Kiev principality - one formed from the collapse of Kievan Rus crown lands.After the death of Prince Yaroslav the Wise in the middle of the XI century principality beginning to separate a 30 th year of the XII century it became completely independent.
Its territory covers Drevlyane ancestral lands and meadows of the Dnieper River and its tributaries (grouse, Pripyat, Irpen and Rosie).It also includes a part of the left bank of the Dnieper River in front of Kiev.All this modern land Kiev and Zhitomir regions of Ukraine and the southern part of the Gomel region of Belarus.In the east, with the principality bordered Pereyaslavl and Chernigov principality in the west - the Vladimir-Volyn, in the south it is directly adjacent to the Polovtsian steppe.
Due to the mild climate and fertile soils are intensively developed agriculture.Also, the inhabitants of this land is actively engaged in cattle breeding, hunting, fishing and beekeeping.Early on there was a specialty crafts here.Of particular importance acquired "drevodelie" leather and pottery.Deposits of iron allows us to develop smithing.
important factor was the fact that in Kiev principality was a road "from the Vikings to the Greeks" (from the Byzantine Empire to the Baltic Sea).Therefore, in Kiev early formed an influential layer of merchants and artisans.
From IX to the X century, these lands were a central part of the Old Russian state.During the reign of Vladimir, they became the nucleus of a princely domain, and Kiev - the church center of the whole of Russia.Though Prince of Kiev, no longer was the supreme owner of all the land, but was the de facto head of the feudal hierarchy, was considered "senior" in relation to other princes.It was the center of ancient kingdoms, around which all the other concentrated inheritance.
However, this situation was not only the positive side.Very soon, Kiev land became the object of intense struggle between different branches of the Rurik dynasty.The fight also involved powerful boyars Kiev and the top trade and craft people.
Until 1139 in Kiev throne sat Monomakhich: after Mstislav the Great came to power his brother Yaropolk (1132-1139) and then Vyacheslav (1139).After that, the throne passed to capture it by force Chernigov Prince Vsevolod II.Board Olegoviches was quite short-lived.In 1146 power was transferred to Izyaslav Mstislavich (representative Monomakhich).In 1154 it seized the branch of Monomakh Suzdal (Yuri Dolgoruky was on the throne of Kiev until his death in 1157).Then again, the power passed to the descendants of Oleg and in 1159 returned to Mstislavovitch.
From the middle of the XII century, the political significance of which had until then principality of Kiev, began to decrease.At the same time it took the collapse into fiefdoms.By 1170 th year already allocated Kotelnicheskoye, Belgorod, Trepolskoe, Vyshgorod, Torchesk, Kanev and Dorogobuzhskaya principality.Kiev stopped playing as a center of Russian lands.At the same time Vladimir and Galicia-Volyn making every effort to subdue the Kyiv.Periodically, they do it on the throne of Kiev are their henchmen.
In 1240 the principality of Kiev is under the power of Batu.In early December, after a desperate resistance, he seized the nine and defeated Kiev.Principality been devastated, after which bounce back and could not.Since the 1240s Kyiv is in the formal, depending on the princes of Vladimir (Alexander Nevsky, then Yaroslav Yaroslav).In 1299 from Kiev to Vladimir she was transferred metropolitan department.
The first half of the 14th century, the Principality has been weakened to the limit.Therefore, it has become the object of a Lithuanian aggression.In 1362 when Prince Algirdas these lands became part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
