Muscovy's northeastern expansion : The context and a cause - article ; n°4 ; vol.24, pg 459-470

Janet Martin

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Cahiers du monde russe et soviétique - Année 1983 - Volume 24 - Numéro 4 - Pages 459-470
Janet Martin, L'expansion de la Moscovie vers le nord-est : son contexte et une de ses causes.
L'expansion de la Moscovie vers le nord-est s'est effectuée en deux étapes. Dans un premier temps, la Moscovie annexa la région de Vyčegda-Vym au XlVe siècle, ce qui découlait de ses relations avec Novgorod. Dans un second temps, au cours de la seconde moitié du XVe siècle, elle soumit Vjatka, Perm' Velikaja et certaines tribus vogoules et iougra, vivant dans une région aussi éloignée que l'Ob'. Cette expansion suivait les fluctuations de deux influences rivales, les relations de La Moscovie avec Le khanat de Kazan' et ses relations internes avec Ustjug.
Ustjug semble avoir été l'instigatrice des mesures prises pour soumettre Les peuples de la Vjatka, de la Kama supérieure et de L'Ob' : c'est du moins ce que l'examen des récits faits dans les chroniques suggère. Centre de commerce septentrional, Ustjug essayait manifestement de se ménager une voie commerciale qui le relierait via Čerdyn' aux tribus du nord-est, fournisseur de fourrures ; cet itinéraire contournerait la rivale ď Ustjug, Kazan' . Moscou, qui bénéficiait de ces entreprises hasardeuses en se faisant payer son tribut en zibeline par les tribus soumises, soutint les menées d'Ustjug dans le nord-est, bien qu'elles provoquassent des réactions hostiles de la part de Kazan' . Mais elle retira son soutien après 1487, lorsque la prise du trône de Kazan' par un khan pro-moscovite modifia la nature de ses relations avec ses voisins tatars. Le souci qu'avait la Moscovie d'entretenir avec eux de bonnes relations l'emporta sur les pressions d'Ustjug. A l'exception de quelques incidents survenus lors d'une tension de ses relations avec Kazan', Moscou s'abstint de poursuivre une politique agressive dans le nord-est jusqu'à une période avancée du XVIe siècle.
Janet Martin, Muscovy's northeastern expansion: the context and a cause.
Muscovite expansion to the northeast occurred in two stages. The first, which resulted in the annexation of the Vychegda-Vym' region in the fourteenth century, was an outgrowth of Muscovy's relations with Novgorod. The second, which took place in the latter half of the fifteenth century, led to the subordination of Viatka, Perm' Velikaia, and some of the Voguly and Iugra tribes as far away as the Ob' river. The second stage was closely connected with two competing influences, Muscovy's relations with the Khanate of Kazan' and its internal relations with Ustiug.
An examination of the chronicle accounts of the measures taken to subordinate the peoples on the Viatka, upper Kama, and Ob' rivers suggests that these episodes were initiated by Ustiug. That northern trade center was evidently trying to secure a trade route that would link it via Cherdyn' to the fur-supplying northeastern tribes; that route would bypass Ustiug's rival, Kazan'. Moscow, which benefited from the ventures through the receipt of tribute payments in sable from the subordinated tribes, supported Ustiug's drive to the northeast despite the fact that it provoked hostile responses from Kazan'. But Moscow withdrew its support after 1487, when the assumption of the Kazan' throne by a pro-Muscovite khan altered the nature of Muscovy's relations with its Tatar neighbors. Those relations then took precedence over Ustiug's pressures as a determinant of Muscovy's northeastern policies. Moscow, with the exception of a few incidents that occurred when its relations with Kazan' were strained, refrained from pursuing its aggressive policies in the northeast well into the sixteenth century.
12 pages
Source : Persée ; Ministère de la jeunesse, de l’éducation nationale et de la recherche, Direction de l’enseignement supérieur, Sous-direction des bibliothèques et de la documentation.

