View source for Vladimir-Suzdal

{{Short description|Medieval principality in Eastern Europe}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2023}}
{{pp-move-dispute|small=yes}}
{{Infobox country
| native_name            = Великое княжество Владимирское
| conventional_long_name = Grand Principality of Vladimir
| common_name            = Vladimir-Suzdal
| year_start             = 1125
| year_end               = 1389
| date_start             = 
| date_end               = 
| event_start            = 
| event_end              = 
| status                 = 
| p1                     = Kievan Rus'
| p2                     = 
| s1                     = Grand Principality of Moscow
| s2                     = 
| s3                     = 
| image_flag             = 
| flag_border            = 
| flag_size              = 
| flag_type              = 
| image_coat             = Seal of Alexander Nevsky 1236 Avers.svg
| coa_size               = 
| symbol_type            = Seal of [[Alexander Nevsky]]
| image_map              = Principality of Vladimir-Suzdal in 1237 (en).png
| image_map_caption      = {{legend|Plum|Vladimir-Suzdal in 1237}}
| religion               = [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodoxy]]
| capital                = [[Suzdal]] (1125–1157)<br/>[[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]] (1157–1389)
| government_type        = [[Monarchy]]
| legislature            = 
| title_leader           = [[Grand Prince of Vladimir|Grand Prince]]
| leader1                = [[Yuri Dolgoruky]]
| year_leader1           = 1125–1157 (first)
| leader2                = [[Dmitry Donskoy]]
| year_leader2           = 1363–1389 (last)
| common_languages       = [[Russian language|Russian]]<!--Diverged by 14th c., OES refers to earliest phase of same language-->
| currency               = 
| today                  = [[Russia]]
}}
{{History of Russia}}

The '''Grand Principality of Vladimir''',{{efn|{{langx|ru|Великое княжество Владимирское|Velikoye knyazhestvo Vladimirskoye}}.}}{{sfn|Feldbrugge|2017|p=34|loc="He is generally referred to as grand prince of Vladimir. According to some sources he adopted this title when he moved his capital to Vladimir in 1157... According to other sources only Andrei's successor and younger brother Vsevolod began to be called grand prince of Vladimir from around 1180. In any case, the momentous geopolitical shift from South to North... initiated already under his father, was carried through decisively during the reign of Andrei Bogoliubskii in Vladimir"}} before 1157 the '''Principality of Suzdal''',{{efn|{{langx|ru|Суздальское княжество|Suzdalskoye knyazhestvo}}.}} and commonly known as '''Vladimir-Suzdal''',{{efn|{{langx|ru|Владимиро-Суздальское княжество|Vladimiro-Suzdalskoye knyazhestvo}}.}} or simply '''Suzdalia''' and '''Vladimiria''',{{sfn|Pelenski|1998|p=15|loc="In Suzdalia-Vladimiria the conception of rulership emphasized the senior grand princely position enjoyed by the rulers of that state"}}{{sfn|Fennell|2014b|p=2|loc="The agriculturally rich 'land beyond the forests' (Zalesskaya zemlya) or Suzdalia, as it is convenient to call the federation of principalities in north-east Russia ruled by Vsevolod III and his numerous sons..."}} was a medieval [[principality]] that was established during the disintegration of [[Kievan Rus']]. In historiography, the territory of the grand principality and the principalities that emerged from it is commonly denoted as '''northeast Russia''' or '''northeast Rus{{'}}'''.{{efn|{{langx|ru|Северо-Восточная Русь|Severo-Vostochnaya Rus}}.}}{{sfnm|1a1=Fennell|1y=2014b|1p=12|1loc="...north-east Russia — the lands of Suzdal' and Vladimir..."|2a1=Fennell|2y=2023|2p=11|3a1=Dmytryshyn|3y=1977|3p=99|3loc="...northeast Rus was the region of Vladimir-Suzdal..."|4a1=Vodoff|4y=2000|4p=1268}}

