The Prince of Novgorod () was the title of the ruler of Novgorod in present-day Russia. From 1136, it was the title of the figurehead leader of the Novgorod Republic.
The position was originally an appointed one until the late 11th or early 12th century, then became something of an elective one until the early 14th century, after which the grand prince of Vladimir (who was almost always the prince of Moscow) was almost invariably the prince of Novgorod as well.
The title originates sometime in the 9th century when, according to tradition, the Varangian chieftain Rurik and his brothers were invited to rule over the East Slavic and Finnic tribes of northwest Russia,Dmitry Likhachev, ed. and trans., Povest Vremennikh Let (Moscow and Augsburg: Im Werden Verlag, 2003), 7. but reliable information about it dates only to the late 10th century when Vladimir, the youngest son of Sviatoslav I, was made the prince of Novgorod.
During the reign of Ivan III, the title was restored and Novgorod was included in the title of the Russian monarch, which lasted until the abdication of Nicholas II of Russia in 1917. After Novgorod was formally annexed by Moscow in 1478, Ivan assumed the title of sovereign of all Russia.
History
From the early 12th century, the prince's power in the Novgorod Republic was more nominal. Imperial and Soviet-era scholars often argued that the office was ineffectual after 1136, when Prince Vsevolod Mstislavich was dismissed by the Novgorodians, and that Novgorod could invite and dismiss its princes at will.Boris Grekov, "Revoliutsiia v Novgorode v XII veke," Uchenye zapiski Instituta Istorii Rossiiskoi assotsiatsii nauchno-issledovatel'skikh institutov obshchestvennykh nauk (RANION) vol. 4 (1929): 13-21; V. L. (Valentin Lavrent'evich) Yanin, "Problemy sotsial'noi organizatsii novgorodskoi respubliki," Istoriia SSSR, 1 (1970), 44; Valentin Yanin, Novgoroskie Posadniki (Moscow: Yazyki Slavianskoi kul'tury, 2003), 64-135. In this way, the prince of Novgorod was no longer the "ruler" of Novgorod but became an elective or appointed official of the city-state.Michael C. Paul, "Was the Prince of Novgorod a 'Third-rate bureaucrat' after 1136?" Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas 56, No. 1 (Spring 2008): 72-113.
That being said, the traditional view of the prince being invited in or dismissed at will is an oversimplification of a long and complex history of the office. In fact, from the late 10th century until its formal annexation in 1478, the princes of Novgorod were dismissed and invited only about half the time, and the vast majority of these cases occurred between 1095 and 1293, and not consistently so during that period. That is, the office was elective for perhaps two centuries and even then it was not always elective.Paul, "Was the Prince of Novgorod a 'Third-rate bureaucrat' after 1136?" 94-97. Even during this period, the nadir of princely power in the city, more powerful princes could assert their power independently over the city, as did Mstislav the Bold in the early 13th century, Alexander Nevsky in the 1240s and 1250s, his brother Iaroslav in the 1260s and 1270s, and others.Michael C. Paul, "The Iaroslavichi and the Novgorodian Veche 1230-1270: A Case Study on Princely Relations with the Veche," Russian History/ Histoire Russe 31, No. 1-2 (Spring-Summer, 2004): 39-59.
According to a remark in the chronicles, Novgorod had the right, after 1196, to pick their prince of their own free will,Arseny Nasonov, ed., Novgorodskaia Pervaia Letopis Starshego i mladshego izvodov (Moscow and Leningrad, ANSSSR, 1950), 43, 236; Novgorodskaia chetvertaia letopis, vol. 4 of Polnoe Sobranie Russkikh Letopisei (Moscow: Iazyki russkoi kul'tury, 2000), 177; George Vernadsky, Kievan Russia (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1948), 197. but again, evidence suggests that even after that, princes were chosen and dismissed only about half the time, and Novgorod often chose the most powerful prince in Rus' as their prince.N. L. (Natalia L'vovna) Podvigina, Ocherki sotsial'no-ekonomicheskoi i politicheskoi istorii Novgoroda Velikogo v XII-XIII vv. (Moscow: Vysshaia shkola, 1976), 114; Paul, "Was the Prince of Novgorod a 'Third-rate bureaucrat' after 1136?" 82-94. That usually meant that the prince in Kiev, Vladimir or Moscow (who retained the title of grand prince of Vladimir from about the 1320s onward, although there were several interruptions), either took the title himself or appointed his son or other relative to be prince of Novgorod. At times other princes, from Tver, the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and elsewhere, also vied for the Novgorodian throne. Thus, Novgorod did not really choose its prince, but considering the political climate, they often very prudently went with the most senior or most powerful prince in the land if he did not impose himself (or his candidate) upon them.
What was different about Novgorod, then, was not so much that Novgorod could freely choose its princes – it could not. Rather, what was unique was that no princely dynasty managed to establish itself within the city and take permanent control over the city. Rather, while other Rus' cities had established dynasties, the more powerful princes vied for control of Novgorod the Great, a most-desirable city to control given the vast wealth (from trade in furs) that flowed into the city in the medieval period.On the fur trade, see Janet Martin, Treasure of the Land of Darkness: The Fur Trade and Its Significance for Medieval Russia (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1985); Paul, "Was the Prince of Novgorod a 'Third-Rate Bureaucrat' after 1136?"; see also the relevant sections (re: Novgorod) in Janet Martin, Medieval Russia: 980-1584, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995).