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• Publié par: CAHIERS_DU_MONDE_RUSSE_ET_SOVIETIQUE
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1983
• Nombre de lectures: 24
• Langue: English

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Janet Martin
Muscovy's northeastern expansion : The context and a cause
In: Cahiers du monde russe et soviétique. Vol. 24 N°4. Octobre-Décembre 1983. pp. 459-470.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Martin Janet. Muscovy's northeastern expansion : The context and a cause. In: Cahiers du monde russe et soviétique. Vol. 24
N°4. Octobre-Décembre 1983. pp. 459-470.
doi : 10.3406/cmr.1983.1990
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/cmr_0008-0160_1983_num_24_4_1990Résumé
Janet Martin, L'expansion de la Moscovie vers le nord-est : son contexte et une de ses causes.
L'expansion de la Moscovie vers le nord-est s'est effectuée en deux étapes. Dans un premier temps, la
Moscovie annexa la région de Vyčegda-Vym au XlVe siècle, ce qui découlait de ses relations avec
Novgorod. Dans un second temps, au cours de la seconde moitié du XVe siècle, elle soumit Vjatka,
Perm' Velikaja et certaines tribus vogoules et iougra, vivant dans une région aussi éloignée que l'Ob'.
Cette expansion suivait les fluctuations de deux influences rivales, les relations de La Moscovie avec Le
khanat de Kazan' et ses relations internes avec Ustjug.
Ustjug semble avoir été l'instigatrice des mesures prises pour soumettre Les peuples de la Vjatka, de la
Kama supérieure et de L'Ob' : c'est du moins ce que l'examen des récits faits dans les chroniques
suggère. Centre de commerce septentrional, Ustjug essayait manifestement de se ménager une voie
commerciale qui le relierait via Čerdyn' aux tribus du nord-est, fournisseur de fourrures ; cet itinéraire
contournerait la rivale ď Ustjug, Kazan' . Moscou, qui bénéficiait de ces entreprises hasardeuses en se
faisant payer son tribut en zibeline par les tribus soumises, soutint les menées d'Ustjug dans le nord-
est, bien qu'elles provoquassent des réactions hostiles de la part de Kazan' . Mais elle retira son soutien
après 1487, lorsque la prise du trône de Kazan' par un khan pro-moscovite modifia la nature de ses
relations avec ses voisins tatars. Le souci qu'avait la Moscovie d'entretenir avec eux de bonnes l'emporta sur les pressions d'Ustjug. A l'exception de quelques incidents survenus lors d'une
tension de ses relations avec Kazan', Moscou s'abstint de poursuivre une politique agressive dans le
nord-est jusqu'à une période avancée du XVIe siècle.
Abstract
Janet Martin, Muscovy's northeastern expansion: the context and a cause.
Muscovite expansion to the northeast occurred in two stages. The first, which resulted in the annexation
of the Vychegda-Vym' region in the fourteenth century, was an outgrowth of Muscovy's relations with
Novgorod. The second, which took place in the latter half of the fifteenth century, led to the
subordination of Viatka, Perm' Velikaia, and some of the Voguly and Iugra tribes as far away as the Ob'
river. The second stage was closely connected with two competing influences, Muscovy's relations with
the Khanate of Kazan' and its internal relations with Ustiug.
An examination of the chronicle accounts of the measures taken to subordinate the peoples on the
Viatka, upper Kama, and Ob' rivers suggests that these episodes were initiated by Ustiug. That northern
trade center was evidently trying to secure a trade route that would link it via Cherdyn' to the fur-
supplying northeastern tribes; that route would bypass Ustiug's rival, Kazan'. Moscow, which benefited
from the ventures through the receipt of tribute payments in sable from the subordinated tribes,
supported Ustiug's drive to the northeast despite the fact that it provoked hostile responses from Kazan'.
