Novgorod in the Early Middle Ages: The Rise and Growth of an Urban Community

This book represents the first attempt for a century to write a general history of medieval Novgorod during the period of its independence. It synthesises a huge amount of documentary and archaeological evidence, and rather than adopt a simple narrative approach chooses to focus on a few key themes. The first section takes a look at the landscape of medieval Novgorod both natural and man made and examines the processes whereby 3 settlements were joined to form the city of Novgorod. The second part looks at the failure of secular authority in the city and the rise to power of the archbishops, whilst the third part looks at the theological arguments put foward by the church for civic unity, and the attempts of the archbishops to promote and idealised version of the city's past.