Suzdalia's eastern trade in the century before the Mongol conquest - article ; n°4 ; vol.19, pg 371-384

Thomas S.Noonan

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Cahiers du monde russe et soviétique - Année 1978 - Volume 19 - Numéro 4 - Pages 371-384
Thomas S. Noonan, Le commerce de Suzdal' avec l'Orient au siècle précédant la conquête mongole.
Le présent article traite des relations commerciales de Suzdal' avec l'Orient entre 1150 et 1235 environ et du rôle qu'y jouèrent les Bulghars de la Volga. L'auteur émet l'idée que le commerce de la Russie avec l'Orient par la Volga — qui était actif aux IXe et Xe siècles — n'a pas cessé au XIIe ni au début du XIIIe siècle. Cependant ce commerce initial qui empruntait l'itinéraire volgien a subi de grands changements au milieu du XIIe siècle. L'auteur suggère l'existence d'un monopole ou condominium exercé à la fois par les Bulghars de la Volga et par Suzdal' sur le commerce volgien entre la Russie et l'Orient au cours du siècle précédant la conquête mongole. Ce condominium était fondé sur les étroites relations commerciales qui, de longue date, avaient uni Suzdal' et les Bulghars de la Volga.
Thomas S. Noonan, Suzdalia's eastern trade in the century before the Mongol conquest.
This article focuses upon Suzdalia's trade ties with the East during the period ca. 1150-ca. 1235 and the role of the Volga Bulgars in this trade. The author argues that the active ninth-tenth century eastern trade of Rus' via the Volga did not cease in the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. However, this earlier eastern trade of Rus' by way of the Volga had been greatly altered by the mid-twelfth century. The author suggests that a joint Volga Bulgar-Suzdalian monopoly or co-dominium over the Volga trade between Rus' and the East existed during the century before the Mongol conquest. This co-dominium was based on the longstanding and close trade relations between Suzdalia and the Volga Bulgars.
14 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.

