The 14th century is the time of the Middle Ages in Rus', which was marked by the gathering of lands around Moscow and the formation single state. This century occupies an important place in national history as a time of overcoming feudal fragmentation and strengthening the power of the Moscow prince. In addition, it was during this period that the famous Battle of Kulikovo took place, which marked the beginning of the overthrow of the Tatar-Mongol yoke.
Land unification
The 14th century was a century during which many principalities experienced a process of consolidation of fiefs around one main center. In the Moscow, Tver, Ryazan and other principalities, the rulers subordinated their younger appanage brothers to their power and sought to annex their lands to their domain possessions. In the first half of the century, three centers emerged that claimed to become the initiators of the formation of a single state. In addition to Moscow and Tver, Principality of Lithuania also acted as a unifier. A significant amount of Western Russian lands were under the authority of its rulers, which gave them grounds to claim leadership status.
Inter-princely struggle
The 14th century became a time of confrontation between appanage owners. Each of them sought to defend their right to independence. The most powerful claimed the title of grand duke, which was associated with the possession of the great principality of Vladimir. Already in the first half of this century, a clear advantage was on the side of the Moscow princes, who, starting with Ivan Kalita, consistently retained the label for this territory. However, Moscow's leadership was not yet unconditional. Other principalities (Tver, Ryazan) continued to defend their independence. There were wars between them and Moscow, which, nevertheless, demonstrated the growing power of the latter.
Relations with the Horde
The 14th century was a time of major clashes with the Horde. In 1327, an anti-Mongol uprising took place in Tver, which was drowned in blood. After this, the Tver Principality for a long time fell into decline until the middle of the century. In the second half of the 14th century there were two more important battles, which marked the end of the yoke.
In 1378, a battle took place on the Vozha River, which ended in victory for the Russian troops. In 1380, the famous Battle of Kulikovo took place, which ended in the complete defeat of the Khan’s troops. This battle had a huge impact on contemporaries, who captured this event in chronicles, legends, and folk art.
However, just two years later, Moscow was invaded by the Mongol-Tatars, who cunningly persuaded the townspeople to open the gates of the city and, entering inside, plundered it and killed many people. Nevertheless, the battle of 1380 marked the beginning of the liberation of Russian lands from the yoke.
The reign of Ivan Kalita
The 14th century was an important milestone in Russian history. What years are these? Period from 1301 to 1400 Julian calendar. It was during this period of time that Ivan Kalita laid the foundation for the power of Moscow.
He secured the city's status as the grand ducal center of North-Eastern Rus'. This ruler, thanks to the skillful Horde policy, saved his possessions from the attack of the Mongol-Tatars. He regularly paid tribute to the Khan’s headquarters and maintained neutral relations with the Horde ruler, which saved the Principality of Moscow from the appearance of the Baskaks. He cared a lot about strengthening his possessions. The prince was actively involved in construction and encouraged the development of land ownership, which, in turn, led to the economic rise of the state.
Reign of his sons
The 14th century was an important time for the unification of lands around Moscow. "What years are these?" - a question, the answer to which should include a description of the most important events the specified period.
Ivan Kalita's two successors continued his work to strengthen the position of the principality in North-Eastern Rus'. The ruler's eldest son, Semyon the Proud, sought to subjugate the neighboring lands, and the youngest, Ivan the Red, consolidated the achievements of his predecessors.
The merit of these princes lies in the fact that they were able to maintain the leading position of their possessions, which prepared the preconditions for victory on the Kulikovo field.
Dmitry Donskoy and Vasily I
The 14th century in Russian history is important because it laid the foundation for the formation of a centralized state. In the second half of the century, Moscow rulers made significant progress in strengthening their power, which was evident during the reign of these two princes. Dmitry Ivanovich in his will transferred the great principality of Vladimir to the heir without the sanction of the Horde khan, which strengthened Moscow’s position in the unification of the lands.
His son Vasily Dmitrievich also gave this territory to his heir, and although he did this with reservations, nevertheless, the very fact of such an order meant the final transfer of the initiative to unify the territories to the Moscow Principality.
Tver Principality
The 14th century in the history of Rus' became a time of overcoming fragmentation in other lands. The Tver principality was the main enemy of Moscow. His princes successfully strengthened their power and laid claim to primacy in North-Eastern Rus'. After the anti-Mongol uprising in 1327, Tver's position was greatly shaken.