[[Yuri Dolgorukiy|Yury Dolgoruky]] ({{reigned|1125|1157}}) moved his capital from [[Rostov, Yaroslavl Oblast|Rostov]] to [[Suzdal]] in 1125, following the death of his father.{{sfnm|1a1=Feldbrugge|1y=2017|1p=33|2a1=Venning|2y=2023|2loc='Grand Principality' of Vladimir-Suzdal}} He ruled a principality that had become virtually independent.{{sfn|Fennell|2014b|p=3|loc="By the time of his death in 1125 Suzdalia was virtually independent of Kiev under its sovereign ruler Yury"}} His son [[Andrey Bogolyubsky|Andrey]] ({{reigned|1157|1175}}) moved the capital to [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]] and had [[Kiev]] sacked in 1169, leading to political power shifting to the north-east.{{sfnm|1a1=Riasanovsky|1a2=Steinberg|1y=2019|1p=67|2a1=Fennell|2y=2014b|2p=6|3a1=Channon|3a2=Hudson|3y=1995|3p=16}} Andrey's younger brother [[Vsevolod III]] ({{reigned|1176|1212}}) secured control of the throne, and following his death, a dynastic conflict ensued. [[Yuri II of Vladimir|Yury&nbsp;II]] ({{reigned|1212|1216|1218|1238}}) was killed during the [[Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'|Mongol invasions]] of 1237–1238.{{sfnm|1a1=Riasanovsky|1a2=Steinberg|1y=2019|1p=68|2a1=Fennell|2y=2014b|2p=50|2loc="Yury assumed the grand principality once again and installed himself in Vladimir, where he was to remain until his death at the battle on the Sit' river in 1238"}} His younger brother [[Yaroslav II of Vladimir|Yaroslav II]] ({{reigned|1238|1246}}) and the other princes submitted to Mongol rule.{{sfn|Fennell|2014b|p=99}}

By the end of the 13th century, the grand principality had [[Feudal fragmentation|fragmented]] into over a dozen [[appanage]]s.{{sfn|Fennell|p=163|2014b|loc="By the end of the thirteenth century the disintegration of Suzdalia was well under way with more than a dozen principalities virtually separated from Vladimir, their rulers out of the running for the grand-princely throne..."}} [[Principality of Moscow|Moscow]] and [[Principality of Tver|Tver]] emerged as the two leading principalities, leading to a struggle between them for possession of the grand princely throne.{{sfnm|1a1=Fennell|1y=2014b|1p=151|1loc="Tver' and Moscow were emerging in the last decade of the thirteenth century as the true centres of power in north-east Russia..."|2a1=Fennell|2y=2023|2p=11|3a1=Crummey|3y=2014|3pp=34,36}} From 1331, the [[prince of Moscow]] was also the [[grand prince of Vladimir]], except for one brief interruption from 1359 to 1363, when the throne was held by [[Principality of Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal|Nizhny Novgorod]] during the minority of [[Dmitry Donskoy]].{{sfnm|1a1=Crummey|1y=2014|1p=45|2a1=Crummey|2y=2014|2p=40|2loc="During his reign, Ivan I also established that the princes of Moscow had first claim on the grand princely throne. With the benefit of hindsight, we 
can see that, after him, his heirs retained the title and office almost without interruption"|3a1=Venning|3y=2023|3loc='Grand Principality' of Vladimir-Suzdal}} In 1389, the grand principality became a family possession of the prince of Moscow and the two thrones were united.{{sfnm|1a1=Fennell|1y=2023|1p=306|loc="But the most vivid proof of the assimilation of the thrones of Vladimir and Moscow is to be found in Dmitry Donskoy's will of 1389 in which he ''bequeaths'' Vladimir to his eldest son"|2a1=Fennell|2y=2014a|2p=129|2loc="In his final will drawn up shortly before his death on 19 May 1389... he included a clause bequeathing his 'patrimony the grand principality' to his eldest son Vasily. It meant that the grand principality... was now the inalienable possession of the house of Moscow, universally recognized, both in north-east Russia and in the Horde – indeed, it had been stipulated in treaties with Ol'gerd (1371) and with Mikhail of Tver' (1375)... From now on until the extinction of the House of Moscow in 1598 not only the titles of grand prince of Vladimir and grand prince of Moscow but also the lands of Vladimir and Moscow were legally recognized as the possessions of Dmitry's direct descendants"}} The original territory of the grand principality would later serve as the core of the centralized Russian state.{{sfnm|1a1=Crummey|1y=2014|1pp=36,212|2a1=Feldbrugge|2y=2017|2p=33|3a1=Cherniavsky|3y=2017|3p=403|3loc="Completely within the area conquered by the Tatars or Mongols was northeast Russia, the foundation of the later Muscovite tsardom and of Imperial Russia"|4a1=Vodoff|4y=2000|4p=1268|4loc="...cradle of the Russian nation... Only at the dawn of the modern period was the country's unity restored... North-East Russia was thus the core of a vast empire which, having benefited from the Novgorodian contribution, absorbed all the territories reached by Slav colonization as far as the Arctic Ocean"}}

