Political features and geographical position of the Galician-Volyn principality. Formation of the Galician-Volyn principality

ST. PETERSBURG UNIVERSITY

Department: History

Subject: Russian history

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Topic: "Galician-Volyn Principality"

1st year student of distance learning

Chernyavsky Dmitry Yurievich

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Introduction

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Introduction

The history of the Fatherland, the history of Russia, sets itself the goal of showing the place and role of its peoples in world development, helping us to comprehend our special place in a long series of human generations. Who are we, where are our historical roots, what place does our people occupy in the history of Europe and Asia, what are their relationships with other countries and peoples. What the people of Russia gave to the world and what they received from it.

History should give us precise guidelines regarding our own people. It should evoke our respect and admiration for his worthy deeds and feelings of regret and condemnation for his bad and shameful deeds. History should and can give a calm and honest answer to the question - what constitutes pride and glory in the life path of peoples, and what constitutes dishonor and shame. Past generations invisibly stretch out their hands to us. They pass on to us not only their work skills, experience, achievements, their acquisitions, successes - material, spiritual, cultural, but also their mistakes, miscalculations, failures, troubles and sorrows. All this left its mark on history and was inherited by people living today. And we, having accepted something from their past and rejected something, we ourselves leave as a legacy to future generations both our achievements and our mistakes and shortcomings.

The history of Russia gives us the opportunity to understand the process of creating human society on the territory of our Fatherland, to identify the stages of development of this process over the centuries, to compare this development with the entire course of humankind, to enrich our memory and our minds with knowledge of the laws of this development.

Knowing the past means in many ways understanding the present and foreseeing the future. Truly, as the ancient Romans said, “history is the teacher of life.”

1. Grand Dukes of the Galicia-Volyn Principality

In the second half of the 12th century, the most notable figures on the political horizon of Galician-Volyn Rus were the descendants of Rostislav and Monomakh. Let's name here five princes: the princes of Galitsky - the grandson of Rostislav Vladimir Volodarevich, his son, famous for the "Tale of Igor's Campaign" Yaroslav Osmomysl, Yaroslav's cousin - Ivan Berladnik, as well as the Volyn princes of the descendants of Monomakh - his great-great-grandson Roman Mstislavich of Volyn and his son Daniel .

Thanks to the exceptionally fertile black earth soil, feudal land ownership arose and flourished here relatively early. Therefore, it is especially characteristic of South-Western Rus' that a powerful boyars, often opposing themselves to the princes, are especially characteristic. Numerous forestry and fishing industries were developed here, and skilled artisans worked. Slate whorls from the local city of Ovruch were distributed throughout the country. Salt deposits were also important for the region.

In the middle of the 12th century, in the Principality of Galicia, which by that time had become independent and separated from Volyn, the first great princely unrest began, behind which the interests of both boyar groups and urban strata were visible. The townspeople of Galich, taking advantage of the departure of their prince Vladimir Volodarevich to hunt, invited his nephew from the younger branch of the same Rostislavichs, Ivan Rostislavich, who reigned in the small town of Zvenigorod, to reign. Judging by the later affairs of this prince, he showed himself to be a ruler close to broad strata of the city, and his invitation instead of the eccentric and pugnacious Vladimir Volodarevich was quite logical. Vladimir besieged Galich, but the townspeople stood up for their chosen one, and only the inequality of forces and the townspeople’s lack of military experience tipped the scale in favor of the Galician prince. Ivan fled to the Danube, where he settled in the Berlad region, which is why he received the nickname Berladnik. Vladimir occupied Galich and brutally dealt with the rebellious townspeople.

After long wanderings, Ivan Berladnik once again tried to return to Galich. The chronicle reports that the Smerds openly went over to his side, but he faced strong princely opposition. By this time, his opponent Vladimir Volodarevich had already died, but the Galician throne passed to his son - the energetic, intelligent and militant Yaroslav Osmomysl, married to Yuri Dolgoruky's daughter Olga. The Slovo says about Yaroslav Osmomysl that he “supported with his iron regiments” the Ugric Mountains (Carpathians). The rulers of Hungary and Poland rose up against Ivan, and the Chernigov princes also sought his head. And he received support from the Kyiv prince, who in those years sought to weaken his opponent Yaroslav Osmomysl, who was supported by Yuri Dolgoruky.