However, by the middle of this century, the new prince Mikhail Alexandrovich pursued an energetic policy to strengthen his power not only within his principality, but also in North-Eastern Rus'. The confrontation between the two opponents resulted in the war of 1375, in which Tver lost and was forced to sign an agreement in which Mikhail Alexandrovich recognized Dmitry Donskoy as the ruler of North-Eastern Rus'.
However, the position of the Tver Principality had not yet been completely undermined, and it continued to play a prominent role in political history Rus' until 1485, when it was annexed to Moscow by Ivan III.
Other principalities
One of the most important topics for the medieval period is the topic “14th century in the history of Russia.” Briefly, this century should be studied by principality, since the lands, despite the beginning of the process of unification, continued to remain fragmented. The Ryazan principality, although it did not claim to be the center of a single state, nevertheless played an important role in the political history of the century under review. It was also the main enemy of Moscow; a long confrontation remained between the two centers. The Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal principality was also a serious competitor to Moscow; its prince, even during the childhood of Dmitry Donskoy, received the grand ducal label.
So, the history of Russia in the 14th century, the dates of which are 1301-1400, should be studied as the era of the formation of a single state. In this case, attention should be paid to the beginning of the liberation of the principalities from the Horde yoke.
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Boniface IX
Pontificate: November 2, 1389 - October 1, 1404
Majapahit Empire
Battle of Kosovo Field
Battle of Kosovo Field Battle of Kosovo Field - major battle, which took place on June 15, 1389 between the united army of Serbian feudal lords in alliance with the Kingdom of Bosnia on the one hand and the army of the Ottoman Turks on the other. The battle took place on Kosovo Field, 5 kilometers from modern Pristina. The Serbian troops were led by Prince Lazar Hrebelyanović, Vuk Branković and the great voivode Vlatko Vuković. The Ottoman army was commanded by Sultan Murad I along with his sons Yaqub and Bayezid.Murad I died at the hands of the Serbian prince Milos Obilic. The Ottoman army was led by Sultan Bayazid.
In the battle of Kosovo, the Serbian army was defeated. Bayezid brutally took revenge for the murder of his father by exterminating most Serbian nobility located on the Kosovo field. With Stefan Vulkovic, the son and heir of the Serbian prince Lazar, who died in battle, the Sultan entered into an alliance under which Serbia became a vassal Ottoman Empire. Stephen, in exchange for maintaining his father's privileges, undertook to pay tribute from the silver mines and provide Serbian troops to the Ottomans at the first request of the Sultan. Stephen's sister and Lazarus's daughter, Olivera, was given in marriage to Bayezid.
Vasily I Dmitrievich
If before the invasion of the Tatars Rus' consisted of large principalities (Rostov-Suzdal, Novgorod, Kiev, Ryazan, Smolensk, Chernigov and others), then with the beginning of vassalage the appanage princes were able to formalize their cities as independent hereditary feudal possessions.
And they immediately took advantage of it.
Decay Old Russian state and Lithuania
This is how full-fledged independent states emerged, the number of which soon began to be measured in dozens. And although formally the Vladimir prince was considered the eldest among the princes, everyone understood that the real supreme power lay in the Horde. And independent princes can do whatever they want in their domains, regardless of traditions and seniority.
Grand Duke of Lithuania Gediminas - founder of the dynasty
In the 14th century, the rapid rise of Lithuania began. Despite its name, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was created on ancient Russian lands and had the same relationship to the indigenous ethnic Lithuania - Samogitia and Aukshaiti - as the Russian principalities to the Finno-Ugric peoples who once inhabited the expanses of North-Eastern Rus'.
If in the ancient Russian principalities the Rurikovichs remained in power, then in Lithuania their own dynasty of Gediminovichs appeared.
The ruling family, apparently, came from the tribal princes of the Yatvingians, who at that time had the reputation of real savages and robbers.
In general, in the Middle Ages, when everyone was enthusiastically slaughtering each other, only peoples with a special character could gain the reputation of robbers. The Yatvingians could just boast of this.
The belligerence of the Lithuanian Gediminovichs became an important factor in their policy.
Three parts of Russian lands after the Tatar invasion
A hundred years after the Tatar invasion, the Russian lands looked completely different. In the northeast there was a conglomeration of many appanage principalities under the formal authority of Moscow. However, its rulers were called the Grand Dukes of Vladimir: the Moscow lands were still not prestigious enough to give the right to rule over other Russian principalities.
All the destinies of this region were ruled by the Rurikovichs - the old Russian dynasty. Formally, Muscovite Rus' remained a vassal of the Horde. In fact, vassal obligations were already ignored from the middle of the 14th century, and dependence was limited to the payment of tribute.