== History ==

=== Origins ===
The first known prince of [[Rostov, Yaroslavl Oblast|Rostov]] mentioned in the ''[[Primary Chronicle]]'' under the year 988 was [[Yaroslav the Wise|Yaroslav Vladimirovich]], appointed by his father [[Vladimir the Great|Vladimir I of Kiev]].{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=42}} In 1024, there was reportedly a famine in the area, and a revolt stoked up by pagan sorcerers was suppressed by Yaroslav personally.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=42}} Upon his death in 1054, [[Vsevolod I of Kiev|Vsevolod Yaroslavich]] received the lands of Rostov and [[Suzdal]].{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=42}} Little is known about the region until the 1090s, except that the town of [[Yaroslavl]] had been founded upon the upper Volga by 1071, and that [[Vladimir II Monomakh|Vladimir Monomakh]] ordered a church to be built in Rostov.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=42–43}} [[Diocese of Yaroslavl|Bishops]] are recorded in the 1080s and 1090s, but the seat appears to have remained vacant for the next half-century.{{sfn|Franklin|Shepard|2014|p=228}} The 1097 [[Council of Liubech]] confirmed Vladimir Monomakh's possession of Rostov and Suzdal.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=42–43}} By the early 12th century, the towns of Rostov, Suzdal and [[Murom]] remained junior postings.{{sfn|Franklin|Shepard|2014|p=267}}

=== Rostov-Suzdal ===
[[File:Rostov-Suzdal 1015-1113 (en).png|thumb|left|{{legend|#C6AFE9|Rostov-Suzdal in {{circa}} 1100}}]]
At the 1097 [[Council of Liubech]], Monomakh became prince of Pereyaslavl, including Rostov, for which he made an [[appanage]] for his sons.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=42–43}} From that time onwards, the Rostov region was a point of contention between the [[Monomakhovichi]] of Pereyaslavl and the [[Sviatoslavichi]] of [[Principality of Murom|Murom]].{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=43, 62}} Control of the [[Volga|upper Volga river]] was particularly important, as it was the primary route for trade between [[Volga Bulgaria]] to the east and [[Veliky Novgorod]] to the west.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=77}} Intercepting that commercial shipping for their own profit was tempting for the Monomakhovichi, but also risky, as it provoked hostilities with both the Bulgars and Novgorodians.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=77}}

It seems that by the year 1108, Monomakh's sixth son [[Yuri Dolgorukiy]], who resided in the town of [[Suzdal]]', was the prince of Rostov.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=43}} In the same year, he supposedly founded the fortified outpost of [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir (''Volodimer'')]] on the [[Klyazma]], to control that river and defend against raids of the [[Volga Bulgaria|Volga Bulgars]] who had attacked in 1107.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=43, 62}} In 1120, Yuri conducted a military campaign against [[Bolghar]] territory.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=62}} 

