Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal Grand Duchy

Principality of Nizhny Novgorod

Formally, the Principality of Nizhny Novgorod arose at the beginning of the XIV century as a result of the transfer by Boris Danilovich of his residence from Gorodets to Nizhny Novgorod . After his death in 1320, the principality again returned to the great Vladimir principality . After the Tver uprising in 1327 and the division of the Vladimir Grand Duchy into 2 parts, the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod principality became part of the possessions of the Grand Duke of Vladimir Alexander Vasilyevich , and after his death passed under the control of Ivan Kalita , who owned it until his death in 1340 ^[1] .

Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal Grand Duchy

The Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal Principality was formed in October 1341 , when the Khan of the Golden Horde, the Uzbek Khan divided the Vladimir Grand Duchy , transferring Nizhny Novgorod and Gorodets to Suzdal Prince Konstantin Vasilyevich . However, K. A. Averyanov suggested that the Suzdal prince received Nizhny Novgorod and Gorodets as compensation for the failed marriage of his daughter Antonida with the Grand Duke Semyon Gordy.

In the spring of 1343, Semyon Gordy tried to seize power in the Principality of Nizhny Novgorod, enlisting the support of the Nizhny Novgorod and Gorodets boyars, but the Khan's court left the principality with Konstantin Vasilyevich and handed him over to the rebellious boyars, who were executed at auction.

The rise of Nizhny Novgorod in the first half of the 14th century led to the transfer in 1350 of the capital of the newly formed principality there from Suzdal. The development of feudal land ownership and trade, especially in the Volga region , support from the Horde and Novgorod allowed the princes of the Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal principality Konstantin Vasilyevich and his son Dmitry to wage a struggle with the Moscow princes for the great reign of Vladimir .

June 22, 1360 Dmitry Konstantinovich occupied the throne of Vladimir, but already in 1363 he was forced to leave him. From 1366 to 1382 he acted as an ally of the Moscow prince. In 1365, Andrei Konstantinovich died, and while Dmitry Konstantinovich was waiting for a reign for reign from Khan Azis , his younger brother Boris obtained a shortcut from another Horde khan. The strife began. Even Sergius of Radonezh tried to reconcile the brothers, but Boris was adamant. Only meeting the army near the city of Berezhets , he repented before his brother.

In 1367, the Horde invaded Nizhny Novgorod, led by Bulat-Temir . At the Battle of the Sundovik River , they were defeated and driven out for Drunk . In 1370, the princes of Nizhny Novgorod helped to remove Khan Osan from the throne in Bulgaria and replace him with Saltan. The 70s of the 14th century saw the heyday of the principality. In 1372, the city ​​of Kurmysh on the Sura was founded. In 1376 , Nizhny Novgorod, together with the Muscovites, again took the Bulgar and planted their "Dariga" there.

In 1382, the Nizhny Novgorod princes, who were slaves among the Tatars, took part in the Tokhtamysh attack on Moscow . In 1383, Dmitry Konstantinovich dies, and his brother Boris outbids the reign of reign.

The existence of inheritances in the Principality of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal (the main of the inheritances is Gorodetsky) and the pressure of the Horde exacerbated feudal contradictions. The orientation of some of the Nizhny Novgorod princes to the Mongol-Tatars contradicted the unifying aspirations of Moscow. In 1392, Moscow Grand Duke Vasily I Dmitrievich went to the Horde and bought a label from Tokhtamysh in Nizhny Novgorod, after which he captured him by force ^[2] .

In the spring of 1393, Vasily Kirdyapa, along with his brother Simeon, regained Nizhny Novgorod , but soon they were forced to cede it to Moscow again. Since that time, the Moscow Grand Dukes held the Volga region in their hands, although the princes of the Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal Principality with the help of the Mongol-Tatars sometimes sought the return of Nizhny Novgorod ( 1399 (1395), 1411 - 1414 , 1440s ).

Relations with the Golden Horde

After the assassination of Khan Dzhanibek in 1357, unrest began in the Golden Horde, testifying to the beginning of the collapse of a single state . From 1357 to 1380, more than 25 khans traveled to the Golden Horde throne.

Separate Horde feudal lords strengthened their possessions in territories directly bordering the southeastern borders of the principality. The response was the construction of watchtowers on the Kish and Sura rivers, an outpost in the middle reaches of the Piany River. In 1372, the city ​​of Kurmysh was founded on the eastern border of the principality.

The Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal squads periodically organized military campaigns on the territory of the Saransk khans . The largest campaign was organized in 1370 on the possessions of the Bulgarian prince Hassan (Osan).

In 1367, on the river. Drunk was defeated Bulat Temir. By the mid-1370s, the influence of the Temnik of Mamai , who began to send detachments in the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod Volga, strengthened in the Golden Horde. In 1377, in the battle on the Pian River, the army of Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich was defeated, and Nizhny Novgorod was burned down by troops led by Arapsha . Then Boris Konstantinovich dealt with the Mordovian army, who committed a predatory raid in the vicinity of the Lower.