To the west lay the possessions of the Gediminovichs. Their first big acquisitions were the principalities of Polotsk and Turov, which had previously been ruled by the princes of the house of Rurik. Together with Vilna, these territories constituted the indigenous lands of Lithuania.
In the 14th century, the power of the Lithuanian princes began to gradually spread to the neighboring Russian principalities: Kiev, Smolensk, Pereyaslavl, Novgorod-Seversky. However, having captured these areas, Lithuania fell into vassal dependence on the Horde. Accordingly, from 1362 the Gediminovichs received khan's labels for the right to own part of Rus' and paid the due tribute.
Daniil Galitsky from the Rurik family, a descendant of the Kyiv prince Vladimir Monomakh, in 1252 accepted the title of “King of Rus'” from the Pope.
With the help of the prestigious royal crown, he hoped to strengthen his power.
However, his heirs forgot about the title, and only Daniel’s grandson, Yuri, became the next “King of Rus'”.
Why him? Under Yuri, the Galician and Volyn principalities united. However, at the same time, stronger Poland and Lithuania were nearby, and Galician Rus' - as the most remote, peripheral part of the Russian lands - was doomed to be torn to pieces by its neighbors.
Galicia, of course, was also a vassal of the Golden Horde, paid tribute to the khans and even sent troops to participate in joint campaigns with the Tatars against Poland.
Confrontation between Moscow and Lithuania
In the second half of the 14th century political situation in Russian lands has changed dramatically. In the east, the rise of Moscow led to the first attempt to free itself from Tatar yoke: The Russian army of Moscow Prince Dmitry won the battle on the Kulikovo Field.
In the west, Lithuania's expansion led to conflict with Moscow. Their confrontation became the main content of Russian domestic policy in the next hundred years.
The conflict was related to the resolution of the issue of the unification of Rus'. Both the old Rurikovich and the new Gediminovich laid claim to the role of head of the new unified state.
Initially, the position of the Lithuanian princes was stronger due to the number of troops and the wealth of their possessions, however, from the point of view of legitimacy, the Moscow princes found themselves in a more advantageous position. It was they who could lay claim to the restoration of power by the right of dynastic succession.
Later, a religious conflict between Orthodoxy and Catholicism was added to the confrontation. But in the XIV-XV centuries, the descendants of the appanage princes - who were all Rurikovichs without exception - had a simple choice: to serve the Grand Duke from “their” dynasty or from someone else’s. Many consciously chose “their own”.
Adventures of the title "King of Rus'"
But Galician Rus' ceased to exist at the end of the 14th century. Since 1349, there was a fierce struggle for the lands of Galicia between Poland and Lithuania.
The war ends in 1392 with the division of the failed kingdom. Galicia began to belong to Poland, and Volyn went to Lithuania. At the same time, the Lithuanian princes began to be called the Grand Dukes of Lithuania and Russia. The Polish kings Louis and Casimir III also used the title "King of Rus'" for some time.
The next Polish rulers, already from the Gediminovich dynasty, forgot about the Galician title. But the Hungarian kings immediately remembered him.
Using the title, they symbolically designated claims to the lands of Galicia, originating from its first conqueror, King Louis. The monarch was also the ruler of not only Poland, but also Hungary.
"Reitan - the decline of Poland." Artist Jan Matejko
The title of the kings of Galicia and Lodomeria (Lodomeria is the name of the Vladimir-Volyn lands distorted by the Hungarians and Germans) has already become a real title of the crown Austrian possession.
And how did it all end?
In the 15th century, great changes took place in Russian lands. Moscow was able to subjugate most of the Russian principalities that were once part of the Old Russian state. This gave its rulers the opportunity to legally accept the title of Sovereign of All Rus', declaring the succession of their power from the Kyiv Rurikovichs, and at the same time the rights to all lands that were previously part of the Kyiv state.
Lithuania, which became dependent on Catholic Poland, gradually lost its possessions. The appanage princes of Lithuania, taking advantage of the feudal right of emigration, went to serve the Moscow Rurikovichs along with their principalities.
Already at the end of the century, the Moscow principality was completely freed from the power of the Horde, while Lithuania continued to pay tribute and receive labels from the Crimean Khanate.