During the 11th and 12th centuries when southern parts of Rus' were systematically raided by Turkic nomads, their inhabitants began to migrate northward. In the formerly wooded areas, known as [[Zalesye]], many new settlements were established.{{cn|date=May 2023}} The foundations of [[Pereslavl-Zalessky|Pereslavl]], [[Kostroma]], [[Dmitrov]], [[Moscow]], [[Yuryev-Polsky (town)|Yuriev-Polsky]], [[Uglich]], [[Tver]], [[Dubna]], and many others were assigned (either by chronicle or popular legend) to G, whose sobriquet ("the Long-Armed") alludes to his dexterity in manipulating the politics of far-away [[Kiev]]. Sometime in 1108 Monomakh strengthened and rebuilt the town of [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]] on the [[Klyazma River]], 31&nbsp;km south of Suzdal. During the rule of Yuri, the principality gained military strength, and in the Suzdal-Ryazan war of 1146, it conquered the [[Ryazan Principality]]. Later in the 1150s, Yuri occupied Kiev a couple of times as well. From that time the lands of the northeastern Rus' played an important role in the politics of Kievan Rus'.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

=== Rise of Vladimir ===
Yuri's son [[Andrey Bogolyubsky]] significantly increased Vladimir's power at the expense of the nearby princely states, which he treated with contempt.{{cn|date=May 2023}} Unwilling to share power with his brothers and cousins, he drove them out and seized all their lands by 1162, thus uniting his father's patrimony in Vladimir-Suzdal under his sole rule (''samovlastets'').{{sfn|Raffensperger|Ostrowski|2023|p=82}} When grand prince [[Rostislav I of Kiev]] died in 1167, a succession crisis broke out in which Andrey argued that, according to the emergent tradition of the [[Principality of Pereyaslavl]] being the domain of the crown prince of Kiev, his brother [[Gleb of Kiev|Gleb]] ought to be enthroned.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=124}} After [[Sack of Kiev (1169)|sacking Kiev in 1169]], he enthroned his younger brother. Meanwhile, Andrey embellished Vladimir with white stone churches and monasteries. Gleb's death in 1171 led to yet another succession crisis that saw the Suzdalians kicked out of Kiev; Andrey formed another coalition in an attempt to retake the capital, but was utterly defeated in the [[Siege of Vyshgorod]] (1173).{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=128}} The coalition fell apart, and some months later, prince Andrey was murdered by his own boyars in his suburban residence at [[Bogolyubovo, Vladimir Oblast|Bogolyubovo]] in 1174.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=128}}

During the [[1174–1177 Suzdalian war of succession]], Andrey's brother [[Vsevolod the Big Nest|Vsevolod III]] secured the throne of Vladimir, although the Yurievichi lost control of the [[Novgorod Republic]] for a decade.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=128}} The Yurievichi clan also dropped out of the competition for the Kievan throne, never seeking it again,{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=130}} supporting [[Rurik Rostislavich]]'s accession in 1194.{{sfn|Martin|2007|p=131}} Instead, Vsevolod's chief focus was on subjugating the southern [[Ryazan Principality]], which appeared to stir discord in the princely family, and the mighty Turkic state of [[Volga Bulgaria]], which bordered Vladimir-Suzdal to the east. After several military campaigns, Ryazan was burnt to the ground in 1208, and the Bulgars were forced to pay tribute.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

=== Fragmentation ===
{{Main|Battle of Lipitsa}}
[[File:North-Eastern Rus principalities - 13th century-es.svg|thumb|The [[Battle of Lipitsa|1212–16 war of succession]] fragmented Vsevolod's lands:
{{Legend striped|#F9C9AC|#FED299|Inherited by [[Konstantin of Rostov]]|up=yes}}
{{Legend striped|#BDB7F6|#B2C6FD|Inherited by [[Yaroslav II of Vladimir|Yaroslav of Suzdal]]|up=yes}}]]

