Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/417

* RUSSIA. 377 RUSSIA. basin of the Desna (an aflluent of the Dnieper), extending nearly to the sources of the Oka; Rya- zan and .Miuoni. alonsi the Oka basin ami ahout the sources of the Don ; Iilotsk, including the basins of the Western Dvina and the Beresina ; Snuilensk, oeeui)ying the upper parts of the basins of the Western Dvina and the Dnieper; Volyhnia and (ialicia (Halicz), the first in the basin of the Pripet (an affluent of the Dnieper), the second lying on the northeast slope of the Carpathian Mountains; Xovgorod, by far the largest of all, occupying the immense tract bounded by the Gulf nf Finland. Lake Peipus. the upper parts of the Vol^ia. the Wliite Sea. and the Xorthcru Dvina: and the Grand Principality of Kiev, which. from its having been formerly the seat of the central power, exercised a sort of supremacy oxer the others. Novgorod (q.v.), from its position, be- came a tlourishing eommercial State, which rose to great power. Thecitizens chose their own princes, archbishops, and. in general, all their dignitaries. One of the chief factories of the Hanseatic League was established in Xovgorod in the thirteenth century. The people of these various principali- ties enjoyed considerable lilierty through the in- fluence of the eoninion council or vyetch, without which the Prince was almost powerless. In 1163 the ruler of the Principality of Vladi- mir took possession of Kiev and proclaimed him- self Grand Prince. In 1222 the ilongol tide of invasion, sweeping westward from Asia, reached the Polovtses. a nomadic tribe who ranged over the steppes between the Black Sea and the Don, and wliose urgent prayers feu- aid were promptly answered by the Russian princes; but in a great battle, fought (1224) on the banks of the Kalka (a tributary of the Sea of Azov I . the Russians were totally routed by Genghis Khan (q.v.). The Mongols did not follow up their victory for some time, but in 1237-38 Batu Khan (q.v.), at the head of a vast horde, conquered Eastern Russia, destroying Ryazan. Moscow, Vladimir, and other towns. The heroic resistance of Prince George of Vladimir cost the lives of himself and his whole army on the banks of the Siti (123S). The Mongol conqueror's career was arrested by the forests and marshes south of Xovgorod, and he was forced to return to the Volga. In 1240 he swept over the southwest, destroying Tchernigov and Kiev; ravaged Poland and Hungary, defeat- ing the Poles, Silesians. and Teutonic Knights on the field of the Wahlstatt (1241) and the Hungarians on the Sajo; but being cheeked in Moravia, and receiving at the same time the news of the Khan's death, he retired to Sarai, on the Akhtuba (a triliutary of the Volga), which be- came the capital of the great khanate of Kipt- chak (q.v.). The Mongol invasion destroyed the elements of self-government, which had al- ready attained a considerable degree of develop- ment in Russia, arrested the progress of industry, literature, and the other elements of civilization, and threw the country more than two hundred years behind the other States of Europe, Ori- ental customs and methods became fixed among the people, separating Russia more and more with each generation from Western Europe. The principalities of Kiev and Tchernigov never recovered, and the seat of the metropolitan was removed to Vladimir. The dismal annals of this period were illumined for a short space by the deeds of Alexander Xevski (q.v.). Prince of Xov- gorod and Grand Prince of Vladimir (died I'203). In his time, however, even Xovgorod was forced to sulniiit to the Mongol doiiiiiiation. In the early part of the foiirteciilh century cxlem-ive ter- ritories, including X'olhynia and Kiev, were con- quered by the Lithuanians. At this lime East- ern Russia eonsisteil of the principalities of Sus- dal, XizliniXcivgorod, Tver. Ryazan, and .Moscow, and long and bloody contests took place be- tween the two most powerful of these, Tver and Moscow, for the supremacy. I'lider Ivan Kalitu (1328-40). the founder of the system of adminis- trative centralization which prevailed down to the time of Peter the Great, Moscow iH-came the paramount grand princi]iality. Ivan's ,<on and successor, Simeon the Proud (I340-,')3|, followed in his father's footsteps. The Grand Prince Dmitri IV. (13t!2-S9) ))rofitcd by the weak- ness of the Jlongol khanate to make the first attempt to shake olV the foreign yoke under which the Russians had groaned so long. His brilliant victory over the Khan Mamai on the banks of the Don (1380), which gave him the sur- name of Donskoi, was the first ste]i to liberation, Xeverthcless, the Jlongols succcedcil in taking Moscow, exacted a heavy tribute from the people, and riveted their bonds more firmly than ever. Vassili (Basil) II. (1380-1425) conquered Rostov and Murom. Vassili III., the Blind (142.5-G2). reigned during a period of wars waged by various princes for the grand ducal throne: but from this period the division of power in Eastern Russia rapidly disajipeared, internal troubles ceased, and the reunited realm acipiired from union the power to cast off the Tatar yoke, These results were achieved by Ivan III, (1462- 1.305), surnamed "the (Jreat," who availed him- self of every opportunity for suppressing the principalities" which owed him allegiance as Grand Prince. The Republic of Xovgorod, the last of the native Russian States, was added to the empire of Ivan in 1478, He then took ad- vantage of the dissensions between Achniet, Khan of the Golden Horde, and Mengli-Gherai, Khan of the Crimean Horde, to deliver Russia by uniting with the latter. This coalition destroyed the power of the Golden Horde in 1480. and the yoke of the ilongols was broken. Ivan next turned his attention to the western provinces, which had formerly belonged to the descendants of Saint Vladimir (the Great), but were now in the hands of the Lithuanians. The adherents of the Greek Church were ojipressed by the Catholics, and hailed the advance of Ivan's army as a deliv- erance from persecution. Ivan won a tiattle. but it was followed by no results of importance. Ivan married (14721 Sophia, a niece of Constantinc Pahvologus, the last Byzantine Emperor. He in- troduced into his Court the splendor of Byzan- tium, adopted the Byzantine Imperial eagles, and united the existing edicts into a body of laws, the Sudrbnik. Vassili IV, (l.iO.5-33) followed closely his father's policy. ma<le war upon the Lithuanians, from whom he took Smolensk, and incorporated with his dominions the remainder of the small tributary principalities. His son. Ivan IV. (1.533-84), "surnamed "the Terrible," became monarch at the age of three years, and the country during his long minority was dis- tracted bv the contentions of the factious no- bility or boyars (q.v.) who strove for power. On his attaining his majority, however, in 1547,