Thus ended the history of the Middle Ages in the lands of Rus'.
sources
2nd millennium BC e. 16th century BC e. XV century BC e. XIV century BC e. XIII century BC e. XII century BC e. 1409 1408 1407 1406 ... Wikipedia
1302. Convocation of the Estates General in France. "Battle of the Spurs" Victory of the Flemish militia over the French army at Courtray. Bull of Pope Boniface VIII, which proclaimed the absolute priority of church power over secular power. 1303 1325. Reign… … encyclopedic Dictionary
Georgy Yaroslavich is Prince of Murom, the son, presumably, of Yaroslav Georgievich. In a chronicle note from 1351 it is said that this George renovated his city, his fatherland Murom, which had been deserted for a long time, from the first princes, and set up his court in the city.... ... Biographical Dictionary
The Monk Paul, together with the Monk Theodore, founded the Boris and Gleb Monastery on the river in 1363. Ustye (now Yaroslavl province, Rostov district). After Theodore he was abbot of the monastery. Died after 1409; his relics rest under... ... Biographical Dictionary
2nd millennium XII century XIII century XIV century XV century XVI century 1290 e 1291 1292 1293 1294 1295 1296 1297 ... Wikipedia
2nd millennium XII century XIII century XIV century XV century XVI century 1290 e 1291 1292 1293 1294 1295 1296 1297 ... Wikipedia
2nd millennium XII century XIII century XIV century XV century XVI century 1290 e 1291 1292 1293 1294 1295 1296 1297 ... Wikipedia
2nd millennium XII century XIII century XIV century XV century XVI century 1290 e 1291 1292 1293 1294 1295 1296 1297 ... Wikipedia
Books
- A buffoon running through the stars. Book 1. Earth, XIV century, Dal Natalia. The action begins on Earth in 1354. A twenty-year-old orphan, a funny man, a bear guide, Danka Vostry wanders through the forests and steppes of Rus' with a band of buffoons. He is considered a non-human, habituated...
- Russian history course. Part 1. Ancient period XIV century (audiobook MP3 on 2 CDs), V. O. Klyuchevsky. “Russian History” by V. O. Klyuchevsky is a classic work of one of the deepest Russian thinkers, an epic that occupies a worthy place alongside the works of famous Russian... audiobook
XIV century " finest hour» Moscow in the history of Russia.
It is perhaps impossible to find a more problematic period in the ruins of the once powerful Kievan Rus than the 14th century. The strife of the 12th century led to this situation, breaking the country into separate principalities. This circumstance was partly the reason for the catastrophic conquest of almost all Russian lands by Batu’s army in the 13th century and the establishment of the heavy yoke of the Tatar-Mongol Golden Horde and the creeping occupation of southwestern Rus' by the Poles and Lithuanians. After the pogrom of 1240, Kyiv was unable to restore its former influence.
In such difficult conditions, the importance has increased Principality of Vladimir. In the depths of this big territorial entity In the 11th century, in the north-east of Rus', a small and at first unremarkable town appeared on the Moscow River. The village was simply called Moscow, and for it the 14th century truly became its “finest hour,” because it was the local rulers who managed to unite the Russian principalities under their hands. Moscow became one of the centers of Orthodoxy and rose up like a phoenix of a mighty kingdom.
It is worth setting a goal to identify the cause-and-effect relationships that led Moscow to claims of dominance in its territorial segment (north-eastern Rus'). What events contributed to her rise? Determine the relationship between internal contradictions in the Moscow principality and the growth of its authority as a unifier of Russian lands.
The end justifies all the means
The history of the Moscow principality, as a small and poor inheritance, begins in the middle of the 13th century, when, as a result of the division of the inheritance of Alexander Nevsky, it went to his two-year-old fourth son Daniil. He began to reign here as an adult in 1276 and managed to bring its status to that of a capital-prince. Prince Daniil took full advantage of Moscow’s favorable location at the intersection of land and water trade routes. This led to the fact that it was here that the conditions for the formation of a center really emerged, where a new Russian community could take shape. Last years reign of the founder of the Moscow principality falls on beginning of the XIV centuries of Russian history. The first significant events were the annexation of Kolomna to Moscow in 1301, the next year the wholePereyaslavl principality, and a year later Mozhaisk.
