Principality of Rostov

Origins

Rostov is one of the oldest towns of north-eastern Rus', first mentioned in 862 in the land of the Finnic Merya, and was long the seat of a bishop. In 1207 Vsevolod the Big Nest gave it to his eldest son Konstantin, and his descendants ruled it as a principality within the Vladimir-Suzdal lands.

Rule and society

Rostov was a religious and commercial centre with a long tradition of chronicle writing. Its prince Vasilko Konstantinovich was captured and killed by the Mongols after the Battle of the Sit in 1238. Later the principality was split between two lines, each ruling half the town, and it became a minor power between Moscow and Tver.

Decline and legacy

Moscow's influence grew through the 14th century, and the Rostov princes sold the first half of their rights to Moscow in the 15th century. In 1474 the last princes sold the remaining half to Ivan III. The town remained a great church centre, and its kremlin was built by Metropolitan Jonah in the 17th century.