Under Yaroslav, the Principality of Galicia reached its greatest prosperity and was famous for its wealth and developed international connections, especially with Hungary, Poland, and Byzantium. True, this was not easy for Yaroslav Osmomysl, and the author of “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign,” talking about his successes and power, omits the political difficulties that this prince had to experience in the fight against the boyar clans. First he fought Ivan Berladnik. Later, his son Vladimir rebelled against him, who, together with his mother, the daughter of Yuri Dolgoruky, and prominent Galician boyars fled to Poland. Behind this rebellion one can clearly see the opposition of the willful Galician boyars to the policies of Yaroslav Osmomysl, who sought to centralize power relying on the “junior squad” and the townspeople who had suffered from the willfulness of the boyars.

The Galician boyars who remained in the city persuaded Vladimir to return and promised help in the fight against his father. Indeed, during the boyar conspiracy, Yaroslav Osmomysl was taken into custody and released only after he “kissed the cross” that he would show loyalty to his wife and son. However, the struggle between Yaroslav and Vladimir continued for a long time. Vladimir fled, ended up in Novgorod-Seversky with his sister Efrosinya Yaroslavna, Igor’s wife, and took part in the unsuccessful Polovtsian campaign of the Seversky prince. He returned to Galich only after the death of his father in 1187, but was soon expelled from there by the boyars.

If the Principality of Galicia was firmly in the hands of the Rostislavichs, then the descendants of Monomakh were firmly in the Principality of Volyn. The grandson of Monomakh Izyaslav Mstislavich ruled here. Then the Monomakhovichs divided the Volyn principality into several smaller principalities that were part of the Volyn principality.

By the end of the 12th century, in this principality, as in other large principalities-states, a desire for unification and centralization of power began to be visible. This line manifested itself especially clearly under Prince Roman Mstislavich. Relying on the townspeople and small landowners, he resisted the willfulness of the boyar clans and subjugated the appanage princes with his imperious hand. Under him, the Volyn principality turned into a strong and relatively unified state. Now Roman Mstislavich began to lay claim to all of Western Rus'. He took advantage of the discord among the rulers of Galich after the death of Yaroslav Osmomysl and tried to reunite the Galician and Volyn principalities under his rule. At first he succeeded, but the Hungarian king got involved in the internecine struggle, managed to capture Galich and expelled Roman from there. His rival, Osmomysl's son Vladimir, was captured, sent to Hungary and imprisoned in a tower there. But soon the enterprising prince escaped from captivity, going down the ropes to his friends waiting with horses. He appeared in Germany with Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and, with the support of German and Polish troops, again reigned in Galich. And only after his death in 1199, Roman Mstislavich again united Volyn and Galich for a long time. Later he became the Grand Duke of Kyiv, becoming the owner of a vast territory equal to the German Empire.

Roman, like Yaroslav Osmomysl, continued the policy of centralizing power, suppressed boyar separatism, and promoted the development of cities. Similar aspirations were visible in the policies of the emerging centralized power in France, England, and other European countries. The rulers of the large Russian principalities in this sense followed the same path as other countries, relying on growing cities and small landowners dependent on them. It was this layer that became both in Europe and later in Rus' the basis of the nobility - the support of the central government. But if in Europe this process proceeded naturally, in Rus' it was interrupted at the very beginning by the devastating Tatar-Mongol invasion.

The policy of Roman Mstislavich was continued by his son Monomakhovich in the fifth generation, Daniil Romanovich. He lost his father in 1205, when he was only four years old. The Galician-Volyn boyars immediately raised their heads. The princess and her young heir fled from the principality, leaving her palace through an underground passage, and found shelter in Poland. And the boyars invited the sons of Igor Seversky to Galich, which had now become the capital city of the united principality. During the civil strife, the principality again split into a number of fiefs, which allowed Hungary to conquer it. The Igorevich princes continued the struggle for power, in the fire of which many boyar families, townspeople, peasants perished, and two of the Igorevichs were hanged.

In 1211, Daniil returned to Galich, but not for long - the boyars again drove him and his mother out of the city. The boyars put a protege from their rada at the head of the principality, which caused discontent among all the Rurikovichs. Only in 1221 did Daniil Galitsky first regain the Volyn throne, and several years before the Tatar-Mongol invasion, in 1234 he established himself in Galich. Only in 1238 did Daniil Romanovich assert his power over the Galicia-Volyn land. In 1240, having occupied Kyiv, Daniel managed to unite Southwestern Rus' and the Kyiv land. He was known as a brave and talented commander. His personal bravery was legendary.