After the death of Prince Daniil Alexandrovich, the Moscow table was taken by the eldest son Yuri Danilovich. Already in 1304, he started a lawsuit for the great reign in the Vladimir land with the Tver prince Mikhail Yaroslavich. Apparently, the arguments of the new applicant for the coveted label were not as convincing as those of his Tver colleagues. Khan Uzbek in 1305 entrusted the great reign of Vladimir to Mikhail Tver, even despite the direct support of the candidacy of the Moscow prince by Metropolitan Peter of All Rus'. Only in 1317 did Yuri Danilovich manage to achieve the Grand Duke's label.True, for the sake of this they had to slander Mikhail Tverskoy in the poisoning of Yuri’s wife Agafya, nee Konchaka, the sister of Khan Uzbek. Then, of course, it came back to haunt him: the son of the Tver prince Dmitry, executed by slander, Yuri, formally recognizing the power of the Moscow prince, literally hunted him. So, after fraud with the scrolling of the collected Horde tribute at the Novgorod auction, Yuri was summoned to the Horde for explanations. The prince did not go not only because he feared the khan’s wrath, but also because of fear of Dmitry Tverskoy, who was waiting for him on the way to Sarai. Moscow lost the label for a while, and Yuri Danilovich, Prince Dmitry of Tver, still got “formidable eyes” in the Horde, although he also lost his violent little head for lynching.
Slowly towards a great goal
After the death of Prince Yuri in 1325, his brother Ivan, known to everyone as “Kalita,” began to reign. Unlike Yuri, who was constantly traveling, Ivan Danilovich willingly remained on the farm in Moscow. He conducted his affairs diligently and skillfully used the accumulated funds for the good of his estate. Having become the Grand Duke, he significantly expanded Moscow's possessions by purchasing cities and villages from other people's estates. In the confrontation with Tver, Ivan did not disdain anything and snatched for Moscow a label for the great reign, which never left the capital.Ivan Kalita built an oak Kremlin and brought order to the roads, strictly pursuing robbers. Boyars and simple settlers flocked to him, filling the vast lands with working and serving populations. No less important was the move of the Metropolitan from Vladimir to Moscow, which made it the spiritual center of Orthodox Rus'.
His successor Simeon the Proud continued to round off his possessions by purchasing new lands and the policy of acquisition and accumulation. He did not waste his father’s inheritance and left his brother Ivan Ivanovich the funds to acquire the Trans-Oka lands. In addition, Ivan actively and profitably changed land, but did not anger God too much and tried not to offend weak neighbors.
The same cannot be said about his son, known as Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy. He had already forced weak appanage princes to obey, like Konstantin Vasilkovich of Rostov, expelled others from his possessions, like princes Dmitry Galitsky and Ivan Starodubsky, and because of the controversial purchase of the Meshchera region, he quarreled with the Ryazan prince on the eve of the Battle of Kulikovo.
Demonstration of the character of the Russian people
Already in the second half of the 14th century Muscovy strengthened not only economically, but also spiritually. Along with the metropolitan see, to which Alexy, a native of the Moscow boyars, was appointed, the famous Russian spiritual ascetic Sergius of Radonezh founded the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in the lands of the principality. All this emphasized Moscow's governing authority.The renewed Rus' felt the ability to break the iron grip of Mongol-Tatar rule. The character of the Moscow prince began to emerge in his relations with the Horde. The first clash on the Piana River in 1377 did not bring victory to Moscow, but forced it to “learn a lesson.” The very next year, Murza Begich’s army of twenty thousand was completely defeated.
In 1380, Russian regiments, led by the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich, met on September 8 on the Kulikovo field with the Horde hordes of Mamai. This battle can be considered the main event in the history of Russia in the 14th century. The battle was hot and at first it was impossible to determine the winner. Only the hidden reserve - the ambush regiment - decided the fate of the battle in favor of the Russian army. The losses were enormous, but the victory instilled hope for complete liberation from the Tatar yoke and accelerated the political fragmentation of the Golden Horde. Undoubtedly, Moscow has become the uncontested center of Russian lands.
Even Tokhtamysh’s ruinous campaign did not change the established status of Moscow one iota. Having recovered a little from the attack, Dmitry Donskoy resolved the Meshchera issue with Oleg of Ryazan and recognized the Great Reign of Vladimir with its district as the heritage of the princes of Moscow and bequeathed it to his son Vasily. In 1397, the heir of the glorious Prince Dmitry Donskoy, Vasily, took away part of the lands from the Novgorodians, including the cities of Rzhev and Vologda. He continued farming in the Oka region, taking Kozelsk and Lyubutsk, annexing the Suzdal principality and other lands.
The 14th century is also famous in Russian history for the construction of the first stone Moscow Kremlin. The Laurentian Chronicle was compiled. The icon of the Vladimir Mother of God was transferred to Moscow from Vladimir. They also survived the Lithuanian invasion of Moscow and the plague epidemic. Everything in nature is interconnected and interdependent.
Thus, the monstrous tangle of contradictions that swirled in the history of Russia in the 14th century gave birth to the preconditions for the formation of a great Russian power.