ShangXian 2024-10-29 21:23:36

I agree about it and Russia is an interesting case of a conquered country that adsorbed traditions and forma mentis of their colonizers (I'm referring to the Mongol conquest of Russia), it's usually the opposite (think about Rome who adsorbed Greek culture, the famous sentence from Horace's Epistles "Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit" sums it quite well). Sometimes my heart breaks when I think how Russia could have evolved for the better of its people when I look at how Novgorod was back in 12-13th century. Even before the Hansa League, the city had its early foreign ties (the Gotland town of Visby is a prime example back in 1080). In 1136 the city dismissed their prince Vsevolod Mstislavich, marking the beginning of the Novgorod Republic. Ofc princely office was never abolished and powerful princes, such as Alexander Nevsky, could assert their will in the city regardless of what Novgorodians said, but one of the most important local figures in Novgorod was the posadnik, or mayor, an official elected by the public assembly (called the Veche) from among the city's boyars, or aristocracy.

The tysyatsky ("thousandman") originally the head of the town militia but later a commercial and judicial official, was also elected by the Veche. Another important local official was the Archbishop of Novgorod who shared power with the boyars.] Archbishops were elected by the Veche or by the drawing of lots, and after their election, were sent to the metropolitan for consecration. In the 13th century, Novgorod, while not a member of the Hanseatic League, was the easternmost kontor, or entrepôt, of the league, being the source of enormous quantities of luxury (sable, ermine, fox, marmot) and non-luxury furs (squirrel pelts)----> this book explains well the fur trade in Medieval times: Janet Martin, Treasure of the Land of Darkness: the Fur Trade and its Significance for Medieval Russia. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985).

Not to mention that the city thrived culturally. A large number of birch bark letters have been unearthed in excavations, perhaps suggesting widespread literacy. It was in Novgorod that the Novgorod Codex, the oldest Slavic book written north of Bulgaria, and the oldest inscription in a Finnic language (Birch bark letter no. 292) were unearthed. Some of the most ancient Russian chronicles (Novgorod First Chronicle) were written in the scriptorium of the archbishops who also promoted iconography and patronized church construction. The Novgorod merchant Sadko became a popular hero of Russian folklore.

The city was never conquered by the Mongols during the Mongol invasion of Rus (marshlands helped it XD). Ok but it's better that I stop or I will start writing a long ass textwall, lol

All of this just to say that this city is a nice alternate universe in which Rus, and then Russia could have evolved if Mongol invasion never occurred (ofc there are other factors but this one is quite important in the collective memory of the Russian people).

p.s. Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit means "Greece conquered [by the Romans] defeated the fierce winner".

ShangXian 2024-11-04 00:00:40

большое спасибо!