Novgorod Republic

The Novgorod Republic (Russian: Новгородская республика, romanized: Novgorodskaya respublika), formally known as Lord Novgorod the Great, was a city-state that existed from the 12th to 15th centuries in northwestern Russia, stretching from the Gulf of Finland in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east. Its capital was the city of Novgorod. The republic prospered as the easternmost trading post of the Hanseatic League, and its people were much influenced by the culture of the Byzantines, with the Novgorod school of icon painting producing many fine works. For much of its history, Novgorod was the center of Russian art and culture.

Novgorod formally won its independence in 1136 after the Novgorodians deposed their prince and the Novgorod veche began to elect and dismiss princes at its own will. By the 13th century, the prince's power had greatly diminished. The veche also elected the posadnik, the chief executive of the city, as well as the archbishop of Novgorod, subject to approval by the Russian metropolitan. In addition, the tysyatsky, originally the military commander, was elected by the veche to serve the interests of the common people, eventually taking on judicial and commercial functions. Novgorodian nobles known as boyars dominated the veche, and the offices of posadnik and tysyatsky remained in the hands of boyar families. The boyars also gave funding to the ushkuyniki, who contributed to the expansion of Novgorod's trade and colonies in the Russian North.

From the mid-13th century, the Novgorodian throne remained in the hands of the grand princes of Vladimir, a title that, by the 14th century, had been inherited by the prince of Moscow. As Moscow grew in power in the 15th century, Novgorod began to lose its autonomy. In a 1471 peace treaty with Moscow following the Battle of Shelon, Novgorod pledged allegiance to Moscow, with its system of government temporarily left intact. The end of the republic came in 1478, when Ivan III dismantled the veche and imposed his direct rule on Novgorod as part of his campaign to annex the other Russian states.