MAIASP. 2024. No. 16

Yu.V. Seleznev (Voronezh, Russia)

“Mongol/Horde factor” in inter-princely feuds in Russia in 1238—1300

DOI: 10.53737/2713-2021.2024.95.42.028

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Pages: 603—619

The degree of involvement of Russian lands in the political culture of the Mongol Empire is determined, among other things, by the number of internal political contradictions eliminated by military force. A decisive intervention in their development (even to the point of suppression) may reveal the degree of sovereignty of a particular ruler in the territories under his control. Historiography formulates the evaluative characteristics of the issue. If N.M. Karamzin believes that the role of the Horde was decisive, then S.M. Solovyov notes that the khans had no influence on the political processes in Rus’. Subsequent historiography develops N.M. Karamzin’s point of view, since V.A. Kuchkin points out that the Horde often directly and indirectly influenced the formation of the territories of the principalities of Rus’, while L.N. Gumilyov states that the Russian princes actively called upon Horde contingents to win the strife. The study seeks to identify all known strife events which took place from 1238 to 1300 in the Russian principalities, from the moment of the conquest of Rus’ until the transfer of the metropolitan see from Kyiv to Vladimir. Among the objectives of the study is the degree to which the inclusion of Rus’ in the system of political relations of the nomadic empire influenced the internecine wars. The basis of the study was the data of Russian chronicles, which are built into a verbal model, representing a system capable of replacing the object of cognition in such a way that its study provides new knowledge about the object of cognition. Ultimately, we are presented with a picture of the influence of Horde power on internecine wars. The inclusion of Russian principalities in the political system of the Horde significantly influenced the forms and methods of struggle for power in Rus’, the number and results of internecine clashes in the Russian principalities.

Key words: Mongol Empire, Juchi Ulus, Horde, Rus, civil strife, Russian-Horde relations, 13th century.

Received January 21, 2024

Accepted for publication February 15, 2024

About the author:

Seleznev Yuri Vasilievich (Voronezh, Russia). Doctor of Historical Sciences, Voronezh State University

E-mail: orda1359@mail.ru