In the absence of firmer princely control the local elites, the boyars, took control of the city and the offices of posadnik and tysyatsky became elective.See Yanin, Novgoroskie Posadniki. The veche (public assembly) played a not insignificant role in public life, although the precise makeup of the veche and its powers is uncertain and still contested among historians. The posadnik, tysiatsky, and even the local bishop or archbishop (after 1165) were elected at the veche, and it is said the veche invited and dismissed the prince as well.
List of princes List based on Michael C. Paul (2008).
First princes Prince Born Reign Death Consort NotesRurik I ?862-879879Unknownat least one sonOleg the Seer ?879-912912UnknownVarangian kniaz of Novgorod and Kiev. His relationship with the family is unknown. He was probably a regent, in name of Igor, son of Rurik.Igor I the OldIgor Rurikovich c.878Son of Rurik I912-945945Iskorostenaged 66–67901 or 902at least one sonSon of Rurik.Saint Olga of Kiev c.890Pskov945-96211 July 969Kievaged 78–79Regent on behalf of her minor son, she was baptized by Emperor Constantine VII but failed to bring Christianity to Kiev.Sviatoslav I the BraveSviatoslav Igorevich c.942possibly KievSon of Igor I and Olga962-969March 972Predslavac.954two childrenMalusha/MalfridaVladimir Plougin: Russian Intelligence Services: The Early Years, 9th-11th Centuries, Algora Publ., 2000History of Ukraine-Rus': From prehistory to the eleventh century, Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, 1997c.958at least one son
Dominance of Grand Prince of Kiev (970–1088) From 970 to 1088, the Grand Prince of Kiev was the patron of the Prince of Novgorod. Prince Born Reign Death Consort NotesVladimir I the GreatVladimir Sviatoslavich c.958BudnikSon of Sviatoslav I and Malusha/Malfrida969-977979-98815 July 1015Berestove, Kiev aged 57–58Olava/Allogiac.977at least one sonA Greek nun (widow of his brother)c.980at least one sonRogneda of Polotskc.978(possibly in bigamy)eight childrenAdela (of Bulgaria?)at least two children (maximum four)Malfrida (of Bohemia?)Before 1000two childrenAnna Porphyrogenita of Byzantium988Chersonthree childrenRegelindis (?) of Saxony (granddaughter of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor)After 1011one or two daughtersUnknowntwo childrenHis early rule is characterized by a staunch pagan reaction but in 988 he was baptized into Orthodoxy and successfully converted Kievan Rus' to Christianity.Yaropolk IYaropolk Sviatoslavich c.950Son of Sviatoslav I and Predslava977-979980Fort of Roden, near Kanivaged 29–30A Greek nunat least one sonViacheslav IViacheslav Vladimirovich 977Son of Vladimir I and Olava/Allogia988-1010c.1010Novgorodaged 32–33Annabefore 1052at least two childrenYaroslav I the WiseYaroslav Vladimirovich c.978Son of Vladimir I and Rogneda of Polotsk1010-103420 February 1054Vyshhorodaged 75–76Ingigerda of Sweden1019Novgorodeight or nine childrenDuring his reign Kievan Rus' reached the pinnacle of its power.Vladimir IIVladimir Yaroslavich 1020Son of Yaroslav I and Ingigerda of Sweden1034-10524 October 1052Novgorodaged 31–32Annabefore 1052at least two childrenIziaslav IIziaslav Yaroslavich c.1024Son of Yaroslav I and Ingigerda of Sweden1052-1054 3 October 1078Nizhynaged 53–54Gertrude of Poland1043three childrenFirst King of Rus', Pope Gregory VII sent him a crown from Rome in 1075.Mstislav IMstislav Iziaslavichbefore 1054Son of Iziaslav I and Gertrude of Poland1054-10671069aged at least 14-15Unknownone childGleb IGleb Sviatoslavich 1052Son of Sviatoslav II of Kiev and Cecilia1067-107830 May 1078Novgorodaged 25–26UnmarriedSviatopolk ISviatopolk Iziaslavich 8 November 1050Son of Iziaslav I and Gertrude of Poland1078-108826 April 1113Vyshhorodaged 62 (Barbara?) of BohemiaAccording to A. Nazarenko. It was thought not long ago that the first wife of Sviatopolk was Barbara Komnene, a supposed daughter of Alexios I Komnenos. However, the lack of tradition of such a name in the Byzantine Empire led to doubt. Today she may be considered fictional.c.1085three childrenOlenna of the Kipchaksc.1094four childrenAlso Grand Prince of Kiev
Contested control (1088–1230) From 1088 to 1230, control over Novgorod was contested between various princely houses, and between them and the city itself. In 1136, the citizenry of Novgorod established the Novgorod Republic, and henceforth – in theory, though not always in practice – elected and dismissed its city officials, including the prince.