During these years of struggle against the willful and wealthy Galician boyars, Daniil relied on the townspeople, the “younger squad,” like other Russian princes - centralizers. One of his assistants advised Daniel: “Sir, if you don’t suppress the bees, don’t eat the honey,” that is, you can’t retain power without dealing with the boyars.

But even after Daniel’s establishment in the principality, the boyars continued to fight against his policy of centralizing power, entered into an agreement with Hungary, then with Poland, and undermined the political and military might of the principality.

2. Galicia-Volyn land in the XII - XIII centuries.

In the extreme southwest of Ancient Rus' there were Galician and Volyn lands: Galician - in the Carpathian region, and Volyn - adjacent to it on the banks of the Bug. Both Galician and Volynian, and sometimes only Galician land, were often called Chervonnaya (i.e., Red) Russia, after the city of Cherven in Galich. The Galician-Volyn principality was formed on the basis of the lands of the former Vladimir-Volyn principality, which was located on the western and southwestern borders of Rus'. In the XI - XII centuries. in Vladimir-Volynsky, minor princes ruled, sent here by the great princes of Kyiv.

The Galicia-Volyn land was located in places extremely favorable for economy, trade, and political contracts with the outside world. Its borders approached on one side the foothills of the Carpathians and abutted the Danube. From here it was a stone's throw to Hungary, Bulgaria, to the trade route along the Danube to the Center of Europe, to the Balkan countries and Byzantium. From the north, northeast and east, these lands embraced the possessions of the Kyiv principality, which protected it from the onslaught of the mighty Rostov-Suzdal princes.

There were rich black soils in wide river valleys, as well as vast forests favorable for fishing activities, and significant deposits of rock salt, which were exported to neighboring countries. Large cities arose and flourished on the territory of the Galicia-Volyn land. This is Vladimir - Volynsky, named after Vladimir 1. It was for many years the residence of the grand ducal governors. Galich, which grew up in the salt trade, was also located here, where in the middle of the 12th century a powerful and independent boyars and active urban strata were formed. The centers of local appanage principalities grew noticeably, where the descendants of Rostislav, the son of the eldest son of Yaroslav the Wise, Vladimir, who died early, “sat”. Rostislav Vladimirovich was given lifelong possession of the insignificant Vladimir-Volynsky. And now the Rostislavichs owned Przemysl, Dorogobuzh, Terebovl, Buzhesk, Turiisk, Cherven, Lutsk, Kholm. These cities were rich and beautiful, they had many stone buildings, almost all of them were well fortified, and had powerful fortresses. Once upon a time, many of these cities were conquered from Poland, first by Vladimir, and then by Yaroslav the Wise. Convenient geographical location (neighborhood with Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic) allowed active foreign trade. In addition, the lands of the principality were relatively safe from nomads. As in Vladimir-Suzdal Rus', there was a significant economic boom here.

The Volyn land with its center in Vladimir Volynsky began to separate itself before everyone else. The Vladimir-Volyn principality passed for a long time from the power of one prince to another, until in 1134 the grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, Izyaslav Mstislavich, reigned here. He became the founder of the local princely dynasty.

Later, the Galician land with its center in Galich became isolated. It initially constituted only part of the possessions of the father of the son of Yaroslav the Wise, Vladimir, and the son of the latter, Rostislav, who died during his lifetime. Only in the 12th century. under Vladimir Volodarevich (1141 - 1152), the Galician lands became independent from Kyiv, and this principality achieved special power under Vladimir’s son Yaroslav Osmomysl. However, it was under this prince that feudal strife began to tear the land apart. The boyars took advantage of his complicated family affairs to fight against Yaroslav Osmomysl, who was trying to establish strong power. The boyars managed to arrest Yaroslav, and his mistress Nastasya was burned at the stake. In the end, Yaroslav nevertheless won this fight, and appointed Oleg “Nastasich” as heir. However, after the death of Yaroslav, the boyars achieved the expulsion of Oleg and proclaimed Yaroslav’s legitimate son Vladimir prince. But they did not get along with Vladimir either, since the prince, according to the chronicle, “does not like thoughts with his husbands.” Foreign forces also intervened in the internecine struggle. The Hungarian king placed his son Andrei on the Galician throne, and took Vladimir to prison in Hungary. However, Vladimir managed to escape to the court of the German Emperor Frederick Barbarossa and, returning, became a prince again.