Informations

• Publié par: CAHIERS_DU_MONDE_RUSSE_ET_SOVIETIQUE
• Publié le: 01 janvier 1978
• Nombre de lectures: 26
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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Thomas S. Noonan
Suzdalia's eastern trade in the century before the Mongol
conquest
In: Cahiers du monde russe et soviétique. Vol. 19 N°4. Octobre-Décembre 1978. pp. 371-384.
Résumé
Thomas S. Noonan, Le commerce de Suzdal' avec l'Orient au siècle précédant la conquête mongole.
Le présent article traite des relations commerciales de Suzdal' avec l'Orient entre 1150 et 1235 environ et du rôle qu'y jouèrent
les Bulghars de la Volga. L'auteur émet l'idée que le commerce de la Russie avec l'Orient par la Volga — qui était actif aux IXe et
Xe siècles — n'a pas cessé au XIIe ni au début du XIIIe siècle. Cependant ce commerce initial qui empruntait l'itinéraire volgien a
subi de grands changements au milieu du XIIe siècle. L'auteur suggère l'existence d'un monopole ou condominium exercé à la
fois par les Bulghars de la Volga et par Suzdal' sur le commerce volgien entre la Russie et l'Orient au cours du siècle précédant
la conquête mongole. Ce condominium était fondé sur les étroites relations commerciales qui, de longue date, avaient uni
Suzdal' et les Bulghars de la Volga.
Abstract
Thomas S. Noonan, Suzdalia's eastern trade in the century before the Mongol conquest.
This article focuses upon Suzdalia's trade ties with the East during the period ca. 1150-ca. 1235 and the role of the Volga Bulgars
in this trade. The author argues that the active ninth-tenth century eastern trade of Rus' via the Volga did not cease in the twelfth
and early thirteenth centuries. However, this earlier eastern trade of Rus' by way of the Volga had been greatly altered by the
mid-twelfth century. The author suggests that a joint Volga Bulgar-Suzdalian monopoly or co-dominium over the Volga trade
between Rus' and the East existed during the century before the Mongol conquest. This was based on the
longstanding and close trade relations between Suzdalia and the Volga Bulgars.
Citer ce document / Cite this document :
Noonan Thomas S. Suzdalia's eastern trade in the century before the Mongol conquest. In: Cahiers du monde russe et
soviétique. Vol. 19 N°4. Octobre-Décembre 1978. pp. 371-384.
doi : 10.3406/cmr.1978.1335
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/cmr_0008-0160_1978_num_19_4_1335THOMAS S. NOONAN
SUZDALIA'S EASTERN TRADE
IN THE CENTURY
BEFORE THE MONGOL CONQUEST
Several considerations have prompted this attempt to analyze and
evaluate Suzdalia's eastern trade in the period 1150-12401. The collapse
of the Khazar kaganate c. 965, the cessation of the dirham flow into
Russia c. 1015, and the occupation of the south Russian steppe by the
Polovtsy in the second half of the eleventh century have combined to
create the impression that Russia's eastern trade declined precipitously
during the eleventh and twelfth centuries2. One purpose of this study
is to examine the validity of this assumption.
Historical scholarship, perhaps influenced by the idea of a decline,
has tended to ignore Russia's eastern trade during the twelfth and early
thirteenth centuries. When not overlooked completely, the eastern trade
of this era is often overshadowed by comparison with the very active
and well documented eastern trade of the ninth and tenth centuries.
All too often, in fact, the eastern trade of Kievan Russia is treated as
a whole without taking chronological differences and regional variations
into account3. Recognizing that Russia's pre-Mongol eastern trade
covered a period of some 450 years (c. 800-1240) and involved many
different parts of Russia, this study will seek to determine the charact
eristics of one region's trade with the East during a time when this
trade is usually neglected. This undertaking will also enable us to
compare Suzdalia's eastern trade between 1150 and 1240 with Russia's
eastern trade along the Volga in the ninth and tenth centuries. A
further aim is thus to explore the extent to which Russia's eastern trade
had changed or evolved during the Kievan period.
One of the few relevant studies to appear in recent years is Iu.A.
Limonov's brief but detailed article on the eastern trade of Vladimir-
Suzdal', a pioneering work for which we are all indebted4. But, certain
deficiencies in his approach and treatment should be recognized. While
Limonov collected a considerable quantity of data, he did not attempt
to determine the specific patterns and characteristics of this trade nor
did he consider whether the eastern trade of the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries had changed from what it had been earlier. Furthermore, he
* Presented at the 1977 annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain/Southwest
Slavic Association, Denver, Colorado.
Cahiers du Monde russe et soviétique, XIX (4), oct.-déc. 1978, pp. 371-384. 372 THOMAS S. NOONAN
tends to disregard the impact of the Mongol conquest by using many
sources from the post-1240 era. His implicit yet untested assumption
is apparently that the Mongol conquest and Mongol rule did not alter
Suzdalia's eastern trade. Not sharing this assumption, we shall confine
ourselves to the pre-Mongol era. In addition, he utilizes some thi
rteenth-century sources which in fact refer to Russia's eastern trade in
the tenth century. Although Limonov's article was unquestionably
a major advance, for it did call attention to this aspect of the eastern
trade in a most compelling manner, we cannot ignore its deficiencies.
Our hope is to improve upon the foundation established by Limonov.
Almost all our evidence about Russia's eastern trade in the ninth
and tenth centuries concerns Russian merchants who went to the Volga
Bulgar and Khazar lands to trade in the international markets found there.
In fact, Russia's eastern trade, as reflected in the written sources from
this period, really amounted to the trade conducted along the Volga in
non-Russian markets between Russian and non-Russian merchants.
The Volga Bulgar and Khazar markets were the key intermediaries
linking Russia's trade with that of the East5.
Given the ninth and tenth-century background, our first task in
examining Suzdalia's eastern trade in the period 1150-1240 is to deter
mine the status of the international markets of the Volga at this time.
Had the significance of these markets as centers where merchants from all
over met declined sharply or come to an end ? Having resolved this
question, we must then ask another. Did the middle and lower Volga
continue to function as an intermediary between Russia and the East?
More specifically, what were the relationships between Suzdalia and
the international markets of the Volga in the period 1 150-1240? Let's
begin by briefly reviewing the commercial situation along the Volga
in the period under consideration.
The disintegration of the Khazar state did not bring an end to the
commercial importance of the lower Volga in the pre-Mongol era. The
city of Saksin in the lower Volga was a major trade center in the twelfth
and first half of the thirteenth centuries6. Much of our information
about Saksin in the twelfth century is provided by the Spanish Arabic
traveller Abu Hamid al-Garnati who came to the city around 1131 and
remained there for most of the next two decades. Abu Hamid reported
that innumerable merchants of various nationalities as well as foreigners
and Arabs from the Magrib were to be found in Saksin. He also noted
that many Volga Bulgars lived in the middle of the city around a large
mosque while the people of Suvar, also inhabitants of the Volga Bulgar
state, had their own separate mosque7. Many of these
and Suvar residents of Saksin were undoubtedly merchants8.
In addition to Abu Hamid' s first-hand account, we possess another
contemporaneous report of Saksin's far-flung trade. In his History of
Tabaristdn, written about 12 15, Ibn Isfandiyár mentioned Saksin's
extensive trade with Amul along the south Caspian coast. Muslim
merchants from Irak, Syria, Khorasan, Tabaristàn and India travelled suzdalia's eastern trade 373
to Saksin via Amul and this trade apparently explains why up to 400
large sea ships made the trip across the Caspian between Saksin and
Amul each year. Besides the Trans-Caspian trade, Saksin was also
visited by merchants from Baku and Darband along the east Caucasian
coast and from Khwarezm in Central Asia9.
The available sources clearly demonstrate that the importance of
the lower Volga as a major international commercial center did not
end with the collapse of the Khazar kaganate. At some unknown time
after the demise of the Khazars, the city of Saksin arose in the lower
Volga to assume the role once performed by the Khazar capital of I til'.
By the middle of the twelfth century, Saksin was a famous and prosperous
trade center attracting merchants from both such neighboring lands as
the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the southern Caspian as well as from
such more distant regions of the East as India10.
In addition to Saksin, the Volga Bulgar lands in the region of the
Volga's juncti