For the last seventy years medieval Novgorod has been the subject of intensive archaeological investigation. The most important event in the early history of the north-west region of Rus' was its temporary subjection to the power of the Scandinavians. From the beginning of the twelfth century onwards, problems associated with landholding became the central issues in the economic and political history of Novgorod. A major landmark in the development of the boyar state was the establishment at the end of the twelfth century of the post of republican 'thousander', as a result of which the 'hundreds' system passed out of the jurisdiction of the prince into the jurisdiction of the boyar republic. At the very beginning of the century a permanent military danger arose on the western borders of the Novgorod lands, from the Teutonic order of knights who had settled on the Baltic. The confrontation between Novgorod and Moscow intensified from decade to decade.

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the development of the Russian state and society, and political, economic and social issues, including the law, the Orthodox Church and intellectual and cultural life. It first covers the history of medieval Novgorod across the entire period, from its origins to its annexation by Moscow. The book then deals with aspects of the period as a whole. Finally, a purely thematic organisation is adopted, in view of the degree of political continuity within the period. The most significant development in the recent historiography of the pre-Petrine period of Russian history was the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, which brought to an end the official privileging of ideologically driven Marxist approaches to the study of history, imposed and enforced by censorship and other forms of control.