Already during these civil strife, many of the boyars were thinking about a new ruler: the Vladimir-Volyn prince Roman Mstislavich. After the death of Vladimir (1199), Roman Mstislavich was proclaimed Prince of Galicia. Thus, the unification of the Vladimir-Volyn and Galician principalities took place into a single Galician-Volyn principality, one of the largest principalities of the Russian land.

The outstanding commander Roman Mstislavich managed to temporarily stop the boyar strife, he occupied Kyiv and accepted the title of Grand Duke, maintained peaceful relations with Byzantium and established peace with Hungary. However, pursuing an active foreign policy, he intervened in the civil strife of the Polish princes (whose relatives he was) and in 1205 died in a battle with his cousin, the Krakow prince Leshko the White. A new strife began in the Galicia-Volyn principality: after all, the heir to the princely throne, Daniel, was only 4 years old. The boyars seized power.

One of the boyars, Volodislav Kormilichich, even became a prince for some time, which was a complete violation of all the customs that then existed in the Russian land. This is the only case of a boyar's reign.

The strife led to the actual fragmentation of the Galician-Volyn principality into a number of separate small fiefs, constantly at war with each other. Polovtsian, Polish, and Hungarian troops helped their rivals by robbing, enslaving, and even killing the local population. The princes of other lands of Rus' also interfered in Galicia-Volyn affairs. And yet, by 1238, Daniil managed to deal with the boyar opposition. He became one of the most powerful princes of Rus'. Kyiv also obeyed his will. In 1245, Daniil Romanovich defeated the combined forces of Hungary, Poland, the Galician boyars and the Principality of Chernigov, thereby completing the struggle to restore the unity of the principality. The boyars were weakened, many boyars were exterminated, and their lands passed to the Grand Duke. However, Batu's invasion, and then the Horde yoke, disrupted the economic and political development of this land.

Conclusion

Galicia-Volyn Rus' was in special climatic conditions. The mild climate and fertile lands have always attracted a large agricultural population here. At the same time, this flourishing region was constantly subject to raids by its neighbors - Poles, Hungarians, steppe nomads. In addition, an extremely strong boyars formed here early on, which not only oppressed the farmers, but also fiercely fought for power with the local princes. Only in 1199, with great difficulty, Roman Mstislavich managed to unite Galicia and Volyn under his rule. After his death in 1205, power in the principality was seized by the boyars, turning it for a long time into a series of small fiefs at war with each other. Only in 1238, after a fierce struggle, Roman’s son and heir Daniel regained power and became one of the most powerful Russian princes. In 1240, Daniel managed to unite southwestern Rus' and the land of Kyiv. However, in the same year, the Galicia-Volyn principality was devastated by the Mongol-Tatars, and 100 years later these lands became part of Lithuania (Volyn) and Poland (Galich).

Galician Volyn principality prince

Used Books

1.History of Russia from ancient times to 1861, Pavlenko N.I., Moscow, 2001.

2.Formation of the state territory of North-Eastern Rus' in the 10th - 19th centuries. Kuchkin V.A., Moscow, 1984

.Kievan Rus and the Russian principalities of the 12th - 13th centuries, Rybakov B.A., Moscow, 1982.

.History of Russia, Orlov A.S., Moscow, 2004.

.Old Russian principalities of the X - XIII centuries, Moscow, 1975.

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The collapse of Kievan Rus was the reason for its political and economic development. In the middle of the twelfth century, as a result of this collapse, the Galician-Volyn principality appeared.

Now let's go back to the times when the Galician land and Volyn were not dependent on the city of Kyiv. It should be noted that the Volyn state was older than the Kyiv state and it was with it that the unity of the Ukrainian tribes began. This land was quite rich, as trade routes to Western Europe passed through it. In 981 and 993 as a result of the campaigns, it was annexed by Vladimir to the Kyiv state. Around the same time, the Galician land was annexed to it.

The authorities in the Galicia-Volyn principality were the prince, as well as the boyar council and the veche. However, their role was slightly different than in Kievan Rus.

