hinterland of Kiev was the core area of the Kievan Rus in the course of the 10th century, a number of semi-autonomous sub-principalities were formed in the Rus under Vladimir the saint , which were to be ruled by his sons (princes). Kiev remained the core of the country, which was reserved for the Grand Duke. According to the seniority principle, after the death of the Grand Duke, the oldest of his heirs succeeded and continued to rule in Kiev. In addition, Kiev remained the center of spiritual life with the seat of the Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church .
After the death of Mstislav the Great in 1132, the Kievan Rus actually collapsed and the Kievan region emerged as a separate principality. Although the Kiev Grand Duke was not the ruler and owner of all Rus territories, he nonetheless remained at the top of the feudal hierarchy and was still considered the "top" of the princes. This made Kiev an object of contention among the various sidelines of the Rurikids. In addition to the descendants of Mstislavs, whose center was Smolensk , the princes of Chernigov (Olgovichi) and the princes of Vladimir-Suzdal fought for rule in Kiev, with the local boyars also playing an important role.
The importance of the Kiev principality diminished over time, it began to fall apart. In the years 1150–1180, many of his cities such as Vyshgorod , Kanew , Tortschesk , Belgorod developed their own sub-principalities. In addition to Kiev, there were now other political centers: Vladimir in the east and Galitsch in the west. Both managed to conquer Kiev again and again and they appointed their own governors there. The Vladimir Prince Andrei Bogoljubski removed the title of Grand Duke from Kiev and ruled as Grand Prince from Vladimir after he had conquered the former capital in 1169. The princely feuds were accompanied by devastating raids by the Cumans (Polovzians), which induced large parts of the population to migrate towards new centers of power, where people hoped for a quieter life. The disputes among the Rurikids of the neighboring principalities continued until the Mongol conquest of Kiev in 1240.
The Mongol invasion left the principality of Kiev in a badly devastated state. From then on it was under the formal suzerainty of the Grand Dukes of Vladimir-Suzdal ( Alexander Newski and his brother Yaroslav), who in turn were subordinate to the Mongols. In 1299, Maxim , the Metropolitan of Kiev , decided to move the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church to Vladimir. After the Battle of the Irpen in 1321, Kiev became the object of Lithuanian aggression under Gediminas and was finally incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the course of the Battle of the Blue Water under Algirdas in 1362 , in whose association it formally existed as a distinct unit until 1471.
Princes and Grand Dukes of Kiev
See also
literature
- Б. А. Рыбаков: Киевская Русь и русские княжества XII - XIII вв - М. Наука, 1982.