Medieval sources report the death of 50 Suzdal and 50 Nizhny Novgorod boyars on the Kulikovo Field (1380). However, historians have expressed doubts about the participation of the soldiers of the Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal principality in the Battle of Kulikovo. In particular, the Russian historian A. A. Gorsky conducted a detailed comparative analysis of the military gathering of 1380 with similar charges of 1375 for the campaign to Tver and 1386 for the campaign to Novgorod ^[3] . According to his findings, the soldiers of the Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal principality did not participate in the assembly of 1380 (although they participated in the training of 1375 and 1386).

• 1341 - The Principality of Gorodets passed to the brother of Alexander Vasilyevich, Konstantin Vasilyevich , then to the son of Konstantin Vasilyevich, Andrei Konstantinovich .
• 1350 - Konstantin Vasilievich moved the capital to Nizhny Novgorod.
• 1356 - Andrei Konstantinovich gave Suzdal an inheritance to his brother, Dmitry Konstantinovich .
• 1359 - Dmitry Konstantinovich Suzdalsky received a label for the management of the Grand Duchy of Vladimir.
• 1362 - the Grand Duchy of Vladimir was transferred to Dmitry Donskoy (at that time he was 12 years old).
• 1363 - Vladimir Suzdalsky regained Vladimir, but not for long.
• 1365 - upon the death of Andrei, Dmitry Konstantinovich became the Grand Duke.
• 1366 - reconciliation of Dmitry Donskoy and Dmitry Suzdalsky, marriage of Dmitry Donskoy with his daughter Dmitry Suzdalsky Evdokia .
• 1376 - a joint campaign with Bulgaria with Moscow under the leadership of Dmitry Bobrok .
• 1377 - Ivan Dmitrievich , son of Dmitry Suzdalsky, died in the battle on the Pian River .
• 1380 - the troops of the Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal principality took part in the Battle of Kulikovo on the side of Dmitry Donskoy. Almost the entire army of Dmitry Konstantinovich died in the battle (including about 100 boyars ).
• 1382 - Dmitry Konstantinovich, during the campaign of Tokhtamysh , wanting to protect his principality, he sent his sons Vasily and Simeon to the army of the Horde Khan in order to convince the khan of his loyalty and to avoid war with him. This goal was achieved, but, being near Moscow , Vasily and Simeon, yielding to deception, convinced the townspeople to open the gates, which allowed Tokhtamysh to capture the city. Subsequently, Tokhtamysh took Vasily to the Horde.
• 1383 - the death of Dmitry Suzdal, the great prince of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal on the label became his brother Boris Konstantinovich.
• 1387 - Vasily Kirdyapa, son of Dmitry Suzdalsky, left the Horde with a label on reign.
• 1392 - Vasily I Dmitrievich , son of Dmitry Donskoy, captured Nizhny Novgorod.
• 1393 (according to other sources, 1395, according to Solovyov 1399) - Semyon, the son of Dmitry Suzdalsky, tried to return Nizhny Novgorod by force. The attempt was successful, but Tsarevich Yeitak, who was walking with them as an ally, killed both the remaining defenders of the city and the attackers. At this time, Moscow Vasily Dmitrievich bought a label for reign, and transferred Semyon and Vasily to Shuy. Vasily Chirdyap, dissatisfied with this decision, departed for the Horde in 1394, but did not succeed there. Simon died in Vyatka in 1402, Vasily died in Gorodets in 1403.
• 1408 - Edigheus erased Gorodets from the face of the earth.
• 1445 - Ulu-Muhammed used Nizhny Novgorod as a stronghold in the war with Basil II of the Dark .
• 1446-1447 - Fedor and Vasily , the sons of Yuri Vasilyevich Shuisky, grandchildren of Vasily Dmitrievich Kirdyapa, with the help of Dmitry Shemyaki returned to themselves the Principality of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal, but after the defeat Shemyaki went over to the side of Moscow.

• List of Russian principalities
• Principality of Suzdal
• History of Nizhny Novgorod
• Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal
• Grand Duchy of Moscow

• Kiryanov I. A. "Ancient Fortresses of the Nizhny Novgorod Volga Region" Gorky, 1961.
• Kuchkin V. A. “Formation of the state territory of northeastern Russia in the X — XIV centuries.” Chapter 5: “Territories of the Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod Grand Duchies in the XIV century.” (Including a map of the alleged territories of the Nizhny Novgorod Grand Duchy and its inheritances in the 1360s years).
• Serbov N. Suzdal and Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod specific princes // Russian Biographical Dictionary : in 25 volumes. - SPb. - M. , 1896-1918.
• Talovin D.S. The Great Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal Principality (1341-1392) in the system of lands of North-Eastern Russia - Abstract, Nizhny Novgorod 2001.
• Chechenkov P.V. Administrative-territorial structure and management on the lands of the Gorodetsky inheritance in the 15th - middle of the 16th centuries