Vsevolod's death in 1212 precipitated another serious dynastic conflict. His eldest son [[Konstantin of Rostov|Konstantin]] gained the support of powerful Rostovan boyars and [[Mstislav the Bold]] of Kiev and expelled the lawful heir, his brother [[Yuri II|George]], from Vladimir to [[Rostov, Yaroslavl Oblast|Rostov]]. George managed to return to the capital six years later, upon Konstantin's death. George proved to be a shrewd ruler who decisively defeated Volga Bulgaria and installed his brother [[Yaroslav II of Vladimir|Yaroslav]] in [[Novgorod]]. His reign, however, ended when the Mongol hordes under [[Batu Khan]] took and burnt Vladimir in 1238. Thereupon they proceeded to devastate other major cities of Vladimir-Suzdal during the [[Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus']].{{cn|date=May 2023}}

=== Under Mongol suzerainty ===
[[Image:Vladimir assumption.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir]] was built in 1158&ndash;1160 and functioned as the mother church of Kievan Rus' in the 13th century.]]

While heavy tribute payments and the initial Mongol invasions did manage to cause much destruction to Vladimir-Suzdal, rule under the Mongols also brought wealth to the region, as Vladimir was able to access the Mongol's lucrative patronage of oriental trade.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Halperin |first=Charles J. |url=http://archive.org/details/russiagoldenhord0000halp |title=Russia and the Golden Horde: The Mongol Impact on Medieval Russian History |date=1985 |location=Bloomington |publisher=Indiana University Press |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-253-35033-6 |pages=85 |language=en}}</ref>

None of the cities of the principality managed to regain the power of Kievan Rus' after the Mongol invasion. Vladimir became a vassal of the [[Mongol Empire]], later succeeded by the [[Golden Horde]], with the Grand Prince appointed by the [[Great Khan]]. Even the popular [[Alexander Nevsky]] of Pereslavl had to go to the Khan's capital in [[Karakorum (palace)|Karakorum]] to be installed as the Grand Prince in Vladimir. As many factions strove for power, the principality rapidly disintegrated into eleven tiny states: [[Moscow]], [[Tver]], [[Pereslavl]], [[Rostov, Yaroslavl Oblast|Rostov]], [[Yaroslavl]], [[Uglich]], [[Belozersk]], [[Kostroma]], [[Nizhny Novgorod]], [[Starodub-on-the-Klyazma|Starodub-upon-Klyazma]], and [[Yuryev-Polsky (town)|Yuriev-Polsky]]. All of them nominally acknowledged the suzerainty of the Grand Prince of Vladimir, but his effective authority became progressively weaker.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

By the end of the century, only three cities &mdash; Moscow, Tver, and Nizhny Novgorod &mdash; still contended for the title of Grand Prince of Vladimir. Once installed, however, they chose to remain in their own cities rather than move to Vladimir. The [[Principality of Moscow]] gradually came to eclipse its rivals. The decision of [[Peter of Moscow|metropolitan Peter of Kiev and all Rus']] to move his chair from Vladimir to Moscow in 1325 was another sign of Moscow's rising prominence.{{cn|date=May 2023}} When the [[Tver Uprising of 1327]] broke out, forces of Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod helped the Mongols crush it.{{cn|date=May 2023}} By the end of the 1330s, Moscow had eclipsed Tver, which then descended inter-princely wars between the various appanages of Tver, particularly between Kashin and Mikulin.{{sfn|Martin|2007|pp=210, 231–232}} During the [[Great Troubles]], Tver and Nizhny Novgorod-Suzdal both attempted to regain the title of grand prince of Vladimir, with Tver succeeding a few times, but since 1394, Moscow effectively inherited the title and controlled Vladimir thereafter, signifying the end of a separate Vladimirian principality.

Since that time, traditions of the old Principality of Rostov and the Grand Principality of Vladimir were both symbolically represented in various expanded titles of Grand Princes of Moscow, and later [[Tsar of all Russia|Russian Tsars]] and [[Emperor of Russia|Emperors]]: up to 1917, they were all styled as rulers of various historical polities, including Vladimir and Rostov. Thus in Latin versions of those titles, the old Vladimirian and Rostovian polities were referred as ''Vladimiria'' and ''Rostovia''.

