2 - Princes and politics (1015–1125)

Summary

One of Vladimir's major achievements was the confirmation of both domestic and foreign recognition of exclusive Riurikid rule over the eastern Slavs. Following his reign, the Riurikid dynasty remained a fundamental and permanent feature of the Kievan Rusˈ political system. Other aspects of the political system were more fluid. Successive generations of the dynasty, facing ever-changing political circumstances, engaged in a continuous quest for a functional political organization that could maintain the integrity of their realm. Although the dynasty itself remained a constant feature in the political structure of Kievan Rusˈ, the internal divisions of the territory it ruled and their relationship to their princes were in flux. This chapter will examine the dynasty's structure and its evolving patterns of succession; the organization of the territories ruled by the dynasty; and the foreign policies undertaken by its princes.

THE RIURIKID DYNASTY

Vladimir, having excluded rival Varangian clans, had successfully established his personal authority in the lands of Rusˈ. The political organization he created, furthermore, established internal and external stability for the Riurikid realm. But the structure he formulated, which involved the dispersal of his sons to outlying princely seats around Kievan Rusˈ, did not provide a solid foundation for a lasting political system. Although his sons, the next generation of the Riurikid dynasty, inherited his realm, Vladimir's legacy offered little to guide them in the organization of their domain after his death and in finding the solution to the first problem they confronted – the choice of a successor.