How the Old Russian state was governed: a brief description

The question of how the Old Russian state was governed is one of the key lectures in the school and university courses on history. This topic is very important for understanding the current structure and mechanism of the functioning of power in the state. It was a transition period. In the society, communal orders and tribal links were still quite strong. Nevertheless, they gradually disappeared into the past under the influence of increasing princely power.

Early stage

The organization of public life in many respects depended on how the Old Russian state was managed. From the very beginning of its emergence, it was distinguished by the rather strong positions of the center, which managed to subjugate the neighboring tribes by the 10th century, since that time they were no longer mentioned in the annals. The figure of the prince played an important role in the pre-state period. He led the team in campaigns and carried out defensive and military functions.

In historiography there is a point of view that he was originally the head of trade Slavic expeditions. They were accompanied by great dangers and therefore needed protection. Subsequently, the head of the squad has gained considerable weight in the society. This led to the seizure of the main levers of control. Thus, when answering the question of how the Old Russian state was governed, this important historical aspect should be taken into account for understanding the origin and origins of the ruler's power.

Change of princely status

The Kiev rulers relied, as before, on their squad. Initially, it was the basis of their power and influence. At the same time, it is indicative that in the period under review the principle of brotherhood in the army dominated, when the leader was considered to be only the first among equals. This is especially important when covering the topic, how the Old Russian state was managed. Since this allows us to understand the mechanisms of interaction of the prince with his environment.

But already in these centuries there was a process of strengthening and growing the prestige of the ruler. Now he not only performed military functions, but also gradually turned into a political head of society. The prince adopted laws, judged, collected taxes, in a word, took upon himself all those prerogatives that are inherent in the state ruler. Nevertheless, he did not have a developed bureaucratic apparatus, which allows many historians to refer to the early feudal monarchy, rather than the absolute one , as applied to the time under consideration.

Strengthening the Prince

For a clear explanation of the system of functioning of power, one can consider the question of how the Old Russian state was governed under Yaroslav the Wise. In historiography, it is commonly believed that it was with him that the political structure of the young power finally took shape. This is largely due to the fact that he was the creator of the first written legislation, which indicates the development of society at this time.

When the ruler was a council - the Duma, which performed an advisory function. It included representatives of noble families and people closest to the ruler. It was already said above that by the tenth century the princes had subdued the tribal centers. However, they could not directly manage these lands.

Therefore local control was exercised by local rulers. Answering the question how the Old Russian state was governed under Yaroslav the Wise, one should also mention a separate category of persons who also occupied prominent positions in the leadership. It is about the posadniki and volosteljah. They controlled smaller territorial units.

Self management

We should not forget about the people's organizations, which were also a very powerful force at the considered time. With them, the center could not be ignored. Veche was a very serious force. Sometimes it acted on the side of the ruler, but sometimes raised an uprising. The organ occupied an important place in city life, so it must be mentioned about it, speaking about how the Old Russian state was governed under Yaroslav.

Fragility

At the same time, the Prince helped to strengthen the center's positions. But at the same time, before his death, he divided all his possessions among his sons. This subsequently led to the disintegration of a single state. However, at this time such a step was inevitable. After all, in the society there were still very strong tribal relations that determined the life of not only the ordinary population, but representatives of the authorities. And the theme "How the Old Russian State was Governed," the scheme of which is presented in this article, clearly shows that the ruler did not have a strong apparatus for maintaining his status.