== Culture ==
=== Suzdalian period ===
{{Further|White Monuments of Vladimir and Suzdal}}
[[Image:Vladimirskaya.jpg|thumb|upright|The veneration of the Theotokos as a holy protectress of Vladimir was introduced by Prince Andrew, who dedicated to Her many churches and installed in his palace a revered image, known as [[Theotokos of Vladimir]].]]
As part of the Christian world, Rus' principalities gained a wide range of opportunities for developing their political and cultural ties not only with Byzantium but with the European countries, as well. By the end of the eleventh century, Rus' gradually fell under the influence of [[Roman architecture]]. Whitestone cathedrals, decorated with [[sculpture]], appeared in the principality of Vladimir-Suzdal due to Andrey Bogolyubsky's invitation of [[architect]]s from "all over the world". These cathedrals, however, are not identical to the edifices of [[Roman Catholic]] Europe and represent a synthesis of the Byzantine cruciform plan and [[cupola]]s with Roman whitestone construction and decorative technique. This mixture of Greek and Western European traditions was possible only in Kievan Rus'. One of its results was a famous architectural masterpiece of Vladimir, the [[Church of Pokrova na Nerli]], a symbol of cultural originality of Suzdalia.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

In the early Middle Ages, Rus' principalities were similar to other European countries culturally and in historical development. Later on, however, the Rus' polities and Europe began diverging due to a number of factors. The [[East-West Schism]] of 1054 was one of the reasons for this. Barely noticeable in the eleventh century, it became very obvious two centuries later during the resistance of the citizens of [[Novgorod]] to the [[Teutonic Knights]]. Also, by the middle of the twelfth century, the dominating influence of the Kievan Rus’ (some historians do not consider it possible to even call it a state in the modern sense of the word) began to wane. The famous ''[[Theotokos of Vladimir]]'', an icon of the [[Mary, the mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary]], was moved to Vladimir. From this time on, almost every principality began forming its own architectural and art schools.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

The invasion of [[Batu Khan]] and subsequent domination of Rus' lands by the [[Golden Horde]] was also a turning point in the history of Russian culture and statehood. [[Mongol]] rule imposed its principles of state on the northeastern Rus' principalities, which were very different from those of Western Europe. In particular, Russia adopted a principle of universal subordination and undivided authority.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

=== Muscovite period ===
Rus' was only able to recover from the consequences of the Mongol invasion by the late thirteenth century. The first areas to recover were [[Novgorod]] and [[Pskov]], which had been spared the [[Tatars|Tatar]] [[Raid (military)|raid]]s. These [[city-state]]s, with [[Parliamentary system|parliamentarian]] rule, created an original kind of culture under some influence from their western [[Baltic region|Baltic]] neighbours. In the early fourteenth century, leadership in the northeastern lands was transferred from the Principality of Vladimir to [[Moscow]], which, in turn, would fight for leadership against [[Tver]] for another century. Moscow was a part of the Vladimir lands and functioned as one of the border [[fortress]]es of north-eastern Rus'. In 1324, [[Peter of Moscow|Metropolitan Peter]] left Vladimir and settled down in Moscow, thus, transferring the residence of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] ([[Metropolitan Maximus]] had moved the residence from Kiev to Vladimir not long before, in 1299). In the late fourteenth century, the principal object of worship of the "old" capital—the icon of the ''Theotokos of Vladimir''—was transferred to Moscow. Vladimir became a model for [[Principality of Moscow|Muscovy]].{{cn|date=May 2023}}