All supreme power formally belonged to the prince, who stood at the head of the state. He had the right to make laws, and also had the right to judge and exercise central control over the entire state. But at the same time, the boyars could challenge the will of the prince. Only in the event of an agreement with them, all power was concentrated in his hands (if an agreement was not reached, then power passed to the boyar aristocracy).

Within their domains, the prince's vassals received (as a rule, along with their position) the right to judge. In the boyar estates, absolutely all judicial powers were in the hands of the boyars themselves. And even though princely judicial bodies were established locally with tiuns directed by the prince himself, they could not go against the boyar power.

Also, the ruling prince had to head a military organization, collect taxes and mint coins through persons appointed by him, as well as carry out foreign policy relations with other states and countries.

The main form of government in the Galicia-Volyn land was a monarchy (early feudal), but a duumvirate also took place here. So, from one thousand two hundred and forty-five, Danilo Galitsky ruled the state together with his brother Vasilko, who owned most of Volyn.

As in many other lands of Rus', there was a veche in the Galicia-Volyn principality, but here it did not have any influence on political life and did not have clear working regulations. Quite often, the prince himself convened a veche, asking for popular support in certain everyday and political decisions.

Unlike Novgorod, all other Russian lands of this time were feudal monarchies led by princes, but everywhere they had their own characteristics.

In the extreme southwest of Ancient Rus' there were Galician and Volyn lands: Galician - in the Carpathian region, and Volyn - adjacent to it on the banks of the Bug. Both Galician and Volynian, and sometimes only Galician land, were often called Chervona (i.e., Red) Russia, after the city of Cherven in Galicia. Thanks to the exceptionally fertile black earth soil, feudal land ownership arose and flourished here relatively early. It is for South-Western Rus' that the boyars are especially characteristic and therefore powerful, often opposing themselves to the princes. Numerous forestry and fishing industries were developed here, and skilled artisans worked. Slate whorls from the local city of Ovruch were distributed throughout the country. Salt deposits were also important for the region. The Volyn land with its center in Vladimir Volynsky began to separate itself before everyone else.

In the Galicia-Volyn principality, the prince was considered a sacred person, “a ruler given by God,” the owner of all the land and cities of the principality, and the head of the army. He had the right to give plots to his subordinates for service, as well as to deprive them of lands and privileges for disobedience. Princely power was inherited by the eldest son. Vassal dependence between members of the princely family came from eldership, but was formal, since each princely possession had sufficient independence.

In state affairs, the prince relied on the boyars, the local aristocracy. They were divided into “old” and “young”, who were also called “best”, “great” or “deliberate”. The great senior boyars made up the administrative elite and the “senior squad” of the prince. They owned “Batkovshchina” or “dednitstva”, ancient family lands, and new land plots and cities granted from the prince. Their sons, “youths,” or junior boyars, constituted the prince’s “junior squad” and served at his court as close “court servants.”

The prince united in his hands the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of power, and also had a monopoly on the right to conduct diplomatic relations. Trying to become an absolute “autocrat,” the prince was constantly in conflict with the boyars, who sought to maintain their independence and turn the monarch into their own political instrument. The strengthening of princely power was also hampered by the duumvirates of princes, the fragmentation of principalities and the intervention of neighboring states. Although the monarch had the right to make decisions on his own, he sometimes convened boyar “dumas” to resolve the most important issues and problems.

The Galician boyars - “Galician men” - opposed the strengthening of the prince’s power here. Despite the contradictions among themselves, the boyars showed solidarity in defending their power functions from the encroachment of the prince and developing cities. Relying on their economic and military power, the boyars successfully resisted attempts to strengthen the power of the prince. In fact, the highest authority here was the council of boyars, which included the most noble and powerful boyars, bishops and senior officials. The council could invite and remove princes, controlled the administration of the principality, and princely charters were not issued without its consent. These meetings acquired a permanent character from the 14th century, finally blocking the “autocracy” of the prince, which was one of the reasons for the decline of the Galician-Volyn principality

The struggle between the prince and the boyars was carried out with varying degrees of success, but as a rule, power in the principality was controlled by the boyars. If the princes turned out to be strong-willed natures and began to exterminate the boyar “sedition,” then the boyars betrayed national interests and invited hordes of Polish and Hungarian conquerors to Volhynia and Galicia. Yaroslav Osmomysl, Mstislav Udaloy, Roman Mstislavovich, and Daniil Romanovich went through this. For many of them, this struggle ended in their death, organized precisely by the boyars, who did not want to strengthen the princely power. In turn, when the upper hand was on the side of the princes, they mercilessly exterminated the boyar families, relying on the support of the cities that were suffering from the “whims” of the boyars.