But Moscow withdrew its support after 1487, when the assumption of the Kazan' throne by a pro-
Muscovite khan altered the nature of Muscovy's relations with its Tatar neighbors. Those relations then
took precedence over Ustiug's pressures as a determinant of Muscovy's northeastern policies. Moscow,
with the exception of a few incidents that occurred when its relations with Kazan' were strained,
refrained from pursuing its aggressive policies in the northeast well into the sixteenth century.JANET MARTIN
MUSCOVY'S NORTHEASTERN EXPANSION
THE CONTEXT AND A CAUSE*
The fifteenth and sixteenth centuries marked the trans
formation of the principality of Moscow into the powerful
eastern European state of Muscovy. Territorial expansion of
the principality was one important aspect of this transfor
mation. The main stages of Muscovite expansion, its absorption
of other Russian principalities, of territories belonging to
Lithuania, and of the Khanates of Kazan' and Astrakhan,
have all been subjected to serious study. But from the late
fourteenth through the early sixteenth centuries, Moscow was
also extending its frontier in another direction - to the north
east. Probably because the peoples it subjugated in the course
of this expansion were neither numerous nor organized into
politically sophisticated states, little attention has been
paid to their incorporation into Muscovy. The reasons for
Muscovy's expansion in this direction, for its decisions to
devote the necessary energies, expense, and manpower to
subordinate these minor northern neighbors, have, therefore,
neither been adequately explored nor explained.
It is the task of this article to consider Muscovy's con
quest of the tribes located to its northeast: the Vychegda
Perm', known as the Komi Zyriane; the population of Perm'
Velikaia or the Komi Permiaki; the Voguly or the Mansi; and
the Iugra, later called the Ostiaki and in modern terminology,
the Khanty. The following discussion will examine the an
nexations of those groups as well as related events, as they
are presented in various Russian chronicles. Such an exami
nation makes it possible to perceive patterns to those events.
* This article was originally presented under the title
"Muscovite relations with the peoples of the North" at the
Fourteenth Annual Convention of the American Association for
the Advancement of Slavic Studies in Washington, D.C. (Oc
tober 14-17, 1982). The Author wishes to express her appre
ciation to Dr. Peter Brown for organizing the panel "The
Muscovite State and the Peoples of the North" and for, thereby,
inspiring the composition of this article and to the panel's
discussant, Dr. Marjorie Mandelstam Balzer, for her very
helpful comments. 460 JANET MARTIN
The nature of the patterns, in turn, provides a basis for
discerning the goals of Muscovy's northeastern expansion.
It is through an understanding of those patterns and goals
that it also becomes possible to appreciate at least one aspect
of the motivation for Muscovy's incorporation of the north
eastern tribes.
Muscovy's northeastern expansion occurred in two stages.
During the first stage, the last quarter of the fourteenth
century, Muscovy absorbed the Vychegda Perm'. Then in the
second Perm* Velikaia, stage, a the century Iugra, later, and the it turned Voguly, its and attention subjugated to
those tribes dwelling as far east as the Ob1 river.
Long before Moscow began to interact directly with any
of those population groups, they were known to the Russians
primarily through contact with Novgorodians and later through
Rostov's northern outpost, Ustiug. Direct Muscovite contact
with them is reflected only from 1333. As late as the 1320' s
Novgorod merchants and hunters were traveling across the
northern lands to the lugra. At that time they still appeared
to represent the primary Russian connection with them.(l)
But in 1333, according to an entry in one of the northern
chronicles, the Muscovite prince, in conjunction with a dispute
with Novgorod, began to collect tribute from the Perm' pop
ulation, i.e., the Vychegda Perm', who occupied territory
through which the Novgorodians passed on their way to the
lugra. (2)
The next episode in Muscovite expansion into the northeast
also stemmed from conflict with Novgorod. In 1367, in asso
ciation with a peace agreement between Moscow and Novgorod,
the grand prince, according to the same northern chronicle,
received Perm', the Pechora, and the Mezen' and Kegrola
regions from Novgorod. (3) Although Novgorod continued to
claim the Perm' and Pechora in its treaties with other princes
through the 1470's,(4) Moscow consolidated its hold on the
Perm'. In 1379 a monk, Stefan, made his way along the
Vychegda and Vym' rivers and converted the population there
to Orthodoxy. Their conversion involved the recognition of
the grand prince as their political suzerain and a pledge
to pay tribute to him. (5)
Despite its 1367 agreement, Novgorod objected when a
new bishopric within the jurisdiction of Moscow and to be
ruled by Stefan was created in Perm1 in 1383.(6) Military
forces representing Novgorod and St. Sofia went to Perm' in
1385 and in the following year made war on the upper Volga,
the Vychegda region, and Ustiug. After these military