Emphasizing the succession, princes of Moscow took good care of Vladimir's sacred places. In the early fifteenth century, [[Andrei Rublev]] and [[Prokhor of Gorodets]] painted the Assumption (Uspensky) Cathedral. In the mid-1450s, they restored the [[Saint George Cathedral, Yuryev-Polsky|Cathedral of St. George]] in [[Yuryev-Polsky (town)|Yuriev-Polsky]] under the supervision of [[Vasili Dmitriyevich Yermolin]].<ref name="voronin">{{cite book|last=Воронин|first=Н. Н.|script-title=ru:Владимир, Боголюбово, Суздаль, Юрьев-Польской. Книга-спутник по древним городам Владимирской земли.|url=http://www.rusarch.ru/voronin1.htm|access-date=September 16, 2011|edition=4th|pages=262–290|year=1974|publisher=Искусство|location=Moscow|language=ru}}</ref> The architecture of Muscovy and its surrounding lands in the fourteenth to early fifteenth centuries, usually referred to as early Muscovite architecture, inherited the technique of whitestone construction and typology of four-pillar cathedrals from Vladimir. Art historians, however, notice that early Muscovite architecture was influenced by the [[Balkans]] and European [[Gothic architecture]].{{cn|date=May 2023}}

Russian painting of the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries is characterized by two major influences, namely those of Byzantine artist [[Feofan Grek]] and Russian icon-painter [[Andrei Rublev]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lincoln |first1=W. Bruce |title=Between Heaven and Hell: The Story of a Thousand Years of Artistic Life in Russia |date=1998 |publisher=Viking |isbn=978-0-670-87568-9 |page=32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IEDrAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref> Feofan's style is distinguished by its monochromatic [[Palette (painting)|palette]] and uncommon expressiveness of laconic blots and lines, which send a message of a complex symbolic implication, close to the then widely-spread doctrine of [[hesychasm]], from Byzantium. The soft-coloured icons of Rublev are closer to the late Byzantine painting style of the Balkan countries in the fifteenth century.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

The late fourteenth century was marked by one of the most important events in Russian history. In 1380, [[Dmitry Donskoy]] and his army dealt the first serious blow to the [[Golden Horde]]. [[Sergii Radonezhsky]], the founder and [[hegumen]] of [[Troitse-Sergiyev monastery]], played an exceptional role in this victory.  The name of Saint Sergii, who became the protector and patron of Muscovy, has an enormous significance in Russian culture. Radonezhsky himself and his followers founded more than two hundred monasteries, which would become the basis for the so-called "monastic colonization" of the little-developed northern lands. ''[[The Life of Sergii Radonezhsky]]'' was written by one of the outstanding writers of that time, [[Epifaniy the Wise]]. Andrei Rublev painted his ''[[Trinity]]'', the greatest masterpiece of the Russian Middle Ages, for the cathedral of Sergii's monastery.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