The structure of cities in the XII - XIII centuries was the same as in other lands of Kievan Rus - with the advantage of the boyar-patrician elite, with a division into taxation units - hundreds and streets, with a city council - the veche. During this period, the cities belonged directly to the princes or boyars.

Cities become an important component in the struggle for power, showing their will at city councils. The boyars also played the main role in such a meeting, but they were opposed by the townspeople. The boyars nominated a speaker from among themselves and called on them to support the decision they had made. Without the support of the “nationwide multitude of people,” the owners of the city could not resist the princely power, but often the “black people” rebelled against the rulers of the veche, rejected their power and the suburbs (cities subordinate to the older city). The veche firmly and for a long time gained a foothold in the Western Russian lands, helping the prince to resist the fight against the nobility.

But the support of the cities could not always sway the Galician boyars. In 1210, one of the boyars, Volodislav Kormilichich, even became a prince for some time, which was a complete violation of all the customs that then existed in the Russian land. This is the only case of a boyar's reign.

The strife led to the actual fragmentation of the Galician-Volyn principality into a number of separate small fiefs, constantly at war with each other. Polovtsian, Polish, and Hungarian troops helped their rivals by robbing, enslaving, and even killing the local population. The princes of other lands of Rus' also interfered in Galician-Volyn affairs. And yet, by 1238, Daniil managed to deal with the boyar opposition (it was not without reason that one of his confidants advised: “If you don’t crush the bees, don’t eat the honey.” He became one of the most powerful princes of Russia. Kiev also obeyed his will. In 1245 Daniil Romanovich defeated the combined forces of Hungary, Poland, the Galician boyars and the Principality of Chernigov, thereby completing the struggle to restore the unity of the principality. The boyars were weakened, many boyars were exterminated, and their lands passed to the Grand Duke. However, Batu's invasion, and then the Horde yoke, broke economic and political development of this land.

History of state and law of Russia. Cheat sheets Knyazeva Svetlana Aleksandrovna

17. Features of the socio-economic and political life of the Galicia-Volyn principality

Galician-Volyn Rus' received its name from two large territories that were part of it: Galicia And Volyn, or Cherven cities, i.e. cities Chervonnaya (Red) Rus'.

The heyday of the principality occurred in the second half of the 12th century. The peculiarity of Galicia was early and intensive development of feudal relations, leading to the creation of a strong boyar elite, managed to capture the main lands and peasants. In addition to their lands, the boyars had their own trade and craft centers and castles. Galich stubbornly resisted princely rule and behaved towards the princes in the same way as Novgorod.

Volyn prince belonged Vladimir Volynsky. The prince was a large landowner and rallied the boyars with land grants. In 1199 he managed to unite both principalities. Political unity was neither long nor durable. Boyars opposed its interests to the princely power, waged an open struggle, relying on neighboring states - Hungary and Poland.

In the XIII century. Western Rus' fell under the rule of the Mongol-Tatar conquerors. Daniil Galitsky managed to temporarily unite all of Kievan Rus; he was the first and only Russian king crowned by the Pope. He carried out a policy active resistance to the conquerors. His children were less fortunate. As a result, the lands of Galicia and Volyn were divided between Hungary, Poland and Lithuania.

Social order Galicia-Volyn Rus' is characterized by the strong influence of large feudal lords - boyars, former descendants local tribal leaders. They had little connection with the princes and tried to build boyar feudal rule in numerous cities around the world.

They were opposed by other feudal lords - servicemen, received land for service and for the duration of service. They depended on the prince and defended the prince's side. There were few of these in Galicia and many in Volyn, this explains the difference between the attitude towards the prince in Galich and Vladimir.

They had land holdings and hierarchs of the Church, and monasteries.

Peasants, those who lived on the lands of secular and spiritual feudal lords were in various forms of dependence.

For the political system of the Galicia-Volyn principality characterized by a strong influence of the boyars And boyar council. Only a strong and authoritative prince could retain power.