Mid-fifteenth-century Muscovy is known for [[Muscovite War of Succession|bloody internecine wars for the Moscow seat of the Grand Prince]]. [[Ivan III]] managed to unite the Russian lands around Moscow (at the cost of ravaging Novgorod and Pskov) only by the end of the fifteenth century, and put an end to Russia's subordination to the Golden Horde after the [[Great standing on the Ugra river]] of 1480. The river was later poetically dubbed the "Virgin Belt" (''Poyas Bogoroditsy''). This event marked the birth of the [[sovereignty|sovereign]] Russian state, headed by the Grand Prince of Moscow.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book |last1=Brumfield |first1=William Craft |title=A History of Russian Architecture |date=1993 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/dlVCzQEACAAJ?hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwin_8SEo-mNAxVdRP4FHd5hJegQ7_IDegQIIBAI |language=en |chapter=Vladimir and Suzdal Before the Mongol Invasion |isbn=978-0-521-40333-7}}
* {{cite book |last1=Channon |first1=John |last2=Hudson |first2=Robert |title=The Penguin Historical Atlas of Russia |date=1995 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-14-051326-4 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/7wvDQgAACAAJ?hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwju4_HJhJuKAxW2QUEAHQi0AKsQ7_IDegQIFBAC |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Cherniavsky |first1=Michael |editor1-last=Shepard |editor1-first=Jonathan |title=The Expansion of Orthodox Europe: Byzantium, the Balkans and Russia |date=15 May 2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-89005-2 |pages=403-420 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Expansion_of_Orthodox_Europe/UAokDwAAQBAJ |language=en |chapter=Khan or Basileus: An Aspect of Russian Medieval Political Theory}}
* {{cite book |last1=Crummey |first1=Robert O. |title=The Formation of Muscovy 1300 - 1613 |date=6 June 2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-87200-9 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Formation_of_Muscovy_1300_1613/MMwFBAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Dmytryshyn |first1=Basil |title=A history of Russia |date=1977 |publisher=Prentice-Hall |location=Englewood Cliffs, NJ |isbn=978-0133921342}}
* {{cite book |last1=Feldbrugge |first1=Ferdinand J. M. |title=A History of Russian Law: From Ancient Times to the Council Code (Ulozhenie) of Tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich of 1649 |date=2 October 2017 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-35214-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TDI9DwAAQBAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Fennell |first1=John L. |authorlink1=John Lister Illingworth Fennell |title=A History of the Russian Church to 1488 |date=2014a |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-89720-0 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_History_of_the_Russian_Church_to_1488/fBitAgAAQBAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Fennell |first1=John |title=The Crisis of Medieval Russia 1200-1304 |date=2014b |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-87314-3 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Crisis_of_Medieval_Russia_1200_1304/h2OuBAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Fennell |first1=John |authorlink1=John Lister Illingworth Fennell |title=The Emergence of Moscow, 1304–1359 |date=15 November 2023 |publisher=Univ of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-34759-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ymzfEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
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* {{cite book |last=Martin |first=Janet |title=Medieval Russia: 980–1584. Second Edition. E-book |url=https://www.ebooks.com/en-us/book/802816/medieval-russia-980-1584/janet-martin/ |year=2007 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-511-36800-4}}
* {{Cite book|last=Pelenski|first=Jaroslaw|author-link=Jaroslaw Pelenski|title=The Contest for the Legacy of Kievan Rus'|year=1998|location=Boulder|publisher=East European Monographs|url=https://books.google.rs/books?id=jG1pAAAAMAAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Raffensperger |first=Christian |last2=Ostrowski |first2=Donald |authorlink2=Donald Ostrowski |title=The Ruling Families of Rus: Clan, Family and Kingdom |publisher=Reaktion Books |location=London |date=2023 |pages=309 |isbn=978-1-78914-745-2}} (e-book)
* {{cite book |last1=Riasanovsky |first1=Nicholas V. |last2=Steinberg |first2=Mark D. |authorlink1=Nicholas V. Riasanovsky |authorlink2=Mark D. Steinberg |title=A history of Russia |date=2019 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0190645588 |edition=Ninth}}
* {{cite book |last1=Venning |first1=Timothy |title=A Compendium of Medieval World Sovereigns |date=30 June 2023 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-000-86633-9 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Compendium_of_Medieval_World_Sovereign/M2bFEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last1=Vodoff |first1=Vladimir |editor1-last=Vauchez |editor1-first=André |editor2-last=Dobson |editor2-first=Richard Barrie |editor3-last=Lapidge |editor3-first=Michael |title=Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages |date=2000 |publisher=James Clarke |isbn=978-0-227-67931-9 |page=1268 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/_/Qk9VYAAACAAJ?hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjltdDDoumNAxUy0AIHHf0hHg8Q7_IDegQIDRAD |language=en |chapter=Russia, North-East}}

==External links==
* {{in lang|ru}} [http://bse.sci-lib.com/article005584.html History of Vladimir-Suzdal Principality in the Grand Soviet Encyclopedia]

{{Principalities of Kievan Rus}}
{{Russia topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1125 establishments in Europe]]
[[Category:Vladimir-Suzdal| ]]
[[Category:Former monarchies of Europe]]
[[Category:History of Vladimir Oblast]] <!-- this is where the principality's capital(s) was/were -->
[[Category:Principalities of Kievan Rus']]
[[Category:Vassal and tributary states of the Golden Horde]]
[[Category:States and territories disestablished in the 1380s]]